Healthy Churches – A Swedenborg Colloquium Handout

…follow JESUS CHRIST

“I am the way”

“I am the door”

“you must worship the LORD your GOD and serve only Him”

“I and my Father are ONE”

“Come follow me”

“You follow me”

…are CASH economies

“don’t store up treasure on earth”

“you don’t know the day or the hour”

…are dedicated to LIFE, not to TRADITION

“unless your righteousness is better than that of the teachers of the law you
won’t get into the kingdom”

…are willing to give up anything for the Gospel

“if your eye causes you to sin, cut it out”

…are the Kingdom of God (not a democracy)

“the kingdom of God has come”

…are willing to risk everything for the Gospel

“If you lose your life for my sake, you will find it”

…prioritize love

“if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?”

“love one another”

…collaborate to build the kingdom, instead of competing with other churches

“give to those who ask”

…focus their entire effort on DOING the will of God

“let your good deeds shine for all to see”

…do good so much that it is no longer newsworthy

“Don’t do good deeds publicly to be admired”

…offer healing

“Jesus healed every kind of disease and illness”

…bring light to dark places

“you are the light of the world”

“those who sat in darkness have seen a great light”

…are NOT INCORPORATED

“No one can serve two masters”

…are FULLY invested in the kingdom every day

“Don’t worry about tomorrow”

…embrace change as a permanent way of life

“Keep asking…seeking…knocking”

…are RESULTS-ORIENTED

“wisdom is shown by its results”

“a tree is identified by its fruit”

…are ACTION-ORIENTED

“only those who actually do the will of God, enter the kingdom”

…let go of CONTROL

“Why are you afraid? You have so little faith.”

…are empowered by FORGIVENESS

“You sins are forgiven”

“Stand, take up your bed, and walk”

…experience real blessings from their actual, living FAITH

“Your faith has made you well”

…ANNOUNCE the kingdom

“Jesus travelled…announcing the Good News about the kingdom”

“Go and announce the kingdom”

…do GOOD WITH AUTHORITY (only Jesus teaches truth with authority)

“Jesus gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of
disease and illness”

“One is your teacher”

…are GENEROUS

“turn from your selfish ways and follow me”

“Give as freely as you have received!”

…are lead by people whose livelihood depends on their effectiveness

“a laborer is worthy of their wages”

…are SPIRIT-FILLED

“He will baptize you will the Holy Spirit and with Fire”

…are FEARLESS

“Don’t be afraid of people”

“People will hate you because you are my followers”

…are ORGANIZATIONALLY FLAT

“there is one teacher and you are ALL EQUAL as brothers and sisters”

…exist to introduce people to Jesus Christ

“Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will acknowledge in
heaven”

…are NOT permanent INSTITUTIONS

“If you cling to your life, you will lose it. If you give up your life for my sake,
you will find it”

…experience God’s ABUNDANCE

“If you give even a cup of cold water to the least of my followers, you will be rewarded”

“The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are
raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor”

…are SIMPLE

“Thank you for revealing them to the child-like”

…prioritize JESUS OVER SCRIPTURE

“The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath”

…REJECT APATHY

“anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me”

…REPENT willingly and often

“every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven”

…embrace mistakes rather than retreat from them

“to those who listen, more understanding will be given”

…experience MULTIPLICATION not division

“those who truly hear produce a harvest, some 30, some 60, some 100 times what was
planted”

…do NOT remove sinners from the flock

“let them grow together”

…GROW

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed”

…SPREAD EASILY

“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven”

…pursue CREATIVE DESTRUCTION

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field”

…recognize VALUE

“The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant”

…have EVERY kind of people

“The kingdom of heaven is like a fishing net”

…feed everyone who shows up

“You feed them”

“Feed my sheep”

“Feed my lambs”

…share EVERYTHING that they have

“There is no need, YOU feed them”

…let go of practices when they become traditions

“you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God”

…are OUTPUT-ORIENTED, not input-oriented

“It is not what goes into a person that defiles”

…avoid dogma and the establishment of orthodoxy

“Beware the leaven of the Pharisees”

…are heaven on earth

“Whatever you bind on earth is bound in heaven”

…pursue their growing edges of faith to expand them

“If you had faith…nothing would be impossible”

…are not institutionally bound

“Well then, the citizens are FREE”

…regularly stop doing things that are obstacles to health

“If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off”

…pursue child-like WILLINGNESS TO FOLLOW CHRIST

“unless you become as a little child”

…provide a safe context for CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Matthew 18:15-17

…PRAY together

“if two agree on earth about what you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you”

…pray about everything

“You can pray for anything”

…WORSHIP together

“where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst”

…practice RADICAL FORGIVENESS

“not seven, but seventy times seven”

…accept ONLY ONE AUTHORITY

“There is only One who is good”

…give away EVERYTHING (don’t withhold it for control)

“it is very hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom”

…FOLLOW SERVANTS

“the last will be first”

…don’t compete with other churches in the body of Christ

“In my house are many mansions”

…don’t subordinate people (heavenly “subordination” is from the bottom up, not
the top down)

“You know the rules of this world lord it over people and officials flaunt their
authority. It will NOT be this way with you.”

…don’t require AUTHORITY for LEADERSHIP

“I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things”

…do not judge the blessings God gives them

“All the invited guests refused to come”

…INVITE EVERYONE, but only keep the people who WANT to be there

“he noticed a man who wasn’t dressed for a wedding”

…NOT necessarily TAX EXEMPT

“render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar”

…lead by EXAMPLE

“they don’t practice what they preach”

…do not focus on HONORS and badges of office

“they love respect…honor…robes…tassels…etc”

…do not accept any leadership, but JESUS CHRIST, do not make any claims of vicarship

“Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi’…’Father’…’Teacher’”

…open heaven and replicate believers

Matthew 23

…have PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS

Matthew 23

…don’t follow people. People follow them.

Matthew 23

…focus on LIVING WORSHIP

Matthew 23

…focus on LIFE, BLESSING, SUCCESS, MERCY, JUSTICE, and FAITH

Matthew 23

…let MONEY FOLLOW VISION

Matthew 23

…focus on the themes and messages of scripture, not the details

Matthew 23

…are concerned with REACHING THE LOST, NOT with APPEARANCES

Matthew 23

…are SPIRIT-FILLED, PURPOSE-DRIVEN, LIFE GIVING, REALITY BASED, CHANGE AGENTS

Matthew 23

…are convicted and repent in the presence of PROPHESY

Matthew 23

…are not concerned with real estate (probably should not even own any)

“Do you see these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be demolished”

…prioritize genuine/warm/powerful/life changing LOVE, not
theoretical/cold/hard “love”

“the love of many will grow cold”

“you have moved away from your first love”

…are NOT IMMUNE to BAD LEADERSHIP

“false prophets will rise up”

…are led by those who are best at SERVING and FEEDING

“the master can give responsibility of managing their other servants”

…invest EVERYTHING in the kingdom for MULTIPLYING RETURNS

Parable of the talents

…experience God’s abundance

“to those who have, more will be given and they will have abundance”

…FEED, GIVE DRINKS, EXTEND HOSPITALITY, CLOTH, CARE, HEAL, VISIT

“When you did this for the least of my followers, you did it for me”