Searching for a Healthy Chistian Community?

Jamie at BeChurch describes healthy Christian comunity in the following way:

People were designed to need each other and rely on each other. People were designed to learn and grow from loving interaction with other people. That is why a safe and loving family is such an important thing for children. they need those relationships to develop properly. It's the same with us as believers... we need healthy relationships with other followers of Jesus to experience all of the blessings and freedom that God has in store for us as his people. When we find ourselves in a loving relationship with other believers, we begin to live life in a new way, a more freeing way...

However, Christians community can be pretty messy because the lives of those of us who make up the community are generally pretty messy. If we are going to experience authentic Christian community, it will only happen through the grace and power of God, and with great intentionality on the part of those who want to be part of such a community. You can read a great blog on how to get started here. -- Bob

The Biggest Sunday Spectator Activity?

What is the biggest Sunday spectator event in North America? It's not football, Nascar or any other sport. More spectators attend church services on a typical Sunday than those who attend football games, Nascar races and all other professional sports events combined. Some may think that speaks well of the impact Christianity has in our culture, but I think it underscores one of the flaws of the cultural Christianity of North America. A typical Sunday morning worship service reduces most of us to mere spectators who show up at our favorite house of worship to watch a handful of gifted Christians perform for us. We are told where to park our cars, warmly greeted, directed to an empty pew, encouraged to worship, prayed over, sung to, inspired, entertained, sermonized, blessed and sent on our way. For the most part we just sit, watch and listen, hoping that our time in church will help us deal with the challenges we'll face during the coming week. Unfortunately, the Sunday worship event can lead to what Jason Zahariades refers to as non-authentic and impotent faith. Check out Jason's article entitled "Detoxing from Church." Jesus hasn't called us to be mere Sunday spectators, but full participants in the vibrant life of the Body of Christ. -- Bob

Turkey... Tryptophan... and
Toxic Religion...

If you have turkey for Thanksgiving dinner and get sleepy after the meal, it could be the tryptophan in the turkey. Here is how it works: tryptophan is an essential amino acid found in turkey meat. The tryptophan produces niacin (vitamen B) which helps the body to manufacture serotonin. Serotonin is a remarkable chemical that calms the brain and helps you to sleep. Now you have some trivia to share around the dinner table when there is a lull in the conversation.

The tryptophan found in turkey has a mild sleep-inducing affect. But some of the toxins found in church-centered religion (as opposed to Christ-centered faith) can have a lethal affect. Here are some typical toxins to watch out for:

• self righteousness
• Self-importance
• Religious manipulation
• Insincerity
• Arrogance
• Finger pointing
• Intolerance
• Bitterness
• Deceit
• Shame
• Guilt
  

This stuff won't put you to sleep. It will quench the Spirit of God and kill your passion for Jesus. Some of us need to detox from church-centered religion so we can pursue Christ-centered faith. Take a look at this blog: Life After Detox. -- Bob

(When I heard about Cuddle Parties on the news this morning I got online and checked it out. I found numerous websites that advertise Cuddle Parties. One of the adverts offers the following description:

Cuddle Party:
Empower Yourself.

• Meet fascinating people in a friendly, light-hearted setting
• Learn to ask for what you want
• Develop deeper respect for yourself, your body, and your boundaries
• Have fun sharing affectionate touch in an open communication, no-expectation environment!

Here is My Spin on the Cuddle Party Phenomenon...

Clearly, people need to be cuddled. Several years ago a George Gallup Poll asked Americans to identify their biggest problem. The poll found that LONELINESS is the single greatest problem identified by adults in North America. Many of us long for a deeper level of healthy intimacy. Unfortunately most churches are unable to provide any real intimacy for those who attend. A typical Sunday worship service offers little intimacy with God and with others. That is tragic because if there is one place where people should be able to experience healthy intimacy, it is among those who are called to "Love One Another" the way Jesus loves us.

One of the reasons I want to be a part of the house church movement is because house churches can provide a more natural and biblical setting to cultivate the deep level of intimacy provided by a healthy Christ-centered community. A House Church is designed to offer:

Christ-Centered Community

People Helping People to be Empowered by Christ

• Meet ordinary and fascinating, interesting and weird people who long for an experience of authentic community
• Learn to ask, "How can I help you to find security and significance in Jesus?"
• Develop the capacity to get filled up by pouring yourself into others
• Have fun sharing affection, laughter, grief, and all that REAL life has to offer in a safe, healthy Christ-centered gathering!

I know tons of people who would love to be cuddled, cradled and cared for within a safe, healthy, authentic Christ-centered community. How about you? -- Bob

Wolfgang Simson's, Houses that Change the World, is an excellent primer on the Who... What... When... Where... Why... and How of the House Church movement. Here are a couple of quotes from Houses that Change the World:

Millions of Christians around the world are aware of an imminent reformation of global proportions. They are saying, in effect, “Church as we know it is preventing Church as God wants it.” Amazingly, many are hearing God say the very same thing to them. There is a new collective awareness of an age-old revelation, a corporate spiritual echo. . . I am convinced that it reflects a part of what the Spirit of God is saying to the church today…

The house church reflects God’s qualities and character. This community lifestyle is molded in the spirit of love, truth, forgiveness, faith, and grace. House churches are the way we love each other, forgive each other, mourn with those who mourn and laugh with those who laugh, extend and receive grace and constantly remain in touch with God’s truth and forgiveness. It is a place where all masks can fall, and we can be open to each other and still keep loving each other...

You can order this book from Amazon, or download a free draft copy at Dawn Ministries. You can also read some excerpts at Next Reformation. Also check out the Simson's 15 Theses. -- Bob

Jesus posed a question to the religious folk of his day: "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard...' 'I will not,' the son answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go... Which of the two did what his father wanted?" The answer is too obvious to miss.

The day has come to stop talking and to start doing. Its one thing to sound like your a Christian, but something all together different to live like a follower of Jesus. Bono is a challenging figure to those who are content to merely sound like Christians. He may not always sound like one, but he sure acts like one. Someone said, "I went to see Bono to find out what kind of Christian he was. I came home asking myself what kind of Christian I am." Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom, but only he who does the will of my father who is in heaven." Today is Monday. It is a very good day to ask ourselves, "What kind of Christian am I going be this week?" Mere words can never adequately answer that question -- Bob

Where Two or Three Gather...

Jesus said, "Where two or three gather in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Pretty incredible statement. The Lord of Life... The Alpha and the Omega... The One who is above all Rule and Authority, Power and Dominion is fully present with us when we gather in his name. Amazing! You mean we don't need magnificent church buildings with stained glass windows and cross adorned steeples to feel the presence of God? No, just two or three gathered in his name. What about pipe organs and colorfully robed choirs? No. Well, we certainly need preachers to expound upon the Word of God. No, no, no! We just need a few people who are willing to hang out with Jesus and seek to understand his ways and try to live in the power of his name. Way too many Christians are so busy going to church meetings, fund raising banquets, ladies aid meetings, men's fellowship, choir practice, Sunday services and a dozen other things, that there is little time left to just come together in the presence of Jesus. Actually, that's one of the main things that is wrong with many churches. We make time for everything BUT hanging out with Jesus. What would happen if a bunch of us decided to stop doing all of that other stuff so we'd have more time for Jesus? I believe it would revolutionize our lives and make a difference in our world. That's why I love the idea of doing church in the context of a simple House Church. Just think, no more pointless committee meetings... No more fund raising campaigns... No more cold, damp church buildings... No more boring sermons... No more spectator religion. Just a small group of devoted believers sitting at the feet of Jesus, seeking to understand his ways and tryng to walk together in the power of his name. -- Bob

The Kingdom Conspiracy

"This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how." -- Jesus

Religion is man's attempt to analyze and simplify the mysterious ways of God so they will be easy to understand and effortless to put into practice. Jesus took a much different approach. He calls us to embrace rather than analyze... celebrate rather than simplify... unleash rather than understand the mysteries of the kingdom. God longs to plant the seeds of the kingdom in the soil of our souls so that the kingdom of God will grow and thrive within us. -- Bob

THE KINGDOM CONSPIRACY

Powerful heavenly forces are working in concert... conspiring to do something significant in your life. Don't settle for a life of mediocrity! Do not settle for mere fame or fortune! Don't settle for the expensive toys and trinkets some sell their souls to possess. God has something remarkable planned for your life. Look at this promise:

No eye has seen...
No ear has heard...
No mind has conceived...
What God has prepared for those who love him... (I Corinthians 2:9)

After you have hiked through a Redwood forest, artificial Christmas trees aren't all that impressive... even with glittering ornaments and twinkling lights. God has Redwood dreams for your life. Don't settle for an imitation of real life. More to come on The Kingdom Conspiracy... -- Bob

What the ??? Who are these people and where do they come up with such bizarre portrayals of Jesus? The Lord of Life reduced to a knick-knack? Never! As hard as some Christians have tried to restrain, contain or constrain him, Jesus doesn't fit into any of the tiny boxes we have created for him. In his book, Pagan Christianity, Frank Viola writes: "In Jesus, we have a Man who refused to bow to the pressures of religious conformity. A Man who preachd a revolution. A man who would not tolerate hypocrisy. A Man who was not afraid to provoke those who suppressed the liberating gospel He brought to set men free. A Man who did not mind evoking anger in His enemies, causing them to gird their thighs for battle. What is my point? It is this: Jesus Christ came not only as Messiah, the Anointed One of God to deliver His people from the bondage of the fall. He came not only as Savior, paying a debt He did not owe to wash away the sins of mankind. He came not only as Prophet, comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable. He came not only as Priest, representing man before God and representing God before man. He came not only as King, triumphant over all authority, principality and power. He came as a Revolutionary, tearing apart the old wineskin with a view to bringing in the new. Behold your Lord, the Revolutionary!" Wow! Now that's the Jesus I will forsake everything to follow. -- Bob

Who Cares What You Look Like... God doesn't! That's probably not very good news if you are someone who puts a lot of importance in the way you look. But it is very good news for those of us who never looked cool, stylish, sexy, hip, classy, handsome, beautiful, athletic or at least interesting. The Lord is neither impressed nor put off by the way we look. God is much more concerned about the condition of our hearts. According to I Samuel 16:7, "The Lord does not look at the things a person looks at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." I'm looking for a church where people aren't judged by the way they look, but are loved just the way they are, and encouraged to love God with all their hearts. That's the kind of church where you are likely to find Jesus. -- Bob

"You know that the rulers of this world love to exercise power over others. But that is not the way it will be for those who follow me. Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. And the one who puts himself must be willing to be last if he wants to follow me. I did not come to be served. I came as a servant, to lay down my life for others." -- Jesus

There was another breaking story last week about a Christian leader who was involved in a smutty sex scandal. Ted Haggard, pictured above in the lobby of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, was the founding pastor of New Life and also president of the National Association of Evangelicals, an organization with a membership of 30 million. He has been identified by Time Magazine as one of the 25 most influential men in America. However, last week he resigned as the president of NEA and was dismissed as the pastor of New Life Church. It is a sad story. I have been seriously praying that Ted and his wife Gayle and their five children will survive this messy episode in their lives. The national response to Ted's misdeeds has been predictable. His supporters are caught somewhere between denial and heartbreak. His antagonists are caught somewhere between smugness and delight. When I read Ted's book, Primary Purpose 10 or 12 years ago, I thought he had a pretty good grip on the kind of life we are called to live as followers of Jesus. But he recently confessed, "There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life." The biggest problem here is not that Ted Haggard has dark and repulsive issues in his life. A bigger problem is that Christians are in denial about how flawed most of us really are; and then we have a tendency to point our fingers at those who aren't as practiced as we are at hiding their flaws. Here's how we need to response to this recent scandal:
- We need to focus on Jesus as our first love.
- We need to repent of "Christian Hero" worship
- We need to realize that the heroes we create are flawed
- We need to spend more time reaching out to the poor and needy
- We need to spend less time consorting with the rich and famous
- We need to be completely honest about our flaws
- We need to deal with our flaws with transparency and grace
- We need to stop pointing our fingers at others
- We need to invite all who are flawed to find healing in Jesus.
Please pray for Ted and Gayle Haggard and their children-- Bob

"But when they said, 'Give us a king to lead us,' this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: 'Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejectd me as their king.'" (I Samuel 8:6-7). The kingdom of God can have only one king. His name is not Saul or David or George. The first Christians referred to Jesus as "King of kings and Lord of Lords." Christians can have only one king. His name is Jesus. The politics of Jesus can be summed up in one phrase, "Seek first the kingdom of God." What does that mean? I believe it means that we pledge our allegiance to the kingdom of God rather than to a flag or a nation or a president or a party. One of the problems with the politics of the "Christian Right" is that it values the politics of King George over the politics of King Jesus. -- Bob

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR JESUS IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES?

The Great Physician doesn't just slap bandaids on our wounds!

He doesn't hang with the beautiful people!

He is far more than a colorful cartoon character!

A Jesus belt buckle won't help you to keep your pants on!

Jesus footware won't really help you make your mark on the world! So I guess you may as well throw away all your Jesus Junk and try to actually following him! -- Bob

When I was a little boy, my uncle taught me a finger game where you bring your hands together to form a fist like church building with your two thumbs forming a stubby little steeple. Then you say, "This is the church, this is the steeple open the door and see all the people," and open your fists to reveal tiny fingers that represent "all the people." If you know this little game, you were probably just filled with a surg of nostalgia. If you're not familiar with this game you probably don't have a clue about what I've just tried to explain. Well here is the point... We live in a land that is dotted with all sorts of beautiful church buildings with steeples that reach for the heavens. But when you open the doors you wonder what happened to all the people. North America is in the midst of a pretty significant exodus from traditional, institutional churches. In the past 6 to 8 years, millions of Christians have discontinued their regular Sunday morning routine. In his book, "Revolution," George Barna says that many people long for a deeper spiritual experience, and many churches are either unwilling or unable to offer it to them. According to Barna, people are searching for:
- Intimate worship
- Faith-based conversations
- Intentional spiritual growth
- Opportunities to serve
- Investment of their resources in people
- Family focused faith
The house church movement has emerged as one response to this spiritual quest. An increasing number of people are opting for the intimate community and nurturing relationships that are part of a healthy house church experience. -- Bob

As hard as we try, all the kings horses and all the kings men won't put the air back into the church again. All of the "Purpose Driven... Seeker Sensitive... Organic Church" books, tapes and seminars ever produced won't put the air back into the church again. We need a fresh wind, the wind of the Spirit to breathe life into the church. What we don't need is more hot air. Let's just stop it! Let's stop trying to reinflate the Church of the Living God with MORE HOT AIR! Talking about God and faith and prayer and sin and worship and community might make us feel good about the Christian experience, but most of our talk is little more than hot air! We need to stop producing books and tapes and seminars that aim at merely reinflating the church. Let's start walking by faith, living lives that are devoted to the ways of Jesus and asking God to fill our lives and empower our mission with the wind of the Spirit. -- Bob