Let me start this post off by saying that I am not a heroin addict. Actually, I have no experience with this drug. I can relate to heroin addicts however. As a matter of fact, I can relate with addicts of all kinds because I am a recovering addict myself. I am going to go out on a limb and say that you probably are as well. Especially if you are reading this blog (grin).
There is a common struggle that all addicts go through who are being broken of their addiction…
Detox
Detox is not fun and is very painful. Detox can even be deadly. Detox is the threshold that one must cross, however, that will take us addicts from slavery to freedom. Failure to cross this threshold will mean a return to the lifestyle of addiction and slavery. No amount of good intentions or human discipline will spare us from going through this process. Detox is the cross, so to speak. Once the addict passes through the death of detox, life on the other side of detox will be profoundly different.
Before detox, the addict only knows one way of life. Our addiction has become the lens that we see life through, and has enabled us to cope with reality. The idea of living and relating to life without our addiction is almost impossible to imagine. If the new life of abiding in Christ is to be truly lived out, however, detox will need to occur and the addiction will have to be discarded. There can be no exceptions. The question is this…Do you need to go through the detox process? Well, let me ask you two questions:
Have you lived in the world’s system that is based on gratifying fleshly desires and obtaining security based on the acquisition of money & resources?
Have you spent any time in the institutional church system?
If you answered yes to one or both of these questions, then the answer is yes, you are in desperate need of detoxification. The longer you have spent in one or both of these world’s systems, the greater your need to detox. The quicker we come to this conclusion, the better it will be. I have been discovering that in order for us to successfully go through the detox process and begin to experience Christ’s life and fullness, we will need to come to grips with a couple of things.
1. If detox is going to occur in our lives and church communities, true hunger for a greater reality must exist in us
None of us have to be taught how to gratify our fleshly desires. It comes natural to our flesh. As a matter of fact, we have spent our lives seeking to fulfill our fleshly desires. Our flesh has called the shots. The fact is, our flesh has to be put to death. It will not be reformed. Whatever our worldly addiction has been, it has appealed to our fleshly nature. This is especially true of the religious system.
Religion has been my ‘drug’ of choice for most of my life as a believer in Christ. Make no mistake, religion is a tool of the flesh. In my life, religion has distracted me from the person of Jesus Christ. All religions have the same basic premise. In order to become a better person, we must obey a set of rules. The rules change with the religion, but the premise is the same. In religion, the focus and effort are focused on becoming a more disciplined person so that the right actions can be taken and the rules can be followed. This is not what Jesus taught nor demonstrated, yet this is what most of Christendom has unintentionally become. Life in Christ is much different however.
Just like any addiction, if we are to break free of this fleshly religious addiction, a very painful detox must occur. The more committed and longer we have functioned in a ‘religious’ or ‘worldly’ mentality, the more painful the detox will be. It is important for addicts to know that simply recognizing that you have a problem is only the first step. It will take genuine hunger to be free to be able to go through the pain, struggle, and living hell of detox.
We have to come to the conclusion that our addiction will not satisfy, but only the fullness of Christ will satisfy our deepest longings and desires. Remember, Jesus said that only those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Christ) will be satisfied. The fullness of Christ can only be found in His body (church) according to Ephesians 1:22-23 and a hunger for His fullness must rise above every other desire in our lives.
While the majority of people I talk to and converse with agree that the religious system that we see here in the West is a problem, there are only a few that actually have the hunger to go through the detox process that it takes to live in a new reality that can only be found outside of the religious system that the flesh is addicted to. This is truly heartbreaking to me.
2. To embrace detox, you must become a little child
I cannot stress this point enough. Little children need help with just about everything. If they don’t get that help, their growth is literally retarded. If you have any experience with a family member that has dealt with addiction issues, you know that until they recognize and accept the help of those that love them, they will remain in the slavery of their addiction. This is also true for those of us who are coming out of the addiction to religion.
The need of being detoxed from our old religious mentality is nothing new. This was also a need in the New Testament times as well. Consider the Roman church during the apostle Paul’s day for example. Most of them had come out of a religious system that involved performing certain religious duties such as the sacrificing of meat to idols.
Now that they had become believers in Jesus Christ, they took that same premise of living by rules and duties and were trying to apply it to their new faith in Christ. A great discussion and debate arose in that church that was centered around what they were now allowed to eat and not eat. (We do the same thing today when our focus is wrapped up in systems, processes, and what we have to do and not do to live out our faith).
Something beautiful happened in the Roman church of the New Testament, however. Paul stepped in to help. He helped this body of believers shift from their religious focus of what they should or shouldn’t eat, and he helped them understand that life in Christ is not about eating or drinking (doing or not doing) rather he taught them that life in Chirst is actually a state of being! Here is what he said:
for the kingdom of God is not eating or drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17)
What a profound verse! Basically, Paul was telling them that life in Christ is not about ‘doing’ but about being. You cannot ‘do’ His righteousness. You cannot ‘do’ peace. You cannot ‘do’ joy. Christ is the personification of the kingdom, and life in Christ is all about being and abiding (John 15, Matthew 6:33).
I find it interesting that Paul needed to come in from the outside and help. This is an example that we see replayed over and over in all New Testament churches.
Nothing has changed!
Like in New Testament times, we are still trying to ‘do’ life in Christ (religion), and like New Testament times, we need to be helped out of this religious mentality. This is the detox we need! The reason that Paul could help this church community go from a place of ‘doing’ to a reality of ‘being’ is because he went through that same transition before in his own life and he learned how to live this out in the church community at Antioch.
This is where I have found that things get tricky for my brothers and sisters who attempt to pursue ‘organic’ church life. While we may recognize the pitfalls of the institutional system, this in itself is not enough to equip us to operate in the new reality of Christ’s headship, nor will it equip us to function together as a body by His divine life. Recognizing the problems of the institution and leaving it does not mean we are equipped.
Scripture is clear that God’s people need to be equipped.
There is no getting around that. Scripture is also clear that God’s people need to be equipped by others in the body who have been called and given a measure of grace to help the church receive a foundation of Christ and to operate corporately by His life (See Ephesians 4:7-13).
This is more than just sharing information, rather it is actually receiving and interacting with the person who is called to help & equip the body as well. Paul had relationship with those church communities he labored to equip. It is these people who will help us detox, so to speak.
The transition between life in the old system and the new reality of Christ is a painful detox. The sad reality is that without a childlike humility to receive the help from those with a vision of Christ who have themselves been detoxed, we will miss the mark of Christ’s fullness. Despite our best intentions, we will function in mediocrity. In order to receive this help, we’ll have to recognize that we’re not experts. We have not been this way before. We cannot do this on our own. The quicker we realize this, the better it will be.
Many groups attempting to meet outside of the institution reject help because they say the Bible and the Holy Spirit are all that are needed to function and grow in Christ. The problem with this kind of reasoning is that the Bible itself says the opposite. Scripture clearly says that we need to receive the ministry of other people to grow & develop, and it is the Holy Spirit Himself who gifts some with the explicit ministry of equipping the saints!
I have become aware of a couple of underlying reasons why many reject the help of those who would help us ‘detox’. I say ‘underlying’ because these reasons are usually not the stated reasons why many in the ‘organic’ church world reject help.
The first reason why I believe people reject help has to do with the fact that many are carrying around deep wounds. People who have been wounded usually have a very hard time trusting other people, especially those who would give us direction. This is completely understandable. In its quest to control, the world’s system and the world’s religious system have wounded us very deeply.
Let me say this to my brothers and sisters that have been hurt in the past. I know your pain, but at some point you are going to have to trust others to give you direction again. Little children trust, and it is impossible to become a child again in the kingdom and not be able to trust. The Lord will have to help us get there. Trust is most certainly a necessity if ‘detox’ is going to occur in our lives however. Those who have dealt with a loved one in addiction know this all too well. Trust is a key factor for the person with the addiction to be able to accept the help they desperately need.
The second reason why people reject help has to do with control. This is pretty straight forward. Addicts don’t like to give up control for a variety of different reasons. Until we’re personally ready to give up control of our own lives or our groups, we will not be able to receive help. The key to surrendering control is realizing that we do not own ourselves or our churches. He does. He started the church, He is building her, and she belongs to Him. We all belong to Him. We can let go. God has a way of helping us let go however. It’s called brokenness, and it is not pleasant. The more we hang on, the more we will have to be broken. This is true for individual addicts, and this is also true for churches as well. Until we are broken, we will not be able to receive the help that we will need to recieve in order to be ‘detoxed’.
Like any physical ‘detox’, the process doesn’t feel good. Impurities will come to the surface and addictions will be identified and broken. Our flesh will react violently. We may even feel sick as we go through it. The same is true for spiritual detoxification. The end result is wholeness, health, and freedom however.
I’d like to leave you with three questions that you might ask yourself and the people you fellowship with. How you answer these questions just may determine your direction for the foreseeable future.
Is the status quo acceptable to you?
Are you hungry for the fullness of Christ?
Are you ready to go through detox?
I thoroughly enjoyed this post. Thank you
Thx for reading sister:)
This article is great! So many of us are afraid to be detoxed–because that will make us different from mainstream religion–and we don’t want to be labeled “different.” Our brains can become clean and all the plaque chipped away when we go through spiritual detoxification. Then, we can truly begin to understand what our Messiah was trying to teach the “church” many centuries ago. It’s not about numbers, buildings, committees, programs, sermons, 501c3′s, visiting, etc., it’s about our one-on-one relationship with our Savior and being a servant to Him and His Heavenly Father while serving others. The greatest shall become the least! Yes, there can be teachers, pastors etc., who teach good things but they are to serve others not BE served! If we have done it even to the “least of these” we have done it unto Him! Thank you Jamal for a wonderful article! Very uplifting! I see the plaque in my spiritual arteries and want it removed!
Renetta,
Thx for reading and commenting! Preach it! If people only knew that it is impossible to FULLY know Christ without fully dwelling with and knowing His body, they would drop every institutional thing and program that blocks our view of His glorious body. Christ is the head, and we are His body. He is one person, Head and Body. His head, and His Body are not separate. It is the mystery of the two becoming one!
Jamal,
Wow! I am so sorry that you and obviously many of your readers have been hurt or frustrated by the ‘institutional’ church or ‘institutional’ church leaders. In my 40 years of Christian ministry (that began as a youth leader in 1971) I have seen too many go down the path of ‘I’m under noone’s authority but Jesus’ and end up twisting the Word of God rather than submitting to it, and some ended up disallusioned to the point of either crusading against the brethren (which is an abomination according to Proverbs 6:19, see also Eph 4:2-3) or becoming shipwrecked in the faith. I’m not saying that you or any of your readers are to that point, but let’s be careful to distinguish between areas where honest debate is warranted, and areas where the Word speaks clearly. The extreme of denying the hierarchal structure of the church requires “experts” or “smooth talkers” to convince people God’s Word doesnt’ really say what it says. The appointing of elders, the qualifications of elders, and many passages such as Hebrews 13:7, 17, and 24 clearly state there is a leadership structure in the church where certain believers have authority over other believers, where God expects submission to that authority, and where God calls on His people to yield as the horse yields to its rider in James 3:3 where this same Greek word you spoke of is used. (I think that “have confidence in” or “trust” would be a better rendering of the Greek word in this passage, but there is no denying the sense of yielding in the context.)
The Word of God proclaims salvation by grace, but that doesn’t give a license to sin. The Word of God commands elders to take oversight over God’s flock but that doesn’t give them a license to lord it over the flock (1 Peter 5:2-3). But PLEASE NOTE that the apostle Peter didn’t argue against the authority of elders in the church over the people, but rather insisted that the elders not use their authority to lord it over the flock. Let’s follow the apostolic model of honoring what God established in His church through Christ and the Word, and not twisting scripture to dismiss those aspects of the church that have been abused.
Many Christian movements have justified going against the scripture by reinterpreting scripture, and I don’t want to see you go down that road. Paul and Peter reisted the temptation to use their authority to put their own twist on God’s church, and refused to fight against worldliness and fleshliness in the church by reinterpreting scripture to suit themselves.
We can have honest debates on plurality of elders, on the Biblical concept of pastor, and on whether churches should hire staff and own buildings, but we cannot have an honest debate on whether Jesus is the only authority Christ followers answer to within the church, because God established human authorities over Christ followers within His church just as He established human authority over the woman in the family unit. The Word stands. We kneel.
In Christ’s love,
Baron
Baron,
Thankfully I have a husband that has been set free of the patriarchal mindsets of the old testament because of Christ! I’m not saying that the up/down authority systems don’t exist all through scripture. Therefore fallen men when we need them but so often many forget that there are two Kingdoms co-existing now. SOME aspects of it we can take advantage of now. It is sad when I see this fallen system lifted up as God’s ideal for the home and Church when it was far from God’s original design. Authority system were created by God to give order in a world without a Redeemer. If we have Christ we WILL WANT to submit to ONE ANOTHER. This exceeds just women submitting to men but restores the oneness found back in the garden. This is what Jesus did and what Jesus also had before time with His Father when he said, “Let US make man…”
When Jesus was on the earth he showed up/down authority to his Father as a man. But in Heaven Jesus was again restored as God the Father’s EQUAL. THIS is who’s image the man and woman is also made in…
The woman was hidden in man from the VERY beginning. Just like Christ was hidden in His Father and restored to his rightful place. Because of Christ WE TOO are restored to our rightful place.
At one point in my life I used to wear a covering. A veil to show my submission to God and my willingness to submit to my husband. I still desire this with all my heart but now that willingness is desired on his part too. God has melted our hearts together once again. This doesn’t do away with the submission of women but fulfills it. If you go back to the beginning the covering was originally at the fall to cover their shame. Later on even in 1 Cor. 11 it had to do with submission and a willingness to forgo our liberties and Paul gave “permission” for some women to wear them. I believe it was probably because they still had patriarchal husbands that they wanted to honor that still didn’t see them as ONE in Christ. But, regardless some couples were free and could toss them while others couldn’t and were still under the law. Later on in His Second letter Paul tells them in 1 Cor 3:18 that they ALL (male and female) are being made into the image of Christ. (Remember how “woman were the glory of man”?) Here he is constrasting the different kingdoms and setting thing straight for those in the Kingdom if God. But not ALL are in the Kingdom so the Bible ALSO speaks of up/down authority too. The problem is it is often mistaken as the ideal among God’s people when he desires us to surpass it in Christ.
Margaret
Margaret,
Wow sister, you have said some powerful things here. This statement from your comment about hierarchical leadership really jumped out at me:
“It is sad when I see this fallen system lifted up as God’s ideal for the home and Church when it was far from God’s original design. Authority system were created by God to give order in a world without a Redeemer. If we have Christ we WILL WANT to submit to ONE ANOTHER. This exceeds just women submitting to men but restores the oneness found back in the garden.”
Thx for sharing your perspective. It is truly beautiful that in Christ, the woman (who is oppressed) and the man (who is the oppressor) are brought back to their original place of mutual submission and oneness! I appreciate your comment very much:)
I think you would really appreciate this book:
“Every Woman in the Bible” by Sue and Larry Richards
Esp. the chapter on what Paul really has to say about women in the church and leadership in the church (talks about the veiling, too, which I think you’ll really like). Blew me away! I think this book should be required reading amongst followers.
Baron,
Thx again for your comments. I do know where you are coming from. You have said a lot here. I am not advocating an abolishment of leadership. I am stating that the concept of hierarcical leadership is not biblical however. Church leadership should not be ‘one up and one down’ like you have suggested. Just curious, did you read what I said about Hebrews 13:17 in the article on this blog site titled ‘Parenting Adults Is harder & Why Your ‘Pastor’ May Not Be Your ‘Pastor’ ? In what way was I being a ‘smooth talker’? I’m curious:)
I don’t think I would say heiraracal leadership isn’t biblical because I believe it is… AFTER the fall. We can see this in Gen.3:15. HOWEVER, these are things WE would do as a result of sin. Not things GOD would do. “YOUR desire… HE will” Many people mistake these as God’s will when they are just the way things ARE. However, right before this God gives the promise of the redeemer. Gen. 3:15 Why is that if he didnt expect it to change any of the following? Early on women were surpressed because the promise if the Messiah would come through a woman. That history still continues today… Think about it. Why not disable half of the functioning Body of Christ? When if they were restored to work WITH the man as ONE the places they could go! This is the ROOT to the hierarchy Church issue too really… If you hit here everything else crumbles… It ALL makes sense to people in REAL life in a way THEY can understand it in their marriage.
This is an interesting read. Neither Male Nor Female: IV. “Headship” in NT. (grounds for Female Submission?). And, The Meaning of “head” http://www.doxa.ws/social/Women/head.html
Baron,
Well said! I came to Christ by reading the bible and it really transformed my mind. I experienced regeneration in Christ and walked from sexual bondage and hate. I have been a believer for 24 years since I experienced this new life at the age of 18. The only thing that has prevented me from being seduced into cults, spiritual blindness, extremes, bitterness and pride has been to keep my focus on Christ and mediating in the scriptures with humility and much prayer.
What is to be our main focus? The church or Christ? How many times did Paul mentioned this as his main goal just to know Christ. The church failed him many times (remember Asia and false brothers) but his hope was that Christ was able to keep his children faithful to the end. What were Pual’s last words to Timothy but to follow his example. Concerning submission, we are all are called to submission considering others better than ourselves but we do have specific roles given for the body and family including our role within society as employees and citizens which are prescribed clearly in Paul and Peter’s writings. Christ had authority because he was under authority. The Trinity itself is the greatest example of submission ever modeled for us. God the father is equal with Christ and the Holy Spirit but who gives the commands? Christ and Holy Spirit both submit themselves to the will of the Father. Christ did never anything unless he was led by the Father. The Holy Spirit glorifies the father and the son. Marriage is the picture of Christ and the church as a witness to the world. We are as Men are to radically love our wives with sacrificial daily demonstrations of love in everything we do. Putting them and our children first in time, care, decisions and money dying as Christ died for the church.
Last of all we need to be careful about personal subjective interpretations because it is a subtle pride in us to think that we are wiser than God himself. There subtle pride is used by satan to seduces us with the idea that we can know better than the scriptures given to us from the apostles and Christ himself. This pride was the fall of Man and satan himself. I have seen this as the main reason people are no longer practicing biblical literalism which is to simply believe God’s word revealed thru the study of the new testament scriptures. This subtle pride draws us away from the Christ described in scripture to a one that we created in our own human wisdom. It makes us look down at other true believers with a sense of superiority which is completely against the example of Christ. The modern church unfortunately due to man traditions and influences of the world is ran like a business rather than a family gathering. The real answer to this problem is for us get to back to knowing Christ and allowing him to lead our lives searching our lives to see if they line with his will for us revealed in Christ’s and the apostles’ teachings. I have close brothers from all backgrounds both institutional and traditional because we are bound together by the love of Christ and the leading of the Holy Spirit as we seek to do his will revealed in the scriptures. I am not referring to universalism but a unity based on the core essentials of the gospel given to us. Christ will correct his church because he is able to finish what he started 2000 years ago.
2nd Timothy 2:15-26
Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. 16 Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior. 17 This kind of talk spreads like cancer, as in the case of Hymenaeus and Philetus. 18 They have left the path of truth, claiming that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; in this way, they have turned some people away from the faith.
19 But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The LORD knows those who are his,”[a] and “All who belong to the LORD must turn away from evil.”[b]
20 In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. 21 If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.
22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.
23 Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. 24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. 25 Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.
Albert,
Thx for reading and commenting. You have said a lot here. You asked a question that I think needs to be addressed here because it is quite important. Here is the question you asked:
“What is to be our main focus? The church or Christ?”
That is quite a question. Before I answer this all important question, I’d like to ask you a question…Do you think Christ and the church are two different entities? Are they separate?
Yes we are definitely separate as essence (creator vs creation) and I will never become deity. Regeneration makes us one in spirit and as we surrender ourselves to the Holy Spirit then we become one with Christ in purpose as Christ leads as the head and I followed as his body. Francis Chan does a great job on explaining this concept better than me so I am linking to his article titled “Am I a good Christ?” We need to understand Christ and the church as God has revealed it to us in the scriptures but how far do we go with this. God also confronts us in the scriptures (Job 40:2 and Romans 11:33) with that fact that he chooses not to reveal everything about himself and his ways but enough for us to have assurance of his identity ,love for us and our response to him. I love the following quote from Francis Chan “We are tempted to shrink God so he fits inside the borders of our minds. But those are small borders, and he is a big God. There’s great comfort in knowing a God who loves me but doesn’t need my counsel” Article link: http://www.catalystspace.com/content/read/francis_chan/
Albert,
Here is the major difference between you and I. You have dumbed down the beautiful mystery of Ephesians 5:31-32 to simply being ‘one in purpose.’ There is so much more beauty and depth to this beautiful mystery. There is a reason why Paul calls it a ‘mystery’:) This is indeed a great tragedy, and it is also a major reason why we see such identity problems with Christians. It is a common tragedy, however, as this is what most of the religious system does. One of the reasons that the gospel is called ‘good news’ is because this seperation has been remedied by the cross. It seems we may not know the ‘gospel’ like we think we do. I pray that this is remedied.
Benjamin Robertson A couple of thoughts: first off, I agree with you that much of the Church is addicted to various worldly systems, whether consumerism, materialism, patriotism, ethnocentrism, individualism, etc. It’s a major struggle indeed, and one you and others are right to bring attention to, so thanks. One question I have has to do with a lack of distinction between ‘religion’ and ‘legalism.’ I know what you’re getting at, but I worry that you are omitting the fact that the Church is in fact an institution and a Divine one. I have no interest in holding on to negative aspects of what you term ‘institutionalism’ within the Church but sometimes I fear the baby will be thrown out with the bathwater. If anyone can say ‘I don’t like this or that problem, so I’m stepping outside of that part of the Church and arguing for my own version,’ where does that leave apostolicity, the sacraments, or even the term Church itself. I already see instances where not only have people become fearful of the word ‘religion,’ but even the word ‘church.’ Perhaps you could speak to these things as well as maybe clarify why you think an over-against stance is better than remaining within the fold as it were and setting up dialogue.
Ben,
Hey brother, thx for reading and for asking some great questions. I think it might be helpful if I clarify what I mean when I use certain terms.
When I use the word ‘Religion’, I mean any system of thought or practice that focuses on being ‘obedient’ to a certain set of rules or processes for the purpose of either attaining to right standing with God, or maintaining right standing with God. Religion should never be confused with life in Christ, however, because they are 180 degrees opposite.
When I use the word ‘Church’, I simply am referring to people who are in Christ. Nothing more, nothing less. When I refer to the local church, I am referring to a local group of brothers and sisters in Christ who are functioning together in community around the person of Jesus Christ. Please note that when I say ‘church’, I am NOT talking about a group of people that are gathering around a specific brand (such as 1′st baptist, Crosspoint, Cornerstone, Vineyard, etc…) nor am I talking about a group of people that are gathering around a specific denomination, set of doctrines, membership covenant, particular location, or a human leader(s). Those would be what I mean when I say ‘institution’. The ‘institutions’ that I have just described fit the New Testament definition of a ‘sect’, not a local church. Most of what are called local churches today are sects, not churches. I do not advocate that people leave the church, rather they should leave the institution , and relating to the church in an institutional way.
I understand your concern when you say that you are concerned that I might be throwing out the ‘baby’ and the ‘bath water’. First, it is important to know that there is a difference between the baby and the bathwater. They are not the same. We should never confuse the ‘baby’ with the ‘bath water’. A friend of mine, Frank Viola, addressed this issue beautifully. Here is what he said:
“I think there’s only one baby worth saving – it’s the babe of Bethlehem, the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything else can be parted with, and most of it is clutter. To call the clergy system, the hierarchical/business-patterned leadership structure, the 500 year-old Sunday morning Protestant ritual, and the billions of dollars we spend on church buildings and overhead “the baby” is ludicrous in my opinion. From the place where I’m standing, it seems to me that what we’ve done is substitute the bathwater for the baby, tossing the latter and keeping the former.”
I hope that clarifies things a bit. Let me know if you have any more questions brother:)
Jamal, thanks for the response! I appreciate the clarification/definitions you provided about your usage of words like ‘institution,’ and ‘religion.’ I’m right there with you wanting to step back from the divisive isms and schisms so many people associate with the Church today. And I agree–whenever I see Christians associate themselves primarily with a denomination or leader I always think of St. Paul talking in I Corinthians about people who say ‘I am of Apollo’ and ‘I am of Paul.’ I see what Viola is getting at, but to be honest, I’m not concerned with or even wanting to hold onto things like business-models or Protestant-style meetings or expensive buildings. It seems like many people have used the baby and bathwater metaphor before me, but meaning entirely different things, so I’ll try to be more direct. We’re all on the same page when it comes to Christ, as well as the issues associated with the ‘institutional’ church. So let’s keep those as givens. As I said, my three main concerns (the proverbial baby) are 1) Sacraments 2) Apostolicity 3) Unity and it will hopefully make sense to address those from last to first. You are right I believe to speak against sectarianism that plagues the Church. I just want to be clear as to whether saying ‘Leave the United Methodist Church and join the true way, the Southern Baptist Church!’ is different, and in what way, as ‘Leave the institutional church and join the true way, the organic church.’ None of this is meant to be accusatory, these are just honest questions I have. To clarify further, I’m not even arguing for or against either side of this whole discussion; what I am wondering is how you would describe your standpoint in presenting these arguments. Are you speaking from within a unified, universal body, or is it an over-against stance–in other words, yet another sect? As far as apostolicity, it again occurs to me that many who have been engaged in defending the institutional church have used this term to argue for various hierarchical structures, etc. but that is not at all what I’m concerned with. What I am asking about here is the way in which the Church can be recognized as identical to the one founded by Christ and entrusted to the apostles. This question is more of a “where will this all lead?” question. I think the Church NEEDS healthy critique, healthy deconstruction, and healthy questioning by Christians. But I can’t help but feel like the temptation is to walk away from the Church itself and then say “No, WE have the REAL Church over here, doing it this way.” This has been done so many times in the past and I worry that if a precedent is set, any semblance of the Church Christ inducted will be lost. I know a lot of what you argue for is getting back to what the Church looked like at Pentecost, but what I’m referring to is not a way of doing things, but the Body itself. Which leads me to the Sacraments. I don’t even know if you like the word, and this may open up an entirely different tangent, so feel free to focus on my other questions. When I look at the history of the Church I can’t help but notice the deterioration of and lack of appreciation for the Sacraments, particularly the Eucharist. We see in John 6 Christ contrasts Himself to the manna given to the Israelites, saying: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” Elsewhere he tells the apostles: this IS my body broken, and this IS my blood, the blood of the new covenant; do this for the remembrance of me. All throughout the early Church and for almost two millennia there was a profound and robust appreciation for this Sacrament. It blows my mind that a large portion of protestant denominations have landed at an understanding that basically says ‘it’s all just symbolic, there’s nothing special going on here, so we’ll squeeze it in every quarter or so if we can.’ I can’t help but notice that this lack of respect for the mystical nourishment that has been provided for us in the Eucharist has paralleled the increasing individualism and anti-’high-church’ tendencies within the Church. I am concerned that with no centralized identity or sense of historicity, the meaning Sacraments themselves may be lost because of their being seen as too closely associated with institutionalism. You and I have spoken about this before, and like I said, I am not saying you are doing these things, but when I hear about worship gatherings substituting the bread and wine for root beer and pizza and calling that Holy Communion, you have to understand why I worry.
Thanks in advance for the fruitful dialogue! Always love talking things out with you.
Ben,
Hey bro, thanks again for your follow up comments. I apologize for the delay again. Let me address some of the things that you brought up.
Regarding leaving the institution, please know that I am not asking people to leave anything per say, but to recognize and focus on another. When people begin to understand and gather around the person of Jesus Christ, and not a doctrine, a local brand, or a human leader(s), they will begin to see local institutions for what they really are. Our church practices will naturally follow what we believe about Jesus Christ. So, by default, they will leave the institution. I actually wrote about this extensively on this blog. It is an article called:
‘We Don’t Need A Model, We Need A Vision…Why The Organic Church Model Is Not The Solution’
I think much of what you are asking may be addressed in this article. It is on this blog. Let me know if you can’t find it.
What holds the church together? It is a vision of Christ’s Headship and His body. This actually holds people in closer more committed community than any institution that I have ever been a part of. Yes, we are a part of a local church body that is seeking to gather around Christ’s headship. It is not an institution, nor a sect, because this body does not gather around anything other than Him. Unless you have seen such an organic body of believers function, it will be hard for you to imagine what this can look like. We are still in the beginning stages of understanding and living these things out, but I can tell you that it is both glorious and gory as well! It is the church:)
Regarding the apostolic role in the church…let me just say that this is a very important function that is essential in the establishment and functioning of the local body of Christ. The Role of the apostle in laying a foundation of Jesus Christ, planting a church around this gospel, and helping the local body function under Christ’s headship (not under the headship of the clergy, or a religious mentality) is essential. Paul is a great example of this in the New Testament. He spent an average of 3-6 months with the local churches that he planted. He left many of them even before elders were developed and recognized. Often, when he would return to visit these churches a few years later, he would then recognize that elders were now present. He recognized them so that the others in the body would be encouraged to follow in their example. These elders did not ‘run’ the church, make decisions on behalf of the body, nor control people the way the institution does today. The local churches that Paul planted were able to function without human clerical headship because Paul equipped them to function In Christ and under Christ’s Headship. If you’d like to read more about this, let me encourage you to read a book by Frank Viola called ‘Reimagining Church’. It goes into much greater detail. Let me know if you decide to read this book.
Let me say this about the Eucharist. This will probably be a much longer conversation. Christ is the bread of life. We eat His flesh and drink His blood. Did you know that we (corporately) are called the body of Christ? Jesus instructs us to consume Him and live by His life. How do we do this? We encounter Christ when we encounter His fullness. As the individual members of the body are equipped to live by His life in the Spirit, these individual members share their fellowship with a living and indwelling Lord with the other members in the local body. They have been equipped to do this. No one is passive. Each gathering and meeting of the local church is for the purpose of sharing each member’s portion of Christ with the rest of the body. It is not a show where passive spectators simply watch. The result is the manifestation of Jesus Christ for the body to consume. The body of Christ (local church) is a living ‘Eucharist’ that is food for the individual members to consume. According to Ephesians 1, Christ’s fullness is found in the sum of the parts of Christ’s body that come together.
The New Testament church functioned this way. They also had regular ‘love feasts’ and they ate together regularly in which they broke bread and shared a common cup with one another to remember Christ’s sacrifice. This was done for the sake of remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice, it was NOT meant to be a substitute of body life or a means of living by Christ’s divine life.
Seeing the Eucharist as a ‘Sacrament’ that supernaturally infuses the believer with the actual life of Christ is an error that was propagated by the Roman Catholic system that developed over time. As the church became institutionalized in the second and third century and adopted law based rituals in place of actually living by divine life and dwelling in community around the person of Jesus Christ, the whole concept of ‘sacraments’ became a human religious substitute and means to attain the life and grace of Jesus Christ. This is an old error. There is much more that I could say about that, but I’ll save it for later.
Thanks again for the conversation, and let me know if you decide to pick up the book ‘Reimagining Church’ by Frank Viola. Blessings bro!
@Jamal, excellent article. As I was on the road to leaving the clergy, I tiptoed out by becoming a pastor/chaplain of a teen challenge. For those who don’t know, Teen Challenge is a free Christian drug rehab founded by David Wilkerson in 1953 as a Christian way to detox from Drugs and alcohol, because A.A. is inherently non-Christian. Your fellow brothers (and sisters) in Christ who have been clean longer, help you with your detox. There is no staff. (There is staff, but they are not involved in the day to day goings-on). There is a 20% recidivism rate. (80% stay drug and alcohol free). All the step you listed are used within teen challenge. It’s a true community. However, the reason David Wilkerson released Teen Challenge was to keep it from being “church”. But it’s become that way anyway. While I was never a drug addict either, I can feel the pain and torture users go through, and not from detox! The pain and torture they must have felt to make the them do drugs in the first place! So avoiding detox is highly understandable. I remember one brother in teen challenge who was a heroin addict. He told me “Heroin is the BEST drug because it works 100% of the time. It erases pain completely 100 % of the time. Always.” He ended up dying because he couldn’t handle any discomfort that teen challenge may have given him, so he went back “on the run” as they say. So, going BACK is always worse than before. Same with the IC.
Right on, Ant!! Thanks..:) Good stuff
Anthony,
Wow brother, what a beautiful example you shared! Thanks for reading and commenting. The parallels are truly amazing in regards to physical detox, vs spiritual detox. Your story communicates so much of what I am trying to say here. Blessings bro:)
The reason why I focused on going back, was because since we don’t have organic church now, the temptation to go back is very strong. Some fellowship is better than no fellowship, right? Well, we tried after about 4 years, we went to a small group bible study. It was so fake I almost puked. Now I saw what non-Christians must see.
Good post, Jamal. The detox time is indeed difficult but necessary. Thank God, though, that He brought us out that He might bring us in!
Thx for reading law dawg!
I have one more thing to add. I believe all believers need to be detoxed from the IC, so a good rule of thumb is 1 month per year you were in, and 2 months per year if you were clergy!
Jamal…perfectly said…amazing what the Holy Spirit will do and cut away as excess baggage if we let Him so His Work! Thanks you..I know you and I have been on the ‘same page’ about this for years! Keep it coming…
Thx for reading my sister:)
Christ makes it perfectly clear that many who profess Him are headed to Gehenna–narrow gate, sheep v. goats, “synagogues of satan” v. ecclesia, etc. My experience with the IC has been that most are “synagogues of satan.” Most ICs don’t understand Grace, and when confronted with Grace, cry anti-nomianism. Anti-nomianism is taught almost universally in the IC when the Law is watered down so that we can keep it, so that we can be “good Christians.” There is no such thing as a “good Christian.” True Christians understand that their hearts are deceitful beyond understanding. The Law is not to instruct us how to be a Christian, but rather is to break us so that we turn to Christ and say “uncle”–”I need your grace.” However, there are some ICs which are Christian. Those are ones who view themselves skeptically, i.e., they acknowledge their own faults and seek God’s grace. For what it’s worth, I belong to one of these ICs, and I submit to the authority of the elders. I don’t think Jamal is saying that you can’t have elders–he is saying that the hierarchy in most ICs is not Biblical, because most ICs aren’t Biblical. Thank you Jesus for Jamal and for his ministry of grace.
Thx for reading Ellis:)
I see what you’re saying and where you’re coming from, and I agree. (He’s not talking about rebellion against authority structures, he’s talking about every believer taking up his or her cross and NOT thinking their pastor/priest/elder can do it for them, thereby escaping the pain of change. He’s talking about the growing chasm between people seeking better leadership and not being able to find it, and those who won’t even follow what they’re currently being asked to do.) Too many, if not most, people in our society today are so pampered, so blessed they don’t even have a clue what true depravity and suffering is like. They worship comfort, not God, so they whine and complain at the mere suggestion of change. You even imply they’re imperfect and they retort with saving Grace and say you have no right to judge them. (They’re clearly not studying their scripture.) They’re escaping the nitty gritty work. If someone is truly submitted and changing, you can tell. It’s obvious: they’re different in their thinking and speaking and they don’t live lives that look like the world anymore. You cannot move forward and grow in a true relationship with Christ until something (many things) have been ripped off of you like a limb, you’ve been dragged through the mud, walked that Valley of the Shadow of Death, etc. If you don’t feel like Jesus looked by the time He was crucified, you’re not done yet! You haven’t fully submitted; you’re still hanging onto something. (And before you jump all over me, No I’m not talking about living like a pauper. I’m talking about the willingness to become one for a while if you have to, for no other reason than He asked. And learning to be okay with it. When you no longer care if He restores everything back to you, that’s when you’re submitted.) I have met VERY FEW people in this world for whom God really and truly is their #1 priority. The mere mention of His name and the angels immediately take a knee; we have to be good and ready before considering giving Him an hour of our time, and heaven forbid anyone suggest we give two or three in a week! (Sabbath DAY, where are you now?)
So many pastors/priests/elders can talk a good sermon, pray a good prayer, make a good visit, etc. but not enough of them have really been through the ringer themselves. Too many of the leadership (and membership) pride themselves on having great report cards, with squeaky lives and perfect attendance, but their faith and trust is shallow! A little too much heat and they wither like grass! The churches that are growing the fastest are the ones led by people who may not have any formal training at all, never even seen a seminary, but they have been THROUGH some things and learned about God while grasping to His ankles. They can’t hardly get through a sermon without buckling over and wailing their praise ‘cuz He’s been too good to them. The authenticity is what people respond to, and that’s what’s missing from most ICs. That’s what Jamal is talking about–too few people are brave enough to face everything hell can throw at them and after doing all they can do to stand, keep standing. The ones that are willing seldom can find others who will jump in the trenches with them. What Jamal is talking about is that when you manage to find a pocket of these battle-hardened people who wanted to kill themselves to end the pain and were furious with God but chose to follow God anyway, True walkers in faith, they still need leadership to grow and mature even beyond that. No matter what grade you graduate from, there’s always another grade to enroll in. So even if you’re the most experienced and mature Christian on the planet, you stand to learn something. The Lord says multiple times in Isaiah that He Himself will teach the people if need be. So what’s happening is an upgrowth of people who are hungry for more challenge and they’re not finding it in their local churches. They feel like they’re more experienced/qualified than their leadership, so they lose interest in churchy pantomime. What 11th grader is going to attend 6th grade over and over again? Some of us are so hungry we WANT to sit for 18 hours straight and be fed, we WANT to be pushed and challenged. Where can we find it? Right now, we can watch every TV broadcast, internet podcast, read every book and listen to every CD, which is all great but even after all that, we know a lot about God and even know God but don’t fully understand EXPERIENTIALLY how to operate as One New Man very effectively. There’s book smarts and there’s street smarts. The people who have been churchy up to now mistakenly believe that’s what the church will always be like. It’s not. It’s not even like that all over the world today. The New Church, the final church, will be different so it requires people willing to open their minds to new ideas, follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and recognize that the Holy Spirit has every right to choose to lead us through other appointed people. We have to be discerning enough to judge the message not the mouth it comes out of. I don’t want leadership that challenges me to shut up and sit down while they take the spotlight, that praises me for how emptily I follow without question. I want leadership that puts the spotlight on me and says, “Pop quiz. Go.” I want leadership that says to me, “Go ahead, hit me with your best shot. Ask me anything. Call me out on anything. Let’s hash it out. We’ll learn together.” We need coaches, not field trip chaperones. We need drill sargeants, not nannies. I’m tired of pastors that coo over us, coddle us and make it all too easy, even preferable, to stay babies. I want to come out of this boot camp a lean, mean, strong and tough spiritual warfare machine. God’s not interested in playing patty-cake. Have you read the Bible?
If something in the Word or a sermon doesn’t sting you at least once a month, you’re probably stagnant. And if you run from the sting like a baby, you’ve totally missed the concept that sometimes a temporary sting occurs because you’re getting a vaccine that is good for you. Grit your teeth, toughen up a little, and get through it. Never did I suffer such shock as discovering that I had grown up and was drowning in a sea of 40 & up babies.
Jamal, you’re completely right. Now, the question is, how should people identify these Pauline teachers, and when we do find them, what do we do? I don’t wanna sound all creepy and weird, but in order to really live the One Body life, should we start living in communes or something? The N.T. church lived together closely; it was frequently the whole family either in or out. Today, families are splitting (Civil Wars). How can we start practicing this if we’re currently surrounded by unsubmitted people, and the submitted ones are far away? Is virtual relationship going to cut it?
Michelle,
Hey sis, thx for reading and for offering your comments. Wow, you really poured it out here! Thx for sharing. I do know where you are coming from. The problems go even beyond ‘leadership’ and people. The real issues of the institution that encourage spiritual immaturity are systemic in nature. Things need to be addressed from a systemic standpoint as well.
I’ll email you with some further thoughts, but let me answer your last question here…No, virtual relationships are not enough. There is no substitute for the local church. Obviously, by church, I am not referring to the typical institution, or any system that is patterned after it. There is a better way:)
Thx again for reading and sharing!
P.S. There’s a Jentzen Franklin teaching that fits this conversation well; I don’t know the title but it’s probably something to do with Inside Out. The part about the animal sacrifice, the fire, and the altar is spot-on.
Also, there’s an old movie starring Frank Sinatra about a heroine addict’s struggle to change his lifestyle after getting clean. It’s a perfect analogy for this conversation as well. It’s called “The Man with the Golden Arm.” Free on hulu.com; well worth it.
Spot on once again! As one who has left the institutional version of church, I continue to search for God’s leading in becoming the bride He intended. One of the struggles we have faced as a small body is finding apostolic help in our area. I truly have a heart to see God call out this remnant to be His manifestation to the world, and want to be a part of what God is doing through this remnant. I feel a genuine calling to help others in this area but need to find those who can teach me first. I know they are out there, I just need to find them and learn/experience real church first hand before I can ever hope to teach someone else. I have over 45 years of institution to detox from and, as hard as I try, I still catch myself falling back into a mindset that I know in my spirit is wrong. Plus, as convinced as I am that all you have said here is true I also know that there are those who will defend the institution with all that is within them because God has not yet opened their eyes. Until that happens all we can do is pray.
Keep the faith and stand firm in the Truth God has placed in your heart. We continue to pray for you in this mission God has called you to!
Mark,
Hey brother, thx so much for reading and commenting on the article. I appreciate your courage and the steps that you and your family have taken in this journey. I know exactly what you mean about catching your self falling back into old mindsets. I do that all the time myself. Detox is slow but sure, and very well worth it!
Thx also for the prayers, and I hope to see you guys in Florida in July:)
Jamal,
So true!! So many people are under the bondage of the institutional church. They will realize the truths that you have shown and still stay under it year after year and never detox. As 2nd Petr 2:19 states:
“While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. ”
When we go to the institutional church (so as not to forsake the fellowship), we have to be careful not to agree to falsehoods (or else come under the 2 Peter 2:19 bondage).
Charles Finney had a similar situation with the Princeton Theology of his day. He refused to be under it and he thereby skipped the “addiction” phase and the detox phase (if you never smoke theological “crack”, you’ll never have to detox). Here is little quote of what he went through from his autobiography:
“In the Spring of this year, 1822, I put myself under the care of the
Presbytery as a candidate for the Gospel ministry. Some of the ministers
urged me to go to Princeton to study theology, but I declined. When they
asked me why I would not go to Princeton, I told them that my pecuniary
circumstances forbade it. This was true; but they said they would see that
my expenses were paid. Still I refused to go; and when urged to give them
my reasons, I plainly told them that I would not put myself under such an
influence as they had been under; that I was confident they had been
wrongly educated, and they were not ministers that met my ideal of what a
minister of Christ should be. I told them this reluctantly, but I could not
honestly withhold it. They appointed my pastor to superintend my
studies. He offered me the use of his library, and said he would give what
attention I needed to my theological studies.
But my studies, so far as he was concerned as my teacher, were little else
than controversy.”
Finney didn’t give in and had an amazing revivals of mass conversions and weeklong prayers and fasts that helped keep the revival going.
Eventually, the institutional church of his day accepted him as a minister because they couldn’t deny the move of the Spirit.
Just some thoughts I wanted to share with the blog.
God bless,
Dave
Dave,
Thx for reading and sharing brother. Some great insights here! I’ve been thinking of you recently. I will try to give you a call soon:)
Perfectly put! Much appreciated!
Thx for reading Tara:)
Proverbs 6 has a list of the things that are an abomination to God. Not one of them mentions institutional church, but sowing seeds of discord among the brethren is one of them. Just as Americans are calling on non-violent Moslems within Islam to stand up and speak out against those among them that kill in the name of Allah, I am calling on those of you that have issues with the institutional church to stand up and speak out against those among you that would sow seeds of discord among your brothers and sisters in Christ. The unity and singleness of mind in Christ is through the Spirit and not through associating with people that all share the same rallying cry or cause. Whatever evil you see, it can only be overcome by doing good. JESUS IS ENOUGH. Christ purchased His body with His blood, and we are commanded to endeavor to keep the unity of Christ because it’s something He died for and should be something worth fighting for. The Word of God warns us of Satan’s schemes, and twisting of scripture can occur on both sides of the fence for any issue. There are no good guys and bad guys here. If you really believe that you have a more Biblical way, then prove it by your humility and love of ALL brothers and sisters, and by your humble submission to the Word, even when it may seem to say something you don’t agree with. Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. Your servant in Christ, Baron (I wasn’t accusing ANY of you with smooth talking. I was warning that the BIBLE says there are those among us taht will get us off track with it.)
Baron,
Thx again for your comment brother. I must say that I find it interesting that you bring up the point of church unity. I am a firm believer that the institution is one of the main reasons why the church is divided up into sectarian division. The New Testament scriptures speak out very clearly against this. Did you know that the Greek word for ‘heresy’ has a meaning of creating a sect? There is a huge difference between a local sect and an ekklesia (local church). If we are serious about truly unifying the church, then we will need to know the difference between what makes a ‘sect’ , and what makes a local church. I would like to humbly ask you to read an article that I wrote titled:
‘FACTION PLANTING or CHURCH PLANTING…WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?’ Here is the link to that article: http://wp.me/p1hf9o-o
Brother, I must say that unity is not achieved when we are silent about the truth, but when truth (Jesus Christ) is expressed and proclaimed. A sect cannot fully express Jesus Christ, but a local church can beautifully. Sects (institutions) are a hinderance to true church unity.
Also, you ignored what I brought up about Hebrews 13:17 in regards to your previous comment, so I’ll ask it again…does this passage indicate persuasion or hierarchy? Where did I go wrong in my explanation of that passage?
I think we’re using some words differently. I DON’T CONSIDER MY OPINIONS THE TRUTH, and I DON’T CONSIDER JAMAL’S OPINIONS THE TRUTH. I therefore don’t believe that you, me, or anyone else boldly speaking our opinions about what is wrong with ‘the church’ or on any other matter is the same as boldly speaking the truth. THE TRUTH IS CHRIST AND THE TRUTH IS HIS WORD. PERIOD. Back to Proverbs 6. You make think I sound like a broken record sometimes but humility vs. arrogance is a spiritual battle we must win, and it is only pride that can get us to the point where we begin to believe that our opinions are the truth. God’s truth unites the body of Christ. Man’s opinions, no matter how Word based he may believe they are, can be DIVISIVE, and separate brothers and sisters in Christ into ‘WE’ and ‘THEY’ IN OUR HEARTS. I’m not sure whether we are using “institution” in the same way, but the purity of the gospel of Christ and the unity of the body of Christ is not gained or lost anywhere but in the mind and heart. God did not forbid us from being innovative and creative, just the fact that one group chooses to meet in a house under one teacher while another chooses to meet in a house under another (1 Corinthians anyone?) could result in division. When we target some physical ‘not-a-sin’ act of man as the problem, (whether it be making institutions, building web site ministries, or whatever), we are playing God and passing judgment. Who am I or who are you to say what God can lead or not lead a person to do for the cause of Christ? Who am I to say the Spirit can’t lead you to build a web ministry, or someone else to build a denomination? The whole heart of the matter (pun intended), is that what defiles us and tears us apart spiritually is what goes on in our hearts. The Old Testament law was full of physical things we could or could not do. Jesus Christ set us free to live by the Spirit. We dare not speak against the liberty that our brothers and sisters exercise less find ourselves speaking against the Spirit of God. There is no way we will ever unity as the body of Christ until we are filled with the Spirit, and there is no way a person can be filled with the Spirit until they are no longer full of themselves. God help us all for the sake of Christ.
Baron
I find it amazing that Baron believes that believers speaking out against “churchianity” are sowing seeds of discord among the brethern! Do we understand what the “church” is? It is a body of “called out ones”–the ecclesia–a living spiritual organism. Those called out ones can be anywhere and in any “church” or on any continent or in any burrough! They are called out of deception and into the light of Truth according to the written word of the Scripture. We are told to “come out of her, My People.” What does that mean? It means, to me, come out of the world of deception, wherever it may be found–in the instituional church or anywhere else. The Word is Truth and if any organization does not teach what Messiah taught, then we must come out! We cannot overcome evil with silence!–and or advocate being “good” in the face of evil! There is a time to speak and a time to be quiet. We must be ready to give an answer of the hope that lies within US, not with our Pastors/Ministers. We stand as individuals before our Creator–no one will answer for us. The leaders will only answer for themselves if there are false teachings-Ezekial 36 and 37.
Satan does have schemes and has had them for eons of time. He had them prior to the birth of Messiah. He later infiltrated the first century “church” and caused much paganism to be syncreted into what is modern day Christianity. I’m sure you have studied the history of the early church and Constantine. The NT speaks of a “little flock.” Why would that be so if the 501c3′s are the epitome of what Messiah taught? We have some IC’s in our area with 30K members! Those groups are regulated by the government as to certain things they can and cannot teach, how sad. The Truth shall set us free! Not enslave us!
Finally, we are to keep the unity of Christ/Christos/Messiah as long as it agrees with what He taught! If it doesn’t, avoid it! Even Messiah Himself took some drastic action when He chased the money changers out of the Temple. He didn’t go in there and say, now boys, we must love one another and be humble–He took action and chased them out! He also spoke at one time, “woe unto you, you Scribes, Pharisees and Hypocrites”….the politically correct of the day. I’m certainly not advocating violence in any form but our Messiah was not a wimp and just thought “good thoughts” to keep peace, harmony and unity. He was powerful, firm, spoke with a two-edged sword and always advocated for His Heavenly Father who sent Him for our salvation. He spoke the Truth always and, yes, I think that through the Spirit, anyone can understand Truth. Knock and the door shall be opened–ask and we shall receive! Our job as believers is to sow seeds not stomp them in!
Finally, “my sheep know my voice”–one of my favorite Scriptures. With this uppermost in our minds, we do not have to worry about sheep being stolen or getting off track. His voice will guide us from His example written in the Word.
Some people are not just on another page, they are in another library. I have committed to praying for those of you that consider yourselves the “englightened” ones, and who consider your brothers and sisters of Christ serving Him in institutional churches as “those in darkness”. I will keep praying for you that believe your opinions are God’s truth, and that believe that commandments of men (such as “come out of the institutional church” and “don’t own buildings” and “don’t incorporate”) are the commandments of God. I will keep praying for the unity of the Spirit and the church of Jesus Christ, which can only be experienced when we recognize the threat of our flesh that loves to shoot arrows in the tent and exalt itself above another (1 Corinthians ongoing), and when we refrain from judging the Lord’s servants (Romans 14:4). Believe it or not, many of the Lord’s servants aren’t going to serve in the way that you or I think is best. I know that many of you have had a lot of arrows shot at you and that some of you are just shooting back, but it’s time to hang up your guns and follow Christ. This isn’t a battle to be won over earthly insitutions and earthly affairs, but is a battle to be won against spiritual wickedness in high places. Fight, we must, but let it be together for the gospel of Christ, differences withstanding. Your servant in Christ, Baron
Baron,
Yes, we’re in completely different libraries, but that’s ok. That’s why this blog exists:)
Thank you for your offer to pray for us. I have something that might help us have a better dialogue about these issues. I wrote an article a while back titled:
HEALTHY DEBATE vs. PERSONAL ATTACKS & JUDGMENTALISM…WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
The link to this article is: http://wp.me/p1hf9o-m
Also, have you read the article that I mentioned above in my last comment to you about Faction Planting vs Church Planting? I think if you read that article, it may help you know where I am coming from.
Blessings my brother,
Jamal
I really liked Ben R’s June 3rd comments. Dialogue vs. diatribes. I was an institutional church pastor in the 70′s, left the institutional church disillusioned and frustrated and vehemently attacked it as “Babylon” through newsletters, and challenged local organized church leaders through an active live talk show radio ministry that the Lord opened the door for, and was eventually led back into the instituional church and now am pastoring again after a 30 year hiaitus. What a journey. All of my personal and formal study of the Bible, of Hebrew and Greek, of church history, and all of my reasoning and arguments with myself and others about what the church should look like eventually brought me back full circle to my first love, JESUS! There are always people out there that have been where we’ve been to tell us that the answer isn’t in what we are do, but who we are . . . our hope of glory is Christ IN US! Micah 6:8 rings truer than ever for me, and love of the brethren now means something other than straightening them out, enlightening them, protesting them, and . . . you get my drift. The strange thing in the midst of all the ‘warring’ is that everyone really wants to be loved. As we raise kids and watch our loved ones and friends impacted by disappointment, drugs, prison, addictions, broken relationships and broken hearts, we feel helpless and pray that Jesus would show up in their lives to make Isaiah 61:1 and Luke 4:18 a reality for them. And then I hear Jesus say, “Be there for me, and love them.” What an honor to be a son of the living God and to have the calling and opportunity to minister God’s grace and love to people. I stand before my Lord in worship and am totally undone. It’s hard for me to even write about it without my heart aching. I am a man that apart from Christ and His Spirit is unworthy, but in Christ I am white as snow. Praise God that by His grace we truly are His church in Christ!
Baron,
Thx for sharing your story. I am convinced that the institutional system is not Biblical, but just knowing that is not enough. We are in need of a profound vision of Jesus Christ. (this includes Jesus’ head, and His body). If we don’t understand Christ in His fullness, we’ll either go back to the system, or we’ll die in the ‘wilderness’ so to speak.
Also, did you ever get a chance to read the article I posted here on this blog about Faction Planting vs. Church Planting?
Baron,
Also, based on your last comment, I think you may want to read an article I wrote titled:
WE DON’T NEED A MODEL, WE NEED A VISION! (why the Organic church model is NOT the solution)
here is the link to that article: http://wp.me/p1hf9o-3b
Awsome article Jamal! I agree 100% with this. I, myself came out of addiction to my flesh and the feeling I got when I was set free through my detox was; I felt as if a house fell off my back and became hungry and thirsty after righteousness! I felt like a little child eager and joyful and excited about my new life in Christ! Praise God, for He blessed me for being obedient in continuing on to grow up in maturity as a Christ follower, completely set free from that fleshly bondage, and I grow daily and will until I am with Him!
Karen,
Great to hear from you sister. Thx for reading and commenting. I know what you mean about detox. Although it is hard to go through, the freedom is totally worth it! I am realizing, however, that just when I think I have completed the ‘detox’ process, He reveals another layer of the ‘onion’, so to speak, that needs to be detoxed. He wants to bring His life and freedom into every ‘layer’ of our lives. This is a continual process.
Thx again for contributing to the dialogue. Please give Stephen my love and greetings.
Amen! Isn’t that the truth! It will be that way until death do we part this earth as we know it! Maranatha!
This article was great! SO GLAD I found your blog. Jamal, your dedication to answer folks requests for you is amazing, deep, and well thought out. I sincerely appreciate you taking the time, as it is apparent, to walk that very fine line between speaking what you have come to learn and to hold on to it as well as being open. I can see that, and it is a wonderful thing to witness.
Gunnar,
Thx for reading and also for your kind words. I appreciate the encouragment, and the dialogue as these are important realities to discuss. Blessings to you:)
Thanks for writing this, brother.
Being an ex-drug addict myself (in reality, not just metaphorically), I can say that the process of detox from religion into the ekklesia is quite similar to detox from narcotics.
It is painful, confusing, scary. There are even times during drug detox where you think you are physically dying but it’s just the body reacting to the low levels of narcotics in its system. It’s used to “feeling” something. Whether that means the euphoria produced by drugs, or the intense craving for more drugs once they wear off. Both feelings are intense. So, though the body is getting healthier it begins to freak out because it’s not “feeling” some intense emotion.
Certainly reminds me of the religious detox. When we leave the religious system, with all the emotional euphorias and distresses that it causes, we can freak out because we aren’t feeling that same feeling.
Also, the biggest obstacle in drug detox is that it simply takes time for the mind, emotions, and body to become stable again. Many get this confused thinking that because they have 3-4 months sober-time, that they are cured and no longer need to continue treating their illness (both physically and spritually).The body becomes used to taking in large amounts of narcotics and this does untold damage to the emotions and brain function. Nevermind the effects on the liver, kidneys and other organs.
Time is our best friend in the detox process. The same is true in religious detox.
-Mike
Mike,
Brother, this was a fantastic comment. Everyone that leaves the institution really should read what you have to say here. The experience you have with this is vital for people to hear. Maybe this could be an upcomming blog post of yours? I would shout it from the roof tops!
I enjoyed reading this post, Thank you.