A Holy Systemectomy

A new book Im currently editing:

 I have created a new book called

 ‘A Holy Systemectomy’ 

Recovering the Apostolic Rhythm of Church Life

that asks questions about what we see as the church Jesus wanted through history.  Before I release it (if I do), I wanted to give some background as to where I am with things after 25 years of what I call practicing ‘biblical church.’

I believe the New Testament, ‘great falling away,’ is true believers who partied to the church that history made but were not led to the ekklesia that the New Testament describes. 

 As geopolitics turn world tension up to 11, those who were taught to scale spiritual community by aesthetics, attendance success and relevance to this world will have missed true anchoring into Jesus.  Biblical ekklesia has the believer source themselves into Jesus and learn how to remain there when the ‘ground shakes around them.’  The ground will incrementally shake more as ‘sorrows’ continue just as birth pains do.  My concern is that very sincere and precious brothers and sisters will fear and faint in these last days.  

Theres no need to. 

Over the last 25 years I have been practising biblical ekklesia in the UK and Australia. Those who were sent among us can testify that we facilitate this sourcing and anchoring into Jesus.  A key point is that no one can do this for another person, they can just facilitate it.  Because traditional leadership structures are embedded into our psyche since attending school from 5 years old, it’s hard to imagine another way.  Yet imagine a group where each person knows their contribution, builds up and encourages each other.  Groups where facilitators success is to sit back and let the group be led by the Holy Spirit towards faith unity and love.  

A revolution for me at the turn of the Millennia was to learn that leadership in this way is less ‘leaning in,’ but more an art of ‘stepping back.’  Does this indicate a problem where the leader is neglectful of the obvious need to lead? I believe not because when required, leadership must lean in.  But the subtlety is to be able to step back so that the Lord can lead, and being able to do this.  

When we started practising ‘biblical ekklesia’ around 2000 it was to return to a family setting and to break bread biblically.  This means having a full meal with a loaf and juice present.  We opened our bibles and intentionally allowed people share as in 1 Corinthians 14:26. 

My facilitation was to guide and steer rather than be a central character.  Its like being the banks of a river.

There are times to offer a theme to throw out there. Our first was ‘to see over is not to be over.’  This was a direct challenge to the hierarchical default we gather around whenever someone leads.  It isn’t that you can’t go through a program or study together. It’s more in the nature and posture by which it is carried out.  

More that biblical church being a change of address, it’s more a revolution of the heart as we finally hand the Lords precious people back for Him to lead.  

Almost from becoming a believer in 1989 I felt a fire in my bones to lead somehow.  This led to Bible College. I tried to serve in aspiring mega churches, and these were fond memories.  Until they weren’t.  When does a person over step their lead and invade territory where only the Lord can truly be the head?  Over a couple of years of running into leadership issues I concluded that the structure of church forms the necessity to lead a particular way.

  If the congregation become passive onlookers, then they go into institutional mode they learned since being 5 years old at school.  ‘All keep quiet for the Teacher at the front.’    This weaves into the fabric of the body the idea that there’s a few people here who really know what they are doing so I will just come under the leadership and let them steer the ship.  This forms functional and spiritual hierarchy creating a system and structure for Gods people to dwell under.  

Over time the leaders see passivity, so to answer it they turn up the volume, reimagine the relevance to their town or city and make growth and mission the distractions to get the flock moving.  To be clear, growth, mission, volume and relevance aren’t enemies.  This and the other elements of ‘church’ need to be in a setting that serves the vertical priorities of individual devotion and ‘followship’ of Jesus.  Instead, the horizontal issues of outreach, mission, social welfare, food banks, et al, become the priority.   As a result, burnt out, tired, empty believers serve in their communities and the unsaved see religious workers. 

 The horizontal aces the vertical because in the western world ‘doing’ brings reward.  

Imagine the focus shifting.  It means complete system change. Its hard and agonising at times.  Yet, when the vertical trumps the horizontal we find that believers have been met by the Lord and are anchoring themselves into Him. Not Church. Not programs. Not serving.  

Him. Alone. 

Can you see the subtlety? Theres nothing wrong with the programs, the serving, the mission, the food bank or the horizontal elements in and of themselves. When the believers are met, they can meet the unsaved and shine their light, have the gospel ready when needed and hearts that are refreshed to outpour into the community.   Even for those who work all week they go into their workplaces with glowing hearts.  This is what the unbeliever finds insatiable.  This is what peaks and keeps their interest.  

The gospel isn’t just a message.  It is an imbibed life that is wanting to get out to a dark world.

Are you not entertained?

Amos Chapter 8 is a warning to Israel about their dishonesty in raising the prices of the wheat, meaning the hungry cannot afford it.  God is always championing the cause for honesty, integrity and truth.  In God's rebuke we can see that not only are the prices being raised but the wheat has the discarded parts also.  In other words it is the sweepings or the chaff that are added to the weighed portion.  If you bought 2 kilos of potatoes and when opening the bag it had half a kilo of soil, I would be contacting the supermarket!  How does this become important to us today?

In the Old Testament we find God speaks to Israel about matters that will impact believers in the New Covenant.  Often what we see as Old Testament pictures become principles for us.  In this story 'grain' is the word of God.  An ox is not prevented from eating the grain while it works and Pauls likens this to the worker deserving to be paid.  So what we have is the ox is the worker and the grain is essentially what feeds the ox.   Here the word of God is 'food.' Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Peter and John all use the picture of food being the word of God.  

God's worker 'eating' the word of God and passing on 'food' for the hungry is the picture of the modern preacher.  In turn he gets paid for doing so.  When many of todays preachers pass on 'food' to the hungry, that 'grain' is full of discarded chaff and sweepings up: dust.  Most messages will contain some element of grain: God's word.  But there seems to be lots of chaff / dust in the form of things that are not going to feed people.  On top of this there are appeals for love offerings that increase all the time.  

5 saying, “When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great and deal deceitfully with false balances,

So it does not escape God's scrutiny when the scales are off balance.  Is this what we are seeing today?  We definitely see preachers entertaining and talking about nonsense from the front.  Those  hungry for Gods word get hardly fed yet pay high prices for the ministry.  I'm not saying humour and illustrations or being creative are wrong.  I just wonder if these vehicles for a good message are now the message.  Are you not entertained?

Gary Ward

What Jesus wants.

 I suppose its a big claim to be able to relate exactly what Jesus wants.  But it's not hard based upon the scriptures to get a ballpark of what he wants to accomplish in our lives.  'Discipleship' would be a sound byte that describes what he wants.  Following Jesus with our hearts bowed low?  Does that sound right? I think it does!  However these terms are meaningless if applied wrongly.  

25 years ago I began what would become an exit from systems and structures in 'church.'  It started with the realisation that 'ekklesia' in the first century was not recognisable in our church practices.  Here are just three things that are hard to do if 'industry' is our practice over 'family.' 

1. Meeting in intentionally small groups in a home means close fellowship, brothers and sisters who are focussed on the welfare of the group more that expansion of the group.  

2. Having the Lords supper as a meal also strengthens these bonds.  Families drink and eat food together!  

3. No prominent titles or ministries also removes the subtle spiritual hierarchies that emerge without scriptural reasoning.   

This is a brief description of the difference we get when we return to the scriptural practices recorded in the first century by the Apostles.  Why is this important?

If we are going to follow Jesus we must be carrying our own cross.  That is 'discipleship' according to Jesus.  It is my observation that church systems and structures offer elements that don't help a believer go 'to the death of self.' Instead they bolster identities and vocations that are pulling away from Christ centred following, towards 'self.'  The first century ekklesia was designed to remain Christ centred and not raise the opportunity for the flesh to rise up.  For a number of years I was in the system of church and I learned how to make things all about me and then simply paint 'Jesus' on it.  

When we commit to the 'death of self' we place ourselves directly in Jesus hands.  If He is spending the time trying to wrestle man-made practices off you there little room for His work through you.  If Jesus is going to 'build His Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it,' we should probably let Him!  Practicing church the way the Apostles did is not simply obeying what Jesus said, it is a revolution of what it means to give your life away to the Lord.  So am I saying I'm a better disciple than those who go to 'system' church?  No!  I'm simply stating that because I don't do 'system' church I know how bad I am at being one.   

Hurt in the hands of the Lord

My dad died about two and a half years ago.  Like with any death, it rattled me a little but I did not grieve.  My grief was outplayed while he was alive because of his absent celebration of me as his son.  He was uninterested and emotionally inert as a dad and it left me having to negotiate some wounds.  Jesus can fix this but there are some tricky things to negotiate for anyone who has been deeply hurt in any way.  

One of the things the lord has to do when he wants us to walk in authenticity is to have us experience the cross.  The cross leads us to death to self and Jesus said to be his disciple we have to be carrying our own cross (Luke 9:23).  This involves suffering and trials.  About 24 years ago my journey got very bumpy and it looked like the heavenly Father was just like my earthly father.  I had experiences that deeply wounded me and I couldn't reconcile why the Father would have me feel like He also has little regard for me or my wellbeing.  I spent a lot of time in a paradox:  I know that God is loving and caring and values me.  My combination punch for feeling low is reading Ephesians ch1 and Psalm 139 - Boom! 'This is the actual truth despite how I'm feeling.' But if these glorious scriptures are true, how is it that the Father has allowed this? It seemed to be another father who, for no reason, chooses to have me feel alone, abandoned and wounded.  'What was happening?'

It turns out that what God was doing was taking me through necessary surgery!  Unfortunately to do deep 'heart' work he has to pull out the rugs from underneath us and this looks like orchestrated harm from the Father.  But the way to see this is through eyes of faith!  The author of Hebrews speaks of the Word of God is like the implements that cut up the animals on the alter in the Old Covenant (Heb 4:12).  When God gets to work there must be a dividing of us from the world.  This is so God can work His will and purposes through us going forward.  I've had a fair few experiences where the Lord gets down to business in this way.  My hope is that Jesus who is inside of me can get out a little easier because of this work.  

Of course the greatest example of this is Jesus' finished work at Calvary.  It was brutal. Isaiah says God 'crushed' Jesus to gain the means for him to be able to rescue us.  If Jesus did this and we follow him, it is a high calling to be treated seemingly brutally and to feel utterly crushed sometimes.  If you feel like God is not acknowledging a deep hurt in your life because the hurtful things continue, always remember this: in Gods hands pain and suffering is a honourable high calling!  Why?  Because you are being treated as a son.  It is an indication that God can trust you with pain and suffering because your love for Him is genuine (1 Pet 1:7).  As we dwell on these truths, the emotional impact of feeling crushed is replaced with the Joy of knowing it pleases the Lord when He can do what's necessary in us then through us.  Grace and Peace.  

Gary Ward 

Where are you Jesus?

A common issue with all true believers is seasons of feeling abandoned. This is common for everyone who has been called out to walk the Christian walk.  There are tough times that can lead to despair and many tears.  We know, somehow, that the Lord is near but we need that tangible sense of His presence... 'anything... just give me even a rebuke to know you are there.'  The reason this occurs is to draw us back to a place where deep cries out unto deep and we approach our Lord with renewed passion.  It is an act of love towards us who are so easily distracted and drawn away towards idols.

Still, its not an easy time. One thing I have done in times past is earnestly strive to connect with the Lord.  It's like an instinct.  "I have a lack.  Now do all you can to solve it!"  Seems logical to increase prayer times or read more scripture to somehow please the Lord into stepping out from behind the curtain.   It never seems to work.  After all a child doesn't have to perform to get Fathers attention.  So what do we do when the lights turn off and Jesus seems far far away?

The Lord's perceived absence is actually a form of discipline.   While this idea can send us into a tailspin, it is actually the best thing to underline our sonship.  The Lord disciplines the one he loves (Heb 12:6).  So as we press forward to strive, we would be better to sit back, rest and understand.  Us Westerners often think that giving us stuff is what a good parent does, but actually providing boundaries and discipline is good parenting.   The Lord is far more concerned for us then to spare us our feelings.

Is it tough?  It will be for a while.  But here is the true joy of our lives:   We are chosen out of this world as Sons.  The verification of this is feeling any emotion about God at all.  That we care is blessing! Those who are not Sons care little about what God is doing.  But our suffering underlines sonship and this can bring tears of joy where there are tears of sorrow.  Where are you Jesus?  He is where He always is:  Risen and Glorified on His Fathers throne working our lives out and fixing the bugs!

Gary Ward

God's 'yellow cake'

Back at school I was given a choice to study nuclear physics or car maintenance.  I chose nuclear physics.  Guess which I've needed most in life?  During my studies I learned that the amount of Uranium, for example, needed to make a nuclear weapon was multiple lorry loads!  The engineers then have to refine the Uranium until it is down to about 15 kg.  This refined uranium is ready for a nuclear trigger to be used and once detonated, you have a thermonuclear explosion.  The refined Uranium made from tons and tons of Uranium is called 'yellow cake.'   

In these last days we find many churches displaying the elements that say 'success.'  Large numbers, great venue, talented ministers, community outreach and growth.   If these elements are exponential you might even get a TV slot!  If we have these things emerging or you have arrived in these spaces it seems obvious God is at work.  After all, God wants to be visible to the unsaved public, right?  It seems like the bigger the platform we can achieve for the Lord, the more he has obviously gone before us.  This being the case, the person or people who began this work must be able to pass on the way this amazing thing happened?  Now where can I get the book? They must have something to offer!  Now a market is created.  

What if God doesn't operate this way? What if, there are another set of values that God uses and He is not budging on His ways, no matter how contemporary and relevant we be?   What if God is wanting 'yellow cake,' and there is no way any well resourced facility full of 'lean-mean praising machines' can achieve it?  This idea has burned within my bones for over 20 years and stopped me doing the 'done thing' for church.  In the UK I ran a business which got me in the hallowed halls of Westminster, the secretary of state's office.  During this time I found out all business needs three elements: finance, marketing and innovation.  Logically, if we have these in the area of church growth we will be successful.  The world is impressed by scale.  Big is always beautiful, size is always strength and let's face it, you can only write a book if you have solid answers, right!  But it appears none of this is God's biblical way. 

The characters of the bible were apprehended by God to do exploits.  Today we miss that crucial element and assume because the work is done, we now just need to get on with it.  But this is far from the truth.  God wants yellow cake!  He wants to have a people who are available to disconnect from the system and wait for Him to apprehend them.  No-one gets away with it.  Scripture can tell you a ballpark of God's will but only God Himself, right here, right now can apprehend and refine.  Look at the scriptures, we see everyone taken through a process of refinement.  David was a fugitive.  Moses  was a lowly shepherd.  Jesus was a carpenter and if we see anything about Jesus from the gospels he is opposing the system at large!  Jesus was ready to detonate all the time!  All of this is the process of preparation... refining into yellow cake.  When the time comes, God has something he can detonate and with the disciples we see the book of Acts... Boom!   So how do we line ourselves up for the possibility that God wants to refine us to produce yellow cake explosive potential?  

Firstly we need to walk away from the un-apprehended masses, the ones practising a 'rote' kind of faith.   Jesus walked away from his religious peers via a cliff edge!  Second we must be part of a church that fits with scriptural dimensions.  This means meeting as Jesus directed, eat a meal together in a family home and share what is on your heart.  Thirdly we must stop all mission activity.  WHAT?  Yes, stop all the meeting needs that you see to be needs and wait for the Lord to clearly apprehend and send.   God wants people like this to meet together so he can refine and produce yellow cake.  You are made for an individual purpose, not the bog-standard firecracker-faith of historical church.     

Next time you look at a small group meeting simply without marketing, finance and innovation, remember, God may be doing a work you know nothing about.  This may be more authentic biblically than anything that seems to show the elements of 'success.'  These small home based groups are intending to reproduce ekklesia, the assemblies of the first century.  Logically, big platforms and resources look like they are winning.  But if God should choose to detonate a refined people we could see something we have not seen authentically since the first century.  Anyone can fake stuff and prevaricate over the truth.  Maybe He won't detonate our group?  Maybe he will?  None of this is the point.  The point is that we make ourselves available in thought, practice and purpose to allow the Lord to produce yellow cake amongst His people.  When we boil all of our Christian walk down, it is really to expend 'self' on Him.  Basic calibration to what is written sets us on the pathway to becoming empowered to cause a mushroom cloud wherever God has placed us.

It's less about vision and more about fission.  

Gary Ward

Why would God want the Church in homes?

If God is in control, and He is, what is happening to churches during the Covid 19 lock-down?  For some reason God has allowed believers to not to be able to meet as usual.  As a result, believers are in their homes with their families.  In case you didn't know, the church began in homes.  When Jesus said, 'this do unto my remembrance,' those sat listening to him went and did what they were doing in that home.  They met in homes and ate food together.  This was called 'ekklesia.'  Jesus gave no other instructions about what to 'do.'  None of the disciples asked for clarity and Paul was given the same instructions to do it until the Lord comes.  Because of the pandemic the church has returned home.  My hope is that people take a step back from historical church and begin to see that biblical church is the way forward.  Maybe this is what God is doing?  Why would God want believers to gather in homes?

We don't need special buildings
The point of the New Covenant was that Christ will really be able to inhabit the life of a believer.  Because of this shift from the Temple to people, there is no need for the scaffolding of ritual or a 'special place' to meet because God is inhabiting people.  As the scripture tells us, we are living stones.  So without the need of all the trappings that went with God being in a building, we don't need the Temple style building to meet in.  That era is long gone.  Why have a high maintenance hall when you have homes? It costs a lot to maintain, it could be mistaken for being 'God's house' and as soon as persecution comes you are toast!

We can do what families do
All of the Old Testament was speaking one thing to Israel: 'Messiah is coming.'  But we are on the side where Messiah has been.  This changes everything.  It means people can really be forgiven because Jesus paid the price for our sin.  But the intention is that we are adopted as God's children.  Meaning we are really brothers and sisters.  So instead of a meet up around things that anticipate Messiah, we can do what families do, meet and eat in homes, now we have the completed work of Messiah that has made us a real family.  Think about your church meetings.  Do families do those things when they meet? Do you stand up, sit down, chip in to the mortgage, eat a small cracker and sip some juice?  Of course not... The Lord wants his family to be... family!

We can let Jesus lead us
Many in the past have agreed that the New Testament does have the church meet in homes but it is much more that a change of address.  It's easy to have the same sort of practices simply moved into a house.  Most cell groups do this. Moving into a biblical house church like the first century requires leaders and everyone to give Jesus his church back. This means stepping down from the priest-like function and letting Jesus be who He is, our great high priest.  Every believer has equal access to Jesus.  But don't house churches have leaders?  Yes, but in a local ekklesia they are only ever called Elders in the New Testament.  And they are elected by the people who gather together in the house.  The whole point of Jesus being given all power authority and dominion is so that he can be in charge.  This is frustrated by the institutes of men that work towards Man stepping on the Lord's toes.  See 1 Sam Ch 8 for this being a problem mankind has.  Then read 1 Corinthians... it's what we do without the Lord.

We can be changed
The central point of meeting as family is so that genuine love and fellowship can take place.  This brings change in a believers life to know that in meeting they are met at heart level. When the distractions and diversions of the old school type of meeting are eliminated, what we have is the Lord building the body together.  Mainstream church can see some of this but the Lord's work is interrupted by the leaders who do things they think are good for 'growth' or 'building God's Kingdom.'  Jesus said who would build His Church?  Only Jesus can build His church, His way.

It can change the world
What happens when people throw off  history's version of church?  God can work at the core of the persons being and bring authentic transformation.  And you know what that means?  Unbelievers see a believer who has been met by the Fathers love both through scripture and the family of believers they meet with.  This brings a whole new level of 'different' and therefore brings more curiosity about believers.  Our lives are supposed to be a witness to God's love, mercy and grace.  So to return to the biblical home church set up directly affects evangelism.  The more biblical house churches you have, the more ability to not just be in the same street as your neighbours who aren't believers.  Authentic, Christ-led transformation plus lost unbeliever equals witness in abundance!

The power of environment
Winston Churchill said, ' We shape the buildings, thereafter the buildings shape us.'  Jesus wanted believers to be particularly in homes so they would remain free from the shaping power of a building.  Mainstream churches tend to shape people into being 'do-ers.'  Homes promote 'family' and this is more about relationship - 'being.'  This is the core of what Jesus wanted the Church to be like. In industry lots of 'doing' needs to be done to get the product out the door.  Church is not like that... it's a family where we are valuing the human BEINGS around us.  Homes and family and food are at the core of what God wants to produce on earth: genuine love for one another.  That is attractive to lost hopeless people.  Of course there's some doing to be done by the church but it comes AFTER a life has been touched by authentic fellowship and God's power.

Is mainstream church 'wrong?'
To answer that question I would ask if the 5 days of creation was 'wrong' until it was complete?  The answer is no, they were not wrong.  But they were incomplete.  God called the progress of Creation 'good' even though it is not where God wanted it to be. So the historical / mainstream churches of today are in a process of the Lord trying to get in amongst the people to show them we are the completed product in Christ so we don't need an incomplete way to practice our faith.  A family home is fine!  And smaller groups because of that works even better!

The only real reason we need to be biblical in our church practice is because Jesus told us to.  I think that's a possible reason everyone's been forced home to reflect on what they do.  Please share this to anyone who may be reflecting on 'church' since Covid 19 hit the normal routine of life. 


Gary Ward
www.this-do.org