Category: Our Covenant With God


Listening 202

Filed Under: Biblical Meditation, Jesus is Lord, Recommended Books, Spiritual Life, Supernaturalism, The Viral Jesus Book by rossrohde — 8 Comments
February 4, 2012

Listening is an active process.

I’ve been having an ongoing conversation with Richard about listening to God. Here is my second installment I’m calling Listening 202. I’ve abbreviated both Richard’s comments and questions and my answer. For the whole conversation see Listening 101. Also note question #1 below where I am asking for your stories. I will send the author of any story I publish in this blog with a copy of my book Viral Jesus. I grant to myself the final decision on which stories I post. Ah, the joys of having your own blog.

Richard wrote:

…I suppose the big debate is the general (“don’t kill…”) to the specific (“go and speak to that stranger over there about Me”…). Different Christians debate how specific God is likely to get. Does he just tell us to “make disciples of all people” and expect us to figure out that we are able to enter a discipling relationship with, say, our mate Bob; or will he specifically and prophetically say “make a disciple of that guy over there”? How often does he tell us to go down Straight Street? (Acts 9:11)…

Richard

Hi Richard,

God can and does speak very directly to us. He will give us as much information as we need to obey Him. But, in my experience, listening is progressive. The more I am willing to listen and obey, and the more I actively listen, the more communication I get. I don’t think hearing the voice of God is any different today than it was at the time of the New Testament (I’m not a big fan of the doctrine of cessation, that the supernatural ceased; although I used to be steeped in it).

In my book Viral Jesus I give an example of God speaking to me very specifically when I was reaching a guy I called Amado. While I was beginning to share the gospel with Amado, God told me, “Don’t disparage other religions or you are going to lose this guy. Lead him like you are catching a horse.” You can read the rest of the story on pages 51-54. But, suffice it to say God spoke very specifically to me using a metaphor I could understand, (I grew up on a cattle ranch in Oregon). Was this audible? Not exactly, but it was very specific and I knew exactly what God was saying. And His communication ended up being spot on and very helpful in my ongoing relationship with Amado.

I think one of the key passages on listening is Acts 16:6-10 where Paul and friends are directed, step by step to Macedonia.

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. (Acts 16:6-10)

When we speak of “listening” we are actually using a language metaphor for all types of communication. Very little of “God’s voice” and our “listening” is actually audible, but it is communication. I’ve highlighted in bold the words Luke uses to indicate God’s communication with Paul and friends. Note how specific it was. God moved them from traveling north by foot to traveling west by boat. Also note it was a bit of information at a time. He told them just enough to see if they would respond in obedience. They did, and then God gave them a little more. At the end of the process, there was great fruit…and hardship.

Listening is an ongoing process. One of the quickest ways to stop communication with God is to take over the process, in essence say, “I know what you want, and I’ve got it from here.” Another problem is when we decide how we want God to communicate with us, we want a vision, we don’t want Him to only speak to us through desires or inclinations; we want it to be very direct and unmistakable, etc. We need to understand that God’s communication with us is extremely multifaceted and often subtle. He speaks to our heart and mind (Heb 8:10). He can do that in so many ways, from ideas that pop into our head, to dreams, to feelings, to godly advice…the list goes on. The main issues are that we are intentionally looking for this communication, i.e. “listening,” and when He “speaks,” i.e. communicates in some way, we hear, make sure it is God’s voice (called discernment) and then obey. Remember this is a process, not an event; note again Paul and friends in Acts 16. The main issue is actively joining in the process with Jesus the Lord: ongoing seeking, listening, hearing, discerning and obeying.

  • Have you ever had an experience of hearing God that led to fruitful ministry? Send me your story. I’ll send a copy of my book Viral Jesus to every story I share on my blog.
  • God still speaks to us as specifically as he did to people we read about in the New Testament. Agree or Disagree? Why?
  • How would you answer Richard as to the specificity of God’s communication to us? Does He just give general principles, precepts and instructions, “make disciples of all people,” or does he tell us “make a disciple of that guy over there”?
  • What other questions do you have about God’s communication and our listening?
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Listening 101

Filed Under: Biblical Meditation, Jesus is Lord, New Covenant, Spiritual Life, Supernaturalism by rossrohde — 4 Comments
January 31, 2012

Listening isn't as hard as you may think.

In a recent blog Technique Disorder, I encouraged people to let Jesus guide them through the process of how to do ministry. In response, Richard M. made the following astute comment.

Ross,
Yes, I suffer from technique disorder too. But… I do have to say, most of your blog posts appear to me to boil down to “just listen to Jesus, dude!”. Now that is a fine reminder, and not a criticism.

But… listening to Jesus is still rather more easily said than done. I might have an idea – it seems Godly (so passes the ‘four voices test’) but is it just a good idea of mine or actually from Jesus? How much of what comes into my mind is just a reflection of what I’ve been reading of late? What about people who feel God tells them to do frankly crazy stuff? How do you teach people to hear God’s voice? Especially those from a non-Charismatic background? I know you’ve written a couple of blog post on that, but I would say that for every “just listen to Jesus” blog post, some pointers as to HOW would be great! But perhaps that’s just technique disorder, second degree.

Here’s my answer which might be thought of as Listening 101; not the final or even advanced listening, but at least a place to get started.

Hi Richard,

I think you’ve made a good point. Yes, we do need to listen to Jesus. In fact, it is a prerequisite to fruitful ministry. And, as you point out, few of us nowadays have been trained to listen to God’s voice, so it can be a bit frustrating to have someone consistently say, “listen” when we find that prospect daunting.

This, comment of yours, for my wife and me, is another confirmation that we need to write the book that Jesus has put on our hearts. For about six months now we’ve been discussing writing a book together on exactly what you state, how to discern the voice of God. We want it to be practical and accessible; written in ways that particularly evangelicals can comprehend. Charismatics have some writing on this, Catholics surprisingly (at least for some) have the very best writing on this, but Evangelicals have almost nothing besides Blackaby’s Experiencing God series, which is good, but very basic. In my opinion, Charismatics tend to have their bent which only touches certain aspects of hearing God. The Catholics use vocabulary and concepts that are so outside both the Charismatic and Evangelical worlds,they become inaccessible, despite the excellent content if we can get past all that…and our prejudice against Catholics.

In the mean time, let me give you a few pointers, which I hope will be helpful. God speaks the Richard language. That is to say that God knows how to talk to you personally. He doesn’t talk to everyone in some generic fashion. The hard part is listening; and for that you need to be willing and actively seek to hear. Go back to the post on the Four Voices and work through that lens which is a basic starter. If you discern that you aren’t hearing the other three voices, the world, the flesh or the devil, then start believing that the Spirit may be talking to you. Then move to the next points.

First is this test, and it’s an important one. Does the desire of your heart match the Scripture. If it is in violation of the precepts of Scripture it isn’t the Spirit’s voice. Observe how James uses this test in Acts 15 at the council of Jerusalem. God can’t deny himself. If it is neutral or in agreement, more tests of discernment need to be made, but at least it hasn’t been clearly ruled out.

Next, let’s answer your question, “but is it just a good idea of mine or actually from Jesus?” Your question brings to light the next point in discerning God’s voice. Who is in focus when you think and pray about this issue? Do you end up being a hero or the center of attention in your prayer or imaginative life? Or is the longing in your heart only because you want to see Jesus glorified or help/love others? These issues can be mixed together but, when push comes to shove, if it really is about you, it probably isn’t from Jesus.

Here’s another important test, the Gal. 5:22-23 test. The voice of the Spirit reflects the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. If you think about the issue you suspect might be God’s voice, but are consistently angry and disturbed, chances are that’s not the voice of the Spirit. For example, someone hates Obama. Then they begin to hear a voice that says they should shoot or even just continue to hate Obama. That isn’t from the Spirit. It doesn’t reflect the fruit of the Spirit. I’m not saying everyone should vote for Obama. I’m not going to weigh in on that one way or the other. But hatred isn’t from the Spirit. However, hatred and lying are two languages the evil one speaks well.

This isn’t all there is to say on this issue but at least it is a very basic primer. Ask God to speak to you. Ask him to teach you how to hear his voice more accurately. Trust him, he wants to speak to you. But expect his beginning to speak to you to be a growing process, not an event. Ask him to lead you to resources. But most of all, be willing to listen and actively seek his voice. It is better to make a mistake trying sincerely to follow Jesus, than to not listen due to fear of mistakes. God is a gracious and loving God and doesn’t get upset with our mistakes. Even a human father would rather his son or daughter made a mistake trying to do what he wants rather than a son or daughter who consistently won’t even bother to listen to what he says.

I hope this is helpful or at least a starter.

Warmly in Jesus,

Ross

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Identity

Filed Under: Biblical Meditation, Christendom, Church Life, Jesus is Lord, Spiritual Life by rossrohde — 3 Comments
January 26, 2012

Does the collar and the pipe make him more credible?

I personally know a lot of clergy and ex-clergy. If you include missionaries in that category, which I do, I know a whole boatload more. I lived and breathed in that world for over 25 years. One of the tendencies I’ve noted among those of us who are, or were, in the clergy is the propensity for getting our personal identity from our title or position. This often ends up causing spiritual and emotional problems for us.

There is a particularly dangerous perk when one is a member of the titled clergy. It is the perk of unearned reverence or respect.  Usually one is introduced as, “This is Pastor So and So.” Or, “this is What’s Her Name, she’s a missionary.” Of course the not so subtle subtext on this introduction is, “so treat with reverence and respect their opinion on all things religious.” In some circles the clergy even have special uniforms so that people will know who they are, otherwise their opinions might be treated as average and mundane.

In my particular case, when I was ordained[1], I had a special friend who addressed all my letters to Rev. Ross Rohde. This was 30 years ago when letters actually existed. I was actually introduced to people as Rev…you get the picture. Have you ever stopped to think how ridiculous the title Reverend is? Literally it means this is a person to be revered.

Revere: to show devoted deferential honor to: regard as worthy of great honor.[2]

Should we have a special class of people who are treated deferentially? I’ll let Paul answer that question. On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. (I Cor. 12: 22-25)

It should come as no surprise that being treated reverentially can go to our heads. For a few it is an intense adrenaline rush. For most, it is an unnoticed, unconscious, tacit problem that still deeply and negatively touches our ego. Those of us placed in this revered category, whether we like it or not, end up subconsciously playing the role. We are quick in any religious discussion to share our opinions. We are all too prone to dominate the agenda. We feel that others should respect our experience and position. Let’s face it, its fun to be a big shot, or at least the biggest guppy in the mud puddle. If we become aware of our ego issue, we try to hold our tongue, to sit on our hands…but it’s tough, real tough.

But here’s the even more devastating problem I’ve noticed. What happens when one is no longer a member of the clergy? What happens when your identity has been stripped away? What happens when the people who were calling you Reverend, fire you? What happens when the Reverend has to become an insurance agent to survive? That can be an incredible blow to one’s identity. The clergy are just as much victims of the clergy/laity system as are the laity. Both end up getting wounded by it.

Here’s the truth, whether we like it or not, a godly plumber is no less holy than a godly bishop. Popes or pastors have no more or less access to God than we do. God’s calling to be a waiter at the coffee shop is every bit as sacred as being called to the dangerous streets of Mogadishu. It might even be more strategic for the Kingdom. My cousin is called to be a cheese maker. I don’t doubt that calling in his life, nor does it make me, a twenty-five year veteran of overseas missions, any holier than he is. We both love Jesus and are obeying our calling from our Lord. Isn’t that enough?

The issue isn’t one class of people being more holy than another. It isn’t a matter of one calling being more special than another. The issue is obedience to the calling Jesus has called us to? Are we continuing to become the people he wants us to be? Let’s not get our identity from making cheese or being a denominational executive. Let’s just be identified by who lives in our hearts and minds.

  • Are all callings life time callings? Can God call someone to be in full time ministry; then have what some would consider a menial job? Are they less of the person they always were?
  • Where do you think this division of status came from? I can assure you it doesn’t come from the New Testament.
  • Is there still room for special respect for those who have demonstrated godly maturity and wisdom? Is an auto mechanic or a full time mother any more or less likely to be spiritually mature and wise than a full time minister? Can’t being a full time mechanic or mother be full time ministry?
  • Have you ever known non-clergy who were deeply spiritual and wise? Have you ever known people in professional ministry who shamed the name of Jesus with their behavior?

[1] I don’t believe in ordination any more since it has no support biblically. But, like everyone else, I was fitting into the system I knew.

[2] Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revere .

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Technique Disorder

Filed Under: Apostolic Ministry, Discipleship, Jesus is Lord, Organic Church, Simple Church, Spiritual Life, The Viral Jesus Book, Viral Christianity by rossrohde — 2 Comments
January 24, 2012

Sadly doctors and nurses can't help you with technique disorder.

I read a great blog post today that made me recognize, once again, that I have a serious ministry disease. As I thought about Felicity Dale’s blog, A simple/organic contribution to global mission, it brought to remembrance an issue I faced as a missionary moving from a more traditional ministry setting into organic/simple church ministry; technique disorder. I personally had a serious case of technique disorder. I ministered in a context that was such a disease “hot zone” that everyone I knew suffered from technique disorder. I suspect this is a Western Church malady but we US Americans have a particularly virulent form of the disease. Further, I know from experience that once we have the disease we Westerners inflict this disease on previously healthy non-Westerners.

Let me list some of the more common symptoms of technique disorder.

  • Perceptual spiritual blindness: The afflicted delusionally believe the right technique can fix any ministry problem. The patient fails to turn to Christ for answers.
  • Workshop syndrome: The afflicted search desperately for a workshop to train them in the magic pill techniques to do ministry the “right way.”
  •  Detail myopia: The afflicted focus in on finer and finer details of the technique when the technique doesn’t work for them.
  • Initiation avoidance: The victim fears starting ministry for fear they won’t do it correctly or may not have enough training.
  • Training hysteria: The patient expresses strong emotions about the need for more training or excessive loyalty to a particular technique.
  • Expert Confusion: The afflicted feel that some designated expert has the answers they are searching for.
  • Failure frustration: If and when a particular technique fails to bring the desired results, the afflicted become agitated and confused.
  • Ministry fatigue: Failure frustration can lead to prolonged lack of desire to continue in ministry since “it just isn’t working.”
  • Hostility response: Failure frustration and ministry fatigue can eventually lead to a rejection of all ministry associated with the technique. A typical expression of hostility response is “I’ve tried simple church and it doesn’t work.”

It may seem to the reader at this point that I am anti-technique, anti-workshop and anti-training; that’s not true. I train people. I both participate in and teach in workshops in organic church planting, for example Greenhouse, which I strongly recommend. I’m not anti-technique, I just feel we need to understand the limits of technique and where true power and effectiveness comes from. Techniques are helpful. They just can’t fix anything. They have no power in themselves. They can even be exactly what is needed for a given situation but still not work. Why? The answer is simple. Spiritual power and fruitfulness come from an abiding relationship with Jesus. Further, we ourselves can’t make any ministry “work” or “be effective,” or “bear fruit.” That’s Jesus’ job. He is Lord. And, since he is Lord, we need to actually follow Him into ministry.

So, where does that lead us? I suggest getting good training and learn many helpful techniques. If you are just getting started, in my opinion, there is no better place than Greenhouse. But every useful technique, concept and insight you get at someplace like Greenhouse still has to be activated by an abiding relationship with Jesus, through following Him. He will guide you how to use the techniques you have learned. He will show you when to implement them. He might give you something totally new to fit your unique situation. In other words, the Spirit of Jesus will breathe life into the great training you have received.  Mere training itself can’t do that. For further development of this issue go to pages 134-135 of my book Viral Jesus.

  • Does technique disorder sound familiar to you?
  • Have you ever suffered from technique disorder? How you found remedies that could be helpful to fellow sufferers? What are they?
  • Do you think this is particularly a Western or American thing? Why or why not?
  • Do you think technique disorder is contagious? How is it passed from one person to the next?
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Vocabulary Confusion

Filed Under: Biblical Meditation, Christendom, Jesus is Lord, Viral Christianity, Worldview by rossrohde — Leave a comment
January 20, 2012

Influence flows from what is inside of us.

When we use one word, but give it the meaning of another, confusion can ensue. I think there is a lot of confusion nowadays in the Church by the way we confuse and abuse three words: authority, influence and power. So, I’d like to give what I believe are good definitions of these word and show how the misuse of these words leads not only to confusion but often, harm.

Authority

Parker J. Palmer in his book The Courage to Teach talks about the authority of a teacher.

External tools of power have occasional utility in teaching, but they are no substitute for authority, the authority that comes from the teacher’s inner life. The clue is in the word itself, which has author at its core. Authority is granted to people who are perceived as authoring their own words, their own actions, their own lives, rather than playing a scripted role at great remove from their own hearts. When teachers depend on the coercive powers of law or technique, they have no authority at all. [1]

For more on this read Authority: How Jesus Leads a Church.

I think this is an excellent understanding of authority. Authority is what flows out of one’s character, one’s experience, one’s life, which gives us the ability to impact others. It reflects who we are. It has nothing to do with position, title or power. Nor can it be invoked. We either have authority or we don’t, and that depends on who we are.

Influence

Influence is a gift. It is a gift from the person being influenced and it is a gift from God. We cannot force someone to be influenced by us. Either they trust and respect us enough to influence them or they don’t. It is their call. And, it is a gift from God. God gives us the ability and the favor to influence others. Still, it is not anything we have control over; it must be given. Influence, then, is the trust, respect and honor others give us which allows us to impact their lives. Influence is when what is inside of us flows out to impact others. Influence and authority are deeply related.

Power

Power comes from the ability to reward or punish others, thereby impacting what they do. Power comes from force, position or title. It may be accompanied by authority and influence but needs neither. It can be wielded gently or harshly, but it is based on reward and punishment, not necessarily the desire or will of others. Human power has no place in Christianity but is exceedingly common in Christendom. Power is the ability to control others behavior through reward and punishment. At its core, human power is fear based and coercive. Power is not related to authority and influence. It is a separate entity. One cannot have influence without authority. Power can stand on its own, but when it does so, it is destructive.

I’m willing to bet each and every person reading this blog has had an experience, at one time or another, with the following scenario. Someone, perhaps the “leader” states, “You must submit to the authority of ______________.” As in, “I’m the pastor, you must submit to my authority.” That isn’t authority, its power. We don’t submit to authority, we respond to it. Power needs and demands submission. Authority and influence neither need submission nor demand it. There is no place for that in biblical Christianity, yet we see it all the time in Christendom.

Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 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. (Luke 22:25-26).

I suspect that Jesus was being ironic here. I believe he is using the word “authority” but describing power; in other words mocking and denigrating the power I have describe above. What do kings and lords have? They have titles, positions and power. They can reward and they can punish. They demand submission. We aren’t even supposed to say we are doing so for the good of others. After all, Jesus noted they “call themselves Benefactors.” We are not to be like that. Instead we influence others based on the authority, love and service that comes from our lives. To do so requires no title, position or power. We can do it coming from the position of a little child or a slave. Yet even a slave can have the influence and authority of character and experience.

We have no control over the authority and influence we have, other than being godly people who serve others with a whole heart. Still, we can have great authority and influence. Human power, a common element of Christendom’s behavior, should have no place among us. It is destructive. It is not our job to reward or punish, that belongs to God.

  • Why do you think the wielding of human power is so common in Christendom?
  • What happens when we see a brother/sister in sin, when we know what he/she should be doing? Isn’t that a time to use power?
  • How can we gain more authority and influence? Is it something we should seek?
  • If we have real influence and authority, do we have to be careful how we use it?

[1] Parker J. Palmer, The Courage to Teach (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1998) p. 33.

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Professionalism Must Die

Filed Under: Christendom, Church Life, Jesus is Lord, Meeting Together, Organic Church by rossrohde — 10 Comments
January 3, 2012

Setting aside the clergy role is hard.

This morning one of my friends and I were talking on the phone about a project he is involved in. He and his friends are intentionally trying to develop a missional community. One of the participants is a part of the professional clergy. In discussing the vision of the community my friend and I ended up discussing the difficulty those in the “professional clergy” or those of us who are “ex-professionals” have in stepping out of the professional role.

Organic ministry is whole-life ministry. It is not something you do as much as someone you are. It is not a job you do, as much as a life you live. It is not a role we play as much an adventure we live. And, our relationship with those on the journey with us is not defined by positions and job responsibilities, they are just our friends in same community and on the same ministry adventure with us. For those who are steeped in professional ministry this can be a hard transition to make.

The Clergy Role

First, it is difficult to step out of the role of clergy. When you have been “the clergy” it becomes part of your identity. One just assumes that they will play a leadership role. Let’s be honest, we enjoy being the big shot. We like being the one with all the answers. Being quiet and allowing others to express what Jesus has put on their hearts is hard. We find ourselves filling in all silent spaces with our ideas. We find ourselves taking charge…even when we are diligently trying not to do so.

Worse yet, those who have not been professional clergy, but are accustomed to the system, have been trained to look to the professionals for the answers. They are used to some being leaders and some being followers. It becomes easy to allow others to take the lead and therefore the risk of being wrong or making mistakes. This leads to an unintentional passivity which must be overcome if someone is going to actually be part of an organic missional community.

Knowing but Not Really Knowing

I can only speak from the position of being ex-clergy. My own experience, and the information I’ve gained from other friends who are ex-clergy in an organic ministry setting tells me that we have a problem of knowing about the problem but not really knowing the problem. Let me explain. We know intellectually we need to be quiet so others can speak. We know in our heads that if we talk too much or dominate the conversation we will stifle the Spirit in others. We know that, but we do it anyway. We know with our heads but it really hasn’t filtered down into our hearts yet, so it isn’t part of our unconscious behavior. Therefore, the problem keeps coming up. Let me restate that differently; we keep becoming a problem. And, we end up beating ourselves up about it.

There is a flip side to this issue as well. Most people currently involved in organic ministry are ex-lay people. That is to say they have learned to let the clergy do the work. They too, if they come to understand organic ministry, realize that they should participate more, but they are so used to being passive that they struggle to not just be bumps on a log. They wait for someone else to “take over.” This doesn’t help the missional community, the ex-clergy or the Kingdom. We all need each other. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” (I Cor. 12:21). In fact, one of the great weaknesses I’ve seen in those new to organic ministry is that they look for some great leader who will produce spectacular results so they can join in and bask in the glow of successful ministry. In other words, they are waiting for a “great leader” to come along so they can be a part of a great ministry. Consequently, when things aren’t spectacular, or don’t produce exciting fruit soon enough, they are off looking for the next cool thing. This is just another expression of being a passive person waiting for a human leader to take over. It is a result of our clergy/laity system.

Suggestions

So, what do we do about this? I have three suggestions. First, everyone needs to participate. There is no room for big leaders and there is no room for the passive in organic ministry. We all play a part and we are all equally important. Second, give yourselves some space. Most of us have the “system” baked into our bones. It is going to take awhile to unlearn what we have learned. Gently and graciously help each other be less passive or less in charge, whichever the problem might be. And remember we can understand with our heads long before it filters down to our heart. Be patient and gentle with each other. Finally, remember in organic ministry there is only one leader; his name is Jesus (for more on this see: Authority: How Jesus Leads a Church).We are all part of the body but Jesus is the head. Learn to follow him and only him and a lot of these problems will slowly go away.

  • Have you noticed the problem of ex-clergy taking over and ex-lay people being passive? What are you doing about it?
  • Have you ever noticed that we can “know about the problem” but not really know about the problem? That is to say we can understand the problem intellectually but still struggle with it?
  • If Jesus is going to lead, what skills will we need to develop to learn to follow him?
  • Who do you think has the harder time learning to be part of the body, the ex-clergy or the ex-lay person?
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Deep Presence

Filed Under: Church Life, Discipleship, Jesus is Lord, Meeting Together, Simple Church, Spiritual Life, Viral Christianity by rossrohde — 10 Comments
October 28, 2011

We can meet him anywhere.

Every once in a while God encounters a group out of nowhere. It is like he was standing on the sideline and the next thing you know we are in His deep presence. I’ve experienced this many times, probably most of us have, if we are paying attention. My friends and I had that experience the other day and I’d like to make some observations about that experience.

My friends meet twice a month as a simple church. One week a month we meet in one of our homes and another time we meet in the same coffee shop, which is a central location for our far scattered group. We meet in a coffee shop just down the street from the San Jose Mission in Fremont, CA. The mission is one of the famous string of missions established in Early California by Spanish missionaries. It was one of those beautiful California October days; warm but not hot. It was sunny, so we sat outside on the patio in the shade. In other words, it was a beautiful, pleasant setting.

We were having our typical conversations, talking about God in our lives, what we were doing, what He was doing, chit chat, just a little of everything really, when my friend Babs asked a question, “Do you think spiritual growth only comes through suffering?” It was at that moment that God went from omnipresent to very present. Most of you know what I mean, He is always there, but suddenly His presence was palpable. Honestly, I was too into the moment to actually notice, but my wife, who has the gift of discernment, pointed it out to me later. Looking back, it was obvious.

What was that like? The conversation took on a higher level of focus. We were all involved, we were all engaged, although we probably came from different perspectives, we were safe and accepting of each other. This, in turn, allowed for transparency as we talked about deep issues like thoughts of suicide, long term depression and the need for medication. It was not the sort of conversation we would have with people who would have felt the need to put us back in the box. In a word, it was not the sort of conversation we would have had with people we didn’t trust. Our body language went from relaxed to attentive. We went from flowing between two or three conversations at once, to one clear focused conversation. And, we were ministering to each other; or better said, God was ministering to us through us. We were talking about real life, not mere doctrinal theory. We weren’t really looking for simple solutions as much as we were willing to be with each other and love one another. And it was very natural, real and genuine. It was safe.

We can’t make that happen. We could all go back to the same place, at the same time of day, in the same weather and discuss the same topic. But, lightning wouldn’t strike twice; or better said, God would choose to remain omnipresent by we wouldn’t notice him as very present. Sometimes this happens in the midst of singing/worship. Sometimes it happens in the midst of prayer. Sometimes it happens when we are in ministry together. Sometimes it happens with the folk talking in the kitchen but the people in the living room miss out. My point is that we can’t make this happen and we can’t reduplicate or plan it.

But we can create an environment where it might happen and often will happen. So what is that environment? First, it is safe. Our group has different political leanings from pretty far left to pretty far right and some points in between. But we love one another; and we won’t stop loving one another if we end up being on polar opposites of divisive issues. In other words, we treat each other like family. Second, we are willing to minister to each other because we love one another. But, that is different than wanting to “fix” each other. Third, we are disposed to God being in our midst. We want Him there. We long for him to be among us. But we know that He is Lord and we are not. He will come in deep presence when He chooses. We aren’t trying to manipulate God any more that we are trying to manipulate each other.

I’d like to make one last observation about that experience. Our conversation was our worship. We were in the presence of God. His Spirit was ministering to us through us. He was very much involved. And that was worship. Worship in the Bible isn’t just singing; it is living life in the presence and under God’s lordship, individually and corporately. This was just one lovely experience of corporate worship.

  • Have you ever noticed God moving from omnipresent to very present? Does that idea bother you?
  • What are common elements you would note in the experiences you’ve had with deep presence? Do you think the pleasant setting contributed to God’s presence or was superfluous?
  • Why do you think we don’t experience this more?
  • Why can’t we plan or manufacture God’s deep presence?
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I or i

Filed Under: Biblical Meditation, Jesus is Lord, Meeting Together, Spiritual Life by rossrohde — 2 Comments
October 18, 2011

Where the King is we should also bee.

This morning at 3 AM God woke Tony and Felicity Dale out of a sound sleep and spoke to them about the Church. What he spoke to them was important and confirmed even by the date mentioned in a specific passage in the book of Haggai, October 17th, the day of the communication. You can read about what God spoke to them here.

As I meditated on what God was speaking to Tony and Felicity I began to feel he was speaking to me about how we in the Western church are. I’m not pointing a finger at anyone without having three fingers pointed back at me. That is, this applies to me as well.

We have become a church which is focused on US, ME and MINE. That is, we want God to come where we are and bless what we are doing. We tend to be Christians for what is in it for US. We want God to show up in what WE are doing. If He doesn’t WE are disappointed and feel He has let US down.

But the Kingdom of God doesn’t work like that. It works exactly the opposite of that. Here’s how the Kingdom works:

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. (Matt. 6:33).

This is just the New Testament version of what God was saying to Israel in Haggai. We seek HIM. We long for HIS righteousness. We want to live in HIS righteousness, not just know about it. And as a consequence of moving our life in alignment with HIM, HE takes care of us. We can trust HIM to do so, but it requires taking our focus and effort off of what we are doing.

We need to go where he is, not invite Him to what we are doing. His presence is found where He already is. That’s why even Jesus said: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.” (Jn. 5:19). We…I, need to quit inviting Jesus to my party. I need to quit seeking that Jesus bless what I would like to do, or even more carnal, just bless ME. If i focus on HIM, seek HIM, seek to live the righteous life that is found by living in the power of HIS Spirit and HIS control, then i will have everything i need.

I think this has a corporate expression as well. We gather in churches (simple or congregational) and don’t experience the power of God. Then we wonder where He went; why He didn’t show up. WE are inviting Him to OUR party. we need to seek HIM and find out what HE wants, not ask him to come among US so WE can have what WE want; even if what WE want is to experience His presence.

The analogy of the bees

Christian corporate life should be like living in a beehive. The bees seem to have a powerful corporate life. The “collective consciousness” is more important that what any one worker bee wants or thinks. In fact, the worker bee would willingly give his life for the good of the whole. In this analogy, Jesus is not only the queen bee, around which the colony’s life revolves, He is also the “collective consciousness” of the hive itself. HE runs the show. It revolves around HIM and what HE is doing, what HE wants, where HE is. And, if I, an individual worker bee, am willing to submit, even sacrifice my life for the good of the whole; live the life of the hive (righteousness) instead of do what I want and expect the hive to go along, then I will have everything I need. But to experience the powerful life of the presence of the King, I need to sacrifice all and live life on HIS terms.

  • Are you living life by what YOU want or what HE wants?
  • If you were in court, accused of being self centered, what testimony could you give, in your defense, which would give evidence that you were living on God’s terms? What would the prosecution bring up to give evidence of a self centered life? Keep in mind that in court only what was actually done counts. Good intentions mean nothing. Which set of evidence would be more convincing? Would you be guilty of the crime of self-centeredness or be acquitted because your behavior was clearly God focused and God directed?
  • Does the analogy of the bees, the idea of Christians having a “collective consciousness” make sense to you?
  • Have you ever experienced community life that had more to do with this “collective consciousness” controlled by God, rather than humans? What was that like?
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Biblioidolatry

Filed Under: Biblical Meditation, Jesus is Lord, New Covenant, Our Covenant With God, Spiritual Life, Viral Christianity by rossrohde — 10 Comments
October 7, 2011

See what I mean?

The other day a couple of friends and I were having lunch together in Oakland, CA. One of the many topics we touched on was biblioidolatry. What is biblioidolatry? It is when we make an idol of the Bible. Most of us in our minds would imagine this looking perhaps like someone placing a Bible on a pedestal and praying to it. But it almost never takes that form. It is much more dangerous and subtle than that. Most commonly it takes the form of thinking the power for living comes from following biblical principles. In doing so, we have replaced the role that only belongs to Jesus, the Word, with concepts from the written word. The power is not in the Bible, it is in Jesus. It is not in the written word, it is in the Living Word.

Why do we do this? I think there are a number of reasons. First, if we don’t actually have to follow Jesus but only “biblical principles” we are still in control. We chose which principles we are going to apply. We chose how we understand those principles. And, even more fun, if someone doesn’t apply a biblical principle the way we do, we get to judge them. But, if we understand how the new covenant works, it isn’t the written word that guides us. It is Jesus, the Lord, who is the Word who became flesh. He speaks his laws into our heart and mind, but not as some written code (Heb. 8:10). Living by a written code is living in the old covenant, not the new. We obey Him, not “it.”

A second reason we are so intent on actually living by the written word instead of obeying the Word is because our culture is obsessed with ideas. We’d rather talk about doctrine than actually put it in practice. We usually don’t do this intentionally; it is built into our cultural habits. Think about school from grade school to university. How were we taught? Wasn’t it usually by hearing someone talk about an idea, a fact, or a concept? We usually try to teach our faith this way, by preaching and giving classes instead of walking with each other along the way (Deut. 11:19) It isn’t very ineffective. That’s the difference between teaching our faith like it is a school subject and actual life on life discipleship. Discipleship has more in common with teaching someone how to change a spark plug than it does a seminary class. I say all of this to point out we have been trained by our culture to think in concepts instead of living life in the power of God. And the result is that we often put more confidence in doctrine (facts from the Bible) than in Jesus himself. That’s biblioidolatry.

Another reason we tend to be biblioidolaters is that it is easier to be judged by what we say, or believe to be true, than what we do. This, most likely, is subconscious. This is actually just an outgrowth of the other two reasons mentioned above. But Jesus isn’t going to judge us by how correct our doctrinal ideas were. When he separates the sheep from the goats he is going to judge us by our works (and no, that isn’t works salvation) Just read Matt 25:31-46. How can that be? It’s simple. If we are the real thing we will live like it. Talk is cheap. We can easily be judged by our works because if Jesus is truly living in us, His Spirit will flow out of us like rivers of living water (Jn. 7-38-39). All Jesus has to do is judge how we lived, to see if there was evidence of the Holy Spirit within.

What good then is the Bible? It is wonderful in every way. While in itself it has no power to change us, it can point to Someone who can. It can’t save us, but He can. It can be a beautiful mirror which shows us how we are living, but the power to live the Christian life still comes from Jesus himself. The Bible just helps us see if we are on track. We don’t need to worship the Bible. We shouldn’t expect it to give us principles to live by. Rather, it gives us access to the Person who wrote those principles. The Bible expresses those principles to help us make sure we are living in the Spirit and not in the power of the flesh. So let’s be filled with the Spirit of Jesus. Let’s walk in the power of Jesus. Let’s worship and honor Jesus, the Living Word, who became flesh and dwelt among us. Let’s be grateful for the written word and deeply appreciate it. We should read it until it saturates our soul. But the power for life still comes from Jesus. He himself said I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (Jn. 14:6). That cannot be said of the Bible.

  • Do you agree with me that we American Christians have a tendency to be biblioidolaters?
  • Can you think of other reasons why we tend to do this?
  • The 1st Century Christians didn’t have the New Testament, yet they often lived powerful, spiritual lives. How did they do that without the New Testament? Do you think it could have anything to do with actually living according to the new covenant, in the power of Jesus?
  • Ever wonder why the 1st and 2nd Century Christians turned the world upside down and we are losing ground? Could it be that we are looking for our source of power coming from the Bible rather than Jesus?
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Testimony of a Religious Junky

Filed Under: Christendom, Jesus is Lord, Meeting Together, Spiritual Life, Viral Christianity by rossrohde — 4 Comments
October 3, 2011

This religious junk really pulls you down until you find yourself in really bad places.

My name is Ross. I am religious. I took my last shot of religion two weeks ago, but have been sober since. I want to tell you my story, and I’ll try to be as honest as possible. I took my first shot of religion when I was 16 years old. I got my first dose from my sister. Then for almost a year and a half afterwards I didn’t have much access to religion. My sister was away at college and had given me my first fix (along with a beautiful encounter with Jesus). I was on my own. I didn’t know where to get my next fix. So at that stage mostly I had Jesus and an old Bible, and that little bit of Evangelical religion my sister gave me.

All of that changed when I went to college. The first week I was there I was introduced to some people who had a serious religious habit. They introduced me to some heavy stuff. Within weeks I was seriously hooked. I learned that I had to have “quit times,” were I read the Bible every day out of religious duty or God would not be pleased with me.

I was trained to believe that my form of Evangelical religion was a better, purer brand of religion than the dangerous smack like Roman Catholic, Pentecostal and Main Line Protestant. These people were seriously addicted to religion, and their religion was bad. We, on the other hand, knew how to handle our religion. In fact, we were in denial, which is one of the first signs of addiction. We honestly didn’t think we were actually religious at all because we were using the pure stuff, with no dangerous additives.

These religious junkies introduced me to religious prayer. Prayer was a duty. There were only four types of prayer that were really acceptable. We could remember these acceptable religious prayer forms through the acronym ACTS: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. Any other form of prayer was a dangerous adulteration to the pure stuff. There were dangerous religious additives I was told to avoid, when having a good snort of pure religious prayer; Pentecostal/Charismatic speaking in tongues, for example, was pure poison! Any other form of prayer was probably some Roman Catholic mystical gobbledygook that was not only dangerous but silly. It was always best to stick to the pure high grade stuff.

My fellow religious addicts told me I had to go to church every week because that was where I could score a better grade of religion. Since I was already hooked, I did as I was told, and frankly I wanted my next fix. These church meetings were where one could get some heavy stuff. The main dose there was the religious church service. This was a heady cocktail of religion that included pews, pulpits, powerful titled leaders called pastors, some elders, deacons, a set religious patterns called the order of service, some mindless singing and Sunday School. There were many other religious ingredients in this cocktail, but I think most of you are probably religious addicts too. Hopefully you are on the road to recovery. But recovering religious addict or not, you know exactly what a religious church service feels like.

My habit got so serious that the church service cocktail was no longer satisfying. I wanted to score some real heavy stuff. I was told that the really good stuff was reserved for the clergy and missionaries. And, in order to be clergy, I had to go to a Bible college and then seminary. These were places where I could indulge my religious habit without limits. I went to a Bible college and learned every religious form known to Evangelicalism. I was now not only scoring my religion, I was shooting it straight into my veins.  What a rush it gave me. When I was doing religion I thought I was really pleasing God. I was on a serious high that made me feel superior to all those foolish non-Christians and even the bad Christians who didn’t “do” the right brand of religion.

But soon the high wore thin. I needed an even heavier fix. Where could I get it? I was told the only way to really get a religious rush, at my level of addiction, was to become a pusher. I could sell my brand of religion as a missionary, I would be paid to indulge my habit and I could get some really high grade religion for free in the process.

I found a truly religious mission organization that was into some heavy smack. They did their Evangelical religion by using business methods. When a religious junky is on the business method high, he nearly goes crazy thinking that by using business methods the junky can actually control God’s agenda or at least do God a series of big favors. The stuff made our heads so muddled that we actually thought God liked us to do this junk. When you are doing it, it feels so good. It made us feel so superior. But for a serious junky like me, that high can only last for so long.

Then a strange thing happened. Even the best religion wasn’t satisfying me anymore. It all began to feel hollow. I’d do all the religious stuff, quite times, dutiful religious prayers, going to church services, selling my religion to others, even being up the religious distribution chain by being the boss of other religious missionaries; but I couldn’t get high any more.

One day I found myself talking to Jesus once again. It had been so long since I had actually connected with him and not just some religious form or duty. I just told Jesus I loved him. With all that heavy religion I was doing, it had actually been a long time since I had told Him that from the heart. Soon I found that I wanted to seek just Him without the religious trappings of Evangelical religion. The more I sought Him, and not religion, the more satisfying my encounters with Him became.

He opened my eyes and showed me that he never wanted all this religion in the first place. He took me back to the Bible. I read it, not out of duty, but with a passionate desire to find Him in the pages. I began to realize that as I read His Spirit was actually opening my eyes and speaking to me.

This is what he showed me. He never designed Christianity to be a religion. The more religion we humans add, the farther it actually drives us from God. Jesus just wants us and He wants us to have him. The religion gets in the way of the relationship.

That was sixteen years ago. My journey out of religion has been a long and hard one. Every time I think I’ve finally kicked the habit, the Holy Spirit shows me another claw religion has on my soul. But, the more I put aside my religious habits, the more I encounter Jesus. Now I have a new community of fellow recovering religionists. We are helping each other find and stay focused on Jesus. It is beautiful, simple and deeply spiritual.

That’s my story. If you are religious, I hope you can find a group of fellow religious junkies who are on the path to recovery. But, most importantly, recovery will never happen unless you seek Jesus, only Jesus, nothing more than Jesus. He is the only source of power that is capable of shaking the monkey off our backs. And the more you follow Him, the more your faith will become deep, intimate and personal. And, coincidently the more it will look like the early followers of Jesus we read about in the Bible. They were focused on Jesus, not religion.

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