I’ve been thinking about this for a while. But, I’m still not sure how I want to say what I need to say. I realize, painfully, the reality that most Christians in North America are still rather immature. Not that they are not adults, but rather that their faith is not matured to the point where they have gotten much past the point of conversion. I know the church culture is still so focused on the point of conversion, the decision for Christ, that we often forget that this is not the end of the process but only the beginning step. In other words the Church’s job is not finished once people decide to follow Jesus, but it is really only beginning.
So, what I’d like to do is to begin a process of maturing in Christ with about 10 other men. I’d like to gather about ten of us to make a journey toward being more fully mature followers of Christ. I don’t know if there is anyone else who would like to make this journey with me, but what I know is that it cannot be done alone. It needs to be done in community, Where we can talk, yell, argue and workout our faith, coming to terms with our faults, our failures, our leaps of faith and whatever else comes along.
I see this primarily as a process, not a one time decision. I see this as a opportunity to study scripture and to read Christian authors. I see this as a chance to worship, to work and to build a deeper life in Christ. I would be glad to welcome into this fellowship anyone interested in the journey, be they a Christ follower or not. I would ask, that they only be open to the idea of following Jesus.
I don’t think that this will be an easy journey, but I am convinced it will be an adventure of epic proportions. I expect that there will be many lessons learned on this journey, some will be intensely personal while others or expressly public. I expect to learn about myself, about Christ Jesus, about those who form this fellowship. I anticipate learning what it means to follow Christ more fully, I anticipate learning what it means to be a man in the context of following Christ Jesus and living in North America in the Twenty-first century. I anticipate dealing with old wounds and with new ones as well. I anticipate struggling with others in the fellowship on issues and ideas.
I don’t know when this journey will start, but like Lewis and Clark, I am looking for those who would make the journey with me. A journey into the known and unknown of life in Christ Jesus.
Scripture, Church and Life 