comments...

I lead a missional community which is a mid sized group/cluster of around 25 people called become@hallam. Become is the name of the whole student community across Philadelphia and I lead a group of hallam uni students. Last night we met for the first time in a great bar on Ecclesall Road called menzels. http://www.menzels.co.uk/ . It was great to be doing church and sharing life together out in the community in which we are trying to reach. We looked at Mark's account of the calling of the first disciples. I have been wondering about what was it that made Jesus see those fishermen and stop. What did he see in them? Did he know them previously? We know that the disciples acted rather stupidly at times yet Jesus called these guys presumably because there was something about them...I wonder what it was. Also wsa it a spontaneous action by Jesus or had he been praying about it for ages. Perhaps we need to act more spontaneously.

The urgency in the passage also majorly comes through...the time has come... immediately ...without delay... In the same way what was it in the disciples that made them immediately and without hesitation leave everything and follow this thirty year old man? The left their businesses, their family, even their nets were still in the water! I am desparate to be this flexible and ready. I really beleiev that revival is going to come to this country and I am challenged at the readiness of the church and myself as an individual. Wesley [I think said] be ready to preach or die with one minutes notice...if revival comes everyone who currently is in the church would have to become leaders and step up. Will we be ready when this time comes? Are we investing as much as we can in those following us, getting them ready to lead. Jesus chose a right bunch and we are exactly the same.

I am getting loads of comments about my long post on Monday - great to grapple with these things. Particularly the stuff about a sin is causing a stir. I want to reiterate that I am not saying that this is what we should be living in order to be saved, or that we should all strive for this...the whole post was about adoption leading to sanctification, and how this teaching from Paul Mac helped explain some of my wonderings about some of the John Crowder stuff [which I am still processing as it is so out of this world].