The Cutting Edge - going wide and deep !

One morning Colin and I had an interesting conversation that got me thinking . We were discussing how it is important to stay on the cutting edge of things. I could hear  the heart of a pioneer once again beating ahead its time ! That's where pioneers live, at the cutting edge of what they do. 

We were talking about the cell phone market of how the once leading brand,  has now given ground to a then lesser know brand simply because they did not get in on the Smart Phone market quickly enough. The other brand was a dark horse that  sneaked up behind them and today are the world leaders leaving the others in their trail of dust. Who would have thought that the giant leader could be shaken?

This is true for our lives as well,  in our places of work, and as leaders of churches.

Staying on the cutting edge is not easy. It requires that you to be alert be informed, have your ear to the ground and keep pace with the changing times. There is no room for complacency or getting cozy and comfortable. You may be ahead of the game today but staying ahead is not guaranteed, nor can one take it for granted. We need to constantly adjust and set out sails to the winds of change. We need to read the signs of the times and adapt our methods without compromising our values or goal.

"The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." John 3:8 . Nobody knows when where it will go are but we need to set our sails to it .

I know that on the business front we have had to adapt change and learn new skills all the time to stay on top of what we are doing. The markets have been shaky and we have had to adapt to survive. We thank God for the Holy Spirit’s leading and guiding.

The same is true for the church. What worked twenty years ago may not hold true today. The Gospel is indeed eternal and unchanging. The End does not change but the means needs to adapt to the changing times. In the 1960’s and 70s standing in the market square preaching and distributing leaflets was probably and effective way of sharing your faith. But to do that today would be at the risk of one’s life in some countries.

At one time the big stadium crusade had an appeal, an anointing and many came to faith through them viz. Billy Graham meetings, Bill Lorry etc. Today, a lot of these crusades are filled with already Christ Followers and very few seekers. The results are poor, and leave very little impact on the local church and community.

So what is the Spirit saying to us today? Where is the wind blowing? How do we need to set out sails? We need to be a people full of the Word and the Spirit.

We believe the Holy Spirit is drawing our attention to the original Blueprint that was set out in Matt 28:28-2- i.e.  make disciples of Jesus who will in turn make disciples of Jesus.

It’s simple, probably you might think too simplistic. But it is foundational, powerful and THE tool Jesus gave the 12 to change the whole world. It does not have any glamour and flash to it. It is slow, deliberate and effective. One only has to read  the book of Acts and the Epistles to see.

We believe the Holy Spirit is taking us back to the method employed in the book of Acts, where entire regions and even countries were changed by this. I am referring to the House Church model where they met in people’s homes  one on one.

As families were transformed, an entire community got affected which spilled over to a region and then an entire nation. Nothing has proved to be more effective over the centuries (even the Wesleyan revival was sustained by the house meetings). This method goes wide and deep producing lasting fruit over and over again through ordinary folk like you and I. It is not dependent on the Super Pastor model that is difficult to replicate. This can happen starting today as you reach out to a friend, a neighbor, a colleague and start a small group in your won living room. It can begin with you and just one more person and allow the Holy Spirit to breath upon it. As more of us do this, like yeast, it will work itself into the community and bring change.

This we believe is the new wine skin for a long season to come, this is where the wind is blowing and we need to set our sails to what the Spirit is doing. 

As we do this we will have the joy and privilege of participating in the greatest harvest our generation has seen.

Let’s be on the cutting edge of making History for eternity!!

To read more about how this can be worked out please click on the link below.

http://blog.wordofgracechurch.org/search/label/Vision%2013%2F30

Navaz D Cruz

Feb2013