Colin's Blog - 17th November

Isn’t it funny that we sometimes hear words or phrases repeatedly over a short period of time, from different sources, and then we don’t hear them again for a while? It has happened to me in the last few days. The word that I kept hearing from a wide variety of people was the word ‘Entrepreneur’.

The most illustrious quote reputedly came from the outgoing President of the USA who he is reported to have said that the French as yet haven’t managed to come up with their own word for ‘entrepreneur’! Some other people in my more immediate circle of acquaintances have also been using the word. In business, in family situations and even in my church connections.

You may be aware that there has been a rise in the number of church congregations who come under the banner of ‘emerging churches’. An expression of church which has broken away from the more traditional format of meeting in a church building and does not conform to the pattern of church leadership structure most of us would be familiar with. Most ‘emerging churches’ would not have a structured style of worship, preferring rather to interact with people at a social, relational level in a pub or club or community centre.

My feeling is that the early disciples were entrepreneurs. They had no particular pattern of worship style to go on apart from Temple worship. They had no buildings to meet in except their own homes. There was no Church leadership style to follow except the structured Jewish tradition. The early Church needed to find a new expression.

Acts 2:42-46 reminds us of what they did and how they did it.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts”

It was an amazing time for this group of spiritual entrepreneurs. They did what they believed was the God-honouring way to worship and God blessed their obedience.

“Praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47)

I am not suggesting that we should be attempting new styles of worship or some new form of how we do church. What I am suggesting is that all of us can open our minds to the possibility of worshipping God in ways that honour Him daily and I believe that He will bless us as we do.

One definition of an entrepreneur is a ‘risk taker’. Maybe it’s time for some of us to be risk takers for the Kingdom.

Have a good week as you worship the Lord at work, at home and in your circle of friends and family.

Colin