How do we keep our spiritual focus?

Recently I saw the following quote on a friends status message on Facebook:

"Do we see the members as necessary to retain the structure and ministry of the church, or do we see the church as a place for equipping its members to live authentic Christian lives in the world?"

A thought-provocing question that was further supported by some of the comments he received.


In the history of the early church, the Acts of the Apostles, the church was clearly the latter, in my opinion.

Before Pentecost the 11 stayed together in Jerusalem as they were told by Jesus after his ressurection (Acts 1:4-5). They lived and prayed together with the newly elected Matthias (1:26) and met daily with the earliest church (1:15).

After Pentecost they continued to meet daily in the temple court as a family. They shared everything even their personal property and they continued to add to their numbers.



So was the early church the necessary structure or was it a place of authentic Christian living? As 'the Lord added to their numbers daily' (2:47), I would image that the latter was the case.


In my view this 1st generation church, just as later 1st generation churches, seem to be focused on the service and equipping. They seem to have something at stake that 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc generation does not seem to have. To these new churches their (spiritual) lives are at stake.


The 'old' churches seem to have more and probably too much structure. It seems too easy to be part of the pew warmers either physically or spiritually. The comfort zone is too comfortable. And 'we've been here for generations, so we will still be here'. They may be very active in their community, helping and caring, but their eyes, their treasure might be in someone else than Jesus. Maybe not out of spite or lust. But they simply lost their focus by trying to be a copy of Christ, rather than having Christ as the head of their Body (Col 1:18).



So how do we as Xth generation church revive that sense of that our spiritual lives and the spiritual life of our familiy, our church is at stake? How do we make that Christ have Supremacy in and with our lives?


Curtious Comments are always welcomed and encouraged!


Thank You, Henrik Andersen, that you allowed my to use your statement as a start for this blog post!

My name is NOT Muzungu!

Living in a village in Uganda for more than 8 months, everytime I went into or though that village either by car, by motorcycle or on foot the children would cry "Muzungu! Muzungu! Muzungu!"

That was nice the first couple of times but in the long run it became irritating. Not becuase of the attention but because of what was underneath that attention. And although the adults would often hush their children, they had a similar attitude.

'Muzungu' means 'The white man'. As a white man in Uganda at least but as far as I know all over Africa you are more or less a small 'Deity' because you have lots of money and power. Anybody associated with or working for a white man in himself gains importance just because of that.

This is regardless of who the white man is. You are just expected to have lots of money and power.

I am glad, that I had the experience of living in Africa and it brings a lot of good thoughts and feelings.

One thing I learnt is that it does matter, who I cling to. And how I present myself. I am a man, not a (semi-) God. I am imperfect, not perfect. Only Christ was and is perfect.

It is important that I accept that I strive to be the best person I can be, I am aware that I have to point to Jesus for the perfect example. Perfect Love, True in Nature and Thought, He gave his all by coming to us in a lowly setting and gave up his life to save us and cleanse us for our sins.

Paul says in Gal 6:14 "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

May I be a humble servant, fighting for Christ, my wife, my family and the town I live in. In that order!