Church will shape its mission more authentically when it dies to the church it has become, or the one it wants to be, and stops long enough to really listen to the gospel, to the community around it and to God’s Spirit. (Rev Paul Bradbury, Pioneer Minister for Poole Town Centre)
Rev Paul Bradbury
In a fascinating web post, Paul Bradbury describes how a crisis situation for his local Christian community has brought a new freedom. Its members discovered that the sudden loss of their venue didn’t mean the loss of their relationships or values. In fact, by being forced to let go of where they were, they felt released to focus more effectively on where God is.
Jesus said, ‘Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is, destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.’ (John 12:24-25, ‘The Message’)
{ 0 comments }
