This is the fifty-fifth update for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund for the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore. This includes the Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, Slidell, and New Orleans, Louisiana.

The following is another message from Pastor Sprague concerning the ministry of Trinity Evangelical Free Church of Covington, LA and hurricane relief.

Death of the Church is Greatly Exaggerated

Those of you who know me well know that I am a reader. Over the years, I have profited from and enjoyed the writings of Christian pollster, George Barna. He has brought a great body of research and insight to the body of Christ. This is not true, I believe, in his latest work entitled, Revolution.

In his new bestseller, he expresses great passion for the capital "C" church, the universal group of believers in Jesus, but misses completely the biblical doctrine of ecclesiology or practically put, the vital importance of small "c" churches around the world. He expresses enthusiasm that there are 20 million people, dubbed "Revolutionaries" who largely operate outside of commitment to a local church. Revolution sees believers "choosing from a proliferation of options, weaving together a set of favored alternatives into a unique tapestry that constitutes the personal ‘church’ of the individual". In fact, Barna writes, "whether you become a revolutionary immersed in, minimally involved in, or completely disassociated from a local church is irrelevant to me (and, within boundaries, to God)." He illustrates revolutionaries who have eliminated church from their busy schedules because the ministry is not sufficiently stimulating. He is excited about the revolution outside the church and predicts the decline of the local church.

A few reflections:

First, Barna downplays, disregards or misses the biblical instructions on the central and essential place of the local church in the cause of Christ. Roger E. Olsen writes in The Mosaic of Christian Belief (InterVarsity Press, 2002), "No where in the Great Tradition of Christianity before the twentieth century can one find the uniquely, modern phenomena of "churchless Christians". The great revivals of the past always brought people into local churches or created new ones.

Second, as a pastor, I am and trust will always be excited about the little "c" local churches, warts and all. I have to be. Jesus loves the church and gave himself up for her. I must love what Jesus loves. He loves His churches.

Third, the predictions of the demise or decline of the Church are greatly exaggerated. Jesus will build his Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against her (Matt. 16:18 ). The church has survived far darker days than our life in America.

Fourth, leaders need to call believers away from the consumerist and entertainment styles of our day to the radical call of Jesus to "die daily". Barna’s phrase "personal church" is simply a reflection of "consumer" Christianity and at odds with Jesus’ call to community that expresses itself in relationships of commitment rather than convenience.

We need to call people away from the "ecclesiastical buffet" where we constantly pick and choose, hopping churches based on the hottest menu of the day. The Kingdom of God gets confused with the mall. Some think of themselves belonging to multiple churches rather than deeply rooted in one body. In so doing, relational roots remain shallow and people remain lonely and disconnected.

Fifth, I am a wide-eyed dreamer believing that Jesus is at work in the world and some of the best days are ahead for the church. Even if we are small, He will be faithful to the remnant who possess His Spirit. Rather than "consumers" we come consumed with devotion to Jesus. We realize we don’t go to church, but we are to be the Church. Our desire is to come to give rather than get, yet in giving we receive. As Jesus promised, "If you save your life, you will lose it, but if you lose your life for Christ and the gospel, you find it".

Lastly, my experience of the last six months reminds me there is nothing like the local church when the local church works right. Just like in Luke 23, my heart is lit with the "fellowship of the burning hearts" as we see the visible hand of Jesus at work. Jesus has radically touched my heart and many others.

1. Wednesday night during our service a man said, "I just want to share that there’s been a lot of conversations and debates about ‘Why bother?’ and ‘Why rebuild?’ You know, what a senseless thing to have the city where it’s at in the first place. And it has really touched me because I’ve got an answer! I feel now a real answer …because there’s people here …and God loves those people!" He gets it!

2. Here’s a note I got this week from a member of the church who was helping a woman and kids who were dealing with an arrest and abuse charges in the family …"I was desperate for help and the church was the first place I thought of to run to because I have seen these past few months what the church and God’s people are doing in His name. Even though her ‘disaster’ was not directly Katrina-related, the devastation to her life and the lives of her children was the same. Her disaster had the same consequences. She lost everything that she knew was her identity and that of her children instantly."

Since the woman could no longer afford their house payments, she had to sell the house which was in the middle of repairs that her husband had been working on. The team was able to transform the house, both inside and out, getting it ready to sell.

The note continued, "She was overwhelmed with grief and all the problems involved in preparing her house for sale. Satan meant to destroy her life and the lives of her children. But the King has one more move. Praise the Living Lord God who is so faithful. My niece said, ‘I had prayed for an angel and God saw fit to send an army of angels. The hands and feet of Jesus swarmed my house like bees in a hive.’"

3. I’ve been surprised everyday this week with stories of God’s care, provision, compassion and goodness. There are daily opportunities to share the gospel and some seem so close to crossing the line. Pray!

We see our new building progressing and this week received plans for the renovation of our old educational wing. Good candidates are emerging in our interview process for new staff. We even have a possibility of getting all or part of a paved parking lot. (This would take a miracle of money, but if God is in it, He will make a way.) Hour by hour Jesus works as head of the church and watches over His bride.

Rather than read Revolution, I have a better idea for Revival and Revolution. Draw a 4 x 4 ft. square with chalk. Step into it. Proclaim that the revolution starts here - with me. Yield to Jesus. Let Him ignite the fire in you and people will come out and watch you burn. Your local church will be strengthened and your pastor will rejoice.

Betting the Farm on God,

Pastor Michael Sprague (3/04/06 9:10 AM CST)

We should never discount what God can do and has done, through the local church. After all, it was the local church which Jesus founded that only consisted of twelve men who through the power of the Holy Spirit changed the course of human history. The church in Jerusalem sent out missionaries who established local churches who sent out other missionaries, and likewise again and again until local churches are in almost every part of the world today.

Please help those who need it so desperately and consider a contribution to the combined efforts of this blog and Grace Community Chapel of St. Peters, MO, in raising money and volunteers for ministry teams to be sent to Trinity Evangelical Free Church in Covington, LA, to be distributed locally to the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore and New Orleans area. You will find detailed donation information by clicking here.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 4th, 2006 at 4:25 pm and is filed under Katrina North Shore Relief. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

Tags: Hurricane Katrina, Katrina, New Orleans, North Shore, St. Tammany Parrish