Family Truths – Are they?

One of the chief things we do that dishonor God and those in the church and community is not doing the hard work of examen. 

 As you read the first paragraph you may have tried to change the “typo” examen to examine, and may not have picked up the not so subtle difference in the two thoughts conveyed in the different words.    

 Researchers tell us that 95% or more of the time – we clearly do not think before speaking (or acting), and when we do think, we do so typically based on what we feel or think at the moment. Much of what we feel or think depends on what we’ve been taught or caught along the way. 

 Alternatively, we can, in the remaining 3-5% of the time that we do take the time to think, look at things through the filter of our feelings or through examen; to weigh what we are considering against or in light of the Scriptures. Beyond most often reacting instead of thinking, we nearly always do so from our feelings and “training”, and fail to look at the assumptions and biases we have in light of God’s Word. The Scriptures were granted as Truth, not blind faith, for thousands of years, until our modern post-Christian era when “science” without Scriptures or God became the new rule. They were Truth because of the vast records that showed them to be proven truths.  

 We have all caught, been trained, educated, and socialized by our childhood, family, friends, teachers, dare I say it, media, and the aspects of American culture we live in, to see nearly everything and people in particular ways, and much of that does not stack well against God’s word.   

 Whether we were raised in a home where our values came from Buddhism, Christianity, Mormonism, Catholicism, Atheism, Agnosticism, etc., we for the most part accepted as real what our parents, classmates, teachers, clergy, the street, etc., taught us. And most of it without much thought.

 Socrates was noted for saying “The unexamined life is not worth living”, but I’d like to change it to “The life without examen is not worth living”. Examining things through our filters, we are sure to run off-course, unless we take the time for examen throughout our day. We will interpret what we read, what is said to us, by all that above input without looking at what and how God may view it. Yes, it takes hard work to view it with Him.

 We mostly live our lives without ever reflecting on the stories we’ve been told about any given topic and other people who are different from us in one way or another. Do you know that much of that may well be untruthful? Consequently, we perpetuate the myths and stereotypes subconsciously. Change and healing require us to develop a deep level of self-awareness. One component for that is to slow down so we can take stock of what it is that we have come to believe.

 As a personal example, many years ago we had hired a teen girl to clean our home, run errands, etc., and we thought of her and treated her as ‘family’. My mother came to visit one year and took me aside because this girl ate meals with us. “Servants never should be ‘permitted’ to be that familiar with you“, mom said. I had never given much actual consideration to why workers in my childhood home always eat alone, until mom’s comment. It started me on a journey to search for other Farr/Lula family ‘truths‘ that I’d been exposed to, and never chosen to evaluate with godly understanding. Growing up with an ethnic mother who had been raised understandably with some good and some decidedly unbiblical ideas that carefully divided spiritual life from real-life. I had managed somehow to have some healthy thinking but I’m pretty sure that many of those unchallenged family truths I ponder now have affected my view of other things and people yet today, and some of those that are false, I am not proud of. 

 The range of topics affected by such things is mind-boggling, from foods, cars, driving, athletics, people, work, down to the very items we use daily. We all may even choose what is acceptable in clothing, hair-styles, piercings, tattoos, on our caught values. While it could be good or less than good for example, we may trade cars (think Cell phones too) as our parents did. If you have not heard the story of the woman who after 3 generations asked why she needed to cut the end of the Sunday ham off before baking it, search Google or click here. In this case, it took three generations to reach the truth.

  We are bombarded by the media, magazines, internet blogs, and podcasts into every imaginable thread of thinking, and most of it is aimed with an attempt to sway our thinking, but seldom, if ever, are we offered the Scripture’s take on the presented view. Listening to what we hear and read will naturally fit or be rejected for a while into our preconceived way of thinking until we’ve heard their message long enough and loud enough to begin the process of modifying our views. That’s why most healthcare and Christian groups have been encouraging us to shut off the television, radio, and other sources of non-stop modern propaganda and fear-mongering especially since the pandemic got into higher gears. Politics too has raised its ugly head for a century or more and unfortunately you can’t easily find a source from the Left, Right, or even Christian media leaning that will actually point us to something productive and helpful. At present, two main topics in the “news” would be the pandemic and racial issues.

 Even that we call it “racism” is a biblical misnomer, for God created one race. Didn’t it start in Genesis 16 with Ishmael and Isaac? And was that racism, ethnicism, or just family jealousy?

 I don’t buy the “white privilege” nonsense I read about, because the Bible tells us that any human being belongs to the one-and-only ‘race’- the human race – no matter which ethnicity they claim. And we are all loved by the Trinitarian God and all of us are created in His image. Each of us has enough of our own faulty beliefs and focusing on just white Europeans is just plain nuts. Over the centuries, America has had issues and hurt nearly every different ethnic group and religion. The foolishness was humorously captured by the “Merry Minuet” 60 plus years ago by The Kingston Trio that intoned: 

“The whole world is festering with unhappy souls.

 The French hate the Germans, the Germans hate the Poles.

 Italians hate Yugoslavs, South Africans hate the Dutch.

 And I don’t like anybody very much!”

It’s not a United States of America view, it’s international and sadly most human, done without examen and those issues have caused many to be abused and killed. I feel fully blessed that when I meet someone that I no longer see, as I did in my childhood, an Italian, Pole, Englishman, Frenchman, German, African, Indian, etc., I see an American – unless they are a recent immigrant, and then hopefully they will become all American and do it without losing their native culture’s heritage unless they choose to.

 Self-awareness in light of God’s Word brings great light to our thinking in every area that makes reality step outside the camp of culture – just as God desires His children to live. 

 “For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the Holy of Holies by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, so that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.” Hebrews 13:11-13

 While it may involve many different types of things, our inherited, taught, trained views often are strictly about the differences we have with others. I had little exposure to darker-skinned people, people of other faiths like Jewish folk, day-laborers, or the super-rich as a child. For example, growing up in the mid-Atlantic states in the 1940s-50s there were no Mormons found on the streets near me, in my schools, or in my home. The views that I appropriated for many years were unchallenged by examen until I moved near Arizona’s Mormon community and discovered many Mormons with the Farr surname.

 I suspect that I’ve not even scratched beneath the surface of what I believe to be true to check it for accuracy with God’s word and character.

 That challenge is there for me – and for you perhaps – as we hear “Cancel Culture”, Black Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter, Woke, Critical Race, Revisionist History, etc. weighing them against what we have in our heart and mind to what God has revealed in the old and new Testament – particularly what was taught by Jesus.

 There may be some elements of these that are well-founded – care for those that are under-served, or oppressed, but none offer any solutions, just scorn for those who “have”, and none offer the love that Jesus taught or the redemption found in Him alone. It is Christ alone that brings hope to their broken worldview.

 Two thousand years ago He changed the world, and Satan has moved fiercely to undo it all, and the culture of the 21st century too often reflects his success. Let’s not give him a hand with his destruction, instead become strong, vocal leaders of Truth, Love, and Kindness to all.

Memorial Day 2021

Memorial Day is all American, all celebration, but we also remember the cost of the freedom we hold so dear.  There are hundreds of thousands who have given their lives in wars since Lexington and Concord in 1775 who have created those freedoms.  One has but to look at the cemeteries around the globe where lads and lassies loyal to the USA lie buried so far from home. 

There is but one race – the human race, but every ethnic group among us is represented in those graves, including many who joined the fight while ostracized or shunned by many in this country.  The exclusion and persecution you can call racism, I just call it stinking thinking – stinking, foolish, sinful, and just plain wrong since the only race is the human race, and if you recall we all have been created in God’s image and deemed by Him so highly and are one with us all and worthy for that reason alone.

Today, our flag flies (as it does 24/7) because we recognize and rejoice that this country is the very best because as has been attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville: “America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.” As a veteran I want our flag to fly as a sign that America is still good as it was founded and multiple generations of us have served.

What a wonderful day as we recall that the freedom which has made us good and able to celebrate has come at a horrific cost. I suspect few families in our land today have not been deeply touched by the recent or past lost military men and women. Many families and individuals today still suffer from those losses.

But now, I think it’s time for me to enter the political fray.

Yep, I’ve been quiet long enough, and since, like you, I have opinions, I think it is time for me to share them.   I hope you’ll not turn off your mind, but ponder what I say, because as I see it you and I have to be at some point on a continuum of Liberal (on the left I presume) and Conservative (on the right).

And it would appear that there is where the major division occurs and tempers rise and kindness and peace go out the window and violence enters in.

I’d like to take you back to a story told by a well-known professor who on a different topic would share an applicable short story with his students.  He would ask them to close their eyes and ponder getting on an airplane flight to their favorite place.  He’d say to them that on this flight you will find a seat in the fuselage, and you could freely choose the side of the isle you wanted to sit on. Either side, he would tell them will get you there – at the same time and place.  He would then ask which wing is most important, the left or the right for the success of the flight? 

The ONLY correct answer is both are equally important; one is not superior to or more necessary than the other.

Do you see the parallel I’m alluding to?

Precisely!  Just as we need a left and right wing for a successful flight, we need both the liberal and conservative views to keep our ship of state afloat.  One is not more important than the other.  That’s where the nation can thrive and that’s why the two-party system is necessary and works.  

It does work better when both parties are working for a common result — getting the airplane and country to the best destination for everyone on board (and not for special selfish interests).  Pity the passengers in a plane that loses a wing; pity the country’s inhabitants, when one party shouts down and rolls over the other.

That does work best when we all want the best of the best for the country and people, even with differing ways to get there.   We are blessed in America that we can still and freely participate in electing those we think best, encourage our leaders on both sides to stop tearing the other side down, force ALL the media to action by pulling our financial support from them until they stop bashing one side or the other and report fairly without their personal slant on things. You and I both know that both sides are guilty of all this.

And lastly for most of us, pray for God’s hand to bring sanity, love, gentleness, joy, patience, peace, kindness, faithfulness, goodness and most of all perhaps self-control to our land.

God bless America,

don

Sunday Worship Revisited

I can only imagine what the first-century church worship was like – but I’d guess they were fearfully and quietly hugging one another and eager to hear from the Old Testament and any letters from wandering leaders, but not shouting and making loud music for fear of bringing Roman authorities who might bang on their locked doors to persecute them — probably it’s that way in China today. They came to be strength for one another and for teaching of holiness and right living. Since much of the OT is focused on lamenting I’d suspect that a common thread in those services was the reading of those parts of the bible calling for individual repentance.

Thanks to COVID, each Sunday we watch two services online and attend a third. Each of the three has a very strong message from the Word of God, but stark differences in worship styles, I guess suited to differing congregational ages and with vastly different purposes.

The first has a small worship team that is on stage with a minimum of what I’d call “show” leading the congregation in some old hymns mixed with perhaps a contemporary song sung with perhaps just a guitar, keyboard, and violin, giving ease to the possibility that the congregation might join in. By their very demeanor, such worship could never be taken as performance – just leading the church with honor and quiet praise to God. However, if you went to the main worship building on this church campus, you’d find lights, fog, and in my opinion, people performing as they might in Vegas. I’m prompted to ask what heavenly purpose does this feed, and how much of it is aimed at making seekers feel at home, good, and is it focused on raising the emotions or to come before our Creator and His Son?

The second service we attend online is a large church, with a massive pipe organ, choir, orchestra, and a very good message to take us deeper into our walk with God. During COVID the smaller choir stands socially distanced with books open and sings, as it seems to me – as unto God. No fog, no rotating and flashing lights, no performances by anyone involved. On youth Sunday, even the children’s choir seemed more attentive to God than in church one or three. Nearly all look joyful, as does the first church, but they also appear more worshipful with no theatrical effects.

The third service is in a smaller church that does not feature the fog but does have rotating lights and a small group who gyrate, jump, with sound often above 80 decibels that gets their congregation swaying, waving hands, and for the most part – not singing. I can’t help but notice that many stand outside the worship center until the preaching starts to avoid the assaults to their ears and their Christ-focused mood they would like to bring to the service. I am tempted to join them, but do believe that God wants me to learn to accept the new with a good attitude and join in. I’m old school but when did the sanctuary become a worship center, née performance hall? I’m not there quite yet, but I’m working on it.

In this age where society has apparently peaked, and now is in a severe decline in morals, attitude and behavior – where is the church bringing a message of lament and repentance, and why is it not doing so? Why is it that when a church does call for prayer time, that few, very few, show up? While the world is “going to hell in a hand-basket”, the church at large seems to rally with feel-good services with no focus on what God has called His children to bring to the world. I’m certainly not against the good news that is out there, but that doesn’t seem to be shared either, and certainly is not found in the media. Perhaps the age-old saying ‘heavenly minded but no earthly good” applies somewhat because the teaching is sound and fundamental but in this author’s opinion “church” as normal fails to be making a difference in day-to-day lives in godly societal influence.

Sadly, we can see the problem, but at this point, I, you, and the rest of us may just write critiques and do little else. If change does not come from the church, the decline will continue no doubt until either God intervenes by crisis or radical “saints” raise up and start a revival of repentance and Christ-focused living.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness’
God created man in His own image, in the image of God
He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:26a, 27a

Note:  One race only – the Human Race in many colors, many tribes – one humanity.  And man has perverted these things and judges others in their differences as “less than” and “not equal to me”.  But it is not so in the Kingdom of God.  And one day, God Himself will reconcile it all to His plan and design.

“A voice is calling,  ‘Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.  “Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;  Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
And all flesh will see it  together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.’” Isaiah 40:3-5

Note: The Bible is filled from end to end with God’s plan for unity.  Such words to us: to examine our hearts to see that we are in the Faith; to give preference to others; think more of others than ourselves; to love others as we love ourselves; to care our neighbor as we do [care for] ourselves. God’s word commands us to be of the same mind as one-another, and to be at peace with all men where possible in us.

So yes, it will all happen as told in Isaiah 40 (and elsewhere in those 66 books) when God is ready to bring this age to a close, and in the meantime you and I could and can choose to embrace everyone – for everyone has been created in God’s image. 

Today our nation remembers Martin Luther King Jr. for his efforts to help us remember and recognize that all people of all colors are those created in Gods’ image, and we have the choice this day and every day to embrace every individual we encounter as just that.  

When I speak, think, or act today, will it be burned up in the fires of Christ on judgement day, or move with me into Eternity.  As I read the Scriptures, those things that will burn will be all those that were not done “in Christ”

“The conclusion, when all has been heard, is:
fear God and keep His commandments,
because this applies to every person.
For God will bring every act to judgment,
everything which is hidden,
whether it is good or evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Christmas Day 2020

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, is a hymn remembered by those who have a long history of church-going.  The weeks before Christmas are called the Advent Season, while the world recalls the waiting for the Messiah to come.  While the wait is over, for many the wait has been for a festive time of commercialism, gift-giving, and parties, but has missed the overarching pieces of the event.

Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.

Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.

The Bible tells us that the Jesus who we know of is God and He left the glory of heaven to be born as a poor child in the poor war torn country to bring life to fallen mankind. His sinless life, led to His purposeful sacrifice on a cross for our sake, but for the further opportunity to live in His kingdom while we are still here on earth in preparation for our eternity in heaven with God.

This hymn reminds us that the freedom He gives cannot be bound by man, nor do we have to wait until we are in heaven to live the life focused on life with Him today.  We can if we choose live different from the world with our life centered on Jesus, giving rise to a life of godly fruit before everyone.

For the fruit of the Spirit of God is:
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, and yes Self Control.

Have a Jesus blessed and Jesus infused  Christmas and life.

September 11, 2020 Reflections

This is a perplexing day. With so many people whose lives were forever altered by the events of 9/11/01 (the world I dare say), it is a day of remembrance.

Rightly so.

For many September 11 is a day mixed with rejoicing and mourning.  REJOICING and praise to God that more were not killed on 9/11 and in those wars, and that our nation was made great by God’s instilling His precepts and love in the hearts of our founding fathers. MOURNING those thousands who have been taken from us by the ongoing actions of terrorists and the loss of countless thousands who have died making this country free.  And in 2020 that mourning includes attacks on our police, ethnic minorities, political division, and a me-first attitude that has become pervasive in our society, replacing an other-centered life mandated by the God of Creation through His Son, Jesus.

It can,  and perhaps should also be a reminder of the countless cost of all the previous wars and earlier terrorist attacks that have required the lives of men and women to keep our land truly “the land of the free and brave”.

But we are also faced with the almost daily news from the Federal court system that has been interpreted to say with a resounding NO, to the question “Can the state acknowledge God?” While the laws read that government cannot institute religion, which bans mandated Bible reading and prayer, it clearly also says not to inhibit religion but seems with the decline of prevailing moral judgment to have instead instituted a different religion in America … Atheism.

But most of all, I believe we should find sack-cloth and ashes and mourn for the loss of God in our nation, and then we should, we must, rise up and put a stop to these things and reverse that which strips America of her greatness.

I’ve quoted it before; I’ll quote again what began with a much-maligned gentle Spaniard named Christopher. Mr. Columbus in his own writings said the purpose of his trip was to “…take the Gospel of Christ to the new world“. One hundred and twenty-eight years later the Mayflower Compact was also quite emphatic in its purpose. It reads:  “In The Name of God, Amen. … Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith,….” 

Our founding fathers from William Bradford on focused their minds and hearts on and their obedience to – Christ. They laid the strong foundation upon which this nation was built. That it has lasted 400 years is incredible, unless one considers that the God who claims the Bible as His manual for man’s life, is behind it.

In the 1830’s French statesman and historian, Alex de Tocqueville wrote that “Americans combine the notions of Christianity and of liberty so intimately in their minds, that it is impossible to make them conceive the one without the other.”

Sadly, that is no longer the case, and as our Federal government has carefully mandated the removal of our Judeo–Christian foundation and God from the hub of our value system and structure. The result of 50 years or more of this direction is that we’ve become a land filled with greed and immoral behaviors that have found us scorned abroad and filled with rage against one another (as is witnessed by any reading of a daily newspaper).

de Tocqueville also wrote sometime in the 1830’s “ America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” “Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.”  Not any other religion mind you, and not an empty Christianity, and not Atheism or Agnosticism either, but a vital living, Christ-IN-me Christianity, is what this nation was made of.

If we have not already, we are in jeopardy today of losing our goodness as never before, and while this is still the best country in the world, we’ve certainly lost ground. Farr ancestors fought for our freedom during the revolutionary war and civil war, and we served our country during two wars of the 20th Century, and my heart breaks to see our country failing in crucial arenas that could quickly see our demise. We’ve become a land needing missionaries to reach OUR hearts for Christ, along with being the land that uses its God-given resources better than anyplace else in the world to send its followers of Jesus into the rest of the world to share the gospel.

Today 9/11/20 there is no capital PU in puod, no laughter, just a reminder of our heritage, and a prayer that each of us will take up the banner of Christ, and do our part to take America back to her God-fearing roots and remain One Nation Under God.

Dads Are Special

Here we are, the day after Father’s Day 2020, and having perused Facebook comments about fathers, I’ve been pondering the two fathers in my life that have sculpted whatever good is in me.

My earthly father (Col. Donald E Farr) brought me partway, demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, lacking only the self-control to take care of his body such that he left this life with a heart attack at 56 years young when I was 21. Mom was 51 when he died and she never dated after he died, saying that “No-one could replace your daddy“, for the next 30 years. Mom had it right!

How Dad managed to model such care, love, and so many golden truths and leave the legacy of what a good husband, father, community, and business leader is to such an unteachable son can only be the work of God.

Like most stories I read yesterday on Facebook about fathers, pictures of our dads are rare, because they were usually behind the camera, but those we do have are precious to us all. The one above taken and retrieved from a 16mm film clip during WWII is Colonel Farr with my sister and “little colonel” and the other is of Dad through the years.  I miss him more each year, not less, and I carry the names “Farr” and “Jesus-Follower” with honor, and I hope with a little dignity.

As I recall, Dad didn’t talk about his faith in God, he just lived it and saw to it that his children were brought up in the church learning about God and Jesus in Sunday-school and church membership class. I don’t recall much about grandpa, because he died when I was three, but some of the writings of grandma reveal a deep faith that must have led to what I saw in my earthly father. Sadly, he died before I had enough maturity to grasp such things.

My Heavenly Father picked up the unfinished task when Dad died five years later and Jesus has walked me through great seasons of growth and desire to be like Him, teaching me when I have been teachable to study to understand what holiness is and could be in me.

I rest in the promise of Philippians 1:6: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” It’s quite obvious to all who know me, and even to myself that I have a long way to go, and at 75 time is slipping quickly away.

Beyond Following Jesus – Into Apprenticeship

“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The verse above did more than catch my attention before I wrote my first book. The one below Matthew 5:20 urges me onward each day.

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

As I pondered whether to write a second book, these two became powerfully tied to the verses in my mind and heart.

In Matthew, Jesus announces here that He has all authority here on earth, and has commanded us to GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES, TO BAPTIZE THEM AND TEACH THEM TO OBSERVE ALL HE SAID WE ARE TO DO – and that if we do not do that it will be a reflection of the lack of sincerity of our walk (righteousness).

The consequences for that, God alone can and will determine for us each individually. 

Those verses raised questions that had me look at church as it is done today and moved me forward to research for a second book. My next book, if published, will be the result of that research. (See a tad bit of the research in my November 2019 blog on the church today)

What I discovered is that church today focuses mostly on God’s Grace, which is good, but only one aspect of His character. There is also a strong focus on baptism and in the churches that I’m acquainted with – most often either exegetical and topical teaching. What seems to be missing in many churches is a focus on the other parts that talk to us about our obedience and the making of disciples who will go on to be disciplers. Those aspects all combine toward a transformation of our character that enables us a life that fulfills the commands of Jesus.

A friend of mine recently commented on the foundational need for those of us who are serious about being in the world, but not becoming part “of” it. In essence, he said that self-awareness and self-discipline are required for being intentional about our growth as related to spiritual formation. A seminary class on spiritual formation Mark had taken was an exercise in self-examination through prayer, study, and feedback from others. Character and leadership development go hand in hand and spiritual formation is an essential element of character development. He recalled it as foundational. It is the stuff of Discipleship and Apprenticeship.

In bygone eras there were three primary ways to your future: you were born into wealth, you were apprenticed into a career, or through circumstances of choice, yours or others, you found yourself indentured. If you were apprenticed, it might have been by your parents or guardians, or by your choice to learn a trade. In the 17th century, it was not uncommon for a court to indenture someone for non-capital crimes. One of my ancestors arrived in America indentured to an emigrating family because she had run afoul of the law in England.

This blog deals with a future because of self-choosing to be apprenticed to a known master in a specific calling.

It is most probable to see one’s self as a Christian, and yet not be a disciple or a follower of someone and not end up like that person. Choosing to move beyond being a believer, even follower, to becoming discipled apprentice to Jesus is a life-altering decision in our maturing – for by poor choice we may ultimately move decidedly away from our Christian beliefs – as we understand them now.

Recall again Matthew 5, verse 20, where the Master told His followers: 

“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

So it is for us if we want to know our Savior face-to-face in an interactive way – we too must go beyond the normally expressed ways of a church-going or societal-following believing Christian. Following the “trends’ of our society, we could easily find ourselves following, linked, even apprenticed to someone harmful to our growth and sanctification.

For example, apprenticing ourselves to a prosperity-gospel televangelist, politician, gambler, or another nefarious being maybe a sure road to losing Jesus in the process. We don’t have to look too widely to see those who have “apprenticed” themselves unhealthily.  

Earlier in his life, Charles (Chuck) Colson might have been a good example of apprenticeship gone bad. Mr. Colson is also a good example for us that God can redeem even those who have become unquestionably lost by choice.

As Dallas Willard suggested, most of us have a purposed desire to do right things before God, but keep a back door so that we can sin if we need to.

Stop! Ponder that thought. Think about it in your life and I suspect you’ll find, as I have, that our lives confirm what he said. And yes, we frequently find we “need” to, even though at any one time we can choose with the power of Christ’s blood to say no and avoid sinning. (That does not mean we can be sinless — that is Jesus alone).

Just as we’ve read above, being a Christian in our thinking and becoming an apprenticed disciple are not the same and have vastly different outcomes.

The New Testament book of Luke recorded for us:

“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone, when he is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40).

That’s the whole point of being a disciple of Jesus: we imitate Him, carry on His ministry, and become like Him in the process. So much of our success in becoming a whole-life disciple depends on the apprentice’s attitude, thinking and motive.

“The Christian stands, not under the dictatorship of a legalistic ‘You ought,’ but in the magnetic field of Christian freedom, under the empowering of the ‘You may.’” Helmut Thielicke

To summarize an apprentice’s journey: becoming an Apprentice to Jesus takes us beyond what is normally thought of today as being a Christian.  

It is a choice we individually may make that requires:

• A life-vision for an interactive walk with Jesus 
• An attitude of humility
• Repentance, Confession and Surrender
• Intentional Effort 
• Self-awareness
• Self-discipline of an Athlete
• Dedication of a Soldier
• Diligence of a Farmer
• Exercising the Spiritual Disciplines
• Practicing the Presence of Christ
• Prayer
• Study & Meditation
• Interaction with fellow believers
• Feedback 
• A plan

Let the journey begin.

Thoughts on a Beautiful Pre-Spring day – Also the Advent of Lent

I’ve observed many friends over the years, mostly from denominational churches, who have participated in some of the rituals, events, and activities of Lent. I have observed, but have not participated, in part because over time I’ve seen that for many, it’s not much more than an excuse for pre-Lent excesses, or to ‘fit in” with others and give up something for 40 days. Over the past few years, in my hunger to know Jesus and the Father better, I’ve come to an understanding that in any season an impoverished attitude on my condition (for impoverished IS what we are), and perhaps more meaningfully during Lent, can in God’s hand and timing make amazing transformation to our very being – our character.

In my first book, I challenged readers to not accept what I was writing — for I could be wrong if I was speaking personally and not with Scriptures to support it.  Even with the Scriptures, I could be wrong if I, taking what the Bible said out of context, or twisting it to “fit what I believe” (that may well have been learned) – in error.  Many, for example, have, while following what the revisionists have been teaching, “that sex outside of marriage is perfectly okay and normal” found a passage or two they can reengineer to fit societies’ new norm. The same with abortion, etc..  I told readers to examine what I had written, explore it in-light-of the Bible and then for them to know not just what they believe, but why.

This morning I ordered something from Amazon and it was delivered less than four hours later. Have we truly become a society that must have immediate fulfillment of our wants and subverted what is right and good for what we think we need?  Instant gratification began in the Garden of Eden when the serpent deceived and tempted Eve to defy God and eat what they had been told was forbidden.

Or, perhaps even earlier, it was in heaven when Satan decided he wanted the glory that belonged to God alone (and still does) – and wanted it enough to oppose God. The consequences of that will echo until Eternity, but the end is sure, spelled out in the book of Revelation. Sadly, man continues to walk that dangerous fatal path.

For each generation since has tried to gain instant satisfaction for their desires, and each generation has painfully discovered in the end that it’s futile.

As we consider our own situation today, I’m sure that there are many situations in my life and most likely in yours, that we’ve mandated our way to garner what we wanted immediately. For example, crying for a cookie before dinner when a toddler, throwing a mild tantrum (maybe yours – but mine were classic) when thwarted in our desire, lobbying for a car, or later curfews. Rejecting all we knew about values so we could taste the dark side of alcohol, drugs, sex, the rush of speed – and sadly for some mixing those all together as an even greater disaster recipe.

If you are reading this, there is a good chance that you have or are considering the fallen nature in yourself, and that still small voice of God is or has stirred the deeper, hopefully unselfish, desire to live life above the crowd and norm and know God’s ways. If we were a coloring-book and God the colorist, He continually colors outside the lines, to get our attention to the Kingdom work, His work, around us and in us – just look at the diversity He gave us in nature.

Our fallen nature resists not only the 10 Commandments but much of what Jesus modeled and taught us to do. They are not things that we are to simply “obey” (we cannot do that in our own flesh and strength). They are expressions of our life in Christ-changed-character that pour out of us with His light, and in time with no lingering desire for the dark side of thought or behavior. True apprenticeship, true discipleship defines the individual who is walking with Jesus and learning how to lead their life as He did and would if He were in their shoes. Instead, He has chosen to take up residence in our heart to do that transforming work if we are willing and choose that path.

Our Father’s desire is for us to be conformed to our given image – the image of God, with His character and actions so wonderfully displayed in Jesus and His saints in the New Testament. In short, God’s plan and righteous desire is for us, each one of us, to be transformed into the Character of Christ.  Philippians 1:6 tells us we can be confident that He will complete that work in us if we intentionally persist in a growing walk with Him.  The understanding of this transformation has been mostly lost over the last millennium but was powerfully active in the First Century church. 

The 40 days leading up to Easter, known as Lent, are still a phenomenal time to take daily account of our heart and reflect on where we are in our journey to the kind of holiness that Jesus said was ours if we hunger for it and for the Spirit of God to bring that character transformation as we more than just mosey on in life. The intentional follower of Jesus that vulnerably examines himself/herself will come naturally to a posture of repentance, any time and during Lent, it can be transforming for us.

May we use this season to His glory and honor.

What is the Church Up To and Why?

This article is neither an outright endorsement or criticism for any of the ways that “Church” is done in this era. It is an attempt to catch a glimpse of “church” in the past during times of plenty and times of famine and what it looks like much of the time today.  My hope is that it will show some of those things that church is about today, and encourage us all (me included) to keep before us – Christ – as the only reason for church.    Perhaps it will cause us all to pause now and then and think about what truly would please God in the gathering of His people, as they have done for thousands of years – and open dialog with one another and church leaders about what honors God vs man when and if we seem to be heading off track.

If we each keep in mind what John Calvin said 500+ years ago: “But it must be admitted that our heart is never seriously inclined to wish for and to meditate on the future life unless it has first thoroughly learned to forsake the vanities of the present world.”, perhaps it will open dialog and let Jesus lead us to unified thinking/action that best serves the Kingdom and the glory of the Lord.

We’ll talk about

• Silence in the Church

• Prayer in the Church

• Communion

• Worship and Music in the Church

• Worship Center vs Sanctuary

• Scripture reading in the Church

• Discipleship

• Small Groups vs Home Fellowship

• Church Planting/Growth

• Spiritual Transformation

Along the way you probably will pick up that I have a bias that is difficult for me to keep silent about, but my bias is not hard and set in fast-curing cement – they are just my preferences that have needed to (or still do need to) adapt to what is offered or to be an influence for ongoing and continuing consideration and discussion of the questions – “why and how church?”.

Change is inevitable, and it can be good, it can be bad, or some of both.  I believe we must glean from God’s Word those things that bring us truly closer to Him and give God the glory, honor, and praise, and be careful not to put up roadblocks to our experiential communication with the Godhead.  That happens best when we don’t just accept change willy-nilly without consideration and good purpose. And, if we are honest with ourselves, proposed changes need to involve not just a few individuals, but the entire body, while mindful of what Calvin intoned for us some 500 years ago and understand that in all likelihood not everyone will be satisfied what ever change is made.

Silence in the Church

We know from 1 Kings 19 that God speaks not in the wind, earthquake or fire, but in a whisper; that still small voice that we must train ourselves to hear — and most often His speaking to us takes place in silence and in solitude – yes, even solitude in a group setting.   Please understand that I’m not saying God cannot or does not speak to us in the middle of anything, including war, family squabbles, and even bar-room fights, along with wind, earthquake and fire, but it is not what I’d call – typical.  Most often God speaks to us in our silent times and in solitude.

During church services in an era gone by, there were moments when not a sound was to be heard so that congregants could quietly talk to and hear from God.  Even when those churches had times of audible congregational prayer, they were bathed in quiet contemplation.

If we haven’t already, are we in danger of losing that intimacy with God that comes in silence and solitude in both our too busy lives, and in the Worship Center?   When silence is missing, the opportunity is lost for reflection, confession, repentance, and personal praise before partaking communion as well.  It’s a discussion worth having at every level of staff and members in our churches.

Henry Nowen said it so well: “Silence is a destination, a space where we can hear God speak to us.”

Prayer in the Church

Sunday worship of the past was primarily about the Scriptures, experiential Prayer and individual and corporate worship.  Today, other than prayer by the pastor before and after he speaks, there is little time in a busy service for experiential prayer by the believers.

Do you remember mid-week evening Prayer services?   They were weekly-scheduled times of prayer – often just prayer, and perhaps a hymn of prayer, that might last far into the night.   I fondly recall those with perhaps a sporadic quiet piano hymn in the distant background, but I do not remember having a worship team at those beautiful times.   I recall going every Wednesday evening in the early ‘70s and over time seeing the attendance fall until they were finally canceled.  Did we become too busy, and have no time for mid-week jaunts to church just to meet a few staunch followers and Jesus?

In light of a society that seems to be moving more and more rapidly into chaos, entitlement and anger – perhaps we would consider how to stir ourselves to make precious time to gather again just for prayer.   Perhaps we could look at the 1^st-Century church as revealed in Acts 2:45: “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God . . .“  Do I hear regular potluck, prayer and the reading of Scriptures?

I’m guessing that most churches now only schedule congregational prayer on occasion and with sparse attendance. The attendance exception would be to reflect back on the days after the attack on the World Trade Towers on September 11, 2001.   For a brief moment, America felt alive again in our foundational faith, but it faded so quickly.  After 9/11, I know of one church that began quarterly prayer evenings — but the prayer time was centered around music, and the music was deafening.   After a couple quarters the prayer night was dropped for failing attendance.   Perhaps prayer and contemporary music do not coexist well.

I personally know quite a few folks who prefer the silence and quiet reflective focus to be completely without music, and once most of us have an experiential time of just quiet  extended prayer, that alone is something that the Holy Spirit uses to increase our desire for more.

Communion

When communion was taken not many years ago, most congregants were instructed to take some time, quietly one to one with God – sometimes even extended time to search themselves as David did in Psalm 139, asking God to examine him, then to individually confess and repent of the things He showed us in those moments – before partaking of the Lord’s Supper.  Whether the elements were passed, or you went forward, it was done in total silence so hearts could be more easily inclined toward God, with minimal distractions.

Communion is both a private and corporate sacrament.  Corporate, as instituted by Jesus, for the full gathering as a remembrance of His sacrifice for us, and private and personal as the opportunity to “clear the deck” as it were, baring our soul to God about our life, actions and thoughts and repenting of those things that are not in character with Jesus life and teaching (okay, the sin in our lives).

Today it’s different – so different.  Leading into Communion, the worship team gets back on stage and sings for, and to the church while the elements are handed out, and it is nigh unto impossible to talk to God, much less hear from Him over the din.  Contemporary singers continue until the elements are handed out, then communion commences, or everyone has participated in front, and the possibility of communing with God ceases.   It too easily becomes a ritual observed, losing the opportunity to commune openly, honestly, vulnerably, and worship our Savior.

Worship & Music

And the Worship time itself?    ​ Ecclesiastes 3:4 tells us that there is a time for dancing, and the definitive Scripture Psalm 150 gives instructions that we are indeed to praise God in the Sanctuary/Worship Center.

Praise the LORD!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD!

It appears that Choirs today are mostly gone or used only occasionally.  Not too long ago they and the organ/piano were most often hidden, not to be seen; reflecting an aura perhaps of the music of the heavens.   The choir was the first to move from an alcove to the stage, then the piano, while the organ often just disappeared.  Today the musicians and singers are front and center, to be seen, even watched, and a video screen documents all the instruments and actors — much as they did in the spectacular musical movies of the ‘30s and ‘40s and the concerts of today.

Instead of a choir, churches today have a variable-sized worship team on stage that displays all manner of sound and bodily rhythmic techniques, although most have substituted drums and high decibel auditorium-filling sound for strings, pipe and the ancient cymbals and many have added smoke machines.  I know they sell amplified cymbals and tambourines so I’m on lookout for electric hand-bells.   They ramp up emotional engagement and because most are sincere in their worship, they frequently engage the congregation to do the same, so dancing in place on the platform, and swaying become a visible emotional outflow.  In my opinion, however, it can easily reflect an atmosphere among many there, where God is frequently missed and missing.

Hymnbooks and four-part music are something of the past.  Most likely they did not appear before the printing press, but became the mainstay of the worship experience by the 1500’s.  Hymnals have slowly disappeared from the pew racks today.    Sadly, the music that has replaced those books , that is somewhere between 85 and 95 decibels, muffles or covers the singer’s words so the lyrics must be put on overhead screens.   That level of sound makes it far beyond possible to hear others in the building raising their voices in Praise, Adoration, and Thankfulness to the One they have come this day to WORSHIP in community.

 A few years ago, my wife and I visited the church I attended as a child.  The Scripture readings were absent, the hymnbooks were at that point still in the pews and used, the choir still sang out of sight, but the sermon that day focused on raising up activism for the community that “soon would become a slum” because the city would not do anything to improve the road from downtown into their suburban location.  Fast forward and their hymnals are gone, the choir sings irregularly (still out of sight though), and attendance is slightly up since they moved to a contemporary band and show the words on a screen.

If corporate worship is to be – okay, corporate – musician Keith Getty reminds us that hearing one another sing is very powerful, and when the musicians cover even the person standing next to you, worship – true soul-reaching, experiential worship is lost.  Getty would like to see four-part music and the hymns of the past centuries returned to our worship services.  In their concerts, Keith & Kristyn Getty print the music score in the booklets they hand to each visitor in all four parts as written in those hymnals, and have Scripture readings from well-known pastors.   Plus, they sing all the verses of the hymns that were written.

Many of the new worship songs words are powerfully written for our connection to God – some as powerful as those from previous centuries – but I’d say the repetition of simple phrases 7 to 15 times offers nothing to God or others – but raw emotion.   Is adrenaline forged emotion what is needed in a worship service?  And does the volume of the music have to drown out the words so that the heart and soul of those there may not be drawn to the Triune God while being drawn into the emotion of the moment?

Taken a step further, several pastors I know have asked, “Has it become entertainment?   Is it to draw in a millennial crowd that will stimulate church growth and finances?   After all, we’re only 500 funerals from closing our doors, unless we grow.”    Alas, some mega-churches look and sound more like a Las Vegas stage show and believe they must do that to attract generations that have lost trust in “the church” along with the rest of society’s offerings. Could the alternative be to worry less about the numbers and dollars and more about a focus on Jesus and the quality of discipleship in the church – and should we be talking about what is BEST instead of expedient?

For me, one of the hardest lessons is to see one generation ignore the wonder and gifts of the other generations.   Many in older generations can’t, don’t pay attention, or are bothered by 90-decibel music and miss some of the powerful contemporary lyrics, and the younger generations sadly miss out on both the messages in century-old hymns and the awesome worship in the comparative quiet of long ago.  And we wonder why the generations don’t trust one another.  Many who were teens in the late ‘50s,  ‘60’s & ‘70s already have hearing issues, and with 85-90+  decibel music, those in church today who crave loud music will have perhaps a worse problem than those of us who ruined our hearing in the then-new age of transistor radios and amplified music of yesterday.

Worship Center vs Sanctuary

And the Sanctuary; it’s now called the Worship Center, seems to have lost the awe, reverence and sacredness, of the Sanctuary of not too many years gone by. Perhaps it is political-correctness that has replaced the pulpit with the “platform”, and brought the pastor/minister to the stage with the band. Some tell me the change is to draw those in who would “never be caught dead in a church”.   How sad it is that we feel it’s imperative to market and sell God to the masses.  I see the smoke machine working, and wonder to myself if it’s not Satan alive and well in our churches?  Perhaps It’s true that the cathedrals of previous millennia were often as much about pretense as they may have been about creating a house for God and a place to experience God in worship — but as you stand there in those now mostly empty spaces the reverence and closeness to God still gives the overwhelming presence of our Almighty God.  One that is missed in the large, designed for light and sound boxes called church today.

Scriptures in the Church

In churches of old — and in that not too distant past, you would hear and participate in, often two readings of the Bible – an Old Testament reading and a New Testament reading, then hear a sermon about the Scriptures.   Today, reading the Scriptures is more frequently reserved for holidays.  Thankfully there still are churches with expository preaching, but they may be getting harder to find.

The Jewish tradition was and still remains:   “And as was his custom, he [Jesus] went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written…”  Luke 4:16-17

Recalling and reflecting on the words of passed godly men like pastor Malcolm Cronk have faded away — “If simply the Words of God and Jesus are taught, with discipleship the focus and outcome of the church — it will grow”.

“Serving God is not about impressing the crowd, crafting a brand, or building an empire. [Billy] Graham was a gifted speaker; I’ve watched recordings from throughout his career. But he trusted that the Word of God is enough. It does not need apology, ornamentation, or assistance. Spoken clearly and with conviction, God’s Word bears its fruit in season. The work of God is not about the fireworks of human talent. It’s about faithfulness to a divine call. It’s not about showmanship but showing up, every day, determined to follow Jesus.”  Timothy Dalrymple, CEO Christianity Today, August 2019 – Bold-Italics mine

Discipleship in the Church

What is discipleship, other than believers’ development?

Francis Chan says that Chinese Christians “actually believed they could make disciples and start these (church) gatherings because Jesus was enough.”

It’s noteworthy that Dalrymple quoted above says “bears fruit in season”, as often times we think that things ought to come when we think they should, but God’s timing is still perfect.   If a church is to bear fruit and sticks to the plan established by God – it WILL in season, on God’s timetable, not ours.

The 18^th-Century revivals in Europe and America came not from changing up the worship service, but from the reading and study of the Scriptures, combined with personal and corporate sincere prayer for the revival that God then brought.   Toss in the beauty of those hymns, a little organ, piano or even a guitar (unamplified), and the reverence in that place would be awe inspiring — spiritually inspiring to experience adoration to our King Jesus.

During the week in many churches today, it’s business as usual, and a growing number have added a café and a multitude of activities and programs to draw people together during the week.  People gather, and some talk about the Bible, but often the discussions are sports, the newest stores, what’s on sale at Costco, and where they can go this weekend.   As I write, Reformation Day (October 31) just passed us by, and I noticed that many churches celebrated “Trunk and Treat” in lieu of Halloween with no mention of reformation.  Does political correctness and bowing to a pagan celebration give God the glory even though they may hand out tracts with the treats?  I wonder, do those churches still even have a library for their congregation’s edification?

Small Groups/Life Groups vs Home Fellowship

From what I read and hear, many churches are moving to become a “church OF small groups” rather than “a church that may have some home fellowship groups”.  They recruit facilitator/leaders and encourage even apply some holy-pressure for their entire congregation to find a group and join – some churches will assign them to a group.  There are churches that are going to mandatory annual membership or small group participation for members only.  Then they join the groups together on Sunday (or Saturday) to sing, watch performers and hear a stirring message from the senior pastor.

And what of those groups?   Who is leading them, how spiritually mature are they, how trained to grapple with all the issues found in our modern American culture, how equipped are they to teach, lead and shepherd their group?   Yes, the disciples were themselves simple-folk like most of us, but they were trained over time before being turned loose to lead.    We are created for community, and it is only in community that the authentic discipleship occurs, so perhaps it would help if  the leaders, facilitators, are of specific character, knowledge, and training to see that those in the community are growing in their walk with Christ, and becoming more Christlike in their words, actions, and yes their thought-life.  See the Spiritual Transformation section below for an alternative and unhurried approach to choosing and training future leaders.    I wonder if the same qualities found in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 for deacons/overseers might be profitable (for the Kingdom and church) if applied to the small group leaders/facilitators?

“It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.   An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,  not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.   Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued,  or addicted to much wine  or fond of sordid gain,  but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.  These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach.  Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.  Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and  good managers of their children and their own households. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. “  (NASB)

Church Planting/Growth

Through the years, church planting has most often been accomplished by the Holy Spirit leading a group, pastor, or layperson to be moved by the Spirit and seeing a need – then beginning a small church in a home, or a denomination has decided with input from local residents that one is needed in such-and-such town.    When God, the Scriptures, messages, and care have been the focus, they grow – and soon find the need to relocate, add staff and ministries to support it.  Ultimately it often requires a dedicated building.   That approach is still somewhat there, but there are several additional models that have risen in popularity in the last decade or two.  We might identify:

1. Old-fashioned Church Plant, where a Mission group, pastor or small lay group feel led to launch a church in a home that then outgrows the home.

2. A denomination decides with input to plant a church in a researched and planned location.

3. “Seeker Sensitive” Church Growth.  There appear to be three types as identified by “The American Society of Church Growth” now the “Great Commission Research Network” which has grown from The Church Growth Movement.

• The Attractive Church Model”, which is highly program and contemporary music driven

• The Missional Church Model”, which used mission activities to add people to the church

• The Preach God to Friends and Neighbors Model”, instructs congregants on sharing the Gospel

4. Church Growth by Satellite/Multisite has blossomed in recent years, with ever-changing permutations:

• Merging with a struggling church

• Finding a building and sending a hundred or so to begin the new campus

• New site goes with complimentary staff and necessary accoutrements

• May or may not have teaching campus pastor – otherwise using video from main campus

• Another church planting organization, The Association of Related Churches (ARC) goes the other direction. Churches they plant are launched with a full complement of congregants — 293 average in those planted in 2019.   One church launch hosted 627 their opening day.  They offer the kind of support other church planters offer but do it on a much larger scale.

5. Church Planting ala Francis Chan. Francis, who started a church with 30 people and saw it grow in a few short years to become a megachurch of 5000 – was standing on the platform one Sunday, and was struck by the thought:

“I’m going wait a second. According to the Bible, every single one of these people has a supernatural gift that’s meant to be used for the body. And I’m like 5,000 people show up every week to hear my gift, see my gift. That’s a lot of waste.   “So I’m wasting the human resource of these people that according to Scripture have a miraculous gift that they could contribute to the body but they’re just sitting there quietly. … [T]hey just sit there and listen to me.”

 Francis resigned from the church he had founded and has been on a journey find a way to get those folks out there, doing what God has called them to, using their gifts as He intended.  He encourages Jesus Followers to get out there and serve.

2019 has found Francis and Lisa exploring the planting of smaller churches that meet in homes.  Each church has two pastors, and the weekly services are without a sermon but are focused on what the church as a community is reading, and what everyone has caught in their study that week.    The churches in the community meet monthly or quarterly in a park for fellowship and praise since there are no buildings and the pastors serve without pay.   Each “church” is limited to no more than 16 to 20, and when more come, the church divides, sending 5 or 6 out to plant the next one.

6. Church Growth by church Children, Transfer Growth or Conversion Growth?

One group, Church planters, WeAreChurch.com, was structured on the principle that “we are resolved to not offer anything other than Jesus and His people.  Jesus will build His church.”   That thinking has been replaced in many churches by worldly “corporate” thinking, focused on the numbers, including the worrisome financial bottom line.

By example of the older, the Chinese churches beset by outright persecution are thriving, in large part because they are built on 5 solid foundations

• They are devoted to the Scriptures

• They deeply embrace corporate and individual prayer

• They embrace suffering for the glory of Christ

• They expect everyone in the church to regularly share the Gospel

• They have an expectation of miracles

Spiritual Transformation

In the first Century, spiritual workers were apprenticed to current leaders and the fledgling church used the method that Jesus used.  The apprenticed (apostles) observed Jesus actions and words, studied under Him, questioned Him, and under His tutelage tried and succeeded/failed at things under his care.   Then after an appropriate season determined by their attained level of maturity, they were sent out in pairs or groups to serve.  Finally, the Master left them to do ministry on their own.  Their lives were transformed and the end result through Christ is the church of today.

Spiritual transformation was often the topic of church leader-writers from the first Century forward.  Our Bible is the result of those early leaders, and subsequent ages have given us such a rich library of transforming truths.  Much of that emphasis was lost in the 20^th Century – perhaps earlier, but for a few individuals who continued to call us to live the With-God-Life-Now.   In the information rich era of today, we have many of those early writers available to the masses, and some wonderful pastor/teacher/writers who are opening the doors for us all to seek the deeper things of God that He has desired for each of us since before the foundation of the world.

Some churches fear this deepness, but some, praise God are shouting it anywhere people gather who have a heart for that experiential relationship with our Creator that is available to us all.

Final Observations and Comments

So, all silence is gone, choirs are slowly disappearing, ear-splitting sounds are in, Prayer and Scripture focus are things mostly of the past, communion is simple, quick, and with music, the Sanctuary/Worship center is disguised to not look like a church, Discipleship is to take place in small groups of quasi-trained leaders,  Church planting and growth have become big business,  and reaching God is more an emotional thing rather than a heart cry and quiet personal and congregational worship to the One who gave His all for us.

And yet, God calls us to be united and unified, so I wonder how that can be, when either way, traditional or modern style does tend to ignore the other.  The Church is in a pickle, but only because we are so rigid in what we like, and avoid, like the plague mixing the styles, tempo, and volume.

It would seem that the local church can have nearly the same number of options, as there are local churches, with a new planting idea being explored almost as soon as the last one has been formulated.  To God be the glory if it’s Him that we want to glorify – the third verse of the 23^rd Psalm reminds us that it is ALL about God and that He alone restores us and gives us the right paths.