The Church - Centre or periphery?
Been reading the Message a lot while I've been away and I really enjoy Peterson's take on things. In Ephesians chapter 1 he translates...
"the church is not peripheral to the world, the world is peripheral to the church.'
So many emotions go through my head as I read this. I feel sad that in general, in the west anyway, the church is peripheral to the world. I feel angry that it has allowed itself to become like this. I feel hyprocritical because I know at times, in the lyrics of Coldplay, I am part of the disease and not the cure. But as I find part of me wants to criticise, I find another part of me that gets really defensive. I find part of me that wants to defend the church, more, wants to fight for it, because deep within me there is a conviction that it really is the hope of the world. Not the buildings of course but the people, fulfillig their call in the freedom of the Spirit, moving rythmically together in their giftings and seeking to follow the ways of the their Head - Jesus. I want to belong to the community of faith that seeks to place itself at the centre of society, so that Christ can be seen, and the influence of His kingdom experienced through all avenues of life.
"the church is not peripheral to the world, the world is peripheral to the church.'
So many emotions go through my head as I read this. I feel sad that in general, in the west anyway, the church is peripheral to the world. I feel angry that it has allowed itself to become like this. I feel hyprocritical because I know at times, in the lyrics of Coldplay, I am part of the disease and not the cure. But as I find part of me wants to criticise, I find another part of me that gets really defensive. I find part of me that wants to defend the church, more, wants to fight for it, because deep within me there is a conviction that it really is the hope of the world. Not the buildings of course but the people, fulfillig their call in the freedom of the Spirit, moving rythmically together in their giftings and seeking to follow the ways of the their Head - Jesus. I want to belong to the community of faith that seeks to place itself at the centre of society, so that Christ can be seen, and the influence of His kingdom experienced through all avenues of life.
posted by Alain Emerson at
2:26 PM
2 Comments:
Hi Ali & team
Hope all well, glad to be back home with my family but missing you lot out there,kids and all the builders. Cant wait to start fundraising for next year Send our love to all the team. Thanks for the leadership your a born leader.
God bless you all love from
Andrew, Laura & family xo
By
hazel brennan, At
12:24 AM
Hey Al, how are ya? I get what you are saying here...sometimes I find it a struggle to really relate to 'church as we know it' because it has a tendancy to exist in the verge of society. Yet when I see Jesus, he existed right in the centre of it all; engaging with people and problems. Sometimes, I think we miss the mark. We like to sit on the edge, and criticise culture instead of getting involved...we so do become part of the problem, the 'disease' [nice use of coldplay lyrics there!LOL], when in reality, Jesus has given us the power, and the responsibility to help be the cure by engaging society with the only thing we can-the gospel.
Anyway, late at night, and I begin to get a sense that i'm talking doot. Hope you are well big lad. Catch ya soon...
Peace
By
Molar, At
1:49 AM
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