The Internally Focused Church

The problem with the Externally Focused Church is infrastructure. We have to provide some infrastructure to help undiscipled people minister to the community.

It seems like Jesus had an Internally Focused Church. His focus was on the disciples, teaching them and giving them opportunity to minister outside of the group (externally). But Jesus seemed to focus on the infrastructure (discipleship) and the external outlet (ministry to the community) was the fruit of his discipleship.

Here are the core values of the Internally Focused Church.

1. Follow Jesus -- This is more than believe in Jesus. There are ample Scriptures that say you can believe in Jesus and yet be thrown out of the Kingdom of God. Jesus is alive and moving. You can't stand in one spot and follow Jesus. Jesus demonstrated this in following His Father. He spent time determining where His Father was moving and Jesus followed Him there.

2. _____________ Scripture -- I've left a blank for the right verb. It isn't study. I believe the Bible is the Word of God, with much to give us. It is however not a "Road Map" or "Instruction Booklet." If Rand-McNally put out a map in the same form as the Bible, they wouldn't sell any maps. The Bible is the story of humanity and God's struggle to save her despite her own efforts to destroy herself. While it is a literally true story, you can't begin to understand the Bible without understanding metaphor a device for understanding. Millions of Christians have been followers without being able to read or have access to the Bible, let alone the entire Bible. Yet the Bible must have a central place. We need to know the basic concepts and classic stories of the Bible. The Bible must become useful to us and this is not done by taking verses out of context and harping that if people only read it more. It is not a simple book. It is a complex book. Ever wonder why the pages are so thin? Because if the pages were normal thickness, you would need multiple volumes. And perhaps even, that is what God had in mind, rather than the idea that we have to hold the whole thing in one hand.

3. Making Disciples -- This is what God called the church to do, and this is where I have described four aspects of making disciples -- love God, love people, serve locally, and serve globally. But in the process the disciple has to become a discipler as well.

4. Continual Prayers -- Prayer must become a key component of our gatherings and of our daily lives.

For any movement to be organic, healthy, and multiplying, it has to be internally focused. The internal focus however can't be comfort for that stunts growth as well.