Hello. Been out of LC since 2008.

[aron]

Originally Posted by Camil0

The only thing that drives me nuts these days in churches is that there is so little extolling of the work of Christ and so much emphasis on what we should be doing - works oriented. as far as the church form - i do believe the pastoral system really hinders people from growing, but so did the groupthink / ministry control of the LC !

The great failure in the Christian conversation is that it's rarely about Christ, and even then Christ becomes a touchstone to what we want to do. If we want to beat people, we reference Him taking a whip of cords and driving out the moneychangers. If we want to be beaten we reference Him standing in front of Herod and Pilate like a sheep being shorn, with mouth closed.

Etc. Where is the simple sitting at His feet, like Mary in the Bethany gathering? The reason our lives are a mess, and our impact in the world is negligible, is because we don't understand Him. And the reason we don't understand Him is because we think we do, and thus ignore Him.

Today I feel that the Lord Jesus had a secret, invisible relationship with the Father in heaven, which was constantly manifested in what He did and said. The "works" proved the Man. See e.g. the conversation in John 10. His works proved His Sonship. His relation with the Father was firm. A Man, in the flesh of sin on an earth held captive, was one with His Creator God in heaven.

The details of this relationship are there, but they are hard to get to, hard to fathom, and harder to grasp experientially and live within. You know, "abide". What a brutal word, in my lexicon! But it's sort of become a burning passion within me. And I hope that it's softened my interactions with others. And simplified them. How we need simplification! Not Christ and the church, not the ministry or God's present move on the earth, so-called, but just the One in whom God delights.