Archive for October, 2010


When Servants Become Kings

Filed Under: Biblical Meditation, Christendom, Church History, Church Life, Jesus is Lord, Meeting Together, New Covenant, Our Covenant With God, Worldview by rossrohde — 2 Comments
October 29, 2010

Episcopal Church-The Redeemer, Pendleton, OR; My Boyhood Hometown

The Archdiocese of the Episcopal Church of Eastern Oregon is closing. Do I hear a collective gasp of horror? Unless you are Episcopalian, particularly from Eastern Oregon, you could probably care less. Why do I bring this up? Because it is an extreme example of clergy acting like kings. I found out about this from Maggie Ross’ blog Voice in the Wilderness. Maggie[1] is an Anglican solitary and author. Here is what she said in her post Transitions.

The Diocese of Eastern Oregon is being dismantled and the parishes set adrift. There seem to be two blatant issues: entitlement and money. The clergy won’t face that their sense of entitlement, their demands for huge compensation packages and their contempt for the laity are a large part of the problem (they seem to think that the reason the church exists is to support them); and the laity are finally being forced to face that the diocesan structure serves only the clergy. Oh yes, and there is the small additional problem that what passes for prayer seems to have become a commodity and many of the clergy don’t seem to know what it might be even if they fell over it.

The formula is medieval: no money, no sacraments. And of course the clergy are too possessive to license people locally without forcing them to be ordained. Isn’t it time we forgot about the structures and just took matters into our own hands?

Far be it from Maggie to pull any punches. I sense a kindred spirit. She brings up a number of issues that are pertinent to the state of the modern Western Church. I’ll use Maggie’s words to highlight the problems which have arisen because of the clergy/laity system, a problem I address in my post Christendom and National Geographic. This may be an exaggerated example, but it does highlight a series of real problems. Most current clergy are good, decent people. But in my opinion, they are participating in a system that can, and often does corrupt them; usually without them even noticing.

Entitlement and Money

In my post The Disease Called Stoicheius Captivitus I discussed the problem of being conformed to the foundational principles of the world. Here are two interrelated examples of the body of Christ acting under the anesthesia of stoicheia, the basic principles of the world. When Christian leaders start feeling that Christians “owe them something” (entitlement), they have clearly stepped away from being servants. Part of the problem is that they have become entangled with money. They are gaining their livelihood from filling a position in a Christian hierarchy. Probably in their “career” they slowly moved from longing to minister, to ministering and being glad they were paid, to being willing to minister but feeling they should be adequately compensated, to feeling they were owed something.

The Structure Serves Only the Clergy

Once you have a two tiered system with those who have control and power and those who don’t; the long term inevitable conclusion can be those with power will use it to benefit themselves, even if it harms others. That’s human nature. One only has to look at the compensation packages of large corporation CEOs, compared to the average wage of the same company, to see this principle in practice. But when the body of Christ starts mimicking corporate structure, abusive corporate behavior will follow. I believe the sin is built into the structure. That’s why Paul warned us so many times to avoid the foundational principles of the world.

Prayer Becomes a Commodity

Once you have paid professionals performing religious duties, ministry can easily become a commodity. Before those reading this, who are not liturgical Christians, give themselves an easy out; can’t this same thing happen with a worship leader? Can’t this same thing happen with the youth pastor? Doesn’t it happen with the mega-church pastor? Let’s be honest, doesn’t it happen with pastors of small churches? Jesus said that godly leadership was like becoming a powerless person; like a young child, like a servant. And we should never say we lead others for their own good (calling themselves benefactors). That is lording over, exactly what Jesus said leaders should never do (Lk. 22:24-27). Yet this is the Western Christian status quo; existing under the ironic title of “servant leadership.”

Forget About the Structures and Take Matters into Our Own Hands

That could appear to be what the modern Western simple church movement is all about. We are angry and tired of the abuse of clergy, so we have taken matters into our own hands. We are commonly accused of being exactly that: cranky usurpers. Do such people exist? Sure, by the boatload. However, that is just reformatting the problem. The real problem is that humans have taken power out of Jesus the Lord’s hands. And the corollary problem is that we are therefore not living in our new covenant relationship with him, where he puts his laws and desires in our hearts and minds, and we obey. We need to work under Jesus lordship to put matters back into his hands.

  • How do we in the house/simple/organic church movement avoid taking matters into our own hands? 
  • Is the problem really with the individual leaders or is the real problem silently built into the system? Can clergy gone wrong actually be victims as well as abusers? 
  • There are many more problems with the clergy/laity system than Maggie Ross or I have brought up. What percentage of the clergy end up having their soul’s corrupted by it? What about the laity? 
  • When we step out of the system, how much of it do we end up bringing with us; like bedbugs in our suitcase?

 

[1] In using her first name, it could appear that I know her. I don’t. But since my first name is Ross I’m doing it to avoid confusion. Maggie Ross is the pen name for Martha Reeves.

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10 Mega-Shifts in Making Disciples

Filed Under: Christendom, Church Life, Discipleship, House Church, Meeting Together, Simple Church, Spiritual Life, Viral Christianity by rossrohde — 1 Comment
October 28, 2010

Molong Nacua is a simple church planter in the Philippines. He has written an insightful article about the significant shifts taking place in discipleship. I first found out about the article at the House2House website. You can read Molong’s full analysis of each of these points by reading his full post in his The BARKADAS of Jesus blog. The shifts that Molong is mentioning are clearly in step with the simple church revolution going on. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, a project of the Pew Research center, reports that 9% of Protestants in the United States exclusively attend a house church. You can see the research here.

Here what Molong sees as the 10 mega-shifts in discipleship.

  1. From Traditional Discipleship to Intentional-Relational Discipleship
  2. From One-man Discipling Everybody to One-another Making Disciples to Everybody.
  3. From Discipling the Believer Already to Making Disciples to Non-Believing.
  4. From Discipling to Make Disciples
  5. From Pastor-led to Spirit-led
  6. From Pastoring to Parenting
  7. From Classroom Teaching to Relational Teaching
  8. From Church-goer Christian to Church-going Community of Families
  9. From Visitation to Habitation
  10. From Many Branches of Christianity to Unity in One Body
  • Bill Bright said that 97% of Christians have not been disciple or know how to make disciples. Are you part of the 3% or part of the 97%?
  • Are you being discipled? Are you making disciples?
  • Have you experienced any of these shifts in discipleship? Would you want to?
  • Of  the ten shifts in discipleship that Molong has noted, which do you think are the three most significant?
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What Is an Apostle?

Filed Under: Apostolic Ministry, Biblical Meditation, Christendom, Church History, Church Planting, Discipleship, Evangelism, Luke 10, Man of Peace, Organic Church, Supernaturalism, The Viral Jesus Book, Viral Christianity by rossrohde — 1 Comment
October 27, 2010

What is an Apostle?

The foundational role of an apostle is something that the Church seems to have nearly lost in its long history. This was a direct result of institutionalization and becoming the State Church of Rome rather than the aggressive, Kingdom declaring Church it was designed to be. We’ve lost our understanding of what apostleship is all about. At times it has been replaced by crazy ideas that can do a lot of damage but don’t actually fulfill the biblical role. So, I’d like to dedicate this blog to apostleship, as it was originally designed in the New Testament. Think of it as Apostleship 101. Below there will be links to other posts which will further develop apostleship and share some modern day stories. Apostolic ministry is also developed in my upcoming book The Jesus Virus.

Apostles Expand the Kingdom by Building Foundations

Apostles are sent to expand the Kingdom where there is no Kingdom. They are like sodbusters opening up the frontier. A biblical metaphor for this in Eph. 2:19-20 is that they are foundation builders: Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

Apostles are Sent by Jesus

Jesus is called an apostle in Heb. 3:1. That is because he was sent by the Father to expand His Kingdom. Jesus’ ministry is the model for all other apostolic ministry. What do apostles do? Look at what Jesus did. However, the specific outline of apostolic ministry in found in Jesus teaching, as he sends out his disciples in Matt. 10; Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:1-6 and seventy-two others in Luke 10:1-23. Note that in Matt. 10:1 the disciples are renamed apostles when Jesus sends them.

The Signs of an Apostle

The things that mark an apostle—signs, wonders and miracles—were done among you with great perseverance (2 Cor. 12:12). Everyone was filled with awe, and many (Acts 2:43). Since Apostles are breaking new ground among people who probably have never heard of Christ (or have rejected Christianity because of the excesses of Christendom), they often need to have a supernatural divine stamp of approval on their ministry. This is so that non-Christians can see their message isn’t just their opinion, but they are truly sent from God.

True apostleship replaced by crazy ideas which do a lot of damage

Apostleship is a Gift

Apostleship is a spiritual gift. It is not an intuitional position. It is mentioned in Eph. 4:11-13 with the other foundational gifts: 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. Apostles work together with prophets to build the foundation of the Kingdom (see below). The other gifts mentioned here have other tasks to bring the Church to full maturity.

These are all spiritual gifts, not institutional positions. One is not more important than the other. Nor are they more important than any other spiritual gift. They are foundational and may be more “showy,” but they are not more important. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” (I Cor. 12:21). There isn’t any status rank in the Kingdom.

Apostles Work with Prophets

As Eph 2:20 says God’s household, his Kingdom, is built on the foundation of apostles and prophets. Apostles are spiritually designed to boldly take the gospel into new territory. They are gifted to think strategically and often get God’s strategy for a given situation directly from the Holy Spirit. So they are a highly strategic ministry. Good strategy needs good intelligence. That’s where prophets work hand in hand with apostolic ministry. They hear from God and allow the apostle to be more closely attuned to what he wants to do.

There is much more to be said about apostleship. But suffice it to say that apostles are spiritually gifted people, sent on a mission by Jesus, who break new Kingdom territory, working closely with prophets. But they are not positional, titled leaders with a special status.

You can read other posts on apostolic ministry here: Spirituality Isn’t Chemistry, Looking for Trigger Events, Peace to This House, Why Simple Churches Don’t Work, Reason #2,  Why Simple Churches Don’t Work, Reason #3,  Why Simple Churches Don’t Work, Reason #4, Why Simple Churches Don’t Work, Reason #7, Why Simple Churches Don’t Work, Reason #8, Four Keys to Church Planting, An Oikos Isn’t a Building and Building on the Right Foundation. You can read some modern stories of apostolic ministry in: Cesar, Man of Peace, Why Simple Churches Don’t Work, Reason #6, Confronting Legalism-A Story from the Harvest, Francisco- Another Story from the Harvest, and Burgers and Jesus.

  • Does it make sense that apostles and prophets can be foundational without being more important than anyone else?
  • Why would institutionalism and becoming a State Church cause apostleship to be ignored?
  • Some people believe that apostleship ended with the original twelve + Paul? Can you see any scriptural reason to believe this? Why do you think this idea became popular in certain theological circles?
  • Does apostleship automatically mean maturity and/or God’s stamp of approval?
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Luther and House Church

Filed Under: Christendom, Church History, Church Life, Discipleship, House Church, Jesus is Lord, Meeting Together, New Covenant, Organic Church, Our Covenant With God, Simple Church, Spiritual Life, The Viral Jesus Book, Viral Christianity, Worldview by rossrohde — 5 Comments
October 24, 2010

Martin Luther in 1532

The concept of organic churches is not new. Anyone who knows about Church history knows that the original Church was organic in structure. Normally this organic structure of the early Church is referred to as “house church.” But, Jesus’ original organic blueprint for his Church, with Him as its Lord, slowly began to be taken over by the control of men. With this human control came human organizational patterns. Frank Viola gives a very detailed development of this historical process in his book Pagan Christianity.[1]

However, throughout church history the Spirit of God has continually tried to bring back his original design. I believe this is because structure is important. Structure impacts the way we view our world. Our worldview impacts or beliefs and our beliefs impact our behavior and how we relate to God. For example, if we believe in the two tiered structure of clergy and laity, a thoroughly non New Testament idea, we will tend to look to clergy for the vetting of doctrine, for approval, as those who rightly decide strategy and direction. This is a direct violation of the Lordship of Jesus and the new covenant. This interrelation between structure and subsequent belief and behavior is a major point of my book Viral Jesus.

One of the many times in history when the Holy Spirit tried to reestablish his organic structure for his church was at the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther is commonly thought of as the human flash point for the Reformation. And, ironically he is both a person though which God tried to bring back his organic structure and one of the humans who quashed it. In his Preface to The German Mass and Order of Service, written in 1526, Luther says, “The third kind of service should be a truly evangelical order and should not be held in a public place for all sorts of people. But those who want to be Christians in earnest and who profess the gospel with hand and mouth should sign their names and meet alone in a house somewhere to pray, to read, to baptize, to receive the sacrament, and to do other Christian works…Here one could set up a brief and neat order for baptism and the sacrament and center everything on the Word, prayer and love…”

Luther envisioned earnest Christians meeting in houses doing everything that Christ commanded in community. This included baptism, communion, Bible study, prayer and loving fellowship. There is no mention of official clergy, nor is it a monastic order of a special separated spiritual elite. It sounds a lot like I Cor 14:26-32. It seems to be just common folk encountering God together in a house. Is this organic church or house church as it was practiced in the New Testament or as advocates are calling for today? Not exactly. Luther sees it as one kind of “service” connected to other more formal services. He hasn’t left the encrustations of Christendom; he is just adding an organic expression within Christendom. This is really more like cells in a cell church format.  But it is a huge step in the right direction.

Huldrych Zwingli

How come this didn’t become the common practice of Lutheranism and Protestant churches in general? The Anabaptists happened.  Within a year of Luther writing about a more organic expression of Christianity, the Anabaptist wrote their articles of faith. In that same year the reformers in Zürich, led by Huldrych  Zwingli, martyred Felix Manz, an Anabaptist leader, by drowning.

By 1529 Luther was writing to a Lutheran priest Karl Weiss. Weiss was practicing what Luther had earlier suggested about small groups. Luther let Weiss know that he had changed his mind about small groups. While his concerns were detailed they boiled down to two reasons, 1.) they might decide they have purer doctrine that we do and that would cause division, 2.) they might question our holiness. On this line of reasoning Luther wrote to Weiss, “Certain false brethren rebaptize themselves[2] and then sneak away from God’s church to meet with other misled fools in various holes and corners. They claim that they are the only true Christians, and teach that they must separate from all iniquity.” In other words, if they believe what they want, without our input, they might pull away (separate from all iniquity). This in turn might bring to question what we believe.

Felix Manz, Martyred in 1527

The Anabaptists showed Luther what could happen if people started reading the Bible on their own, believing it and practicing it. The powers of institutional Protestantism could lose control of them. It took less than one generation for the Reformation to come full circle. The priesthood of all believers was great as a doctrinal ideal, as long as it wasn’t actually practiced.

What can we learn from this? I think there are a number of lessons. First, the Holy Spirit is going to be relentless in his pursuit of reinstituting organic structure into His Church and reestablishing the actual practice of the new covenant. That’s because structure impacts belief and practice. Humans who have control will fight this in the mistaken belief that they are helping God. There has always been a struggle for control between God and men in redemptive history. That theme starts in Genesis Chapter Three and continues through Hebrew then Christian history.

Those of us in the modern organic church movement need to realize that this struggle will continue. We will always be tempted to wrest control from God. And, just as Luther and Zwingli weren’t nearly as pure as they believed themselves to be, neither are we. We can continue on the path of discovery with Jesus, finding more and more ways he wants to reinstitute his Lordship in his Church and cause us to live in his new covenant, or we can wrest control for ourselves. God gives us that choice freely. What are we going to do with it?

  • In what areas do you believe the Holy Spirit would seek further control? 
  • Where are there danger points where humans could inadvertently wrest control back from God? 
  • Luther and Zwingli where both men greatly used of God yet both were deeply flawed. Why do you think God uses such flawed men? What does this say about us? 
  • Does God’s obvious fingerprints and blessing on a ministry imply God’s total approval? 

 

[1] Frank Viola and George Barna, Pagan Christianity,(Carol Stream, IL: Barna, 2008).

[2] A reference to the Anabaptists.

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Pennies from Heaven Update

Filed Under: Evangelism, Spiritual Life, Supernaturalism by rossrohde — Leave a comment
October 23, 2010

I trust God to continue bringing me pennies.

For those of you who are following my Pennies from Heaven stories I just found number nine this afternoon. I’m not going to tell every penny from heaven story or I will take up my blog with those stories. But since I had my dream on September 18th (35 days ago) I have found eight pennies and a quarter from heaven. That averages to more than one penny from heaven every four days. You can read my other Pennies from Heaven posts here: Pennies from Heaven, Pennies from Heaven Continue, More Pennies from Heaven, and Still More Pennies from Heaven.

  • In the last month how many coins have you found? I don’t count coins I’m finding laying around my house.
  • Does it seem strange to you that this is happening just like my dream said?
  • Do you think that is supernatural or coincidence?
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The Cure

Filed Under: Biblical Meditation, Jesus is Lord, Spiritual Life, Worldview by rossrohde — Leave a comment
October 22, 2010

There is a cure to Stoicheius Captivitus

In my last post, The Disease Called Stoicheius Captivitus, I discussed the dreaded and epidemic disease commonly called being worldly. This is the spiritual disease of holding on to the foundational or basic principles of the world; such things as wealth, fame, power, status, control, beauty, health, significance, etc. The Apostle Paul tells us that these principles are slavery, they are weak and miserable, they take us captive yet are hollow and deceptive and we should die to them. I also asked a question: are things like power, fame, status, titles, beauty and wealth evil in themselves? In this post I’d like to answer my own question.

Is it wrong to be good looking? Can a true Christian be rich and faithful? Can we be famous and godly? Does power automatically destroy our soul? I think the answer to this question is found in how Jesus respond to the man commonly called the rich young ruler in Mk 10:17-27.

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

 ”Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

 ”Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Some have misunderstood this passage to mean that we must all give up wealth to be committed Christians. But I’d like to suggest another alternative; one which might be more difficult that all Christians living in voluntary poverty. Jesus cut right to the quick with this man. He found the one thing that he was holding dearer than salvation and asked him to give it up. He exposed where he was holding on to a foundational principle of the world and graciously gave him a chance to repent and chose God rather than wealth. For some of us, Jesus would have to poke in another place. Perhaps he would poke at the admiration of others, our own sense of significance. Perhaps he would needle us about our titles or positions. Maybe he would need to prod us about our beauty, health, fame or family name. The real question is not whether we have these things or not, it is whether we are willing to hold them with detachment or not.

Detachment is the cure to stoicheius captivitus. Paul put it this way in Phil 4:11-13: I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Where is Paul’s focus, on his need or on his having plenty? No, it is on Christ who gives him strength. Paul is detached from both want and plenty. He can hold them out both to God with open hands. In essence he is saying “Here God is my situation. I’ll be content right here as long as I’m with you.”

How do we know if we are truly detached? There is a twofold diagnostic procedure. We need to expose our situation to these two litmus test questions: Is there something in my life I’m seeking or striving for? If I have something commonly thought of as good by the world, do I seek to hold on to it? Paul had plenty. In other words, he knew what wealth was like, yet he didn’t strive to keep it. He knew what hunger, cold and even torture and misery felt like too. He didn’t complain to God about it, as long as he had God himself. Jesus and relationship with him was the focus of his life. If he had that he had everything, the rest were mere details.

  • The disciples asked a good question concerning detachment, who then can be saved? Are any of us completely detached?
  • Do you think that we can easily spot our areas where we are attached or does our sinful mind cause us to be particularly blind to such issues?
  • If Jesus applied the twofold litmus test to our lives, what would the diagnosis be?
  • What medicine would Jesus prescribe?
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The Disease Called Stoicheius Captivitus

Filed Under: Biblical Meditation, Christendom, Church Life, Spiritual Life, Supernaturalism, The Viral Jesus Book, Worldview by rossrohde — Leave a comment
October 20, 2010

Does she have Stoicheius Captivitus?

In a recent article in Christianity Today Joni Eareckson Tada made an astute statement about priorities:

There’s the portion of Scripture in Matthew 18 where Jesus says, “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off. If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out.” Here Jesus, the one who delighted in healing hands that could not work, restoring feet that could not walk, giving sight to eyes that could not see—here he is, saying cut off your hand, gouge out your eyes, if these things are causing you to sin. Jesus underscores his priority that yes, the physical body counts, but it does not trump the health of the soul.[1]

Eareckson Tada is showing us a significant measure of spiritual maturity in the values she holds and the choices she is making in this statement. Her choice to choose her soul over her body is counter cultural. Further, the main point of the article entitled Joni Eareckson Tada on Something Greater than Healing  is that suffering can actually be a blessing. These values and choices go directly against the values our culture tells us to make. The decisions she is making and the values she holds are so counter cultural that even most Christians wouldn’t respond in the way she responds. This, in spite of the fact that she has been a paraplegic since she was 17 years old, has spent the last number of years in chronic pain and now has breast cancer.

Eareckson Tada is a living example something about which the Apostle Paul was adamant. Paul told us to beware of the basic or foundational principles of the world. This idea of basic or foundational principles comes from a Greek word stoicheia. Paul’s reaction to the basic or foundational principles of the world was very pointed. He mentions them four times in the Epistles, Gal 4:3 and 4:9; Col 2:8 and 2:20. What is striking is the language he uses when he mentions these stoicheia, these foundational principles of the world. They are slavery, they are weak and miserable, they take us captive yet are hollow and deceptive and we should die to them.[2]

The values we hold affect the choices we make. The choices we make tell God, others, and if we are observant, us who we are.  Paul was saying that our foundational principles end up controlling us; like the foundation of a house determines if the house is square or twisted. We can either choose the foundational principles of God’s value system or of the world. At the fall of man, in Genesis Chapter Three, mankind swapped the foundational principles of God for the basic principles of the world. We have been reaping the destruction of that disastrous choice ever since.

Here is both the problem and the solution. The problem is that as Christians we can still be in slavery to weak and miserable principles which have taken us captive even though they are hollow and deceptive. How many of us would be angry at God if we suffered paraplegia, or chronic pain or cancer? How would we respond if we had all three at once? Eareckson Tada didn’t just buck up because she is a better person that we are. She had a different set of values that ended up controlling her outlook and therefore her behavior. That’s what gave her the ability to respond counter culturally.

How do we respond to wealth? Do we seek it? Then we are a slave to a hollow and deceptive principle. Do we wish we were younger and more beautiful?  We are enslaved. Do we wish others admired us more? Do we want more status? Do we secretly crave power or want to control others? Do we cherish the honor that comes from titles and positions? These are all symptoms of the dangerous disease stoicheius captivitus commonly called being worldly. In the next post I’ll discuss the medicine for stoicheius captivitus.

The sad thing is that this disease is so common that we don’t even notice it, even though it’s destroying us. How do we choose elders? Despite what is says in I Tim 3, don’t we usually choose the successful among us? What do we give our leaders if it is not power, control, status, titles, positions, honor and sometimes even fame and a wealth (though usually not the latter)? We aren’t helping these servants. We are giving them a burden that is difficult to bear, that can damage their souls. It can be done with true humility, but is just as difficult as Joni Eareckson Tada having to bear paraplegia, chronic pain and cancer at the same time. What happens to us when instead of avoiding these things we seek them or long to maintain them? 

  • When we seek the trappings of the foundational principles of the world, wealth, fame, power, success, status, control, etc. what does it do to us? 
  • When we seek these things, what does it say about our relationship with God?
  • If we end up having these things, even when we didn’t seek them, how should we respond to them? Are things like power, fame, status, titles, beauty and wealth evil in themselves?
  • Do we all need to be healed from stoicheius captivitus?

 

[1] http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/october/12.30.html?start=3

[2] How these foundational principles of the world have deeply affected current Western Christianity is explored in my upcoming book The Jesus Virus.

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Behind the Portcullis

Filed Under: Apostolic Ministry, Biblical Meditation, Christendom, Church History, Evangelism, Jesus is Lord, Meeting Together, New Covenant, Viral Christianity, Worldview by rossrohde — 1 Comment
October 19, 2010

A Portcullis

A friend of mine responded to my post on October 11, 2010 Collateral Good with a number of good insights. Among them was this: The Jews had forgotten their role as light to the nations. They turned it on its head, so that the ultimate beneficiaries of the covenant came to be seen as worthless dogs…Jesus came for the nations because Israel failed to draw the nations.

I’m often struck at how we’ve come full circle. In so many ways we have become exactly what Jesus ended up struggling against. This is one more example. How many card carrying Christians, members in good standing at any of thousands of today’s churches, feel it is their God given duty to keep themselves isolated from the world? Some denominations and independent churches even have a doctrine for this called the doctrine of separation. Some take this so far as to separate not only from the world but any Christian that doesn’t agree with them. Does this reflect the way Jesus lived? Does it reflect the whole of what he taught; not just some cherry picked verses? Does it reflect how Jesus taught his disciples to live? How would one explain Jn. 17:15-18? My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

Yet, even many Christians who don’t hold to this as a doctrine live it out in daily life. We send our kids to Christian schools so they won’t be polluted by the world. If we socialize at all, it is with other Christians. If we have any contact at all with non-Christians, it is at work. If we do any evangelism at all it is a quick foray into enemy territory. We aren’t making relationships; we are practicing hit and run driving. It doesn’t matter if we hold to the doctrine of separation officially or if we just live it. It is what we do that counts and what most of us do is separate ourselves from the world.

Yet Paul wrote: I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat (I Cor. 5:9-11). Paul doesn’t seem to be afraid of us connecting with some pretty unsavory characters. He seems to be more concerned with us hanging around with carnal Christians; which nowadays is par for the course.

Jesus had to use the Syrophoenician woman to get the disciples to see outsiders in a positive light, as those deserving of God and his goodness. The same is needed nowadays. We need to become once again a light to the nations. The best way to do that is change our lifestyle. We have learned to use our suburban homes as fortresses or at least as circled wagons. Our electric garage doors become the modern equivalent to  a portcullis.

But what did Jesus want? In his instructions as Jesus sends out his disciples he says: “So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs (Matt. 10:26-27). Jesus is whispering that still small voice into our ears today. He wants us to be fearless, to conceal nothing, to undisclose, to reveal, to speak, to proclaim. In order to do that, we need to be with people who need to hear. We need to become their friends. We need to be such good friends that they trust us and value our friendship and our beautiful alternate way of life. Our lifestyle becomes an announcement of the Kingdom. We don’t compromise who we are, we broadcast it. But we can to that from behind the portcullis.

  • Bad theology aside, why do we hide from those who don’t know Christ?
  • Why do you think Paul was unafraid of us connecting with immoral, greedy swindling and idolatrous people?
  • Who should be getting infected by our association with the world, the world or us?
  • Is our fear of the world an admission of weak faith and lack of spiritual power?
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Christendom and National Geographic

Filed Under: Biblical Meditation, Christendom, Church History, Discipleship, Jesus is Lord, New Covenant, Our Covenant With God, The Viral Jesus Book, Worldview by rossrohde — Leave a comment
October 18, 2010

Jesus, Our Only High Priest

I was watching the National Geographic series Taboo the other day. In the episode entitled Tests of Faith anthropologist and National Geographic Explorer in Residence Wade Davis stated: The priest’s job is to secure the individual to the yoke of the faith; to the yoke of the collective in a hierarchical society. So, any religious practice that allows the individual human being to have direct access to the divine is profoundly subversive and intimidating and threatening to organized religion.[1] I couldn’t have said it better myself. I guess that’s why Davis gets the big bucks from National Geographic and I just blog.

Attempted humor aside, Davis is making a very important point on the role of priesthood and organized religion. Priests (or pastors, ministers, presidents, vice presidents, field directors, etc.) don’t merely connect people to God, which is one of the two key ideas of priesthood (see below). Once the religion is organized they become gatekeepers, controllers, or as my friend likes to say, the elephant on the hose. I discuss this briefly in The Dangers of Dichotomy and A Body without a Head.

When we put a hierarchical system of priests (give them any modern name you want) we have undone the new covenant. Christianity, with its new covenant operating system, was designed by God for all of us to have direct access to him. This is why we are  called a nation of priests: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (I Pet. 2:9). The first key idea of a priest is to have direct access to God. That is what a priest is, a person with direct access to God who does ministry. Why are we a royal priesthood, a holy nation? We are called these things because each and every one of us Christians has direct access to God through the new covenant. And we all have jobs to do directed by Jesus the Lord.

There is a second function within the priesthood. It is a special functionary called the high priest. What does the high priest do that no other priest can do? A high priest offers the propitiatory sacrifice for others; in doing so they connect others to God. In the new covenant, we have exactly one High Priest: Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was (Heb. 5:1-4). Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin (Heb. 5:14-15).

The Darker Side in Action, Even If Done Innocently

So we are all priests because we all have direct access to God and do ministry.  But we have only one High Priest; he is the one who allows us to have this connection with God. It was all his doing, not ours. Christendom, in all its forms, with its reintroduced hierarchical priesthood, violates our new covenant arrangement with God and is a direct affront to the lordship of Jesus. Most of those who participate in this sinful system do it with the best of intentions, because it is what they know and what they have been taught. But we can do the worst of things with the best of intentions. In essence, they are taking the honor upon themselves (Heb. 5:4); whether they realize it or not.

But there is a darker side. Christendom also gives its priests status, significance, titles, power, positional authority, prestige and a livelihood. It even gives them special clothes. It appeals to our fleshly nature. This is the point I make in Power and Religion.  I also make this point in my upcoming book The Jesus Virus. And those who view themselves in this light, make sure that we all toe the line because they have a lot to lose. So, why do so many pastors, etc. find house church so threatening? Ask Wade Davis.

  • We are all responsible to the light we have. How should we live in light of the truths of the new covenant, the priesthood of all believers and Jesus’ high priestly role? 
  • Do you think most pastors, etc. realize they are in direct violation of the new covenant? What do you think they would do if they had it pointed out to them? What do you think their actions would say about their inner motivations.
  • If we have direct access to God ourselves but can’t function as a high priest, how do we minister to people? 
  • How do priests, who are not high priests, make disciples? 

 

[1] Wade Davis, National Taboo, Season One, Episode11, Tests of Faith (Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2002).

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Biblical Obscurity

Filed Under: Apostolic Ministry, Biblical Meditation, Church Planting, Jesus is Lord, Luke 10, Man of Peace, New Covenant, Our Covenant With God, Spiritual Life, Supernaturalism, Worldview by rossrohde — 2 Comments
October 15, 2010

An Ancient Mirror

Ever wonder why the Bible isn’t written like a text book or a user’s manual? Sure, there are quite a few things in the Scriptures which are crystal clear, but there are just as many or more that are mysterious, incomplete or enigmatic. Even Paul said “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (I Cor. 13:12). If Paul, a lifelong Bible scholar, someone who had a mystical vision of Christ and someone who wrote a major portion of the New Testament, found living the Christian life less than straight forward; how could we possibly have things figured out 2000 years later? I ask again, why isn’t the Bible written more clearly? I think there is a wonderful reason, and that reason is centered in Christ.

As I’ve been writing in a couple of my recent posts Gentlemen This is a Football and Constraints of Supernaturalism everything we understand from Scripture, everything we do in ministry, even everything we think and believe should be put through the dual lenses of the new covenant and the lordship of Jesus Christ. This is another important example.

Spirit Leads to Truth

The Bible itself does not say that the Bible will lead us unto all the truth. The Bible just claims to be truth. We should have even less confidence in our human rational ability.  According to the Bible the role of leading to truth is reserved for the Spirit: But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come (Jn. 16:13). Once we understand how the new covenant and the lordship of Jesus work together, this makes perfect sense. Jesus wants to teach us the truth. He wants to lead us there through his Spirit. This is in keeping with the new covenant truth of the Spirit speaking into our heart and mind. But, he will do so within the parameters of the Scripture. This allows us to have a relationship with Jesus, not just knowledge about him. This allows him to lead us as our Lord in every aspect of life, including ministry. This is in keeping with his statement that apart from him we can do nothing. This is new covenant to the core.

We Don't See as Clearly as We Would Like

Does this negate the value of the Bible? May it never be! The Bible is valuable in every way. Our lives, beliefs and ministry should always reflect the Scriptures, but the details belong to Jesus. The Bible is the outline, the parameters. Jesus, through his Spirit, fills in the particular details. And, the Spirit himself superintended the writing of the Scriptures. He won’t deny himself.

Apostolic Ministry as an Example

Let’s look at Lk. 10:1-23 as an example. The outline of apostolic ministry is laid out in Luke 10. It is reiterated and given further detail in Matthew 10, Mark 6 and Luke 9. Jesus’ ministry in the Gospels and the apostolic ministry in Acts further illustrate the patterns and principles of Luke 10. Yet could any sane person believe that apostolic ministry here or anywhere in the New Testament is presented like a text book, with all of the mystery taken out, with all of the questions answered? Let me ask a few questions: What exactly is a man of peace/worthy man? How exactly does one find the man of peace? How do we distinguish this person from others? What does it mean in Lk 10:6 “when your peace rests on him or returns to you?” What are the exact parameters for shaking off the dust of our feet and cursing? When do we do that and when do we keep staying and ministering?

I need to know the answers to these questions, if I’m going to live the apostolic lifestyle. Who is going to explain this to me? I guarantee the answers are not to be found anywhere in the Bible; I’ve looked long and hard. This is really looking at a poor reflection in a mirror. But am I stuck without answers?

I’m not stuck without answers because I have the Spirit of Jesus living in me. He will use the Christian operating system of the new covenant to lead me to any truth I will need, by the Spirit. And it will be fully biblical when he gives it to me. He never guaranteed to answer my every question, but I can trust him to give me what I need.

My own experience tells me that this kind of lifestyle is learned. It requires going on a lifelong learning journey with Jesus. It requires learning to listen. It requires test, trials, failures, mistakes, victories and lots of incremental lessons. It requires becoming a lifelong student of the Scriptures, reading them under the direction of the Spirit. But this is a journey worth taking, because we are with Jesus and we are seeking his kingdom, learning his righteousness. I don’t know about you but if I had it all laid out like a user’s manual, I’d probably try to do it myself and miss the best part; the journey and relationship with Jesus.

  • Do you find some of the Bible enigmatic?
  • If the Bible were our only guide, without the Spirit, how would we know the details of what needs to be done in particular circumstances?
  • If the details are left up to us, does that negate the Lordship of Jesus? Are we doing things apart from him?
  • Why did Jesus, who knew the Scriptures well, only do what he saw the Father doing? Is what is described above a modern day reflection of how Jesus operated?
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