Kingdom Come

Day 2 at Kingdom Come continued the high standard set on the first evening.

Bishop Ken Clark gave the morning bible reading: 2 Peter 3:18 - But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Too often Christians, and Christian leaders, specialise in cover up and we turn our backs upon the grace/compassion filled eyes of Jesus.

There is a great need for 3G leaders:
Grace - we have replaced gracious living with merely obedient living.
Gratitude - if you have joy in your heart, please inform your face!
Generosity - a real need to live generously, the church is the only group where you can be savaged by sheep. Shepherds need to remember a lesson from farming, the sheep get fed every day and only get shorn once each year.

A really good session which held up the challange to Christian leaders to answer the question, 'What motivates me?'

Mark Russell and Harold Miller led a seminar session on the title 'Is the church an obstable to mission?' I think the answer is that it often is but shouldn't be.
On changing an institutional church it was offered that you can, eventually turn around a large ocean liner more easily than a large flotilla of smaller vessels.
Church is (or should be) what happens when people come together in community to celebrate Jesus and share his love with those around them.
Churches, both I think at denominational and congregational level, swamp their leaders with the task of being chaplain to Christians rather than being missionaries or evangelists. And then wonder why the church isn't growing???

To the well known triad of Belong, then Become, then Believe, we could add in the first place Bless. If the Christians serve their community to bless them will they not be attracted to belong ...

In the evening session Gordon MacDonald spoke on Depth, following last nights address on Defence. Taking Col 2:6 as his text - Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established is the faith, just as your were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Depth happens in the regular daily routine of living as disciples of Christ. A long-term relationship, such as being disciples of the Lord Jesus requires regular (daily) renewal. What a challenge this is to us! A frozen institutional faith is not going to be deep.

Another good day in Belfast with much to feed on over again in the days to come.