Change

Change happens.  It is a simple truth of life.  Everything changes.  We do not have any choice in whether or not change will happen.  We do, however, have a choice on how we choose to embrace change.  We can attempt to fight it, being frustrated by it, or we can get in front of change influencing the process.

We live in the middle of a rural agricultural area that has many farmers who have embraced change.  Over the last twenty years the nature of farming has changed considerably.  So much so, that those who refused to embrace change are likely no longer farming at all. 

God is in the business of change.  While God is eternal and unchanging in nature, he is in the business of changing people.  It is called transformation.  God himself actually changed, without compromising his eternal nature, as he was born in a real human body.  As God became a man, God embraced a new manifestation of his presence while not changing the essence of who he is.  Jesus is the perfect representation of God.  God is in the business of transforming people to look more and more like Jesus.  So the hard question is, if we are adverse to change are we actually adverse to what God wants from us?

Growth brings change.  It is simply a fact.  We cannot grow in maturity in Christ and not change.  So why would we expect that the things of God should not change?  We should be surprised when things of God are not changing.  When churches remain the same as everything else in the world is changing, is that possibly an indication that the church is not listening to God?  I suggest that is exactly what is happening.

Community Prayer

The idea of praying with other followers of Jesus can be intimidating. In fact, the closest that many people come to praying with others is in listening to a pastor pray during a Sunday morning service. The reluctance of God’s people to join in community prayer is foreign to the New Testament. Throughout the New Testament we observe God’s people engaged in and encouraged in community prayer.

Prayer is simply communication with God. Prayer in community is simply communication with God together. In his book, Together in Prayer, Andrew Wheeler writes, “Consistent, ongoing prayer for life-change is simply not a part of the experience of most small groups; and yet, such prayer may be the single most empowering thing that a small group could do to develop Christlike character in its members.” (p. 18)

In his letter to the church in Thessalonica, Paul instructed that God’s will for them was to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances...” (1 Thes. 5:16-18). We have so individualized our spiritual lives that we lose site of the fact that this command was written to the Christian community called the church. God’s heart for us is that we would seek him with others as well as on our own.

We become frustrated with the lack of life-change in our lives. The struggle we face with guilt, and trying, and more guilt, and more trying until we finally decide to give up all together is very real. We get together in a group with fellow followers of Jesus and we talk about our problem in trying and failing, and then we go home and try it again. We never think of bringing God into our conversation, allowing what he might have to say guide our transformation.

Authentic prayer that is based in Scripture prayed in the context of Christian community leads to life transformation. Prayer in community was a normal part of life for the church described in the New Testament. It should be normal for our lives as well.

Why Multi-site?

As we begin a new chapter in the life of Trinity Church it is important that we have clarity in our direction as a church family. We have begun a journey that will transform our church from meeting together in one location to meeting together in many locations throughout the rural region in which we live.

One of the most important things that leaders do is ask questions. As a leadership team, it is really important that we not only ask questions but that we ask the right questions.

The question we used to ask as leaders was, “How many people can we reach from here?” As a leadership team we believe we needed to add one letter to that question that ends up changing the answer radically. The question that we are asking now, as a church leadership team is, “How many people can we reach from there?” This question switches the focus from us to those who are far from God. This question is about going to where people are instead of expecting them to come to us.

Communities of people in need of life-giving churches surround us. So what if we switch from expecting people to come to us to going to them? The goal is to be the church in the communities in which we live not to have people come to a church building.

The vision is that we would be in more locations, so that God can use us to make more disciples, seeing an area transformed by God’s presence. The reason? For God’s glory, that there would be more people transformed by Jesus Christ for God’s glory.

Unself... moving from me to we in community

God is in the business of bringing change to the world in which we live. The question many of us face is, how can we really change? We try and strive but end up on a merry-go-round of effort and failure. I believe real change happens when we learn to pray God’s Word. That is why our next series is not only going to focus on what God’s Word says but on praying it into our lives so it becomes who we are.

Our society is consumed with self. We are self-preoccupied people. The life that Jesus calls us to is the exact opposite of the "self-life" of our culture. As followers of Jesus instead of being consumed with self, we are supposed to be consumed with a love for God and a love for others that moves us toward being servants to the world around us.

This series will look at seven Psalms from the nation of Israel that are totally relevant to transforming our lives. We will see how we can overcome such "self-problems" as self-centeredness, self-assertiveness, self-righteousness, self-pity, self-service, self-sufficiency, and self-love by praying these Psalms together. God wants us to make a difference in this world for his glory but it requires that we Unself.

Why Groups?

The foundation of Christian community described in Acts 2, was the foundation of the local church. The mission of the local church has always been to carry out God’s instruction to love him and love people and then to go to the world with the good news of Christ. To be on mission with God requires a connection with God’s people.

One of my previous ministry positions was as a group’s pastor. In that role, I spent a lot of time telling people to get into groups so that they could grow. But what I have discovered is I was wrong. The motivation for every follower of Jesus to be connected in a group is because it is the best place to love others and serve the world. The description of Christian community in the Bible is not as much about personal growth as it is about God’s glory being revealed in God’s disciple making mission. Don’t get me wrong, growth will be the result, but it is not the motivation.

Groups are simply people joined together in relationship through being partnered together in God’s mission of making disciples. Groups come in all different shapes and sizes, but the goal is the same; partnering with God in his mission of life transformation. Groups that are active in that mission, flourish. Groups that join together for only part of that mission, such as friendships alone, tend to flounder.

So a group that is on mission together in pursuing God’s disciple making mission will experience Christian community the way God designed.