The Dawning

Good Morning!  It’s a rainy and really windy Monday here in Matunuck.  I started this series of eight posts on the last day of 2007, while my kids were running around on their second to last day of school vacation.  I write this post with the kids quietly playing in their rooms, enjoying the first day of the winter school vacation.  Not sure what, if anything, we’ll be doing today - probably most of the day will be spent here at the house.  I told them there was no rush to get out of their pajamas, make their beds, or brush their teeth (the usual morning routine).  Jacob and I might get around to finishing our reading of The Hobbit later today, but we’ll see how the day progresses.

Last week I mentioned a couple of changes in the works at the church.  I’m hoping that today I’ll get the projector hung from the ceiling to clear out the stage.  Saturday Aislinn and I took a drive up to Guitar Center, and I purchased a wireless headset microphone, so I should be up and running with that for recording sermons starting this week (I hope).  The new blog/church website is still under construction, but will hopefully be unveiled in the next month or so.

One last thought before we get to Rule 8 - I think that following this series of posts, I’m going to do some writing about making disciples.  For my own sake, and for yours, I want to help us think a little bit about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, and how we ought to go about making disciples.  I don’t have a definite number of posts that will take, so you’ll have to tune in next Monday for the first in the series.

Rule 8:  Thou Shalt Work with Authorized Users

When you download or install most programs on your computer you are required, in order to use the product, to check some sort of box that says you agree to abide by the terms of the license agreement between you and the maker of the product.  With most software programs, this is called an “End User License Agreement”.  One of the central tenets of the agreement is that you will consider yourself the “end user” for the product, meaning that you will not copy and distribute the product to anyone else.  You will make sure that anyone else wishing to use the product is allowed to do so only if they go to the store (or site) and purchase the product for themselves.  This ensures, of course, that the manufacturer of the product protects his/her right to sell it and make a profit from it.

There are other programs (Firefox may be the most widely used) that are “open source” programs.  These programs allow you to make changes and improvements to the way they work.  They allow you the freedom to create your own unique “add-ons” that customize the way you use the product.  They even allow you (actually encourage you) to pass it on to someone else.  They do not want to create “end users”, they are looking for other contributors to their product, looking for future collaborators in their marketing and development.

I think the movement of the Kingdom is more akin to the “open source” model than the “end user” model.  But in typical church circles, we tend to want to ensure that the Gospel moves from one person to another in a very linear fashion.  It’s almost as if we think you should have to get it only from the authorized reseller (the church organization) and then the church can add its own markup to the product to make sure that it keeps its power and preserves the bureaucracy (see Rules 1 and 2).  The movement of the Kingdom is not looking only for authorized resellers and users, however.  The movement of the Kingdom is open source at its heart, looking to bring outsiders into its movement, and then freeing them to advance the Kingdom in their own, unique ways.

The danger with this, of course, is that you are required to trust people.  You have to trust that God, by his Spirit, is at work in the hearts and lives of people as they seek to advance the Kingdom the best way they know how.  The other side of that coin is that those with whom the movement is entrusted must show themselves faithful.  They must discipline themselves in every aspect of their lives, bringing it into conformity with the ways of the Kingdom.  The Kingdom of God is a transformational movement - it does not leave us the same, but pushes on us, and pulls on us to grow, to learn, to see the areas of our own lives that are not aligned with the standards for living in the Kingdom.

We want to encourage the viral spread of the Kingdom of God into all the world, making disciples wherever we go, teaching them to obey all the things Jesus has shown us.  I remember some years ago hearing Alex McManus make a statement that has stuck with me ever since:  “The gospel came to you on its way to someone else.”

And that will, I think, segue nicely into our discussion starting next Monday about making disciples.

PS - Since I didn’t speak yesterday, and many of you were away or sick, I didn’t get the chance for my new favorite conclusion to the service, so if you can imagine yourself sitting there….May the Lord bless you, and keep you.  May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, lift up his countenance towards you, and give you peace.