"Trust and Obey"

If you grew up in church like I did you may remember the old song, “Trust and obey / for there’s no other way / to be happy in Jesus / but to trust and obey.” I wasn’t a particularly obedient child so I didn’t really appreciate the wisdom of this simple song, but the longer I have lived and served the Lord the more I am convinced that these words summarize a wise life of faith and faithfulness before God.

The first church in Jerusalem (and beyond) clearly understood that they were “junior partners” with the Holy Spirit in carrying on the mission of Jesus in the world. Their leaders had authority only to the extent that they lived and walked in submission to the lordship of Jesus. The “Body” of the church was not the “Head”; only Jesus had that place. Therefore, the responsibility of the church and its members was to faithfully listen to the voice of the Spirit and respond with simple obedience.

It’s amazing how important the idea of obedience is in the book of Acts. When called before the ruling Council in Jerusalem Peter and the other apostles clearly stated, “We must obey God rather than human beings” (Acts 5:29). Obedience as an expression of faith is a response to God. When human beings ask us to disobey God, obedience requires us to disobey those human beings. The apostles taught that God had given his Spirit “to those who obey him” (Acts 5:32). A decision to follow Jesus was referred to as being “obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). On the other hand, the ancestors lost their relationship with God because they refused to obey (Acts 7:39, 53). When the elders in Jerusalem reached a decision about fellowshipping with Gentile converts, it was simply required “for the people to obey” (Acts 16:4).

The New Testament idea of “obedience” is related to the idea of “hearing.” The (Greek akouo) word for “hear” refers to an active, interactive hearing, not a passive or selective hearing. It means to listen to what someone has to say with a prior commitment to doing whatever they might require. However, that hearing requires discernment and wisdom. In that sense, we must not “listen” to the devil or those who would oppose the truth of God’s Word. (We might give them a respectful hearing but not with a prior commitment to obey.) The (Greek hupakouo) word for “obey” simply means “to hear under,” and refers to an attitude of submission rather than a mindless conformity. “Obedience” is a heart attitude, a positive responsiveness to the will of God with a commitment to actively live out that will.

The primary key to the power and effectiveness of the first church in the book of Acts was first of all a lifestyle of active listening to the heart and voice of God. They clearly understood that God was God and they were not, and to be the church Jesus was building, their response was simply to trust and obey.

I gained a great appreciation for the spiritual heritage of the Friends (Quakers) when doing my doctoral work at George Fox University in Portland. The first time I participated in an “unprogrammed” meeting for worship I knew it was going to be silent, but I didn’t know why. While attempting to sit quietly I noticed that after a time a brother or sister would stand and state in simple and clear teams what they felt God’s Spirit was saying to their heart and then sit back down. Then more silence. Then perhaps someone else would stand and communicate a simple thought. That went on for 30 minutes before I realized that they weren’t just trying to be quiet; they were listening, actively listening to God’s voice, and then attempting to faithfully communicate what they felt they had heard. Those that spoke understood that what they said was to be good for the community and beneficial for the meeting. At the end of the time of worship a “clerk” would summarize what was heard and draw appropriate conclusions. In a similar way, a meeting for business involved church leaders spending far more time listening to what God was saying to them rather than discussing business and making decisions.

An EPIC Church knows how to listen and obey. However, it’s important to admit that this spiritual discipline and practice does not come naturally. It requires a deep humility and a growing ability to hear and discern with wisdom and faith. That means “trust and obey” has to begin in our individual lives. We can’t expect “us” to do what “I” don’t do. Maybe we should accept the challenge to set aside time to be still, to listen, to trust that our Father is smarter and stronger than we are, and to simply obey his Word when it comes. “There’s no other way to be happy in Jesus.”

"Way to Go!"

It’s amazing how many times we see the word “go” in the New Testament. Giving instructions to his disciples, Jesus said, “As you go, proclaim this message: The kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 10:7). In the Parable of the Vineyard Jesus said, “Go and work in my vineyard” (Matthew 20:4). At the last supper Jesus told his friends, “I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit” (John 15:16). His last words to his followers (and to us) were, “Go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19), and “Go into all the world and preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15).

Jesus described the spread of the Gospel when he told his disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The Good News needed to be proclaimed with power in Jerusalem, but it was not to stay there for long. It needed to spread to Judea, the region around the city of Jerusalem. The city church was to become a regional church. So far so good, since most of those hearing the proclamation had a very similar background and frame of reference. The real challenge would begin when the Gospel started to spread into Samaria (Jesus had already laid the groundwork for that mission). This was cross-cultural proclamation calling for a whole new set of cross-cultural relationship and communication skills. There was a long history of prejudice and segregation between Samaritans and Judeans, even though they were neighbors. But the Good News of Jesus was for everyone, and the Gospel of the Kingdom needed to be established everywhere. And ultimately, the work of Christ’s commission would not be complete until it had filled the whole earth.

The story of the book of Acts begins with a powerful witness in the city of Jerusalem. But the mission didn’t extend beyond the city for the first ten years of the church. It wasn’t until Saul of Tarsus began persecuting the church that the city believers began to scatter – at first, just to save their lives. Philip was the first one to begin hearing the command to “go” once again (Acts 8:26, 28).

It’s so easy for a local church to become established and comfortable and forget the command to “go.” In fact, there are whole models of the church that are based on the assumption that Jesus commanded people to “come” – to come into a church building in order to be introduced to Jesus. Unfortunately, a “come” church can seriously redefine the nature of the church and move it farther and farther away from the church we see in the book of Acts.

Church as a Department Store (or a Mall, if a mega-church). “Come” churches must develop a wide range of religious goods and services that “Christians” in the community can shop for. It is the primary responsibility of church members, and especially church staff, to provide those goods and services. If that church is missing key services it will be harder to get people to come. It’s also helpful to have a very nice building for people to come into. But is that what we see in the book of Acts?

Church as a Sport. Local “come” churches end up competing with each other for the same pool of religious shoppers. They have to outdo each other in providing the most contemporary, relevant programs and have the most entertaining weekend shows to attract the most number of people. Meanwhile, whole communities remain untouched by the Gospel of the Kingdom. Local churches forget that they all have the same mission in the same city, that they are on the same “team” and that competing for church shoppers and hoppers is a distraction from the Great Commission.

Church as an Enclave. An enclave is “a country or district surrounded by the territory of another country; an isolated territory.” An enclave requires isolation and an enclosure. On the other hand, an “embassy” is “a diplomatic mission, a group of people from one organization being represented in another.” An embassy implies a mission, an intentional sense of purpose with strategy to reach out beyond boundaries as representatives of the King. A “come” church, while seeking to get people to come into the building, would usually prefer certain kinds of people to come, forgetting that the Gospel is for everyone everywhere. For these people, the local church is primarily about feeling comfortable and unchallenged, a place where they can be with others just like them.

Church as a place for Professionals to Perform. A “come” church looks forward to watching professional ministers (some paid and some unpaid) perform religious acts. It forgets that the weekend service is the time when coaches give instructions to the team about how to win the game after the meeting. It forgets that the normal “ministry centers” for Jesus followers are out in the neighborhoods, the work places, the schools, and the marketplace. It forgets that, although there are some who are gifts to the church as pastoral coaches and equippers, every believer is “in the full time ministry.”

It’s easy for us to get comfortable in our local churches. “Go” requires thought, intention and effort. It’s especially important for members of the church staff to strategically engage the outside community, as representatives of the King and of their particular kingdom community. After all, our model is not the local church down the street but the ones we observe in the book of Acts. 

A House of Prayer

As I was thinking last week about the four devotions of a local church I was struck by the commitment of the New Testament church to corporate prayer. If you grew up in the church as I did you no doubt have memories of a variety of “prayer meetings.” Some churches have regular Sunday evening or Wednesday evening prayer meetings. I don’t have a lot of memories of these times as a kid – I think I must have slept through most of them. I have been a part of churches that had a regular practice of “pre-service prayer,” i.e., a regular prayer meeting 30 minutes before every service. I’ve also had the privilege of being a part of a congregation that viewed the prayer room as “the engine of the church” where intentional, focused corporate prayer took place simultaneously with any and every church event, a ministry that extended out into the parking lot, the neighborhood, and the city.

Unfortunately, I’ve also experienced the gradual falling off of regular, consistent participation in “the prayer meeting,” whatever and whenever that was, ultimately resulting in the abandonment of any attempt at intentional corporate times of prayer. In some cases we have replaced corporate times of prayer with a variety of “prayer chains” or virtual prayer meetings. Any form of prayer is always good, or as a good friend of mine says, “More prayer is better than less prayer.” But I’m challenged by the commitment of the church in the book of Acts to corporate prayer.

We’ve already noted that even before the Day of Pentecost, “They all joined together constantly in prayer” (Acts 1:14), and that the church devoted themselves “to prayer” (Acts 2:42). Peter and John encountered the crippled man at the gate to the temple because of their regular observance of “the time of prayer” (Acts 3:1). We’ve also seen that the church responded to every new challenge with prayer (Acts 4:24) and that the local elders viewed their primary function as giving their “attention to prayer” (Acts 6:4). It was the prayers of Cornelius that got God’s attention (Acts 10:4, 31). Every leadership decision in the church was accompanied by prayer and fasting (Acts 13:1-2; 14:23). The church was so devoted to corporate prayer that the apostle Paul was always able to locate “the place of prayer” (Acts 16:13, 16). Paul’s ministry was accompanied by prayer (Acts 28:8).

Why was regular, consistent corporate prayer so important to those who participated in that first church? Remember how the church was birthed. Jesus told his disciples to wait until . . . they were clothed with power from heaven. On the Day of Pentecost the church experienced a supernatural visitation from God paralleling that of the birth of the nation of Israel in Exodus 19-20 with miraculous signs and wonders. It was as though God was emphasizing the fact that the church, if it is the church Jesus is building, is a supernatural, Spirit-led, Spirit-filled community, dependent in every way and at all times on the specific, personal leading and energizing of God’s Spirit. Thus, the need for prayer! In fact, it is only those who still believe they can do the work of God’s Kingdom on their own who have difficulty establishing a regular practice and lifestyle of prayer, both as individuals and as a local faith community.

After all, Jesus is the Head of the church, abiding in the midst of the church, giving specific instructions and directions to the church. We often say that the church is not about the building but it is about the people, but in the end, the church is about the Head – it is about Jesus. It’s that reality that was the basis for the teaching of Jesus about corporate prayer: “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:18-20). When we are gathering “in his name,” representing Jesus, with Jesus at the center, Jesus in the midst, we become a place where heaven and earth literally intersect, at a specific time and place. It’s at the point where heaven earth meet, where Jesus and some of his followers are gathered, that the power of corporate prayer can best be seen. The authority of heaven then partners with God’s kingdom representatives, so that “binding” and “loosing” can take place as a result of their prayers. I suppose that can happen virtually, but it seems to me (maybe I’m just old fashioned) that an actual gathering at a specific time and place is called for.

The local church that does not have a regular practice of corporate prayer has given up its spiritual authority, and is relatively ineffective as a result. The good news is that a variety of “prayer revivals” are happening around the world. Groups of young people are setting aside places where they can maintain a 24/7 prayer vigil (www.24-7prayer.com). Some have established an “International House of Prayer” (a new kind of IHOP) devoted to corporate prayer (www.ihopkc.org). It appears as though the Body of Christ worldwide is rediscovering the truth and power of corporate prayer – a book of Acts church indeed. What about us? How will we respond to the work of the Spirit in the church in our day? “Whoever has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7). 

A Lifestyle of Devotion

There is an ongoing “revival” among American Christians, and it’s called “post-congregational Christianity.” It is the fastest growing group of Christians in American, currently numbering around 12 million. The adherents have completely dropped out of local churches with the conviction that the local church is hindering their relationship with Jesus and their spiritual growth. (You maybe know some of them.) When I became a dedicated Jesus follower my commitment was to avoid the local church so as to keep a “simple” devotion to Jesus.

And then I read these words of Jesus: “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”  Unless Jesus returned and none of us were aware of it, he is still building his church, a triumphant, overcoming church. But that begs the question, “What and where is the church Jesus is building?” My post-congregational friends have dropped out of “the institutional church,” and the more radical have left “the organized church.” (Is it possible to be institutional and unorganized?)  I’m convinced that many of them are still participating in a local church with a non-traditional label. Some are belong to “missional communities” or “house church networks,” still local churches no matter how you define them. Others have successfully cut themselves off completely from any expression of the Body of Christ (a dangerous decision in my view).

I’m convinced that Jesus is indeed building his church – I just want to find out where that is. The local church is the instrument of God’s Kingdom carrying out the mission of God’s rule in their specific time and place. Is it possible to identify the key elements of a local expression of Christ’s Body? Are there a minimal number of foundational elements that comprise a local church? If so, what are they?

The story of the First Church in the Book of Acts contains the narrative of the working of the Holy Spirit in and through the church to spread the Gospel of the Kingdom to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. The story of the birth of the church seems to give us foundational “seeds” from which everything else has grown. Acts 2:42 describes this first community as “devoting themselves,” to certain things. They had attached themselves to these things, had made clear commitments that governed their daily lives. They lived in a state of readiness with a deep, sincere desire to continue in these things. The story only refers to four “seeds” that those early believers were “devoted” to. I suggest that these are the elements that make up a church that Jesus is building.

The Apostles’ Teaching. It’s interesting that this would be the first commitment listed. I would prefer that it be “pot lucks” or small groups or picnics. But these first believers understood the need for teaching. The foundation of what they believed and how they lived was based on God’s written revelation in Scripture. They didn’t have “itching ears” but rejoiced at the opportunity to receive and respond to instruction. And not just any teaching but the teaching of the apostles. God’s delegated authority was clearly represented in the community. Some of the impetus behind our modern post-congregational movement is a rejection of authority; however, any expression of the Jesus community will be in a context of God-given, Christ-honoring, Spirit-empowered spiritual authority.

Fellowship. This English word has lost a lot of its power, but the Greek word koinonia was one of the most important in the early church. It comes from the root koinos which simply means “common.” It refers to a common life, a shared life, an intimate partnership. “Fellowship” did not just happen at special times, but rather it summarized the daily lives of those first Jesus followers. A devotion to real covenant relationships known for certain “one another” qualities with real brothers and sisters (who are unfortunately human) is necessary to have any expression of God’s Kingdom community.

The Breaking of Bread. This unique expression referred in general to the essence of the shared life, to “table fellowship.” It was used to refer to the “last supper” Jesus shared with his disciples (see Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19). In fact, when the post-resurrection Jesus revealed himself to the two disciples in Emmaus it occurred “when he broke the bread” (Luke 24:35). For the church, “breaking bread” always referred to the heart of worship, to the sharing of intimate fellowship with Jesus (Acts 2:46; 1 Corinthians 10:16). A local expression of the church will always be a worshipping church with set times to fellowship with Jesus around the table.

Prayer (literally, “the prayers”). The first church was a praying church. They understood the need for regular, united, corporate prayer. Even before the Day of Pentecost, “they all joined together constantly in prayer” (Acts 1:14). They had regular “times of prayer” (Acts 3:1). Every new challenge was responded to with corporate prayer (Acts 4:24). The job of the local elders was to give themselves “to prayer” (Acts 6:4). Today’s church seems to have lost the regular practice of corporate prayer, one of the only four things the first church was devoted to.

It’s seems fairly clear: No matter what you call your Jesus community, these are the four things you must be devoted to. May we renew our commitment to each of them, and may they form the Kingdom lifestyle we are each of us called to. 

Know Your Family History

I’ve gained a great appreciation for the value of large extended families here in the South. It seems like everyone is “kin” in our community. Grandparents, Uncles and Aunts, Cousins, all have a special and important role in the family. When a new life comes into the world, raising that child is the responsibility of the whole “village,” not just Moms and Dads. And everyone seems to be aware of their family connection, no matter how distant or obscure. Beyond that, key members of the neighborhood or the community become “Uncles” and “Aunts” as members of an even larger “kinship network.” (I enjoy being an all-purpose “Granddad” to some of our children.)

We are also members of a huge, wonderful church family. To bear good fruit it is vitally important for us to see ourselves as members of the NCC family. We want to know our family history and see where we fit in our family tree. But NCC is not the whole Church Family. As Jesus followers we are each of us members of a much larger story.

New Community Church is a single congregation in the larger “church of LaGrange.” The New Testament church connected every local church with the city God had planted it in:

·         To all in Rome who are loved by God (Romans 1:7).

·         To the church of God in Corinth (1 Cor. 1:2).

·         To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi (Philippians 1:1).

·         To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse (Colossians 1:2).

·         To the church of the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 1:1).

The Body of Christ in LaGrange has a single, united Kingdom mission to represent Jesus in every area of life, and NCC gets to participate in that mission.

But even more, New Community Church is a part of the worldwide Body of Christ. There is a big, beautiful church out there, from the ancient Eastern and Roman churches to the Reformation/Protestant churches to the more recent Evangelical churches. Each one of them has a unique story; every one of them loves Jesus and is committed to the Gospel and God’s rule on the earth (as it is in heaven). When we view the various Christian “tribes” as in competition with each other, we tend to focus on our differences. When we see each one as a unique New Covenant instrument of God’s Kingdom, we see that underneath it all, we are one.

But no matter which congregation we are a member of, no matter which city God has placed us in, no matter what “tribe” we identify with, we all have the same founding story. The founding story for NCC is not in 1992 but rather is in the book of Acts. We clearly see ourselves as a continuation of that story with a commitment to being faithful to the lessons of that story in our time and place.

The stage was set for the story of the book of Acts in the life and ministry of Jesus. He clearly proclaimed the “gospel of the Kingdom” and demonstrated the nature of it with signs and wonders. His contemporaries were disappointed with him at best and radically disagreed with him at worst. But that didn’t keep Jesus from pouring himself into 12 men and preparing them for the day when he would begin building his church.

Specifically, the “commission” of Jesus to his disciples set the stage for what was to come:

·         Go and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). Matthew records the “big picture” of the commission, including instructions to disciple “all nations.” The church was to be a change agent in the world as new believers were taught to “obey everything I have commanded you.”

·         Go into all the world and preach (Mark 16:15-18). In Mark we are told to preach the gospel “to all creation.” The church is to be a universal expression of God’s Kingdom on the earth, proclaiming the Good News of Jesus to everyone and everything.

·         As the Father has sent me, I am sending you (John 20:21-23). Jesus came on a specific mission and carried that mission out in a specific way. He commissioned his followers to continue in that same mission and in that same way. That’s why he said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

·         You are my witnesses of these things (Luke 24:45-53). The commission as recorded by Luke began with the need for the disciples to “understand the Scriptures” so they could accurately teach along with the need to preach “in his name to all nations.” Jesus then concluded with these words: “Stay in the city until you until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Jesus was giving his disciples a supernatural commission that would require them to receive supernatural graces, and they were not to attempt to fulfill any part of the commission until they had been “clothed with power.”

The response of the disciples to these last words of Jesus laid the groundwork for the book of Acts. During the next nine weeks we are going to be unpacking the dynamic themes of this book, rightly referred to as “the Acts of the Holy Spirit.” Beginning with this Life Guide we will include a reading guide for a portion of Acts in the daily devotional. We will also include a study guide for families and small groups, along with recommended resources for further study. Our hope is that as we gain a greater knowledge of our family history, we will be able to see ourselves more accurately as those who are carrying on the story in our time and place.