Reflections from reading “Total Church” – ready to be messy

On p. 18, the writer mentions that being both gospel-centred and community-centred might mean “having churches that are messy instead of churches that pretend.”

After admitting my own wrong theology, and having repented my me-centred religious life, what would be the next, am I ready for the change? Probably not, here is one more thing I need to reflect before I get into the real deal. I need to face the consequence of messiness during the change (possibly the church will be forever messy, in fact it has been messy already). Can I face it or pick an easy way – to pretend things are alright? I need to get myself ready for the change, ready to accept any possible failures, and willing to take the risks and bear any potential consequences.

When things are messy, it feels like out of control, but this is the time I have to be dependent on God and allow the Holy Spirit work through my life. Messiness is good for me.

Reflections from reading “Total Church” – wrong questions I’ve asked

As I continue my “Total Church” reading, I am getting more excited and emotional.

Before I start to write my reflections on the big idea ‘total church’, I think I need to spend more time on the things that will prepare me for the real deal. My previous post is about “heretical structures”. Surprise, surprise! I thought my theology is pretty good, I will call myself ‘Calvinist’, but how is it possible that my practice turns out to be heretical? Am I ready to challenge what I actually believe? Am I prepared to admit that some of my theology is heretical?

If I seriously consider a real change, I have to be very honest with myself. I can’t be a hypocrite! Also, I’ve realized that the change is not going to be just a quick fix, it’s going to be a major paradigm shift.

The first chapter of the book – ‘Why gospel?’ helps us to have a right perspective in terms of the gospel we know. The challenge is to have a radical God-centered perspective (p.34). The author quotes from Christ Wright’s book The Mission of God – This radical God-centered perspective ‘turns inside out and upside down some of the common ways in which we are accustomed to think about the Christian life …’

When we still live in a me-centered life,  we ask these questions when we do church:

• We ask ‘Where does God fit into the story of my life?’ (Rather, we need to repent and ask ‘Where does my little life fit into this great story of God’s mission?’)
• We ask ‘Am I driven by a purpose that is tailored just right for my own life?’ (Rather, we have to repent, then ask ‘Is the purpose of my life wrapped up in the great mission of God for the whole of creation?’)
• We ask our preachers each Sunday ‘How should I apply the Bible to my life?’ (Rather, we must repent, then ask ‘What would it mean to apply our lives to the Bible?’ – the Bible is the reality to which we are called to conform ourselves!)
• We ask ‘How should we make the gospel relevant to the world as we do church?” (Rather, we must repent, then ask ‘How should we faithfully make our God known to the world?’ The world isn’t going to shape the gospel, rather, God is the one who transforms the world to fit the shape of the gospel.)
• We ask ‘what can legitimately be included in the mission that God expects from the church?’ (Rather, we must repent, then ask ‘What kind of church does God want for the whole range of His mission?’)
• We ask ‘what kind of mission does God have for me?’ (Rather, we must repent, then ask ‘What kind of me does God want for His mission?’)

Am I not happy with the current status? Do I want to see changes at church? But first I must repent. I must stop asking these wrong questions. By God’s grace, if one day I am willing to ask those right questions instead, it is probably the time for me to see some positive changes at church.