Being Tribal
What has we lost in our desire for more power, a better ability to communicate and sell business over massive communication lines? We like to think that our lives do not have costs and we can have everything that we want without there really being a trade off of anything else. But is that actually true?
In 1436 when the Printing Press was invented, as the article linked above said, we did "separate the story from the story teller." We then accepted things more mechanical, and a more "produced" version of the gospel through just the "reading of scripture" instead of the investing of a believer deeply into our lives. Believers figured we could "convert" more people to what now became "OUR" message, instead of our Father's message given to those who were His sheep, who He held in His hand (John 10). What was the trade off?
Isolation. Even though many people meet within churches each week, massive groups of people they do not actually have "community" or people they share life with. Why? Because we accept the idea that massive groups, and "converting" massive groups of people off of some information conveyed through one particular speaker, or a book, or words over the internet (as these are) are more important than walking with someone who is living in that life, and who will invest into you if you desire to live the deep life of being a disciple.
This is where the deep relationships are built, and where the true work of an elder comes into play. They are not supposed to be "supervisors" but men who are close to the Father investing into their small groups of people the life that they live and walk with the Father, after they have died to themselves, and know the pain and suffering of walking with the Father in this world, that is but a shadow of the intimacy and fellowship with God Himself that we have now in our spirit, and will have in the time to come.
As I wrote in the previous post about witnessing, basically is what we have sacrificed in the desire to convert "on our own power," massive groups of people. We have lost the deep connectedness that keeps us human, allows us to see our faults, and keeps us humble in the fact that God must do the work, we can only plant seeds and possibly water them, but only according to His plan.
How do we become tribal again? I do not know for sure. This is not a "step to community" guide for anyone, because as soon as that happens, it becomes exactly what has not worked in the past, information trying to be "put to work" to produce a given desire that we have.
All things that come from God are in fact gifts. Let us return back to our need of Him to provide, of Him to come through, as the early believers did in Acts 1-2 and trust that He will do it as we are ready for it. For if we do it ourselves, we will destroy our hearts true desire and sacrifice the relationships we actually desire with others who are on the narrow way as well.
Never Settle.
In 1436 when the Printing Press was invented, as the article linked above said, we did "separate the story from the story teller." We then accepted things more mechanical, and a more "produced" version of the gospel through just the "reading of scripture" instead of the investing of a believer deeply into our lives. Believers figured we could "convert" more people to what now became "OUR" message, instead of our Father's message given to those who were His sheep, who He held in His hand (John 10). What was the trade off?
Isolation. Even though many people meet within churches each week, massive groups of people they do not actually have "community" or people they share life with. Why? Because we accept the idea that massive groups, and "converting" massive groups of people off of some information conveyed through one particular speaker, or a book, or words over the internet (as these are) are more important than walking with someone who is living in that life, and who will invest into you if you desire to live the deep life of being a disciple.
This is where the deep relationships are built, and where the true work of an elder comes into play. They are not supposed to be "supervisors" but men who are close to the Father investing into their small groups of people the life that they live and walk with the Father, after they have died to themselves, and know the pain and suffering of walking with the Father in this world, that is but a shadow of the intimacy and fellowship with God Himself that we have now in our spirit, and will have in the time to come.
As I wrote in the previous post about witnessing, basically is what we have sacrificed in the desire to convert "on our own power," massive groups of people. We have lost the deep connectedness that keeps us human, allows us to see our faults, and keeps us humble in the fact that God must do the work, we can only plant seeds and possibly water them, but only according to His plan.
How do we become tribal again? I do not know for sure. This is not a "step to community" guide for anyone, because as soon as that happens, it becomes exactly what has not worked in the past, information trying to be "put to work" to produce a given desire that we have.
All things that come from God are in fact gifts. Let us return back to our need of Him to provide, of Him to come through, as the early believers did in Acts 1-2 and trust that He will do it as we are ready for it. For if we do it ourselves, we will destroy our hearts true desire and sacrifice the relationships we actually desire with others who are on the narrow way as well.
Never Settle.
posted by Ryan at 9:49 AM
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