From Christendom to Kingdom

 

 

 

 

I was very blessed by the 3rd article in the open heaven newsletter this week.  Here is the direct link to the author's blog entry.

 

http://mouthpieceministries.wordpress.com/2014/07/02/my-journey-from-christendom-to-the-kingdom/

 

This article spurred a hunger in me and a remembrance of times when God has worked in my life for a season. Mountain-top experiences are awesome, when we are soaring on wings like an eagle and our vision/clarity increases. I appreciate seasons of personal revival/renewal because it reminds me of what is really important and draws my attention back to God. However, we aren't meant to go through the revival cycle like the Israelites in the book of Judges. We are meant to walk with God constantly, abiding in him. If we are in need of revival, it is because we have forgotten he is present with us and have allowed idols to replace him. I have found myself in that state many times, especially during the busy summer months where many responsibilities and tasks can become immense and overwhelming. However, when I am brought back to the simplicity of relationship and his overwhelming love for me, the mountains become small and are easily moved.

Seems the experience the woman in the article is having is happening to many. Many are becoming hungry for more of God and to know him more deeply, becoming dissatisfied with the shallow. Call it baptism in the Spirit, a second, third, or fourth work of grace, whatever - God is calling his people into deeper fellowship and surrender to him. For some, it may look like this - for others, it may be more slow and gentle as the Lord strips away the layers of selfishness and pride in our lives - exposing us to his perfect love that casts out all fear. The point is, the Lord works differently in all our lives - we aren't meant to copy the experience of others - however, we can be encouraged about how he is working in them and it can encourage us and spark hunger.

True Fellowship

 

The Lord led my wife and I to study the meaning of true Fellowship this weekend, and we ended up sharing what we learned with the group of believers we relate to in our home on Saturday night.   I can honestly say, we enjoyed true fellowship that night, and we were truly encouraged by what we are seeing.  The Lord is opening our eyes to so many things, and this issue of Fellowship is just one of them. 

I had been pondering a statement made by Bryon Wiebold of Forerunner Ministries in Texas.  He said, "we don't gather for fellowship, we gather because we already have Fellowship".  This statement prompted my wife and I to study out the word "fellowship" as it is used in the Bible.  My wife and I love to re-think and re-discover what the Bible really says about many words or subjects that many times have lost their meaning since we have been in "church" for a while.  Religious thinking, or familiarity sets in and we can stop thinking about what we are saying or hearing.  We learned that true Fellowship is much more than just getting together to discuss life, religion, sports, or politics.  Fellowship is also more than getting together to "do" religious things like prayer, worship, bible study, etc.

The greek word for Fellowship is Koinonia, and it is used in several ways throughout the New Testament.  It means to partake, participate in, have in common, and can also be translated as the  word "communion".  We discovered from 1 John 1:3-7 that before we can enjoy fellowship with others, we must first have fellowship with the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ. It is impossible to have Christian fellowship with someone who does not have true fellowship with God first!! 

1 John 1:3
We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

1 John 1:6,7
 ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.


Our fellowship with God will be manifested in whether we are walking in the light of God's love.  Then, our fellowship with each other will be manifested in our love for each other!

1 John 2:9
Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.

In 1 Corinthians, the word "Koinonia" sheds further light on how we see and relate to the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 10:16,17
¹⁶ 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? ¹⁷ Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.

The word for "participation" used in this passage is, you guessed it: Koinonia.  As believers, we enjoy true fellowship because we have each been baptized into the body of Christ.  We are participants of being part of the body of Christ because we have each eaten of his flesh and drank of his blood.  In a spiritual manner, we have allowed the very essence of Christ to enter into us and he has made each of us members of his body. 

Our fellowship with the Head(Christ) determines our fellowship with the rest of the body.  We are each participants(Koinonia) in the body and blood of Christ.

The last instance of the word Koinonia I want to share is in 2 Peter 1:3,4
³ His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴ Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

The word "participate" here is of course the grk. word Koinonia.  This is perhaps the greatest revelation of all I discovered when doing this study.  Not only do we have fellowship with God because we are in the light of his love, and because we are now members of his body.  We have fellowship with God and each other because we now have his very nature imparted to us!!  We love  each other because it is now our nature to love!  We share gifts of the spirit with one another because his Spirit is now one with our Spirit!  We now share the same Father!  We are members of the same family!  We are sons of God, just like Christ, the firstborn son!  Does this mean we "are" God?  No, but it does mean we are now "like" God in the sense that he has imparted his very nature and essence into us.  We are no longer of Adam, we are of Christ.  We no longer have a dead Spirit, our Spirit is alive to God, energized and full of the Life of God.  Our life-source and nature no longer comes from the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil(Adam), our life-source is now the tree of Life(Christ)!

This is what forms the basis of our fellowship with other believers.  Our fellowship is not based around believing the same doctrines, praying the same way, worshiping the same songs, attending the same "church".  Our fellowship is based on our new nature and our new relational position with the Father.  We are new creations - the old has passed away and the new has come!  Our fellowship(Koinonia) is based around "who" we have become and who we have relationship with(the Father), not based around what we "do".  What we do as the Church flows out of who we now are, and the direct connection we have with the head.  We are no longer "sinners", we are "saints".  We no longer have a "sinful" nature, we have God's divine nature of pure, spotless, holy, Love.  As Bryon Wiebold says in this blog post, we are no longer "Apples", we are "Oranges".  Apples vs Oranges

Do we still struggle with the flesh?  Of course. In our Soul, the mind, will, and emotions we still struggle with ingrained patterns of behavior, fears, and areas of our heart that need to be surrendered to Jesus Christ daily.  We can still allow sin into our soul and practice sin, but it is now a foreign invader that has no right to be there.  We are not defined by that sin any longer, we are defined by what God says about us. We are now Sons of God, members of Christ's body, new creation Spirit-men(and women), free from the law of sin and death. 

This is what Jesus died for - this is what his body is all about - this is what true fellowship is based upon.

The Prophetic Lifestyle

A post by Brian Harrison prompted me to begin thinking about the apostolic nature of our lives, and what it means to speak apostolically.  What does the Apostolic look like?

Brian mentions 4 things that are characteristics of apostolic statements/actions.
1. It's Heavenly and not Earthly
2. it is corporate and not personal
3. It is sacrificial and not self-serving and therein emits the aroma of Christ.
4. It is authentic and not fabricated

I was reminded of the close tie between speaking/living  prophetically and speaking/living apostolically.  Just a couple days previous to reading this article by Brian, I had read the preview for a book at Amazon.com that talks about what it means to live prophetically.  I love the way this guy writes.  I had stumbled across his web-site when looking at the openheaven.com forum.

Let your Light Shine - Ray Ashmore

Here is the the Amazon description for the book:

Jesus is The Prophet. Every word that comes from His lips is prophetic. Every expression of His will is prophetic. Every work of His Spirit is prophetic. The Holy Spirit is the conveyer of truth to the church both in words and deeds; and the church is to be a picture of that very truth to its community and world. Prophecy is far more than words or visions. Prophecy is a life lived individually and in a gathered community that bears testimony to God and His redemptive work. Prophecy isn't restricted to the simple understanding of the prophetic ministry that most charismatics espouse. True prophecy always, without exception and in every way, lifts up Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

and a profound excerpt from the book:
"By extension, as we steep ourselves in the word of God, we learn from Him, grow in Him, and become truly prophetic. It's not that we will be prophets, but we become prophetic in our living. How does this take place? It takes place by the Holy Spirit as He transforms our lives into Christ's likeness. As we grow into His image, The Prophet Jesus grows in us. He is put on display through us. His words and thoughts are expressed by us. Our words reveal Him and our lives display Him. Our actions, the events in our lives, and our responses to them are all symbolic of Christ's life and His will for us. We are prophetic in the truest sense of the word."
This got me thinking about how our lifestyle as Christians is to let the Life, Love, and Character of Jesus flow out of us in such a way that we become a prophetic statement to the world.  We become a testimony of what God and his Kingdom is really like.  The advancement of his Kingdom depends upon us entering into union with Jesus and living the life of the Spirit.  This is what living a prophetic life is all about!  I had always thought of prophecy as being prophetic utterances - but this has opened my eyes to the fact that there is much more.  Prophetic utterances flow out of our union with Christ and getting a hold of his heart of Love.  They do not flow out of our intellect, they flow out of deep communion and identification with Jesus, by the Holy Spirit. 

Old Testament prophets did not just pronounce "Thus saith the Lord", their lives also became prophetic statements of the Heart of God for his people.  They did not just pronounce judgment, their lives became so filled with God's heart of Love, Mercy, and righteous anger it drove them to do some fairly interesting things that looked quite ridiculous.

One of the problems with many Christians is this: We have a tendency to Know a lot of stuff, Say a lot of stuff, but are can be very deficient in the area of Doing much of the stuff.  Jesus said that we would be able to Do the same works he did, even greater works.  It is not enough to know what to do, even to talk a lot about what to do.  When we become Doers of the Word, and not hearers only, we enter into the true prophetic lifestyle.

I also believe that this strong disparity between what we Christians preach and what we practice has made us an object of scorn and ridicule from the world's perspective, and not in a good way.  Listen to this comment by Steve Crosby he posted on Facebook.

Many of you are not going to like this post because of how "broad a generalization" it is. I don't care, so please don't respond to me about how "every one is not that way." I won't post your comments if you go down that road. I am not talking about the EXCEPTIONS here. I am talking about the NORM. I am talking about the PUBLIC PERCEPTION of Christians and Christianity. My wife has worked for Sta...rbucks for 8 years. Her UNEQUIVOCAL, NON-NEGOTIABLE, REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE (not phony baloney-Sunday-morning-Wayne's world of Christianity) is that the customers who are the most vocal about their "Christianity," who come in for their "Bible studies," and their "fellowship groups," who "pass our their gospel tracts," are the nastiest, rudest, most inconsiderate, demanding, selfish, impolite, cheap, self-centered, and unthankful of all her customers. Nothing hinders the cause of Christ more than . . . "Christians." I understand why our culture despises "Christians and Christianity." I do too. I don't even use those terms any more when describing myself. They are hopelessly contaminated in the minds of the world. Lord, please deliver the world from your "followers."

I realized that if we focused more on letting our lives be so consumed with Jesus and his love, we would present a much different testimony to the world - the testimony of Jesus, the true spirit of Prophecy.  Didn't Jesus say they will know we are Christians by our love for one another?  They will not know we are Christians by our doctrines, how well we know our Bible intellectually, our ascetic lifestyle, faithful church attendance, good preaching, cutting-edge worship, or hyper-spiritual experiences.  They will know we are Christians by our LOVE. 

Sometimes, the Love of Jesus within us will compel us to say things that will offend people, but they will know we are speaking from Love - not self-interest, self-righteousness, or condemnation.  They may hate us, reject us, and kill us - but let it not be because we were too Religious.  Let it be because of our identification with Jesus Christ.  Let it be because "the" prophet Jesus is speaking through our life.

Barriers to God's Love

In pondering our earlier Post, the Significance of God's Love, I was thinking about things that can hinder us from expressing God's love.  What keeps us from really moving out in faith to love our families, our neighbors, and our brothers and sisters in Christ?

1. Ruts
One of the major barriers I see in my own life is the tendency to fall into a Rut.  It is entirely possible to lock ourselves into a mindset that never looks outside our daily routine.  Even seemingly good, religious activities can become a rut that prevent us from seeing what God is doing and keep us from seeing the real needs of those around us.  If my goal is to get to the "church meeting" on time, why would I stop to help my neighbor?  In the parable of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37, isn't it interesting that it was the "professional" religious men who passed by the hurt man.  I assume they were too busy and stuck in their "rut" to allow themselves to feel compassion on him.  They allowed what they deemed good, getting to their destination on time, to get in the way of seeing from God's heart of love and compassion.

We Christians need to learn to slow down, relax, and just love the people right in front of us. "Stop for the One" as Heidi Baker says.  Instead of getting grand ideas about doing big things for God, if we could just get in touch with God's heart and then crawl out of our rut long enough to see a need and "stop for the one" right in front of us, we will be the ones Jesus works through to change the world "with" him instead of "for" him.

In church meetings, even in so-called Charismatic churches, ruts often keep God locked up.  He is "in" us, but he desires to get out.  We can assume that the order of service is to be followed, but miss the real needs and what God is doing. Our rut keeps us from ever expecting anything different, it keeps us from seeing the real needs around us, and it limits our faith.

Order of service in a Charismatic Church: Pray, worship, preach 5-15 mins about giving financially, take an offering, worship some more, preach again, alter call with musical accompaniment, done.
 
Order of service in a traditional church: All stand, sing Hymn 596, All Sit down, sing Hymn 278, All stand up, repeat Lord's Prayer, Pastor Prays, take an offering, scripture reading, All sit down, preach, most people fall asleep, Sermon complete, most people wake up, all stand up, sing Hymn 193, done. 

2. Wrong Judgments about others
Another barrier I see is the tendency to lock ourselves and others into an imaginary rut through critical, negative thought patterns.  The tendency can be to look at ourselves and others based on past experience instead of peering prophetically into truth by faith.  If we look only at what lies on the surface, we fail to see the beauty and potential that may lie beneath.  Only when we see as God sees can we really love.    Could this be why the words "Faith, Hope, and Love" are tied to each other.  A hopeless, faithless perspective is an unloving perspective.  Of course, seeing sin as wrong does not preclude faith and hope.  Truth and Love are also tied to each other very closely and cannot be separated from one another.  John 1:14  To see truthfully is also to see lovingly and with a grace-centered perspective.  To see with all of these(Faith, Hope, Love, and Truth) is to see from God's perspective instead of a fleshly perspective.

 1 Cor 1:27  Jesus chose disciples who were the most unlikely to be world changers, but he also saw their potential.  God rescued and saved many of us, also the most unlikely to amount to anything from the world's perspective.  We need to be careful to see others by the Spirit and discern by the Spirit.  If we make wrong judgments, we will miss what God is doing and operate in unbelief.
 
Personal Examples
These are things I noticed in my own life when pondering this issue.  I realized I had some repenting to do and a need to allow God to deliver me from my "rut". 
1.  Judging others outwardly or from past experience:  I often pass by co-workers several times a day,  some of them I have known for years, but rarely assume they might have needs or may have an interest in God so I mostly ignore them and expect nothing.
2.  Daily Routine, busyness:  We eat at approx. the same time each day, do our chores, and I put my children to bed at about the same time every night, anything that strays out of the routine is often seen as a hindrance.
3.  Compartmentalizing God:  I get up and spend some time with God in the morning, maybe read my bible or a devotional,  maybe worship and listen for his voice, but many times don't consult him about throughout the day or remain sensitive to his presence, love, or inward voice.
4. Separating Sacred from Secular.  Seeing religious activities as Sacred, and all else as worldly or unimportant.  Therefore, not seeking God unless the activities are seen as sacred or religious.

I realized this tendency toward "ruttishness" and religiousness was a generational sin that needed to be broken. If we come out of agreement with these ruts and wrong perspectives, and come into agreement with God's perspective of love and freedom, they lose power over us.

3. Wrong judgments about God
When we really get to know what God is like, and we know experientially and by faith how much he loves us, we will be free to love others in the same way. The more we comprehend the love of God, the more we will desire to love people in the same way. If we view God as distant, mean-spirited, out to get us, and waiting to catch us in an act of sin so he can strike us dead and throw us into hell, we will certainly not treat others with a loving spirit. If we see God as our best friend, close to us, for us and not against us, bearing our burdens, ever-present, kind, compassionate, forgiving, fun-loving, etc, we will become like him. As we behold God, we will become like how we view him. That is why it is critical to have an accurate picture of who God really is and how he relates to us.
2 Cor. 3:18 He does not relate to us like he did to those under the old Covenant so we do not need to relate to him out of fear and condemnation. We relate to him on the basis of the new covenant he has made with us through Jesus, we are Righteous and Holy, fearless, his beloved children, and his close friends. 2 Cor 3:7-9

Relationship and Friendship with God

My wife and I have been pondering the significance of relationship with God in the Christian life.  We are convinced that without relationship with God, there cannot be a Christian Life.  How can you claim to be a Christian without a relationship with God through Jesus Christ?  How can you be his disciple if you don't really know him personally.  It isn't enough to have intellectual knowledge about him, it isn't enough to have all your doctrines about him straight, it isn't even enough to claim you believe he exists, or to believe intellectually he has died for your sins on the cross.  It isn't even enough to cast out demons, work mighty miracles, and lead lost people to salvation in his Jesus name.  Without a genuine, authentic relationship with him, you aren't really his disciple. 

Matthew 7:22,23
22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?'
23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

I know this verse can be over-quoted to put people in fear and condemnation, but the point of it is, do you know Jesus?  If we really know Jesus, we will act like him.  1 Cor. 13 comes to mind.  Of course, I understand that relationship with God is something that we grow into.  But, with childlike faith - I believe we can grow in our relationship with him much more quickly.  Religious strongholds in our culture hinder us from enjoying the kind of relationship we were created for.  He is our loving Father, our closest friend, and our bridegroom.  If you are experiencing anything less, you are believing lies.

A couple Old Testament examples come to mind that beautifully illustrate the kind of relationship God desires to have with us.  How much more closely can we walk with God as his sons and daughters in the New Covenant!  We are only limited by our level of desire, and what we believe about him and ourselves.

1.  Abraham - James 2:23 - And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend.

 Why was Abraham considered a friend of God?  I can see at least 3 reasons: 

• He had great Faith and trust in God's character and nature.  He trusted in the goodness of God. He believed God would take care of him no matter what came his way.  Abraham left the comfortability and predictability of his home in Ur to set out for a promised land he knew nothing about.  He blessed Lot with first choice of land, knowing God would care for him.  He believed God would give him a child, even though he and Sarah were well past child-bearing age.  Yes, he tried to shortcut this process at first, but he learned his lesson and his faith grew until he was convinced God would do a miracle.
• He walked in obedience because of this great trust in God, even being willing to give up his promised son if necessary.
• He communicated with God regularly (see Gen. 18:16-33).  Friendship with God grows with communication. This means we will take time to not only talk to God, but listen to God.  

2. David - Acts 13:22 - After removing Saul, he made David their king.  God testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'

What made David a man after God's heart?

• David, like Abraham also had great Faith and trust in God.  In faith, he slew Goliath.  In faith, he refused to take a shortcut to becoming King by slaying Saul.  He entrusted his life to God.
• David was a worshiper - he wasn't afraid to let his emotions show about God, and he really loved God.
• David was transparent - He wasn't afraid to share his deepest, darkest thoughts about God, his struggles, and his enemies.
• David owned up to his sin and was truly repentant when he made mistakes.  He realized he had not only sinned against man, but he had also grieved God's heart and sinned against him.  (Ps 51)

Why do you think David had such a strong friendship with Jonathan?  David's friendship with Jonathon probably went a bit deeper than "How many philistines did you slay yesterday?"  Or, "did you catch last night's game between Philistia and Israel?  Lahmi the brother of Goliath was really on fire until Sibbeakai the Hushathite and Azmaveth the Barhumite double-teamed him and shut him down." Not only did David and Jonathon risk their lives for each other in battle and in the struggle with Saul, but David and Jonathon must have trusted each other because I am confident they communicated honestly and transparently with each other.  They knew each other.  The depth of our friendships is directly proportional to our ability to share with each other on an honest, open heart level.   As our relationship with God grows, he frees us to have more open relationships with the people in our life - whether with our wives, children, or others.

Friend rules
My wife and I were also pondering relationship with God as it relates to a list of rules about friendship we communicated to our children last year.

1.  Learn to laugh at yourself, don't take yourself so seriously.
Why not have fun in our relationship with God?  Sometimes, we take ourselves way too seriously as Christians.  God is full of joy and playful. He enjoys it when we embrace this aspect of his nature.  See my post: The exuberance and Joy of Jesus

2.  Let others go first.
How many of us let God go first when we pray, in making decisions, or in the details of life? How often do we start off with our lists and requests before first considering what is on God's heart? How much deeper could our relationship with him go if we learn to let him go first.

3.  Make playtime fun for everyone.  "If it's not fun for all, it's not fun at all"
How often do we ask ourselves in our times with God, or in our gatherings as the Church - "Is this fun for God"? Many of the meetings I have been in were probably NOT fun for God(as a matter of fact, they weren't fun for anyone).  I'd rather gouge my eyes out than attend those kinds of meetings.  You know the kind, where 75% of the people are snoring or bobbing their heads.

4.  Have a pleasant/cheerful attitude. 
How much do you enjoy talking with people who complain constantly?  Yes, God wants to hear our honest thoughts, and there's no sense being fake with God, but we can also determine to praise him and be thankful despite the circumstances.  God doesn't enjoy it when we remain locked in misery.  Being mired in misery and complaining is not the inheritance of a child of God.  Yes, we will be in process at times, but we must not remain in process indefinitely.

5.  Don't push other's buttons.
What pushes God's buttons?  Willful disobedience, pride, dishonesty, hypocrisy, rebellion,  etc.  Of course God has grace for us as his children, and of course he still loves us, but as a friend of God, why would we want to do things he doesn't like?

In relationship with God, it's not all about us! We must learn to take God into consideration and ask, WHAT IS GOD GETTING OUT OF THIS RELATIONSHIP? Is God really enjoying this?

An Interesting observation
Recently, I was reading H.A. Baker's autobiography Under His Wings. H.A. Baker was a missionary to Tibet, then China and is best known for his book, Visions beyond the Veil.   Both books deal a death blow to the lie of Cessationism. Below is what he wrote shortly after his born again conversion experience. After his conversion, he began to feel great love for others, and things like Prayer and the Word of God began to make sense to him finally. However, he was surprised to learn that other members of his church hadn't also experienced this same thing.

When I looked over the congregation I felt sure that these churchmembers did not know what I had just found out: that God is still alive, that the Bible is for Now, that we and God and the Bible need to get mixed up together.
 

During those two years my personal dealings with the members of that little church confirmed my first impression after my experience in the barn that other members of the church, with perhaps a few exceptions, had never received what I received there in the barn. Now, why was that? Evidently because these church members, like myself, had never been properly taught that each should personally contact Christ by prayer. This weakness was largely due to the belief and teaching of the fundamental part of that church at that time. It taught that on the day of Pentecost, when Peter preached the first New Testament gospel sermon, he made known the Lord’s plan of salvation and the conditions of church membership when he said to the convicted multitude, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” So far all right. But that church made its great mistake in stopping the middle of that verse. The verse continues, “and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38.

Why did out church stop in the middle of that verse and not follow Peter’s instructions all the way? It was because of the theory that no one could receive the Holy Spirit since the days of the founding of the church by the apostles. This misconception, as well as failure to teach the necessity of individual prayer to make the “repent” effective, resulted in that little church’s membership being made up of people who had never really prayed and made personal contact with Christ. Through ignorance and unbelief they had missed the promise, “ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Conclusion
Without communication/communion with God, it is impossible to be a real Christian and grow in relationship with God.  Granted, friendship with God is something we are all growing in, but if there are false, religious mindsets in us, it will be impossible to mature and grow in this relationship.  Let's get rid of the idea that God is confined to the pages of the Bible, and we can only hear his voice when we read it.  If all I have are biblical principles to live by, that makes me no better than a Mormon, Jehovah's witness, or Muslim.  Let's get rid of the idea that the Bible has replaced the Holy Spirit and become the third person of the Trinity.  As Steve Crosby says, that's nothing more than Bibleolatry.  Hear my heart, of course the Bible is very important.  However, without the activation of the Holy Spirit, the Bible in itself has no power to change us.  It will become law to us, and it won't make any sense.  The real power and life of God is found only in connection/relationship with him.  Apart from him we can do nothing.
John 15:5 - I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Dangerous!

If you are a Christian who has been outside the fold of mainstream, institutional Christianity for any length of time, you have probably realized that some Christians consider you to be dangerous.

The other day, my wife was emailing a woman to ask about a local homeschool co-op limited membership.  The limited membership would allow us to go on field trips with the group. My wife asked if we should send our twenty dollars before or after we are approved for membership.  The woman e-mailed back and said we would have no problem getting in as long as we attend a "mainstream" Christian church and agree to their statement of faith.

Since we don't attend a mainstream Church,  we realized in the minds of many Christians, we are considered "dangerous".  They believe we will have some sort of influence on people and lead them astray from the established truth.

If you are considered "dangerous", that might actually be a good thing, because that may mean that you are being "effective".  Jesus was considered to be "dangerous" and was sent to his death. He rocked the boat,  ruffled some feathers, and caused a stir!  When we actually listen to the Father's voice and obey him, it is the religious, institutional people who get offended most, not the world!

John 12:9-11
 ⁹ Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. ¹⁰ So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, ¹¹ for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

Unbelievable! They wanted to kill Jesus for raising Lazarus from the dead?  Furthermore, they wanted to kill Lazarus because he was telling people his testimony!  Jesus was a very "effective" man, but to the chief priests he was "dangerous".  He was upsetting their control over the people, and that's what religious institutions are usually all about - control!

Who actually persecuted the early disciples first?  Was it the Romans?  No, it was the Jewish religious leaders.  Yes, the Romans persecuted them later, but it was the Religious leaders who were the first to persecute real Christians.  Why? because Christianity upset their positions of authority, and it drew the people into a real relationship with God that skirted around the prescribed rules and methods they had set up.  They couldn't control that!

When Jesus died, the veil that separates us from God was torn in two.  We have free and bold access to the presence of God; no more priestly mediators, no more "order of Worship" is necessary.  However, it is ironic that Religious systems have been trying for the last 2000 years to sew the veil back up and put it between us and God again! 

It is considered "dangerous" thinking to believe that you can hear God's voice for yourself and worship him wherever you are.  It is considered "dangerous" to interpret the bible with only the Holy Spirit to guide you.  It is considered "dangerous" to learn from God outside the guidance of a seminary or religious institution.  It is considered "dangerous" to question a leader's decisions or actions.  It is considered "dangerous" to question doctrine or traditions.  It is considered "dangerous" to heal, cast out demons, or do miracles.  It is considered "dangerous" to say you had a dream, vision, or revelation from God.  It is considered "dangerous" to exercise spiritual gifts, expecially the gift of tongues.  It is considered "dangerous" to do what God tells you to do, even if it looks foolish.  You get the point, these are all things that can't be controlled!

John 7:15 - 17
The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?” ¹⁶ So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.¹⁷If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.

Jesus learned from the Father, not just by going to a religious school.  He may have attended school when he was young, and he most certainly celebrated the Sabbath and went to the Synagogue.  He learned from those who were wise, but most of all - he had a relationship with the Father, and he was taught by him!

I am not saying that seminaries and churches are never helpful, but I am saying that we need to be able to hear from God for ourselves.  Do we need to receive wisdom from others?  Absolutely, but we also need to learn to question authority(without rebelling), and get our direction from God first.  He will tell us to do things that are abnormal and seem absurd to some, but we need to do them anyway. 

The most effective Christians are the ones who are not afraid to be different, labeled as "dangerous", and who will step out in faith.  We need to be able to go against the grain, break the mold, rock the boat, and swim upstream without fear of Man.

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.

Please hear my heart.  I am in no way condoning rebellion, lack of accountability, or disparaging leadership.  What I am saying is, you can still be a follower of Christ outside of traditional, institutional Christianity.  In fact, you will probably be a more effective Christian :)

God may call our family to join a Church or even start a Church at some point.  But it will be for a purpose, it will be led by His voice, and it will be different than we or others would expect. We are determined to do nothing out of a desire to meet our own selfish needs or be part of a good church club.  It would be nice to get rid of that feeling that we are "dangerous", but at what cost?

John 15:5
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

The Road of the Kingdom

“In the desert prepare the way for the Lord;

make straight in the wilderness

a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be raised up,

every mountain and hill made low;

The rough ground shall become level,

the rugged places a plain.

And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,

and all mankind together will see it.

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

– Isaiah 40:3-5

Ondrea had a vision last year while we were in prayer with a couple others.  In the vision, she saw a road or highway.  The highway was the road that represented God's kingdom and also led towards his kingdom, the Promised Land.  The hand of God was there, directing and guiding the builders.  The work was hard, but enjoyable; it was not stressful or overly-difficult because those building were doing exactly what God wanted them to do. 

Those who were building the road did not know exactly where it led; all they knew was they were listening to God's instructions and obeying him.  Along the road were settlements, villages, houses, etc.  Many would leave the road and join the settlements.  Those in the settlements would spend time attempting to convince those building the road how great the settlements were, and why they should join their settlements.  The settlements many times were great places, filled with great people.  The settlements were not inherently evil, many great things were happening there. However, it was bad in the sense that those who settled had left their primary calling and were no longer building God's kingdom.  The settlements offered peace, safety, comfort, and could meet many needs.  Those trying to get those on the road to come into their settlements were sinning because they were distracting the builders from their true purpose in God.  They should have been able to recognize the call on others and encourage them in it rather than trying to make themselves feel better by getting others to "settle" with them.  Those on the road looked foolish to those in comfort so they felt "better than them" and a need to "help" the poor people that weren't in their settlement.
We believe the road represents the life of Faith, such as in Genesis 12 when Abraham left his country, not knowing exactly where he was going.  He was leaving a life of comfort and familiarity, leaving much of his family, to follow God. 

Hebrews 11:8-11
 ⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹ By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

I am reminded of what Jesus said in Matthew 8:20
Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

Jesus had no place to call his own home.  He was a marked man from the time he entered his ministry, the religious leaders were out to kill him.  He lived to follow and do the will of the Father, he had no room to settle down and grow comfortable, not even a place to sleep at times.

I am also reminded of what Jesus said in Matthew 7:13,14
¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

The way to life is narrow and difficult while the way to destruction is easy and wide.  There are many detours and seemingly great places that God wants us to stay away from.  We are called to a life of faith, and that will include difficulty and self-sacrifice.

Settling for less than God's call on your life will mean different things to different people.  Listening to the shepherd's voice, obeying and following him is the key!

Leaving a Church

It is never an easy thing to talk about when to leave or stay at a church.  Here are a few of my thoughts on this sticky issue.  A couple weeks ago, I met with a man who is leading a small church. He said:  "I think people who are struggling need to just pick a church and plug in!"  Is that the kind of flippant attitude we should have, is one church just as good as another?  I don't think so, it is crucial to find out exactly where God wants us to be.  The fact that you may even be considering leaving a church(apart from selfish reasons) is a sign that you are desiring to break with the status quo.  I applaud you if you are truly seeking God.  I believe God is also excited that you are rethinking and seeking to discover where he wants you to be and what he wants you to do.

Luke 6:39-41 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher."

I have a few questions I would ask about any leadership I am considering placing my family under or removing ourselves from.  No matter how much we want to believe otherwise, we do become like those we place ourselves under.  It is prideful to believe we can remain in toxic environments and remain un-affected.

1.  Am I being taught and encouraged to Love God more?

2.  Am I being taught and encouraged to Love people more?
3.  Is there an expectation that we are building something greater than our own kingdom. Are we building our own little kingdom, or God's kingdom?
4.  Is there a religious spirit?  Is there pride, exclusivism, or pharisaical thinking.
5.  Are the main things kept the main thing, or have minor doctrinal issues and gray areas become the main thing? 
6.  Is the leadership in complete control, or are they facilitating the working of the Holy Spirit and listening to where God is leading?
7.  Is there an expectation that God can speak to more than just 1 person in the group.
8.  Are people encouraged to find their God-given purpose, and are they then released, empowered, and activated into it?
9.  Is doctrine the most important thing?  The Pharisees missed Jesus because of their over-emphasis on doctrine.
10. Have rules replaced relationship?
11. Is there life here?  Is spiritual birth happening, is spiritual growth happening?
12. How does the leadership respond to confrontation or differences of theology/practice?

 Of course, no church is without its problems - I was reading in 2 Cor. 12:20 the other day and was amazed at the problems existent in the Corinthian church.  Paul said - "For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder."

Sounds like the way things are around our house sometimes :)

This list from Paul contains different kinds of problems than the ones I mentioned in the first list. The kinds of problems the Corinthians struggled with are related to immaturity and can be resolved by helping people to grow up.  The kinds of problems that are much more difficult to deal with contain an extreme controlling or religious aspect. Of course, none of us are completely free from a religious spirit, so I am talking about a place where a Religious Spirit has almost complete and total control.  Jesus took a no-compromise approach to these kinds of people and environments.  Judging from the way he dealt with it, I don't think He would ever allow himself to be controlled by that kind of spirit or place himself under it.  Personally, I would be praying about when(not if) to come out from under that kind of spirit.

I remember when we first came to realize the fact that we were dealing with an ancient religious spirit in a church we were attending.  It was definitely sobering.  My wife sensed it spiritually as we sat in church one day, and she was able to see and sense its power and far-reaching effects.  It is so much bigger than just the church we were part of. It is ancient, and its effects are much bigger than you think.  We are not wrestling with flesh and blood in these environments.

It is certainly important to stay where you are unless the Lord moves you on.  Have you been asking the Lord if it is his time to move you on yet?  A number of years ago, my wife and I received a prophetic word that the Holy Spirit was like our Chauffeur, who would take us where he wants us to go.  When it was time for us to move on, we would get into the car and he would drive us to the next destination.  We have always sought to remain sensitive to God's timing about when and where he wants us to be.  If we are in the wrong place, it is very costly to remain there.  We don't even realize the fullness of the negative influences and wrong spirit we are under until we obey the Lord in leaving.  Sometimes, we don't even need to know exactly where we are going before we leave.  Just like Abraham, all he knew at first was that God was calling him to leave the familiar things(his country, his people, and his family).  He didn't know exactly what the promised Land was yet, all he knew was that he had to obey.  “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you."  Genesis 12:1

If a church is in serious doctrinal error or teaching unbiblically, it is time to seriously consider leaving that church. I am not talking about minor doctrinal issues, but major issues regarding who God is, who Jesus is, the authority of scripture, etc.

It is interesting to note how often the early church members would move from one area to another, or exchange people between churches to share gifts, ministry, etc.  I don't think there was such a strangle-hold on keeping people in one place to build a personal kingdom. Of course, we are to be devoted to one another, and not leave places for flippant, selfish reasons.  However, if God is leading or calling someone into a different area or to minister to a different group of believers, that is not a threat to God's kingdom.  It is only a threat to the person who is trying to build a personal kingdom.

We certainly should not leave a church because of personal offenses, personal taste issues, relational conflicts, or immaturity issues. We need to work through these issues and allow God to mature us and heal us. However, when a church is nothing like Christ really meant it to be, or is heading in the opposite direction that God is calling us to go in, we need to be in serious prayer about whether we are in the right place.

 

Excuses for not leaving:

1.  God just wants me to stay here and be an agent of change within the church.  While this may seem like a noble or lofty goal, I believe this is extremely rare.  You need to make sure that is what God is calling you to do.  I have found that far too often, this is simply an excuse to remain where you are and avoid making any serious decision.  What if Martin Luther had decided to remain a Catholic priest and try to change the Catholic church from within?  Yes, he certainly could have - but he had a much greater impact when he came out of it, stood up for what was wrong, and sought to be an agent of change from the outside.  You don't have to remain within a church structure for God to use you to change it.  Would you ever counsel a Mormon or Jehovah's witness to stay within their church and try to bring about change from within?  Doubtful.

2.  God wants me to remain faithful to the church or the leadership
Does God want you to be faithful to an organization, or does he want you to be faithful to him?  If you are being encouraged to be faithful to men or an organization, you need to be careful.  You need to be willing to follow God, whether anyone agrees with you or not.  While faithfulness is a noble virtue, we don't need to be faithful to the wrong things, particularly a church system.  While we never give up on people, we don't need to be faithful to an organization or man-made structure.   

3.  But I just love the people, they're such nice people.
We must be willing to leave behind any people or religious systems that are keeping us from really following Christ.  While we may still remain in relationship with them in various ways, we do not have to remain under the leadership structure of that church.  We do not have to go in the same direction they are going.  Also, sometimes people are just nice when you are going the same direction they are and believe all the same things they do.  When you start to go against the grain or speak up about whether God is really part of the church, you will find out quickly if these are really nice people or not!

4. I don't want to hurt the pastor's feelings or the people's feelings by leaving
The New Testament does not tell us to be nice to each other, it tells us to love each other.  Sometimes doing the loving thing or the right thing is not going to be interpreted as the "nice" thing.  You need to do what God is telling you to do whether it is interpreted as nice or not.

5.  I am breaking covenant if I leave this church
Time to get out of that church soon!  If you feel like you are a covenant-breaker, or you will come under some sort of curse for leaving that church, you need to find the exit soon.  That is a spiritually abusive and controlling environment, and you need to get out of it!

How to leave:

Assuming the church is not abusive or cultic, we need to make sure we communicate very openly and honestly with our church leaders about why we are considering leaving. Generally, there should be no slipping out silently with everyone wondering why you left. Of course, I never had that option since I was involved in leadership in some way in the last two churches we were part of. It was imperative to explain my position well and lovingly talk to the pastor(s) about why God was calling us out of those churches. The leaders may not be excited about you leaving, they may try to get you to stay - so it is very important to know exactly why you are leaving, and to remain obedient to God.

Conclusion:
It amazes me how much time, effort, prayer, and thought we Americans will put into temporal things such as Jobs, Houses, Finances, etc. - but how little goes into finding out about our place in his eternal Kingdom. A large part of this is, what do I do about church? What is the church? How am I to be part of the church? This is a critical issue, and it is important to find out what God wants us to do. Much prayer and seeking needs to take place - it is not something to be taken casually or lightly.

Fresh Bread

Some people think the main purpose of gathering as the Church is to hear the Word of God. Is this true? Not entirely. Our main purpose is to meet with God, worship God, and share God with others. That certainly might include hearing the Word of God.  Of course, we do need to gather to hear the word of God, but not in the way you might traditionally think. The Word of God comes through more than just 1 person teaching. Most of the time in church, people are hearing someone(the pastor) reading what some commentator or theologian thinks about what the Scriptures are saying.  Best case scenario in this setting is when the pastor is in tune with the Holy Spirit and shares what God wants to say to the church.  This is good, but the church meetings were meant to be so much more! The entire church body is intended to be sharing the Gifts of the Spirit during its meetings. Prophecy, exhortation, etc. People do not get bored when the Holy Spirit is really speaking through people. People get bored when they hear the regurgitation of a bunch of information. That is not really feeding sheep solid food, that is just giving the sheep stale bread. God-hungry people want fresh, daily bread that is God-breathed and spirit-inspired. People need a “demonstration of the Spirit’s Power”.

I believe there are to be different types of meeting in the church.  There can certainly be meetings where one person is sharing or teaching in order to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.  And, then there can be the types of meetings where spiritual gifts, worship, prayer, fellowship, etc. are shared.  There needs to be a variety of meetings - without locking ourselves into any 1 type all the time.

Acts 2:42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

I don't believe for a second that the apostles' teaching was what we see in most churches today. I believe the people devoted themselves to the apostles' way of life - the life of following Jesus. The apostles were teaching people and leading people in such a way that the people were coming into an intimate personal relationship with the one who had just risen from the dead. I don't think they got together and had big doctrinal debates, I believe their purpose in getting together was to let the life of Christ flow from one to another.

I and my family desire real life, not dead, stale Religious services where the same pattern is repeated over and over with no real change week in and week out, year in and year out. It seems the pattern of 1 Cor 14 is being ignored for the most part in our church gatherings today. 

1 Cor. 14:26-29
When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. 27If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God. 29Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.

This scripture says 2 or 3 prophets should speak. Not 1 person dominating the service with an extra-long teaching every time. We should have people sharing hymns, words of instruction, a revelation, a tongue, an interpretation, or a prophecy. I encourage you to really imagine what this might look like. Maybe the problem is, you don't really believe God can speak to or through people today. Maybe you believe God can only "illuminate" the scriptures, not actually speak to you personally. If you don’t believe God can reveal(only illuminate) then this scripture will mean very little to you. It says very specifically that someone can share a “revelation”, not just an “illumination”.

The following links have been a source of inspiration to me over the years.

http://askdrbrown.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=178