Don't drop over in excitement, but I'm on a roll for me with all these posts. Anyway, tonights post comes in the form of a question that I have that was spurred on while reading a book. Here it is:
What would it mean to be a spiritual church?
give me your thoughts!
Blessings
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If I don't write it down, People think I'm crazy when they hear me talking to myself
- Scott Williams
- I'm just a guy on a great big wonderful journey with his family to discover all that God has planned for us in this breath of time we call life.
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6 comments:
I'm curious about the word "spiritual". It seems that you and Dawn have both used that term in recent posts--"spiritual church" , "spiritual people". I guess if I asked what do you mean by spiritual I'd be asking you the question you asked almost.
So my immediate, honest reply to the question is, "Are we aiming for a "spiritual church"? If somebody invited me to church and said, "our church is very spiritual", the first thing I would think is that it's Unitarian. I would picture organic people with long hair and crystals in the rear view mirror. They would carry their voice as if they were high and we'd all sit on the floor and have hummus and crackers before church. Church would be really soothing, but not Truth.
So I know that's not what you mean by "spiritual", but maybe because of the way I've been cultured and what I've been exposed to, that's what comes to mind. Buddhists are spiritual, Unitarians are spiritual, New Age is spiritual. I guess I see the end goal of "spirituality" ending with self spirit rather than the Spirit of God.
I didn't mean to get all wordy. What do'ya think?
In Dawn's post she poses this question: "Is our definition of spiritual people the same as God's?" I think my answer to that is no most of the time. Spiritual people do drum up images of people that you describe. I think that God's definition of a "spiritual person" would be one who is filled with the holy spirit and following the spirit's guidance with their lives.
I think, for me, the question is birthed out of a desire for the spirit to have control over my life, as well as, the life of those in the church I attend. It seems to me that many have made their "spiritual" life a series of things that have to be done. (attendance, suits, etc) rather than a life. Hope that helps.
Typed with laughter: so then give us definition of being filled with the Holy Spirit...
That's the question that I'm trying to get you and others to help me flush out.
Rather than give the "correct" answer (imo), I'll share a few events in the past few weeks that might be of use. Some people may write off a Spiritual movement or a miracle movemment as something unreproduceable or a "special time where God's hand came down on a place or person, etc." But I am in full agreement with a recent sermon I heard from a Ukranian Pastor (Sunday Adelaja) who preached that we are to stop praying for revival as though it is some event that will eventually show up at our doorstep, and start being a revival and see what God does. Their was more to it, but anyway...
Last night our small group gathered together to pray for the sick to see them recover. We do this weekly. It's the main purpose of our meeting. We worship, we share, and then we get to business. (http://ministrytraining.org/html/07-06-02.html) We see miracles almost weekly. Sometimes we see nothing. Sometimes it's a process. Sometimes it's instant. We are determined to bring to life the Word of God. Sandy and I do this ministry with mostly older people in their 50's and above. This week an 80 year old woman testified to running up stairs, walking six blocks, and full of life after having trouble making it from the car to the house to last weeks meeting. Another man's cancer had gone from over 100 tumors down to 9. Another man breathed clearly that week for the first time in decades. Those are just few testimonies of this week. Another woman still shows up weekly, still believing after 9 months of cancer treatments.
other example:
Two nights ago we got together at the house of a family who is in threat of divorce. It is a godly man with four children and a wife who is phycologically unstable. She has begun the papers and wants the kids, etc. A group of twenty or so of us young adults went over to contend in prayer for his marriage and family. 3-4 hours later, we had sung our voices out, interceded in every room in the house, laid hands on him, cried out to God, remained silent before God, etc. There was literal crying out to God. There was declaring the promises of God over His people. There was all kinds of stuff. We believe we shook the heavens and principalities and that things will happen because of it.
Last week:
one of our guys was on his way home from my men's small group (where scott lee has been and has seen the operation of prophecy, words of knowledge, and even God revealing where injury was in the room and that person receiving immediate, miraculous dissappearing pain-- these are just dudes getting together and believing that God will show up. An athlete heard from God, and a roofer prayed the prayer for the landscaper. it's available to us) Anyway, Eric was on his way home on his motorcycle and was hit by a drunk driver and then ran over by another car behind him. An hour later there were 26 young adults crying out to God in the E.R. They didn't know what to do with the group. They knew who we were (because we've done it there before). Eric came out of that hospital with no broken bones and no internal damage. A few strawberries and a missing thumbnail was all. The police that arrived on the scene when he was picked up were "sure that he was not going to make it. That he was going to be dead before the night was over." Eric's response to the dr.'s question while being operated on of "How are you doing?" was "Incredible. You want to know why?" and the preaching began.
Other example:
a couple of weeks ago I got a call around 11 p.m. "Jonathan, meet us at pioneer park on the river! Two guys just gave their lives to Christ and want to be baptized."
These stories could go on and on and on. Here's what I believe to be the key: being 100% responsible for your 100% personal revival and running with folks who are responsible with theirs.
At the root of all of these guys is this: consistent daily time in the Word, consistent daily time in prayer, consistet daily obedience to what they read and prayed and heard in prayer, consistent daily taking up the cross, and daily operating under the power of the Holy Spirit. Is it that easy? Yes, it's that easy. Just be careful how you define daily taking up your cross and operating under the Holy Spirit.
sheesh, these posts just keep getting longer and longer
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