Questions
I have often heard the adage “If you ask the wrong question, you will get the wrong answer.” I am reminded of some significant questions in scripture like this one from a Jewish Pharisee “How can a man be born again when he is old?”, the right words but the wrong question. How about this question asked by the disciples “Who (of us) is the greatest?” or “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?”. Perhaps good questions but the wrong questions for the situation at hand.
I was reading an article about a church a little younger than FCC and a question in the article provoked me. The pastor said, instead of asking “what’s the vision for our church?’ we asked the question “How could a community of people help actualize the Kingdom of God in (their town)?”.
We at FCC have wrestled with and avoided gimmicks and programs to “build/grow” the church. We have done so, not because we don’t want the church to grow, but because the growth we seek is not programmed or gimmicky. It is our desire for the church to grow naturally out of the spirit lead witness and power that God has uniquely made available to His people (the Church). This manifests itself in loving, caring seriving relationships with others. Jesus told his disciples that their love for one another would be the evidence to others that Christ and His message were real.
Their subsequent question is equally as provoking “What would Church look like if, instead of meeting needs with programs, we sought to meet needs primarily through relationships?”.
How would you answer those questions? Let me know by clicking on “comments” below. Peace, PW
