Mutuality and Shepherding Service for the Gospel
For the next few days, I’m publishing a short series on the connection between mutuality and various forms of serving for the sake of the gospel. I’m sticking to commands, exhortations, and examples that we find in Scripture relating to mutual service and servants. There is a danger in sole-ministry, expert-ministry, and professional-ministry. In Scripture, service (of any kind) was performed mutually – both with others and for the sake of others.
In this post, I look at the service of shepherding. Among many in the church today, shepherding is a service that is the sole responsibility of a professional class of Christians – vocational pastors, elders, etc. But, in Scripture, shepherding is a much more of a mutual service to and for one another.
Interestingly, this is one of the types of services that is most easily recognized as mutual in the Gospel, even in the case of Jesus. It is clear that Jesus serves others – in fact, he even said that he came to serve others. However, in the Gospels, others care for and serve Jesus as well.
Here is one passage that shows how some were traveling with and caring for Jesus:
Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means. (Luke 8:1-3 ESV)
In Acts 6, we see an example of the apostles encouraging the believers in Jerusalem to care for one another. In this case, the people chose seven men to make sure that the Hellenistic widows were receiving food. Later, we see different people caring for and shepherding others, offering hospitality, providing food, etc. For example, consider Simon the Tanner (Acts 9:43), Cornelius (Acts 10), Lydia (Acts 16:14-16), and many who traveled with Paul.
Now, some may object and say that these are not officially forms of shepherding; they are simple examples of people serving one another. Instead, they might point to Acts 20:28 and 1 Peter 5:1-3 as examples of elders alone being responsible for official shepherding.
However, there is another (similar) passage that is directed toward all believers. This passage is found in the Book of Hebrews:
Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy… (Hebrews 12:12-16 ESV)
This passage shows that beyond physical shepherding (through service, hospitality, etc.) even spiritual shepherding is the responsibility of all believers to be performed mutually (that is, we should shepherd one another). In fact, the verb translated “see to it” in verse 15 is the same verb that is translated “overseeing” when elders are in the context.
God provides everything that we need, and Jesus alone is our good shepherd and our overseer. However, Jesus often shepherds us through others. We must be willing to respond to Jesus’ work through others, and we also must be willing to allow Jesus to use us to shepherd others.
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Series on Mutuality and Service
Mutuality and Teaching Service for the Gospel
For the next few days, I’m publishing a short series on the connection between mutuality and various forms of serving for the sake of the gospel. I’m sticking to commands, exhortations, and examples that we find in Scripture relating to mutual service and servants. There is a danger in sole-ministry, expert-ministry, and professional-ministry. In Scripture, service (of any kind) was performed mutually – both with others and for the sake of others.
In this post, I look at the service of teaching. Among the church today, many immediately think of lecture-style or sermon-type presentations when they think of teaching. But, this was not the formats or methods of teaching used primarily in Scripture. Instead, in Scripture, teaching was much more interactive and mutual than we often see practiced today.
Of course, much of this arises from the purpose of teaching in Scripture. Teaching was not about sharing information with as many people as possible. Instead, teaching referred to helping one another following Jesus Christ, often in very practical ways.
While Jesus is certainly the teacher par excellence, even his teaching was often interactive with questions, answers, and even disagreements taking part during his teaching. Here is just one example of Jesus’ interactive teaching among crowds:
Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst…” (John 6:32-35 ESV)
Jesus also used interactive forms of teaching when with his followers:
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one…” (Matthew 13:36-38 ESV)
In the Book of Acts, when Paul teaches, he also primarily uses interactive and mutual forms of teaching. For example, consider this brief passage which describes Paul’s interaction with both unbelievers in a synagogue and believers (disciples):
And he [Paul] entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. (Acts 19:8-9 ESV)
The term translated “reasoning” – which describes Paul’s teaching both in the synagogue and among believers – is the same term used later when Paul speaks among the church in Troas. (Acts 20:7-12) Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell in this passage because it’s often translated “talked” or even “preached” in some translations.
When Paul wrote to the church in Collosae, he told them that one of the indications that they were dwelling in Christ is that they would teaching and admonish one another. (Colossians 3:16) This is the kind of mutual teaching that Paul practiced and the kind of mutual teaching that he expected among the church.
God created us to need him and to need one another. God teaches us, and he often chooses to teach us through other members of his family. Thus, we must take the time to listen to and interact with one another in order to teach and learn together.
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Series on Mutuality and Service
A Family Created by Spiritual Birth
One of my favorite bloggers and commenters is John (Aussie John) from “Caesura.” He recently published a very good post called “Family of God.”
The entire post is a great examination (from Scripture) of the essence and nature of God’s family, that is, those of us who are reborn into his family by the Spirit. While I encourage you to read the entire post, I want to point out a few things.
Notice these statements:
Assemblies, or congregations of people calling themselves Christians, have been constituted by techniques of human ingenuity, all claiming to be based on the New Testament, each with its system of doctrine and practice, some in stark contrast to others.
It seems to me that God’s idea is the creation of a spiritual family; a Family marked and ordered by love for God, as revealed in Jesus Christ, whose outworking of life will express itself according to what Scripture reveals…
Mutual Family love begins by spiritual birth, which is the placing of an individual spiritual stone, in the one organic entity of God’s Family. Mutual Family love DOES NOT come by adherence to a doctrinal code, statement of beliefs, or by joining.
Its intended purpose is not determined by its size or it’s statements about what it believes, but by the outworking of spiritual life of love and service to others as a measure of the indwelling of Christ by His Spirit.
Ah, yes… what a difference to live as family among those whom God has birthed anew by his Spirit instead of picking and choosing who to treat as brothers and sisters based on our beliefs and opinions.
I have a natural brother, born to the same mother and father. I love my brother, although we haven’t and probably still don’t always agree with one another. But, I was never asked whether or not he was going to be my brother. He IS my brother.
In the same way, everyone born of the Spirit IS your brother and sister and part of the family of God with you. Period.
Mutuality and Itinerant Service for the Gospel
For the next few days, I’m going to publish a short series on the connection between mutuality and various forms of serving for the sake of the gospel. I’m planning to stick to commands, exhortations, and examples that we find in Scripture relating to mutual service and servants. There is a danger in sole-ministry, expert-ministry, and professional-ministry. In Scripture, service (of any kind) was performed mutually – both with others and for the sake of others.
In this post, I look at the service of apostles or itinerant servants. I’m defining apostles as those who travel from place to place in order to proclaim the gospel to unbelievers and in order to strengthen believers.
Yes, in Scripture, even “apostleship” was a mutual form of service. The best place to begin in Scripture is in the Gospels.
Though he would probably be the only person to not need mutuality, Jesus usually traveled with, taught with, and served with others. After Jesus surrounded himself with others, he then sent them out (i.e., as apostles) together:
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. (Luke 10:1 ESV)
When we get to Book of Acts, we often see people traveling together: Paul and Barnabas, Barnabas and Mark, Paul and Silas, Silas and Timothy, etc. In fact, though we often focus on Paul, he was not “called” to travel alone. He was sent by God and by the church in Antioch together with Barnabas as a team:
Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. (Acts 13:1-3 ESV)
And, while it is also easy to overlook, apparently Peter was traveling with others as well:
So he [Peter] invited them [the men from Cornelius’ household] in to be his guests. The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. (Acts 10:23 ESV)
Now, certainly, there were times when people traveled alone. For example, it seems that Philip was alone when he was traveling around proclaiming the gospel in Acts 8. And, at least once, Paul was forced to travel alone to Athens. But, even in that instance, he asked for Timothy and Silas to join him as soon as possible. (Acts 17:14-15)
However, I think that Paul’s attitude when preparing to travel to Rome can help us understand that even when traveling alone (potentially), Paul still had mutuality in mind. He told the Roman believers:
For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you — that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. (Romans 1:11-12 ESV)
God created us to need him and to need one another. Even apostles need others to travel with them, to serve with them, and to encourage them even as they encourage and build up others.
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Series on Mutuality and Service
The who, what, where, when, and why of the One Anothers
Jon at “Jon’s Journey” has started what appears to be a fascinating series looking at the who, what, where, when, and why (and perhaps how?) of the “one another” passages in Scripture. His first post in the series, “Five W’s of One Another,” begins by asking “What?” verses/exhortations we are talking about.
Jon combines all these exhortations in a list, and summarizes as follows:
So what are the instructions in these one another verses? Hospitality, humility, harmony, not slandering, encouraging, teaching, admonishing (giving advice), agreeing with, forgiving, submitting, singing together, kindness, compassion, bearing with, serving, accepting, and the repeated call to love one another.
I’ll be honest… I’ve read and written about these verses many, many times. The “what” part is extremely familiar. I’m really looking forward to the follow-up posts in which Jon discusses the other W’s: Who, where, when, why, and perhaps “how?” even though it’s not exactly a “w” question.
The church is not the institution. The institution is not the church.
The title of this post came from my good friend Eric at “A Pilgrim’s Progress” and his post “Not the Same.”
In the post, Eric is making a distinction between the church and the organizations and institutions that are often created by the church. I think this is an important distinction. Why is it important? Because these organizations and institutions (in all of their varieties and flavors) tend to overshadow and even hinder the work of the church.
Eric writes:
The church is not the institution. The institution is not the church. They are not the same. In fact, they are fundamentally different. The first is God’s creation. The second is man’s. They not only differ but in many ways oppose each other.
This has become increasingly clear to me over the past few months. It has helped me in discussing the things of the church. For quite a while I’ve been frustrated with the way things at large are going within the church in this country. This was because I saw so many man-made traditions shackling the life of the church. It all seemed like one big jumbled mess to me.
Yes, it is “one big jumbled mess.” And, it is often confusing to the people involved. What part is the church? What part is the organization? What part is of God and what part is of man? It really is “one big jumbled mess.”
Please take the time to read the rest of Eric’s post. I agree with him that understanding that there is a difference between the church and the organization/institution is the first step in recognizing the church.
Then, what happens when we DO recognize the church? At this point, brothers and sisters in Christ make different decisions. Some decide to separate from the organization/institution. Some decide to continue with the organization/institution. Perhaps others make other decisions.
For me, the important part is living in Jesus Christ with the church – either with the help of or in spite of the organization/institution.
Which decision have you made, and why?
A little about my pastors
In my last two posts, I’ve talked about “pastoring” people. In one, I suggested that it is impossible for someone to shepherd hundreds or thousands of people. (See “The dangers of ‘pastoring’ hundreds or thousands.”) In the other, I suggested that we often consider the wrong things when we look for leaders among the church. (See “But he has an MDiv and ordination papers.”)
Given the topic of those posts, I thought this would be a good opportunity to answer a question that I’m asked fairly often: What are our pastors like? Well, thank you for asking. (And, if you didn’t ask, thank you for reading anyway.)
We’re a small group of believers by almost any standard. We typically gather with more than 2 or 3, but much fewer than 100. Even among a small group like this, we’ve recognized five mature brothers that we refer to as elders.
Each of these men have a family – with two, three, or even four children – and each of them works at least one full time job. (Since I am one of those recognized as “elders,” you can assume that everything after this refers to the others recognized as elders.) And, they are awesome at caring for other people!
Are they perfect? Of course not. Do they sometimes make mistakes? Yep. Do they have family, relational, work, financial, emotional, etc. struggles? Yes. But, I still say that they are awesome at caring for other people.
They spend time with others. They give of themselves over and over again. They serve. They teach. They help. They encourage. They constantly point people toward Jesus Christ. And, by the way, I’m not talking about them doing these things on Sundays when we gather together as a group of believers regularly. I’m talking about what they do daily.
But, guess what? While these men are great at pastoring others, these are not the only pastors in my life. God has placed many people in my life who are constantly caring for me and pointing me toward Jesus Christ and helping me walk with him. These people are my pastors as well. They teach me. They disciple me. They shepherd me.
Some of these people are students; some have been out of school for a long time. Some of them are younger; some are older. Some are men; some are women. Some are new believers; some have been following Jesus Christ for longer than I’ve been alive. Some meet with us weekly; some do not.
But, all of these people are pastors, and they all have one thing in common (besides being brothers and sisters in Christ): they spend time with me and my family in order to help us trust God.
These are my pastors. I wish I could share them with you. I know that they would be an encouragement to you just as they are to me.
Tell us about the pastors that God has placed in your life.
The dangers of “pastoring” hundreds or thousands
For most of my 30 plus years of experience in the church, “pastoring” was a function relegated to one or two (perhaps a few) and towards hundreds (or perhaps thousands) of people. So, on the average, one person was responsible for “pastoring” hundreds of others, while those hundreds were primarily responsible for being pastored.
From what I’ve seen in seminary and from the books and articles and blog posts that I’ve read, this is normal. Pastoring is seen as something that is done to hundreds or thousands of people at a time.
There is a huge problem inherent in this system: it teaches people to “care” from a distance in an impersonal and general way. This is not the way that Jesus cared for people or that we are instructed to care for people in the pages of Scripture.
Now, don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that Jesus or Paul or Peter or others did not speak to large crowds. They did. But they also made a distinction between the crowds and the disciples. Jesus spoke of the few “sheep” who heard his voice. He was their shepherd (pastor); he was not the shepherd for the crowd.
So, yes, we can and should proclaim the gospel to large crowds of unbelievers – whenever and wherever we have the opportunity. That’s not what I’m talking about, and it’s not what the authors of Scripture are talking about when they call for us to shepherd and care for one another.
So, what are the dangers of “pastoring” hundreds or thousands of people?
1) You do not actually know the people. You may tell yourself that you do; but you don’t – you can’t. Therefore, you can only deal with generalities or with big problems that are finally brought to your attention – usually long after the people actually needed help.
2) You teach people (by example) that this is the way that they should care for others. We wonder why other Christians do not get involved in each other’s lives, but this is exactly what is being modeled. They are “pastoring” others in the way they have learned from people “pastoring” them.
3) You change the meanings (unintentionally, certainly) of vast passages of Scripture. Those passages that talk about love, and care, and giving, and service, and shepherding, etc. must be reduced and modified to fit into the current system. The idea of actually getting involved in people’s lives – in both the good times and the bad – and letting them into your life, becomes impossible and therefore outside the realm of interpretation.
I didn’t write this post out of hurt or anger. I understand the position that many people find themselves in. But, I also understand the difficult of working through this problems. I’ve had to relearn what it means to shepherd people and what it means to be shepherded by others. Together, we’ve had to relearn what it means to care for one another and share our lives together. It is possible to change the way we interact with one another in Christ.
Some say that it’s impossible to change the system. I’m not concerned about changing the system at all. Instead, I’m more interested in seeing God’s people begin to grow in their relationship with God and their mutual relationships with one another. And, I think the idea that someone can “pastor” hundreds or thousands of people hinders that.
Are you resting in the presence of Jesus Christ each moment?
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve had something wonderful happen a few times – two that stand out. Each time, I was talking with someone who was struggling with relational or emotional issues. And, each time, the other person ended up encouraging me in Jesus Christ.
But, then, this is the way the Holy Spirit works through his children if we recognize that we are in mutual discipling relationships – that is, that we are helping one another walk in Jesus Christ. As I was growing up, I learned that discipling relationship were more unidirectional. Whether this was taught intentionally or caught by example, I don’t really know – although I could probably point to both options in my life.
While mutual discipleship would be a good topic for a blog post, that’s not the reason that I’m writing this post. However, it’s important to recognize that when I’m talking with someone, I’m not just wondering how I can help them follow Jesus. I’m always looking for mutual discipleship, knowing that Jesus could use anyone to help me follow him better.
In the two examples that I’ve been thinking about, two men were struggling. And, even though I was hoping to help them and encourage them in the midst of those struggles, I also recognized that these were brothers in Christ who were strong in the faith and who God has used previously to encourage and challenge me.
As we talked about trusting God through the circumstances of our lives – different circumstances, but the same need to trust God – they both asked me about my own life. That alone demonstrates the character and concern of these two brothers. Although they were struggling themselves, they also cared about me. They listened intently as I shared a few things, and they both asked me the same question (although perhaps phrasing it a little differently): Are you resting in the presence of Jesus Christ each moment?
I love that they asked me this! Seriously!
A few years ago, in different contexts, I would have expected Christians to ask me questions like these: “Are you having your daily quiet time?” “Are you reading the Bible every day?” “Are you faithfully attending church activities?”
Now, these can be good things, but they are – at best – means or methods that could possibly lead to the end that we should be seeking: resting each moment in the presence of Jesus Christ. This can also be stated as abiding in Jesus, or walking in the Spirit. But, the point is the same: For those of us who are in Christ, God is always with us through his Spirit. We do not have to conjure him or catch his attention. Instead, we must simply live in his power and presence instead of living by our own devices and plans.
My two friends had learned that while various activities (sometimes referred to as “spiritual disciplines”) might help me focus on Jesus Christ, the activities themselves are not the goal. And, asking about carrying out the activities could simply produce a feeling of false security. I can check off activities like praying or reading Scripture or attending church gatherings, but they do not mean that I am actually abiding in Christ.
So, are you resting in the presence of Jesus Christ each moment? Are you abiding in Christ and living in his power?
The Conditional Church
In my previous post – “Jesus, you forgot the conditional statements again” – I pointed out (in my sarcastic manner) that many (perhaps most?) of Jesus’ commands are offered with no conditional statements. So, for instance, when Jesus says, “Give to those who beg of you,” he did not tell his listeners to consider how they would use the gift before it is given. Although, of course, we often add our own conditional statements…
But, we don’t just add our own conditional statements to Jesus’ commands. We add conditional statements to commands concerning the church and descriptions of the church also. Interestingly, the conditional statements help form what we read in Scripture to what we already do or believe today. (Quite convenient, actually.)
For example, read through the following commands and/or descriptions and ask yourself this question: What “conditional statements” do I assume that author meant even though he didn’t include the condition when he wrote?
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16 ESV)
And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. (1 Thessalonians 5:14 ESV)
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV)
What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. (1 Corinthians 14:26 ESV)
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:4 ESV)
Surely there are many other passages that I could list. These passages above deal with gathering together and interacting with one another. How many conditional statements to we place on these commands and descriptions?
What kinds of conditional statements? Well, statements such ask these: “… if the leaders/elders/pastors permit it…”, “… if the size of the group gathering is not too large…”, “… if the person understand enough orthodox theology…”, “… if… if… if”.
We are good at adding conditions, especially when it comes to the church.