Time for action. I have shared many posts on our Genesis Community and the Christian nation we anticipate for God to birth.
Our Genesis Community has moved from concepts to Common Unity. We are now working to extend this to our region.
As believers, individually and collectively, we need to grow. We need to change. We need to unite. We need to extend the Kingdom
Our next steps.
First – Simplify the concepts so they are readily transferrable! This is done! I have posted them below.
Second – We need to review how we, as the Church, are doing. Are we leading people to Christ? Providing food for the hungry and shelter for the homeless? Remember – as adults, we seldom change without a compelling reason to change. We need to look at how things ARE and compare with how things should be!
Third - We need to cast the vision and ask for participation. We need to engender Common Unity.
We are looking at a series of evenings where
….We call the believers together from across the region.
….We look at how we are doing.
….We cast the vision.
….We come into a shared identity in Christ, with a common vision and share in the common mission.
The outcome we expect is a Common Unity across this region that has not been experienced before by many. This was a new experience for me! I shared about it before. Here is excerpt of the post:
“Our Genesis Community is on one hand a foundational community for a Christian nation, yet on the other hand it is just another Kingdom Community in our region. As difficulties have emerged – I and the others are learning to do what many have never done before: to participate in building authentic community. I thank God that he has brought into our midst Bill Collier, who has gone far down this road before us. It was just last Tuesday that he facilitated a watershed gathering. What Bill showed us was both simple and profound. Whereas I know how to create rules and hold meetings, he showed us how to adopt a shared identity and live by a standard. Whereas, I know how to enlist people to work, he helped us understand how to unite to serve each other and the community.” For more read here: http://bit.ly/8OITy6
We expect to extend the Kingdom in visible and tangible ways. In 2010, we’d like to see a new believer added for every 30 people in the community. We’d like to see people open their hearts, homes and fellowships to others – extending authentic community to the believers who need further knitting in and those on the outside who are looking for light and life – serving all with tangible acts of service in committed interdependence. We expect to see a team in this region who is active in guiding the body of Christ to greater effectiveness: from knitting visitors into local churches to meeting tangible and unmet needs among the believers to serving those in the community.
Act’s continued. More to come as the story unfolds.
http://bit.ly/5rZkHr
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Eddie!
Thank you so much for your gracious post! Lots of golden nuggets there for me to contemplate. thanks
I have been working of this for decades. There seems to be a 'turn of the corner' when Johnny and I joined with Bill & his twin brother Paul (and their wives.) Bill understands authentic community in a way that I don't. It is not that complicated as we are learning, but if you haven't experienced it, it is mysterious how to 'get there from here.'
You know, it is easy to make things difficult and complicated. We have worked for a year to 'make it simple'. I am quite excited. I think it may now be so simple that it could be an 'emergent system.' The early church was such - Jesus planted it and it expanded and expanded. When it got complicated and 'religious', it stalled.
We will see what God will do. Bill has a calling to birth a Christian nation, the first of many. Nations within the nations. If that calling will be fulfilled, we will see something new emerge that has not happened before.
Good stuff, Juanita.
Also good to see you're still "living on the edge." Anyone who isn't is taking up too much space!
Having finished my 49th year in ministry this year, I've seen many "unity efforts." Most were more effor than unity. I remember the late Dr. W.A. Criswell's description of one he called the "ecumaniacal movement."
To me the most important two things to remember are:
1. Unity isn't something we do. True organic unity was accomplished 2,000 years ago at Calvary. God made us one. What we do is demonstrate it to the world.
2. That unity around anything other than the Son of God won't work. Unity around our vision and successes will do little more than make us proud. Unity around the unfinished task of world evangelism will ultimately frustrate us. We are to find our unity, which God has perfected, in and for Christ Himself.
And we should never forget that easily offended believers will never be able to maintain the ground of unity.
Thank God for you and Johnny, your precious family and minstry. Have a remarkable 2010!!
We have simplified our concepts into 5 points that can be readily shared with others by simply 'saying' them, counting them out on our five fingers.
Common Union In Christ
ONE Kingdom
The reign of Jesus Christ in every area, in every way, at every level activated by Fellowshipping, Prayer, Breaking of Bread, and The Apostle’s Teaching
TWO Greats
The Great Commandment- serving God and serving one another in truth, love, and grace
Being Open, Transparent, Supportive, and Accountable The Great Commission- Reproduce what we are
My Role
Role of People In Our Community
YOUR potential role within our community
THREE Part Covenant
Community Ethic- Commonwealth, Governance, Interdependence Community Constituencies- The Kingdom Community, The Natural Community, The Covenant Community Community Vision- Cooperation, Sustainability, Consensus (with God and one another)
FOUR Core Ideals of the Four Authorities
Unity in diversity
Sacred Authority- Kingdom Builders, Faith Builders
Popular sovereignty
Civic Authority-Freedom Building, Prosperity Building
Democratic equality
Social Authority- Family Building, Community Building
Rule of law
Regal Authority- Vision Building, Nation Building
FIVE Gateway Skills
Planter- Starts a new work or supports a new work, imparts a new vision or supports new vision that was imparted, equips people to DO the vision or supports the work of equipping others.
We ALL Plant or SUPPORT Planting
Perceiver- Sees and understands what God has done, is doing, and will do in order to see our role in what He is doing: separates truth from error and defends truth.
We ALL perceive truth and defend truth to understand out place and discern right from wrong
Messenger- proclaims the “good news” of the reign of Christ, that the Kingdom is at hand and among us, and that salvation is available because Jesus reigns and has suffered, died, and risen from the grave
We ALL proclaim the GOSPEL by our witness, our public testimony, our example, and by distributing the benefits of the gospel
Guide- ensures that the sheep have all they need to be healthy, to grow, and reproduce and protects and leads in the protection of the people in their care from harm
We ALL guide others as mentors and fellow “kings and priests”, especially the younger for the older in the Lord, but ALL care for and protect and learn from one another
Teacher- presents scriptural truths to others in a way that they can USE in their lives and pass on to others in a language and context that they can understand and identify with
We ALL teach one another and impart truth by direct teaching, training, and by the example we set and the conversation and conduct of our life together (LIKE produces LIKE)
Replies
Thank you so much for your gracious post! Lots of golden nuggets there for me to contemplate. thanks
I have been working of this for decades. There seems to be a 'turn of the corner' when Johnny and I joined with Bill & his twin brother Paul (and their wives.) Bill understands authentic community in a way that I don't. It is not that complicated as we are learning, but if you haven't experienced it, it is mysterious how to 'get there from here.'
You know, it is easy to make things difficult and complicated. We have worked for a year to 'make it simple'. I am quite excited. I think it may now be so simple that it could be an 'emergent system.' The early church was such - Jesus planted it and it expanded and expanded. When it got complicated and 'religious', it stalled.
We will see what God will do. Bill has a calling to birth a Christian nation, the first of many. Nations within the nations. If that calling will be fulfilled, we will see something new emerge that has not happened before.
I think I see it happening. :-)
It is awesome!
Also good to see you're still "living on the edge." Anyone who isn't is taking up too much space!
Having finished my 49th year in ministry this year, I've seen many "unity efforts." Most were more effor than unity. I remember the late Dr. W.A. Criswell's description of one he called the "ecumaniacal movement."
To me the most important two things to remember are:
1. Unity isn't something we do. True organic unity was accomplished 2,000 years ago at Calvary. God made us one. What we do is demonstrate it to the world.
2. That unity around anything other than the Son of God won't work. Unity around our vision and successes will do little more than make us proud. Unity around the unfinished task of world evangelism will ultimately frustrate us. We are to find our unity, which God has perfected, in and for Christ Himself.
And we should never forget that easily offended believers will never be able to maintain the ground of unity.
Thank God for you and Johnny, your precious family and minstry. Have a remarkable 2010!!
Eddie
www.EddieAndAlice.com
Common Union In Christ
ONE Kingdom
The reign of Jesus Christ in every area, in every way, at every level activated by Fellowshipping, Prayer, Breaking of Bread, and The Apostle’s Teaching
TWO Greats
The Great Commandment- serving God and serving one another in truth, love, and grace
Being Open, Transparent, Supportive, and Accountable
The Great Commission- Reproduce what we are
My Role
Role of People In Our Community
YOUR potential role within our community
THREE Part Covenant
Community Ethic- Commonwealth, Governance, Interdependence
Community Constituencies- The Kingdom Community, The Natural Community, The Covenant Community
Community Vision- Cooperation, Sustainability, Consensus (with God and one another)
FOUR Core Ideals of the Four Authorities
Unity in diversity
Sacred Authority- Kingdom Builders, Faith Builders
Popular sovereignty
Civic Authority-Freedom Building, Prosperity Building
Democratic equality
Social Authority- Family Building, Community Building
Rule of law
Regal Authority- Vision Building, Nation Building
FIVE Gateway Skills
Planter- Starts a new work or supports a new work, imparts a new vision or supports new vision that was imparted, equips people to DO the vision or supports the work of equipping others.
We ALL Plant or SUPPORT Planting
Perceiver- Sees and understands what God has done, is doing, and will do in order to see our role in what He is doing: separates truth from error and defends truth.
We ALL perceive truth and defend truth to understand out place and discern right from wrong
Messenger- proclaims the “good news” of the reign of Christ, that the Kingdom is at hand and among us, and that salvation is available because Jesus reigns and has suffered, died, and risen from the grave
We ALL proclaim the GOSPEL by our witness, our public testimony, our example, and by distributing the benefits of the gospel
Guide- ensures that the sheep have all they need to be healthy, to grow, and reproduce and protects and leads in the protection of the people in their care from harm
We ALL guide others as mentors and fellow “kings and priests”, especially the younger for the older in the Lord, but ALL care for and protect and learn from one another
Teacher- presents scriptural truths to others in a way that they can USE in their lives and pass on to others in a language and context that they can understand and identify with
We ALL teach one another and impart truth by direct teaching, training, and by the example we set and the conversation and conduct of our life together (LIKE produces LIKE)