The King is dead; long live the King! It is in this way that I think about Urban Design Church. Although she has run aground, ground to a halt, she lives on. The Inspirational Church will always live on. The Institutional Church is the organizational attempt to formalise God's work. Church names and entities can live and die (sometimes occurring at the same time). But the work of the Kingdom in people's hearts survives.
I suppose you are looking for some kind of a comment from me as to the happenings that led to the end of the road for the church plant. I suggest it will be an autopsy over a couple of years. Suffice to say for now that my faith in God is strong. It was the function of that position that I could no longer do. The belief in God and His beautiful church is a distinguishable topic altogether.
Do I feel like a failure? Absolutely not. On the contrary, what was achieved was incredible in its own way. So many victories won; so much ground actually taken.
The greatest victory through it all has been in my own heart. There is a triumph of identity. I refused to identify my worth in my work. In this way, I was not held to ransom by my work. I chose to define myself by the message of a gospel that declares my worth is independent of my work. Thus, I have been able to let my work go without any remorse that my value is forfeited. While this might not seem like any sort of victory, let me assure you that it is an achievement of a lifetime.
Sturdy I depart, with the absence of self-pity and the refusal to accuse God of failed benevolence. To the contrary, I exit singing His praise, rejoicing in His salvation, declaring His greatness above all things.
If I was going to negotiate with God on the strength of the pile of my church-planting work, or on the strength of Jesus' finished work, there would be no comparison. I stand on the Mound of His finished work, eschewing the petty mound of my own efforts. His Heap is infinitely larger than my heap.
On the Mound of Golgotha I stand. On the Mound of Zion I stand, where the Ascended King is coronated. The foothills of my own work I shun for His "righteousness, like the mighty mountains" (as Psalm 36 would have us believe).
As a son I set out on my pilgrimage bearing the inclination to plant a church. It has not turned out how I imagined. As a son I continue on my pilgrimage, assured of my own lofty position as a coronated son of the highest King.
Failure would be to believe that I am worth more because of my Kingdom attempts. Failure would be to demand that God "owes me something". Failure would be to lose hope in God and His goodness. Failure would be to have a hard heart to God and to church others. Failure would be resist giving God the benefit of the doubt to some of my questions.
No, I have not failed. If I have, then the gospel has failed me.
I suppose you are looking for some kind of a comment from me as to the happenings that led to the end of the road for the church plant. I suggest it will be an autopsy over a couple of years. Suffice to say for now that my faith in God is strong. It was the function of that position that I could no longer do. The belief in God and His beautiful church is a distinguishable topic altogether.
Do I feel like a failure? Absolutely not. On the contrary, what was achieved was incredible in its own way. So many victories won; so much ground actually taken.
The greatest victory through it all has been in my own heart. There is a triumph of identity. I refused to identify my worth in my work. In this way, I was not held to ransom by my work. I chose to define myself by the message of a gospel that declares my worth is independent of my work. Thus, I have been able to let my work go without any remorse that my value is forfeited. While this might not seem like any sort of victory, let me assure you that it is an achievement of a lifetime.
Sturdy I depart, with the absence of self-pity and the refusal to accuse God of failed benevolence. To the contrary, I exit singing His praise, rejoicing in His salvation, declaring His greatness above all things.
If I was going to negotiate with God on the strength of the pile of my church-planting work, or on the strength of Jesus' finished work, there would be no comparison. I stand on the Mound of His finished work, eschewing the petty mound of my own efforts. His Heap is infinitely larger than my heap.
On the Mound of Golgotha I stand. On the Mound of Zion I stand, where the Ascended King is coronated. The foothills of my own work I shun for His "righteousness, like the mighty mountains" (as Psalm 36 would have us believe).
As a son I set out on my pilgrimage bearing the inclination to plant a church. It has not turned out how I imagined. As a son I continue on my pilgrimage, assured of my own lofty position as a coronated son of the highest King.
Failure would be to believe that I am worth more because of my Kingdom attempts. Failure would be to demand that God "owes me something". Failure would be to lose hope in God and His goodness. Failure would be to have a hard heart to God and to church others. Failure would be resist giving God the benefit of the doubt to some of my questions.
No, I have not failed. If I have, then the gospel has failed me.
This is profound stuff & not often shared. May His love ever pursue you & your family, & may you continue to know Him in all His Mystery & as your Father
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