Christian Leadership around the Blogosphere…
Since my last two posts have covered the topics of Christian leadership, specifically elders, I thought I would post some links to others who are discussing the topics of Christian leadership, elders, ministers, and organizations:
My good friend Maël, from “The Adventures of Maël & Cindy“, examines the use of the English word “ministers” to describe Christian leaders.
A new blogging friend, “Aussie” John, who blogs at “Caesura“, has added his own thoughts to mine in a post from Thursday, March 29, 2007.
Two other blogging friends, the husband and wife team of Brandon and Heather, describe their interactions with the church and the organization. Brandon, at “Eleutheros“, calls his post “The death of a dream and the birth of a dream“, while Heather, at “Free Heart Reflections“, calls her post “The Institution At What Costs?“
Finally, here are a few of my previous posts concerning leaders, elders, and servants which you can add to “What does a bishop oversee?” and “The Church or the Organization?“:
1. “Leaders and Servants“
2. “More on Leaders and Servants“
3. “Leadership, Obedience, and Authority“
4. “Who is your pastor?“
5. “Qualifications and Examples“
I hope you enjoy reading these.
Laying on of Hands…
Since my review of the chapter “Laying on of Hands” in Watchman Nee’s book Assembling Together generated some interest, and since admittedly I know little about this practice in the New Testament, I thought I would examine the passages where we see this. There will be very little analysis in this post. First, before we make any decisions about laying on of hands, we should look at the activity in Scripture:
And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. (Acts 6:5-6)
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!” (Acts 8:14-20)
Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” (Acts 9:10-12 ESV)
So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. (Acts 9:17-19 ESV)
Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court 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. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. (Acts 13:1-4 ESV)
And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. (Acts 19:1-6 ESV)
It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him healed him. (Acts 28:9 ESV)
Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. (1 Timothy 4:14 ESV)
Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. (1 Timothy 5:22 ESV)
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, or God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (1 Timothy 1:6-7 ESV)
Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. (Hebrews 6:1-2 ESV)
These are all the passages that I could find in Scripture that deal with the laying on of hands. There are a couple of other passages, but they seem to use the phrase “laying on of hands” in a different way: i.e. to lay hold of someone in order to arrest them.
There are several interesting things about this list from Scripture. First, “laying on of hands” is only mentioned in three books: Acts, 1 Timothy, and Hebrews. This certainly does not mean that the topic is unimportant; but, it is an interesting observation to me. Second, everything that seems to be “caused” by the laying on of hands is mentioned elsewhere in Scripture without mention of the laying on of hands. This makes it difficult for me to say that something “always” happens through the laying on of hands, or that something “never” happens without the laying on of hands.
So, what do we see associated with the laying on of hands, at least on occasion?
1. Setting apart for service.
2. Receiving the Holy Spirit.
3. Healing.
4. Spiritual gifts.
Also, I do not see a command to “lay hands on” people, such that we see with making disciples, or baptism or sharing the Lord’s Supper or many other activities.
What would you add about “laying on of hands” from these passages of Scripture?
That one talent guy…
My good friend Lew over at “The Pursuit” has posted a seres on the kingdom of heaven parables in Matthew. In his latest post, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like… – Part 11“, Lew examines the parable of the talents. (By the way, this has been an exceptional series, and I would recommend reading the entire series! Maybe Lew will create an index for us… hint, hint.)
Anyway, in this parable, the master gives a servant one talent. The servant hides the talent and does not multiply it. So, the master throws the servant into outer darkness. So, here’s the question: Does this servant represent a follower of Jesus? What in this parable indicates that the servant may represent a follower of Jesus? What in this parable indicates that the servant may not represent a follower of Jesus?
Assembling Together 4 – Various Meetings
The fourth chapter of Watchman Nee’s book Assembling Together (chapter 17 of the Basic Lessons series) is called “Various Meetings”. I believe that this is the chapter that David Rogers wanted me to read in response to his comment in my post called “Messy Meetings“. In this chapter, Nee describes the different types of church meetings that he finds in Scripture.
Before I begin reviewing this chapter, I want to quote Nee from the previous chapter. I think this statement helps explain my view of these various meeting types:
Another principle which governs a gathering is the edifying or building up of God’s people. According to 1 Corinthians 14, this is a purpose found in all gatherings – that others, not ourselves, may be edified. [40]
I agree with Nee wholeheartedly at this point. Regardless of the “reason” for our meeting together, the purpose remains the same: “Whenever you come together… let all things be done for edification.” (1 Cor. 14:26) I also believe that the principles of edification which Paul spells out in the following verses of 1 Corinthians 14 apply to any type of meeting of the church. Perhaps, if we find ourselves in a situation where we feel we cannot carry out these principles, we should change our situation or our understanding of the situation instead of ignoring the principles.
Now, on to Nee’s chapter called “Various Meetings”. Nee finds at least 5 different types of meetings in the New Testament:
1. Gospel Meetings
2. Breaking of Bread Meetings
3. Prayer Meetings
4. Exercise of Gifts (or Fellowship) Meetings
5. Ministry (or Preaching) Meetings
He believes that the “gospel meeting” is the most important type of meeting [43], that the “breaking of bread meeting” is the second most important type of meeting [51], and that the “ministry meeting” is the least important type of meeting [65]. Interestingly enough, I believe he would classify the way most churches meet today as a “ministry meeting”, where believers come together specifically to listen to an “apostle, teacher, or prophet”. Similarly, Nee says, “The popularity of listening to sermons is a reflection on the weakened condition of the church.” [44] Before you stone Nee (or me for quoting him here), think about the number of times in Scripture that we are exhorted to sit and listen. Then, think about the number of times in Scripture that we are exhorted to speak and serve. Perhaps Nee is onto something here.
Nee spends most of the chapter describing how these meetings should look. While I apprecaite the time and effort that Nee spends in putting this together, I also recognize that some of these exhortations are not found in Scripture: i.e. “if you bring in one person, sit next to him; if two people sit in the middle” [47], “help the unbelievers to find the hymns” [48], and “pray for one specific matter” [58].
I have three concerns with this chapter. The first concerns the “gospel meeting”. Again, before you pick up stones, I believe the gospel is of utmost importance, and that every believer is responsible for speaking (preaching) the gospel to those around him or her. However, I do not see any meetings of the church in Scripture in which the central focus is to present the gospel to unbelievers. In fact, the only time in Scripture that unbelievers are mentioned in the context of the gathering of the church, the unbeliever is not convicted by the preaching of the gospel, but by the presence of the Lord which is demonstrated by the prophecy of all the people. (1 Corinthians 14:24-25)
I do agree that the early church took seriously their responsibility to preach (proclaim) the gospel – the good news of Jesus Christ. However, I do not see where that happened during a meeting of the church. Instead, I see believers going to unbelievers to proclaim the gospel.
I also agree with this statement that Nee makes about preaching the gospel, even though I disagree with the context in which he says this preaching should take place:
As soon as people come to believe in the Lord, they should immediately start to help in the preaching of the gospel. Do not allow them to develop the habit of listening to sermons; instead, help them to cultivate the habit of serving by preaching the gospel. [45]
My second concern revolves around how Nee sees distinct meeting types in Scripture. Unfortunately, this is the entire premise of this chapter. Thus, Nee says that the church met for at least five different types of meetings. This quote shows that Nee sees these at different meetings, not different activities within the same meeting:
From what I personally can see, there are five different types of meetings in the Bible. They are gospel meetings, breaking of bread meetings, prayer meetings, exercise of gifts or fellowship meetings, and ministry or preaching meetings. We can find examples of all these in the Bible. Thus we know that at the time of the apostles in the New Testament days, there were at least these five different types of meetings. The church today also needs to have all these various meetings if it is to be strong before God. [43]
The problem is that in Scripture we also see where the distinctions between these “various meetings” are blurred. So, as Nee says, the church met to pray for Peter in Acts 12:5,12. However, the church is praying and serving (Nee’s “exercise of gifts meeting”) in Acts 13. Similarly, Nee separates the “breaking of bread meeting” from other types of meetings based on 1 Corinthians 10 and 11. But, that ignores 1 Corinthians 14, which is in the same context, and refers to Nee’s “exercise of gifts meeting”. Acts 20 shows us that the church in Troas met to both break bread and to listen to Paul (Nee’s “ministry meeting”).
From these passages, and others, it appears that the church met for various activities, sometimes carried out at the same meeting. It seems odd to suggest that these meetings need to occur at different times with different rules of engagement.
I have already mentioned my third concern, but I’ll add it here anyway. When discussing the “prayer meeting”, Nee suggests that prayer produced Pentecost:
The power of the specific prayer in Acts 1 and 2 produced Pentecost. As the cross was the work accomplished by the Son of God, so Pentecost was the work accomplished through the prayer of God’s children. [59]
I think this is giving too much credit to those praying, and not enough to the plan, purpose, and power of God. In fact, Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 seems to indicate that the Spirit came because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Once again, I found the last paragraph encouraging, especially since Nee has already stated the goal of any meeting is edification:
The above are the five different types of meetings which we find in the Bible. I believe Christianity has in its very nature the need to assemble. If we know how to meet, then the next generation will become stronger. May we gird ourselves that we may arrive at the goal which God has set for us. May God be gracious to us.
I’ll review the next two chapters together. They are called “The Lord’s Day” and “Hymn Singing”.
Review of Watchman Nee’s Assembling Together Series:
1: Chapter 1 – Joining the Church
2: Chapter 2 – Laying on of Hands
3: Chapter 3 – Assembling Together
4: Chapter 4 – Various Meetings
5: Chapters 5 & 6 – The Lord’s Day and Hymn Singing
6: Chapters 7 & 8 – Praise and The Breaking of Bread
Leadership, Obedience, and Authority…
In two previous posts (“Leaders and Servants…” and “More on Leaders and Servants…“) I examined Jesus statements in Matthew 20:25-28, Mark 10:42-45, and Luke 22:24-26 concerning leaders among Christians. Jesus said that for non-believers, leaders exercise authority. But Christians should follow those who serve. This does not mean that leadership is a new type of service.
In other words, who would Jesus point out if he were asked, “Who is the best leader?” He would not point to the one with good leadership skills, decision making ability, educational background, communication skills, personality traits, charisma, etc. Instead, He would point to the one who was serving and say, “Do you see how much that person is serving? Follow his example.”
But, how does this correspond with Scripture’s command to obey our leaders?
I’m still studying this issue. I’ve been looking into various words and the scriptural contexts in which they are used:
επίσκοπος (επισκοπÎω) – Does this noun (and verb) indicate an administrator of an organization or someone who cares for people? What’s the difference for the church?
ηγÎομαι – Does this mean “rule” or “lead”? What differences does this make in Heb 13:7, 17, and other passages?
πείθω – Does this mean “obey” or “be persuaded/convinced by”? How would each definition affect passages such as Heb 13:17?
υπείχω – If one person “obeys” or “submits to” another person, does that meant that the second person has “authority” over the first?
εξουσία – Why does Scripture never use this word for “authority” in the context of pastors or elders?
So, these are a few of the questions that I’m exploring. As you can see, many of the words have wide semantic ranges. In English, they can be translated with words that have different meanings.
Of course, I’m not beginning this study without presuppositions or biases. I recognize that I have a certain understanding of Christian leaders. In particular, I believe that Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels should influence our understanding of leaders: i.e. we should follow those who serve. I also think this corresponds to John’s warning against Diotrephes in 3 John 1:9 and Peter’s instructions for elders to care for people by “not domineering… but being examples” (1 Peter 5:3 ESV).
As I continue to study these words and passages, I’ll post more here. If you have any comments on this issue, I’d love to hear from you.
A balanced look at our responsibilities to the poor…
Ray at “Observations and Opinions” has written a very good post called “Responsibility“. He examines the responsibility of the church toward those with needs, both those within the church and those outside the church. His thoughts are very balanced and worth considering.
He also examines how we should carry out our responsibilities toward those with needs. Consider this paragraph:
Our responsibility goes beyond ‘cutting a check’ for a group; I live, literally, within 10 miles of at least four monster churches, and I have visited two of them and inquired about their programs, and found that they do exactly what I said above. While I applaud their financial support, I believe that the church should do much, much more than just send money. Some of these churches could easily support a true outreach center, where single, or battered women could find shelter and spiritual help, or where children could be taught etc.
He also compares the church’s response to the poor to the response of those outside the church:
It is a sad statement that those who are doing the most for the community are people that the Christian community labels as heretics. While some of these people are truly heretical in their view, and some are health and wealth acolytes, at least they are reaching their community. What does it say about the Christian community when the best-known example of community service comes from a church that teaches false doctrine? Why do we think people flock to some of these places?
So, I ask you what Ray asks: What does it say about the Christian community when the best-known example of community service comes from a church that teaches false doctrine? And, I will add, what does it say about the church when the best-known examples of community service do not come from the church at all?
Gifts and Giving…
My good friend Maël from “The Adventures of Maël & Cindy” posted several interested blogs last night. I’m hoping that at least two of those blogs result in good discussions.
First, there is his post called “Ephesians 4:11 – Spiritual gifts or positions?” In this post, he discusses Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12 and the relationships between spiritual gifts, spiritually gifted indivduals, and positions/offices. I know my thinking on this, but I’m wondering what others think. Mainly, I wonder, do you think it matters whether or not Ephesians 4:11 describes individuals serving through the gifting of the Spirit and offices within the church? Why or why not?
Second, in his post called “Entertain strangers” Maël builds on one of my earlier posts called “Justice, Kindness, Mercy…” In this post, Maël describes an encounter with a lady who asked him for money; he offered food, and she ended up having specific (expensive) tastes in food. He bought her food (not the expensive food she asked for, though), but he wonders if the lady took advantage of him. This brings me to the question that I plan to ask on his blog, and I ask here for my readers. When it comes to giving money/food/etc. to people in need, does God always ask us to use reason and logic?
All Day Worship Service…
The title of this post usually conjures up images of long meetings with teaching, singing, dinner on the grounds, etc. However, that is not the point of this post. Consider this passage:
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies- in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:10-11 ESV)
For some reason, God chose to give us several opportunities to serve Him through serving others last Saturday.
Saturday morning, we had the chance to video chat with some friends in another country. I’ve written about them before in the post “Praying with the Church“. They are still in a very dark place, and they have had some physical ailments lately. It was great to laugh with them, encourage them, wish the older daughter “Happy Birthday”, etc.
Saturday for lunch, I had the opportunity to eat with a couple of new friends – a father and his son. Again, we were able to discuss Scripture and God’s will and ministry while enjoying fellowship over a great meal of Mexican food.
Saturday afternoon, I met with another brother and his wife to again discuss Scripture and ministry. There was no meal this time, but the conversation was as nourishing (if not more so) than food would have been.
Saturday afternoon, my family helped another family with yard work. Truthfully, I did very little yard work. I arrived after most of the work had been done. This was a very encouraging time for me, because others had given up their Saturday to help as well. It is truly a beautiful sight to see brothers and sisters helping one another.
Saturday evening, we were able to share pizza and ice cream with another couple. These are very dear friends that we have known for several years. God has done a great work in all of our lives, and he keeps growing us closer to one another as he grows us closer to him.
In all, God allowed us to interact with nineteen brothers and sisters just on Saturday. No, there was no planned meeting or event. In fact, the lunch and afternoon meeting were not planned until Friday evening. The evening dinner was not planned until… well… Saturday evening. (We’re very spontaneous people.)
So, as I was thinking about these opporturnties to serve God by serving others, the passage from 1 Peter came to mind. I’m sorry to say that I did not think of this passage while we were talking and working with these brothers and sisters. But now that I think about it, I wonder… Did our words convey the truth of God? Were our actions carried out in order to serve by the power that God provides? If so, then we worshipped God.
I truly believe that this is the type of “worship” service that God desires. I pray that God allows my family – and others – many more opportunities to worship him by serving others.
Justice, Kindness, Mercy…
The early church was known for its justice, kindness, and mercy – both towards those who were part of the church and towards those who were outside the church. Though they were not rich by worldly standards, they took care of the elderly, the poor, even unwanted babies. This seems to be consistent with biblical teachings:
Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Render true judgments (justice), show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” (Zechariah 7:9-10 ESV)
Then the righteous will answer him, saying, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?” And the King will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:37-40 ESV)
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (James 2:14-17 ESV)
Well, there are many who suggest that the church has given up its service to the poor, the fatherless, the widow, and the foreigner, by allowing the state take this on. Here are a few blog posts that examine this issue:
- Ray at “Observations and Opinions” asks “Programs or People?“
- Ben at “Complete Unity” discusses his “Connections“, even with the homeless.
- Geoff at “Along the Shore” asks if “Too Much Structure” can hinder our service to those in need.
- Ted at “the Jesus community” discusses “being poor in America“.
- Scott at “Turning it Over” suggests the church should be “Taking it to the Streets“. (By the way, Scott was homeless until a week ago.)
So, what is God doing here? He keeps reminding me that he wants me to care for the poor, the fatherless, the widow, and the foreigner. I know how to care for those within the body of Christ, but what about those who are poor, fatherless, widows, and foreigners who are not part of the church? This is a lesson that I want to learn, but also a lesson that I’m not sure how to begin following. I haven’t had this modelled for me. Instead, I’ve been taught skepticism and doubt. I’ve been taught to question anyone’s motives if they ask for money or food. I’ve been taught that there must be something wrong with someone who is less fortunate than me. (I was not taught this last point verbatim, but it was certainly intimated.)
I have been encouraged by the path that God is leading Brandon and Heather in the Atlanta area. He is showing them how to serve those who are in need. I’m not sure how God will lead me and my family down this same path. At times, I’m concerned about it. At other times, I’m ready to dive in head first.
More than anything, I desire to follow God wherever he leads. I confess that I have not done “for the least of these”. So, in fear and trembling, I ask God to change my heart in this area.
More on Leaders and Servants…
A few days ago, I posted on “Leaders and Servants“. I suggested that Jesus wanted us to recognize the people who were serving and follow them. At the beginning of that post, I linked to grace’s series on “Leadership”.
In her latest post, “Leadership – Part 4“, she asks the following question: “What degree of service would we still participate in if there were no acknowledgment or recognition of our role?”
In a comment, I responded to her question as follows: “If we are not willing to serve without title, position, acknowledgment, recognition, or role, then we are NOT serving.”
I wanted to place grace’s question and my answer here for my readers to consider and to respond to. How would you respond to grace’s question? Is it really service if we would not do the same thing without acknowledgment or recognition? What would you stop doing if you no longer had the same position, role, office, title, etc.?