Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Redefining vs Rejecting

I would just like to point everyone over to a post on Jeff McQuilkin's blog, which I have read a few times.  Jeff has some very real blogging going on concerning his journey with the Lord, outside of the institution. He has some great insight into the nature of the ongoing work of the Lord to take us into a redefining process (as he calls it), into real genuine authentic fellowship with Christ and with others.   

Jeff says leaving the institution is not in many cases 'rejecting the church' or 'rejecting Christ'. It is instead rejecting the form of expression in this world that has and is modeled.  He says that the way we do church is just one of many things that needs careful redefining.  Quote: 

"So many things have been modeled wrongly, misinterpreted, and manipulated, and so look nothing like what Jesus intended. It's right and natural for us to de-construct and re-think. But in the process, I think it's important for us to differentiate between re-defining and rejecting. If there is something we've taken for granted that truly has no merit, either in Scripture or in practice, then naturally we should reject it. But we must be careful not to alter the principles of Scripture in re-thinking our methods. Lots of what we are re-thinking does not need to be rejected, but rather re-defined. If we do not mind this concept, we may end up rejecting things we should have kept, and in so doing, maybe years down the line, we will have re-invented a form of church that is just as broken and flawed as the institutions we left. And then our descendents will eventually have to fight through the same kind of de-construction we did."

I think his writing is objective and very well balanced :) .  For those of us who are, together with Him and each other, in continual process of re-defining and gaining momentum in that onward direction,...  having brothers and sisters to share with on this level, .. it's very encouraging.  We are mutually helping each other see more clearly  the direction and steps ahead of us as they come into view.

http://jmcq.blogspot.com/2008/04/re-defining-vs-rejecting.html

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