Filed under: Community, faith, Love, Serve | Tags: Indianapolis, Indy Metro Church, Jesus Christ
For a while I’ve wanted to share a few thoughts on generosity, the church, and Indy Metro culture. While it’s still raw and fluid, friend and Indy Metro leader Parke Ladd (Visit his blog, Love {All} People, for this and other great posts) and I sat down together to discuss some of this as we head into the Advent season.
To simplify, I’ve broken up into a series of posts and invite you’re participation:
Parke: There are a lot of us wrestling with what normal Christianity genuinely looks like. In terms of generosity and the gospel, how should we respond? What does normal Christianity look like?
Aaron: Well, what does it look like to contextualize the Gospel and not simply try to reproduce (through systems, staffing, etc) what occurred in the early church as found in Acts 2:42-47?
While principles and the example from the early church which apply heavily to the church today, it’s not as if the early church in Acts is inviting us to do literally as they did. Let me explain. Occasionally, what we see in portions of the church is idolization of the text itself, worshiping the text and what was done in attempt to reenact the acts of the early church instead of simply responding to the mercy of the gospel in our current environment and letting the fruit of our response–love, joy, peace–spill out into the world around us.
In terms of generosity, what does this look like to a professional who is making a quarter million dollars a year? Does he HAVE to sell everything he has, move into the ghetto with 4 of his other wealthy friends, and start telling the homeless poor about Jesus? Well, no of course not. Not unless he catches that burden. On the other hand we have couples who are dedicated to doing just what I described, to serving the poorest of the poor right here on Indy’s East side. Two different groups of people, wrestling with the Gospel, attempting to honor their convictions, and yet it looks totally different.
Neither is more holy than the other. The two mission fields or communities are completely different, but neither one is in more need of the gospel or Jesus’ love than the other. The Lord’s heart breaks for all people that are separated from him. Those living and working in one community don’t have the opportunity to impact those living in the other. Whether a person is without Jesus Christ and living in Carmel and someone is without Jesus Christ living on the near east side looks completely different but believers on sent on mission accordingly.
Parke: Jesus spent a lot of time with the poor. Why not imitate him in that way?
Aaron: Jesus spent a ton of time with the poor, as should we. However, Jesus cared for and deeply loved all people regardless of their economic situation. Does the Lord not want to see all people come to Him? On the other hand, does this mean that the rich don’t have an obligation to give or be generous with what they’ve been given? Of course not, but the rich persons primary influence is in a different realm based on where he has been planted as compared to the poor.
Both wealthy and poor believer’s conviction should be: What am I doing to bring the love of the Gospel to the people whom I am currently surrounded by. Not should I leave the people I’m currently surrounded by and go be a part of another group simply because they are poor (or rich). Use your influence for the Gospel where you are and allow the Lord to send you elsewhere from your obedience.
Parke: Essentially what you’re saying is that each person’s response to the Gospel is unique in accordance to their walk with Christ. While it will be fundamentally founded upon the same truths and passions, the response will look different in accordance to what the Lord is calling them to and who the Lord places them amongst.
Aaron: Right, the response will look different and it should look different.
Parke: In light of that relevancy, Indy Metro Church states that it is a multi-generational, multi-ethnic, socioeconomically diverse, church. If so, how do you relate to so many different types of people with unique backgrounds and cultures coming from all sorts of different angles here in downtown Indianapolis?
Aaron: We can’t all be the same. We are simply too diverse as a church. The message of sameness doesn’t apply to the church. The people of Indy Metro Church aren’t all going through the same struggles or joys, and most of them are in completely different stages of life all together. In fact, it’s difficult because the experience of the person sitting directly next to you are probably very different compared to yours.
We would love to read your thoughts on what it looks like in your life to bloom where you are planted?
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