When Christ died on the cross, He paid the penalty for sin.  Before the Righteous and Holy God, we are justified through Christ, legally, positionally, and eternally.  Christ’s death on the cross meant that we who are separated from God can now come before Him with confidence, trusting not in our flesh, our birth, our circumstances or our works, but in Christ alone and His sacrificial atonement for us.  And for that, we should be eternally grateful and thankful.

This is the basis for being a cruciform church (thanks to Lee Camp for this term in his book, Mere Discipleship).  The cruciform church is a church of individuals who take up their cross daily.  Worship is priority in all things, as it is first and foremost in all ministry, work, and action.  In fact, a cruciform church does not act without it being an act of worship to a most Holy God.

This act of worship of the Lord is expressed in many ways.  Most people think that worship means corporate worship, as in a Sunday morning gathering.  Actually, it’s often more than that, it can range from an individual/personal devotional and worship time, a small group bible study, a homeless feeding, and even a planning meeting (I know, maybe I’m pushing it)- that is, if the focus is on an expression from the participant’s heart to the Lord.

A cruciform church is formed around the cross.  It is a church with the cross in all its dealings.  It is a people eternally forgiven, eternally saved, and eternally grateful.  It is a people seeking not their own comfort, but the Great Commission.  It’s a mindset and a heart-felt change: all actions are driven by a concern for the non-worshippers of God, as those in the church reach to those who do not know Christ.  Evangelism, missions, discipleship, corporate worship, tithing, prayer, and other spiritual disciplines and practices mean nothing if the goal of expanding the Kingdom of Christ worshippers is not on its radar.

How does a church be more of a cruciform church?  It begins with the leadership.  The leaders must be sold out for Christ and His Kingdom.  They must be humble in their positions of leadership, as there are no professionals in the Kingdom of Christ.  They must be focused, removing distractions of “creature comforts” and self-centeredness from their thinking, centering their lives and minds on the things of the Lord through prayer and the Word.  They must be biblical, pointing the congregation to the principles of the Scriptures, shepherding the flock with patience and great instruction in the full counsel of the Word.  They must be slaves to righteousness, thirsting and hungering after the righteousness of God both inside and outside the walls of the church.  They must be bold and courageous, seeking God’s strength in standing up to the temptations of legalism and liberalism, saving the church from wolves that creep in, and pressing the people of God toward the Kingdom work of God.

Even more, it continues with the church itself.  The church must be willing to submit and to be lead, asking God to direct its paths and allowing God’s leaders to lead them in a direction that they should go.  They should be willing to come, grow, serve, and share Christ daily, in every place they influence: work, home, school, and even the seemingly mundane.  They must be unselfish, remembering the call to the Great Commission instead of the “Great Comfort” they so desire in their lives.  They must be hungry, desiring to see another soul saved, another life changed, and another sinner repentant.

These are the components of the cruciform church- the church with the cross in all its dealings.  Be the church. Expand the Kingdom.  Transform lives.

Fran

In an attempt to follow a biblical model for church ministry, I thought that I would mention a few thoughts of mine regarding churches and the prevailing attitudes within various sized churches.  I admit that these are not based on research, but on observations, and there are stereotypes that are inherent in my thoughts.  I will say that I have firsthand experience to varying degrees of least some of these attitudes:

Monday mornings can be a mixed bag for me.  Sometimes Mondays come and I get “right on it,” eager and ready for the week ahead.  Other times, after looking at my overbooked calendar with regret and disdain, I simply have dreaded Mondays.  Within those dreaded days, a very small percentage of Mondays are like today.  They are a downer.  A discourager.  A drag.  These days don’t happen much, but it does happen.


Now, please don’t get me wrong- I’m really okay, but it has seemed that today was going to be one of those small percentage Mondays for me.  I do realize that self pity and self centeredness is essentially self worship (idolatry), and certainly idolatry is sinful and repentance must come.  In my repentance of my sin, I first and foremost ran to God.  


I had to spend more time with a healing God.  I went to prayer.  I listened to music.  I especially ran to God’s Word.  As I struggled and pressed through the Bible reading, prayer, and meditation time, I found myself fighting for joy to take over my day and upcoming week.  My priority this morning became to focus on God and not my pity party, on God’s righteousness and not my self centeredness, the Lord’s glory and not my own.  I refused to let discouragement come in and take control, but instead focused on Christ alone, knowing that He brings joy. “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Ps 30:5).  I trusted that pressing on and pressing forth will result in a joy that goes further than simple happiness. 


This morning was one of those mornings that brought me joy in the presence of the Lord.  Even more, in my prayer and reading time, I ran across a puritan prayer that especially helped me and may may help others.  As a result, let me share it with you:
May I never give Thee rest until Christ is the pulse of my heart, the spokesman of my lips, and the lamp of my feet (Valley of Vision, p. 273).


May His words and His ways be my words and my ways- all for His glory!


Fran