“I will not quarrel with you about my opinions; only see that your heart is right toward God, that you know and love the Lord Jesus Christ; that you love your neighbor, and walk as your Master walked, and I desire no more. I am sick of opinions; am weary to bear them; my soul loathes this frosty food. Give me solid and substantial religion; give me a humble, gentle lover of God and man; a man full of mercy and good faith, without partiality and without hypocrisy; a man laying himself out in the work of faith, the patience of hope, the labor of love. Let my soul be with these Christians wheresoever they are, and whatsoever opinion they are of.”

John Wesley

SERVANTS OF CHRIST

The third foundation stone for the ministry of God’s people is the call to be servants of Jesus Christ. To be a minister in the church means to be a servant. This underscores the practical significance of the church as servant.

A key passage here, though many others might be cited, is Matthew 20:25-27. “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus says in effect: If you are going to be my disciple, you must function differently from the world’s way.  The model is not hierarchy but servanthood.  Ministry is service, and greatness is Christ-likeness.

This foundation stone suggests three things for the ministry of God’s people.  First, Jesus is the model for ministry. We do not have to look else where, and anything we learn elsewhere must be corrected by Jesus’ example. Continue Reading…

GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

The key passage here is Ephesians 4:1-16.  The passage speaks of unity in the church – one faith, one Lord, one baptism. Throughout the passage the themes of unity, diversity and mutuality intertwine. After the initial stress on unity, a contrasting theme is introduced in verse seven. “But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” (RSV)  The context indicates that Paul is not referring here to the grace by which believers are saved, but rather to the particular grace God gives his people for ministry.

In chapter three of Ephesians Paul says he had been given a particular grace, a special gift for ministry.  Now in chapter four he says this is true for all believers, although our ministries vary.  He is saying, in effect: Now that you have been saved by grace, you need to understand that God continues to give you grace — grace for ministry. The principle and power by which you were saved is the principle and power by which you serve.

The church operates by grace (charis) through the gifts of the Spirit (charismata).  The church is charismatic because it is saved by grace and serves by grace.   As believers, we are all one in Christ, all parts of the body, the community of God’s people.  God shares his grace with us from the fullness of Christ.  God’s fullness in Christ is not exhausted by the new birth; it includes abundant resources for ministry through the charisms or gifts given to the body.  As John Arndt wrote: “Christ lives and works in the members of his body so that each one might receive of his fullness (Jn.1:16), for he as the head has all the fullness of all and each gifts.” Continue Reading…

THE PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS

The key passage here is 1 Peter 2:4-9.  Peter says that believers are “being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”  The church is “a chosen people (laos, or “laity”), a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God”, called to declare the praises of him who called (it) out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

In coming to know Christ, believers became part of the body of Christ, the church. Under the high priesthood of Jesus the church itself is priesthood. In 1 Peter, the author refers to Exodus 19 where Moses was about to go up to the mountain to receive God’s law.  God said to Israel: “Now if you obey me fully, and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex.19:5-6).

The whole nation of Israel, not just the tribe of Levi, was to be God’s priesthood.  God’s plan was that his people would represent him to the world.  They would be the channel of his revelation and his salvation purposes.  This was God’s commission to Israel.  Although Israel often was unfaithful and the commission was only partly fulfilled, God’s purpose was clear. Continue Reading…

Call it revolution or reformation – the church’s understanding of ministry is changing radically.

Ministry is in crisis today. Seminarians say they don’t feel called to the traditional pastoral role, and young men and women in pastoral service tell me. “I don’t fit here.”  A young man with a M.Div. degree, two years out of seminary, wrote, “My wife and I just don’t feel at home here. We have lots of questions about the traditional pastoral role we’re placed in, and we feel isolated.” He was serving as an assistant pastor, working closely with the senior pastor and with a group of people who know and love the Lord. But he felt something was out of focus and out of gear. He felt he was spinning wheels instead of building community.

This is not an isolated example. Several currents are combining to challenge and undermine the traditional pastoral role.  While most seminaries will operate on a professional school model (the religious counterpart to a legal or medical school), here and there that model is being challenged.  Biblical images of pastors as equippers and disciples are beginning to yeast their way into the church. On the other hand, in many local churches the expectation, both official and unofficial, is that the pastor is the professional religionist, the expert, not the equipper and catalyst.  The pastor is the one who does the religious work for the people, not the one to turns “laymen” into ministers. Continue Reading…

Ekklesia is Supernatural

I have said that there is much going on in the ekklesia at many different levels. The ekklesia is not a phenomenon of the natural historical world only. The writer of Hebrews says that we have already been introduced into the transcendental realms, which includes participation in “the ekklesia of the firstborn ones who are enrolled in heaven” (Heb.12:23).

Think of it as polarized by the Godhead and creation. Between these poles is a great variety of interchange — many different things are going on. On any or all of these levels of dynamic interaction, the ekklesia is identified by the presence of Christ. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt.18:20).

According to philosophers and linguists there are three requirements for an adequate linguistic expression. It must be simple, complete and consistent. Here we have a simple statement — the ekklesia is constituted by the personal presence of Christ. It is complete, for He who is Himself the center of ekklesia-life is the one that “fills all in all” (Eph.1:23). And it is consistent for He that expresses His fullness through the ekklesia is genuine truth.  The presence of Christ, therefore, is an adequate expression of ekklesia. As few as two or three believers assembled together can now constitute the ekklesia.

Hence where Christ Himself is present the ekklesia exists in a totality. It does not require a composite collection of various assemblies to form the total ekklesia. Each local ekklesia is the ekklesia. Each local ekklesia is conscious of itself as the representative of the universal ekklesia (1 Thess.2:14, 1 Cor.1:2). This seems paradoxical to us — how each gathering can contain the whole ekklesia in its universality. Continue Reading…

Phe-nom-e-non

1. An observable fact or event. 2. An extraordinary person or thing or event.

3. An outward sign of the working of a law of nature (The Merriam- Webster Dictionary)

Ekklesia

1. Assembly, as a regularly summoned political body.

2. Assemblage, gathering, meeting generally.

3. The congregation of the Israelites.

4. The Christian church or congregation (Arndt & Gingrich Greek- English Lexicon)

Let’s not use the word “church.” It has so many preconceived meanings. Also, it is not even a translation of the Greek word ekklesia. “Church” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word kirk meaning, “of or pertaining to the Lord.” A good statement about God’s people, but not an accurate translation of ekklesia. Continue Reading…

Christianity in Crisis: A Response by Diana Butler Bass

Christianity in Crisis: A Response by Frank Viola

Christianity in Crisis: Response by Trevin Wax

The Kingdom Question

Do you long for a stronger economy? safer cities and neighborhoods? better education? more integrity in politics? more respect for traditional values? a greater respect for Christians? more godly laws? cleaner television and movies? an end to abortion, pornography homosexuality, and violence? In short, a better world?

Do these longings represent your hopes for the future? If so, why? Do you believe we as Christians have a right to expect these things from society? Do you believe that the Lord even expects His people to demand them? And if they are not forthcoming, to fight for them?

The Lord promises a new heaven and a new earth. To long for them is normal and even right. But what exactly do we have a right to expect while in this world, in its present condition – besides animosity, hostility, and tribulation, that is? Do we have a right to expect any of the societal improvements mentioned above? If so, on what Scriptural basis?

The Early Church

Do our national problems hinder anyone from exercising faith? or love? or holiness? or repentance? or from pursuing a relationship with the living God? The early church had all of our national woes times ten – and was only stronger for it. Not only that, but they exerted no energy other than fervent prayer, sincere love and faithful witness to effect a change.

Did they place their hope in a better Rome? a more righteous Galatia? a Christian Corinth? Or was their hope solely “in the grace to be revealed at the revelation of Christ Jesus” (I Pet. 1:5)? Indeed it was, and that hope is still the calling to which we must be faithful. The world’s need for moral reformation is not our mission – any more than reforming Egypt was Israel’s responsibility in the days of Moses.

Continue Reading…

Read the complete interview with Christian Smith on “The Bible Made Impossible.”