I’ve taken a few days to pray, pursue, and ponder. Especially on my mind was/is Inner Metro Green, our church plant in Lancaster City. I have been interacting with many, many un-churched people in the city for nearly 3.5 months now. My conclusion? Revival.
We really need a Holy Spirit-laden, apostolic revival in our city. There is so much confusion, disorder, brokenness, and Christian lethargy in our city. We will not impact anything, unless we join the Holy Spirit in a New Testament grounded, apostolic journey. More than this, the un-churched people I have been interacting with will settle for nothing less. Even the un-churched can differentiate between the real thing and a thin imitation. They know what they need; they just don’t know where to find it. We are called to proclaim it to them, as ministers of Christ’s Gospel.
So, call Inner Metro Green whatever you like (e.g.,”emerging,” “evolving,” “missional,” “incarnational,” “attractional,” “contemporary,” etc.), but it is, at the end of every day, a church founded upon the model given us in the New Testament. It is an apostolic church dedicated to seeing people and neighborhoods authentically and compassionately transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
For more info, see: The Book of Acts, and take note of The Church in Antioch.
I believe it is true. Prior to this point, followers of Jesus were referred to by a number of different names. Some of these references were, of course, more flattering than others, but they were identified as followers - or disciples - of Jesus, at least according to the info. we have in the New Testament and some extra-Biblical sources too. The term Christian doesn’t roll around ’till Antioch.
Acts is a good read, isn’t it? Pentecost. Everything changed at Pentecost.
I’m reading the book of Acts right now. It’s a good read. And the church in Antioch was where Christians were first called Christians. …I wonder if that’s true?