tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21365935.post6062704743130424141..comments2024-03-15T04:45:39.805-05:00Comments on Take Your Vitamin Z: Thinking About The Mission of the Church Along with Trevin, Kevin, and GregVitamin Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12327369978082172135noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21365935.post-80382762230316315402011-11-14T13:13:16.960-06:002011-11-14T13:13:16.960-06:00Cricket... Thanks for your thoughts. In referenc...Cricket... Thanks for your thoughts. In reference to your questions: <br /><br />Again, it gets fuzzy... What do you mean by church? Do you mean the leadership and how they spend their time? Do you mean the content of the church calendar and what is reflected there by priorities? Does it mean the church budget? Do you mean all the things that individual members choose to do with their time? Do you mean how we spend our time on Sunday morning in a corporate gathering? Do you mean our small groups? Do you mean the content of my preaching as a pastor? <br /><br />To your point on #2, can a church be a church and not respond to those things? How do you think the book of James would answer that question? <br /><br />I guess you would have the "right" to not want to get involved but in the face of such atrocities, but how could you not get involved? <br /><br />You might say that is the job of the individuals of the church to do "on their own" but what is the church, other than a collection of individual believers? So I think either way you slice it, "the church" (as a collection of individual believers) is going to get involved one way or another.Vitamin Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12327369978082172135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21365935.post-87672604260568719432011-11-11T16:51:56.495-06:002011-11-11T16:51:56.495-06:00I think you make some good points, but you're ...I think you make some good points, but you're slightly confused when you say, "I just don't buy the distinction between the role of individuals and role of the church as a whole." Jesus gave the church (the institution) the keys to heaven, meaning it would be through the church the gospel will be proclaimed. Also, Christ set up the government of the church, by appointing apostles first, then they transferred the power to elders. So, the church leadership (elders) have a role of discipline that individual Christians do not have. Elders are held to higher account than the average church member, for they are entrusted as undershepherds with the sheep. <br /><br />So, essentially, the role of the church is different than the role of the individual believer.<br /><br />Finally, for some of the questions you ask (during Hitler's times or in Rwanda), while they are definitely not easy situations, let me ask this:<br />1. Can a church save Jews or Rwandans, yet fail in its primary purpose of preaching the gospel and making disciples?<br />2. Can a church still be a church (evidenced by faithful preaching of the gospel) and yet choose to not get involved in saving Jews or Rwandans?<br /><br />I think the answer to both is yes, showing my thought that the church's primary purpose is preaching, and individual believers are better suited to getting involved in justice.<br /><br />In His service,<br />"Cricket""Cricket" Rennernoreply@blogger.com