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A Stairway To Heaven....no really!

Posted by Steve Grusendorf , 10 June 2012 · 1304 views

It's a staircase and it stands out for all the wrong reasons.

Staircases are meant to connect us from one level to another. They offer access to new places and people. Almost every staircase I've ever seen made perfect sense to me. Except this one.

It is an ornate cement staircase leading to a lovely old church, but that's not what bothers me. It is the fact that its first step is on the side of the highway!

I've traveled by this staircase at least a hundred times over 10 years and never once have I seen a car parked let alone a soul walking up those stairs. Yet drive 500 yards down the road and you come to an off-ramp that's used all the time.

It's not that people can't find an exit; rather they aren't using the staircase...which in turn means they are driving right past this church...which means they are not being reached...right? I think the answer is yes AND no. Here are some of the thoughts I've gleaned from that old staircase.

We should always be brave enough to build a staircase on the side of the highway.
Just because I've never seen anyone use this staircase does not mean it's never been used. It might have been cutting edge when it was first
developed. As a church let's respect our heritage and history but not rely on it when it comes to reaching lost people here in the States and across
the globe.

We should never expect that today's strategy would work tomorrow.
For the same reason that the art on our living room walls change so our methods for reaching lost people need to change from time to time. This is
natural and should be planned for and expected. As a church let's always be investing our time, treasure and energy in developing new ways to
reach more people with the lasting message of Jesus.

We should always know our exit strategy.
Whether in the local church or cross-cultural mission we need to expect that at some point even our best methods will become less than ideal. In
these difficult moments of decision we need to rest in God's leadership to show us the way forward. As a church let's continually ask the Holy
Spirit to show us when it's time to leave the staircase behind for better methods.

Community Questions:
  • What "method" did God use to reach you? How have methods changed since then?
  • Do you have a story of how God lead you to "leave a staircase behind" for a different method? What happened?
  • As you prayerfully dream about tomorrow and further into the future what are some new ways by which we can communicate the message of Jesus cross-culturally?





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