“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2.42)
My last communiqué focused upon the Lord’s Supper as part of the four-fold discipline of the community life in Acts. I would like to continue that discussion, focusing upon what I call the “common life”, also called “the fellowship”. (I take this term from New Testament theologian, Tom Wright.)
First we need to point out that the structure of this verse indicates that these were four, interrelated activities. The Greek language here bears out that all four disciplines were practiced together. They were inseparable. Literally, we could say, “They devoted themselves both to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.” The structure of this verse indicates the united nature of these activities.
What we refer to as the “common life,” (ie, life in common) is the Greek word koinonia. This is a lovely and frequent word in the New Testament. Essentially, it refers to sharing, mingling, participating together. It is used when speaking of someone sharing possessions, having fellowship, as well as spiritual union.
Koinonia was evident in the Early Church because of their strong understanding of salvation. As individuals, we have been saved into the Body of Christ. We are not various monadic units who happen to attend the same church building. When we were united to Christ in baptism, we were also united to each other. This understanding often runs counter to our cultural understanding of salvation. We often think of it as an experience that secures my place in heaven – now that I have my ticket, I need to do the minimal requirements to keep it. As long as I keep my relationship with Jesus, everything else is ok.
While it is correct that God saves individuals, we must remember that he saves them into a community. As the poet John Donne rightly observes, “no man is an island.” This why the New Testament uses the imagery of family, body, nation, and living temple to refer to the church (Romans 12.5; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 2.19-22; 1 Peter 2.9-10). Each of us belongs to the greater whole. A Christian that was not united to the greater whole was not a concept understood by the New Testament Christians, for a Christian was part of the people of God.
This is why the “common life” was such an important practice. They learned together how to share life with each other. Here I must confess that I am at a bit of a disadvantage. Our contemporary culture does not lend itself easily to the “common life”. This is a discipline that we must learn and practice together.
I admit that I am not sure what it looks like in our context, nor exactly how to accomplish it. I am certain, however, that it looks like a lot more than bumping into each other for a couple of hours per week on Sunday morning! Even more so, I am also committed to learning and experimenting and practicing it.
What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts? What are some ways you think common life among us should look? What are some things that we can start in order to get down that road?
I look forward to hearing from you!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Communion
Last Sunday morning we talked about the amazing life of God that was at work in the church after the day of Pentecost: reverence, sharing, signs and wonders, praise, worship, favor, growth, and so on. We noted that these were people who had committed their lives to follow Jesus and had been immersed into the reality of his death and resurrection through baptism.
We then asked how were they able to experience and sustain this incredible God-life among them. Acts 2.42 records a four-fold rhythm of practice that they followed: the Apostles' teaching, the common life, the Lord's Supper (called "breaking bread"), and prayers. The grammar of the verse is quite clear that all of these elements were intricately linked and practiced in tandem.
I would like to reflect on the experience of the Lord's Supper, also known as Holy Communion or the Eucharist. First, it was clear that the church made it part of their consist and frequent practice (Acts 2.46; 1 Corinthians 11). As the church grew, it became clear that this holy meal was a powerful encounter with God that accomplished several things. First, it kept the sacrificial and renewing work of Christ central to their lives (1 Corinthians 11.26). Second, it served as a means by which God granted them his grace and spiritually nourished them (John 6.35-59; 1 Corinthians 10.16). Third, it was a way in which they were consistently re-grouped and re-constituted as the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 10.16-17). More could be said, but this is a good part.
In our time, many still find sustenance and power through the work of Christ when they come to the table of the Lord. I and many others can testify to the encouraging, transformative presence of the Spirit. I remember reading of one professor who, when hearing the heartbreaking story and confessions of students, would often tell them, "I am not a psychologist, so I cannot help you in that way. I can, however, tell you one thing: Run to the table of the Lord! Run to Communion and find his help there!" Some can even testify of receiving healing!
I would like to hear your thoughts.
What do you think of the early Church's practice of frequent and consistent communion? How do you think the contemporary Church does in comparison? I would most like to hear about your experiences. Tell about some occasions where you experienced God in a special way through the Lord's Supper!
We will keep this dialog going!
We then asked how were they able to experience and sustain this incredible God-life among them. Acts 2.42 records a four-fold rhythm of practice that they followed: the Apostles' teaching, the common life, the Lord's Supper (called "breaking bread"), and prayers. The grammar of the verse is quite clear that all of these elements were intricately linked and practiced in tandem.
I would like to reflect on the experience of the Lord's Supper, also known as Holy Communion or the Eucharist. First, it was clear that the church made it part of their consist and frequent practice (Acts 2.46; 1 Corinthians 11). As the church grew, it became clear that this holy meal was a powerful encounter with God that accomplished several things. First, it kept the sacrificial and renewing work of Christ central to their lives (1 Corinthians 11.26). Second, it served as a means by which God granted them his grace and spiritually nourished them (John 6.35-59; 1 Corinthians 10.16). Third, it was a way in which they were consistently re-grouped and re-constituted as the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 10.16-17). More could be said, but this is a good part.
In our time, many still find sustenance and power through the work of Christ when they come to the table of the Lord. I and many others can testify to the encouraging, transformative presence of the Spirit. I remember reading of one professor who, when hearing the heartbreaking story and confessions of students, would often tell them, "I am not a psychologist, so I cannot help you in that way. I can, however, tell you one thing: Run to the table of the Lord! Run to Communion and find his help there!" Some can even testify of receiving healing!
I would like to hear your thoughts.
What do you think of the early Church's practice of frequent and consistent communion? How do you think the contemporary Church does in comparison? I would most like to hear about your experiences. Tell about some occasions where you experienced God in a special way through the Lord's Supper!
We will keep this dialog going!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Pastors and Power
It was Sunday morning, and I was rushing around to finish getting ready for church. My wife had already gone ahead to help with the worship team. I was wrapping things up at home, trying to gather up our two preschool boys and get them into the car. Evan, our four-year-old, had a toy in his hands and was trying to ask me a question.
“Put the toy away and come on, Evan,” I said.
“Daddy, I want to take my puppy with me.”
“No, son let’s go.” I kept gathering up my Bible and notes for the sermon that morning.
“Please Daddy.” I mumbled something in return and kept getting stuff together. Finally, when I was about to go, I ignored what he was saying and grabbed the stuffed animal from his hands and tossed it aside: “Let’s go.”
That’s when it hit me. The look on my son’s face was embarrassing. He was confused and a little hurt. He did not understand why I had acted that way.
In that moment I had given in to temptation. I was big; he was little. I wanted something; he wanted something else. I could take it from him; he could not stop me. I had the power; he did not.
I used my power at that moment to impose my will on him regardless of his personality and will. Of course, had the occasion been something that threatened his life, I would not have thought twice. But it wasn’t. I was merely inconvenienced and thus forced my way. In that moment, I depersonalized him and the look on his face told it all.
***
As spiritual leaders, we are, whether we realize it or not, accorded tremendous amounts of power. Scripture enjoins believers obey leadership (e.g., Hebrews 13.17). In addition, many people give such heed to the words of spiritual leaders (for good or ill) that they live in fear of their disapproval. As if that wasn’t enough, we tend to spend a lot of time making sure that our churches know they should follow and honor us.
Though certainly a question worth examination, my focus here is not on the amount of power we have. My focus is on what we do with it. Nearly every day we are tempted as leaders to ignore the personhood of the people we lead and focus on our own desires and use power to gain those desires. We are constantly tempted to impose our will for the sake of speed or convenience and bring our will to pass. I suggest that when we yield to that temptation we no longer use power rightly. Instead, we have become no better than the nihilist who believes that the only purpose for existence is to “will to power.” Certainly this flies in the face of the One who took on weakness to destroy evil.
So what is power for? I propose it is for love. Indeed, I would even say that love is the power we wield. When we love, we will and act in the best interest of the object of that love. In the case of my son, acting in love would mean I would have stopped, listened, and respected his personhood. Of course, in the end it would have been unreasonable for him to take that particular toy to church. However, I could have accomplished the same end in a way that humbled myself and respected his personal dignity.
The same goes for the way we treat those that we lead in the church. Certainly we become frustrated at times. Nevertheless, we are still called upon to act in love. We are pressed by the Spirit to lay aside the power of imposed will – such is what the world uses – and take up the self-denying and self-giving love of the cross.
In the short term, such ways seem inefficient and fruitless. No doubt it appeared that way to the followers of Jesus when they saw him go to the cross. But in the end, I think, as we see in the death and resurrection of Jesus, that there is no power greater than love.
So how do we use our power? To what end do we wield it? What is the power that we use?
“Put the toy away and come on, Evan,” I said.
“Daddy, I want to take my puppy with me.”
“No, son let’s go.” I kept gathering up my Bible and notes for the sermon that morning.
“Please Daddy.” I mumbled something in return and kept getting stuff together. Finally, when I was about to go, I ignored what he was saying and grabbed the stuffed animal from his hands and tossed it aside: “Let’s go.”
That’s when it hit me. The look on my son’s face was embarrassing. He was confused and a little hurt. He did not understand why I had acted that way.
In that moment I had given in to temptation. I was big; he was little. I wanted something; he wanted something else. I could take it from him; he could not stop me. I had the power; he did not.
I used my power at that moment to impose my will on him regardless of his personality and will. Of course, had the occasion been something that threatened his life, I would not have thought twice. But it wasn’t. I was merely inconvenienced and thus forced my way. In that moment, I depersonalized him and the look on his face told it all.
***
As spiritual leaders, we are, whether we realize it or not, accorded tremendous amounts of power. Scripture enjoins believers obey leadership (e.g., Hebrews 13.17). In addition, many people give such heed to the words of spiritual leaders (for good or ill) that they live in fear of their disapproval. As if that wasn’t enough, we tend to spend a lot of time making sure that our churches know they should follow and honor us.
Though certainly a question worth examination, my focus here is not on the amount of power we have. My focus is on what we do with it. Nearly every day we are tempted as leaders to ignore the personhood of the people we lead and focus on our own desires and use power to gain those desires. We are constantly tempted to impose our will for the sake of speed or convenience and bring our will to pass. I suggest that when we yield to that temptation we no longer use power rightly. Instead, we have become no better than the nihilist who believes that the only purpose for existence is to “will to power.” Certainly this flies in the face of the One who took on weakness to destroy evil.
So what is power for? I propose it is for love. Indeed, I would even say that love is the power we wield. When we love, we will and act in the best interest of the object of that love. In the case of my son, acting in love would mean I would have stopped, listened, and respected his personhood. Of course, in the end it would have been unreasonable for him to take that particular toy to church. However, I could have accomplished the same end in a way that humbled myself and respected his personal dignity.
The same goes for the way we treat those that we lead in the church. Certainly we become frustrated at times. Nevertheless, we are still called upon to act in love. We are pressed by the Spirit to lay aside the power of imposed will – such is what the world uses – and take up the self-denying and self-giving love of the cross.
In the short term, such ways seem inefficient and fruitless. No doubt it appeared that way to the followers of Jesus when they saw him go to the cross. But in the end, I think, as we see in the death and resurrection of Jesus, that there is no power greater than love.
So how do we use our power? To what end do we wield it? What is the power that we use?
Monday, April 13, 2009
Jesus and My Sons
Rhonda and the boys were talking about Easter today. After Rhonda explained how Jesus can live in our hearts, Evan later asked, "Can Jesus live in my heart if I ask him to?"
A few minutes later I got this phone call:
Mommy: The boys want to tell you something.
Daddy: What is it boys?
Evan: Jesus disappeared out of the tomb and now he lives in my heart!
Daddy: That's great!!!
Gideon: Jesus died on the cwoss and now he lives in my heaaaarrrrtTTT!
Daddy: That's great!!!
My heart is full.
A few minutes later I got this phone call:
Mommy: The boys want to tell you something.
Daddy: What is it boys?
Evan: Jesus disappeared out of the tomb and now he lives in my heart!
Daddy: That's great!!!
Gideon: Jesus died on the cwoss and now he lives in my heaaaarrrrtTTT!
Daddy: That's great!!!
My heart is full.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Eighth & Ninth Things that Amaze Me About Her
8. She is SO creative - she can take odds and ends and make something beautiful from them.
9. She is full of faith - she can believe God for the impossible and is confident in Him.
9. She is full of faith - she can believe God for the impossible and is confident in Him.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Sixth & Seventh Things that Amaze Me About Her
6. She says, "That's ridiculous!" when I most need to hear it.
7. She has a laugh that sounds like a brook rippling over rocks.
7. She has a laugh that sounds like a brook rippling over rocks.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
For My Beloved
April 27th is the 28th birthday of the woman who changed my life. I cannot imagine what it would be like to have not had Rhonda in my life. In honor of who she is and what she does, I am going to list 28 things about her that make me smile.
Here's three to get started:
1. She has the most beautiful smile!
2. She makes her own laundry detergent!
3. She gave birth to two of the most amazing boys ever!
Here's three to get started:
1. She has the most beautiful smile!
2. She makes her own laundry detergent!
3. She gave birth to two of the most amazing boys ever!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Wednesday Morning
Thankfully the strange location of our hotel did not hinder sleep. Maybe I'll get a picture of it up for you all. We are located RIGHT NEXT TO A TATTOO PARLOR! Dee: I'm having to restrain Rhonda from sneaking over to it.
Just kidding!
This morning was a powerful and probing message from Pastor David Minton of Capital Christian Center in Olympia, WA. He gave some raw, honest, probing questions:
1. What do you want? What is in your heart that you want from God? Be real and be specific. It doesn't mean that you will get it, but it dramatically increases your chances.
2. What is in your hands? What has God placed in your hands? What can you do? What gifts and strengths do you have?
3. Who is with you? Who loves you and believes in you?
We're having a great time being refreshed. Thanks for your prayers! I'll be posting more as it goes!
God bless you all!
Just kidding!
This morning was a powerful and probing message from Pastor David Minton of Capital Christian Center in Olympia, WA. He gave some raw, honest, probing questions:
1. What do you want? What is in your heart that you want from God? Be real and be specific. It doesn't mean that you will get it, but it dramatically increases your chances.
2. What is in your hands? What has God placed in your hands? What can you do? What gifts and strengths do you have?
3. Who is with you? Who loves you and believes in you?
We're having a great time being refreshed. Thanks for your prayers! I'll be posting more as it goes!
God bless you all!
Tuesday
We arrived in Yakima safely! Rhonda left early to help with Impact setup. I came later, picking up Wayman Ming, one of our speakers. Wayman and I had a great time visiting on the way over - I bragged on all you CrossPoint people!
Checking into the hotel was an experience. The hotel lost confirmation numbers, and I didn't think I was going to get a room for a bit! The poor worker kept telling me about internal procedures. I realized I didn't care about their procedures - I wanted a room. It got me thinking: how often do we start talking about irrelevant material when talking about Jesus? Seriously, do people who are hungry for connection with God care about debates on the finer points of prophecy (or fill in the blank with whatever we do).
Last night's service was great. Wayman preached an awesome message. Wayman is our General Secretary for the Pentecostal Church of God (essentially the vice-president for our international denomination). Some of you will remember Wayman as he ministered for us last March.
His message was from Genesis 8:22 - "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." We all go through seasons - seasons are cyclical: spring, summer, fall, and winter. The question we all must deal with is this: Do you know what spiritual season you are in? Then, it follows, what do you need to do in this season?
We had a good time of prayerful thought after the message to allow God's word to sink deep within.
Checking into the hotel was an experience. The hotel lost confirmation numbers, and I didn't think I was going to get a room for a bit! The poor worker kept telling me about internal procedures. I realized I didn't care about their procedures - I wanted a room. It got me thinking: how often do we start talking about irrelevant material when talking about Jesus? Seriously, do people who are hungry for connection with God care about debates on the finer points of prophecy (or fill in the blank with whatever we do).
Last night's service was great. Wayman preached an awesome message. Wayman is our General Secretary for the Pentecostal Church of God (essentially the vice-president for our international denomination). Some of you will remember Wayman as he ministered for us last March.
His message was from Genesis 8:22 - "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." We all go through seasons - seasons are cyclical: spring, summer, fall, and winter. The question we all must deal with is this: Do you know what spiritual season you are in? Then, it follows, what do you need to do in this season?
We had a good time of prayerful thought after the message to allow God's word to sink deep within.
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