The Glocal Church

Since Monday morning, August 29, 2005 the people of the city of New Orleans and the whole gulf coast region have been living in a world that is very much foreign to them. The devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina almost killed the will of the people in New Orleans and the entire gulf coast region. “The City that Care Forgot” was just about to lose all hope as well. However, an amazing thing happened. The people of New Orleans and the gulf coast region found hope, in of all things, the New Orleans Saints. As the Saints kept winning games, their division, their divisional play off game, and going to the NFC championship game, it provided hope and a reason for the city and region to celebrate. Despite getting beat in the NFC Championship game, the hope and excitement the Saints provided New Orleans and the region had a far greater impact on their city and region, more so than possibly any team’s Super Bowl victory may ever have on their respective city.

Ultimately, the Saints became a conduit of hope to an otherwise almost hopeless city and region, which desperately needed something to believe in.

The heart of the city and region found hope, and it began to pump life back into the city and region which were both desperately trying to hang on!  All of this because the Saints coaches and players “Gave All They Had,” both on and off the field!    

You may be asking yourself: what does this have to do with the Glocal Church and the Kingdom of God? Well, I’m glad you asked…Mark records the following teaching of Christ in Mark 12:41-44:

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything–all she had to live on.” (NIV) 

The application we learn from this nugget of God’s Word and the victorious New Orleans Saints is that it doesn’t matter how much you have to give Jesus…What’s important is giving Him everything you have! Surrender your everything to Him, from you commitment of time to Him, your service to Him and others, and by proving yourself as a faithful steward, not only with your affluence, but with your influence as well…Simply, give Jesus your all and watch how he will transform you and those in your circle of influence and use you as a conduit of Hope and God’s love!!! 

Bottom line…Whatever you have to give…Give Him all!   

My Sr. Pastor started a new sermon series at the beginning of the year which will take us through the book of Philippians. I have also been studying the book of Philippians in my daily quiet time; in correlation with my Sr. Pastor’s messages. There is a resounding message stemming from Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi. That message lies in the fact that Paul wrote this particular letter while in prison, however, I have never known of someone who exuded such freedom as Paul did. Even in shackles, Paul was truly free in Christ, and his words overflow with joy!

Through this experience, I have come to realize that my heart has been held captive in my own prison. This cruel fact became even clearer today. With today being Martin Luther King Day, I downloaded his “I Have a Dream” speech this morning and this particular excerpt from that speech cut me to the core. Hear these poignant words from Dr. King: Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity…But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled…

Although I am truly free in Christ, my heart is crippled…It is crippled by the appalling reality that it daily seeks to serve itself and not submit every moment of every day to Christ. I’ve come to realize that I am a captive in my own prison and my spiritual heart needs to be defibrillated and freed from the chains that bind me…

…I need a heart full of gratitude, not greed…a heart with a spirit of exaltation, not a sense of entitlement…a heart that bows in brokenness, not boast about itself…a servants heart, not a selfish heart…a heart that craves more time with the Savior it does have, than covets the things it doesn’t…a heart that causes me to humble myself rather than honor myself…a heart that beats its every beat to glorify our Lord and Savior! A heart whose every beat echoes the words of John the Baptist: “He must become greater, I must become less.” John 3:30 (NIV)

Please know this is not my attempt to air out my “dirty laundry, no!” It is my prayer that through my struggle to be transparent, Christ would be glorified, and His church be energized through the life and freedom found only in Him!

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36 (NIV)

There is a buzz phrase that permeates and defines our culture today. I am talking about “The Post Modern Era.”  The post-modern era, or “post modernity” was ushered into our culture at the end of the 20^th century, with the end of the “Modern Era” that had previously pervaded our culture since the end of the 18^th century.

Many leaders, scholars, ministers, etc., have had difficulties defining our post modern society. However, author and futurist Reggie McNeal provides a unique look into our post modern society in his book, Practicing Greatness: 7 Disciplines of Extraordinary Spiritual Leaders.  McNeal put the modern era and the post modern era into clearer view through science. He described the fact that Newtonian physics provided understanding of the universe in the modern era. He detailed that scientist and physicist in the modern era approached the universe as one giant machine that could be broken down into multitudes of independent parts for analysis. They assumed that by understanding the various and separate parts of the universe individually, they could understand the whole. They hypothesized that if they could explain how the universe worked, by studying it’s individual components, they wouldn’t need God. Their greatest acheivement was the spliting of the atom.

Fast forward to today, and the post-modern era. Scientist in our post-modern era view the universe through Quantum physics which views the universe not as a giant machine made up of independent parts, but one made up of many interdependent parts, which are all involved in complex relationships with each other. McNeal described that Quantum physics went far beyond the splitting of the atom, to discovering a multitude of subatomic particles that provide the DNA for our subatomic universe.

You may ask. What does this have to do with the church? The answer is found in one word, “community.” Community is one of the primary foci of the glocal church. The glocal church is focused outward, toward its community, to the ends of the earth. Glocal churches and their leaders develop strategies to connect with those outside of their congregations, which ushers in a sense of belonging for those who the glocal church places its focus. This paradigm is closely related to Quantum physics because they both find their roots in community or a set of interdependent relationships.

Those who want to make a difference for the Kingdom of God must function today through the Quantum universe, by focusing on community and everyone’s primal need to belong.