Overcoming getting stuck!

The weekend away-day gave me an opportunity to brush up on some of my US enthusiasms.  Because the church's theme emphasized 'journey' and recognized that churches should be on the move whenever God is involved with them, I linked some of  John 15 themes with the 'journey' of four stages that I believe churches should grow through.

Initiation - marks the beginning of new Christians' faith commitment to Jesus Christ and a local church.  It is an exciting time.  Remember A.W.Tozer's words: 'Give me a new Christian before he has met too many other Christians and heard too many sermons.'  It's a great time developing the personal relationship - Jesus and me.

Integration - moves onto a stage of belonging to others where the group requires thinking 'Jesus and us'. However we might feel about each other (and every human group has its likes and dislikes) when Jesus call us to be branches in the Vine he chooses us rather than we choose him (v.16). And he chooses us together, to belong as brothers and sisters.  Only on this stage together can we practice discipleship and prayer properly.  Discipleship in the gospels involves learning with others and certainly corporate prayer cannot work any other way.  We need to belong in deeper ways as a cluster of branches.

Character formation -  this third stage takes the serious journey towards 'maturity' (Eph. 4:13) and expects a church to be modeling the qualities that were listed on the flip chart.  Growing together means we are becoming nicer, more humble, kind, patient and loving.  Those around us should be helping us be better people. Valuing others higher than ourselves practices maturing love as never before.

Missional living - dares to express how a whole people together model what it means to be a new kind of community - a holy nation, royal priesthood.  Like living stones, so practicing the kingdom way, living differently such good lives among neighbours that they 'may see your good deeds and glorify God' (1 Pet. 1:12).  Missional people realize they do not decide the mission agenda but God does. His mission is already underway in the neighborhood.  He longs for us to be a community of witness because we live so differently together as we join in with him on his mission.  And this living differently means joy and friendship of a quality just not possible outside Christ.

Some churches are stuck at an early stage - but Christ's invitation to belong to the vine encourages us to push on in the greatest journey in the world.