My Next Great Idea

Psalm 34:8 "Taste and see that the Lord, blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!"

I have been kicking this around for a day. I think that I want to put this verse as an invitation to all Gen-Xers and Millenials (aka, like 35 and under). It is my invitation to you. It is the way we can come to the Gospel. Maybe even should come to it this way.

I put this as in opposition to a modern approach to the gospel. Quick review- Modernism heralds reason and science as the ultimate. So modern approaches to the gospel include an argument to the faith. Lee Strobel wrote a series of books known as "The Case For" series, including The Case for Christ, the Case for Faith and the Case for Easter. These books logically go down a list and take each argument against each subject and put it to the light, ending with the basic understanding that no thinking person can disagree with it.

Christian "tracts" that present the gospel are modern in nature- walking the logical steps from we are all sinners to the place that the only alternative is to accept Christ.

These things are not bad. I am not bashing them. However, these things do not really entice me to believe. Strobel might even agree with me today, as he wrote a book called "Reaching Unchurched Harry and Mary" and it seems to have little in there about logical arguments to the faith. A millenial can agree with everything you've said in your argument to the faith and then say, "that doesn't mean i'm going to become a Christian", basically saying, that's great that you can defend it, but i'm looking for more.

Taste and see- this is an invitation to me, to you- to all. Experience that Christ is good! Experience that Christ has more for you than the world. Taste and see. Test the water and find that abundant life from Christ is truly fulfilling! Find that he does forgive sins, experience that He died for you and what it means. Experience the life of faith.

Encounter Christ. Pharisees were not easily argued to faith- they knew the scriptures, many of them practiced the scriptures. what it took for men like Nicodemus was experiencing Christ's power first hand. He could not just hear of it, he had to encounter Christ. I feel invited by a verse that says "Taste and see that the Lord is good"

It is a call to people that just because we can prove our faith is right, you still must experience it in order to fully grasp. It is not a faith completely made up of logic and reason, thus logic and reason cannot be our sole basis for faith!

35 and unders- we are about the experience. I will not say you are right becase I haven't expereinced it. In fact, until I do, I will tell you that your faith is right for you, but not for me. Until I experience that Christ died for all, not just for those who currently are Christians, I will believe it is only for those people and other faiths are for others.

Taste and see- encounter, experience... God is good- our faith is the real deal!

i've been wondering

I've been pondering something the past few days. And I want to put it on paper, or in writing at least, so that I can organize it just a little.

Background- first, it seems to many (especially churches trying to reach millenials and x-ers) that sunday school is dead. The whole idea of sunday school classes, and then worship and sermon just doesn't fly with a lot of people. and in some ways, I feel a bit of agreement. Sunday School was started as an outreach tool for the church- to reach people who may not want to be in church. It was also a primary teaching tool for Christian instruction, teaching the faith, living our faith, teaching the gospel and more. But more and more people are believing it to be outdated.

with that said, our church has seen significant growth since before I got here. Some of that is older people, but in general, our pastor believes Sunday School is a big part of it. there was none and since it was started again, we've seen growth. Now, we don't know if growth has happened because of that or simply along side of that. Regardless, this has got me pondering something. As a person, and a pastor, and as a border line gen-x/millenial.

What if we do this, instead. Have Sunday school on sunday morning- multiple classes for ages, primarily. Basically, have Sunday school- maybe a little modified for each congregation. And then, after sunday school (or before- or both if you do 2 services), gather together for worship. Included are music, offering, scripture reading, prayer time- whatever else is incorportated in a worship service. And then, dismiss.

One of the reasons many people give for giving up on sunday school is that it gives people too try and grasp on a sunday morning. So if we can get the to grasp one thing well, that is better than not grasping 2 or more things. This gives us that one thing. It also gives small groups, close connection, meeting together, Biblical teaching/instruction and preserves corporate worship. It preserves the body because we're not completely individualized groups that meet away from church and barely see each other. The pastor therefore is responsible for not only teaching a class, but also instructing the other teachers so that the teaching is solid, bilical and doctrinally sound.

Would this work for a church? Does size matter in this potential model? What do you think of it? Responses welcome, by any and all who may read this.