Why Not Burn the Gates?
May 22, 2009
So I’ve been digging this lecture by Francis Chan (hero of mine) who spoke this year at the National New Church Conference in Orlando. His speaking time was the last of the multi-day “churchapalooza” event.
He discusses his honest uncomfortableness with the book of Acts in the Bible… about how the church today looks totally different than the church of that day. He notes how early disciples were uneducated and bold, and how churches today are full of educated and scared people.
Wow!
Honestly when I look at Acts, and how the first churches were started, and I look at how we do it today… I see the same thing. And so the question comes up:
If God is still the same God
Who has the same mission
Who uses the same Holy Spirit
Why can’t we be people who resemble the early church?
An absolutely relentless faith, extravagant love, endless grace… a family.
I know not all churches were like that, but I see more of those things in the church of Acts chapter 2 than I do in my own backyard.
But why not?
Last week while doing a prayer drive my wife spoke something AMAZING. We were praying and driving through a community not unlike 99% of Wesley Chapel that is full of gated sub-communities. She prayed that we would be people more concerned with letting people in than keeping people out. As she prayed she said offhand to me and God: “I know they won’t actually take down the gates…” And tears began to pour from me…
‘Cause why not?
Like the Berlin wall fell and became this iconic breaking of barriers…
what if one day we were a community that was full of so much hope and love and faith that we didn’t spend untold thousands on “keeping ourselves safe” and invested it in the poor and needy?
what if we didn’t close our garage’s every night at 6pm so as to leave the neighborhood guessing as to whether or not we’re home?
what if we tore down the gates on our community and declared our homes open places?
And the old man says “but it’s your job to keep your family safe”…
No… it’s not! It’s not my job, it’s the Lord’s. Read the scripture and see whom the Bible tasks with the protection of even the littlest of us…
What if we weren’t scared, but were bold?
Of course:
It probably won’t work
It’ll probably cost me my reputation and life
I’ll probably be broke soon
But… heck… why not try?
