An analogy of the church for geeks
If you read my blog, then you probably like reading about, talking about, studying, etc. the church.
But, are you also a geek? Do you enjoy computer stuff? Do you know what plugins, extensions, and add-ons are?
If you answered “yes” to any of those questions (and even if you answered “no”) you will enjoy Jon’s post “Plugins Extensions and Add-ons and the Church.”
His post begins with this:
“Speed up browsing by disabling add-ons.” I keep getting this message when I use Internet Explorer. I just checked Firefox and counted 13 plugins and extensions. I should sort through which ones I need to keep and discard the rest. If you have too many add-ons life slows down. We all know people who fill up every spare minute of their lives with activities and clubs. Its worth taking a moment now and then to sort out our priorities, and disable some add-ons.
From the studies I’ve done on what church meant in the New Testament here, here and here I believe church is people of God and when they get together. However when I look at church today I see a lot of extra things that have been added over the years. Extra additions are not necessarily bad. Sometimes people get so used to these extra things that they can’t imagine church without them. Sometimes these extra things get most of the focus, a lot of resources and time.
For there, the post just gets better. He names some of the plugins, extensions, and add-ons that “get most of the focus, a lot of resources and time.” Some are recent add-ons; some are historical.
Take the time to read Jon’s post. I think you’ll be glad you did.
Now… how do we trim away these “add-ons” and get to the root of what it means to be the church? How do we ensure that we’re not stripping away something vital and necessary?
Did God really say that?
In Genesis 3, the crafty serpent famously asks Eve, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?'” (Genesis 3:1 ESV) Eve responded that God had told them they could eat of any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. After this response, the serpent convinced Eve (and Adam) to eat from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil anyway.
Now, there are volumes and volumes written about this chapter at the beginning of the book of Genesis, the beginning of the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible), the beginning of the Old Testament, and in fact the beginning of the Christian Bible. There are many questions raised by this passage – and, apparently, more answers than there are questions.
But, for this post, I’d like for us to consider only one thing: the serpent’s question, “Did God really say…?”
It’s clear from the dialog that follows this question that the serpent was not interesting in clarifying what God had told Adam and Eve. He was not actually interested in what God really said. Instead, he was interested in tempting the woman and man to disobey God.
The serpent isn’t the last creature to ask the question, “Did God really say…” with the purpose of convincing someone to disobey God. Obviously, this line of questioning is used often by those who wish to twist what God did say.
Peter may have been referring to something like this when he wrote:
There are some things in them [Paul’s letters] that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. (2 Peter 3:16b-17)
In this passage, Peter warns against those who would twist the meaning of Scripture, which he says leads to “their own destruction.” Thus, there is certainly a danger of phrases such as “Did God really say…” being used for evil, to tempt or convince someone to think or act in a way contrary to God’s desire.
However, there may be times when it is not only valid but good to ask, “Did God really say that?”
There are times when someone claims to speak on behalf of God or to interpret something that is (supposedly) in Scripture, but in fact, whether the person intends to do so or not, the person is not actually stating something that is from God. In these cases, it is good to ask, “Did God really says that?”
What’s the difference? In the first case, the person asking the question wants people to live in a manner contrary to God’s desire. In the second case, the person asking the question wants the exact opposite – the person wants to help people living according to God’s desire, not contrary to God’s desire.
While Jesus doesn’t use that exact question (as in the case of Peter’s letter above), the same idea is expressed in Mark 7:
And he [Jesus] said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”‘ (that is, given to God) — then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” (Mark 7:9-13 ESV)
In other words, Jesus is asking the question, “Did God actually say that you could set aside something as ‘Corban’ and thereby not have to care for your father or mother?” Of course, God never said anything like that.
So, when we hear someone ask, “Did God really say that?” we need to stop and consider why that person is asking that question. Is the person attempting to convince us to do something that is contrary to God’s desire, or is the person attempting to convince us to live according to God’s desire?
Of course, determining that motivation is not always easy.
What are some ways to help us determine why someone is asking the question, “Did God really say that?”
The Church as Scapegoat?
Bill at “NT/History Blog” has written a fascinating post called “Stephen as Scapegoat, Scattering as Ingathering.”
The post is a mix of history, Scripture, and theology, and Bill does this kind of thing better than most.
In the post, he steps us through the events of Acts 6-8 including the speech and death of Stephen and the scattering of the church (except the apostles) because of persecution. Now only does Bill place these events chronologically within history, he also discusses their theological significance.
He writes:
So, on the day they heard Stephen’s “blasphemy”, they had him executed to set an example, and quite an effective one, evidently. In the moment, however, at some psychological level, this execution also must have been partly to cover up their own suspicions of self-guilt. Whatever their internal thoughts, the Sanhedrin evidently decided that killing Stephen was a sacrifice needed for Israel’s good. That makes him a “scapegoat” in the absolutely most classical (if not absolutely the most biblical) sense.
Next, all but twelve Christians fled Jerusalem. Not only Stephen, but the Church was therefore sent out of the camp, exiled to wander away, in the Wilderness. Not only Stephen, but the Church became Israel’s – well, Jerusalem’s – Scapegoat.
Next, Bill discusses the implications of the church being scattered, and how this actually resulted in a harvest for God. He connects this back to the timing of the event, around the feast of booths (Sukkot).
Very interesting indeed…
What do you think?
Guest Blogger: The Keys of the Kingdom and Binding and Loosing
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 Jan Willem van Borselen. You can contact Jan via email at WhatsInScripture [at] gmail [dot] com.
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I enjoyed what Alan wrote about authority in the church. About two years ago I reached the same conclusion that the fact that Paul directed most of his letters at the churches and not at specific leaders, is very telling about how he viewed where authority in the church was placed: not with the “leadership” but within the community as a whole.
I also made, for me, a startling discovery that Jesus was addressing this in his teaching on the matter of binding and loosing. Having a charismatic background I heard a lot of teaching that didn’t do justice to what Jesus was really saying here.
In the Jewish Encyclopedia I found the following:
Binding and loosing
Rabbinical term for “forbidding and permitting”… The power of binding and loosing was always claimed by the Pharisees. Under Queen Alexandra, the Pharisees, says Josephus, “became the administrators of all public affairs so as to be empowered to banish and readmit whom they pleased, as well as to loose and to bind.” This does not mean that, as the learned men, they merely decided what, according to the Law, was forbidden or allowed, but that they possessed and exercised the power of tying or untying a thing by the spell of their divine authority, just as they could, by the power vested in them, pronounce and revoke an anathema upon a person.This power and authority, vested in the rabbinical body of each age or in the Sanhedrin, received its ratification and final sanction from the celestial court of justice.
The terms were in those days apparently closely associate with leaders exercising authority over other people, and not, as I was taught, with exercising authority over demons or situations.
Keeping this in mind while reading the following passage:
If your brother wrongs you, go and show him his fault, between you and him privately. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. But if he does not listen, take along with you one or two others, so that every word may be confirmed and upheld by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he pays no attention to them [refusing to listen and obey], tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a pagan and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you forbid and declare to be improper and unlawful on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit and declare proper and lawful on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven. Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together) about whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven. For wherever two or three are gathered (drawn together as My followers) in (into) My name, there I AM in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:15-20)
It stands out that Jesus turned this concept, as described by Josephus, completely upside down: The authority to make decisions no longer was placed in the hands of the leadership but among the common people meeting even in groups as small of two or three, experiencing the fellowship with the one who has all authority. Likewise, dealing with a sinner was no longer the responsibility of leaders but in the first place the responsibility of brothers around him or her. The final decision to expel someone was to be done by the whole assembly and not by a leader or the leadership. We can see that Paul followed this same principle when he wrote:
So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 5:4-5)
And…
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.” (1 Corinthians 5:12-13)
He addressed the assembly as a whole and not a specific leader.
In this teaching about binding and loosing Jesus completely leaves out the role of leaders even though this was exactly what was considered an important part of their role. For the people who have been raised in a society that was to a high degree controlled by the Sanhedrin, this must have been a shocking statement. For the leaders this must have been a severe threat to their position.
Maybe you already knew this but for me it was new and never heard it explained in this way.
God bless!
Jan Willem van Borselen
Scripture… As We Live It #175
This is the 175th passage in “Scripture… As We Live It.”
This re-mix was sent to me by my friend Doug, and he gave me permission to use it here.
For God the church staff is not unjust so as to overlook your work in the church and the love committees that you have shown served on for his name in serving the saints ministry, as you are expected to still do if you want to get noticed and/or get a title. (Hebrews 6:10 re-mix)
(Please read the first post for an explanation of this series.)
Comment Highlight: Just another day when the workers watch the leaders do all the work
A few days ago, Art left this comment on my post “When equippers don’t equip.” I don’t think his comment requires any further commentary on my part:
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You pull into the parking lot at work, and the lot is nearly full–there are 450 employees here at DoinGreatStuff, Inc. As you enter the expansive auditorium, you find some friends in your department and catch up on their week so far. On the stage, final preparations are being made–four chairs are set in place. The lights dim and a hush settles in.
The CEO moves to his chair, as does the CFO, the COO, and the VP of Sales and Marketing. They each have a telephone–yep, the old fashioned kind with a rotary dial. This is a conservative business that sticks by the old fundamentals. Their faces seem so intense–these men are all very good at what they do. Then a phone rings. It is for the VP.
“Hello, this is John with DoinGreatStuff” he begins. Smooth as silk. A few minutes go by, and then he asks for the order, a trial close, actually, but so easily woven it seemed like part of the conversation. “So, then you you want those in red and delivered by the first of the month to meet your deadlines? Yes, we can do that. He takes a few notes while the voice on the other end gives final instructions. Then he hands up winking to the CEO. They shake hands smiling, and the audience comes alive with murmurs of “great job” “amen” and “praise you Jesus!”
Just another day at the job, where the workers sit in the auditorium and watch the well trained, senior execs conduct business–as usual. Where’s my notepad, I gotta write this down…
Replay: A Series on Elders in the Church
Four years ago, in September 2007, I wrote a seven part series on the topic of “Elders.” Below, I re-post the conclusion which was originally called “Elders (Part 7) – Conclusion.” At the bottom of this post, you’ll find links to the other posts in the series. I hope you enjoy these posts.
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“Elders (Part 7) – Conclusion”
In this series, I’ve suggested that Scripture does not hold elders to a higher standard of character, leadership, teaching, shepherding, or oversight. Also, I’ve suggested that Scripture does not add any responsibilities to elders in these areas above the responsibilities of all believers. Instead, I’ve suggested that, according to Scripture, all believers have the same responsibilities in these areas.
Does this mean that elders are unscriptural? Does this mean that elders are unimportant?
No. Elders are both scriptural and important. Scripture teaches that the church in Jerusalem had elders. Scripture teaches that Paul appointed elders in the cities that he visited. Scripture teaches that Paul told Timothy and Titus how to recognize elders. James and Peter both expected elders in the various churches to whom they wrote.
Elders are scriptural and important. When we recognize elders, we should recognize those who best exemplify the character, leadership, teaching, shepherding, and oversight required of all followers of Jesus Christ. When we think of people who are best following Jesus Christ and who are best serving other people, elders are the ones we should think about. When we want to see a flesh-and-blood example of what it means to live for Christ here and now, elders should be our best examples. These are the people who point us toward maturity in Jesus Christ – not toward themselves. When we need help in understanding something, or when we need assistance, or when we need comfort, or when we need exhortation, or even when we need correction, we should think of elders – not because they alone are responsible in these areas, but because we have observed how they live in obedience to Christ in these areas.
Again, this does not mean that elders are more responsible. It means that elders have demonstrated that they are more faithful in obeying Christ the way that all believers should obey Christ. However, elders who recognize that it is important for all followers of Jesus Christ to live this kind of obedient life will not always respond to requests for help from other believers. Instead, they will recognize that it is necessary that other believers have opportunities to demonstrate their character, to lead, to teach, to shepherd, and to oversee. Thus, elders who are interested in maturing all believers toward Christ will often defer an opportunity to serve to other believers, because those elders know that it is more important for the other believers to grow in maturity than it is for the elders themselves to do something, even if the elders might do it better.
In many contexts, people believe that elders lead best when they are visible and vocal. However, this is not necessarily true. Yes, there are times when mature believers (any mature believer, not just elders) should make themselves seen and heard in order to protect the gospel (not to protect our pet doctrines, but to protect the gospel). I have personally never been in one of these situations. I believe that they are rare, but the situation could come up. However, for the most part, I believe that elders demonstrate their maturity and Christlikeness most when they are not seen and not heard but are instead serving in obscurity by leading, teaching, shepherding, and overseeing in ways that demonstrate the humility and gentleness of the Spirit of Christ. If someone must be “in the limelight” – if they must be noticed – if they must be the main speaker – if they must make their opinion known – then it could be that this person is not demonstrating the character of Christ – who humbled himself taking the form of a servant – and reliance upon God, but is instead revealing a character of pride and self-dependence.
I recognize that there are serious implications of my views concerning elders. I hope to discuss many of these implications. However, I also want to give you an opportunity to discuss these implications. So, for the conclusion of this series, I am asking you – my readers – to help us understand the implications. Later, I will publish another post in order to discuss these various implications. Here are my questions for you:
1. Am I missing something in my understanding of elders?
2. What are the implications of this view of elders?
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Series on Elders
1. Elders (Part 1) – Introduction
2. Elders (Part 2) – Character
3. Elders (Part 3) – Leadership
4. Elders (Part 4) – Teaching
5. Elders (Part 5) – Shepherding
6. Elders (Part 6) – Overseeing
7. Elders (Part 7) – Conclusion
And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved
The title of this post is the ESV translation of Acts 2:47. As we’ve continued to study through the Book of Acts together as a church (and we’re up to chapter 19 this week), we’ve noticed this kind of statement.
It seems that the Lord was continually adding those who were being saved, or the word of the Lord was increasing, or the church was growing, or something like that was continuing to happen throughout the Book of Acts.
Today… not so much?
So, what do you think? Was the growth of the church by conversion (I’m only talking about conversion growth in this post) not as dramatic as it appears? Was that kind of conversion growth limited to the initial days of the church? Is there something we are lacking or not doing that is precipitating a lack of conversion growth? Is there some other reason that we don’t typically see that same kind of “conversion growth” today?
I’d really love to hear your thoughts on this. By the way, when I say “conversion growth,” I’m not talking about just people saying a prayer or even just people getting baptized. I’m talking about people going from not being a disciple of Jesus Christ to being a disciple of Jesus Christ and following him. (Believe me, I have plenty of stories of the say a prayer / get baptized kind of “conversion growth,” and I’m not interested in that at all.)
The Church of the Greasy Spoon
As soon as I stepped through the door, I hated the place. The interior was almost as dirty as the exterior, and the place smelled of bacon and old grease… or maybe it was bacon IN old grease.
I followed my new friend Mike through the diner past several tables covered in plastic gingham and dirty dishes. He spoke to an old lady wearing an apron and a chubby cook behind the counter, and they both greeted him. Finally, we settled into a corner table at the back of the small dining room… would you call this place a dining room?
Two men were already seated at the table when we slid into the book. Mike introduced me and told me their names were Fred and Henry… or was it Ed? No, I think it was Fred. The older of the two men – Henry – immediately asked Mike about his new job, which is where I had met him. Mike started working in our department just a few weeks ago. It was exciting to learn that Mike was a Christian, and even more exciting when he went to church with me last Sunday.
Then, he invited me here. Who has ever heard of going to church in a greasy spoon at 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday mornings? But, I kinda felt like I owed it to Mike, since he came to my church. He and his family even invited us to lunch after the Sunday morning worship service. We declined, of course, but I still felt like I owed it to him to go to church with him. I was praying that Mike would see how great our church was and start coming with us regularly.
Mike was telling Ed/Fred and Henry about working in our department. I was half listening while cleaning off my silverware with a napkin, which seemed clean enough. The older lady, who turned out to be the only waitress in the place, brought the other three guys coffee, each one fixed differently, and asked me what I would like to drink. I noticed she had a name tag that read “Mildred.”
After she headed back to the coffee pot to get my order, I heard Mike saying that he had prayed with Trish.
“Wait,” I interrupted, “You prayed with Trish, our boss?” I was listening carefully now.
“Yeah,” Mike said. “She’s going through some tough things in her family.”
“Did you know she’s an atheist?” I asked.
“She told me that,” Mike answered. “But I asked her if I could pray for her, and she said, ‘Yes’.”
Before I could say anything else, a big guy burst through the front door. “Hellooooo, Mil,” he said much too loudly for this little place. He hugged the waitress and spun her around. He called out to the man behind the counter, who grinned and waved back. “Jim, I’m gonna have to sing this morning. But, I’ll try to keep it short.” The cook nodded and turned back to his grill.
“Oh God,” I thought, “Don’t let him come to this table.” I already didn’t like this man. He was so loud and impolite.
But, of course, he came to our table. Each of the other men stood and hugged the big guy, then Mike introduced him to me as Walt. I quickly stuck out my hand, and Walt shook it enthusiastically.
As we sat back down, I was suddenly stunned to hear a burly, deep, off-key voice beginning to bellow “Amazing Grace.” I looked up, and Walt was singing, if you can call it singing. The others guys were all smiling, but I was trying to sink back into the bench. People were staring, especially a man in a suit at a nearby table. I felt so embarrassed.
The other three guys at our table (including Mike), joined Walt in singing the last few lines of the song. The guy in the suit started a slow, sarcastic clap in response. He started laughing, and I turned even redder.
“I’m sorry that I bothered you,” Walt said… and he seemed sincere. “I won’t sing again.”
“That’s good,” the man said.
“Walt just got some incredible news,” Henry said to the man. “He and his wife separate just over a year ago, and she filed for divorce last month. Yesterday, she dropped the divorce, and wants to work it out. Walt just wants to praise Jesus for that.”
“Well, I’m glad it worked for you,” the man said looking toward Walt. “All of us aren’t that lucky. I guess Jesus didn’t want me to stay married.” The man turned back to his coffee and newspaper.
“Boys, nature is calling,” Walt said, still a little too loud for my liking. “Time to visit the little boys’ room.” He walked through a door beside the counter while the other three men picked up their small talk.
I was beginning to wonder if Mildred was going to take our food order when Walt came back into the dining room. He paused beside the man in the suit and asked him if he could sit with him for a moment. The other men didn’t seem to notice and continued talking about families and work and friends and Jesus.
I sat there for several minutes, fidgeting in my seat. “So,” I asked finally, “When does church start?”
How did you get from there to here?
People from all over the world connect and interact with me on this blog (and via other networks), and I love it! I love hearing the different stories and perspectives, especially concerning the church.
But, I wonder, what roads are people taking to reach my blog? There are several paths to reach my posts now, because I share links on several different social networks. Most of these links are posted automatically.
Would you be willing (please?) to share with me how you typically reach my blog posts? (If you use more than one method, please share that as well.)
Here are several options (but you can share others as well):
- Bookmark / Direct Connection
- Google+
- RSS feed / Feed reader
- Twitter / Twitter client
Finally, for the last few months, I’ve been sharing older posts on Facebook and Twitter. If you have seen those links, please tell me what you think about me sharing those old posts. I’ve gotten positive feedback, but I also want to make sure that I’m not sending out too many links.
Thank you for helping me! I really appreciate it.