The meat is in the streets

Dave Schmelzer:

...The popularizer of Vineyard churches, John Wimber, had a gift for folksy aphorisms.  On occasion he'd be asked by disgruntled parishioners where the "meat" was in his teachings, and his response would be, "The meat is in the streets."  Meaning that there IS no "meat" of what God is offering that comes from sitting in a house of worship. It could only come as we interact with people ouside those doors and we see if any of this stuff applies there, if the world and not just people who go to renewal meetings multiple times a week could benefit from what God hopes to offer.

I was invited to a really wonderful gathering of worship leaders recently and, in praying for them, I found myself saying, "Your wonderful worship leading isn't meant for church people.  It's meant for all people.  What's your plan for offering it to non-churchgoers?"  I mentioned that to Dan Littauer, who moderates this blog, as if that was some sort of profound insight and he looked at me blankly for a moment before saying, "Of course.  Who would possibly think differently?" 

But that's just it.  A lot of church people would think differently.  I know several churches full of great, faith-filled people, who see their role as "serious" followers of Jesus as being to go to church meetings and pray to be filled with the spirit several times a week.  It would be the brave non-churchgoer who could ever find their way into such a meeting, and happily stay. -Dave Schmelzer, link