nobrokenreed

The Personality Driven Church

by 5 Comments

But Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life will lose it, but whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.…”

In the past year, I have been introduced to some disciple makers whose accomplishments are quite breathtaking. Hundreds of thousands of churches, with millions of baptised believers across many, many countries – some Western, some not.

If I mentioned any of their names it is doubtful you would have heard of them, something I think they would prefer. Even from those inside these movements, there would be many, a majority, who would not know the catalyst. That is because simply there is only one name that is important, only one name that people have signed up for. King Jesus.

As I have prayed and reflected on this, I get the feeling that this is very, very significant. Jesus founded a movement, one centred around him, and we have shifted that to many smaller movements centred around ourselves. It is alarming that believers around me constantly cite names they are following in Christendom; Francis Chan, Phil Pringle, Joyce Meyer, Torben Sondergaard, Rick Warren, Joel Osteen and the list goes on. Much closer to home, there is the same issue on a smaller scale, with many striving for regional recognition.

It would be easy to backtrack on this wouldn’t it – to say that all these were well meaning and important for the leadership of the church. But surely to deny it is by far the easier option, given that most of Christendom pursues personality. Are they really important? Would Jesus church fail if we didn’t have these personalities, do we not think Jesus capable of running or growing his own church without us?

At the core of this is our need for both recognition and control and it seems we now have a choice before us. If we truly want movement, the type Jesus founded and desires, a church that is wild and free, a church governed and led by him alone – potentially though, with doctrinal error, inconsistent with fallen, failing people then we must die to ourselves and release control. We must point people to Jesus, have them filled with the Holy Spirit, teaching them to multiply and then back away working to build the church away from us towards God. We must accept and even rejoice, as Jesus did, that some will do ‘even greater things than us.’

If we don’t, if we insist that it be done our way, that our stamp must be on the work, that control must be centralised – in short that the local church be run along similar lines as the institutions of this world, then any movement will be limited by our reach. At times, it may be big in our eyes and even in the worlds, but incomparable to what Jesus envisaged when he looked out over the world and commanded believers to ‘baptise the nations’. It will be too small by his standards, and when we go the movement is likely to stop dead. More than that, it will lack the freedom, the interdependence, the ability to move between borders and geographies. In short, it will not be a movement free to run as the Spirit dictates. It will be an institution.

We are at a pivotal point in church history right now. As I look around globally, I see the Spirit moving forward at an even faster pace than the world seems to crumble. Contrary to what we read, hundreds of thousands of Muslims are discovering Christ, and in turn help his movement accelerate towards others. Christ is always the head, always the main event.

In other places though, predominantly the West, I see known names trying to build even bigger followings for themselves. Leaders – humans, gathering people around them in smaller kingdoms.

If we are to see movement, then we must get out of the way, we must die to one who is greater. We must rid ourselves of the cult of the personality. God will share his Glory with nobody, not even the most well-meaning of people.

Is He Worth It?

by 6 Comments

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. – Jesus, John’s Gospel

In The Kingdom Unleashed, Jerry Trousdale tells a story of several years ago, when he was working with a missionary who was disciple making inside a very dangerous country. Jerry warned him of the extreme risk he was taking, by continuing to bring the Gospel of Jesus to a hostile people. The young missionary turned to Jerry with a big smile and said this; “when we were learning Arabic and preparing to come here, my wife and I decided back then, that we had already died to this world, and would only live for Christ. It’s okay, we belong only to him, to do his will.” It was the last Jerry would see of him, as just a few weeks after that encounter, he was martyred for his faith.

Out of the hundreds of stories in TKU, that one has remained with me since. What is it, that sees a staggering, stuttering Faith in the West, up against a Faith moving so quickly that it cannot be contained in the East. Why does the Spirit move with such force in the one, yet is invisible in the other? Surely there must be an answer.

It would seem above all else, that the contrast is found in a single word – sacrifice. In those parts of the world where the church is multiplying at breathtaking speed, believers seemingly live only for Christ. Prayer is constant and relentless, fasting is regularly practiced, and the devil is taken seriously. Jesus’ mandate to move into the world and make disciples is taken as if the follower was in the army, and the order was issued by a 5-star General. While life carries on, nothing gets in the way of devotion to Jesus, and dedication to the cause.

Compare that to you, and me. Work takes up an enormous amount of our time and energy – even within that confine though, few believers are willing to count themselves as followers of Jesus and take a stand for fear of reprisals. Most have few non-believing friends, and if so (if we’re honest) even less of our non-believing friends would be able to identify us as followers of Christ. Some would be astonished if they found out we were. Evenings are spent entertaining or relaxing, and weekends are full of activity as we enjoy the great lifestyle given to us. Our relationship with God is generally squeezed into a few hours on a Sunday, after which we are free to live pretty much for ourselves.

Further our conversion in the West generally lacks force, baptism is optional, and a simple prayer suffices to “get Jesus into our hearts.” We are taught, from the outset, that teaching and doctrine are paramount in our growth, and slowly we are absorbed into the local church’s culture. We believe what they believe, usually without question. We are taught Jesus is our Saviour (although we often have a mediator).

Compare that to a conversion in the East, where baptism is immediate (see Acts) often demons are cast out, hands are laid on for the Spirit to come on in power and a believer is told in no uncertain terms, that obedience and total allegiance to Jesus is what we are signing up for. If that conversion happens in a country where Christianity is outlawed or prohibited, we will find out soon enough the cost involved. Jesus is not only our Saviour, he is also our Lord.

So, is it any wonder we see so little of the move of the Spirit in our Western world? With our distractions, a faith that demands so little, sacrifice and obedience as options – is it any wonder that Jesus’ attention is maybe elsewhere. Where would our attention be, in fact where is it? We need to, have to, take stock of the situation. Around us, our Western world is falling apart, brokenness is all round us and people are in need of Jesus more than ever. Hell hasn’t gone away.

We must take Jesus at his word. Only if we die to ourselves, will we see fruit. But he also mentions that we must hate this world and all that it stands for. Similarly, we must take him at his word when he reminds us that on a day coming soon, many will tell him that they “knew him” at which, he will deny ever having met us before. How terrifying.

If we want to see the Kingdom Unleashed, then death to ourselves and utter Lordship of Christ amongst us, is the only way. Is he worth it in your life, in mine?

Beautifully Simple, the Discovery Bible Study

by 2 Comments

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” – John

Read any of the current books at the moment on global Disciple Making, and each will highlight the significance of the Discovery Bible Study (DBS). Across the globe, millions, even tens of millions of people from every people group, are discovering Jesus through the pages of Scripture – and then, in true obedience to what they read, telling others what they are learning about Him.

Don’t be fooled, DBS is no ordinary Bible Study though. There are no leaders, no experts, no teachers (especially) other than Jesus himself, through his Spirit. Time and again, as we run through this in our own groups, we are astonished as the unchurched make fascinating observations and insights around passages – passages we have often been looking at for years or more.

Further, DBS brings strict accountability on each participant to share what they have learned that week, to the extent of being required to report back the following week on whether they have been obedient (or not). It is the crucial difference between that and the traditional Bible Study, seeking to impart obedience more than knowledge. The result is something unique in Western Christendom; predominantly non-believers, learning and discovering Jesus through interaction and the prompting and teaching of the Holy Spirit, and from the outset appreciating that following Jesus means obeying Jesus. A key to that obedience is sharing him with others, whether we fully understand what that means or not.

In DBS, we have the full Ekklesia, with all its components of gathering, praise, teaching, pastoral, sharing and obedience. Adequate time is given to every part, and perhaps most importantly everyone is active and involved.

Around the world there are stories of Muslims, Hindus, aetheists and not-yet-believers, sharing their discoveries of Christ with others in their community. The Gospel spreads between believer and non-believer, community to community. The Church multiplies, the Great Commission is fulfilled with something as simple as a Discovery Bible Study. Above everything, Christ is allowed his role as head of the Church. How wonderful.

My wife has been praying for decades for her family, and recently she has taken each side through a simple DBS. All of them shared in the session, all of them were engaged. Around a table, each answered a simple set of questions and all participated, even answering the question, “who do you know this week who needs to hear this story, and when will you share it?” Like many others, they have begun to discover who Jesus is, in their own homes, with others in their own oikos. The Gospel story, the story of Jesus, will be shared into another oikos. The church multiplied, the Kingdom expanding.

We see the same in our own gathering. Every week the focus is on establishing new Discovery Groups, as we each ask the Holy Spirit to guide us into people of influence in our own oikos, so that we can continue to introduce Jesus to others.

This week, I was reminded of that simple beauty, with no teacher other than the Holy Spirit. A man, an uneducated man who is still working out his Faith, offered profound insights and responses to a well known passage, as those gathered around were amazed. But that was not even all of it, the same man committed to sharing with those in his own oikos. The Good News of Jesus spreads, and nothing will stop it.

Sometimes all we need do, is get out of the way.

The Church Premier League

by 3 Comments

There are four major churches where we live, each a different ‘brand’ from the other. They compete avidly for members, mostly young people. They compete at several different levels, doctrinally, ‘worship’, events, programmes, charismatic leaders and even the type of teaching. This last bit, the message, is often at the heart of success.

One in particular is relatively new and we know the ‘pastor’ and his wife well. They have a good heart, do a lot in the community and have been set on establishing a church for some time. Their model is Bethel, one of the leading US mega churches run by Bill Johnson.

We have been enticed to go there a few times; ‘we’re growing so fast, but it’s mostly young people and we don’t have enough mature Christians around to cope, why don’t you join us?’ While we appreciate the sentiment, it’s not quite where we sense our calling from the Lord.

Perhaps more importantly though, is it right?

Is it right, for example, to claim rapid growth when all of the growth – 100%, is transfer growth, especially when the main group is young people who at best are transient and go where the crowd is? Can we claim the Lord’s anointing when this is the case? The next phase of growth is already on the table – a building, because the one we’re renting has already been outgrown. Then we need a youth pastor…..and on it goes down a familiar road.

Meanwhile, the other churches presumably are upset, because they are losing members. We know for a fact this is the case, everyone is going to this ‘new’ church. If numbers are down, then offerings are down and so an examination will soon need to take place to decide what we can do to stem the outflow. An overseas visiting speaker perhaps? A review of ‘worship’ or some of our programmes, and perhaps even a sermon urging members to invite their friends along.

It is immensely sad. Yesterday, I was with my son and together we spoke to 2 young mums who go to the ‘newbrand church’ and they explained why they liked it. Yet church is not a brand, you’re not supposed to tire of it or the pastor. Church should not be the next Gucci handbag or nightclub that will pass out of favour shortly. In a year or so, there will be another newbrand, and the cycle will repeat. As growth and numbers become the absolute priority to keep the machine going, the Gospel becomes secondary to the individual. Programmes tailored down to the singular are created and worst of all, sin is not discussed or ignored lest people are offended and leave.

Critically though, the very structure of the modern Western church is built such that local mission is virtually non-existent. So little time is spent mixing with non-believers, as instead every waking moment is taken up with ‘church’ programmes and activities. We have prioritised growth, even if it’s a lie, ahead of all else including Jesus’ great command.

In our discussions with many of the churches about training to make disciples, few are genuinely interested. They cannot see the relevance of Jesus’ call to grow His Kingdom, past the notion of whether or not such activity is going to grow theirs. Meanwhile the world looks at us and asks questions we ignore.

It’s time we sat back, took the blinkers off and looked hard at whether what we call church is actually what Jesus envisaged. That would be the hardest thing the church has ever done.

We must be wary for if what we have is not what God wants, then he will change it. His change is often painful.

SUBSCRIBE

Contact