Vive La Revolution!

I have been thinking about the cost of being a revolutionary. Two hundred and thirty years ago the signers of the Declaration of Independence put it all on the line. They put at risk their finances, possessions, their families and their own lives. But they were not the first. Those first followers of the Master - Rabbi - Jesus also laid it all on the line. They walked away from professions, money and family. Both groups were taking a stand for freedom, the first political, the second spiritual. It takes a revolutionary spirit to stand against legalism and the chains it seeks to bind us with. But a few have and they have breathed a new spirit into the dieing body of my tribe. It takes a revolutionary spirit to put all you have at risk to reach a people group you don’t know and that doesn’t know you. But a few are doing it here in this country and abroad. Revolution is first a vision, then a declaration and then a movement. It starts by planting the flag of the Kingdom of Heaven in our own hearts. The church in Rochester Michigan is a part of the revolution. Here is the last couple paragraphs of Patrick Mead’s blog Monday July 3rd. “At Rochester, we are determined to join Him in revolution again. While maintaining our building as a worship, teaching, and service center, we have three other prongs of approach to Jesus' dream. Charitable works is one of them and this church runs several efforts on a daily basis, some of which have garnered national attention. Next comes the launching of people into communities (as mentioned previously), giving them our blessing and backup as they reach out to Goths, rockers, the homeless, addicts, and various prisoners of suburbia. Fourth, we are sending out teams of sixty to one hundred to start congregations in target communities. All of these works are small group based and they aren't your usual small groups. Forgive me, but most small groups are merely an alternative to checking the "Sunday night" box on our righteousness ticket or a fun way to stay close to people we see every Sunday morning. Our small groups are evangelistic and service oriented (and are getting more so). Jesus launched a revolution. We've decided to rebel with him. Wanna come along? Vive la revolution!” The status quo just won’t get it done, never has, never will. It takes a revolution to bring about change. Sign me up!