Category Archives: fellowship

August 20, 2011

Seeing the ground of the church in Revelation 2-3

By Josh

Where in the New Testament do you see a Christian leaving the church he is part of to go and join another? Or where do you see a brother getting fed up with the shallow teaching he receives in the assembly and going off to “start” his own church just down the road?

Even in the opening chapters of the book of Revelation, where the Lord gives a message to each of the seven churches, when do you ever see the Lord advising someone to leave his church and find a better one?

The principle of one city, one church is consistent throughout the opening chapters of Revelation. Here again we see nothing other than “the church… at such-and-such a place.” The Lord is speaking to all His followers who live in each town. And man, some of these churches had problems! The church at Ephesus had left her first love for the Lord; the church in Pergamum had some who held the “teaching of Balaam,” and the “teaching of the Nicolaitans”, leading God’s people astray from Christ; the church in Thyatira was tolerating the presence of false teachers who encouraged people toward a lifestyle of sexual immorality; the church in Sardis had digressed into a form of godliness which denied the real power and life of God-their life was largely one of outward formality lacking any true inward life; and the church in Laodicea was full of spiritual pride and complacency!

Strikingly absent in any of these cases, however, is the Lord telling anyone they should leave their church and find a better one. Nor does he say, “You who are overcomers, separate yourselves from such wicked doctrines and practices, and form a separate assembly so you can get it right!”

You see, in the first century, if you were a follower of the Lord Jesus and you lived in Thessalonica, you were part of the church in Thessalonica. You lived and gathered and fellowshipped with the other believers in town on a regular basis. To be “in Christ” and “in the church” were practically one and the same thing. The same goes for any other town. What about bigger cities with more people, you might ask? Well, if you were a believer in Jerusalem, for instance, where there was a larger number of disciples, perhaps you wouldn’t see all the saints regularly, or perhaps you wouldn’t know them all very well, simply by virtue of the fact that there were so many (and obviously there would be many different meeting places of the church throughout the city, mostly in the believers’ homes). But still the church was uniquely one. There were large gatherings for all to hear the apostles speak in Solomon’s Porch, and there was a wonderful inter-mingling between the saints for the breaking of bread and prayers in their varioius houses. The home gatherings were not along the lines of most “house churches” today, however (many of which are not built on the ground of the church and operate separately from other local believers). Rather, there was a consciousness of unity even though there were separate meeting places. And they were all just “the church” in their city. Nothing more, nothing less.

At least, this is the ideal which found expression for a while. :)

The point is, nowhere in the first century among any of the churches, whether large or small, do you find any example of Christians leaving one church to “go to” another. The whole thought is simply foreign to the New Testament. What a beautiful standard we have left to us by our early brothers and sisters!

No, things were not perfect. The more I study the New Testament the less I romanticize the experience of first century believers. There were parties, there were developing factions, and there were problems galore. Nowhere did it take long for the human element to creep in and spoil the show. But, overall, the expression of the church which we see in the pages of scripture is one of aspiring toward this ideal of the one Body of Christ in undivided local expression. The House of God built firmly on the ground of locality, with all believers living and meeting as one new man. 

Could it ever be that way again, here in Christian America? I won’t dare to venture an answer to that question, though it seems unlikely to me. But well within the range of possibility, and even proven experience, is for a representative group of believers-like those Jews whose spirits were stirred by the proclamation of Cyrus to return to Jerusalem-to go back, reclaim the original ground, sift through the rubble until they find the foundation of their faith, and begin the task of rebuilding the House of God on its proper ground, which is the local church.

I realize that with all this talk about the church I’m running the risk of gross misunderstanding. I’m also well aware of how this stuff can be taken wrongly, misconstrued, or twisted. I’m not trying to present anything legalistic here. I’m not saying you should get a map, mark out the city lines, then set up some airtight organizational entity based upon geography. All I’m trying to do is present the Lord’s own view, as best as it can be discerned from the example of scripture, to which those who have the hunger may repair. This is such a wonderful, liberating thing. The reality of God’s people all being one in Christ! As much as He has made us one with Himself He’s also made us one with each other! That we can all hold to our personal convictions over things, allowing each other the same grace to differ over non-essential items of belief and practice, and yet still come together as brothers and sisters enjoying the same salvation and the same rich Lord! 

In the first century, believers gathered upon this ground. Paul poured out his life to preserve this unity of the Spirit. The fact that we see no example in scripture of a Christian being advised to leave one church for another for whatever reason, but rather to hold the ground and minister Christ as an overcomer, is setting forth a very high standard for our own conduct. It may be possible to leave a denomination, a sect, or a “group” (and at certain points commendable), but it is not possible to leave the local church, not if you have really seen what the church is. Find some saints who are captured by this vision and gather upon this ground and you’ll have found a group of people who are in this thing together for the long haul. Such a testimony is rare, very rare, in our day, yet I say the world we’re living in is in dire need of it!

4 comments | posted in Bible study, Body of Christ, Christ, church, church life, community, denominationalism, division, eternal purpose, fellowship, ground of the church, house church, house of God, life in Christ, local church, oneness, organic church, purpose of God, scripture, sectarianism, unity, will of God

August 18, 2011

Where do you go to church? (re-post)

By Josh

For the next installment of this series on the ground of the church I’d like to refer back to my post from March 24 of last year entitled Where do you go to church? Follow the link if you’d like to see the original comments, otherwise here’s a re-post of the entire article…

Can you imagine what it would be like if all the saints in your town gathered as one body, in love and in freedom? What a testimony that would be to the reality of Jesus Christ!

In the first century a church was identified only by its location. In other words, the biblical ground of the church is locality, and the only biblical grounds for separation between one church and another is location. It’s all a matter of geography, you see. In the New Testament you never see a church with a name. You only see “the church at such-and-such a place.” The issue is one of locality.

Alas, however, the setup of most “churches” today denies this basic fact of oneness and locality. The church building is the center of fellowship, where all (or most) of the action takes place, and people are drawn to come to it from many surrounding localities. Sadly, the people who gather in this manner are not provided much of a life together outside of the Sunday services, simply by virtue of the fact that they do not live near one another. The believers are scattered, much like the Jewish people were under Babylonian captivity long ago. Thus the majority of true church life-which is more than a weekly meeting but a day-to-day living together as the body of Christ-is lost.

Then consider this: Most “churches” today have names that reflect either a man, a doctrine, or a particular ideology, whether drawn from scripture or not. This is a contradiction of the true nature of the church, which has its life in Christ and gathers unto His name alone. This kind of gathering around a particular doctrine or teaching, or a gifted individual who handles all the ministry, is a major hindrance to any hope we might have of a practical unity finding expression among the Lord’s people.

If you were to ask me at different points in my life where I went to church I might have answered, “First Baptist,” “God’s Tabernacle,” or something similar. But if you were to ask God what church I am a member of, He would simply say, “the church in Portsmouth.”

It’s funny if you think about it. The very question most people spend so much time fretting over-“Where should I go to church?”-has already been answered for them by God. If you are a believer, if you have the life of God inside of you, then you are a part of the church in the town where you live. Period. If only all God’s people would see this precious truth and begin to live and gather according to it!

I am already a member of a local church, the church at Portsmouth. I don’t need to sign up or enroll in any membership class, or join a particular organization. I became a member by spiritual birth. The very moment I was born again in Jesus Christ I was also born into the family of God. The family of God worldwide, yes, but more specifically, the family of God in my own town. Membership in the local church comes by spiritual birth!

Even still, it’s not enough to confess this truth in theory and never see it come to any practical expression. The fulfillment of God’s purpose demands a practical expression of the church; therefore, we have to face this issue practically. If God has given us light concerning the local character of His church and the oneness of His body then we must follow through with it, as impossible and impractical as it may seem. This is how believers gathered in the first century. I know times have changed and that our situation today is drastically different than theirs was then, but even so, God’s will is just the same. Could it ever really be this way again, if only on a small scale? How I wish! But as the old song goes, “though none go with me, still I will follow.” This then is what we must work towards and live for: A true expression of the body of Christ!

Your comments and thoughts are more than welcome on this post, as I realize most people have probably never looked at things in this way before. I’m interested to know what you think.

3 comments | posted in Body of Christ, Christ, church, church life, denominationalism, division, eternal purpose, fellowship, ground of the church, house church, kingdom of God, life in Christ, local church, oneness, organic church, purpose of God, saints, sectarianism, unity, will of God

August 17, 2011

Returning to God’s chosen ground

By Josh

After re-reading yesterday’s post I realized that all the stuff I was trying to say I’ve said before on this blog, and said better. Check out the post entitled Is Christ Divided? and judge for yourself. The opening quote from that article is worth re-posting here for the sake of our present conversation:

“The denominational divisions which accentuate the problem are perpetrating an image of a divided Christ to the community in which we live. Such an image is at variance with the unity of the body into which we were all baptized. The same arguments that Paul used to deal with the factions and personality cults of the Corinthian church are applicable [here and now]. We can not hide behind some concept of ‘spiritual unity’ which has little or no embodiment in structure or institution; for, not only does it drive an unnatural and unbiblical wedge between the physical and the spiritual, it is also nonsense to the world to which we are called to be in mission, and thereby denies the very basis of the unity for which Christ prayed.”-Ian Cundy

As we looked at the Old Testament foreshadowing of the ground of the church (taking the temple in Jerusalem to be a type of the church), we saw that the ground had a unique significance in the plan of God. For there God chose to place His name. But what does that mean? Well, when I think of a person’s name I think of everything that makes that person who they are. Their personality, their character-everything about them is bound up in their name. So when God says “I will place my name there,” He is saying, “Here is where people can go to find out who I am. Out from this place I will express myself in all my glory.”

This was the testimony of Israel when the people gathered together each year at Jerusalem. By their unity and through their fellowship they were meant to show the world who God was.

In the above quote Ian Cundy mentions the prayer of Jesus in John 17. “Make them one, Father, even as you and I are one, that the world may believe You have sent me.” Here Jesus basically implies that the salvation of the world depends upon the express unity of His followers. Why? Because the purpose of God is to re-unite all things in His Son. Through Christ God is raising out of the ashes of fallen humanity a new creation over whom He is Head. He is raising a testimony to Himself. He is building a House not made with human hands that forms His answer to the confusion and division of Babylon. In the words of T. Austin Sparks, “God is concerned with the accomplishment of something worthy of Himself,” and the world will acknowledge His reality when they see in operation something which they in themselves know is humanly impossible to create.  

All this may sound very wonderful and heavenly, but it is intensely practical. It must be practical. If the church is all heavenly with no expression in the earth than I dare say she counts for nothing against principalities and powers. The whole purpose of God is to make visible something in the earth that is conforming to the image of His Son, so the rulers of the darkness of this age might be overthrown by a vessel who is taking back the dominion the first Adam forfeited to the snake.

All this and more is bound up with this matter of the ground of the church.

In Corinth the saints were ready to forsake the ground. They were ready to give up the unity of the local assembly for something less than Christ. And had they done it, what would have been the result? Paul’s question-”is Christ divided?”-gives us the answer. Paul’s point of reference for everything relating to the life of the church was Christ, for the church is to be the expression of Christ. Therefore whatever is not the image of Christ cannot be the practice of the church. Were the saints to forsake the ground of the church there would have been no true expression of Christ left to give to the city of Corinth, even though there were members of the Body of Christ still meeting together, evangelizing, teaching, and so forth. Without the ground there can be no temple, no house. If there is no practical unity, then what is there for the world to believe in? A Christ who is just as divided as the whore of Babylon? When you go into a city and you see five different kinds of grocery stores, seven different banks, and three competing gas stations, you may not think anything of it, for such is the way of the world system. But when you go into a city and you search out the believers in Christ you should see something different. Something other-worldly. Something that actually looks like a new society-a new humanity reunited in the Son as Head over all things. Yet what do you so often see? You see First Baptist, Second Presbyterian, and the third church of whatever. You see a divided Christ.

In the words of Jeremiah, “the holy stones lie scattered” (Lamentations 4:1). There are Christians, yes, and even many of them are congregating together in a certain kind of way. But as for the House of God built upon His chosen ground, out from which God intends to show forth a true, undivided expression of His Christ-the walls are broken down. Chances are this is the case in your city, dear reader. There is a church in your city, but the walls of her testimony have been thrown down. The vessels of the Lord have all been carried off to Babylon, and the ground has been forsaken. Do you see the significance of that ground in the plan of God? Do you realize the importance of His House? Scholars tell us it was a very small remnant of Jews who responded to Cyrus’ decree to return and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Those who remained in Babylon were no less the people of God, no less loved, no less blessed, and no less favored. But for the few whose spirits were stirred it was not enough to go on enjoying religious life in the synagogues while the house and city of God lay in ruins. No matter what it cost they would go back to rebuild. Back to God’s chosen ground. 

“You who have escaped the sword, go, do not stand still! Remember the Lord from far away, and let Jerusalem come into your mind.” (Jeremiah 51:50)

“Take the vessels of the Lord, return them to the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site!” (Ezra 5:15)

1 comment | posted in Bible study, Body of Christ, Christ, church, church life, denominationalism, division, eternal purpose, fellowship, ground of the church, house of God, local church, purpose of God, sectarianism, unity, will of God

August 15, 2011

Jerusalem…to which the tribes go up

By Josh

“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place that He will choose…” (Deuteronomy 16:16)

“Jerusalem… to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as a testimony for Israel…” (Psalm 122:3,4)

In the last post we looked at the Old Testament and saw how God had a specific purpose in mind for getting His people into the land of promise. Within that land there was a specific plot of ground upon which the Lord placed great significance. There He chose to dwell and place His name, and out from that mount He wanted to express Himself to the surrounding nations.

Ancient Israel, as you probably know, was divided up into twelve tribes. When Joshua first brought the people into the land each tribe was allotted a certain portion of the land as their inheritance. Within those borders the people of each tribe dwelt. But three times a year everyone who was able was to come to Jerusalem for the annual feasts. These feasts were to be a time of celebration, fellowship, and offering to God. No man was to appear before the Lord in Zion empty-handed. Rather, each family was directed to set aside the very best portion of the produce of the land they had reaped the previous year, and bring it to Jerusalem to display before the Lord and share with their brothers and sisters in fellowship.

All this was a foreshadowing of the church.

Also, we looked at how Jerusalem was set up as a unifying force in the life of the Jewish people. Three times a year the people came up to the Holy City as one man to appear before the Lord and show forth the testimony of God. That is what Psalm 122 indicates. Their gathering together each year on the Lord’s chosen ground was for the testimony of God! And as they caravaned to Jerusalem they would sing the psalms of ascent, such as Psalm 133: “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters dwell together in unity!”

Furthermore, we noted that when the kingdom became divided after the death of Solomon, Jeroboam set up altars in the cities of Dan and Bethel for the express purpose of keeping his people from going to Jerusalem for the annual feasts, because he knew that if they did their hearts would be turned back to the Lord and he would lose his kingdom.

So then, Mt. Zion was God’s chosen ground. On it was built a city and a temple for the Lord. Out from that temple and city God willed to make Himself known. And Jerusalem was central in the plan of God, a vital factor toward the unity of the people.

Again, all this was a foreshadowing of Christ and the church. The land flowing with milk and honey represents Christ in His unsearchable riches. God’s goal is to get His people into the land, possessing the land, living off the produce which comes from their labor on the land. The temple represents the church, the fullness of Christ, which issues out of God’s people enjoying and applying the riches of the land toward its building. Then around the temple you have the city, where “thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David” (Psalm 122:5). The city represents the government and rule of God-His kingdom-which is brought into the earth through the church.

All this is getting a little ahead of the present conversation, though. The issue we are considering is the ground of the church. As the temple had a specific ground on which it was built, so the church has a specific ground on which it is built. It is very practical, yet very wonderful. We asked the question in the last post concerning what that ground is. Is it the house (as in, house church)? Is it a theological system or a denomination? What is it?

Every group of believers who come together do so on a certain ground. For some that ground is a particular doctrine. For others it is a specific style of meeting or form of government. For some it is a specific cause, while for others it is a certain demographic of people they hope to reach. Whatever the specifics, every group meets on a certain ground. The question is, what is the true and unique ground of the church? We know that the temple of old could only be built upon one particular plot of ground. When Cyrus released the children of the captivity to go back and rebuild, nobody entertained the thought of throwing up a new temple in Babylon, for the Lord had been very specific: only in Jerusalem, on Mt. Zion, was His House to be built. Even the proclamation from Cyrus to go and rebuild included the very specific injunction, “let the house be rebuilt on its site.”  In other words, on its ground.

People in our day are starting “churches” left and right. House churches, campus churches, legacy churches, organic churches, you name it. Seems all you have to do is have a vision, get some people together, start teaching from the Bible, perhaps gain a non-profit status, serve the bread and wine, and there you have a church. The only problem is there is most likely another congregation of local believers doing the same thing just down the road, only with their own emphasis on truth that forms their particular center. Denominations and organizational divisions abound. Is this honoring to God? Is it really ok for there to be twenty different “churches” in the same city, all employing their own separate administration, fellowship, and life together apart from other believers just down the road? Rarely do we stop to ask upon what ground we are attempting to build the House of God. But it is a question worth asking, and scripture has not left us without an answer to this all-important inquiry.

So I leave you once more with the question: What is the ground of the church? And when I speak of the church, let it be clear that I’m not talking about the “universal” church. I’m talking about the local, visible, attendable Body of believers-the thing you can touch, taste, and feel. What is the true ground upon which a group of believers can come together and actually, rightfully claim the designation of being a church? Keep in mind that my interest in pursuing this question has nothing to do with finding out who has the most bragging rights-that is, who’s doing it right as opposed to who’s doing it wrong (far from it)-but rather to genuinely search out and discover what the mind and heart of the Lord is on this matter. Because if I read the scripture right, having a true expression of His church is a whole lot more important than most of the other things we Christians spend the bulk of our time and effort on.

7 comments | posted in Bible study, Christ, church, church meeting, eternal purpose, fellowship, house church, house of God, kingdom of God, local church, oneness, organic church, purpose of God, scripture, unity, will of God

August 8, 2011

Your Christ, my hope

By Josh

The story surrounding Paul’s initial journey to Thessalonica, the raising up of the church there, and his subsequent letters to this little assembly is well worth a good study. Paul was in town for barely a month before getting tossed to the curb by the local Jewish community, but in that small window of time the Lord gave birth through his ministry to a gathering of believers whose testimony sounded out all across Macedonia, Achaia, and beyond in the days to come.

When Paul wrote his first letter to the Thessalonians some weeks after being “torn away” from them by hostile circumstances, his heart was rejoicing. From the moment he’d been forced to leave the city he’d been burdened for the little children he had left behind. He knew they were facing heavy afflictions, and though he entrusted them to the keeping power of the indwelling Christ, still he worried that the pressure would be too much for them to handle. “Therefore when I could bear it no longer, I chose to remain alone at Athens and sent Timothy, our brother and co-worker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, so that no one would be moved by these afflictions” (1 Thess. 3:1-3). When Timothy returned to Paul at Corinth he brought good news: not only was the church at Thessalonica surviving, she was thriving. And the saints were longing to see Paul again as much as he longed to see them. At this point Paul says something that is simply beautiful:

“For now we live, if you are standing firm in the Lord” (1 Thess. 3:8)

Did you catch that? Here you have the great apostle Paul-a man who has seen visions and revelations of the Lord, has been caught up to the third heaven, has seen the resurrected Christ face to face-saying to a little assembly of new believers barely out of their spiritual training pants that he cannot live without them. That they are his life. That his going on depends on their going on.

It’s a pretty remarkable thought, if you ask me. You and I are accustomed to think of this the other way around, aren’t we? In other words, we think it should be the weak believers in Thessalonica declaring their utter dependence on Paul and his ministry. But here in scripture we see it just the opposite. Here you have the strong apostle, the Lord’s worker, the one who should surely be able to stand on his own if anyone could, declaring his need for the Thessalonian believers to stand firm in the Lord. Isn’t that wonderful? It shows just how much we all need one another in the Body of Christ. Big or small, one talent for five, none of us is going to make it very far on our own. Simply put, we need each other. If Paul needed the two-month old believers in Thessalonica, then you can be sure that you need me and I need you.

Today the church I’m a part of was visited by some saints from a town a couple hours north of us. We sang a song together which is drawn from this very passage in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians. I submit to you here the words to the song and a small video clip from the meeting, for your mutual enjoyment. :)

YOUR CHRIST, MY HOPE

1)I’m thankful that God has placed me

With you to build up His body

Christ in you is the hope for me

You also need Christ lived in me

 

(CHORUS)

I live if you stand firm in the Lord

You live if I stand firm in the Lord

My going on is for you, your going on is for me

Not separate entities, I need you saints desperately

 

2)Oh what a sweet church life have we

Built up in Him His bride to be

In Him steadfast you help me be

Encouraged by Christ whom I see

 

3)Your faith in Christ helps me pursue

My progress depends upon you

As I seek Christ with you in view

My heart full of prayers is for you

 

4)God’s heart longs, desires that we

His lovers seek Him corporately

On each other spent constantly

My life is for you, yours for me

 

5)I want to encourage you all

Without your supply I would fall

Never think that your Christ is small

Christ needs you and so do we all

Leave a comment | posted in Body of Christ, Christ, church, church life, church meeting, fellowship, first-century story, house church, house of God, life in Christ, local church, love, oneness, organic church

August 3, 2011

Practicing the presence of God

By Josh

This is post #2 about the life of Stephen. Check here to read my introduction to this study.

The first thing that interests me about Stephen is that he came to know the Lord the way he did while living a very ordinary, busy life.

“Choose out from among yourselves seven men… whom we will appoint to this duty.” So said the apostles to the church in Jerusalem (Acts 6:3). The duty they were referring to was the daily food distribution to widows. By their own admission, fulfilling this duty would have kept the twelve too busy to give much time to prayer and the ministry of the word (see verses 2 and 4). Stephen was one of seven men chosen to bear this responsibility in the apostles’ stead.

So from the moment Stephen steps onto the scene of early church history we see a man laden with responsibility enough to keep him too busy to devote much time to prayer and Bible study. Contrast this with our modern conception of what it takes to get to know the Lord well-spending hours a day on your knees and learning the Bible so well you can quote it backwards and forwards-and things just don’t add up. Stephen spent most of his time working a job and caring for the practical needs of widows, yet somehow he was able to cultivate an inner awareness of and fellowship with the Lord that both transcended and transformed his outward busyness. In the words of brother Lawrence, Stephen learned to practice the presence of God.  Daily. Moment by moment.

Undoubtedly this is what made for Stephen’s transformation: daily, constant, inward fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. This same kind of relationship to the Lord is available to you and me today. The question is, do we even know the Lord lives within us? Not just in some rhetorical, abstract, hypothetical kind of way, but really… have you ever sensed His presence deep in your spirit? Have you been awakened to this knowledge-”the secret, which has been hid for ages and generations but is now revealed to the saints” (Col. 1:26), which is Christ in you?   

Take a moment to still your soul and turn within to your spirit. Touch the Lord there. Spend some time beholding Him. Speak whatever words of adoration or praise well up from within. Enjoy Him. This is what He desires more than anything. Then realize that the Lord has called us, in the words of A.W. Tozer, into an everlasting preoccupation with Himself. This is eternal life, that we might know Him (John 17:3), and this is the knowledge that produces a man of Stephen’s calibre.

1 comment | posted in Bible study, Christ, fellowship, first-century story, life in Christ

July 29, 2011

One in Christ

By Josh

Yesterday I went out to lunch with some brothers. In the course of our fellowship an elderly lady who was serving tables came up and asked us about the Bible we had at out table. We told her it was a New Testament and she just smiled and shook her head in the affirmative. Her name was Faye and she was the sweetest lady you’ll ever meet. Later she came back and asked us what kind of Bible it was; more specifically, she wondered whether it was the King James version or not.

Perhaps you know the feeling that comes in a moment like this. In my neck of the woods the King James reigns supreme as God’s one and only inspired version of scripture-in the minds of most people at least. Men will argue and fight with you over this belief. Around here, then, when someone asks you about the kind of Bible you’re reading you can be pretty sure it’s because they’re a King James-only believer.

Anyway, you could sense this sister was of that persuasion. As soon as she asked us about the Bible and we told her it was not the King James but a different translation I could just sense the divide that might come between us, the same divide that separates so many Christians in my town. Yet she saw that we were sincere young brothers, and she was so pleased to meet us. She wanted to say something, yet she didn’t. So she just smiled and said, “I like the King James”. We responded with “Yes, the King James is a very beautiful version of scripture,” “we love the King James, too”, and I even told her that all the scriptures I still have committed to memory are from the King James version, since that is the one I read growing up.

Maybe you had to be there to get the impression of what I’m trying to convey, but it was a beautiful moment. She asked us where we go to church, and we told her we are simply members of the Body of Christ in Portsmouth (our town), and that we meet house to house with some other brothers and sisters but we are one with all believers, herself included. She smiled so big. We all said how nice it was to meet each other, and we parted ways with a blessing in Christ. As we walked out of the restaurant I turned to my brothers and said, “Look what just happened. We encountered one of the many issues that separate brothers and sisters from each other, and we transcended it in Christ!” What a small yet significant triumph that moment was!

Never have I been more convinced in my heart that this is the kind of testimony the Lord is seeking to have in every city on this planet. The testimony of a people reunited and made one in Christ… a new humanity with Him as Head. Brothers and sisters, let us pray and live toward this end!

6 comments | posted in Body of Christ, Christ, church, church life, division, fellowship, life in Christ, local church, love, oneness, organic church, sectarianism, unity, will of God

June 28, 2011

God’s eternal purpose is found in the church life

By Josh

At the end of the age, what is it God is after? What, ultimately, is His goal?

When there are no more lost souls to save, no injustice remaining that has not been made right, and no enemy left to subdue, what will remain of the purpose of God?

And does it matter to you now, even while all those other things are still in play?

Should it?

For the past three years I have had the privilege of living and gathering with a small company of believers for whom life in Christ is more than a private, individual affair. We have gone through many seasons, had our fair share of highs and lows, and learned that Christ is found in the mundane aspects of life as well as the spectacular. Being built together in this way is worth its weight in gold, if you ask me. I so appreciate the church life, and I’ve come to see that this is the very heartbeat of God. The church life is the very center of His purpose and the end of all His activities. What God is ultimately seeking to obtain is a people who live in fellowship together with Himself.

Depending on your view of the Christian life, and your definition of fellowship, that may not sound like much to you. But to me it is the highest thing in the universe.

One day there will remain no more souls to save, therefore evangelism will no longer be necessary. And there will be no more injustice-the creation will be set free. The enemy of God’s purpose will eventually be cast down to rise no more, as well. In that day what will there be left for us to do? What mission will remain for the House, the Body, the Bride, the Family of the Lord?

Fellowship! Unceasing, unbroken, unspoiled, ever-enlarging, creative, wonderful fellowship.

This fellowship, when put on display in the earth today, takes the shape of a little thing we like to call the church life. A people living together in fellowship with the Lord. And it is marvelous.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for evangelism, reaching people with the gospel. I feel my own heart stirred to do it more and more. And justice is no doubt in the heart of God, so let us be busy doing His work, setting this planet-including every man, woman, and child in it-free. And there is a warfare to be engaged in by the church, don’t I know it. I’m all for an active participation in these things. But in the midst of it all, can’t we be about the fulfillment of His eternal purpose as well?

This is what the church life is all about. You have to experience it from the inside to know what I’m talking about. Lucky thing the doors are thrown open wide for whosoever will to enter in!

I’ll end my musings with the words to this song:

“How oft believers through the years have sought the will of Jesus

And would have offered everything to walk as Him it pleases

If you should seek the will of God don’t waste another minute

The church life is His glorious will, and you too must get in it!

 

“‘What is the will of God for me?’ How oft you’ve asked this question

It is the church life, corporately, where God finds His expression

Don’t watch the church life from afar, or erringly construe it

Come gaze upon it from within-you’ll give your whole life to it.

 

“The church life here is realized, tis all the Lord intended

And in this rich experience all further seeking’s ended

The church life is His glorious will-now for yourself begin it

The surest way to know His will is simply to get in it.

 

“So let us give our all for this, and hold ourselves not dearly

The church life is the will of God, let’s take our standing clearly

Oh, we have found the will of God, Christ died and rose to win it

The church life is His glorious will, and praise the Lord, we’re in it!”

12 comments | posted in Christ, church, church life, community, eternal purpose, fellowship, life in Christ, will of God

June 22, 2011

Some thoughts on knowing God

By Josh

Tonight as I put my son to sleep he wanted me to sing him a song. One song turned into two, then three, and finally we ended with Jesus Loves Me This I Know. On Sunday I took Josh to see the new Thomas the Train movie at the theatre-his first time going to the movies-so one of the songs he asked me to sing was the Thomas song. Now, I’ve heard that song far too many times in my adult life, but for the life of me I couldn’t remember all of the words. So what did I do? I made them up. After the song, though, Josh told me I did it wrong and proceeded to sing for me the correct lyrics.

I’ve been seeing all kinds of neat little things about the Lord and our life in Him through my kids lately. While I sat there tonight with Josh as he sang the song to me I thought of the way many Christian leaders major so heavily on “sound doctrine” and getting people to watch out for heresy and false teaching. So much emphasis is placed on the negatives with so little time given to revealing Christ to God’s people. And the product of such teaching is not a people who intimately know their Lord so much as it is pews full of stuffy doctrinarians whose only concern is crossing every ”t” and dotting every “i” of scripture and watching out for those who don’t.

Forgive me if that sounds harsh, for I don’t intend to be. I just believe that if you know the real thing you are not likely to be fooled by the false. The best thing for any of us to do is to know the Lord Jesus-personally, intimately, and deeply. To know the Lord in practical, every-day reality is better equipment than ten years’ worth of studies at the best seminary in Christendom. If you know the Lord, and He is real to you and He is your all, then, like with my son, when someone comes along singing the wrong song, you’ll just know. You won’t need any man to teach you, for you will have an inner sense coming from His anointing which dwells richly within. That is God’s way. Man’s way is to try to protect spiritual life with sound doctrine, but I’ve yet to see it work. The best way to ensure sound doctrine is simply to have a healthy spiritual life. Walk with God. Then when the time comes, you will know what you need to know.

The Lord is so real, and He is so enjoyable. He is abundantly rich and clearly available to us all. It strikes me as strange, those who would over-emphasize the place of “teaching” and “sound doctrine” to the point that it obscures the simply reality of God dwelling in and with His people. Take a glass of water, for instance. Can you tell me all about the molecular structure of the water in that cup? No? But you can take that glass in your hand and drink the water, can’t you? You enjoy it’s taste, and you are refreshed by the life it gives you. Experiencing the Lord is just like that. You don’t need to understand all the deep mystery of the Trinity in order to enjoy the fellowship of the Father, Son, and Spirit that is going on inside your heart right this moment. Doctrine and theology is all good and fine in its proper place, but don’t think you have to have your mind all wrapped around God before you can taste and see that He is good.

2 comments | posted in Christ, fellowship, life, life in Christ

June 9, 2011

The lifestyle of the church is one of happiness and joy!

By Josh

You’ll have to forgive me for skipping out on the exact quotation and reference, but there’s an old Jewish proverb that goes something like this-”A merry heart does one good like medicine”-and another that says, “he that is of a merry heart has a continual feast.” Tonight I got a call from an old friend of mine asking if he and his wife could stop by the house and see us. We ended up having them over, along with another couple, and what a great time we had just sitting around talking, laughing, meeting their new little baby, and reminiscing about old times.

As strange as it may sound, something I’ve noticed on many occasions in my life is that I never laugh quite so much as when I’m with the saints. To me this is a real evidence of the Lord’s presence-just to be together in an atmosphere of contagious joyfulness, where one can find happiness and light-heartedness over the simplest things of life. I really do believe, as Leon Henri Marie Bloy once said, that “joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God.”

Here’s a portion from a book entitled Church Unity, a compilation of writings from Warren Litzman, Watchman Nee, and Gene Edwards. Listen to what Litzman says in his chapter on Christ being the lifestyle of the church:

“If a Christian lives by the law, and if he fellowships with a church that preaches law, it would be difficult for that person to fellowship with believers who live by a Lord who is within them. However, the Lord is raising up believers who live by His life. These believers will be as a stream running through the world, flowing right out of the loins of Almighty God.

“They will be a people free to be who they are.

“They will be a people free from man’s harassment and dictatorship. They will be a people who have discovered that Christ is their life. They will be a people who are free to live that life regardless of what others think or do.

“This freedom will change homes, it will change marriage relationships, and it will change business dealings out there in the world.

“If you are a believer, then know that Jesus Christ lives in you. You are free because Christ Himself operates in you. What joy and happiness can flow from the life of a believer! However, that is not to say that there isn’t any suffering in your life as a believer. There is suffering.

“Nontheless the expression of the ecclesia is one of joy.

“Look around you. Everywhere you look you can see that the fun has gone out of the Christian life! God has an intention. That intention is that He have pleasure in us; that we have joy and happiness in being with Him and in Him, and He in us. When a group of believers who have a revelation of an indwelling Lord get together, they express joy and happiness just in being together and being with their Lord together. There is joy despite the difficulties they encounter from time to time.

“The church in this hour is living under laws, regulations and teachings, and has lost much of the fun of being the church. The church has lost the pleasure of knowing the Lord Jesus and the Father. However, with the discovery of the Christ-life there will grow up a lifestyle of the church that is one of happiness and joy.”

Amen! Can I get a witness anywhere out there in the blogosphere?

4 comments | posted in Body of Christ, Christ, church, church life, fellowship, life, life in Christ, love, quotes, unity

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