Words that make me go "ouch"

Last weekend I presented 4 words that are critical for us to understand as the world understands.

Trust
Truth
Tolerance
Brokenness

All of these words are connected. For instance, how can I trust you if I don't believe you are telling me the truth? How can I know you will tolerate me or my lifestyle if I tell you the truth about myself? Can I trust you with the truth about me? How can you possibly understand my brokenness if you don't know me? Can I trust you with my hurt and believe you will hear my heart? Are you willing to love me rather than judge me?

All of these words and questions are critical for us to wrestle through both individually and together. How can we ever hope to reach any level of healthy, missional community unless we're also allowing some uncomfortable self examination?

Here's another quote that keeps rattling around in my brain:

From Pate and Wilkes, "Evangelism Where You Live"

"When a local fellowship of Christ-followers turns inward to perpetuate programs rather than serve in the name of Jesus, it has lost its raison d'etre (reason for being) and is no longer of use for the reason Christ created it. (and a couple of sentences later) Just as the human persona is, it also does, and, so, the church is the "body of Christ," but it also does what Christ has co-missioned with it to accomplish as His Presence in the community."

Have we become so blind? Has our "reason for being" been co-opted by self-service, self-preservation and a selfish permission to both be in and of the world so that we no longer see the church as the body of Christ fulfilling the Great Commandment and the Great Commission?

So what does it look like if we are seeking to be "His Presence" in our community? Is it a change of heart or attitude? Will it require us to significantly alter the way we live life? Will we need to eschew the epidemic of busyness in order to truly enter into the lives of others?

I don't know about you, but this is beginning to get messy. Cool.

Let me have it.

Arden