What must it have been like to walk the streets of Samaria some two thousand plus years ago about the time when Jesus was in the middle of His mission to teach His disciples and the entire world how much God loved them. The dry, hot and dusty roads must have been horrid to walk upon and ultimately made a mess of their fine imported Italian marble floors that graced the villas located on the upper end of town. Water must have been scarce too ergo the story of the woman at the well who everyday had to haul water from Jacobs well to her home. We take so much for granted these days as we complain if the hot water takes too long to reach us as we turn the handle to the faucet on.
There is so much information out there and talk today of how to build a successful, perfect driven church. The basic plan always starts with a core group of 12 people. Jesus started the very first gathering of believers we call the church universal in much the same way calling ordinary people from all walks of life to follow Him! Tax collectors, fishermen and politicians heard the Master's voice and started to follow Jesus.
But if Jesus were here on earth today I'm almost positive He would have been at the fore front of an emerging church movement like the one we saw emerge in Long Beach,CA. with Calvary Chapel in the latter part of the 1960's. Jesus would have done His best to not only model but also make people take a hard look at the way that they treat others and worshiped God. What many call the church today is really nothing more than groups of semi-spiritually motivated people collecting funds to keep their particular corporate business style in the black with very little or no outreach what-so-ever.
Lets look back at the Calvary Chapel movement of the late 1960's where God's Spirit was at work spilling out new wine on a generation of drug laced children. A totally lost generation of kids. A gigantic spiritual battle was ragging on in the world with satanic forces hard at work.misleading that entire lost generation.Without God's Divine intervention the world would have come to an end or would be in much worse shape. But God is long suffering and does not want any to perish and His work will be accomplished. As God's new wine was beginning to flow, God used a sweet, humble woman by the name of Kay Smith to not only see a need but do something about it. God put an urgent burden on this woman's heart. It was a burden for a rejected generation of long haired hippies, who at this time were running around bare footed, tripping out and in desperate need of a shower. God used this beautifully humble woman to soften the heart of her husband Chuck Smith and slowly a new church movement was beginning to be born.New wine.
Now, some forty years later, we see some negative effects of man's influence on this new wine that God so graciously gave to the world. As Men crave power and authority they begin to bit by bit change the image of God into their own image. Power corrupts I can see it everywhere in this satanic world today. Satan is alive and well in our churches today causing divisions and disputes among God's people. Remember what Jesus told us that we can serve only one Master. It seems many of us are asleep in the light. I believe that one of the single best characteristic of Jesus, one that draws me to Him, is His ultimate humility. Here in His presence we have the Creator of the world who was willing to humble Himself and become flesh and blood. He came to earth and dwelt among us. Then He modeled how we should live by putting other's needs before His own. Just once I would like to witness a pastor who starts his day off by parking in the back, picking up trash as he walked to the sanctuary and serve others the entire length of his work week. Taking his vacations in the mission field would be an added bonus.
So now I see we are on another spiritual precipice where God will once again send His Spirit back with new wine. We are starting to see this in what I like to describe as an emerging new church. This could take the shape of believers having a gathering on a beach or in a park. It might be a group meeting at a coffee house or in a movie theater. A home church will do nicely even a night club or school building. Its not the place but the people who make up the gathering. They should be committed to serving others and not in pursuit of fulfilling their own fleshy desires. The red text below is for all you Calvary Chapel folks who read your bibles.
( OK, now I don't mean any gathering that does not preach the true gospel but a new emerging style of worship like we saw in the 1970's at Calvary Chapel. If a group or gathering of people are teaching something other than Jesus is God, second person of a Godhead, that Jesus died, was buried and rose back to life then they are not really part of the true church made up of people who love and worship God. Saved by grace and not clinging to the law or legalistic about how we become cleansed, yes its all about Jesus)
This movement is totally refreshing bringing back some ancient traditions that have been put aside or on the back burner in favor of more contemporary worship. The movement is attempting to put God back on top while tearing down the shrines we have built to our own pseudo christian worship. With all the cameras, make-up and stage performances going on its sometimes hard to tell who or what we are worshiping. Rather, we need to be new skins ready to be filled with God's love while overflowing everywhere we walk. Intoxicating every human being in our path. Oh how glorious the Spirit of God is. However, it will be only a matter of time until this new movement takes its place with the Calvary Chapel movement that once was the vehicle God used to deliver His love . It always starts with humble people who are surrendered and ready to be used. Set apart is what being holy is all about. Its not our righteousness rather it was imparted to us from Jesus.
So whats the answer? Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Don't support a church financially if they are not pouring love back into their community. Let us start loving others, putting others first! Jesus told us to be the salt and light of the world then its time for the salt to get out of the salt shaker and its time to take the lamp shade off of the lamp stand. Remember in the book of Revelation, in the letters to the seven churches that Jesus was standing outside the church building knocking on the door. Let us not keep Jesus waiting outside in the cold. We were created for good works so lets all go out and do them!
There is so much information out there and talk today of how to build a successful, perfect driven church. The basic plan always starts with a core group of 12 people. Jesus started the very first gathering of believers we call the church universal in much the same way calling ordinary people from all walks of life to follow Him! Tax collectors, fishermen and politicians heard the Master's voice and started to follow Jesus.
But if Jesus were here on earth today I'm almost positive He would have been at the fore front of an emerging church movement like the one we saw emerge in Long Beach,CA. with Calvary Chapel in the latter part of the 1960's. Jesus would have done His best to not only model but also make people take a hard look at the way that they treat others and worshiped God. What many call the church today is really nothing more than groups of semi-spiritually motivated people collecting funds to keep their particular corporate business style in the black with very little or no outreach what-so-ever.
Lets look back at the Calvary Chapel movement of the late 1960's where God's Spirit was at work spilling out new wine on a generation of drug laced children. A totally lost generation of kids. A gigantic spiritual battle was ragging on in the world with satanic forces hard at work.misleading that entire lost generation.Without God's Divine intervention the world would have come to an end or would be in much worse shape. But God is long suffering and does not want any to perish and His work will be accomplished. As God's new wine was beginning to flow, God used a sweet, humble woman by the name of Kay Smith to not only see a need but do something about it. God put an urgent burden on this woman's heart. It was a burden for a rejected generation of long haired hippies, who at this time were running around bare footed, tripping out and in desperate need of a shower. God used this beautifully humble woman to soften the heart of her husband Chuck Smith and slowly a new church movement was beginning to be born.New wine.
Now, some forty years later, we see some negative effects of man's influence on this new wine that God so graciously gave to the world. As Men crave power and authority they begin to bit by bit change the image of God into their own image. Power corrupts I can see it everywhere in this satanic world today. Satan is alive and well in our churches today causing divisions and disputes among God's people. Remember what Jesus told us that we can serve only one Master. It seems many of us are asleep in the light. I believe that one of the single best characteristic of Jesus, one that draws me to Him, is His ultimate humility. Here in His presence we have the Creator of the world who was willing to humble Himself and become flesh and blood. He came to earth and dwelt among us. Then He modeled how we should live by putting other's needs before His own. Just once I would like to witness a pastor who starts his day off by parking in the back, picking up trash as he walked to the sanctuary and serve others the entire length of his work week. Taking his vacations in the mission field would be an added bonus.
So now I see we are on another spiritual precipice where God will once again send His Spirit back with new wine. We are starting to see this in what I like to describe as an emerging new church. This could take the shape of believers having a gathering on a beach or in a park. It might be a group meeting at a coffee house or in a movie theater. A home church will do nicely even a night club or school building. Its not the place but the people who make up the gathering. They should be committed to serving others and not in pursuit of fulfilling their own fleshy desires. The red text below is for all you Calvary Chapel folks who read your bibles.
( OK, now I don't mean any gathering that does not preach the true gospel but a new emerging style of worship like we saw in the 1970's at Calvary Chapel. If a group or gathering of people are teaching something other than Jesus is God, second person of a Godhead, that Jesus died, was buried and rose back to life then they are not really part of the true church made up of people who love and worship God. Saved by grace and not clinging to the law or legalistic about how we become cleansed, yes its all about Jesus)
This movement is totally refreshing bringing back some ancient traditions that have been put aside or on the back burner in favor of more contemporary worship. The movement is attempting to put God back on top while tearing down the shrines we have built to our own pseudo christian worship. With all the cameras, make-up and stage performances going on its sometimes hard to tell who or what we are worshiping. Rather, we need to be new skins ready to be filled with God's love while overflowing everywhere we walk. Intoxicating every human being in our path. Oh how glorious the Spirit of God is. However, it will be only a matter of time until this new movement takes its place with the Calvary Chapel movement that once was the vehicle God used to deliver His love . It always starts with humble people who are surrendered and ready to be used. Set apart is what being holy is all about. Its not our righteousness rather it was imparted to us from Jesus.
So whats the answer? Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Don't support a church financially if they are not pouring love back into their community. Let us start loving others, putting others first! Jesus told us to be the salt and light of the world then its time for the salt to get out of the salt shaker and its time to take the lamp shade off of the lamp stand. Remember in the book of Revelation, in the letters to the seven churches that Jesus was standing outside the church building knocking on the door. Let us not keep Jesus waiting outside in the cold. We were created for good works so lets all go out and do them!
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