IT'S FRIDAY, BUT SUNDAY'S COMING

An outward-focused church is a church living in expectation that God's resurrection power will be demonstrated as they live on mission for Jesus out in the community. An outward-focused church never dwells on the bad news that pervades the present, but on the good news of the Kingdom.  An outward-focused church is an Easter people and "Hallelujah!" is their song.

Many years ago I heard Tony Campolo share a message that he has often repeated in many settings.  It's a message that should remind us of the tremendous power of the Spirit that is at work in and through us.  Every once in a while, we just need to be reminded.

HOLY SPIRIT INCUBATOR

I have a very insightful man in my church at Landisville, Pete Payne, who more than a year ago became a part of our strategic planning process. At the time we were suffering greatly from mission drift, and too many of our people were not involved in a significant way in carrying out the vision. Pete, a retired marketing exec from Armstrong World Industries, was a firm advocate in strengthening internal communication and fostering internal dialogue between church members and leaders. He suggested I start an in-house blog for those purposes. Being a passionate and prolific blogger, it was a no-brainer for me. We launched in the spring of 2009, Thinking Out Loud About Landisville.

Recently we changed the blog to add a dimension of leadership training, as well as leadership dialogue. And to reinforce the idea that the Holy Spirit leads the Church of God of Landisville (not Pastor Steve or the Elders or a Council), we added the dimension of ideas God was using within our core leadership to help identify "what it is God is doing" so we, as a church, "can go do it with Him."

Thus, we started a successor blog called Holy Spirit Incubator. If you would like to observe (and maybe even contribute) to how one church goes about being an outward-focused church, I would invite you to check out this blog. A link is on OUTWARD FOCUSED's home page or you can click on to INCUBATOR.

GOD WORKS AS WE WORK FOR GOD

Lately I have been very conscious of an exciting, yet sobering truth. God works as we work for God. We take very seriously to be incarnational rather than merely attractional in our ministry. This means that we don't worry so much about putting up a sign "come one come all," we concern ourselves in representing Christ in our lives. In this dynamic, the emphasis is not on drawing people to the church and its ministry by programming or advertising; but on letting the attraction be the Christ at work within us--a work that should be on display while we are beyond the walls of the facility and more than our participation in program.

While we work, God works. He works to multiply the work being done in His name. God often surprises us, revealing His activity beyond our programs, drawing us deeper into ministry where He clearly has set an agenda we have not even imagined.

Two Sundays ago, God did precisely that. In my on-line/email devotional THRIVING IN CHRIST, I recounted our experience. If you'd like to read more of these devotionals, click on the link in this paragraph:

"CABBIE OR ANGEL?"

Reading: Ephesians 3:18-20

Sunday morning we had a visitor to our 10.45 service. A young lady came in just before the service and sat down quietly in the back of the A section. Young, Hispanic, well-dressed. At first I thought it was one of the older kids from Burn or the Agape Center or a mother from the Good News Club, except she was alone. Worship began and she appeared to be participating. When it came to the point in the service where we share God Stories, she raised her hand. Irv handed her the microphone. "This is my first time here." She proceeded to share about a problem she was having with her boyfriend. As the problem had escalated she had decided to cal a cab,to get a little space to cool off and reflect.

The cabbie, after a time, said, "Sometimes the best thing to do is wait." Apparently she began talking to the cab driver. The conversation turned to getting connected with a church. "Do you know a good church," she asked. The cab driver directed her to the Church of God of Landisville. She came. She worshiped with us. She experienced the heart of the community. She told me she'd be back.

We have no cab drivers among our membership, nor do we know of any cab driver connected to our church's ministries.

God works in mysterious ways. But when we see where God is working, we always want to go and work with Him.

(c) 2010 by Stephen L. Dunn