Comments on: What If Church is Really About the Lost?

By: Mark Vincenti

Mark Vincenti — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 23:03:13 +0000

A picture that God once put in my mind was that of a first aid tent stationed beside the gates of hell.
This picture spoke quite loudly to me about the role of Christians in the world. Do we really believe Jesus’ words that, “it is not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick?”
We are commanded in the book of Jude, “Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment.” (22, 23)
May God use me (and us) to be rescuers of others from the flames of judgment! Revival fire fall, and start with me. Amen.

By: Tom Blaylock

Tom Blaylock — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 07:45:47 +0000

Bishop, my prayer for you today is that you “do not grow weary in well doing.” My hope for our tribe is that we recapture somehow, some way, what it means to be a movement of God once again. We see glimpses of that here and there, but my heart longs for joining arms with our brothers and sisters and having the exact impact upon this culture and world that God has uniquely designed and called us to have. This will not come cheaply.
As noted in the Borden book, there was a high up-front price to pay in transitioning from maintenance to mission, and there were some very unhappy (and unemployed) pastors along the way. As a hunter I resonate with your DNA analogy with the ranch in Texas. What I am unsure about is whether we as a group have the resolve, the tenacity, to do whatever it is going to take to become a movement of God that is faithfully AND fruitfully making disciples for Jesus Christ. Can we really “pull the trigger”? I pray that we do/can, and I believe that you and Pat and our ELT can lead us down that road.
You have done a good job stating the goal. I would love to hear a follow-up discussion about our current reality (a pair of outside eyes would be most helpful here), what options we have for going from that reality toward the goal, and which of those options we will choose and be held accountable for.

By: Michael Thompson

Michael Thompson — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 03:03:18 +0000

I believe that this revolves around some of the central issues facing church and denominational leadership today. The question needs to be raised, indeed pressed quite hard, to find where our theology is constructed. Sadly, there are many cases which show that our leadership and polity begin (and end) by moving away from our own fears and establishing our own securities.
But Bordon is certainly correct in his assesment, for it is imperative for the modern church to realize that salvation is not an end in and of itself. Rather, Scripture is straightforward in that salvation is a means to an end. N T Wright states repeatedly that the point of our faith is NOT ‘to go to heaven when we die’ but to see the kingdom be established and creation made right.
What does this mean for leadership? It is realizing how little Scripture speaks of ‘individual election’ and how it is permeated with a community called, chosen and elected to make a difference. In a culture as egocentric and individualistic as ours, this becomes a great challenge for the church.
But to begin this movement toward sound doctrine and polity, we must be willing to ask rather embarrasing questions and seek out painful remedies. Introspection is a good place to start. . .if we’ve got the guts to try.

By: Jim Bolich

Jim Bolich — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 18:16:20 +0000

Bishop, thank you for this post. I appreciate your unrelenting call to storm the gates of hell. I am anticipating great things from God this Sunday. To God be the glory!