La Familia Part 7: The Rhythm of the Kingdom Part 2

The Gathered and the Scattered

Who here thrives on structure....

-even though I would avoid it at all costs....it helps me even in the chaos as an enneagram 7.

--My kids are resilient and happy but they are A mess when bed times and naps and food are not on schedule. (Summer and Holidays)

-We all have a need for Structure, some more than others.

-Tom Brady Concerns >> Never lived as an adult

-coaches

-Trainers

-Nutritionists

—-— Tom is a self starter but lives with absolute structure

-Love is defined in family as Predictable Patterns of connection, formation and purpose

Thiink about the places where you have been shaped the most....most likely they were not one-off meetings or gatherings but rather the long slow work of gathering in predictable patterns.

-High School, monday nights at 7:29p there were YL leaders who loved me and my friends

-College, Ellen’s Friday night Bible Study

-EOU: Dave and Sunshine, food and formation every Thursday night

-Tuesday nights at MVHS (IHOP afterwards)

We need predictable patterns for formation. and they need to be the right things....

It’s not just the Kiwanis club with their meetings and liturgy of gathering

our radically minimal ecclesiology…you have these three things are church

Acts 2:42–47 NLT

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

-Apostles teaching (discipleship) In

-Meals (not just the Lord’s supper) out

-Prayer (Up)

-Signs and Wonders (out)

-Shared with those in Need

-Temple (out)

Result: powerful presence, connection and reach.

-Shared devotional life (Word, worship, and prayer)

-Shared meals

-Shared resources

-Shared fellowship

-Shared mission

Jesus had the same predictable patterns:

-Luke 6

-Jesus does miracles

-Jesus goes on mountain to pray

-Jesus calls disciples

-crowds follow Jesus

-Jesus teaches them the way

-Up-In-Out (not a direction or order)

-Not about schedules and flowcharts

-Its about creating a predictable pattern so you don’t get unbalanced.

Don’t skip leg day (and don’t skip the gym)

-up and in (not)church - (all about us) -Eastern Orthodox, worship movement

-up and out (not)church (thin, no formation seeker sensitive)

-in and out church (liberal mainline)

Up-In-Out: Kingdom power (Gather for worship and prayer, apostles teaching, meals, signs and wonders, generosity) - missional

UP: this is about presence not songs

IN: This is about formation discipleship, not community (communitas as by-product) Made For This

OUT: Justice, Generosity, Proclamation

3 parts to the Up-In and out of FoM that we need.

-Spiritual Parents (direction comes from God through people)

-Predictable Patterns (Up in Out Ecclesiology)

-Missional Purpose (not for us, we exist for the world)

But to get the predictable patterns we need:

-Intentionality

-SP who gather

-Missional leaders who see needs around them

-SP who make disciples

-Margin and space to gather.

-reshaping our lives into up-in-out rhythms

this is what we want our MC to look like. and our lives…and our network.

Rhythms of Up-In-and Out

-Sundays are not good at formation and community

-Tables are not great for Practicing God’s Presence

-Mountain Tops are great for mission

-service events aren’t great for worship

We need all three.

MC is a fractal,

-in every acorn A tree

-in every tree a grove

-in every grove a forest

Human DNA

simplist complete part of the whole that is indivisible

-humble

In every Jesus follower, a disciple-maker

In every disciple-maker a Spiritual Parent

In every Spiritual Parent a Micro-church

In every micro church a network

In every network a movement

Russian nesting Dolls

Lets take a few moments and think through our lives and our MC’s

Where are the rhythms of up-in-out?

Where are you misshapen like you’ve been missing leg day.

What sort of misshapen is your MC

Not everything every week…but all 3 every 4-6 weeks

2 weeks up, 2 weeks in, 2 weeks out

Examples:

-Rodeo church in KC, disciple-ship groups in trailers, worship gatherings Sunday mornings, service every weekend

-Wyldlife: Campaigners, Club, contact work

-Intervarsity: Weekly gatherings, bible studies, contact work

-Parachurch is just church doing what it was meant to with a clear missional purpose

-Wonder School: Discipleship, Service, prayer