Category: Worldview


The Man in White

Filed Under: Evangelism, Spiritual Life, Supernaturalism, Viral Christianity, Worldview by rossrohde — Leave a comment
June 18, 2011

For most of us Westerners, even Christians, dreams are just a nightly phenomenon which has no real connection to our spiritual life. For anyone actually familiar with the Bible, this should seem strange. The Bible is replete with stories in which God uses dreams to communicate to people. Let me give you just a few examples: Jacob’s dream of a stairway to heaven, the dreams associated with Joseph in Gen 37:1-10 of sheaves of wheat and sun moon and stars bowing to him, as well as the cup bearer, baker and Pharaoh’s dreams Gen. 40-41. These just begin to scratch the surface. God used dreams to communicate with Gideon, Solomon, Daniel, Joseph, Jesus’ stepfather and Pilate’s wife. In fact, dreams and their conscious counterpart, visions (think Cornelius and Peter), are a major way for God to speak to his people. So much so that God explicitly promised of such communication through the prophet Joel which Peter used to encourage the early Church.

So why do many modern Western Christians dismiss with contempt such communication from God? It certainly isn’t because God is afraid to communicate with humans in such a way. To believe such a thing would be to deny major portions of the Bible as false. Nor is it because God used to do it but doesn’t any longer. God continues to communicate with people all over the world through dreams and visions. Those in the West, who are open to such communication receive them. And, it is a common way for God to speak to people outside of the West who haven’t had their worldview corrupted through false scientific modernism[1]. Those who have not been corrupted in their thinking to limit themselves merely to what can be measured (called scientific rationalism or just rationalism), receive communication from God because they haven’t tried to limit God in how he can speak to them.

However, I’d like to focus on one important way that God is using dreams and visions to communicate to people today which is dramatically affecting the Great Commission. It is called dreaming of the Man in white. More specifically, God is using dreams to communicate to spiritually open people in the Muslim world to direct them to Him. He often does this through giving them a dream of Jesus dressed in white who gives them specific personal instructions so they can come to Him.

A personal story

I once met a Muslim born believer[2] at a party. I asked him how he came to Christ. He got very nervous; he was afraid I wouldn’t believe what he had to say. He started to tell me about a woman who was also a Muslim born believer who had led him to the Lord. I asked him how she came to Christ. Now he was really nervous. He started to hem and haw about some experience she had once had. Finally I asked him if she had experienced the dream of the Man in white. “How did you know!” he exclaimed. I’m not a mind reader. I just know that God is doing this around the world to reach Muslims.

This dream of the Man in white is not a rare occurrence. It is one of the major ways God is bringing Muslims to Jesus. This is powerful, it is supernatural and it is common.

The following is based on questionnaires of over 600 Muslims who became Christians:

“Though dreams may play an insignificant role in the conversion decisions of most Westerners, over one-fourth of those surveyed state quite emphatically that dreams and visions were key in drawing them to Christ and sustaining them through difficult times[3].

If you want to read some of these stories here is a place you can read just a few of thousands.

  • Do you agree or disagree with me that some Western Christians doubt dreams, visions and other supernatural events because they have had their thinking impacted by scientific rationalism?
  • Has God ever communicated with you through a dream or vision?
  • Do you know Muslim born believers who have seen the Man in white?
  • Do you believe Western Christianity’s relative lack of supernaturalism is a good thing which makes us wiser and less gullible or weaker because we don’t have the full experience of God’s reality?
[1] Don’t take this statement as a fear of science or scientific thinking. I believe science can bring both much good and harm to us humans. The scientific process is very useful for exploring the natural world. God is just beyond the mere natural world of atoms and molecules. We should not think in terms of science vs. spirituality; we should just be clear on what science can teach us and what spirituality can teach us and not confuse the two.

[2] Muslim born believer is a missiological term for a person born a Muslim who has converted to Christianity. It is used to distinguish such people from Christian born believers in the Muslim areas such as Coptic Egyptians, Iraqi or Syrian Orthodox or Palestinian Christians.

[3] This material is a portion of an article originally published in Mission Frontiers magazine, March 2001. www.missionfrontiers.org.

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Chinese Takeaway

Filed Under: Christendom, Church Planting, Evangelism, Meeting Together, Recommended Books, Spiritual Life, Viral Christianity, Worldview by rossrohde — 7 Comments
May 19, 2011

Please excuse the pun.

I had dinner with some friends at a Chinese restaurant a couple of nights ago. We were discussing simple church. One of my friends asked me what was my take away from my visit to China awhile back? What did I learn from my study of the Chinese house church movement? It’s a great question, so here is my answer.

What We Still Don’t Get in the West

We in the West are still thinking more about simple church than living simple church. Oh, we may gather and have a nice meeting, but really the script is only playing in our brains. We are like actors playing a role, more than people living a life. We are still actually just thinking about it as a series of interesting concepts and dabbling a bit for fun.

The Chinese never went through that phase. Simple church was forced on them (see Thank You Chairman Mao). They had Christendom stripped away from them; and once it was, simple church emerged. We are coming from the opposite direction. We haven’t had the stripping process forced on us; we have to do it ourselves, under the direction of God (see Detox).

But, because of our Western tendency to think about everything, rather than actually let it come from the heart; we are thinking the thing to death and not just going out and doing it. The “it” I refer to is not gathering in simple churches, but being missional. We’re not going to get there until Christendom is actually stripped away from our hearts and minds. Once we are actually naked, as far as Christendom goes, we will be free to run the race without encumbrance.

Here’s yet a further way to say the same thing. We still see simple church as a technique or model. We ask technique questions. How do we do such and such? They are valid questions, but we are showing, by the questions we ask and the way we ask them, we think the power is in the technique. The power is in Jesus, not the technique. Get rid of the impediments of Christendom, so you can run the race in such a way as to win. When you are ready to run the race, Jesus will fire the staring pistol. Actually, he already has, but we are standing at the starting line discussing with each other the differences between starting pistols and revolvers. We need to run!

What the Chinese Have

Click here to buy the Heavenly Man.

But still, the Chinese have something that we don’t have. It is not persecution (although they have that, see Misunderstanding Persecution). They have radical obedience. When Jesus fires the starting pistol they start running. They may not know if it’s a 400 meter or a marathon. They don’t care, they run until Jesus tells them to do something else. They don’t stand around at the starting line discussing the difference in strategy between a 5K and a marathon. They run.

If Jesus speaks into their heart for them to go to such and such a place, they drop their nets and go. If, in the process, they get the bagoomba beat out of them, they figure that Jesus must be in that too. If you are still having trouble understanding what I’m talking about, read The Heavenly Man[1]. Pick up the heart of what Brother Yun is actually expressing through his stories. He was more radically obedient in his first weeks of being a Christian than most Western Christians are in their lifetime.

We go to seminars. I’m not against seminars. I’ll be teaching in a Greenhouse in a couple of weeks. But I hope those who I meet in Florida throw down their nets, and don’t just talk about the idea of simple church planting.

  • Why do you think we are so interested in techniques?
  • Why do you think we find throwing down our nets so hard?
  • Have you thrown down you nets?
  • Is your church missional? Are they even talking about it? See what I mean?
[1] Product Warning: The Heavenly Man is Christian crack cocaine. Once you start reading it you can’t stop. Be prepared to miss some sleep.

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Kingdom Economics

Filed Under: Biblical Meditation, Church History, Meeting Together, Spiritual Life, Worldview by rossrohde — 3 Comments
May 12, 2011

Our desire for more of this should never be our motivator

When we enter into the Kingdom of God we are entering into a new way of life. It is meant to be a life that is not only lived differently than the world’s ways but exposes the fallacy of the world’s way of doing things. When we live exactly like our neighbors, there is nothing of the kingdom being broadcast and there are no fallacies being exposed. One area where we have become extremely lax is the area of economics. I’m not talking specifically about tithing or giving to the church. I’m talking about our relationship with money and how money no longer controls us but is used by us for the loving benefit of others.

When I was a new student at Bible College I took a survey of the New Testament class and a class on the book of Acts. When my professors got to end of Acts chapter 2 they were faced with the early believers living out Kingdom economics even if it wasn’t to their own advantage. I refer to this passage:

All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:44-47).

This passage where “all the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ” sounded too much like communism to my worldly professors who were steeped in the values of a “free market economy.” So the justifications started. The New Testament believers did this early on and found out that it didn’t work, so they learned and changed later on, was my professor’s most common justification.

Is early Christian communism being described in Acts 2? No, kingdom economics is being described. Communism is forced by a centralized State. It is oppressive and destructive. What is being described in the New Testament is people living a life of love together. That love motivation is so strong, the thought didn’t occur to them to hold back their own worldly good for themselves, when it could help a brother or sister they love. In other words, they acted like a loving extended family that helps the young married couples get started by giving them practical gifts. That same motivation is basis of the practice of wedding gifts. However, in our greedy society, it has become so warped that social pressure and duty has replaced love as the main motivator.

Let me give you an example of how my friends and I are trying to live Kingdom economics. I’m planting a simple church among Hispanic day workers. Most of them get by working as extra help on construction sites and doing occasional gardening jobs. In this weak economy, they consider themselves fortunate to work eight or ten hours a week. Consequently, even if they are packing ten or more people in a two bedroom apartment, they are not making enough to survive. I don’t have lots of cash but I can “loan” them some money when they need to pay their share of the rent or buy a used mobile phone when theirs gets crushed on a construction site.

In reality how are they ever going to repay this? And, the truth is they try hard. What my friends and I have come up with is to have a work day where they repay with what they have (labor and carpentry skill) and we offer them love and fellowship. Here’s how it works. I make a “loan” to them. When enough becomes “owed” to me I organize a work day which will benefit my non-Hispanic friends. The whole simple church participates in this, not just the ones who “owe” me money. We go to a house that needs yard work, painting or some other work done. My friends and I work together to accomplish the task. Then we all have a barbeque together, share Jesus together and generally enjoy each other’s company. In the process, we have all gained and we have all loved. We are expressing the values of Kingdom economics which is based on love, not the world’s economics which is based on greed and selfishness. I believe that the last phrase in the passage I shared above “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” directly relates to “All the believers were together and had everything in common.” When we express love to one another, the intense love that violates the world’s economic system based on greed and selfishness, our love becomes contagious. And the long term end result is people see God in our actions and get saved.

  • Why do you think we don’t see much Kingdom economics in the Church nowadays?
  • Do you think my professors were right, that the early church gave up this practice because it didn’t work?
  • My example of how my friends and I are trying to live Kingdom economics is based on our specific situation. Do you have examples of how you and your friends are living Kingdom economics?
  • What do you think would happen if we held a “work day” for the benefit of our non-Christian friends or poor people who needed a helping hand?
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Under the Influence

Filed Under: Christendom, Jesus is Lord, New Covenant, Spiritual Life, Worldview by rossrohde — 2 Comments
May 5, 2011

Are we addicted to a dangerous spiritual drug?

In my last post Christendom and Christianity I mentioned that Paul warned us four times about a very dangerous peril called the basic or foundational principles of the world. He told us that we could become enslaved to these principles, that they were weak, miserable, hollow and deceptive. Why all the harsh language? Why did Paul mention this dangerous peril not only to the Galatians but also to the Colossians? Why, at the foundation of Christianity, was Paul so insistent that the early Christians be so vigilant against these dangerous worldly principles?

I think the answer to these questions is rather simple. Paul broadcast far and wide, with unequivocal language, the dangers of these basic worldly principles because they have the potential to destroy our faith.  A good metaphor to understand how the foundational principles of the world work is to think of them as a spiritual drug. Just like a drug, at first flush they seem to improve our life, make us happier; they seem positive. But it’s an illusion; they are deceptive and very dangerous. Once they are in our spiritual blood stream, they begin to slowly weaken us, to corrode our spiritual vitality to the point that we become no different than anyone else in society around us; except we have the patina of Christian religion (Christendom). This, in general, is the state of the Western Church today.

The more important question is how can we tell if we have gone under the influence of the foundational principles of the world? What are the telltale signs? And how do we enter detox so we can once again have the vital spiritual life Jesus longs for us to have?

Two Telltale Signs of Addiction to the World

I’d like to point out two indicators that our Christian faith has slipped into addiction to the basic principles of the world. Or, as Paul puts it, we act as though you still belonged to the world, and submit to its rules (Col 2:20). In doing so I will also be highlighting two tests, like blood tests, which indicate if we have the dangerous drug called stoicheion (basic or foundational worldly principles) flowing through our veins.

Test #1: Is Jesus Still the Lord?

In my post Human Control I stated, “Jesus is Lord” is the Christian Shema[1] statement. It is the fundamental doctrine on which everything else hangs.  This is not a mere correct doctrinal statement to which we agree. It is meant to be a statement of how we live every detail of our lives. If it isn’t, were under the influence. So who makes the decisions in your life? Are you actively seeking to follow Jesus’ instructions or are you making “wise” human decisions? In your church are there humans with the position and power to make their own decisions? Or is the structure of your church designed to only listen to the Lord Jesus?

Test #2 Do You Have a New Covenant Operating System?

In my post Spiritual Operating Systems I refer to our new covenant with God (Heb. 8: 7-13) as an operating system. Just like computers run on operating systems so does our relationship with God. It’s the underlying code which should control everything in our lives. And, just like computers, if we try to use programs based on a different operating system, confusion and error reign. Jesus the Lord speaks to our hearts and minds (Heb. 8: 10; Jer. 31:33). This is the core of the new covenant. Our response to this inner voice is to obey our Lord. If we are not functioning like this, we are not living within our new covenant arrangement with God. Since a covenant is another world for contract, how do you think God views people who are constantly breaking their contract with Him?

In my next post I will discuss the detox process of getting out from under the influence of this dangerous spiritual drug called the basic or foundational principles of the world.

  • Can you think of any other tests which help us realize we are under the influence of the basic principles of the world?
  • Do you think I’m making too big of deal out of this? Do you think this is a minor theological rabbit trail?
  • The Early Christian Church, with all its faults, was trying to live under the Lordship of Jesus and in the new covenant. The Chinese house church movement had the worldly principles stripped away from them through persecution. Do you think we are more effective and spiritual that they were and are?
  • In my next post I’ve stated I’m going to highlight a detox process for getting out from under the influence of the drug called the foundational principles of the world. What would you suggest that it be?
[1] The Shema was the foundational doctrine of Israel’s covenant with God. It is found in Deut. 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” In the same way “Jesus is Lord” is the Christian Shema statement of the new covenant (Phil. 2: 10-11).

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Christendom and Christianity

Filed Under: Biblical Meditation, Christendom, Jesus is Lord, The Viral Jesus Book, Worldview by rossrohde — 4 Comments
May 3, 2011

Jewel encrusted Papal Mitre

This morning, as my friend and I fed breakfast to Hispanic day workers waiting for work, I heard a very telling comment. We were discussing the beatification of Pope John Paul II. One of the poor day workers commented, “I never thought much of him. He talked about helping the poor but he had diamonds on his hat.” Without realizing it my day worker friend highlighted the difference between Christendom and Christianity. He also highlighted one of the most significant strategic issues that Christianity faces today.

I want to talk about this on a strategic level but to do that I need to define my terms. I’m using the word “Christianity” to mean the faith, with its outward expressions, of those who truly follow Jesus Christ as Lord. I’m using the word “Christendom” to mean the extra biblical outward expressions that have grown up around and within Christianity. In my two resent posts on elders I defined an elder as a respected more mature Christian. I did this to remain faithful to the Bible and express Christianity, not Christendom. To define an elder as a positional leader, who has an office and must act as a member of the board of directors of an institutional church, would be an expression of Christendom. Why? Because this is not how elders were defined in the Bible, nor does it fit in the logic of the Kingdom where Jesus alone is allowed to be Lord. In effect, we are succumbing to the foundational principles of the world; expressing Christianity through a worldly lens when we copy the world’s leadership system in a Christian church.

Four times the apostle Paul warned us about succumbing to something he called a στοιχεῖον (stoicheion). This word is commonly translated basic or foundational principle. Paul’s four warnings were in Gal. 4:3, where we are told that before Christ we were enslaved to these basic principles, Gal. 4:9, where we are told that these basic principles are weak and miserable, Col. 2:8, where we are told that these στοιχεῖον are really hollow and deceptive philosophy of human traditions not based on Christ and finally Col. 2:20 which tells we are to die to these principles and not submit to their rules.

Yet the history of Christendom is in reality just Christians doing with Paul warned us not to do and suffering the consequences. Let me lay out a few human traditions or philosophies that we have succumbed to. I think you’ll recognize them right away because, as foundational principles, they are common to every human culture. Those with the most power and control rule the weak. Those with the most money, status and status symbols are better people. The world runs by competition. Some have power, position and title. These should control, through “leadership,” those who don’t. I could go on but you get the point. Christianity, in rejecting the alternate worldview that Satan devised, and in returning to God’s way of viewing the world, rejected these foundational worldly principles. Let me give you one of thousands of examples from the New Testament where we Christians are encouraged to read from a different script.

My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.  Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.  If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,”  have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? (Jas. 2:1-4)

James, in essence, is saying the world praises, honors and favors the rich and powerful. That’s a stoicheion, we don’t act like that. Instead of honoring the one who has won the world’s competition, we try to help the one who has become the world’s wounded loser. When the Pope encrusts his mitre (his tall hat) with jewels, he is also tipping his hat to the foundational principles of the world; those with wealth, and the status that goes with it, are to be honored, respected and followed. This is Christendom and it undermines God’s strategy of being graciously different in a broken world.

When the Church, be it Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Evangelical or Charismatic sets up hierarchical power structures based on the world’s system they are expressing Christendom, not the Lordship of Christ alone, which is Christianity. And, in doing so, they are robbing people of a chance to see Jesus at work through humble, normal people. Instead they see powerful leaders who use their power and resources to accomplish what they deem to be correct. That’s what worldly politicians, generals and business leaders do. It is acting out the foundational principles of the world within Christianity which amounts to Christendom.

When we use the latest business techniques, strategies and marketing techniques to promote our cause it’s Christendom. We are marring the divine strategy of a little leaven leavening the lump of dough from the inside out. Without realizing it, we are saying that the world’s ways are better, the world’s ways are more trustworthy, we are more comfortable with the world.

There is a divine strategy to rejecting the foundational principles of the world and returning to God’s values and way of life. This divine strategy goes against every fiber of our flesh, yet it is right. In my upcoming book Viral Jesus I will lay out clearly why we want to reject Christendom’s enticements, which are really the enslavement of the foundational principles the world. Instead, as Paul told us in Col. 2:20 we should die to such things.

  • Why do you think we are still drawn to the world’s principles?
  • Paul used very strong vocabulary when talking about the foundational principles of the world: slavery, weak and miserable, enslaved, being taken captive, and hollow and deceptive. Why do you think Paul was so adamant?
  • Why do you think it is so hard to notice when we have crossed from God’s worldview back to the world’s?
  • Do you agree with me that there is strategic significance in holding to God’s way of doing things?
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What is an Elder Really?

Filed Under: Biblical Meditation, Church History, Organic Church, Spiritual Life, Viral Christianity, Worldview by rossrohde — 5 Comments
April 25, 2011

The word translated "elder" simply meant an older person.

The role of elders is crucial in organic church. However, the idea of what the word “elder” means has been so distorted by history that we need to clear up some misconceptions before we can even talk about what elders do and how they play an essential role in the Church. So this will be a brief, two part series. In this post, I’ll talk about how the word “elder” was used in the Early Church. In the next post, I’ll discuss the important role elders played and how they reproduced themselves organically.

The New Testament word for elder is one of those words whose meaning has been severely distorted by history. In the nearly 2,000 intervening years, we have significantly wandered away from the meaning of “elder” as it was used in the New Testament. I discussed this issue of changing meaning in a recent post When Words Get Ruined. Here is a “definition” from Bible Study Tools.com, of the Greek word presbuteros which we translate as the word “elder.”

Definition

1.       elder, of age,

a.       the elder of two people

b.      advanced in life, an elder, a senior

1.       forefathers

2.       a term of rank or office

a.       among the Jews

i.       members of the great council or Sanhedrin (because in early times the rulers of the people, judges, etc., were selected from elderly men)

ii.       of those who in separate cities managed public affairs and administered justice

b.      among the Christians, those who presided over the assemblies (or churches) The NT uses the term bishop, elders, and presbyters interchangeably

c.       the twenty four members of the heavenly Sanhedrin or court seated on thrones around the throne of God

This definition is a mixture of correct definition and history with some dangerous historical anachronisms added in. Of particular interest is definition 2b: “A term of rank or office,” and “Among the Christians, those who “presided over” the assemblies (or churches) The NT uses the term bishop, elders, and presbyters interchangeably.”

It is true that the word episkopos, or bishop (an overseer, one who watches over) is used interchangeably with presbuteros, an elder. However, the idea that such people “preside over” the assemblies, is not quite on the mark. What is happening here is that we have transposed our current non-biblical church structure and culture onto the text. We are interpreting the New Testament through what we currently do, instead of basing what we do completely on the New Testament in its historical context. This is a dangerous hermeneutical practice.

Let’s look at the actually meaning of the word presbuteros. It means literally, someone who is older or more mature. That’s the way it was used in the New Testament. But, it was used metaphorically. It doesn’t necessarily mean whoever is advanced in years, but someone advanced in spiritual maturity. It is simply someone who is spiritually mature. This idea that it was a “rank or office” and that such a person would “preside over” another Christian would completely mystify the original readers of the New Testament. It probably would have offended the very early believers.

From the perspective of Jesus statements about leadership in Luke 22: 24-27 to have a “rank or office” would be akin to having a rank or office like a “king” among the Gentiles. And to “preside over” is just a nicer way of saying “lord over.” Christians aren’t supposed to lord over, preside over, or even lead. They are supposed to serve. And, they do it not from a position “over” but from a position of weakness, that of a child or slave. Just read Jesus’ actual statements. Keep in mind that this rebuke by Jesus was precipitated by the disciples trying to set up a primitive hierarchy where some disciples were greater than others. For more on this see my post Leadership???.

Whatever an elder did, in the Early Church, it was not from an office or rank; that’s Gentile behavior which Jesus warned us away from. In other words, it’s the way the world works; worldly behavior. Further, it was not even done from higher, but non-titular, status where one could “preside over.” Again, that’s what Jesus told us not to do. In fact, anything a more mature person, an elder, was going to do had to come without rank or power, but rather from a position of weakness. In the words of Jesus, “But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves” (Lk. 22:26).

An elder, then, is a more mature Christian. And such a mature Christian would use their maturity to serve others, coming from a position of humility and weakness, not from any position of apparent strength, title, power or positional authority. To do otherwise would be to set aside Jesus strict instructions about how “greater” (i.e. more mature) people were to behave. In my next post I’ll talk about how such people actually behaved and the important role they play in organic church.

  • Why do you think we have turned elders into people having positions of power, title and rank?
  • How can someone who is more mature actually help another from a position of powerlessness and weakness? Can someone help another if they don’t have the power to control their behavior?
  • Can you see why reading the New Testament through the lens of our current practice instead of reading our current practice through the lens of the New Testament can be dangerous?
  • Has it ever occurred to you to try to analyze our current church practice through what Jesus said in Luke 22: 24-27? And, can you see why, if we do so, we must be careful to read it through the actual historical lens of the New Testament, not through the lens of our current church culture and practice?
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When Words Get Ruined

Filed Under: Apostolic Ministry, Church History, Organic Church, Worldview by rossrohde — 6 Comments
April 18, 2011

Sometimes definitions get so ruined we can't communicate.

One of my frustrations as an organic church practitioner is that, as I dialog with more traditional Christians, I find that we use the same words, but often mean very different things by them. This makes true and thoughtful communication very difficult. Let me give you a few examples: elder, pastor, apostle, leadership, church, evangelist and teacher. I could give a few more, but this will suffice for now.

There is a cause for this. More traditional Christians have learned to use words, not by their original biblical meaning, but by what they have come to mean in the current cultural context of the church as we know it. Organic Christians find it helpful to go back to the original meaning of the words we find in the text. We do this because once one goes back to the design of the church, as we find it in the New Testament, these words and their original meanings become very helpful, descriptive and strategic. But if I use the word “pastor” meaning a person with a spiritual gift and God given design of caring for the needs of others; the traditional Christian hears “a person with the top hierarchical title and position in a congregational church.” They are two completely different things.

So what do we do about this? I can use a word, and have to explain it; or I can avoid the word and come up with something else. I’m going to give an example of how I’ve personally chosen to use both strategies with different words. For me, the issue is ease of clear communication. I realize others will have different opinions and reasons for how they use each of these words. I’m just giving an example of what I do.

Apostle

The word apostle is from the Greek apostolos. Here’s how StudyLight.org defines the word:

1. delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders

  1. specifically applied to the twelve apostles of Christ
  2. in a broader sense applied to other eminent Christian teachers
    1. of Barnabas
    2. of Timothy and Silvanus

An original reader of the Greek text in the year 68 A.D. would have completely understood that first line. From the word “specifically” onward, he or she would have been completely mystified as to what the writer of the definition is talking about. An apostle is a sent one. The twelve were changed from being mere disciples to apostles in Matt 10:1-2 when Jesus sent them on a mission. Barnabas, Timothy and Silvanus (as well as Andronicus and Junia [a woman]) are just more biblical examples of sent ones, apostles.

Apostles are people sent by God on a mission to extend his Kingdom. They existed in the 1st Century and they exist today. The Latinized version of this same word is missionary.[1] Someone convinced that only the original twelve were apostles, would probably whole heartedly agree that God still sends missionaries to extend the Kingdom; not realizing they are being completely inconsistent. What we have from “specifically” onward, in the above definition, is the traditionalization of the definition of the word. It is unbiblical tradition rearing its ugly head. That doesn’t come from Greek or the Bible, it strictly comes from the definer’s tradition. And, that’s the problem, in my opinion.

I still use this word because I can just say I am using the word by its original definition, “sent one,” someone sent by God to extend his Kingdom. The hearer may not agree that I can or should use this word in this way, but they can easily understand what I’m talking about. At least we’re communicating. For more on this read What Is an Apostle?.

Leadership

I can use the word “leadership” in a sentence, talking about Christians, without cringing. O.K. maybe I can’t; but I’d like to be able to. There is a reason for my personal cringe factor. The second we use this highly charged word, we all tend to go to the worldly meaning of leadership. It means someone in a hierarchical position who has positional power, control and authority over others. And, we use the word authority as a synonym for “power.”

This understanding of what leadership is all about is baked into our bones. When we use the word, we have an extremely difficult time getting to what Jesus was actually saying in Luke 22: 24-27. Jesus isn’t saying, “Be a new type of leader, one who expresses his or her leadership (positional power and authority) by serving for the good of others.” That’s being a benefactor; something Jesus tells us not to do in Luke 22:25. This is a concept commonly called “servant leadership.” Isn’t it amazing that we end up doing exactly what Jesus told us not to do…all in the name of Jesus. Servant leadership is an oxymoron. Jesus is actually saying don’t lead. That’s the way the Gentile power elite act. Do something different instead; serve others from a position of weakness; like a child or servant. For more on this read Leadership???

I no longer use the word leadership. I just tell the people I’m discipling, don’t lead, love and serve others. We’re all the same in God’s eyes. Once I use the word leadership with them, we’ll spend the rest of the day trying to figure out what’s good leadership and bad leadership. In my opinion, there’s no such thing as good leadership. Jesus told us to serve. I’ll stick with that. Leadership is non-Christian activity. I do this for ease of communication. I know that others won’t agree, and that’s fine, as long as we both know what we’re talking about.

  • Does it make sense to you why I’ve chose one strategy with “apostle” and another strategy with “leadership?”
  • Can you see how easy it is to have historical tradition even become part of our English Bible translations?
  • What could happen, as in the definition above, when we read a poor translation or study help and think we are getting the straight scoop?
  • Do you understand why organic church people, in going back to the original ecclesiological structure of the Church also tend to start using words as they were originally used in the New Testament? In your opinion, is this just rigid fundamentalism or is there a deeper reason?
[1] And, of course, the word missionary has taken on a completely different meaning from the Latin version of apostolos.

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Codes

Filed Under: Biblical Meditation, Discipleship, New Covenant, Our Covenant With God, Spiritual Life, Worldview by rossrohde — Leave a comment
April 10, 2011

Doctrine is good, but it can't give life

Felicity Dale has recently written an excellent series of brief blogs focused on being freed from guilt based religion. You can read her blogs here: How to set yourself free from guilt-based religion, Taking the leap to freedom from guilt-based religion , and Breaking free from guilt-based religion.

She has put her finger on one of the most glaring weaknesses of current Western Christianity. As painful as it is to recognize, we often devolve into a rigid religion, rather than a living interaction with a living God. The result is spiritual dryness, rigidity, duty, guilt and worse yet, wrangling over whose doctrine is right and whose is wrong.

Where does this rigid religion come from? It comes from a fundamental misunderstanding of what our relationship with God is based on. If we don’t understand how our relationship with God works, how can we interact correctly with Him in that relationship? Our biggest problem is we think of Christianity as a set of information. With this mindset, we try hard to make sure our information set is correct. Once we have the correct information set, we figure we are good Christians. This is total, complete and utter nonsense! Worse, it is dangerous to our spiritual well being. It enslaves us rather than setting us free to be a unique individual, with a unique relationship with God.  This is a God who wants nothing more than for us to enjoy our life and be free to just be ourselves. And at the same time, being empowered by His power and made holy by His activity in our lives.

The wrong focus can lead to wrong behavior

The key, then, to overcoming this crippling kind of false Christianity, is to understand that our faith isn’t a set code of information that we have to get just right. Christianity isn’t a written code of laws. It isn’t a written code of doctrines, which, frankly, we just use to replace the concept of laws. A code of doctrines ends up being the same thing and having the same result. The letter kills. When we treat our faith as a written code of doctrines we end up destroying our spiritual lives. It doesn’t matter if the doctrine is absolutely correct. The problem isn’t with the doctrine, it is the way we are looking to the doctrine instead of the Spirit to give us life. We end up doing exactly what Jesus criticized the Pharisees for, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (Jn. 5:39,40).

We have something better than a code of correct doctrines; we have the Spirit of Jesus living in us, His temples. He, the Spirit, gives life. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:6).

We need to be set free from this dangerous heresy that Christianity is just a set of doctrines to master. Of course I’m no more against correct doctrine that the apostle Paul was against the value of the Law. Just like the Law, correct doctrine can be at once a good thing and something we need to be set free from. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code (Rom. 7:6)

Why do we need to be set free from such good things as the law of God and correct doctrine? We need to be freed from them because we look to them to provide something they were never designed to provide, spiritual life; the life to the full that Jesus offers. Only the Spirit of God living within us, leading us, comforting us, guiding us and refining us, can give us the life we long for, but never quite seem to find. It comes from living in an active, interactive relationship with the Spirit of God.

For that we need to learn to listen and obey. And if we are to listen and obey, we need to discern what is the voice of the Spirit, and what comes from other voices. For more on that read my post Four Voices. Once we are in that interactive relationship, which is based on the new covenant, correct doctrine becomes extremely valuable in the discernment process. The Spirit of God will never lead us to do something that isn’t both biblical and doctrinally sound. So, read your Bible and know sound doctrine, just don’t expect them to give you life. They can’t. But the Spirit can, and he will use the Bible and sound doctrine in wonderful ways, ways that bring life to the full.

  • Why do we look to good things like the law of God and sound doctrine to give us something they can’t give?
  • Is it really possible for something like doctrine to be at once good and something we need to be set free from?
  • Do you believe when I say we need to be set free from sound doctrine that I am against sound doctrine and I see no place for it?
  • I mentioned the importance of learning to discern the voice of the Spirit. Have you ever been trained to do so? How can we live life in the Spirit if we can discern His voice?
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Important Lessons from India

Filed Under: Apostolic Ministry, Biblical Meditation, Discipleship, Evangelism, House Church, Meeting Together, Spiritual Life, Supernaturalism, Viral Christianity, Worldview by rossrohde — 5 Comments
March 28, 2011

Indian Leadership Training

In my post You Have My Permission to Gossip I shared an excerpt from recent letter from Victor Choudhrie. Now I’d like to share all 12 of Victor’s points. It is interesting to note the difference of focus and emphasis between the Indian Church and what is common in the West. It should come as no surprise, after reading Victor’s points, about the coming feast of Pentecost that the Indian house church movement is growing explosively. They are doing it without tons of money. They are growing explosively even among illiterate people who can’t read their Bibles. Amazingly, that doesn’t even prevent them from becoming effective leaders. To see how that is done read Felicity Dale’s recent post written while visiting the Indian house church movement How illiterate women in India can teach advanced topics.

The house church movement in India (and other places like China, the Philippines and Indonesia) is growing explosively. They are producing healthy, vibrant Christians. They are rapidly reproducing networks of multi-generational churches starting with non-Christians. Every Christian is involved. They do this without paid, seminary trained clergy. It is common for them to baptize hundreds, if not thousands of new believers at one time. Let’s sum up. They grow explosively and have vibrant, on-fire Christians. This is far from the norm in the West. Isn’t it time we started learning from them, instead of assuming that they need our help? So here are some lessons from Victor. Learn from an experienced apostle who has learned from the Master. Learn to think like he does, instead of our typical unfruitful Western patterns.

One of 1,460 baptized in one day

1.      Pentecost is the Birthday of the church.

2.      Pentecost is a Harvest festival in Jewish calendar. Our Lord changed it into a harvest of souls.

3.      On this day the Holy Spirit came down like the tongues of fire on the disciples and they spoke in at least 16 understandable languages to people from every nation under the sun. (Acts 2:5)

4.      3000 families were baptized in one day, who immediately started meeting in homes where they had apostolic teaching, fellowship, broke bread and prayer. This resulted in signs and miracles, sharing of material blessings and daily addition of new souls. (Acts 2:37-47). Within a short time additional 5,000 families were added (Acts 4:4). Soon the new believers were upgraded and became disciples, who made more disciples and multiplied exponentially (Acts 6:1); and then there was daily multiplication of quality churches (Acts 16:5).

5.      The modern day Pentecostal movement was started by 18 Afro-American women in Azusa street in 1906. It has now multiplied into 600 million Pentecostals all over the world. Sadly the Pentecostal church does not know its history that it was started by women and continues to degrade women in the church based on distorted versions of Paul’s teachings.

6.      A house church does not need any special building, special day, special person to run it. Wherever two or three gather to gather to eat, meet and gossip the gospel, make disciples and multiply, is an authentic church because the Lord is present in their midst. (Matt. 18:18-20) House churches are biblical, historical, effective, productive, customizable, gender neutral and free.

7.      The best way to celebrate the birth day of the church is to replicate the original first Pentecost i.e. to reap a huge harvest of souls. Aim at baptizing at least 3000 souls. And why not, after all, you believe in a great and awesome God for whom nothing is impossible. You have more resources than Peter. He had no silver or gold, nor vehicle or mobile phone.

8.      Reaping a huge harvest requires abundant sowing, (2Cor. 9:6), watering, manuring, protecting from predators, etc. It will include fasting and praying and uniting with like minded people from neighboring churches.

9.      Every Christian is “ordained” to fulfill the Great Commission of our Lord, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptize, equip and send them on to do the same to the ends of the earth”. “As the Father has sent me so I send you”. There is a huge implementation gap. If just a few Christians obeyed this great command, the church will go ballistic. (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; John 20:21).

10.  The best way to fulfill that Command is to bring forth lasting fruit (John 15:16) which includes sharing the whole wisdom of God, baptizing and breaking bread from house to house. (Acts 20:20,27; 1Cor. 11:20-23).

11.  Your workplace, village and the community or business, wherever God has planted you to be a Tree of life, is your primary nuclear church and you are accountable for their souls.

12.  Aim to be a millionaire of souls. If you consider yourself ‘the least’ in the kingdom, then God can multiply you into a thousand within a short period of time. Isa. 60:22; Matt. 11:11; 1Cor. 1:26-31

  • Can you name three lessons you learned from Victor?
  • What did you note in the Indian way of doing things that is different from what you are doing? Can you ask the Holy Spirit how to apply that to your context?
  • What did you notice in Victor’s way of doing things (really the Master’s way) that cause the viral spread of the Kingdom?
  • Even Western house churches don’t really behave like this? What do you think is holding us back?
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God Isn’t Religious

Filed Under: Christendom, Church History, Church Life, Meeting Together, Spiritual Life, Viral Christianity, Worldview by rossrohde — Leave a comment
March 12, 2011

How religious is this depiction of God?

The God revealed in the Bible, both Old and New Testament isn’t religious. What do I mean by that? I mean he isn’t committed to any particular formal activity. Think about it. The same God was the God of Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Samson, David, John the Baptist, Peter, Early Christians, Augustine, Francis of Assisi, Luther, Calvin…and they all had different ways of connecting with God. Abraham worshiped God with altars in the wilderness. It makes sense when you consider that he was a nomadic herdsman. Moses used a tabernacle (it’s basically a big tent) as part of his worship. It makes sense when you consider that the people of God were wandering through the wilderness. David and Solomon built God a temple. It makes sense. A temple is a tabernacle in stone. It’s just what the nation of Israel needed when they had a new capital city.

Christians have developed all sorts of formal worship styles over time. If we analyze this a bit we realize that this has more to do with the worldview and culture when the style was developed, than biblical fidelity. John Calvin systematized theology and dictated a stark, very formal, worship service. No great surprise that he lived in the Renaissance. Evangelical churches tend to do ministry as if it was a business project. Evangelical missions function like small multi-national corporations. Is that in the Bible or does it reflect the culture around us?

Can God use the religious customs and traditions? Yes, and he does. The same God who encountered Jacob in a dream in the wilderness is the same God Evangelical American Christians pray to and meet in a large worship services styled on rock music events. Both can encounter God; the nomad using a stone as a pillow and the modern urban youth with his hands in the air standing much too close to large speakers.

So the God of the Bible isn’t religious. He isn’t focused on religious procedure; he’s focused on relating to people. We need to learn to be just as non-religious. But non-religious isn’t the same as anti-religious. Again, let me explain. Being non-religious means that we will encounter God any way we can because the encounter with God is what is important to him and us. Anti-religious means we feel the need to destroy the religious expressions of others just because they annoy us or don’t fit our preferred religious style.

Practical Considerations

  • If God isn’t tied to religious formality, we don’t have to be either.
  • We’re all religious, but it’s easier to notice religion of someone else.
  • Our focus should be on connecting with God, not on systems.
  • People meet God in all sorts of ways. The issue is if they are actually meeting God and it is changing their life for the better under God’s leadership.
  • We can’t judge the religious formalities of others; the issue is if they are connecting with God, not if they are part of a particular denomination or experience God in particular ways.

Cautions

That doesn’t mean that all religious behaviors are necessarily neutral. Forms do have consequences. For more on that read Imagine, Spiritual or Religious, Churchianity and Bedbugs in Our Suitcase. The reality is that forms can separate us from God and often do.

There is something religious about religion. We have a way of thinking that the power is in the form. Worse, we have a way of thinking that if this procedure works for us it will work for everyone. Still worse, we have a tendency to think that we should impose our preferred ritual on everyone else. Even worse yet, we have a tendency to not only impose, not only judge others, but fight about the peripherals and allow it to destroy relationships.

When it comes to religious expressions we need to live in a tension. We need to be aware that the real issue is whether people are encountering God and he is changing their lives to be more like him. He can do that in a myriad of ways. On the other hand, we need to be aware that religious forms in and of themselves have drawbacks. We can focus on the forms and miss God. We can allow religious practices to become a substitute for God. We can allow something as ultimately inconsequential as traditions to destroy relationships. And religious forms can actually make it harder or almost impossible to relate to God in deep ways.

So, let’s not assume that God is only found in our preferred forms. Let’s try to become aware of how our own preferred forms can actually hinder our relationship with God. Let’s have open, friendly dialogs about the pros and cons of various forms. But most of all, lets seek God with our whole heart, love and obey him. Let’s love others as we do ourselves and let’s stimulate one another to love and good deeds. And let’s live gracious, holy lives that reflect the character of God living in us and through us. That’ pure religion.

  • Do you think of yourself as religious? Do you have certain practices that you can imagine giving up or won’t question?
  • Can you see the value in other expressions of Christianity or do you feel the need to argue about it?
  • On the other hand can you see that traditional practices have their consequences? Are you aware of the potential negative consequences of your preferred forms?
  • Do you find it hard to live in the tension of not judging the preferred styles of others while still dialoging about the realities of consequences?
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