I continue to dream and pray about a revival of holiness in our day that moves forth in mission and creates authentic community in which each person can be unleashed through the empowerment of the Spirit to fulfill God's creational intentions.

John Wesley

I read this quote of John Wesley last night and I love it. It expresses my heart & vision in such a simple, holistically rounded and theologically rooted way. He sounds like a postmodern missiological church planter, but of the rooted kind.

What does all this mean for us? In brief: If we're to see the fresh expressions of community which we need in order to engage our people and to speak to today's society we need to start with a renewed vision of Jesus, for him to fill our hearts in a new way. There's no other foundation, no other cornerstone, no other starting point. Both mission and community are born from the baptism of the Holy Spirit, not our mere intentions or man-made idea-buck-upping.

As we look at new expressions of community and new mission outings and opportunities let's make sure we don't stifle the move of the Holy Spirit with the inflexible wineskins of our own agendas, of our own efforts. Let's be ready to drop it all as He leads, valuing the direction of his Spirit over every other safety and comfort.