When church means being together
Josh at “In Search of the City” has written a great post called “Sometimes just being together is enough.” His post goes along well with my posts this week focusing on fellowship as “sharing life together as we share Christ together.”
He begins his post by explaining how he “stumbled upon the daily experience of the Body of Christ-that inexplicable reality of brothers and sisters living together, working together, enjoying Christ together.” Once this kind of fellowship becomes part of a person’s life, it’s easy to understand how those early followers of Jesus shared their food together “day by day.”
Mostly, Josh shares and responds to a message that he received from a brother in Christ after they spent time together. Here is part of that message:
I was truly refreshed by being with the saints of God and those who feel very much like family to me. I was left with much reflection that night and the following day. Though we didn’t necessarily speak much in the way of doctine or revelation, I find that I was strengthened and refreshed through our casual talk and fellowship. Essentially, I am the better spiritually because we were able to get together. What a wonderful thing it would be if we could experience such communion regularly, be it with one another, or other brothers and sisters.
Later, Josh concludes with this:
[S]ometimes (probably more often than not), just being together with other saints is enough to bring our hearts into touch with spiritual reality.
May God haste the day when this is the kind of thing that comes to a person’s mind when they hear the word “church” and not all that other stuff we so commonly associate with it.
Yes! Exactly! “I am the better spiritually because we were able to get together.” This is what is means to share our lives with one another as we also share our lives with Christ.
No fellowship? Look in unexpected places, at unexpected times, among unexpected people
I’ve been part of more organized groups of believers and less organized groups of believers. I’ve been part of churches that meet in dedicated buildings, and I’ve been part of churches that do not meet in a dedicated building. I’ve been part of churches who mostly lived in rural areas, suburban areas, and urban areas. I’ve been part of churches that were organized with hierarchical leadership, and I’ve been part of churches without hierarchical leadership.
Among all of those different ways and locations that Jesus’ followers meet and organize, I’ve found one thing in common: some easily find fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ, while others do not easily find fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ. And, to be honest, the amount of organization, the type of leadership, the way of gathering together, the location of the group… none of those attributes (or other attributes) affect the fact that some easily fellowship with others and some do not.
I’ve also talked with many of these people who struggle finding fellowship with their brothers and sisters in Christ. I’ve found them to be sincere followers of Jesus Christ who desire fellowship with others. Yes, sometimes there have been struggles in the past, but that happens with those who find fellowship also. Yes, there are occasionally issues of sin that the person is struggling with, but this happens with those who find fellowship also.
So, why can some people find fellowship and others can’t? Well, I’ve found there are many different reasons. Often, the people are simply going through a season, and when God brings them out of it, he also fills their life with other brothers and sisters in Christ. But, often, I’ve also found that people just need a few pointers in reaching out to others.
You see, sometimes, people have been taught that fellowship is one particular thing in one particular place at one particular time. By the way, if you think I’m only referring to Sunday morning at 11:00 in a steeple building, I’m not. Some are also taught that fellowship only occurs in the living room of a house on Saturday afternoons.
So, I find myself encouraging people to look in unexpected places for fellowship. I encourage them to keep their eyes open at unexpected times to find fellowship. I keep encouraging people to look for fellowship among unexpected people.
Any time, at any place, among any people is a good time to begin or continue sharing your life with someone else.
Have you ever found that you were able to begin (or continue) sharing your life with unexpected people, in unexpected places, at unexpected times? Could you share part of that story?
A Scholar’s Convictions Concerning the Church
Some of you know that I’m a PhD student in biblical theology (or if you didn’t know, you can just read the little blurb about me in the right-hand sidebar). Some of you also know that I’m studying under David Alan Black. If you don’t know him, check out his blog and search for his name on amazon.com.
He has written books covering many areas of New Testament and Greek studies. And, these are the kinds of books that anyone can pick up and read and instantly use. He has a knack for explaining difficult concepts in a way that anyone can understand.
So, what does this New Testament scholar think about the church? Well, he shared some of his “convictions” yesterday on his blog (Monday, July 9, 2012 at 4:02 p.m.):
- I am convinced that the house church rather than the sanctuary church was the New Testament norm.
- I am convinced of the normalcy of tent making leadership.
- I am convinced that the church exists in part to equip all of its members for ministry.
- I am convinced that the leadership of the church should be shared for the health of the congregation.
- I am convinced that top-down structures of leadership are unquestionably more efficient — efficient in doing almost everything than equipping, which is the primary task of leadership.
- I am convinced that the process of appointing new elders is best done on the basis of recognizing who is already serving as an elder in the church.
- I am convinced that any local church that takes seriously Jesus as the Senior Pastor will not permit one man to become the titular head of the church.
- I am convinced that the essential qualifications for ministry in the church have little or nothing to do with formal education and everything to do with spiritual maturity.
- I am convinced that the church is a multigenerational family, and hence one of the things that makes the church the church is the presence of children, parents, and other adults.
- I am convinced that because every local church has all the spiritual gifts it needs to be complete in Christ, believers should be exposed to the full expression of the charisms (grace-gifts) when they gather, in contrast to specialized ministries that center around singularly gifted people.
- I am convinced that the local church is the scriptural locus for growing to maturity in Christ, and that no other training agency is absolutely needed.
- I am convinced that the local church ought to be the best Bible school going.
- I am convinced that Paul’s letters were not intended to be studied by ordinands in a theological college but were intended to be read and studied in the midst of the noisy life of the church.
- I am convinced that the church is a theocracy directly under its Head (Jesus Christ), and that the will of the Head is not mediated through various levels of church government but comes directly to all His subjects.
- I am convinced that the goal of leadership is not to make people dependent upon its leaders but dependent upon the Head.
- I am convinced that since all believers are “joints” in the body, ministry is every believer’s task.
- I am convinced that pastor-teachers, as precious gifts of Christ to His church, are to tend the flock of God by both personal care and biblical instruction, equipping God’s people for works of service both in the church and in the world.
- I am convinced that the role of pastor-teacher is a settled ministry in a local congregation.
- I am convinced that leaders should communicate that every part of the body is interrelated to the other parts and indispensable; every member will be appreciated, every charism will be treasured.
- I am convinced that the whole church, the community of all the saints together, is the clergy appointed by God for ministry. The fundamental premise upon which I operate is that each believer in the church needs to be equipped for his or her own ministry both in the church and in the world. If the church is to become what God intended it to be, it must become a ministerium of all who have placed their faith in Christ. The whole people of God must be transformed into a ministering people. Nothing short of this will restore the church to its proper role in the kingdom of God.
I truly appreciate Dave sharing his “convictions” with us. I also appreciate that these convictions come out of years of study and life serving others around the world in the name of Jesus Christ. But, more than all that, I appreciate that he continues to work with, to serve, and to co-labor with brothers and sisters in Christ who disagree with his convictions.
Sharing life with one another and sharing life with Christ
In many blog posts, I write about sharing life with one another. In fact, my previous post was called “It’s about life in Christ, not ideologies about Christ.” In that post, I said that many problems arise because we disagree and argue without actually sharing our lives with one another.
If the authors of Scripture are right (and I think they are), then God did not give us new life in Jesus Christ in order for us to spend that life alone. Instead, our new life in Christ is to be shared with others in both big ways and in small ways. In fact, for those of us who are in Christ and indwelled by the Holy Spirit, then we share Christ with others when we share our lives with them.
John makes an interesting statement at the beginning of his first letter. After making several statements about his personal interactions with Jesus Christ, he says,
[T]hat which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3 ESV)
There are two points that I want to bring up here. First, the word “fellowship” has several different meanings today. But, at the time that John used it, it was based on the word for “sharing” or “having in common.” So, John was saying that announcing what he had seen, heard, felt, etc. so that they could all share their lives with one another in a way that was not possible when they were not all God’s children.
Second, notice that the fellowship (sharing) that John desires with his readers is not ONLY sharing life with them but it is also sharing life with our Father and with Jesus Christ. When we have this kind of fellowship (sharing life) with one another, it is the same as the fellowship that we have with God. Yes, that sounds crazy, but that’s exactly what John wrote.
Let me say that one more time: as we share our lives with one another we are also sharing our lives with God.
But, what happens when we refuse to share our lives with one another? If John is correct (and, again, I think he is), then we are also refusing to share our lives with God. We are refusing fellowship with our Father and with Jesus Christ.
Now, I’m not talking about attending certain meetings or going to a certain location or joining a certain organization. I’m talking about actually sharing our lives with people. Which people? The people that God brings into our lives.
To be honest, Christians are usually less concerned with fellowship with those who are already in their lives and more concerned with fellowship with people who live across town (or perhaps in another town). I think it’s great to share our lives with people all over town, but not in a way that neglects the people who live near us, who work with us, who go to school with us, who God has placed right in our lives.
Fellowship with them is fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ… to paraphrase John.
Sharing a meal with the Lord and our brothers and sisters
Recently, two posts have brought up a question that I’m very familiar with: “Should the Lord’s Supper be a full meal?”
First, Miguel from “God’s Directed Deviations” asked this question in his post “Grape Juice Drops and Cracker Crumbs Lord’s Supper?”
Also, Jon from “Jon’s Journey” asked the same question in his post “Lord’s Supper Thoughts.”
In all of these questions and positions and discussions concerning the Lord’s Supper (Eucharist / Communion / whatever you want to call it), there is one thing that seems very clear in Scripture: whatever else it may have been, it was a meal.
This is the comment that I left on Miguel’s post:
I’ve always found it interesting that every mention of “the Lord’s Supper” in Scripture referred to a full meal, and many times the same language is used for a full meal when it did not refer to “the Lord’s Supper.” For example, see Acts 27:33-36. Also, Jeremiah 16:6-8 can help us understand what was meant by “breaking bread” and sharing “the cup.”
What do you think? Is it important that we understand that “the Lord’s Supper” is intended to be a meal, or can the meal be set aside?
It’s about life in Christ, not ideologies about Christ
I often write about different concepts and ideas related to being in Christ and part of the body of Christ, that is, the church. However, being in Christ is not about concepts and ideas. Being in Christ is about living.
When I first started this blog, I wrote about things that I was investigating in my PhD studies. However, I soon realized that I could not discuss ideas on a purely conceptual basis. So, almost everything that I write hear began with a real-life conversation or a real-life struggle or problem.
I was reminded of this last week when I had coffee with a good friend. We talked about the series that I wrote last week on the topic of unity. (See the introductory post called “Unity: The Series.”)
We quickly moved from discussing the concepts related to unity to talking about real life situations related to unity among the body of Christ. Then, our discussion moved from focusing on unity to focusing on our life in Christ in general. We talked about some of our recent struggles and some recent areas of growth and encouragement.
My friend made an observation: it is easier to live in unity if we actually share our lives with one another. Disunity pops up when we argue and disagree about concepts and ideologies, but we don’t share our lives with one another. My friend and I have seen this in our own lives, because we are able to live in unity with one another in Christ in spite of our differences.
His observation also reminded me of something my family experienced a couple of weeks ago when we spent a week in Virginia serving some people in the Norfolk area with other believers. We spent the week working together, not talking about issues of disagreement. And, there were disagreements – the kind of disagreements that have often caused followers of Jesus Christ to separate from one another. But, there was also real unity, in spite of those disagreements.
Our life in Christ is just that: life. It’s not simply concepts or ideologies about Christ. Instead, as John said in his first letter, it’s about sharing our lives with one another (fellowship) which is also sharing our lives with God the Father and with his son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3)
Perhaps, our struggles with unity would not be as difficult if we truly shared our lives with one another instead of spending as much time discussing issues, topics of theology, concepts, or other ideologies.
What do you think?
Scripture… As We Live It #216
This is the 216th passage in “Scripture… As We Live It.”
So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, and after they had worked out a benefits package that was agreeable to both of them, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. (Acts 11:25-26 re-mix)
(Please read the first post for an explanation of this series.)
Replay: Community and Mission
Five years ago, I wrote a post called “Community and Mission” after talking with a friend who was a military chaplain. I loved how this friend described the importance of community to the mission of the military. How much more important is community (real community based on the presence of Jesus Christ among us) to God’s mission in and through his children? Jesus himself said that our unity with one another – which results in community – also affects our mission of proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. (See John 17:20-21)
——————–
Community and Mission
A few days ago, I spoke with a friend who I had not spoken with in many years. God used him as a mentor for me over ten years ago. Since then, we have both moved several times. When I talked to this friend, I found out that he was working as a chaplain in a branch of the armed forces of the United States. (I prefer to keep this general, so I am going to leave out many of the specifics.) I told him about my interest in the church as a community of people instead of as an organization. I am going to paraphrase his response. I hope this encourages you as much as it did me:
As a chaplain, one of the most important things that I teach people is that this branch of the military is a community. But, we cannot be a community that only knows about one another’s life. We must be a community that is involved in one another’s life. If a fellow service member is struggling or having problems, we cannot let that continue without addressing the problems. The mission of this branch of the military is at stake. We must be willing to get involved in each other’s lives, to help one another through difficult situations, to support each other when needed. If we only know about one another, and know about other people’s problems, and talk about those problems behind their back, then we are setting up our branch of the military for failure. Our mission is of utmost importance, because the safety and freedom of the American people depend upon us carrying out our mission. And, the success of our missions depends on our ability to live as a community with one another.
How much more important is the mission of the church? How much more important is it that the church lives as a community with one another?
I love what he said about the military, community, and mission. And, he is exactly right! The mission of the church – which is God’s mission – is much more important than the mission of the military. The military (or at least this chaplain) understands the importance of community in carrying out its mission. Shouldn’t the church understand that importance even more?
I’m going to repeat what he said to the church: Our mission depends upon us living as community with one another – the kind of community that knows one another and is willing to get involved in one another’s lives so that we can all help one another as we carry out this mission together.
Unity begins and ends in Jesus Christ
As I mentioned in a previous post (“Unity: The Series“), this week I’m writing a series on the topic of unity among the body of Christ. I suggested that we are united in Christ, but we are not generally living in that unity (“We ARE united, but we are NOT united“). Then, I wrote that humility is the work of unity (“Doing the work of unity“), while refusing to consider other as more important than yourself (the opposite of humility) is the work of division (“Doing the work of division“). Now, remember, I am talking about unity among those who are in Christ, who are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, who are followers of Jesus Christ, who are children of God. This is the beginning point of my series. Throughout the series, you can assume that these are the people that I am talking about.
We considering the unity or lack of unity among the body of Christ, we must understand one basic point: Jesus Christ is the source and the focus of all unity. A lack of unity is an indication of a lack of living in the Spirit of Christ. We can give different reasons, excuses, and justifications. But, for those who are in Christ and living according to his will, unity among the children of God is the only option.
Unity is not about holding on to one another, but about holding on to Jesus Christ. This may seem like an obvious statement, but it is foundational to our lives in Christ and our shared lives with one another. Choosing to separate from others who are in Christ is an indications that we are not holding on to him.
If we find that we are held together by a location, a human leader or leadership team, an organizational structure, a denomination or tradition, a set of covenants or bylaws, or anything else, then our unity is not in Jesus Christ, and we are not living in unity with the body of Christ. In other words, we can unite with others (on our terms), and yet NOT be united in Christ. Unity can be found in many things, but the unity we need is ONLY found in Jesus Christ.
Yes, I know that some have been pushed aside, ostracized, refused fellowship. You cannot choose whether or not another follows Jesus Christ in unity. However, like Paul, you can still live at peace with all people as far as it depends on you. How? By accepting all whom God has accepted in Jesus Christ, whether those people accept you or not. This is a true demonstration of finding unity in Jesus Christ.
There is only one body of Christ. And all who have been accepted by God in Jesus Christ are part of that body. When we are living in Christ and following him, the we also accept everyone who is in Christ, in spite of disagreements, differences, or injury. This is the unity that begins and ends in Jesus Christ.
———————————
Series on Unity
Edification requires Consideration
Eric at “A Pilgrim’s Progress” asks a very important question in his post “Are Different Things Edifying for Different People?” He answers his own question with, “Yes!”
In his post, Eric focuses on the differences between people. And, people are different, both in their backgrounds and understandings and maturity, but they are also different in what they are currently going through in their life.
Because of these differences, Eric makes the following statements:
Since we are different people, we Christians likely are edified by different activities in different amounts, different ways, and in differing occasions. This can even vary from time to time for the individual. It certainly varies between people.
In light of these differences, church gatherings should have a great deal of variety to them. In the busyness of life it is easy to fall into the trap of the routine. Regardless of how churches tend to gather, they can end up doing the same things gathering after gathering. This may be edifying for some, but others may feel starved.
I agree. In fact, not only do I agree that different things are edifying to different people and that these different ways to edify are best brought out through different people serving and speaking when we gather together, I also think that different things are edifying to different people at different times. In other words, as people change, that which builds up (edifies) changes as well.
Now, don’t misunderstand me. Only those things which point back to Jesus Christ and encourage others to follow and trust him are edifying. However, there are many, many ways to point people to Jesus and to help them follow and trust him. And, for different people at different times, some things are more or less edifying.
One of my favorite passages related to gathering with other believers points to this:
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)
If you read these verses in context (Hebrews 10:19-25), you’ll see that “considering one another” is one of the responses to the fact that we now have direct access to God through Jesus Christ. But, also notice that “considering one another” is the prerequisite (if you will) for gathering to encourage one another. Why must we “consider one another”? Because we are all different and because that which encourages/edifies may be different as well.
Are you considering one another and ready to encourage one another in whatever one another needs when you gather together?