If we confess our sins…
Matt, over at “Matt Dabb’s Blog“, has written a post called “Practicing Confession“. He makes some important points and asks several important questions concerning confessing sins to one another. Consider this:
We live such private lives. We don’t know our neighbors. It is very difficult for people to open up on a deeper level. How do we move from, “Hi, how are you?” “Fine.” to confessing our sins and becoming vulnerable to each other? We all sin and need outlets for confession yet the invitation is only used for that a few times during the year rather than hundreds. I think we could use a more effective outlet for confession.
Matt is correct. We cannot move directly from “How are you?” to “I have sinned”. What is that step in between? I believe that step is fellowship. No, I don’t mean pot-luck suppers. I mean people who are bound together by the presence of the Holy Spirit. No, I’m not talking about a two hour meeting or a once-a-week Bible study. I’m talking about people who share their lives with one another.
I believe that this type of fellowship is the “effective outlet for confession”. What do you think?
Fellowship of Faith…
I probably should have written this post before my last post called “Fellowship of Faith Prayer“, but I didn’t. This post will probably explain why the prayer meant so much to me.
Last night – Saturday – several people came over to our house. There were five families (counting our family). We shared what I would call (and what others there called) “biblical fellowship”. We ate together. We talked to one another. We shared our testimonies and struggles. We prayed for one another. Several people taught, but there was no teaching time. Several people shared how God had convicted them, but there was no confession time. Several people encouraged others, but there was no exhortation time. Instead, we simply came together as brothers and sisters in Christ with no agenda other than interacting with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. (If that sounds repetitve, it was planned.)
You see, the people that sat around our living room last night came from different parts of the country, and even from different countries. Some have followed Christ for many years; others have not been following him very long. Some are new parents; some do not have children; others have been parents for several years. So, we were a diverse group. However, we shared something in common: we have a “fellowship of faith”, and our hearts were greatly refreshed by our brothers and sisters (Philemon 1:4-7). We share the one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all (Ephesians 4:4-6). There is no other commonality that can bind a people together like the fellowship of faith.
We plan to continue inviting people to our home on Saturday evenings. We told the ones who were there last Saturday that they were all welcome to come back at any time. However, we did not want them to think of this as an obligation. Instead, they were welcome to come back whenever they desired to build up other believers and to be built up in return.
I don’t want to talk too much about the particulars of what we did – that’s how “Models, Methods, and Forms” get started. Plus, I expect that next Saturday will be different. Why? Because God is not dead, but living. This week, he may work in people’s lives differently that he did last week. There will be new faces, new struggles, new Scriptures, new exhortations, new mercies. I look forward to that expectantly… and, to be honest, a little anxiously. When we don’t rely on our models, methods, and forms – when we only rely on the Spirit moving and directing his people – we do not know exactly what will happen. But, I do believe that we can trust God to provide what we need.
So, for those who shared their lives with us last Saturday night: Thank you! You greatly encouraged me and my family. For those who may join us this Saturday night: I’m looking forward to how God uses you in my life. I’m also looking forward to how God may use me in your life. Let’s come prepared for “biblical fellowship” and let’s live together this Spirit enabled “fellowship of faith”.
Fellowship of Faith Prayer…
To a brother and sister and their family who are struggling with a serious illness and whose lives have been turned upside down in the past two weeks…
To several brothers and sisters and their families who shared their lives with us last night through food, testimonies, prayers, and exhortations…
To a brother and sister and their family who included us in a fun outing to the soccer fields…
To three brothers I spoke with over the phone and who encouraged me even though we didn’t talk in person…
I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and all the saints, and I pray that the sharing [fellowship] of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother [my brothers and sisters], because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. (Philemon 1:4-7 ESV)
Community of what?
John, over at “Hungry and Thirsty“, has posted an excellent article called “Contrived Community“. He examines the basis for Christian community. What do we normally find in churches? This is what John found:
The glue that holds most modern church communities together is their carefully constructed array of programs. Sunday worship services, youth group meetings, Bible study classes, weekly small groups, etc. become the devices that connect people with each other in something that simulates meaningful relationships. But what happens when those programs falter or fail? Church-goers either disconnect from the program and the people it connected them to or stay in what quickly becomes a tangibly barren relational wasteland.
Should Christian community be built on activites? Should Christian community be built on human personalities? We know that this happens. We see people leave churches when programs end or when leaders leave.
As I commented on John’s post, I believe that Christian community must be built upon our shared existence in Jesus Christ through the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Anything else may be community, but is it the community that we need?
How are you?
Phil, one of the contributors to “Chronicles of the Way“, has written a post called “No Big Deal, just a better deal!” He examines what it means to be yourself with other believers. He makes the following observation:
The churches I grew up in and attended as an adult usually consisted of hollow ” how are you’s” and quick greetings in a hallway somewhere. No one really knew what was going on in anyones life. We were reluctant to share our pains and our victories for fear of judgement by others. “Church” was usually quite painful and uncomfortable for the most part. It’s like when you put on the suit, you also put on another person. The person you wanted the outside world to see. Not everyone in every church made me feel this way, but most did.
I am learning to be myself with the church. One of the greatest things that has happened to me recently is when someone asked me how I was doing. Without thinking, I said, “I’m okay.” They replied, “No you’re not. Something is wrong.”
Isn’t it amazing when we begin to know one another in such a way that we can tell when everything is not “okay”. I’m learning to respond truthfully when I’m sick, or sad, or overwhelmed, or disappointed, or encouraged… Some may not understand. Some may not care. But, others truly want to know and will love me anyway.
Now, can I care about others who are not “okay”?
The Interconnected Church…
There is a list of blogs that I frequent on the right side of this web page. If I go to most of those blogs, they will also include a list of blogs that the author visits regularly. If you navigate through those links, you will find other lists of blogs. And the cycle continues indefinitely… well, not indefinitely, but for many, many links.
There are a few people who frequent my blog. They interact with me through comments. I occasionally visit other blogs and interact with them through comments.
Could it be that this is a metaphor for the church in the New Testament?
Consider a believer in the New Testament. Let’s call him Joe. Joe knows several other believers. He interacts with them through normal relationships: family relationships, neighborhood relationships, work relationships, civic relationships, etc. Since these people are believers, they also gather regularly. Now, they may not all gather together at the same time. Perhaps some gather regularly at Joe’s house. Others gather regularly at Sally’s house. Joe occasionally meets with those at Sally’s house because he knows most of the people there. Also gathering at Sally’s house is the Smith family. They do not gather with the people at Joe’s house regularly, because the Smith family does not know them well. However, since they love Joe, and want to interact with him more, they will meet at his house on occasion. Meanwhile, once in a while, Joe will meet with another group with the Smith family. In this way, the interconnectivity is strengthened and grows.
In this scenario, there is interconnectivity among the church based on relationships. There is the church in Joe’s house, and the church in Sally’s house, and a few other churches; but they all recognize that they are the church in their city – because of the interconnectivity of relationships. They also recognize that they are somehow connected to groups outside their city, also through the interconnectivity of relationships.
If this is a valid view of the church in the New Testament, then could we be missing something today? Usually, when we talk about churches being connected to one another, we speak in terms of leadership networks, associations, etc. In other words, those in leadership from one church are connected to those in leadership from another church. This connection is not based on natural relationships, but on associations intentionally created to make connections. Meanwhile, many people in each church (specifically, those not in leadership) may find that they have very little connections with those outside their group, even with other churches with whom their leaders “associate”. Why? Because instead of being interconnected, the churches consider themselves mutually exclusive.
Are there any scriptural indications that an interconnected view of the church is valid, or that this view is not valid? What are some problems that might be caused by taking this view of the church?
A Week in the Life of the Church…
A few months ago, I posted some of our weekly interactions with the church (see the post “Church Meetings“). At that time, I said that we were learning what it means to share our lives with other believers, and we were beginning to understand how the church can come together “daily” (Acts 2:46). I thought I would post our interactions with the church last week as well. I’m not posting this to put our family or the group of believers that we know on a pedestal. However, I hope that this offers a glimpse of what the church (as described in the NT) should look like. (HT: Brandon, for reminding us to offer solutions, not just criticism.) I am hoping that we can all learn to live as the church together.
Sunday: Our “official” church meeting is Sunday mornings beginning at 10:30. People usually start gathering around 10:00. The meeting includes Scripture reading, prayer, singing, preaching/teaching, and sharing.
After the meeting, we went to lunch with some brothers and a sister for further conversation and fellowship.
Monday: My wife took my son and daughter to Tae Kwon Do. The instructer and several of the children are part of our church family.
That evening, we helped some friends who are renovating a house before they move in next week. This night we just helped them move a french door into the house.
Tuesday: We helped some friends who are renovating a house. We were able to help do several things that night.
Wednesday: My wife took my son and daughter to Tae Kwon Do again. After their lesson, my son went to a local elementary school with his instructor to help teach the kids there.
Thursday: My wife and I had lunch with a young couple that has a 4 1/2 month old baby boy. We get to spend time with the wife often, but the husband works evenings. We had a great time fellowshiping with them and encouraging them as parents.
During the evening, we went to the home of some friends for a Bible study. Several people were sick, but we had a great time hearing how God is revealing himself through his Word to our brothers and sisters.
Later, we talked to some dear friends in Asia using Skype. God has them in a dark place right now, and they are hurting physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We wanted nothing more than to hug them. Technology is a great way to stay connected with brothers and sisters who move away.
Friday: My wife, son, and daughter met with other families for fellowship over doughnuts and coffee. (Can there be any better way to fellowship than with doughnuts?)
I spent my lunch with a dear brother. It was great to talk with him about what was going on with their family, and God was using the church to serve them as they prepare to move into a new house.
That evening, we took our son and daughter to the home of some of our friends. They asked if they could keep the kids overnight so that my wife and I could celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary (which is actually today, Sunday, January 14)!
Saturday: We picked up our son and daughter, and did some work for our friends who are renovating their house before they move in next week.
Well, that’s about all for last week. This is certainly not all the interactions that the church had with one another. We know of many more lunches, dinners, bible studies, etc. The exciting thing to me is that God’s people are truly learning to share their lives together – not just share a couple of hours on Sunday.
Praying with the Church…
I know that the title of this post is also the title of a book by Scot McKnight, but this post has nothing to do with the book.
We recently spoke with a dear, dear sister in Christ who is currently living in South Asia with her family. God moved them from a community of light and encouragement, to a place of darkness. They are hurting physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Please pray for my friends. When we talked to her, we wanted nothing more than to hold her and comfort her. However, we know that God is more capable of comforting them. So, this is our prayer for them:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is
unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. (2 Corinthians 1:2-7 ESV)
Church in Ethiopia and the Home…
Here are a few articles worth reading:
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First, Becky Lynn Black has published another article concerning their recent trip to Ethiopia called “Surprises from Heaven“. It seems that Dave Black is not the only writer in the family! This is an excellent article! I loved reading about how the church reached out to prisoners and a barber, and how those around them (even the prison guards) noticed the love. What a beautiful portrait of our Savior and of his church.
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Second, Lew Ayotte over at The Pursuit, calls for thoughtful use of language – especially words found in Scripture – in his post “George Orwell, Language, and Words“. This article caused me to think again about how I use words.
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Finally, ABC News has an article on house churches called “Living Room Liturgy” (HT: House Church Blog). While this is an interesting article, there are a couple of comments that I think are unfortunate.
For example, the author (Steve Grove) says, “Forgoing pastoral leadership, formal liturgy and, most often, tax-exempt status, house churches redefine what it means to be a church”. I have not read many (if any) house church enthusiasts who call for “forgoing pastoral leadership”. I am surprised that the journalist associates “tax-exempt status” with being the church. I wonder if that is his misunderstanding, or the church’s mis-representation?
Also, Tony Dale, founder of House2House, calls traditional sermons “rather infantile”. While traditional sermons may not be the only (or the best) way to communicate God’s Word, I think calling sermons “infantile” is a little extreme.
Finally, two mega-church pastors (one from Saddleback and one from Willow Creek) describe how their churches have started small groups in homes. I do not think we can equate home-based small groups with house churches simply because they both meet in homes. There is an essential difference in the two.
I hope you enjoy reading these three articles.
The church is in the house…
Okay… this is not about house church. I don’t know why I thought of that title, except this post does have to do with houses. You’ll see…
Anyway, on New Year’s Day, some friends from out-of-state dropped by for a few minutes before they returned home. We decided to go to lunch with them and other friends. It was good to visit with them, but I couldn’t get my mind off of all the things I needed to do at home. Yes, I know that our friends were more important, but it was a weak moment.
As we were leaving the restaurant, my wife reminded me that other friends were getting their house ready for moving in this weekend (apparently, she was not having a weak moment). That day could be the only chance we have to help them. The stuff we needed to do could wait. We could always do that during the week.
So, we helped them paint for a few hours, along with another family. By evening, everyone was tired and hungry, so our friends offered to buy pizza. We decided to go to our house, since we have furniture. Everyone went home to gather food and came back to our house.
For the next few hours we ate, and laughed, and talked, and ate some more. When everyone finished eating, they got up and started doing things around our house – without our asking! They just went to work because they were there and because it needed to be done! Wow!
As I was thinking about what happened that night, I realized that’s the way the church should work. We take of each other, not because it is scheduled or planned or “ministry”, but because we love each other and desire to help each other.
I think this is the best expression of church (and of “worship service“) that I witnessed over the last week.