Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Dangerous?

While reading Mark Batterson's new book called "Wild Goose Chase", I came across this and wanted to share it with you. Mark Batterson is also the Lead Pastor of National Community Church in Washington DC. I read his blog daily

"I wonder if churches do to people what zoos do to animals. I love the church. I bleed the church. And I am not saying that the way the church cages people is intentional. in fact, it may be well intentioned. But too often we take people out of their natural habitat and try to tame them in the name of Christ. We try to remove the risk. We try to remove the danger. we try to remove the struggle. and what we end up with is a caged Christian.

Deep down inside, all of us long for more. Sure, the tamed part of us grows accustomed to the safety of the cage. But the untamed part longs for some danger, some challenge, some adventure. And at some point in our spiritual journey, the safety and predictability of the cage no longer satisfies. We have a primal longing to be uncaged. and the cage opens when we recognize that Jesus didn't die on the cross to keep us safe. Jesus died to make us dangerous.

Praying for protection is fine. I pray for a hedge of protection around my three children all the time. You probably pray that kind of prayer too. But when was the last time you asked God to make you dangerous?

I would like to think that when i pronounce the benediction at the end of our church services, I am sending dangerous people back into their natural habitat to wreak havoc on the Enemy"

**** I love the thoughts that are presented here in the above writing. It causes me to ask questions about how and what we are doing as the church. My prayer is that we will become a dangerous group of people who will be sent out weekly to wreak havoc!

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