The sharp end of the stick where moving away from the institutional expressions of church are concerned must be about how it affects your relationship with Jesus. Firstly we need to understand what it is to elect Christ as the true Lord of your life. We need to get rid of all the things we buy into that make us decentralised on God. I know a Pastor who has the tag line of his church 'Christ centred' yet he dominates the stage and is constantly filling the peoples ears with his product and his own 'wisdom' I believe we can help each other out in life but NEVER to take any percentage of the attention off the living source Jesus. Sadly many men are church icons, telling the congregations that they are their disciples or at least living this principle out.
A relationship with God is something we should all be working towards being unfettered. Reliance's, scaffolding, life support systems all exist in the church and work towards us becoming more plugged into the dust. We need to be plugged into our heavenly source: Jesus and that is an amazing thing. We begin to see who we really are in the light of his love, we experience his first hand love as we draw upon him, not a sermon, to sustain us in times of need. We rejoice even in hard times because it is these that excavate the soul to contain more of God's Spirit. We can nurture the raw faith it takes to truly trust in that which is unseen. Gone are the pseudo-faith claims that are really business plans. Gone are the hope in some unseen cloud to win the neighbours when we really need to be light and life. We key into the realities of supernatural ordinariness instead of living from goose-bump to goose-bump.
Monday 8 September 2008
er.... whats that you say?
At this time the evangelical/pentecostal types in the church are wondering what has happened to a couple of their hero's. Both have been subject to that old chestnut 'sin' and have been found out. I don't think that they have sinned is the problem, its the fact that they have hero status at all. Its happened before and it will happen again, man will raise the profile of someone and over time they will be found out. My particular issue about one of the men concerned was that he was putting forward unbiblical teaching about angels and such like. I'm not talking about the grey issues we have our own points of view about, I mean things that encroach upon the core beliefs of Christianity and present weird and wonderful opinions as fact.
Many have told me that I shouldn't be so worried, 'let God sort it out' but I simply can't! It is our responsibility to discern the error and be alert! It appears we are all worried that if we question the strange teachings of some platform superstar we are judging. No. Judging can only be an issue if conclusions are brought with no data. If something occurs and we have data, we must act according to scripture in dealing with the issue. Nowhere does Jesus say, 'tho leavest thy brains at thy house' when approaching false teaching. Jesus said we would know by their fruit and fruit is measured by scripture. Its not rocket science!
It's going too far when having reached a conclusion about a ministry that is misguiding or teaching erroneous stuff, we then lambast the individual. I cannot judge the motives of an individual but I can comment on its scriptural validity. Interestingly my communications about certain ministries with other Christians have led to them taking pot shots at my motives while telling me to not judge! Here's my motive for raising the issues:
The Word of God is our standard, our datum edge and our compass. If I hear or read of anyone who is knowingly or unknowingly using it wrong, it is my responsibility to protect my brothers and sisters from such error.
Done in love we can all exist in a safe environment, free from the false teaching and misleading statements from those who know better
Many have told me that I shouldn't be so worried, 'let God sort it out' but I simply can't! It is our responsibility to discern the error and be alert! It appears we are all worried that if we question the strange teachings of some platform superstar we are judging. No. Judging can only be an issue if conclusions are brought with no data. If something occurs and we have data, we must act according to scripture in dealing with the issue. Nowhere does Jesus say, 'tho leavest thy brains at thy house' when approaching false teaching. Jesus said we would know by their fruit and fruit is measured by scripture. Its not rocket science!
It's going too far when having reached a conclusion about a ministry that is misguiding or teaching erroneous stuff, we then lambast the individual. I cannot judge the motives of an individual but I can comment on its scriptural validity. Interestingly my communications about certain ministries with other Christians have led to them taking pot shots at my motives while telling me to not judge! Here's my motive for raising the issues:
The Word of God is our standard, our datum edge and our compass. If I hear or read of anyone who is knowingly or unknowingly using it wrong, it is my responsibility to protect my brothers and sisters from such error.
Done in love we can all exist in a safe environment, free from the false teaching and misleading statements from those who know better
Saturday 3 May 2008
Do you live by faith?
It says in more than one place in the New Testament that 'the righteous will live by faith.' Faith is relying on the unseen. The biggest example is how we as Christians believe in God who is not seen. It's unreasonable yet we choose to believe in Him... that is faith. When I teach that the church should be small groups meeting in homes around a meal with everyone contributing... and that will cause revolution... people think I am out of my mind. The reason is that methods for success in organisations are tried and tested and the church utilises these methods to outwork the purpose of 'church.' Doing the done thing is not living by faith! Its living by methodology and human planning.
The church that has no resemblance to what 'works' seems foolish and powerless. However this is exactly what God wants! We need faith to be part of something just because he says so, not because we think it has the right components or the elements of something that has worked before. It takes no faith to attend a church whose visions and plans are straight from modern day business techniques. Still my Bible tells me 'the righteous shall live by faith.'
Paul the Apostle told the Corinthians that they should meet around a full meal with bread and wine as a part. He also told that faltering church that their heirarchical divisions were not good. He also told them that when they meet together each should have a contribution. In churches we find the meal reduced to a token gesture, heirarchies in abundance and a small group of 'experts' speaking to the crowd.
I communicate to many ministers who feel that the existance of the church to this point in history is validation for their practice. If validation is gained by existance then the Roman Catholics are also doing the right thing! Validation by existence is a weak argument and underlines that we need to see the church in scripture.
I want to see people become Christians but I believe it would be a revolution if people simply returned to New Testament church practice. Why? because God says so. How? I dont know..... but thats faith for ya!
The church that has no resemblance to what 'works' seems foolish and powerless. However this is exactly what God wants! We need faith to be part of something just because he says so, not because we think it has the right components or the elements of something that has worked before. It takes no faith to attend a church whose visions and plans are straight from modern day business techniques. Still my Bible tells me 'the righteous shall live by faith.'
Paul the Apostle told the Corinthians that they should meet around a full meal with bread and wine as a part. He also told that faltering church that their heirarchical divisions were not good. He also told them that when they meet together each should have a contribution. In churches we find the meal reduced to a token gesture, heirarchies in abundance and a small group of 'experts' speaking to the crowd.
I communicate to many ministers who feel that the existance of the church to this point in history is validation for their practice. If validation is gained by existance then the Roman Catholics are also doing the right thing! Validation by existence is a weak argument and underlines that we need to see the church in scripture.
I want to see people become Christians but I believe it would be a revolution if people simply returned to New Testament church practice. Why? because God says so. How? I dont know..... but thats faith for ya!
Tuesday 29 April 2008
The search for significance
Today a work colleague asked me a question: "what is the purpose of our lives in God?" Ten years ago I would have answered 'to be used by God to fulfil his plan and purpose,' and to some extent I believe that today. However I thought about this and had a few interesting observations. In the western world we seek our identity through becoming who we want to be. We pursue activities, careers and what we say are callings. One thing is for sure, we all search for significance in one way or another. Even our families can only provide a portion of our significance because one day we do ask 'what is the purpose of our lives in God.'
I think we have been nudged all our lives into thinking that our significance lies in how we live our lives and we need to live in a relationship with Jesus Christ to even begin the search for significance. In the chat with my colleague we discussed the fact that we are significant by virtue of our BEING! In Christ we are unique and are personally known by God. Mind blowingly he thought of us before creation and knew about your life even then! I also believe that God wants to be with us as much as we want to be with him! Because our societies constantly envelop us with the value of status, materialism, celebrity, what attributes make us 'count' we hardly consider the intrinsic value of our lives before we measure ourselves by this worlds values. If we can see past the imposed value systems we can begin to see that God loves us in our stripped down state. He loves US! We are significant by virtue of our being. What confuses the issue is when we try to compete in a world full of wrong values. We can lose self worth, self esteem and individuality if we are trying to be someone by ever unattainable standards. With God you are accepted by being you!
Sadly many leadership structures re-enforce a value system that claims prosperity, status, profile and celebrity are blessings and should be pursued. there's nothing wrong with these things as long as the heart isn't buying into them. I'm not sure anyone this side of heaven can resist the seduction of the worlds value systems.
I will never sell out to this worlds values. They are condemned to this earth.
They are dust.
I think we have been nudged all our lives into thinking that our significance lies in how we live our lives and we need to live in a relationship with Jesus Christ to even begin the search for significance. In the chat with my colleague we discussed the fact that we are significant by virtue of our BEING! In Christ we are unique and are personally known by God. Mind blowingly he thought of us before creation and knew about your life even then! I also believe that God wants to be with us as much as we want to be with him! Because our societies constantly envelop us with the value of status, materialism, celebrity, what attributes make us 'count' we hardly consider the intrinsic value of our lives before we measure ourselves by this worlds values. If we can see past the imposed value systems we can begin to see that God loves us in our stripped down state. He loves US! We are significant by virtue of our being. What confuses the issue is when we try to compete in a world full of wrong values. We can lose self worth, self esteem and individuality if we are trying to be someone by ever unattainable standards. With God you are accepted by being you!
Sadly many leadership structures re-enforce a value system that claims prosperity, status, profile and celebrity are blessings and should be pursued. there's nothing wrong with these things as long as the heart isn't buying into them. I'm not sure anyone this side of heaven can resist the seduction of the worlds value systems.
I will never sell out to this worlds values. They are condemned to this earth.
They are dust.
Sunday 27 April 2008
The Greater Commission
Ever asked 'what is church for?' If you have you probably get the standard answer 'to save the lost.' I understand that. However, I believe the church's primary responsibility is not to save people but to BE the church. Unless the church is overflowing with the Holy Spirit's life, we risk entering our communities with just words. This brings about a minimal response from those we are encountering. We need God's power and it starts with 'church.'
I believe there are elements that make us feel like we are equipped to impact society and sometimes it works. Here and there people respond to the gospel. However, many give up over time as people simply fail to respond to the gospel message. Can it be that we are filled with other things which crowd out the Spirit's power? Even though Jesus said being a disciple is about losing your life, we see many who the church has given them profile, status and sometimes self worth. Many are filling holes of self esteem with their position in church life. I'm all for being encouraged by the body of Christ but these deeper issues are only truly found IN CHRIST.
We can only overflow with what we are filled with and for many it is 'church.' It needs to be Christ.
If we consider Paul instructed the Corinthians to meet around a meal (1 cor 11), meeting in homes not halls with open and equal sharing (1 Cor 14:26f) we can see how simple church was. When Jesus said "this do in remembrance of me" at the last supper, while he was speaking of the bread and wine, the context was a small group eating a meal with Jesus at the centre! With absolutely no instruction to have clergy, the house of God and reducing the meal to a sip of Ribena and a lump of bread, there is certainly a case for re-examining 'church and how it has become tampered with over years.
We can only overflow with what we are filled with. How we do church is CRUCIAL to being a free flowing vessel through which God can burst into society. A friend who Pastors a church told me she left a mission with an aching heart for the lost but this person is not willing to even entertain the possibility that we need to change the way we do church. Contact me if you need more on reforming church practice.
I believe there are elements that make us feel like we are equipped to impact society and sometimes it works. Here and there people respond to the gospel. However, many give up over time as people simply fail to respond to the gospel message. Can it be that we are filled with other things which crowd out the Spirit's power? Even though Jesus said being a disciple is about losing your life, we see many who the church has given them profile, status and sometimes self worth. Many are filling holes of self esteem with their position in church life. I'm all for being encouraged by the body of Christ but these deeper issues are only truly found IN CHRIST.
We can only overflow with what we are filled with and for many it is 'church.' It needs to be Christ.
If we consider Paul instructed the Corinthians to meet around a meal (1 cor 11), meeting in homes not halls with open and equal sharing (1 Cor 14:26f) we can see how simple church was. When Jesus said "this do in remembrance of me" at the last supper, while he was speaking of the bread and wine, the context was a small group eating a meal with Jesus at the centre! With absolutely no instruction to have clergy, the house of God and reducing the meal to a sip of Ribena and a lump of bread, there is certainly a case for re-examining 'church and how it has become tampered with over years.
We can only overflow with what we are filled with. How we do church is CRUCIAL to being a free flowing vessel through which God can burst into society. A friend who Pastors a church told me she left a mission with an aching heart for the lost but this person is not willing to even entertain the possibility that we need to change the way we do church. Contact me if you need more on reforming church practice.
Empty Message?
There are those who shop around the marketplace of religion wondering what 'the answer' is. I believe faith in Jesus Christ is the answer as this opens the door to a relationship with God. Ive been accused over the years of having a blind faith or a western mindset. In other words I only believe the Jesus story because my upbringing was saturated with a bias towards Christianity. I can see how this accusation is true of Muslim countries as they are forbidden to even speculate on other 'truths.' My faith in Jesus has grown and much of that has been because of the incredible knitting together of Biblical data. Having looked over other 'holy' scriptures I can assure you there are tales of amazing ventures. None can match the Bible which over 1500 years, 40 different authors on three different continents still shows the consistent message of an incredible God.
One of the most incredible occurrences is the Transfiguration (Luke 9:28f). Here we see a meeting between Elijah, Moses and Jesus. If there was a board meeting in eternity you would expect to see these three at the table without doubt! Here they were chatting on the mountain in full view of the disciples who were invited. What was the purpose of this event being outplayed in the public eye, forever to be recorded in the bible? If we look who was there we see significance: Moses took God's people to the edge of the Promised Land and died, buried in the ground. Elijah exited the Promised Land and was taken alive, bodily, in a whirlwind as Elisha looked on. We now know that Jesus was buried in the ground AND taken bodily into heaven. This was possible through the resurrection! He died and was buried like Moses thus fulfilling that era and by ascending in heaven fulfilled the era that Elijah spoke of. In Christ then we have the fulfilment and completion of all times, wrapping up the saving work of God on planet earth.
We simply have to walk in his footsteps and be led by the Holy Spirit.
No other book has the forensic nuts and bolts like the Bible. It is a miracle manuscript designed to point us towards entering a relationship with God. Choose Jesus.
One of the most incredible occurrences is the Transfiguration (Luke 9:28f). Here we see a meeting between Elijah, Moses and Jesus. If there was a board meeting in eternity you would expect to see these three at the table without doubt! Here they were chatting on the mountain in full view of the disciples who were invited. What was the purpose of this event being outplayed in the public eye, forever to be recorded in the bible? If we look who was there we see significance: Moses took God's people to the edge of the Promised Land and died, buried in the ground. Elijah exited the Promised Land and was taken alive, bodily, in a whirlwind as Elisha looked on. We now know that Jesus was buried in the ground AND taken bodily into heaven. This was possible through the resurrection! He died and was buried like Moses thus fulfilling that era and by ascending in heaven fulfilled the era that Elijah spoke of. In Christ then we have the fulfilment and completion of all times, wrapping up the saving work of God on planet earth.
We simply have to walk in his footsteps and be led by the Holy Spirit.
No other book has the forensic nuts and bolts like the Bible. It is a miracle manuscript designed to point us towards entering a relationship with God. Choose Jesus.
Saturday 26 April 2008
"Give me back my church!"
Welcome to my first blog. A huge point of debate right now is the way 'church' is being examined by all kinds of Christians. Good people will arrive at their expression of church this Sunday readily accepting the format and functioning. Over the last few years it seems that God has been shaking up the accepted leadership structures and speaking to people about 'church' and what it is. Some have walked away from what has been identified as 'man's idea about church' and began to explore God's idea. More than a few times I have been told to just concentrate on the important things like our relationship with Jesus. I agree! What many fail to see is how our practice church and our relationship with Jesus are connected.
We live in New Testament times but the Old Testament principles have much to show us. In Samuel's day the people wanted to elect a King to lead them like pagan nations. God told them through Samuel (1 Sam 8)that this would have socio-political implications on the nation. Chillingly they were told that God would not hear their prayers if they chose to use the system and structure of 'Kings'. The entire move amounted to the rejection of God but being ever merciful God allowed them to choose the pagan system.
In the New Testament we have Paul instructing the Corinthians how to meet. Careful not to replace the essence of being 'in Christ' with a manual-style operations book, Paul crafts the instructions in the corrective narrative. We see in Corinthians and history a church meeting in homes around a meal consisting of bread and wine. We see open and equal sharing... and we see revolution! It wasn't long until, like those people in Samuel's day, the church reverted back to a mixture of Old Testament practice and what any old organisation did in the day. In short the church lost the power as it blended into the institutional ether of the time. Emperor Constantine secured a thousand years of 'dark ages' by officially backing this form of religious practice. I believe the Scriptures show us what man is capable in the rejection of God's rule in the favour of the plan of man. As the New Testament outplayed, man again rejected God's plan for Church and the last 1800 years have seen the consequences.
Today many feel blessed by their experience of church but they mix up who they are and what they do. King David shows us someone whose heart was after God's own yet he existed in a structure and system that amounted to rejection of God! The fact that you are loved by God is a blessing but it does not mean that the way church is practiced is in line with what God has planned. We are easily impressed by the small signs that Christianity is doing well but the first century church contributed to halting the mighty Roman Empire! Millions hear the gospel every day around the world but sadly there are minimal acceptances. Why is this? As God said to the people of Israel when they rejected his plan,
"When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day"
Many are returning to the simple yet powerful format for church. They are handing their crowns back to Jesus and returning to the biblical plan for church. Some however continue to stand by the way things are citing "culture" or "numbers." The truth is Jesus is saying "Give me back my Church".... can you hear his voice?
We live in New Testament times but the Old Testament principles have much to show us. In Samuel's day the people wanted to elect a King to lead them like pagan nations. God told them through Samuel (1 Sam 8)that this would have socio-political implications on the nation. Chillingly they were told that God would not hear their prayers if they chose to use the system and structure of 'Kings'. The entire move amounted to the rejection of God but being ever merciful God allowed them to choose the pagan system.
In the New Testament we have Paul instructing the Corinthians how to meet. Careful not to replace the essence of being 'in Christ' with a manual-style operations book, Paul crafts the instructions in the corrective narrative. We see in Corinthians and history a church meeting in homes around a meal consisting of bread and wine. We see open and equal sharing... and we see revolution! It wasn't long until, like those people in Samuel's day, the church reverted back to a mixture of Old Testament practice and what any old organisation did in the day. In short the church lost the power as it blended into the institutional ether of the time. Emperor Constantine secured a thousand years of 'dark ages' by officially backing this form of religious practice. I believe the Scriptures show us what man is capable in the rejection of God's rule in the favour of the plan of man. As the New Testament outplayed, man again rejected God's plan for Church and the last 1800 years have seen the consequences.
Today many feel blessed by their experience of church but they mix up who they are and what they do. King David shows us someone whose heart was after God's own yet he existed in a structure and system that amounted to rejection of God! The fact that you are loved by God is a blessing but it does not mean that the way church is practiced is in line with what God has planned. We are easily impressed by the small signs that Christianity is doing well but the first century church contributed to halting the mighty Roman Empire! Millions hear the gospel every day around the world but sadly there are minimal acceptances. Why is this? As God said to the people of Israel when they rejected his plan,
"When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day"
Many are returning to the simple yet powerful format for church. They are handing their crowns back to Jesus and returning to the biblical plan for church. Some however continue to stand by the way things are citing "culture" or "numbers." The truth is Jesus is saying "Give me back my Church".... can you hear his voice?
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