The benefit to the church of gathering in homes
Just over a year ago, I wrote a post called “Why I’m Not A House Church Proponent.” In that post, I explained why I’m not pushing everyone towards “house church.”
Ross at “Viral Jesus” has written a very good post called “Why Do I Promote House Churches?” At first glance, it may appear that Ross and I are in disagreement. But, we’re not. I also agree that it is good for the church to gather together in homes.
In the post, Ross offers several reasons that he does NOT promote house churches. Then he explains why he does promote house churches.
It is the symbiotic combination of a number of factors together. House church structure does not get in the way of the Jesus’ agenda of spreading his Kingdom. That can’t be said of more traditional structures and if I love Jesus I love what He wants. He wants His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. I am to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. I don’t want anything to get in the way of that.
Unfortunately, I’ve known some “house churches” that were more structured and controlling than groups of believers that meet in traditional church buildings. But, I definitely understand what Ross is talking about.
His post is very good, and I’d definitely recommend reading it.
Primarily, we should ask ourselves this: Is our structure and/or meeting location limiting our life together in Jesus Christ? If it is, then we should change where we are meeting together.
Mutuality: Sharing Life in Christ Together
For the last few days, I’ve published a short series connecting mutuality and various forms of service for the same of the gospel: 1) itinerant (apostle) service, 2) teaching service, and 3) shepherding service. In each case, I stepped through the life of Jesus in the Gospels and the life of his followers in Acts and the various letters of the New Testament to show that these types of service were the work of all believers, not just the work of one or a few.
Now, I could have focused on any type of service. However, I picked these three because among the church people usually assume that only certain people carry out the work of itinerant service, teaching service, or shepherding service. Relegating these types of services to only one or few damages the health of the church.
Before I go much further, I want to point out that I DO believe that only some people are gifted as apostles (itinerant servants), or as shepherds, or as teachers, in the same way that only some people are gifted as encourages, or contributors, or helpers. However, just as all believers can encourage, give, or help, all believers can also serve in an itinerant fashion, or by shepherding, or by teaching. In fact, those gifted in certain ways should help all believers learn how to serve in that way. That is “equipping.”
This idea of mutual service (ministry) is carried over into the many, many “one another” passages of Scripture – some of those passages even include the same types of service as I’ve talked about here (i.e., “teaching one another”). The “one another” passages of Scripture point to a fellowship that we have with one another in the Holy Spirit. This fellowship is a sharing of life – sharing our life in Christ as we share our lives with one another.
In this kind of fellowship, “one way” service is out-of-place. Why? Because the service itself does not arise from within ourself but from the life of the Spirit within us. And, the Spirit is not ONLY in me. The Spirit is in each of us. The Spirit that gifts me and empowers me to serve in various manners is the same Spirit that gifts and empowers others to serve in various manners.
It is the Spirit in me that “qualifies” me to serve. (“Qualify” is the wrong word; but you understand what I mean.) But, in the same way, the Spirit “qualifies” others to serve as well. If I refuse to serve others as God directs me through his Spirit, then I am hindering the work of the Spirit. In the same way, if I refuse to accept the service of others as God directs them through his Spirit, then I am also hindering the work of the Spirit.
Just as Christ is my life, he is also our life together. As we share in Christ’s life, we also share in life together by the Holy Spirit. This same Spirit gifts us and empowers us and works through us to serve one another. This is the mutual life that we share in Christ together.
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Series on Mutuality and Service
Disciples of Jesus struggle to follow him in the most basic of instructions
Over the last few weeks, some friends and I have been encouraging and helping one another follow Jesus by asking each other this question: “What are you struggling to obey right now?”
We don’t try to tell each other what Jesus wants us to do to follow him. We simple pray for and encourage one another to follow in whatever struggle we’re having.
As I’ve thought about this question and some of the responses that we’ve given each other, I realized something interesting: disciples of Jesus struggle to follow him in the most basic of instructions.
But, this is nothing new. Why did every author of the New Testament stress that Jesus’ disciples were to love one another? Because everyone was struggling to do that – and we still do. And, yet, according to Jesus, “Love one another” is the one most basic of his instructions of all!
We do not need to be embarrassed by our struggles to follow Jesus. We all struggle, even if we struggle in different ways and at different times. Instead, we should help one another listen to Jesus and follow him.
So, what are you struggling to obey Jesus about right now?
Mutuality and Shepherding Service for the Gospel
For the next few days, I’m publishing a short series on the connection between mutuality and various forms of serving for the sake of the gospel. I’m sticking to commands, exhortations, and examples that we find in Scripture relating to mutual service and servants. There is a danger in sole-ministry, expert-ministry, and professional-ministry. In Scripture, service (of any kind) was performed mutually – both with others and for the sake of others.
In this post, I look at the service of shepherding. Among many in the church today, shepherding is a service that is the sole responsibility of a professional class of Christians – vocational pastors, elders, etc. But, in Scripture, shepherding is a much more of a mutual service to and for one another.
Interestingly, this is one of the types of services that is most easily recognized as mutual in the Gospel, even in the case of Jesus. It is clear that Jesus serves others – in fact, he even said that he came to serve others. However, in the Gospels, others care for and serve Jesus as well.
Here is one passage that shows how some were traveling with and caring for Jesus:
Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means. (Luke 8:1-3 ESV)
In Acts 6, we see an example of the apostles encouraging the believers in Jerusalem to care for one another. In this case, the people chose seven men to make sure that the Hellenistic widows were receiving food. Later, we see different people caring for and shepherding others, offering hospitality, providing food, etc. For example, consider Simon the Tanner (Acts 9:43), Cornelius (Acts 10), Lydia (Acts 16:14-16), and many who traveled with Paul.
Now, some may object and say that these are not officially forms of shepherding; they are simple examples of people serving one another. Instead, they might point to Acts 20:28 and 1 Peter 5:1-3 as examples of elders alone being responsible for official shepherding.
However, there is another (similar) passage that is directed toward all believers. This passage is found in the Book of Hebrews:
Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy… (Hebrews 12:12-16 ESV)
This passage shows that beyond physical shepherding (through service, hospitality, etc.) even spiritual shepherding is the responsibility of all believers to be performed mutually (that is, we should shepherd one another). In fact, the verb translated “see to it” in verse 15 is the same verb that is translated “overseeing” when elders are in the context.
God provides everything that we need, and Jesus alone is our good shepherd and our overseer. However, Jesus often shepherds us through others. We must be willing to respond to Jesus’ work through others, and we also must be willing to allow Jesus to use us to shepherd others.
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Series on Mutuality and Service
What else should I be? All apologies…
My friend Dan at “Some Church Stuff” has written another excellent post called “An Apology.” First, I must say that I love the play on words with the title… just what does he mean by “apology”?
Once you read through his post, you understand the main point of his title and his post: Dan is explaining why he writes his blog, and – perhaps more importantly – explains what he wants to write about in the future.
While I loved reading about (and remembering) the history of Dan’s blog, I especially appreciated this paragraph:
Now I feel like the blog might be moving into a new season. I feel like I have clearly stated what I believe is the problem. This has helped me substantially, and now I feel like my heart is moving on. Moving on from anger toward the system to peace in Him. This, in no way, means that my feelings have changed about the problems, about how grave and destructive they are. It simply means that there is One who has overcome these things, can teach us what no system of the world can teach, to truly trust in Him and Him alone.
Ah, yes. This reminds me of something I talked about with several brothers and sisters this weekend. This is where we are – wherever “this” happens to be. Now, how can we help one another follow Jesus and obey him?
Read the rest of Dan’s post. You’ll enjoy reading about his journey so far, and his intentions. I think you’ll also relate to his struggles in understanding his own heart and desires.
I can’t wait to read more of Dan’s posts.
Mutuality and Teaching Service for the Gospel
For the next few days, I’m publishing a short series on the connection between mutuality and various forms of serving for the sake of the gospel. I’m sticking to commands, exhortations, and examples that we find in Scripture relating to mutual service and servants. There is a danger in sole-ministry, expert-ministry, and professional-ministry. In Scripture, service (of any kind) was performed mutually – both with others and for the sake of others.
In this post, I look at the service of teaching. Among the church today, many immediately think of lecture-style or sermon-type presentations when they think of teaching. But, this was not the formats or methods of teaching used primarily in Scripture. Instead, in Scripture, teaching was much more interactive and mutual than we often see practiced today.
Of course, much of this arises from the purpose of teaching in Scripture. Teaching was not about sharing information with as many people as possible. Instead, teaching referred to helping one another following Jesus Christ, often in very practical ways.
While Jesus is certainly the teacher par excellence, even his teaching was often interactive with questions, answers, and even disagreements taking part during his teaching. Here is just one example of Jesus’ interactive teaching among crowds:
Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst…” (John 6:32-35 ESV)
Jesus also used interactive forms of teaching when with his followers:
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one…” (Matthew 13:36-38 ESV)
In the Book of Acts, when Paul teaches, he also primarily uses interactive and mutual forms of teaching. For example, consider this brief passage which describes Paul’s interaction with both unbelievers in a synagogue and believers (disciples):
And he [Paul] entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. (Acts 19:8-9 ESV)
The term translated “reasoning” – which describes Paul’s teaching both in the synagogue and among believers – is the same term used later when Paul speaks among the church in Troas. (Acts 20:7-12) Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell in this passage because it’s often translated “talked” or even “preached” in some translations.
When Paul wrote to the church in Collosae, he told them that one of the indications that they were dwelling in Christ is that they would teaching and admonish one another. (Colossians 3:16) This is the kind of mutual teaching that Paul practiced and the kind of mutual teaching that he expected among the church.
God created us to need him and to need one another. God teaches us, and he often chooses to teach us through other members of his family. Thus, we must take the time to listen to and interact with one another in order to teach and learn together.
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Series on Mutuality and Service
A Family Created by Spiritual Birth
One of my favorite bloggers and commenters is John (Aussie John) from “Caesura.” He recently published a very good post called “Family of God.”
The entire post is a great examination (from Scripture) of the essence and nature of God’s family, that is, those of us who are reborn into his family by the Spirit. While I encourage you to read the entire post, I want to point out a few things.
Notice these statements:
Assemblies, or congregations of people calling themselves Christians, have been constituted by techniques of human ingenuity, all claiming to be based on the New Testament, each with its system of doctrine and practice, some in stark contrast to others.
It seems to me that God’s idea is the creation of a spiritual family; a Family marked and ordered by love for God, as revealed in Jesus Christ, whose outworking of life will express itself according to what Scripture reveals…
Mutual Family love begins by spiritual birth, which is the placing of an individual spiritual stone, in the one organic entity of God’s Family. Mutual Family love DOES NOT come by adherence to a doctrinal code, statement of beliefs, or by joining.
Its intended purpose is not determined by its size or it’s statements about what it believes, but by the outworking of spiritual life of love and service to others as a measure of the indwelling of Christ by His Spirit.
Ah, yes… what a difference to live as family among those whom God has birthed anew by his Spirit instead of picking and choosing who to treat as brothers and sisters based on our beliefs and opinions.
I have a natural brother, born to the same mother and father. I love my brother, although we haven’t and probably still don’t always agree with one another. But, I was never asked whether or not he was going to be my brother. He IS my brother.
In the same way, everyone born of the Spirit IS your brother and sister and part of the family of God with you. Period.
Mutuality and Itinerant Service for the Gospel
For the next few days, I’m going to publish a short series on the connection between mutuality and various forms of serving for the sake of the gospel. I’m planning to stick to commands, exhortations, and examples that we find in Scripture relating to mutual service and servants. There is a danger in sole-ministry, expert-ministry, and professional-ministry. In Scripture, service (of any kind) was performed mutually – both with others and for the sake of others.
In this post, I look at the service of apostles or itinerant servants. I’m defining apostles as those who travel from place to place in order to proclaim the gospel to unbelievers and in order to strengthen believers.
Yes, in Scripture, even “apostleship” was a mutual form of service. The best place to begin in Scripture is in the Gospels.
Though he would probably be the only person to not need mutuality, Jesus usually traveled with, taught with, and served with others. After Jesus surrounded himself with others, he then sent them out (i.e., as apostles) together:
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. (Luke 10:1 ESV)
When we get to Book of Acts, we often see people traveling together: Paul and Barnabas, Barnabas and Mark, Paul and Silas, Silas and Timothy, etc. In fact, though we often focus on Paul, he was not “called” to travel alone. He was sent by God and by the church in Antioch together with Barnabas as a team:
Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. (Acts 13:1-3 ESV)
And, while it is also easy to overlook, apparently Peter was traveling with others as well:
So he [Peter] invited them [the men from Cornelius’ household] in to be his guests. The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. (Acts 10:23 ESV)
Now, certainly, there were times when people traveled alone. For example, it seems that Philip was alone when he was traveling around proclaiming the gospel in Acts 8. And, at least once, Paul was forced to travel alone to Athens. But, even in that instance, he asked for Timothy and Silas to join him as soon as possible. (Acts 17:14-15)
However, I think that Paul’s attitude when preparing to travel to Rome can help us understand that even when traveling alone (potentially), Paul still had mutuality in mind. He told the Roman believers:
For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you — that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. (Romans 1:11-12 ESV)
God created us to need him and to need one another. Even apostles need others to travel with them, to serve with them, and to encourage them even as they encourage and build up others.
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Series on Mutuality and Service
More about the Church in a Prison
Three months ago, I published a post called “Starting a Church… in a Prison?” That post linked to a post written by Jim at “Crossroad Junction” called “Planting Churches.”
In that post, Jim talked about “planting” churches in prisons and helping the prisoners teach and disciple one another as they lived among the others in the prison population.
Last week, Jim added an update to the bottom of his post. Here is part of what he wrote:
I was unable to return to that housing unit until a month later. When I did, I was swamped by guys telling me how Jesus was doing amazing things among them as they met together. Their enthusiasm was contagious!
It’s now three months later, and that church is truly indigenous and going strong, just like I knew it would.
When we minister and plant churches the way Jesus taught us to do it, it works. Imagine that!
Use the link above to read the rest of Jim’s post and update. He even describes some of the results of this indigenous church among the prisoners.
This story reminds me about Paul in Thessalonica. Paul was also only able to spend a few weeks in that city, but later, when he wrote them a letter, he praised them for their hard work on behalf of the gospel.
Paul helped them as they began to follow Jesus. Then he trusted God to direct them through his Spirit. Of course, like Jim above, Paul returned (via a co-worker and his letters) to check on these believers and continue to help them in their new life with Christ.
I love these real-life practical examples. Thanks, Jim! (By the way, in his post, Jim also says that he’s been amazed at how God is working among the homeless in a similar way.)
Guest Blogger: What is wrong with the word “Church”?
I’ve invited several 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 Marc Winter. You can connect with Marc via his Facebook page.
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What is wrong with the Word “Church”?
When we use the word “church” in our everyday conversations, we say things like: “Where do you go to church?” or “I will meet you at the church.” Most people understand that Jesus did not mean He would build a building; “And the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” But we continue to use this word; a word that in our current and historical usage means: a building where religious services are held. The King James Version translates the Greek word “ekklesia” as “church” 80 times in the New Testament. No wonder we have this word “church” stuck in our heads and in our vocabulary.
Language is the fundamental method we use for conveying information and understanding. When translating the Scriptures, the changing of one word can literally change the world, and in this case it has.
Jesus did not say in Matthew chapter 16, “I will build my church”. He did say, “I will build my ekklesia (ek-klay-see-ah).” The ekklesia is correctly translated: “called out assembly or community”. The word “church” is taken from the Greek word “kuriakon”(koo-ree-ak-on’), not “ekklesia”. Kuriakon, means: belonging to the Lord. Specifically, in the first century it was commonly understood to be a temple or house in which pagans worshiped their gods. We should ask why the word ekklesia was incorrectly translated “church” meaning a building, when the correct meaning was clear. When King James and Arch Bishop Bancroft set up 14 rules to be followed in translating the scriptures into English, the third rule required “the old ecclesiastical words to be kept, such as “church” instead of “congregation.” They also wanted the old offices of bishop, deacon, and pastor to relate to their “most common use by the most eminent fathers” (rule four). There was a deliberate focus on translating words favorably to the Anglican Church (of which King James was the head) to maintain control over the people. Without a building to gather the people around, the clergy, the pope, and to some degree, the king, would have lost control over the people. Even today without the use of buildings, the clergy and all denominations would lose control over the people.
When my wife and I read our English Bibles we insert the word “ekklesia” when we read or discuss what was incorrectly translated as “church”. The use of the word “church” has contaminated our hearts and minds to the Lord’s true purpose for His called out assembly or community. We get building focused, and we get clergy focused, which is exactly what King James, Bancroft and the spiritual forces behind them intended.
Remember the movie The Matrix? Church is just a prison built for your mind. When you know the truth, the truth will set you free.
All Comments Welcomed.