The Power of Tribe
Greetings once again to those of you who are stopping by to chomp on a couple of LIFE Nuggets! I am in such a great mood this morning. Some of the men on the team came in last night and we continued to paint inside the building. Being here last night I could not help but watch somthing powerful happen. We are beginning to see something take shape that is part of what I feel God wants LIFEhouse West to be about. Family, or what I personally like to call, tribe.
Let me explain, it is my opinion that as believers we have missed out in the past 20 or so years on the idea of living life together. Church has become a place, or a club, where we get together once a week or maybe twice. The relationships that we tend to have as a result are at best superficial and at worst dysfunctional. How many times have we heard of churches that are so split that people on one side of the sanctuary will not speak to those on the other side. Somehow all of these people live under the amazingly stupid notion that God is pleased with them. I do not believe for a minute that He is.
Or how about churches that are so focused on internal politics that when a visitor comes in and starts to get connected, the people who have been a part of the church for a while begin to share "behind the curtain" stuff. Saying things like "well this church has a lot going for it, but out pastor is such a ..............(fill in your own phrase here)." Then upon hearing this stuff the new person either becomes a party to it, or leaves thinking that all the stuff that he heard about Jesus must be a load of hogwash because the people who claim to represent Jesus sure don't sound like Jesus. Or how about a church where spiritual authority and ministry are oriented around position. Everyone becomes so focused on what they do or who they are "in church," that the Gospel is left on the shelf because everyone is focused on their personal agenda. Let's all be honest here, in some way, shape, or form, we have all encountered some variation of this stuff. Maybe even been guilty of being a part of it.
Perhaps that is why I find what I am doing now so refreshing. Some of the people who have shown up to help with the birthing of LHW, are so fresh and new. When something is new and fresh, it is easy to be idealistic. We have the opportunity here to be idealistic in our approach because of this newness. We can rediscover what it should look like.
This idea of tribe is one of those things. Here are my thoughts. Have you ever watched one of those shows on tribal communities or just picked up a National Geographic magazine? They show all of those "primitive" people living life as a community, working to hash out a living in a difficult environment. They work together, they help one another, they play together, they celebrate individual moments like marriage as a community by building the new couple a hut in which to start their new life together. They handle discipline as a group. They fight as a unit when the community is in danger. They celebrate victory together. Tribe is tribe no matter what.
This is what I feel we have missed and what I hope to see at LHW. Granted I have neither the resource or the ability to build everyone whom I marry a house, so no funny ideas here. We can however live life together. I pray that we will see a real family atmosphere among the people who embrace the idea that is LIFEhouse West. Is it Biblical? Yes. Look at Acts 2:42-47. These people shared, they lived together, laughed together, cried together, loved together, brought outsiders into the family, they did ir right. For most today, their model has become an inconvienent truth. As the guy who is responsible for guarding the ideals here at LHW, may it never be said of us that we lose the togetherness that is forming. As we all, as individuals and as a community, strive to be more like Jesus, our passionate following of him married with the idea of family can change a city. Let it be so.
Viva Revolution!!!!!!!
Go Cowboys!!!!!!!
PJ
Let me explain, it is my opinion that as believers we have missed out in the past 20 or so years on the idea of living life together. Church has become a place, or a club, where we get together once a week or maybe twice. The relationships that we tend to have as a result are at best superficial and at worst dysfunctional. How many times have we heard of churches that are so split that people on one side of the sanctuary will not speak to those on the other side. Somehow all of these people live under the amazingly stupid notion that God is pleased with them. I do not believe for a minute that He is.
Or how about churches that are so focused on internal politics that when a visitor comes in and starts to get connected, the people who have been a part of the church for a while begin to share "behind the curtain" stuff. Saying things like "well this church has a lot going for it, but out pastor is such a ..............(fill in your own phrase here)." Then upon hearing this stuff the new person either becomes a party to it, or leaves thinking that all the stuff that he heard about Jesus must be a load of hogwash because the people who claim to represent Jesus sure don't sound like Jesus. Or how about a church where spiritual authority and ministry are oriented around position. Everyone becomes so focused on what they do or who they are "in church," that the Gospel is left on the shelf because everyone is focused on their personal agenda. Let's all be honest here, in some way, shape, or form, we have all encountered some variation of this stuff. Maybe even been guilty of being a part of it.
Perhaps that is why I find what I am doing now so refreshing. Some of the people who have shown up to help with the birthing of LHW, are so fresh and new. When something is new and fresh, it is easy to be idealistic. We have the opportunity here to be idealistic in our approach because of this newness. We can rediscover what it should look like.
This idea of tribe is one of those things. Here are my thoughts. Have you ever watched one of those shows on tribal communities or just picked up a National Geographic magazine? They show all of those "primitive" people living life as a community, working to hash out a living in a difficult environment. They work together, they help one another, they play together, they celebrate individual moments like marriage as a community by building the new couple a hut in which to start their new life together. They handle discipline as a group. They fight as a unit when the community is in danger. They celebrate victory together. Tribe is tribe no matter what.
This is what I feel we have missed and what I hope to see at LHW. Granted I have neither the resource or the ability to build everyone whom I marry a house, so no funny ideas here. We can however live life together. I pray that we will see a real family atmosphere among the people who embrace the idea that is LIFEhouse West. Is it Biblical? Yes. Look at Acts 2:42-47. These people shared, they lived together, laughed together, cried together, loved together, brought outsiders into the family, they did ir right. For most today, their model has become an inconvienent truth. As the guy who is responsible for guarding the ideals here at LHW, may it never be said of us that we lose the togetherness that is forming. As we all, as individuals and as a community, strive to be more like Jesus, our passionate following of him married with the idea of family can change a city. Let it be so.
Viva Revolution!!!!!!!
Go Cowboys!!!!!!!
PJ
posted by PJ | 5:51 AM
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