Attractional churches

5 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not become like the world. Suppose a man named Worldly comes into your meeting, and a man named Poor also comes in. If everyone is dressed the same as Worldly, and behaves the same as Worldly, Worldly will feel comfortable. But Poor, unkempt and not as well spoken will feel disconnected. When the music starts, Poor may not be able to read, or may not have glasses to see. When pondering the sermon, Poor is confused and wants to discuss it, he cannot. When uncomfortable at sitting for so long, he misses out entirely on what is going on because he must go out of the building. Such a service discriminates towards one and not the other, and serves one but not the other.

So it is with attracting the world, that in the manner by which you attract them, you must keep them. It is not just better, but incumbent upon you then, to attract them to Christ–who has no worldly attraction like Poor; who has nothing fine sounding to say; who does not fit in with the comforts you have given yourself. Then they will see Christianity for what it really is, that Christ himself brings life and abundance, through the way and the truth.

Incarnational churches

Suppose you say, well: there must be another service that is geared towards people like Poor! We must become like Poor, and have services at the park, and use simpler language, and have activities to teach for kinesthetic and visual learners!

Is this not just the same performance? The same circus, but for a different audience? Who are you trying to attract? Should we not want God to come? Should we not want to attract God? God came down and dwelt among us, in our culture and our ways: yes. But he deliberately disrupted the accepted culture: the belittling of women and children; the religiosity of the church leaders; the elevation of the rich and powerful and so on. He was establishing the upside down way of the kingdom.

Missional churches

To establish a kingdom culture is to deliberately create a new culture. It is first to be aware of your own way of life, whether you are like Worldly or like Poor, or like Christ. Then, in repentance shed everything that is not Christ-like, to be attractional to Him alone.

It is through these very cultural changes that we become a light on a hill and in a way, attractional–to those being saved. They shall know you by your love for each other. Your deeds and your faith together.

This is the character of God, that the Spirit serves the Son and the Son serves the Spirit and the Father serves the Spirit and Son. As they do that they create us, and serve us. So, likewise, we ought to fix our eyes upon Jesus, serving him, and through that, serving others. If, however, we fix our eyes upon the culture, and become like the culture to save them, we will lose our light, and will fail to save the lost, having lost our way ourselves.