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Measuring Success

This powerful message is the second excerpt from the book unchurching by Ricard Jacobson.

Maybe the reason we do not recognize the true cost of today’s church model is because when we turn the church into an organization, we start to think like an organization-we begin measuring success in worldly terms, not spiritual terms. The standard of success becomes the size of our church budget, the scale of our next building project, and the number of people in the pews. However, Jesus used a completely different standard for measuring his own success.

At the height of his popularity when he walked the earth, Jesus had a following that would make even today’s megachurch pastors
envious. But due to his controversial teaching, many disciples eventually deserted him (John 6:66).  However, as Jesus was praying to the Father right before his death, he made a couple of truly mind-blowing statements about his own ministry. In John 17:4 he said:

I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do (NIV).

This means Jesus knew he was successful in his mission, despite popular opinion. So, how did he measure his success? He told us plainly in John 17:12:

None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that scripture would be fulfilled (NIV).

Except for Judas who was destined to betray him, Jesus claimed, “none has been lost.”Think about this for a moment. Jesus lost many disciples, possibly thousands. In terms of profits and losses, Jesus was clearly in the red. So how could he claim, “none has been lost?” Apparently, he did not consider himself responsible for the crowds; he only considered himself responsible for the Twelve. Though he ministered to everyone, the Twelve were specifically given to him by God. He even said as much in John 17:6:

I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word (NIV).

Earlier, we discussed how Jesus made it his main priority to invest in his disciples. And now we see that he actually evaluated his entire success on how well he completed this single task.

This raises an interesting question: since Jesus is our example in all things, is this the same pattern we are supposed to follow? Is it possible God will judge the success of our ministries, not by impressive numbers, but by specific names? Does he entrust us with certain people and, even though we might minister to others, are those specific people our primary mission on this planet?

If so, what does it mean if we pursue the crowds at the expense of those with whom we were entrusted? We know the Good Shepherd is willing to leave the ninety-nine to go after the one (Matthew 18:12-14).  But what happens if we leave one behind in our quest to gain ninety-nine more? Is it possible we might stand before God one day, boasting about our big ministries, saying “Lord, look at all these people I brought you,” only to have him reply, “That’s great. But what happened to the ones I gave you?”

Richard Jacobson, unchurching

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Pastors – Let My People Go

Below is an excerpt from a chapter entitled A Church of Spectators. Reading this reminded me of Isaiah 1:18 where it says “Come now, let us reason together”. Enjoy!

For 1700 years the traditional church as a whole has become filled with spectator Christians, people who do nothing more than sit and watch, sing songs, listen to sermons and give in the offering and sit some more.

In other words, the Church as a whole has become passive, inert, ineffective and inept. That is what the one man rule within the Church has caused.

Satan has also for 1700 years paralyzed the church by making the believers watchers of ministry rather than doers of ministry. The result has been weak, selfish, baby Christians, who if they don’t get their way can run off to another church and sit there and watch.

I myself can’t just sit and watch someone else minister to people year after year and not get involved myself. I know I have been called and I know there is something for me to do and I know that daily there are many opportunities for me to be used by God.

I cannot be a spectator. If the opportunities are not in the big church setting or I am not approved by man in their system, I still have a job to do for God. Whether this book accomplishes what I hope or not, I still have been given the task of writing it and believing God for what He does with it.

I refuse to be a spectator on the sidelines, watching someone else, sitting idle and refusing to get involved. My goal is to be actively involved in ministry until someone carries me to my final resting place.

With all of the sermons that we hear and all of the lessons etc., what are we suppose to do with that? Is it all just for our own comfort? Is it there so we can stroke our own conscience and feel good about ourselves? Or are we supposed to actually do something with what we’ve learned? When I hear a message from the Word of God, I think of how I can apply it in my life. What is the life lesson and how can someone else benefit from this lesson?

Christianity is not a spectator event, Ephesians4:11-16. It is not only there for our comfort. It is who we are and what we are. Our Christian lives are to be lived out and shared with others. We, the body of Christ, are all ministers of the Gospel. Jesus commanded us to “Go and make disciples.”

I feel that spectator Christianity is a crime against the Kingdom of God because IF YOU’RE NOT TAKING GROUND FOR GOD YOU MUST BE HOLDING GROUND FOR THE DEVIL. Being a sitter in the Church is ultra boring to me. Why even go to church if there is nothing to contribute or share.

I am a part of the Body of Christ, a minister of the Word of God, not a piece of furniture. If I can’t contribute or if I am not allowed to, I go my way to where my gifts are celebrated and used. I know there are people who prefer to sit and do nothing, but I also know people who hunger for the day when their ministry will be recognized. God recognizes your ministry, He gave it to you.

Shame on the pastors who perpetuate the one man, professionals only type church. You are actually standing in the way of God’s plan and purposes.

You as pastor say you want more people to get involved in the church, then why don’t you recognize them for who they are, ministers of God and your spiritual equal.

The pastor actually creates the spectator problem, with the governmental system they operate in. There is no room for ministry, except for the professionals. It’s a contradictory and counterproductive system.

If you want to sit up here on the platform in these nice embroidered chairs, you go to college and seminary, get your degree, a license and ordination then we’ll give you permission to speak. No wonder people sit there and do nothing. Tell me what does a license or ordination and all that stuff have to do with receiving a revelation from God? What does it have to do with having a burden for lost souls or teaching?

Peter, James, and John didn’t get a certificate before they were qualified to preach the Gospel. Neither did Barnabas, or Silas or even Jesus for that matter. The Pharisees considered Jesus and the disciples as unlearned men and questioned them by what authority they did what they did. But they couldn’t question the power.

Only Paul comes closest to the scenario of possessing man-made qualifications. He was a Pharisee and highly educated in men’s traditions yet after finding the Lord in his life he considered those things to be of less value and nothing but dung compared to the spirit of God.

If God told you to start a Bible study in your home, then start it. If you get a blessing from the leadership, fine. If not, start it anyway. You must follow what God has told you to do over that of man. Also remember that the professionals don’t have all the answers and they are not perfect. Brother and sister; get out of your seats or pews and do what God has called you to do. Don’t wait for permission from men. You might be waiting a very long time.

One last thing, you recall that when Jesus was crucified that the veil was torn in two. That means God has given us all access to Him, not only concerning prayer but also ministry. Don’t allow a pastor, or staff member or anyone else to get between you and your ministry. In Jesus’ time it was the priesthood and the Pharisees. Today it’s pastors and other leadership in the church.

Go ahead and step through that invisible barrier into your own priesthood with boldness, knowing you are highly favored of the Lord and have His approval, regardless of what man says.

Glen Newman, Pastors – Let My People Go

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unchurching

The excerpt below is entitled Raising Veal from unchurching by Richard Jacobson. Richard’s website is no longer active but you can still access his podcasts by going here. This book has some great points but the overall flow seemed a bit disjointed.

It was the Romans who eventually institutionalized the church, starting in the early 300’s. Previously, believers had only known church gatherings where each person participated in the meetings, where everyone was encouraged to bring a hymn, or a teaching, or a personal revelation, and so on. Clearly, the Romans had a very different vision for the church. And the moment Rome embraced Christianity as its national religion, they began implementing that vision.

The Romans had a great respect for oratory, the art of public speaking. This is why the layout of the new Roman church buildings made it clear the congregation was now an audience, expected to listen to lectures. One of the first things the Romans did to institutionalize the church was hire eloquent orators to serve as church priests. Employing such skilled, professional speakers helped elevate the role of priests far above their fellow church members.

Further levels of separation between these professional priests and their congregations were introduced through the addition of official robes and rituals. Over time, unbiblical words like “clergy” and “laity” entered the vocabulary of the church and solidified the divide. Likewise, special requirements for ordination were introduced and seminaries were formed. Eventually, any vision for church gatherings where every member exercised his or her calling as a fellow priest was lost and forgotten.

Many of today’s churches have maintained this trajectory and fully embraced a model in which church members get spiritually fed without ever exercising their calling as fellow priests. But how long can church members be spiritually spoon-fed before they develop a dependency? Developing this kind of dependency is known as becoming institutionalized. In the movie The Shawshank Redemption, an inmate named Red explains how, over time, prisoners become institutionalized:

“These walls are funny. First you hate ’em, then you get used to ’em. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on them. That’s institutionalized.”

Today’s churchgoers enjoy sermons with PowerPoint slides, Sunday School lessons on whiteboards, Children’s Church, Bible studies, book studies, podcasts, and more. But what good is all this spiritual education unless it results in genuine spiritual formation? The Body of Christ doesn’t simply need to eat; it needs to exercise.

1 Corinthians 14:26 tells us we build up the Body of Christ whenever we allow each member to participate in the meetings by instructing others or by bringing hymns or sharing personal revelations, etc..’ ‘This is a completely different picture of church from passively listening to lectures from a handful of professional Christians.

So, what happens to a church when most of its members get spiritually fed without having the opportunity to exercise their true calling? Rather than shepherding sheep, this sounds more like raising veal.

If you are unfamiliar with the process, it looks something like this: a young calf is placed in a box. The purpose of the box is to keep the calf immobile, never allowing it to build up muscle. This ensures the calf will eventually make for tender, tasty veal. From then on, the calf is constantly fed but never allowed to exercise. Over time, it grows fat and weak. Eventually, it won’t even be able to survive outside its box.

Much like the veal calf, many of today’s churchgoers spend their entire spiritual lives inside of church boxes, both literally and
figuratively. This might be the best way to develop strong institutions, but is it the best way to develop strong individuals? In our pursuit of numerical growth, are we sacrificing spiritual growth? In such a consumer-focused culture, maybe we need to be reminded of how Jesus measured the success of his own ministry.

Richard Jacobson, unchurching

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Biblical Church

Finding Church

Next month I will be traveling to the beautiful country of Tanzania.  This will be my second trip.  During my first trip I was accompanied by my friend Lee who had been there previously.  Traveling with someone who knows how to get around was a great anxiety reliever and made my time there enjoyable.  

I had that same sense when reading this book.  Wayne Jacobsen feels like a loving guide who’s been there before and is trying to help navigate our journey to find true church.  You can tell he has scars from past experiences but there’s no sense of bitterness in his words.  This is a great travel guide and I would highly recommend this book if you want to have a truly enjoyable time on your journey.  An excerpt follows.  You can find more information and free resources at www.lifestream.org.

Finding a traditional congregation isn’t any more difficult than finding a McDonald’s hamburger. They are everywhere and they are not subtle about it, with ever-taller steeples and bell towers that intrude into the cityscape. But what do you do if you no longer fit into those conformity-based structures? How do you find the church Jesus is building if there’s no sign on the door?

I never foresaw the day when I’d no longer be an active member of a local congregation and getting here hasn’t been easy. As much as I respect those who still find it an important part of their spiritual life, it is no longer an important part of mine. Both of the congregations I was part of in my adult years hit a glass ceiling where the institutional needs came in conflict with the life of Jesus I was seeking. I wasn’t ready to give up on the desire to participate in his church as a vibrant community of friends cooperating with God’s unfolding work in the world, and I discovered that I could have a more fruitful connection with people and share Jesus’ life more freely without all the accoutrements, political intrigue, and routine that our institutions force on fellowship.

Most people who leave end up doing what I did, looking for another group to fill the Sunday morning void and the friendships they lost by leaving. During the last couple of decades, many have found their way into home groups and other more informal gatherings. When they come together to give rise to a community of friends sharing the life of Jesus and his heart for those around them, they can be wonderful places for the church to find expression. A home or sharing a meal is the most natural environment for us to experience his family as we focus on him and his work in us, rather than the meeting.

Unfortunately, however, an entire industry has emerged in trying to make them just another system. Sometimes called house church, simple church, or organic church, books and articles tout them as the model most consistent with the first-century church. These groups meet weekly in a home often beginning with a meal and then sharing a similar ritual to many congregations with a mix of songs, Bible study, prayer, and planning activities. While such gatherings offer the potential for a deeper relational connection, however, it doesn’t always pan out that way.

I’ve been in home groups that had more hoops to jump through than many congregations. One even had rows of folding chairs with an aisle down the middle and a lectern and piano in front of a lighted cross on the wall. House church, indeed! While most aren’t like that, it did serve as a metaphor for the many house churches that use the same dynamics of conformity to control people. Control in a small group is even more destructive. Just because people gather in smaller groups and meet in homes doesn’t make them immune from the concerns expressed in the last chapter about more traditional congregations. House churches, too, can practice religious performance and miss out on life in Christ, be captive to insecure leaders, and copy a model instead of following the Master to end up just as much an expression of human effort.

In hopes of creating an international movement a lot of time and money has been invested in refining the program, identifying spokespeople, and hosting conventions in hopes of spreading a house church model as an end-time hope to revitalize the church. As much as I have enjoyed and love the people I’ve met in that conversation, I’m afraid they are falling into the same traps that originally drove them to house church. I’ve watched these people compete for visibility and influence, push their pet programs and books, and try to build a leadership-dependent infrastructure.

The problem is not the venue; it is our preoccupation with anything other than him. Any time we try to replicate a human system, it will eventually lead people away from the new creation. Even things that start out with a lot of grace and freedom quickly become pressure-filled with obligations and expectations. Real relationships don’t need them, and utilizing them rarely fixes the problem. As with any other expression of the church, enjoy it as long as it expresses his kingdom and give it a wide berth when it no longer does.

“We’ve stopped going to church and are going to start something in our home this week. Can you give us any tips as to what we might do and what we might want to avoid?” I get that email almost every week. My counsel is always the same: Avoid starting something. Once you start some “thing” your focus will shift from connecting with people to ensuring that the “thing” goes well. Home groups, with a nucleus of people who are looking for something different, are easy to start but they are difficult to sustain when the focus is on a meeting. People will eventually grow bored with house meetings but they won’t grow bored with one another if friendship is engaged.

You will find the church easiest when you stop looking for an “it,” and simply love the people God has put around you. Start with growing friendships instead of trying to find a group to join. It was no accident that the church began at Pentecost without any strategy or preconceived notion of what it would look like. They weren’t told to start Sunday services or have midweek home groups. They simply did what their new experience with the Gospel and their engagement with his Spirit led them to do. 
Learn to follow him and then engage others around you with the reality of his kingdom and watch how that bears fruit.

Wayne Jacobsen, Finding Church

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Encouragement

Not A Fan

My friend Craig has become a huge fan of the GCU (Grand Canyon University) Men’s Volleyball team here in Arizona.  At this writing they are ranked in the top five in the nation with a record of 20-3.  His passion for the team overflows and affects us all. Some of us in the group have even gone with Craig to the stadium and cheered his team on.  

Craig has a special connection to volleyball.  In high school he participated in soccer but was released from the team.  While biking in the neighborhood he saw a few of his friends playing volleyball.  When they needed an extra person Craig jumped in.  That same year, 1988, his junior year, his high school started a volleyball team, which Craig joined. The Royal High School Highlanders in Simi Valley, CA went on to the playoffs their first year and Craig was an instrumental part in their success.  The following year Craig was named a Co-MVP as the Highlanders set a league record.  

Craig was Royal High School’s First Division 1 men’s volleyball recruit and went on to play for San Diego State.  Recently, Craig and his wife Rachel returned to California where he was inducted into the Royal Volleyball Hall of Fame.  We are all proud of our friend.

While we can spend a couple hours watching teams battle, we will never have Craig’s insight into what and why things are happening, unless you’ve been on a team yourself. We will never understand fully the training the players have to go through, the coaching, and the strategy of the game.  We may not appreciate the time it takes the team to watch films of the opposition and discuss their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.  And then there are hours spent practicing, traveling, diets and lifestyle changes needed all to be part of a team that is dedicated to winning.  We can sit there, watch and complain that someone served the ball into the net, hit a ball out of bounds or missed a block, but we will never understand what it feels like to be on the court. 

So you know what’s coming next – my comparison of Craig’s journey to our spiritual journey.  You can write this part yourself – the encouragement to get in the game, get off the sidelines, stop being a fan of Jesus, and become a participant.  Practice hard, train hard, watch our spiritual food, and be aware of the enemy’s tactics.  Nothing new here, but I wanted to share my friend’s story and encourage you that it’s well worth the effort to participate.   

Hebrews 11 is such a powerful chapter, it’s sobering but I encourage you to read it. The faith of the patriarchs and the suffering of the saints all before Jesus came on the scene.  In Chapter 12 it says…

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV

Yes we have people cheering us on, the saints are watching, we should be encouraged and strengthened in our faith.  The cloud of witnesses understand the struggle because they were directly involved themselves.  It’s ok to be a fan, but we will have time for that later. Let’s get in the game while we still have the opportunity.  

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A Natural New Testament

A friend sent me a link to A Natural New Testament translated by Frank Daniels and originally released in 1995. I have included some of his commentary and some comparative scripture. As far as I can tell, this is not in print form but is only available on-line. If there is a print version please contact me. You can go to this link and scroll down on the page to A Natural New Testament.

The present translation intends to discover the authors’ intent in writing their narratives, letters, and expositions – and to make these more apparent in English. Consequently, certain terms that are normally left untranslated (or translated into Latin) appear translated in this edition. “Christ” is rendered “Anointed One,” and whenever the reader passes over the term, it ought to convey the full force of the Messiah that had been promised to the Jews. There are no apostles, angels, deacons or ministers, bishops, devils, demons, or preachers in this edition; rather, the reader will find envoys (people who are sent out as representatives), messengers, servants, overseers, accusers, spirit beings, and heralds. The term “church” has also been dropped in favor of “assembly,” which is the meaning of the Greek word. Here, this translator has followed certain former translators who refused to retain the “old ecclesiastical words.”

It is this translator’s effort to provide a translation as free of tradition as possible, in the hopes that this will bring the reader closer to the paradigm of the original followers of Jesus. And while every translator or group of translators believes that their own translation is most accurate, one thing must be noted:


This is a translation into English of a set of documents that were written over 1900 years ago in Greek. In many cases, Greek was a second language to the authors, who existed under entirely different conditions than we do today. While they saw clearly what were their own customs and patterns of thought, we today often have trouble distinguishing between the intent of the author and our own preconceived notions. Therefore, we must carefully distinguish between our own opinions and the facts. Every translation follows the opinions of the translators and is therefore an opinion. This is a translation, an opinion, a mere human viewpoint of an ordinary human being. The value of this translation rests not in its authoritative nature but in the examination of the different paradigm which it may be found to contain.

Frank Daniels, A Natural New Testament

The following comparison is from Ephesians 4.

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

New King James Version

And indeed, he gave the envoys, and the prophets, and the good messengers, and the shepherds and teachers, for the restoration of the holy ones to the point of work of service, for the construction of the Anointed One’s body, until all of us should reach the point of the unity of the faith and the recognition of God’s son – until we should reach a measure of stature of the fullness of the Anointed One, so that we would no longer be babies, being carried about by every wind of teaching (in the trickery of human beings, in craftiness) to the system of deceit. But, being truthful in love, we should grow up into him in all things. He is the head, the Anointed One, from whom all the body is made to grow to the point of its construction in love – being firmly joined and knit together through every supplying ligament, according to the working (in measure) of every single part.


A Natural New Testament
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Conforming to His Image

This is the third excerpt from Milt Rodriguez’s book The Community Life of God. You can find the links to the other excerpts here. I have done some slight editing to this excerpt.

“Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers.” Rom. 8:29

Today, we hear a lot about being like Jesus. Preachers, and consequently believers, talk about Christ-likeness. As individual believers we are told that this is our goal: to be like Christ.

Actually, this is what most “discipleship” programs are all about. We are here to “make disciples,” whatever that means. After all, it’s part of the “great commission” (Matt. 28: 19, 20) to make disciples. We have interpreted this to mean that we are supposed to take individual believers and help them to be like Christ. Usually we do this by teaching them doctrine, how to study the Bible, how to “pray,” how to serve God on the mission field, and basically how to be a good Christian.

But where in the scripture does it talk about becoming like Christ? Where did we get this idea? The only thing that I can see is the passages that deal with being conformed to His image. Perhaps we have paraphrased that to be “becoming like Christ.” If that is so, and I believe it is, then we must look at the context of each of those passages. In what context are we to be conformed to His image?

If you read the passages that have to do with being conformed to His image, you will quickly see that the context is always corporate (Rom. 8:28-20; Rom. 12: 1-5; II Cor. 3:18; Col. 3:10, 11). It is we who are being conformed to His image. It is us together, the Body, that is to look like Him. You can never be like Jesus. But She can! I am referring to that beautiful woman, the bride of Christ, who is destined to be His wife (Rev. 21:9).

If you will read the scriptures carefully, especially the New Testament, from this perspective, it will become a new book to you. You will begin to see the proper perspective for the testimony. Things will make more sense when you read it with the “corporate view.” That’s because God’s image is community. So, naturally, the process of being conformed to that image must be communal.

The fact is that we are already one. We are in Christ and He is in us. This makes us one (John 17:22, 23). How could we all be “in Christ” and yet not be one? The problem is not our oneness, the problem is the practical expression of that oneness. That comes through us walking it out together day by day. That comes through us developing a “body consciousness.”

It comes through a revelation of the corporate nature of the church. It comes through developing a lifestyle of community and not one of individualism and independence. And it comes by us sharing our lives with one another and taking care of one another. In a word, this is family, but family in the true sense of the word. Not family as we have seen it in this world, but family as a genuine expression of the community life of God.

Being conformed to His image (or becoming like Christ) is a corporate matter. We are transformed together by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:1-5). This renewal happens because we are learning to think as a body instead of just a bunch of individuals. We are “learning” Christ. We are learning and experiencing the oneness of the Head and Body. We are learning to think and function as the One New Man (see Col. 3:9-11).

This is true discipleship. It’s not a matter of being placed into a program of individual training of Bible study, prayer evangelism, and character development. Rather, it is the life transformation process of being practically conformed into His image. This is the outflowing of His community life. It is the fleshing out of the fellowship of the Godhead.

Therefore, I can only conclude from this that all true “discipleship” happens in a corporate context. We learn together how to live by Christ. This is something that we all learn in the daily fires of organic church life.

Milt Rodriguez, The Community Life of God
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What Does God Eat?

This is the second excerpt from Milt Rodriguez’s book The Community Life of God. You can find the links to the other excerpts here.

The main activity of the tabernacle is the bringing of offerings to God. The offering is a “present” or gift to God. The Bible tells us that the offerings are food for God (Numbers 28:2). Have we ever thought of it in this way? We come to God to get fed. We know that He is our life supply and the Bread of Life (John 6). But have we ever had the thought that God is hungry as well? Of course, I am speaking spiritually here. But God does want to eat! This is the deeper meaning behind the offerings. The offerings are to provide food for God. But what does God like to eat? Actually there is only one thing. His tastes are very specific.

There is a principle that is well known among Bible teachers and theologians. It’s called the principle of “first mention.” What it means is that the first time something is mentioned in the Bible, that incident will give you the purest meaning behind the whole subject throughout the rest of the scriptures. If we want to understand offerings, we need to look at the first offering.

The first offering was with Cain and Abel. Cain had a garden and he brought an offering to the Lord from his produce. Abel tended sheep and brought one of the young lambs to the Lord. Why did God accept Abel’s offering and not Cain’s? It’s because Cain brought the “fruit” of his own labors. Abel brought a pure, innocent lamb. Cain brought his own works; Abel brought a picture of Christ. Do you see what kind of offering satisfies God? There is only one kind of food He likes …….Christ!

The Church has two main purposes: to express Christ visibly to the world, and to bring food to God. The tent of meeting is the gathering of believers. When we come together what kind of offering do we bring to God? The only food He is satisfied with is His only Son. Is that the food that we are bringing? Most of you may say that you never really bring anything to the meetings. If that is the case, then you are missing the purpose of the gatherings. However, just bringing anything to the meeting is not enough. God wants to be fed Christ.

If we are experiencing Christ on a daily basis, if we are fellowshipping with Him in our spirits and touching Him in the other realm, if we are seeking Him in the scriptures and expecting Him to give us revelation, then we will have a sweet smelling offering (present) to give to Him. We will bring an acceptable offering, the only acceptable offering which is Christ.

Milt Rodriguez, The Community Life of God
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The Community Life of God

This enlightening book by Milt Rodriguez will change your life; it has become one of my favorites. This is a great resource for group study, being only 200 pages with short chapters. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. I plan on posting 2 or 3 excerpts…yes, it’s that good! Unfortunately, the website in the book isn’t linked anymore and his email isn’t active. There is one website still active and it’s a useful tool for those interested in Organic Church. See here.

You do not realize how deep this individualistic mindset really goes. You still have no idea how firmly rooted this is in your mind. It effects the way that you view God, yourself, your friends and family, and the world. And it also effects the way that you view and interpret the holy scriptures, the Bible.

When you open your Bible and begin to read, you immediately begin to interpret everything through the filter of your individualistic mind. You automatically assume that the scriptures were written to you as an individual so you apply them that way. But that is not reality. The truth is that most of the scriptures were not written to the individual.

Most of the New Testament was written to corporate entities. These were communal expressions of the Body of Christ in different localities or cities. I’m trying not to use the word “church” here because of the horrendous abuse of that term. For example, the letter to the Colossians was not written to you as an individual. It was written to the community of believers in the city of Colossae. The context for this letter is the community life. You cannot superimpose your individualistic mindset and lifestyle upon this letter. It just won’t fit.

It’s very difficult to really understand this letter unless you are experiencing the community life with a group of believers. You will have a tendency to always bring back the meaning of this letter and relate it to your own individual walk with God. But this letter is not about that. This letter is about the centrality, supremacy, and preeminence of Christ. That is, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Now, please pay attention very carefully.

When you just read my quotation of that verse in Colossians you immediately took that verse and applied it to you as an individual. “Christ in me, the hope of glory.” But that’s not what that verse says! It says, “Christ in you…” but that word “you” is plural, not singular! Paul is speaking to the church in Colossae and is telling them about a secret, a mystery which has been hidden for ages. But this mystery has now been made known to His saints. This mystery is Christ in all of you. In other words, Christ lives in His Body! Christ lives in you all.

Of course, it’s also true that Christ lives in you as an individual. But that is not what Paul is talking about here. He is talking about God’s mysterious purpose being fulfilled by a communal body that contains and expresses the life of His Son. This is just one example of how we take the scriptures and interpret and apply them to us as individuals. We are constantly doing this without even being aware of it. This is what I call the individualistic mind. We very rarely think in terms of the community. Yet that is exactly how we need to think in order to understand the scriptures. The scriptures, after all, were written by a God who is community. Only a renewing of our minds brought about by a constant contact with our indwelling Lord can bring about a change.

We do this with everything. We see everything through our “filters” of individualism. We desperately need to ask God to open our eyes to see the way He sees. We need to see from His perspective. We need to see from His viewpoint. That viewpoint is community. We need to have a revelation of God’s eternal purpose, and then see and understand everything according to that purpose. That purpose is the motivation behind everything God says and does. He is always working to fulfill this purpose in and through us (see Rom. 8:28-30).

When we see the scriptures only from an individual viewpoint, something very damaging happens. We place ourselves under the law, and the resulting condemnation and guilt. When we apply the scriptures to ourselves individually, then we simply can’t measure up to what God wants and we come under condemnation. Let me give you an example from the direct words of our Lord.

Matthew, chapters 5, 6, and 7 are normally referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. But after reading this section of Matthew, who would not feel totally inadequate? Why? Because as an individual, you are totally inadequate to live the kind of life described in these chapters. But we miss the point. In these chapters, and in many other places in the gospels, Jesus is describing a people. He is giving the description of a kingdom of people, of a new race, one new man. This passage can only be understood from the communal perspective. When you take it individually, it becomes law and results in condemnation. But this is a description of a corporate man who contains the life of Christ, the only one who can fulfill the law! The law is fulfilled by God’s eternal, divine, community life, not by an individual.

Another example of our mistaken viewpoint is in Ephesians 6:10-18 concerning the armor of God. Remember that this letter was written to a church; actually, it was written to several churches in Asia Minor. Paul was not asking individuals to put on the armor of God, He was asking the Church. The bride, the body of Christ puts on this armor. Not you as an individual. You could never measure up to this as an individual. And what is this armor? Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God. Who is all of those things, dear reader? That’s right, it’s Christ Himself! The Church is to put on Christ as her only armor and protection.

We desperately need to see everything from His viewpoint. We need to see as He sees; we need to think as He thinks. And we need to see all of the scriptures in relationship to His eternal purpose to have a corporate image (or man) who will express the life of His Son. This is the central thought of God throughout the whole Bible. If we miss this, we miss the main point of everything.

Milt Rodriguez, The Community Life of God
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The Vast New Covenant Transition

Authors George Davis and Michael Clark have a chapter in this book called Not Forsaking the Assembly, a phrase from Hebrews 10 which has been used disparagingly toward those who remove themselves from corporate church. I have posted a segment from that chapter below and it’s well worth the read. You can get a free download here.

What is new and living about people meeting in earthly sanctuaries, all facing a speaker’s platform in total passivity until a dominate leader looks down upon them from his pulpit and directs them to move, pray, sing or pay? Is this what Jesus consecrated for us to walk in? What is new and living about churches with earthly structures with their presiding priests and pastors? Even the pagans order their temples after this pattern. Is this what Jesus died for–to put a new patch on an old, worn out religious garment? Are we to enter through the veil of His torn flesh so we can sit passively on a pew for seventy years and then die? Is this what it means to assemble in that new and living way? Will our tombstone in the church yard read, “Here lies Joe. He was faithful to assemble in the old covenant way for seventy years and his pastor was proud of him”?

If it is not new and living it is not a New Covenant assembly, regardless of how many people are gathered under one roof. The epistle to the Hebrews is a warning and an exhortation. Its author repeatedly warns that those who draw back from this heavenly way to return to the old religious traditions risk failing to enter into the fullness of God’s intention. The question is, do we have ears to hear this warning?

It’s clear from this epistle that the early Jewish believers were dividing into two camps. Some were forsaking assembling in this new and heavenly way and were turning back to the earthly forms of the old religious order, refusing to heed the high calling of the sons of God. They were forsaking the assembling together as His living body, just as surely as unbelieving Israel at Kadesh Barnea grieved God and did not go in and inherit the land of promise.

Those who refuse the new and living way by turning back to dead religious forms are forsaking the general assembly and church of the firstborn. Those who refuse to go on in this heavenly way and return to sitting mutely on a pew are the ones who are forsaking the proper assembly. The author of Hebrews later tells us of our heavenly calling and assembly, which should not be forsaken.

George Davis and Michael Clark, The Vast New Covenant Transition