Church should be about life change!
LivE worship & relevant biblical teaching are a catalyst for life change
I believe that one of the things that should matter most to a church is that lives are changed. I believe that life change can happen through many different ways. But I believe that it happens most often when the body of Christ gets together. I believe it happens most when people are excited about what is going to happen in the gathering of the church. I believe it happens most when people know that when they get together that God is going to be worshipped and that the Gospel message is going to be shared. I believe it happens most when the church gathers together and sees life change happen in the gathering. Now I know there are people that are going to say well that is a nice idea but that just is not true that just does not happen today.
Well, if you are a person that says that then I want you to know then you have a problem with the Bible. As I read through the Bible it happens a lot in fact it happens so often that through out the book of Acts they start to keep track of all the people that respond. Acts 1:15 (NLT) “120 believers were present”, Acts 2:41 (NLT) “and added to the church about three thousand that day,” Acts 2:47 (NLT) “And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.”
Nothing has changed from that time until now except the people of the church. I believe that this can, does, and will happen. By the authority of the Bible I believe that live worship and relevant biblical teaching is the catalyst to life change. We are not going to be a church where we are there to be silent. We don’t do that at a football game. Why should we at church? We don’t do that at a party. Why should we at church? My prayer and vision for our gatherings are that they will be exciting and alive. That our gatherings will be a place that people are excited to come too. That the men of the families will not have drug problems. They will not be DRUG to church by their families. That they will not leave skid marks from the parking lot to inside. That these gatherings will be a place where people run head on into the saving message of Jesus Christ. We are going to be unapologetic about Jesus and that through the gospel message lives will be changed.
What do you think about church and the services that you have gone too?
"Psycho for Jesus" Scott Bloyer 
I’ve debated for a couple of days as to whether or not to gently push back a little on you, my friend! 🙂 I love your heart but I think I disagree with you on the best context for life change. I don’t think it’s a worship service.
I think it’s in community, a life group, small group. That’s the model Jesus left us, even in the early church, the life change happened in smaller groups. Most churches in that time frame could fit in a small house. Application and accountability best work in smaller groups. It’s a safer place to ask questions and be vulnerable, to confess – and these are necessary for life change.
Worship service is meaningful – it can give fuel for the soul, inspire, increase our knowledge – but the ability to hear a sermon and go out and do nothing with it is astounding…and it happens everyday. I think our services should be excellent…but for life change and leadership development, I’d put my eggs in small groups.
April 10, 2009 at 1:46 PM
I am so glad that you feel free to comment. I thank you for taking the time to read number one and number two to give a different opinion. Praise God that in these areas we can agree to disagree. What I said I still believe is true. I see that when Jesus spoke or when one of the disciples spoke that is where life change began as the Holy spirit used the words to “cut to the heart” as in Peter’s preaching on the day of pentecost. It was then and there that people asked “what must we do.” I think that like the value I have for the church start was the catalyst for life change. I do agree that we need the community. I believe that in that group what ever you name it life, community, house, or support is where life change is sustained and encouraged to reach to be more like Christ. I agree that for leadership it should be in a small group. But it is my conviction that we need services that are lead by the Holy Spirit and that the Gospel is presented is where life change starts. Jesus spoke and people then made a choice, Peter spoke and people then made a choice, Paul spoke and people made a choice. Why is it that we see it in scripture but we don’t see that today? What makes the difference? I feel that we have made services the place where we can get our warm fuzzy’s and that we don’t expect God to show up and change lives. Thanks for the push back and I thank you that we are able to look at this small area of faith and challenge one another. Praise God that we can do that and know that we are still going to stand in the presence of Christ at the end of our life.
April 10, 2009 at 5:26 PM
The danger of seeing worship this way is that it now becomes about us, not God. Worship could then be seen to be about what is best for us (humanity) and what will change us as opposed to what brings God glory, what is pleasing to God.
We’re about to kick off a new series called “connecting.” The spiritual disciplines exist to connect us to God so that His Spirit can change us to look more like Jesus. We notice three arenas in which these disciplines take place – individual, corporate, and community. We’re seeing both in scripture and in current culture that the place where life change BEST happens in in this community/small/life/cell group structure.
Doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen in the other arenas. Means there is a ceiling, a limit to it without the others present.
April 10, 2009 at 8:53 PM
I totally agree that can be the danger of a worship service, but isn’t worship more then just the service. The prayer and vision is that we are preaching Jesus, preaching the life changing message of the Gospel, that we are talking about Jesus. That He and only He changes lives. That singing a song either in your car or in a service is about worshipping Jesus. I am glad that you are teaching that series. Sounds great. So does that mean through your community groups the gospel message presented? Is that where people are given the opportunity to trust in Christ? Or is that going to happen in a service where their friends are going to see or hear someone make a decision to follow Christ. Then as their friends see them make that decision get them to become involved in their community groups, because they are already friends and they brought them to a service so they can hear about Jesus. Just trying to see if we are really talking anything different or just using different words to say the same thing.
April 10, 2009 at 10:13 PM
Ideally or reality? .ha ha ha.
I’ve been here 3 months so the reality is we are in the middle of shifting to this 3 prong attack of individual, corporate, and community.
Worship is Jesus focused, vertical. Designed so that everyone has an encounter with the Holy. Experience the presence of Jesus. Yes, there are opportunities to respond but our Life Group leaders are the key in this. We’re giving them a guide for every service to lead their groups through the same stuff we’re teaching/experiencing on Sunday morning.
Hopefully, the guide helps our leaders put skin on what happened, pushes a bit deeper, digs a bit deeper. Helps apply what we’re learning and encountering together.
As far as entry points into the Gospel – you can never have enough, right? Our mission push is through these groups as well….adopting a school, Topeka Rescue Mission, Goombi Indian Reservation – our life groups adopt these opportunities and serve together.
We’re still morphing this direction.
April 11, 2009 at 6:37 AM