Sentralized

Rather than a leadership text, Ephesians 4 is a body text. Paul is stating that the gifts given to the church are actually given to the laos, the whole people of God. #APEST #5Q bradbrisco.org/content/artic…

🎯 This is so very good; take two minutes to read: Douglas John Hall begins his little book "The End of Christendom and the Future of Christianity" by dividing church history into three primary eras: the early church, Christendom beginning with Constantine, and the present. There have been two major shifts that account for this division. The first was the shift under the Roman emperors Constantine and Theodosius when the church was officially established. The church moved from a marginal position to a dominant institution in society; from being socially, politically, intellectually inferior to a position of power and superiority; from being economically weak and poor to a position of immense wealth; from being an oppressed minority to being an oppressive majority; from being an illegal religion to becoming the only religion of the state; from being resident aliens to a territorial understanding of the faith whereby the Roman Empire is considered Christian. This official establishment characterized the position of the church throughout the remainder of the Roman Empire and then in Europe. This pattern continued in North America even though the church was only temporarily established in some places. A functional Christendom prevailed in which the church's power is experienced in terms of a cultural establishment. The second major shift is the disestablishment of the church today that is taking place all across the Western world. The church has lost the official power it has known for so many years and is again being pushed to the margins of society. This disestablishment is considered to be a positive development because now the church can recover its identity as shaped by the Scriptural story rather than the cultural story. During the early years of its life, the church understood her identity as resident aliens. There was a redemptive tension between the church and her culture. The church understood itself to be an alternative community that was nourished by an alternative story. This contrast community was not a community that ignored the public life of society by being reshaped into a private institution that provided an otherworldly and spiritual salvation for its members. Rather, it was publicly subversive by a life of radical discipleship that existed as a kind of antibody in society. However, with the Constantinian shift, the story that governed the church's life and the story that governed cultural development were merged. The redemptive tension was lost as the church became part of the constellation of powers within the empire. Her identity was shaped by her place in culture rather than by the story of the kingdom of God. The end result was cultural captivity. This domestication continued in the modern period as the church took her place in culture as chaplain of society, influencing the moral and private religious beliefs of the citizens. When one sees how the church has been absorbed into culture and deeply compromised by Christendom, it is easy to see the compelling power of the alternative community model. The renewed stress on alternative emphasizes that the church is a community that is shaped by a different story than the dominant cultural story. The word community stresses that the mission of the church is a communal affair; the church is to embody a social order that faithfully points to the coming kingdom. #church ~ Michael Goheen, from "The Missional Calling of Believers in the World: Lesslie Newbigin’s Contribution"

A week from today, @alanhirsch and I are doing a one-day event on Thursday, November 5th, hosted by @NewCity_Church If you are in Kansas City, come join us. #mission #church #churchplanting #kansascity luma.com/6lyp7g62?tk=ufOl3y

Most of us think we know our neighborhoods pretty well. Over time, we develop a pretty good sense of who lives around us and what our community is like. Or at least we think we do. #Neighborhood #Demographics bradbrisco.org/content/artic…

If you are in the KC area, I hope to see you in two weeks from tomorrow.

If you are in the Kansas City area, join @alanhirsch and me for a one-day event on Thursday, November 5th, hosted by @NewCity_Church #mission #church #churchplanting #kansascity luma.com/6lyp7g62?tk=ufOl3y

#Rethink #Church #ChurchPlanting #EngageTheCity

Hey, Kansas City, come hang out with @alanhirsch and me next month.

Thanks for asking. Do yourself a favor and go immerse yourself in the Gospels: Matthew 5:9: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:21: Jesus goes beyond prohibiting murder to confront the anger and contempt that contribute to violence. Matthew 5:38: Rejects retaliation and teaches turning the other cheek. Matthew 5:40: Calls for generosity rather than responding to mistreatment with coercion or revenge. Matthew 5:43: Commands love for enemies and prayer for persecutors. Luke 6:27: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, and bless those who curse you. Luke 6:29–30: Turn the other cheek and respond to mistreatment without retaliation. Luke 6:32: Extend mercy and love even to enemies, reflecting God's own character. Luke 6:37: Reject condemnation and cultivate forgiveness. Luke 6:31: Treat others as you would want to be treated. Matthew 7:12: The Golden Rule establishes reciprocal care as a fundamental ethical principle. Matthew 26:51–52: When a disciple uses a sword during Jesus' arrest, Jesus commands him to put it away, warning that those who take the sword will perish by it. Matthew 26:53–54: Jesus refuses the possibility of overwhelming heavenly force to defend himself. Mark 14:47–49: Jesus challenges the armed crowd that comes to arrest him, contrasting their weapons with his public teaching. Luke 22:49–51: Jesus stops his disciples' violent resistance and heals the wounded servant's ear. John 18:10–11: Jesus commands Peter to put away his sword rather than resist arrest. John 18:36: Jesus tells Pilate that his kingdom is not from this world, explaining that otherwise his servants would fight to prevent his arrest. Matthew 27:12–14: Jesus refuses to defend himself through the usual adversarial confrontation before Pilate. Mark 15:3–5: Jesus remains silent in the face of accusations. Luke 23:34Jesus prays for the forgiveness of those responsible for his crucifixion. 1 Peter 2:21–23Jesus is described as one who did not retaliate when insulted or threaten revenge when suffering. The arrest narratives are particularly compelling. Jesus' refusal to employ violence was not merely an abstract ethical ideal. He practiced it when violence might have saved his own life. Mark 10:42–45Jesus contrasts rulers who dominate others with his followers, who are called to serve rather than exercise power over people. Matthew 20:25–28Greatness is measured by service and self-giving rather than coercive authority. Luke 22:24–27Jesus rejects the model of kings who lord authority over others and identifies himself as one who serves. John 13:1–17 Jesus washes his disciples' feet, demonstrating servant leadership rather than domination. Matthew 23:8–12 Jesus rejects status-driven hierarchies and teaches humility. Luke 9:46–48Jesus challenges competitive ideas of power and status. John 6:14–15 Jesus withdraws when people attempt to make him king by force. Matthew 4:8–10 Jesus rejects the temptation to acquire the kingdoms of the world through allegiance to Satan. Luke 4:5–8Jesus refuses the offer of political authority obtained through compromise with evil. Matthew 6:12–15Forgiving others is essential to the life of discipleship. Matthew 18:21–22 Jesus calls for forgiveness beyond conventional limits. Matthew 18:23–35 The parable of the unforgiving servant emphasizes mercy over vengeance. Luke 17:3–4Jesus teaches repeated forgiveness of those who repent. Matthew 9:13 Jesus emphasizes God's desire for mercy rather than sacrifice. Matthew 12:7 Jesus again places mercy above rigid religious judgment. Matthew 12:18–21 Matthew applies Isaiah's description of a gentle servant who does not quarrel or cry out and who brings justice without crushing the vulnerable. Luke 9:51–56 When disciples want to call down fire on a Samaritan village that rejects Jesus, he rebukes them. John 8:1–11Jesus prevents the stoning of a woman accused of adultery and redirects the accusers toward self-examination. Luke 10:25–37The Good Samaritan illustrates compassionate action across hostile ethnic and religious boundaries. Luke 23:39–43Jesus extends mercy to a condemned criminal while suffering execution himself. Matthew 16:24–26Jesus calls followers to take up their crosses rather than secure their lives through self-preservation. Mark 8:34–35 Following Jesus involves self-denial and willingness to suffer rather than dominate. Luke 9:23–24 Discipleship involves taking up the cross daily. Mark 10:45Jesus describes his mission as giving his life for others rather than exercising domination. John 10:11–18 Jesus presents himself as the good shepherd who voluntarily lays down his life for the sheep. John 12:23–26Jesus uses the image of a grain of wheat dying to illustrate the fruitfulness of self-giving. John 15:12–13 The greatest expression of love is laying down one's life for others. Matthew 27:27–44Jesus endures mockery, humiliation, and crucifixion without violent retaliation. Mark 15:16–32Jesus refuses to save himself through a display of coercive power. Luke 23:33–43Jesus responds to crucifixion with forgiveness and mercy. And to respond to your comment about swords. Matthew 10:34Jesus says he came not to bring peace but a sword. The surrounding context concerns division within families, rather than a direct command to use weapons. Luke 22:35–38Jesus tells his disciples to purchase swords. The meaning is debated, particularly given his subsequent rejection of armed resistance. John 2:13–17 Jesus makes a whip of cords and drives activity from the temple. The passage depicts forceful disruption, although it does not explicitly describe him striking people.

If you work with church planters, help them think less like a pastor starting a worship service and more like a missionary engaging a unique context. #ReThink #ChurchPlanting #ParadigmShift