Rebranding Christianity - Getting in the way

Is it possible that Christians are getting in their own way? Can our mission to share the good news, separate us from those without Christ? 

Jeff Jones says our primary mission is to be a "church made up of counter-cultural believers who model what God's kingdom is all about." Thats what Jesus preached and demonstrated. Are we following his example? Are we living as a reflection of the kingdom life? I'm just thinking out loud here that we may be getting in our own way of accomplishing this mission.

I love the Church and the community of believers so I'm not being critical, but I do want to think openly about these issues. We tend to be a reflection of our churches or our Christian world view and lifestyle. Is that what we want to share with people? Is that our mission? Is that the restoration and new life humanity longs for? Maybe our desire to bring people "in" and make them like us might get in the way of us just being a living example of the kingdom. Maybe we don't know what kingdom living means? I get it, believe me. I'll admit I'm part of the problem. Asking someone to come to my church and adapt to that culture is easier. It removes some of the personal responsibility I have to be Christ to them in a real way. I'm not saying we don't need the church, and that community, because we do.

Here is my answer for today anyway. Let's start over. I don't mean completely, but in your own mind as a though process, as a learning and living exercise. Tell the Lord you want to know what it means to be a living example of the kingdom. Admit to him that you really don't know what that means, or maybe you do, but it's gotten confused with so many other things we define as the kingdom. Lay it all out on the table and let the Holy Spirit teach you again. Start rebuilding that definition one step at a time. Put every small piece of that discovery into practice over and over again. Thats the only way we will start seeing more clearly. Maybe then we can get out of our own way.

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