The Great Experiment

 

"Give me one hundred men who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergyman or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon the earth."

John Wesley

A little over three years ago a small group of people began a journey together that started with a fairly simple idea: what would happen if you tried your best to forget everything you think you know about church and then started building from scratch using the Bible as your guide? What would happen if you had no real programs, no growth plan, no paid staff, no budget, and no smoke machines? What would happen if the separation between the "clergy" and the "laity" was eliminated, or at least greatly diminished? What would happen if each person in body of Christ was free to use his or her spiritual gifts with minimal interference from the church leadership (as long as the gift and its use were biblical)?

Three years later and one thing I can tell you for certain is that (at least so far) you get a church that is far from perfect. Like our individual spiritual journeys, it is a church that evolves and changes over time. It matures. There are growing pains, setbacks, victories, losses, challenges and changes. We are straining together toward a common goal, and it is sometimes painful, often joyful and always invigorating -- definitely unlike anything any of us have ever experienced before and definitely never boring!

Another thing I can tell you is that it is a church that is highly unpredictable. Sunday services typically begin with a handful of people blowing shofars -- although no one ever asked permission to do so. It is not uncommon for someone to come forward at an appropriate time during the service and read a scripture, give an encouraging or edifying word or even to sing a hymn or spiritual song. Our drummer just decided to become part of our worship team several months ago -- despite the fact that she had never played drums before! (she is amazing, by the way).

Which leads me to my last point of this post -- to see so many people using gifts that they most probably never knew they had, and that most churches would never have permitted them to express, is a truly amazing thing. For years I had trouble reconciling story after story in the Bible of God using the most ordinary of people to do the most extraordinary of things, with a church that limited the heavy spiritual lifting to paid professionals and kept God and His people basically in a box. A church that far too often is about maintaining power and control.

“I continue to dream and pray about a revival of holiness in our day that moves forth in mission and creates authentic community in which each person can be unleashed through the empowerment of the Spirit to fulfill God's creational intentions.”

― John Wesley

If anything has been confirmed by the last three years it is that God still uses the most ordinary of people to do the most extraordinary of things! God will move mountains through a small group of people who love and obey Him -- people who are steadfastly dedicated to pursuing Jesus. Through the Holy Spirit anything really is possible. And that, I think, is one of the hallmarks of a biblical church.

Hope

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
                                                  Ephesians 6:12


I think that most Americans would agree that we live in troubled times.  In the last few weeks alone we have seen turmoil in the stock markets, devastating loss of life and property in the California fires and numerous mass shootings, to name a few of the recent events that have shaken us as a nation.

There have been times in the past when difficult times and tragic events tended to bring us closer together as a country; but not so these days.  No.  These days such events seem only to serve as fodder to blame, and indeed demonize, political opponents.  More fuel for the anger -- more reason and proof that the deep division in our country cannot be bridged.

While anger is in the air these days, I actually don't think the predominate feeling among Americans is a feeling of anger or frustration or even helplessness, but of fear.  It is a fear birthed out of an uncertain future.  Some fear that the progress we have made toward a new and better America has been stopped in its tracks.  Others fear that the good in the America they once knew is rapidly dissipating.  Somehow, we all seem to have come to the conclusion that roughly half of the people in this country have lost their minds, and if not stopped soon will lead us into the abyss.

The church, for its part, seems to have lost its compass, and consequently seems to be doing little to bring calm in the midst of the storm.  Some churches and organizations have entered into the political fray -- alienating roughly half of the population in the process.  Others have all but ignored these troubled times, busily planning the next church growth event while the world around them seems to be sinking.

Personally, I think it is time to repent and for the church to return to being the church.  The battle, after all, is spiritual.  Our job in this church age, in this age of the Holy Spirit, is to advance the gospel.  It is to show people the love of Jesus Christ.  It is to lead people to the only real hope that they (or we) have.

There will always be problems in this world, and indeed those problems will likely only get worse -- regardless of who is on the next ballot.  But there is hope.  And it is our job to be the light that leads people to that hope.