Previously on the blog, I created a survey for Christian 20-somethings and another for Christian 30-somethings.
A different question was asked for each age-group.
Recently, someone asked me if I’d do a survey for Christian 40-somethings.
So here’s the question for Christians in their 40s. (No need to put your exact age; we only ask that you answer if you’re presently in your 40s. Thanks.)
What is the number one (1) biggest challenge you face about your Christian faith at this stage of your life?
Pushing through my doubts and believing the best is yet to come.
41. My biggest challenge is to “preach”, think & converse Christ alone. I’m convinced that Christ is truly ALL but I struggle to grasp exactly who the Christ is who Paul and many other early believers seem to have known. His beauty changed everything.
My biggest challenge is choosing to follow Jesus on a day-by-day basis. After repeated individual and corporate disappointment and failure it is easier to retreat into safety and self than live the consecrated life.
How God wants me to use my gifts at 40-something? What are the gifts He wants me to use? If I have the gift of distinguishing between the spirits (1 Corinthians 12:10) & how that gift is used for the common good?
One of the hardest challenges is walking on when there are so few signposts. I keep thinking, Lord, You are the Way. What more do I need? We have maybe one other person with whom we have regular fellowship – God bless her – but I don’t always shake off the niggling feeling that maybe I’m to blame for the fact that our journey since leaving organised religion has been so difficult. Did we hear the Lord right when we felt we had to leave? Were we too hasty? Were we acting on our own initiative when we saw the truth – or what we believed was the truth (you and your books were some of the catalysts, Frank) and quietly left seven years ago? Our ex-pastor said that in order for him to believe that what we were doing was the right thing, he wanted to see the fruit. We knew this wasn’t the Lord speaking so we didn’t let it bother us too much. But what is fruit? A life spent in obscurity, simply getting on with our daily work – nothing which we would consider spectacular – we’re not seeing droves coming to the Lord, that’s for certain. Who knows?
We have lots of questions and few we could go to for answers. Maybe in the humdrum, all the Lord wants for us is a quiet life spent faithfully getting on with whatever he gives us to do at the moment in question. Which doesn’t seem much.
Maybe what the Lord wants to teach us is to stand and resist the enemy in the battle where we are. Certainly we’ve found that we have been attacked on an emotional and mental level far more than we ever were in organised church. Perhaps we’ve being prepared for something. Haven’t a clue what but that’s in the Lord’s hands…
Biggest challenge is, while transitioning these past 4 years out of traditional “church” I feel a heavier responsibility to my children, now 23, 19 & 17 and have to remember to rest in the confidence that GOD has not forsaken us outside the walls of tradition. Though our walk, conversation and service seems much more natural and consistently intertwined in our daily life, I’m still concerned that we are not “purposefully assembling” with believers on a regular or routine (yuk) basis. I have a lot more reading and discovery to make and though these challenges are serious, I refuse to turn back now, but walk without fear and without doubt on this path
Robyn,
You said:
“…GOD has not forsaken us outside the walls of tradition.”
That was spot-on and so encouraging and affirming!
Tru dat. He doesn’t forsake us in the walls of tradition either.
good point Frank
For me it is letting go of the need to recapture the ‘on fire’ feeling of the faith of my youth, and instead moving forward and living my faith in the present, no matter what that brings.
I am 49, first, I must constantly break the stronghold of religion in my mind, learning every day the eternal purpose of the Father, second, what do I say to my fellow christians sisters and brothers.
dying to myself daily! Not necessarily to my selfish desires (although that is a daily reality) but as much dying to my inclination to live my faith from human effort. One of my biggest struggles is learning what it means for Christ to live in me and for me to live by God’s Spirit.
Frank,
This one is multi-faceted.
1. Gifts. As a pastor in exile, (I left the professional clergy six years ago after almost fifteen years of full time pastoral ministry) I am extremely frustrated at the lack of openess and opportunity to use my gifts. It was easy when it was my job. It’s not as easy when it’s someone else’s. I’ve asked, I’ve offered, I’ve expressed interest. The answer continually results ultimately in a ‘no’. I refuse to openly criticize people in the institutional church for this as it’s an inherited Christianity and I left quietly, however, from the outside looking in, well, I guess I’m still on the outside.
2. Relationships. Unless I hinge all of my community building on a half hour coffee fellowship after a service, it’s extremely difficult for me and my family to develop deep, meaningful relationships with others in the body of Christ. We’re trying, it’s going real slow and it’s so hard to find time. I think everyone is in a similar situation.
3. Christ in me. With the barrage of consumerism and materialism, it’s a battle to show my kids that we are in the world, not of it. My wife and I’s display of Christ living through us needs to be seen by my kids more than ever.
Sounds like this could be the homework for the basis for a new book. I hope so!
Regards
Bob
The greatest challenge for me is living faith-fully while living in-between. In-between raising children and taking care of aging parents. In-between youth and old age. In-between health and illness. In-between sacrifice and security. In-between libertine and legalist. In-between collaborating and leading. In-between being and doing. In-between waiting for the Lord and serving boldly. In-between prayer and action. In-between the present and future realities of the Kingdom…
Lisa, I TOTALLY resonate with that!
I cannot honestly say I am facing any challenges to my faith at this time.
However, as a 43-year old covenant son and prophet, I take moments now and again to consider the upcoming generations of humanity, and their ‘emergent/progressive faith’, and I wonder to myself how long my Father will endure seeing His Son, His Message, and His Church being bastardized, reshaped, reworked, and made to be more diverse and ‘relevant to this new generation’. Oy.
It seems that it is common practice these days to focus on the love of God (as they see it) and cast aside His Holiness (which they ignore), since Holiness doesn’t make for a good blog, outreach, t-shirt, seminar, or hip new movement.
The biggest challenge for me at 48 is having friends. The lonliness of being a man at this age and not having real friends is difficult.
Me and my wife have been in the wilderness for some 4 years now looking for and waiting for God’s timing in seeing organic church realised. We see some movement at the moment.
Living a genuine faith with others who want the same thing,to know Christ is a great desire and challenge although I know I wont get to know Him as much as I want without genuine community expressing Christ in an organic way and seeing Him in His Fulness.
I’m very appreciative of the insights gleaned here and from the various books recommended. I often find myself wishing that I could find like-minded people who could help me sharpen my focus. I’m noticing though that there are a lot of “reformation” voices out there telling the church how it should change. The challenge is how do we grapple with the different visions of change and learn how to make and keep the focus on Jesus … especially when you have a lot of habits that were formed and ingrained in you from traditional church experiences? Also, how do you maintain your focus when many of your Christian friends are content to stay within the traditional church context and you don’t want to become a divisive influence?
I find myself wanting to find and experience that “better connection to our Head” so that I can have something more to talk about than just “hey, church has been going the wrong direction and we need to get it back on track!” But I often find myself feeling like a blindfolded person looking to pin the tail on the donkey. I know there’s a donkey and I’ve got the tail. There’s a connection somewhere, but I’m not quite catching how to make it click. Maybe I’m just making it harder than it is, but that’s where I’m at. I know where I want to go, but the path does not always seem clear.
I’ve never met a Reformed person who talked about radical change in church practice and expression. The ones I know of fiercely defend the Protestant status quo on this and just advocate rearranging the charis on the big ship. What they do talk about is a change in theology . . . from others’ to theirs. Again, we have to define what we mean by “church” when we use this word.
On the other hand, the Reformed people who I know who take *all* of the Word of God seriously have come to see and admit that the Protestant way of doing church isn’t biblical. So they stop trying to force the NT into a modern mold on that front. This is refreshing. There are many things in the Protestant tradition concerning church practice that just don’t square with the teachings of Jesus or the apostles and what Paul called “the apostolic tradition.”
At 48 I’m realising what it is to renew my mind, being transformed and no longer conforming in relation to my identity, God, faith, church, life…. A lot of things are changing, but I’m happier and more secure.
Realizing that things I thought I knew for certain now are not so black-and-white…the reality that living for Jesus, knowing Him, living daily in His grace, love, and my surrender has blown all of my preconceived ideas completely out of the water and the adjustment to this entirely new walk that I find myself on.
sandra, read Brenda’s comment. she answers your question.
you should ask Jon Acuff or Turner to do that.
Sam (33)
How about a question for Christian 60-somethings?
I’ve recently retired and started a blog – the word is, the best is yet to come! (and I’m not talking about the afterlife!)
I’m another pastor who reads your blog regularly. There are five that I’m subscribed to and this is one of them. I’d say I’m successful at what I do (my congregation is over 2,000). The main challenge is loneliness. I lack close friendships. It’s difficult having close bonds when you’re a successful pastor and at this point in my life I crave this more than I ever have.
Your books have been a great benefit to me especially the last three. I was excited when I read about your new season.
Heidi, I hear you. It is very lonely and at times, I feel like I can’t stand it. My biggest challenge: finding people who want to establish deeper relationships in our own small town, much less experience Christ together. We have to travel 30 miles just to meet up with some Christian family – but thank God for them! My ideal of a great time…sitting around the table with a cup of coffee, talking about how great and wonderful Christ is and what He’s been speaking into our lives. Ahh, now that’s fellowship!! Who could ever get tired of Him?!
The biggest challenge I find is continuing to trust for everything. As an overseas worker in a difficult region, our support system is aging. We continue to be able to find support within our current base but find the constant shift in the US and UK church scene has dramatically altered the landscape for raising our support.
Each year we face the dilemma of needing at least the same support or more and each year watching an institution lower or drop their support and not being able to find a replacement as we continue to work more and more into the organic work in our overseas work.
We know that God is always the same and we continue to see our needs met yet we find it hard to know how to navigate the new landscape of the organic, institution, and emerging groups in the US when we are back as very few identify with what we are doing or being able to find connections with groups who will identify as there is no connection to them.
I continue to be excited and encouraged by the direction these changes are taking the groups and the deep life change taking place especially among people like your readers, yet it becomes more difficult to trust God to help make those friendships in what seems to become a “random” thing. We continue to see it happen, yet is feels hard to continue to Trust God to keep doing it. You’d think it would become easier as we continue to see God do it again and again, yet it remains a difficult road test for our faith to continue to trust in this when we can make it back to visit and make connections with groups.
Having enjoyed the nurture from older Christians in the past it came as a shock to me to get into my 40s and realise that I was one of those older Christians. It has been a joy to be able to nurture some younger folks who have come our way though.
I hate to see the 40 somethings becoming comfortable with life and settling down, rather than living life on the edge. Here in Latvia we get to live life on the edge and comfortable is something we don’t do easily. It does mean though that sometimes it is difficult to relate to those of our own age within a traditional church setting (and by that I mean one that has a meeting every Sunday with the traditional format of worship and preaching, which can include house churches too)
My biggest challenge is finding others as passionate for Christ to fellowship with. But more than just fellowship, to serve Him, and to really live this thing out.
The hardest thing right now is transitioning from an IC ministry model to a way that connects to others more naturally. We are so involved in “children’s ministry” (my wife is in a paid position) that it is difficult to just step out. Even the possibility of personally pursuing more natural relationships while supporting my wife in her position seems difficult to work out.
I find myself frustrated because we have been doing things the institutional way for so long that we know what needs to be done if things are to be done the IC way. So, while personally I am drawing closer to Christ and desiring to have more personal relationships with others, I am reinforcing the institutional model and mindset with the children we are “ministering” to.
Frank,
At this stage of my life I am beginning to know the Epic Jesus and my biggest challenge is to show him to the world, even my closest friends don’t see Him that way. There is a lot of mess and I am praying that God can use me to untangle some.
Pat
This is my second attempt, because I have difficulty limiting it to just one thing.
But if I could boil it down to one solitary thing (and wow, everything hangs off of this), then I would say it was learning that “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”
When we learn to expose and deal with our personally held lies and deceits, everything changes.
Number one challenge is finding Christians! Every “church” we have tried is very unwelcoming and way more concerned with their politics than with God. I can’t generally get anyone to even say, “Hello,” forget about, “How are you?” We were thrilled to be invited to a home fellowship, only to find out that it’s Unitarian. I’M SO LONELY!
Me too.
Feeling caught between the traditional I grew up in and the hipster church that seems to be growing, not feeling a part of either one.
I’ve been going through an 18-month revival and the joy of Christ’s salvation has been returned to me in a BIG way. A large part of this has been “rethinking” church [spurred on by my Brothers and Sisters, "Pagan Christianity" and "Reimagining Church"] and a deep desire and craving to BE and LIVE as Christ’s body and not GO to or DO church. Starting a new organic church [organic being defined in the classical F. Viola sense] last June (2011) has been wonderful, and trying at times. Letting Christ lead, and not someone on a platform, is very freeing at so many levels. I will say that everyone who begins to meet in this way must be prepared to face all the things you will find out about yourself and your brothers and sisters. And above all to be prepared to change, to conform to the image of Christ. Not only at an individual level but first and foremost at “body” level. We are not our own. We are Christ’s and each others “for we are members one of another”. Romans 12:5 and Ephesians 4:25.
My number one challenge? putting on Christ’s holiness in ALL areas of my life, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem; and putting away all “friendship of the world” that I may have fooled myself into thinking is “OK” with God.
Frank, I’m older (won’t give my age!) and I am a reader of your blog and books, but my kids (32, 25, and 35) devour your blog and books and they LOVE your podcast. I want to say that I’m glad you are speaking to the younger generation and making such a difference. I have seen a few people my age almost whine about this and it’s immature. I guess they don’t understand that your blog is primarily for a younger age group.
For those of you who are older like me I recommend the blog of Jon Acuff and Matthew Paul Turner. They are better suited for us.
I’ll keep reading but want to hear more from the younger people here. I loved reading the survey answers for the 20s 30s and this one.
Brenda, thanks for understanding the blog and for your encouraging words. Appreciated.
Biggest challenge in the mid forties would be rubbing shoulders with people in America who are serious about following Christ and who have left the stronghold of materialism and comfort behind.
So, we’re becoming ever more aware of the 2nd greatest command to love our neighbors (who know not Christ and his Gospel) as ourselves in hopes that they would be raised to newness of life, resulting in an establishment of a Christ-centered community in our neck of the woods.
I face a couple of challenges…
Explaining to my parents why I no longer am satisfied with the institutional church. Finding community in church – I have always found my social identity in church by being active in church. Trying to get involved with a new fellowship of believers (I recently moved from Florida to California), while being frustrated at seeing the non-Biblical approach and attitudes of many people and leaders in the church – which I blame partly on you, Frank. If I’d never read your books, I might have stayed content. Also, trying to find an organic church. I hoped by moving to a city of 3-million people, my odds would be better, but no luck so far. And I don’t know if I have the ability or calling to start one on my own, nor do I know a lot of folks here, and none that seem to be interested in that, even though they’re starting to see the disconnect in their churches. I also find that many Christians, sadly, are more American than Christian. They talk a good game, but when it comes to sacrificing to help the poor, even in their midst, they tend to go the “stay warm, but offered no clothes” route, if that makes sense. Even the more liberal are more Republican, pull yourself up by your bootstraps in actual practice.
Finally, to the question of the Reformed and neo-Reformed, the main focus, even more than in the past (I was raised Lutheran and went to Calvin College) is on doctrine over all else. Strangely, I find that Catholic believers tend more towards the Reformed views of the past, and Reformed leaning more and more towards legalism – Baptist legalism at that, if you understand what I’m saying. Doctrine is all – even if it doesn’t always mesh with the Bible – which is why they freak out when people point out to them that folks like Rob Bell are also considered neo-Reformed, and his approach, his questioning of long held doctrinal beliefs, irritates or confuses them.
Dealing with that sense that time is running out to make the kind of difference Christ has called me to make.
On a day to day basis…acting in a loving way that makes no earthly sense people because a Savior died for me. Forgiving people because a Savior died for me. Came face to face with Jesus in my 40′s despite having “gone to church” all my life and a self-examination revealed that all the knowledge…all the ideas…all the judgement…all the self-righteousness…doing the “right things the right ways” amounted to little because I just simply did not die to myself to love people in a Sermon on the Mount way every day.
HOPE – I look behind me and see people giving up, ahead I see those I love giving in. It all runs counter to what God is stirring in my heart and currently I’m confused and weary.
The biggest challenge today is finding others to come to the deep end of the pool. Encouraging them to give it all up for Christ. Giving all control to the One who gave and gives us everything.. What I see in the church close up (youth leader volunteer) is a body that is weak and very sick. It is not just at the building where I gather, I see it all over the country. Too many have only preached forgiveness of sin to add to their total of souls saved and have not discipled to teach the responsibility beyond that and the transforming power the Holy Spirit of our Lors gives. We think we can continue to stay the same and stay in our sin because we said a prayer. That is cheap grace. One hundred million people in the USA say they are born again Christians. If that were fact, where is the fruit? How do we get those 100 million to join us in the deep end and show that is where you find wholeness. That is where you find purpose. That is where you find Life.
As I stand at the close of my 40s and having served as a pastor in several churches, the biggest challenge facing me is making sense of all the time I spent building kingdoms, but coming to the realization that the majority of the effort was not spent in building the Kingdom. I’ve done a lot of church, but spent very little time experiencing the Church that Jesus is building. I’m looking forward (with fear and expectancy) to the Year of Jubilee (turning 50) and spending the rest of my days advancing God’s Kingdom.
My issue, convincing believers that Jesus came to give us real life that we learn to live, rather than finding a list of things we are supposed to do!
Go well.
You nailed it. Exactly!
Okay, I’m gonna be honest. Turned 40 a few weeks ago. my biggest challenge – frustration. here’s what I’m frustrated over.
1, that so many of my friends (30s) are following personalities instead of content. whether it’s donald miller, rob bell, mark driscoll, john piper, francis chan, andy stanley or whoever, they are following fads. what’s popular. that’s more important than content to them. they aren’t interested in anything deep. just the shallow, accepted, popular stuff.
2, so many christians aren’t interested in deep friendships. they are too busy with temporary things that perish. too busy for lasting friendships.
3, frustrated by people who think it’s easy to bring people to Christ and put pressure on everyone else to make converts, disciples, whatever. it’s not easy. not now. most people don’t care. if they are interested it takes a long time for them to make a decision to follow. so stop with the guilt and manipulation.
that’s it. maybe I’m alone with this but it’s how I feel.
keep blogging man. some of us out here want the deep stuff. being deep and available to answer question is rare these days. Don’t stop.
Yes!!! Triple LIKE.
I’m cheering with every word.
As a 30 looking at 40 for church planting this encourages me, excited to see the response and advice for these frustrations. I wanna grow deep, and long-term invest in lives. As mush as i respect the ideas and orgs or stanley and driscoll etc. I’m also fully aware that the real power of God is being displayed and propegated by small movements that will never be famous. It’s this pocket that i want to develop and entrust my heart in. God bless Frank and his ilk for keeping it simple and to the community.
thanks man. Listen to Viola’s ‘Epic Jesus’ conference message. will blow your mind. That’s what’s missing.
I don’t need to comment, you said it all and better than I could. Love this!
Succinct!
Not to remain set in my ways and be open to new dynamics, ideas, theologies, and cultural trends.
My biggest frustration is waiting on God’s timing. I’m aware of certain things He has planned for me to accomplish, but I never expected to wait as long as I have to enter into that productive season. Different experiences over the past six years or so have all served as preparation for what is to come. This is very evident to me, and I am grateful that He is nurturing and developing certain aspects of my personality, my worldview, and the way I relate to others. I suppose this is so that when I enter into this thing He is equipping me and enabling me to do, I will do it with humility, gratitude, and love. Even though I know His timing is perfect, my selfish anticipation sometimes gets the best of me. I’m weary of hearing Him say, “Not yet.”
I think my experience is very similar to yours.
After a lifetime of being a major part of institutional churches (my husband was a pastor for many years), our eyes were opened to the horrors of “the system”. In faith, we left it all. Since both of our degrees are Biblical ones, we have scrambled for about 5 years now to make an income and support our family. My husband originally got into a part of the construction business, but with the economy and a church split over over our “opened eyes” in a small town — we pretty much lost everything. Friends, house, cars, business…. life. We moved across the country to live with family 3 years ago, but cannot seem to get life going. It is hard not even having friends – because church was always our starting ground. My biggest challenge — My family is still in the wilderness, my 19 year old son who grew up to love and trust God now wonders if He even exists, I don’t know how to pray anymore because it seems that God doesn’t hear me….. in short I feel abandoned after stepping out in faith. I know He doesn’t “owe” me anything, but our faith has been rocked to the core. Has anyone else experienced something like this? Are we as alone as we feel?
At 42, my biggest challenge is relationship. My relationship with God could be pretty much summed up as a bunch of rules and an occasional warm fuzzy feeling. My relationship with people is pretty much non-existent. I don’t relate to anyone, don’t feel like I belong anywhere.
I’m in both a traditional church and a home church. I’m finding that changing how I do church only exposed how screwed up I am, but hasn’t helped fix anything.
As I discover more of the truth of the gospel and see through more and more of the man-made nonsense it has been buried in, my biggest challenge is not to lose patience with the church as it seems determined to obsess over cheap baubles while ignoring the one pearl of great price.
Rob: You said “the church” … what church? Not all churches are like you describe. The word “church” is used 1,001 different ways today. I’m trying to encourage people to define what they mean by it. See my plea in the beginning of my post “Christianity in Crisis” where I talk about this. Thx.
Like many of the people who commented, a few years ago I read your Rechurch library and it confirmed what I was already feeling and educated me on the biblical and historical foundations of all of it.
I looked for an organic expression of the church near me and couldn’t find one. I heard your talk at Threshold on the journey of leaving babylon and it was my experience exactly. Your recent post on how not to leave a church helped me when you again said it’s very hard to find the kind of church you’re describing but they do exist.
What really helped me out of this and I would say it to everyone looking for an organic church is when I read your book “Finding Organic Church.” My wife and I put the practical instructions to work and now we have a group meeting and it’s wonderful.
I would recommend everyone who is looking for real church to get that book. We appreciate your long experience in organic churches so that you could produce that book. It was indepensible for us.
I would say finding people our age (40′s even 50′s) that want to have a totally laid down life for Jesus. People who want to see the “Kingdom come on earth” and who revolve their whole existance around this passion of being Jesus on the earth.We would love to have the encouragement and strength from older believers! We have a lot of 20 somethings around us who are on FIRE. Thank you Jesus for that!
Thanks Tim and Ann. This has been a common response to “Finding Organic Church.” I’m so glad the advice worked for you also. Awesome!
I’m 46, a pastor of a rural church in California, a husband, and a father of two beautiful daughters ages 7 and 11. The biggest challenges I feel I face about my faith are (in no particular order):
1) Teaching it to my daughters in a way where they will make it their own, and not be “religious” and “churchy” but rather have an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus with servant hearts of humility and love.
2) Shepherding a fellowship, equipping it for the work of ministry, and not letting it become either “religious” or a “ritual” or an “organization” but rather a living, vibrant family of believers who love God and one another and who are truly family through the thick and thin, the times we are great and the times we are simply irritating and grumpy. Being a body that let’s Jesus express Himself through us corporately and individually.
3) Taking life captive to my faith. The older I get I experience more and more of the pain of life as a pastor, youth leader, and volunteer fire fighter and chaplain. When I was younger I was shielded from a lot of that, but now it is more and more surrounding me. The harder things I face in my life and others the more I am forced to take them captive to who God is, His character, His nature, His love, His power, His promises, His goodness.
4) Living my faith, being in people’s lives, when I usually want to be at home reading or being with my family or studying. Finding the balance.
Just turned 40. I’m part of a new Reformed church. Your blog is one of the best out there. My struggle is that while I like my church, there’s a narrowness among the people there to only read and hear Reformed authors and speakers. While I find these authors good, they are missing the deeper elements that you talk about in your podcast conference talks and some of your books. This is a big struggle for me. Any suggestions anyone?
Jeff, I’ve heard new Reformed people say this same thing quite a bit. Were you able to listen to “The Reformed Reaction” by Steve Brown yet? It’s a blog post by that name and it’s on the podcast. You can find it in the archives here (see top link).
If my mail is accurate, and I have no reason to believe it’s not, a growing number of new Reformed people are becoming more open to the other parts of the body who want to go deeper in the Lord. More and more of them are subscribing to the podcast (the present series on Encountering Christ in Colossians and Epic Jesus have hit a positive nerve), so be encouraged. You’re not alone, bro. In fact, one highly influential Reformed author has been emailing me privately asking some great questions about the deeper Christian life. It’s wonderful to see this hunger.
I’ve observed the same thing.
Yep, same experience here. Those guys are good up to a point but it’s still surface. Give your friends “From Eternity to Here” , Steve Brown said the insights were new to him and he’s a Reformed prof. who said he’s heard everything, or he thought he did. “Jesus Manifesto” too endorsed by Chandler. Those are a good beginning. They’ll see there’s much more than they assumed.
Frustration with the lack of reverence and respect for God (especially among those who call themselves Christians)
It seems at nearly every turn we’re meeting up with Christians touting extreme doctrines, looking for their own platforms, and trying to recruit disciples. I often feel worn out by dodging all the guilt trips, praying to lovingly maintain friendships without getting wrapped up in the nonsense that turns the focus from Christ. We try to carefully listen to the Lord in finding mentors we can trust in Him, and brothers and sisters we can meet with; and of course, He has been faithful in these things.
My biggest challenge has been overcoming the “work harder, do more, be better” mentality ingrained over years of established churchism to really believe how how much God loves and favors and blesses me because I am fully accepted in the Beloved.
Finishing the race, and finishing well! Being all that I was called to be.
The biggest challenge for me (us) is finding a few people who are interested in participating in a community such as what you describe in your books. We’ve given up on traditional church and have visited a few “house churches” and none fit the bill for us, yet trying to start something ourselves is proving fruitless as well. We have been praying for about 3 years for the Lord to send living stones, but as of yet, we are still all alone. It’s all very frustrating and isolating. I, personally, feel that my relationship with Jesus has suffered tremendously without the support and fellowship of other believers.
Vara, my wife and I had the same experience but to keep our relationship w/Christ from suffering, we started ministering to the homeless in our community and it has been so fulfilling! Find someone and invest time and money in them…develop relationships with them. You will not be disappointed. Blessings
Thank you for your encouragement, Gary. My husband and just watched the documentary “Furious Love” tonite, which has sort of reignited in my heart what its really all about…LOVE!
My biggest challenge right now is how to embrace the changes I believe Jesus is calling me to, yet respectfully leave behind all that keeps me from doing this. I have been so entrenched in the IC, and have seen how much damage maintaining it can do, yet it is what I know, filled with flawed people like myself, whom I love so much.
Genuinely following Jesus while entrapped by materialism/consumerism…trying to cultivate poverty of spirit and a more simple life…
How to keep Christ as the focus when everything else around me is “nothing new under the sun”.
My husband and I have been very active all of our Christian life with a local church – teaching and ministering, but have grown dissatisfied with the politics and lack of Christ centeredness in the church overall but mainly in the leadership. We left the “structured church” and began meeting with a small group over a year ago after reading Pagan Christianity. I have read all your books and have desired to grasp how to represent Him in everyday life even more than I have thus far in my 40+ years. My zeal is a bit stronger than most around me, I do tend to be an all or nothing mindset. That said, these meetings have been good, but I think at times that we are the most invested ones in the group, (so far only a few of them have read Pegan Christianity, which we really requested from the get go) which is disappointing at times. Not to sound prideful, but we are well seasoned, mature Christians, who have a lot to offer – but are frustrated with trying to find others who want to embark on or commit to this new adventure with us. Finding others who hunger for this revelation and who are willing to make life adjustments to align with this revelation is not easy. We have many seasoned friends both in and out of this group – but life has a way of keeping everyone (us included) so busy that engaging at the level necessary seems almost impossible at times. We get a lot from our own personal pursuit of Christ – I personally love inductive style studies, so we are not lacking for meat or truth – but would like to find a place where we could sow into individuals who are hungry and committed to pursuing more of CHRIST. We have even opted for attending a local church occasionally just to see if we are missing it – but only get reminded of why we left… I feel like we have a huge stockpile of goods, and we are looking for a place to wisely invest them.
Dear friend, I am a young guy (30) and I don’t want to be there in a few short years, how do i start investing now to ignite, engage, and empower disciples to be committed on that kind of journey?
Thomas, I’m 31. Had the same question. What changed things for me was Frank’s podcast and his book “From Eternity to Here” I recommend both. You won’t be the same. I met some great people on this blog too.
Dear Megan
I can relate 100% to what you write. The older I get the more I feel that those who we relate to and those who relate to us are only a click away online, but thousands of miles away geographically. Maybe this is partly what scripture means by the remnant. Bless you
My biggest challenge? I’m in the ‘been there, done that’ camp. Now in a church stream that considers itself to be forward-thinking, yet in practice is doing ‘same old, same old’.
More specifically, I’m tired of churches banging about ‘revival’ as if it was THE goal.
Andrew
Trying to muster the genuine enthusiasm for Christ now like I had in my 20′s.
I’m with you on this one. It’s almost a sort of “Christian burnout,” if such a thing can truly exist.
It’s not so much “burnout” as it is the wearing-off of a new toy or the (and I hope this does not sound wrong) the difference between the feelings for my wife when we were newly-weds to now. Familiarity breeds contempt but it is not as if I am contemptuous toward God but more like comfortable. I suspect that this is just a lull in my life this decade – What was it in the Pilgrim’s Progress, the swamp of depair?
discovering a deeper place in me that still needs to become more christ-like. it seems the more i learn about sin and how that effects relating to others, the more i realize i’m less like christ than i thought. i feel like i’m seeing things more simply, but more deeply…which is really challenging (and freeing).
I know exactly how you feel Tania. The Christian life can be very frustrating if you focus on sin instead of Christ. It’s not about trying to be more like him thru sinning less, it’s about resting in his finished work that took your sin away. You are not under law, but under grace, and sin is no longer your master. He was made sin & you were made the righteousness of God in Him. Isn’t that good news?
I’m 47, am married & have a child 9 yrs old. #1 Problem: Finding a church that’s organic & doing what they’re supposed to. Visited one that had a class in “Christian Mysticism”-we didn’t go back. Visited another that had issues of divisiveness and came to find out that several leaders were Free Masons & they were in the middle of the fray. We didn’t go back there either. That’s the most recent problems. It’s very frustrating!
I’ve often said that “organic” is meaningless today. Your comment is an example. Authentic organic expressions of the church (the way I’ve described in “Reimagining Church” and “Finding Organic Church”) certainly exist, but they are rarer than chicken molars compared to traditional institutional churches and “house churches.” This is why I encourage people to stop looking for such churches and take steps to start one from scratch as I’d like to see far more on the planet. I give practicals on how in “Finding Organic Church.”
Shouldn’t you be questioning “why can’t I find an authentic church” instead of seeking to start your own “home, organic” church. I have found a solid, bible teaching church both times in my Christian walk when I sought one out.
Scripture is very clear on what a church should look like and how we are to be mature in our understanding of that so we can discern against what isn’t edifying to our growth.
I feel compelled to express that typically this is more prevelant in churches that adhere to Reformed theology.
I don’t have to “question” this as I’ve already answered it in “Pagan Christianity” and “Reimagining Church” (which go to together). The books are based on two decades of church experience of all types. There’s not much difference in corporate practice/worship and expression of a Reformed church and all other kind of Protestant churches. The main difference is the theology. The order of worship is virtually identical with some minor tweaks. In “Pagan Christianity,” I talk about where that order of worship came from. It’s rather fascinating. http://www.PaganChristianity.org
Living what I say, believe and know! Being a living example to others!
Someone above mentioned “been there, done that” Christianity… my biggest challenge is that, since I’ve been there and done that, how to slap some sense into the 20 and 30 somethings to not walk that road and kick the pews out of the 50′s and 60′s somethings so that they get OFF that road…
The biggest challenge is trying to convince older people what the bible really says about Grace, and that legalism isn’t what the gospel is about.
Thje biggest challenge(s) I face as a 43yr old:
1.feeling like I have to stay were I was planted. I have a rich evangelical heritage but i want.. no, i NEED to move Beyond Evangelical.As i continue to develop this relationship i have with the Father it grows deeper, way beyond the faith of my youth.
2. passing this faith on to my kids. They are savvy those rascals and as teenagers they can smell bull a mile away. That calls me to live authentically and congruently. It is also difficult to watch them wrestle with and let their relationship with the Father develop they way HE wants it to .
thank you for putting my thoughts into words Paul
Understanding my role in the grand scheme of God’s plan and surrendering to it every day. In other words, making myself a vessel of his will rather than just someone who talks a good game, but lives a life different from the talk!
After a lifetime of “been there, done that” Christianity, and seeing how so much of it adds up to human foolishness, wondering what’s left. Is there a baby in the bathwater, and how can I even know that?
Precisely why I wrote “Jesus Manifesto” and gave the message “Epic Jesus.” Your comment would be a great introduction to both. Everything wears out eventually except for Jesus Christ, and present-day Christianity has replaced HIM with so many things that eventually become “been there’s, done that’s.”
http://theJesusManifesto.com
How can I most effectively BE the kindness of God and make Jesus famous?
Being called to plant a church in the city is proving to be a challenge, but I’m up for it.