In a recent article I was describing my 'weird' Theology. The fact that it concerned Ecclesiology not Theology I let go. However I did state that the experts (me not being one) generally agree what the practices of first century Church were. To recap, Jesus had told the disciples to 'this do' when they met together to remember Jesus. The Apostles went on to do just that... they met in homes and had food and drink when they met to remember Jesus. The Paul shows us in Chapter 11 that this was to be the practice 'until the Lord comes.'
This is not just my opinion.
That a gathering of believers would not 'this do' is because they are doing church according to history, not scripture, and the solution is to transition back to Jesus' command. Here are the experts reading the same scripture and reaching the same conclusions. If you don't know who they are Wiki them:
Donald Guthrie: 'A Lion Handbook the History of Christianity'
"In the early days the Lords Supper took place in the course of a communal meal. All brought what food they could and it was shared together."
John Drane: 'The New Lion Encyclopaedia"
"Jesus instituted this common meal at Passover time at the Last Supper shared with his disciples before his death. The Last Supper looks back to the death of Jesus and forward to the Second Coming. Throughout the New Testament period the Lord's Supper was an actual meal shared in the homes of Christians. It was only much later that the Lords Supper was moved to a special building and Christian prayers and praises that came from the Synagogue service were added to become a grand ceremony."
Drane : "Introducing the New Testament"
The early church observed the Lord's Supper as an exclusive community meal."
Canon Leon Morris: "Commentary on 1 Corinthians (Tyndale) IVP
(1 Cor 11)... "reveals that at Corinth the Holy Communion was not simply a token meal as with us but an actual meal, moreover it seems clear it is a meal where each of the participant brought food."
I Howard Marshall: "New Testament Theology"
"The Lords Supper was observed by his disciples at first as a community meal Sunday by Sunday"
Four experts, 5 quotes. There's much more. It is difficult to find anyone of the stature of these giants who reads the New Testament and doesn't agree with them. If you are gathering and not partaking in a full meal it is because you accepted the church practice you were born into as 'legit.' For 15 years, much to the anger of my contemporaries, I am delivering the Reformation of Church Practice. It is my conviction that the Lord is saying, 'Give me back my Church' to leaders who are in a place to return to authentic New Testament church practice and thus allow Jesus to be the Head.
I reject the idea that any other way of gathering is 'error.' You can't be in error if you don't know what is out of place. However, if you receive this information and do not research the possibility that it is correct you condemn it before investigating. The reason a person would not pursue a possibility that they need to change something based on even a hint that God may be telling them something is bigger problem than the way they meet together. It means they are unable to be taught. It is not me who is ultimately able to correct that.
So in conclusion, ekklesia, according to the New Testament was home based, centred around food and drink with open and equal sharing (1 Cor 14:26). Jesus said 'do this,' the Apostles did it, Paul corrected a Church who were doing it and the experts confirm it. What are you going to do about 'it?'
"For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup,(we have found to be a full meal) you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes." Paul the Apostle (emphasis and clarification mine)
resources for further reading: Beresford Job "Biblical Church,"
Frank Viola "Pagan Christianity?"
Tuesday 23 December 2014
Monday 22 December 2014
A response to my 'weird' 'Theology'
A couple of months ago a prominent Minister and former Youth Leader colleague publicly called my Theology 'weird.' Since reading this in a thread on Facebook I set about my usual practice of not caring whatsoever. However, I've had a nagging prompt to set the record straight about why I don't do the done thing and try to ... ahem.... plant a church.' In this account for my walk with the Lord and 'what He is doing' the accusation that my Theology is 'weird' will be brutally assaulted by the facts.
Fifteen years ago I was called out from denominational Christianity to pursue the Lord's leading. It became clear that I was being sent to research and practice 'Biblical' church. I have researched and explored the idea that the ekklesia gathering in the first century was supposed to be maintained and not changed from how they met. Here is the rationale:
At the Last Supper Jesus told the disciples to 'do this' (when they meet to remember him). So the Lord anticipates a few things in this statement.
God uses 'feasts'
There are three main reasons why we know Jesus meant 'this do' to be a full meal in a family environment and not just the symbols. Firstly this was Passover which included the feast of unleavened bread. The Lord had stopped the Passover and told the disciples that he will not drink of the final cup which was the fourth of four cups. He said that he will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom comes which is begun with the marriage feast of the Lamb and his Bride, the church. Passover was a feast anticipating Messiah (after they arrived in the Promised Land) but now, having served it's purpose it was set aside for the New Covenant. Because God seems to use feasts, Passover, The marriage feast in the coming Kingdom, it stands to reason that Jesus would tell believers to eat a feast when they meet to remember Him. There is no doubt that a loaf and wine is present at the meal but it stands to reason that 'do this' means 'do what you are doing here.'
The Apostles and the Early Church practice
It is not enough to say that Jesus meant 'eat a meal' just because God designated feasts for the Old Covenant and the coming Kingdom. What we have to do is examine what those who were there did, having heard Jesus say 'this do...' The most prominent scholars all agree that the first century Church met exclusively in homes around a feast with bread and wine included. There were no presenters or presidents in this gathering and it was the practice in persecution and when the church wasn't under persecution. They did it on purpose! Don't forget this was the occasion when believers meet specifically to remember Jesus. They prayed together and evangelised in other places but that was not specifically meeting to remember Jesus. So those who heard Jesus say 'this do...' actually went on to do that which they were doing in that room around food with Jesus central to the discussion. They categorically did not separate the bread and wine and gathered any old way. All well and good but is there evidence where we can see that meeting to remember Jesus involved a meal and that was 'church' and nothing else is?
Paul in 1 Corinthians 11
To recap, Jesus has said 'this do...' (specifically when believers meet together to remember Him). Then the Apostles go on to 'do this....' when starting churches. Now we come across Paul who underlines what the love feast is while correcting the church. Some believers had been gorging on the food and getting drunk before others arrived. This cannot happen unless there is enough food and drink to do so. Ipso facto this was the full meal Jesus commanded believers to do when they meet together. Here is a very simple breakdown of what 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 is saying:
11:17-22 The problem. Note the amount of food or drink needed to abuse the Lord's supper
11:22 This is the Church of God according to Paul so we are observing 'church.'
11:23-26 Paul was told by Jesus to pass on these instructions. See 1 Cor 12 Study 'paradosis' (Gk)
11:26 This is the instruction to keep doing church this way until the Lord comes
11:23-32 Don't mess with the Lord's Supper!
1:33-34 When you gather to eat (to remember Jesus) This IS church
So Jesus commanded it, The Apostles who were there did it and Paul was told by Jesus to pass on this practice! As I was relaying 15 years ago the Lord had me pursue this form of meeting together. With this calling came a crash course in why people meet in community buildings with sips of wine and corners of bread. History has distorted the practices we see in the Bible and that is a far more involved discussion that this document. Suffice to say that the practices Paul described were superseded by man's idea of gathering.
Did Jesus model rejection of Man's truths?
What we have is the drive to go ahead and do the 'done thing' for church versus the commitment to carry out biblical directives. So that this becomes crystal clear to everyone, let us observe Jesus wage all out war on the 'done thing.' In Jesus time the scribes (soferim) had developed 'fence laws.' These were designed to stop someone before they broke the 613 Laws of Moses. Later, at the time of Jesus the Teachers of the Law had done something that caught Jesus' full attention. They had taken the Law of Moses and the fence laws and made them authoritative, from God. So the Teachers of the Law taught that the thousands of fence laws were LAW and were building another set of laws so you didn't break the original fence laws of the soferim. This is what Jesus referred to as 'The Tradition of the Elders (Matt 15).'
Jesus was actively opposing the Teachers of the Law and we see this demonstrated when Jesus healed a blind man on the Sabbath. The tradition of the elders said this was wrong to heal on the Sabbath but also if you inject wine into the eyes or use spit with mud it is worthy of death! Now this still appears in the Mishna. Jesus made mud with spit and placed it on the blind man's eyes.... on the Sabbath! THEN he told the man to wash the mud off in the Pool of Siloam at Tabernacles. The Pool fed the ceremonial waters in the Temple... they would have had muddy water flow into their ceremony! Jesus purposely, actively and constantly broke the Traditions of the Elders - Man's laws - and it made them furious.
What did you do?
As I relay this account of my actions and practices I can only say that I've followed Jesus in not doing the things Man says but rather, purposefully, actively and constantly done what God says in his word. Is that weird or is it weird to do things what man has done whilst saying 'I'm following Jesus?' We all have to stand before the Lord and give an account of what we did. I can only account for me, my calibration to God's design as revealed in the New Testament.
That people will stand before Jesus and tell Him they spent their life involved with a church practice derived from Man is probably the weirdest thing I can think of right now.
Fifteen years ago I was called out from denominational Christianity to pursue the Lord's leading. It became clear that I was being sent to research and practice 'Biblical' church. I have researched and explored the idea that the ekklesia gathering in the first century was supposed to be maintained and not changed from how they met. Here is the rationale:
At the Last Supper Jesus told the disciples to 'do this' (when they meet to remember him). So the Lord anticipates a few things in this statement.
- Firstly He anticipates a distinct gathering specifically to remember him.
- Secondly He anticipates that when people gather to remember him, they will do what He and the disciples were doing at the Last Supper, eating and drinking in a family environment.
God uses 'feasts'
There are three main reasons why we know Jesus meant 'this do' to be a full meal in a family environment and not just the symbols. Firstly this was Passover which included the feast of unleavened bread. The Lord had stopped the Passover and told the disciples that he will not drink of the final cup which was the fourth of four cups. He said that he will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the Kingdom comes which is begun with the marriage feast of the Lamb and his Bride, the church. Passover was a feast anticipating Messiah (after they arrived in the Promised Land) but now, having served it's purpose it was set aside for the New Covenant. Because God seems to use feasts, Passover, The marriage feast in the coming Kingdom, it stands to reason that Jesus would tell believers to eat a feast when they meet to remember Him. There is no doubt that a loaf and wine is present at the meal but it stands to reason that 'do this' means 'do what you are doing here.'
The Apostles and the Early Church practice
It is not enough to say that Jesus meant 'eat a meal' just because God designated feasts for the Old Covenant and the coming Kingdom. What we have to do is examine what those who were there did, having heard Jesus say 'this do...' The most prominent scholars all agree that the first century Church met exclusively in homes around a feast with bread and wine included. There were no presenters or presidents in this gathering and it was the practice in persecution and when the church wasn't under persecution. They did it on purpose! Don't forget this was the occasion when believers meet specifically to remember Jesus. They prayed together and evangelised in other places but that was not specifically meeting to remember Jesus. So those who heard Jesus say 'this do...' actually went on to do that which they were doing in that room around food with Jesus central to the discussion. They categorically did not separate the bread and wine and gathered any old way. All well and good but is there evidence where we can see that meeting to remember Jesus involved a meal and that was 'church' and nothing else is?
Paul in 1 Corinthians 11
To recap, Jesus has said 'this do...' (specifically when believers meet together to remember Him). Then the Apostles go on to 'do this....' when starting churches. Now we come across Paul who underlines what the love feast is while correcting the church. Some believers had been gorging on the food and getting drunk before others arrived. This cannot happen unless there is enough food and drink to do so. Ipso facto this was the full meal Jesus commanded believers to do when they meet together. Here is a very simple breakdown of what 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 is saying:
11:17-22 The problem. Note the amount of food or drink needed to abuse the Lord's supper
11:22 This is the Church of God according to Paul so we are observing 'church.'
11:23-26 Paul was told by Jesus to pass on these instructions. See 1 Cor 12 Study 'paradosis' (Gk)
11:26 This is the instruction to keep doing church this way until the Lord comes
11:23-32 Don't mess with the Lord's Supper!
1:33-34 When you gather to eat (to remember Jesus) This IS church
So Jesus commanded it, The Apostles who were there did it and Paul was told by Jesus to pass on this practice! As I was relaying 15 years ago the Lord had me pursue this form of meeting together. With this calling came a crash course in why people meet in community buildings with sips of wine and corners of bread. History has distorted the practices we see in the Bible and that is a far more involved discussion that this document. Suffice to say that the practices Paul described were superseded by man's idea of gathering.
Did Jesus model rejection of Man's truths?
What we have is the drive to go ahead and do the 'done thing' for church versus the commitment to carry out biblical directives. So that this becomes crystal clear to everyone, let us observe Jesus wage all out war on the 'done thing.' In Jesus time the scribes (soferim) had developed 'fence laws.' These were designed to stop someone before they broke the 613 Laws of Moses. Later, at the time of Jesus the Teachers of the Law had done something that caught Jesus' full attention. They had taken the Law of Moses and the fence laws and made them authoritative, from God. So the Teachers of the Law taught that the thousands of fence laws were LAW and were building another set of laws so you didn't break the original fence laws of the soferim. This is what Jesus referred to as 'The Tradition of the Elders (Matt 15).'
Jesus was actively opposing the Teachers of the Law and we see this demonstrated when Jesus healed a blind man on the Sabbath. The tradition of the elders said this was wrong to heal on the Sabbath but also if you inject wine into the eyes or use spit with mud it is worthy of death! Now this still appears in the Mishna. Jesus made mud with spit and placed it on the blind man's eyes.... on the Sabbath! THEN he told the man to wash the mud off in the Pool of Siloam at Tabernacles. The Pool fed the ceremonial waters in the Temple... they would have had muddy water flow into their ceremony! Jesus purposely, actively and constantly broke the Traditions of the Elders - Man's laws - and it made them furious.
What did you do?
As I relay this account of my actions and practices I can only say that I've followed Jesus in not doing the things Man says but rather, purposefully, actively and constantly done what God says in his word. Is that weird or is it weird to do things what man has done whilst saying 'I'm following Jesus?' We all have to stand before the Lord and give an account of what we did. I can only account for me, my calibration to God's design as revealed in the New Testament.
That people will stand before Jesus and tell Him they spent their life involved with a church practice derived from Man is probably the weirdest thing I can think of right now.
Wednesday 29 October 2014
Apostolic? #2
Whenever I write or speak about the subject of Apostolicity I get three responses. Here are the responses and my replies:
1. Whats wrong with people going doing some good, trying to fix this dark world?
There's nothing at all wrong with people doing good. Social action is a natural by-product of being a new creation. We get the compassion and a heart of love for the brokenness we encounter. What really needs to happen is for believers to discern where they fit into the Lord's scheme of things. We all see need but depending on your calling, you will respond differently. You get those who feel to represent God in this world is to meet needs. You also get those who are supposed to render themselves under God's preparation meeting needs because that is the done thing. Then there is the rarity where a person has discerned that their walk is not really..er... normal. Refer to Apostle? #1 for clarity about this.
So.. Social Action: YES! but when we do social action don't just slap an 'APOSTOLIC' label on it because it sees some success. The Apostolic sending will be much about the removal of spiritual forces to provide an open heaven. I have worked at several projects that help young people who have experienced challenging circumstances. The comings and goings of that work have helped shape and craft me in God's preparation... but none of it demonstrated God's 'gone-before' to usher in the unmistakable work like we see in Acts. Too high a benchmark? Not really.
2 So you seem to know a lot about this subject... where are your Apostolic works?
OOOO Points lost! If you are looking for works to underline Apostolicity you are barking up the wrong tree. God's preparation is the signature of God so for a long time there is absolutely no sign of signs. The work is going on behind closed doors at the backside of the desert as the Man 'tends the flock of Jethro' (menial, routine work). Obviously one day there will be a sending that will see how God has gone before but then the above question will not exist.
As a sideline, you can tell when a work is NOT Apostolic. Believers get vision and strategy to fill rooms. The more gimmicky the message and mission, the more people you get. In order to keep a thousand people happy you can't bring Teaching that is bible based. over time the 'tail wags the dog' and we have Laodicea where 'the judgement and opinions of the people' rule. Here are 5 signs that you are doing a good work but it is not a sending:
1. You have to pray God into the project
2. There are no signs and wonders
3. Your church is a product of History not Scripture
4. 'End-times' is not a priority
5. The Enemy yawns at you
3. I went to Bible College and served under a Man of God... that's Biblical!
It can work that way but Apostolicity is exclusively Jesus' excavation of a man's life in order to be able to work through him. Too many Bible College students get alongside a Pastor or someone well known and be an intern-like apprentice. Let's be clear... there were no Bible Colleges back in the first century but that is not to say that a level of training is a good thing. Problems begin when, like at my Bible College the Tutors announced that we were the 'future generals of the Church!'
When people talk about the Paul and Timothy relationship there was clearly some level of passing on of practice etc. In fact the word 'paradosis' is mistranslated in many version of the Bible yet it is clear this was the context. the idea that there was some official ranked situation is fictional, especially because 'people following people' was the explicit problem at Corinth.
IF God is purposely leading you into many years of obscurity, un-hearalded, lonely, trail-filled, barren and frustration... you can begin asking the question. I cannot see how being in public ministry, preaching, people knowing about your ministry, the identification as a 'man of God' is getting you to the end of yourself.
Gary Ward
1. Whats wrong with people going doing some good, trying to fix this dark world?
There's nothing at all wrong with people doing good. Social action is a natural by-product of being a new creation. We get the compassion and a heart of love for the brokenness we encounter. What really needs to happen is for believers to discern where they fit into the Lord's scheme of things. We all see need but depending on your calling, you will respond differently. You get those who feel to represent God in this world is to meet needs. You also get those who are supposed to render themselves under God's preparation meeting needs because that is the done thing. Then there is the rarity where a person has discerned that their walk is not really..er... normal. Refer to Apostle? #1 for clarity about this.
So.. Social Action: YES! but when we do social action don't just slap an 'APOSTOLIC' label on it because it sees some success. The Apostolic sending will be much about the removal of spiritual forces to provide an open heaven. I have worked at several projects that help young people who have experienced challenging circumstances. The comings and goings of that work have helped shape and craft me in God's preparation... but none of it demonstrated God's 'gone-before' to usher in the unmistakable work like we see in Acts. Too high a benchmark? Not really.
2 So you seem to know a lot about this subject... where are your Apostolic works?
OOOO Points lost! If you are looking for works to underline Apostolicity you are barking up the wrong tree. God's preparation is the signature of God so for a long time there is absolutely no sign of signs. The work is going on behind closed doors at the backside of the desert as the Man 'tends the flock of Jethro' (menial, routine work). Obviously one day there will be a sending that will see how God has gone before but then the above question will not exist.
As a sideline, you can tell when a work is NOT Apostolic. Believers get vision and strategy to fill rooms. The more gimmicky the message and mission, the more people you get. In order to keep a thousand people happy you can't bring Teaching that is bible based. over time the 'tail wags the dog' and we have Laodicea where 'the judgement and opinions of the people' rule. Here are 5 signs that you are doing a good work but it is not a sending:
1. You have to pray God into the project
2. There are no signs and wonders
3. Your church is a product of History not Scripture
4. 'End-times' is not a priority
5. The Enemy yawns at you
3. I went to Bible College and served under a Man of God... that's Biblical!
It can work that way but Apostolicity is exclusively Jesus' excavation of a man's life in order to be able to work through him. Too many Bible College students get alongside a Pastor or someone well known and be an intern-like apprentice. Let's be clear... there were no Bible Colleges back in the first century but that is not to say that a level of training is a good thing. Problems begin when, like at my Bible College the Tutors announced that we were the 'future generals of the Church!'
When people talk about the Paul and Timothy relationship there was clearly some level of passing on of practice etc. In fact the word 'paradosis' is mistranslated in many version of the Bible yet it is clear this was the context. the idea that there was some official ranked situation is fictional, especially because 'people following people' was the explicit problem at Corinth.
IF God is purposely leading you into many years of obscurity, un-hearalded, lonely, trail-filled, barren and frustration... you can begin asking the question. I cannot see how being in public ministry, preaching, people knowing about your ministry, the identification as a 'man of God' is getting you to the end of yourself.
Gary Ward
Tuesday 28 October 2014
Apostolic? #1
One of the biggest crisis in the Church is the subject of "Apostolic." I grew up spiritually in a Pentecostal environment and an 'apostle' was someone who planted churches. What has been clouded over years is what an apostle actually is and how do we know someone is apostolic. We need to be acutely aware that 'apostlicity' is a central theme for the New Testament and Jesus was clear that there needs to be an authenticity around the apostolic (Rev 2:2).
Paul was clear at the start of his letters to underline that his sending was from God not man. I want to demonstrate that many have self categorized themselves as Apostles but are not. Paul was not an Apostle because of what he did, it was because of what he was! Of course, what he did was because of what he was, but the first consideration of 'am I an apostle' is what you are. What God has made you is the central issue. You know you are apostolic by the way your journey had been like the journey of Paul or Moses. The process of how the Lord has designed your walk tells you you are being prepared form a sending.
If this is NOT your experience... it's no big deal... you are simply not called to walk this walk.
I've written before about the experience of Moses being a shepherd and this came about because he stepped out too early to save his people and killed the Egyptian. This act was the springboard for his preparation to become the man God would send to free the entire nation who wanted to be free. The 40 years of shepherding was designed to make Moses a man who was utterly emptied of self. No-one can really describe what this entails because it is a tailor-made experience that only comes about by the preordained will of God for a person. The pain and trauma of this experience is engineered to have your life calibrated only towards the Glorious Lord Jesus.
What issues forth from the Apostle does because of who he is in God. What people do when they want to see an apostolic work is produce something that bears the marks of their perception of Aposolicity. So we see works such as church plants that have been done because the starting point was the Man of God wanted to work Apostolically according to his understanding. The actual Apostle works differently.
When a man has been sufficiently prepared he is sent but the work that he is sent to do, God has gone before him and my main text here is Acts. There have also been men in history who have been Apostolic and allowed God to prepare them in the backside of the desert. Over time few have been willing to undergo this preparation and have gone off to do a work that they perceive as God's will. The result is a group of people trying to produce a work when where the Apostle is concerned he has no place trying to do anything for God. He will not move until the Lord sends him for he has gone through the process of realizing he has no stakehold in God's work. They see that they are incapable of doing God's work and that notion becomes the most ridiculous notion... that we can do something FOR God?
So an Apostle IS the person God will send to a preordained work of God where someone wanting to display the Apostolic will try to produce it. Authenticity will be seen when the Apostle sees the works of God and not a group praying God into a project.
Can you wait upon the Lord for his preparation or do you have to do the done thing?
Gary Ward
Paul was clear at the start of his letters to underline that his sending was from God not man. I want to demonstrate that many have self categorized themselves as Apostles but are not. Paul was not an Apostle because of what he did, it was because of what he was! Of course, what he did was because of what he was, but the first consideration of 'am I an apostle' is what you are. What God has made you is the central issue. You know you are apostolic by the way your journey had been like the journey of Paul or Moses. The process of how the Lord has designed your walk tells you you are being prepared form a sending.
If this is NOT your experience... it's no big deal... you are simply not called to walk this walk.
I've written before about the experience of Moses being a shepherd and this came about because he stepped out too early to save his people and killed the Egyptian. This act was the springboard for his preparation to become the man God would send to free the entire nation who wanted to be free. The 40 years of shepherding was designed to make Moses a man who was utterly emptied of self. No-one can really describe what this entails because it is a tailor-made experience that only comes about by the preordained will of God for a person. The pain and trauma of this experience is engineered to have your life calibrated only towards the Glorious Lord Jesus.
What issues forth from the Apostle does because of who he is in God. What people do when they want to see an apostolic work is produce something that bears the marks of their perception of Aposolicity. So we see works such as church plants that have been done because the starting point was the Man of God wanted to work Apostolically according to his understanding. The actual Apostle works differently.
When a man has been sufficiently prepared he is sent but the work that he is sent to do, God has gone before him and my main text here is Acts. There have also been men in history who have been Apostolic and allowed God to prepare them in the backside of the desert. Over time few have been willing to undergo this preparation and have gone off to do a work that they perceive as God's will. The result is a group of people trying to produce a work when where the Apostle is concerned he has no place trying to do anything for God. He will not move until the Lord sends him for he has gone through the process of realizing he has no stakehold in God's work. They see that they are incapable of doing God's work and that notion becomes the most ridiculous notion... that we can do something FOR God?
So an Apostle IS the person God will send to a preordained work of God where someone wanting to display the Apostolic will try to produce it. Authenticity will be seen when the Apostle sees the works of God and not a group praying God into a project.
Can you wait upon the Lord for his preparation or do you have to do the done thing?
Gary Ward
Thursday 25 September 2014
Book #4 unedited
Chapter
3 Forerunners and Outworkers
When we make an assessment of a situation we think
in rank. We default to hierarchy
instinctively. Have you ever noticed
that? It's really hard to not do
it. What we find with the Lord is a
different way to arrange function tasks and roles. Our way of seeing roles tasks and function
is a Western trait. It is in our psyche
and how we operate in developed countries.
There are complexities about where this comes from that would take us
from the aim of this book. Suffice to
say, Great Britain, its history and how it was schooled to become a productive
imperialist state has taught a way to succeed among the nations. This includes rank / hierarchy across its
entire length and breadth.
Beyond
value systems
God seems to do things differently. When we see the Transfiguration we could
perceive that Moses and Elijah were the big hitters, the big cheeses, and the
‘Master class.’ It won’t kill you to
think like that, after all, the Lord is there and he is the Lord of all
creation! However, those that came after Moses and Elijah were the ones who walked out
that which they ushered in. We imagine
because of how we see seniority and authority that Moses and Elijah were the
executives and Joshua and Elisha did some less important role. If we think that we would be entirely
wrong. Each outwork of what had been
ushered in by the forerunner was of absolute critical importance. A vital element in this is that regardless of productivity or impact,
the outworker must walk out that which they have been sent to do. So whether they see results is secondary to
the fact that they have to walk it out. God's
people cannot have their eye on results because their obedience to walk out the
Lord's command may well be part of a plan that has little to do with results
here and now. 'Just doing it' has merit
in itself. This is the DNA of
faithfulness. Faithfulness and the
emerging fruit of it is what we are rewarded for.
The
'faithfulness offset'
If all we did reaped results there's no 'faithfulness
offset.' When we are led to do something
and it appears that we see nothing in terms of 'productivity' but keep on doing
it anyway there is a faithfulness offset.
You stick with what the Lord has said regardless. Unfaithfulness is when we depart from the
program and do what we think is a good idea.
Tricky area, especially in the Western mindset where we only ever do
anything for 'wages' or some sort of results-based reward. "But surely the Lord wants to win the
lost etc?' Think of it this way... while
Moses was in Midian for 40 years the Egyptians were still under oppression. If Moses resisted the process it would have
been either longer or another would be raised up to set the captives free. In Midian he was a shepherd. Moses had the finest upbringing on
earth! He was a 'son' in the biggest
Empire on the planet. All he was doing
was tending sheep. How many days went by
when he wondered if he had been abandoned or forgotten? Still... he kept doing what he had been
assigned to do. No productivity, no Key Performance
Indicators. No self-affirming colleagues
to tell him everything was alright. Just
barrenness and ordinary work.
This is faithfulness. During this time he was emptied of self. If the
kingdom of God means the Lord's dominion over all that submit to him, the conquering
part is to conquer our hearts. If we are
too bust serving in areas we only think we should serve in our eye can go off
the ball on the number 1 on the agenda... our demise at His hand. We can stop the faithfulness offset that the
Lord uses to deal with us when we are busy doing church work. The church sets up a counter-kingdom with its
demands and expectations. The believer seems busy and 'tasked' but does not
attain much in the way of growth. How can the Lord conquer a heart that defines
its walk by service that brings productivity?
Chapter 3 examines those that came after the
forerunner. 'Joshua' and 'Elisha' are at
root meaning the same name. They both mean
‘God is Salvation.’ What we also find
is ‘Jesus’ also means the same thing. In
this pattern we have Moses giving rise to Joshua and Elijah giving rise to
Elisha. It was Moses who renamed Joshua
in Numbers 13:16 and Elijah anointed Elisha.
I see something in the fact that as Jesus followers we are given a new name
and an anointing. Our new name is
established as we are then adopted as sons and our anointing is the indwelling
Spirit of God.
To set the final piece into place of 'Foreunners'
and 'Outworkers' we must place Jesus’ Forerunner in place – John the Baptiser.
|
Forerunner
|
Moses
|
Elijah
|
John the Baptiser
|
|
Outworker
|
Joshua
(God is Salvation)
|
Elisha
(God is Salvation)
|
Jesus
(God is Salvation)
|
Jesus
followed after John!
All the outworkers have the same root meaning in
their names. Because of our perception
of rank we find it hard to accept John as seemingly ‘above’ Jesus. In God’s economy it doesn’t work like
that. Hints to how Jesus saw this are
clear. In Luke 7:28a we see a staggering
statement:
For
I say unto you, among those that are born of women there is not a greater
Prophet than John the Baptist:
Jesus told us that John was greater than Moses and
Elijah! We will discover that Moses and
Elijah are not present at the Transfiguration because of rank. They are there because they are part God’s ‘Prophetic
Theatre,’ components in the saving plan for Israel and then to all who would
access salvation through Jesus Christ.
Their occasion and especially
their exits from the earth are to demonstrate how the salvation plan works
out. This was laid out as ‘seeing the
Kingdom of God’ so Israel could perceive the coming events in detail. Why is it placed in such a way? Why can’t it be spelled out in clear
terms? The answer to that is - God shows
people things who really want to know!
There are layers; someone once said it is like an onions skin of
progressive illumination of his Word.
Astoundingly, as God reveals his will to us we are ‘required of’ in
increasing ways. This is not service
but increasing abandonment, yielding and submission. He wants us to be entirely calibrated to his
design. This is the subject of the next
in the Cogs of the Kingdom Series so I will leave it there for now.
God arranges things so that when we look back at
something we can see that we are clearly implicated in what is being said. What is vital about this is that we are
absolutely sure that what is being said to us through the event was what was going on at the time it
happened. Patterns can be drawn from
Scripture but we cannot impose them. We
will see in the next Chapters what was happening with these Bible characters
and draw out some themes.
First we need to see a further implication of the
Joshua, Elisha and Jesus 'name' phenomena.
Luke 7:28 has a part ‘b.’
For
I say unto you, among those that are born of women there is not a greater
Prophet than John the Baptist: but he
that is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he.
Where
you fit…
Wait. Did he
just say….? Yes he did! Because John was
the forerunner of Jesus he trumps Moses and Elijah. Jesus mentions the forerunner motif by saying
John the Baptiser was ‘their Elijah.’
Matthew 11:10-15 has Jesus clearly stating John comes in the spirit of
Elijah which implicates the one who came after him also. John was the forerunner of Jesus and his
message was ‘Repent and be baptised for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.’ Jesus then came and was the actual outworking
of that which John had spoken of. When
Jesus had finished the work of Salvation on the cross, had resurrected and
ascended, he becomes the fulfilment of both Moses and Elijah and therefore
becomes a forunner.[1] But in the same way those that come after him
do so in the same way as Joshua and Elisha:
|
Forerunners
|
Moses
|
Elijah
|
John
TB
|
Jesus
|
|
|
Outworkers
|
Joshua
|
Elisha
|
Jesus
|
You!
|
|
When we believe by faith in Jesus Christ we become
walking, talking ambassadors[2] of
‘God is Salvation!’ We are the Redeemed of God… those who ‘come after’
Jesus. Joshua was following Moses[3] as
Elisha was following Elijah.[4] Jesus was following John the Baptiser causing
John to ask why he baptised Jesus.[5] Jesus was clear… this had to occur “to fulfil
all righteousness.” Jesus had to have a
forerunner in this pattern God had designed and when we get with God’s program
we are fulfilling righteousness. From
that point however Jesus was directly under the leadership of his Father in
Heaven. He had followed John and did
what John was commanding all of Israel to do… be baptised. That done, John had no more for Jesus to do
for John was limited to a specific role of harbinger, forerunning the message
of ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near.’
‘Followship’
In Jesus’ day a Rabbi would have the understudies
following after them. Wherever they went
Rabbi Junior would literally follow him around!
As time went by the Junior may replace the senior Rabbi after he
died. So having literally followed him,
he ‘follows him’ or comes after him. In
this way, those who place their faith in Jesus and his finished work pick up
their cross and follow Jesus. In doing so they ‘come after him’ as in
‘represent him while he is absent.'
The church age is a preparation for the coming
Kingdom on earth. How we represent Him
in His absence is the subject of rewards in that Kingdom. You
may not be aware of this but right now Jesus is you Lord and King yet you have
never seen him! We as church-age believers are considered greater than John
because we have absolutely no evidence in day to day life that God is
real. Yet we choose to have faith that
God would come as Messiah, the anointed one and become sin. While we are enabled to discern this truth by
the Holy Spirit, that fallen sinners choose to walk this out daily is something
even angels cannot fathom.[6]
In the Millennium Kingdom people will be born who
will see the church age and look on it as we look on the Old Testament age. For
us we see a time when Messiah had not completed the work. What was
that like? Millennial generations
will learn of your faith, that you discerned things spiritually. You chose to not
feed the sensual desires of the flesh in favour of the invisible Lord who loved
you. You chose God's love over self, you
overcame! They will hear about how Satan, chained in the Abyss for most of the
Millennium, attacked you through his proxies and tried to lure you away from
following your King. To them who are
born into the Millennium Kingdom it makes perfect sense that 'the Lord God of
Creation lives on Earth on His Glorious Throne'... duuuh! But you and I lived in a time when we chose
to follow the Lord God against incredible odds.
This is why you will be reigning with Christ on Earth for a Thousand
years.
To further establish the role of Moses, Joshua,
Elijah and Elisha we will explore why Jesus said believers are ‘Light’ and
‘Salt.’
Wednesday 24 September 2014
Book #3 unedited
Pattern
2 ‘Seeing’ the Kingdom of God
To get to some of the newer patterns I have to set
the scene for how the Lord wants us to continue to search after Him through the
Word of God. The Bible is to point us to the Risen Lord and we will find Him favorably predisposed toward our connecting with him. For the first 10 years of my walk with the
Lord I was schooled in the Religious Philosophy of Man. As part of a
Pentecostal church I went with and flowed alongside the church systems and
structures. Obviously we can discern the
visible error within the 'Charismagic’ movement and much of
Pentecostalism. But there are more
subtle things that are rather blinding.
‘Lighten
up!’
Early in my Christians walk I was told I was too
intense and over spiritual. Later I
found that I was more in tune with how I should have been walking but unable at
the time to reel it in. In other words I
manifested wrongly something that was very right! Nevertheless at the time I began easing up on
some mindsets and practices in order to seem less alien to the ‘hive.’ A catchphrase a leader told me was that
‘Jesus grew in favour of man and God.’
So, if I was annoying or winding up anyone by not flowing with their
perceived lax approach, I was ‘wrong.’
To be clear, I wouldn’t flag things up, I would just simply not party to
what I thought was lax or left me with questions. Subsequently I eased up and labelled my
sensitivity as a personality problem.
How wrong I was (at least about that particular personality problem!).
Why
didn’t anyone tell me this?
It is true the Jesus grew up in favor with God and
man but there came a point when this ended. The time came when Jesus would walk
into the Synagogue and tell them that he was Messiah. This passage is staggering when we see what
he actually did. Quoting Isaiah he spoke
only of the first coming, stopping the reading before the end. The reason Jesus didn’t finish the quote was
because the last part pertained to the Second Coming. The gap between what he said and the end of
the passage has been nearly 2000 years!
This is because Israel rejected Messiah and the Gentiles were given the
Kingdom. The Gentiles and Jews have had
the opportunity to become ‘one man’ in Christ for all this time but it will
come to an end.
This occasion in the Synagogue had Jesus almost
thrown off a cliff like the Azazel Goat.
Was he in favour with men then? I
think not! Note that they were all
basically saying ‘Awwww Bless…’ until Jesus had to stir them out of their
sensibilities. Furiously they wanted to
treat him like an unwanted alien. It
appears that there is a human mechanism at work here:
“Protect
anything, at all costs, that threatens our values.”
From ‘values’ people get their sense of importance,
significance and identity. So a
Christian can get involved with a mission or church and that is always
perceived as ‘a good thing.’ However when the values of that community become
so meshed with the ideology of the person it can reject God’s truth in favour
of these values. Biblical History has
shown us that people can embrace all kinds of ‘truths’ and not even perceive
that God may want to break in to tell them something.
This is why we are, as believers, to pursue a
person, not an ideology.
Truly anchored into Christ, He can lead us and steer
us away from lies, half-truths and
pseudo-spirituality. Those Jesus
had been brought up with in the synagogue had a mix of the Scriptural truth and
secondly, how they had become core invested with it. Once we have incorporated practices,
callings, rites, rituals onto our lives over Christ himself we begin the slippy
slope to stopping our ears to God breaking into our lives to recalibrate our
walk.
Jesus is saying to the believer:
“Whoever has ears let them hear…” (Rev Ch 2-3)
Saturation
This means we can dull our hearing. Spiritually, everything has volume. ‘Volume’ is measured in how much affect that
thing has in your life. If we place a
huge speaker system next to our head we will place it in such prominence that
we cannot hear anything but the noise it is producing. In the same way we can take on board
‘things,’ especially to do with the church, mission or our personal investment
and it’s all we ‘hear.’ Because of the payoff it can become all we
want to hear! Then we are deaf to even
the Lord!
There comes a time when we have to detach from the
systems and structures of Mans ways and suffer the consequences. I had to journey into this camp for a while
until the Lord graciously took me out form it all. To be on the outside, unheralded, alone and
labelled as a failure is a tough place.
However it is the only way the Lord can show you what He wants you to
see.
Our
true source…
I don’t have a fullness of all my journey because
I’m not at the end of it! What I do need
to report is that the Lord wants to take people into a place where he is all.[1] This is more than knowledge of his word, a
better outworking of gift or ability to win souls for Jesus. This is about engaging him as the Risen,
Glorified Lord. It involves as much
detachment from the ‘done thing’ as readdressing our first love. Knowledge of his word, outworking of gift or
winning souls are all the noblest of pursuits… if they come from engaging the Risen, Glorified Lord.
The Disciples of Jesus were on this journey. Jesus would often say ‘You of little
faith.’ What that meant was the
Disciples were still locked into the worldly way of thinking and not entirely
trusting Jesus. A time came when three
Disciples were to witness what is probably the most outrageous events of the Gospels. This event is the Transfiguration.
We need to begin at Luke 9:18 where Jesus asks the
Disciples who he is. Verse nineteen
tells us John the Baptiser and Elijah were prime candidates. This seems a little haphazard but later we
will see why they had this idea. Top
marks for Peter who correctly identifies the Messiah. There is a lot in this passage to deal with
but we are informed that the very start of discipleship is daily death to
self. This theme will permeate all we
observe in this book. Then verse 27:
But
I tell you the truth, some standing here will not taste death before they see
the Kingdom of God.
Luke tells us ‘eight days later….’ Peter James and
John went with Jesus to pray up a mountain.
Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus and we are told the subject of the
discussion was Jesus’ departure. The
Greek word used is ‘exodos,’[2] So
that’s the word for departure, exit, take flight from. Am I the only one seeing red flashing lights
here? Luke uses language to provoke a
remembrance towards Moses’ flight from Egypt.
He didn’t say ‘Jesus’ death.’ or ‘Jesus’ resurrection.’ Luke knew what was happening here so he used ‘exodos’
as a ‘package.’ Luke saw what many have
commented on over this text:
Moses died and was buried in the ground.[3] Jesus died and was buried in the ground.[4] Elijah was lifted bodily from this earth
fully alive.[5] Jesus was also lifted from this earth fully
alive.[6]
Moses and Elijah, discussing Jesus exit, speak of what Jesus had to
fulfil. The only way he could die and be
buried like Moses and ascend into the clouds like Elijah was to come alive
again! We are well versed in the
resurrection, the cornerstone of Christianity.
What
are you pacified with?
If I were invited to follow Jesus in a small group,
that would be enough for me. Then to see
them Transfigured, glowing… I would have probably blurted something out like
Peter did. The majority of Christians
are happy with the glowing. This is
enough to pacify those looking for signs and wonders. There are also those who are searching for
truth and that ‘Moses equals dead and buried’ and ‘Elijah represents the
ascension,’ is good enough. But wait! Jesus said they will see the Kingdom of God! They were glowing? That is evidence of Divine signature for
sure. But is there more to this? Seeing
the pattern of Moses and Elijah is truly amazing now we can see what Jesus did
in dying and coming alive again. But
these do not mean the disciples have ‘seen the Kingdom of God.’
A Kingdom has a King. It is also true that a Kingdom has a
constitution. A constitution is how the
King has commanded the affairs of his subjects.
When we consider a nation we have complexities around how people are
governed and function. The Kingdom of
God will be seen on Earth during the 1000 year reign[7]
when Jesus returns in His Glory to sit on his Glorious throne.[8] How this Kingdom becomes established has
necessitated all the events in the Old and New Covenants. It is leading up to an actual earthly
Kingdom. But how was the Transfiguration
event ‘seeing the Kingdom of God?’ Would
it have been better to say, ‘some of you standing here will see some indications of the past heavyweight
movers and shakers basking in God’s
Glory?’ But no. We have ‘seeing the Kingdom of God.’
It transpires that Jesus himself is the constitution
of the Kingdom.[9] That which comes under his Lordship are
Kingdom dwellers. We are ‘seeing the
Kingdom of God’ at the Transfiguration because the component parts of the
Kingdom are on display. These ‘Cogs of the Kingdom’ fit into place with
forensic accuracy when we see beyond the immediate scene. It’s time to begin lifting the lid on the
Bible and rummage around what the Lord has provoked in the Transfiguration
event.
[2]
Luke 9:31
[3]
Deut 36:5-7
[4]
John 19:38-42 Luke 23:50-54 Mark 15:42-47
Matt 27:57-61
[6]
John 20:17 (implied) Luke 24:50-53 Mark 16:19-20
Acts 1:6-11
[7]
Rev 20 (Isiah 2:4 etc) Swathes of scripture make no sense that refer to the
earthly reign of Christ
[8]
Matt 25:31
[9]
John 14:6 Jesus gives a basic overview
of how he is the actual source of all things
Saturday 6 September 2014
Book #2
Pattern
1 ‘Prophetic Theatre’
In order to get started we will have to get used to
‘Prophetic Theatre.’ This occurs many
times in the Old Testament and it is to directly speak of God’s saving plan
through Messiah. To get to grips with
this we need to see what God intended for ‘Israel.’ I am going to use the term ‘Israel’ and apply
it to ‘God’s chosen people’ or ‘The Promised Land.’ Israel were captive in Egypt under the regime
of Pharaoh. They were daily subjected to
slavery under the Egyptian taskmasters.
They made them construct their grand buildings and serve the
Egyptians. Exodus tells us that the
Hebrew nation I am calling ‘Israel’ for simplicity, grew in numbers.
We will examine the life of Moses later but to
illustrate pattern 1 I will use broad
brushstrokes. This pattern is well known
but must be underlined to set the Prophetic Theatre of the rest of the
patterns. Moses led Israel out from
Egypt and into the desert. The intent
was for them to make a journey of a couple of weeks to the Promised Land. They faltered and wandered in the desert for
40 years. Paul tells us in 1 Cor 10 that
‘these things occurred’ as examples for us.
This is ‘Prophetic Theatre.’ God
led Israel so we could see the errors and successes. Paul tells us that their unbelief was the
problem and a generation died. This
Prophetic Theatre extends to all of Israel’s journey.
In these Patters we are observing Egypt always
stands for ‘the fallen world.’ Pharaoh
is always Satan and the taskmasters is ‘sin.’
We are born into this world, Satan’s domain since the fall. We are born into the slave market of
sin. Since Genesis 3:15 God has planned
to solve this problem with ‘the seed of the woman.’ This strange reference simply means that one
will come not born of ‘Adam.’ Everyone who comes after Adam has a sinful nature
so one has to come not from the loins of Man. We can now see the vital
component that the Virgin Birth is.
Academics have tried to say the Passage in Isaiah 7:14 does not have to
mean virgin but Matthew 1:23 uses ‘parthenos’ which can only mean
‘virgin.’ The Holy Spirit impregnated
Mary and this is why the term ‘the seed of the woman’ is used in Genesis.
The picture of Moses leading Israel across the Red
Sea is ‘salvation.’ We see the Passover
instituted as a yearly feast and the blood of the innocent lamb smeared across
the doors of the Israelites. ‘The blood of the Lamb sets the people free from
the Judgement of death’ This is
typology, a foreshadowing of what was to come in Messiah. Then the nation is in the desert. Here they have many incidents where they
needed faith and obedience in order to get where they were going, to the
Promised Land. The desert is a place
where we need faith and obedience. If you
are in a spiritual desert, this is what you are being schooled in. Be faithful in these times… it is heading for
a really good place.
This good place is the Promised Land. This is when we can come to rest in the
Lord. We have learned that faith and
obedience is what we need to walk with God and he will lead us when we co-operate
with this. Each stage of the journey
has a wealth of stories, lessons and examples as they walk out this purposed
leading of God. Can you see how this was
all arranged for us to draw from? It is
the Grace of God who wants us to walk well as believers and sets up history to
aid us.
We have seen Paul refer to this pattern and the
author of Hebrews tells us the Promised Land speaks of ‘rest’ in chapters 3 and
4. The pattern just fits:
Egypt – The World
Pharaoh – Satan
Taskmasters – sin
Red Sea – Salvation
Desert – Choose faith and obedience
Promised Land – A place of rest
To conclude this initial pattern and move onto some
more less obvious patterns consider this:
God used the same date on occasions throughout
history –
1. Nissan 17, Noah’s Ark safely rested on
Mt. Ararat (Gen 8:4) Note that the seventh month was later designated as the
first month at the time of the Exodus (Ex. 12:2).
2. Nissan 17, Hebrews entered Egypt (Exo
12:40-41) 430 years before deliverance.
3. Nissan 17, Moses led the Israelites
through the Parting of the Red Sea (Exo 3:18, 5:3)
4. Nissan 17, Israel entered and ate the
first fruit of the Promised Land (Joshua 5:10-12)
5. Nissan 17, The cleansing of the Temple by Hezekiah (eight hundred years
after entering the promised land. (2 Chronicles 29:1-28)
6. Nissan 17, Queen Esther saved the Jews
from Elimination (Esther 3:12, 5:1)
7. Nissan 17, The Resurrection of Messiah
If this was to get our attention then it
worked! Between the dates are
significant times that we need to be watching for significance. It can be said that meaning is imposed upon
Scripture but it is not Man doing the imposing!
We can only look and observe the way God has arranged history and
observe the Prophetic Theatre that lies plain to see. I have no problem that God, after the Flood
Judgement, began the process of using his chosen nation I am calling ‘Israel’
to lead up to Messiah and the central event of all history, the resurrection of
Jesus Christ.
How does this help us connect with the Glorified
Lord? Well, we have a road map for
starters! Where are you in the journey?
Are you still in the slave market of sin? Are you still in Adam, fallen and needing the
blood of the Lamb to escape Judgement?
You need to follow the rescuer over the ‘Red Sea’ into the ‘desert’ of
faith and obedience. This is faith and
obedience to Christ who says ‘follow me.’ Are you a believer who experiences
dry desert times in the faith? Don’t
rush to the manifestation churches to fill the gap! Just continue to walk in faithful obedience
to the Lord. He will lead you and it
doesn’t last forever. You are being
schooled in faithfulness.
Are you in the Promised Land, at rest? This means you have completely understood
that the Lord is all. You have entrusted
everything to the Lord and are experiencing the presence of God as you journey
with him. Here you may be used by
God. It’s entirely possible also that
your life is about being a good husband, wife and parent. Don’t assume we must all be in ‘the
ministry.’ It is ordinary lives lived with love joy and peace that impacts
people. That said, if you are genuinely
sent by the Lord to do something… just do it.
All the provision will be there as God has gone before you… just like he
did for all those who trusted him in the Bible.
Just like those faithful ones who were in the
Promised Land, we are waiting for Messiah! They waited for the first coming and
we are waiting for the second coming.
Faithfulness is how we are assessed by Jesus. This is linked directly to our reward. Let’s get with the program and calibrate
ourselves to the Lord.
Friday 5 September 2014
Book #1
I've been a bit quiet because I have to write my book again. I Struggle with the act of having to get people interested by inserting really self orientated nonsense. Its all a little straightforward I'm afraid. So I'm going to blog parts of my book as I write it. Feel free to comment ...
The Cogs of the Kingdom
Exploring the Saving Plan of God
Introduction
In these last days it is vital that all people get
to grips with what the Bible says.
Believers have become fluent in ‘verses’ to furnish their understanding
of God. When issues come along we have
memorised helpful parts of the text and applied them to our situation. What I want to do is lead believers into
understanding the Bible the way it is meant to be understood. The Bible communicates truth via patterns and
understanding the patterns helps us with the overarching aim of it all. That aim is to connect you to the Risen,
Glorified Lord on an ongoing basis. From
this position we have all we need to walk in God’s purposes, to transform us
and maybe send us to do a work.
When I get into a car I know what to do to get me
from a to b. What I am clueless about is
the actual workings of the engine. For my car I can go to a mechanic and pay
him to know how to fix the car. With
‘salvation’ it is different. We have to
know the workings if we are to walk well.
In 25 years of trying to follow Jesus I can relay this advice: “Trust Jesus.” But I have found that when we do trust Jesus,
the Lord is keen for us to understand his word so we can better engage his
Risen, Glorified self. He is our source,
our resource. When anchored into Him, we
have all our inner deficits met. We can
find wholeness in completely abandoning to him.
We find we are a stream of life to our brothers and sisters as He flows
through us into this world.
The Bible is a manual for connecting to the
Lord. That is the aim. However we must have some means to understand
what that entails. I hope this book will
help the process.
Gary Ward
Thursday 28 August 2014
What are we fighting? #2
So, #1 of 'Whatre we fighting' explored the systems and structures that go on behind 'ministry.' Jude does tell us to contend for the faith and when we come across false teaching we must respond. I'm sorry osteen fans but this is an example of ... well.... just listen:
That is all.
Gary Ward
Tuesday 26 August 2014
What are we fighting? #1
Mark Driscoll is a Pastor with many people attending his church in Seattle. Recently he wrote a book and paid a marketing company something like $200,000 to get his book to #1 on the New York Times best seller list. Before we all assign Driscoll to the 'Mega-church fraud' pile, we must be really careful. This methodology of marketing and promoting a ministry is happening all the time. It's just Mark Driscoll who has been exposed for doing it. All leaders are vulnerable to the following:
I have heard the verbal gymnastics preachers get up to in order to sow an idea into our minds. That idea is that they 'have God's back in this.' Bearing in mind I know leaders who are NOT like this I want to further expose the counterfeit perception of anointing. To be clear, anointing is what all believers have. It is simply God's enabling. What we are all expected to do is rely on the Lord and in due course we will find ourselves walking in the work prepared for us. Relying is a tricky business.
How does paying for holy kudos amount to relying on the Lord? This is what we need to be exploring here, not the moral / ethical / 'gosh isn't the church a mess' Driscoll bashing. I don't know the length and breadth of Mark Driscoll. I do see his collusion with the system. That is what I want to expose, not my opinions about a child of God. I see this as vital in the last days as we see many perceived hero's of the faith fall into error. DON'T GO FOR THE MAN... it's the systems, structures, powers, principalities etc that are behind it all that needs exposure.
If we can do that maybe we can discern how taken in we all are by some aspect of this deceptive world?
I was at a church years ago and the Assistant Minister said during a message that he left a 25,000 pounds a year job to go to Bible College. Now there is a half truth in what was said. He was actually on a training scheme while learning to do a 25,000 pound a year job. The misreporting is not the problem. The problem is the idea that was placed in the minds of the hearers. They saw this minister as having dropped everything to follow the voice of the Lord... 'God has got my back.' This in turn creates a sense of authority in the minister and the congregation now have 'God's man.' For this guy the entire truth is that his family moved from the UK to Australia and he went to the Bible College his dad was teaching at. It's about what isn't said as well as what is said. At the time this happened I was also being deceived into similar patterns. I have no condemnation for the man but the seductive systems behind it. My story is like everyone else, I was caught in a system that relied on 'things-other-than-Jesus' to make it work.
In another scenario I was at a church where they worked with people in poverty. The leader of this reported regularly that there were so many hundred offices of his project around the country. When I asked around a bit the 'offices' were actually defined by a church who wanted to run with the idea and a couple of people who were trained to engage poor people. It's the reporting of it that leaves an idea that 'God has got my back.' Again... the man involved is a good guy. It's just that he has learned somehow to create this pseudo authority from people who want to see God move. At least here was a guy actually doing some good amid his self promotion and marketing.
Here are some examples of how I could report some of my historical 'achievements.'
1. The 'first man in history' - THE HEADLINE
THE HALF TRUTH
In the early 90's I decided in utter naivety to disengage drawing social security money while working voluntary at a local church. This meant I had no income at all. Over time the tax man asked for some money. I appealed that I have no money so how could I pay tax? After a while the message came back that outside the nuns and monks living in monasteries I was the first person in UK history to be exempted from taxes for 'reasons of faith.' WOW 'The first.' It's a true story but what I haven't told you is the whole truth.
The whole truth is that during this time food did not appear in front of me. I had to rely on patient brothers and sisters. It was really hard and I did not see this move honored by the Lord. I'm not going to be too hard on myself because it was the early stages of the learning curve I am still on. This period didn't last long. Soon I met my to-be wife (who seemed to like really thin Gary) and got a job as a coffee machine engineer. Now are you impressed?
2. 'Consulting with the UK Secretary of State' THE HEADLINE
THE HALF TRUTH
For years I worked on a product that simplifies and provides a level playing-field in human interaction. After the 2011 riots I was invited to the Secretary of State office to consult on this product. WOW. 'Government.' It's a true story but here is the whole truth...
I do have a human interaction product that didn't really wow the sector. The Secretary of State came to stay overnight with us in 2006 as a project he was doing while not in office. When in office I contacted his office and they invited me to chat over some aspects of how my product worked. 'Consultation?' Hardly. They promptly told me they had no money and the only thing I got out of that trip to London was 'wet.'
Why am I being a party pooper? Am I the original "Buzz-Killington?" I think this is exposing and dealing with one of the subtitles of our fallen nature. You see the ideal is that we are entirely sourced in Christ. The plan is that we are anchored into him and him alone. But with the absence of this we scratch around for that which would add to our insecurities, low self esteem, degraded self worth and broken sense of purpose. Having been taught as Westerners that our significance lies in productivity, we will do what it takes to become significant. This involves the telling of half-truths and propagating the idea that 'God has my back.'
The truth is that GOD HAS GOT YOUR BACK. But it is always and entirely on his terms. I don't know how that looks for you but for me it involves abandonment of all that would ask me to present a theater of language, practices and demeanor. If I am sourced in Christ alone why would I want to create the perception that the Lord thinks I'm more special than you? I'm just not. But what you and I actually are is so utterly amazing many cannot see past Western constructs of the mind. That we are brothers and sisters called out of the world by God himself is staggering. The wonder of this is lost in the clamor to be more significant than everyone else. Our Western thinking creates a shortfall in significance while at the same time we are SONS of the Most High God! How significant do you want to be exactly? SONS!
But that is not enough is it? If it was, why add anything more? Why engage this world for upgrades?
In conclusion to this I want to appeal to those, like myself, who have bashed preachers and assassinated ministers. It's what they have been seduced by, the yet-to-be dealt with merging with this world that we must expose. Firstly we must be honest with self. "How anchored into Christ am I?" "Am I misreporting or marketing an idea to gain respect, authority and following?" "In my attempts to appear as *God's Man* is the truth that I actually feel underutilized, insignificant and desperate to see God ACTUALLY use me?"
Truly sourced in the Risen, Glorified Christ we are so enamored by him that there's no need to 'big-up' self. We have no need to pursue works and ministries because His sending is all that needs to happen. We can be brutally candid about the reality of our barrenness outside of Him. Its simply all about Him. We were created by him, for him. Don't read these words and allow the language to assign meaning alone. Pursue the Risen Lord on his Glorious Throne. Source in him, abandon all to him and walk in that simplicity.
Gary Ward
I have heard the verbal gymnastics preachers get up to in order to sow an idea into our minds. That idea is that they 'have God's back in this.' Bearing in mind I know leaders who are NOT like this I want to further expose the counterfeit perception of anointing. To be clear, anointing is what all believers have. It is simply God's enabling. What we are all expected to do is rely on the Lord and in due course we will find ourselves walking in the work prepared for us. Relying is a tricky business.
How does paying for holy kudos amount to relying on the Lord? This is what we need to be exploring here, not the moral / ethical / 'gosh isn't the church a mess' Driscoll bashing. I don't know the length and breadth of Mark Driscoll. I do see his collusion with the system. That is what I want to expose, not my opinions about a child of God. I see this as vital in the last days as we see many perceived hero's of the faith fall into error. DON'T GO FOR THE MAN... it's the systems, structures, powers, principalities etc that are behind it all that needs exposure.
If we can do that maybe we can discern how taken in we all are by some aspect of this deceptive world?
I was at a church years ago and the Assistant Minister said during a message that he left a 25,000 pounds a year job to go to Bible College. Now there is a half truth in what was said. He was actually on a training scheme while learning to do a 25,000 pound a year job. The misreporting is not the problem. The problem is the idea that was placed in the minds of the hearers. They saw this minister as having dropped everything to follow the voice of the Lord... 'God has got my back.' This in turn creates a sense of authority in the minister and the congregation now have 'God's man.' For this guy the entire truth is that his family moved from the UK to Australia and he went to the Bible College his dad was teaching at. It's about what isn't said as well as what is said. At the time this happened I was also being deceived into similar patterns. I have no condemnation for the man but the seductive systems behind it. My story is like everyone else, I was caught in a system that relied on 'things-other-than-Jesus' to make it work.
In another scenario I was at a church where they worked with people in poverty. The leader of this reported regularly that there were so many hundred offices of his project around the country. When I asked around a bit the 'offices' were actually defined by a church who wanted to run with the idea and a couple of people who were trained to engage poor people. It's the reporting of it that leaves an idea that 'God has got my back.' Again... the man involved is a good guy. It's just that he has learned somehow to create this pseudo authority from people who want to see God move. At least here was a guy actually doing some good amid his self promotion and marketing.
Here are some examples of how I could report some of my historical 'achievements.'
1. The 'first man in history' - THE HEADLINE
THE HALF TRUTH
In the early 90's I decided in utter naivety to disengage drawing social security money while working voluntary at a local church. This meant I had no income at all. Over time the tax man asked for some money. I appealed that I have no money so how could I pay tax? After a while the message came back that outside the nuns and monks living in monasteries I was the first person in UK history to be exempted from taxes for 'reasons of faith.' WOW 'The first.' It's a true story but what I haven't told you is the whole truth.
The whole truth is that during this time food did not appear in front of me. I had to rely on patient brothers and sisters. It was really hard and I did not see this move honored by the Lord. I'm not going to be too hard on myself because it was the early stages of the learning curve I am still on. This period didn't last long. Soon I met my to-be wife (who seemed to like really thin Gary) and got a job as a coffee machine engineer. Now are you impressed?
2. 'Consulting with the UK Secretary of State' THE HEADLINE
THE HALF TRUTH
For years I worked on a product that simplifies and provides a level playing-field in human interaction. After the 2011 riots I was invited to the Secretary of State office to consult on this product. WOW. 'Government.' It's a true story but here is the whole truth...
I do have a human interaction product that didn't really wow the sector. The Secretary of State came to stay overnight with us in 2006 as a project he was doing while not in office. When in office I contacted his office and they invited me to chat over some aspects of how my product worked. 'Consultation?' Hardly. They promptly told me they had no money and the only thing I got out of that trip to London was 'wet.'
Why am I being a party pooper? Am I the original "Buzz-Killington?" I think this is exposing and dealing with one of the subtitles of our fallen nature. You see the ideal is that we are entirely sourced in Christ. The plan is that we are anchored into him and him alone. But with the absence of this we scratch around for that which would add to our insecurities, low self esteem, degraded self worth and broken sense of purpose. Having been taught as Westerners that our significance lies in productivity, we will do what it takes to become significant. This involves the telling of half-truths and propagating the idea that 'God has my back.'
The truth is that GOD HAS GOT YOUR BACK. But it is always and entirely on his terms. I don't know how that looks for you but for me it involves abandonment of all that would ask me to present a theater of language, practices and demeanor. If I am sourced in Christ alone why would I want to create the perception that the Lord thinks I'm more special than you? I'm just not. But what you and I actually are is so utterly amazing many cannot see past Western constructs of the mind. That we are brothers and sisters called out of the world by God himself is staggering. The wonder of this is lost in the clamor to be more significant than everyone else. Our Western thinking creates a shortfall in significance while at the same time we are SONS of the Most High God! How significant do you want to be exactly? SONS!
But that is not enough is it? If it was, why add anything more? Why engage this world for upgrades?
In conclusion to this I want to appeal to those, like myself, who have bashed preachers and assassinated ministers. It's what they have been seduced by, the yet-to-be dealt with merging with this world that we must expose. Firstly we must be honest with self. "How anchored into Christ am I?" "Am I misreporting or marketing an idea to gain respect, authority and following?" "In my attempts to appear as *God's Man* is the truth that I actually feel underutilized, insignificant and desperate to see God ACTUALLY use me?"
Truly sourced in the Risen, Glorified Christ we are so enamored by him that there's no need to 'big-up' self. We have no need to pursue works and ministries because His sending is all that needs to happen. We can be brutally candid about the reality of our barrenness outside of Him. Its simply all about Him. We were created by him, for him. Don't read these words and allow the language to assign meaning alone. Pursue the Risen Lord on his Glorious Throne. Source in him, abandon all to him and walk in that simplicity.
Gary Ward
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