THIS IS US: OUR NOW AND OUR FUTURE

What does a Hindu, a 20-something single mom, an agnostic, a Muslim, a couple living together, a young adult facing bulimia, an ex-con, and an unconvinced skeptic, share in common? They are the future of the church in Canada.

Many of them already make up the church we call North Pointe.

This is us – our now and our future.

Look at the horizon of Canada’s social landscape. You will see an emerging generation on a spiritual quest. We have an incredible opportunity to be a guide, if invited into their journey.

Our Responsibility

It’s our responsibility to see to it that North Pointe thrives as a gathering of people in process; a place where the curious, the unconvinced, the skeptical, and the used-to-believe, as well as the committed, informed and sold-out, come as they are together around the conviction that Jesus is the Savior, the Son of the living God.

For the past twelve years, four words have burned brightly, 24-hours a day on our roadside sign. And even more importantly in our behavior –  Come as you are.

Come As You Are

Come as you are is our clearest way of saying. “Welcome.” “You are loved – just as you are.” Got questions? Got doubts? Burned out or burned by religion? Dealing with hurts, or habits or hang-ups?

Come as you are and you’ll find people just like you.

And we won’t offer pat answers or try to fix you. Our responsibility is not to fix people. We say come as you are because our calling is to accept and love people in order to lead them to Jesus.

This Is Us

We must remove every possible barrier at North Pointe from the path of the disinterested, the suspicious, the here-against-my-will, and the would-rather-be-somewhere-else.

We communicate in uncompromising terms, preaching truth about sin, and tackling the most emotionally charged topics in culture, while providing an environment where all people feel welcomed.

Come as you are doesn’t mean we don’t invite people to change. That would be dumb. There should be progress, growth, and development. To be an authentic follower of Jesus means to become increasingly like Jesus.

Come as you are also doesn’t mean that we never point out sinful or destructive behaviour. But we don’t focus on it.

The Mud Or The Masterpiece

Let me explain it this way. If your rich uncle died and in his will he left you a Rembrandt painting you would be ecstatic! Even if the painting was covered in mud you’d still be ecstatic. You wouldn’t focus on the mud or treat it like mud. Your primary concern would not be the mud at all, though it would need to be removed. You’d be ecstatic to have something so valuable in your care.

But if you tried to clean it yourself, you might damage it. So you would carefully bring this work of art to a master who could guide you and help you to restore it to its original condition.

When people treat one another as God’s masterpiece waiting to be revealed, God’s goodness grows in our lives and renews us.

Do you see mud or the masterpiece?

Stewards Of The Church

We are the stewards of the church for our generation. We determine what comes to mind for the next generation when they hear the term church. Somebody’s kids are attending our church. If you have kids, they are attending our church.

Every week we are either instilling a deeper love and appreciation for the church or we are providing them with one more reason not to attend when they no longer have to.

This is us – our now and future.

APPLICATION: What do you see as the future of the church? Please leave a comment below. Thank you.

I write to inspire people to be real, grow an authentic faith in Jesus, enjoy healthy relationships and discover their life purpose. If this material is helpful to you, please follow me.

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