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This is awesome! Another black sheep has returned to the fold - WELCOME Mile 20!!
This is of course in response to your comments here.
No. You can’t throw water on the post. This is a DIALOGUE, not a LECTURE. So your comments aren’t water at all but rather a HUGE, NEEDED PIECE of the conversation!
Points I wholeheartedly agree with you on…
If you are not having meaningful worship times during the week, then the group times will be just another event.
Man, how true is that? Not just on worship. I’d argue that the teaching/sermon on Sunday morning is ‘just another event’ if you haven’t had any meaningful study times in the week.
Do other things in the group and encourage worship in personal situations.
Again - home run thought. But how does one encourage? If we ‘encourage’ as we normally do - via instruction and lecture - I think it puts us right back in the evangelical gettho of knowing so much and doing so little.
Is my critique fair? In other words, I’d ‘argue’ that instruction alone will not (has not) work. Does practice make perfect?
Stuff I’m less sure about
a group that is Forced/purposely different
That’s funny considering those of us who are kicking around this discussion. We are all nut jobs! I suspect that most us are this way not because we WANT to be but because …well….we just are that way.
Every Life Group is different - there is no “master plan.” I would not like being in a group that all they did was sit in a circle and study the scripture. I want to try to encounter Christ in different ways…and yeah, alot of them have the possibility of not working, or not feeling comfortable…but there is a chance that one of them will work. One of them could provide a spark or insight or movement…I have to try.
Worship alone, without community is sweet - but incomplete. God calls us to do worship in both contexts - individually and communally.
Worship in community, without individual is the recipe for a ‘whitwashed tomb.’ Looks alive on the inside, but dead on the inside.
The journey to a disciplined/spiritual formational life starts with uncomfortable choices and situations…it’s seems that Socrates was right…the greatest threat to finding the truth is contentment!
What do you think?
3 responses so far ↓
1 Mile20 // Oct 6, 2005 at 11:11 am
How do you start a new post on this site rather than a comment? You have no formating options on a comment. I think forums work better for this type of discussion than a blog.
Your statement (I can’t italicize!):
“I want to try to encounter Christ in different ways…and yeah, alot of them have the possibility of not working, or not feeling comfortable…but there is a chance that one of them will work.”
I like to experiment in my own personal time. I have some preferences for what work best for me. I probably would never blurt out a name of God in church or go write something on a prayer wall. Encouragements to do so are just a little annoying. Would I feel close to God if I did? I doubt it, because I do not do that in my personal worship time.
I guess you have to go back to what you are trying to do. Are you trying to motivate the average semi-committed, but basically lazy believer who goes to church and life group but does not do much else (wants to do more, but is too “busy”), then yeah, what you do during your church/group time is it for them. They “got nothin” as far as an experience with God and exposure to different means of tapping into their heart may be helpful, because they have not tried much other than the typical church things.
But, what about those that have figured out how to drop down into the heart and act in that other life. They probably already have some preferences for what works best for them. Not that there are not other practices they have not tried that they might benefit from.
We sing, preach, discuss and share because it works, or can work when done right.
Just some more rambling thoughts.
2 Grant // Oct 6, 2005 at 5:55 pm
ha ha !!! A new class of believer - the lazy believer!
if you think getting this crew to blog is difficult - what are the chances of a discussion board? ha ha..
Seriously - So back to the original question - as a leader, what is your responsibility to the lazy ones, if any? Do we not have a responsibility to lead - to disrupt their privately ordered world that is void of God - and at the very least force them into making a choice to engage or not? Is that not discipleship?
For me the crazy ideas are exactly for the ones who are getting it from their head to their heart. Find one that works, do it. Try others. Take others on the journey knowing that at first they are going to ‘not like, feel uncomfortable, whatever…
Which of course brings up a whole other question - since when was worship about our comfort? Our likes? Our tastes? Worship - at it’s essence - is a response to God. And, like you so eloquantly pointed out, so many ‘believers’ have never listened to God to even have a response.
I still say try ‘em. ha haha.
3 Mile20 // Oct 7, 2005 at 11:16 am
I feel little responsibility to the lazy ones, as I think Jesus probably did. You may not have that luxury since you are being paid to deal with about 200 of them.
Having said that, I would have to say that many of my adult and youth life group members fall into this category, yet I am still involved. I am not sure how long I will keep this up. One only has so much time and we need to be smart about how we use it. At least that is the model Jesus seemed to use. He opposed self-righteous, sent the marginal on their way, and went deep with the poor in spirit.
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