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Signs of Restoring Health in ICOC |
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News -
Current Events
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Written by Roger Lamb
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Friday, 29 September 2006 |
 A note from Roger: The following is a short editorial adapted from an earlier Disciples Today eNewsletter (subscription required).
So
reach out and welcome one another to God's glory. Jesus did it; now you
do it! Romans 15:7 (The Message Bible) Accept one another, then, just
as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15:7
(NIV) Don't you love reading a familiar verse in a new translation?
According to this verse, we are to accept and welcome of each other the
same way that Jesus accepts and welcomes us and for the same reason --
God's glory!
At least five signs of restoring health in our
fellowship of churches are reflected in the stories below. There are
more signs of health and there are more problems to overcome. May
these signs encourage us.
1) Over 300 churches committed so far to the Unity Proposal representing over 70% of the reported membership. Trust and respect based on a commitment to shared beliefs, cooperation and missions indicate a security in the Lord and intercongregational relationships. Just as in a local church, surely God intended for us to work together instead of separately. Many other churches are still praying and discussing the Unity Plan. Some have decided they agree with all of the principles but cannot commit at this time. There is no artificially imposed timeline. Patience and acceptance are the spirit of the day while we pursue God's dreams for us. We are seeing mature, functional relationships being built that indicate a significant turn in our working together for His glory.
2) The beginning of a revival in our campus and teen ministries. Truly the rumors of the death of our campus and teen ministries have been greatly exaggerated. Read the responses of the students in the reports on the International Campus and Teen Leaders Conference that was held on the UCLA campus in early July. Many of us were personally praying for a step of progress since the San Antonio Church restarted the ICTLC last year, but this year's conference was a huge leap of spiritual growth. Twice as many attendees indicated the hearts of our young people and the investment of our leaders. They still have a long way to go, but you can see the Spirit of God moving in the eyes, hearts, speech and fellowship of the students, the campus and teen ministry leaders and the evangelists, elders and teachers who were there.
3) Disciples Involved in Missions. (See Missions Channel archive stories) We are seeing more and more "member missionary trips" for regular disciples travelling to mission points they had only heard about to serve and love their brothers and sisters. The result is a family relationship instead of an obscure group who needed money. Be sure to read some of the articles in the list below. Also, the amount given to missions seems to be slowly increasing.
4) Baptisms and Restorations. (See archived stories in various channels.) Many churches are reporting a significant increase in people being baptized into Christ and restored to Christ. Yet there is no sense of competition or prideful comparison. The desire is to help people know God -- not just build a big church or Lord it over anyone else. Jesus made it plain that a vine in him will bear this kind of fruit as well as fruits of the Spirit. Mature celebration indicates mature leadership.
5) Conferences inspiring and teaching disciples to healthy evangelism and discipling. (See Features channel archive stories) I have had the privilege to attend 15 - 20 conferences over the past couple of years. It has been quite a view of our group of churches. The most encouraging trend I see now is that our leaders are responding to the members calling them to lead. Fear is being replaced with healthy teaching and challenging to know our Bibles, make disciples and teach each other to grow in Christ. It also seems that more disciples are personally looking for people to be involved in their life, not just being assigned an artificial relationship.
There are still many challenges in our family of churches. That is part of what makes up a family. As we heal, let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, full of grace and truth. May the stories below inspire and challenge each one of us in our walk. Share them with a friend, a Bible Talk or a whole church!
Grace and Truth,
Roger Lamb
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Last Updated ( Friday, 29 September 2006 )
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