The Heart Matters

It must be the Lenten season, right? Turn on the television or the radio. McDonalds promotes its filet-o-fish sandwich.  The campy wall bass now calls out via cell phone to those seeking a “meatless” repast. The local news reports on people heartedly devoted to completing the Northeast Ohio fish fry circuit, after all you only have forty days to partake in all that battered, fried goodness. So many parishes to hit. So little time.

People suddenly are giving up the things they love. Some deny themselves sugar, others “smokes.”  Denying oneself pleasure is the object of the season. Then there are those who cease to consume meat. One will abstain from all meat including fish for 40 days while another will substitute red meat with fish on Fridays only. People seem to pick and chose what they do. Are there rules?

I’ve asked people why they abstain from meat, substitute fish on Fridays or why they give up anything during the season of Lent. Most people answer that don’t know why they do it. It’s just what one does during this time of year if you’re Catholic. Many evangelicals say that they just like the idea of giving up something for the Lord. My favorite reason for abstinence comes from those who have no religious motivation. They just want to fit in with their Catholic and well-meaning Protestant friends. It’s fun to fit in.

I grew up in the Lutheran Church. I had little exposure to this concept of giving up something for Lent. Lutherans observed the Lenten season and were encouraged to solemnly consider Christ’s sacrifice and our relationship with our Savior, but did not practice fasting (honestly, I never met a Lutheran who would willingly give up a meal). It wasn’t until I attended the public high school that I came into contact with this idea of seasonal abstinence. (How fitting that this season was the forerunner of bikini season).

At first, I was rather perplexed by the Lenten practices. Quickly, I warmed up to the idea that I could do something for God to show Him just how great I was and how much I loved Him. I had always been drawn to the idea that somehow I could validate my devotion to the Lord through some act of my will. What better way to prove your love than to impose self “suffering.” I found this ritual completely delightful. The bonus was that as a teenage girl, I could refuse to eat and it would be considered godly and not psychologically unhealthy. Godly devotion trumps parental concern. I win and get to serve God. What could be better?

That was the perpective of a teenager who struggled with a border line eating disorder, but is it much different from how Lent observers reason today? Seriously, how does giving up something benefit God? What can man do for the Lord that God lacks?

It seems that people who observe Lent through self denial are well intentioned. They desire to worship the Lord and to honor Him. Many seem very sincere in their abstention, sincerely mistaken. The Lord himself points out the folly of misguided human tradition.

Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote. Isaiah 29:13

Jesus rebukes the religious people of his day in Mark 7: 7-8.

“Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God. For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”

No where in scripture does Christ command that his followers participate in a 40 day fast of remembrance commemorating his death and resurrection. The only rituals which Christ instituted are communion and baptism.

Now people have told me that fasting is a way to draw near to God. They say that spiritual disciplines are a means to see more clearly the way and will of the Lord,“For man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Perhaps they are onto something. Didn’t Jesus fast for 40 days and nights in the desert prior to entering his adult years of ministry? Didn’t Jesus, who happened to be God, do battle with Satan in the wilderness, weilding the word of God as his only weapon? Perhaps this is the goal of eating fish on Fridays?

Yes, clearly I am Lent picking. My main beef (he-he) with Lent is not that people want to be near to God or even that they have a need to reflect on what Christ accomplished on the cross. Those are good things to consider. What vexes me is that people, through human rituals and observance, are trying to be righteous before God through their own efforts. This is just plain madness. Paul raved about this foolish tendency in Galatians 3.

1You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. ²I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? ³Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?

Christianity is all about freedom. Freedom from sin. Freedom from “works” and the law. Freedom from slavery. Freedom from death. Galatians 5:1 reads:

 ¹It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

So, let’s not deceive ourselves during this traditional season of penitence. We are not bound by rules or regulations, nor do we need to observe special seasons and festivals. Each day we live in Christ is a victorious feast of community in relationship. The rules have been abolished. There is no need for filet-o-fish advertisement campaigns. No longer a need to fill McDonald’s coffers with slave money. We are free to eat meat -  free to dig into a Salisbury steak dinner on Friday.

I say free the fish!

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It happens each year. The air cools; the days shorten; leaves burst into brilliant color, soon to fall to the ground. Inside things are happening too. Lights are carefully placed on the mantel; pumpkins, ghosts, spiders, and bats fill my living space; soon it will be Halloween.

I love this festive season. The kids look forward to trips to the pumpkin patch. There is firewood to be delivered and Jiffy Pop to burn. Leaf piles grow,  inviting all to jump into with glee. Cider, don’t even get me going about the cider. The smell of spiced cider simmering on the stove delights the senses and promises of pumpkin bread yet to be devoured. Soon jack-o-lanterns will be carved and pumpkin seeds will be roasted and seasoned to perfection.

What a time to play dress up and to stay up late watching your favorite “scary movie.” Kids visibly tranform into monsters, heros, princesses and frogs and run door-to-door demanding a treat else you suffer the risk of a “trick.” Adults get dressed up as well, playing with their children and with one another. Oh, the games they play.

These are the activities of the season – ingrained into our culture as much as apple pie and baseball, yet so many Christians stand opposed to these festivities. Why? This has always baffled me. Why stand outside and opposed to your culture?  After all, most Christians have no problem celebrating Easter or Christmas, but Halloween, now that’s a different story.

I’ve heard Christians tell me that they want no part in Satan’s holiday. Are they kidding me? What makes Halloween more depraved than any other celebration? They tell me that dressing up in monster outfits honors demons and shames Jesus. Seriously? Thay insist that Halloween is the day of witchcraft and black magic. Huh? Okay, One of my kids did dress as Darth Maul and Darth Vader. True, they used the Force and enslaved the free world through violence and oppression, but Satanic? I think not. Geez.

Ummm...yeah this is a great way to evangelize in your neighborhood.

Occasionally, Christians argue that this holiday was rooted in a pagan festival called the Samhain. Basically, the Samhain was a Celtic harvest festival which celebrated the end of summer at which time the Celts believed that the boundaries between the living and the dead were able to be crossed. In order to protect and hide oneself from these evil spirits, the living had to masquarade as the dead; thus, deceiving the Banshees, and therefore, escaping Death’s clutches yet another year. To disguise oneself became a matter of survival in a dark world ruled by the fear of death.  So, it seems that Halloween may indeed be linked to a pagan festival. But what of other more “Christian” festivals? Are their origins any less godless?

Christmas’s origins are as pagan as Halloween’s. December 25th corresponds with the winter solstice. On that day, Romans celebrated the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti. This was the birthday of the Unconquered Sun. This allowed for many solar deities to be worshipped on the same date. The Persian god Mithras, Roman Sol, and Syrian Elagabalus  all were worshipped throughout the Roman Empire on the 25th. Christian Christmas also corresponds to the Roman Festival, the Saturnalia, where social roles were reversed, as masters became servants and servants masters,  and much merrymaking occurred. The church fathers, such as Bede, even agreed that Christ was most likely born in the springtime. Therefore, Christmastime has more incommon with pagan celebrations and debauchery than with Christianity.

Though Easter’s origins can be tied to the Jewish Passover, many argue that this holiday has the most pagan of beginnings. The etymology of the word “easter” has its base in the names of fertility goddesses, such as Eostre. Most fertility goddess had festivals in spring which directly corresponded to the time of Easter’s observance. Also, other “resurrection” gods were worshipped in the springtime. Among the “gods” celebrated are Bacchaus, Adonis and Attis. The most compelling correlation, which supports pagan beginnings for Easter, is between Attis and Christ. Attis was the consort of the Phyrgian fertility goddess Cybele. He was believed to have had a virgin birth and was gored to death by a wild bore after he self-castrated himself. He died as a result of this violence, but was reborn, bearing the scars of his death, as a eunuch. Therefore, many argue that Easter has a great, if not greater, connection to the occult.

So, if Halloween is to be feared and avoided by Christians, then too ought Christmas and Easter. Perhaps Paul said it best in his letter to the Colossians.

¹⁶ So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. ¹⁷ For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. ¹⁸ Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, ¹⁹ and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it. ²⁰ You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, ²¹ “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? ²² Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. ²³ These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires. Col 2:16-23

See, we were set free from this world. As Christians we have a new freedom to live as beloved sons and daughters. We no longer have to worry about conforming to the things of this world. It’s not about what you do or don’t do. It’s about who you are, because of who Christ is.

Halloween is fun. Kids love it. Communities act like communities. It’s one night a year that people go door to door and greet their neighbors. People slow down and talk to one another. It’s fun and it’s freedom in practice.

If anything, Christians should be even more involved  in this hallowed evening. Christians should have the best parties, have  tastefully haunted displays, open their homes to neighbors, display the warmest hospitality, give out the best candy, and above all show your community that you are a part of it!

This past weekend my friend, who’s a Christian, hosted a great get together in our neighborhood. She invited friends and opened her garage to the local high school students. Those students put on the best PG haunted house in town. The high school students had a great time socializing. What an amazing way to be in the world and not of the world. This is Christ’s witness – Christ focused love.

Kudos, Angie. May Christ be glorified through your serving endevour.

Christians, instead of whining about how terrible kids are and how wicked Halloween is, do something radical. Throw the best party in town – it doesn’t have to be huge. Just make a statement for Christ. One that is anything but whiny.

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Wrapping it all up (deli style)

Think of the church like a sandwich wrap. The mission is like the outside of the sandwich. It is wrapped around its fivefold purpose. This mission holds the church together and provides the reason why we do what we do as a church. The delicious, aromatic substance of the church is what is bound by her mission. The substance of evangelism, discipleship, ministry, worship and community is her purpose and is held intact by her mission. (Oh, I had a hankering for a wrap today.)

Sandwich wraps = Church's mission enfolds her purpose

How well a church understands her mission and the reasons for that mission partially determines how effective and faithful a church is. Also to be considered is how well the mission field is defined. Questions must be asked. Who are we reaching? Why? Are we equipped to reach that particular group? What must we change to be effective without altering the substance of the message? These questions and more need to be considered, when there is a call for change or repentance.

Also, there is a need to assess whether a church is effectively performing her function through purposeful activity. This activity is the substance of church. This purpose is the work of those who belong to Christ. This is our witness to the world and it must accommodate the needs of its current culture and be willing to change – to repent.

Indeed, there is a need for repentance by the church. She is ever the unfaithful bride of Christ. Repentance goes beyond rethinking the church – repentance is heart change and cannot only be accomplished as our wills are submitted to the will of the author and perfecter of our faith. Our eyes must first be fixed on Jesus who “for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

We too, as those who have been called to share in His sufferings as well as in His glory, bound together in love, must be willing to endure suffering and shame for the sake of those lost in darkness. We, as Revolutionaries, are called to subvert this current world system of brokenness, rigidity and slavery through the proclamation of good news, for Christ came to do as Isaiah prophesied in chapter 61:1.

 1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
         Because the LORD has anointed me
         To bring good news to the afflicted;
         He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
         To proclaim liberty to captives
         And freedom to prisoners;

 It’s time for a change of heart.

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Community

The last function of the church addressed by White is the purpose of community, also understood as fellowship. He identifies several aspects of community in need of repentance. These include a lack of authenticity, the presence of broken relationships, and a spirit of exclusion.

The absence of authenticity has to do with the leaven in the church, hypocrisy. Jesus reserved his most harsh and scathing remarks for the Pharisees, the religious leaders of his day. In Luke 11, Jesus warns them of their perilous heart attitudes.

“Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone. – v 42

Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. – v 43

“Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without knowing it.” – v 44

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Worship

The activity of worship was the weakest segment of this book concerning the purpose of the church. White typifies worship as a service that mainly consists of corporate singing. This was somewhat surprising in that he first classified worship as gathering together in the temple daily, praying and the breaking of bread. I believed his emphasis would rest on acts of corporate love and service.

White gets it right that the traditional approaches to worship are stale and that these outmoded activities of worship do not appeal to a postmodern culture, but that is all he gets right, for his “rethinking” is more like repackaging the stale bread.

He likens the needed change to what Luther did when he changed the lyrics to beer hall songs and wrote the song, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” (This criticism is especially difficult for me as I have a soft spot in my heart for that old hearty ballad.) White proposes that we must rethink our worship services so that the songs are contemporary and that the format of the service is sensitive to those who are walking through the doors of church for the first time. He also believes that a “sense of the sacred” must be preserved as that is what postmodern society is seeking. I suppose to White sacred equals songs of praise.

Worship is not limited to groups practicing ritual and singing, but rather it is a devotion to the “one living and true God.” This devotion described in 1 Thessalonians 1:9 is one where the focus is not on the things of this world, but rather focus is on the Kingdom of God. To worship the Lord with devotion is to look to the interests of Christ (Phil 2:21) – to get on board with His mission. Also, worship is not the act of singing. John 4:24 says, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” This sort of worship happens in the heart. It is not saying one thing with your mouth and doing another with your life. Jesus made this point clear in Matthew 15:8-9, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.” Worship has nothing to do with rules at all.

Although believers can worship together as a group, it is more attuned to personal devotion. The question becomes not how are you going to worship, but rather who are you going to worship? Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy. To offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – which is your spiritual worship.”

Now, I’d like to stress that singing can be part of personal worship. The heart is often moved along by melodies and rhythm. Often I have learned scripture coupled with song. At these times, my heart is lifted up through the melding of harmony, voice and truth. Recently, I witnessed Joni Eareckson Tada praising the Lord through song. Her brief outburst of a joyful song, a personal expression, edified those in her presence. I am not advocating that we all take up singing praises of the Lord to one another, yet in some circumstances it seems fitting. Why else would Ephesians 5:18-19 say:

speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; (NASB)

Another common translation for this passage is:

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,

The Greek for these highlighted words is τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν . This is the dative form for “te kardia umon.” The dative case in Greek can be translation either in your heart or with your heart. If “in your heart” is used, then it could be argued that singing is a silent act of the heart. On the other hand, if the dative is translated as with you heart, it could be argued that singing and melody making is an act that the heart should fully accompany. The difference is slight, but it exists.

Regardless of used translation, too much emphasis has been place on singing as a act of worship. The church as taken something minor and personal and turned it into the main act of worship. The church has warped a jubilant expression of joy and turned it into the focus of worship, “though hearts are far from Him.” God still cries out today as Jesus did in Mark 7:6.

And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.

So do our lives exemplify a “living sacrifice?” This is a personal as well as a corporate issue. First we need to strive as individuals to live sacrificial lives, considering others as better than ourselves. The needs of others ought to be a primary concern of worship. This includes not only a focus on learning the truth, but also on character transformation, for Paul makes it evident in Romans that our act of worship is a free offering of our lives as sacrifices – lives that are different – lives that stand apart from the world.

And so, if we are individually striving to focus on the needs of others and if we are seeking for God to change our characters so that we too may imitate Paul as he imitated Christ, then our local Body of Christ should emulate such worship. If it does not, then we are not imitating Christ. Then, we are not looking to the needs of others – including their physical needs, as well as their spiritual needs. We must challenge and encourage one another with the word. This is corporate worship, laying down one’s life for those in the church. Time to get messy.

• Community

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Ministry

The third activity that the church engages in is ministry. This the the outward focus on other’s needs that believers have whether it is caring for infants so that parents can attend a meeting, or it is driving preteens around to various group activities so that they can participate in healthy relational settings.

White lays out the traditional ministry format as beginning with a program, finding some people, selling, carrying out, and maintaining the program. Then he contrasts it with what he calls the ministry development process. In this process towards ministry, one starts with a need, matches the need with the mission, waits for a leader, builds according to giftedness and reviews this ministry regularly.

Our fellowship seems to agree with White process to ministry. I recall when Chill recruited the Scumbag Clowns and the respectable adults were asked to step down. One of those respectable members recalls (with good humor) this change as “the firing.”

The breakdown of this process went something like this. (This breakdown is the observation of someone who was not party to the building of this ministry.) There was a need for teachers in this ministry that could hold the preteens attention. The “respectables” were too nice and calm to maintain the level of excitement that was necessary to hold these ruffians attentions. The mission was for these kids to be excited enough about their youth group to both invited friends and to take a personal ownership of the group. There was a need for a dynamic leader. Though not proven as a leader, a polarizing man stepped forward under mentoring to co-lead this group. The giftedness of the team drove the direction of the ministry with varying levels of success, but the mission itself was met as the children were bringing many to its meetings and there were salvations among the attendees. As for regular evaluations, these were done as time and need presented with changes made as deemed.

Another example is what has been going down in OASIS. Start with the need to teach the children, to organize teaching teams, and to make the curriculum accessible to the teaching teams. The mission of OASIS is to train not only the children up in the word (while allowing parents to attend our Central Teaching), but also new workers on teaching the word. A leadership team was found from among the workers. The ministry has developed around the giftedness of the workers as well as the needs of those being served. One class had quite a behavioral problem. A servant award was created to be given to whomever was “noticed” for serving in faith or for having an outward focus. As the children grow and the workers move into other ministries, this ministry is evaluated and modified to meet circumstance and need in light of mission.

Today there is an growing need in the children’s ministry. As new couples become parents, a nursery had become necessary. The parents are willing to serve in this ministry. I, as a children’s ministry leader, am committed to finding an at site location to accommodate these parents and infants. As we launch this new class, I believe that God will provide both a location and a gifted nursery leader, who will manage the seen and unseen needs of this ministry. As more children are added and as circumstances change, the effectiveness of this ministry will be evaluated.

Our fellowship as a whole, seems very committed to serving others, whether through an organized ministry such as South Street and the Buffalo Missions Trip, or through more personal endeavors such as considering missions through financial support or joining the field. If a need is seen with the Body of Christ, people speak up and plan to get involved like when someone moves, is ailing, or needs some household repairs. We are an assembly that loves to get our hands dirty and lend a helping hand. Service is where the fun is.

•  Worship

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Discipleship

Another purpose of the church is to raise believers to maturity. White turns to Hebrews 5:12-13 where this point is made quite clear.

You have been Christians a long time now and you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things a beginner must learn about the Scriptures. You are like babies who drink only milk and cannot eat solid food. And a person who is living on milk isn’t very far along in the Christian life and doesn’t know much about doing what is right.

The author makes several excellent points concerning discipleship. Often we think that at salvation our lives will dramatically change, when actually this is just the beginning of the long process of sanctification. Next, we presume that we will naturally mature over time, when maturity requires far more than just time. Then, we assume that the change in our lives occurs as an act of our will, when change is more about training than about trying. Lastly, we deceive ourselves into believing that growth is accomplished on our own rather than as a result of team effort.

True, at salvation a person’s eternal destiny has been altered, but now the process begins. After 14 hours of grueling labor I was overjoyed when my first son was born. I gasped, “It’s over. I’m done.” Much to my surprise the wise-cracking nurse quips, “No honey, it’s just beginning.” This is what the life of the new convert is like. We too are just so elated and revel in our new found relationship, but live change is just beginning. We need to be upfront with those we disciple and let them know that this is just the beginning.

The time factor is something that should be considered. As seen in Acts 2, the new converts devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles. This too ought to be the focus for those we bring to Christ. You cannot have a deep and growing relationship with someone you do not spend time with. Not only should we spend time together in fellowship and in worship, but we should spend time alone with Christ, getting to know who he is as well as enjoying His presence in our lives, after all ”He is the way, the truth and the life.”

Life change is not merely a choice from our will. I cannot will myself to change at the heart. I can adhere to a set of moral conduct and require that I perform in a certain manner, but for all of my exertion, I can never change my heart. The prophet Jeremiah spoke of the heart as desperately wicked. Ezekiel prophesied that the Lord would take man’s heart of stone and make it flesh. Change at the heart level is what lasts. This is the work of the Lord. This change requires a willingness to submit to the will of the Lord. Paul encouraged the church to imitate him as he imitates Christ. This is the calling of the the disciple. This is what leads to transformation in thought and in heart attitude.

This submission includes a willingness to train. Just because we desire to be excellent at a particular skill, does not mean that we will just acquire expertise. This is also true in spiritual growth. Paul wrote in 1 Tim 4:7 to his disciple Timothy to “train yourself to be godly.” What was necessary for Timothy is also for us.

There is no such thing as Christian growth outside of a body or mentoring relationship. We can deceive ourselves into believing that we don’t need others to change, but what man can be sharpened without another man to assist him. Hebrews says, “Let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.”

White pointed out that often churches fail to train its members on the practices of training. He observed that often a church will teach on the need for a certain skill, but that same church will fail to effectively teach how to learn the skill needed. Though he presented it more as a church program, the principles were well stated.

Once someone becomes a believer, there is a need to train. Converts should be taught about the life of the disciple which includes basic doctrinal truths. People need to be plugged into a small group setting and encouraged to build relationship with other believers. Here each member can challenge another on what the word has to say pertaining to a particular life issue. The prevailing challenge ought to be,”What says the Word of the Lord on this matter.” There needs to be a focus on character development so that the man of Christ can be complete, bearing fruit. People should invest their time and resources in spiritual development, much like someone would for a career. The meeting the needs of others should become a vital component of daily life.

As for our fellowship, the activity of discipleship is deeply valued and emphasized. As a body, the teachings are content filled and there are plenty of opportunities to learn and to be train in becoming godly. Our home church settings offer an intimate format for delving into spiritual truths. Our cell groups emphasize relationship, service and again truth. Though these resources are in place, I have observed that often there is a lack of zeal for learning the word or for putting what is learned into practice. People are frequently just showing up or worse yet are complaining that there is work to do.

As I have stepped out and lead a cell group of post-college aged women, it seems more difficult to engage in lively discussions about what is being taught. This is different from my experiences teaching a college aged group – one that was so excited about Christ. Perhaps, this apathy arises from a lack of understanding why this truth is important for me. Christianity is not a religion. It is a relationship. The word that we study is just a means to know Christ and to guide us in our walk with Him. Perhaps, the older we are as believers, we lose our first love. Perhaps even more, it is that we cannot serve two masters. As we settle into family and career, we lose our focus on Christ and turn our eyes toward comfort and order. The world steals away our heart. We just don’t have time for Christ. Who has the energy to take a step of faith?

Take for instance this ecclesia class that is being taught this summer. What an amazing opportunity to engage in training and to learn about the mission and the purpose of the church. I must confess, that it has been difficult to focus on the work of learning and of putting my thoughts together in this paper. Summer is full of distractions. It is also full of opportunity. As I sit here typing – spending time with the Lord – I hear my call to repentance – my call to rethink how I do cell – how I interact with others when we assemble.

• Ministry

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 Evangelism

On page 43, White identifies that “Evangelism involves effectively communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ with the goal of converting an individual to the Christian faith.” Perhaps, the better goal would be to introduce someone to the person of Jesus and His offer of relational reconciliation. The gospel message is always the same, yet the manner which it is communicated changes with the audience. The apostle Paul affirms this as an objective of evangelism in 2 Cor 9:22, as he “became all thing to all men so that by all possible means (he) might save some.” In layman’s terms the good news must be contextualized.

When rethinking evangelism, one must consider the background, culture and language of the audience. As Jesus spoke, he used narratives and stories that his audience could readily comprehend. To fisherman, he spoke of fishing. To a women at the well, he talked of living water. He identified his audience and reasoned in their terms to convey a spiritual truth.

Barna has recently determined through research why non-Christians are not affected by the message of Christianity. This is important to understand, for the mission of the church is to reach those who are not believers. The threefold reasons given by those surveyed are that they “do not see the relevance of the Christian faith, they do not understand what the Christian faith is trying to say, and they have difficulty accepting how different the Christian answer is from what they though the answer would be.” (p 53)

The key to successful evangelism is to invite a person to into a situation where they can “seek and find a redemptive relationship” with Jesus Christ. Notice that the key word in this is relationship. It is not about building up some program or coming up with the perfect teaching series, rather it is about building relational bridges where people can understand the gospel. The message must be presented in verbal witness rather than displayed through merely the activity of Christian community. The gospel must be spoken in such a manner that it is understood and able to prove relevant in that person’s life.

In our fellowship we do well at being the fun neighbors next door, or the supportive friend who is there, but often we put more investment in the activity of fun at the expense of expressing the gospel of reconciliation. We build our warm bridges without the gospel being first and foremost in our budding relationships. The gospel must always be preeminent. Its relevance promoted, lest we chance to place ourselves in a bait and switch” predicament.

When the gospel gets the back seat, we lose an opportunity for seeing who is and is not receptive to the word, and as a result, we invest unwisely. To invest a great amount of time without substance limits the opportunity to successfully evangelize to those in our lives. Balancing the warmth of relationship with the substance of truth can be difficult, but again this is the activity of the assembly and we should depend and count on the council and support of the Body of Christ when evangelizing.

When we do get people to a meeting where the gospel is presented clearly, do we ask the relevant questions? Or do we turn the conversation to the weather or the latest entertainment scandal? What better opportunity than to talk about Christ and who He is and what He has done and what He is offering. Ask yourself, “As a Christian, what is the business of the church? What are we here to accomplish?” Or better yet, “Who do I need to introduce them to?”

White addresses the changing needs in evangelism for a post modern society. No longer is reason or facts enough. Now we need to communicate “So what?” and “How does this affect me?” A postmodern culture no longer understands who the God of the Bible is. They now must be introduced to Him just as Paul introduced the Greeks at Mars Hill to the one true God. Also, the postmodern person is seeking experience. They want to belong and to be part of the sacred. Another need in the postmodern world is that people are wanting to see an example of the transformed life. They want evidence that the spiritual life is genuine. People want to see practical models of life transformed.

In our fellowship, there has been great success with the Discovery Group model , based on Poole’s seeker small groups concept. People have been personally invited to engage in spiritual conversations. The relationships are built outside of meetings, through both group gatherings and one on one time. An environment of safety is established where attendees are comfortable to discuss spiritual values and ideas. Those non-believers attending these groups are exposed to the truth and have the opportunity to ask how it is relevant to them. They are able to experience the “sacred” through attending meetings where prayer, fellowship, and service are practiced. As for seeing the transformed, many hear testimonies and in time see genuine sacrifice and other’s based love put into action.

Perhaps the greatest obstacle for our fellowship is that discovery groups take a step of faith into the unknown. This step of faith can seem so huge, especially since so much is out of the control of those leading the group. It also can require a huge investment. But for those who have taken this step it has born fruit both in the lives of those hosting and of those attending. For those supporting the effort, a hindrance could be a lack of vision for how best to support the group. Effective communication of needs and well promoted and attended prayer meetings could assist others in the body to back these groups. The fruit born is evidence of the work of the Spirit which testifies to successful evangelism.

•  Discipleship

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Rethinking the Church - James Emery White

 In the Preface of Rethinking the Church by James Emery White, the message of this book is summed up in the following quote:

“Rethinking” is a good translation for the word repentance, for to repent means to change our way of thinking. It is literally “after thought.” Jim is helping us to rethink evangelism, discipleship, ministry, worship, community, and the structure of the church. ~ Leighton Ford

Agreed, repentance necessitates a change of mind or is a way to rethink where we place our priorities or questions why we do what we do, but godly repentance goes even deeper than a mere change of mind, it involves a change of heart – from a hard heart (which is set upon self will) to a soft heart (which is humbled and is willing to follow God’s will with zeal). Possibly, the “church” of today has lost her connectivity to the main power source and the authority of Christ, who is the author and perfecter of our faith. Her bond to Christ is weakened by attachment to tradition, to institutionalized structure, and to rigid scholastic adherence to bible knowledge at the expense of knowing the person and mission of the living Jesus Christ.

With this in mind, not only must our thinking be transformed by the renewing our minds, but also our hard hearts must be changed from stone to flesh and this change comes not from our own force of will, but rather from clinging dependence upon the transforming power of the Holy Spirit who reveals the person and mission of Christ to us.

At Pentecost, the power of the Spirit was first unleashed onto the world through those who had been called out from a ritualistic and and impersonal method of relating to God. Those empowered by the Spirit turned from religion to relationship; thus, embracing and reveling in this relationship, the early church was born. This assembly of believers knew its purpose and was mindful of its mission, but does today’s church understand her role? Perhaps now is the time to look back and to evaluate where we stand as compared to the early church. Perhaps the current church needs to turn back – to repent – and to be as the Holy Spirit first instructed.

Though this change is a work of the Spirit, we as individuals and as a church need to consider what is the purpose and mission of the church, especially in light of the apparent “church flight” which Barna’s statistics demonstrate. Or to put it another way, what was and is Jesus’ purpose and mission? As people called from religion to a relationship with Christ, what is the work of the church? James White puts the work of the church in savvy business terms and looks to examples found in scripture to identify what the ultimate goal of the church is. A passage that expresses the purpose of the church is Acts 2:42-47:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

White uses this passage to break down five activities that purposed the early church. In Acts, the church busied herself with learning the “apostles’ teaching,” which White identifies as the activity if discipleship. Also,“fellowship” is the purpose known as community. The “breaking of bread,” coupled with prayer, praise, and meeting in temple courts, refers to acts of worship. Meeting the needs of everyone is identified as ministry or acts of service. Lastly, that “the Lord added to their number daily” indicates that the early church participated in evangelism.

As for the mission of the church, we need to understand the objective for practicing the aforementioned activities. For without a clear, stated mission there is no direction. The mission of the church as established by Christ is found in Matthew 28:18-20:

Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

Here Christ commissions His followers to go out to all people and to make believers out of them and to train these believers in His teachings. Without understanding the mission of the church, it is possible to have a group practicing the activities of the church without having a personal relationship with Christ. Thus, it is important that a church understands why they are doing, what they are doing, and why they are doing it in such and such a way among a particular group of people.

In short a group of people may consider itself a church and not even have a relationship with Christ, who established the church. Perhaps equally as bad, it is possible for a church to function more like Christian social club that has no other direction than to maintain the group in number and form, with its effort focused inward, rather than outward as was suggested by being a “light on a hill.”

This paper will (attempt to) set forth what the author identifies as the purpose of each activity within the context of the mission and relationship, and then will address how effective our church NeoXenos Christian Fellowship is at fulfilling each purpose including where we, as a church succeed or fail at each activity and what changes or “rethinking,” or dare I say repentance, we may need to implement in order to best fulfill the goal set before us by Christ, who is the head of the church. (By no means am I an expert in this area, the emphasis ought to be on attempt.)

 Below are links where each purpose of the church is “rethought.”

• Evangelism
• Discipleship
• Ministry
• Worship
• Community
• Wrapping it all up

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Though the other speakers at Xenos Summer institute were motiving and effective at drawing out joy, Joni stood as a gleaming light set on a hill, a beacon of hope and joy to a world of evangelicals seeking purpose and significance. If you have a heart, it was broken while sitting at the feet of Joni. That heart was not lead into despair – Not on Joni’s watch. She, guided by the power of the Holy Spirit, moved the audience to a hopeful future through a journey of glorious dependance on and joy in the Lord –  for He is good.

Indeed after hearing Joni’s testimony and walk of faith, I am more confident than ever before just how loving, merciful, kind, and freaking good God is. “Rejoice in the Lord for he is good, His mercy does indeed endure forever and ever, ” so sings my heart three days removed from her inspiring speech.

Deeply desiring to pass on her words to those in my cell who were not able to attend and far too eager to wait for the CD recording or MP3 release and well aware of my inadequacies, I found a video of a speech that Joni delivered at another conference several years ago. It is not the extact one given by Joni in Columbus, but it is very similar in tone and content and worth watching – especially if you missed her at XSI. A simple recording may do, yet part of her message is conveyed through her countenance.

Enjoy and experience a renewed joy in salvation.

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