revolution

Podcast

2011-11-28T18:36:31Z

This is just a note to inform you that we have a podcast. You can log on to it at:

http://kingdomrising.podomatic.com

Along with myself, Carman Niesley, is Jim Collier with whom I collaborate not only in the podcast, but also in other facets of ministry here in the Harrisburg area of central Pennsylvania. Eventually we want to make this podcast interactive with our listeners.

We trust that these podcasts will not only encourage and inspire, but also challenge and confront in a way that will cause listeners to evaluate and think, or rather rethink some of the accepted practices within Christianity that need to be questioned if we are to advance the kingdom of God in the 21st century.

Christian?

2011-07-26T19:11:23Z

If ever there was a time to reconsider the label "Christian", it is now. The terrorist responsible for the Norway killings claimed to be a Christian, which was immediately picked up by the media who lost no time in making sure that everyone knew this terrorist was a Christian.

Yet this terrorist, Anders Behring-Breivik, writes in his manifesto that he does not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, but believes in Christianity, "as a cultural, social identity and moral platform." This, he says, "makes [me] Christian."

And there it is, Christianity is nothing more than a "cultural, social identity and moral platform". Whether we want to admit it or not, what Behring-Breivik says is spot on concerning conventional Christianity. It has nothing to do with being disciples of Jesus.

For some time now, I've been reluctant to call myself a Christian. Now I have the perfect illustration to support that reluctance. In fact, if asked whether I am a Christian, my answer will be "no". As followers of Jesus Christ as Lord, we need a new identity totally separated from the corrupted word "Christian".

I much prefer to call myself a disciple of Jesus. Though I have a long way to go, I'm in the process of learning how to live like Jesus in the love of the Father, to touch others with that love.

Saying one is a disciple of Jesus keeps Him front and center. He must be the focus, not a religious doctrine or ideology.

Spin

2011-07-04T16:07:03Z

Throughout humanity's existence, the basic desire of every individual is to have his/her own way. In order to achieve this end, it is necessary to gain control, which invariably involves manipulation. This is inherent in human nature, as we have witnessed even small children manipulating their parents to get their own way. As small children mature, they become more sophisticated in using manipulative tactics in their teen years and finally as adults. Let's face it, we've all done it, whether we were aware of it or not, simply because it is part of the human condition.

However, it's in the political arena and the corresponding media coverage that manipulation has been made into an art form. Terminology has been developed, hiding the fact that the public is intentionally being manipulated with the information that is being presented. While the term "spin" is widely known, most people do not equate it with manipulative propaganda designed to influence public opinion in favor of the source's agenda. William Safire, writing in the New York Times (December 22, 1996), notes that "spin" is often, though not always, deceptive and highly manipulative. These are the kind of tactics that have historically been associated with totalitarian regimes. Yet, now it is common practice of every government and every political party. That which was always attributed to tyrants and megalomaniacs has now become the conventional form for all who rule or hope to rule. Therefore, people are caught in the spin of those vying to govern them.

We are naive if we believe the incessant propaganda spewed forth by the spin-doctors promising their agendas will alleviate the overwhelming problems plaguing society. It's all a ploy to gain and maintain control. All of their plans are ultimately doomed to failure. In the words of Albert Einstein, "The thinking which created the problems we have today is insufficient to solve them."

Enter Jesus and his agenda. His thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are his ways our ways. It will take something that doesn't originate from this world to solve the problems created by this world's thinking. It requires a creativity that is above and beyond even the greatest composite wisdom of humanity. It is here we must take note of Jesus' words to a ruler in this world's system: "My government is not of this world."

Ah, there is hope! But it doesn't rest in the flawed plans of men. It looks expectantly to Jesus assuming his rightful governmental authority over all the earth, in glorious truth without any need of spin whatsoever. In the meantime, we will occupy by the governmental principles of his agenda until he comes.

The Tipping Point

2011-06-26T18:15:20Z

Are we fast approaching a tipping point? Are we on the threshold of climatic circumstances converging to launch us into a sphere of action no one alive today has ever been before?

National and global events taken into consideration suggest that something is afoot that is beyond the control of the human mechanisms that have been put in place to maintain the status quo. Futurists and experts in disciplines ranging from economics to ecology, from politics to religion, from science and technology to nationalism, and everything in between have floated out all kinds of scenarios. While everyone seems to have a theory, no one really knows, except that most all are agreed that something major is coming.

All of this sounds so ominous, if not downright apocalyptic. Yet, throughout history there have been tipping points that transitioned civilizations from one era to another. All the signs point to another paradigmatic transition where life as we know it will cease to exist as a new order bursts forth. What is this new order? That's anybody's guess.

There is much talk about a new world order. However, there are all kinds of interpretations as to what that new world order will be. To the political progressives it will be a socialist state that will span the globe, ushering in a one-world government that will bring equality to all. To the political conservatives here in America it means a return to traditional values and adherence to the Constitution. To the Muslim world it means the establishment of a caliphate while to evangelical Christians it means the second coming of Jesus Christ. Though there are radical differences that separate the different groups and their ideologies, the common denominator is that they all recognize that there is a phenomenal change looming on the horizon that is about to engulf the whole world.

So the question is put forth, "What can we do?" Many pose this question seeking an answer as to how to avert the coming disruption of life, as we know it. To that, there is a simple one-word answer: "nothing". We are witnessing from within, the march of history to its climax. There is this sense that we now stand at the juncture of two great historical epochs, one passing away before the onrushing new epoch about to take its place.

There is however, one constant. The writer of Hebrews makes this declaration: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever." With the upheaval of all that was so stable, we have hope and confidence in the one who is the Lord of history.

Spirit-Led Life

2011-06-20T20:28:09Z

"Walking in the Spirit" and "filled with the Spirit" are common phrases, especially in charismatic and pentecostal circles. These are biblical terms, but are often misused. Too often we fail to interpret the Scriptures properly simply because we're doing so through a western 21st century lens. This lens is overwhelmingly individualistic in its perspective. And therein lies the problem. The Scriptures, for the most part, are addressing a corporate people.

Seldom do we use the aforementioned phrases concerning the Spirit in a corporate way. By neglecting to recognize the corporeity of these "Spirit" phrases, we have forfeited life in the Spirit as God intends. The sad result is a rejection of the Spirit-led life because of subjectivity. The distrust of an individual to correctly hear and interpret the voice of the Spirit has led to the substitution of the Bible for a living relationship with the Lord. This is a form of idolatry.

In the context of relational community, there is the dimension of walking in the Spirit that is impossible to experience individually. It's the community being directed by the Spirit of God whereby the individuals within that community have a joy of knowing they are moving in the Spirit. But there is another ingredient that is part of this walk in the Spirit, and it is the missional aspect.

The Spirit of God is all about mission because that's what God is engaged in. The mission of God is directed and administrated by the Holy Spirit here on planet earth. So any community of God's people must be missional if they are to walk in the Spirit. The fact that so many are not missional, whether individually or corporately, clearly indicates a lack of life in the Spirit. But in a missional community whose being and purpose is to be directed by the Spirit, one is immersed in the midst of Spirit-led life.

Problem-Opportunity

2011-06-16T16:12:44Z

This morning I was reminded of Jeremiah 29:7: "And seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare."

This verse is especially pertinent due to our present circumstances. The primary story here in Harrisburg is the financial crisis of the city. Being the capitol of Pennsylvania, this crisis has brought unwanted publicity from the national news services such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN among others.

Due to a botched scheme to retrofit its state of the art trash incinerator, Harrisburg now has a $310 million debt that threatens to bankrupt the city. After six months' work, a state task force just issued its 400 plus page report to resolve this crisis. This report contains nothing creative; instead, it is the product of a slash and burn mentality that ravages the city even more with the curtailing of services, the laying off of police and firefighters, and increasing taxes on the residents.

As you may have guessed, this report was not well received by city officials. But here's the kicker: the city now has 25 days to review this report and accept it, or come up with a new plan of their own, something that took the state task force 6 months to accomplish. What idiocy! Failing to do so, the city would then fall into the hands of a state appointed group to oversee the city. And if the state appointed task force that issued this report is any indication of what to expect, the immediate future looks bleak indeed.

All agree that this is a tremendously difficult problem we're facing. There is no magic wand that can be waved to make it vanish. Hard decisions and hard work will be required to overcome the present dilemma. But it can be done. History recounts numerous occasions of seemingly impossible circumstances that were overcome.

We see Joseph being used of God to effectively deal with the famine that hit the land of Egypt. I believe that what God did through Joseph, he desires to do through his people in any given area, to be a blessing and a source of God's provision. I believe God's people hold the key to Harrisburg's problem. The question is whether we will take the risk and rise to the occasion to seek the Lord on behalf of the city, and then put hands and feet to our intercession.

A Shift

2011-06-08T16:53:47Z

This post may be the beginning of a shift of thematic material on this blog. For some time now I have been contemplating the subject matter that has been the primary source of conversation. I'm doing some thinking and wondering out loud here, so everything that is said is not written in stone, and is open to evaluation and constructive criticism.

On occasion, this blog has addressed the fact that we western evangelicals live in a spiritual bubble, to the exclusion of being conversant in the matters of everyday life. I fear that this blog has contributed to that bubble mentality. As a result, consideration is being given to a change in direction where the focus is not exclusively on the Christian community and its function.

There is this sneaking suspicion that we evangelicals are like a fish out of water, very uncomfortable talking with people about the things that are of interest to them. We are not knowledgeable enough, or are too reticent to engage in the issues that are of concern to them. So we retreat into our spiritual conclaves to dialogue at length about the church, doctrine, and theology. Please don't misunderstand me here. I'm not suggesting that issues pertaining to the dimension of the Spirit and his community are not important and can be ignored. But when we immerse ourselves in this to the exclusion of the issues of life that confront people, including ourselves, we are ill prepared to relate the kingdom of God to where people are living and what they are experiencing.

Can we be true disciples of Jesus and not relate to those outside the Christian camp? Jesus seemed comfortable with whomever he was with. Though he invested deeply in the disciples he chose, he spent a lot of time with others as well, with the people "out there", but he had his disciples with him so that they could learn how to relate to people who are just trying to cope with life.

How can we effectively carry out his mandate to go and make disciples if we refrain from moving into their world? How will they ever be exposed to the kingdom of God and its relevance to their everyday lives if we hide this "under a bushel"?

So, I'm seeking to burst this spiritual bubble that I've promoted here, launching out into the deep where the fish are. I'm asking you to help me do this.

Entertaining Worship?

2011-05-25T21:01:35Z

I just ran across the following statement by A.W. Tozer:

"A church that can't worship must be entertained; and men who can't lead a church to worship must provide entertainment."

Sadly, this observation describes a large portion of the church in America. We have become too much like the self-indulgent culture in which we live. Thus, good worship is equated with that which makes us feel good, with the kind of music we like, providing the emotional highs we're looking for.

What a contrast to what we read in Romans 12:1, "I urge you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship."

Self-indulgence knows nothing of sacrificial service. Yet we call the Sunday morning show "worship", thinking that we're worshipping God because we enjoy the presentation. That which entertains us is not worship unto God. We have been deceived.

The popular trend for new churches is to rent the use of movie theaters on Sunday mornings for their worship services. While I have no problem with using such facilities, I think it is a striking commentary on the value the church places on entertainment. In fact, I know of one church that meets in a theater whose pastor chooses the latest movies from which he develops his sermons. The thought may be that this is simply being contemporary and relevant to attract people to the church. But I have a hard time picturing Paul using popular Greek dramas to develop his sermons.

This kind of pop Christianity will evaporate in the midst of the coming storm. There is nothing of substance that will withstand the shaking designed to remove all such created things so that those things that cannot be shaken will remain.

The Wheel of the Kingdom

2011-05-16T15:17:00Z

Wolfgang Simson's phrase, the Wheel of the Kingdom, describes the methodology of Jesus in carrying out the mission of God. Yet the western church has all but forsaken Jesus' proven way of advancing the kingdom of God.

This method employed by Jesus involves three aspects - gathering, discipling, and scattering. Continued repeatedly, the gathering, discipling, and scattering will result in the exponential growth that we see in the book of Acts as well as the contemporary examples of China and India, among others.

However, the western church has been content to gather people to the exclusion of discipling and scattering. There has been a subtle departure from the gospel of the kingdom to the gospel of the church. This demonic scheme, unknowingly embraced by the church, gathers people unto itself using Jesus as the means to strengthen and enlarge its institution. But it is the discipling and the scattering that follows the gathering that advances the kingdom of God.

Thus, the development process of the spiritually conceived is aborted after only one third of the development process is completed without ever bringing the new life to full term. Even where there are instances of discipling taking place, in the great majority of cases disciples are made for the institution, not for Jesus. If they were made for Jesus, the final third of this trio, scattering, would be implemented. That almost is never done because it weakens the institution.

By eliminating the scattering we have removed the apostolic dimension from the church. Without the apostolic, the sending out, the church will only decline, wither, and die. We see this death process happening before our very eyes as thousands of churches are closing their doors every year. People are leaving the institutional church in record numbers. But this leaving is not necessarily bad, however. On the contrary, I see it as phase one of the scattering process. God is restoring his missional intent to the church, and he is beginning by getting the laborers out of the barn.

This is where the apostolic comes in. God works through the apostolic coupled with the prophetic to thrust these laborers out into the harvest. Those sent ones will gather the harvest, disciple those who have been gathered, and then scatter them back out into the harvest where the process will be repeated over and over again. And the Wheel of the Kingdom will continue to roll on to fulfill the mission of God.

What Are We Doing?

2011-05-13T16:33:00Z

I just finished reading The Starfish Manifesto by Wolfgang Simson. It's a long read, but well worth it. In the words of the author, the download is free, but if you read it, it will cost you. I can attest to that, because anyone who reads this will be confronted with a decision: Do I continue with business as usual, or do I make the necessary change required to align myself with God and his ways?

Of course none of us want to think that we are not in alignment with God, or functioning according to his ways. However, I think if Jesus were to confront us, a la the churches of Revelation, we would be deeply disturbed by what would be revealed.

A question arose in my mind in the process of reading Simson's work: "What are we doing?"

It appears to me that we're like little children playing in a sandbox, building our own little sandcastles that are here today and gone tomorrow. What is all of our praying, strategizing, teaching, pastoring, and evangelizing accomplishing? Can we look around and see the marked change that has been wrought in the growth and expansion of God's people in our communities, cities, and regions as a result? Sad to say, the effect of our efforts is practically non-existent. Why?

I've come to the conclusion that God will not bring forth the desired results as long as we insist on doing it our way to the exclusion of his way. We can pray and fast all we want, but it will not yield the breakthrough we're believing for. We have substituted our blueprint for God's, usurping his rightful place as architect and construction superintendent. Whether we realize it or not, we are the living and breathing example of the futile laborers in Psalm 127:1, "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it."

The foundation of pastors and teachers, and yes, evangelists, is not sufficient to support the house God has chosen to build. The only foundation that will support God's building is the foundation he has prescribed: apostles and prophets. He will not answer our prayers and reward our efforts to build on a foundation that is not in his blueprint, knowing that such a foundation will collapse, bringing the building down with it.

This is the primary theme of The Starfish Manifesto, the advancement of the kingdom and the building up of the ekklesia through God's ordained foundation of the apostles and prophets. Only through these intentionally developed networks of apostles and prophets will we see the purpose and mission of God fulfilled. It's time to scrap what we are doing and join in with what God is doing and the way he is doing it.

Hold Loosely

2011-05-04T19:52:00Z

With the rash of natural disasters over the last several years and their increasing frequency, coupled with the global economic crisis and the revolutionary turmoil and unrest in the Middle East, eschatology has moved front and center in the minds of many. These apocalyptic conditions have spawned a feeding frenzy on every wind of eschatological doctrine imaginable. The problem is that the adherents of all these various doctrines support their claims with scripture, giving it the appearance of authenticity.

In this roiling mix of doctrines are traditional eschatological perspectives, along with others that have a new twist, and those that are just downright bizarre. But they all have one thing in common - they are heavily laced with scripture.

So which one is right? What if none of them are right? Does it really matter?

When we are dealing with the future, we move into the unknown. I know that scripture gives insight into that which is yet to unfold, but we have learned from experience that our understanding is limited and often distorted because our hermeneutics are faulty. Too often we interpret scripture from our own experience, through the lens of contemporary life, which is a million miles away from the ancient mindset of the middle-eastern culture from which these writers wrote.

Personally, I'm very skeptical of those who have it all figured out. I think they are treading on dangerous ground. The Jewish scholars had it figured out as to the coming of their Messiah, but they were wrong. Since Jesus didn't meet their messianic expectations, they rejected him.

So what happens if Jesus doesn't fit in to our expectations? Do we have him locked so tightly into our doctrinal boxes that any variance from our conceived eschatology disqualifies his activity and chronology in our minds. That is exactly the scenario in first century Palestine, which caused the Jews to miss the time of their visitation.

Is it not best to hold our eschatology rather loosely, while holding on to Jesus by continually walking in the Spirit, allowing him to guide and direct us into all truth?

Resurrection? So What!

2011-05-01T21:41:00Z

The title of this post may sound heretical. Good! At least it got your attention. But this is the apathetic attitude displayed far and wide across our culture concerning Easter and its spiritual significance. However, this is to be expected from a secular culture, but when those who profess faith in Jesus Christ exhibit a somewhat similar attitude, it's very disturbing.

For some time now, I've been troubled by the relatively limited observance of the greatest event in all of human history - the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We engage in festive activities over a period a month's duration celebrating Christmas, though I'll admit that much of it is crass commercialism. Forty days are even given to observing Jesus' death and burial through the Lenten season. But his resurrection is pinched into a church service followed by a ham dinner, and it's all over in less than a day.

This testifies to the misplaced priorities and the lack of understanding we have of the significance of Jesus' resurrection and its implications for us. To restrict it's meaning to life after death strips the resurrection of its relevance to life in these mortal bodies. It's so much more than life after death, which is just a small part of the resurrection. We really don't know that much about it because the resurrection is never taught except for a brief message one Sunday out of the year.

The catchphrase of the first century believers was "Christ is risen!" Again, the only time we hear that is Easter Sunday. Otherwise, it's foreign to our vocabulary. Jesus declared the principle that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. It is obvious that Christ's resurrection was central to those first century believers. Their worldview and their lifestyle hinged on the resurrection. It was the predominant factor in their lives. The same can't be said of us.

It's time we rediscover the full significance of Christ's resurrection so that our lives can be ordered by it just as God intends. It's only the life proceeding out of that resurrection that is Spirit directed.

Radical Impact

2011-04-22T17:32:00Z

I want to follow through from the last post using a portion of Leslie Newbigin's quote referring to a "commitment to a vision of society radically different from that which controls our public life today."

He draws the distinction between the private, individualistic Christianity that is so common here in the West to the demonstrably public kingdom society of Jesus' gospel message. The first dwells in the complacent safety of the comfortable status quo while the second risks the violence of the kingdom.

In the same vein of thought, David Platt writes: "...as long as individual Christians journey alone - no matter how 'radical' they are - their effect will be minimal."

Both Newbigin and Platt use the word radical, one in the corporate sense and the other in an individual sense, with the corporate making a great impact while the radical individual has a miniscule effect on society.

Remember that the word radical basically refers to that which is fundamental, the root or origin. I would suggest that radical Christians are not as radical as they're thought to be if they are functioning independently from other believers. Their separateness testifies to the pride of fleshly life that withdraws from the fellowship of the Spirit. The true Jesus radical is fully engaged with Him through his community of believers, as messy as that is. But it's in the midst of that community that has chosen to lay everything on the table for God to do with it as he pleases, that the individual believer is set free in a society that is so radically different that it impacts public society at large.

A False Gospel?

2011-04-19T18:42:00Z

One of the things God is doing in these days is opening our understanding to better grasp what he and his kingdom are all about. I think we have locked ourselves into a very small portion of the gospel message, which has deprived us from the much richer experience God intends for us.

The evangelical camp has majored on personal salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. This is their defining tenet of the gospel. Remove personal salvation from the evangelical message and you're left with little else. I'm not suggesting that salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ should not be emphasized, but that it isn't the whole gospel, as too many have been led to believe.

Leslie Newbigin makes this startling statement:

"A preaching of the gospel that calls men and women to accept Jesus as Savior but does not make it clear that discipleship means commitment to a vision of society radically different from that which controls our public life today must be condemned as false."

WOW! He is essentially saying that the gospel that is limited to an individual's personal salvation through Jesus Christ is a false gospel. That kind of statement will rock the evangelical world. None of us want to think of ourselves as proclaiming a false gospel. But if our message does not align itself with that of Jesus, then we have a different gospel than his.

The dichotomy caused by the separation of inward personal salvation and outward societal life is a surrender to our pagan culture. It is something the first century believers knew nothing about. Private personal salvation is safe when it does not challenge the public ideology. But the authentic gospel challenges and confronts society with the sovereign rule of God through a corporate people whose inward salvation is demonstrated outwardly in an alternative societal life.

Primary Focus

2011-04-15T20:39:00Z

The last paragraph of the previous post poses a question: "Could it be that we are still ensconced in the church syndrome?" From my experience, the answer comes back a resounding "Yes!" Regardless of the structural form, be it institutional, simple, emergent, or any of the other numerous labels applied to the various configurations, the church is the primary focus in the discussion of the gospel relating to the culture. The underlying purpose of the dialogue centers on church renewal and transformation, which misses the real issue of missional engagement with the culture. Our preoccupation with the church reveals the continuing depths of Christendom in our imagination.

The question we need to be asking is, "What is God up to in our neighborhoods and communities?" This takes us in a whole different direction of God and his mission becoming the focus, with the gospel and culture equated in that context. What is curious in all of this is the absence of the "church". However, it is not being suggested that the church can be ignored or forgotten. I'm not anti-church. What I am against is the church being elevated to a place of primary focus at the expense of God and his mission.

Alan Hirsch reminds us that Christology determines missiology, which in turn determines ecclesiology. Thus we don't have to strive to transform the church, something that only Christ can do. As we focus on Him and his mission, we will take on the shape and form of that which we are about. Therefore, the church is fashioned through its experience with Christ and his mission. It's something we don't have to concern ourselves with because it is Christ's responsibility. My gut feeling is that most of our labor has been in vain simply because we have been attempting to do what only the Head can do while ignoring, for the most part, God and his mission. "Except the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it." - Ps. 127:1

My sense is that when we forget about changing the church and become fully involved with God and his mission, the church will be transformed.

Walking by the Spirit

2011-04-10T14:55:00Z

Following up the previous post, I want to continue along the same line of thought. My question is, "Can we walk in the Spirit if we are oblivious to what the Spirit is doing?

Seldom, if ever, have I heard this expression, "Walking in the Spirit" used in any way other than referring to one's personal, individual experience. Yet in Galatians 5:25 it refers to walking in relation to others. This aspect of "walking in the Spirit" has almost been totally ignored because our brand of Christianity is individualistic and private instead of communal and open. Thus, most of us are very erratic, finding it difficult to walk in the Spirit continually, simply because we're trying to do it all by ourselves, independent of others.

The NAS translation of Galatians 5:25 says, "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." The footnote for this verse says that "walk by the Spirit" can also be translated, "follow the Spirit." Now this is where it gets tricky in light of Jesus' words in John 3, comparing the Spirit to the incomprehensible wind and its direction. The spontaneity of the Spirit breaks our man-made molds every time. He's not locked into the church, limited only to the activity of believers. He's already out in the fields of harvest. The question is, "Will we follow him into those fields?" Can we "follow the Spirit" and not go into the harvest fields?

Can we walk by the Spirit as a community of believers and not be involved with what he is doing in our neighborhood? When we rationalize by saying we don't know what the Spirit is doing in our neighborhood, we expose our independence from God and our similarity to the religious leaders of Jesus' day, who had God moving right in their midst and didn't know it. Why is this?

Could it be that we are still ensconced in the church syndrome instead of the kingdom paradigm that Jesus came proclaiming? Our friendships and associations are almost exclusively with other believers who may live miles from us while our neighbors who live right in our own block are, for all practical purposes, strangers to us. However, the Spirit is engaging these strangers while his ambassadors continue in their own private conclaves. Maybe we would know much more readily what the Spirit is doing if we assumed our ambassadorial responsibilities.

Are We Relevant?

2011-04-02T22:00:00Z

I've been captivated by some reading I'm doing as to the missional church and why it is important. Most western Christians have not made the transition to today's world as far as their faith is concerned. Ours is a modern 20th century faith in a 21st century postmodern world. This is nothing new to most who read this blog. But I want to pose a perspective that may be somewhat controversial beginning with the question, "Are we relevant?"

This question is directed to us personally where we live and gather with other believers in our neighborhood. Are we relevant to our secular neighbors who display no interest in spiritual things? And how do we know they have no interest in spiritual things?

What makes us relevant to our neighbors? I propose that if we are not relevant to our neighbors, then the word of God is not relevant to them either.

Do we know what God is doing in our neighborhood? My experience is that most of us Christians don't have clue one what God is doing in our neighborhoods; the reason being that most of us have not taken the time to get to know our neighbors, to listen to them and hear their hearts, to understand their concerns and fears, to discover their interests and passion and find out what is going on in their lives. In doing this, we will begin to become aware of what God is doing in our neighborhood.

The result of this is that we don't have a proper hermeneutic of the word of God as to its pertinence for our neighbors. Getting to know our neighbors will not only enable us to see what God is doing, but will also enable us to interpret the word properly as it relates to the neighborhood.

Peterson's phrasing of John 1:14 captures the practical, incarnational dimension of God's intent and actions among us: "The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood." Now its our turn to incarnate the Word in the neighborhood in the same practical way Jesus did. For too long we have handled the word in the abstract, free of the context of the neighborhood where God has placed us to flesh it out. Only in the fleshing out of the word will we and the word become relevant.

Who You Walking With?

2011-03-27T18:42:00Z

Most all of Scripture is written to a community of people, not to individuals as we so often interpret. Reading it from a corporate perspective makes a significant difference in our understanding of the word. Philippians 2 is a rich example of this. Paul is writing to a community, yet we read it as if it were written to an individual instructing him/her how to live in a Christ-like way. It isn't that we shouldn't apply the scriptures to our own lives individually, but we will not understand the scriptures if we don't read them from the intent of the author.

The exhortation to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" in verse 12 is in the context of the corporate community. As the community is working out its salvation, the individual who is part of that community is immersed in that process, challenged and encouraged as the transformation of that community unfolds as the Spirit brings conviction and direction.

Apart from walking in community with others, one's maturity is severely impeded if not stalled altogether. German theologian, Gerhard Lohfink has noted, "isolated individuals are simply not in a position to exemplify and to live the social dimension of the reign of God." The purpose of God is and will be fulfilled only and through community. That's where the crux of the matter is. We actually diminish and destroy community when we come to it with our idealized perception of what it ought to be. In his classic concerning community, Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer addresses the tendency to impose our wishful dreams as to what community should be. Bonhoeffer states in no uncertain terms,

"...God's grace speedily shatters such dreams. Just as surely as God desires to lead us to a knowledge of genuine Christian fellowship, so surely must we be overwhelmed by a great disillusionment with others, with Christians in general, and, if we are fortunate, with ourselves.
"... Only that fellowship which faces such disillusionment, with all its unhappy and ugly aspects, begins to be what it should be in God's sight, begins to grasp in faith the promise that is given to it."

It means staying the course, not giving up and fighting for what God has called us to. John Eldredge speaks prophetically when he says, "God is calling together little communities of the heart, to fight for one another and for the hearts of those who have not yet been set free. That camaraderie, that intimacy, that incredible impact by a few stouthearted souls - that is available. It is the Christian life as Jesus gave it to us. It is completely normal."

Mission and Community

2011-03-22T18:42:00Z

On the last post, Ron made a comment that I have been giving some consideration to and thought it would be good to throw it out there for a wider forum. He writes, "Find your mission and you will find your community."

Community has been a hot topic in many circles. But with all the attention that is being given to community, we need to ask ourselves, "Are we focusing on the wrong thing?" Looking at Ron's statement, it seems that we've gotten the cart before the horse. It would appear that mission precedes community when speaking of relationships between like-minded people. Obviously there are varying degrees of community. We all grew up in a community we call family. There is the work community that we are part of at our place of employment. And there is the neighborhood community where we live. But most of the dialogue concerning community centers on the quality of relationship we have with fellow brothers and sisters in the faith with whom we are linked in one way or another.

It is apparent that soldiers on mission together develop such strong ties that long after the mission is over they are still strongly committed to one another. Likewise, athletes who have played together as a team have developed relationships that have lasted into their post-athletic days. Scores of other examples can be given, but I was more interested to see whether there was any biblical evidence to corroborate the idea of mission being the crucible in which deep and lasting relationships are formed.

Two examples immediately came to mind. The community of the twelve would have never formed had they not accepted the call of Jesus to mission. While on mission, they were being knit together into a community. Therefore, community was the byproduct of mission. They weren't seeking to become a community, it just happened as they were thrown together in mission."

A second example came to mind: Paul and the relationships he had were the product of mission. He was focused on the mission God had called him to, but in the process valuable relationships were established with those who entered into God's mission with him.

We could go on and on, but space doesn't permit. It appears that the heat of the mission crucible develops community naturally as each one is interdependent on the others as they focus on accomplishing the purpose for which they have been called together. Is this community perfect? Not by a long shot! Just consider the twelve.

But striving for community without an overarching mission is difficult. The focus is, for the most part, on ourselves and how we are relating to each other. It is an attempt to build something that only the Holy Spirit can do, therefore setting ourselves up for frustration and failure.

How the House is Built

2011-03-15T18:50:00Z

This past weekend, Wayne Jacobsen was in our area spending time with anyone who wanted to gather and just "hang out". As always with Wayne, it was a laid back time of sharing with no set agenda that had to be achieved. Those who are struggling with the "simple church" concept and the difficulty of getting a group together came away really encouraged with some fresh insights. In fact, everyone came away encouraged.

It is very obvious how we still get it wrong even apart from the institution. We still function with the same mindset of the institution. Though the meeting venue is different, the mindset remains the same. Now we are in charge instead of the paid professionals and we'll do it right. While we think we are doing it right, however, we are just as wrong as our institutional counterparts.

Over the past few days I've been contemplating this dilemma of organizing set times for our regular meetings and the "liturgy" of these meetings. Coupled with that is the matter of trying to build a community by gathering people together in the context of "simple church". Several familiar verses came to mind, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament.

"Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it..." (Psalm 127:1)
"...Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it." (Matthew 16:18)

The way Jesus builds and the way we normally build are radically different. Jesus builds by forming relationships. We build by organizing. So the community that Jesus is building is relational first and foremost. The whole idea of organizing kills the life of a relational community. The fellowship of the Holy Spirit is stifled and the natural flow of community life is quenched in favor of robotic organizational mechanisms designed to give us good meetings. It's these meetings that suck the life right out of the community.

But when relationships are being developed in healthy ways, there is no need to schedule times to meet because people are gathering together naturally because they want to, not because they have to. If the Lord prompts them to gather together regularly for a season, there's no problem because the relationships are in place whereby the Spirit can direct the community for the purpose he has brought them together.