If you feel a bit dumb, when it comes to starting a new church, do not worry because the Holy Spirit is a bit dumb too. A dumb person cannot speak. The Holy Spirit can only speak using the voice of another person or by putting thoughts into a person's mind. However, he is really smart at starting churches. If you are dumb enough to stop talking and listen to the Holy Spirit, you are just the person to start a new church. Getting out of the established church is the hard bit, starting a new one is much easier. Just get together with a few other Christians that you trust and listen to what Holy Spirit is saying. Act dumb (listen) until you hear what he is saying, then do it.
Too many Christians worry about a whole lot of irrelevant issues.
Where should we meet?
When should we meet?
How often should we meet?
What should we do when we meet?
What type of worship we have?
How will we get teaching?
The answers to these questions do not matter. Just do what will work for the people involved.
The Holy Spirit can only build a strong body, if every person gets involved. A body with some limbs not functioning is a cripple. The main challenge in starting a church is to create an environment where every person can participate. Here are some hints.
Every person should be free to say, "This is what I think the Holy Spirit is saying," even if it sounds dumb. The Holy Spirit prefers to break up what he has to say and give bits to different people. If only one person speaks, we will miss most of what the Spirit has to say. If a dumb donkey has seen an angel and heard from God, the entire body needs to hear from it.
The best way to encourage honesty is for leaders to be honest about the dumb things that they have done.
The Holy Spirit cannot be seen, so spirit-lead leadership should be invisible (dumb). People who are used to leading or teaching should learn to act dumb (be quiet) and let the Holy Spirit speak through other people. One question that gets people thinking and talking is more valuable than ten minutes of "teaching". Every meeting will get stuck in a rut at times. A spirit-led leader should be able to move it on without saying much and no one noticing.
People will often say dumb things, but that does not matter. Correcting dumb statements is usually unnecessary. Most Christians forget good things quite quickly, so they will forget dumb things even quicker. Getting participation is more important than getting everything right.
The main thing a leader will have to say is "Hello"; to a person who has just joined the group. No one should be left isolated. Everyone should be looking for people standing alone and speak to them. When a new person joins the group, invite them for a meal. While chewing your food, you have to be dumb, giving them a chance to talk about themselves. This will give them confidence to participate in a meeting of the church.
When someone believes that God is telling them to do something, the others should encourage them to have a go. Stand with them for moral support, even if it feels a bit dumb.
Smile! Remain quiet (dumb) and people will think you are wise.
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