Yesterday we met with a man who has been on a journey to find Christ’s abundant life and has been desperate about getting this life to the poor, and socially oppressed. For decades Gary has been searching for a means of not only bringing someone to a decision to follow Christ, but to a healthy, sane lifestyle that radiates God’s shalom all the while still seeking after that life himself. He knows that’s what the Gospel looks like with skin on. He also knows how hard it is to try to introduce someone to that lifestyle by a simple weekly sermon or 6-week Bible Study.

Our conversations yesterday had nothing to do with where to go to church, or what we should do when we meet together. It focused on a dream that had been lost back in ancient Ireland, where Celtic Christianity found its wings. For the Celts in that area, life was consumed by fear, starvation, barbarian conquest, competition, and early death. People lived lives that didn’t expect rescue because that concept was simply never introduced to them. In was among these crazed people that 8-10 Christ-followers would settle, set up a shelter, community garden, simple farm life, and a general sense of peace. People in a town would soon be given the choice: live this life of madness and trepidation, or be welcomed with warmth, share veggies, and work together as a team for something that matters. The choice was simple: share in life together.

That is what it meant to become a Christian in those days. Not moral truths to be shelved next to contradicting values - it was sharing a life that didn’t happen just one hour on Sundays and Wednesdays.

Yesterday’s conversation came down to two reflections: To bring someone to not only a decision to follow Christ, but to a mature journey in the Lord, it takes at least these two things: (1) A belief in the comprehensive power of the workings of the Holy Spirit to transform lives [this is something those of us from Churches of Christ have a lot to learn] and (2) the kinds of vibrant communities that display a complete lifestyle of love before a disbelieving world.

This isn’t a complete list, but it got us thinking.

Last 5 posts by Mark

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 6th, 2007 at 8:46 am and is filed under Church Traditions, Communal Living, Conversations, Holistic Faith, Spiritual Formation, Stone-Campbell Movement. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.