Learning about prophets from prophets
God has not gifted me in prophecy. I’m not a prophet. I don’t even play one on TV. But, like Paul, I know that prophecy is beneficial for the church, just like all the gifts and services of all God’s children are beneficial for the church.
I was interested, then, in reading the thoughts of two prophets about the spiritual gift of prophecy.
Miguel at “God Directed Deviations” wrote a post called “Prophetic Agitation.”
Donald at “Unapologetic Prophet” wrote a follow-up post called “No School for Prophets: We Are Equipped, Not Academically Created.” (which is true for all of God’s children, by the way.)
Their posts reminded me of something… something that I already knew. But, still, the reminder was good.
God uses us to equip others to serve. And, he uses others to equip us to serve. Yes, God provides the gift, the opportunities, the passions, etc. But, as Paul wrote, he uses others to equip us so that we are ready to serve others.
We can definitely learn generally from people like Miguel and Donald, even though we’ve never met in real life, and have never spent time together – much less a significant amount of time. But, from what I’ve learned, God primarily uses those who are close to us in real life.
Who are your equippers (prophets, evangelists, or any other gifted persons)? Who are you to equip? Look around you? See those people who God has brought into your life. That’s who.
The thin connections of social media
My son is currently taking an English course at a local community college. He is working on his first paper, which is a response to several essays that he had to read on the topic of technology and its effect on communication, relationships, etc. I’ve enjoyed talking with him about this, and I’m excited about the direction that he wants to take this paper.
Then, last night, I read a post from Dave Black on a similar topic. (I cannot link directly to Dave’s post, but you can read it on his blog dated Wednesday, September 5, 2012 at 7:18 p.m.)
In his post, he responds to another blogger who refers to the difference between “thin connections” and “thick connections.” This is what Dave writes:
Personally, I have benefited tremendously from the internet, and not merely because of the outlet it provides for my saunterings. I’ve enjoyed the “thin connections” it offers. You go online, visit your favorite blogs, and read an interest post or two. No hardship, and the results are often gratifying and edifying. But my greatest satisfaction comes from those “thick conversations” one simply cannot find on the internet, try though one might… I have examined many thousands of tweets and blog posts but I do not really expect to get to “know” their authors online, congenial as they may appear to be. I have no illusions as to the value of my own blog as a serious conversation partner either. But taking all such limitations into account, the fact remains that social media are conversations of a sort, and I for one am very grateful for every conversation partner God brings my way.
In many ways, this blog and my use of social media (Facebook and Twitter especially) have paralleled this course. These various outlets not only allow for “thin connections” online, but they also provide an avenue for developing or strengthening “thick connections” with people who I know “in real life.”
I know there are many discussions going on now about the benefits and detriments of online relationships and communications. For some people, “thin connections” are all that is available for now. I think they should grow in those relationships as much as possible while also looking for opportunities to build face-to-face “thick connections” that happen when we share our “real life” with one another.
More thoughts on itinerant (traveling) servants of the gospel
My post this morning (“How many mission journeys did Paul take?“) was about Paul’s travels as an itinerant servant of the gospel.
At least two more bloggers have also been writing about itinerant (traveling) servants in the last few days.
First, Miguel at “God’s Directed Deviations” wrote a post called “Retracing Gospel Footsteps and Going Where Christ is Already Named.” Based on Paul’s statement in Romans 15:20, Miguel asks some very good questions:
Should mission minded folks be staking claims over territory?
Is it wrong to retrace someone else’s gospel steps?
What criteria should we use to determine when to build “ON” another’s foundation?
Of course, when Paul made that statement (Romans 15:20), he was planning to travel to Rome where (according to that very letter) there were already several thriving groups of believers.
Also, Eric from “A Pilgrim’s Progress” wrote a post called “We Ought to Support People Like These” based on John’s statement in 3 John 5-8.
At one point, Eric writes:
Why did the traveling Christian workers, who we might call missionaries, need financial assistance? Since they traveled from place to place, they would have been unable to hold down a regular job. This would have made earning a regular income a difficult task.
Eric also points out that itinerant servants did work when they could in order to support themselves and others – at least, according to Paul, that was the pattern practiced by him and those who traveled with him.
So, here are two more posts on the topic of itinerant (traveling) servants of the gospel. I’m glad to read and hear that more and more people are considering what Scripture tells us about these people (apostles). So much of what I’ve read and heard does not begin with Scripture, but begins with modern practice and forces Scripture to match that pattern.
Measuring the Success of a Church
Scot at “Jesus Creed” wrote a post last week called “5 Myths about Successful Churches.” In the post, he summarized the findings from another article.
I have not read the original article, only Scot’s summary and some of the comments on Scot’s post.
However, even the summary that Scot gives us is very telling:
MYTH #1: The Size of the Church Shows Success.
MYTH #2: The Amount of the Budget Shows Success.
MYTH #3: The Celebrity Status of the Leader Shows Success.
MYTH #4: The Title of the Leader Shows Success.
MYTH #5: The Affluent Lifestyle of the Leader Shows Success.
At best, these “myths” may demonstrate the success of an organization and organizational leaders. They do not – and cannot – demonstrate whether or not a group of Jesus’ followers are “successfully” following him.
Instead, we can only point to people who are seeking to be obedient to Jesus Christ and help others follow him, who are growing in maturity, who are sharing their lives with others, who are serving and caring and providing for those in need, who are proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ with people in their lives.
When we focus on organizational issues to determine growth, our focus will automatically shift away from Jesus Christ and how he is leading his church.
The Gift that (God) Keeps on Giving
In the last few days, I’ve read several very good posts on the topic of spiritual gifts.
Donald at “The Unapologetic Poet” wrote a post called “One Body, Many Parts, Indeed: Embrace Your Calling.”
Jim at “Crossroad Junction” wrote “Gifts, Calling and Validation.” (I just realized that this is an older post, but it showed up in my Google Reader. I read it, and I’m sharing it with you now.)
Dan at “Cerulean Sanctum” wrote “No Room for Prophets: When Your Church Rejects Your Spiritual Gift.”
Believe it or not, I’m glad that Scripture silent about many aspects related to spiritual gifts. Seriously.
So, I thought I would ask you a question that I often consider for myself: If you could understand better one thing about spiritual gifts, what would it be?
For my organic church friends: Would you be willing to attend a traditional church, indefinitely, to impact another person’s life?
Stephen at “Sword of the Kingdom” has written an excellent post called “A Challenge to the Organic Church.” Actually, Stephen didn’t actually write the post. Instead, he published a conversation that he had with someone else.
Now, you should know, this is a very long post. However, it is well-worth the time it takes to read it, think about it, think about it some more, and ask God what he would have you do about it.
While the person agrees with Stephen about “the overwhelming ‘structural hindrances’ and negative inertia inherent in traditional church or institutional church (IC) settings that hinder God’s kingdom from coming forth as God would desire.”
But, he offers the following “caveats” that we should all consider:
The question to ask upon finding one’s self outside an institutional meeting construct should be:
“Father, to what people or peoples, have you relationally assigned me, in this season of my life, for their benefit and mine?”
That question removes the whole matter from meeting style, structure, likes and dislikes, convictions, etc., and actually lets the Lord . . . be Lord. Indeed, He might give us the freedom to pursue “getting out of the parking lot!” Then again, He might not. He might assign us to a meeting structure and format that is very distasteful and unsatisfying to ourselves, for another’s benefit. Sounds like covenantal kingdom living to me.
In short, there’s no getting around being Spirit-led sons and daughters, under lordship and on relational assignment.
And, he asks the following question of his “organic church” friends: “Would you be willing to attend a traditional church, indefinitely, to impact another person’s life?”
That is definitely a question to consider… how would you answer it?
Simple church and structure?
Katie at “Backseat Driver” has been writing posts answering questions about “simple church.” One of her latest posts is called “Questions Continued: What about Structure?”
There is an assumption that those who prefer more simple / organic church to more organized / institutional church also disdain or reject any kind of structure or organization. This is a false assumption. In fact, any time people gather together there will be some kind of structure and organization.
For example, if two people meet together for lunch, there will be some type of organization involved: where are they going to eat, what time, who is going to pay? Answering these questions define an organization for their time of eating lunch together. But, what happens if the same two people get together for lunch the next day? What if they get together for dinner? What if there are now three people getting together? Does the same organization still apply?
So, there will always be some type of organization. The question is: Is the organization flexible and fluid enough to follow the form of the people involved? As the people change (either by new people coming together or people maturing or changing life situations) the organization changes as well. As the opportunities for service change, the organization changes as well.
The other side of that spectrum features an organization that is fixed, and the people must fit themselves within that system or face being rejected (either intentionally or unintentionally).
In her post (linked to above), Katie offers several suggestions and a much fuller explanation than I have provided here.
How can we ensure that the people, giftings, service opportunities, etc. are defining the organization instead of the organization attempting to define the people?
Next up on SportsmanTV: Fishing for Men with Jeremy Myers, professional angler
Ok, so if you didn’t hear the title of this post as if it was an announcement on cable TV for a new fishing program, then I didn’t do it right.
But, on to the post… Jeremy at “Till He Comes” has started a very entertaining and challenging series based on excerpts for a book that he’s working on. So far, he’s published three posts: “The Key to Fishing,” “My First Day on the Water,” and “Stocking Up on Fish.”
I think my favorite of the three posts so far is the second one: My First Day on the Water.
The series would be even funnier to me if I didn’t see myself in the main character too often.
What do you think Jeremy is teaching about “fishing” in this series?
Working with other Christians, but not under their organizations
My good friend Eric at “Pilgrim’s Progress” is one of my favorite bloggers. His latest post is called “Two Different Directions,” and the post itself when in a different direction that I thought it would… and was much better than I thought it would be.
Eric begins by pointing out the gatherings of believers seem to be growing in two directions (thus the title of his post): either larger and larger or smaller and smaller. (As an aside, I think this difference is a demonstration of and a living out of a different understanding of what it means to be the church.)
But, when Eric gets into the meat of his post, he takes a turn in a different direction:
It is painfully obvious for all involved that those of us in simple church life reject almost all of the shenanigans that go on in the mega church. However, there are many Christians in mega churches who want to make disciples just as much as we do. Therefore, we have a challenge of working with them while at the same time not working under the constraints of their large institutional framework. How can we do this?
He follows his question with five suggestions about working in unity with those who disagree with us (primarily disagree about the church, but this could include other types of disagreements as well).
Seriously, I love this! Yes, we disagree about what it means to be the church, whether the church is an organization or whether church is the people. And, we disagree about why we gather together and how that purpose is best carried out.
But, if we are in Christ together, then we are brothers/sisters, and we are put together by God for a reason. And, that reason is NOT to argue with one another.
Thanks, Eric, for exhorting us to live in the unity we already have in Christ, in spite of our disagreements!
The difference between Pastor as a gifting and Pastor as a title/position
Thanks to Jon at “Jon’s Journey” for pointing us to a great quote by Dan Kimball. You can find the quote in Jon’s post called “Dan Kimball is not your pastor.”
Yes, many, many people use the term “pastor” as a title or position, and many of them assume that the title/position pastor infers the gifting or service (or vice versa). But, in the little excerpt on Jon’s blog, at least one more person is recognizing the difference between the title and the gifting/service.
I was at a street corner, I’m getting into my car and a car honked. These college-aged girls were looking over and waving. I’m looking up and I’m like “I don’t know who they are.” Then the light turns green and they yell in unison “you’re our pastor!” as they’re driving away. I’m just like, “I’m their pastor? I don’t even know who they are.” A pastor who shepherds knows their sheep, knows if one is missing.
The problem, of course, is that when we use the term “pastor” as a title for a position, that’s what people read into Scripture, much like when they read the terms “church,” “minister,” “preach,” etc. We must be very careful about how we use words.
Irony… in the original article that Jon links to, Dan Kimball is referred to as “Pastor Dan Kimball”…