It's a tough world out there.

There was a time when new airlines seemed to start every month, promising lower fares and more flights.  Now airline mergers are the wave of the future, though we'll likely see higher fares, fewer flights, and more crowded airplanes.

JC Penney's CEO told business analysts this week that he has "personally never seen an environment as unpredictable as this one."  The housing downturn has led to the dollar's decline which has led to economic unrest across the country.  Gas and groceries have never been as expensive as they are today.  College tuition continues to rise faster than inflation.

This generation may be the first in our history to be poorer than their parents.  Consignment and second-hand clothing stores are a new trend.  Smaller cars are coming, as car makers respond to demand for fuel efficiency and lower prices.  More and more people are downsizing as they struggle to keep up.

In a chaotic world like ours, there are two primary visions for the church in America, two ways to understand the relationship between the gospel and the church today.

One sees the church as an ark, a refuge and retreat in a storm. The church is a place where you come each week to be safe, to be helped, to get your needs met.  The gospel is for believing and celebrating and holding.  Come to be inspired, encouraged, taught; come for the sake of your family and friends; come to be blessed by God.  Come to get inside the ark for a while.

The other sees the church as an army, a movement which assaults the gates of hell, a mighty force bent on the evangelization of all nations and the transformation of the world into the Kingdom of God.  The gospel is for sharing and giving to everyone we can.

Have you come today to sit in the ark or to join the army?  The answer says everything about whether or not your life will find the purpose and peace and power of God.