The Lord's Dessert

On Friday night we gathered with about twenty other believers. Some friends of ours decided to simply invite other Christians over to their home. Although I was tired from working about sixty hours this week, our family decided to go anyway. It sounded like too much of a good time to pass up.

The simplicity of the meeting was wonderful. After hanging out for a bit, we all crammed into the living room/dining room areas. We then spent some time looking through several different biblical passages that focus on the Passover. After reading and discussing the OT foreshadowing and the NT fulfillment in Jesus Christ, we partook of the Lord's Dessert.

I refer to it as the "Lord's Dessert" because we didn't eat a full meal together. We had all eaten something prior to arriving, so at this gathering we had bread, juice and/or wine, and various desserts. It was sweet both literally and figuratively. I think I had some coconut creme pie, a brownie, and a cookie. While we ate, we again just sat around and talked about life. The ages ranged from about five to sixty-five.

The key in this, of course, is not the type of food consumed or even the food at all. The beautiful aspect is the body of Christ coming together and edifying one another. It didn't take much planning or effort. It only required brothers and sisters meeting to share life.

Edification is not the ultimate purpose of the Christian's life. Worship is. However, edification leads to worship. Therefore, its great significance.

I hope you have regular opportunities to get together with other Christians to celebrate the Lord's Supper in a variety of ways.

Just For Fun

Number 7: Holidays

Since we're in the middle of what some people refer to as "Holy Week," this seems like a good time to deal with the issue of holidays. Although holidays often appear innocent enough, I believe they are part of Ten Church Structures That Hinder Disciple Making.

I'm not referring to all holidays (such as Valentine's Day, Memorial Day, or even Halloween). Rather, I'm specifically talking about the two holidays most Christians celebrate without question: Christmas and Easter. I'll admit to having mixed emotions about this. Additionally, let me say up front that I don't really have a problem with Christians celebrating these days as long as they have thought through what they are doing and why they are doing it.

Why, then, might the celebration of Christmas and/or Easter hinder disciple making? Five reasons:

1. There's simply no biblical support for either. The early church did not observe either day. In fact, Christmas and Easter as we know them did not come around for many years after the bible was penned.

2. It confuses what is pagan and what is Christian. Both Christmas and Easter have pagan origins (which are very old). The annual celebrations of both these days mix pagan with Christian.  Just look at all the churches that have Easter Egg hunts.

3. Legitimate biblical holidays exist. If Christians desire to take part in holidays, then why not celebrate some of the feasts we see in scripture? I remember one time taking part in a Passover meal led by a Jewish Christian man. It was wonderful.

4. The Lord's Supper is a celebration, but is usually not practiced that way. Sadly, many churches have transformed it into a funeral-type snack. When the Lord's Supper is celebrated as intended it feels like a big family party (as it should be!)

5. Celebrating Christmas and Easter artificially focuses the church on one aspect of Christ's life during only one part of the year. For example, how many people do you hear talking about the incarnation right now? All the focus is on the death and resurrection. What about a few months from now? We should be celebrating these great truths all year long.

My big concern is that celebrating Christmas and Easter can be very confusing to new believers. We tell them to search the scriptures for truth. However, Christmas and Easter cannot be found in the bible. Also, the new believers may wonder why the incarnation and resurrection are largely ignored for much of the calendar year.

That said, I do believe these celebrations can be turned to a positive. The key is to focus on the biblical accounts that the celebrations are now based upon. These are great truths to be taught and cherished. It is also important to explain that there is no intersection between the pagan and the Christian. Finally, let's embrace the incarnation and especially the resurrection all year long.

If handled wisely these two holidays offer much opportunity for wonderful teaching. Additionally, lost folks tend to be more open at these times of year to discussing these truths. We must be careful, however, that we do not allow these holidays to become stumbling blocks for the reasons listed above.

What do you think? Do you celebrate these days? If so, how do you handle them?

Who Was the Real St. Patrick?

Ten Church Structures That Hinder Disciple Making

Jesus Christ's church is a wonderful thing. I'm thrilled to be a part of it. On numerous occasions in my life I've witnessed the church do things that both honor God and stun the world. What a thrilling family to be a part of!

Despite the overall positives to the church, problems still exist. Many of these problems stem directly from man-created traditions that have ensnared the body of Christ. Once these traditions can be properly identified, solutions can be put in place to remedy the situation. This needs to occur within the body because many traditions are hindering the disciple making that should be taking place.

Most traditions are directly related to church structures that have come to dominate church life. Ten specific structures come to mind that are causing consistent harm to the life of Christ's church. Many of the ten are largely unquestioned by the majority of Christians. However, they will continue to stunt the spiritual vitality of the church if not dealt with.

Over the next few weeks I'll be counting down a list of the top ten most problematic church structures. My purpose in this mini-series not to insult or denigrate anyone. Rather, my desire is to identify problems and attempt to offer solutions.

Number ten is coming soon.

Expository Discussion

I have many fond memories of my time in seminary. One outstanding aspect of life at Southeastern was the constant challenge by both professors and friends to understand the meaning of the biblical text. We students were exhorted again and again to remember that the key is what the original author intended. This stands in stark contrast to the postmodern thought which permeates some churches today (the ideas that texts have no absolute meaning and that the reader brings meaning to the text).

At the seminary level, the first goal is to correctly understand the biblical text. The second is to preach that text in an expository manner. This simply means to explain the meaning of the text to those listening.

While I'm a big proponent of accurate exposition, I've rejected the traditional definition of preaching. Much more beneficial for the church is what we could refer to as expository discussion. This refers to a free-flowing conversation among a group of people seeking to accurately understand what God has said in the scriptures.

Expository discussion takes the best of expository preaching while rejecting the worst. It seeks to know what the original authors of the bible meant while doing so in a give-and-take setting.

Expository discussion is based in the idea that the church is a fully functioning priesthood of all believers. All Christians have the ability to read and understand what God has said. Some may be more experienced at this process, but all can and should participate.

Since all have the ability to read (or at least listen to) scripture and discuss it, the group dynamic is often a fascinating one. In a room with, for example, twelve people, the group can benefit greatly by what the Holy Spirit has to add through all twelve people. While the biblical text means one thing, the group has a way of seeing and describing that one thing is different ways. This helps all involved better comprehend both what God means and how they should respond to this.

A key in expository discussion is that all involved have the authority, under the direction of the Spirit, to say what they think the text means. Of course, there can occasionally be error which needs to be addressed. However, this is not the norm. Believers should be encouraged to add to the discussion. I've experienced many "A-ha!" types of moments listening to brothers and sisters simply describing what they believe a specific verse means. No one in the group has to wait for some outside expert to walk in and tell them what it really means.

I hope you are part of a small group of some type that functions in this way. It could be a home group, a Sunday School class, or simply friends getting together over coffee here and there. Regardless, expository discussion is deeply enriching. It never fails to challenge me. Almost every time I take part in it I see something new I'd never thought of before. This is not always comfortable, but it is beneficial.

Every Sunday our church family gets together. We are currently studying through both Genesis and Proverbs. Each week we discuss a chapter from both books. It never (literally) fails that someone says something that makes me think deeply about what I think I already know. I'm looking forward to this coming Sunday already. I hope you are as well.

Let's All Be the Proclaimers We've Been Called to Be

The word "preacher" has taken on all sorts of traditional baggage that was never intended. A "preacher" in scripture was someone who shares the good news with unbelievers. Today it usually refers to someone speaking to the church from behind a pulpit. For this reason, I much prefer the word "proclaimer." This word is free from the distortions of tradition.

I'm happy to see that the translators of the ESV decided to use "proclaim" instead of "preach" in one of the key Great Commission passages. In Mark 16:15, Jesus says, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." Mark 16:15 is not directed to only some specific subset of special Christians. Rather, it applies to all of us. Therefore, let's be the proclaimers God calls us to be.

Below is a favorite song of mine by a group called The Proclaimers. They are not a Christian group and this is not a Christian song. Despite that, I really like the music.

Intentionality in Disciple Making

I'd recently been thinking that it would be beneficial if the adults in our church family (myself included) were more intentional in disciple making. In particular I was pondering this happening during our church family gatherings. As these thoughts were sort of bouncing around in my mind, one of the other men in our group said, "It would be great if we would be more intentional in making disciples as we get together." I took this as confirmation from God that we are on the right track.

I don't know exactly what this will look like but I'm excited about it. Some disciple making certainly involves talking, but it also requires doing. One of the greatest ways to make disciples is to serve others together. That may have to happen outside the regular gathering (which would of course be fine).

I know that many of you are actively involved in disciple making.  How do you go about this individually and as a group?

I'm interested to hear your thoughts as we as a church family try to be more intentional.

Jon On Elders

Jon at Jon's Journey shares some excellent thoughts in a recent post entitled Levites Priests and Elders.

I'm particularly interested in what Jon writes about elders. He makes a solid case that what we see in the Old Testament should inform how we think about elders in the New Testament. According to Jon, "Throughout the Old Testament we also see many references to elders. Elders had a recognized role in the Jewish community. They were older men with experience that the community respected and relied on for guidance."

Jon continues regarding the New Testament, "As the church expanded into non-Jewish communities, older respected men were recognized as elders in these new communities as well.

By using the term elder, I believe the writers of the New Testament had a different role in mind that what we tend to see today. There is no evidence these elders were responsible for religious buildings, church programs, church organizational policy, or church staff. There is no evidence they were elected for a limited term, and then became non-elder laity again a few years later.

I believe the role of elders is important, and it makes sense to study what the Bible has to say on the topic. Consider who are the older respected people in your life. Recognize who they are. Go to them for advice and guidance. Let them influence you. And at some stage in life you may play the role of elder to others in your community."

I appreciate that Jon is trying to understand what the scripture writers actually meant when they used the term elder. Only when we have correct definitions in mind will we truly understand the bible.

Promotion

Today I received the good news that I'm getting a promotion at work. I'm moving from a Quality Inspector position into a Quality Team Leader. As the name implies, I'll be in charge of a team of inspectors. Our job, simply, is to make sure that all construction vehicles that leave our plant are of high quality.

I thank God for His faithfulness in providing employment. When I resigned from the pastorate a few years ago I had no idea what I was going to do. God provided a job for me in the manufacturing field even though I had no experience whatsoever. It seems to be working out pretty well.

Our Lord is truly great and greatly to be praised!

Let's Pray for a Christ-Following Pope

Like it or not, the Pope has a huge impact on millions of people. His thoughts, ideas, statements, decrees, etc. impact lives all around the globe. As Pope Benedict departs, the Vatican will have to decide who the next Papal resident of St. Peter's will be.

My gut reaction to all this is to just ignore it. Roman Catholicism is at the other end of the spectrum from simple church. The Pope has no impact whatsoever on what I believe; therefore, as an individual Christian it matters nil to me what the "Holy Father" has to say.

However, I keep dwelling on the millions of people the Pope impacts. What he says, whoever he is, really does matter. While some within Catholicism know Jesus as Lord, my guess is that the majority do not. Keeping in mind that there are over one billion Catholics worldwide, that is many souls who are still apart from Christ.

Instead of ignoring the latest Papal transition, I'm burdened to pray for a Christ-following Pope. Just imagine what a truly redeemed person could do in that position. The impact could be tremendous. A Pope who believes in the biblical gospel has the potential to share the good news with millions upon millions.

I have known a number of Roman Catholics in my life who I know love Jesus Christ. I'm not sure how they deal with Rome's faulty teachings, but they follow Christ nonetheless. Because of that, I assume (I hope correctly) that there are some in leadership positions within Catholicism who also love the Lord. My hope is that one of these will be selected as the next Pope.

Throughout history we've seen God select people for key roles who were unexpected. In the bible we read about, for example, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Amos, many of the original twelve apostles, and Paul. These are not men that we might have expected to be chosen. When we look at church history we see other unexpected people used greatly by God such as Athanasius, Augustine, Patrick, John Calvin, John Newton, William Carey, William Wilberforce, Fanny Crosby, C.S. Lewis, and many others.

In light of this, maybe God will, in His absolute sovereignty, select an unexpected Pope. Maybe God will appoint someone who actually follows God. Maybe God will choose a missionary Pope who will preach the gospel to the masses during the Mass. What a great and glorious day that would be!

Let's all pray fervently that God puts a Pope in place who loves Christ, obeys Christ, and proclaims Christ!

Losing My Religion

When I was in college (Houghton class of 1993), R.E.M. was one of my favorite bands. The title of one of their most popular songs describes where I've been for the last few years. If "religion" describes man's attempts to get to God, then I'm done with it. Just give me Christ and His bride, the church. That's enough.

No Fair. I Don't Fit Any of These.

This graphic has been making the rounds lately (for example). Since I have a beard, I thought I'd share it - the graphic, not the beard.

Normally I like Anabaptists, but not in this case. Maybe I'll aspire to the Spurgeon (Although I'm not a pastor, I do pastor). Which do you fit, or are you beardless? Ladies, no need to reply to that one.

I've got quite a ways to go before I reach Spurgeon.

Angry About Sola Scriptura?

My most-read blog post over the past week is one entitled Angry About Sola Scriptura that I wrote back in 2010. It was the most-read even before the Pope's resignation. Usually the posts that receive the largest readership are ones that I've written during the past few weeks. It's relatively rare for an obscure piece from a few years ago to rise to the top. Do you have any ideas why this post is number one?

Kumbh Mela Illustrates India's Need for the Gospel

The current Kumbh Mela festival in India makes clear the desperate need for the gospel in that part of the world. Click here to view photos from CNN that show thousands upon thousands of Hindus trying to wash their sins away in river waters. Like all of us, they need the only One who can wash away sins: Jesus Christ.

Why I Don't Observe Lent

I don't observe/celebrate/take part in Lent because it's not in the bible.  It's that simple.

Meeting in Lots of Different Ways, Places, Times, Groups, Etc.

I recently wrote a post about why I'm a house church proponent. While that's true, I'm actually very much in favor of Christians meeting with other Christians in a multitude of ways, places, times, groupings, etc.

Different believers are edified in different ways. That makes sense since we're all different people. Although we are one in Christ, we all have various characteristics that make us unique. In light of that, it is beneficial for Christians to get together with others in a variety of settings to do a variety of things.

Mutual edification is the purpose of meeting as Christ-followers. It matters much more that edification takes place than where and how the body convenes.

When we look in the bible, we see much concern by the writers that the body carry out the one-anothers with each other. The focus is the building up of the church much more than it is where and how this occurs. Additionally, there is no sense that the scripture writers only have in mind some sort of weekly gathering among a specific subset of Christians within a particular city. Rather, Paul (for example) thought of the entire Christian population in Corinth, Philippi, Rome, etc. as the church there. The apostle envisioned them gathering frequently wherever, whenever, and with whoever could be present. While together, the goal was body edification through whatever one-another types of activities were taking place.

I admit that I struggle to gather with other believers very often. With working 65 hours per week, I often do not meet with brothers and sisters more than once per seven days (if that). However, my desire is to be with fellow Christians more frequently in a variety of places, groups, and times.

Summing up, the church benefits when it breaks beyond the bounds of "The Sunday Gathering." Since we are the church 24-7, let's strive to gather as the church whenever and wherever we can. This will certainly take different forms based on the specifics of peoples' lives; however, in the end it acts to build up the church as a whole in Christ.

"I Don't Have a Problem With That."

I was talking with a Christian friend a few days ago. He attends an institutional church, but loves the Lord and displays the fruit of the Spirit in his life. Despite our differences on church issues, I learn much from him and enjoy being around him.

In situations like this I often avoid discussions of ecclesiology. However, he brought up the subject and asked me what I thought. After I talked about simple church practices for a few minutes, he said something I've heard a number of times from other Christians. The exact words were, "I don't have a problem with that." He meant that he specifically does not have a problem with churches gathering and functioning like we read about in scripture, in particular the book of Acts.

This is an interesting issue. What is difficult for me to understand is why any Christian would have a problem with churches meeting like we see in scripture. After all, the apostles were present as part of the early church. They either approved of church practices or told them to change what they were doing. For example, Paul wrote many of his epistles to commend churches for the positive things they were doing and rebuke them for their problems.

We see, therefore, scriptural support for the actions and activities of the early church. Because of this there is no reason for any Christian to say, "I don't have a problem with that."

If you are striving to be the church as we see it in the bible, I commend you. You don't have to worry about whether or not other Christians have a problem with what you are doing. The bible is clear on the issue.

When it comes to the simple church model there is quite simply no problem.

How to Write a Worship Song (in 5 Minutes or Less)

Book Review: Finding Church

Finding Church is a book that I had been looking forward to reading ever since I first heard about it. I was excited to read it when it first arrived at my home, and I already encouraged you to buy it. Now that I've completed the book, I'm still glad that I spent the time on it.

This book, edited by Jeremy Myers, offers a fascinating look at various Christians' journeys in finding church. The book's thirty-six chapters are divided into three main sections: leaving church, switching church, and reforming church. The leaving church authors discuss how and why they left the church. They make it clear, however, that they did not leave the church but instead the man-made institution. The contributors who switched churches write about different reasons why they moved from one church to another (and in some cases more). In the final section, the authors talk about how they have been part of reforming the church from the inside out.

While I was reading this book I sensed one primary theme coming from almost all the chapters: searching for community. Regardless of whether the authors left church, switched churches, or were reforming churches, their goal seemed to be the desire to find real community within their church relationships. Some had succeeded in doing so while others had not.

The best aspect of Finding Church is that it offers real accounts of Christ-followers who are looking for authentic relationships. There is nothing fictional here. True stories with real and raw details are what's offered. We see the good, bad, and ugly of church life. I appreciate that even though many of the contributors have gone through difficulties, the book in general offers a balanced view of the church. It is not a text that simply slams the church as we know it.

As for negatives, the book can come across as a bit complainy (not a real word but you know what I mean). However, this is part of the nature of recognizing problems and looking for solutions. My own blog could be called the same. Because this book is an anthology of sorts, there is some repetition. There's no way around this since 36 different people are writing about a fairly narrow topic. Finally, a few of the authors speak positively about homosexuality; one even claims to be bisexual. This is concerning to me because these particular authors are not struggling with homosexual feelings, but instead appear to be approving of the lifestyle. Let me be clear: homosexuality is sin. The scriptures clearly condemn it. As Christians, we should love homosexuals and share the gospel with them. We cannot, however, cave on biblical truth.

As for me personally, I enjoyed the first section of this book the most. That's probably because our family left the institution, too. I resonate with what those authors are saying. That said, I'm glad that not all Christians have left. We also need some who switch and some who stay and reform. I'm thankful for all of these brothers and sisters.

To sum up, Finding Church is worth the expense and the time. You won't agree with all the contributors (since they don't all agree with each other), but you will be challenged by much of what is written. This book is appropriate for all Christian adults. I recommend it.