Church Chicken (Not to be confused with Church's Chicken)

I just finished reading a chapter in George Barna's book Revolution. The chapter is titled How Is The Local Church Doing? It goes right along with what I'm thinking and praying through in regards to ministry. George said something I've known for awhile and it encouraged me today to hear it from someone else: "...we are not called to go to church. We are called to be the church."

The Church! What an amazing thing! I'm learning more about what this all means. This group of people on the earth set apart for God and called to make him known; it's certainly not made up of perfect people but it should consist of people who have decided to live their lives in a passionate pursuit of Christ...no matter who they are. Francis Chan makes an intriguing comment during one of the videos on his Crazy Love DVD. A missionary friend told him about converts to Christianity in India and said that "what we call sanctification they call prerequisite." All at once, that thought strikes a nerve and calls us to reconsider what we're teaching people about Jesus. It's so true! Instead of total life-change we offer Jesus in steps.

I think of the disciples who left everything. And I was reading in Matthew where Jesus says that we should love him more than even our own families. And the people in India lose their reputations, jobs, and I think sometimes families.

Jesus calls us to a new way of life in which he is everything, foremost, pervading.

We often call people to fit Jesus in.

Sometimes I just feel like a chicken. Sometimes I don't know what to say to church people because I believe they already know that Jesus is central and we are The Church and we are Christ's disciples and we have a mission. But even people in church can miss it.

This is not a new conversation but one I'd like you to share with me. What are your thoughts on this all? What great experiences have you had that run contrary to this struggle? Have you ever eaten Church's Chicken and if so, how did you survive?