being the church

Words of Affirmation

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

I got ordained as a deacon tonight at The Church at Avenue South.

I don’t say that in any way to brag or make much of myself.

The reason I brought this up is that one of the most beautiful and meaningful parts of the service for me was when all of us prospective deacons sat in chairs at the front and people came and laid hands on us and prayed for us. I’ve never felt so encouraged and affirmed in my entire life.

I really do think that often people see good and positive things in us that we can’t see in ourselves. What every one of us needs is for some of those people to call out those good and positive things they see in us.

Words of affirmation can be powerful and healing. The person giving them is saying in essence, “I see and affirm you and what you are doing. Your work will not go unnoticed or in vain because I see it.”

There will be a time in every single person’s life when they question whether they’ve contributed anything of significance or whether their existence has added anything of value and meaning to the world.

Even the smallest words of affirmation can completely transform someone’s day or week (or even their entire life).

That’s my challenge to you. Who needs to hear your words of affirmation? Who are those around you struggling through difficult seasons who may not be able to see their true value unless you call it out into them?

I do believe that we as believers can speak life and healing into the lives of those around us. Words have tremendous power either to harm or to heal, which is why it’s vitally important to choose them carefully and not be too hasty to speak harshly or out of anger.

Choose words of affirmation. You never know but you might just save someone’s life.

 

Thoughts on Authenticity and the New Testament Church

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 3 Comments

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I’ve been reading over Acts 2:42-47 lately and I am struck by how radically different the Early Church was from my own experience of Church. For one thing, we in the South (me included) talk about “going to church,” while the early believers talked about “being the church” and being the hands and feet of Jesus. Church for them was not a place or an event, but a shared way of life.

Where is the sense of awe? Where are the signs and wonders? By that I don’t mean crazy gibberish, but the genuine miraculous moving of God among His people. I think part of the answer is that the early believers spent so much time together. They fellowshipped and broke bread together DAILY. We do good if we see each other twice a week. They shared everything. They were willing to sacrifice of themselves to help fellow believers. They were of one mind, one purpose and had one goal– to lift up Jesus in such a way that He would draw all people to Himself.

They faced a level of persecution that we know nothing about. There was no room for casual Christianity, because to proclaim “Jesus is Lord” was to risk torture and death. I have never faced that in my life.

How do we change course? I know for me, that if I am comfortable and satisfied with the way things are, the staus quo, I will never change. Only with a holy discontent can I seek the face of God to bring the change in my life. When we are willing to take off our masks and be real, to stop talking Christianese and Sunday School answers and be brutally honest about ourselves, then we see change. Only God can initiated that in His people, but we have to want it.

Who’s with me? Who’s tired of just going to church? I see the main problem with the American Church everytime I look in the mirror.  I am the main problem. If I want to see change, I have to be the change. I must desperately want God to change me, to transform me, to live through me in the Person of His Son, Jesus, and through His Holy Spirit.

It’s time to break up our shallow ground and seek the Lord. Who’s with me?