Should Christianity Vs. How Christianity
It has been stated that “Crisis seeds new thought!” Now that we are eight weeks into our quarantine lifestyle, we all have had plenty of time to watch, look, and listen to a wide array of church services, teachings, Zoom conferences, etc. I have observed the original panic of everyone taking church to the digital format to adaptations of what church was pre-quarantine, and now re-creating that version into digital presentations. The piercing question is “What is the church for?
I believe the answer to the “Should” vs. “How” discussion was answered in the gospels. Consider these words; “…. Therefore, go and make disciples…. And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”Matthew 28:19a-20a NIV. “How Christianity” is steps beyond whether we should or should not do something. The imperative force of the translation moves us not just to an occasional four step program, but to a lifestyle of discipling. Discipleship is not a destination that ends in a diploma. It is a journey that moves us in the direction of eternity. The disciples of Jesus Christ had the unique perspective of watching a teacher who embodied the substance of His teaching[1].
Christ’s disciples caught what Jesus was embodying and we see this in Acts 2:42-47. In this passage we witness Worship, Word, Ministry, and Mission. These themes were repeated all throughout the New Testament churches. This metanarrative is what gave the New Testament church disciples structure for their beliefs and meaning for their experiences. This narrative gives us a new metric to focus upon – Discipleship to Christlikeness instead of content to listenership.
Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Key Note Speaking, and Executive Coaching.
[1] Carpenter, E. E., & Comfort, P. W. (2000). In Holman treasury of key Bible words: 200 Greek and 200 Hebrew words defined and explained (p. 267). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.