In the Spotlight
Steve over at “From the Pew” has decided to “spotlight” my blog in his post “Blog Spotlight Monday – Alan Knox.” (This is Steve’s third spotlight. He’s also spotlighted “The Internet Monk” and “John Armstrong.”)
I’m honored that Steve has chosen to highlight my blog. I’ve enjoyed getting to know him through his blog posts and through comments here. As he says in his post, Steve and I have come to similar conclusions in regards to our understanding of the church, especially the church gathering for the purpose of mutual edification.
Please jump over to Steve’s blog and read the “Blog Spotlight.” While you’re there, read some of his very thought-provoking posts!
Paul the Professor or the Missionary?
Alan Bandy writes an insightful article for “The Baptist Messenger” called “Imitating Paul the Missionary: Acts 20:24.”
Alan talks about how Paul’s life was completely changed by the appearance of Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. He understood the world, himself, and his purpose differently after that.
At one point, Alan turns to his own understanding of Paul. I thought this paragraph was very good:
I guess that I had unwittingly imprisoned Paul in the dusty office of a professor where he spent his days pouring over ancient texts and scholarly tomes. Professor Paul would eloquently expound on the finer points of theology and praxis as he writes to distant congregations. Missionary Paul, however, studies while traveling or during his visits to various cities. (perhaps he would frequent the library in Ephesus). Missionary Paul does theology in the context of communities of diverse ethnicity and background. Missionary Paul seeks to stay connected to congregations of believers with a fierce devotion and parental concern. The letters of Missionary Paul, then, reveal numerous insights into the Gospel that he preached, his concern to demonstrate the inclusion of the Gentiles into the people of God, the challenges he faced from opposing teachers, and various issues affecting congregations.
I think this can help us understand Paul. When Paul was writing his letters, he was not doing so in an academic environment. He was not separated from the mission of God, he was LIVING the mission of God.
The letters that he wrote to various churches and individual pour out of his relationship with Jesus Christ and his work (strengthened by God) on behalf of the churches.
Likewise, our teaching and proclamation should exist within a life of service and concern for others, fueled by our love of God and deep gratitude for our new relationship with him in Jesus Christ.
Are you disadvantaged? Why not?
James at “Idle musings of a bookseller” has provides another awesome quote in his post “Whose advantage?”
The quote is from Keller’s book Generous Justice. Several people have told me that I need to read this book. If I keep seeing quotes like this, I just might spend the money on it.
Here is the quote from the book:
[T]he righteous [tzaddiq]…are willing to disadvantage themselves to advantage the community; the wicked are willing to disadvantage the community to advantage themselves.
And, here is James’ reply:
That is a heavy thought and a high calling. Am I willing to disadvantage myself for the advantage of the community? If I have the mind of Christ, I should be…
Good stuff. Very good stuff. As Saint Patrick said in his Confessio, we are the recipients of much grace and goodness from God. Now, how are we going to respond?
Let me fix you
Often, when people deal with depression, anxiety, or other mental or emotional disorders, there are no easy answers. Many well-meaning friends may approach the person with a “let-me-fix-you” attitude, which is not helpful, appreciated, or necessary.
Dan from “The Ekklesia in Southern Maine” is dealing with alot of these issues in a loose series of posts. Here are the first three posts:
“This is serious: a warning to christian counselors”
“Clarity“
If you struggle with emotional issues, or if you know someone who does, then please take the time to read these posts and the comments. (The dialog and discussion in the comments of these posts is tremendous! The people are working through their perceived differences with respect and concern for one another.)
If you don’t struggle with emotional issues and if you don’t think you know anyone with emotional issues, then I would definitely recommend that you read these posts and comments. Trust me: someone in your life is struggling with depression, anxiety, or some other issue. But, they’re hiding it from you and others because they don’t think they will be accepted or loved, but will instead be judged – even and especially by Christians.
Elders at the gates
Felicity at “Simply Church” continues writing about leadership from a simple/organic church perspective in her post “What about elders and deacons?”
Given our recent discussions on my blog (specifically my post “Ministers in Scripture“), I thought my readers might be interested in Felicity’s post as well.
She begins with this:
The problem with words is that they change in meaning over the years. I would love for the word,”church,” to never be used because the word itself conjures up a building with a spire, or a denomination, or a meeting. But the word is Scriptural, and we can learn to use it rightly.
The same is true with words like elders and deacons. The words are Scriptural, but their meaning has become obscured by centuries of tradition.
The word for elder, “presbuteros” literally means an older person, someone who is more mature. He keeps an eye on (oversees) what is going on in the churches. The word for deacon, “diakonos” means servant.
In the remainder of the post, Felicity suggests that “elders” and “deacons” had more of a regional or city-wide function in Scripture. There are some indications that she is correct; but, of course, the church had a regional or city-wide identity in Scripture as well.
What do you think?
(By the way, does anyone know where I got the title of this post? I’m not looking for a specific Scripture reference.)
Are we missional or traditional?
Jeremy from “Till He Comes” and “Grace Ground” has written a very good post (for Grace Ground) called “How to Tell if a Church is Missional or Traditional.”
In the post, Jeremy offers 10 questions to consider in order to determine if the believers you meet with (that is, the church) are missional or traditional. (Although, Jeremy doesn’t give us a definition of either “missional” or “traditional.”)
I thought they were good questions, so I told Jeremy that I would try to answer them. (I hope others attempt to answer the questions also.) Now, to be honest, I can only answer for myself and how I think my brothers and sisters would answer.
1. What would you do if the church members became convinced that to do a better job at reaching people in the community, they needed to change the name of the church?
I’m not tied to any organizational name, and I don’t think my brothers and sisters are tied to a particular organizational name. When we first started meeting together, we were much more traditional and organizationally minded, and we picked the name “Messiah Baptist Church.” I don’t think many (if any) would fight to keep that name. However, I’m not sure that an organizational name actually affects reaching people in the community. It may affect how people initially react to us (if we even say we’re from such-and-such a church), but I tend to say that I represent Jesus Christ, not a certain organization. Many people that I am serving don’t even know the name of our church (or that I am one of the elders), but they know the name Jesus Christ.
2. What would you do if the church members became convinced that to do a better job at reaching people in the community, they needed to sell the church building?
We don’t own a church building, so that particular issue would not be a problem. We do own a few things to facilitate our times of meeting together (chairs, tables, etc.). I don’t think people would have a problem selling any of those things; I know that I wouldn’t have a problem with it. Again, with the few things that we have bought, I don’t think selling any or all of them would help us reach or serve people in our community.
3. What would you do if the church members became convinced that to do a better job of reaching people in the community, the church needed to switch service times from Sunday morning to Tuesday night?
We do not meet together on Sundays in order to reach people. So, if doing something on Tuesday night would help us interact with and serve our community, or help us proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in our community, then I think those who are able and available would meet together on Tuesday night (wherever we would need to meet). Many of us do this now on every other Thursday night when 300-400 families come together for a food pantry.
4. After attending meetings and preparing a sermon, the pastor finds that he only has five hours of time left in his work week. Do you think he should spend those hours with people who are already part of the church or with people who are not?
That person should be spending time with people. Period. If the elder/pastor only has a few hours to spend with people (whether part of the church or not), I would ask where all the time went. Perhaps (and probably) less time should be spent on “sermon prep” or meetings. (Of course, we don’t have meetings – well, once every two weeks the elders get together.)
5. Recently, some teenagers have been coming to church who wear all black, and smoke out front before and after the service. What do you think the church elders should do?
For those elders (and other brothers and sisters in Christ) who are not allergic to cigarette smoke, I think they would be sitting with these teenagers and getting to know them.
6. A single mother comes up to you after church one day for advice. Due to work and her busy schedule, she can only attend one “church function†a week, either the Sunday morning service or her Tuesday night “Life Group.†She confides in you that she actually “gets more out of the Tuesday night group and is developing good relationships there†but would feel guilty “skipping church†on Sunday. What do you tell her?
I tell her, “By all means, spend time with the group on Tuesday night. Those people you meet with on Tuesday night are the church also. Now, how can I personally (and we as a church) help you with your busy schedule? Do you need someone to watch your child/children occasionally? Could we fix meals for you, or would you come to our home for dinner?” (By the way, there is a young lady in our church – a teenager – who spends several hours each week staying with children (without pay) so that the mothers can do things they need to do. So, this is not an “academic” answer, but a real one.)
7. A Hindu attends church one Sunday, and afterward tells you that he doesn’t believe in eternal judgment or that Jesus is the only way to God. What do you tell him?
I would tell him, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God who died on the cross and rose again, just as Scripture says. I believe that salvation and a living relationship with God are found only through him. I believe that life in him is eternal. Now, I know that you don’t agree with me. I can’t force you to believe, and I don’t want to force you to believe. Would you like to share the lunch that my family brought today? During lunch, I’ll be glad to answer any questions you might have. I’d also like to learn more about you and your family.”
8. How long have you lived where you live right now? What are the names of your neighbors, and what problems are they facing right now?
We’ve lived in our house for almost 5 years now. I know the names of my neighbors around me, and I know some of their struggles (especially the single mom to the right of us). To be honest, this has been a difficult for our family. We have attempted to get to know our neighbors better, but have been shut down repeatedly. (I’m not saying it’s the fault of our neighbors; it might be our fault.) But, we’re constantly seeking opportunities to get to know them better or serve them.
9. How are you showing love to others tangibly, and to whom are you showing this love?
Without going into too many details, our family is tangibly showing God’s love in many ways. Primarily, we do so through day-to-day living out the relationships with people that God has brought into our lives. Plus we look for opportunities to love those who are in need, through delivering meals to the elderly and serving at a food pantry. We do not see those “ministries” as ends in themselves, but as opportunities to build relationships with people who need to know the love of God. And, God has blessed us with several relationships because of that.
10. How much money does the church receive, and where exactly does this money go? Is there a “missions” or “outreach” budget? What percentage of your budget is it? What sorts of things is it spent on?
Well, this question is impossible for me to answer, because our church doesn’t operate like that. The only “budget” that we have is for corporate expenses that we have agreed upon, such as rent for the building we meet in. We don’t ask people to give their “tithe” to the church so the church can redistribute it. We only ask that people meet those corporate needs (again, that we’ve all agreed on). Then, we encourage everyone to use their money to meet the needs of people around them and/or to support those who are traveling away from home to proclaim the gospel or encourage churches (i.e. missionaries). I know that our family and many of my brothers and sisters are often helping others, serving others, giving to others, and supporting missionaries.
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This was a very beneficial exercise for me. I’ll let my readers decide if we are more traditional or more missional. (I’ve always identified us as a hybrid traditional/simple church.)
Again, I hope that others answer Jeremy’s questions also. Then, let him know (in the comments of his post) where to find your answers.
House Church Articles
My friend Eric from “A Pilgrim’s Progress” has been writing articles about house church for the last several weeks. He has now published a list of all of his articles in a post called “House Church – Summary.”
The articles are all very well written, and both the articles and the comments are well worth reading and pondering.
As you probably know, “I’m not a house church proponent.” (Jeremy, you already knew this.) However, this doesn’t mean that I am anti-“house church.” In fact, I think it is beneficial for the church to meet in homes. (Then, why am I not a house church proponent? If you don’t know, and are interested, then read that article.)
Many of the points in Eric’s articles can be part of an organic, simple church that does not necessarily meet in a home. But, I think all churches (whether more organic or more institutional) should investigate and struggle with the concepts and ideas that Eric writes about.
Great job, Eric! Keep up the good writing (whenever your new job allows)!
Would you drop everything?
What would you do if someone you barely knew called you from jail? What if a police officer called you to say that “so-and-so” asked them to call you so that you would come pick her up? What if you had to drive several hours to pick her up at the jail?
Would you do it? Would you drop everything?
Even if you knew this girl struggled with drugs? Even if you knew she had made some bad decisions in her life and was headed in the wrong direction?
Well, this has never happened to me. But, it happened to Frankie (from “The Gathering Lakeside“). He tells us about this in his post “Today.”
Here’s an excerpt:
Officer blah blah, “pastor frankie can you help, if not i have to arrest her for prowling and loitering?
“uh, i guess†i answered looking at my wife in the car with me..who said whatever and smiled
I told officer blah blah i would guarantee i would personaly come get miss no where to go..
Read the rest of Frankie’s article. This was an awesome opportunity that God gave him, if he and his wife were willing to give up their own plans and agenda (die to themselves?) and give themselves completely to this young girl. They took God up on his offer and had an opportunity to serve this girl.
What would you do? What would I do? Would we be willing to drop everything in order to serve like this?
Their religious activity was deeply offensive to God
“Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah, and Micah all leveled the charge that, while the people attended worship, observed all religious regulations, and took pride in their Biblical knowledge, nevertheless they took advantage of the weak and vulnerable. The prophets concluded that, therefore, their religious activity was not just insufficient, but deeply offensive to God.â€â€” Generous Justice, pages 49-50
Think about the quote above. No, I mean, really think about it.
Not only did the prophets warn the Israelites about taking advantage of the weak and vulnerable, they also warned them about NOT taking an active role in helping the weak and the vulnerable.
Because they failed to care for those in need, the prophets said that God did not accept their worship. He did not accept their sacrifices, or prayers, or fasting, or feasts, or many other things that he had commanded them to do.
Why? As Jesus said, “God desires mercy and not sacrifice.”
So, does God accept my worship? Does he accept your worship? Something to think about, huh?
(HT: James)
Good tips for bloggers
Jeremy from “Till He Comes” has written a guest post for ProBlogger called “Want More Readers? Read More Blogs.”
I thought I would share some of Jeremy’s suggestions with you, since most of my readers also publish their own blogs.
In reality, most of these points can be boiled down to this: care about people and listen to what they say.
Here are Jeremy’s tips:
- Read your own blog
- Read your readers’ blogs
- Comment on other people’s blogs
- Repost excerpts from the blogs of others
- Repost the comments of others
Of course, I think all this (i.e., building an interactive blogging community) depends first on writing good and new content.
Plus, I think Jeremy has illustrated another tip: You can get people to check out your blog by writing guest posts for another site.
Jump over to Jeremy’s article and read this very good post!