|
Here are some of the most common questions Pastor Bryan receives, along with his answers to them. Email him and add to the list by asking him whatever questions you have!
Q: "Why is it even important to be part of a church? Can't
I just go it alone with God if I'm not really into church?
PB: I totally get this question. Churches can be really
frustrating. So often it seems as though our churches have lost sight
of what the church is supposed to be: a collection of passionate, loving,
encouraging, Christ-centered people who witness to Christ and represent
him on earth. Churches can be prone to division, infighting and "church
politics." Some
churches get too trendy for their own good, and on the other hand some
are entirely unwilling to adapt to the times and the culture.
That being said, what should we expect? Ultimately a church is a collection
of redeemed sinners–broken people made whole and made
powerful by the blood of Christ. If a church was as perfect as I'd like
it to be, I wouldn't belong in it, because I'm so far from perfect! And
so are you.
At the end of the day, God's Word tells us that local church is God's plan
for the spread of the gospel and the expansion of his Kingdom on earth.
The Church is the body of Christ, meaning it serves as his representative
here, continuing to tell the story of his life and death. And the church
is an absolutely essential community for the life, growth and maturity
of the disciple of Christ. No one will reach the maturity and vitality
to which God calls them without being deeply engaged in a local church
community.
Growth may come for a time, but without people who are intimately engaged
and invested in your life, it will eventually come to a halt. New Hope
Church and the Fusion community are working hard to create a community
that fosters life, growth and relationships among Christ's redeemed people.
Q: "What is the 'Emerging Church' and why are so many people
so upset about it? Why are so many people excited about it?"
PB: Different aspects of what has come to be known as
the "emerging
church movement" are
both exciting and upsetting for various reasons, but it's very difficult
to talk about the movement in broad terms because it's a very diverse movement.
What's exciting about the emerging church movement is that it is trying
hard to engage our postmodern culture (a culture that generally denies that absolute truth exists,
and instead tends to believe that we each manufacture our "own truth" for
ourselves) in ways that are compelling, winsome, and make sense to postmodern
people. The movement also seeks to recapture many of the elements of
church life that have unfortunately been forgotten over the years, such
as corporate prayer, the aesthetic elements of worship, contemplative
practices, and intentional community.
Sadly, however, many 'emerging churches' (particularly those associated
with what is known as "Emergent Village") have taken the endeavor
to be relevant to the postmodern culture to an extreme and have compromised
themselves by calling into question–or by denying outright--some elements
of Christianity that have been viewed as essential since biblical times, such as the divinity of Jesus, his death on the Cross as a substitution
in our place for our sin, the authority and infallibility of God's Word
in the form of the Bible, and the necessity of repentance from sin, conversion
to Christ, and an earnest pursuit of holiness for salvation.
In the Fusion community, we're just not that big into labels. If we look
emerging, call us emerging. But we refuse to sacrifice biblical truth on the altar of relevance. What we are trying to be is a humbly and
historically orthodox, biblical, passionate, missional, outward-faced,
inwardly nurturing community of disciples of Christ, who live, walk and
believe as God has shown us in his Word.
For your reference and convenience, the
NHC website contains many links to external websites and files whose
content may or may not necessarily reflect the beliefs or opinions of
New Hope Church. Our effort is to include only content that helps lead
individuals to God’s truth. To report links which may be inappropriate,
thank you for notifying site
support.
|
