Jon's Journey

Chart Kingdom and Church Emphasis

2012-01-28T12:18:00.002-06:00

I've been wondering for awhile if I've placed too much emphasis on church.

From the Gospels we see Jesus was focused on His good news message of the kingdom of God.

The emphasis shifts with the other books in the New Testament to a greater emphasis on Christ's church.

Yet, across the whole New Testament the term kingdom beats the term church by around 154 to 116.

I think there is overlap between the two terms. I believe church is people of God, and whenever they get together. Those part of Christ's kingdom are part of Christ's church.

Maybe there would be less distinction if the meaning of church lines up with what we see in the New Testament.

What do you think?

How focused should we be on kingdom work and on church work?

Is there a difference?

Related Posts:

Eunuchs for the Kingdom

2012-01-21T09:18:00.006-06:00

Should people get married? I'm taking a look at Matt 19:8-12 as I go through verses related to the secrets of the kingdom.

Interesting timing. We just watched a movie last night that sort of dealt with this topic. The couple in the movie was surrounded by poor examples of faithful marriages. They ended up concluding that the concept of marriage was a farce. They ended up making a promise or vow to each other that basically went like this:

I promise to love you for as long as we are in love.

That is the type of love they saw practiced around them. But it was really not much of a promise or commitment at all.

So then to the text I'm looking at this morning.

Some of the disciples were questioning Jesus if it was worth getting married in Matt 19:8 - 12 (HCSB).

He told them, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of the hardness of your hearts. But it was not like that from the beginning. And I tell you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

His disciples said to Him, “If the relationship of a man with his wife is like this, it’s better not to marry!”

But He told them, “Not everyone can accept this saying, but only those it has been given to. For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs who were made by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way because of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”

Can you accept this saying?

It was common for eunuchs to play special roles in earthly kingdoms. Eunuchs didn't have divided loyalties between family and kingdom. In a similar way some are called to be this way and play unique roles in God's kingdom. Paul later becomes one of these examples.

Can you be like a eunuch and go without family relations?

If not, I think Jesus is implying it is best for you to get married, and be faithful in your marriage.

Pray for Kingdom Unity?

2012-01-19T22:36:00.003-06:00

Jan 18 - 25 is designated as a week of prayer for Christian Unity. My prayer for unity has changed over the years. I used to pray that all the true Christian denominations would strike up some merge type deal. I visited with Priests and Pastors, emailed denominational presidents, visited with a leader of an ecumenical organization, and tried to encourage dialog between different Christian traditions. I can't say I made much progress.

I still think such dialog would be helpful. But my prayer for Christian unity has changed.

I no longer view Christ's church as some groupings of a bunch of church organizations.

I view church as Christ's people, and whenever they get together.

I also recognize I've spent too much time focusing on church. We only have two records of Jesus talking about church, but we have over a 100 verses with Him talking about His Kingdom.

It is easy to wrongly assume there are lots of different churches - and see the need for them to unite. The reality is that Christ only has one church - it is everyone who submits to Him as Lord.

But when we think of the kingdom of God, we usually visualize one kingdom. One King, one Lord, one kingdom.

I don't pray that the kingdom unites. It's a no brainer. God's kingdom is united!

Now I simply pray that those who follow Jesus would recognize that we are united. It is not up to the leaders of the different church organizations to decide if we are One. And it's not up to us to decide who is in and who is out.

Here is another recent Prayer For Christian Unity.

How do you pray for Christian unity?

Related Posts:

God loves a cheerful giver

2012-01-17T19:15:00.003-06:00

God loves a cheerful giver. But I've never really considered the original context of the Scripture this quote is lifted from. This is one of a few passages that speak of a taking up a "collection for the saints". Who was this money going to? How often? Why?

In 2 Cor 8:1 - 5 we learn that the believers in Macedonia had begged Paul and company to allow them to send a generous gift to the believers in Jerusalem. It is likely the believers in Jerusalem were in some economic downturn - it may have been a result of a famine around 40 A.D.

It seems Paul sends Titus to the Corinthians to give them the opportunity to care for the believers in Jerusalem the same way. (2 Cor 8:6)

Paul and Titus are helping coordinate the sharing of wealth and resources from some believers who had plenty, to others who were in a time of need.

There was no obligation attached. Nobody was required to give. But there was the recognition that God had bless them with love and life, and they should respond with love to others. (2 Cor 8:8-9)

2 Cor 8:13-14

"Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality,"

We should note the plan wasn't for a regular flow of cash in one direction.

2 Cor 9:6-7 (HCSB)

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

May we also follow the example set before us in this passage. When we see brothers and sisters in a time of need, may we be generous and care for their needs.

Related Posts:

Prayer For Christian Unity

2012-01-14T08:55:00.003-06:00

Jan 18 - 25 is designated as a week of prayer for Christian Unity. So here is a prayer in advance.

I'm sorry Jesus that your family squabbles so much. We see many dysfunctional families in our society, but God... sometimes your family appears to be beyond hope. But I thank you for not giving up on us, or abandoning us.

Jesus, I want to join with you and pray for unity as you did in John 17:20 - 26. I pray that each of your children would be in a real relationship with you. Then we would recognize how we relate to each other through you. And then the world would be able to recognize you in us, and others would come to believe and trust in you.

In recent years I have learned to respect and love brothers and sisters from different traditions. You have taught me that the issues that we sometimes divide over are less essential than unity and love. The Scriptures are crystal clear that unity is essential and love is essential if we are part of your family.

So I publicly state I respect my brothers and sisters who see things differently with regards to devotion to Mary, purgatory, intercession of and devotion to the saints, and the authority of the Pope. I may not agree with everything, but I see less Scriptural support to divide over these issues than the weight of passages that speak to unity and love. I am no longer protesting over issues like sola scriptura, sola fide, and the works vs faith divide.

And then I consider my protestant brothers and sisters. I may have different ideas on whether Scripture says hell is eternal punishment, how to define the gospel, Calvinism, penal subtitutionary attonment, tithing, typical church leadership, or what is essential to a gathering of the church. Have I now created more walls with my protestant brothers and sisters than I had with the ones we once protested against?

No, I hope not. These are all simply differences in ideas. Agreeing on everything is not what makes people a family. It is our relationship with you our heavenly Father that makes us family. These ideas can be discussed and debated, but they should not negate my relationship with you, and my relationship with others.

I pray that we will recognize that we are one.

I pray we can all grow together to a better understanding of the Truth, and show grace, mercy and love to each other along the way.

Colossians 3:13-15 teaches us to bear with each other, and forgive each other for whatever has pissed us off in the past. Lord please help us to live this way, as it is not easy - especially for me who likes to push some different ideas. Give me an extra dose of love whenever I enter discussions that I know will be controversial.

Ephesians 4:2-6 teaches us that there is one body, one Spirit, one God and Father. I pray we can be humble and be more like children in your one family.

I pray that I'll continue to learn to love and accept my brothers and sisters who are all different than me, just as you have accepted us as we see in Romans 15:5-7.

Related Posts:

Kingdom Mercy Pay It Forward

2012-01-12T17:02:00.015-06:00

In Matt 18:21 - 35 Jesus tells a parable of an unforgiving slave. I'm taking a look at it now as I go through verses related to the secrets of the kingdom.

Matt 18:21-23 sets the stage:

Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how many times could my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
“I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus said to him, “but 70 times seven. For this reason, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves...

Jesus goes on to talk of a slave who owed his master a huge debt. But the master had compassion on him and forgave his debt.

The slave then goes and finds another slave who owes him a small debt, but has no compassion on him, and sends him to jail until he can pay.

Matt 18:32 - 35 give the implications of this story for us:

“Then, after he had summoned him, his master said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And his master got angry and handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he could pay everything that was owed. So My heavenly Father will also do to you if each of you does not forgive his brother from his heart.” (HCSB)

I won't claim to understand the reference to torture here. It may fit into a purgatory type framework, or maybe that is beyond the point of this parable.

But what is clear to me is that I must show mercy and forgiveness to others. If God's love and mercy is real to me, it will flow out of me to others.

Pay it forward.

Benjamin Franklin described well the pay it forward concept in 1784.

I do not pretend to give such a Sum; I only lend it to you. When you [...] meet with another honest Man in similar Distress, you must pay me by lending this Sum to him; enjoining him to discharge the Debt by a like operation, when he shall be able, and shall meet with another opportunity. I hope it may thus go thro' many hands, before it meets with a Knave that will stop its Progress. This is a trick of mine for doing a deal of good with a little money.

I think Jesus was saying the kingdom of heaven is like pay it forward with forgiveness and mercy.

God shows more love, mercy and forgiveness to us than we can image. In His kingdom he expects us to follow His lead and continue to pay it forward to others. We can't get away with simply loving God back, and being grateful for what He has done for us. We can't just love those who have been good to us, and forgive those who have forgiven us.

We must love those that are not easy to love, and those who have done us wrong. We must 'pay forward' by loving those who don't seem to deserve our love.

Caring For Others Is Essential

2012-01-08T08:56:00.008-06:00

Are you actively caring for others in a community of believers? I believe this is an essential part of being Christ's church.

I fear some people believe they are active members in Christ church because they are doing other church activities. They contribute by being video techs, sound techs, ushers, Sunday school teachers, youth group leaders, VBS helpers, church librarians, building maintenance, worship band members, or preaching weekly sermons. These may be all good things, but they are extras. They are not things we find the early church doing. Others simply show up, put money in the plate, sing the songs, and listen to the sermon.

Some typical church activities may help you care for others. They are not all bad. But I hope people don't think participating in these ways makes them active members in Christ church. Christ's church has existed in the past without these extras, and still exists outside these activities.

Here are some of the key activities we find in Scripture:

Loving one another (John 13:34-35, Romans 13:8, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 John 3:11, 1 John 3:23, 1 John 4:11, 1 John 4:12, 2 John 1:5)
Praying for one another (Ephesians 6:18)
encouraging one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11, Hebrews 3:13, Hebrews 10:25)
Being devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)
Honoring one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10)
Living in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16)
Accepting one another (Romans 15:7)
Instructing one another (Romans 15:14)
Teaching and admonishing one another (Colossians 3:16)
Serving one another (Galatians 5:13) - this one may usually happen outside our regularly scheduled gathering, at other people's homes
Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Singing and making music in our hearts to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19)
Submitting to one another (Ephesians 5:21)
Bearing with each other and forgiving whatever grievances you may have against one another (Colossians 3:13)

Please allow me state this another way, using language similar to 1 Corinthians 13:1-3.

If I serve in every church program
but do not show love to others
I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I make time to study to theology
and understand all mysteries
and all knowledge,
and if I have all faith
but do not have love for those around me, I am nothing.
And if I give my tithe to pay for church programs, staff and buildings
and if I give all my time to serve these programs
but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Loving others is essential. I know it is possible to do some non-essential activities and also do what is essential. I just think every believer should make the essentials a priority.

Related Posts:

Paying the Temple Tax

2012-01-06T19:48:00.003-06:00

When we think of tithing, most people think of the voluntary practice of giving to a local church. But where does this practice come from? Was it always voluntary? Like it or not, we have inherited many church traditions from our European church history. The tithe in European history has some similarity to a temple tax system in Jewish history.

In France

In France, the tithes—called "la dîme" -- were a land tax. Originally a voluntary tax, in 1585 the "dîme" became mandatory. In principle, unlike the taille, the "dîme" was levied on both noble and non-noble lands. The dîme was divided into a number of types, including the "grosses dîmes" (grains, wine, hay), "menues" or "vertes dîmes" (vegetables, poultry), "dîmes de charnage" (veal, lamb, pork). Although the term "dîme" comes from the Latin decima [pars] ("one tenth", with the same origin as that of the U.S. coin, the dime), the "dîme" rarely reached this percentage and (on the whole) it was closer to 1/13th of the agricultural production.

The "dîme" was originally meant to support the local parish, but by the 16th century many "dîmes" went directly to distant abbeys, monasteries, and bishops, leaving the local parish impoverished, and this contributed to general resentment. In the Middle Ages, some monasteries also offered the "dîme" in homage to local lords in exchange for their protection (see Feudalism) (these are called "dîmes inféodées"), but this practice was forbidden by the Lateran Council of 1179.

All religious taxes were constitutionally abolished in 1790, in the wake of the French revolution.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tithe#France

In Ireland

Tithes were introduced after the Norman conquest of 1169-1172, and were specified in the papal bull Laudabiliter as a duty to: ...pay yearly from every house the pension of one penny to St Peter, and to keep and preserve the rights of the churches in that land whole and inviolate. However, collection outside the Norman area of control was sporadic.

From the English Reformation in the 16th century, most Irish people chose to remain Roman Catholic and had by now to pay tithes valued at about 10% of an area's agricultural produce, to maintain and fund the established state church, the Anglican Church of Ireland, to which only a small minority of the population converted. Irish Presbyterians and other minorities like the Quakers and Jews were in the same situation.

The collection of tithes was violently resisted in the period 1831-36, known as the Tithe War. Thereafter, tithes were reduced and added to rents with the passing of the Tithe Commutation Act in 1836. With the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland in 1869, tithes were abolished.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tithe#Ireland

I won't copy and paste all of Wikipedia into this post. You can go there, or research elsewhere, but it looks like much of Europe had systems in place where everybody was basically taxed to fund their church institutions.

The Jews of Jesus' day had a similar tax system for their temples. I believe the response Jesus gives is interesting.

The Temple Tax - Matt 17:24 - 26 (HCSB)

When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the double-drachma tax approached Peter and said, “Doesn’t your Teacher pay the double-drachma tax?”
“Yes,” he said.
When he went into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, “What do you think, Simon? Who do earthly kings collect tariffs or taxes from? From their sons or from strangers?”
“From strangers,” he said.
“Then the sons are free,” Jesus told him. “But, so we won’t offend them, go to the sea, cast in a fishhook, and take the first fish that you catch. When you open its mouth you’ll find a coin. Take it and give it to them for Me and you.”

Jesus was questioning if it seems right that His heavenly Father would demand a tax on His children. Even earthly kings don't require their family members to pay them taxes.

But since this was a mandatory tax for a Jew of that day, Jesus complied.

Our governments require us to pay taxes, I recommend complying by paying your taxes to your governments. But the church and state are no longer joined to the extent that we are required to pay a tax to church institutions.

Do you think your Heavenly Father requires a temple tax of you?

Are you a child of God? Are you free?

Related Posts:

Tithing in the OT
Are gentiles to tithe - why is Acts 15:23-29 silent on tithing?
It is more blessed to give than to receive
Let your alms sweat in your hands
Should pastors be paid a salary
The Wealthy Church

Rock Star Christians

2012-01-04T11:02:00.006-06:00

Can you think of any Christians that are sort of like rock stars in the Christian community? Do they have a following of people who (almost) worship the ground they walk on?

Think about the characteristics that elevated this person to their position of respect and leadership. Are they assertive, funny, charismatic? Was it their gift at teaching, knowledge, or music. Do they have a great looks, great hair and cool glasses?

Do you wish you were more like them?

Who is really the greatest?

Continuing my series on the secrets of the kingdom.

Matt 18:1-5 (HCSB)

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Then He called a child to Him and had him stand among them. “I assure you,” He said, “unless you are converted and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one child like this in My name welcomes Me.

Converted

The word translated as converted has the meaning of changing direction or turning around. I find it interesting that Jesus calls us to turn around and change so we are more like children.

What adult characteristics do not enter the kingdom of heaven? Jesus doesn't list them here, but I'm going to guess it is things like pride and arrogance. When we act like we are in control of our lives, and the lives of others around us... there is no place for that when living under the reign of God.

To be great in the kingdom of heaven, we must simply let God rule. Children are examples to us in how we can live with simple faith in our Father.

Young children have the natural ability to trust their parents, and follow their direction without questioning or rebelling. As they grow up, they lose that child like faith in their parents and begin to rely on doing things their own way. That is part of the process of growing up.

Jesus wants us to be born again, to become little children, children under the rule of our loving Father.

Instead of wanting to become more like a celebrity Christian, look around for someone following our Lord in child-like obedience... and follow their example, and become this example for others.

Related Posts:

What Would Jesus Say Today on Leading

2012-01-02T16:00:00.001-06:00

What Would Jesus Say today on titles for religious leaders?

Matthew 23:8-12(HCSB)

“But as for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi,’ because you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is in heaven. And do not be called masters either, because you have one Master, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Do you think He would include the title 'Pastor' today?

What about titles like Reverend, Minister, Priest, Bishop?

My occupation is a teacher in a high school. Should I be concerned with letting my students call me teacher?

Is it OK for my kids to call me father?

What do you think was at the heart of what Jesus was saying here?

P.S. Please do not assume this means I am judging you if you like to use these titles. I am not. I maintain high respect and love for brothers and sisters who don't share my viewpoint on a number of issues. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, and I don't assume I have any authority to judge my brothers and sisters. I simply want to encourage dialog on issues where we may not be doing things by the book.

Related Posts:

Not Taste Death Until Kingdom

2012-01-01T09:54:00.003-06:00

If you try to live you will die. If want to live you must die. Some will not die.

Got it?

I'm trying to make some sense of passages related to the kingdom, since it was a major theme for Jesus.

Matt 16:24-28 (HCSB)

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it. What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will reward each according to what he has done. I assure you: There are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

It can be easy to get hung up on this one. Is Jesus saying that some people standing there with him 2000 years ago would not die before Jesus' 2nd coming? That Jesus was going to come back and take believers to live with Him in heaven, within a timeline of that generation?

Some have concluded this statement did not come true.

But when we look at the rest of this passage there are some other aspects that don't really make sense at first glance either.

There is the idea that if we want to live we must follow Jesus' by taking up our cross. But in those days taking up a cross did not usually increase your lifespan. If we want to live we must deny our life? Now this doesn't make sense. But we tend to accept this hard teaching when we understand that our self centered (sinful) self must die if we want Christ's life to live in us.

Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but if you lose your life you will find it? Another upside down teaching. On the surface it seems backwards. But we can accept it when we understand that if we hold tightly to our life and try to be in control, we will not find the life Christ has in store for us.

Does this help us understand the last part of this passage? Some of the people listening will see and experience the reign and rule of God in their lives and in the world around them. They will follow Jesus and take up their cross. As a result they will not taste death but find life.

I admit this is a tough passage to understand. I am not sure that I have it figured out. There are likely other ways to make sense of it.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Related Posts:

Poll: Holy Days True or False

2011-12-25T08:18:00.020-06:00

We have just gone through one of the biggest holidays (Holy Days) recognized by our culture.

I'd like to know if you think it is more of a Holy Day than the rest?

Is there something different about the Christmas season that can not be replicated on other days the rest of the year?

What about other Holy Days like Easter? Or like Sundays or the Sabath?

I've been wondering what most people think on this. I'm not 100% sure myself. Does the New Testament command us to observe certain Holy Days? I'd like to know if I'm missing something.

This Christmas season I've observed that people seem to behave a little different at this time of year. It is mostly a good thing. Most people are a little extra friendly, wishing people Merry Christmas. People are seeking Joy and Peace. There is an extra emphasis on charity and giving to others. And people seem more open to Jesus. All good things.

The extra shopping, greed and gluttony may not be great... but the good may outweigh the bad. :)

But I've been wondering if Dec 25th is really a God sanctified Holy Day? Has God set this day aside to be something special?

Romans 14:5 confirms to me that I'm OK believing every day is a Holy Day. That every day can be one where God's presence is real and active in our lives, and we can respond to Him with worship/love. We should get together with other believers as often as we can to build each other up to become more like Christ.

Is this similar to the shift we see in the New Testament where we see there is no longer special temples where we must go to worship God (John 4:19-24, Acts 17:24, 1 Cor 3:16, 1 Pet 2:5, 1 Cor 6:19, 2 Cor 6:16, Eph 2:19-22). God wants His worshipers to worship in Spirit and truth, everywhere and all the time.

But I'd love to hear from you. Please answer this survey question, and leave comments if you feel you want to explain your answer.

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Thanks!

Related Posts:

Holidays and Holy Days

2011-12-24T09:50:00.003-06:00

"One person considers one day to be above another day. Someone else considers every day to be the same. Each one must be fully convinced in his own mind." Rom 14:5 (HCSB)

The word holiday has it's roots with the words Holy Days. It's the idea that certain days are set aside because of some special religious significance.

I think the above verse is fitting for our Christian culture of today. There is a lot of religious focus around the date Dec 25th. I think most Christian's know that this date is not likely the actual date of Jesus' birth, but they want to have a special day set aside to celebrate the significance of our Lord's coming.

However there are other Christians who are concerned that a lot of what happens around Christmas comes from pagan roots, and that a lot also comes from current commercial greed.

Then I consider other Holy Days.

Much of Easter can be traced back to pagan origins.

Sunday as the day the church gathers has links to Sun worship of the pagans.

Paul in Romans 14 was talking about a debate over eating certain types of food. I think what he says has some valuable advice for us regarding holidays or Holy Days. If you struggle with this issue, please read the whole chapter. Here are two more bits:

Rom 14:10-11 (HCSB)

"But you, why do you criticize your brother? Or you, why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before the tribunal of God. Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord..."

Rom 14:22-23 (HCSB)

"Do you have a conviction? Keep it to yourself before God. The man who does not condemn himself by what he approves is blessed. But whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from a conviction, and everything that is not from a conviction is sin."

I take from this chapter:

I may not view certain days as Holy and others as not. To me every day is equally Holy.
Other brothers and sisters see things differently, and it is not my job to judge.
I see value in each person studying the topics, seeking God, and deciding for themselves what is right.
But what is right for you, may not be right for me, so let's keep cool about it either way.

Alan Knox's post Replay: Jesus is the Reason… for our lack of unity? got me on this topic this morning.

Why a Christmas Tree?

2011-12-23T07:18:00.004-06:00

Why do you have a Christmas tree inside your house?

I have an odd sense of humor. This one gets me chuckling at people. I think we are a funny lot. I think it's pretty random that at this time of year people put a fair bit of energy into getting either an evergreen tree, or a fake thing that looks like an evergreen tree and place it in a prominent place in their home.

Why a tree?

Why not a shepherds rod?

A simple stick could be placed in the center of our living room as a memory of the shepherds the good news was shared with. This could remind us that simple folk can also share the good news with others.

We could celebrate by dancing around the pole... OK, I digress.

Why not a feeding trough?

We could decorate a feeding trough with fake hay, and fake animal feed. This could remind us of the upside down nature of the kingdom of God. How our Majestic God chose a humble and dirty place for His coming to earth.

A feeding trough could also have a second meaning, symbolizing how we tend to act like gluttonous pigs during this season. No, maybe we don't want to celebrate our gluttony. I digress again....

Do we know why we put up a tree?

There may be a few origins to this tradition. I'll share a few findings I've come across. There may be many more.

Many Pagan cultures used to cut boughs of evergreen trees in December, move them into the home or temple, and decorate them. Modern-day Pagans still do. This was to recognize the winter solstice -- the time of the year that had the shortest daylight hours, and longest night of the year. This occurs annually sometime between DEC-20 to 23; most often, it is DEC-21. As the solstice approached, they noticed that the days were gradually getting shorter; many feared that the sun would eventually disappear forever, and everyone would freeze. But, even though deciduous trees, bushes, and crops died or hibernated for the winter, the evergreen trees remained green. They seemed to have magical powers that enabled them to withstand the rigors of winter.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/xmas_tree.htm

Or this account of Pagan Rome and Pagan Egypt:

"The Christmas tree, now so common among us, was equally common in Pagan Rome and Pagan Egypt. In Egypt it was the palm tree; in Rome it was the fir; the palm-tree denoting the Pagan Messiah, as Baal-Tamar, the fir referring to him as Baal-Berith. The mother of Adonis, the Sun-God and great mediatorial divinity, was mystically said to have been changed into a tree, and when in that state to have brought forth her divine son. If the mother was a tree, the son must have been recognized as ‘Man the Branch.’ And this entirely accounts for putting the Yule Log into the fire on Christmas Eve and the appearance of the Christmas tree the next morning. As Zero-Ashta, ‘The seed of the woman,’ ...he has to enter the fire on ‘Mother night,’ that he may be born the next day out of it, as the ‘Branch of God,’ or the Tree that brings divine gifts to men."
http://www.carnaval.com/saturnalia/

Later on in the 1500's

According to the first documented uses of a Christmas tree in Estonia, in 1441, 1442, and 1514, the Brotherhood of Blackheads erected a tree for the holidays in their brotherhood house in Reval (now Tallinn). At the last night of the celebrations leading up to the holidays, the tree was taken to the Town Hall Square where the members of the brotherhood danced around it.[9] In 1584, the pastor and chronicler Balthasar Russow wrote of an established tradition of setting up a decorated spruce at the market square where the young men “went with a flock of maidens and women, first sang and danced there and then set the tree aflame”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_tree

Oh, that sounds like fun. This year I'll dance around our Christmas tree, then set it on fire! That will make a great family memories video.... :)

Here is another account, linking it to a feast day of Adam and Eve:

The main prop of a popular medieval play about Adam and Eve was a fir tree hung with apples (paradise tree) representing the Garden of Eden. The Germans set up a paradise tree in their homes on December 24, the religious feast day of Adam and Eve. They hung wafers on it (symbolizing the host, the Christian sign of redemption); in a later tradition, the wafers were replaced by cookies of various shapes. Candles, too, were often added as the symbol of Christ. In the same room, during the Christmas season, was the Christmas pyramid, a triangular construction of wood, with shelves to hold Christmas figurines, decorated with evergreens, candles, and a star. By the 16th century, the Christmas pyramid and paradise tree had merged, becoming the Christmas tree.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_tree

I just stumbled across this verse that isn't typically part of our Christmas readings. It seems related to an early pagan festival with a decorated tree:

"This is what the LORD says: Do not learn the way of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, although the nations are terrified by them, for the customs of the peoples are worthless.
Someone cuts down a tree from the forest; it is worked by the hands of a craftsman with a chisel. He decorates it with silver and gold. It is fastened with hammer and nails, so it won’t totter." Jeremiah 10:2-4 (HCSB)

I'll include a link here: http://www.cogwriter.com/christmas.htm to some interesting quotes from Tertullian (one of the leading 2nd/3rd century church writers). He seemed to be against participating in the pagan winter celebrations.

We do have a (fake) Christmas tree up in our home. I'm not at a place where I'm zealous about getting rid of Christmas trees. I mostly just think it's funny how we all have them without thinking about why we have them.

Kinda like many other traditions we have in life and church life.

If you have a Christmas tree in your home, do you know why you have it? I'd love to hear more stories.

Related Posts:

When Will I Shut UP?

2011-12-20T16:22:00.004-06:00

If you are wondering when I'm going to get off my soap-box blog...

I sometimes wonder if I will run out of stuff to say...

We'll see. If the trend of this graph continues... It looks like I'll go back to being quiet in about 2 years.

Gospel in Christmas Narrative

2011-12-19T22:20:00.004-06:00

In the timeline of Jesus, the first occurrence of the gospel shows up in Luke with an Angel speaking to some shepherds:

Luke 2:10 - 11 (HCSB)

"But the angel said to them, "Don't be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David."

The Greek that gets translated "I proclaim to you good news" here is euangelizomai, which is related to euaggelizó: to announce good news. Euaggelizó gets translated as preaching the gospel in other New Testament verses.

So shouldn't we start with this first occurrence to determine what the gospel is?

The angels are declaring that Jesus has come. That the Messiah, a Savior, the Lord had arrived. This is good news for all people.

But wait, I just found an earlier occurrence of the term for gospel in the New Testament. Gabriel speaking to Zechariah in Luke 1:19 has the term euangelisasthai which also gets translated as gospel elsewhere. Here the good news is about the birth of John the baptist. It was good news, but should we conclude this is the gospel that we are to share with the world as followers of Christ?

Do you see where I am going with this? There are many verses in the Bible that have the term gospel, or good news. 1 Cor 15:1 is one verse that often gets used as a proof text for a certain emphasis on the good news message.

I recognize that there are many good news messages in Scripture. However will you consider exploring with me the good news message that Jesus and His disciples preached?

Yes Jesus did preach the gospel.

And He taught His disciples to do the same.

The first 4 books of our New Testament are known as the gospels, and have a lot to say on the topic. They are a great place to start. What do you think the gospel is according to the gospels?

By the way... I think the Angels did a great job introducing us to the gospel that Jesus came to share.

(And by the way #2: the whole of 1 Cor 15 fits well within the gospel Jesus preached, likely a future post. I don't see it as two different gospel messages.)

Related Posts:

Did Jesus preach the gospel?
Gospel in the Gospels - Summary - 6 part series
What is the Gospel? - lists verses related to gospel in 'the gospels'
Gospel in other NT verses

How Would Jesus Celebrate Christmas

2011-12-14T19:10:00.002-06:00

What Would Jesus Do this Christmas?
Maybe a silly question. I'm really not sure.

How did Jesus celebrate the day he was born?

He likely cried, ate, slept, and ____ like most babies do.

How did Jesus celebrate the rest of his birthdays?

From what I've read the Jews of Jesus' day did not celebrate birthdays.

What about the early church? Did they celebrate birthdays?

Not according to Origen of Alexandria (c. 185 - 254 AD).

Origen had evidently some similar thought before him when he insists that "of all the holy people in the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners (like Pharaoh and Herod) who make great rejoicings over the day on which they were born into this world below" (Origen, "in Levit.", "Horn. VIII", in Migne P.G., XII, 495).
http://oce.catholic.com/index.php?title=Natal_Day

It seems for the first couple of centuries of the early church birthday celebrations were a thing for sinners.

So I think it is safe to conclude Christmas was not celebrated by Jesus or even the early church.

How should we celebrate Christmas?

Since we can't follow Jesus or the early church on this one, what should we do? We could boycott Christmas all together... that would be odd wouldn't be?

Or we can chose to find ways to honor and worship our Lord Jesus, even on a day set aside with an overload of crazy traditions.

Shopping, gifts, Scripture reading, hospitality, trees, candles, baking, turkey, lights, tinsel, singing, snowmen, chocolate, nuts, acts of charity, santa, elves, reindeer...

Consider which traditions are worth making your own. And like the other 364 days of the year worship God and share God's love with others.

I'm not that kind of Christian

2011-12-11T18:23:00.003-06:00

Alan Knox got me thinking this morning with a recent post called What Kind of Christian Are You?

Well I agree with Alan on this one. But my goal isn't to become like Alan. Sorry Alan :)

I'm not that kind of Christian.

I grew up a preacher's kid. Baptist and interdenominational.

If you have any preconceived ideas about what kind of person that creates... you may be right in some areas and wrong in others.

But please don't assume I'm that kind of Christian.

I attended Providence Bible College for 2 years before going to University. I wanted to have a firm foundation in my faith before going out into the 'secular' work force.

If you have any preconceived ideas about what kind of person that makes me ... you may be right in some areas and wrong in others.

But please don't assume I'm that kind of Christian.

Most Sunday's you will find me attending a Christian and Missionary Alliance Sunday morning service. My closest friends are part of this community of believers.

But please don't assume I'm that kind of Christian.

I have had open dialog with Christians from various denominations. I have made an effort to attend a number of different Sunday morning services: Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, United, Baptist, Mennonite, Pentecostal. I have respect and love for what I've seen in believers of all types.

But please don't assume I'm that kind of Christian.

I have been influenced recently by books by N. T. Wright, Wayne Jacobsen, Tony and Felicity Dale, Frank Viola. I have been influenced by blog writers like Alan Knox, Miguel Labrador, Jeremy Meyers, Eric Carpenter, Rachel Evans, ... (danger with starting a list like this is I will miss some - sorry).

But please don't assume I'm like all the other Emergent, Organic, Simple, liberal Christians you've heard bad things about.

My goal is not to become like these other Christians.

We often have people into our home. We pray these times are an encouragement to others in their walk to become more like Christ. I see people teaching each other stuff about their faith in God. Usually more of an informal type of teaching. Does that mean we have an house church, or a small group bible study? No.

I'm not that kind of Christian.

My theology doesn't line up well with Reformed theology. But if you conclude that I don't like to fellowship with those with Reformed theology, you are wrong. I just happen to enjoy dialoging and working through some of these topics. I don't judge people based on their theology.

I'm not that kind of Christian.

Every denomination has some traditions that to me seem to over complicate or divide Christ's church. But that doesn't mean I don't love my brothers and sisters who love their traditions.

I'm not that kind of Christian.

If you have a foul mouth, dirty mind, and like to enjoy more pleasures this world offers than I do. Please feel comfortable being yourself around me. Don't assume I am judging you.

I'm not that kind of Christian.

Please don't try to label me and judge me by my background, my theology, who influences me, or what traditions I hold or discard.

I will try not to judge you by your background, your theology, who influences you, or what traditions you hold or discard. I know I am not the judge. I see little benefit in attempting to be the judge on these matters.

I guess if you want to know who I am, you'll have to get to know me.

(But I don't expect everyone on the planet will feel the need or urge to get to know me - and that is OK.)

If you claim Christ as Lord, and our paths cross... Our task is not to judge, build walls, and divide. Our task is to build each other up to become more like Christ.

Related Posts:

Gates of Hades and Keys of the Kingdom

2011-12-10T10:20:00.004-06:00

Part three of Matt 16:15-19. Working through passages dealing with the topic of the kingdom, I come to this passage which is too complex to deal with in one post.

Part 1: On What Rock
Part 2: I Will Build My Church
Part 3: Gates of Hades and Keys of the Kingdom

Matt 16:15-19 (NIV)

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Gates of Hades?

To understand what Gates of Hades could mean we should look at other passages that use a similar phrase. Job 17:16, Job 38:17, Psalm 9:13, Psalm 107:18, and Isaiah 38:10 make reference to the gates of death. It seems they refer to points where someone nears the passage from life to death.

Hades was the ancient Greek God of the underworld, but the term was commonly used to refer to the abode of the dead. Here in Acts 2:27 speaking about Jesus, 'realm of the dead' is the same term translated as Hades elsewhere.

Acts 2:27 (NIV)

because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay.

Here is another verse that speaks of keys related to death and Hades.
Rev 1:18 (NIV)

I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven?

I'm going to make a leap that the keys in this verse should go with the gates in the previous sentence. I know there are other ways to read this passage, but this seems to make the most sense to me.

When Jesus spoke about the kingdom of heaven, he was typically speaking about the reign and rule of God - the kingdom of light - the way of life. The kingdom of heaven has a present reality, as well as a future phase.

What sort of keys could there be that can open the gates that separate the realm of death with the realm of life?

Jesus is the keys. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life...

Jesus is the way to defeat and/or resist the powers of darkness, and live under the powers of life.

Bound in heaven?

The HCSB translation may do a better job on vs 19.
Matthew 16:19 (HCSB)

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in heaven."

Peter isn't so much deciding what will be bound, and what will be loosed. The stuff that is already bound and loosed in heaven, that is the stuff Peter is binding and releasing here on earth.

In some mysterious way, Peter played a role in participating in the work that God in heaven had set in motion. We also are in a sense God's hands and feet as we work for the kingdom of God.

I know there are other ways to view this passage. I welcome your thoughts on this.

Related Posts:

I Will Build My Church

2011-12-08T21:31:00.001-06:00

Part two of Matt 16:15-19. Working through passages dealing with the topic of the kingdom, I come to this passage which is too complex to deal with in one post.

Part 1: On What Rock
Part 2: I Will Build My Church
Part 3: Gates of Hades and Keys of the Kingdom

Matt 16:15-19 (NIV)

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Church?

One of only two passages that record Jesus using the term church (ekklēsia). I've recently studied what Jesus had to say about Church. Here are some summary thoughts:

The word church/ekklesia comes with an open participatory flavor. It's roots are with the roots of democracy. All the members at the assembly had an equal voice.
Jesus didn't focus much on the topic of church. Maybe as followers of Christ we should also be more focused on the Kingdom than we are on Church.
Jesus said He would build his church. He didn't say we would build His church. Jesus did command us to seek His kingdom and to go and make disciples.
At the end of the other passage we may have a simple definition of church according to Jesus. Simply where two or three are gathered in His name.

First Post: On What Rock
Next Post: Gates of Hades and Keys of the Kingdom

Related Posts:

On What Rock - part 1 of this passage
Secrets of the Kingdom Summary
Church Etymology
Jesus on Church
Plugins Extensions and Add-ons and the Church
I don't go to church

On What Rock

2011-12-06T19:40:00.003-06:00

Here is the next passage in my series on on the Secrets of the Kingdom. It is a complex passage, so I think I'll break it into a few parts.

Part 1: On What Rock
Part 2: I Will Build My Church
Part 3: Gates of Hades and Keys of the Kingdom

Matt 16:15-19 (NIV)

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

What rock is Jesus building His church on?

Jesus Gave Simon the nickname 'Peter' or Pétros which means a stone (pebble), such as a small rock found along a pathway. Something that can be thrown.
http://concordances.org/greek/4074.htm

There is a second term for rock here. The one which Jesus will build His church is Pétra which means a cliff or large immovable rock.

Jesus is playing with two different words for rock. He is referring to Simon Peter as his nickname 'pebble' (Pétros), and stating he will build His church on an immovable rock (Pétra).

Who is the rock, and who is the pebble?

1 Cor 10:4 uses the same term Pétra for rock to refer to Jesus.

A number of verses refer to Jesus as the cornerstone.

So I'm not sure. I'm not a Greek scholar, but Jesus may be saying here that the solid rock which He will build His church on is:

Jesus himself
(or) the previous statement Peter made which stated that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God.

I used to believe this was saying Peter was the foundation rock, but now that I see we are talking about two different types of rocks, it may be worth balancing this verse with the rest of Scripture.

How do you read this passage? Do you believe the church was built upon Simon Peter?

Which Tent Post Is The Cross?

2011-12-03T09:34:00.003-06:00

I see the cross in a different light than many Evangelicals.

But is the cross important to me? Absolutely, Yes!

I've previously posted 10 reasons why I'm not a fan of Penal Subtitutionary Attonment (actually 11 reasons). I also don't see the cross as the central part of the gospel message that Jesus or His disciples preached (see Gospel in the Gospels - Summary - 6 part series).

But picture for a moment a tent. What kind of tent would I have if I only used one pole and one peg to support it? There may be one, two or four central posts - depending on the type of tent. But most stable tents have more than one post.

For me the cross may not be the central post, but it is certainly an essential post.

I admit the cross has some mystery to me, but I find a good place to start is understanding what Jesus had to say about the cross.

Matt 16:24-26 (NIV)

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

Matthew records Jesus saying something similar in Matt 10:38-39, and Mark 8:34-38, and Luke 9:23-27. There is something to this passage that the gospel writers agreed was important.

So what could Jesus be asking of us here? In what way are we to follow Jesus' example of taking up the cross? By taking up our cross is Jesus asking us to pay the price for our sins like he did on the cross... no, I don't think so.

Christ's example for us on the cross is how he defeated sin for us. I think he is asking us to follow His example of defeating sin, putting sin to death. By rejecting the rule of selfishness, and accepting the reign of God, we can find life in Christ. We must denying our own selfish ways and allow God to rule in our hearts and lives.

This tent post gives good support to the good news of the reign of God that Jesus and His disciples preached.

Another verse that speaks to our selfish ways being put to death:

Gal 5:24 (NIV)

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires."

Jesus took our sins to the cross, so we can also put our selfish ways to death and live for Him.

1 Peter 2:24 (NIV)

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed."

All of Romans 6 has helped me understand the cross better. Here are two snippets:

Rom 6:11 (NIV)

"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."

Romans 6:9-11 (NIV)

"For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."

Whodunnit - Who Killed Jesus?
slaves to sin or God - my attempt to internalize Romans 6
10 reasons why I'm not a fan of Penal Subtitutionary Attonment
Difference between ransom and paying a debt
Did Jesus pay our debts?
Good News
Gospel in the Gospels - Summary - 6 part series
What is the Gospel? - lists verses related to gospel in 'the gospels'

I Don't Understand Predestination

2011-11-29T16:55:00.002-06:00

I'm putting this out there. I am quick to admit I don't understand predestination.

Predestination is a mystery to me.

How can God know the future, and be in control of everything - yet love all of His creation and allow us to have free will.

The way I see it, both Calvinists and non-Calvinists have points where they must admit they don't understand something.

I think Calvinist see other points further down their logic path that become their mysteries.

Calvinist don't have a problem with predestination.

They remove free will from the equation.

They conclude that God is in 100% control of everyone's desires, choices and actions.

They conclude that God has chosen them and they have nothing to do with it, it's all for God's glory.

They conclude that Jesus only died for the elect.

Some conclude that God hates sinners.

For them the mysteries come at some different points in their responses to questions like these:

What criteria would God have to predestine some people to a future in heaven, and some to a future in Hell?
Why does God predestine billions of people to Hell? Why bother creating them if he knows where he is sending them?
If God hates sinners should we?
Can't sinners choose to do good, and can't they choose to follow God.
Doesn't 2 Peter 3:9 and Acts 17:30 sound like God wants everyone to be saved, not just the elect?
Doesn't 1 John 2:2 sound like unlimited atonement?
Doesn't Matt 23:37 sound like some resisted God's irresistible grace?
Doesn't Matt 6:33 sound like people have the choice to seek God's kingdom?

From my experience, at some point in these conversation you will likely get the response that it is a mystery. We shouldn't expect to fully understand the ways of God.

If we all have points in our logic where we fall back and admit it's a mystery of God...

I think I'd rather pick a point earlier in the logic process before defending some of these other positions.

What's it called when you say something about someone that is false and makes them out to look like a monster?

I think Calvinists are running on dangerous ground, falsely accusing God of hating sinners.

I wouldn't want to go there.

If I'm wrong. I believe I'll be slightly disappointed when I get to heaven and discover I was actually a robot or puppet. I can live with this.

If they are wrong, I suspect they will regret spreading the message that God hates sinners.

So I am OK publicly stating I don't understand predestination.

Related Posts:

Student of Scripture Instructed in the Kingdom

2011-11-28T18:54:00.003-06:00

Matt 13:51-52 (HCSB)

"Have you understood all these things?"
"Yes," they told Him.
"Therefore," He said to them, "every student of Scripture instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who brings out of his storeroom what is new and what is old."

Jesus frequently focused on teaching about the good news of the kingdom of God. However He was also very well versed in Old Testament truths. The way he taught and interacted with people is the example we need to follow here.

Jesus was introducing new teachings about the reign and rule of God. Jesus was also well versed in how God had worked throughout the ages.

To be a well rounded teacher of spiritual truths one needs a good foundation in how God has worked throughout the ages, and also accept these new teachings Jesus gave on the kingdom of Heaven.

Just like a host who takes some fresh food from the farm, and also goes to the cellar to get more produce. A full banquet can be prepared by properly mixing something old and something new.

See Secrets of the Kingdom Summary for more posts in this series.

Summary on Elders Overseers Shepherds

2011-11-24T17:55:00.001-06:00

Why am I focusing on this topic of leadership? I think everyone is a leader in some way or another. Whatever you do, good or bad, there could be people that follow your example. I think all believers would benefit from taking a look at what Scripture says on the topic of leadership. We all may have more of a responsibility than you've considered before.

If you haven't seen this funny video yet, this may help: Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy

OK, so here is my summary of what I've learned as I've work on this series of posts.

Jesus on Leadership

Jesus and the religious leaders of His day did not get along for the most part.
In the new Kingdom Jesus established, the first are last, the least are greatest, servants are the leaders that others should follow.
Jesus instructed His disciples not to rule over others like governments of the world do.
Jesus didn't want his followers to be called things like Rabbi, father, or teacher.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Biblical Elders

The Old Testament is full of references to Elders, this isn't a position the New Testament church invented.
They were older wise men who were well respected in the community.
I believe the Jewish culture had a role for elders to play within the family and community.

Elders and Overseers in 1 Peter 5:1-4

This passage doesn't need to mean more than this:

it was written to elders - older respected men in the community
They were told to be shepherds - to care for others in their community

Everyone should care for others, and these elders should be an example of this.

Appointing Elders in Acts 14:23

Elders were recognized in the Lystra, Iconium and Antioch community of believers
These were likely non-Jewish converts who didn't have elders in place
Paul and Barnabas either did the appointing themselves, or the community of believers publicly recognized them in some manner

Overseers in Acts 20:28

Paul was addressing the elders here
They were told to keep an eye on God's flock, to watch over it
They were told to tend to it, and care for others
These are things all believers should do. These elders need to be examples of this so the rest can follow.

Elders and Overseers Appointed in Titus 1:5-9

Crete was one of the predominately non-Jewish places the early church expanded to.
Timothy is given the task to appoint, or set in place elders who would have the responsibility for caring for and watching out for others.
God is entrusting these men to manage or be stewards of God's household. A noble task to take care of not just earthly treasures, but to take care of God's family.
We have a list of godly characteristics that these men should possess or strive toward.

Deacons and Overseers in 1 Tim 3:1-13

If someone aspires to be one who watches out for others, visits them, and cares for others, this is a noble task. Not just anyone can do this, they must meet or strive for these godly characteristics.
In the same way if someone wants to serve others in the body and care for the needs of others they must meet or strive for these godly characteristics.

Pastors in Ephesians 4:11

If we translate some of the ambiguous terms into common English this passage could read like this:

So Christ himself gave some messengers who are sent out, some who speak a message of God, some who share the good news, some who care for other believers, and some who teach, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and...

What Titles Did Early Church Leaders Use?

The example we have from those leading the way in the early church is they used the following titles or terms to describe themselves and others: servant, slave, prisoner, brother,sister, elder, and Apostle (or messenger of Christ' or 'ambassador of Christ') .

Some things I would NOT conclude from these texts:

Elders or other church leaders had some ruling decision making authority over the other believers.
That church leadership models can resemble government or corporation leadership models.
Elders would serve a 2 -5 year term after which someone else would take their place.
A specific number of elders were required in each community or gathering of believers.
That things like baptisms, marriage, and funerals can only be done by elders (or pastors).
That watching over, tending, and caring for included any decision making authority for others?
That some church leaders should be called Minister, Reverend, Pastor, Priest, Deacon, Archbishop, Cardinal, Pope, etc.

In summary I believe Jesus simply wants his followers to serve each other. The leaders among us are the ones who serve best and model a servant life the rest should follow. Serving can include caring for others, teaching others, going out to unreached people, watching out for others... basically loving everyone in the same way Christ loves us.

However I'm a Simple Minded Man.

I admit my viewpoint seems too simplistic if your view of the church includes buildings, staff, and programs. If church has become more complex than simply people coming together - I agree that you will need to have leaders who manage the organization.

I am not against this. I just want to present a point of view which sees these things as extras. I believe Christ's church does not need to have programs, buildings, or staff. It makes sense that I also don't believe it doesn't needs a leadership structure to maintain it.

If your view of the church is simply Christ's body of believers it is easier to see that leadership does not need to be a structure with decision making or authority over others.

Related Posts:

What Titles Did Early Church Leaders Use?

2011-11-23T17:07:00.006-06:00

I'll summarize my series on leaders/elders/overseers/pastors soon. But first I want to list a bunch of verses that give an idea of the types of titles used by leaders in the early church.

First let's consider what titles Jesus told them not to use.

Matthew 23:8-12 (NIV)

"But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Jesus was clear he didn't want his followers to be called Rabbi, father, or teacher. Do we think this is an exhaustive list? Do we think Jesus would be OK with His followers using other titles like "King", "Ruler", "Boss", "CEO"? Likely not.

What was Jesus getting at?

How did those leading the way in the early church follow Jesus in their response?

Romans 1:1 (NIV)
"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle...."

Romans 16:7 (NIV)
Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.

1 Corinthians 1:1
Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus...

1 Corinthians 3:5
What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.

2 Corinthians 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus

Galatians 1:1
Paul, an apostle—

Ephesians 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus

Ephesians 3:1
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

Philippians 1:1
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

Colossians 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus

Colossians 1:23
if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

1 Timothy 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus

2 Timothy 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus

Titus 1:1
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ

Philemon 1:1
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother

2 Peter 3:15
Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul

Galatians 1:10
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Ephesians 3:7
I became a servant of this gospel

Colossians 1:25
I have become its servant by the commission God gave me

Colossians 4:7
[ Final Greetings ] Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.

Colossians 4:12
Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus,

James 1:1
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

2 Peter 1:1
Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

Jude 1:1
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ

Revelation 1:1
The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

1 Corinthians 9:19
[ Paul’s Use of His Freedom ] Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.

Acts 15:13
When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me.

Acts 21:20
When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.

Colossians 4:9
He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.

1 Thessalonians 3:2
We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service

2 Timothy 4:21
Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.

Hebrews 13:23
I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released.

I think a case could be made for using the following titles for those leading in Christ's church:

Apostle (which means sent one)
servant
slave
prisoner
brother
sister

I think a good case could also be made if someone wants to call an old wise man 'elder'.

As for 'Apostle', it is frequently used for Paul, the first 12 Jesus called, and some less know people like Andronicus and Junia. So I think it would be safe to use as well to refer to someone who is sent out with a message of Christ. The term may have been over spiritualized to mean something else by now. It may be safer to go with a more common English equivalent like 'messenger of Christ' or 'ambassador of Christ'.

Have I missed any?

Do any of these terms come with any decision making authority for others?

By examining the titles used by those in the early church, how can they be an example for us?

Or maybe my list here isn't so much a list of titles, but more a list of words used to describe their characteristics.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Related Posts:

Pastors in Ephesians 4:11

2011-11-22T16:14:00.005-06:00

I want to express a different viewpoint without being judgmental. Is that possible? I think so. But if you don't think so, I'd prefer you read no further. I respect those who hold a traditional view on this, no judgmental feelings aiming your way.

Here is part 7 of a series on leaders/elders/overseers/pastors. Looking at Scripture references typically used to support the traditional models of church leadership. If you haven't read the first 6 posts in this series, here they are. I'd encourage you to first study what Jesus says on the topic of leadership before reading any of these other passages.

Previous Posts in this series:

Ephesians 4:11-16 (NIV)

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Verse 11 is the only verse in the New Testament (in most translations), that uses the term 'Pastors'.

If you want to learn about the office of pastor, Ephesians 4:11 is the verse to look at.

I wanted to include more than verse 11 since the whole passage is a great reminder of how many members of Christ's body function together, with Christ as the head, growing together in Christ's love.

pastors - poimenas - ποιμένας

is related to poimenes - ποιμένες which gets translated as shepherds
is related to poimēn - ποιμὴν which gets translated as shepherd
is related to poimena - ποιμένα which gets translated as shepherd
is related to poimenōn - ποιμένων which gets translated as shepherds
a shepherd is someone who cares for and feeds a flock

A few initial thoughts:

Why don't we translate poimenas in Ephesians 4:11 as shepherd?
Jesus is frequently refereed to as the good shepherd and chief shepherd.
There is no record of anybody going by the title of pastor or lead pastor until the days of John Calvin in the 1500's.
I wonder if Jesus would have added 'Pastor' to his list in Matt 23:8-12 of titles he didn't want his followers using?

Is this passage talking about 5 offices that Christ gave to a select few to build up the body?

Or is it talking about 5 characteristics or gifts that most believers should have in varying degrees?

What if we translated a few more terms into common English:

apostles - messengers who are sent out, ambassador
prophets - those who speak a message of God
evangelists - those who shares the good news
pastors/shepherds - those who care for other believers
teachers - already translated into common English

Could it be that this is talking about the whole body of Christ? Shouldn't most Christ followers be actively participating in a few of these areas? Some will be more gifted in some areas than others, and should lead by example so others can grow in that area as well.

The whole passage could be read something like this:

So Christ himself gave some messengers who are sent out, some who speak a message of God, some who share the good news, some who care for other believers, and some who teach, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and...

This passage is about Christ being the head of the body. Many members of the body have different roles to play so that we all Grow up in God's love.

What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Next post: What titles did leaders in the early church use?

Related Posts:

Deacons and Overseers in 1 Tim 3:1-13

2011-11-21T18:38:00.003-06:00

I want to express a different viewpoint without being judgmental. Is that possible? I think so. But if you don't think so, I'd prefer you read no further. I respect those who hold a traditional view on this, no judgmental feelings aiming your way.

Here is part 6 of a series on leaders/elders/overseers/pastors. Looking at Scripture references typically used to support the traditional models of church leadership. If you haven't read the first 5 posts in this series, here they are. I'd encourage you to first study what Jesus says on the topic of leadership before reading any of these other passages.

Previous Posts in this series:

1 Timothy 3:1-13 (NIV)

Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well. Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.

I want to look at the bold terms and examine their meanings. I'll use http://biblos.com/1_timothy/3-1.htm to help with the Greek.

overseer - ἐπισκοπῆς - episkopēs

some translate as bishop
the two other times this word is used it gets translated as "visitation" (Luke 19:44, 1 Peter 2:12)
The term doesn't need to include any decision making authority for others
We don't need to read more into the term than one who visits others, gives oversight, watches out for

(2nd) overseer - ἐπίσκοπον - episkopon

We don't need to read more into the term than one who watches out for and cares for others

deacons - Διακόνους - diakonous

Waiter or servant
From the same family as διάκονος (diakonos) wich gets translated servant in Matthew 20:26 "It shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant."
and Matthew 23:11 "But he who is greatest among you will be your servant."
and other similar verses.
This term does not mean a position or office with decision making authority

(2nd) deacons - διακονείτωσαν - diakoneitōsan

to actively serve or wait on tables
We don't need to read more into this than to serve and caring for the needs of others

(3rd) deacon - διάκονοι - diakonoi

This term gets translated "servant" in all 6 other verses it is used
We don't need to read more into this than to serve and caring for the needs of others

Reading this passage through our traditional church lenses we could assume:

This passage talks about the qualification for church leaders
These overseers or deacons are men who serve the church by ruling or governing it for a limited term

Or we could read it like this:

If someone aspires to be one who watches out for others, visits them, and cares for others, this is a noble task. Not just anyone can do this, they must meet or strive for these godly characteristics.
In the same way if someone wants to serve others in the body and care for the needs of others they must meet or strive for these godly characteristics.

I suspect this second reading fits better with Jesus' take on leadership.

Related Posts:

Elders and Overseers Appointed in Titus 1:5-9

2011-11-20T08:45:00.005-06:00

Here is part 5 of a series on leaders/elders/overseers/pastors. Looking at Scripture references typically used to support the traditional models of church leadership. If you haven't read the first 4 posts in this series, here they are. I'd encourage you to first study what Jesus says on the topic of leadership before reading any of these other passages.

Previous Posts in this series:

Titus 1:5-9 (NIV)

The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

appoint - καταστήσῃς - katastēsēs

only occurance of this term
could mean: appoint, conduct, make, ordain, or set in order

elders - πρεσβυτέρους -presbuterous

also used in Luke 7:3, Luke 22:52, Acts 4:5, and Acts 6:12 for elders in the Jewish community
and used in other places to refer to elders in the new community of believers
an adjective here (an office or position title would be a noun)

2nd occurrence of elder isn't in the greek... some translation start verse 6 "if anyone ..."

overseer - ἐπίσκοπον - episkopon

This term is used 3 times. Once to refers to Jesus in 1 Pet 2:2.
These people are charged with the task of watching out for and caring for others

"Though in some contexts 1985 (epískopos) has been regarded traditionally as a position of authority, in reality the focus is upon the responsibility for caring for others" (L & N, 1, 35.40). http://concordances.org/greek/1985.htm

manages - οἰκονόμον - oikonomon

or steward - caring for that which God has asked him to watch over

What I know:

Jewish communities had always had elders, and held a place of respect for them in their communities.
Crete was one of the predominately non-Jewish places the early church expanded to.
Timothy is given the task to appoint, or set in place elders who would have the responsibility for caring for and watching out for others.
God is entrusting these men to manage or be stewards of God's household. A noble task to take care of not just earthly treasures, but to take care of God's family.
We have a list of godly characteristics that these men should possess or strive toward.

What I don't know:

What process were these elders appointed or set in place? Did Timothy know these believers well enough to do the appointing himself, or was his task more to allow each community of believers to set in place the men who were recognized as the older wise men who had this list of characteristics.
Were these elders elected or appointed for a specific term. Once they became recognized or appointed as elders did they ever become non-elders before death (or leaving the faith)?
Were these elders given some ruling decision making authority?
Don't all believers share this responsibility of caring for and watching out for others? Were these older wise men leading by example how the rest should follow?
Does Manage mean rule... like the manager of a corporation would? If we consider Jesus take on leadership I think we can conclude that manage does not mean rule here.

What do you think?

If Paul sent Timothy to your non-Jewish community do you think Timothy would get some elders selected? What do you think that process would look like? What roles and responsibilities would they have?

Overseers in Acts 20:28

2011-11-19T09:15:00.003-06:00

Here is part 4 of a series on leaders/elders/overseers/pastors. Looking at Scripture references typically used to support the traditional models of church leadership. (See links below for previous posts.)

I took a 10 month break on this series because I recognized that this topic can come off sounding judgmental and divisive. Yet I think there is some value to posting the rest. As always, I welcome dialog. I don't claim to be the authority on this. And I struggle because I have close friends and family who will see things differently. I still respect who they are and what they believe.

I post with the hope that some will see that my questions with tradition are rooted in questioning if we have really been doing things 'by the book'.

Acts 20:28 (NIV)

"Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood."

Or Acts 20:28 (YLT)

"Take heed, therefore, to yourselves, and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit made you overseers, to feed the assembly of God that He acquired through His own blood, "

I want to look at the bold terms and examine their meanings. I'll use http://biblos.com/acts/20-28.htm to help with the Greek.

overseers - ἐπισκόπους - episkopous

Some help from Helps Word Studies:

epískopos (a masculine noun, derived from 1909 /epí, "on/fitting contact," which intensifies 4649 /skopós, "look intently," like at an end-marker concluding a race) – properly, an overseer; a man called by God to literally "keep an eye on" His flock (the Church, the body of Christ), i.e. to provide personalized (first hand) care and protection (note the epi, "on").

"Though in some contexts 1985 (epískopos) has been regarded traditionally as a position of authority, in reality the focus is upon the responsibility for caring for others" (L & N, 1, 35.40).

shepherd - ποιμαίνειν - poimainein

A verb, to tend to
Not a noun or office title

What I know:

Paul was addressing the elders here (who may simply be those recognized as the older wise men in the community of believers).
They were told to keep an eye on God's flock, to watch over it
They were told to tend to it, and care for others
These are things all believers should do. These elders need to be examples of this so the rest can follow.

What I don't know:

Were these elders appointed for a short term to govern and manage the affairs of each local assembly, making decisions for an organization or corporation?
Does watching over, tending, and caring for include any decision making authority for others?

If we start with what Jesus had to say about leadership, I think the meaning here becomes clearer.

Matt 20:25-28 (NIV)

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 23:8-12 (NIV)

"But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

What do you think? Do you think Acts 20:28 supports the traditional office of elder/overseer/pastor? Am I missing something?

Previous Posts in this series:

Kingdom like a Net

2011-11-11T10:20:00.002-06:00

The Parable of the Net (Matt 13:47 - 50 HCSB)

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea. It collected every kind [of fish], and when it was full, they dragged it ashore, sat down, and gathered the good [fish] into containers, but threw out the worthless ones. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, separate the evil people from the righteous, and throw them into the blazing furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Continuing my series on the secrets of the kingdom. The secrets of the kingdom of God have been given to us (Matthew 13:11). Jesus came to share this kingdom message (Luke 4:43). So I'm examining different passages related to this kingdom message.

So here we have a large net that represents the kingdom of God.

It seems there may be good fish and bad fish in this net during the present era of the kingdom of God.

There are likely some people that appear to be part of the reign of God now, but are really citizens of another kingdom. Who or what is truly ruling other people's hearts? It is hard for us to judge.

They may be sick or diseased fish, or even dead rotten fish, but they are still in the net.

It is not the job of the good fish to get rid of the bad fish.

At the end of the ages, the angels will collect the good fish, and dispose of the bad fish. There is no value in keeping rotten fish around forever.

This parable seems parallel to the Kingdom and Weeds parable in Matt 13:24-29.

What does this parable mean to you?

Related Posts

Samaritan Woman at Today's Well

2011-11-05T15:56:00.014-05:00

What would Jesus do today?

Read John 4:7-23 for the original story.

End Of Religion

2011-11-01T22:32:00.004-05:00

Was Jesus of Nazareth an irreligious agitator? Was his message more radical than we’ve been led to believe? I recently read "End Of Religion" by Bruxy Cavey (A teaching pastor and fellow Canadian eh?).

I'd like to share a few of the things I highlighted as I read it. I welcome any feedback.

"The Jesus described in the Bible never uses the word religion to refer to what he came to establish, nor does he invite people to join a particular institution or organization. When he speaks of "church", he is talking about people who gather in his name, not the structure they meet in or the organization they belong to (see Matthew 18:15-20). And when he talks about connecting with God, he consistently speaks not of religion but of "faith" (Luke 7:50; John 3:14-16). Jesus never commands his followers to embrace detailed creeds or codes of conduct, and he never instructs his followers to participate in exhaustive religious rituals. His life's work was about undoing the knots that bound people to ritual and empty tradition."

I don't want to sound judgmental to my brothers and sisters. I truly can not see the heart motivation behind stuff others do. I'm just thinking through the implication of this.

First... do you agree with the above quote? Do you think Bruxy is off track here?

Most Christians wouldn't say you have to be part of a particular institution or organization to connect with God. But isn't it usually highly recommended? Invitations to join a church and come to church are common. Why don't we see Jesus making such invitations?

Most Christians would agree that faith is what saves. Yes, faith in Jesus. However isn't it common that soon following this faith comes a push to accept detailed creeds and/or codes of conduct. Did we get this idea from Jesus, or is this our religious nature?

What about rituals, and empty tradition? The reformation did a good job freeing us from a lot of that. But is there more?

Did Jesus Come to Start a New Religion

2011-10-30T08:43:00.001-05:00

Did Jesus come to put an end to religion? Or to simply start a new one?

I'd love to hear your thoughts?

I guess to answer that we need to define religion, so I'll pick this one from dictionary.reference.com:

Religion:

a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

I think a key point is "a set of beliefs". Who defines the set of beliefs that everyone else must agree to if they want in?

Think about how Jesus interacted with the religious folks of His day.

Do we think Jesus wanted to simply change the religion they had?

Do we think Jesus wanted to set up a new religion to replace it?

Any evidence Jesus wanted His followers to create and follow

a new set of beliefs
new ritual observances
new moral codes

As we look back at history, can we learn anything from the failures of religious devotion of the past?

Is there a difference between the Christian Religion and a relationship with Jesus?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Reformation Day Brings More Reforming

2011-10-28T20:03:00.001-05:00

This Monday is Reformation day. On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther posted his 95 Thesis. Issues he wanted the church to dialog about.

There was a lot of talk, but unfortunately not a lot of healthy dialog.

However, one of the positive results was how the Bible came to be viewed. The Bible became available to the masses, it was translated into the languages of everyday people, and regular people began to read the Bible for themselves.

The Holy Scriptures and how they were interpreted used to be solely controlled by the clergy. Now the Scriptures were free for everyone to use.

I'm recognizing the guts it must have taken for Martin Luther and others to go against the flow of the established church.

Approximately 500 years later many Christians are talking about another reformation that is taking place.

A large part of this new reformation is the desire to place the church body back under the headship of Jesus Christ alone. For the most part the Reformation retained the structure and hierarchy created by the Catholic Church. The new denominations and state run churches severed their ties with Rome, but replaced Rome's authority with other governance organizations and/or individuals.

So the reformation of the 1500's gave the Bible back to the body. This new movement can be seen as giving the body back to our Lord.

Personally I'm not sure the work of the Reformation has finished. There are still more family issues to sort out. Like Martin Luther, my desire is not to create divisions, but to dialog and encourage my brothers and sisters to consider looking past some of our traditions and seeking God's will for us. I'm doing my part by posting my 95 thesis, stuff I'd love to see the church dialog around:

http://jonjourney.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-95-thesis.html

The Reformation put the Scriptures into your hands. I encourage you to study these Scriptures for yourself. Seek the Holy Spirit, and wisdom from respected brothers and sisters. I pray all can be done in love.

I'd love to hear what God is saying to you. God is still at work. God bless!

Related Posts:

Does Jesus want you to update your status

2011-10-24T17:00:00.004-05:00

What would Matt 10:7 look like if Jesus spoke today?

Small Is Big

2011-10-22T11:17:00.003-05:00

I've been procrastinating on writing a review of Small Is Big (originally published as The Rabbit and the Elephant) by Tony Dale, Felicity Dale and George Barna. The problem with this book is there are so many parts to it that I find encouraging. I don't know if a short summary will do justice. I'd like to say "I like this part", and then quote the whole book, but that may break some copyright rules.

If I were to write a short summary of this book, this is a thought that kept coming to me as I read it:

"This is a record of somebody who is actually living the way I've been thinking lately."

I enjoyed reading their personal stories of their involvement in simple relational church life. I found it encouraging to read stories that had a familiar resemblance to what we find in the New Testament. Tony and Filicity have numerous first hand accounts where the living spirit of Jesus has made an impact on the lives of others and resulted in groups of people following Jesus together. They are actively making disciples of Jesus, building them up, and sending them out to make more disciples.

Unfortunately these stories are too many and too long to include in a blog post here. So you'll have to get your own copy of their book if you want to be encouraged by these stories. (and/or follow their blog here)

I will share a couple of sound bites of what they have learned along the way:

"The phenomenon that is occurring in front of our eyes is a rebirthing of the church - God is taking an event-based institution and re-forming it so that it is becoming life - and relationship-based.".

"The Gospel of the Kingdom. Jesus was very focused on His Father's Kingdom, speaking about it more than any other subject. The Gospels include more than a hundred references to the word Kingdom. Jesus preached about it (Luke 4:43) and told people to seek it above all else (Matthew 6:33). He told parables about it (Matthew 13; 25) and said that the Kingdom was near to people who were healed (Luke 10:9)"

"This Kingdom of God is an upside-down kingdom. It takes the world's values and exposes them for what they are: hollow and superficial. And then it sets its own standards: up is down, death leads to life, law is transformed by grace, the poor are rich, leaders serve, and the humble are exalted."

"Liquid church happens when we stop inviting others to come to church and instead we go out into every sphere of society as the Lord leads. We reach out to our neighbors or our coworkers, and instead of asking them to come to church, we get together with those people right where they live or work. In this way segments of society that might never have experienced church life are affected by the Kingdom of God"

"Jesus is far more interested in our hearts than He is in our pursuit of correct doctrine or the right church structure. All who know Jesus as Lord are the body of Christ, no matter which spiritual family they may belong to (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). "

"Non-religious Christianity.... This kind of spiritual life cannot be put into a box or placed on an agenda. It cannot be programmed or reduced to a curriculum. As Wolfgang Simson likes to say "Programs are what the church resorts to when the Holy Spirit leaves."

"One of the biggest paradigm shifts within the simple church reformation is the understanding that when we are following the Holy Spirit, there is little need for organization and no neeed for hierarchical control. Ordinary people can be entrusted with the affairs of the church, and since Jesus is head of the church, we need to be willing to risk letting the Holy Spirit direct things as He wills."

Jesus Proclaiming Gospel on Facebook

2011-10-17T17:28:00.002-05:00

Did Jesus preach the gospel?

2011-10-16T17:44:00.009-05:00

Sharing the gospel is a top priority to many Evangelical Christians. They feel a deep urgency to share the good news message with others, with the hopes that some will accept the gospel. Of course this is a good thing. We should all go out into the world and share the good news of Jesus with others.

But could we pause for a moment and take a look at Jesus.

Did Jesus preach the gospel?

Do we think Jesus frequently preached a gospel message like this?

You are a sinner
God is holy and can not have sin in His presence
Jesus paid the debt for your sins
Just believe and you will go to heaven when you die

Do we think Jesus preached this from town to town?

Do we think his disciples preached this from town to town?

Do we think the early church preached this from town to town?

My apologies if I've missed or misquoted the gospel message you are familiar with. Everyone seems to have a slightly different version. One problem I see with this type of gospel presentation is that it requires a fair bit of proof-texting. I suspect if this was the gospel presentation made by anyone in the early church, we would find the whole presentation in a number of passages. We would not have to cut and paste verses from different books, mixed together with our own summary, to give the gospel presentation.

What we do find is Jesus preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.

You can not read the gospels without noticing how often the topic of the kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven is on the lips of Jesus. Matt 4:23, Matt 9:35, Matt 24:14, Luke 4:43, Luke 16:16 are a few that link the word 'gospel' with this kingdom message. We also find his disciples were sent out preaching the same message (Matt 10:5-8, Luke 9:1-2, Luke 10:9) . We have 4 books call the 'gospels' that have a lot to say about the good news message Jesus and His disciples preached. Paul and the other New Testament writers continued with the same message and themes.

Following are some links to my attempt to piece together what the gospel was according to Jesus, starting with what is recorded in the gospels. I'd encourage you to do your own study too. I welcome any feedback. I'm certain I don't have it all figured out, but I'm on a journey of changing my way of thinking, that the reign of God is near (Mark 1:15):

Gospel in the Gospels - Summary
Gospel in Matthew
Gospel in Mark
Gospel in Luke
I'm a believer - what John has to say about being a believer
Gospel in John
Gospel in other NT verses

Kingdom like searching for Pearls

2011-10-15T11:10:00.000-05:00

Matt 13:45-46 (HCSB)

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had, and bought it."

Continuing my series on the secrets of the kingdom. The secrets of the kingdom of God have been given to us (Matthew 13:11). Jesus came to share this kingdom message (Luke 4:43). So I'm examining different passages related to this kingdom message.

This short parable in Matt 13:45-46 is very similar to the previous one in Matt 13:44.

Here we have a merchant, a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit. This merchant was searching for fine pearls, something precious and of great worth. When he found one, he recognized it was a deal of a lifetime. He recognized that it was worth giving up all that he had to acquire this pearl.

A version of the parable also appears in the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas:

Jesus said, "The Father's kingdom is like a merchant who had a supply of merchandise and found a pearl. That merchant was prudent; he sold the merchandise and bought the single pearl for himself. So also with you, seek his treasure that is unfailing, that is enduring, where no moth comes to eat and no worm destroys."
— Gospel of Thomas 76, Patterson/Meyer translation

Some thoughts:

Are we searching for the kingdom of heaven in our daily lives. Are we seeking heaven's rule, God's ways, God's will.
Do we recognize the value of the kingdom of heaven, the reign of God?
What are we willing to give up as we discover God's way?

Jesus Facebook Follow Me

2011-10-12T21:05:00.002-05:00

Playdough Scripture 2 Thessalonians 2:15

2011-10-11T20:34:00.003-05:00

"Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions you were taught, ~~either by our message or by our letter~~ by your favorite denominations or movements of the past 2000 years."
2 Thessalonians 2:15 (Playdough Version)

This playdough scripture was triggered by Eric's post today: Some Traditions Really Are Helpful.

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Reverse Offering

2011-10-10T12:18:00.007-05:00

What would Jesus do today?

Would he collect an offering, or give an offering to others?

Related Posts:

I am the pizza of life

2011-10-09T14:50:00.006-05:00

What Would Jesus Do today? What if the standard meal wasn't boring bread?

Sorry if this seems sacrilegious. Sorry if it offends you.

I want to encourage you to think of who Jesus is beyond the religious traditions you may be used to.

What was He really asking of us here? How should we respond? What was this about?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Related Posts:

Pass the Potatoes for Communion

2011-10-08T16:33:00.003-05:00

1 Cor 10:16-17 (NIV)

"Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf."

What is communion? For my tradition one type of communion is where some crackers or wafers are shared together with some grape juice. Just a little nibble of a bread like substance, and a little sip of a wine like substance.

Communion also speaks of our relationship with one another.

Of course the communion or Lord's supper practice has a deeper meaning that goes along with this strange custom. We remember Christ's body that was sacrificed for us. We remember that we are part of His living body today. It is usually a quiet solemn time of repentance and prayer.

The early church followed Jesus' command and example of coming together and breaking bread together as a time to remember Jesus. It seems it was usually a full meal, and was often called a love feast.

Why Bread? Well bread was the standard food of substance for that culture. Jesus is the bread of life. He is what sustains and gives life to His followers.

So what if Jesus had come to some Asian culture? Would he have shared rice with his followers instead?

What if he came to one of our homes on Thanskgiving weekend? (This weekend for us Canadians eh?) Would Jesus have made a connection between sharing potatoes and turkey as a way to remember our shared life together, and all that He has shared with us?

What do you think? Have we created some religious symbols and traditions but lost some of the context? In what ways do we participate in the body of Christ as we eat together?

When we gather around a meal with potatoes, can we remember Christ's body? Can we remember His body sacrificed for us? Can we remember that we are now all members of His living body and participating together for His work and His kingdom?

What do you think? Am I being too sacrilegious?

What did Jesus really mean with this activity (recorded in 1 Cor 11:23 - 26), and what did he really want us to do to remember him?

I'd love you hear your thoughts.

Related Posts:

Kingdom Like Treasure

2011-10-08T08:49:00.001-05:00

Matt 13:44 (HCSB)

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field."

Continuing my series on the secrets of the kingdom. The secrets of the kingdom of God have been given to us (Matthew 13:11). Jesus came to share this kingdom message (Luke 4:43). So I'm examining different passages related to this kingdom message.

I like this short little parable in Matt 13:44. I think it is an easier one to understand.

The Kingdom of heaven is of greatest worth. It is like a treasure found that a man gives up all he has to acquire it. It is worth giving up everything for.

Seek first the kingdom of God. Are you seeking to live under the reign of God?

To me there is something neat about the line "buried in a field". It's been there all along, but I feel I'm recently discovering it.

Paul tells a similar story of giving up what he had to follow Christ's Lordship. Paul was an upright religious man who had it all together in the eyes of people in his day. Phil 3:6-10 (HCSB)

"as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to the righteousness that is in the law, blameless. But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ —the righteousness from God based on faith. [My goal] is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, "

Paul sacrifices a lot. He sacrificed his position and status in society as a devout religious man. He ends up going through many sufferings and persecutions as a result of opposition with the religious folks of his day. But he rejoices that he has given up so much, because he has found Christ. Knowing and following Jesus is the treasure Paul is seeking.

What are some things you may need to give up if you seek to follow the reign of God?

Your own selfish desires?
Your pride?
Religion?
Wealth?
Other?

Plugins Extensions and Add-ons and the Church

2011-09-26T18:23:00.002-05:00

"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.

I think it is worth recognizing that the way church is now is not the way it has always been, and it is not the way it has to be.

This is a simple summary list of some extras the church has added over the years. I won't attempt to do in-depth research here on any of it. If you have any questions feel free to comment.

Video/Multimedia presentations - a recent addition by our generation

Sound technicians - another fairly recent addition

Worship Band - styles of music have changed throughout the years. There was a time when the only musical instruments were voices.

Youth Groups - YMCA and YWCA were some of the first ministries aimed at young adults and teens. These were founded in the 1850s. Now youth groups are seen as an important part of most church communities.

Sunday School - Started in the 1780s, originally started to teach poor children to read. Now it is hard to imagine a church community without a Sunday School program for children.

VBS - I was surprised at this one. VBS ministries have actually been going for over 100 years. But still in the scope of church history a relatively recent addition.

Bible College - it seems Christian education in the early days was more of an apprenticeship model. Studying Scriptures would have been important to the early church, but there is no mention of Bible Colleges in the New Testament. Christian leaders haven't always had certificates, diplomas, and degrees in Christian education.

Church Libraries - early church gatherings would have been lucky if they had copies of some of the New testament writings. It took a few hundred years to put them together into a collection we call the Bible. Today most church communities have libraries with hundreds of books and audio and video resources.

Pews/Chairs - people sitting in rows of pews were not common until the Reformation 500 years ago, around the same time when the sermons became more of a focus.

Ushers - just a guess here, but I suspect ushers were not needed before the pews.

Sermons as the main part of the gathering - I guess it depends what you call a sermon. There were lengthy speeches or sermons in the NT. And believers obviously spoke and taught each other whenever they got together. However it seems there was usually audience participation during these speeches. When did a 30 minute monolog become the main part of the gatherings?

Church Buildings - the early church met in homes, and in public spaces. Some of these private homes were converted to accommodate growing gatherings. However there were over 3000 believers in the church in Jerusalem with no records of an early mega-church building project.

Staff - some research suggest it wasn't until 300 years after Christ that some introduced the practice of tithing to support a paid clergy. This practice did not become widespread until about 700 AD. It is now common to have multiple staff on a payroll.

Church annual meetings - they make sense if you have buildings, staff, programs and a leadership structure that wants input from a membership. It is unlikely the NT church held annual meeting to vote on a budgets and discuss programs if they didn't have staff, programs and special buildings.

Board meetings - with all the above extras added to the church, it seems there is a need for a group of leaders to make decisions about these things.

Most Christian (in the West at least) value these extras. Many of these extras can help build relationships that build up believers to become more like Christ. It's not all bad.

Take a moment though and try to imagine church without the add-ons.

What would the church be left with? You may find it hard to imagine what the church was like before these things were added. I can imagine a group of believers with a simple focus of loving God and loving others.

I find myself fellowshipping with others who value more plugins and add-ons than I do. But when I can, I am now saying no-thanks to some of the add-ons. I see value in focusing on the church, the people, without the extras. That is the church I am committed to.

Related Posts:

Church and Kingdom

2011-09-24T10:55:00.002-05:00

I want to try to start working the word kingdom into my daily vocabulary. I welcome any suggestions.

The word church makes my head spin.

Recently I'm always stumbling with my wording around the use of the word church. Whether talking about dropping someone off at a building where some believers often gather. Or discussing plans for a specific Sunday event when believers gather. Or talking about a sub-group of believers who make decisions and plans and organize programs for other believers. But I don't see the word church in Scripture being used to refer to a building, a Sunday morning event, or an organization.

Lately when I talk with my family, I've been trying to use the word 'church' to refer only to people. If I'm going to start using it to refer to a gathering of believers I believe it can be used whenever believers assemble to build each other up to become more like Christ.

But I'm finding it quite difficult. The term church gets used quite often. My family is starting to understand why I talk so differently, but I don't expect others to understand so I often end up giving in and speaking the common language.

Kingdom

I find the term kingdom doesn't get used very often.

We have 100 records of Jesus speaking the word kingdom, and only two passages where he spoke of church.

However, since kingdom doesn't get used very often today, there may be less confusion with the term. If I talk of God's kingdom, nobody will be thinking building, local organization, or Sunday morning event.

We can simply talk of God's rule in our lives, how He reigns, or how He is Lord/Master/King. I believe the Kingdom of God is a present reality that will expand into eternity.

I'm not suggesting everybody needs to drop using the word church. I love seeing discussions around what the word church should be about. Yet for myself I find my head spinning when I hear the word church used in daily language. I'm always trying to figure out if they are talking about a building, organization, event or about people and/or when they get together.

So I sense I should shift my focus toward the Kingdom and the King. I know there is overlap between the kingdom and the church. But I find the Kingdom easier to focus on, and since that is what Jesus spent most of His time talking about I feel this may be a healthy change of focus.

I still don't know how best to respond to scenarios where I find myself discussing a particular building, event, or organization... I welcome any suggestions.

Related Posts:

Kingdom Like Yeast

2011-09-18T15:25:00.001-05:00

Matthew 13:33 (HCSB)

"He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into 50 pounds of flour until it spread through all of it."

Reading different commentators on this one there is a range of thought on what Jesus is saying here. Some take the position that yeast is representing sin spreading in the church. It is true that in many other passages yeast is used to describe the way sin or bad things spread, but I don't see the yeast being a bad thing here.

In this parable the woman put yeast into the flour on purpose. She then mixed it into the flour on purpose. I think she wanted the yeast to spread throughout the flour and change it. And it did. It was a good thing. The kingdom of heaven is like that yeast. Jesus shared the message of the good news of the kingdom of heaven, and the reign of God has been spreading through the world ever since. At a personal level, I sense the reign of God growing in my life as well.

I pray that God's kingdom come, that His will be done, here on earth as it is in heaven. I pray His reign will be evident in my life, and that His rule would continue to spread in my life and in the world around us.

To My Protestant Friends

2011-09-14T19:52:00.000-05:00

It's been around 500 years since the Protestant Reformation. I'd like to ask my Protestant friends some questions about where they find themselves now. If you are part of the Protestant branch of Christianity, are you still protesting? Do you know what you are protesting?

The Reformers first took issue with:

the sale of indulgences.
the practice of buying and selling church positions
purgatory
Particular judgment
devotion to Mary
the intercession of and devotion to the saints
most of the sacraments
mandatory celibacy requirement of its clergy
the authority of the Pope.

They also took a stand for the 5 solas:

Sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone")
Sola fide ("by faith alone")
Sola gratia ("by grace alone")
Solus Christus or Solo Christo ("Christ alone" or "through Christ alone")
Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone")

I once considered myself a Protestant. Yet I don't think I really understood these issues. Yes I'd heard a bit about why the other side was wrong, but I hadn't examined the issues with much of an open mind.

As you can see with the links above I've written some posts in the past on many of these topics. I haven't written on all the topics yet - we will see if I get the urge to finish at some point.

But how about you, my Protestant friends?

Does this list of issues summarize where you stand today? Do you strongly feel the need to continue protesting these issues? Or are you ready to drop the label 'Protestant'? Or does being a Protestant mean something different to you today?

Playdough Scripture Acts 2:41

2011-09-10T09:05:00.000-05:00

"Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day, so they quickly started the first megachurch building project, hired on more staff, and expanded their programs."

Acts 2:41 (Playdough Version)

My Role with Church

2011-09-03T09:36:00.000-05:00

In my last post I worked through how I am trying to recognize Christ's Church whenever and wherever I meet together with other believers. I suspect that is how the term church was used in Scripture. I don't view Church as a building, or a Sunday morning event, or an organization. However I can recognize that the Church (assembling of God's people) does exist Sunday mornings in many buildings and organizations. It also exists every day of the week all over the place.

So my next point is: What is my role when I get together with other believers wherever and whenever that may be.

Hebrews 10:23-25 (NIV)

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.and all the more as you see the Day approaching. "

This passage is often used to encourage people to 'go to church'. But if we look again we also see instructions as to what we should be doing when we meet with other believers. Why do we get together as church? To encourage one another, and spur one another on towards love and good deeds.

This means more to me than having one or a few people at the front encouraging the others. I believe each member of the body can and should play a role in building up one another when we get together.

1 Corinthians 14:26 (NIV)

"What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up."

Again, building each other up when we get together.

There are many 'one another' commands that we should pay attention to as well. Of course these are best done when we get together.

Offering hospitality to one another
Show humility to one another
Be at harmony with one another
Not slandering one another
Encouraging one another
Teaching one another
Admonishing (giving advice) one another
Forgiving one another
Submitting to one another
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs
Be kind and compassionate to one another
bearing with one another in love
serve one another
Accept one another
Agree with one another
kissing one another (ew)
and the repeated call to love one another.

There is a lot for us to consider when we get together (as the church). As I take a look at this list it seems clear that healthy, loving, and active relationships with each other is key.

Consider one more passage Ephesians 4:11-16 (NIV)

So Christ himself gave the apostles [messengers who are sent out], the prophets [those who speak a message of God], the evangelists [those who shares the good news], the pastors [shepherds - those who care for other believers] and teachers [those who teach], to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

One may think this passage supports the idea that it is the job of a few select people to build up the body. I'd like to push you to consider that God is calling most of us to do these tasks. To be messengers sent out into the world, to share the good news, to care for others, and teach each other. Some may be more gifted in different areas than others, but I don't believe anyone is exempt from considering their role in each of these areas.

And to the point of this passage. That the whole body works together, to build up the body to become mature and more like Christ. So that we can be Christ's living body in our world today.

And I think that is the role for each of us as we get together with other believers (the church - whenever and wherever).

Related Posts:

Recognize Church

2011-09-02T09:34:00.003-05:00

So how do I Recognize Christ's Church?

Now that I understand church according to Jesus

is not a building
is not a Sunday Morning event
is not an institution or organization

Jesus talks simply of when two or three are gathered in His name. Church (ecclesia) was a word used to refer to an assembly or democratic gathering. We see in other New Testament passages the early believers also used the term church to refer to all the believers in a geographical area. So in my mind church is simply believers and whenever they get together.

So how do I move forward and relate with my brothers and sisters who view church as an institution, building, or Sunday Morning event?

Well... if church is simply the whenever two or three are gathered in Christ's name... I can recognize that I am part of Christ's church whenever I build relationships with other believers

as we walk up the sidewalk as we 'go to church'
as we visit before and after the 'church service'
(as we chat during the 'church service')
as we visit in each others homes
as we visit in parks
as we visit at work
as we visit whenever

You get the point?

I am looking to recognize Christ's church within the institutional church and beyond the walls.

I guess the next question is... What is my role as I meet with the church (wherever/whenever)? I'll work on that for my next post...

Related Posts:

Kingdom grows like a weed

2011-08-31T09:55:00.002-05:00

Matt 13:31-32 (NIV)

"He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

Was Jesus making a contrast to the cedars of Lebanon and/or other large trees that were talked about in Ezek 17:22-24, 31:5-6; Dan 4:10-12; and Ps 104:10-17? These other passages spoke of grand and majestic trees that had large branches to shelter the birds of the air and other honorable animals.

What point is Jesus making when he tells a similar tale but with a mustard seed? The mustard seed was known to spread like a weed. It was against the law to plant it in a garden, because once it started to grow there was no stopping it. It would continue to spread whether you wanted it to or not.

Consider the type of people that were most likely to enter this Kingdom of Heaven. The wealthy and the religious folks seemed to be opposed to Jesus and His message. The good news of the Kingdom of God seemed to spread most quickly amongst the poor, the underdogs, the outcasts, and the less fortunate.

This less than desirable crowd were part of a growth that spread throughout the region and around the world. Many people haven't welcomed the growth, but many have taken shelter in it.

What do you think?

Is the kingdom of God still growing? Are people welcoming or opposing the reign of God in our lives and world?

Two Types of Worship Service

2011-08-28T09:18:00.005-05:00

A few years ago I got to be part of two different types of worship services in Paris.

First I was fortunate enough to be at the Notre Dame de Paris for a Sunday morning service. I was encouraged to be part of a worship service that gave me a connection with believers from past centuries.

After leaving Notre Dame, I walked alone along the banks of the river. I found a little park nearby to eat some food I had bought. As I was eating I noticed an old man nearby who looked like he was in need of some food. I felt God wanted me to share some of my food with him, so I did. A few moments later I noticed someone else walk up to the same man and share some more food with him.

Was this a different type of worship service?

Romans 12 starts out talking about true and proper worship.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. " (NIV)

Romans 12 then goes on talking about how as a body we each have different parts to play (making clear divine truths, serving, encouraging, giving, teaching, leading, showing mercy...) . Above all we are called to love others. I suspect the whole of Romans 12 helps define what true and proper worship looks like.

So in my mind, what happened in the park by the river behind Notre Dame was just as much 'worship service' as what took place inside.

Serving others should be done as an act of worship.

What do you think?

What does the word 'worship' mean to you?

What does the word 'service' mean to you?

Related Posts:

Don't Look - The Pastor Has No Clothes

2011-08-23T09:47:00.005-05:00

No picture for this one, and sorry if this sounds slightly offensive.

I always felt sorry for the Emperor in the story of Emperor's New Clothes. It wasn't really his fault that he was walking around naked. Everybody just kept on lying to him and saying that they loved his new clothing. Poor guy didn't know that he was slightly under-dressed.

Anyways, there is a new book out there called The Pastor Has No Clothes. I haven't read it, and I'm not sure I need to. But just wanted to share this link. Read the description for more info:
http://amzn.com/0982744641 (paperback)
http://amzn.com/B005GL93OM (Kindle Edition)

Related Posts:

The Pastor
Dave Black on Pastors
The First Pastors
Summary on Elders Overseers Shepherds - 9 post series

Jesus on Church

2011-08-20T10:47:00.000-05:00

Jesus actually didn't seem to talk much about church. Consider that the gospel writers recorded over 100 verses where Jesus talked about the Kingdom. The term church (ekklēsia) only shows up in two verses in the gospels.

Matt 16:18 (NIV)

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Matt 18:15-20 (NIV)

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

The gospel writers Mark, Luke, and John do not record Jesus talking at all about church/ekklesia.

The Greek word Jesus used in the Matthew that we translate as church was ekklesia. This word was not created by Jesus or Christianity. It had a understood meaning in Jesus' days.

"The ecclesia or ekklesia[1] (Greek: ἐκκλησία) was the principal assembly of the democracy of ancient Athens during its "Golden Age" (480–404 BCE). It was the popular assembly, opened to all male citizens over the age of 18 by Solon in 594 BC meaning that all classes of citizens in Athens were able to participate, even the thetes. The ekklesia opened the doors for all citizens, regardless of class, to nominate and vote for magistrates—indirectly voting for the Areopagus—have the final decision on legislation, war and peace, and have the right to call magistrates to account after their year of office."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecclesia_ancient_Athens

Some thoughts:

The word church/ekklesia comes with an open participatory flavor. It's roots are with the roots of democracy. All the members at the assembly had an equal voice.
What do you think about the picture I selected for this post? When we picture 'church' do we usually visualize it differently than what Jesus was referring to?
Jesus didn't focus much on the topic of church. Maybe as followers of Christ we should be more focused on the Kingdom than we are on Church. In my mind there is some overlap between the terms. But maybe we should focus less on attending church, starting churches, building churches, structuring churches, planning for churches, setting church vision, promoting church, etc. ??
Jesus said He would build his church. He didn't say we would build His church. Jesus did command us to seek His kingdom and to go and make disciples.
At the end of the second passage we may have a simple definition of church according to Jesus. Simply where two or three are gathered in His name.

Solo Christo Copyright Infringement

2011-08-15T10:28:00.002-05:00

Taking another look at the points of contention during the Protestant Reformation. One of the points of the reformation was Solus Christus or Solo Christo ("Christ alone" or "through Christ alone").

Solus Christus is the teaching that Christ is the only mediator between God and man, and that there is salvation through no other.

This position was taken to contrast what reformers were seeing in the Catholic church of the time. They were rejecting the idea that they had to go through the Pope or a Priest to be at peace with God.

So what to Catholics believe today?

"480 Jesus Christ is true God and true man, in the unity of his divine person; for this reason he is the one and only mediator between God and men."
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P1J.HTM

Or read this article: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10118a.htm

So do protestants still need to protest this one?

Yes, they still have priests and the pope, but most Protestant churches also have Pastors and denominational presidents and boards which may play similar roles. There is a tendency to view the Pastor as the authority, leader or head of a local church. Denomination government structures may also step in to give additional authority and control. Is this really that different today than what we see in the Catholic Church?

So today there is another movement that I think has a similar call to that of the reformers.

Copyright infringement?

Is it OK for this new movement to insist that Christ alone is the head of the church?

Can we join with the reformers and say "Solo Christo!"?

Related Posts:

Kingdom and Weeds

2011-08-14T00:32:00.002-05:00

The Parable of the Weeds (Matt 13:24 - 29 NIV)

Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

“‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

“‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

The term for weeds here is thought to be a plant that looks very similar to wheat in its early stages. Roman Law prohibited sowing darnel among the wheat of an enemy. This is likely the imaginary Jesus was getting the crowd to visualize.

The Parable of the Weeds Explained (Matt 13:36-43 NIV)

Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

Some thoughts:

This passage supports the idea that the kingdom of heaven is also a present reality. The good seed represents people in the kingdom of God, living side by side with people living in the kingdom of darkness.
At the end of the age those who are under the reign of God will go on to live with their Father.
At the end of the age those who are living under the reign of darkness will have an end similar to weeds burning in a furnace. Note this passage does not give support to an eternal conscious torment in Hell. Weeds burn in a fire and are destroyed forever, but they don`t burn forever. This passage sometimes gets used to support the traditional view of Hell, but it does not speak about the length of the torment. This passage on it`s own does not say how long the weeping and gnashing of teeth will last. It may be that the end result for these evil doers is death, perishing, or destruction. But yes, I am off topic. The weeds will get what they deserve... what that will exactly look like is a separate hot topic.
The servants in this parable are not able to safely separate the weeds from the wheat. I think this means we are not capable of judging all who are children of God`s kingdom and those who are not. It`s likely not our task to determine who is in and who is out. If you come across Christians who try to make such conclusions beware of the danger that they will likely be wrong in many of their conclusions and much harm can be done to the kingdom.

This is Discipling

2011-08-07T16:30:00.003-05:00

This is Discipling from The Foursquare Church on Vimeo.

What would it look like if, as leaders, we focused less on the things that make our churches entertaining and more on making disciples? As shown by Kelly Tshibaka at Foursquare Connection 2011.

Exciting to see the church rethink its mission.

Is our task primarily to go and bring people to church?

Is our task primarily to go and build the church?

Or is it to go and make disciples?

What does that look like?

Can we leave the task of building the church to God?

Playdough Scripture John 10:16

2011-08-05T15:05:00.001-05:00

"I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be ~~one~~ many flocks and ~~one~~ many shepherds (pastors)."

John 10:16 (Playdough Version)

What do you think?

Is there one church or many churches?

Pastor means shepherd. Is there one pastor or many pastors?

Related Posts:

Receiving the kingdom seed

2011-08-04T10:48:00.001-05:00

Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

Matt 13:18 - 23 (NIV)

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

(Parallel passage in Luke 8)

I don't know why Jesus chose to speak in parables, and why the secrets of the kingdom were not written down in the form of a creed or catechism... but it is keeping my interest.

So what secrets can I discover here?

Not everyone receives the message of the kingdom the same way.
Some don't understand it, and the kingdom does not even germinate in their lives.
For others the message is received but it has no lasting impact because they are not prepared for hardships that come.
For others the message is received, but there is no life changing impact. They get distracted by stuff in this world and the kingdom is not evident in their lives.
Others receive the message of the kingdom, the kingdom took root in their lives, and it was evident by the fruit it produced.

I won't try to guess why different people receive the message of the kingdom well and others don't. I don't know how much is our responsibility, and how much is God's grace. And I'm guessing that wasn't the point and I don't need to understand that right now.

But it is interesting that Jesus explains what the different types of responses are? Which type of soil are we going to be?

Dave Black on Pastors

2011-08-02T11:50:00.003-05:00

I appreciate this article on the topic of Pastors by Dave Black (Professor of New Testament and Greek at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary).

http://www.daveblackonline.com/pastors_as_shepherds.htm

Here are a few quotes, but I'd encourage you to read the whole article if you are interested in the topic of Pastors in the New Testament Church.

"If we are honest, we must confess that the tradition of a solitary “pastor” is a gigantic obstacle to the participatory dimension of body life found in the New Testament (see 1 Cor. 14). There are at least 58 commands in the New Testament detailing our “one-another” responsibilities but not one command about the pastor taking upon his shoulders the whole weight of the order and edification of the church."

...

"Let us realize, then, that the New Testament knows nothing of a “pastoral office” as traditionally conceived, nor is there any evidence to support the idea of one professional minister leading a congregation. In Eph. 4:11, for example, Paul mentions apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, but one would be hard-pressed to identify a New Testament “pastor” by name. The New Testament calls Paul an “apostle,” Agabus a “prophet,” Philip an “evangelist,” Manean a “teacher,” but it never identifies anyone as a “pastor.” "

...

"Christian shepherds, may the Chief Shepherd help you to tend the sheep in humility and love!"

Shepherding or caring for God's flock is a good and necessary thing. So I don't have a problem with the fact that some people take this task seriously. I think the problem is that the majority of the church thinks this is a job description for a specially trained minority. But caring for others is the responsibility of every believer. Yes, some will be more gifted than others, and those that serve well in this area should lead as examples for the rest of the body to follow. And we must encourage all our brothers and sisters to primarily follow our Chief Shepherd/Lead Pastor Jesus.

Related Posts:

If You Have All The Answers

2011-08-01T10:05:00.002-05:00

If you have all the answers.

And you know that someone else doesn't.

Make sure you understand that love is the answer.

If you need to call someone a heretic or false teacher... or if you need to call a group a cult...

Please do so with love.

Otherwise it seems you are at risk of not being a true child of God:

1 John 3:10 (NIV)

"This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister."

1 John 2:9 (NIV)

"Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness."

1 John 4:7-8 (NIV)

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. "

And this lines up with Jesus' words in John 13:34-35 (NIV):

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Divided Kingdom

2011-07-25T10:00:00.006-05:00

Continuing my series on the secrets of the kingdom. The secrets of the kingdom of God have been given to us (Matthew 13:11). Jesus came to share this kingdom message (Luke 4:43). So I'm examining different passages related to this kingdom message.

First let me tell you a story.

Mary believed in Jesus, and felt the call to serve the poor. She spent many hours serving in a soup kitchen downtown. She cared for the outcasts and less fortunate. She built relationships with many of them, and would often be seen praying with them for their needs. She couldn't fix all their problems, but she knew that God loved these people and could provide for their needs. She gave of her time and resources to partner with God in His work.

However Mary had been tricked and mislead early on by some bad influences. You see, she grew up in a Christian tradition that had a lot of really bad theology. They believed stuff about God and His church that simply were not true. She followed the teachings of some religious leaders that had a strong influence in her life and beliefs. Mary was one of them, and would usually support and teach the same things she had been taught.

Some other Christians heard of Mary's work with the soup kitchen downtown. They knew she claimed to be a Christian. But they also knew about her bad religious background. They knew they couldn't support her, and whenever they got the chance they would find ways to discredit her and her religious background. It was obvious to them that they were not on the same team.

Can you see a parallel between my story and Matt 12:25 - 30 (NIV)?

Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”
But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
“Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.
“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

(Parallel passages in Mark 3:24 and Luke 11:17.)

If you see God at work, then the kingdom of God is present.

IF you need to figure out if someone is following Jesus or not. (Big IF here. In many cases I don't think we need to figure it out with certainty). Look first for the fruit of the Spirit. Don't just look for wrong beliefs. Look for evidence of the Spirit of God at work. And don't look for perfection, God usually picks imperfect people to work through.

If you think God's kingdom is divided... think again.

There is only one Church. You are either following Christ or you are following something else.

If you find yourself opposing God's work... that's a dangerous place to be.

Take another look at the warning about "blasphemy against the Spirit". In context it seems to be a warning for those who are opposing the Spirit of God working through others.

Related Posts:

My 95 Thesis - Point 13 - Temple Worship

2011-07-23T10:30:00.000-05:00

Here's my 13th Point in My 95 Theses. Another topic I'd love to see the church dialog around is our view of special places of worship, special people who lead the worship, and special actions done as worship.

When you look at the Old Testament model it is easy to identify the temple, priests and sacrifices of worship. There are specific holy places, holy people, and holy actions.

When you look at the modern church practices and beliefs it is a bit confusing.

Some may see similarities between the Old Testament Temple and our current Church buildings.

Some may see similarities between the Old Testament Priests and our current clergy who go by a variety of titles (Bishops, Priests, Pastors, Ministers...).

Some may see similarities between the Old Testament sacrifices made for worship and our current practices of worship music (or for others the Eucharist or sacraments).

But lets be clear.

According to the New Testament...

What/who is the temple?

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. " (Acts 17:24 NIV)

"Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?" (1 Corinthians 3:16 NIV)

"you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Pet 2:5 NIV)

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;" (1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV)

"What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (2 Corinthians 6:16 NIV)

"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. " (Ephesians 2:19-22 NIV)

Who are the priests?

"you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
...
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
(1 Pet 2:5,9 NIV)

What are the sacrifices of worship?

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Rom 12:1-2 NIV)

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. (Hebrews 13:15-16 NIV)

These ideas are not new. The protestant reformation included the belief in the priesthood of all believers. Yet I know many people practice a form of Christianity that elevates special buildings, special people, and special worship activities.

I fear there are many who get confused.

Related Posts:

Secrets of the Kingdom Summary

2011-07-20T08:22:00.026-05:00

This is a summary post for my series on the secrets of the kingdom. I will add to it as I study this topic further.

Luke 8:10 (NIV)

He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’"

Matthew 13:11 and Mark 4:11 have similar records.

I don't know why Jesus chose to speak this way. Maybe it's because we all love secrets, and we like to share those secrets with others.

So I'm examining different passages related to this kingdom message.

Change Your Way of Thinking - The message Jesus seemed to share was that the kingdom of God was near or here, and He called people to repent or change their way of thinking. (Matt 3:1-2)

Greatest in the Kingdom - We all know who the greatest in kingdom of heaven are right? Jesus shares some weird upside-down thinking on this. (Matt 5:3, Matt 5:10, Matt 18:3-4)

Healing Kingdom - Divine healing accompanied the message of God's kingdom. Jesus healed the sick as he preached about the kingdom. His disciples later did the same. When we teach about God's kingdom, we should expect God's healing powers to be present. This is evidence that God's reign is present. (Matthew 4:23-25, Matt 9:35, Luke 9:1-2, Luke 10:9, Mark 16:15-18)

Kingdom For The Poor - There seems to be a strong connection between the good news of the kingdom of God and the poor. I pray for wisdom in this area. (Matthew 5:3, Luke 6:20, Matthew 11:5, Luke 4:18, Luke 7:22, James 2:5, Matthew 19:23, Matthew 19:24, Mark 10:23-24)

Kingdom Come God's Will Be Done - I am now recognizing that the kingdom of God is not just a distant future reality, but an active kingdom that God wants me to be part of right now. (Matt 6:9-13)

Kingdom or Stuff - Where are the desires of my heart? Kingdom focused or stuff focused? (Matthew 6:28-34)

Kingdom of Doers - To enter the kingdom of heaven you must be a doer. Talking the talk just doesn't cut it. (Matt 7:21 - 23)

Kingdom for all Races - Elements of racism have existed in society and the church from time to time throughout church history. But there is no place for racism in Christ's kingdom. (Matt 8:10-12)

Kingdom Confusion John and Forceful Men - A look at what Jesus may have meant when talking about John the Baptist being great, yet lesser than anyone in the kingdom. And what's the deal with reference to forceful men and the kingdom? (Matthew 11:11-15)

Divided Kingdom - If you see God at work, then the kingdom of God is present. If you think God's kingdom is divided... think again. (Matt 12:25 - 30)

Receiving the kingdom seed - Not everyone receives the message of the kingdom the same way. Which type of soil are we going to be? (Matt 13:3-9, Matt 13:18 - 23)

Kingdom and Weeds - The kingdom of heaven is also a present reality. I think this passage has something to say about our lack of ability to judging others. My God is a good judge, I`ll leave that to Him. (Matt 13:24 - 29)

Kingdom grows like a weeds - A less than desirable crowd was part of a growth that spread throughout the region and around the world. Many people haven't welcomed the growth, but many have taken shelter in it. (Matt 13:31-32)

Kingdom is like yeast - a similar point as the previous passage. The way the kingdom of heaven spreads in our lives and in the world is similar to how yeast spreads through flour. (Matt 13:33)

Kingdom like treasure - What will you sacrifice to seek this treasure? Your own selfish desires? Your pride? Religion? Wealth? Other? (Matt 13:44)

Kingdom like searching for Pearls - Do we recognize the value of the kingdom of heaven? Are we searching for it? Are we willing to give up all we have for God's kingdom? (Matt 13:45-46)

Kingdom like a net - There may be good fish and bad fish that seem to be part of the present kingdom of God. It is not the job of the good fish to dispose of the bad fish. (Mat 13:47-50)

Student of Scripture Instructed in the Kingdom - A full spiritual banquet can be prepared by properly mixing something old and something new. (Matt 13:51-52)

Gates of Hades and Keys of the Kingdom - What sort of keys could there be that can open the gates that separate the realm of death with the realm of life? (Matt 16:15-19)

Not Taste Death Until Kingdom - Some of the people listening will see and experience the reign and rule of God in their lives and in the world around them. They will follow Jesus and take up their cross. As a result they will not taste death but find life. (Matt 16:24-28)

Rock Star Christians - Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? (Matt 18:1-5)

Kingdom Mercy Pay It Forward - I think Jesus was saying the kingdom of heaven is like pay it forward with forgiveness and mercy.

Eunuchs for the Kingdom - some are like eunuchs and won't have divided loyalties in kingdom. Others who can't go without family relations should get married. (Matt 19:8-12)

More to come...

I pray for wisdom. I suspect if we seek God for clarity He will give us enough answers as needed as we study the kingdom secrets further.

Kingdom Confusion John and Forceful Men

2011-07-19T10:42:00.004-05:00

Continuing my series on the secrets of the kingdom. The secrets of the kingdom of God have been given to us (Matthew 13:11). Jesus came to share this kingdom message (Luke 4:43). So I'm examining different passages related to this kingdom message.

Some of these kingdom passages are hard to understand. This is one of them. Let's take a look. I'd love to hear your thoughts on what you think Jesus' was saying here.

Matthew 11:11-15 (NIV)

Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

The first confusing piece. What is Jesus saying about John the Baptist? He seems to say John the Baptist is the greatest man to ever live. Yet he says the least in the kingdom is greater than him.

Does this mean John the Baptist isn't in the kingdom of Heaven? If John the Baptist is in the kingdom of Heaven, and he is the greatest man to ever live, how can others in the kingdom be greater than him?

Or is Jesus simply re-emphasizing the upside down nature of the kingdom. Is he saying, yes John is great... but don't forget that in the kingdom the first is last, and the greatest is the one who serves.

The second confusing piece of this passage is in vs 12. What's with this forceful stuff???

(NIV)

"From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it."

(YLT)

'And, from the days of John the Baptist till now, the reign of the heavens doth suffer violence, and violent men do take it by force,

Parallel passage in Luke 16:16

(NIV)

"The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.

(YLT)

“the law and the prophets are till John; since then the reign of God is proclaimed good news, and every one doth press into it;"

Are some bad guys forcing their way in, and trying to overthrow the kingdom? I don't think this makes sense with the context.
I need some help with the Greek to make sense of these verses

http://biblos.com/matthew/11-12.htm
http://biblos.com/luke/16-16.htm

suffer violence - βίαζομαι - biazó (in both verses)

properly, to use power to forcibly seize, laying hold of something with positive aggressiveness. 971 /biázō ("to advance forcefully") is only used twice in the NT (both times positively).
According to google translate βίαζομαι has a modern definition of 'hurry'

violent men- βιασταὶ - biastai

a forceful, violent man; one who is eager in pursuit.

Jesus may have been making a connection with this passage in Michah 2:12-13 (NIV):

“I will surely gather all of you, Jacob;
I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel.
I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
like a flock in its pasture;
the place will throng with people.
The One who breaks open the way will go up before them;
they will break through the gate and go out. Their King will pass through before them,
the LORD at their head.”

Imagine a wall that sheep are kept behind. A shepherd will breaks a hole in the wall and lead the sheep to green pastures.

Just imagine a flock of sheep breaking through that narrow opening in the wall.

That may be the picture Jesus is referencing here. Sheep following the Shepherd, breaking through into the kingdom. Starting with the days of John the Baptist sheep have been breaking free from the law in a hurry to enter the kingdom.

I'm in. Are you?

Related Posts:

Early Church Financial Statement Discovered

2011-06-27T18:16:00.002-05:00

In a rare archaeological find, what is believed to be the oldest record of a church financial statement has been found. Someone who made his home available for the church to assemble seems to have kept track of all the income and expenses that were collected and distributed.

(Some of you skeptics will notice it is odd that this was done in English. He must have been ~~speaking~~ writing in tongues.)

From what we know about the early church is there anything else suspect about this document. Is anything missing?

Do we think the early church needed a budget or financial statement?

Does Christ's church currently need a budget?

Related Posts:

Who says we are divided?

2011-06-23T07:35:00.003-05:00

If Alan gets to add two posts to this chain blog on the topic of unity, maybe I can too. If I'm not allowed I will become very divisive and start my own chain blog all by myself. :)

Who gets to decide if Christ's Church is divided?

It seems like a simple enough question. But it is a question I have never really considered before.

Do church leaders present and past get to decide if we are one church, or 30,000+ churches?

To unite the church, does every bishop, priest, pastor and theologian have to agree to some new ecumenical statement? Who gets to decide that it's time to put an end to the divisions that have been created over the past centuries.

If the church is made up of institutions and organizations, then church unity will occur when these institutions and organizations merge into one.

If the church is simply people, then maybe church unity can exist whenever people recognize that the church is one. The meaning of the word church (ekklēsía) has changed since New Testament times. When I talk about the church I want to keep in mind that the church is the people - the body of Christ, the family of God. So when I think of church unity, I should be thinking unity between people - not primarily unity between organizations.

Maybe it isn't just up to the leaders of church institutions to decide if we are united.

Maybe we can look to Scripture, and let Scripture be the authority on the question. Does Scripture support the concept of one church, or the concept of many denominations?

So I have a challenge for you.

You don't have to be a church leader to unite the church.

No, I'll rephrase.

You can be a leader in Christ's church by recognizing that Christ's church is united. As you take the lead, I pray that others will follow.

To take the challenge simply be open to building deeper relationships with other followers of Jesus who may have some different beliefs and traditions than you. Take a look and see if you can recognize God's love in their lives. See if you can fellowship with them and build each other up to become more like Christ.

Try to leave divisive topics until later. After you've built a strong relationship, you may be able to handle these discussions better, or you may conclude you don't ever need to discuss them.

You don't need to wait for all the institutions to work towards unity. It may not be up to them to decide this one.

Ephesians 4:2-6 (NIV)

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

It is up to each of us to live this truth out.

—————————————————-

Chain blog rules:

1) If you would like to write the next blog post (link) in this chain, leave a comment stating that you would like to do so. If someone else has already requested to write the next link, then please wait for that blog post and leave a comment there requesting to write the following link.

2) Feel free to leave comments here and discuss items in this blog post without taking part in the actual “chain”. Your comments and discussion are very important in this chain blog.

3) When you write a link in this chain, please reply in the comments of the previous post to let everyone know that your link is ready. Also, please try to keep an updated list of links in the chain at the bottom of your post, and please include these rules at the bottom of your post.

—————————————————-

“Links” in this chain blog:

1. “Chain Blog: Dealing with Divisive Issues Introduction” by Alan
2. “Chain Blog: Dealing with divisive issues starts with love” by Arthur
3. “I am divisive” by Jeremy
4. “Chain Blog: Please agree with me” by Jon
5. “Division and our shared humanity” by Andy
6. “Chain Blog: solving the problem” by Bobby
7. “Divisiveness: Acts 2 & Ugly Carpet” by fallenpastor
8. “Stimulating our Collective Memory” by Trista
9. “No, we can’t just get along” by Alan
10. "Who says we are divided?" by Jon
11. “Disunity and the mind of Christ” by Fred

Clarification: What is essential?

2011-06-21T16:37:00.003-05:00

OK. My wife has given me some feedback on my previous post. So I'll add more to try to clarify.

I'm sorry if my post came across to simplistic. As if the only thing we need to agree on is love and unity. I believe love and unity are essentials that are often overlooked. But they are not the only essentials. There are many things all Christ followers do agree on. And many things we disagree about.

So to clarify my point, allow me to ask a bigger question:

What is essential to being a Christ follower?

How about some of theses (in no particular order):

1) Agree that Jesus is Lord
2) Agree that Jesus is God
3) Agree that Jesus became a man
4) Agree that Jesus saves
5) Live a life full of God's Love
6) Live in unity with God's family
7) Live guided by the Holy Spirit
8) Make other disciples of Jesus
9) Pray to God/Jesus
10) Care for the poor

Or these easy ones:

10) Agree that God is all powerful
11) Agree that Luke wrote Acts
12) Agree that Adam was a man
13) Agree that Noah built an Ark
14) Agree that God knows all things

Are some of these essentials?

15) Agree that we should never pray to saints
16) Agree that salvation is by faith alone
17) Agree that Christians should never smoke, drink or dance or hang out with those who do.
18) Agree that KJV is the best translation
19) The gospel that we should be preaching is the gospel of the kingdom that Jesus and His disciples preached
20) The Trinity
21) Agree that God loves sinners
22) Agree that God will torture sinners for eternity in a conscious state.
23) Agree that believers should attend a weekly service under the leadership of an ordained minister.
24) Agree that TULIP sums up the gospel.
25) Agree that NT believers should give a tithe to a local church.
26) Agree that infants should be baptized

How can we determine what is an essential?

If something is clearly truth (from my point of view), can I simply claim it is an essential and conclude those who disagree with me are not really saved. I'm pretty sure I'll never find anyone who agrees with me on everything.

What if someone doesn't value unity or love.... I am certain those are essentials... what do I do?

I suspect the ones that are simple, the ones that have massive Scriptural support, are likely the ones that are essential.

Or is it less about agreeing to a list of beliefs, and more about following our Lord?

Maybe I don't need to know with certainty who all is in and who is out?

Thoughts? Do you think I've missed any big essentials? Is it dangerous to make such a list?

Chain Blog: Please Agree With Me

2011-06-20T22:34:00.014-05:00

I just had to join this chain blog.

Please you must agree with me.

If you are a follower of Jesus you must agree that unity is essential. (click link for some verses you must agree with).

You must agree that love is essential. (click link for some verses you must agree with).

There are a bunch of other things I'm sure we agree on. (See Clarification post: What is essential?)

And I'm sure there are a bunch of topics I'm sure we disagree about.

I agree that you will disagree with me on lots of stuff. But please agree with me that love and unity are essentials to following Jesus.

Before we start our next debate, let's pause first and recognize that we share a bond of unity, based on God's love for us. God's presence in our lives is made visible by the love we have for God and each other... even when we disagree about some other stuff.Are factions/divisions/denominations/labels building up or tearing apart Christ's church?

Have we elevated some issues that could be non-essentials to a point higher than our call to unity and love?

Have we emphasized agreement to our understanding of complex truths more than emphasizing the simple truths of love and unity?

----------------------------------

Hopefully, those questions will inspire someone to write the next post in this chain blog.

So, how does it work?

First, feel free to comment on this post as normal. You can leave any comment that you’d like.

However, if you want to write the next post in this chain blog (that is, the next “link” in the “chain” of posts), then be the first to leave a comment on this post saying that you want to write the next post. (If someone else has already claimed the next post, then simply wait to comment on that next post and say that you want to write the one following that. Okay?)

Then, the person who asks to write the next “link” in the “chain” should write a post in the next few days and leave a comment here with a link when that post has been published.

While comments and discussion can continue on this post, the chain will then jump to that next post and we will continue as I explained above. Hopefully, it will become clearer as we move forward.

If you write a post for the chain blog, you can title your post whatever you wan to call it. I simply ask that you include the rules of the chain blog (below) and a list of all the previous “links” in the chain blog.

So, here are rules in a format that is easy to copy and include in your posts:

—————————————————-

Chain blog rules:

1) If you would like to write the next blog post (link) in this chain, leave a comment stating that you would like to do so. If someone else has already requested to write the next link, then please wait for that blog post and leave a comment there requesting to write the following link.

2) Feel free to leave comments here and discuss items in this blog post without taking part in the actual “chain”. Your comments and discussion are very important in this chain blog.

3) When you write a link in this chain, please reply in the comments of the previous post to let everyone know that your link is ready. Also, please try to keep an updated list of links in the chain at the bottom of your post, and please include these rules at the bottom of your post.

—————————————————-

“Links” in this chain blog:
1. “Chain Blog: Dealing with Divisive Issues Introduction” by Alan
2. “Chain Blog: Dealing with divisive issues starts with love” by Arthur
3. “I am divisive” by Jeremy
4. “Chain Blog: Please agree with me” by Jon
5. “Division and our shared humanity” by Andy
6. “Chain Blog: solving the problem” by Bobby
7. “Divisiveness: Acts 2 & Ugly Carpet” by fallenpastor
8. “Stimulating our Collective Memory” by Trista
9. “No, we can’t just get along” by Alan
10. "Who says we are divided?" by Jon

Let nothing be done without the bishop

2011-06-17T21:46:00.006-05:00

This quote is from Ignatius of Antioch, the 3rd bishop of Antioch. Antioch was possibly the first city to form a monarchical episcopacy, where there was a single bishop at the top of a hierarchy of other church leaders.

Chapter VIII.—Let nothing be done without the bishop.

See that ye all follow the bishop, even as Jesus Christ does the Father, and the presbytery as ye would the apostles; and reverence the deacons, as being the institution of God. Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop. Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist, which is [administered] either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or to celebrate a love-feast; but whatsoever he shall approve of, that is also pleasing to God, so that everything that is done may be secure and valid.

See that ye all follow the bishop, even as Christ Jesus does the Father, and the presbytery as ye would the apostles. Do ye also reverence the deacons, as those that carry out [through their office] the appointment of God. Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop. Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist, which is [administered] either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as where Christ is, there does all the heavenly host stand by, waiting upon Him as the Chief Captain of the Lord’s might, and the Governor of every intelligent nature. It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize, or to offer, or to present sacrifice, or to celebrate a love-feast. But that which seems good to him, is also well-pleasing to God, that everything ye do may be secure and valid.

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.v.vii.viii.html

Is this the source of what the modern 'church' still follows?

Can any believer baptize another? Can any believer host a love feast (if we knew what one was)?

We may not have a bishop... but have we transferred this leadership model to someone else?

So is Ignatius the one we want to follow on this?

Does this line up with anything Jesus or His disciples taught?

What did Jesus have to say about hierarchy?

Matt 23:8-12 (NIV):

“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Similarly Luke 22:24-27 (NIV)

Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

Church Etymology

2011-06-12T09:45:00.002-05:00

It is common for the meaning of words to change over time. For example not long ago "make the Yuletide gay" meant something different than it does now. Supposedly Awful used to mean ‘full of awe’. Tell used to mean count, as in "bank teller".

Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.

Here are some different meanings for the word church.

a family of believers
a family gathering (of believers)
a building for public Christian worship
a religious service
a religious institution or organization

Here are some of the ways we use the word today. I've tried to match each sentence to the meaning I think is being used.

I believe in separation of church and state. (#5)
I didn't see you at church yesterday? (#4)
What time is church? (#4)
Bob and Mary became recently became members of our church. (#5)
Do you want to go to the park after church? (#4)
I'll pick you up at the church parking lot. (#3)
There are many opportunities to serve in our church. (#5)
We live across from the church on main street near the river. (#3)
They wanted to be married in a church. (#3)
The United Church has a different attitude towards homosexuality than the Baptist Church. (#5)
Mary sang a solo at church. (#4)

Let me know if you think my number matching is inaccurate. Sometimes there could be a bit of overlap between meanings.

I'd like to do the same matching with occurrences of the word church in Scripture (NIV):

Matthew 16:18 "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." (#1)

Matthew 18:17 "If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector." (#1 or #2)

Acts 5:11 "Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events." (#1)

Acts 8:1 "And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria." (#1)

Acts 8:3 "But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison." (#1)

Acts 9:31 "Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers." (#1)

Acts 11:22 "News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch." (#1)

Acts 11:26 "and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." (#2)

When we see the word church in the new testament it comes from Greek ekklesia :

ekklēsía(from 1537 /ek, "out from and to" and 2564 /kaléō, "to call") – properly, people called out from the world and to God, theoutcome being the Church (the mystical body of Christ) – i.e. the universal (total) body of believers whom God calls out from the world and into His eternal kingdom.
http://strongsnumbers.com/greek/1577.htm

The word ekklesia sometimes also referred to an assembly, it was used when referring to the beginnings of democracy.

The meanings of words do change. There is nothing I can do about that.

However I think the church (people) should understand that whenever it uses the word church to refer to something other than people they are using a definition that is foreign to the New Testament.

When I talk about the church I want to keep in mind that the church is the people - the body of Christ, the family of God.

Related Posts:

Love Feast

2011-06-07T20:15:00.000-05:00

I've been doing some reading about the love feast, or agape feast that the early church practiced. It seems the consensus is it was a full meal held on a regular basis. Those who had food would bring it, and everybody would eat. It seems the meal included breaking of bread to celebrate the Eucharist.

It is likely that the early church continued in this way naturally because this is the way Jesus and His disciples had lived. We think of the two records of Jesus feeding thousands in a miraculous way. But we also see the the disciples eating together in other passages as well.

Then of course there is the Last Supper, or Lord's Supper. "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”" Matt 26:26 (NIV). They were sharing a meal together.

Eating together was a regular part of early church life:

"Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts," (Acts 2:46 NIV)

Jude 12 may be the only reference to the love feast by that name: "These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves." (NIV)

1 Corinthians 11:20-34 is a popular passage for describing the Lord's Supper. The context also gives a gimps of some problems that occurred during these shared meals.

"So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. "

Some were being greedy and eating and drinking more than their share. This was completely contrary to the point of these love feasts.

This 1 Corinthians 11:20-34 passage also shows us that the Eucharist, or Lord's supper was a part of a full meal.

Acts 20:7 - 11 is another passage to consider:

On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left." (NIV)

We don't know if preaching or teaching in a formal way was a regular part of these meals. Here is a situation where the church is gathered around the breaking of bread, and Paul uses the opportunity to speak. This may not have been the norm as it is the only record of someone falling asleep during such a time. :) I can imagine however that the early church would have frequently used the meal times as an opportunity to teach one another - even if it wasn't with long prepared speeches. Meals with friends and families are always great opportunities for great conversations.

The Didache (50-120 A.D) also mentions this common shared meal. There is a section about the Eucharist/Lord's Supper/Communion. Following the Eucharist are instructions about a thanksgiving prayer to give after the meal. ”But after you are filled, give thanks this way: ...."

It seems clear that the early church met by celebrating this love feast on a regular basis. The church today meets regularly, but with a different sort of main gathering.

Is there any reasons why we should not follow this example today?

Is there something better about the way we do things now? What sorts of things are we missing out on?

Some extra sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agape_feast
http://www.scrollpublishing.com/store/LoveFeast.html
http://www.studylight.org/dic/hbd/view.cgi?number=T3930
http://www.piney.com/AgapeBrit1911.html

It is more blessed to give than to receive

2011-06-05T21:39:00.002-05:00

Jeremy Myers (a former paid pastor) makes an interesting observation about the famous quote "It is more blessed to give than to receive". My intent with this isn't just to critique current practices, and contrast them to what is modeled in Scripture. My prayer is that I'll be responsive to God's leading where and when He wants me to give.

Part of Paul’s farewell to the Ephesian Elders Acts 20:33-35 (NIV)

I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

Does the context say something about this quote?

Is this passage encouraging people to give to Christian leaders, Christian organizations, church staff, programs or building projects?

Or is this passage encouraging Christian leaders to give to others?

It is more blessed to give than to receive. I believe the quote is true. It makes sense that Jesus would say this to His disciples. He asked His followers to serve others sacrificially. Those leading by example (like Paul) are good examples for us all to follow.

Related Posts:

Let your alms sweat in your hands
Jesus on Leadership
Tithing in the OT
Are gentiles to tithe - why is Acts 15:23-29 silent on tithing?
Should pastors be paid a salary
The Wealthy Church
Summary on Elders Overseers Shepherds - 9 post series

Playdough Scripture 1 John 4:7-8

2011-06-03T19:42:00.009-05:00

"Dear friends, let us ~~love~~ teach one another a biblical worldview, for ~~love~~ all truth comes from God. Everyone who ~~loves~~ understands the truth has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not ~~love~~ understand truth does not know God, because God is ~~love~~ truth. "

1 John 4:7-8 (Playdough Version)

What is essential?

Having all truth figured out?

Or having God's love?

When someone is new to the faith, what sorts of things do we encourage them to do to grow?

Are these things geared toward gaining an understanding of God's truths, or geared toward growing in God's love?

When we gather, what sorts of activities do we do that build on what is most important to us?

Related Posts:

Disciples Share Secrets of the Kingdom

2011-05-28T22:46:00.009-05:00

Continuing my series on the secrets of the kingdom. I believe the secrets of the kingdom of God have been given to us (Matthew 13:11). This kingdom message is the reason Jesus came (Luke 4:43). So I'm examining different passages related to this kingdom message.

Matt 10 is all about the instructions Jesus gives His disciples as he sends them out to preach for the first time on their own. They had been following Jesus as he preached about the good news of the kingdom of God. They have watched Jesus heal the sick and defeat evil that had a grip on many people. Now it is their turn to go out an do the same.

Matt 10:1 (NIV)

Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

...

Matt 10:5 - 15 (NIV)

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

“Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

Parallel passage in Luke 9:1-6 (NIV)

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.

A couple of thoughts:

To be a disciple meant learning the ways of your rabbi, and following their lead. The disciples of Jesus here are given the task of going out and doing what Jesus had been doing. Preaching about the kingdom of God, healing the sick, and freeing people from the bondage of evil.
Are we disciples of Jesus today? Should we also be about the same tasks?
The message was "the kingdom of God has come near." I think this is closer to "the reign or rule of God is here" than "believe in Jesus so you can go to heaven when you die."
The actions were healing the sick, and freeing people from the bondage of evil. Proof that the reign of God was present.
(I may not be the right person to point this out. But it's in this passage, so here are my thoughts. You are welcome to take it or leave it, or share your thoughts.) Freely they received, freely they gave. No talk of passing a plate or collecting tithes and offerings. In the context here, the phrase "the worker is worth his keep" does not imply earning a wage for the work they did. It seems God would find people to provide food and shelter for these men as they traveled from town to town. This passage (nor any NT passage that I've found) says nothing about paying a wage to someone hired to stay in a community and preach every week.

Challenge to myself: What would it look like if I was living like a disciple of Jesus today? How can I share with others that Jesus wants to reign in their lives now and into eternity. How can I bring God's power into their present situations to heal them from the powers of darkness that so often rule.

Related Posts:

Missional Church

2011-05-26T22:25:00.006-05:00

I came across this great 2 minute video describing what it calls 'Missional Church'.

It poses the question:

Is the point to bring people to church?

Or is the point for the church to go out to the people?

Or maybe there is a healthy balance between the two. What do you think?

Related Posts:

I Have It All Figuerd Out

2011-05-22T08:42:00.002-05:00

It is common in Christian circles to point fingers at other Christians or groups of Christians. There are so many Christians teaching really wrong stuff on so many levels. It is common to go as far as concluding that they are a cult, or false teachers, and that they likely are not even true Christians.

I find it a little arrogant. Considering all the denominations, movements and doctrines across church history. To assume my corner has finally got it figured out the best is equally misguided.

But what is the mark of a true Christian? How can we tell if someone is really a Christian?

1 John 3:10 (NIV)

"This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister."

Oooh, I don't like the sound of this. I still have many moments when I do not do what is right. What is John talking about? I'd encourage you to read all of 1 John chapters 2, 3 and 4 to see the big picture of what John is saying here. The previous chapter, the rest of this chapter, and the next are making the case that the mark of a true Christian is that they love God and love others (specifically other Christians). Here are a few snippets:

1 John 2:9 (NIV)

"Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness."

1 John 3:23 (NIV)

"And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. "

1 John 4:7-8 (NIV)

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. "

And this lines up with Jesus' words in John 13:34-35 (NIV):

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

The love of God in my heart, and the love I have for others is the sign that God is living in me. Not so much that I have it all figured out.

There I figured it out! :)

But you don't have to figure it out.

Love is the answer.

But knowing the answer isn't the goal.

Living in love is.

Related Posts:

Playdough Scripture Rev 20:14-15

2011-05-21T07:28:00.005-05:00

"Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is ~~the second death.~~ where sinners will live for eternity in a state of conscious torment. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Rev 20:14-15 (Playdough Version)

Why would John say "The second death" here if he meant "eternal conscious torment"?

Yes verse 10 says "And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. " (NIV)

Maybe the devil, the beast, and the false prophet are not mortals. Maybe they are eternal beings. I don't know. But I know verse 14 and 15 does not use the same wording for the people who are thrown into the lake of fire.

What could second death mean? To die a second time, after the final judgment? Or did he really mean to say live for eternity... just a really bad form of eternal life?

The question is: Does Scripture teach that all mortals live for eternity?

This is just a few of the many verses that, if read literally, contrast death for some with eternal life for others.

For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son—both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die. (Ezekiel 18:4 NIV)

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28 NIV)

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NIV)

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." (John 3:36 NIV)

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 6:23 NIV)

"We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death." (1 John 3:14 NIV)

Does Scripture Say Hell is Eternal Punishment - a look at lots of Scripture
Literal or figurative death

Judgement Day Princess Bride Style

2011-05-18T21:36:00.007-05:00

(Warning: If you haven't watched Princess Bride as often as me, this may not make any sense.)

God:

All right. When is judgment day?
The battle of wits has begun.
It ends when you decide and we both wait and find out who is right...and who is dead.

Vizzini:

But it's so simple.
All I have to do is divine from what I know of you:
are you the sort of god who tells us May 21st is judgment day?
Now, a clever god would hint that it may be May 21st just to get everyone to repent. But only a great fool would believe since Jesus didn't even know the day or the hour. But I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose May 21st. But you must have known I was not a great fool, you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not assume it is not May 21st.

God:

You've made your decision then?

Vizzini:

Not remotely.
Because there have been so many previous judgment day predictions, as everyone knows, and they have all obviously been wrong, so considering the pattern I clearly can not believe May 21st is judgment day.

God:

Truly, you have a dizzying intellect.

Vizzini:

WAIT TILL I GET GOING! Where was I?

God:

previous predictions.

Vizzini:

Yes, previous predictions.
And you must have suspected I would see the pattern and be suspicious this time. You would have expected this, so I can clearly should choose the date in front of me.

God:

You're just stalling now.

Temple Blueprint

2011-05-14T07:10:00.010-05:00

The Temple in Jerusalem was the dwelling place of God. It was a sacred place of worship.

The Old Testament was quite specific when it came to how God's temple was organized and built. King David claims in 1 Chronicles 28:11–19 that God gave him plans for the temple but his son would be the one to build it. 1 Kings 7:27-37 gives specific details about the temple that his son king Solomon built. Every detail is covered.

However, it is a common belief that the New Testament does not give us specific details about how the New Testament church should be organized and structured. So we get different opinions on:

Steeple, Cross, icons
Sunday or Saturday
Children included or separate
Priest, Pastor, Minister, Reverend, Brother, Father, Elder, Deacon
Pews, chairs, semi-circle
Sacraments, sermons, singing
Big building, small building

I've previously accepted this belief. There are not any New Testament passages that speak about the Sunday Morning church services like are common today. So we seem free to decide what they should look like, who should lead it, etc.

However when I stop and think about it. That would be pretty strange. Why would Jesus come and make a new covenant and build a new church, but not give us a blueprint for what it should look like.

However the New Testament is very clear on what the new Temple should look like.

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. " (Acts 17:24 NIV)

"Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?" (1 Corinthians 3:16 NIV)

"you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Pet 2:5 NIV)

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;" (1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV)

"What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (2 Corinthians 6:16 NIV)

"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. " (Ephesians 2:19-22 NIV)

I think this is very awesome and challenging at the same time. God dwells in me and in His church (people). If someone wants to meet God, they should go find God in His temple. That temple is me/us. When someone meets with us, they should see God at work.

Jesus also spoke about this to the Samaritan woman. We don't need a special building or rituals to worship God anymore.

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:19-24 (NIV)

Thanks Keith Giles for a free ebook, This Is My Body. I haven't finished reading it yet, but it got me thinking on this topic.

Purpose of Family

2011-04-19T22:02:00.006-05:00

What is the purpose of family?

As a parent of two young children, I'd rather not think about it. But if I must think of what the long term purpose is, I think I'd say something like this:

To create an environment where my children are supported and trained so they can mature and grow into responsible adults. The goal is that they will grow up, leave home, live a fulfilling life and likely start their own family.

How does that sound? Am I missing something?

I'm not the expert on this... but lately I've been seeing parallels between family and how I view church life.

Do you think we should view church life in a similar way as we view family?

Should we expect new believers to grow up and mature in their faith to the point that they go out and continue to build the church family elsewhere. Like parenting, it's likely hard to push the kids out of the nest when they are ready. But shouldn't we be preparing for this?

The traditional church does well with this as long as the mature believer is moving far away to build up the church in a different location. These people are called missionaries and church planters. But how often are believers encouraged go build the church in a setting next door? That would likely be viewed as competition and breaking unity.

Should we try to keep the whole family together under one roof? Just keep building bigger buildings and programs? Just keep feeding baby food as long as possible since maturity isn't really required?

How do you think the early church operated?

Kingdom for all Races

2011-04-07T21:52:00.003-05:00

Here Jesus words to a (non-Jewish) centurion who had faith in Jesus:

Matt 8:10-12 (NIV)

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

I think the main point Jesus is making here is that the kingdom of God is for people of all races who have faith in him. This was a new way of thinking for the Jews of Jesus day. It took the early church some time to accept it.

Elements of racism have existed in the church from time to time throughout church history. But there is no place for racism in Christ's kingdom.

Some additional thoughts:

This passage could be talking about a present tense kingdom or reign of God, or a future reality. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are part of this kingdom, and others from all over will (soon?) come and join this kingdom. Or maybe Jesus was talking about a future reality that has still not come. See also Luke 16:16, Luke 17:21, Matt 21:32 , Matt 16:28, Mark 12:32-34, Luke 18:17
The kingdom of God is sometimes described in terms of the kingdom of light vs the kingdom of darkness. Here is another reference where those who are no longer in the kingdom are thrown out into darkness.

New House of Worship

2011-03-30T08:14:00.000-05:00

We have purchased a new house. Since I believe worship should be my life 24/7 (Romans 12:1-2), I plan to worship God in this new house. I want this to be a house of worship.

Should I build a steeple to let everyone know it is a house of worship? Then if they want to worship God they will know they are welcome to come to my house and worship too?

Or should I go with the symbol of the cross? So they know Jesus is the focus of our worship.

I wonder how the early church let their neighborhood know they worshiped God.

I don't like talking to people.

Maybe I could put fliers in everyone's mailboxes, or advertise in newspapers and on the internet. :)

Why I need church

2011-03-29T20:57:00.003-05:00

I do need church... and by church I mean the people. I need fellowship, encouragement, correction, care, prayer, etc... and a place where I can give the same in return.

If by church you mean the Sunday morning gathering... I have been rethinking my dependence on it.

I can get teaching/preaching through other sources. Recent technology like videos, blogs, and books can bring teaching into my home. With earlier generations the average believer would not have had access to most of the teaching resources that are available to us now. And yes, included in this is even our own copies of the Bible in our own language. Today we are very fortunate to have all these resources available. There are many great teachers who speak into my life on a regular basis.

Another big aspect of the Sunday morning gathering is worship. And I do love worship (if that makes sense). If worship is loving God, then I love loving God. However I believe worship should be my life 24/7 (Romans 12:1-2). Yes, music with a focus on God during personal alone time as well as during large group singing does help. I do love loving God. It's all good.

The Sunday morning gathering is not a bad thing. For many it may be a very important thing. I don't want to discourage anyone from going. If it's bringing you closer to God, and connecting with other believers... then I encourage you to go.

I am simply recognizing the aspect of church I can't live without is the people. The fellowship and community part of Christ's church I can't find without gathering face to face with other believers. I can't fellowship on my own... (duh?) So yes, I need church. I need to be part of a family of believers. I need fellowship. I need to walk side by side with other believers who are following my Lord.

Related Posts:

Basic.Holy Spirit

2011-03-25T22:01:00.002-05:00

A short clip by Francis Chan to stir our minds and hearts.

What did Jesus leave for us to follow?

Have we lost our focus? What/who are we following?