Are Your Friends Becoming the Church?

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Especially for Christian leaders, if our friends are not becoming the church then there is something wrong. There is either something wrong with the way we are following Christ or there is something wrong with the way we are doing church, but church is to be the representation of Jesus himself in the world. That’s what Jesus said, that we his body, his hands and feet. He is the head. So when we look at Jesus’ ministry he actually was not that, the religious people were actually pretty turned off by him but who were attracted to Jesus were the average people who had gotten themselves in all kinds of moral messes, financial messes, they were partying, they were screwing up sexually and yet for some reason they were attracted to him. That’s why the religious leaders said, they had a derogatory term for Jesus, they called him “the friend of sinners”. Well if we who are supposedly following Christ and becoming his body as we follow him together are not seeing the same kind of impact in the world around us where people are gravitating toward following Jesus because there is something life giving about him, then we are not representing him well. So we’ve got to change something – either the way we are following Christ or the way we are doing church or the way we are engaging with our friends and neighbors.

What’s love got to do with it?

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Guest Blogger: Matt Jeffreys

Matt JeffreysIn May of 2008 Matt and his wife Sharon moved their family to Temecula to start a church for people far away from God. Today, Ridgeline is full of people finding faith and many who have begun to discover what it means to love God and love people. You can follow his blog at http://www.iamridgeline.com/matts-blog/

I saw a car today with about a dozen Christian stickers on it. Actually, stickers can’t be “Christian”…only people can, but you know what I’m talking about. Anyway, the back of this car was full of them, and several were just ridiculous. I thought more about what it really means to be Christian…what it means to be a follower of Christ.

I believe at the very core, it’s about love. It doesn’t seem like that’s the accepted understanding though. For too long the church has been fixated on the externals. You need to dress a certain way, act a certain way, vote a certain way.

You can almost hear church-goers ask… What’s love got to do with it?

You need to listen to a certain kind of music, only hang out with people who are “already convinced,” put your kids in Christian schools, read only a specific translation of the bible, and on and on it goes…

What’s love got to do with it?

I think we’ve lost the way. I think we’re asking the wrong questions, or more often, not asking questions at all. Jesus said, when asked by a few religious dudes which commandment was most important to God, “love God with ALL you are, and the second is tied directly to it, love those around you like you love yourself.” Jesus said if you can do these two things, you will fulfill all that God desires! Jesus also said that it was by the unique love we have for each other that the world would know we are indeed followers of Jesus.

What’s love got to do with it? EVERYTHING!

Ridgers, we may come up short in some areas, but we better not be found lacking in love! We’re gonna love those around us, those we come in contact with daily, and those God brings to Ridgeline. Republican or democrat, conservative or liberal, educated or uneducated, heterosexual or homosexual, under-resourced or over-resourced, black or white, we’re going to love. We’re going to love because God loves. We’re going to love because love changes hearts. We’re going to love because God loved us first. We’re going to love because it shows we really are followers of Jesus Christ.

It ain’t about stickers, or clothes, or music, or political affiliation. It’s about love. So let’s bring it!

See ya on the streets…

Growing your church by engaging “imperfect people”

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Please join us for a special conversation with John Burke, founder of Gateway Church and author of No Perfect People Allowed: Creating a Come-as-You-Are Culture in the Church.

From inspiring stories of real people once far from God, to practical ideas that can be applied by any local church, this special event will offer a refreshing vision of the potential and power of the Body of Christ to transform lives today.

You will learn how to attract more followers to your church, convert more visitors into active attenders, and become a magnet for more people to learn about Jesus.

Tue, Sep 14, 2010 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PDT

// Click Here for Free Registration to Webinar

The Vault

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the vault

Vault is Verve’s church planting lab where current and future church planters can learn how to start a church for people who don’t like church. There are lots of books and conferences on church planting, but they aren’t focused on how to start a church for the unconvinced and cynical. So … Verve is doing it.

Verve will take you into the vault, sharing principles learned over several effective new churches, and give you practical ideas to vault you into the future.

Put it in your calendar: October 18 – 20. The cost is $100 – yes, only $100 – and that includes three meals.

Details can be found here: Download the PDF Brochure

Interested? E-mail Kandyss at kandyss@vivalaverve.org to sign up.