Buzz Words:
For an entire year, the Administration Board took the first thirty minutes of each monthly meeting to discuss Eric Swanson and Rick Rusaw’s book, The Externally Focused Quest. Hope Fellowship’s leadership came away from this study with three words and two phrases that we want everyone to embrace. The purpose of this column is to introduce these new (at least to us) buzz words and phrases to you.
Believe: By definition, Christians are believers in the Divine Being who reveals himself in the Bible as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The church is called to defend and promote the Christian faith, which the apostle Paul summarized well when he wrote, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). God created us to believe.
Belong: Relationships rejuvenate us and communities identify us. Hermits are relatively rare. Most of us are happy to have friends, families, colleagues and neighbours. Believers have always been glad to be part of faith communities and spiritual families where they can feel at home and receive and extend support to each other. God created us to belong.
Blessing: Humans can be selfish, but those who live only for themselves tend to lead miserable and shallow lives. Our spirits are lifted and our sense of purpose is heightened when we help others. Even depressed persons feel better when they shift their attention away from their problems to the problems of others. God also created us to be a blessing.
Separate Entry Points:
Although everyone is created to believe, belong and bless, not everyone is ready to embrace all three at once by following Jesus, attending church and serving others. Imagine, instead, these three things as separate entry points into a full, healthy spiritual life.
For example, someone might not believe in Jesus yet, but by attending one of our youth groups or social events she could feel a sense of belonging that opens them to gospel message. Someone else might not want anything to do with the church, but by pitching in on a Service Saturday he may become open to attending a small group or a worship service.
The goal, then, is to have every ministry at Hope Fellowship offer opportunities that grow belief, that invite a sense of belonging and that offer ways to be a blessing in this world. In the words of the authors of The Externally Focused Church, “Believing is our connection to Christ, belonging is our connection to like-minded believers, and blessing is our ministry to a broken world” (p. 57). And experiencing these three often begins by experiencing one.
No Particular Order:
For example, someone might not believe in Jesus yet, but by attending one of our youth groups or social events she could feel a sense of belonging that opens them to gospel message. Someone else might not want anything to do with the church, but by pitching in on a Service Saturday he may become open to attending a small group or a worship service.
The goal, then, is to have every ministry at Hope Fellowship offer opportunities that grow belief, that invite a sense of belonging and that offer ways to be a blessing in this world. In the words of the authors of The Externally Focused Church, “Believing is our connection to Christ, belonging is our connection to like-minded believers, and blessing is our ministry to a broken world” (p. 57). And experiencing these three often begins by experiencing one.
No Particular Order:
Whereas we used to think that belief comes first, then belonging, and then blessing, these three things happen in no specific order. Belief in Jesus may come first, but it might also come last or somewhere in between. It’s fluid, not linear. Like the Celtic Knot pictured here.
Internally Strong: To offer these three entry points to others, we need to be a healthy, functional community that gets along and has lots to offer. So our prayer is that we be internally strong.Summing Up:
Externally Focused: But no-one, especially those who are skeptical about churches, is impressed with self-absorbed people or communities. So our prayer is also that we become more externally focused.
God created each person to believe, to belong and to be a blessing. For that to happen, the body of Christ must be internally strong and externally focused.
And now you know the latest buzz from your church leaders!
- Pastor Peter
And now you know the latest buzz from your church leaders!
- Pastor Peter
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