MARK VAN STEENWYK ON DISCIPLESHIP

I count others like Mark, who are doing discipleship in the trenches like we are in the Journey, as priceless resources. We double our growth potential when we can widen the "lesson" that way. Mark recently shared "8 assumptions" he makes about discipleship:


1. You don’t “know” your way into “doing.” If anything, you need to “do” your way into “knowing.”
2. We can’t “blue-print” an approach to discipleship. We need to experiment into it. 
3. We need to create space for this; it can't happen in the context of a typical worship service. 
4. Certain ways of reading Scripture lend themselves more to this approach than others
5. Discipleship doesn't make sense apart from the margins. The way of Jesus is wrapped up with the poor and marginalized. When we do discipleship separate from the poor and marginalized, we're actually engaging in proto-discipleship. 
6. All of this needs to be done in conversation with the struggles of a people in a particular place. Our experimenting, discussing, and studying needs to be done in conversation with real-life challenges that rise from a particular context. 
7. Discipleship in an imperial context requires resistance. We can't say "yes" to the Kingdom of God without saying "no" to the American Dream. 
8. Discipleship is revolutionary action.

So much of what he says here reflects our own experience, and why the call to follow the "Wild Messiah" is so difficult to answer - we are addicted to the "American Dream", just like the rich young ruler, and the Pharisees who loved the power they had over the people. 

The Kingdom of God is not essentially academic, it is inherently...revolutionary. Revolutions aren't nice, so we have a hard time with that in our Minnesota culture. But with Jesus there is no "Plan B". We follow Him or we don't. He understands the cost. Yes, He really understands the cost.

Thanks, Mark, for sharing with us from the trenches. May the Kingdom come in all you do.

Jesus Shows up at SUMMIT III

So how do you know when Jesus shows up? Well, since He lives in every believer, you could say He is  everywhere we are; But there are those times He really leaves an impression....Jo Jo shared his journey into "organic church", and gave some great challenges for us not to fall into committing ourselves into just one more formula for doing church better - That our hope is not in the format but in living a crucified life. Great stuff. 


One of his quotes:
       "A non-traditional church that is born out of spiritual life instead of being constructed by human institutions and held together by religious programs. Organic church life is a grass roots experience that is marked by face-to-face community, every member functioning, open-participatory meetings (opposed to pastor-to-pew services), non-hierarchical leadership, and the centrality and supremacy of Jesus Christ as the functional Leader and Head of the gatherings. Put another way, organic church life is the experience of the Body of Christ. In its purest form, it’s the fellowship of the Triune God brought to earth and experienced by human beings."

Melody brought in the role of structure in organic church ministry. I loved her quote on simplifying church:


"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction." — E. F. Schumacher, 20th century German economist and conservationist.


She talked about why we don't like structure, and how decentralized leadership requires learning how to use it to empower others rather than control them. More good stuff!

Ben Erickson, after sharing a couple of prophetic words with a few that were present, brought us what seemed like the key teaching of the day: Focusing on the concepts from Danny Silk's book, "Culture of Honor", he clearly laid out what it means to develop a transformational atmosphere that elevates the status of people around us - the way Jesus did with people. The message meshes so well with the "Leadership in the Journey" booklet, describing the relational dynamic of vulnerability in the face of the unlimited grace of God.


After a pizza break, Abbey led us in a time of worship that invited the Spirit of God to just come and fellowship with us. Bob then gave a summary of The Journey's path over the last 20 months, and landed on the challenge of simplifying our vision to that of Jesus and the way He empowered an organic movement of the Bride of Christ through discipleship and walking in the power of His Father's authority. For those present, the challenge was to read Jesus words in Matthew 18:19 the way a little child would read them:


"Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven."


We agreed together that His Kingdom would come in Cambridge and Isanti County in a new way that transforms the culture here. 


After we closed, most of the thirty or so that had come that day stayed for a time of ministry where many received words that encouraged, and some were healed.  


Brace yourself.