organic church planting = make disciples

When we think of church planting we usually think of a missionary or a group of missionaries who enter an area, preach the gospel, have a kingdom presence in the community which eventually becomes a group of believers with a name, a building, and non-profit status.  This is far from what we see in the NT.  There we find believers living out the great commission of making disciples of Jesus and equipping those disciples to make more disciples ad infinitum.  The Church is the body of believers who met to stir one another up and build itself up in Christ.

A modern day parable

So, a couple days ago my wifey posted a parable of sorts that I found very interesting, prophetic even.  Here is a pinch:

Behind Blue Eyes: A short story: "Once upon a time there were two wood cutters. They led similar lives and both had a deep love for both God and their families. They both worked for sunrise to sunset and both avid readers. The first man came home every evening and kissed his wife and hugged his children and then would spend the rest of the evening reading. He read all of the great dead theologians and he read all of the great living theologians."

I don't know where she comes up with this stuff but I dig it.   If you haven't read her blog before you should definitely jump over and check it out.  What she writes is raw and straight-out-of-the-box.  I admire her genuine style.

 

Look Who's Talking!

I read a blog today that deeply troubled me. To many it may be old hat, but for me...when I see someone coming to these conclusions and publishing them I am deeply troubled. Especially when that someone is a greatly respected leader of mine. I am talking about a post today from Thabiti Anyabwile entitled God's Doing the Talking.

His post is in response to a review of his recent book What is a Healthy Church Member in which the reviewer noted his concern with Thabiti's term "expositional listening" and how the traditional worship service built around the sermon undermines the priesthood of all believers.  (I wonder if he is referring to Eric's blog post ????)

Here is what Thabiti writes:

The fatal flaw in my reviewer’s comments was his tendency to think that the service at its best is a conversation between man and man, a human dialogue, a gathering of people of rather equal status speaking to one another. But is that really what’s happening in preaching and in the gathered worship of the church?

The very structure reflects a running dialogue–not between the people gathered, though we “speak to one another in songs,” etc.–but fundamentally between God and His people.

When God speaks through the exposition of His word there certainly will be many reactions, but as our Sovereign speaks there should not be an interruption in favor of our pooling our comments and sharing our insights.  Our best wisdom is foolishness before God.  Better to first listen to the One who speaks, then talk with one another about it afterward.

These conclusions imply that God only speaks through a well prepared expositional sermon delivered from a pulpit by a professional pastor.  God speaks beginning with the call to worship and ending with the benediction.  Everything else is just "after" talk.

Brothers and sisters, let me encourage you.  God dwells within his body, the church.  There is no part of the body that is not necessary, not needed, or just an afterthought.  We are all servants of Jesus Christ and we are expected to minister to one another as He leads us to when we gather together.  Ministry is for professionals and we are all in the business of doing His business of advancing the kingdom therefore we are all professionals and our reward is in Heaven with Christ.  There is something very special about faithful preaching that is true to the Word of God and we are ALL called to be preaching that word.  We are not all , apostles, evangelists, pastors and teachers but we are something special.  We are members in the body of Christ.  The preeminent, righteous, sinless, soveriegn, benevolent, maker and master of the heavens and earth dwells within you.  Walk by faith in that truth and study God's Word.  God will speak through you.

  

Thinking about stained glass

Alan Knox brought the song Stained Glass Masquerade by Casting Crowns to mind as he commented about another post written by Arthur Sido at The Voice Of One Crying Out In Suburbia titled : hiding behind our suits and smiles

 "The way we do church, gathering on schedule for an hour to “worship” leads to people hiding their hurting behind smiling faces and their Sunday best. We are rarely honest with each other because we spend so little time together. We need to get out of the pew and get into the lives and homes and families of other believers.

I get what they are saying:  the church is hiding behind stained glass and putting on a show for one another.  There is no intimate connectedness in any way that allows us to bear one another's burdens as we should.  I say we should stop hiding behind the stained glass and become like stained glass.  We should be transparent like glass although our lives are stained with sin, suffering and imperfections.

The Bible has a lot to say about the difference between the darkness and the light.  When we hide our lives from others it is like we are living in the dark.  Things cannot be hidden in the light.  The light exposes them for all to see.  I believe that the way we hide from one another is darkness that must be driven out by the light.  As the light begins to shine through the stained glass which is our lives it is then that the beauty of Christ's work can be seen by others.  Stained glass is not beautiful unless the light is shining through it.

 

worldwide phenomenon

Modern technology is amazing!  In this day and time we have the ability to write things that software on our computers will translate for others who do not speak our language to read.  We also have the ability to read the writings of others who speak a different language than we do.  The following is a clip from a blog from a french speaking brother in Canada.  It seems that the problems with the institutional church is a phenomena that is not  exclusively in the United States.  Check this (the translation is a bit hazy but I think you'll get the picture):

People are much more open to spiritual realities that we are often led to believe.But the church is an obstacle. They are often open to God and Jesus, but reject categorically the traditional church. Often not by malice, but simply because they find it odd, and because the weight of history is against her.

We must stop trying to attract people to us. They will not, or very little. Because they have no reason to come. They are not interested in what they are given answers all our beautiful pre-chewed. And it is the pride of thinking that they should normally (not?), Be interested in our programs and our "help."

 Unless the church returns to her first love of being the body of Christ, we will not be bringing people to be disciples of Christ. We will only be bringing them to be disciples of the system.  Folks do not want or need another system.  What they need is to be a part of the family of God.

you feeling it?

Have you ever heard the expression "you could really feel the spirit move during the worship service this Sunday"?  I have.  Everywhere.  Not just in charasmatic or pentecostal churches but in Southern Baptist and even (gasp) reformed churches!  EVERYWHERE I'VE BEEN...  This cartoon made me chuckle and sigh all at the same time.  My lungs are confused.

from ASBO Jesus

Yeppers....thats about right.  It's all about knowing your audience and giving them what they want.  As long as you know what they want and then deliver it, the crowds keep coming.  Everyones happy because everyone is entertained.  This is NOT what the church looks like in the New Testament.  This is what is looked forward to by those who plan to "go to church" every week.

But is anyone growing?  Is anyone being equipped to minister?  Is God's temple being built?  Is Christ's body displayed including all its members?  Is Christ the Head (and by head I mean director)?  Is everyone able to participate and minister to one another freely yet with order as we see in 1 Cor 14?

The traditional church of today looks nothing like the church of the NT.  Do we really think that is a good thing?

Virtual community in the wilderness

If you have been reading my blog any you know that my convictions prevent me from being a part of an institutional church gathering.  Because of that we have spent some time with some families who house church locally.  More recently we have been looking forward to gathering with the believers in our own neighborhood.  So far this endeavor has been disappointing.  Things aren't moving along as quickly as I expected or hoped.  I have been starving for community with folks that love Jesus and thinking about joining back with the house churching families sometime soon.

Today we had a bit of a house party and one of those families joined us for the fun and fellowship.  I had some time to talk with Eric about my hopes and frustrations.  He said some very encouraging things.  He reminded me of missionaries that spent years in an area before they saw any conversions.  They faithfully followed where God brought them and trusted Him for the results...no matter how long it took.  That is exactly what I needed to hear.  After the party I checked my reader and there I found a wonderful post by Jeff at Losing My Religion.  Jeff tells about what he calls the in-between and it sounds just like what I refer to as the wilderness.  His words echo my heart.  Here is a bit:

 "That being said, because of the blog, I've obviously become friends with a lot of people who are Christ-followers but aren't currently engaged in a regular gathering with other believers. Some of these folks have been 'outsiders' for several years, others for a few months. Some of them even believe it's okay not to belong to a community, and have no plans to be in one. Many others, though, express a sense of loneliness and loss, because they actually want to be in community--they just feel sort of exiled because they can't in good conscience belong to any of the traditional forms of gathering taking place around them. (That longing is actually what's drawn many of us into the blogosphere, because at least we can find someone else online who has an inkling of what we're feeling--and that's actually drawn some of us into a sort of pseudo-community.)"

 I thank God for providing me with fellowship manna.  Just the right amount, you know?  Not too much, not too little.  It has come in different forms.  The right encouragement at the right time face-to-face like Eric and the right post at the right time from Jeff.  It's nice to know that I'm not all alone out here in the wilderness.  God will carry us through.  I know He will.

Defining the "local church"

I have been thinking and writing about the biblical basis for denominations recently.  As I look at scripture the only reason I see for a body of believers to be divided is geography.  The church is one but it is located in different towns cities and nations.  Churches in the New Testament didn't divide from one another according to doctrines, races, spiritual gifts or musical preferences.  There were no membership classes or votes to be accepted.  There were no confessional statements that everyone agreed on.  The only thing that distinguished one church from another is the city they were in.

Alan Knox has published a re-post of a blog he wrote some time back that asks the question "what is a local church?"  Click the link to read the entire article.  Alan asks some very significant questions that I think are directly related to the denominations we see in churches today.  Here are just a few questions to spark your interest.  I'm especially interested in how those of you who defend denominations would answer these questions.

What do you think of when you hear the phrase “local church”?

Do you think of a building on the corner with a steeple? Most believers will admit that this is not a church, but may be a building where a church meets. But, what about the people who meet there?

Is the local church a group of believers who meet regularly at a specific place and at a specific time? Does a regularly meeting define a “local church”? Again, most believers will accept that someone may be part of a “local church” even if that person cannot meet at each regularly scheduled meeting. So, what about membership?

A biblical defense for denominations?

For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 

(1 Corinthians 11:18-19 ESV)

I think I understand what this verse is talking about.  Within the context, Paul is rebuking the Corinthians for eating and drinking without waiting for their brothers and sisters that "have nothing".  Paul dislikes this enough to say that when they come together and eat it is not the Lord's supper that they are eating.  So then, how does the above verse fit into Paul's argument?

I read something today that got me thinking about it.  It comes from The Institute for Nouthetic Studies blog.  Here is the main snip that got my wheels turning:

... And, even when there’s a better reason, some of that sort of thing can get mixed in and confuse people. But there is one fundamental reason for the problem. Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 11:19:

. . . there must be factions among you so that it may appear who is approved among you.

In that passage, he was dealing with factions within a congregation, but the principle applies to broader factions as well.... He wasn’t commending the Corinthians for their factious spirit—rather he condemned it. But, at the same time, he made it clear that, sometimes, something wrong can be necessary to produce something right.

I started thinking about it.  Big surprise there since I am such a big fan of denominations and I jump at every opportunity to quote a well respected teacher/author/church leader who gives a biblical case in defense of them.  Okay, that was sarcasm, I dislike division in the church with fervent zeal but I highly respect Jay Adams and I take in what he says with a high level of humility.  That is why his post today made me do a double-take.

I don't think Paul was at all saying that "something wrong can be necessary to produce something right".  In fact, if I understand this passage correctly, the very divisions among them reveal the ones who aren't genuine.  In contrast, Dr. Adams seems to imply that Paul gives us a principle that lays the groundwork for denominations thereby making denominations a bad thing with a good reason to exist.  As if Paul meant that the heretics and the sexually immoral and the greedy and the swindlers could go and form their own faction of the body of Christ and the righteous, obedient believers who walk in the Spirit and have correct doctrine can have their own faction of the body of Christ.  That way it would be evident to everyone who the true believers are.

Christ said he did not come to bring peace, but a sword but he was not bringing this sword to sever the limbs from his bride.  Through Christ's death and resurrection, all the ways of the old man are put away.  Division, rivalries, dissension and all the other works of the flesh were crucified with Christ.  Now Jew and Gentile are one body.  There is no place for division in the body of Christ.  The only distinction granted is that which distinguishes between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the spirit.  In this way, factions are necessary, and discipline is to follow with the hope of repentance and reconciliation with the unity of the body as the desired result.

Denominations are not good, not biblical, and I will boldly say that in my opinion dividing into denominations is one of those "acceptable sins" that is an evident work of the flesh.  I'm disappointed to read this from Dr. Adams.  I praise God for discernment.  I welcome any corrections.

Have I completely gone bonkers????  Or am I one of the few voices blessed enough to believe that humpty dumpty can be put back together again?

free the pastors! pastor for free!

Building on my last post, here is a post from Alan Knox at the assembling of the church describing how being a pastor in a participatory gathering of the church contrasts with being a pastor in an institutionalized traditional church.  First He shares many of the things he has read and heard lately describing what he sees pastors worrying about.  Then he shares his own experience and how he is free from these kinds of worries to do what pastors are called to do.

Alan writes:

Because of many of the above, I don’t worry about how many people meet with us each Sunday. I don’t have to worry about filling the pews (or chairs). I don’t have to worry about recruiting people to fill ministry program slots. I don’t have to worry about how much money people give.
Instead, I can focus all of my time and energy on people… caring for people… serving people… discipling people… teaching people… sharing my life with people.

Click over and read the whole post, it paints a clear picture of how our structures and traditions of having paid professional pastors actually distract us from what we are called to be in Christ.

perfect post for a Sunday sick day

Yesterday was misery for me.  I was like someone was blowing a balloon up in my head and then trying to pop it through my ear.  When I wasn't cowering in a dark corner of the house, hiding from the light and the noise, I was thanking God for the dizzying relief of some leftover tablets from the medicine cabinet.  Today I feel much better than yesterday but still wincing at loud noises.  Combine that with more than a week of In-laws visiting and one of the busiest home school weeks we've ever experienced thus far and what you have is a lost boy and a blue-eyed girl thinking our rest will be best at home this Sunday.

 This morning I woke with feelings and thoughts of guilt over wanting to stay at home rather than gather with the believers today.  Granted, I should want to be with my brothers and sisters as often as possible and I don't do everything I can to be in daily contact with them.  But that is not why I was beating myself up this morning.  Today it is more about sinning by being home on the Lords Day. 

By God's providence I read this morning where Arthur at The voice of one crying out in suburbia has shared more of his thoughts on the sabbath and how it fits into the creation order.

"See when I read Genesis 1, the primary message I see is not the seventh day. It is God creating the heavens and the earth, God creating ex nihilo all that we see around us and on the sixth day God's crowning achievement, creating man in His own image. The day of rest is what He did after He carried out His primary purpose of creation and creation was not merely a vehicle to get Him to that seventh day. Genesis 1 is not a story primarily about the Sabbath. It is a story of creation by the Creator, a grand framework to understand who God is and who man is in relation to Him."

You should read the rest of his post.  What he writes resounds with me because I know he hails from the sola-scriptura side of any argument which sometimes leaves him with a different opinion than our other "reformed" brothers.  I can most definitely relate to that.

So on this morning I am reminded that to be separate from the rest of the body of Christ leaves me lacking and incomplete and I realize that guilt over not gathering with them today is not from God.  I am resting in Christ today and I look forward to my next opportunity to join with believers that we may be mutually edified. 

What's Behind Blue Eyes?

My lovely wife has just launched her new blog.  She has a very unique perspective on all of life.  I'm sure we could all benefit and be challenged by her ponderings and persuasions.  Click over to her blog and take a look at whats Behind Blue Eyes.  Add her to your reading list, tell your wife, tell your daughters, tell your friends, tell your own blog readers.

One of her first posts is about motherhood and she gives us a glimpse into her mind as she ponders this monumental responsibility.

Luke 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

Ok so I'm sure no one else has ever had this convo in their head as a parent after reading something or talking to someone. "Oh crap, I am totally going to screw my kids up! Why the heck did God give me these little people that I can ruin???" "Relax, you aren't going to ruin them." "Relax? RELAX?!? How can I relax? Did you read that passage? it says that the kids when they are fully trained will be like me!!! ME?!? I'm a basket case, why the heck do I want them to be like me, I want them to be better than me" "But Self, that is what the verse says, they will be like me." Really? do we really want them to be like me? I mean look at me I'm holding a whole conversation in my head."  "Good point....ok so the only other option is to freak out." "my sentiments exactly.'' FREAK OUT!!!!!!

Yep sounds like my wifey!  The rest of her post is more rational I assure you.  Her honesty and the genuine nature of her musings from the mind of a woman who loves the Lord is refreshing.  Don't miss this, I surely won't.