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What Might the Cell Church Encounter?

I was thinking about the Cell Church model in relation to the traditional model. I can't predict exactly what will be the major problems with the Cell Church or what it will struggle to accomplish in relation to God's mission, but I think, after looking at the traditional model, it will have a hard time looking like a interconnected church.

What I mean by that is this: The traditional church struggles with home groups in the way that they try to make it look like they're really relational and community driven. But when you compare that home group to the church's showings of a home group. They fall short with evangelism, discipleship, mercy ministries, and caring for the planet. Whereas, it is easier for a house church to fulfill those calls in the small group setting.

So when I look at that problem and see how the traditional church struggles there, I can't help but think the Cell Church struggles with looking like we aren't apart of a larger community. A bunch of "small churches" trying to do "big church" is going to run into the counter-problems found with a "big church" trying to do "small church".

Something I have to wrestle with...

"I want to show you how a Christain man dies."

Found this on Justin Taylor's blog Between Two Worlds. Enjoy.

In his book The Walk, Michael Card recounts the many ways that biblical scholar William L. Lane mentored him, beginning with Card's time at Western Kentucky University and ending with Professor Lane's death. Indeed, his retelling of their friendship is the telling of their discipleship:

"I would like to speak to you now about discipleship. I could do so in technical, academic words that would bore us both to death. Instead, I will do what Christians from the beginning have done—I will tell you a story because something as important as discipleship cannot be reduced to a definition or contained in a program. The truth of it must be lived out to be properly understood. It is organic; it flexes and moves and defies definition. That is the way of discipleship."

The means of discipleship, according to Card, is a walk. It is two (or more) people walking together for months, or even years, in the context of living life together. Indeed, as Card points out, this is the model of discipleship evidenced in the life of Jesus with his own disciples.

Card recalls his time in college with Lane as "the golden years," in part because Lane was able to show Card just how good those years really were:

"After all, that's one of the tasks of the discipler, to wake us up to what is really going on around us, to encourage us to take our eyes off ourselves and see that our world is not the only world. That outside the narrow confines of the self there exists a world that truly is golden. And they allow us to borrow their eyes until we can see it for ourselves."

Card also recalls what occurred when Lane learned that he had cancer, near the end of his life. The mentor and his wife decided to move to Franklin, Tennessee, to be nearer his disciple:

"During the conversation Bill told me why he wanted to spend his last days here. He didn't feel that Seattle was home, even after eight years there. Neither did he want to go back to Bowling Green, even though his years there had been some of the happiest of his life. 'I want to come to Franklin,' he said. 'I want to show you how a Christian man dies.'"

And that is exactly what he did.

It was only after Lane's death that Card began to understand the full meaning of that statement:

"Bill had said, 'I want to show you how a Christian man dies.' I have only recently realized that this lesson began the first moment we met. It continued for twenty years or more, because each time I was within Bill's reach, I was being powerfully taught or even more powerfully shown the life of faith and Spirit. And it is that life that best prepares us for the slumber Jesus spoke about."

May God raise up more men and women who will demonstrate to their disciples not only what it means to live for Jesus, but also what it means to die in him.

3 Ways

There are only three ways to Live:

1. Legalism/Moralism

2. Gospel-saturated

3. Hedonism/relativism

You pick.

What it takes to follow

"The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been

made.

I'm a disciple of His and I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away,
or be still.

My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure.

I'm done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth
knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and
dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or
popularity.

I don't have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised, or
rewarded.

I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and
labor by Holy Spirit power.

My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven.

My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my guide is
reliable and my mission is clear.

I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back,
deluded or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of
the adversary.

I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of
popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up,
prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus!

I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes.

And when He does come for His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me. My
colors will be clear!"

-Anonymous

Without the Gospel

Without the gospel

everything is useless and vain;

without the gospel

we are not Christians;

without the gospel

all riches is poverty,
all wisdom folly before God;
strength is weakness,
and all the justice of man is under the condemnation of God.

But by the knowledge of the gospel we are made

children of God,
brothers of Jesus Christ,
fellow townsmen with the saints,
citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven,
heirs of God with Jesus Christ, by whom

the poor are made rich,
the weak strong,
the fools wise,
the sinner justified,
the desolate comforted,
the doubting sure,
and slaves free.

It is the power of God for the salvation of all those who believe.

It follows that every good thing we could think or desire is to be found in this same Jesus Christ alone.

For, he was

sold, to buy us back;
captive, to deliver us;
condemned, to absolve us;

he was

made a curse for our blessing,
[a] sin offering for our righteousness;
marred that we may be made fair;

he died for our life; so that by him

fury is made gentle,
wrath appeased,
darkness turned into light,
fear reassured,
despisal despised,
debt canceled,
labor lightened,
sadness made merry,
misfortune made fortunate,
difficulty easy,
disorder ordered,
division united,
ignominy ennobled,
rebellion subjected,
intimidation intimidated,
ambush uncovered,
assaults assailed,
force forced back,
combat combated,
war warred against,
vengeance avenged,
torment tormented,
damnation damned,
the abyss sunk into the abyss,
hell transfixed,
death dead,
mortality made immortal.

In short,

mercy has swallowed up all misery,
and goodness all misfortune.

For all these things which were to be the weapons of the devil in his battle against us, and the sting of death to pierce us, are turned for us into exercises which we can turn to our profit.

If we are able to boast with the apostle, saying, O hell, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? it is because by the Spirit of Christ promised to the elect, we live no longer, but Christ lives in us; and we are by the same Spirit seated among those who are in heaven, so that for us the world is no more, even while our conversation is in it; but we are content in all things, whether country, place, condition, clothing, meat, and all such things.

And we are

comforted in tribulation,
joyful in sorrow,
glorying under vituperation,
abounding in poverty,
warmed in our nakedness,
patient amongst evils,
living in death.

This is what we should in short seek in the whole of Scripture: truly to know Jesus Christ, and the infinite riches that are comprised in him and are offered to us by him from God the Father.

-John Calvin

Thug Life

I'm turning into a thug. I'm starting to like this Christain rapper, Lecrae. He's so good! Check him out. Holla'!