Category: Evangelism


Prophetic Lifestyle

Filed Under: Biblical Meditation, Evangelism, Spiritual Life, Worldview by rossrohde — 3 Comments
August 19, 2011

We need to make lifestyle choices that reflect the life of our King.

From this title one might assume that I’m referring to going about prophesying; but I’m not. I’m talking about living a life which is not only distinct from “the normal” but calls into question foundational principles of our society which God would call sinful.

Sadly, in my opinion, few Christians actually live like this. I’m not sure I do; certainly not to the level I can. But I do believe that God, and the Bible call me to be moving ever closer to that ideal. To do so I believe we need to look at two concepts that I very seldom hear Christians talking about beyond a doctrinal level. In other words, we talk about it; we just don’t put a lot of effort into putting it in to practice. Both are plainly stated in the New Testament.

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

Issue #1: Altruism (Rom. 12:1)

Our lives are to be a sacrifice for others and the ultimate “Other,” God. In fact, we can’t serve God unless we live for others. Jesus himself said, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” (Matt. 25:40). And again, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me” (Matt. 25:45). Our lives are to be lived for serving others, particularly “the least of these,” or we are not really serving Jesus at all.

This kind of life has a secular name, altruism. Here is the dictionary definition of the word, “unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others.”[1] Imagine if we Christians actually took this to heart as a central focus of our lives. Imagine if the vast majority of Christians actually lived like this even if it ended up causing them to live a lower standard of living or harmed them in some other way. The early Christians were famous for this. What would our society today think of Christians if this was what we were known for? What would our society think of God? Currently in the US God himself, only gets a 52% approval rating. Yet Jesus was the ultimate altruist, sacrificing his life for many; and his life is the model for our lives. So is 48% of our society really angry at God or what they perceive about God based on the behavior of his followers.

Issue #2: Not Buying the “System” (Rom. 12:2)

We are warned a number of times in the New Testament not to buy into the values of the world. Besides Rom. 12:2, we have Col. 2:8, for example, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” The word translated here “basic principles” is the Greek word stoicheia. It is also translated “foundational principles” in other passages.

There are basic rules that the world system works by. One, just as an example, is that we take care of ourselves and our own; the rest can look out for themselves. This is one of the basic or foundational principles of capitalism. That’s how our economic system works. But does that mean we, as Christians, should buy it lock, stock and barrel; or should we be living a different lifestyle, where we are “in the world but not of the world?” Here’s an interesting study that speaks to that very issue.

We Christians need to be very careful we don’t get sucked into a system; political, economic, social or moral, which compromises our basic Christian values. We are seldom actually faced with either/or choices. We do not have to choose strictly between the Democratic or Republican viewpoint (or the Conservative, Labour or Liberal parties, if you are in the UK for example). We do not have to make a simplistic choice between capitalism and socialism, branding one as an ultimate good and the other as an ultimate evil. We should be critical of the Democrats and call them to task. We should do exactly the same to the Republicans and the Libertarians, for that matter. We should be wisely critical of capitalism and communism and socialism. All are worldly systems based on evil principles. Our lives should stand in prophetic contrast to all of these worldly systems; which are all based on the foundational principles of the world. Further, we should do so with grace and love. We shouldn’t be calling others who are different than us highly charged labels like pinko or capitalist pig; even “crazy tax and spend libs” or “tea party wing nuts.” Our words should be seasoned with salt; and our lives should be different, very different.

  • Do you think we Christians in the West are adequately critical of our social, political, moral and economic values?
  • Do you think the average non-Christian knows many Christians whose lives really reflect Jesus, being living sacrifices, living lives that are deeply altruistic?
  • Living to gain money is one of the foundation principles of capitalism. How does that square with I Tim 6:10: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs?
  • If we question where our society has strayed from moral values but fail to question social, political and economic values, will we be living a prophetic lifestyle? Should, for example, your neighbor be impressed if you are faithful in your marriage and greedy and selfish with your money?
[1] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/altruism

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This is Discipling

Filed Under: Discipleship, Evangelism, Recommended Books, The Viral Jesus Book, Viral Christianity by rossrohde — 9 Comments
June 30, 2011

I wrote my upcoming book, Viral Jesus: Recapturing the Contagious Power of the Gospel[1], to answer a basic question; what will it take to once again see a viral movement of the Gospel in the West? Most Christians don’t realize the following facts:

  1. We have not had a viral movement of the Gospel in the West since the early 4th century.
  2. Christianity was designed by God to be a sustained viral movement and its first three centuries were exactly that.
  3. Christianity as a whole did not have a sustained viral movement of the Gospel between the Edict of Milan in 313 AD. and the Chinese House Church movement which started in 1949 (that’s 1,636 years).

So, if Christianity was designed to be viral movement, it was originally a sustained viral movement and it has become a viral movement again in other places (like China and India) outside the West, what will it take to once again see that happening here in the West?

What happened in the late 3rd Century and particularly at the Edict of Milan that stopped the Gospel from being what it was designed to be, viral in its spread? What are we unintentionally doing now that keeps it from being viral? What have our brothers in places like China and India learned that allows the Gospel to again spread rapidly and organically like seeds in a field or leaven in a lump of dough (Jesus’ original metaphors) or like a viral video?

Most of us are unaware of our own Christian history. Most are unaware of how different we are from the Early Church and their practices. In our minds this is the way it has always been. But, that is not true, our current practice is far different (in some ways almost the exact opposite) from what the Early Church did. And there are significant strategic consequences to those changes.

In Viral Jesus, I’m going to tell the story of our history, where the changes came from and why. I’m going to explain the changes in our theology focus and why they have damaged the ability of the Church to fulfill her commission from God. I’m going to explain what happened in China with real accounts from their exciting story. I’m going to tell real life stories of how this is just beginning to impact places like Western Europe and the United States. And, I’m going to explain how we too can once again recapture the strategic genius of the Early Church of our brothers in China, India and other non-Western Great Commission hot spots.

But, as a teaser I’m going to share this video that I became aware of recently. It captures some of what I am expressing in Viral Jesus. It doesn’t have the history, it doesn’t have the theology, it doesn’t the real life stories of how this is starting to happen here in the West or how it is succeeding in other areas of the globe; but it does begin to capture the essence of the strategic implications.

  • Are you aware that our current church practice is often almost the exact opposite of what the Early Church did? Do you know where these changes in practice came from and why?
  • Are you aware of how powerfully and virally the Gospel is spreading in places like China and India?
  • Are you aware that we are just beginning to see this kind of movement in West?
  • Do you know what those who are reaping this viral harvest are doing differently that the traditional practices we all know?
[1] The Viral Jesus release date in Feb. 2, 2012. You will be able to buy a copy from this blog.

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The Public Invisibility Motif

Filed Under: Biblical Meditation, Christendom, Evangelism, Jesus is Lord, Simple Church, Spiritual Life, Viral Christianity by rossrohde — 1 Comment
June 22, 2011

They need to see through us to see Jesus.

Dan Smith, in a comment sent to my post Setting Parameters, discussed the differences between simple church life and ministry in more traditional churches:

Another major difference is the embracing of invisibility in ministry. While Jesus emphasized secrecy in prayer, giving, good works, etc in the Sermon on the Mount, almost everything I did as a conventional church pastor (preaching, teaching, worship leading, outreach etc) was intended for public consumption.

Dan makes a good point; there really is something to Jesus’ invisibility motif. Jesus warned us away from focusing attention on ourselves. Jesus had a laser like focus on his Father. He wanted us to do the same thing. When we have a laser like focus on God, we tend to point others in the same direction. Humility isn’t thinking poorly of ourselves; it isn’t thinking of ourselves at all. It is focusing on God and others.

Further, there is a deep power in secrecy, in invisibility. I believe this power is both sociological and spiritual. Sociologically we build mistrust when we try to gain attention to ourselves through good works. When we hype them, those who the beneficiaries of the good works and those who are on the sidelines wonder what our hidden agenda is. What’s in it for us? Why are we doing this? The suspicion is that we are just trying to gain attention for ourselves. And that suspicion may very well be on point. Is our attention focused like a laser on Jesus, or are we focusing somewhere else.

But there is a deeper spiritual issue. It is one of trust. Can we trust a supernatural God to bring about in public what we pray about in secret? But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you (Matt. 6:6). Do you trust God to fulfill your prayers, or do you need to go make something happen? Jesus is telling us we can pray in secret and see real results in public.

When we fast it is not intended to impress those around us. “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matt. 6:17-18). Can we trust God to fulfill what we are fasting for without us making an issue of it? The same could be said about giving. We don’t need to make an issue of how much we give, because that’s not the point.

On the other hand, there was also what seemed to be an opposite emphasis in Jesus’ teaching? “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.  For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light” (Lk. 8:16-17). Is Jesus speaking out of both sides of his mouth? No, I don’t think so. I think there are a few lessons built into this public invisibility motif.

  1. Our focus is on God, not ourselves.
  2. We don’t do anything to impress others, particularly other Christians.
  3. We have a supreme confidence that God is the power behind our prayers, what we pray in a closed room will become reality in public.
  4. Since we want those who don’t know Christ to know him, we aren’t shy about proclaiming him with a beautiful life, which reflects his life and beautiful words, which reflects his words. Our life and words should make this a public issue…graciously.
  5. Since we aren’t doing anything duplicitous or evil, we shouldn’t be afraid of anyone knowing what we are up to and why. That we don’t need to hide. On the other hand, we don’t need to talk about it either. We don’t need to defend ourselves if we aren’t doing anything wrong.

So, we don’t need to hide anything because we aren’t doing anything shameful. In fact, we want the world to know what we do because we want them to know Who is behind it. But, we don’t do anything to bring glory to ourselves, only to God. And, we trust in him and his power to bring things about, not our cleverness and effort.

How are we doing nowadays in fitting within Jesus public invisibility motif?

  • In Dan’s statement “almost everything I did as a conventional church pastor … was intended for public consumption? What public do you think Dan was talking about, Christian or non-Christian? How does that fit with Jesus’ public invisibility motif?
  • Do our actions speak of supreme trust in a God who can hear our prayers and notice our secret fast and bring about the answer in public?
  • How much of typical Christian behavior is consciously or unconsciously intended on impressing other Christians?
  • Does our life speak of a laser like focus on glorifying God?
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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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Teacher’s Assistant

Filed Under: Discipleship, Evangelism, Jesus is Lord, Viral Christianity by rossrohde — 3 Comments
June 4, 2011

Your job is to be the Teacher's assistant

Jesus said: “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi, for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers” (Matt. 23:8). Ever thought about that? There is only really one Teacher. His name is Jesus. Here’s another thought. We are to make disciples (Matt. 28:18-20), but they are not our disciples, they are Jesus disciples. So where does that leave us in a discipleship relationship with less mature brothers? We aren’t the teacher, were just a brother or sister and we don’t make our disciples, we make disciples of Jesus. Here’s where I think it leaves us, as teacher’s assistants. Let me explain.

Pay Attention to the Teacher

If we are not the teacher, we are not in control of the discipleship process, the teacher (Jesus) is. Our job then is to pay close attention to what the Teacher is doing, with any given disciple, and in any given situation and assist. We don’t set the agenda or the curriculum, we let Him do it. This pretty much throws out discipleship manuals with sequential chapters and lessons. How can we know what the Teacher is going to do next? He can read the hearts of his disciples; we can’t. He knows where he intends to take them; we don’t. He knows their characters, gifts, abilities, histories and flaws; we can only see this partially. So, in place of the generic discipleship process, manual or agenda, we need to learn to pay attention to the Teacher and assist Him.

So what does this look like? First, we throw away the manuals. Second we pay attention to what is going on in the particular disciple’s life. What is God doing? What are the themes and the patterns? What questions do Jesus’ disciples have? What situations have they found themselves in and what does the Teacher have to say about all of this? That brings us to point three; we need to learn to listen to the Teacher as He is discipling his disciple. In the process of discipleship, we are constantly in prayer, particularly listening prayer. Jesus, what do you want me to do? What do I need to notice? What should I do about this situation? Should I say anything, or should I wait for a better moment?

A Real Life Example

One of the men with whom I’m currently in a discipleship relationship is Vitorio. The general theme of our discipleship relationship over the last few months has been God preparing him to be actively involved in evangelizing a specific apartment full of men. A couple of months ago God gave Vitorio a dream. You can read about this in Discipleship as Discernment.[1] By the end of our conversation in late March, we knew that God was directing him to this specific group. I sensed that God wanted him to pray specifically for these men before he attempted evangelism, so I said so. He did this for a week. He came back to me and reported that consistently as he prayed he had a sense of disquiet about the drinking that went on in that apartment. In the mean time, this particular apartment of guys had invited Vitorio to move in with them. Hmmm! We prayed together about this and we sensed that God was telling him that now was not the time to move in there because the drinking could harm his own immature spiritual walk. Vitorio continued to pray.

About a month and a half later his own roommates (Christians) kicked Vitorio out of his apartment because he wasn’t choosing to participate with them in rigid legalistic practices. Again the drinking apartment asked him to move in with him. Vitorio asked God what he should do. God gave him peace about moving into the apartment. He told the group he would move in but he was concerned about the drinking and he didn’t want to move in if there was going to be a bunch of partying. I wasn’t a part of this process; Vitorio and Jesus just did it together. They promised him that if he would move in they would not drink in the apartment.

Vitorio moved in and within a week the chief partier moved out. The men who stayed have become more and more open to spiritual things. Last night, as we discussed this situation, Vitorio felt that he wasn’t “expert” enough to preach the gospel to them although they were curious. This has been a consistent theme. I asked God about what I should say. He reminded me of one of my own personal philosophy of ministry statements, “whatever I have I can give away.” I told Vitorio you can only give them what you have. Is Jesus in your heart? Give them Jesus. I reminded him very briefly of the basic points about the Gospel and said tell them something like that. He thought he could do that. Then I assured him that if they came up with questions he couldn’t answer is was an opportunity for him to discuss these issues with me. He would grow, and through that growth he would then have something he could give away to them.

I never would have chosen this situation for Vitorio. I would have worried myself sick about him moving into a notorious party apartment. On my own I would never proactively suggest such a tactic. But Jesus knew better. Now Jesus is using Vitorio to plant seed in fertile soil, soil that has a lot of fertilizer in it. If I had tried to make Vitorio my disciple, and thought of myself as his teacher, I would have ruined everything. But, I’m only the teacher’s assistant, so I need to follow His lesson plans.

  • Do you feel confident enough to your ability to follow the Teacher’s lesson plans that you can throw away the manuals?
  • If you aren’t confident enough, what should you do about it?
  • This is not the way typical discipleship is done nowadays, what questions does it create in you, what insecurities?
  • If you are not in this type of discipleship relationship with others, with whom do you sense God prompting you to initiate a relationship?
[1] The Discipleship as Discernment post is developing similar themes and would be helpful to read as a companion post to this post.

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One Criterion

Filed Under: Biblical Meditation, Christendom, Discipleship, Evangelism, Jesus is Lord, Meeting Together, Spiritual Life by rossrohde — 6 Comments
May 25, 2011

Lots of things can be done in this space. Are they the most effective way of making disciples?

Most Christians are familiar with Jesus’ Great Commission found in Matt. 28:18:20:

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

And most Christians are aware that the key command in the Great Commission is “make disciples.” Everything else, baptizing, teaching to obey, where we are to do such things (all nations), describes what making disciples entails. But I’d like to suggest that this key component of the Great Commission, making disciples, should also be a key criterion for evaluating what we do, and how we do it. Let me put it in the question form. Is what I am doing the most effective thing I can do to make disciples of Jesus Christ?

I would like to suggest that much of what we do is often not put through this lens and consequently much of what we do ends up being superfluous, or pointless, or not particularly effective. And, often the things we spend the most time, effort and money on doesn’t really help much in making disciples and therefore may need to be evaluated to see if it is superfluous, pointless or a waste of time, effort and money.

Let me give a couple of examples. I know of churches which have spent literally millions of dollars to build the new gymnasium, or education wing or sanctuary but to do so have severely cut or eliminated the missions and evangelism budget. Does a new gym (you can replace “gym” with “sanctuary” or “education wing”) really ramp up our ability to make disciples? Is some program we want to do in the new gym so incredibly effective at making disciples, it requires a new dedicated facilities? Can’t we do that ministry at some existing gym? Is what we are going to do in this gym really making us more effective at disciple making?

If we were to ask ourselves what the point of the new facilities was, we would list of activities that would occur there. Most might be marginally construed to be helpful in making disciples, some would not. Probably most of it would be self justification. But couldn’t we make disciples as effectively or even more effectively without the building and expenditure of time, effort and money? Could we make disciples more effectively by changing what they are doing or do it somewhere else?

Here’s another example; the main expense of most churches is their facilities and their staff. The ministry of most churches is focused on the church service which in turn revolves around a sermon. Does hearing a sermon really make effective disciples? I’m not against sermons, I actually like to preach. But if I do preach, I don’t delude myself into thinking it is particularly effective at making disciples. I’m just fitting in to what has already been planned.

Preaching, if we are honest with ourselves, is a very ineffective form of teaching; and an even less effective way of making disciples. It is effective at two things, giving a lot of information to a large group of people, and if done well, being entertaining. But, honestly, giving a large download of information to a large group of people is seldom an effective discipleship tool. Entertainment is just a bit of fun. I enjoy good public speaking, but I don’t delude myself into thinking it is the best possible way to make a disciple. And, consequently it is very low on my discipleship behavior choices.

What would our activities look like if we were actually asking ourselves, is what I am doing the most effective thing I can do to make disciples of Jesus Christ? I believe it would be much simpler, much more interactive, and a whole lot cheaper.

Dedicated buildings don’t make more effective disciples of Jesus Christ. Let me say it again, dedicated buildings don’t make more effective disciples of Jesus Christ. How much money in the Western Church is tied up in facilities? I’m sure it’s in the billions of dollars. What would happen if all of that money was spent on apostolic ministry and doing good in the name of Jesus? What would happen is we would make a ton of disciples and Jesus would be glorified. We would have a whole lot better reputation with those who don’t know Jesus. And I believe we’d find that when the Church got out of all of those dedicated buildings, Christians would start maturing faster.

What if we quit trying to have a Sunday school programs and started discipling parents on how to disciple their children? The more mature disciplers who were discipling the parents, would grow in their faith, the parents would grow in their faith and so would the kids. And, you’d probably have closer more loving families. Yet, how much effort do we put into Sunday school programs?

These are just a few examples. But I believe we need to quit making our decisions based on what has always been done or what seems like the next new flashy thing to do and start making decisions on one important criterion; is what I am doing the most effective thing I can do to make disciples of Jesus Christ?

  • What do you think the main criteria are for ministry making decisions?
  • What would be your top three list of things we commonly do that really aren’t helping much in making disciples?
  • Now, thinking of your top three, what could you do to make them more effective, simpler and more interactive? Would that end up making them less costly and time consuming?
  • How much of what your church (or you) are currently doing is focused on making more effective disciples of Jesus Christ? Is any of it activity for activity’s sake or for tradition’s sake?
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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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The Supermarket Sniff Test

Filed Under: Christendom, Church History, Discipleship, Evangelism, Jesus is Lord, Meeting Together, Simple Church, Spiritual Life, Supernaturalism by rossrohde — 2 Comments
May 16, 2011

Can you do it here?

What defines essential simple church practice and ecclesiology? What differentiates us from our more traditionally based legacy brethren? First, I believe it is that we go back to the Bible as our sole source for ecclesiological practice. Second, we return to the historically accurate understanding of terms such as elder, pastor, apostle etc. But that becomes rather academic and detail prone and open to nitpicky arguments about what exactly does the word ______ mean or how exactly did the Early Church do XY and Z. I’m not against such discussions. A number of my posts have been exactly about these kinds of issues. So obviously I believe we should engage in such thinking and even debate. Nevertheless, I think we need a good simple church practice sniff test. Something that is so simple that we can quickly use it to help us determine if this is a necessary part of our practice or not. I think I’ve come up with this sniff test.

Necessary vs. Acceptable

However, I do want to first differentiate the difference between what is necessary ecclesiological practice and acceptable practice. In a healthy simple church, is it necessary to use a guitar or any musical instrument in worship? No, it’s acceptable by not necessary. Musical practice of any sort isn’t necessary, but often times profitable and enjoyable. So I want to be clear that I’m talking about a test that helps us determine the answer to the following question: is the practice of X indispensible in a simple church? Is it something we should do?

The Supermarket Sniff Test

Here is what I’m proposing for the simple church ecclesiological sniff test. Can you practice it in the cereal aisle of Safeway?[1] Whatever it is that you think needs to be done as church; can you do it in such a public setting?

Let me give a couple of examples of the Safeway sniff test. Should we teach in a simple church? Can you teach someone in the cereal aisle of Safeway? Sure, it’s just done through dialog and doesn’t require a pulpit, an overhead projector, a suit or robe and a loud sonorous voice. Should you pray in a simple church? Can you pray for someone in the cereal aisle of Safeway? Sure. I’d suggest that one were gracious to the casual non-participants pushing their shopping carts, but I’ve prayed for friends on the street or contexts like Safeway. Can you pray for healing in Safeway? Yes, I’ve done it, at least in a department store. It wasn’t flashy and loud but it could be done graciously and discreetly. Can you prophecy at Safeway. Sure. Can you cast out demons in Safeway? Now, were pushing the edge of our test. I’d be very careful about this and make sure that Jesus was directing me to do so. Not out of fear of embarrassment but out of desire to not humiliate the person being ministered to. But, Jesus did this very publically, as did the apostles. And, in the right circumstance, and under the direction of Jesus, I’d do it too.

What this test really does is helps us weed out unnecessary traditional practices that don’t necessarily add anything to the effectiveness of ministry. In fact, if we are honest with ourselves, they often hinder effective ministry. Do we need a pulpit to do any effective ministry? No. I really can’t see anything pulpits add to effective ministry. Do we need choir robes? Do we need a sermon? Do we need clergy? Does someone need to be an official clergy to help someone they encountered in the cereal aisle of Safeway? Do they need titles or a seminary education? None of these things are essential, many actually hinder effective ministry.

Let’s just use a seminary education for example. I’ve had to unlearn much of the traditions and practices I learned in seminary to become actually effective in real life ministry outside of the cloistered, unreal vacuum of traditional church ministry. Honestly, most (but not all) of what is taught in seminary is only useful for ministering to people who are tradition bound Christians. Much is actually harmful to ministering to non-Christians and much of what is transferred through seminary trained traditions and practices ends up creating weak, ineffective Christians.  And, the good things I did learn in seminary, I could easily teach in a house church setting to any basically literate person. Much doesn’t even require literacy.

Now do we need Jesus’ power and direction to do ministry in the cereal aisle of Safeway? Yes and again I say yes! It’s absolutely indispensible. Yet, that’s something we’ve become far too used to ministering without. We rely on special buildings, furniture, clothing, titles, positions, degrees, plans, strategies, methodologies, models ad nauseam; but the one thing we really need, the one thing that Jesus made clear we should not do without (see John 15:5); we have treated as not particularly important at all. We are failing the sniff test, and it smells rotten.

  • Think of your typical church experience; could you do most of it at Safeway?
  • The things you couldn’t do at Safeway with their attending paraphernalia and accoutrements; are they necessary for changing your spiritual life for the better?
  • Why do we put so much focus and effort and spend so much money on the non-Safeway friendly things?
  • Does focusing on basic, simple and necessary things; without much of the adornment of the complex, expensive and traditional, really make life changing ministry less effective or practical?
[1] Supermarket chains are extremely regional. Safeway is a common chain in many parts of the United States and England (maybe Canada???). If I were in England I’d say Tesco. In Spain and France I’d say Carrefour and in Guatemala I’d say Paiz.

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Exponential Growth

Filed Under: Biblical Meditation, Discipleship, Evangelism, Jesus is Lord, Spiritual Life, Supernaturalism, Viral Christianity by rossrohde — 11 Comments
May 14, 2011

This is how exponential growth is supposed to work, why doesn't it?

In my early Christian discipleship I was steeped in a system that encouraged us to share our faith. This was a good thing. We were often encouraged by some sort of simple diagram which showed us the power of exponential growth. If we just shared our faith with two people a year, and they shared their faith with two people a year in a very short time the entire human race would be won to Jesus. It never happened, at least not yet, why?

Exponential growth works. The problem isn’t with exponential growth; the problem is that we haven’t worked on developing an environment where exponential growth can happen. Our reality is that most Christians don’t lead other people to Christ in their entire lifetime, let alone two a year. Why? Is it because sharing our faith is a difficult task? No. It really is quite simple. Is it because most Christians haven’t been trained in effective evangelism? No. Most of what is termed effective evangelism is usually seen as too aggressive, forceful and confrontational by those doing the evangelism and those being evangelized, hence it isn’t particularly effective. But even that isn’t really the problem. Then perhaps the problem is that most Christians are too weak in their faith and don’t know enough to share their faith. That’s not the problem either. Have you ever noticed that most effective witnessing is done new Christians who are excited about their new salvation?

So what is the problem? Well, in my opinion, it is not so much that there is one problem but an interconnected set of problems that creates an overall ambiance where evangelism is difficult and non-productive. Let me just mention some of these problems. We have a Christian environment where personal life on life discipleship is very rare; consequently many Christians have shallow spiritual lives. Since most Christians are living shallow Christian lives, they are not particularly attractive to those who don’t know Christ. The church environment that most non-Christians know is not reflective of the values of Jesus or the life that early Christians led (for example, see my last post Kingdom Economics). Because many of us are basing our lives on worldly values, actually living our lives in the flesh, instead of the power of the Spirit, we don’t live lives where supernatural power is evident to outsiders. Because of these “ambiance” problems and many more like them, when we do share our faith, we are most often rejected, which makes it harder to share our faith the next time.

So what’s the solution? Is it to witness more often? That’s what was being encouraged by my early mentors. I’m all for sharing our faith often, but I’m not for sharing it in an environment where Christ is likely to be rejected. Instead, I’m suggesting we go back to the fundamentals. I’m not talking about the fundamental doctrines of the faith, we all believe those. I’m talking about the foundational life practices of the faith. We live our life in the power of the Spirit, not our own fleshly abilities. We love other Christians and our neighbors as we love ourselves. We allow Jesus Christ to actually be our Lord, not just as a doctrinal belief, but by listening to his inner voice and then radically obeying him. Those Christians who are more mature (elders) and know this life, not by mere knowledge, but by practical experience, show less mature believers how to live like this.

If the Church in general were to live like this we would become, in a word, beautiful. Then our lifestyle, our selfless love and the way we loved one another would be as attractive as honey is to bees. I believe that is what Peter was talking about when he told the early believers: But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander (I Pet. 3:15-16). That kind of individual and communal life creates an ambiance where exponential growth happens. It doesn’t need to be forced because people want to know what is going on in our lives. In reality they are seeing the beauty of the Spirit, and that’s attractive.

  • Do you believe that most non-Christians see Christians as having such beautiful lives that they are attracted to it like bees to honey?
  • Are most Christians churches beautifully attractive to outsiders?
  • Do most of the Christians you know live the vast majority of their lives following the individual instructions of Jesus their Lord in radical obedience? If they aren’t is he really Lord? Do you live like that?
  • Do you think the gospel is so powerful and believable that without the demonstration of spiritual lives, it is attractive to most non-Christians?
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Becoming Despised yet Admired

Filed Under: Biblical Meditation, Christendom, Discipleship, Evangelism, Recommended Books, The Viral Jesus Book by rossrohde — 3 Comments
April 29, 2011

Click here for a full translation of The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus.

When I was a missionary in Spain one of the overall goals of the Evangelical Church was to be accepted by society. Actually they were desperate to even be noticed. This desire to be an accepted part of society didn’t come from the values of the New Testament; it came from the history of Christendom. In their minds, the Catholic Church was their rival. And, since the Catholic Church was accepted as a part of Spanish society, although for the most part, resented by the public, the Evangelicals wanted that same social acceptance. I don’t think social acceptance should be a big part of our desire or strategy.

Instead we should focus on exactly what Jesus told us to focus on. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matt. 6:33). Just like we are not meant to focus on our need for food and clothing, which are real needs; we shouldn’t be focused on our social standing with society; which is actually only a perceived need. Is Jesus good to his word? Can we trust him to give us anything we actually need? I think we can.

The Early Church was at the same time despised by much of society and admired. This was predicted by Jesus who said in Jn 15:18-19 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” Yet, at the same time they were admired for their good works. They were known as moral people who did good for the society. Here is a passage from an early Christian apologetic letter:

…they are dishonored, and yet in their very dishonor are glorified. They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless; they are insulted, and repay the insult with honor; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred.[1]

The first recorded legal recognition the Church was known to receive was as a burial society burying the bodies of the poor who were thrown like garbage at the edge of Roman cities. They were also known for rescuing “exposed” babies; babies left among these same rotting cadavers to die because they were unwanted. This schizophrenic love/hate reaction is what the current house church movement in China is experiencing. They are known by their neighbors as being wonderful people. They have even been studied by the government because it was noted that villages with a high percentage of Christians were better villages. Yet, currently the Chinese government is cracking down on them. I discuss in depth both the Early and Chinese Church’s relationship with society in my upcoming book Viral Jesus (release date 2/2/12).

We should emulate our Early Christian and Chinese brethren. We don’t need to make a splash in the newspapers. We don’t need any formal recognition at all. It may come, and if it does that’s fine; but we shouldn’t seek it. As Paul prayed for the Colossians: We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,  so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light (Col. 1:9-12).

What then should we aim for? We should aim to be the kindest, most helpful people on the block. We should aim to be the people that everyone goes to when they need help. We should quietly do as much good as we possibly can, without trying to make a name for ourselves. And, we should use the opportunities that come from doing good to be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have (I Pet 3:15). We should also disciple every new Christian to do the same. In doing so, we will be bring honor to Jesus’ name and get lots of opportunities to share our faith in gracious, non threatening ways. We will be seeking first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. It’s not just a religious command, it’s a strategic road map.

  • Where do you think the desire for social acceptance and recognition comes from?
  • How do you explain the schizophrenic love/hate reaction of society to Christians behaving as Jesus told us to behave?
  • What kind of reputation does the Church have in society today? Is this being hated for righteousness sake? Do we have a reputation for doing gracious, gentle acts of kindness?
  • Have you ever thought of seeking first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness as a strategic roadmap?
[1] The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus [article on-line]; available http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0101.htm. Internet accessed 14 July, 2008.

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