Burst the Bubble
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The purpose of being a disciple is not only to proclaim the good news, the word of salvation, but also to demonstrate the love of God to people who are in need. This book shows you how to do just that!
“[The church] was organized for service, and its mission is to carry the gospel to the world. From the beginning it has been God’s plan that through His church, shall be reflected to world His fullness and His sufficiency. The members of the church, those whom He has called out of darkness into His marvelous light, are to show forth His glory.”
–Acts of the Apostles, p 9
The purpose of being a disciple is not only to proclaim the good news, the word of salvation, but also to demonstrate the love of God to people who are in need. We cannot come out of the darkness and simply bask in His marvelous light; we need to go back into the darkness and make a difference. We are chosen by God to be “salt” and “light.”
Wherever we are in the world—individually or collectively as the Adventist Church body—the surrounding environs must be different, transformed by our faithful presence amongst them. When we say we are Christians, we are not talking about self-serving Christianity, but other-serving Christianity. A Christianity that reflects Jesus’ heart of servant hood.
We must make the shift from just going to a church to being a church in the world around us. We must pray for God’s intervention in our own lives, listen to people’s struggles and challenges, and look for opportunities in the neighborhoods and communities that surround us to serve and demonstrate God’s love. Only then will we witness real change—changes in lives and changes in our communities.
Endorsements
From Adventist Review Magazine:
It’s sometimes useful to ask ourselves questions regarding our identity and purpose as a church. For example, if something happened so that our churches were locked or otherwise removed from our communities, would they be missed? That’s the question asked by Sung Kwon, executive director of Adventist Community Services for the North American Division, in his book Burst the Bubble.
The premise of the book is that there is more to our role as responsible community members than faithfully showing up in the aftermath of natural disasters. Adventists can, and should, do more to be visible in our communities on a regular basis through greater community engagement in the form of carefully devised service activities.
The book’s six chapters are presented in three sections: Why, What, How.
The first section—Why Do We Do What We Do?—covers familiar territory by reminding readers that Jesus’ ministry was incarnational: He became a man and served humanity. Serving others was how He demonstrated God’s love.
The second section—What Are the Components to Revisit and Reframe?—encourages readers to remember why the church exists and what is its mission. Too many Christians seem content with simply taking up space. On that perspective the author observes: “We must overcome institutional myopia and cultural differences and see the world as the setting for our calling, commission, and commandments as Seventh-day Adventists.”
The third section—How Do We Change Our Way of Thinking and Doing?—challenges readers to evaluate their congregations’ outreach methods to see if they are still compatible with a rapidly changing society; and if not, how they can be refined to be more effective. The success of this activity, according to the author, requires that as many members be involved as possible, not just as participants but as decision-makers.
Burst the Bubble is not light material. It reads more like a classroom textbook than a devotional book about witnessing. It covers substantial topics that require deliberate, disciplined reading. To rush through it would defeat the purpose of crafting a community service model that creates buy-in from members and has a positive impact on the community. Yet the author’s writing style is accessible (reflecting his personality).
The rewards of reading books such as this may include following more closely the One who mingled with people, ministered to their needs, won their confidence, then said “Follow Me.”
- Stephen Chavez
| Item Format | Paperback |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Pacific Press Publishing Association |
| Weight (lbs) | 0.470000 |
| Page Count | 160 |
| Language | English |
| Year Published | 2017 |
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