What must we get right? pt. 2
The following post is a series written in response to a video interview from the Catalyst Conference of Dallas Willard. You can watch that video here.
“The problem is the message… What is the central message?”
John Ortberg’s first question to Dallas in this interview is somewhat confusing. It’s an important question in that it lifts up the great wisdom and perspective that Dallas brings to the table, but difficult to follow nonetheless. Here it is again.
What has the church not been getting right that you think perhaps God is calling this generation of church leaders to get right that needs to be gotten right?
Put more simply, Ortberg is asking “what have we been missing?”
During my message this past weekend, I asked a very simply question, “what is the goal?” If we were to look at the church as well as the individual life surrendered to God, what is the goal that God has in mind?
Is it simply heaven after you die or does God have something more in mind?
In our context at First United Methodist Church, Mansfield, we define the central message and purpose of the church to be Making Disciples of Jesus Christ who will Love God, Love Others, and Serve the World.
In other words, we want to do more than get people into heaven after they die.
We want to bring heaven to the human heart, and in response to the transformation experienced, to bring heaven into a hurting world.
I love the way Dallas explains the importance of this process of identifying the central message.
“We have to make touch with what Jesus presented as the central message. Unless you understand that Jesus invites us through faith in him to actually live in the kingdom of God now, there will be no basis for transformation or discipleship.”
So here’s the questions…
In our context, are we making touch with what Jesus presented as the central message?
How is your life a reflection of that central message?
Related posts:
- What about Suicide?
- Surprised?
- Final Prep for Easter
- Follow up thoughts from Mosaic
- Questions & Answers
Category: Leadership, Teaching
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David Alexander is the owner of www.davidsbucket.com. To find out more about David, click here.View Author Profile
I think FUMC is on the mark with "getting the message right". I enjoyed the video because I had not heard it put this way. Heaven now. Heaven to the human heart. Those words are powerful.
It's amazing how FUMC is always bringing Heaven to a hurting world. Africa, Mexico, any hurting area of the world. But the words bringing "Heaven to a human heart" made it very personal and close. Thank you for putting this out there.