What In The World Is God Up To?

Last Sunday we had our first gathering down at Liberty Place (thanks Matt for capturing it through pics you took). We asked people who were interested in starting things up at Liberty Place to show up. And over 600 popped in for the party. What in the world is in store when we launch Liberty Place for good on March 7?
Things feel different right now at LCBC. Like we are on the edge of new life.
I love the local church. I love the potential of the local church and the power that is contained within it. It is the power to breathe life into the world as the Spirit puts Jesus on display through his body. What a sacred thing.
And this is why I love our approach and strategy with multiple campuses throughout the region. The church isn't a place. It is a people. A people spread out through neighborhoods, schools, pubs, coffee shops, and places of work. It is a people committed to making Jesus famous and putting this new way of life, this kingdom way, on display wherever we may find ourselves. And so as we launch campuses into the very neighborhoods where our people live, we implicitly communicate that the gospel isn't about you coming to us, it is about us coming to you. It isn't about us getting to God. It is about God getting to us.
The word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood. And so will we.
I am bored with the idea that church is where we all get together for an hour on Sunday's to sing some songs, hear a message, and shake a few hands. That doesn't interest me. It really never has. I think what most people want is to be a part of a movement. To be a part of a transforming work in their own lives and in their communities. People want to see addictions broken, marriages restored, kindness extended to strangers, and the poor taken care of. People are longing for the church to rise up and be what it is supposed to be in this world. And as that happens Jesus will be made famous. Because it is his work. His church. His life.
And this is the claim Jesus makes. That he came to give us life. To make us alive in ways we never have been alive. This is what I get excited about. If this message of Jesus is truly life giving, it ought to permeate and affect ever aspect of our lives. I have the feeling that, like me, most people are tired and bored of the Christian faith being relegated to just "coming to church".
But what if Christian faith was really about being changed and transformed by a faith in Jesus that was so real that we would be would be willing to give our very lives for it.
What if we could be changed... if we could experience what it means to be fully human and brought to life at home, at work, with neighbors, wherever we found ourselves... I think people are yearning for that kind of faith. The kind that affects all of their being. The kind that is contagious. I know that's the kind of faith I want.
What is about to happen? It is estimated now that since the year 2000, Lancaster, York, and Berks counties (all bordering each other) have grown by 104,000 people. If you add in Chester county (also bordering Lancaster County) you would add in another 58,000 people who have moved here. Which means that in just the last decade, there are over 150,000 people that have moved into our surrounding counties. We are in the fastest growing region in PA. 150,000 people that need grace, love, Jesus.
Seriously, what is about the happen?
My heart beats very fast when I think about the potential of the church. Of LCBC.
The best is yet to come.

