Working with other Christians, but not under their organizations
My good friend Eric at “Pilgrim’s Progress” is one of my favorite bloggers. His latest post is called “Two Different Directions,” and the post itself when in a different direction that I thought it would… and was much better than I thought it would be.
Eric begins by pointing out the gatherings of believers seem to be growing in two directions (thus the title of his post): either larger and larger or smaller and smaller. (As an aside, I think this difference is a demonstration of and a living out of a different understanding of what it means to be the church.)
But, when Eric gets into the meat of his post, he takes a turn in a different direction:
It is painfully obvious for all involved that those of us in simple church life reject almost all of the shenanigans that go on in the mega church. However, there are many Christians in mega churches who want to make disciples just as much as we do. Therefore, we have a challenge of working with them while at the same time not working under the constraints of their large institutional framework. How can we do this?
He follows his question with five suggestions about working in unity with those who disagree with us (primarily disagree about the church, but this could include other types of disagreements as well).
Seriously, I love this! Yes, we disagree about what it means to be the church, whether the church is an organization or whether church is the people. And, we disagree about why we gather together and how that purpose is best carried out.
But, if we are in Christ together, then we are brothers/sisters, and we are put together by God for a reason. And, that reason is NOT to argue with one another.
Thanks, Eric, for exhorting us to live in the unity we already have in Christ, in spite of our disagreements!
When Paul refers to other believers using father/child language
In this short series, I’m looking at the ways that Paul referred to people who traveled with him and people he worked with in various cities in order to answer these questions: How did Paul think those who traveled with him and worked with him? Did he think of himself as being a superior with them being subordinates (i.e., a hierarchy)? Did he think of them all as equals?
A few days ago, I introduced the series by asking, “What did Paul think of his subordinates?” Next, I defined some of the terms that I will use: superior, subordinate, and hierarchy. Then, in my previous post, I covered the terms that Paul used most often to refer to other believers: brother/sister and fellow-worker/soldier/servant.
In this post, I look at the father/child language that Paul also uses to refer to other believers. Here are all the passages in which Paul refers to others using father/child language:
For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me. That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church. (1 Corinthians 4:15-17 ESV)
I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. They all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son (child) with a father he has served with me in the gospel. I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also. (Philippians 2:19-24 ESV)
For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 ESV)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord… This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, (1 Timothy 1:1-2,18 ESV)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord… You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 1:1-2; 2:1 ESV)
Paul, a servant of God… To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. (Titus 1:1,4 ESV)
I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. (Philemon 1:10 ESV)
And, using related language, in the passage below Paul refers to someone as his “mother”:
Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. (Romans 16:13 ESV)
And, finally, in this passage, we find both the “father,” “mother,” and “brother/sister” language used:
Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity. (1 Timothy 5:1-2 ESV)
What can we learn from these passages about the father/child language that Paul uses? Does he use this terminology to refer to himself as superior to others or to refer to them as subordinate to himself?
(I’m going to talk about these passages in more detail in my next post.)
——————————————
Series: Does Paul refer to other Christians as superiors/subordinates?
- What did Paul think about his subordinates?
- Defining the terms
- The ways that Paul most often refers to other believers
- When Paul refers to other believers using father/child language
- Examining Paul’s use of the father/child language
- Does Paul use the term apostle to refer to a superior/subordinate relationship?
- When Paul DOES use the language of superiors and subordinates
The difference between Pastor as a gifting and Pastor as a title/position
Thanks to Jon at “Jon’s Journey” for pointing us to a great quote by Dan Kimball. You can find the quote in Jon’s post called “Dan Kimball is not your pastor.”
Yes, many, many people use the term “pastor” as a title or position, and many of them assume that the title/position pastor infers the gifting or service (or vice versa). But, in the little excerpt on Jon’s blog, at least one more person is recognizing the difference between the title and the gifting/service.
I was at a street corner, I’m getting into my car and a car honked. These college-aged girls were looking over and waving. I’m looking up and I’m like “I don’t know who they are.” Then the light turns green and they yell in unison “you’re our pastor!” as they’re driving away. I’m just like, “I’m their pastor? I don’t even know who they are.” A pastor who shepherds knows their sheep, knows if one is missing.
The problem, of course, is that when we use the term “pastor” as a title for a position, that’s what people read into Scripture, much like when they read the terms “church,” “minister,” “preach,” etc. We must be very careful about how we use words.
Irony… in the original article that Jon links to, Dan Kimball is referred to as “Pastor Dan Kimball”…
The ways that Paul most often refers to other believers
In this short series, I’m looking at the ways that Paul referred to people who traveled with him and people he worked with in various cities in order to answer these questions: How did Paul think those who traveled with him and worked with him? Did he think of himself as being a superior with them being subordinates? Did he think of them all as equals?
A couple of days ago, I introduced the series by asking, “What did Paul think of his subordinates?” Then, in yesterday’s post, I defined some of the terms that I will use: superior, subordinate, and hierarchy.
In this post, I start the study by looking at a few terms that Paul uses most often to refer to other followers of Jesus Christ – both those who travel along with him and those with whom he works in the cities where he visits.
(By the way, this series is not intended to prove or disprove the existence of positions of authority among the church, although it would be part of a complete study of the subject. If you’d like to read a fuller treatment of the subject of positions of authority among the church see this series: “Authority among the church.”)
It should come as no surprise that Paul uses brother/sister terminology most often when referring to other Christians. We know that he refers to the recipients of his letters as brothers and sisters, but he also often refers to individuals as brother and sister as well.
Here are a few examples:
I commend to you our sister Phoebe… (Romans 16:1 ESV)
Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers… (1 Corinthians 16:12 ESV)
Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. (Ephesians 6:21 ESV)
Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers. (2 Timothry 4:21 ESV)
A related term that Paul also uses often in Romans 16 is one that is usually translated “kinsman” or “relative.” As with brother/sister, this term brings out the familial relationship between those who are in Christ. Here are a couple of examples in which Paul refers to people as his “kinsmen/relatives”:
Greet my kinsman Herodion… (Romans 16:11 ESV)
…so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen, [greet you]. (Romans 16:21 ESV)
Besides the “brother/sister” and “relative” references mentioned above, there is another group of terms that Paul often uses to refer to other believers. In these cases, Paul combines a noun or descriptor with the Greek term that means “together with.” You usually see this references translated as “fellow” or “co-” depending on the term used (and the translation).
Here are a few different examples:
Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. (Philippians 4:3 ESV)
I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier… (Philippians 2:25 ESV)
…just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. (Colossians 1:7 ESV)
To Philemon our beloved fellow worker and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier… (Philemon 1:1-2 ESV)
As you can see from the last example, Paul often combines several of the different terms together. For an amazing look at the way that Paul refers to other Christians, read through the entirety of Romans 16.
The language that Paul uses in the examples above (and in many other passages in which he uses similar terms) is the language of equality, not the language of superiors and subordinates.
——————————————
Series: Does Paul refer to other Christians as superiors/subordinates?
- What did Paul think about his subordinates?
- Defining the terms
- The ways that Paul most often refers to other believers
- When Paul refers to other believers using father/child language
- Examining Paul’s use of the father/child language
- Does Paul use the term apostle to refer to a superior/subordinate relationship?
- When Paul DOES use the language of superiors and subordinates
They thought they knew Jesus, but they still had much to learn
Jim at “Crossroad Junction” has written a very good (and challenging) post called “My Shattered Reality.”
He begins his post with a look back at the post-resurrection followers of Jesus. And, when I say “post-resurrection,” I mean immediately after the resurrection before they saw and spent time with the risen Jesus.
Jim writes:
His resurrection was so outside their reality and frame of reference that even when He was standing right in front of them, they only saw a stranger, and not Him.
They thought they knew Jesus, and to a limited extent they did. But only in terms of their own pre-resurrection reality.
Post-resurrection, they simply couldn’t get their minds around the bigger reality of who Jesus really was and what He really was about, because a resurrected Jesus did not conform to the Jesus they thought they knew, had lived with, saw crucified and helped bury.
He continues the post by comparing our own limited understanding of Jesus to these early followers. Like them, we think we know Jesus – and we do know him somewhat – but our understanding is limited. Regardless of how much we know, how long we’ve lived with him, how mature we are, there is always more of Jesus to know.
Of course, even after Jesus spent 40 more days with those early believers after his resurrection, and even after they had been indwelled by the Holy Spirit, they still had much to learn. It reminds me that Paul often prayed that his readers would continue to know and understand Jesus.
This is challenging… and encouraging… at the same time.
Paul’s thoughts on superiors and subordinates: defining the terms
In yesterday’s post, “What did Paul think about his subordinates?,” I explained that in the next few post I intend to examine what Paul thought about the people who traveled with him and the people he worked with in various cities. Did he think of himself as being a superior with them being subordinates? Did he think of them all as equals?
Before I get into the evidence from Scripture, I think it’s important that I define the terms that I’m using in this series.
Superior
A person higher than another person in rank, status, authority, or quality
Subordinate
A person lower in rank, status, authority, or quality in comparison to another person
And, since this word will probably pop up from time to time, I will include it as well:
Hierarchy
A ranking of different people based on status, authority, or quality
In reality, in the way that I’m using these terms, the three go together. A hierarchy requires superiors and subordinates. The presence of superiors or subordinates automatically dictates the presence of the other and automatically forms a hierarchy.
So, if I rephrase the original question using these definitions, then this is what I’m asking: Did Paul think of himself as being higher in rank, status, authority, or quality than the people he traveled with or the people in worked with in various cities?
Now, I want to point out something very important. I am not talking about extreme cases of superiority or subordination. I’m not talking about dictatorial leaders or blind followers. I’m simply talking about hierarchy of any kind, and superiors and subordinates of any kind.
A kind, benevolent, caring, supportive, and empowering superior is still a superior and is still above his/her subordinates in a hierarchy based on some rank.
So, in the remaining posts in this series, I will examine the terms that Paul used to refer to his traveling companions and other believers in various cities in order to determine if he used terms denoting a superior/subordinate relationship or if he used terms denoting an equal relationship.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the definitions I’m using.
——————————————
Series: Does Paul refer to other Christians as superiors/subordinates?
- What did Paul think about his subordinates?
- Defining the terms
- The ways that Paul most often refers to other believers
- When Paul refers to other believers using father/child language
- Examining Paul’s use of the father/child language
- Does Paul use the term apostle to refer to a superior/subordinate relationship?
- When Paul DOES use the language of superiors and subordinates
The difference between sitting in rows and sitting in a circle
I was recently introduced to a website called “Church in a Circle,” and I want to point you to their latest post called “One simple trick every church can use to change passive listeners into active learners.”
There are many, many Christians who are beginning to recognize the importance of conversing (discussing) together as an addition to (or in some cases a replacement of) the sermon or monologue teaching. But, even though they recognize how helpful discussions (dialog) can be, they’re not sure how to implement it when they gather together, because they only have experience with listening to one person teach (preach).
The post (linked to above) offers several “tricks” to help believers move away from passive listening (i.e., only one person actively speaking) and toward the opportunity for many to actively speak and serve.
Now… here’s a little personal history…
The believers who we gather with regularly began as a very traditional and organized group with a weekly sermon. But, as we studied Scripture together, we saw the importance of dialog and discussion for mutual edification and maturity. (Everyone didn’t agree, of course, but that’s a different story.)
But, like I mentioned earlier, we didn’t know how to incorporate dialog into our gatherings. So, we started slowly with some of the suggestions mentioned in the post (linked to above). Today, instead of sitting in rows listening to one person teach, we sit in a circle and discuss Scripture and topics amongst one another, listening for how God would speak through any of us.
Each step we took in the process was a little scary… it was something new and different after all. And, we took a couple of missteps that we later corrected together. But, God was faithful, and as we moved closer and closer to the pattern that we find in Scripture, we noticed a huge different in relationship and maturity.
Now, sitting in circles does not suddenly cause everyone to want to edify each other. But, it does facilitate mutual edification.
So… take the next step.
Have you had any experience in moving away from one person speaking (monologue) and toward multiple people speaking (dialog or discussion)? Did you make the move all at once, or one step at a time?
What did Paul think about his subordinates?
A couple of weeks ago, a new blogging friend (Donald) and I had a good discussion on an old post called “The Phabulous Phoebe.” In those comments, Donald mentioned Paul’s relationship with Timothy, and how Paul referred to it as a father/son relationship. (See 1 Timothy 1:1-2 and 2 Timothy 1:1-2 as examples.)
These comments triggered a question in my mind: How did Paul think those who traveled with him and worked with him? Did he think of himself as being a superior with them being subordinates? Did he think of them all as equals?
Of course, we can’t ask Paul that question. And, he does not write a letter to tell anyone what he thinks about these various people. All we can do is consider how Paul referred to the people who traveled with him and how he referred to the people he worked with in the various cities where he spent time.
Why is this important? Not long after the apostle died, some of the Christians who came along after them began exhorting the church to form into a hierarchical system with the bishop at the top, elders under them, deacons under them, and everyone else under the official clergy. (Ignatius is one example of an early writer who proposed this type of hierarchy, although I don’t think his ideas caught on until many years after he died.)
Now, if you’ve read my blog for any length of time, then you know that I disagree with this line of thinking. I do not believe that Jesus or any of his immediate followers – including Paul – desired to see the church develop into some type of hierarchical organization.
Studying the way that Paul referred to the people who traveled with him and with whom he worked in various cities can help us understand a little more about the presence or absence of a hierarchy at that time. Obviously, this short study will not prove the presence or absence of a hierarchy among the church while Paul was writing as letters, but it is another point in the argument one way or another.
So, over the next few days, I’m planning to publish posts that examine the way that Paul referred to other people. Today, most of these people would be considered Paul’s “subordinates” – thus, the use of the term “subordinates” in the title of this post.
What do you think? Do you believe that Paul saw himself as being in a position of superiority while others were his subordinates?
——————————————
Series: Does Paul refer to other Christians as superiors/subordinates?
- What did Paul think about his subordinates?
- Defining the terms
- The ways that Paul most often refers to other believers
- When Paul refers to other believers using father/child language
- Examining Paul’s use of the father/child language
- Does Paul use the term apostle to refer to a superior/subordinate relationship?
- When Paul DOES use the language of superiors and subordinates
More people writing about how we use the word CHURCH
Two of my favorite bloggers are writing about how we use the word “church”:
Miguel at “God Directed Deviations” wrote a post called “‘Where do you get fed?” And by that, ‘I mean where do you go to church?’”
And Jon at “Jon’s Journey” wrote a post called “What Do You Mean By Church?”
Each post asks a different – but important – question, and each one shows the importance of thinking about how we use words, especially the word “church.” (Although, we could include many different words in these kinds of discussions.)
I would encourage you to read both posts and respond in the comments at their respective sites.
Guest Blogger: Being the Church to the Community Around Us
I’ve invited people to write “guest blog posts” for this blog. There are several reasons for this: 1) To offer different perspectives. 2) To generate even more discussion and conversation between blogs. 3) To introduce other bloggers to my readers.
(If you are interested in writing a guest blog post, please contact me at aknox[at]sebts[dot]com.)
Today’s post was written by Allen Madding. You can connect with Allen via his blog or Twitter (@allenmadding). Also, check out Feed the Hungry Forsyth at their website, Twitter (@feedforsyth), or Facebook.
——————————————-
Being the Church to the Community Around Us
For years the Church has gotten a bad rap for building a grandiose cathedral and expecting the lost and hurting to come to them. When the lost and hurting does not respond, committees are formed to try to figure out why. And when the Church contemplated service, they looked overseas – raised money, bought plane tickets and travelled thousands of miles away completely overlooking the hurting in the community that surrounded them. So the hurting in the community became skeptical of the Church and its motives. And who could blame them? If you were hungry and the Church walked by you every day and pretended not to notice you, would you trust them? If you were homeless and the Church turned a blind eye to you, would you trust them? How receptive would you be to someone explaining the gift of salvation to you if you had not had a meal in weeks and did not have a dry place to sleep? How could you accept the message that God is love and God loves you when you felt like his people did not care about you?
Although we live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, 13 percent of those living in the United States live in poverty. One in four or 16.7 million children in the United States live in a household that does not know where the next meal is coming from – a situation we refer to as food insecurity. More than 49 million Americans, roughly 14.6 percent of the U.S., regularly face food insecurity.
What is the Church’s role in this situation? I believe we are called to open our hands and turn loose of the blessings we hold so tight. Instead of spending every dollar we make on a bigger house, fancier kitchens, a nicer foreign car, and a bigger flat screen, maybe we should pair down our lifestyles and bless the hurting.
What does the Bible say?
“The generous will themselves be blessed,
for they share their food with the poor.” Proverbs 22:9
John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” Luke 3:11
“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Luke 12:48
Mother Teresa put it like this, “When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed.”
So how do we respond? First we have to open our eyes to the needs in the community around us. Once we recognize the need, we need to ask how we can make a long-term response. Handing a hungry man a sandwich is good. But in six hours, he will be hungry again. Providing a hungry family a week’s worth of groceries once a week is a better answer. Finally, the Church does not have to create another program or ministry. It would be far better to seek out the nonprofits in the community that are struggling to respond to the need and provide them with financial support and an army of volunteers.
Responding to the needs in the community is not optional. The Church is called to respond. Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)
Make a Difference!