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Many of the most popular blogs on the web have risen to prominence from pointing out the shortcomings of other believers. This is a cheap and easy way to gain traffic for your site and build some sort of “name” for yourself on the internet.

Yes, it’s easy to criticize the Church for failing to live up to all that Scripture would have her be. After all, our shortcomings are often evident – and more visible than we would wish.

Much more difficult is the task of going past the critique of today’s Church towards setting a vision for the Church of the future.

I have decided to devote more time to thinking and writing, not about the current state of the Church, but about what the Church could and should be. I want to spend time, not reacting to the current trajectory of the world and the Church today, but proactively seeking ways to navigate through this postmodern morass and out to the other side.

Despite the valiant efforts of many of my brothers and sisters, our society is not returning to a world before postmodernism. Neither is the Church. And I’m not sure we should be trying. Instead, we must be the same Church in the midst of a postmodern culture, adapting to our new environment without compromising the core doctrines and essential beliefs of our faith.

Let’s take a deep breath and remember that the true Church’s survival through this postmodern era is already assured. Jesus told us that “the gates of hell will not prevail against us.” Jesus’ bold words do not describe the Church as a fortress being attacked by the forces of evil. His picture describes the Church storming the gates of the enemy. We must make sure that our focus is not so much on defending whatever remnants of Christendom remain in our world. Instead, we must concentrate on moving forward the mission of God into our fallen, confused society.

I confess that I have not yet seen a local church filled with intense Kingdom presence that furthers God’s mission in the world. One of the reasons I have yet to find such a church is that I am not totally what that kind of church would look like anyway. The New Testament church described in Acts contains something that I long for and hope to be a part of. Yet even in Acts, the truly Kingdom-focused church seems elusive in some way. We are treated to tantalizing descriptions of the church’s actions without being told exactly how those actions would take place and what that church would look like in a post-Christian society.

I have attended and now serve in wonderful churches filled with people who love the Lord, love their neighbors and love the Church. Perhaps my craving for a strong presence of Kingdom focus and missional thinking in the Church is God’s giving me a holy discontent that is meant to stretch my faith and stir my imagination. Perhaps it is the result of youthful idealism. Either way, I am convinced that denigrating the Church because of its shortcomings ultimately undermines the cause of Christ in the world.

Though no local church is perfect, and the universal Church often looks more like a cheating spouse than a faithful bride, I identify myself with this bungling bunch of believers. The church is home. The church is God’s beloved. The church has been bought with precious blood.

Though the presence of the Kingdom is not as intensely felt in the church as I would like, it is the sign of the Kingdom in this age, faults and all. And if Jesus is content to give his life for an unruly Church, I must find satisfaction in serving his church with all my heart and soul. Because he died for her, I live for her.

written by Trevin Wax © 2007 Kingdom People blog

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