Life.Church is a church that meets in different locations around the world but shares the same content, teaching, and relationships. Their home-base is in Edmond, Oklahoma led by Pastor Craig Groeschel and a team of leaders. One of the things that makes Life.Church different than most other evangelical, local churches is their use of technology including the YouVersion Bible app, video teaching, and church online. They are engaged and up-to-date with American culture yet provide Bible-based teaching, music, and friendships that encourage people to follow Jesus without compromise (to be fully devoted, as their mission states).
But technology isn't what makes Life.Church awesome. It's one of the key values that Life. Church implements: doing anything short of sin to reach people who don't know Christ. That is something you won't find in many churches. You should ask yourself if you have been willing to follow this example. After all, it's what Jesus told us to do both in his teaching and by His example. Christianity isn't meant to be clean and comforting. It's meant to be lived in the trenches: loving the unlovable and engaging the unbelievers with respect and truth.
Jesus said in Matthew 28:19, "Go and make disciples (fully devoted followers of Jesus) in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." This is actually the mission of EVERY person who calls Jesus their Savior and Lord. It's not a mission for the wealthy alone, or the television evangelist, or the pastor at your church. It's the mission of all of us who follow Christ.
The other principle that makes Life.Church great is their love. Every Christian has a singular, all-encompassing mission and a clear instruction or expectation. The mission is to lead others to Jesus. The instruction is to love. Jesus told us to love God with all our hearts and to love one another. That mission and those instructions are what makes Life.Church so awesome. They have embraced these Biblical principles and implement them into their culture.
Life.Church doesn't just do whatever it takes to reach people other people aren't reaching. They also love passionately. Most of their campuses and network churches are filled with people who love to serve, love to give, and love to invite. They are excited about people. Many churches are excited about everyone that comes to their church, but Life.Church is great at loving everyone inside and outside of their church - even those at other churches!
There are many things we can learn from them. No church is perfect just as no person is perfect. But if you have time you should definitely visit during one of their Worship Experiences and you should definitely make time to check them out online and watch one of their series.
So the awesomeness of Life.Church is that they are putting into practice what Jesus taught us! How many churches actually do this in America? If yours doesn't, don't get too frustrated. As long as they love Jesus then change and growth can happen. You can be part of that by personally implementing these principles in your own life. Do anything short of sin to reach people who don't know the awesome life that comes through Christ. Love Him with all your heart and love others more than you love yourself, even if they don't believe in Jesus. It's not complicated, though sometimes it is easier said than done.
I hope you will go to church somewhere where they love Jesus and choose to be fully devoted to Him. Being part of a local church keeps us connected with other followers of Christ, which is an important part of being fully devoted. After all, lukewarm Christians are the ones God can't stomach. They are neither authentic nor committed. Let's be both by implementing these same important principles from Jesus!
