Words for Tulip Street

Rick McKinley, Lead Pastor of the Imago Dei Community in Portland, OR preached a great message last April 15, entitled Personal Transformation. On their web site, McKinley says this about the message:

After the series on the prodigal son, we are left
with the lingering question; "what does it mean to come home to the Father?" God
is embracing us without any work on our part? Really? Whether we are coming home
from a distant country of sin, or the backyard of legalism, we are left to
navigate the Father's embrace. What does God want to do now that you are
home?

The book of Isaiah gives us some insight into
these questions. Jesus quotes Isaiah 61 at the inauguration of his ministry. It
is a chapter filled with hope. This hope is centered on the fact that deep,
authentic transformation is available to us! The most important thing you can do
with the gospel is believe it. How does God want to transform you? For those
living in poverty, God promises good news. For those who are broken hearted, God
promises whole hearts. For those in bondage, God promises freedom. For those who
grieve, God promises comfort. Ultimately, it is for his glory that you are
transformed. As people see your story on display, God is glorified. We are
transformed because of how great Jesus is, not because of how great we are for
Jesus.

Here is the bottom line for us at Imago Dei
Community: The world does not need more large churches filled with converts, it
needs radically transformed disciples. How can we pursue this
together?

At Tulip Street, the Leadership Team is convinced that God is calling us to rediscover what it means to be a disciple. To ask how are disciples made, and then to consider how disciples live in such a way as to further the Kingdom of Christ. Because of this leaning, there are a couple of bullet points that jump out of McKinley's words, and we must let them take root in our hearts: (1) We are transformed because of how great Jesus is, not because of how great we are for Jesus. And, (2) The world does not need more large churches filled with converts, it needs radically transformed disciples.

So, Tulip Street, hear this: I am praying that we always keep Christ in the fore-front of everything that we say, do and think. May we understand the God-Centeredness of the Gospel, and realize that the greatness of Christ allows us to live as transformed people! I pray also that our definition of "disciple" would be true to the teachings of Scripture, and that we would be known as true followers of Christ. There IS a difference between being a believer and being a disciple. May Tulip Street Christian Church be known as a disciple-making church where Christ is glorified in all things and in all ways!

I and the other leaders are working diligently to make those things become reality for us at TSCC. And like Imago Dei, we simply ask, "How can we pursue this together?"

Come and join us. Are you up for it?