What an amazing journey. As we have been on the road to planting this church, Open Life. I am continually amazed and declare with all confidence that Jesus is Lord. Ezekiel 36 says increase, provision and the drawing of people to the church…it’s so that we may declare this very truth, “Jesus is Lord.”
When we consider the provision, the team, the shift in how we look at how to do church…it is simple, “Jesus is Lord.” God is still building His church and He has something very crazy in store for Bonney Lake and this surrounding region.
I want to share with you one of the battles of the mind that the leadership of this church is wrestling over. There is a constant tension between providing a clear vision for the community to understand how this church works, and an awareness that the longing for authentic growth can only come through lifestyle evangelism. We want to say come and you will see this that and the other thing, but honestly you won’t experience the heart of the church until you engage in life with the people of Open Life who are living the Open Life.
Think about it this way…true effective discipleship happens during life’s journey. It is the demonstration of serving by taking a meal to your sick neighbor, a cupcake to your other neighbor on their birthday, taking your neighbors paper to their porch if there are more than one gathering in the driveway. This is how we lead people into a growing personal relationship with Jesus. They are drawn by authentic care, compassion, encouragement and love.
I dream of a church that is the church in their work place, neighborhood and within the community. They are the first to volunteer, give of their finances, and sacrifice for the needs of others over themselves. We should not have to delegate love and serving to a team, committee or leadership staff…it is the responsibility of all our lives to live open. This is how the church grows daily…it is not centered around one, or around one team, it is the whole moving as a unit with one heart beat. This is what creates an unstoppable movement, and leads a city to declare that “Jesus is Lord.”
So the tension…how do we put that into words. Maybe we don’t, maybe we just show people what we are all about. Isn’t that what Jesus did. He showed the world how to love; now it’s our turn! Let’s allow our daily lifestyle to share the gospel as we Live Life Open!
