is it worth it?

As I read about new church plants and about the burgeoning house churches, particularly in Europe, I wonder if trying to transform an established church is worth it? Its like trying to convince folks that everything they have come to believe and the way they behave as a church is not rooted, primarily in the tradition nor the scriptures of the church.

As I look out over the vista of this process, I realize it has casued me to study and to understand scripture to levels I have never perceived before. I am seeing more clearly the resistance and the evil that Jesus faced and that Paul and Peter faced.

I am tired. I can no longer abide the personal ways some folks have attacked me.

Yet, there are folks who have grown very deep spiritually. And I continue to hear from new folks who clearly are "getting it" because without even prompting them, they are feeding back to me the vision and mission that we are seeking to embody. And it is that mission that they feel called by!

It is time simply to move on. Not me necessarily, but the significant group of folks which includes a lot of long timers and a lot of new timers. We just need to ignore the folks who are stuck in trying to make the church be successful and friendly and happy so folks will come. The folks who have made malicious attacks, after attempts at reconciliation, we are no longer in fellowship in Christ's body. We may belong to the same organization, but we really have nothing in common. We do not share a call to fulfill Christ's mission to go forth into the world, sharing our way of life and making disciples. And if we don't share the same mission, there is no reason to continue, but to shake the dust off our feet and "move on", which means to do the things God calls us to do in life and ministry as a church.

I see more and more how the 12 Steps of Recovery and simply the model of AA and other recovery programs is vital for the church to understand and follow. This program and these groups really do reflect the values and life style of how the church is described in the book of Acts. And its how Jesus said it would happen...those who are considered the "least" will be the greatest. They will teach us the blessings of losing our life and following Christ with a passion we have never known before.