Person of Peace

Looking into the Gsopels, there are some important questions that arise as to how Jesus chose people to carry out his plans. What attributes was he looking for, and why would he focus on those?
In Luke 10, Jesus sends out the 72. He doesn't specifically say what attributes are needed, but we can infer what attributes they may have possessed based on what he expects these people to do. For example, he tells them, "I am sending you out like lambs among wolves," which insinuates a level of courage that must be present. Some other attributes he looks for are patience, humility, boldness, and resilience.
In Mark 5, we see that faith is essential to being a follower of Christ, and with great faith, great things can happen. There is a woman who has been bleeding and suffering for 12 years. Seeing that no doctor has been able to heal her, she seeks the healing power of Jesus by touching the fringe of his robe. Her faith heals her from the life of suffering she had experienced.
In Mark 7, Jesus shows us that we must be intellectual in our words and thought to be a part of his plan. A story is told of a Greek woman who seeks healing for her daughter from a demon. Christ tests her by saying, "it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs," referring to the cultural barrier between the Jews and Gentiles. But knowing that Christ came for all, she replies with an intellectually sound statement, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." And for this reply her daughter is healed.
Christ does not list off all of the attributes that he wants in his disciples, but he lets us know what he expects by showing us what has worked in the lives of his followers. He shows us what people had to do to bear fruit, and through these examples we can determine the attributes that must be present in our lives to be movement leaders for Jesus.

The Bridge - Silver Spring

Today I got a chance to visit a unique church plant in Silver Spring called, "The Bridge". The church was unique for a few reasons. To begin, it was located in a movie theatre on the downtown block. This is a trend for many church plants these days, but it still strikes me as a really innovative idea, having grown up in stand-alone church buildings my whole life. The movie theatre brings in a lot of people who wouldn't normally come to church because of its comfortable, casual, and entertaining feel. You never know, somebody could walk in planning to see a movie and end up getting a sermon instead. Another uniqueness about this church was the diversity present in its body. The Bridge ministers to people of different colors, ages, and social backgrounds. The diversity of the church overwhelmed me with a sense of awe for the way that God works in people of all walks of life. Sitting in a church in Silver Spring with people much different than I, I could still feel the presence of the same God working in the same way to different people. A final observation I made of The Bridge that I really enjoyed was the passion in worship exhibited. Not only did the church show passion in worship songs, but also in the sermon and in the prayers. We weren't there just be a fly on the wall, we were there to worship something greater than ourselves and it was clear by the passion exhibited.

After the service, we got a chance to have a conversation with lead pastor, Jumain Jones. He offered some insight on defining a personal spiritual path and also gave us a bit of background for The Bridge. Planting a church is not an easy task, but its amazing to see the power of prayer in this ministry. The ministry takes an active role in the community and serves people every day in some very unique ways. This church is a great example of a movement that is moving, there is still a lot to be done in Silver Spring, but it is catching fire.