CHRIST LED USING UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLES AS GUARDRAILS, RATHER THAN DICTATING STRATEGIC FORMS TO BE ADHERED TO
I just had an awesome phone conversation with a friend in Michigan who’s also doing ministry in a very unconventional way. It was super insightful and encouraging. Those of us who operate on the periphery of mainstream Christianity in our pursuit of God’s leading often find ourselves in lonely places, and it’s always incredibly refreshing to talk to someone on a similar path! We were commiserating about times in our pasts when we felt limited & controlled by man-made strategies & programs…and how breaking out of those forms to “follow the Spirit’s leading” gives so much more freedom and inclusion to all God’s people, as long as we can tolerate the mess!
Unfortunately, many of us in church leadership can’t or won’t or simply don’t know how…so we try to “re-engineer” church with new & improved master-plans that promise to bring greater effectiveness and cohesion. Many of these forms don’t really work-out in the long run, and are replaced with still newer ideas in a perpetual quest for the next big thing. Sometimes people get hurt in the process, and it tarnishes the church’s reputation and leads to disillusionment. This has been happening in church leadership since the 60’s & 70’s really, but the fevered pitch of constant redevelopment has picked up with the Post-Modern age, as churches today are losing people and struggling all over the country. Collectively, we have developed expensive & glorious worship environments, robust systems of learning & sharing the Gospel, and have devised every tactic we can think of…and have left multitudes of disgruntled and disillusioned seekers-of-truth in our wake. Are you a victim of this? So am I …and I’m also a perpetrator.
There’s a belief in me, and many of my brothers & sisters in leadership, that the reason for the decline and the remedy for revival is to find or create a new model…a new system with the right set of strategies & tools that will ‘work’. I’ve created many programs & initiatives over the past 9-years since leaving “the fold” of normal church ministry, and some of them have failed miserably. Sometimes we believe things that aren’t true. I’ve suffered because of it…not only that those investments of time & energy & passion didn’t work, but that some of the people who were part of them were negatively affected by my experimentation. Failure is a good teacher…and I’m trying to listen. What I’ve come back to in the past couple of years (and what I believe we’re missing as the Church in America) is that leading others to follow Jesus has little to do with figuring out pre-determined strategies for them follow, and everything to do with helping them hear & heed God’s voice for themselves in their own unique ways. We need to rediscover the lesson my preaching professor Joe Grana always said: KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID (K.I.S.S.)! In the end, simplification may not help save churches from closing, but it can unclutter the path between people and their God. Here are some things to ponder:
Jesus’s taught a lot, but the system of belief and practice He always seemed to come back to was incredibly simple…sort of a LESS IS MORE philosophy based on principles rather than practices, function rather than form.
“An expert in the [Old Testament] law tested Jesus with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’” (Matthew 22:35-39)
“Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’ “Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father. And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:1-12)
Jesus occasionally taught in the religious centers of His day (Synagogues, the Temple), but was most well-known for teaching in homes, around town, and in countryside settings. His followers continued this practice and met in homes primarily. They met in the temple courts until the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., then they went “underground.” In the historical record, there are no church buildings for at least 150-years…in which time the Church grew like wildfire. Early followers of Christ weren’t dependent upon religious leaders or buildings, they were directly connected to God in fellowship with each other.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:42-47)
In the ministries of Jesus and the Early Church, it seemed like leaders pretty much let the individuals & groups of the Church work out their own rhythms & practices, over time, with general guidance & encouragement. Later (as seems to be human nature) things became more complex & bureaucratic.
As we seek to love and honor the Lord and lead His Bride, we need to remember that:
- Jesus is the Head of His Church, no intermediaries are needed.
- There are many local churches, but only one Body of Christ. She is incredibly diverse as He intended.
- The purpose of church leadership is to equip God’s people for works of service…that means developing & sending ministers into the world, not attracting consumers.
- Every person we meet is a son or daughter of the Heavenly King.
Leaders, let us love and serve the Body as Jesus did
2 replies on “Keep The Christ In Christians – 8 of 12”
Ahhh. like a breath of fresh air. thanks
You're welcome, brother Jim! Tell me, what was it that spoke to you?