Equipping the Saints for the Work of the Ministry

One of the most difficult Bible ideas we wrestle with is the nature of the church as the Body of Christ. Jesus came to build his church, but the church we see so often today bears little resemblance to the church Jesus came to build. We tend to see the church as a place we go to; if enough people go and give, the church is able to hire professional ministers to obey the Great Commission as representatives of the church. (Obeying the Great Commandment is optional.) Church is where we earn brownie points that might eventually earn us a place in heaven.  Church functions as a human institution, a social agency, a lonely hearts club band.

But is that the church Jesus came to build (and is building)? The very word “church” (Greek ekklesia) refers to a gathered people, the assembly of God’s people gathered in covenant relationship under the banner of the Lordship of Jesus. The church is called the “Bride” of Christ (Revelation 19:7), a corporate people in love with Jesus, engaged to be married, faithful to the Groom. The church is the “Body” of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:18; Ephesians 1:23; Colossians 1:18), a unified, harmoniously functioning community of faithful, Christ-followers, together answering to the Head, who is Christ. The church is the Temple the Holy Spirit is building to be a place where the presence of God can dwell (Ephesians 2:21). What is made clear from all the images of the church is that it is not a group of disconnected, disengaged “Christians” trying to be religious by “going to church.” The church is the Church to the extent that it has committed Jesus-followers in covenant relationship with Him and with each other, expressing the nature of God’s Kingdom and extending the influence of God’s Kingdom as Christ’s representatives on the earth.

One of my favorite passages of Scripture about the church is found in Ephesians chapter 4. Whenever we are starting to lose sight of what the church is and why we are committed to being a part of Christ’s Bride and Body, we should go back and review the profound truths clearly set forth in this chapter. Although I don’t have space in this short article to take apart the passage verse-by-verse, let me draw attention to a couple of thoughts: In verse 1 Paul introduces his subject by saying, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Being a follower, an apprentice of Jesus, is a life-style issue, a matter of calling. It’s OK to move beyond our religious sense of being worthy of heaven or hell and realize we have a need, indeed a commitment, to be worthy of our calling as representatives of the King on the earth now. Paul then begins to explain what our faithfulness to our calling means in practical, relational terms. We are to “be completely humble and gentle . . . patient, bearing with one another in love” (verse 2). It’s not possible for disconnected, autonomous “Christians” to communicate our calling to a watching world. Being “worthy” is all about our relationships in community and the way we reflect Jesus and his Rule together. It is the unique quality of our relationships that demonstrates our faithfulness to our calling. That’s why Paul goes on to say, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (verse 3). It’s easy to conclude that the enemy of the church is wrong doctrine or philosophical (political, economic) perspective, or even sin. The simple fact is, the main enemy of the church is division. If we can “keep the unity” as a result of our mutual submission to Jesus, we can face any other enemy and triumph. Whether we always see it or not, the fact is, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called” (verse 4). No matter how divided we might be as sinful human beings, if we are “born from above,” we all share the same Spirit and are therefore viewed by heaven as “one.”

However, we can’t live a life worthy of our calling, we can’t keep the unity of the Spirit, by just having good thoughts about it or even praying for it. We come into the Body of Christ as broken vessels. Before you and I can make a positive contribution to God’s Kingdom mission for his church, we need to be healed, mended, repaired and restored. After talking about certain leaders Jesus has given to the church (verse 11), Paul describes their function: “to equip his people for works of service” (verse 12). It’s possible to misunderstand “equip” to refer to a teaching or training function. If we can have enough Bible studies, God’s people will be equipped. However, this word “equip” does not convey that meaning. (Other Bible versions render it “perfect” or “prepare.”) The word literally means “restore,” and refers to setting a broken bone or mending a net. It’s the word that means, “returning to a former condition so as to fulfill an original function.” Think of the church as a net used by fishermen. If a net gets too many holes or holes that are too big, it becomes less and less effective for catching fish. The net is broken and needs to be mended. However, the net can’t be mended unless there is a focus on the fact that specific connections on the net have been broken. Places on the net have experienced division, and the broken unity has resulted in a broken net. What is needed is restoration: the net needs to be restored and that will be possible only if specific places and connections on the net are restored.

The “equipping / restoring” work in the Body of Christ will result in a new unity, “so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12-13). Now that’s what I call living a life worthy of our calling as the King’s representatives in our communities. May God bring mending and restoration into our lives and into our congregation so we may continue to be an effective net for Jesus. 

A Georgia Revival, part 1

Seeds contain the full potential of a tree. While it is the fruit we most easily see, understanding the tree requires us to go all the way back and examine the seeds that got it started. My new home is the beautiful state of Georgia. I love everything about Georgia - the landscape, the people, the culture. However, when outsiders think of Georgia they tend to remember some of the "fruit" of how its history intersected with African slavery and Jim Crow. I contend that the best way to understand our state is to look at the seeds that resulted in it's birth.

Those seeds begin with a single person - James Edward Oglethorpe (1696-1785). The Oglethorpe family, including the father and three brothers, were all active in government, serving as Members of Parliament. In 1728 a friend of James was sent to debtors prison where he died of smallpox. This tragedy led James to launch an investigation of the prison system in England, including the possibility of being imprisoned solely for indebtedness. Oglethorpe became the recognized leader in prison reform and a leading humanitarian in England. However, he became even more concerned with the high level of poverty in his nation. By 1732, James and a group of friends devised a plan to establish a colony in the New World aimed at giving "the worthy poor" and opportunity to start over. King George II was persuaded to establish the thirteenth American Colony, named Georgia. Oglethorpe and 21 others were given Trusteeship of the new colony.

The first paragraph of the June 9, 1732 Charter, read, "Whereas we are credibly informed, that many of our poor subjects are, through misfortunes and want of employment, reduced to great necessity, insomuch as by their labor they are not able to provide a maintenance for themselves and families. . . . And whereas we think it highly becoming our crown and royal dignity, to protect all our loving subjects, be they ever so distant from us; to extend our fatherly compassion even to the meanest and most unfortunate of our people, and to relieve the wants of our above mentioned poor subjects; and that it will be highly conducive for accomplishing those ends, that a regular colony of the said poor people be settled and established. . . ." With the Charter freshly signed by King George, 114 colonists sailed from England to the South Carolina colony, and on February 12, 1733, settled on the banks of the Savannah River.

While it is true that the South Carolina colony had lost a significant number of colonists to recent Indian wars, and that there was a need to establish a cushion between them and the Spaniards in St. Augustine, Florida, the primary motivation for establishing the new colony was compassion for the poor. General Oglethorpe and the Trustees had a very clear sense of how to give the poor a fresh start. Every colonist was given a plot of land and required to farm the land for themselves. Large landowners were not allowed to be a part of the colony. Slavery was outlawed since all the colonists were expected to do their own work. In fact, the Charter declared "that all and every person or persons, who shall at any time hereafter inhabit or reside within our said province, shall be, and are hereby declared to be free." The original emancipation proclamation for Georgians.

Compassion and a fresh start for the "worthy poor" and freedom are the seeds of our great state. A Georgia Revival would acknowledge our beneficent beginnings and advocate for more of the same in our future. Those seeds are still a part of who are, and who we can still be.

An Acts Two Church

Having just passed through the Easter Season culminating in Pentecost Sunday reminded me of a core value we have at New Community Church. From the very beginning, in fact as a seed thought that resulted in the pioneering of NCC, we have been committed to being "an Acts Two church." Of course, the difficulty is defining exactly what that means, followed by the miracle of seeing God accomplish that in our time and place.

For that reason, the pastoral leadership team has established ten Spiritual Growth Goals taken from Acts 2:42-47. These are not only goals, they are commitments needed if we are to come even close to the dynamic of that first church. Here they are:

 1.     “Teaching” – They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching – systematic instruction in the message of God’s word.

2.    “Fellowship” – and to the fellowship – a devotion to the shared life, to real relationships in authentic community.

3.    “Worship” – to the breaking of bread – a devotion to a life of worship as a community.

4.    “Prayer” – and to prayer – a devotion to the regular practice of prayer as a community.

5.    “Miracles” – Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles – an expectation of the supernatural activity of God.

6.    “Serving” – All the believers were together and had everything in common – a lifestyle of selfless service.

7.    “Giving” – Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need – a lifestyle of generosity.

8.   “Assembling together” – Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts – spending meaningful time together, in small and large gatherings, as a covenant community.,

9.    “Community impact” – praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people – having a positive, redemption impact on the larger community.

10.  “Evangelism” – And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved – healthy believers reproducing themselves resulting in continual growth and impact.

      While we continue to "do church" and "be the church," we want to keep these commitments in front of us. And, if God will see fit to pour out a "new Pentecost," we might actually see some of this in our day. "Transformed people transform the world."

A Referee for the Mind

"Winning the battle for hearts and minds" is the greatest challenge for troops in Afghanistan. It's not enough to occupy territory and manage threat. The perceptions and thinking of the people have to be changed if the mission is to be accomplished. The strategy of those on the ground is to model the new way of thinking while connecting personally and relationally with the people.


In fact, changing hearts and minds is the biggest battle we face in every situation. In order to move the church forward into a new sense of mission, hearts and minds must change. To build bridges out of poverty, the battle for hearts and minds has to be won. For individual Christ followers to grow and experience transformation, hearts and minds must be impacted at the deepest level. Not only our thoughts, our viewpoints, values, priorities and responses, all of which are automatic and "instinctive," have to change. 


The good news is, we have been given an Advocate, a Counselor, a Teacher and Guide. Jesus promised, "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you" (John 14:26). He repeated the promise when he said, "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13). God's Spirit who is with us and in us has been given as our personal Referee for the mind. We must have the help of our Teacher to show us how we are thinking, how that compares to God's thoughts, and how to change our thinking. We need divine assistance in becoming aware of our automatic perspectives and responses and in being empowered to be transformed to reflect God's perspective and responses. 


The battle for our own heart and mind, let alone that of others, cannot be won with our own strength and wisdom. We need God's help - and we have God's help - if we are open to it. It all begins with the Bible word "repentance," which paints a picture of us turning to God and receiving another mindset, a new attitude. But what if we refuse to repent? What if we are committed to the way we see things and people, to our thoughts and attitudes? While we give lip-service to a desire for the "renewing of our minds," in reality we may be more invested in defending our sinful ways of seeing and thinking.


In a recent article, John Ortberg referred to Scott Peck's definition of evil: "The central defect of evil is not the sin but the refusal to acknowledge it. This definition is reflective of Jesus' far greater severity in dealing with religious leaders than with prostitutes and tax collectors." How often have we heard, "That was just the way I was raised," as a justification for sinful attitudes, thinking and responses. The only way out is through the open door of repentance.


Perhaps we can begin by acknowledging the presence of God's Referee in our hearts and minds and submitting to God's authority, God's right to call us out when we see wrong and think wrong. Then we'll be in a position to experience the transformation that comes through the renewing of our minds. 

Grace to Trust

I'm writing this on the Saturday of Holy Week, the day between times, between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. I can't help but imagine what the atmosphere was like where the disciples were gathered. Even though Jesus had patiently taught them about his coming Passion, the disciples maintained a variety of expectations. It seemed as though they all agreed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, but to see him die on the cross and then buried in a borrowed tomb must have pushed them into despair. What did they do on that Sabbath between times? Were they in shock? Did they debate theology? Did they share stories, or were the too depressed to do much more than lay around?

Have you ever had a religious expectation (which you labeled "faith") go completely unmet? Have you ever been left confused by what you were sure was true or would happen but didn't happen? Maybe even disappointed in God? The fact is, our religious nature (an aspect of our sin nature) urges us to figure God out, to master the mysteries, so we can get God to do what we want God to do. We define God's nature in a way that bolsters our desire to be in control. Yet, there is finally only one truth: God is God and we are not!

My friend Ken Malmin has defined faith as "agreeing with God." Faith is our response to God's initiative. I would like to add a thought to that definition: Faith is the divine grace to trust God at all times, no matter what. We don't need to understand "why" or "how." We only need to trust. The implied answer to the question Abraham asked, "Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" is "Yes." Even though the outcome may not conform to our definition of justice or right, whatever God does is, by definition, just and right and motivated by love.

In the end, only a handful of faithful women had the motivation to return to the tomb on that Sunday morning, only to discover that the tomb was empty, just as Jesus had predicted. In fact, it took quite a bit of convincing before the disciples were prepared to believe. They had faith in their faith (what the Bible terms "presumption") but they had little faith in God. Easter is a constant reminder that, no matter what else may be going on in our lives, God wins! God does all things well!

So, while we celebrate the wonders of the resurrection, let's remember those who are in a place of confusion or doubt or disappointment. May we all pray for a new/renewed grace to trust.

Swedish History Month?

We have been having a wonderful time celebrating Black History Month at New Community Church in LaGrange, Georgia. At first glance it might seem to have very little to do with me. How is Black History Month relevant to a pastor who is the product of Swedish immigrants who traveled all the way to North Dakota for the large tracks of farm land? Why can't we have a Swedish History Month?
Well, let me count the ways:

1. I'm now living in the great state of Georgia, and while I see more blond hair and blue eyes than I thought I would, Swedish farming families haven't played much of a role in our state.
2. On the other hand, those of African ancestry have played a huge role in our state and region. Starting in 1619 these brothers and sisters have been a big part of our story.
3. I'm a part of the pastoral leadership team of a local church that is currently 60% Black and 40% White. We have six pastors, 3 Black (including our senior pastor) and 3 White. We have six elders, 4 Black and 2 White. In other words, Black History Month is personally significant to our beautiful congregation.
4. Black history is a major part of my Christian story, both in the Bible and in early church history. As someone trained in biblical studies and church history I have always been fascinated by the importance of my Black brothers and sisters to my Christian story.
5. As a follower of Jesus and a member in the Body of Christ, fellow members of African descent are my brothers and sisters; we are family. What is significant to them is significant to me. It is my story as well.

So it is no wonder we find special significance to Black History Month. Rickey and I taught a class called "Africa in the Bible," highlighting the significance of the descendants of Ham in the Bible. I offered to teach a class called "Swedes in the Bible," but I couldn't find any. We also taught on the important African Church Fathers in the early church. Once again, I offered to teach on the Swedish Church Fathers, but they were entirely absent. But I was not disappointed; I can claim the story of my brothers and sisters as my own. We are enjoying praising the Lord with Gospel music, both traditional and contemporary. We are enjoying each other.

For me, Black History Month is a daily/weekly/monthly/yearly celebration. But since we have a designated month, why not pull out all the stops and celebrate the goodness of God revealed through my Black brothers and sisters. I love you all and celebrate the important contributions you have made to the Body of Christ, to our nation, and to my life.

A New Scorecard for a New Year

Now that we have begun a new year I'm struck by the new opportunities before us. 2011 seemed like a year of growth in so many ways, a year that positioned us to make significant Kingdom contributions in 2012.

Reflecting on the journey we have been on brought to mind patterns we've observed in our various approaches to "church." Traditionally, the church was viewed as the primary receptor and distributor of God's grace (sacraments, etc.), and the focus was on "going to church." Everyone needed what the church provided in order to survive on the way to God's Heavenly Kingdom.

That model of church served us well (at least from around AD 100 to the 1970s). Then a new generation (my Baby Boomer generation) began to see the need to innovate, to change things up in the church. The focus became more on "church growth" and being "culturally relevant." Whether it involved a "seeker-sensitive model" or the more recent "emerging church model," the emphasis was on "doing church." Our various congregations were judged on how successfully they "did church" in their immediate context.

The more recent Baby Boomer model of "doing church" measures success in terms of Bodies, Buildings and Budgets. How many bodies are we attracting onto our church campus? How well are we doing building elaborate structures that house our new, culturally relevant ways of doing church? And, because "if you build it they will come," how well are we able to raise the money needed to keep feeding the seeker machine?

It was Dietrich Bonhoeffer that noted the absence of a well-developed doctrine of the church (ecclesiology) in America. For that reason, we are free to tweak our model of the church any way we desire, so long as it meets the need of the moment. However, at some point it might be nice to ask how the Bible defines and describes the church, and how we match up with that description. All of us claim to be a "New Testament Church," and even an "Acts Two" church, but are we really?

For us, 2011 was an opportunity to take a critical look at how we view the church and compare that to what God says about the church. For that reason, we are moving away from the "Bodies/Buildings/Budgets" scorecard to a "Transformation Scorecard." At our New Community Church Vision Night service last week we described the new scorecard in terms of "Communion, Community, and Commission." "Communion" refers to our personal relationship with God and our progressive experience of being transformed into the likeness of Christ. "Community" clearly points to the fact that spiritual formation can only take place in relationship; we need God, but we also need each other. "Commission" acknowledges that Communion and Community alone has the potential of turning us into a spiritually inbred club. We are called to live on mission with Christ in the world. The simple fact is this: Transformed people transform the world."

And so, we are asking God to do something new, something more in and through our lives this year. We want to do so much more than "go to church" or "do church." We want to "be the church." We want to experience true transformation as a people in community, and then represent Jesus as salt and light, as instruments of transformation in our time and place. And this we will do, by God's grace.