Christianity has in many instances become a book-religion. In an attempt to stay true to the doctrines of Christianity the Bible as a book has taken the place of the Spirit. Jesus' warning about the "yeast of the Pharisees' is relevant in this regard. Many Christians have become slaves of the letter instead of followers of the Spirit. Jesus is known "after the flesh" as a historical person, but not as the Life-giving Spirit who indwells His Body now! His warning to the Pharisees and Scribes is now as relevant as ever; "You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me!"
Some Christians make a big thing about believing every word of the Bible as the Word of God, and the fact that they see the Bible as "inerrant, infallible, and eternal', but than go right ahead and declare that, for example, the gifts of the Holy Spirit were only valid until the Canon was determined by the church, or that infant baptism is scriptural! In other words, what they mean when they talk about the Bible being inerrant and infallible is actually that their interpretations of the Bible are inerrant and infallible! At the same time they ascribe qualities to the Bible that actually only belongs to God.
Anyone who truly loves the scriptures, but even more so the Lord of the scriptures, will find that Christianity is a lifestyle infused and directed by the Spirit. After Jesus emphasised the importance of a deep and intimate relationship with Him, He said in John 6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" Did Jesus stop speaking to His disciples after His ascension? Paul made it clear that Christ was the life in us(Galatians 2:20) and when defending his apostolic authority he said in 2 Corinthians 13:3; " since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. " The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to help us hear the indwelling Christ speak. In this process He uses the lives of the ancient believers, and the words of Jesus and his apostles as related in the scriptures! Listen how Paul describes his ministry and the effects of the Spirit in the lives of believers; "Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it--not with ink, but with God's living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives--and we publish it. We couldn't be more sure of ourselves in this--that you, written by Christ himself for God, are our letter of recommendation. We wouldn't think of writing this kind of letter about ourselves. Only God can write such a letter. His letter authorizes us to help carry out this new plan of action. The plan wasn't written out with ink on paper, with pages and pages of legal footnotes, killing your spirit. It's written with Spirit on spirit, his life on our lives! (2 Corinthians 3-3-6) And this is how Paul describes his preaching and teaching; "and my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."
It is not only in "organised religion' that we find this pharisaical approach to the Bible, but also in some so called "Biblical Churches" where an attempt is made to do church perfectly according to the 'blueprint' in the Bible. The true blueprint can only be discovered by following the leading of the Holy Spirit or to put it differently; to listen to the voice of the Head Jesus Christ and do only what He instructs. In this process He will follow the principles that He has revealed (and is revealing) through the apostles and prophets! I believe He is still using the Living Word through the mouths of true apostles and prophets to build His church on the revelation of Himself as the chief cornerstone. This is the kind of church and lifestyle that is supported and exemplified by the Bible!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Redefining Christianity 2
It is with a bit of a heavy heart that I write this blog as I have just learned about the "Lakeland goings on". I know it has been in the news for some time but for various reasons I did not know about it. Many self-appointed "prophets" will no doubt jump on the bandwagon and try to score cheap "political points".
My burden and concern for God's people revolves around the realisation that all this is so unnecessary if only we can buy into the kind of church Jesus is building and if we can only rediscover the Message the early Christians preached through their lives! Before I am accused of romanticising the past, I must say that many of the problems we face today were faced by the pioneers of the faith. I think here of false gospels, greedy, manipulative leaders and obsession with angels. In this blog I want to look at the Message that we miss in Christianity today, with the prayer that those thousands of sincere Christians hurt by the sins of those supposed to lead will not only be comforted but also be inspired by the richness of the Word that was entrusted to us .
We do not have to look much further than Paul's writing in Colossians to reflect on the heart of the message that made up the DNA of the original church. First of all Paul reminds the Colossians that the Message they received revolves around the Person of Jesus Christ and that this message changed their lives because it/He works IN you! He reminded them how the Word brought purpose to their lives. "God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He's set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating. We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels--everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him." (Col. 1: 13-16). There is no purpose for anything in this universe outside of Christ!
Paul continues to give us hope when he makes it clear that Jesus' Church is not in disarray; maybe the human version of His church is; maybe the Babilonian counterfeit church is in disarray; maybe organised religion is, but the Church which Jesus has been building for the last 2000 years is still pure, organised and on track to become the Jerusalem which will shine forth the heavenly qualities of Christ! "And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. He was supreme in the beginning and--leading the resurrection parade--he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he's there, towering far above everything, everyone. " ( 1:18) Than Paul wrote these dynamic words, "Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe--people and things, animals and atoms--get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the Cross." What an insight into the true nature of the cross! What an insight into the true nature of God's kingdom! The cross affected the material and the non-material worlds, it brought an integration of the spiritual and the material realms! To the Christian all ground is indeed holy ground and every bush is indeed a burning bush! God is everywhere and therefore, whether I play, work or attend a Christian meeting I am first of all a CHRIST-one!
In the following verses Paul summarises the Gospel so clearly and yet this message is not often heard in the Christian world. In these words Paul brought together the past dealings of God with His people, the present activity of God and the future hope of Christians in a few words. "This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less." ( Col. 1: 26-28) Oh, that every person who preaches about the Old Testament, the covenant, the temple or Israel will relate it to "Christ is in you"; that every person who preaches about salvation will relate it to "Christ is in you"; that every person who preaches the baptism will relate it to "Christ is in you"; that every person who preaches about the baptism in the Holy Spirit will relate it to "Christ is in you"; that every person who preaches about the Church will relate it to "Christ is in you" and that every person who preaches about the return of the Lord will relate it to "Christ is in you" or if you cannot, shut up, and learn some more!
In the next chapter Paul deals with various excesses which threaten the purity of the Christ-Word. He touched on Mysticism, Gnosticism, Philosophy and Legalism and he made it clear that the answer to all these false doctrines was the simple mystery of Christ living His Life through believers in their everyday lives! Look how he confronted the desire for the Gnostic secret. "I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God's great mystery. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we've been shown the mystery! I'm telling you this because I don't want anyone leading you off on some wild-goose chase, after other so-called mysteries, or "the Secret." ( Col. 2:2-3) Simple, isn't it? Paul also warned against intellectual philosophical rationalisations, " Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that's not the way of Christ"( Col. 2:8) Philosophy means literally "the love for wisdom" but no search for wisdom has any hope if we do not realise that Wisdom is a person and that person is Christ! Lastly, Paul deals with mystics and legalists in one sweeping blow as he instructs the believers not to allow anyone to boss them around, either through pious sounding council or any other religious hocus pocus! "He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets. So don't put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services, or holy days. All those things are mere shadows cast before what was to come; the substance is Christ. Don't tolerate people who try to run your life, ordering you to bow and scrape, insisting that you join their obsession with angels and that you seek out visions. They're a lot of hot air, that's all they are. They're completely out of touch with the source of life, Christ, who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is the Head and we are the body. We can grow up healthy in God only as he nourishes us. So, then, if with Christ you've put all that pretentious and infantile religion behind you, why do you let yourselves be bullied by it? "Don't touch this! Don't taste that! Don't go near this!" Do you think things that are here today and gone tomorrow are worth that kind of attention? Such things sound impressive if said in a deep enough voice. They even give the illusion of being pious and humble and ascetic. But they're just another way of showing off, making yourselves look important. "( Colossians 2:16-23)
What a simple yet profound Message we have! What an honour to know the Reason for the existence of the universe wants to express His character of Love, Wisdom and Power through undeserved ones like us! Come Lord Jesus and find in us a willing people!!
My burden and concern for God's people revolves around the realisation that all this is so unnecessary if only we can buy into the kind of church Jesus is building and if we can only rediscover the Message the early Christians preached through their lives! Before I am accused of romanticising the past, I must say that many of the problems we face today were faced by the pioneers of the faith. I think here of false gospels, greedy, manipulative leaders and obsession with angels. In this blog I want to look at the Message that we miss in Christianity today, with the prayer that those thousands of sincere Christians hurt by the sins of those supposed to lead will not only be comforted but also be inspired by the richness of the Word that was entrusted to us .
We do not have to look much further than Paul's writing in Colossians to reflect on the heart of the message that made up the DNA of the original church. First of all Paul reminds the Colossians that the Message they received revolves around the Person of Jesus Christ and that this message changed their lives because it/He works IN you! He reminded them how the Word brought purpose to their lives. "God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He's set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating. We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels--everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him." (Col. 1: 13-16). There is no purpose for anything in this universe outside of Christ!
Paul continues to give us hope when he makes it clear that Jesus' Church is not in disarray; maybe the human version of His church is; maybe the Babilonian counterfeit church is in disarray; maybe organised religion is, but the Church which Jesus has been building for the last 2000 years is still pure, organised and on track to become the Jerusalem which will shine forth the heavenly qualities of Christ! "And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. He was supreme in the beginning and--leading the resurrection parade--he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he's there, towering far above everything, everyone. " ( 1:18) Than Paul wrote these dynamic words, "Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe--people and things, animals and atoms--get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the Cross." What an insight into the true nature of the cross! What an insight into the true nature of God's kingdom! The cross affected the material and the non-material worlds, it brought an integration of the spiritual and the material realms! To the Christian all ground is indeed holy ground and every bush is indeed a burning bush! God is everywhere and therefore, whether I play, work or attend a Christian meeting I am first of all a CHRIST-one!
In the following verses Paul summarises the Gospel so clearly and yet this message is not often heard in the Christian world. In these words Paul brought together the past dealings of God with His people, the present activity of God and the future hope of Christians in a few words. "This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less." ( Col. 1: 26-28) Oh, that every person who preaches about the Old Testament, the covenant, the temple or Israel will relate it to "Christ is in you"; that every person who preaches about salvation will relate it to "Christ is in you"; that every person who preaches the baptism will relate it to "Christ is in you"; that every person who preaches about the baptism in the Holy Spirit will relate it to "Christ is in you"; that every person who preaches about the Church will relate it to "Christ is in you" and that every person who preaches about the return of the Lord will relate it to "Christ is in you" or if you cannot, shut up, and learn some more!
In the next chapter Paul deals with various excesses which threaten the purity of the Christ-Word. He touched on Mysticism, Gnosticism, Philosophy and Legalism and he made it clear that the answer to all these false doctrines was the simple mystery of Christ living His Life through believers in their everyday lives! Look how he confronted the desire for the Gnostic secret. "I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God's great mystery. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we've been shown the mystery! I'm telling you this because I don't want anyone leading you off on some wild-goose chase, after other so-called mysteries, or "the Secret." ( Col. 2:2-3) Simple, isn't it? Paul also warned against intellectual philosophical rationalisations, " Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that's not the way of Christ"( Col. 2:8) Philosophy means literally "the love for wisdom" but no search for wisdom has any hope if we do not realise that Wisdom is a person and that person is Christ! Lastly, Paul deals with mystics and legalists in one sweeping blow as he instructs the believers not to allow anyone to boss them around, either through pious sounding council or any other religious hocus pocus! "He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets. So don't put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services, or holy days. All those things are mere shadows cast before what was to come; the substance is Christ. Don't tolerate people who try to run your life, ordering you to bow and scrape, insisting that you join their obsession with angels and that you seek out visions. They're a lot of hot air, that's all they are. They're completely out of touch with the source of life, Christ, who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is the Head and we are the body. We can grow up healthy in God only as he nourishes us. So, then, if with Christ you've put all that pretentious and infantile religion behind you, why do you let yourselves be bullied by it? "Don't touch this! Don't taste that! Don't go near this!" Do you think things that are here today and gone tomorrow are worth that kind of attention? Such things sound impressive if said in a deep enough voice. They even give the illusion of being pious and humble and ascetic. But they're just another way of showing off, making yourselves look important. "( Colossians 2:16-23)
What a simple yet profound Message we have! What an honour to know the Reason for the existence of the universe wants to express His character of Love, Wisdom and Power through undeserved ones like us! Come Lord Jesus and find in us a willing people!!
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Redefining Christianity 1
It is clear that Christianity is in need of a radical redefining because over time the concept has become associated with practices that has little or nothing to do with Biblical Christianity. Most of what people see as Christianity is a mixture of the 'churchianity' of the dark Middle Ages and the evangelistic revivals of the previous eras. Even where some ministers of the Gospel see some of the new things God is doing, they find it apparently difficult to make the transition in their minds from the Christianity they know to what Jesus really wants. It is indeed necessary for those who want to see His purposes come to fulfillment to die to themselves, including their present ministries, churches, income, status or whatever gives them identity and to trust Jesus completely to raise up 'their' ministries in His own time and manner.
In the process of redefining Christianity, concepts such as the Word of God, heaven, hell, Kingdom of God, apostle, prophet, church, pastor, etc need to be redefined as well. This does not mean we define them according to popular tastes to fit more 'modern' mind-sets. No, we define them according to the Bible and the practice of the First church. The ' church' was the Ekklesia or 'called out ones'- those who responded to a Word about Jesus being raised from the dead who now lives IN believers through His Spirit. A better description for the church would probably be, 'The koinonia in Christ' or the 'In-Christ koinonia'. The early apostles and prophets never went out to 'plant' churches, they were propelled by the indwelling Christ to proclaim a Message. The fruit of the message became known as the Ekklesia! The 'Word' was the Message about a Person, Jesus Christ! For the first 100 years or more the believers did not have a 'Bible' other than the Scriptures (the Law and the Prophets)- the Apostles and Prophets spoke a living, dynamic and authentic Word. The Word was authentic because the Living Christ Himself was speaking through them, something He still does, if allowed.
The early ministers preached Christ, not about Him! 'Heaven' was a spiritual, dynamic dimension of living that could be entered in the present by faith in the Living Word; it was not a future physical place of 'golden streets and mansions'. It is the realm where God's presence is experienced in fullness and the only thing that prevents us from experiencing it in it's fullness now, is the fact that we are still hampered by our physical limitations.
In future articles we will pick up on some of the other concepts in Christianity which need to be redefined according to their original meanings.
In the process of redefining Christianity, concepts such as the Word of God, heaven, hell, Kingdom of God, apostle, prophet, church, pastor, etc need to be redefined as well. This does not mean we define them according to popular tastes to fit more 'modern' mind-sets. No, we define them according to the Bible and the practice of the First church. The ' church' was the Ekklesia or 'called out ones'- those who responded to a Word about Jesus being raised from the dead who now lives IN believers through His Spirit. A better description for the church would probably be, 'The koinonia in Christ' or the 'In-Christ koinonia'. The early apostles and prophets never went out to 'plant' churches, they were propelled by the indwelling Christ to proclaim a Message. The fruit of the message became known as the Ekklesia! The 'Word' was the Message about a Person, Jesus Christ! For the first 100 years or more the believers did not have a 'Bible' other than the Scriptures (the Law and the Prophets)- the Apostles and Prophets spoke a living, dynamic and authentic Word. The Word was authentic because the Living Christ Himself was speaking through them, something He still does, if allowed.
The early ministers preached Christ, not about Him! 'Heaven' was a spiritual, dynamic dimension of living that could be entered in the present by faith in the Living Word; it was not a future physical place of 'golden streets and mansions'. It is the realm where God's presence is experienced in fullness and the only thing that prevents us from experiencing it in it's fullness now, is the fact that we are still hampered by our physical limitations.
In future articles we will pick up on some of the other concepts in Christianity which need to be redefined according to their original meanings.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
The Church Jesus is building 7
In this last article on the kind of church Jesus is building we will try to summarize the main points from the previous articles and add new ones as the Lord leads. We have seen that the church Jesus is building is being built on the foundation of a revelation and that revelation is of Christ as the Son of God. Paul unpacked this revelation in more detail and we understand that Christ the Son now lives in believers and has become their only Life( Col.3:4; Gal 2:20)
We have also seen that we need the foundational ministries of true Apostles and Prophets to impart this revelation to the church(Eph.2:20). This kind of church cannot be an organisation or institution brought forth by human ingenuity or religious zeal because this kind of church is born by the Spirit and is free from human control like the wind( John 3:6-8) The truly apostolic church is totally sold out to its King and Lord and go wherever He leads- even the cross!
The church Jesus is building is prophetic. This means that the very lifestyle of the church prophesies of another world that has penetrated this world and has made believers the only true aliens on planet earth! Despite this awareness of the "other world" these kind of Christians are known as very "nice" and approachable people because they are so real and genuine. The church Jesus is building has no hierarchies or a professional elite but all are equal and all are ministers of reconciliation. This church has only one Head and He is present at all meetings and He leads all proceedings because he has not delegated His authority but administers it by the Holy Spirit through human vessels.
This church meets on various days of the week for different purposes in all kinds of places and they regard the Lord's Supper as a proper meal where the Life of Christ is celebrated by looking back to His death on the cross and looking forward to His return. The church Jesus is building is very aware of the reality of Christ living in the other person and therefore very careful to treat each other as they would treat Christ Himself and in so doing they discern the Lord's Body! The very DNA of Jesus in the Body releases a divine energy which creates a magnetic field of healing and Light that draws people to it! These communities of Divine Light will bind the principalities and powers of the air and release the glory of God which will bring freedom to our troubled communities and youngsters living without hope and purpose.
The church Jesus is building is the only hope for this planet to be liberated from the futility and darkness which are presently ruling over it. This darkness and futility are perpetrated by the Spirit of Antichrist who operates in various forms-from the religious(Christian and otherwise!) to the humanistic, but this corporate "man of lawlessness" are no match for the corporate Man- the mature Son of God, the full stature of Christ!(Eph.4:13; 2Thess. 2:8).
Glory be to God in the church!
We have also seen that we need the foundational ministries of true Apostles and Prophets to impart this revelation to the church(Eph.2:20). This kind of church cannot be an organisation or institution brought forth by human ingenuity or religious zeal because this kind of church is born by the Spirit and is free from human control like the wind( John 3:6-8) The truly apostolic church is totally sold out to its King and Lord and go wherever He leads- even the cross!
The church Jesus is building is prophetic. This means that the very lifestyle of the church prophesies of another world that has penetrated this world and has made believers the only true aliens on planet earth! Despite this awareness of the "other world" these kind of Christians are known as very "nice" and approachable people because they are so real and genuine. The church Jesus is building has no hierarchies or a professional elite but all are equal and all are ministers of reconciliation. This church has only one Head and He is present at all meetings and He leads all proceedings because he has not delegated His authority but administers it by the Holy Spirit through human vessels.
This church meets on various days of the week for different purposes in all kinds of places and they regard the Lord's Supper as a proper meal where the Life of Christ is celebrated by looking back to His death on the cross and looking forward to His return. The church Jesus is building is very aware of the reality of Christ living in the other person and therefore very careful to treat each other as they would treat Christ Himself and in so doing they discern the Lord's Body! The very DNA of Jesus in the Body releases a divine energy which creates a magnetic field of healing and Light that draws people to it! These communities of Divine Light will bind the principalities and powers of the air and release the glory of God which will bring freedom to our troubled communities and youngsters living without hope and purpose.
The church Jesus is building is the only hope for this planet to be liberated from the futility and darkness which are presently ruling over it. This darkness and futility are perpetrated by the Spirit of Antichrist who operates in various forms-from the religious(Christian and otherwise!) to the humanistic, but this corporate "man of lawlessness" are no match for the corporate Man- the mature Son of God, the full stature of Christ!(Eph.4:13; 2Thess. 2:8).
Glory be to God in the church!
The Church Jesus is building 6
In our last article we tried to explain the kind of church Jesus is building as a community where true koinonia(fellowship) takes place in such a way that people are healed emotionally, spiritually and physically. In the reality of honest and open relationships based on the common sharing of the Christ-Life, people know they belong and are accepted despite their faults, ethnicity, background or social status! In this process a powerful testimony of the Incarnation is created; in other words Jesus is fleshed out and becomes a reality to all the world.
This kind of DNA can only be imparted to the church through true Apostolic foundational ministry where the central doctrine is the revelation of Christ in the human. A gospel which only preaches a Jesus who died on the cross to take people to heaven one day is lacking. A gospel which only preaches about the coming of the Kingdom to earth is also lacking. A gospel which preaches Jesus plus anything is lacking. We must preach Paul's understanding of the gospel or as he put it "the mystery of the ages" namely "Christ in us , the Hope of Glory". All biblical doctrines, be it covenantal theology, the return of Jesus , the Kingdom, church, baptism, sanctification etc. find their true meaning in the In Christ/ Christ in us-message! This revelation of Jesus living in humans and wanting to reveal Himself through (sinful) flesh is indeed a mystery and despite the simplicity of the message one of the most difficult for humans to accept. As far back as Cain and Abel we see the simplicity of God's expectation that we trust in the Life of Another; Cain put his trust in the works of his hands, but Abel put his trust in the blood of the innocent creature! As a matter of fact it goes back even further when the first humans failed to put all their trust(faith) in God's simple instruction not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. After they disobeyed God they tried to cover up their nakedness and shame with fig-leaves and right there at the beginning God established the principle that only through trusting in His provision of the life of the Innocent will our shame and nakedness be covered!
Most of what passes as Christianity and church today are still our fig-leave attempts to impress God and cover our nakedness. Even "going to church"(a contradiction in terms!), witnessing, working for the Lord, prayer-meetings and many of our programs and projects could be nothing more than fig-leaves if these "works' do not flow out of a living faith based on the Life of Christ in us!
The Church Jesus is building is a church who revels in the freedom from dead religious works and out of their celebration of the fullness and creativity of the Life of Jesus in them living works of faith are born which bless all the nations
This kind of DNA can only be imparted to the church through true Apostolic foundational ministry where the central doctrine is the revelation of Christ in the human. A gospel which only preaches a Jesus who died on the cross to take people to heaven one day is lacking. A gospel which only preaches about the coming of the Kingdom to earth is also lacking. A gospel which preaches Jesus plus anything is lacking. We must preach Paul's understanding of the gospel or as he put it "the mystery of the ages" namely "Christ in us , the Hope of Glory". All biblical doctrines, be it covenantal theology, the return of Jesus , the Kingdom, church, baptism, sanctification etc. find their true meaning in the In Christ/ Christ in us-message! This revelation of Jesus living in humans and wanting to reveal Himself through (sinful) flesh is indeed a mystery and despite the simplicity of the message one of the most difficult for humans to accept. As far back as Cain and Abel we see the simplicity of God's expectation that we trust in the Life of Another; Cain put his trust in the works of his hands, but Abel put his trust in the blood of the innocent creature! As a matter of fact it goes back even further when the first humans failed to put all their trust(faith) in God's simple instruction not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. After they disobeyed God they tried to cover up their nakedness and shame with fig-leaves and right there at the beginning God established the principle that only through trusting in His provision of the life of the Innocent will our shame and nakedness be covered!
Most of what passes as Christianity and church today are still our fig-leave attempts to impress God and cover our nakedness. Even "going to church"(a contradiction in terms!), witnessing, working for the Lord, prayer-meetings and many of our programs and projects could be nothing more than fig-leaves if these "works' do not flow out of a living faith based on the Life of Christ in us!
The Church Jesus is building is a church who revels in the freedom from dead religious works and out of their celebration of the fullness and creativity of the Life of Jesus in them living works of faith are born which bless all the nations
Sunday, July 01, 2007
The church Jesus is building 5
In this artice we look at the shepherding aspect of the church Jesus is building. In previous articles we have seen that the church Jesus is building and in which Paul so ably participated will be the "full measure of the stature of Christ" which mean it will be Apostolic, Prophetic, Pastoral(shepherding), Teaching and Evangelistic. Only in the perfect balance of all five these aspects of Christ will the church reach maturity and be able to effectively minister to the world the saving grace of God. (Ephesians 4:11-16). This will also be linked to the manifestation of the Sons of God which in turn will lead to the liberation of all creation from futility(Romans 4:19-21).
A very important aspect of the church Jesus is building is the fact that the community which is the result of a common revelation of Christ will experience a koinonia( heart-to-heart relationship) which surpasses anything else which maskerades as "fellowship". Many groups assemble together because of a common history like Methodist, Reformed , Catholic or Pentecostal; others assemble because of a love for lively "praise and worship" and others because the Pastor is such a "wonderful shepherd". Even worse is when people assemble or meet together because they are of the same ethnic group or cultural persuasion. The heart of the apostolic revelation was that in Christ all dividing walls were broken down and Christ alone became the plumbline.( Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 2:14-16).
Jesus referred to the kind of relationship which would become reality in Him in John 15:5 "I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing."(The Message). In one of his letters John said the reason he wrote to the Christians was to help them experience the joy of having a relationship with God the Father and the Son and than he says in 1 John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin. " It seems as if their is a secret in true koinonia which has serious ramifications for believers. First of all there is a purifying and healing power in true koinonia and secondly this will release a testimony so powerful that the world will see Christ again be incarnated in a corporate Person which will bring thousands upon thousands into the Christ-Life! This will be the answer to Jesus' prayer in John 17:21 "The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind-- Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, So they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me. "
The only true basis for relationship in the church is a common revelation of Christ as the only life of the believer; only in the knowledge that we all stand in His righteousness and His holiness will we drop our defenses and become real and honest with each other, and as this happens, the Light which is His Life will shine in a dark world which will draw all men unto Him! In this koinonia the church becomes God's therapeutic community where sinners of all sorts can feel welcome-not to continue in their sins but to be loved so sincerely that they become free in the freedom of Christ! In this community people will experience Jesus incarnated-God's love and grace will not be theological and philosophical concepts anymore, but these concepts will be experiental knowledge because they are being incarnated in His people!
A very important aspect of the church Jesus is building is the fact that the community which is the result of a common revelation of Christ will experience a koinonia( heart-to-heart relationship) which surpasses anything else which maskerades as "fellowship". Many groups assemble together because of a common history like Methodist, Reformed , Catholic or Pentecostal; others assemble because of a love for lively "praise and worship" and others because the Pastor is such a "wonderful shepherd". Even worse is when people assemble or meet together because they are of the same ethnic group or cultural persuasion. The heart of the apostolic revelation was that in Christ all dividing walls were broken down and Christ alone became the plumbline.( Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 2:14-16).
Jesus referred to the kind of relationship which would become reality in Him in John 15:5 "I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing."(The Message). In one of his letters John said the reason he wrote to the Christians was to help them experience the joy of having a relationship with God the Father and the Son and than he says in 1 John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin. " It seems as if their is a secret in true koinonia which has serious ramifications for believers. First of all there is a purifying and healing power in true koinonia and secondly this will release a testimony so powerful that the world will see Christ again be incarnated in a corporate Person which will bring thousands upon thousands into the Christ-Life! This will be the answer to Jesus' prayer in John 17:21 "The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind-- Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, So they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me. "
The only true basis for relationship in the church is a common revelation of Christ as the only life of the believer; only in the knowledge that we all stand in His righteousness and His holiness will we drop our defenses and become real and honest with each other, and as this happens, the Light which is His Life will shine in a dark world which will draw all men unto Him! In this koinonia the church becomes God's therapeutic community where sinners of all sorts can feel welcome-not to continue in their sins but to be loved so sincerely that they become free in the freedom of Christ! In this community people will experience Jesus incarnated-God's love and grace will not be theological and philosophical concepts anymore, but these concepts will be experiental knowledge because they are being incarnated in His people!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
The Church Jesus is building 4
We have seen so far that the church Jesus is building is a church where He is manifested in His ministry as Apostle, Prophet, Shepherd(pastor), Teacher and Evangelist. As Head of His church he has not delegated his authority to the church as if He is absent! He may be physically absent, but He is very much present in and through His Spirit. He is building His church and does not need our clever plans, church growth strategies, projects or our enterprise spirit to complete the job. He has not delegated his authority to apostles, prophets, teachers or evangelists and definitely not to that Babylonian created "ministry" called Pastor!
When Paul defended his apostolic authority he did not call on anything else but "Christ who speaks in me"(2Corinthians 13:3). His ministry centered on the revelation of Christ in the believer( Galatians 2:20) and he therefore, knew of no other authority than an incarnational authority! It's Christ the Apostle, speaking through the apostolic man or woman; it's Christ the Prophet, speaking through the prophetic man or woman, etc. He gave these gifts to the church and He administers them through people of His choice until the church becomes "a Perfect man"( Ephesians 4:13) This is the safeguard against the abuse of authority; The believer has the divine Teacher, the Holy Spirit in him/her and will recognise Christ in the apostle, prophet etc. for, "my sheep know my voice". Believers should never bow before a man or woman because they claim some delegated authority, or thousands follow them, or they perform mighty deeds in the name of Jesus- we must ever only bow to the Lordship of Jesus Christ as he speaks through His humble servants!
Once we recognise what true authority is and how Jesus ministers that authority in an incarnational way, we will see the fulfillment of many of His promises; "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." Note how Jesus emphasised the fact that he is the One with the authority to perform the works; we have the privilege of being the vessels through whom His power is channeled.
Come Lord Jesus and release the flow of your authority and life through us to those we come into contact with!
When Paul defended his apostolic authority he did not call on anything else but "Christ who speaks in me"(2Corinthians 13:3). His ministry centered on the revelation of Christ in the believer( Galatians 2:20) and he therefore, knew of no other authority than an incarnational authority! It's Christ the Apostle, speaking through the apostolic man or woman; it's Christ the Prophet, speaking through the prophetic man or woman, etc. He gave these gifts to the church and He administers them through people of His choice until the church becomes "a Perfect man"( Ephesians 4:13) This is the safeguard against the abuse of authority; The believer has the divine Teacher, the Holy Spirit in him/her and will recognise Christ in the apostle, prophet etc. for, "my sheep know my voice". Believers should never bow before a man or woman because they claim some delegated authority, or thousands follow them, or they perform mighty deeds in the name of Jesus- we must ever only bow to the Lordship of Jesus Christ as he speaks through His humble servants!
Once we recognise what true authority is and how Jesus ministers that authority in an incarnational way, we will see the fulfillment of many of His promises; "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." Note how Jesus emphasised the fact that he is the One with the authority to perform the works; we have the privilege of being the vessels through whom His power is channeled.
Come Lord Jesus and release the flow of your authority and life through us to those we come into contact with!
Friday, May 18, 2007
The Church Jesus is building 3
The church Jesus is building is a prophetic church. As a matter of fact, if Jesus is building the church it should be apostolic, prophetic, shepherding, teaching and evangelistic-the so called "fivefold ministry" is nothing less than "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" .(Ephesians 4:13) Christ is being incarnated in His Body! This is the mystery of the union between the Head and His Body and the fulfillment of Jesus' prayer;"I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me". (John 17: 23)
The church Jesus is building is God's shop window to both the material and the spiritual world! The church are those who live in two worlds; they are heavenly minded but this make them also earthly good. Even though their citizenship is in heaven they reach out to the sinful world in order to tell them that they do not have to live in bondage to sin anymore. They have become "ministers of reconciliation" and as part of the New Creation they are sharing in the mission of Jesus to "make all things new". To the church Jesus is building, heaven has arrived and their constant prayer is "your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven"
In the transition between the now and the future, the Church Jesus is building, demonstrates heavenly realities like grace, joy, peace, reconciliation and unity to the world. The church is the ongoing incarnation of Jesus Christ on the earth and as such displays His character and attributes to the world(Ephesians 3:10). Jesus is not interested in building a church which is an expression of cultural, social or racial uniqueness or peculiarities. The church Jesus is building is an expression of the "fellowship of the mystery" where all walls of seperation have been broken down in Christ( Ephesians 3:6, 9) and the members demonstrate this in their relationships with one another.
The church Jesus is building is not an exclusive club of the perfect elite, but is full of very imperfect people who realised just how dependant they are on the salvation offered in Christ. Their trust is not in their good behaviour but only in the perfect behaviour of Christ. They have stopped trying to improve themselves on the road of holiness because they know that Christ and His life in them, is their only holiness! They have received the revelation of Jesus Christ as their Sabbath-Rest!
The church Jesus is building is God's shop window to both the material and the spiritual world! The church are those who live in two worlds; they are heavenly minded but this make them also earthly good. Even though their citizenship is in heaven they reach out to the sinful world in order to tell them that they do not have to live in bondage to sin anymore. They have become "ministers of reconciliation" and as part of the New Creation they are sharing in the mission of Jesus to "make all things new". To the church Jesus is building, heaven has arrived and their constant prayer is "your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven"
In the transition between the now and the future, the Church Jesus is building, demonstrates heavenly realities like grace, joy, peace, reconciliation and unity to the world. The church is the ongoing incarnation of Jesus Christ on the earth and as such displays His character and attributes to the world(Ephesians 3:10). Jesus is not interested in building a church which is an expression of cultural, social or racial uniqueness or peculiarities. The church Jesus is building is an expression of the "fellowship of the mystery" where all walls of seperation have been broken down in Christ( Ephesians 3:6, 9) and the members demonstrate this in their relationships with one another.
The church Jesus is building is not an exclusive club of the perfect elite, but is full of very imperfect people who realised just how dependant they are on the salvation offered in Christ. Their trust is not in their good behaviour but only in the perfect behaviour of Christ. They have stopped trying to improve themselves on the road of holiness because they know that Christ and His life in them, is their only holiness! They have received the revelation of Jesus Christ as their Sabbath-Rest!
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