Truce

"... a time for war and a time for peace." Ecclesiastes 3:8

I'm not a huge fan of war in real life.  I pray I never have to participate in one. The ideal world would be one where there is no war, always peace. But I recognize dreaming of our world without war may be just a dream. I also recognize that many of the freedoms we enjoy today are a result of battles fought by others before my time.

The same applies to the wars in Christ's church that have divided and reformed over the years. I also dream of a day when the Church would recognize that it is one, and that there would be peace. The prayer for Christian unity was the starting point of my journey that got me blogging 6 years ago.  However throughout the history of the church many battles have been fought.  I recognize that some of those battles have brought new understandings of the freedom and life Christ is offering us.

But I'm not a huge fan of war.

I believe aspects of my blog has been more than pushing forward different fronts in different battles.  For myself it has largely been a tool I have used to process different beliefs.  Sorting through beliefs and traditions that have been handed down to me, testing them against Scripture, and looking at alternative ways of interpreting Scripture related to that topic.  I enjoy theological dialogues. I enjoy gaining fresh perspectives of how Scripture can be interpreted.  I enjoy grappling through issues that have polarized the church, and trying to find balance within the tensions.  I enjoy the teaching one another that can sometimes occur in on-line discussions.

But I understand I am in the minority here.  I get that most people do not welcome questions that challenge beliefs they hold to.  So my pushing and questioning here naturally creates an equal and opposite reaction from others.

I still believe the Church is entering another reformation. Some of the changes I feel are taking place:

• A fresh awareness what the priesthood of all believers under Christ is
• An increased desire to follow the person of Jesus (less desire to follow a religion about Jesus)
• An increased understanding that there is only one Church even though it meets in different places
• A new emphasis on relational and participatory gatherings

I pray that at the end of the day Christ's people reflect more of the love and grace of Christ's that we all proclaim.

However at this point I am questioning if my little contributions to the cause are worth it.

My default is for the way of peace.   I do not enjoy tension. I do not like mis-trust. I do not enjoy causing pain, or receiving pain.  These all come in varying degrees whenever we engage in any sort of conflict or debate.  I've known and accepted this all along.  But I sense it may be time to wave the white flag of truce.

I've likely written enough here on this blog.  If someone wants to openly dialogue or discuss any of these topics they can contact me or find others who are also engaged in such discussions.

Related Posts:

• My 95 Thesis
• Winds of Next Reformation
• Secrets of the Kingdom Summary
• Leading The Way
• Christian Unity Observations
• Love is Essential

Taking a Break

My spiritual journey is going off the public airwaves for awhile.  I need to take a break from speaking out on topics, and simply live my faith for awhile.  But I want to summarize some of the topics that have come together for me lately.

Jesus' Gospel vs Paul's Gospel: I believe both Jesus and Paul preached a Jesus centered gospel.  Jesus preached Jesus, and Paul preached Jesus.  Both proclaimed that Jesus was Christ, messiah, king, savior, and Lord. 

What Must I Believe (a 6 part series): Looking at Scripture passages related to what we must do or believe to be saved, it seems we must place our trust in the person of Jesus.

Unity is Essential : This has been my starting point on this journey.  I recognize a value for theological discussions when it leads people to mature in their relationship with Christ. Unfortunately if we focus too much on correct theology and take our focus off our relationships with the person of Christ, we often recognize we are not united in our different sets of essential beliefs.   I suggest a solution is placing Christ central, and elevating Him above our different understandings about Him.

My Role with Church: Church is people, followers of Christ and whenever they get together. Period (see Church Etymology).  Scripture teaches that we are to meet together with the purpose of building each other up to become more like Christ. It makes sense that we practice the One Anothers (another 6 part series) when we get together. 

Love is Essential: It is the greatest commandment.  The greatest of these is love. If I don't have love, I have nothing, all of this is pointless. God's love working though us helps others recognize we are disciples of Christ. If there is one command of Jesus I want to get right, it is this one.

Plugging In and Fitting In

A conversation I had with a brother recently got me thinking about stories in a book Finding Church that I am reading. In the book, a number of different people share their stories of looking for church, finding problems with each church, and moving on and looking elsewhere.  I know many people who have similar stories, moving from church to church. For a time they feel like they have found a home church, later to discover something is missing.  Some of them eventually give up and stop looking for the church that best fits their needs. Some settle on a church community but are not really satisfied, others give up and quit 'going' to church.

There are many different reasons people leave churches and go looking for church elsewhere.

I think I recognize a common desire in most of these stories. People often want to feel like they belong and fit into a church community. 

Many Christians struggle with this need of belonging. It could be because people are encouraged to 'fit in' by 'plugging in' and serving in some church program.  After visiting for a few weeks, if someone wants to belong, the first step is often to find some ministry where they can volunteer and contribute. In some cases serving side by side with others does build relationships. However for others it doesn't work out that way.  After a few years of working side by side with others, some people still don't really feel like family. For whatever reason, some people will form stronger relationships than others.

A problem with this could be that churches often focus on plugging into programs - and simply hope that relationships will form.



What if people were encouraged to plug into church by building relationships first?

If church was viewed primarily as believers, and whenever they get together - a primary focus of the church could be building relationships with each other whenever we get together - to build each other up to become more like Christ, and encourage each other to go and share Christ with others.

If you take an honest look at the church of the New Testament, you should notice that relationships come before programs.  There isn't much mention of church programs.  But there is a strong emphasis on the 'one another' relational aspects of gathering together as the church.

So here is my suggestion for those that feel like you don't fit in with a community of believers.  Focus on what you can do in terms of the 'one another' commands we see in Scripture.  Plug in by building some relationships and see if things change.

Advice for those that do fit in with a community of believers but are concerned about those that don't.  Focus on what you can do in terms of the 'one another' commands we see in Scripture.  Instead of encouraging fringe people to fill a ministry need, take the time to build a relationship with them.  Take whatever opportunity you can to encourage others to become more like Christ.

Related Posts:

• Five W's of One Another
• Church Etymology
• Caring For Others Is Essential 

The Most Efficient Leadership Structure

"I am convinced that top-down structures of leadership are unquestionably more efficient -- efficient in doing almost everything than equipping, which is the primary task of leadership. "
(David Black - http://www.daveblackonline.com/what_does_a_new_testament_church.htm)

What do you think of this quote?

In terms of government systems, I have often heard that dictatorships or single party systems are more efficient than multiparty systems. Some of the most efficient countries in history have had a strong top-down leadership structure. I think the same goes for companies and other institutions.

There are drawbacks of course. I am glad I don't live in Nazi Germany or a single party country like China. Strong top-down leadership structures often do not value freedom of speech when your views are different than that of the leaders.

What is the primary task of leadership?

I guess it depends. In the case of a corporation that produces widgets, efficiency may be the top goal, and a strong top-down leadership structure may help produce the most widgets.


However, when talking about the church, the assembling of believers, what is the purpose of leadership?

If the goal is to run excellent programs a top-down leadership structure is likely what you want.

I believe the goal of gathering with other believers is to build one another up to become more like Christ. I believe Ephesians 4:7-16 speaks to this:

"But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says:
“When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.”
(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s 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 men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into 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."(NIV)

I suspect this building up of one another is best accomplished in mutual relationships.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Related Posts:

• Leading The Way
• Church Hierarchical Leadership 
• Jesus on Leadership
• Summary on Elders Overseers Shepherds - 9 post series
• Influence of Ignatius
• My Role with Church 
• Five W's of One Another

New Resolution

I know it's a month early to be making new resolutions.  However I want to recognize a slight course adjustment on my journey.

In particular I am reflecting on the community I desire that I posted about 2 years ago.  Nothing has changed with this desire. However for the sake of sanity I need to consider what direction I need to move in the absence of such a community. What if the vision I have for my ideal community of believers is not going to happen any time soon in my life?

What do I need more of in my life?  

1) Love God

Matthew 22:36-38 (NIV)
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.

2) Love People

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  (vs 39 - 40)

I'm recognizing two different types of loving relationships that are essential to growth.


2. a) Loving Mutual Relationships

I need to continue to invest in some mutual relationships with other Christ followers where the goal is to build each other up to become more like Christ. (1 Cor 14:26, Eph 4:11-16)

On a practical level, for where we are right now, this may look different than some ideal I've had in the past. It may not be a regularly scheduled group of believers that gathers and identifies themselves as a unique group by any name.

However what I need can be found simply by getting together with believers.  We are blessed to have many mature believers in our lives. Over the past year we have been making it a regular part of our life to invite many brothers and sisters into our home. 

My desire is that these times we have with other believers will be used to do the 'one anothers' we see in Scripture:   teaching one another, encouraging one another, loving one another, forgiving one another, submitting to one another, singing together, serving one another, and more....

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:33-35 NIV)

2 b) Sacrificial Loving

I also recognize I need to build into others where I don't expect to get anything in return.

Some of these people may be difficult to love.

These may be relationships that are not as easy or natural for me.

I can't expect these people to encourage me to become more like Christ.

However through these relationships growth will occur.  I believe these are the people that Jesus is most passionate about. If I want Christ to grow in me, I need to be investing more into lives that need Christ's love desparately.

In fact, the reason I get together with other believers should be to encourage each other to go out into the world and share Christ's love with others.

If we invest our time and lives primarily into other believers I fear we will become less and less like Christ.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Related Posts:

• Five W's of One Another
• Love is Essential 
• Community I Desire 

Winds of Next Reformation

Some of us sense the winds of change in the church, a second reformation. From my side of reading church history it looks like the first reformation accomplished some good.  There were also some negative results.  If we are entering a second reformation how can we navigate the good and the bad that may come?  What might it look like?

Some good from the first reformation:

• The Bible was put into the hands of common people. It was translated into common languages, and people were encouraging each others to read it for themselves.
• Believers began to question the authority and infallibility of the Pope.
• Believers rejected the past practice of the church selling indulgences.
• Believers rejected the past practice of buying and selling church positions.
• Clergy were allowed to get married
• Believers rejected the idea that they received some special grace simply by participating in the sacraments of confirmation, penance, anointing of the sick, holy orders, and matrimony.

 Some negative results of the first reformation:

• Believers began to accept the idea that the church was divided. Thousands of denominations or sects have emerged.  The understanding that there is one universal church was for the most part lost.
• Christians tortured and killed each other to protect, defend, or promote their preferred system of beliefs.  Some of the hatred and mistrust has been past on for hundreds of years, Ireland's conflict comes to mind.

It was a painful time for the church, yet 500 years later, for the most part we are thankful for the results of the reformation.  We should recognize that the Catholic church has also undergone reformations of it's own.

Some good I believe may come during the next reformation. These are some common themes I keep reading in other peoples books and blogs:

• Priesthood of all believers.  This was one of the rally cries of the first reformation.  But I don't believe the generations that followed have fully understood what it means.  For the most part we still have a church that is run by a special class of clergy.  There has always been a belief that Christ is King and Lord over every member of His church.  But sometimes it seems other men have placed themselves in positions above others, between the church and God.
• I believe it will become increasingly clear that Christ is the head of His body, which we call the church.
• Good news of the kingdom of God.  I am impressed that many in this new movement are starting with the message of Jesus as King and Lord.  There is a growing understanding that Jesus did preach the gospel, and that He was the gospel.
• I believe denominations, sects and divisions will fade away.
• Believers will be more interested in making disciples than running programs.  There will be a shift towards building relationships over putting together the best show.
• More believers will become active participants in all aspects of the faith. They will be obedient in caring for others, teaching others, loving others, baptizing others, serving others, and admonishing others.
• I believe there will be an increased obedience to the command to go out into the world to make disciples.  There will be a shift from come and see, to go and tell.
• I believe there will be a shift from teaching others to follow us, to teaching others to follow Christ. At times there may be some overlap. The need to control others to become like us will be replaced with a desire to love and encourage others to become more like Christ.
• Our time and financial resources will shift from investing into buildings, programs and staff, to sharing and caring for people.

Concerns during this reformation:

• Some people will get hurt.  There will be pain, and misunderstanding. At times it may seem like a battle both for those defending the current systems, and for those promoting change.  I pray it won't be as messy as the last reformation.
• There will be some bad ideas and false teaching (as has always been the case).  We will need to rely on each other, the Holy Spirit, and our Scriptures to navigate the Way of truth.

Am I just imagining this movement taking traction?

Am I missing any key currents of change?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.


Related Posts:

• To My Protestant Friends - a summary of the last protest
• Pastors Leaving The Building
• You Should Be a Pastor 
• Five W's of One Another
• My 95 Thesis 
• Church Hierarchical Leadership
• Unity is Essential 
• Gospel in the Gospels - Summary - 6 part series

See One, Do One, Teach One

Medical students are familiar with a teaching method refereed to as "See One, Do One, Teach One".   It is a format for acquiring medical skills, based on a 3-step process: visualize, perform, regurgitate.  If there is a procedure that needs to be learned, a great way to learn it for yourself is to simply watch someone do it once, then try the procedure yourself, and then show someone else how to do the procedure.

Some logic behind the 'See One' in this method is that the longer a students spends just watching some expert do a procedure the lower their confidence gets in their own ability to do the procedure.  The student will become more nervous and less willing to give it a try.   But if a student is asked to repeat a process after simply being shown it once, they will give it their best effort.

Can the church improve how it teaches one another?

Unfortunately the main teaching method in the church doesn't even start with "See One".  The main teaching is often more of a lecture where someone talks about what should be done.  How do we move to a point where students spend more time observing the Way of Jesus, repeating how they see it lived, and then teaching others the Way.

How did Jesus teach his disciples?  I see a parallel with how Jesus trained His disciples.

See Some: The disciples of Jesus watched their teacher preach the good news of the kingdom of God, and demonstrate the reality of the reign of God as He brought healing to people. (Matt 4:23, Matt 9:35, Matt 11:5, Luke 4:16-20, Luke 4:43, Mark 1:14-15).

Do Some: The disciples were then given authority to bring God's healing to others as they shared the same message of hope that Jesus preached. (Matt 10:5-8, Luke 9:1-4, Mark 3:14-15, Mark 6:7-13)

Teach Many:
After about 3 and a half years with His disciples Jesus leaves them with this command.:

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt 28:18-20 NIV)

So it was these disciples who became the next disciple makers in the early church.  I believe they multiplied using similar teaching methods as they had received.

I'm not saying all teaching needs to be done with the "See One, Do One, Teach One" method.  But at some point all students should be expected to go out and do what they have seen others do, and begin teaching others by demonstrating the Way.

How can we move discipleship out of the lecture hall and into the hands on practicum lab of life?

Related Posts:

• Interactive Teaching in the New Testament
• Learning Triangle 
• History of speaking up in church
• The Way
• Disciple Making 101

Keep It Simple Sir

I'll keep it respectful here. I won't call anyone stupid as the acronym KISS sometimes goes. So here are some suggestions to Keep It Simple Sir  (or Sister).

1) We should keep it simple so the greatest in the kingdom don't get confused.  We are actually commanded to become more like children.

"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." (Matt 18:3-4 HCSB)

If we've made something so complex that children have a hard time understanding or replicating it, maybe we are the ones missing something.

2) Recognize that church is simply people - the body of Christ, the family of God.  With a little church etymology  we see that in Scripture the term 'church' did not refer to buildings, institutions, or Sunday morning programs.  It simply referred to believers and whenever they got together.  Belonging to Christ's church is more like belonging to a tribe or people group than like belonging to a club or organization.

3) Consider every moment with others a moment to teach.  You don't need to prepare sermons, study books or DVD's to teach one another.  We see mostly interactive teaching in the New Testament. Teaching others may be simpler than you think.

4) Recognize you have a role to play in  disciple making.  I used to think of discipleship as a program or branch of the church that some people got involved with.  But we should consider how each of us can make disciples of Christ. We can watch how Jesus made disciples through living in simple relationships with others.  Discipleship may be simpler than we think.

5) Consider how you can be a pastor or shepherd, one who cares for the needs of others. Are there people in your life that you care for, give guidance, and build up so they mature in their relationship with Christ? This may be the basics of shepherding.


6) Understand that SMALL is sometimes big.  Just consider how rabbits reproduce a lot quicker than elephants.  The same principle may apply to church growth.  Small simple gatherings will be easier to reproduce than larger structures.  Many new small gatherings of believers can be started without multimillion dollar fundraising campaigns. Yes this seems like upside-down thinking, but so was a lot of Jesus' teachings about His kingdom. 

7) Leadership does not always mean decision making. I see two different types of leaders.  There are those that make decisions for others, and claim authority to impose their will on others. However others lead simply by living as an example that others follow. This second type of leading seems to fit better with what Jesus says in passages like Matt 20:25-28, Matt 23:8-12, Luke 22:24-27, Matt 19:30, Matt 20:16, Mark 9:35, and Luke 13:30.  Consider taking some leadership lessons from this dancing guy video.

8) You may want to consider taking a break from serving church programs. Scripture is clear we need to serve and care for people. If you find programs keep you too busy to focus on people, you may want to say no to some activities so you can better serve and love the church (the people).  Could less busy = improved relationships?

9) Simplify your list of essentials. Christians tend to only accept other believers who agree to their list of essentials. Unfortunately many lists of essentials include doctrines that have divided the church over the years. I find by recognizing that love is essential, and unity is essential, I am no longer in a position to judge others over many other disputable matters.

My head is often spinning when I look at church history, and the many church traditions we have today.   But I am finding some clarity when I think of church in simpler terms.

I hope this simple list of how to KISS is helpful to some of you.

Have I missed anything?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Related posts:

• What is Simple Church
• Love Feast 
• Church Etymology 
• Small Is Big 
• Caring For Others Is Essential 
• Interactive Teaching in the New Testament

My Cyber Pulpit

If you've read enough of my blog you'll know I question the over-use of monologue, one directional sermons.

But as I took a look at my blog stat's I realize in a way I have my own cyber pulpit.

On average about 200 people each week suffer though reading some of my posts.  I know it's not huge, nothing to brag about, but I think that is a decent audience size.  With larger audiences it makes it tough to connect with everyone.  However, most people may not want to really connect anyway.

There are some differences though:

• I don't know how many of them drift off to sleep half way through my cyber-sermons and leave the page without getting the whole message.
• I don't mind if people get up and go to the bathroom, take a phone call, or reply to an email at any point.
• I welcome and encourage feedback. I love it when people comment. Even if it is just something short, and even when they disagree with me.
• I don't pass the plate before or after the message.
• I don't have to get dressed up in a suit.
• I regularly speak in tongues as this blog gets translated into many different languages around the world. I wonder if I make more sense in those other languages.

But I really don't want to view this as my cyber-pulpit. I'd rather view this as adding my voice to the conversation others are having.  I don't claim to have more authority than anyone else on these topics.

And I really appreciate feedback and dialogue - here, on other blogs, other social media sites, and with real people in real life. :)

Please participate in the conversation somewhere.  By doing so you will personalize and internalize what you believe. 

And thanks for reading. :)


Related Posts:

• Interactive Teaching in the New Testament
• Learning Triangle
• History of speaking up in church
• My 95 Thesis - Point 11 - Sermon Centered

Taking a Break From Serving Church Programs

I have spent years watching people invest a lot of time and energy into church programs.  Great programs do not happen naturally, they do take a lot of work.  How many hours does it take to prepare a sermon?  How many hours to prepare a Sunday school lesson with some fun activities or crafts? How many hours and how many people does it take to run a successful VBS program? How much energy is put into sound and video?  How many hours of practice and preparation does a great sounding worship band require?  How much work is put into youth programs?  The volunteer list can go on and on.

I know real relationships can be built during church programs, and I know people can be introduced to God and grow in their faith.  I am not concluding that all this time and energy is futile. I know people who have been introduced to God during VBS and youth group programs.  I know programs work sometimes.  However when we look closely at the times when God has worked through programs we can usually see relationships have been present as well.

Please bear with me for awhile as I try something different.

I am wondering what would happen if Christians refocused all that time and energy they put into programs and invested that same time and energy into relationships.

Taken to the extreme... what would happen if Christians stopped doing church, closed the doors for awhile, and went into the world to live as the church?

What if we put our energy into doing the 'one anothers' that we see taught and demonstrated in the New Testament:  Loving one another, serving one another, encouraging one another, being kind and compassionate to one another, offering hospitality to one another, submitting to one another, having humility towards one another, living in harmony with one another, not slandering one another, teaching one another, admonishing (giving advice) one another, agreeing with one another, forgiving one another, singing to one another, bearing with one another, accepting one another.  I think this will keep me busy enough.


What if we focused on caring for people like Jesus did? Caring for the broken, the sick, the poor. Everyone has some needs.  I'm not talking about contributing to a charity or some organization that helps people. What I see in the New Testament is people caring for people, living as a people of grace and mercy. Are there people with needs in our lives?  I suspect that would be a good place to start.

What's the point of all this?  It will require time and energy too. I believe the point of caring for people who don't know Christ as Lord is to introduce them to Christ's love for them.  I believe the point of caring for other believers is to build them up to become more like Christ, so others will see Christ living in them as well.

My family is still connected with a group of believers with a more traditional approach. I am OK with people doing the traditional church programs.  I love and respect them all.  But I have changed, and this has been my prayer and focus for a year or so now.  I can not say I have arrived yet, the journey has just begun.  I am excited about what God is doing in many lives around me, and I want to continue to prioritize relationships.  This is the reason I have taken a break from serving church programs.  I hope you can understand.

Related Posts:

• My Role with Church - verses related to why we get together
• Five W's of One Another 
• Plugins Extensions and Add-ons and the Church

Web 2.0 and Church 2.0

We are about 10 years into interacting in a Web 2.0 world.  The legacy World Wide Web was made up of static webpages that were maintained by a small number of people.  Most webpages would have a single person assigned to update the content on a page.  When a visitor viewed a website there was not much opportunity for the user to interact with the content.  You could read it, print it, and click on links to jump to other pages, but you couldn't really contribute to the website in a meaningful way.

With Web 2.0 the internet changed.  Websites that allowed users to contribute content became very popular. The average person had platforms to share their voice.  Tools like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia, Youtube, TripAdvisor, photo galleries, blogging... the list is endless.  Most of the popular websites today encourage participation and user contributed content. 

Can a parrallel be made with church?

With legacy or traditional church models, there is a small number of people that produce and deliver the content. There is often one man who has more voice than the rest.  The opportunity to interact with the message and contribute content is limited. A message is produced and delivered, and visitors (and regular attenders) for the most part simply take it in.

I believe there is a movement going on today where believers are seeking to have greater participation in gatherings of the church. 

Should we call this Church 2.0?

Although I love the idea. I actually don't think it would be accurate to call this movement Church 2.0.  Although the idea of open participation whenever the church gathers may seem foreign for many Christians, this is not a new movement at all. In the 16th century the Anabaptist movement promoted participation of the priesthood of believers. And I believe the movement can actually find its roots in the New Testament Church.  If we study all the one another passages, we see room for all believers participating in the most important aspects of church life.    We can also look at examples of teaching in the New Testament and note that most of it was done in interactive and participatory settings.

Simple open and participatory gatherings of the Church is not a new or dangerous concept. However what I can't find in my Bible is having someone called pastor preach a sermons every Sunday to a passive audience.

What do you think?  Do you think Web 2.0 has improved your web experience?  

Do you think greater levels of participation would benefit the church?

Be Sarcastic With One Another

Alan Knox recently made me laugh with a post called Be sarcastic with one another.

My favorite One Anothers from Alan were:

Be Cordial to One Another
Be nice. Say “Hello.” Smile. Don’t let them inside your head or your heart. Never let them see you sweat. If they put you in a position of authority, this is doubly important.

Sit Beside One Another
It’s called fellowship. Duh

Sing Along with One Another
And that’s what we call worship. Check.
 

You can read Alan's post for more.

Can I try to add a few more?

Preach sermons to one another.

Usher with one another.

Teach Sunday School to one another.

Sing in the worship band to one another.

Be audio or video techs with one another.

Serve coffee to one another.

Naw. My list fails. They don't really make sense. Is it because these one anothers are not really mutual activities?


Related Posts:

• Five W's of One Another - intro and verses showing what the one anothers are
• Who One Another
• Where One Another
• When One Another
• Why One Another
• How One Another 

Eric's Dirty Worship Service

I just read about a dirty Worship Service at Eric's house.  Well actually most of the service took place outside with an old car. The service was done as an act of worship.  If this doesn't sound like a typical 'worship service' you can read Eric's post here: Worship Services at Our House

I wrote a similar post called Two Types of Worship Service after considering what service and worship means to me, and reflecting on two worship services I enjoyed in Paris.

Romans 12:1 talks about this 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)

How One Another

Finally part six of a series of the Five W's of One Another. I've been working through the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How of the one another passages in the New Testament. Please take a look at the first post before reading further.

Part 1: Five W's of One Another - intro and verses showing what the one anothers are
Part 2: Who One Another
Part 3: Where One Another
Part 4: When One Another
Part 5: Why One Another 
Part 6: How One Another

So we now look at a how question.

How are the one another actions done?

As I've been going through these one another verses, I keep thinking they can all be summed up in the love one another command.   Isn't love the greatest command after all?

So here is John 4:7 - 19 (HCSB) that I believe sums up well how we love one another.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.  No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us.  This is how we know that we remain in Him and He in us: He has given assurance to us from His Spirit.  And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent His Son as the world’s Savior. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God.  And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.  In this, love is perfected with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, for we are as He is in this world. There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because He first loved us. "

 The love we have for others comes from God.  If we know God, and if God's spirit lives in us, He will love others through us.

If we love one another, we will also likely be living in harmony, not slandering, encouraging, teaching, instructing, admonishing (giving advice), agreeing with, forgiving, submitting to, singing together, showing kindness, humility, being compassionate, bearing with, serving, accepting, and showing hospitality to one another.

So there are my thoughts on the five W's of the One Anothers. Please feel free to comment and interact with one another on this topic.  :)

Why One Another

This is part five of a series of the Five W's of One Another. I want to consider the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How of the one another passages in the New Testament. Please take a look at the first post before reading further.

Part 1: Five W's of One Another - intro and verses showing what the one anothers are
Part 2: Who One Another
Part 3: Where One Another
Part 4: When One Another
Part 5: Why One Another
Part 6: How One Another 

Today I'll consider a why question.


Why should we do these one another actions?
 
Well, I think there are many reasons.  I'll take a quick scan through some of the one another verses and come up with a few reasons.  But I'm sure there are many more.

Reason #1:  If we love one another, the world will recognize us as disciples of Christ (John 13:34 - 35). We can have good theology, get together and listen to great speakers, sing songs together.  But if we don't demonstrate love to each other... I'm sorry, but we really don't look anything like followers of Christ.

Reason #2: Loving one another seems to consistently come up near the top of the list of commands for the way of Jesus. (Matt 22:36-40, Rom 13:8, 1 John 3:11, 1 John 3:23, 2 John 5)

Reason #3: In order to bring praise to God. (Rom 15:7)

Reason #4: So that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. (1 Cor 1:10)  This one is tough to imagine, but it is definitely a good reason to strive to love one another.  When I love and respect someone I find it easier to move past the differences we seem to have.

Reason #5: We are to follow God's example.  (Eph 4:31 - 5:2)

Reason #6:  We should make use of the gifts God has given us by serving others . (1 Pet 4:9-11)

Reason #7: We are members of one another.  (Eph 4:25)   Why not live like it?

Reason #8: So the body of Christ is built up and matures toward unity and becoming more like Christ. (1 Cor 14:26, Eph 4:11-16) Yeah, sorry these passages don't say 'one another', but I think they fit.  I think these passages talk about when believers got together to do these one another actions.

Some of these are big topics, I know my summary here is just scratching the surface.

I hope it is clear that there is good reasons why Christ followers should be living in harmony, not slandering, encouraging, teaching, instructing, admonishing (giving advice), agreeing with, forgiving, submitting to, singing together, showing kindness, being compassionate, bearing with, serving, accepting, showing hospitality, humility and the especially loving one another.

Please feel free to share why you think these one another activities are important (or not).

Related Posts:

• Unity is Essential 
• Love is Essential

When One Another

This is part four of a series of the Five W's of One Another. I want to consider the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How of the one another passages in the New Testament. Please take a look at the first post before reading further.

Part 1: Five W's of One Another - intro and verses showing what the one anothers are
Part 2: Who One Another
Part 3: Where One Another
Part 4: When One Another
Part 5: Why One Another
Part 6: How One Another 

Today I'll consider a when question.

When are the one another actions done?

Do we think most of these actions should take place at a special time or scheduled event?

We know some believers did meet regularly together. Some daily and some on certain days of the week. But I believe these verses were not only related to regularly scheduled gatherings.

I think it is safe to say they took place whenever the believers interacted with each other.

I believe these one another actions are best done when believers get together.

When do believers get together? Well Sunday morning is one common time for believers to get together. But is the setting on Sunday morning really the best to practice these one anothers?

You may want to consider times that work best for practicing living in harmony, not slandering, encouraging, teaching, instructing, admonishing (giving advice), agreeing with, forgiving, submitting to, singing together, showing kindness, being compassionate, bearing with, serving, accepting, showing hospitality, humility and the repeated call to love one another.

I don't believe the when is important.

Whenever you interact with other believers, consider how you can participate in these one another activities.

What about now? Feel free to interact by making a comment, even if we are not face 2 face. :)

Related Post: Sabbath vs Day of the Sun

Where One Another

This is part three of a series of the Five W's of One Another. I want to consider the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How of the one another passages in the New Testament. Please take a look at the first post before reading further.

Part 1: Five W's of One Another - intro and verses showing what the one anothers are
Part 2: Who One Another
Part 3: Where One Another
Part 4: When One Another
Part 5: Why One Another
Part 6: How One Another 

Today I'll consider a where question.

Where do these one anothers apply?

Most of these verses don't really specify a location for the actions. There is likely many possible settings for these verses.

For example John 13:34-35 takes place while Jesus is sharing that last supper with his disciples. But I wouldn't conclude that Jesus wanted His disciples to love each other only when they were sharing meals together.

When Paul tells the Romans to live in harmony with one another in Romans 12:16, it implies that they were living life together. Likely multiple locations and times.

1 Thessalonians 4:9-10 we read that the believers were known for their love for all the believers throughout the region of Macedonia. The where in this passage covers a lot of territory.

Hebrews 10:24-25 is an interesting passage. It speaks of believers assembling or getting together. We know believers in the early church regularly got together. With these gatherings in mind we see two one another instructions. They are told to encourage one another, and to spur one another on towards love and good deeds.

Let's also consider possible locations for Ephesians 5:18-19. There is instructions not to get drunk with wine, so a likely setting is a home or some casual setting where this would be possible. I can't imagine this problem occurring in a setting where people were sitting in rows of pews. We then read instructions about speaking to one another in psalms, hymns and singing together.

1 Peter 4:9 speaks of offering hospitality to one another. A common location for hospitality is in your home.

A few conclusions:

• Many of these verses don't specify where the one another actions should take place.
• Believers would have gathered in homes, public spaces, markets, wherever.
• I don't believe the early church built a special building so they could do these one anothers
• Houses would have been a common location for most of these one anothers.

I don't believe the where was really important.

Should the where be important now?

Do you think special buildings make it easier or harder to carry out these one anothers? Showing hospitality, humility, living in harmony, not slandering, encouraging, teaching, instructing, admonishing (giving advice), agreeing with, forgiving, submitting to, singing together, showing kindness, being compassionate, bearing with, serving, accepting, and the repeated call to love one another.

Wherever you happen to interact with other believers, consider how you can participate in these one another activities.

I even believe some of these one another actions can occur online. Even though that where was not mentioned in Scripture. :)

Who One Another

This is part two of a series of the Five W's of One Another. I want to consider the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How of the one another passages in the New Testament. In my previous post I listed a bunch of verses to consider what the one anothers is all about. Please take a look at that post before reading further.

Part 1: Five W's of One Another - intro and verses showing what the one anothers are
Part 2: Who One Another
Part 3: Where One Another
Part 4: When One Another
Part 5: Why One Another
Part 6: How One Another 


Today I'll consider 3 who questions.

Question #1: Who are the one another verses for?

Scanning through the passages I see Jesus addressing his first disciples. I see Paul addressing believers in Rome, Corinth, and other towns. I think it is safe to say these instructions were directed towards all believers in the early church.

For those of us interested in carrying on in the way of the Jesus and the early believers, I think it is safe to say these verses are for us too.

With the exception of greeting each other with a Holy kiss. For myself I'm going with the idea that the kiss was a normal sign of friendship in that culture. Seeing Christian brothers kiss did not creep people out as it would today. I will try to find other ways to show love to my brothers without making people uncomfortable.

But I think the rest of these are for us: Showing hospitality, humility, living in harmony, not slandering, encouraging, teaching, instructing, admonishing (giving advice), agreeing with, forgiving, submitting to, singing together, showing kindness, being compassionate, bearing with, serving, accepting, and the repeated call to love one another.


Question #2: Who are the recipients of the actions listed in the verses in the previous posts?

Me. I think you or someone else is supposed to do all of these things for me.

OK, maybe not. :)

The Greek word used for 'one another' in most of these verses allélón describes a back and forth, mutual partnership. The recipients are many, and the recipients and donors take turn. The recipients are you, me, he, she, they, and we.

Question #3: Who are the donors/givers of the actions listed?

I think I've already answered this. These one another actions go both ways in a mutual relationship. It is not that some do more and others are on the receiving end.

Are you comfortable with mutually sharing in this list with others? Showing hospitality, humility, living in harmony, not slandering, encouraging, teaching, instructing, admonishing (giving advice), agreeing with, forgiving, submitting to, singing together, showing kindness, being compassionate, bearing with, serving, accepting, and the repeated call to love one another.

Some of us may not be as comfortable with teaching one another, instructing one another, and admonishing one another. I have come from a background where it is usually a select few who do most of the teaching, instructing, and admonishing.

Often the teaching, instructing, and admonishing, has been more one to the others, than a mutual teaching one another.

Some may not be comfortable with teaching in more structured settings. But I'd encourage you to consider looking to the examples we see in the New Testament where the majority of teaching was done in more interactive and less structured settings. See this post for more on that: Interactive Teaching in the New Testament. I believe God can use each of us in different ways to teach the others of us.

I don't want to diminish the other items in the list. Serving one another is another thing God has been speaking to me recently on. It's not that I am so much against serving in programs, but I feel a renewed call to consider how I can serve other people. Simply people serving other people. I believe that is simply what I see modeled and instructed in Scripture.

I think showing hospitality is a great place to start with many items in this list. You can practice serving others, find opportunities for mutual teaching, show kindness, love, and encourage each other.

I'll get to the Where, When, Why, and How later.

Feel free to practice some of these one anothers by leaving a comment here. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Five W's of One Another

I'd like compile a list of the "one another" verses from the NT and consider the five W's: Who, What, Where, When and Why? And sure we can even ask How.

Part 1: Five W's of One Another - intro and verses showing what the one anothers are
Part 2: Who One Another
Part 3: Where One Another
Part 4: When One Another
Part 5: Why One Another
Part 6: How One Another 

I'll start with the what.

What one another verses?

What instructions and examples are given regarding one another?

The New Testament has a lot to say on the topic of one another. Take a look at what it says.

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 all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

More love one another verses:- Romans 12:10, Romans 13:8, Galatians 5:13, Ephesians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 4:9, 2 Thessalonians 1:3, Hebrews 10:24, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 Peter 3:8, 1 John 3:11, 1 John 3:23, 1 John 4:7, 1 John 4:11-12, 2 John 1:5

Romans 12:10 (NIV)

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Romans 12:16 (NIV)

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Romans 14:13 (NIV)

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.

Romans 15:7 (NIV)

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Romans 15:14 (NIV)

I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.

Romans 16:16 (NIV)

Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.

More on kissing one another: 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Peter 5:14

1 Corinthians 1:10 (NIV)

I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.

Galatians 5:13 (NIV)

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather, serve one another in love.

Ephesians 4:2 (NIV)

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 5:19 (NIV)

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,

Ephesians 5:21 (NIV)

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Colossians 3:13 (NIV)

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Colossians 3:16 (NIV)

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

More on encouraging one another: 2 Corinthians 13:11, 1 Thessalonians 4:18, Hebrews 3:13

Hebrews 10:24 (NIV)

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

James 4:11 (NIV)

Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.

1 Peter 3:8 (NIV)

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

1 Peter 4:9 (NIV)

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

1 Peter 5:5 (NIV)

Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

(Edit: Thanks Tim for doing your part to teach one another and pointing me to this important verse I overlooked. )
Ephesians 4:25 (HCSB)

Since you put away lying, Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another.

So what are the instructions in these one another verses? Hospitality, humility, harmony, not slandering, encouraging, teaching, admonishing (giving advice), agreeing with, forgiving, submitting, singing together, kindness, compassion, bearing with, serving, accepting, and the repeated call to love one another. (I'm going to ignore the kissing part for cultural reasons.)

I find this list fairly challenging. It is a good reminder of the many ways I believe I am called to interact with other believers. Some are easier said than done.

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

I'll get into the other W's in future posts.

Interactive Teaching in the New Testament

I stumbled across an interesting study by Paul Warby. He took the time to comb through books in the New Testament looking for examples of different types of teaching. Is the church following the example we find in Scripture when it comes to teaching one another?

Here is what Paul Warby found:

"I took Jesus' ministry prior to his arrest and crucifixion (Mark 1-Mark 14:42) and identified 63 teaching events.

• 7 are unclear as to being either interactive or non-interactive (these are generally sweeping statements, e.g. "Jesus came to Galilee preaching the gospel of God" Mark 1:14)

• 10 are non-interactive. Here we have taken the text as it stands although interaction is sometimes implied (e.g. the calling of disciples found in 1:17-20; 2:14). I also noticed that some non-interactive accounts like the telling of parables required interaction later in the story for the disciples to understand the message (e.g. Mark 4:26-33 of. vs34).

• 37 teaching events were initiated by others.

• 31 teaching events had verbal dialogue. These may be the same teaching events as those initiated by others (e.g. the story of the paralytic Mark 2:1-12) but in this category we are looking for recorded verbal dialogue in the text of Mark.

• 25 teaching events were also action events. These are healings, miracles and the like where teaching is associated with physical experiences (e.g. Mark 1:39; 1:40-44; 3:1-5 etc.)"

He did the same with the book of Acts:

• 33 have dialogue

• 28 are unclear as to interaction

• 14 are initiated by persons other than the main speakers, e.g. an opening question.

• 11 are action events

• 5 have non-interactive monologues

http://www.anabaptistnetwork.com/node/423
http://www.anabaptistnetwork.com/book/export/html/321


The example we see in Scripture is one where teaching occurs in many different ways and locations. Most of it was also unscheduled. There is no record of Jesus or the early church sending out bulletins or flyers informing the people what topics would be taught at specific gatherings. The gatherings were informal, mostly unscheduled, and the conversations mostly interactive.

Consider some non-spiritual types of teaching.

How would you teach a child to ride a bike? Would you schedule a time and place. Prepare a lesson. Have the child sit and listen as you present a lecture on how to ride a bike?

No. The lessons are mostly unscheduled, require interactive teaching, active demonstrations, active assistance, and require followup instructions on safety for years to come.

What types of teaching work best in a classroom setting today? Teachers are encouraged to use a variety of teaching activities, and recognize that the lecture format produces some of the poorest results. The more of the following the better: Questions, debates, field trips, role play, project work, hands on activities and practice practice practice.

So, how should the church teach one another as we read in Colossians 3:16?

Should we value certain less interactive methods higher than other informal interactive methods?

• Sermons?
• video lead studies?
• prepared Bible studies?
• book studies?

Or can we place a greater emphasis on less structured teaching opportunities. Can we seek to teach each other in more natural relational ways? Whenever we gather with other believers, can we find opportunities to build each other up to become more like Christ? (Heb 10:24-25)

What do you think? Are we following the book on this one?

Related Posts:

• One Another
• Examples of Pastors Preaching Sermons at Church in the Bible
• My 95 Thesis - Point 11 - Sermon Centered
• Learning Triangle
• Asleep in the pews
• History of speaking up in church
• Community I desire