becoming a luke 10church

There are many kinds of churches.

There are many kinds of churches.revision, revolution, counter-revolution

EthnicActivist

ColonizingRural

ContemplativeUnderground

civil religion, liberation, restorationUrban

ProgressiveConservative

State

the Disciples of Christ

A disciple-forming church

A missional church

A Luke 10 church

Luke 10

After this the Lord appointed seventy

others and sent them on ahead of him

in pairs to every town and place where

he himself intended to go.

1.

A Luke 10 church is a

future-oriented church.

NOT Luke 10

After this the Lord appointed seventy others

and sent them to a bunker in the wilderness

where he told them to wait until the end of the

world comes in 2011 (or 2012), listening to

Christian radio and avoiding all contact with

this world, which, Jesus said, had no future.

The problem isn’t “the world”:

He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful,

but the laborers are few; therefore ask the

Lord of the harvest to send out laborers

into his harvest.

The problem is

a shortage of disciples who will

see and seize the opportunities of the

present and the future.

1.

A Luke 10 church is a

future-oriented church.

2.

A Luke 10 church is a

simple, flexible,

vulnerable church.

Luke 10Go on your way. See, I am sending you

out like lambs into the midst of wolves.

Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and

greet no one on the road.

Luke 10Go on your way. See, I am sending you

out like lambs into the midst of wolves.

Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and

greet no one on the road.

Simple. Flexible. Vulnerable.

Are we in the stamp, envelope, mailbox, and post office business ...

or the communication

through many media business?

Simple. Flexible. Vulnerable.

3.

A Luke 10 church is a

“peaceable-kingdom”

church.

Luke 10

Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.

… Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, “Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.”

Eating

Healing

Announcing the Kingdom of God has come near.

The new global love economy of God invites you to invest your lives.The sacred regenerative ecosystem of God offers you a new way of life.The global community of welcome, reconciliation, and peace welcomes you.The world wide web of God’s grace offers you a free, lifetime membership.

God’s global network invites you to log in.

Luke 10The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’

4.

A Luke 10 church is a

community of joy.

Luke 10At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’

future-oriented

simple-flexible-vulnerable

peaceable-kingdom proclaiming

joyful

5.

A Luke 10 church is a

compassionate church.

Luke 10Just then, a lawyer stood up to test Jesus ...

What must I do?Who is my neighbor?

A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho....

Robbers ... stripped ... beat ... left ...

A priest ...passes by.

A Levite ...passes by.

A despised Samaritan ...

saw, felt compassion, stopped, cared.

Luke 10… Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy [compassion].’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’

5.

A Luke 10 church is a

compassionate church.

Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks… But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’

6. A Luke 10 church is ...future-orientedsimple-flexible-vulnerablepeaceable-kingdomjoyfulcompassionate

truly devoted to Christ himself.

future-oriented simple-flexible-vulnerablepeaceable-kingdom joyfulcompassionatetruly devoted

disciples of Christ

There are many kinds of churches.revision, revolution, counter-revolution

EthnicActivist

ColonizingRural

ContemplativeUnderground

civil religion, liberation, restorationUrban

ProgressiveConservative

State

becoming a luke 10church