Good thoughts...

Here is a post from Mark Batterson...a pastor in D.C. Food for thought!

"I was part of an interesting gathering yesterday called The Movement. Not even sure how I got invited. But it was quite an eclectic group. I sat at a table with Hank Hanegraffe, the Bible Answer Man. And I was in a discussion group with Phil Vischer, creator of Veggie Tales. Talk about left-brain and right-brain ends of the thought spectrum. Lots of different theological and methodological persuasions represented.Just thought I'd share some personal reflections. The gathering really revolved around this question: what's wrong with the church? That isn't the way it was phrased. And it wasn't meant in a negative way. I think everyone gathered deeply loves and believes in the church. But the church-at-large has issues. And we need to be humble enough, honest enough, and courageous enough to admit it.Here's my take.I think the modern church has fixated on sins of commission. Don't do this and don't do that and you're alright. But that's not alright. Why? Because goodness is not the absence of badness. You can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right. That is why we're more known for what we're against than what we're for. Christianity was never intended to be a noun. It was meant to be a verb. It is sins of omission, those things we could have, would have, or should have done for the cause of Christ, that grieve our Heavenly Father. We've got to quit playing defense and start playing offense. We need to quit fighting amongst ourselves and start loving our enemies. We need to quit pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Discipleship is so much more than the accumulation of rote knowledge. It's a sanctified imagination that dreams God-sized dreams. It is a heart that breaks for the things that break the heart of God. It's not enough to create our own sub-culture. We desperately need to raise up a generation that feels called to culture-shaping professions as God-ordained vocations. We cannot reduce the gospel to the forgiveness of sins. It's about glorifying God by maximizing our God-given potential and serving our God-ordained purpose. It can't just be about creeds. It's got to be about deeds. It can't just be about us. It's got to be about others. We need the courage to stand up for what's right in a culture where nothing is wrong. But we need to do it in a spirit of humility. We need the courage to incarnate the gospel in creative ways. But we need to do it in a spirit of authenticity. And we need the courage to preach the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth. But we need to do it in a spirit of grace."