The Effective Church

I am so glad for all the Lord is sharing with his church/body right now.  Recently I have taken the time to seriously look and consider what an effective church would look like in the earth.  In the book of Acts you see a very effective church, being persecuted and disbanding but yet preaching as they went and more churches being started along the way.  When I look at The United States of America and all that we call church I sometimes get frustrated because I now understand that what makes us effective is "Our Difference".

The World is working so hard to get the church into reality shows, and talent shows and on and on and on because in the field of entertainment it is all about "Self".  Rarely on the reality shows about Christians to they really highlight life in submission to Christ as the way to success.  They show success and they show life but the connect to true submission to Christ and living for him is missed most of the time. My friends we will never be able to do what the world does as it relates to the money they can spend to put on a production but our difference is not in the lights, the staging, the banging mic systems, it is in the Christ we really have to offer the people and the power of God present in the Holy Ghost.  The more the church is getting away from the Holy Ghost/Spirit the more we are becoming common.  Larger numbers are coming in but few are being effectively impacted by the church because the Acts church knew the impact was connected to Jesus and all his Kingdom brought to men. 

Duane and LaShawn Youngblood

People want to be free.  People want to be at peace.  The only problem then is, as leaders in the Church Jesus died for, we must offer them all of him he is offering them.  We cannot water it down so it fits.  We cannot make it seeker friendly.  We cannot fix it so they like it.  The reason the Gospel of the Kingdom works is that we can always find people looking for what we have if we are only willing to give it to them in it's raw and rare form.  You see what Jesus handed the Apostles at Pentecost in the upper room was enough to turn Jerusalem upside down.  What he gave them was the same Spirit that he lived with and by and the same power to bring about change and the authority or right to use it. 

We have the authority of God to function using the power of God and we need not apologize for it.  I am sitting in my office typing this as I prepare to sit with a group of Elder at my local church and discuss this whole idea of "Our Difference".  We cannot give up any more ground trying to be famous, rich or known.  It is enough that they know Jesus.  It is enough that they receive Jesus and it is enough that they follow us as they see us following Jesus.  I am sure some of you sense what I sense.  I trust you can see that this is the perfect time for the Church to arise and be "Different" in a culture of so many norms.  We don't need to apologize for the anointing or for how we praise God.  When men need an answer they will come looking for those who have an authentic relationship with an authentic King and that is the Church Jesus is building.  I'm all in and I hope you are too.

Duane Youngblood