The last two weeks I have taken in some great conference talks, Team Church 2011, and The Global Leadership Summit. I am still sorting through all the massive amounts of inspiring and insightful principles that were brought to clarity through the various communicators. Seems God always expands my thinking during these conferences and ideas begin to flow.
One thought that came to me in my car will not rest within my head. A passage from the Bible came to me with a different application than I had ever applied.
Romans 12:1–2 (NIV84)
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
I want to continually renew my mind. Thoughts and creativity are like skin to a snake, you have to shed the old and embrace the new. What was innovative a year ago is old hat , the norm or the pattern today. Just the way our world flows. We all need to be willing to renew our minds and free ourselves from the patterns of this world.
I don’t want to get stuck in a pattern, rut, or way of thinking.
Often in Church world we feel this passage is just for the person making a fresh approach at Jesus and needing to shed the patterns of the world that would leave their lives compromised and empty, but I think this passage is just as rich for the Church to receive.
Churches need to get out of the pattern of what they have attempted in order to fulfill the mission of God upon their lives. Fresh innovation, new mindset and pursuit in order to fulfill the will of God for their people.
I think it would be more worthy of our time to stop worrying so much about trying to get people out of their patterns and focus on our churches stepping out of patterns that have left them irrelevant, counter cultural and lacking the authentic presence of Jesus that transforms lives. If we can be the church, engaged in culture and even shaping the culture through innovative ways, then the encounter with Jesus will do the transforming, we just need to continually offer our lives to Him and enjoy the new mindset to pursue the will of God for today!
