church that connects

Two-way arrows can be used to describe the relationships between God and believers, and believers and believers. It is important to recognize the first relationship as two-way because our connection with God involves His giving and providing to us and our response of giving and providing to Him. (Our giving and providing would be considered “worship”, and it involves our receiving His initiation.) This relationship desires two-way communication and two-way commitment.

In a similar way, our relationship with other believers is two-way, in that is desires participation and sharing on all parts. To experience true, biblical, fellowship, believers must be willing to give and receive in sharing their lives, needs, hopes, dreams, failures, and successes. True fellowship cannot occur when believers live with a one-way arrow between them.

A one-way arrow is appropriate in describing the spiritual relationship of believers with non-believers. Non-believers have not accepted Christ as the rescuer and leader of their lives and hence, have not received the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit is the means through which believers are able to have spiritual connection with God and with others, we can assume that not having the Holy Spirit would result in not having the ability to have the same complete connection.

This is the call of God’s mission. His desire is that in result of an authentic relationship with Him, believers would be compelled to share this relationship with others. Then, they might be reconciled to God and find themselves in a two-way relationship with God and other believers.

Sadly, many of today's churches do not show that they understand the relationship of worship and of fellowship as the beginning of mission. The biblical purposes of the church often seem more like functions than purposes. As a result, Christianity can seem much less fluid than I believe it was intended to be. We create our worship program, and later we create our outreach program; and nowhere do we recognize how closely a passion for God relates to a passion for people.