OpenSource Pastor

"Being" - Sermon Sunday, November 4, 2007

Here's a Clip from today's sermon:

... The Acts 2 church lived differently than the world. They put down arms when the armies around them were sharpening their swords. They shared everything while the world was greedy and hoarding. They were inclusive while the world was cast by rank and status. They were different in look, in feel, and in action. And, the Lord added to their number daily. 

If we are going to change our image then we have to start by being. If we are going to change the perceptions of the world then we have to start by being. What we know as church must change. We have a perception problem. People are walking away from Christianity because they rarely get an opportunity to experience the authentic Jesus...  


Full Audio: Being Sermon 

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BEING

My friend Marty Cauley introduced me to David Kinnaman's unChristian. Kinnaman's research publication is a prophetic call to the church to understand the perceptions of young adults  as they pertain to how young adults, actively involved in the church and those he defines as outsiders, see and feel about Christians.  This quote struck me: 
One outsider put it this way: "Most people I meet assume that Christian means every conservative, entrenched in their thinking, antigay, antichoice, angry, violent, illogical, empire builders; they want to convert everyone, and they generally cannot live peacefully with anyone who doesn't believe what they believe." (p26)        
He continues with stats on each pereception  concluding that this belifef by a new generation (that incudes those roughly 16-29 in 2007) creates a serious image problem. If pereception truly leads to a mispercieved reality then the challenge to reach a new generation with good news of Jesus Christ is greater than once thought.  This Sunday I'll conclude my ministry at Acts reflecting on BEING - Being Christian, Being Church, Being Change for the World. If we are truly going to see the reality of Christ in this world today we must understand that the way we practice our faith and relate to a new generation MUST be authentically Jesus. Looking like a Christian and looking like a church is not going to be engaging.   
For more information about Kinnaman's unChristian check out: www.unchristian.org
To see the research behind the book check out: www.unchristian.org/fermi