Churchless Christian

thanks to www.tallskinnykiwi.com

Well the Advent candles were more exciting then we thought. We were watching the news last night when we looked around and saw the Advent wreath belching fire and smoke from the dining table. Had to laugh at the near advent catastrophe!

Had another power surge which fried my brand new computer Am having to beg some computer time from my son, so posts may be a bit erratic till mines fixed

During the last year I have become more and more interested in the Society of Friends (or Quakers as we call them) in regards to what I do with Organic Church / House Church etc. I have been reading American History with the kids this year as part of Home Schooling. It was amazing to note how impacting and society changing the Quakers were to that nation. When you are on a journey it is natural to search out others who seem to have stuff in common with you. It is interesting to note that the Quakers them selves are starting to take note of some streams of the Emergent Church and are commenting on it here .
Also Scott McKnight writes an excellent article mentioning the connection with the Quakers here.

Phase 1) We become Christians. We still work, live and go to places those who are not Christians would go. We still may have issues with getting drunk or going clubbing etc... We still have friends outside the 'church'.

Phase 2) We become Part of the 'church' life. We start to get involved in the 'church'. We still might hang out with our non-Christian friends but only in a healthy environment etc... In this Phase, the longer we are Christians the less non-Christian Friends we have. Even though we live by them, work with them etc... We do not associate as often out side of work with them. In this stage we start to lose the zeal and desire to see these non-Christian friends saved. (Shouldn't it be the other way around? The more we walk with Christ and get to know His heart, we would want to see them all reached.)

Phase 3) We become part of the Christian bubble. In this stage we slowly withdrawal from anyone or anything non-christian. Yet we still think we are connected due to still listening to the music or watching the movies. But we fool ourselves. Even at the work parties we do not hang out with any non-christian friends. We get more excited about Going overseas to the Mission Field on summer trips than about the mission field we live in every day.

Phase 4) The final stage: We become like Jonah. When told to help the lost we run away (Jonah 1:3). We take delight thinking that God will one day punish them all for their sins (Jonah 4:5). And just like Jonah, even when God gives us a second chance we get mad when He does the same for the 'Wicked' (Jonah 4:8-9). We are content living in our little Christian subculture as citizens of the bubble, but we don't even know it because everyone in our social circle is also in that bubble. We don't KNOW ANYONE who is not a Christian. We get more excited about the Christian CD or the latest Christian Novel then we do thinking how God can use us in our own hometown. We might invite a neighbor to a Christmas play etc... but for the most part our attitude towards someones lostness is indifferent.

Thanks to I'd rather be caving

It's funny how we call The Great Commission the 'Great Commission'. By giving it a title we seem to raise it up as more special then any thing else Jesus said. Why not call Jesus's words
"Love the Lord your God with all your Heart and Love your brother as your self", the "Great Commission"?

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1. Main Page‎ [1,958,417]
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thanks 2 http://fritchie.blogspot.com/