[James] Have you ever read one of those books that as you read it, it is rocking you so much that you wish you could share it with everyone? While my wife has been busy keeping up the blog, I have been thoroughly invested in a book called "The Church Can Change The World."
About 11 years ago after being faithful to serving withing a mothering church, a movement called Antioch Community Church was birthed in Waco Texas. By that time Jimmy along with a committed core group of founders had been training and equipping church planters around the world including Scotland, Iceland, Bulgaria, The Netherlands, Russia, China and Siberia as well as church plants in the states. One of the church plants came to Wheaton Illinois where Katie and I found ourselves worshiping our first Sunday here in town. The book is on one hand the simple documenting of Jimmy Seibert and his community's journey and how he was led to begin such a movement, but on the other hand it is the story of God birthing revival in and around the world.
I am not one to jump on board any movement too lightly without asking a million questions first. I have found myself enjoying the company of and serving within various churches and ministries in the past, but there has yet to be a time when I have found myself all in and sold out for a specific vision or a specific calling. I have walked with Catholics, I have served with Evangelicals, I have praised with Assemblies of God and I have studied among the Baptists. From each of these streams of faith comes a rich love for the diversity of the body and a desire for ecumenical worship and unity.
I desired to read this book to understand the roots of this seemingly young movement and to understand why they are not specifically affiliated with any specific denomination. The Antioch Community Church has been deemed a cult and has come under national scrutiny for their methods. Many people consider them to be crazy. At first opening the book I wasn't sure if I was going to need to sit down and have a talk with my wife about why I believe we are not supposed to be fellowshipping with ACC, but I wanted to find out for myself. What I can say is that without a doubt, both from what I have experienced first hand as well as the testimonies from friends and testimonies within the book, this kind of people, this tribe, and this breed of Christian is 100% legit, of God, pure, radical, Biblical, true and they have absolutely captured my attention.
In many ways it feels as though the longings of my heart for the church have been found. Mainly, they have been found because they are pure and unadulterated a pure commitment to Christ and the early church. I have been apart of many churches that are striving to be Acts 2 and churches that claim to be "Crazy" but you haven't seen anything until you hear these stories and testimonies. Whether it is a commitment to remaining debt free even in purchasing their buildings for worship, an equal distribution of salaries for all full time staff members from the greatest to least, 104 day prayer vigils as they wait expectantly for a move of God to release the captive missionaries held by the Taliban, sending out response teams to communities effected by natural disasters or holding to a commitment of prayer, fasting, life groups and evangelism, this portion of the church body is doing it!
Many people laugh when they hear that Antioch is a Waco, Texas birthed church. This is the heart of conservative legalism, the Bible belt and the home place of national koolaid drinking cults. I had originally thought the same thing until I was reminded of John 1:46 when Nathanial said, "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?"
This book would rock anyone's faith who was willing to read it. I am not recruiting anyone to ACC and neither are they. I am merely hear to say that there is so much more for the church and I encourage you to take this journey of faith with me. I plan to reread the book again soon and I am already being challenged to implement the long forgotten principles of Christ and the early church. Principles that are primary, foundational and inexcusable for us in the modern day world. I pray that you and I will become a part of the Kingdom coming and that we will not ever look back upon our days and say, I wish I would have done more, risked more, or trusted Him more. If there is any reason for you or I not to read this book or to be challenged by our brothers and sisters of Antioch, it is because it would be too hard to face the gap between where we are and where God is calling His bride to be.
I am facing that reality right now and, while I am freaking out, I am also so excited to throw myself into His arms and to dive head first into all it is that God has for us. Katie and I are so thrilled and thankful for ACC Wheaton, how they have reached out to us, committed to us and how they have modeled Kingdom living for us!
I highly recommend putting this book at the top of your to-read pile. But... don't take my word for it.
No comments:
Post a Comment