Real Lasting Life
About this blog
Ray Jones is the Coordinator for Evangelism for the Presbyterian Church (USA). He has served the church as a pastor for twenty-five years. He has a heart for helping people grow in the love of God in Jesus Christ. This growth always includes our words and deeds. He is married and has two grown daughters. He has experienced training and education at Furman University, Columbia Theological Seminary, the church, and through living in the world.
Recent posts
- The Engine of the Church
- My Witnesses
- Witnessing Communities
- The Ministry of Making Disciples
- A New Creation
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Witnessing Communities
As I continue to do my work in evangelism, I keep going back to Jesus' words in Acts 1:1-8. He does not tell his followers to go and start churches. He does not tell them how to worship, serve, or study scripture; he tells them they will be witnesses when the Holy Spirit comes upon them (Acts 1:8).
We bear witness to the power of God's forgiving love in Jesus that has changed our lives. We bear witness to the reign of God through Jesus. As our lives change, we become the agents of change in our communities. As we expereince reconciliation, we become God's instruments of reconciliation in the world.
In a world of people searching for love and peace, our call is to bear witness to that love and peace in Jesus. Michael Frost gives us a picture of a witnessing community. He writes:
- Congregations will become smaller not bigger, but there will be more of them, many more, all teeming with life and joy and fresh hope;
- Congregations will be more racially and economically diverse;
- These congregations will be known for their servanthood in their neighborhoods by practicing hospitality, and welcoming strangers into their homes;
- Christians will evangelistically invite strangers to the gospel;
- Congregations will openly and graciously share life's joys and sufferings with each other and the sharing of meals will be the central part of their life together;
- Congregations will value children and emphasize the importance of raising children in the faith as an intrinsic part of the whole congregation;
- These congregations will be led by humble men and women who will listen attentively and suffer alongside their members;
- Congregations will develop a form of liturgy that strengthens and shapes disciples;
- Congregations will model what true community looks like for our age;
- There will be the renewal of monastic practices--confession, repentance, Bible reading, prayer--as these practices will strengthen the capacity and resolve for genuinely missional engagement. (The Road to Missional, p. 79)
What if we helped one another truly live into this calling of being witnesses? Would we live more fully into the mission to which we've been called as Christ's body?
- Posted at 3:54 p.m.
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