Should we be Missional, or Attractional? Should we be Giving, or Making? Should we be Connection, or Entertainment? Should we be God’s Way, or Our Way?
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Back in the 1980s John White wrote a challenging little book called “Flirting with the World” in which he called out the church of the day for taking on some of the World’s ways and methods. The church is the bride of Christ. Effectively we’re his fiancée. So when the church does things the way the World does, instead of the way Yeshua does… we’re kind of flirting with someone while we’re engaged to someone else! It’s a bit trampy, and pretty disappointing for a girl of our standing.
Our little e-book To Be, Not To Be examines many opposing characteristics of the modern church and asks should we be this or should we be that? Here are the questions:
Should we be Missional, not Attractional
Should we be The Way, not the Destination
Should we be Disciples, not Evangelists
Should we be a Ministry, not a Business
Should we be Holy Spirit, not Marketing
Should we be a Republic, not an Empire
Should we be a Community, not a Download Should we be Worship, not a Production
Should we be Participants, not Spectators
Should we be Giving, not Making
Should we be a Temple, not a Building
Should we be Hand Outs, not Hands Out
Should we be Discipling, not Socialising
Should we be On a Hill, not Under a Bushel
Should we be a Beacon, not a Soap Box
Should we be In the World, not Of the World
Should we be Salt, not Honey
Should we be Old School, not Old Fashioned
Should we be Spirit Powered, not Soul Powered
Should we be Grace, not Law
Should we be Judging, not Judgemental
Should we be Individuals, not Clones
Should we be Unity, not Uniformity
Should we be Equal, not The Same
Should we be Normal, not Lukewarm
Should we be Meeting, not Attending
Should we be Connection, not Entertainment
Should we be Adopted, not Orphans
Should we be New Testament, not Old Testament
Should we be God, not Culture
Should we be Wild, not a Zoo
Should we be Life, not Liturgy
Should we be Unpredictable, not Same Same
Should we be God’s Way, not Our Way
How does your church stack up on these questions? Hopefully pretty well. How about you personally?
How can you help change that? To make yourself live more the way you should live? With the priorities you should have. And less influenced by the world. And also to help make your church more the way it should be? Also less influenced by the world.
To Be, Not To Be is free in various formats on Smashwords.
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