My 32nd birthday is coming up. Here are 32 lessons I am learning while I am still young.
1. My wife really is the most important person on earth.
2. I do not know as much as I thought I did, but neither do you. That is why we need to surround our-self with people of experience, age, wisdom, and love instead of those who claim to have all the answers.
3. Relax, the goal is to do this together. Sometimes it takes time to get going in the right direction together. Be patient with others during this time.
4. Working with other people means compromise. Know the difference between what is important and what is not. Some battles are necessary and some are just pointless.
5. My goal is to help you know God loves you, wants to talk to you, wants you to know the Truth, wants to use you, and that I need you more then you think you need me.
6. My parents did the best they could, and they deserve the Nobel Peace Prize for dealing with me.
7. I need to stop comparing myself with others. It does not matter what someone else is doing. I must decide for myself what God is asking from me and if I can follow through with it. The same applies to us as a group.
8. You can lead someone to the truth, but it is up to them to take it. It helps them take it when the Truth is delivered in Love and Relationship. How did you accept the truth? Was it over a conversation or a debate?
9. I have heard it said that if you are supposed to be leading and no one is following, you are just taking a walk. Sometimes you gotta walk for a while to realize where you are going. You will pick up and lose many along the way.
10. I have no idea what I am doing, and should not pretend that I do just to impress you.
11. My Son is the 2nd most important person on earth. He does not get in the way of my wife.
12. The person sitting across from me is more important than the person I have never met outside of social media. Prioritize your time in accordance with this idea. (Ironic statement for a blog post that will be advertised to many I have never met outside of Social Media!)
13. Relax, sometimes I am going to act silly.
14. Relax, sometimes I am going to act differently then you think I should.
15. Relax, sometimes I am going to repeat myself using different words.
16. Relax, sometimes I am going to surprise you.
17. I am able to handle much much more regardless of how I feel.
18. Mentors are priceless.
19. I need you to be honest with me.
20. I am in over my head, and that is where I want to be. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
21. It is OK to try something new.
22. It is OK to try something old.
23. It is OK to make a mistake.
24. It is OK to lose an argument.
25. It is better to transfer love than transfer information.
26. I have made many mistakes in my past, and I will make many more. What I do with those mistakes are what is important.
27. I am going to get many beatings from others.
28. I can say I do not know. I do not have to have all the answers all the time. Sometimes it is best to pray, search the scriptures, and resume at a later date.
29. I can say no.
30. We the people are The Church.
31. Young people are capable of doing amazing things if we give them the opportunity.
32. My concept of God has changed much over time. I hope it continues to change as I grow in my relationship with Him. It is OK to question our concept of God. God knows what you are thinking, so talk about it with God. God will surprise you.
What have you learned?
Here is some encouragement from the words of God.
1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.16 Keep
a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by
so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Why I have not pressed The Reset Button
In my post, The Reset Button, I talked about the 3 choices most people take concerning Church.
1. Keep going despite (or in line) with our beliefs.
2. Press the Reset Button to start over, abandoning the way things are.
3. Press the Power Button and just walk away altogether.
In that post, I said I would lay out why I decided to not press the button... yet. In no way shape or form is this a rebuttal to Jamal and his guest post, Pressing The Reset Button. I wanted to write this post first, though just could not get the words out. I still am not satisfied with this post! So here is my take on The Reset Button. This is just me explaining why I believe the way I do, and still find myself inside an Established Church (if you can call us that). I am not trying to convince you to adopt my ideals, you have a mind capable of reasoning for yourself. You do not need me or any one earthly voice persuade you to a decision.
Trust the words of God and the Holy Spirit.
Evaluate the wisdom of others.
Know and recognize the difference between the two.
Jamal did a great job of presenting his view as to why he pressed the reset button. He raised a lot of great concerns that I agree with. It does not need to be said that I am not in 100% agreement. If I was I would probably be right alongside him! However, Jamal and I hold a lot of the same opinions on the Institution, had a very similar introduction to this type of thinking, read a lot of the same blogs, books, articles, and authors.
Yet he pressed the button and I have not.
So why haven't I pressed The Reset Button? The Short answer is I do not think the answer to the issue is found inside the institutional or organic system alone. The Answer is found in God, His people, and His words. I apologize at the length.
1. I Trust The Holy Spirit
Please do not take that as he speaks to me and not to you. Let me explain.
About 4-5 years ago our Pastor played a message he heard at a preachers conference. It was a message by Francis Chan. I remember hearing Chan saying something like:
If I had been raised on a deserted island, had never been to bible college, had only read the scriptures, and had never saw an (institutional) church before, I would never recognize my own church as anything remotely similar to the church that is described in the New Testament. - Francis Chan
I still get goose bumps thinking about it. I still get excited and ready to throw of what some consider chains, run out of the building, and begin a house church in my neighborhood just like the Apostles did. This was like a light that showed me what I was thinking, feeling, and getting from my time in the Scriptures.
I knew the System was way of course from where it started or what the Scriptures described.
So what did I do? I began to distrust everyone in the system. I began to seek out teachers that illustrated this skepticism. I began to look down on everyone who was not seeing things this way. I began to get very frustrated with everything the show of church had to offer. I began to act on what I was feeling and was very impressed with the answers I was finding. I looked at all these ignorant, so called, "Christians" with an unconscious disdain. I did not even see I was doing it until much much later.
I noticed that in my attempt to follow the scriptures, I was reading more books, articles, blogs, etc that spoon fed me more and more skepticism. During a reading of Acts to further confirm my beliefs I began to realize I was guilty of doing the exact same type of close-minded thinking I was accusing the church of doing. I was holding others opinions above Scripture. I was developing an "Us" vs "Them" mentality. I know all sides of this argument see the other side as the one who is responsible for the mess.
The truth is we all are guilty of this. If we are adopted as His Sons and Daughters, then together as Brothers and Sisters we must deal with and take responsibility for His Estate. We need to change from "Us vs Them" mindset to a "Us in Him" mentality in every aspect of our living.
The Early Church was full of Love, not arrogance. They were persecuted for many reasons, not just because they were arrogantly abandoning the system. They spent the Sabbath reasoning in the Synagogue about the Glory of Jesus. They spent the other days reasoning with people about The Christ. They ate together. They showed love to one another. They expressed and met each others needs. They spent time together discussing Jesus and The Scriptures. The were Led by the Holy Spirit. They were dependent on the Power of God. They were awesome.
I began to deeply pray and search the scriptures. I began to understand that I was not being asked to buck the system, but to look at people instead of systems. I was incredibly convicted about one thing, regardless of methodology, I am to love the Lord with my mind, soul, and spirit; and to love my neighbor as myself. Church is all about people. If the Church is truly the People of God; then location and methods do not matter.
I am not naturally a people person. I attribute this understanding to the Holy Spirit using the words of God to teach me what the Church really is. Each time I would pray to God, "do I need to walk away from the System", as much as I want to or think it should be better, he tells me no... Very, very clearly.
I can imagine others out there who have prayed that prayer have heard a Yes, No, or Silence. I see others, like Jamal, who (hopefully) prayed earnestly and knew God was giving them a vision outside the system. I hope they are truly acting from God's leading and not anger, idealism, history or someones teachings.
Pray and Trust the God will give you a clear answer. Independent on if you like his answer or not, follow his teachings first.
You can trust him to not lead you into corruption.
2. The System vs The Church
The sad thing is, as much truth there is that the System is way off, there is much error in the way that message is presented now days. I would love to see the whole system start from scratch removing the things that should not be there and starting the things that should. I mean that honestly. Though I cannot ever see this happening.
This is the underlying message that is being presented nowadays... The System is way off, therefore all Congregations are way off. This is a lie.
If we the people are truly the Church we must blame ourselves for the "System". We may not personally have created the issues, but we have certainly settled on continuing to watching them grow. I understand that leaving to be apart of something new is one way, and probably faster way, to handle it. That is not the ONLY way. Staying and following the Great Physician as he works is what I am choosing to do.
Here is something I have learned. I cannot answer for The System, only for how I handle my own life. If I felt like every congregation was corrupt, I would have pressed the reset button and either be in a house church, or at home fleeing from any form of organization what-so-ever. I see a lot of great established congregations out there. They may not be a perfect picture of Acts 2, but then again I do not see Acts 2 even among the organic churches. (Please prove me wrong!)
The Biblical Church is a people called out by God into his marvelous light through Jesus. They are led and empowered by the Holy Spirit. They do not look like a building. They look like you and me, because they are you and me. It is not a System. It is not a Pastor or Personality. It is not a building. It is not a house. It is not an organization. It is people. People are everywhere. People are in the system. People are outside the system. People are all over the place.
I think everyone would agree that God loves People. God wants to show people how much he loves them. God displayed his love for People by asking Jesus to willingly die for People. Jesus demonstrated his love for People by obeying and following the will of his Father. Jesus died an undeserved yet necessary death for People. Jesus rose again and asked His People to go and make more people followers of the will of God. Jesus promised his People they would have help.
People need to know this. I need to know this every single day I am alive, and so do you. If you look at the Church as a group of People who have this calling you are blessed. If you look at the Church as just an building, institution, organization, personality, vision, or system you are just as guilty of missing the point as you claim the other side is.
If you honestly look around and cannot find a group of called out people who are following the One true God of Scripture I would advise you to run and run very fast. I know this is possible considering geography and circumstance. However, in my geography and circumstance I have honestly looked and have found there are such people out there, even among the System. Is it easy to find? Not in the slightest bit. Does it look the same in every situation? No. Is it easier to just turn things off and walk away then it is to stay in or even start something new? Yes.
The idea that the true Church of God can not be found in the establishment is an opinion not a fact. Just on the foundation of language this idea is non-sense. If the true Church of God is people, they can be found in, out, or far away from the system. I feel like IF I pressed the reset button, I would in a sense be rejecting the people I am walking alongside. I do not want to create more division. I have decided to stay in the established Church and lovingly work with the people I interact with, regardless of the associations they make to mine or any organization.
I would love to talk in detail about how my current Church. It is a remarkable story of growth, tragedy, pain, healing, and now transformation. I am new to this group of people, so I came in during the healing and transforming phase and it is remarkable to see! I would clearly say we are more of a family then a organization. This past Sunday I saw things happen in an hour on Sunday morning that I have never seen, but have always wanted to! We are seeing peoples lives change for the Glory of God. This is a work in progress, but it is slowly being transformed. Participation is happening. Deep needs are being expressed. I would love to go on where appropriate!
I expect God to continue showing People how much he loves them. I hope he uses me and those around me to do it. All I can say is do not give up on God. God still changes People. If the People really are The Church, this is good news. God is not limited by our settings.
3. Scripture as my guide
Those like me who see issues with the System like to claim that we are inline with Scripture in our complaints. If you look at that Francis Chan quote Jamal and I shared, you would see that Scripture should be guiding us. Technically we all have the same source material. What do we have to work with when it comes to painting our image of the Church? At first glance it is the 4 Gospels of Christ, Acts, and the Letters.
Am I wrong in saying that they did not really leave great detail for exactly how we should do this? Look at Acts. Almost everyone who I have read or listened to on the issue of Church quote Acts 2:41-47 as our best example. This is such an amazing section of scripture. I think I have written 3 blog posts, not including this one, referencing that passage. It is easy to get people to see the difference between then and now when we look to these and other similar passages. Yet these passages are descriptive, short, and clearly not step by step instructions.
My point is this, we often see the Early Church as this unstoppable force who never made mistakes. That is just not so. They still messed up. In fact, most of the letters of Paul dealt with in some shape or form correcting errors in the early Church. Look at the Corinthians, they had issues! Most of the letters seem to be addressing positive and negatives in these new Churches. These letters do not contain complete and clear instructions on how we are to gather. There is little source material for us to make our opinions. Yes, some things are clearer then others, but to say your method is the only method scriptures allow is arrogant and wrong. If this were so the Scriptures would speak much clearer on our methodology.
Here are just a few examples from scripture of differences in methodology from the book of Acts. Peter chose to stay in Jerusalem to talk about Jesus. Paul chose to go to other countries to talk about Jesus. Peter seemed to desire developing a hierarchy. Paul seemed to find willing and gifted men and women to equip one another. Peter tried to let go of the traditions while still holding on to them. Paul seemed to at least on some level attempt to be all things to all men. Both men set good and bad examples in Acts, yet they were used powerfully by the Holy Spirit to share Jesus with people. The good news of Christ still spread. People could not stop talking about him, and that still goes on today.
So let me just step on all our toes. If you look at Institutional Churches, you would think the scriptures say gather, sing 3 upbeat songs, 2 contemplative songs, one person preach, get the peoples money, and dismiss in prayer. If you look at Organic Churches you would think the scriptures say you must not have leaders, you must not build buildings, you must avoid organization, you must gather in homes, you must not hold to any form of tradition, and if someone can categorize or define your gathering you are no longer a true organic church.
I think if we were really using the Scriptures as a guideline things would look different inside and outside the establishment. I do not think we can ever totally recreate the early church without the Holy Spirits leading, and maybe we are not supposed to. I do however think that we can learn from the Early Church as good and bad examples where necessary. We can lay our foundations in Scripture alone and our practices can look different.
Both sides need to beware of confirmation bias and selective reasoning, especially when we claim the Scriptures leading. It is easy to see and pin-point in others, but near impossible to pin-point in yourself.
Conclusion?
I really am frustrated with this post. This has been about a month in the making and I still am not satisfied with it. I do not think or claim to have all the answers. God seems to be shattering so much of my ideas of what this should look like on a daily basis. The past year he has brought me to a point that I love to be at, but can honestly say it is way far from where I ever thought I would be. I hope I have given a clear account for why I believe the way I do am find myself where I am. I feel like I am trying to intellectualize what is on my heart and I do not like to do that.
I love that there are People who believe the way I do and decided to practice it in a visibly different way. In fact that just gets me more and more excited to be apart of the Body of Christ. I have nothing negative to say about my Brother Jamal, and others like him who have reset the machine. I love what you are doing and I pray that God gives you growth not just for your efforts, but because you have responded with what you know about Him, and Him alone. Please teach the truth of Gods Word with His words.
I pray that we all are convinced by God and his leading and not mans teachings.
I pray that our lives reflect what we claim we believe about God.
I pray that we are acting in obedience to the entirety of Scripture.
I pray that we are allowing God to work through us all.
I pray that we all act in love and honor towards one another.
I pray that we all know Him deeper through His words.
I pray that HE changes us all.
How else can I pray for you?
1. Keep going despite (or in line) with our beliefs.
2. Press the Reset Button to start over, abandoning the way things are.
3. Press the Power Button and just walk away altogether.
In that post, I said I would lay out why I decided to not press the button... yet. In no way shape or form is this a rebuttal to Jamal and his guest post, Pressing The Reset Button. I wanted to write this post first, though just could not get the words out. I still am not satisfied with this post! So here is my take on The Reset Button. This is just me explaining why I believe the way I do, and still find myself inside an Established Church (if you can call us that). I am not trying to convince you to adopt my ideals, you have a mind capable of reasoning for yourself. You do not need me or any one earthly voice persuade you to a decision.
Trust the words of God and the Holy Spirit.
Evaluate the wisdom of others.
Know and recognize the difference between the two.
Jamal did a great job of presenting his view as to why he pressed the reset button. He raised a lot of great concerns that I agree with. It does not need to be said that I am not in 100% agreement. If I was I would probably be right alongside him! However, Jamal and I hold a lot of the same opinions on the Institution, had a very similar introduction to this type of thinking, read a lot of the same blogs, books, articles, and authors.
Yet he pressed the button and I have not.
So why haven't I pressed The Reset Button? The Short answer is I do not think the answer to the issue is found inside the institutional or organic system alone. The Answer is found in God, His people, and His words. I apologize at the length.
1. I Trust The Holy Spirit
Please do not take that as he speaks to me and not to you. Let me explain.
About 4-5 years ago our Pastor played a message he heard at a preachers conference. It was a message by Francis Chan. I remember hearing Chan saying something like:
If I had been raised on a deserted island, had never been to bible college, had only read the scriptures, and had never saw an (institutional) church before, I would never recognize my own church as anything remotely similar to the church that is described in the New Testament. - Francis Chan
I still get goose bumps thinking about it. I still get excited and ready to throw of what some consider chains, run out of the building, and begin a house church in my neighborhood just like the Apostles did. This was like a light that showed me what I was thinking, feeling, and getting from my time in the Scriptures.
I knew the System was way of course from where it started or what the Scriptures described.
So what did I do? I began to distrust everyone in the system. I began to seek out teachers that illustrated this skepticism. I began to look down on everyone who was not seeing things this way. I began to get very frustrated with everything the show of church had to offer. I began to act on what I was feeling and was very impressed with the answers I was finding. I looked at all these ignorant, so called, "Christians" with an unconscious disdain. I did not even see I was doing it until much much later.
I noticed that in my attempt to follow the scriptures, I was reading more books, articles, blogs, etc that spoon fed me more and more skepticism. During a reading of Acts to further confirm my beliefs I began to realize I was guilty of doing the exact same type of close-minded thinking I was accusing the church of doing. I was holding others opinions above Scripture. I was developing an "Us" vs "Them" mentality. I know all sides of this argument see the other side as the one who is responsible for the mess.
The truth is we all are guilty of this. If we are adopted as His Sons and Daughters, then together as Brothers and Sisters we must deal with and take responsibility for His Estate. We need to change from "Us vs Them" mindset to a "Us in Him" mentality in every aspect of our living.
The Early Church was full of Love, not arrogance. They were persecuted for many reasons, not just because they were arrogantly abandoning the system. They spent the Sabbath reasoning in the Synagogue about the Glory of Jesus. They spent the other days reasoning with people about The Christ. They ate together. They showed love to one another. They expressed and met each others needs. They spent time together discussing Jesus and The Scriptures. The were Led by the Holy Spirit. They were dependent on the Power of God. They were awesome.
I began to deeply pray and search the scriptures. I began to understand that I was not being asked to buck the system, but to look at people instead of systems. I was incredibly convicted about one thing, regardless of methodology, I am to love the Lord with my mind, soul, and spirit; and to love my neighbor as myself. Church is all about people. If the Church is truly the People of God; then location and methods do not matter.
I am not naturally a people person. I attribute this understanding to the Holy Spirit using the words of God to teach me what the Church really is. Each time I would pray to God, "do I need to walk away from the System", as much as I want to or think it should be better, he tells me no... Very, very clearly.
I can imagine others out there who have prayed that prayer have heard a Yes, No, or Silence. I see others, like Jamal, who (hopefully) prayed earnestly and knew God was giving them a vision outside the system. I hope they are truly acting from God's leading and not anger, idealism, history or someones teachings.
Pray and Trust the God will give you a clear answer. Independent on if you like his answer or not, follow his teachings first.
You can trust him to not lead you into corruption.
2. The System vs The Church
The sad thing is, as much truth there is that the System is way off, there is much error in the way that message is presented now days. I would love to see the whole system start from scratch removing the things that should not be there and starting the things that should. I mean that honestly. Though I cannot ever see this happening.
This is the underlying message that is being presented nowadays... The System is way off, therefore all Congregations are way off. This is a lie.
If we the people are truly the Church we must blame ourselves for the "System". We may not personally have created the issues, but we have certainly settled on continuing to watching them grow. I understand that leaving to be apart of something new is one way, and probably faster way, to handle it. That is not the ONLY way. Staying and following the Great Physician as he works is what I am choosing to do.
Here is something I have learned. I cannot answer for The System, only for how I handle my own life. If I felt like every congregation was corrupt, I would have pressed the reset button and either be in a house church, or at home fleeing from any form of organization what-so-ever. I see a lot of great established congregations out there. They may not be a perfect picture of Acts 2, but then again I do not see Acts 2 even among the organic churches. (Please prove me wrong!)
The Biblical Church is a people called out by God into his marvelous light through Jesus. They are led and empowered by the Holy Spirit. They do not look like a building. They look like you and me, because they are you and me. It is not a System. It is not a Pastor or Personality. It is not a building. It is not a house. It is not an organization. It is people. People are everywhere. People are in the system. People are outside the system. People are all over the place.
I think everyone would agree that God loves People. God wants to show people how much he loves them. God displayed his love for People by asking Jesus to willingly die for People. Jesus demonstrated his love for People by obeying and following the will of his Father. Jesus died an undeserved yet necessary death for People. Jesus rose again and asked His People to go and make more people followers of the will of God. Jesus promised his People they would have help.
People need to know this. I need to know this every single day I am alive, and so do you. If you look at the Church as a group of People who have this calling you are blessed. If you look at the Church as just an building, institution, organization, personality, vision, or system you are just as guilty of missing the point as you claim the other side is.
If you honestly look around and cannot find a group of called out people who are following the One true God of Scripture I would advise you to run and run very fast. I know this is possible considering geography and circumstance. However, in my geography and circumstance I have honestly looked and have found there are such people out there, even among the System. Is it easy to find? Not in the slightest bit. Does it look the same in every situation? No. Is it easier to just turn things off and walk away then it is to stay in or even start something new? Yes.
The idea that the true Church of God can not be found in the establishment is an opinion not a fact. Just on the foundation of language this idea is non-sense. If the true Church of God is people, they can be found in, out, or far away from the system. I feel like IF I pressed the reset button, I would in a sense be rejecting the people I am walking alongside. I do not want to create more division. I have decided to stay in the established Church and lovingly work with the people I interact with, regardless of the associations they make to mine or any organization.
I would love to talk in detail about how my current Church. It is a remarkable story of growth, tragedy, pain, healing, and now transformation. I am new to this group of people, so I came in during the healing and transforming phase and it is remarkable to see! I would clearly say we are more of a family then a organization. This past Sunday I saw things happen in an hour on Sunday morning that I have never seen, but have always wanted to! We are seeing peoples lives change for the Glory of God. This is a work in progress, but it is slowly being transformed. Participation is happening. Deep needs are being expressed. I would love to go on where appropriate!
I expect God to continue showing People how much he loves them. I hope he uses me and those around me to do it. All I can say is do not give up on God. God still changes People. If the People really are The Church, this is good news. God is not limited by our settings.
3. Scripture as my guide
Those like me who see issues with the System like to claim that we are inline with Scripture in our complaints. If you look at that Francis Chan quote Jamal and I shared, you would see that Scripture should be guiding us. Technically we all have the same source material. What do we have to work with when it comes to painting our image of the Church? At first glance it is the 4 Gospels of Christ, Acts, and the Letters.
Am I wrong in saying that they did not really leave great detail for exactly how we should do this? Look at Acts. Almost everyone who I have read or listened to on the issue of Church quote Acts 2:41-47 as our best example. This is such an amazing section of scripture. I think I have written 3 blog posts, not including this one, referencing that passage. It is easy to get people to see the difference between then and now when we look to these and other similar passages. Yet these passages are descriptive, short, and clearly not step by step instructions.
My point is this, we often see the Early Church as this unstoppable force who never made mistakes. That is just not so. They still messed up. In fact, most of the letters of Paul dealt with in some shape or form correcting errors in the early Church. Look at the Corinthians, they had issues! Most of the letters seem to be addressing positive and negatives in these new Churches. These letters do not contain complete and clear instructions on how we are to gather. There is little source material for us to make our opinions. Yes, some things are clearer then others, but to say your method is the only method scriptures allow is arrogant and wrong. If this were so the Scriptures would speak much clearer on our methodology.
Here are just a few examples from scripture of differences in methodology from the book of Acts. Peter chose to stay in Jerusalem to talk about Jesus. Paul chose to go to other countries to talk about Jesus. Peter seemed to desire developing a hierarchy. Paul seemed to find willing and gifted men and women to equip one another. Peter tried to let go of the traditions while still holding on to them. Paul seemed to at least on some level attempt to be all things to all men. Both men set good and bad examples in Acts, yet they were used powerfully by the Holy Spirit to share Jesus with people. The good news of Christ still spread. People could not stop talking about him, and that still goes on today.
So let me just step on all our toes. If you look at Institutional Churches, you would think the scriptures say gather, sing 3 upbeat songs, 2 contemplative songs, one person preach, get the peoples money, and dismiss in prayer. If you look at Organic Churches you would think the scriptures say you must not have leaders, you must not build buildings, you must avoid organization, you must gather in homes, you must not hold to any form of tradition, and if someone can categorize or define your gathering you are no longer a true organic church.
I think if we were really using the Scriptures as a guideline things would look different inside and outside the establishment. I do not think we can ever totally recreate the early church without the Holy Spirits leading, and maybe we are not supposed to. I do however think that we can learn from the Early Church as good and bad examples where necessary. We can lay our foundations in Scripture alone and our practices can look different.
Both sides need to beware of confirmation bias and selective reasoning, especially when we claim the Scriptures leading. It is easy to see and pin-point in others, but near impossible to pin-point in yourself.
Conclusion?
I really am frustrated with this post. This has been about a month in the making and I still am not satisfied with it. I do not think or claim to have all the answers. God seems to be shattering so much of my ideas of what this should look like on a daily basis. The past year he has brought me to a point that I love to be at, but can honestly say it is way far from where I ever thought I would be. I hope I have given a clear account for why I believe the way I do am find myself where I am. I feel like I am trying to intellectualize what is on my heart and I do not like to do that.
I love that there are People who believe the way I do and decided to practice it in a visibly different way. In fact that just gets me more and more excited to be apart of the Body of Christ. I have nothing negative to say about my Brother Jamal, and others like him who have reset the machine. I love what you are doing and I pray that God gives you growth not just for your efforts, but because you have responded with what you know about Him, and Him alone. Please teach the truth of Gods Word with His words.
I pray that we all are convinced by God and his leading and not mans teachings.
I pray that our lives reflect what we claim we believe about God.
I pray that we are acting in obedience to the entirety of Scripture.
I pray that we are allowing God to work through us all.
I pray that we all act in love and honor towards one another.
I pray that we all know Him deeper through His words.
I pray that HE changes us all.
How else can I pray for you?
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Pressing the Reset Button
In my last post, The Reset Button, I used the awesome illustration of my awesomely bearded friend Tarry resetting a video game because he knew it could be done better. I used this illustration to talk about 3 different responses we take concerning the traditional Church.
1. Keep going despite (or in line) with our beliefs.
2. Press the Reset Button to start over, abandoning the way things are.
3. Press the Power Button and just walk away altogether.
I had mentioned that I would like to have a Guest Blogger explain why they chose to press The Reset Button. Jamal Jivanjee has pressed the Reset Button. He is my Guest today. Not only that, but Jamal has agreed to answer any questions you have in a follow up post. Post your questions below and I will pass them on to him!
Jamal has abandoned the "institutional" way things have been done for a different perspective. Regardless of your opinions on methodology of what "Church" is or is not, this Son of God has acted in line with his beliefs. Jamal is not just producing more problems without a solution, he is constructing as well. Far too often we see people just give up and walk away, however, Jamal has chosen to start over from scratch. I have nothing but respect for Jamal and his desire and courage to be more then just an bystander. Read his own words and seek to understand his position.
Here is how you can check him out for yourself!
http://jamaljivanjee.com/
Twitter: @JamalJivanjee
Facebook:Jamal Javanjee
I do not want to do anything else but give him the opportunity to express his heart.
________________________________________________________________________________
First, I'd like to begin this post by thanking you Tim for this invitation to present such a delicate topic. This conversation takes a lot of courage to have, and many people who hold positions such as yours are not able to speak freely about these kinds of issues. May your courage spread far and wide!
I understand that there are many genuine believers in Christ who will not agree with this post, and I recognize that there are many genuine believers who faithfully serve the Lord in the institutional system. My desire is not to offend or insult anyone, but to honor Tim's request to explain why I have decided to make the decision to hit the 'Re-set' button and leave. This post is not meant to be an exhaustive discourse, but hopefully the beginning of a deeper conversation. As a result, I will include links throughout this post to additional articles written about the subject. Be on the lookout for these links. With that said, let's jump into the conversation.
Institutional Church?
I hear this term thrown around a lot today. Personally, I greatly dislike the term 'institutional Church'. I try not to use those two words together because the two words are actually oxymorons in my opinion. They cancel each other out. There is nothing 'institutional' about the church in the same way there is nothing synthetic about vegetables. The institution is a non-living system. It's a structure set up through charters and constitutions. Like any company, it needs a set of goals (mission) and a clearly defined hierarchy to exist. The church, however, is a living, breathing entity. The church is the very body of Jesus Christ made up of many living body parts (people). Simply put, the church is Jesus Christ in people. The scriptures are quite clear about this.
The term 'institutional' is used to describe the manner or system in which some people come together and function. Mankind seems to have a need to carve things up and slap a label on them. While the terms 'organic' and 'institutional' help us to identify and contrast, in reality, the 'institutional' or 'organic' church does not exist. From the Lord's perspective there is only *one* body made up of many parts because there is only *one* Christ. (1 Cor. 12:12-13)
Step 1 Out of The Institution: A Vantage Point Shift
I became a believer when I was eighteen years of age, and it didn't take long for me to see that there was something radically wrong. The Christ I fell in love with, and the church I read about in the scriptures, was not being expressed in what was being presented to me as 'church'. At the time, I didn't know why I felt this way. It was simply something I knew deep down in my spirit.
Fortunately, as a new believer in Christ, the Lord put a mentor in my life that also seemed to question the same things. This gave me 'permission', so to speak, to not just swallow what was being presented to me. Eventually, I went off to a religious university to be trained for the professional ministry. After college, I planted an institution and was employed as a 'Lead' Pastor for a little over four years before I stepped down.
During this time of working 'behind the curtain', my suspicions were confirmed. The 'church' I was trained to plant was not the New Testament church in any way, shape, or form. Although the Lord did many good things in the organization I helped to establish, I knew it was only a shadow. I knew there was so much more to the church I read about in scripture. An extended trip overseas to witness the body of Christ outside of a 'Western' grid only confirmed this.
Upon returning from this trip, a couple of key things happened to me. First, I heard Francis Chan (popular evangelical author / Pastor) say something that I had been thinking since I became a believer. He said this:
If I had been raised on a deserted island, had never been to bible college, had only read the scriptures, and had never saw an (institutional) church before, I would never recognize my own church as anything remotely similar to the church that is described in the New Testament. - Francis Chan
That stunned me. Up to that point, I had never heard anyone who was a member of the clergy class say anything like that about their own church they were leading. I knew he was right, however. A short time after that, I was spending some time with a person who had spent years on staff with, and mentored by, another well known and respected author / Pastor in the evangelical world. This man's mentor was a person whom had also influenced me from afar. Like tens of thousands of other Christians, I had read many of his books. He was considered an expert on theology and the church. I asked my friend a very frank question:
"During your time on the church staff with (unnamed respected celebrity pastor), did you see and experience what you would consider the New Testament church?"
Without hesitation he said "No way." My friend was simply being honest. He had no 'axe' to grind and genuinely loved this Pastor. When I heard him say this, I felt the Lord give me a new sense of freedom from looking to these people as experts. These popular evangelical 'experts' were propagating a 'system' that was clearly not found in the New Testament. They were simply propagating a system that had been in place for hundreds of years that they had not questioned or examined. For me, I sensed the Lord showing me that it was time to stop blaming people for the church's problems, and start examining the very 'system' itself.
From man's vantage point, we see the church through an organizational grid of more than 33,000 different sects and denominations. There is absolutely no scriptural justification for this. While many would agree that there is only one church, the practice on the ground denies this. A quick drive down the street in any American city will demonstrate this. In one city will exist several 'separate' churches with their own names, logos, clerical staffs, and doctrinal positions. This is foreign to the New Testament. The city of Corinth, Ephesus, Sardis, Rome, etc... had no 'First Baptist', or 'Vineyard' or 'New Life', (insert your church name here). There was simply the church in Corinth, Ephesus, Rome, Nashville, etc...
While there may have been several groups meeting together that were scattered across a city or region, they did not see themselves as separate churches. The New Testament only identifies one church community as distinct from another based on geographic location. This is certainly not the case in today's religious system.
The Lord does not carve up the body of His beloved Son the way mankind has done. He only sees one body. He does not recognize the organizational grids, names, logos, by-laws, etc... that we have created. He does not see us as members of 'crossroads community church' (for example), He simply sees us as members of His beloved Son.
Since the Lord sees His bride through the 'grid' of His one and only Son, I stopped seeing and associating with the church through the man-made labels that have been created by man. As you may be able to imagine, viewing the church this way can cause problems if you remain in institutional life:)
This shift in the 'vantage point' of how I see the church was step one in my journey out of the institution.
(click here to read more about the difference between a church and a faction)
Step 2 Out of The Institution: Knowledge of Church History & The Clergy / Laity Error
Like many Christians, I read the scriptures and read words like 'church', 'elder', 'pastor', 'ministry', etc... and read into those words what I had experienced in the Western American Church context. As I studied the context and history of the New Testament, however, it became undeniably clear to me that those terms meant something completely different than what I thought they meant. Jesus Christ abolished the 'selective priesthood' and the concept of an external 'temple' made by human hands. In Christ, we are all priests. In Christ, we are being fashioned together into a living holy temple. (1 Pet. 2:5,9)
As I investigated church history, I saw that this New Testament understanding of Christ began to dissipate greatly in the second and third centuries. Instead of understanding Christ (and His body) as being the 'temple', cathedrals and religious edifices were constructed and referred to as 'churches / temples'. Religious life, money, and focus shifted to these new entities. There are reasons for this, but that is another subject for another day.
The New Testament Greek word 'Cleros' means one who receives a 'lot' or 'inheritance'. The Greek word 'Cleros' is also where the word 'clergy' comes from. Scripture indicates that all who are 'in Christ' have received Christ Himself as our 'lot' or 'inheritance'. In the New Testament, the term 'Cleros' (clergy) is actually used to describe the entire church! Unfortunately, in the second and third centuries, the term 'clergy' began to be applied to a select group within the church to reinforce a hierarchical understanding of church leadership. This led to the creation of the unbiblical 'clergy / laity' system that continues intact to this very day. There is much more that needs to be said about this, but for time's sake here, I'd like to recommend some excellent resources out there that carefully examine the history of our modern church practices that are rooted in the unbiblical 'clergy / laity' divide:
a. Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola & George Barna
b. The Pastor Has No Clothes by Jon Zens
Both of these books are written respectfully, but honestly, regarding the presentation of historical data that illustrate how the institutional understanding of 'church' and 'clergy' came about. I only recommend these books to those who really want to know where the roots of the current clerical / Pastoral system came from. Those who are satisfied with the current system should not read these books.
I also have written an article about the non-hierarchical nature of New Testament church leadership. Click here to read it.
Step 3 Out of The Institution: The Necessity of Expressing Jesus Christ
It saddens my heart to hear the way much of the 'institutional vs. Organic' church conversation is played out. I hear these terms tossed around as if they describe two different styles or 'methods' of how to have a church meeting, or two different flavors of ice cream. In my opinion, that could not be further from the truth. When people see the 'institutional' or 'organic' church conversation as being simply about methodology, it is a sign to me that they are blind to the much larger issue at hand. This is not about simply discovering a more 'biblical' way to function as the church, it is about having a correct understanding of the very person of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has a Head, and He also has a Body.
Christ as Head
Jesus Christ is the Head (direction setter, origin, and source of life) of the church. This is not something that He delegates to one person in the church, or a select group of people in the church. As my eyes were opened to Christ as the Head of the church, the more I saw the tragedy of the institutional system that places a clerical leader(s), or group of people in that position. When an entire community of people begin to look to Christ as the Head, and not another member of the body, the body of Christ can be free to function and express Christ without the hierarchical box that unfortunately keeps the saints from fully expressing Him.
Christ in the Body
Ephesians 1:23 states a often overlooked, yet profound truth about the church. The fullness of this person of Jesus Christ who "fills all in all", will only be found in and through the people who are 'in Christ'. Simply put, it is the members of His body as they function together with one another by His divine life that actually manifest the fullness of Jesus Christ. This is why the saints must be free to express Christ in church meetings, and in community life with one another.
The New Testament church knew nothing of the passive condition of today's attenders who come to sing a few songs led by a select band on a stage, listen to a preselected person deliver a sermon to an audience, drop a few dollars in the plate, and go home. The scriptures are clear about the purpose of church meetings. They were a time in which each person in Christ was meant to come and bring a contribution of Christ. They were to come speaking Christ with one another, edifying one another, and building one another up. Each member is to minister (serve) Christ to the body. When the church is equipped for the work of 'ministry' (Eph 4:11-13), it is a stunning sight to be a part of and behold!
I have been a part of institutions who have tried to make cosmetic changes to their 'methodology' in order to function in a more 'organic' way, but it has never worked. In my experience, it is like putting lipstick on a pig thinking it will become something different. The real issue lies below the surface. In the institution, there is a monumental elephant in the room that few are willing to address. Simply making cosmetic changes to the same system will not address or remove the 'elephant'.
I'll never forget the first time I caught a glimpse of the church that had no 'clergy / laity' divide in which all the members had been equipped to express Christ. I saw the headship of Christ, and the fullness of Him manifested in that body of believers in a way that I had never seen before. The sight of Christ was so beautiful that I knew at that moment that I had to leave the institution. I have never looked back. It has been one of the greatest decisions of my life!
To read more about the Headship of Christ, click here.
To read more about the Body of Christ, click here.
Conclusion
Although this is a long article, it is only the beginning of the conversation. In my journey, I have discovered that those who have a hard time separating 'leadership' from 'headship' or 'hierarchy' have a hard time understanding how a church community can function with no clergy. In my opinion, true biblical leadership actually comes alive and thrives when hierarchy is removed and Christ's headship is established in a body of believers who are being built together. It is beautiful!
Those who are willing to lay down their lives and lay down their preconceived ideas will be good candidates for this journey. This is a journey that must be experienced. Armchair quarterbacks are not qualified as it takes more than reading a few books to become aquatinted with Christ and His body.
Many blessings to you as you embark on this difficult, but worthwhile journey!
Jamal Jivanjee
1. Keep going despite (or in line) with our beliefs.
2. Press the Reset Button to start over, abandoning the way things are.
3. Press the Power Button and just walk away altogether.
I had mentioned that I would like to have a Guest Blogger explain why they chose to press The Reset Button. Jamal Jivanjee has pressed the Reset Button. He is my Guest today. Not only that, but Jamal has agreed to answer any questions you have in a follow up post. Post your questions below and I will pass them on to him!
Jamal has abandoned the "institutional" way things have been done for a different perspective. Regardless of your opinions on methodology of what "Church" is or is not, this Son of God has acted in line with his beliefs. Jamal is not just producing more problems without a solution, he is constructing as well. Far too often we see people just give up and walk away, however, Jamal has chosen to start over from scratch. I have nothing but respect for Jamal and his desire and courage to be more then just an bystander. Read his own words and seek to understand his position.
Here is how you can check him out for yourself!
http://jamaljivanjee.com/
Twitter: @JamalJivanjee
Facebook:Jamal Javanjee
I do not want to do anything else but give him the opportunity to express his heart.
________________________________________________________________________________
First, I'd like to begin this post by thanking you Tim for this invitation to present such a delicate topic. This conversation takes a lot of courage to have, and many people who hold positions such as yours are not able to speak freely about these kinds of issues. May your courage spread far and wide!
I understand that there are many genuine believers in Christ who will not agree with this post, and I recognize that there are many genuine believers who faithfully serve the Lord in the institutional system. My desire is not to offend or insult anyone, but to honor Tim's request to explain why I have decided to make the decision to hit the 'Re-set' button and leave. This post is not meant to be an exhaustive discourse, but hopefully the beginning of a deeper conversation. As a result, I will include links throughout this post to additional articles written about the subject. Be on the lookout for these links. With that said, let's jump into the conversation.
Institutional Church?
I hear this term thrown around a lot today. Personally, I greatly dislike the term 'institutional Church'. I try not to use those two words together because the two words are actually oxymorons in my opinion. They cancel each other out. There is nothing 'institutional' about the church in the same way there is nothing synthetic about vegetables. The institution is a non-living system. It's a structure set up through charters and constitutions. Like any company, it needs a set of goals (mission) and a clearly defined hierarchy to exist. The church, however, is a living, breathing entity. The church is the very body of Jesus Christ made up of many living body parts (people). Simply put, the church is Jesus Christ in people. The scriptures are quite clear about this.
The term 'institutional' is used to describe the manner or system in which some people come together and function. Mankind seems to have a need to carve things up and slap a label on them. While the terms 'organic' and 'institutional' help us to identify and contrast, in reality, the 'institutional' or 'organic' church does not exist. From the Lord's perspective there is only *one* body made up of many parts because there is only *one* Christ. (1 Cor. 12:12-13)
Step 1 Out of The Institution: A Vantage Point Shift
I became a believer when I was eighteen years of age, and it didn't take long for me to see that there was something radically wrong. The Christ I fell in love with, and the church I read about in the scriptures, was not being expressed in what was being presented to me as 'church'. At the time, I didn't know why I felt this way. It was simply something I knew deep down in my spirit.
Fortunately, as a new believer in Christ, the Lord put a mentor in my life that also seemed to question the same things. This gave me 'permission', so to speak, to not just swallow what was being presented to me. Eventually, I went off to a religious university to be trained for the professional ministry. After college, I planted an institution and was employed as a 'Lead' Pastor for a little over four years before I stepped down.
During this time of working 'behind the curtain', my suspicions were confirmed. The 'church' I was trained to plant was not the New Testament church in any way, shape, or form. Although the Lord did many good things in the organization I helped to establish, I knew it was only a shadow. I knew there was so much more to the church I read about in scripture. An extended trip overseas to witness the body of Christ outside of a 'Western' grid only confirmed this.
Upon returning from this trip, a couple of key things happened to me. First, I heard Francis Chan (popular evangelical author / Pastor) say something that I had been thinking since I became a believer. He said this:
If I had been raised on a deserted island, had never been to bible college, had only read the scriptures, and had never saw an (institutional) church before, I would never recognize my own church as anything remotely similar to the church that is described in the New Testament. - Francis Chan
That stunned me. Up to that point, I had never heard anyone who was a member of the clergy class say anything like that about their own church they were leading. I knew he was right, however. A short time after that, I was spending some time with a person who had spent years on staff with, and mentored by, another well known and respected author / Pastor in the evangelical world. This man's mentor was a person whom had also influenced me from afar. Like tens of thousands of other Christians, I had read many of his books. He was considered an expert on theology and the church. I asked my friend a very frank question:
"During your time on the church staff with (unnamed respected celebrity pastor), did you see and experience what you would consider the New Testament church?"
Without hesitation he said "No way." My friend was simply being honest. He had no 'axe' to grind and genuinely loved this Pastor. When I heard him say this, I felt the Lord give me a new sense of freedom from looking to these people as experts. These popular evangelical 'experts' were propagating a 'system' that was clearly not found in the New Testament. They were simply propagating a system that had been in place for hundreds of years that they had not questioned or examined. For me, I sensed the Lord showing me that it was time to stop blaming people for the church's problems, and start examining the very 'system' itself.
From man's vantage point, we see the church through an organizational grid of more than 33,000 different sects and denominations. There is absolutely no scriptural justification for this. While many would agree that there is only one church, the practice on the ground denies this. A quick drive down the street in any American city will demonstrate this. In one city will exist several 'separate' churches with their own names, logos, clerical staffs, and doctrinal positions. This is foreign to the New Testament. The city of Corinth, Ephesus, Sardis, Rome, etc... had no 'First Baptist', or 'Vineyard' or 'New Life', (insert your church name here). There was simply the church in Corinth, Ephesus, Rome, Nashville, etc...
While there may have been several groups meeting together that were scattered across a city or region, they did not see themselves as separate churches. The New Testament only identifies one church community as distinct from another based on geographic location. This is certainly not the case in today's religious system.
The Lord does not carve up the body of His beloved Son the way mankind has done. He only sees one body. He does not recognize the organizational grids, names, logos, by-laws, etc... that we have created. He does not see us as members of 'crossroads community church' (for example), He simply sees us as members of His beloved Son.
Since the Lord sees His bride through the 'grid' of His one and only Son, I stopped seeing and associating with the church through the man-made labels that have been created by man. As you may be able to imagine, viewing the church this way can cause problems if you remain in institutional life:)
This shift in the 'vantage point' of how I see the church was step one in my journey out of the institution.
(click here to read more about the difference between a church and a faction)
Step 2 Out of The Institution: Knowledge of Church History & The Clergy / Laity Error
Like many Christians, I read the scriptures and read words like 'church', 'elder', 'pastor', 'ministry', etc... and read into those words what I had experienced in the Western American Church context. As I studied the context and history of the New Testament, however, it became undeniably clear to me that those terms meant something completely different than what I thought they meant. Jesus Christ abolished the 'selective priesthood' and the concept of an external 'temple' made by human hands. In Christ, we are all priests. In Christ, we are being fashioned together into a living holy temple. (1 Pet. 2:5,9)
As I investigated church history, I saw that this New Testament understanding of Christ began to dissipate greatly in the second and third centuries. Instead of understanding Christ (and His body) as being the 'temple', cathedrals and religious edifices were constructed and referred to as 'churches / temples'. Religious life, money, and focus shifted to these new entities. There are reasons for this, but that is another subject for another day.
The New Testament Greek word 'Cleros' means one who receives a 'lot' or 'inheritance'. The Greek word 'Cleros' is also where the word 'clergy' comes from. Scripture indicates that all who are 'in Christ' have received Christ Himself as our 'lot' or 'inheritance'. In the New Testament, the term 'Cleros' (clergy) is actually used to describe the entire church! Unfortunately, in the second and third centuries, the term 'clergy' began to be applied to a select group within the church to reinforce a hierarchical understanding of church leadership. This led to the creation of the unbiblical 'clergy / laity' system that continues intact to this very day. There is much more that needs to be said about this, but for time's sake here, I'd like to recommend some excellent resources out there that carefully examine the history of our modern church practices that are rooted in the unbiblical 'clergy / laity' divide:
a. Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola & George Barna
b. The Pastor Has No Clothes by Jon Zens
Both of these books are written respectfully, but honestly, regarding the presentation of historical data that illustrate how the institutional understanding of 'church' and 'clergy' came about. I only recommend these books to those who really want to know where the roots of the current clerical / Pastoral system came from. Those who are satisfied with the current system should not read these books.
I also have written an article about the non-hierarchical nature of New Testament church leadership. Click here to read it.
Step 3 Out of The Institution: The Necessity of Expressing Jesus Christ
It saddens my heart to hear the way much of the 'institutional vs. Organic' church conversation is played out. I hear these terms tossed around as if they describe two different styles or 'methods' of how to have a church meeting, or two different flavors of ice cream. In my opinion, that could not be further from the truth. When people see the 'institutional' or 'organic' church conversation as being simply about methodology, it is a sign to me that they are blind to the much larger issue at hand. This is not about simply discovering a more 'biblical' way to function as the church, it is about having a correct understanding of the very person of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has a Head, and He also has a Body.
Christ as Head
Jesus Christ is the Head (direction setter, origin, and source of life) of the church. This is not something that He delegates to one person in the church, or a select group of people in the church. As my eyes were opened to Christ as the Head of the church, the more I saw the tragedy of the institutional system that places a clerical leader(s), or group of people in that position. When an entire community of people begin to look to Christ as the Head, and not another member of the body, the body of Christ can be free to function and express Christ without the hierarchical box that unfortunately keeps the saints from fully expressing Him.
Christ in the Body
Ephesians 1:23 states a often overlooked, yet profound truth about the church. The fullness of this person of Jesus Christ who "fills all in all", will only be found in and through the people who are 'in Christ'. Simply put, it is the members of His body as they function together with one another by His divine life that actually manifest the fullness of Jesus Christ. This is why the saints must be free to express Christ in church meetings, and in community life with one another.
The New Testament church knew nothing of the passive condition of today's attenders who come to sing a few songs led by a select band on a stage, listen to a preselected person deliver a sermon to an audience, drop a few dollars in the plate, and go home. The scriptures are clear about the purpose of church meetings. They were a time in which each person in Christ was meant to come and bring a contribution of Christ. They were to come speaking Christ with one another, edifying one another, and building one another up. Each member is to minister (serve) Christ to the body. When the church is equipped for the work of 'ministry' (Eph 4:11-13), it is a stunning sight to be a part of and behold!
I have been a part of institutions who have tried to make cosmetic changes to their 'methodology' in order to function in a more 'organic' way, but it has never worked. In my experience, it is like putting lipstick on a pig thinking it will become something different. The real issue lies below the surface. In the institution, there is a monumental elephant in the room that few are willing to address. Simply making cosmetic changes to the same system will not address or remove the 'elephant'.
I'll never forget the first time I caught a glimpse of the church that had no 'clergy / laity' divide in which all the members had been equipped to express Christ. I saw the headship of Christ, and the fullness of Him manifested in that body of believers in a way that I had never seen before. The sight of Christ was so beautiful that I knew at that moment that I had to leave the institution. I have never looked back. It has been one of the greatest decisions of my life!
To read more about the Headship of Christ, click here.
To read more about the Body of Christ, click here.
Conclusion
Although this is a long article, it is only the beginning of the conversation. In my journey, I have discovered that those who have a hard time separating 'leadership' from 'headship' or 'hierarchy' have a hard time understanding how a church community can function with no clergy. In my opinion, true biblical leadership actually comes alive and thrives when hierarchy is removed and Christ's headship is established in a body of believers who are being built together. It is beautiful!
Those who are willing to lay down their lives and lay down their preconceived ideas will be good candidates for this journey. This is a journey that must be experienced. Armchair quarterbacks are not qualified as it takes more than reading a few books to become aquatinted with Christ and His body.
Many blessings to you as you embark on this difficult, but worthwhile journey!
Jamal Jivanjee
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The Reset Button
I had a friend over. We were playing Tiger Woods on my Xbox 360. I will not name my friend. If you know me, there is a chance that you probably know him. For the sake of embarrassment I will not name him. I will not tell you he helps lead the college ministry at a Church in Murfreesboro, TN. I will not say that he is well known, bearded, and an awesome man altogether. I will not name him. I will however give him an appropriate fake name. Lets just call him..... Tarry.
Right. Tarry.
Were was I? Right... Playing Tiger Woods with my awesome bearded friend Tarry.
Tarry is very good at playing almost every game known to man. Yet on this particular day I was beating Tarry, and beating him good. It was amazing because I never beat Tarry at anything, however on this day I was DESTROYING Tarry. We were pretty significantly into the game when I notice he was starting to get frustrated. What happens next is something I hope lives forever as an amazing illustration that I use for the rest of my life. (Sorry Tarry!)
Tarry restarted the game.
He just pressed the button and BLAMO... The game was reset. Tarry really should have been destroying me, yet things were not going that way. Tarry absolutely knew it could be done better, so he pressed the reset button.
Tarry had 3 options.
1. Keep moving along despite his belief.
2. Press the Reset Button.
3. Press the Power Button and just walk away.
The Reset Button and Church
I have before mentioned that on the journey God has taken me on I have been challenged to look to the words of God to see what HE is expecting from us as the Church. You can find 2 of these posts Here and Here. There are so many people like me who see several issues with what the Church as a whole has become. We make some pretty compelling points that I think need to be addressed. We also make the mistakes of over-generalization, nit-picking, speaking negatively, and at times just being arrogant. Modern day Christianity has some serious issues. We truly believe things can be done more in line with scripture. So what do we do?
Is it time to press the Reset Button?
Even though I personally would like to see the Church as a whole start from scratch, I realize this decision ultimately falls to the individuals who make up the Church. I personally have not pressed the reset button, yet. I know many who, out of either bitterness or pure intentions, have thrown away the institutional model of Church. I would like to have one of these people do a guest blog post on "Why they chose to press the Reset Button". (If you fit that mold and are interested, let me know!) Here is an example.
I personally have not gotten to this point... yet. I feel like I am very blessed by God, geography, and life events to have found myself amongst many wise and like minded mentors, brothers and sisters. We are looking at the words of God, asking appropriate questions, and attempting to act on what we believe. The funny thing about this process is it just kind of blends the institution with the organic modes of Church. Not only that, but it takes a lot of time to act on what we are learning to be true. One benefit of pressing the reset button is the immediacy. One drawback is you have potential to lose all progress and connections to individuals who are potentially seeing things in a similar light, but just can not express it.
I will personally address the other reasons behind why I have not pressed the reset button yet in another post.
The Reset Button vs The Power Button
I also see one thing that has broken my heart and fueled my passion to at least have this discussion in a public manner. I have seen many people who have similar questions as mine not press the reset button, but press the power button and just stop playing completely. This hurts me deeply.
So many have just completely given up on Church because it is not what it should be. There is a saying going around that says "I have given up on the Church, not God". There is a lot of research out there and a lot of statistics that in a variety of ways affirm this sentiment. There are a lot of individuals who have just gotten sick of the show Christianity has become. They know it should be different, but instead of seeking an alternative just walked away.
I want to help you in anyway I can to find a gathering of believers. We do not need a building, an institution, or even a church organization. We do need one another. If you read the words of God I hope that you see there is an expectation for us to not live out our journeys in Christ alone. Just look at Jesus, even when he would seek solitude, someone was always nearby.
I am not saying that everyone who has rejected the Church are honestly seeking the truth of what the words of God lead us to. I know many people have left over hurt, selfishness, pride, sin, unwillingness to seek the truth, or several other reasons. If this describes you, I am sorry the circumstances turned out the way it did. I would love to buy you coffee, chat, and hear your heart.
What have you decided to do?
As mentioned before, this comes down to an individuals response. You get to choose for yourself how to handle your beliefs. You may not see any need to change. You may see a need but have no clue what to do. You may have felt this way for a while and are ready to just give up. You may have tried and tried but felt alone and ran. You may know things need to change and are ready for the next steps. Regardless of where you are at let me ask you personally a few questions.
1. Why have you decided to keep going, reset, or power off?
2. What wisdom would you pass on to others who are considering this decision?
3. What positives and negatives accompanied your choice?
Right. Tarry.
Were was I? Right... Playing Tiger Woods with my awesome bearded friend Tarry.
Tarry is very good at playing almost every game known to man. Yet on this particular day I was beating Tarry, and beating him good. It was amazing because I never beat Tarry at anything, however on this day I was DESTROYING Tarry. We were pretty significantly into the game when I notice he was starting to get frustrated. What happens next is something I hope lives forever as an amazing illustration that I use for the rest of my life. (Sorry Tarry!)
Tarry restarted the game.
He just pressed the button and BLAMO... The game was reset. Tarry really should have been destroying me, yet things were not going that way. Tarry absolutely knew it could be done better, so he pressed the reset button.
Tarry had 3 options.
1. Keep moving along despite his belief.
2. Press the Reset Button.
3. Press the Power Button and just walk away.
The Reset Button and Church
I have before mentioned that on the journey God has taken me on I have been challenged to look to the words of God to see what HE is expecting from us as the Church. You can find 2 of these posts Here and Here. There are so many people like me who see several issues with what the Church as a whole has become. We make some pretty compelling points that I think need to be addressed. We also make the mistakes of over-generalization, nit-picking, speaking negatively, and at times just being arrogant. Modern day Christianity has some serious issues. We truly believe things can be done more in line with scripture. So what do we do?
Is it time to press the Reset Button?
Even though I personally would like to see the Church as a whole start from scratch, I realize this decision ultimately falls to the individuals who make up the Church. I personally have not pressed the reset button, yet. I know many who, out of either bitterness or pure intentions, have thrown away the institutional model of Church. I would like to have one of these people do a guest blog post on "Why they chose to press the Reset Button". (If you fit that mold and are interested, let me know!) Here is an example.
I personally have not gotten to this point... yet. I feel like I am very blessed by God, geography, and life events to have found myself amongst many wise and like minded mentors, brothers and sisters. We are looking at the words of God, asking appropriate questions, and attempting to act on what we believe. The funny thing about this process is it just kind of blends the institution with the organic modes of Church. Not only that, but it takes a lot of time to act on what we are learning to be true. One benefit of pressing the reset button is the immediacy. One drawback is you have potential to lose all progress and connections to individuals who are potentially seeing things in a similar light, but just can not express it.
I will personally address the other reasons behind why I have not pressed the reset button yet in another post.
The Reset Button vs The Power Button
I also see one thing that has broken my heart and fueled my passion to at least have this discussion in a public manner. I have seen many people who have similar questions as mine not press the reset button, but press the power button and just stop playing completely. This hurts me deeply.
So many have just completely given up on Church because it is not what it should be. There is a saying going around that says "I have given up on the Church, not God". There is a lot of research out there and a lot of statistics that in a variety of ways affirm this sentiment. There are a lot of individuals who have just gotten sick of the show Christianity has become. They know it should be different, but instead of seeking an alternative just walked away.
I want to help you in anyway I can to find a gathering of believers. We do not need a building, an institution, or even a church organization. We do need one another. If you read the words of God I hope that you see there is an expectation for us to not live out our journeys in Christ alone. Just look at Jesus, even when he would seek solitude, someone was always nearby.
I am not saying that everyone who has rejected the Church are honestly seeking the truth of what the words of God lead us to. I know many people have left over hurt, selfishness, pride, sin, unwillingness to seek the truth, or several other reasons. If this describes you, I am sorry the circumstances turned out the way it did. I would love to buy you coffee, chat, and hear your heart.
What have you decided to do?
As mentioned before, this comes down to an individuals response. You get to choose for yourself how to handle your beliefs. You may not see any need to change. You may see a need but have no clue what to do. You may have felt this way for a while and are ready to just give up. You may have tried and tried but felt alone and ran. You may know things need to change and are ready for the next steps. Regardless of where you are at let me ask you personally a few questions.
1. Why have you decided to keep going, reset, or power off?
2. What wisdom would you pass on to others who are considering this decision?
3. What positives and negatives accompanied your choice?
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