Tuesday, November 04, 2008
More thoughts on vision...
Several of you have asked about the Biblical foundation for the kind of church I would like to be a part of... so here goes.
The core doctrine would be the gospel as seen in I Corinthians 15: that Jesus died for our sins, he was buried, and he rose on the third day. That's it for the theology. I would want us to study, be in the Word, and be people of the book. But if one someone asks about our theology... well, that would be it.
We would call individuals to share in that gospel by being crucified with Christ and raised to new life in baptism. Being part of our church requires you to die. It is a commitment to live as a slave of Jesus. Romans 6: 3ff
We would participate in the gospel together as a body by sharing his body and blood in the Lord's Supper. I Corinthians 10: 16-17
We would commit to make disciples in this world. Matthew 28:18-20
That's it. That's the theological basis for the church I want to be part of. All the other details could be worked out and I suspect they would look slightly different in different congregations. But that's all. The gospel: believe it, share in it with Jesus, share in it with each other, share it others so they can be part of us.
My vision for church. Not much on slogans, plans, rules, opinions, details, programs, and mechanics.
Feel free to comment. Or not.
The core doctrine would be the gospel as seen in I Corinthians 15: that Jesus died for our sins, he was buried, and he rose on the third day. That's it for the theology. I would want us to study, be in the Word, and be people of the book. But if one someone asks about our theology... well, that would be it.
We would call individuals to share in that gospel by being crucified with Christ and raised to new life in baptism. Being part of our church requires you to die. It is a commitment to live as a slave of Jesus. Romans 6: 3ff
We would participate in the gospel together as a body by sharing his body and blood in the Lord's Supper. I Corinthians 10: 16-17
We would commit to make disciples in this world. Matthew 28:18-20
That's it. That's the theological basis for the church I want to be part of. All the other details could be worked out and I suspect they would look slightly different in different congregations. But that's all. The gospel: believe it, share in it with Jesus, share in it with each other, share it others so they can be part of us.
My vision for church. Not much on slogans, plans, rules, opinions, details, programs, and mechanics.
Feel free to comment. Or not.
