A sense of unity and a desire to work together
Felicity at “Simply Church” wrote a report called “The changing face of missions.” In the report, she tells us about speaking with missionaries in Taiwan, and how they desired to work together to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.
I love to read reports like this about believers working together. I hope to read more and more reports not only from missionaries around the world, but from believers right here in the USA.
Here’s part of Felicity’s post:
We were invited to speak to the Taiwan Missionary Fellowship, a group that involves nearly all the missionaries on the island. Well over 50% of the missionaries were there, and despite a huge variety in theology and church backgrounds, there was a sense of unity and a desire to work together across all the mission groups and churches. Even though Taiwan has a very traditional missions history, and the vast majority of the churches there are based on a Western model, there was great openness to our message that could have been both threatening and controversial. Our main teaching for the five days we were there was on following the Holy Spirit into the harvest and bringing the new disciples together in small groups/churches.
It seems that right across the board, many missions groups recognize that traditional patterns of church planting on the mission field (erect a building and train a pastor) are not just prohibitively expensive, but there are far more effective ways to reach out in today’s world. Some groups we met had already begun to adopt Luke 10 patterns of church planting and many of the others were eager to explore organic principles they could use in reaching out.
Do you have any suggestions for promoting the same kind of unity and co-laboring in your locality that Felicity describes in her post about Taiwan?
A couple of comics on the state of the church
I don’t know about you, but I love comics. I love how through comics a very important message can be communicated simply and often in a manner that people might not otherwise consider.
Lately, I’ve run across two comics that I want to share here.
The first comic is by David at “nakedpastor” and is called “world report on the body.” (I’m not going to copy the comic here, so click the link above to see David’s drawing.)
This comic causes me to consider my own words and actions. Am I seeking to maintain the unity of the body of Christ? Am I writing or speaking in ways that can be considered divisive? Am I submitting to the Spirit and accepting those who God has accepted in Jesus Christ?
The second comic is from J.R. at “More than Cake” and is called “Blind Foxes & The Rock.” (Again, I’m not going to duplicate the comic. Click the link to see J.R.’s drawing.)
Again, this comic causes me to think about what I am proclaiming. While there may be many great causes, we should always point people toward Jesus Christ.
What do you think about these comics?
Finding your identity in Christ again
Craig at “New Covenant Bible Fellowship of Las Vegas” has written a great post called “Freedom to Grow.” In the post, he writes about his identity in Christ, how he lost sight of that identity, and how is is finding his identity in Christ again.
The interesting thing is that although Craig said he had lost sight of his identity in Christ, he was considered a leader among the church. In fact, it was the expectations and responsibilities placed on him as a recognized leader that hindered his understanding of his identity in Christ.
For example, consider this paragraph that begins Craig’s post:
Over the last several months of studying, searching, and relaxation in the Lord, I am in the beginning stages of truly feeling free in Christ to be myself. For far too many years I have had to essentially put on a mask and be someone who God did not create. I have acted for too many years for everyone else rather than being me and resting comfortably in the Lord. Not that “pretending” has been all bad. I haven’t been an awful person or sought to dishonor Christ. But in the process of making sure all my professional clergy boxes get checked (you know, ordained, licensed, performed weddings, funerals, attended conferences, church EVERY Sunday, etc.) and all my personal Christian boxes get checked (prayer, personal devotions, bible reading, etc), I lost my identity. My identity of being in Christ, the joy of that which I experienced as a new believer, became lost in being told what I need to DO as a Christian rather than what I became and now am in Christ.
Make sure to read the remainder of Craig’s post. He has alot of good things to say.
I was also pleased to see that Craig did not blame others for these issues. He even recognizes that much of what happens is “well-meaning.” Of course, “well-meaning” is not the same as healthy or beneficial, but that’s for a different post. He recognizes that even “well-meaning” believers may have missed the point of who they are in Christ and how they respond to that identity. I know that I’ve done that before as well.
I’m glad that Craig (like many of us) is finding his identity in Christ again. And, I’m also glad that he’s not blaming his brothers and sisters in Christ.
Tweaking the particulars without confronting the core assumptions
A few weeks ago, Arthur at “The Voice of One Crying Out in Suburbia” wrote a post called “I think it is time” announcing that he and his family were “going fully into the organic/simple/house church thing.” Later, in a post called “Decompressing,” he wrote that his family has enjoyed not having the pressure of “going to church.” Of course, as you might expect, he’s gotten a little push back from some who claim he is “forsaking the assembly.”
Now, Arthur has written an excellent post called “Not searching for a ‘perfect church’.” While he writes many excellent things in that post, there is one paragraph in particular that I want to highlight:
Those of us who are part of this perfect church must nevertheless find ways to relate to one another because that is how we are strengthened and encouraged, that is how new believers are equipped and shown by example what to do, older believers are renewed and all of us are supposed to be stirred up to good works. Where the rubber hits the road is how this occurs and it certainly seems to be the case that the very reasons for the local gathering to happen, listed above, are not happening with any sort of regularity. The evidence for that is all around us and most of us get it to some extent but the “solution” is always to reshuffle the things we are already doing in the hopes that if we move them around we can make a tower out of marbles. I reject the notion that all we need to do is tweak the particulars without confronting the core assumptions.
In that last sentence I think that Arthur sums up the conclusion that many brothers and sisters in Christ are coming to: simply tweaking the particulars without confronting the core assumptions (about what it means to be the church and to gather together as the church) does not help.
Unfortunately, too many are still satisfied with “tweaking the particulars” and getting a rush out of the small changes without realizing the underlying problems. Because of that, many are taking the same steps that Arthur and his family are taking.
Should everyone take the same steps that Arthur is taking? Probably not. That is between you and God. But, whatever you decide to do, seek to maintain fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ, even if you must break your connections with various organizations and institutions.
Just for missionaries or for all followers of Jesus?
I love reading the blog “God Directed Deviations” by Miguel. He asks great questions, and presents his posts in the context of the life of a servant of Jesus Christ who has traveled to another country in order to help others follow Jesus – both through proclaiming the gospel and through strengthening his brothers and sisters in Christ.
One of his latest posts is called “Short-Term Missions: It’s more than just Bug Repellent & Hand Sanitizer.” As a missionary, Miguel often hosts “short term” missions teams. In this post, he shares a list that was given to him by one of those short term missionaries.
Here’s the list:
1. I will give away all my rights, they belong to the Lord anyway.
2. I will not become bitter or discouraged if any of my rights, privileges, and responsibilities are taken away.
3. I will resist the temptation to have the answer for everything on any subject.
4. I will not play the role of the wealthy provider.
5. I will cheerfully adjust, change, or drop my planned program to meet the local needs and fit into the local context.
6. I will consult and support local leaders and believers.
7. I will seek to live and work in a way that reflects Christ living in me.
I know that some of my readers will bristle at one or two of the things on that list. But it’s not my point to step through and comment on or critique the lists.
Instead, I have a different question. Using the list above as a guide (and you can include other items if you want), is there a difference between the life of a missionary and the common, ordinary life of a follower of Jesus Christ (who is not a missionary)?
Why are there so few APEs among the church?
Eric at “A Pilgrim’s Progress” has written a very good post called “Hoping for an Ephesians 4:11-12 Balance.” He is wondering why there are so few apostles, prophets, and evangelists (i.e., A.P.E. – thus, the title of this post) among the church today while there seems to be a plethora of pastor-teachers.
I think this is a very good question, and before I throw in a comment, I want to share one important things that Eric says (but, make sure you read his entire post):
I’m hoping for a return to a balance within the church. Specifically, I’d love to see more apostles, more prophets, and more evangelists. I’d also like to see more shepherds-teachers functioning within the biblical perspective (as opposed to what we generally see today)…
What can we do to help bring about more of a balance? First, we can pray that God will continue to liberally bestow these giftings on his children. Second, we can teach that these gifts are alive within the church and meant to be cultivated. Third, we can encourage young people in particular to ask God whether or not they are gifted as apostles, prophets, or evangelists. The subject of pastors-to-be is often raised in churches, but the others are rarely talked about.
I think Eric is asking a great question and is offering some great solutions. I want to take this a step further, beyond the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers listed in Ephesians 4:11.
One of the problems, is that many continue to interpret Ephesians 4:11 as special types of authority figures among the church. (Eric is not doing that, by the way. I’m speaking in general.) As long as we maintain that these people represent some type of authority, then we will miss what Paul is saying in the context of this passage.
Yes, the church and world today needs functioning apostles, prophets, and evangelists today, but not if they are simply going to occupy some office or authoritarian role among church organizations. Instead, we need people who are sent by God to travel from place to place, people who share God’s revelation in order to edify others, and people who proclaim the gospel wherever they are. And, we need these people to also equip others to do the same things.
Then, beyond the APEs and the pastor-teachers, we also need servants and helpers and contributors and administrators and encouragers and every other child of God serving in the way that God gifts them and provides them opportunities. As Paul concludes this context in Eph 4:17, the church builds itself up in love when the whole church – every part of the church – works together.
So, yes, let’s pray for and encourage and train and equip the apostles, prophets, and evangelists along with the pastors-teachers. Let’s show them how to serve others instead of taking roles of authority or decision-making. And, let’s also pray for and encourage and train and equip the servants, helpers, contributors, miracle workers, healers, tongues speakers, discerners, etc. We need each other in Jesus Christ to grow together in maturity in him.
Looking at Jesus’ fishing metaphors
Felicity at “Simply Church” has written a couple of very good posts examining the various times that Jesus referred to fishing. The posts are called “Commercial Fishing” and “Commercial Fishing (Part 2).” (I can’t tell if there’s going to be a Part 3 and beyond or not.)
When I think of fishing, I usually think about a rod and reel (or a cane pole)… one fisherman, one fishing pole, one fish. But, it looks like when Jesus talked about fishing, he referred to many different kinds of fishing, most of them involving nets, not poles.
Felicity begins here posts with a couple of stories. This is one of them:
Shortly after this we went to India and one of the people we were with works with fishermen on the coast of India. So I asked him about how they fish. (These would be primitive fishermen, probably very little different from fishermen in Jesus’ day.) He told me that they have different kinds of nets depending on the circumstances and what they are trying to catch. They have a funnel net which is the kind of net they use when they don’t have boats. They also have a drag net which is maybe 800 to 900 yards long for when they have more than one boat. There are actually several different kinds of nets that are used.
Then, she ends the second post with a very good set of questions:
The question I am pondering these days is, “How do we ‘let the kingdom of heaven’ down into the community around us? Especially here in the West where people are jaded and inoculated against the Gospel. What kind of fishing net will catch a multitiude of fish?
These questions bring up a point that I’ve been pondering for a while. In the New Testament, we see various contexts in which people (who were not already followers of Jesus) were actually expecting others to express their views about God and in which they were interested in hearing what someone might say (whether they ended up agreeing or disagreeing). Do those contexts exist today?
The Messy Reality of Fellowship
Once again, I’ve run across another blog post this week in which the author is writing on the same topic as me, i.e., fellowship. Jim at “Crossroad Junction” has written a very thought-provoking post called “Glorious, Messy Reality.”
Like Jim writes in his post, it can be messy to find real fellowship in Christ, that is, to truly share your lives with one another as you share your lives with Christ. It really does take laying down “their lives, their hurts, their theories, and their sensibilities to find real fellowship.”
So far, the comments have been very good also. I especially appreciate the fact that Jim said (in a comment reply) that he does not want to try to express a “how to” of finding fellowship. Fellowship is not something that can be accomplished in a few steps or through a program.
Fellowship is about sharing our lives together in Christ. That will look different for different people in different situation. But, one thing is common: Our lives are messy… so our fellowship will be messy. But, if we are living in the grace and love of God, then we will accept one another in our messy lives and watch with wonder and amazement at what God does through those messy lives.
Of course, if we’re not willing to be part of another person’s mess… if we’re not willing to set aside our own interests, our own plans, our own ideals, our own agendas… then we may have nice, neat lives (as far as we see it), but we won’t have fellowship.
When church means being together
Josh at “In Search of the City” has written a great post called “Sometimes just being together is enough.” His post goes along well with my posts this week focusing on fellowship as “sharing life together as we share Christ together.”
He begins his post by explaining how he “stumbled upon the daily experience of the Body of Christ-that inexplicable reality of brothers and sisters living together, working together, enjoying Christ together.” Once this kind of fellowship becomes part of a person’s life, it’s easy to understand how those early followers of Jesus shared their food together “day by day.”
Mostly, Josh shares and responds to a message that he received from a brother in Christ after they spent time together. Here is part of that message:
I was truly refreshed by being with the saints of God and those who feel very much like family to me. I was left with much reflection that night and the following day. Though we didn’t necessarily speak much in the way of doctine or revelation, I find that I was strengthened and refreshed through our casual talk and fellowship. Essentially, I am the better spiritually because we were able to get together. What a wonderful thing it would be if we could experience such communion regularly, be it with one another, or other brothers and sisters.
Later, Josh concludes with this:
[S]ometimes (probably more often than not), just being together with other saints is enough to bring our hearts into touch with spiritual reality.
May God haste the day when this is the kind of thing that comes to a person’s mind when they hear the word “church” and not all that other stuff we so commonly associate with it.
Yes! Exactly! “I am the better spiritually because we were able to get together.” This is what is means to share our lives with one another as we also share our lives with Christ.
A Scholar’s Convictions Concerning the Church
Some of you know that I’m a PhD student in biblical theology (or if you didn’t know, you can just read the little blurb about me in the right-hand sidebar). Some of you also know that I’m studying under David Alan Black. If you don’t know him, check out his blog and search for his name on amazon.com.
He has written books covering many areas of New Testament and Greek studies. And, these are the kinds of books that anyone can pick up and read and instantly use. He has a knack for explaining difficult concepts in a way that anyone can understand.
So, what does this New Testament scholar think about the church? Well, he shared some of his “convictions” yesterday on his blog (Monday, July 9, 2012 at 4:02 p.m.):
- I am convinced that the house church rather than the sanctuary church was the New Testament norm.
- I am convinced of the normalcy of tent making leadership.
- I am convinced that the church exists in part to equip all of its members for ministry.
- I am convinced that the leadership of the church should be shared for the health of the congregation.
- I am convinced that top-down structures of leadership are unquestionably more efficient — efficient in doing almost everything than equipping, which is the primary task of leadership.
- I am convinced that the process of appointing new elders is best done on the basis of recognizing who is already serving as an elder in the church.
- I am convinced that any local church that takes seriously Jesus as the Senior Pastor will not permit one man to become the titular head of the church.
- I am convinced that the essential qualifications for ministry in the church have little or nothing to do with formal education and everything to do with spiritual maturity.
- I am convinced that the church is a multigenerational family, and hence one of the things that makes the church the church is the presence of children, parents, and other adults.
- I am convinced that because every local church has all the spiritual gifts it needs to be complete in Christ, believers should be exposed to the full expression of the charisms (grace-gifts) when they gather, in contrast to specialized ministries that center around singularly gifted people.
- I am convinced that the local church is the scriptural locus for growing to maturity in Christ, and that no other training agency is absolutely needed.
- I am convinced that the local church ought to be the best Bible school going.
- I am convinced that Paul’s letters were not intended to be studied by ordinands in a theological college but were intended to be read and studied in the midst of the noisy life of the church.
- I am convinced that the church is a theocracy directly under its Head (Jesus Christ), and that the will of the Head is not mediated through various levels of church government but comes directly to all His subjects.
- I am convinced that the goal of leadership is not to make people dependent upon its leaders but dependent upon the Head.
- I am convinced that since all believers are “joints” in the body, ministry is every believer’s task.
- I am convinced that pastor-teachers, as precious gifts of Christ to His church, are to tend the flock of God by both personal care and biblical instruction, equipping God’s people for works of service both in the church and in the world.
- I am convinced that the role of pastor-teacher is a settled ministry in a local congregation.
- I am convinced that leaders should communicate that every part of the body is interrelated to the other parts and indispensable; every member will be appreciated, every charism will be treasured.
- I am convinced that the whole church, the community of all the saints together, is the clergy appointed by God for ministry. The fundamental premise upon which I operate is that each believer in the church needs to be equipped for his or her own ministry both in the church and in the world. If the church is to become what God intended it to be, it must become a ministerium of all who have placed their faith in Christ. The whole people of God must be transformed into a ministering people. Nothing short of this will restore the church to its proper role in the kingdom of God.
I truly appreciate Dave sharing his “convictions” with us. I also appreciate that these convictions come out of years of study and life serving others around the world in the name of Jesus Christ. But, more than all that, I appreciate that he continues to work with, to serve, and to co-labor with brothers and sisters in Christ who disagree with his convictions.