Over the years I’ve seen “revivals” and “crusades” and “rallies” performed with the intent of bringing growth to the church.  And over the years I’ve seen the same people flocking to the “altar call”, time after time after time.  Yes, there are some souls reached through mass means.  Yes there are some lives transformed.  But are they really effective?  The last figures I saw for a huge “Crusade” were something less than five percent (if I recall correctly it was less than one percent, but let’s be generous anyway) of the “decisions for Christ” actually resulted in  a person who joined in with a local congregation.

Over the years I’ve come to be skeptical of this type of operation.  When the same people go forward time after time to be prayed over by this, that or another “Pastor”, “Prophet”, “Bishop” or “Apostle” – what is really being accomplished?  When a new building is erected and dedicated and people from congregations around the city flock to it because of the “fresh anointing” – is that truly “Church Growth”?  When you siphon off members from other congregations that is not “Church Growth”, that is congregation expansion at the expense of others. The church grows when you live the gospel and bring people into the fold who had never before had a personal relationship with God. Focusing on numbers rather than individual souls is a common mistake.

Many folks look at specific events over the history of the church and try to emulate them.  They see three thousand people baptized in the name of Jesus the Christ on a single day and want to do the same – forgetting all the factors and happenings  that lead up to that landmark event.  When we see something of great magnitude happening we should ask ourselves, “What was the catalyst? What built up so that this could happen?”  It isn’t that God’s Holy Spirit does not work today – but He works in the same way that He did in centuries past.  For great history changing events to happen there must be ground work.

What was the ground work for the day of Pentecost?  God came down and lived amongst us (Emmanuel – God With Us). He lived and worked and taught and interacted with people.  He lived a human life as an example.  He Himself was baptized and He Himself was tempted for forty tortuous days.  He called to Himself twelve men, common men from all walks of life.  For three years He taught them.  For three years He showed His power to them and through them.  He fed multitudes. He healed multitudes.  And through it all He taught as none had taught before Him. He touched lives by touching their minds and appealing to their heart and focusing them on the Father.  But all that was as nothing to them the day that they stood before the Roman Governor and cried out as one man, “Crucify him!”  But as is common with mobs, once the heat of the moment was gone they came to themselves and started wondering “What have we done?”

And then the rumors started.  “The disciples carried off his body!” “But that can’t be, the guards are still living!” “I heard He is alive!!”  “I talked with Peter – the tomb was empty!” “Mary says an angel told her He is alive!” “I heard that He appeared right before them all!” “I, myself, have seen Him!” And this rolled around the city for weeks, until the next Feast Day.

From all over the known world they came, from fifteen countries or more. They came to celebrate the ancient feast as directed by the Law of Moses. The city of Jerusalem swelled and jostled with the teeming crowds.  Families welcomed relatives from afar.  Small houses were crowded with people.  And on the day of Pentecost they were celebrating before Jehovah when suddenly a sound as of a mighty, rushing wind was heard and every eye turned to see – twelve common men, betrayed by their provincial clothing as being from the scorned northern territory of Galilee, standing there, each with a tongue of fire over his head.  Now THAT was a sight to behold!  And then a hush fell on the crowd as one burly fisherman stood out from the rest and began to outline the events leading up to this day.  They heard the familiar history of their race and nation recited by these men – and then they realized “They are speaking MY native tongue!”  The familiar story was related in familiar accents, not the course country bumpkin dialect of Galilee!

But then the clincher – this common looking fisherman pointed his finger RIGHT in their collective face and said “YOU are responsible for taking the life of God’s Own Son!”  This man, who weeks before had been hiding from the authorities, quaking at the thought of cruel whips and a horrific  cross, was standing there today – facing them down.  And they KNEW he spoke true. Many of the same people were there who weeks before had yelled out “Crucify him!” and they knew that they had traded the life of a murderer for the death of God’s Son. The silence was broken by a voice asking “Brothers, what should we do?”

Now to put this in perspective there were likely at least a million people crammed together for this celebration.  Not everyone could hear the message, not all that did were convinced or convicted of their own sin on that day.  But from amongst the crowd streamed three thousand people to answer Peter’s call to “Repent and each of you be immersed by the authority of Jesus the Christ!  This is the way to be forgiven of your sins.  And you WILL receive God’s Holy Spirit! This promise holds true for YOU, for YOUR CHILDREN and for ALL who will hear the call of the Lord!”

Yes, an amazing event.  A history changing event.  But the ground had been prepared.  The seed had been sown.  And GOD brought forth the harvest on that day.

And today?  What are we doing to prepare the ground and plant the seed?  Many of us no longer live and work in a land where God’s Gospel has been proclaimed.  Most of us live and work amongst people to whom the historical accounts sound like fables and fairy tales.  No longer do most people build their lives around some semblance of Godly teaching like the jewish people did at that time.  So why do we expect to reap the same results as Peter and the Apostles did?

Our work for today is clear. Yes, there ARE some fields still ripe for harvest, but many more have yet to be sown.  And in each case we need to allow the Lord to work through us.  As in anything worth doing we must learn to get the fundamentals down.  If we allow God to help us build the foundations, He will build His church.

Of what good is a building full of worldly, carnal people who sing praises to God on Sunday but live like the rest of the world the rest of the week?  To be honest – it is of no good at all to God’s kingdom.  If we want real church growth then we must understand WHAT makes the church grow.  Swapping sheep or stealing sheep does not a flock build. How many christians drift from congregation to congregation, seeking a speaker who will tickle their ears?  That is not the path to building a church or causing true growth.

Here is what the Apostle Paul had to say about “church growth”:

¹¹It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, ¹²to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³until 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.

¹⁴Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. ¹⁵Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. ¹⁶From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:11-16

The work of the leaders of the church isn’t to “develop strategies” or “study market trends” or “be seeker friendly”.  The work of the church’s leaders is to “prepare God’s people for works of service”.  And what happens when we do that? “The body of Christ may be built up”. And THAT, my friends, is church growth.  REAL church growth.  For too long the church has been concerned with filling pews and buildings and programs.  But we have forgotten the true call of the church.  Note that the leaders are to prepare God’s people “for works of service”.  Serving the world around us is NOT a program – it is what God intended us to do.  Indeed it is also written that we are created in Christ Jesus “to do good works”.  A christian who is  not serving the community around him is a christian who is not fulfilling his purpose in God’s kingdom.  And if, as leaders in the church, we are not preparing God’s people to serve, if we are not allowing them the time and opportunity to serve, then we are failing – no matter HOW many people may come together each week to sing and feel good together.

If we want the church to grow, instead of just play musical pews, then we need to seek God’s leading in our lives.  Forget the studies and the “experts”.  Get back to God’s word.  Let HIM transform you and renew your mind.  Let Him give you hunger and thirst for His righteousness.  Let Him give you the power you need to serve the world around you.  And as you do – He will honor your faithfulness according to the ability you have to handle well that which is entrusted to your care.

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If we walk in the light then we learn to abhor sin. But as humans we all harbor varying degrees of attraction to sin. The big problem is that we also tend to have blind spots. We may say “I don’t smoke and I don’t chew and I don’t date the girls that do.” – but what about less obvious sins? What about that which we allow our minds to dwell on, taking comfort in “well, at least I didn’t DO it!”.  And what about those thoughts and attitudes that do not reflect the mind of Christ?

People in the church tend to focus on a few pet sins and shun with a vengeance folks who commit them. The interesting thing is – many of those sins are not necessarily sins, but those who shun them act as if there is nothing worse in the world. Take bathing, for example. Indoor plumbing for the common man is a relatively new thing. In centuries past it was common for everyone to do their personal hygiene down at the local bath house. But under Roman rule the public baths were often centers for all kinds of sexual activity – outside the bonds of holy matrimony. It wasn’t long before christians quit going to the bath house – and quit bathing all together. They “threw out the baby (bathing) with the bath water (sexual immorality)”. To many minds, bathing was synonymous with immoral conduct.  Therefore, those who were filthy were considered to be very holy.  This trend (building fences around sin, so to speak) continues to this day. Wine is mentioned favorably through out scripture. Drunkenness is mentioned unfavorably throughout scripture. Many people today equate wine with drunkenness. They can not distinguish between proper and improper use of wine any more than those early Christians could think of building a Christ inspired bath house where folks could get physically clean while maintaining their sexual purity, thus allowing folks to be both physically and morally clean.

Throughout the centuries, dancing was a way of celebrating and even worshiping.  Dances were social affairs in which folks could interact with each other and in which the monotony of life could be broken by a special celebration.  Yet today many can not separate dancing from “dance halls” and prostitution. The stigma of sinful sexual stimulation clings (in their minds) to anything having to do with dancing.  They would no more think of dancing with their wife or before the LORD than they would think of murdering their own mother.

An even more interesting phenomenon occurs when people violate God’s law in order to keep their own. For example, God’s law states that a person should dress modestly. There are people who believe that means a woman can wear only a non-bifurcated garment, preferably one that covers her ankles. Now I, for one, would like to see more long skirts around. There is something special, something comely, about a long, flowing dress or skirt. But to force all women to always wear such a garment limits their freedom – or places them in the position of violating God’s law of modesty. Yet that is what legalists in certain sects do. Where we used to minister in Brazil, the main form of transportation was a cargo truck – a flatbed with a tarp lashed tightly to the load. To reach town one would flag down such a truck and clamber up the side to sit on top. There’s nothing modest about a woman in a skirt climbing up the side of a truck and bouncing down the road on top of a load. But that is what many women did in order to live up to the human law that their religion had foisted on them.  And many men were glad to “give ‘em a hand” to climb up, in the hope of getting a glimpse into private areas.  Because of their man made law they violated God’s law of modesty.  Jesus Himself accused the Pharisees of the same kind of mentality, unfortunately this way of thinking is still with us.

The main problem stems from an external “list based” religious outlook on life.  Folks count themselves and others as “OK” as long as they fill out the proper check list of “Do’s” and “Don’t’s” – all of which happen to be quite easy to check on and prove.  In the process, they forget that God looks much deeper.  He can read our heart – and that is what counts.  The fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in our life?  It’s not jacket and tie, long dress and non-smoking/non-drinking – it’s about attitudes and thought patterns – “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” these are things that are hard to quantify for those who look only on the outside, and thus they are overlooked by the religiously legalistic.  Many times over the it has been our lot to observe someone who is outwardly “proper” in their dress, and yet their life reflects anything BUT joy, peace, patience, kindness or self-control, nor yet the other characteristics of God’s Holy fruit.  And in no way is saying so “judging” such people.  Jesus told us, “by their fruit you shall know them”.  To observe the lack of these characteristics is no more judging than to observe that a certain tree produces inedible fruit.  To cut it down and burn it – that is judgment.  And that is God’s place, not ours. In fact, in the parable of the tares we are taught that our duty is to grow and produce fruit, not try to rip out those who’s fruit doesn’t match up.  That will be done in the last day, when the Lord returns for His great Harvest Day.  Those who produce the wrong fruit in their lives will be gathered for punishment.  And those who produce the wheaten fruit God desires will be gathered up for reward.

As we look into our own life we should be, as I like to say, “brutally honest”.  We can not resort to “I did this so I’m OK.” nor yet “I DON’T do thus, so I’m OK”.  We must look into the mirror of God’s Word and see the faults reflected there in.  And this is not to be used to condemn ourselves, it is to be used as a tool to gauge where we need to improve.  Just like you look in the mirror, see your hair out of place and use brush or comb or fingers to straighten it up, not rip it out or destroy yourself because you don’t match up to your idea of what you should look like!  And God’s Spirit prompts us, it directs us and persuades us – if we listen – to be transformed, to renew our minds until we look and act as Jesus the Christ does.  A christian who does not heed the transformational call of God’s Spirit is one who is carnal and immature at best.

As Christ’s disciples we must be wary of satan’s misuse of God’s word.  Many christians live lives of defeat because they don’t match up to their own expectancies and they allow the enemy to dissuade them.  “You’ll never overcome this sin – so why try?” they hear.  “You are unworthy!” “God KNOWS who you are inside – He could never love such a filthy creature!” These lies and more are whispered in the christian’s ear – and too many times they are given more weight than they should have.  God calls us to a life of purity – but His grace pulls us from the mire and sets us on the road time after time as we grow and mature.  Sometimes it is one step forward and two back.  But this only lasts until we learn to get back on our feet and try again, rather than roll around in the muck feeling sorry for ourselves.

It is not for nothing that God calls us His children.  He longs to see each of us feed on the spiritual milk, gradually learning to chew and digest more “grown up” food and then learning to share His spiritual food with others.  Likewise He is thrilled when we learn to crawl and more so as we take our first toddling steps.  When we stumble He isn’t there to kick us for ineptness.  He is there to lift us up, to extend a finger or a hand to steady us as we toddle off again.  And even when we have grown and matured in the faith and in The Way – if we fall He is not there to ridicule us, He is there to dust us off and set us on the road to victory once more.  And often we run better the race for having stumbled and learned humility and grace than if we merely run cautiously through life, wary of trying too hard and perhaps falling short of our expectations.

Religiosity is a trap.  It concentrates on favorite sins, ignoring that which is considered “minor” or of no importance – to the religious mind.  But God calls us to relationship.  His goal is to see us grow in all things into the likeness of Jesus the Christ.  He loves us and extends to us grace and mercy – and calls us to the same attitude amongst ourselves.  So rather than concentrating on our own particular “favorite sins”, why not concentrate on our own inner thoughts and outward actions – allowing the Light of the Gospel to shine forth and bless those around us?

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To my way of thinking, it’s not about “the right form of religious ceremony” but about “the right way of living”.  Jesus the Christ was known as The Way.  Before Antioch the early disciples were simply known as “disciples of Jesus of Nazareth” or “followers of The Way” or something similar.  In Antioch the disciples were first called christians, probably as a deprecatory epithet.  Note the form, “were first called”, they did not call themselves such at first but rather were called by that name by those around them.  This epithet soon became their badge of identity and was worn proudly because it expressed the essence of their being – “christian” = “little christ”.  In modern times we see much of the same thing happening.  Barrack Obama referred to his opponents in Pensylvania  during the 2008 presidential race as people who “cling bitterly to their guns and their religion”.  Blogs and forums soon sprouted people proudly claiming to be “bitter clingers”. In much the same way, the early followers of The Way soon adopted the epithet “christians” as a badge of identity.  After all, they were being taught to “put off that which is worldly” and to “put on Christ” so to be identified by that which they were putting on was only natural.

The key to understanding The Way – the church of the New Testament – is to come to an understanding of the message preached by Jesus and His Apostles.  He came down hard on the most religious folks around – because they were so focused on religion that they could not focus on the changed life that God was seeking from them.  As Del Tackett puts it, “Just memorizing Bible verses won’t hack it. We must learn how to penetrate the heart.” And that is what Jesus’ teaching did – it sought to transform His hearers by penetrating into their hearts and minds to effect a change in behavior due to the change in attitude brought about by a complete surrender to God’s way of thinking.  We will continue to mull this subject in future posts.

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“In passing, we should note this curious mark of our own age: the only absolute allowed is the absolute insistence that there is no absolute” – Francis Schaeffer

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And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.)  And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.  For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” – Mark 7:18-23

For millennia people have sought ways to be ceremonially pure. Their conscience has burned and caused distress because they know that they do not match up with the Divine ideal.  God, through The Law of Moses, helped them to search out this tendency – and find that mankind is incapable of attaining purity by elimination of externals.  The Lord spoke to His people and told them that He was fed up with their ceremonies and celebrations and fasts – that He wanted a people who sought after justice and mercy rather than being obsesses with sacrifices.

The key to all this?  Man is not defiled by that which he eats or drinks, he is defiled by that which comes out from within him.  When his thoughts lead him to do that which is against God’s nature – that is what defiles him.  Even today people search ways to eliminate externals.  “If there is no opportunity to sin there will be no sin” is the rationale.  But sin does not come from opportunity, it comes from desire.

Mankind finds it easier to ban things than to teach right thinking.  It is when we think properly that we live properly.  Two different people can pass through identical situations.  One will sin, the other will not.  Why?  Because one has not allowed that particular set of stimuli to become an influence in their mind but the other person did.  Objects and substances are not in and of themselves “sinful” or “evil”.  Objects and substances are essentially neutral.  They require an active agent in order to perform any task.  That is why a knife in one hand will take a life, but in another hand will save a life.  That is why a certain plant in one hand is medicine which treats certain medical problems whil in another hand it becomes an all encompassing search for fleeting pleasure that over time becomes a haunting need that destroys. So what is evil?  It is not the substance or the object – they will not move nor act unless they are caused to act by a force outside themselves – it is the mind, the way of thinking of the individual that chooses to use them – or not.

That is why the apostle Paul wrote, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. “ – Romans 12:1-2 Our “spiritual worship” therefore is to live according to God’s will, not our own.  It is a matter of learning to think like God thinks, to prioritize life like He does.  It means focusing less on our desires and whims in order to focus on His directives, guidance and Will.

That which defiles us comes from within.  BUT we CAN change with the help of the Holy Spirit so that we no longer desire to live in sin but according to God’s plan for our lives.  Sometimes we have to separate ourselves from externals in order to put our selves in order on the inside.  But it is not because the externals in and of themselves are evil and wrong, but rather because we have given them a place in our life that does not correspond to their proper place. Living holy before God is a matter of changing our minds, because that is what will change our actions and bring us into compliance with His plan for us and His church.

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I got to thinking about this because of some recent discussions (arguments?) I’ve observed about the existence of God.  Seeing folks talk about the issue got my thinker to thinking.  One thing that I’ve long contemplated is, what is so great about unbelief?  What if the atheist could prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is no god and managed to convince every single person on earth of that truth?  What would change about the world we know? How would the world be a better place?  Imagine seven billion people who suddenly, unanimously began to act as though they were mere accidents of chance and circumstance and impersonal forces that coincided to cause them to exist meaninglessly at a certain time and a certain place in a universe devoid of design or meaning? What would the result be? What would restrain certain people from imposing their will upon others by brute force?  We would indeed be living “the law of the jungle”.  Each person would suddenly realize that all they can hope for is whatever they can get during the fleeting moments of their pointless life.  They would realize that there IS no meaning, no point, no reason for being other than to obtain whatever they could obtain for whatever reason they should wish to do so.

On the other hand, what if you were to be able to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that God DOES exist and that He DOES care about us and is active in the world today?  What if you could convince people to obey Him and follow His design in their life?  What would the world look like then?  Imagine a world where every one treated each other in the manner in which they wished to be treated.  Imagine a world where serving each other as service to the Creator was a manner of life.  Imagine a world where people began to use the talents and resources that they had at their disposal to create a better world around themselves.

I still see nothing attractive about unbelief.  Under such a belief system life would be but a useless, pointless striving – to what end?  Knowing that all there was to life was 70 years or so of existing while waiting for the lights to go out would point me towards a dark depression – and who knows what else the dark recesses of my being would conjure up.  But as I look around at the hand of God manifested in His creation and see Him active in my own life and the lives of others it is with joy that His plan is contemplated and His will sought.  What joy to know that as we teach people to not only know that God exists but that He is active in the world today and He is eager and willing to help them to live a fuller life , their lives change for the better and they find true joy and happiness.  Lives are turned from darkness to light, homes are restored, children are given a frame work within which they can grow and mature, individuals find a real purpose for their life and God is served by people serving others in His Name.  That is the attraction of belief in God – seeing the results of that belief lived out not only in my own life but also in the lives of those whom God has allowed and helped me to influence.

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And it is interesting to hear folks talk on the ‘net.  Over the years it has been my pleasure to visit various internet friends in person.  And getting to talk with someone over a cup of coffee or a meal is a great way to get to know them a bit better.  Sometimes one forms an opinion about folks because of the way they “talk” on the internet. But once you get to know them personally you see a different face entirely.  And then there’s the voice.  Am I the only one who forms an “image” of what someone’s voice must sound like by reading what they write?  The first time I talked with various people was an experience – because they didn’t sound like I’d thought they would.  And what about SEEING them? That reminds me of my dad and a story he told about someone he used to talk with on the phone all the time.  He built up an image of the person based on their name and their voice. But when he met that person in person he was in for a surprise.  From physical stature to race – everything was different.

As a moderator on various forums I get to interact with folks all the time – but too often it is in situations where one would rather NOT have to deal with people.  My forum browsing time is limited so having to deal with people who insist on dragging bar room behavior into a respectable forum is not my favorite use of that time.  But someone has to to it. Lately I guess folks have been itching a lot due to the weather and the season.  And they seem to want to take it out on the world.  All to often they sink to using  ad hominem arguments.  It is so much easier to go after a person than it is to argue for or against an idea.  One area in particular is an area where I see a lot of heat generated – religious views.  It seems that folks too often believe something based on ??? instead of knowing the facts behind their beliefs.  And so when someone comes along with an argument they’ve never heard before they find it easier to be nasty than to do the work necessary to find the answers they need to substantiate their position – or to change their mind.

“Evidence That Demands A Verdict” was written by Josh McDowel. As I understand the story, Josh set out to prove Christianity was wrong and the Bible was a bunch of myths.  But he did the work.  He dug down and examined the evidence – and then wrote a book about it.  He was honest enough with himself and the evidence that he looked into the matter and changed his position.  But folks like Josh are few and far between.

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About all I can add is that while I agree in principle with Brit Hume’s comments, I’d like to clarify that it’s not just the “Christian Faith” that Tiger Woods needs but rather a personal relationship with Jesus the Christ.  Such a relationship would allow him to become a greater person all around and to overcome the shadows that have fallen on his life.

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First, I took a look at Merriam Webster’s online dictionary. It’s a great resource and one I find myself turning to again and again. I just wish I had a copy of one of the old Noah Webster dictionaries printed back in the 19th century as they were not yet full of so much politically correct garbage – but I digress.

Well, the first thing that jumped off the page at me was this:

Revival:

1 : an act or instance of reviving

Revive

Inflected Form(s): re·vived; re·viv·ing

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French revivre, from Latin revivere to live again, from re- + vivere to live

Date: 15th century

intransitive verb: to return to consciousness or life : become active or flourishing againtransitive verb1 : to restore to consciousness or life
2 : to restore from a depressed, inactive, or unused state : bring back
3 : to renew in the mind or memory

Well, well, well – NOW we’re getting somewhere. Essentially, “revive” means “to live again”, “to bring back to life”. In other words, to “revive” you have to have lived in the first place. Now, let’s get back to the original idea – what’s with all the talk of “revival”? What do folks mean when they talk about “having a revival” or “we need revival”? All too often they mean that they want to see more folks converted to the Lord. They want to see souls saved. They want to see repentance and turning to God. But all that has to do with NEW life – NOT with RESTORING life! And I, too, am all for it.

Well, ok then. Let’s get out and bring souls to Jesus the Christ! However, let’s not call this “revival” but rather “discipling”. After all, the Lord said “go and make disciples of all nations” and a disciple is one who lives according to the teaching of the Master.

Just fo the record, I AM all in favor of revival in the church. Too many folks have lost their first love. Their relationship with Jesus the Christ is moribund at best. Now THERE’S a real need for revival! So the next time someone says “we need revival”, encourage them. Tell them, “You’re right, brother! Let’s stir up Christ’s Church and help folks to return the New Life that He gave them!” Don’t go beating the bushes, looking for new souls to save, and calling it revival. That, my dear reader, would best be called “vival” since folks outside of Christ had no spiritual life to begin with. Yes, I’m all in favor of evangelism, of bringing new lives into a right relationship with Jesus the Christ. But I’m ALSO in favor of bringing lukewarm christians back to a strong and vibrant life in Jesus once more. If we can truly bring about revival of Christ’s church then evangelism will take care of itself.

Remember, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. Jesus Himself setup His church so that the leaders would prepare His people to serve. When the church is alive and vibrant and serving each other and the community around them, the body will automatically be built up.

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Perhaps we as Christians today are not only to consider what it means to be a 21st century church, but also and perhaps more importantly–what it means to have a 21st century faith. –Doug Pagitt

Now, there’s some good stuff there.  Like I tell folks, “eat the corn, toss the cob”.  We DO need to ask ourselves what the church should look like in the 21st and what it means to be a Christian in the 21st century.  However, that should not mean re-inventing the church but rather clearing off all the clutter that has tied the church down for centuries and returning to the original teachings of Jesus and His Apostles.  The truths taught in the Scriptures are timeless.  They apply to all times and all cultures.  “Love your enemies” is just as meaningful today as it was 2,000 years ago.  “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” will STILL server you well today.

The problems ome because folks aren’t satisfied with counting the cost and taking up their cross daily to follow in the Savior’s footsteps. Jesus taught that the way to the Father’s kingdom was through the difficult and narrow path. Today folks want to widen the highway and “improve things”. But that wide, fourlane highway is the path to perdition – according to the teachings of Jesus the Christ. He warned us that it would not be easy to follow His paths. But He also promised us that He will help us along the way. There will be no problem, temptation nor trial that is not common to mankind. And with His help we can overcome them all.

Do we need to “rethink” or “re-invent” the church?  NO.  Not really.  We may need to re-think how we’ve been “doing church” – but in the light of how Jesus the Christ established His Church and with a view to scraping away the trappings of man and re-instating His original plan.

One advantage to being an MK is that it has been my pleasure to experience God’s working in various different cultures.  It has been my pleasure to worship and study with Brazilian city dwellers – and sertanejos and caboclos as well. I have gathered together with saints in Colombian cities and in tiny rural churches as well.  And in the US I have been able to meet together with large “mega churches” as well as tiny rural congregations.  And although there are great differences in the way certain things are done – they all (for the most part) taught the Gospel of Jesus the Christ.  It has been my fortune to come from a heritage of people who take God’s word seriously.  And so although in practice there are differences – three songs (first, third and fourth verses only)  or one “praise song” sung many times, or an hour or two of singing “favorites” – there has also been a sameness in the actual content of the basic teaching.

I’m not big on the Reformation as some friends of mine are.  I thank God for the men who laid their lives on the line, but also see how they fell short of the mark.  They kept a lot of the “human trappings” that had come down to them even though they DID shead a lot of the false teachings and human trappings.  But there is much more that needs to be done to return to the  Old Paths that were trod by our Savior.  And although I’m a “child of the Restoration Movement” I also see how they kept much of the Reformation’s human trappings as well.  One branch in particular has been so tied up in trying to find a viable pattern for their notion of “worhip” that they have tended to ignore completely what the New Testament actually teaches on the subject.

So where does that leave us today?  I believe that we need to see what former generations have done – and continue to delve deeply into the Scriptures to see how much better we can implement the Lord’s teachings no matter where He may lead us.  One of the keys to successful missionary effort is in distilling the Scriptures and their teachings down to that which is universal in application.  For too long churches have reproduced themselves right down to the pews and bulletins as they take the gospel around the world.  After all, to them that is “church”.  But what about the teachings that lead us to live a life different from those around us?  What about “renewing our minds” so that we can know what the will of God is?  I, for one, am sick of seeing churches that mirror the world.  If we have the same level of teenage pregnancy and the same level of divorce and immorality as the world around us – we have lost our savor and are not fit for anything but to be trampled under the feet of mankind. He called us to be salt and light – not to be just like everyone else.

Now don’t misread what I’m saying here.  The church is the place for sinners to come.  But in the words of Jesus the Christ – “go and sin no more”.  One does not go to a hospital because one wishes to remain sick.  Nor should one come to the Church in order to remain in the world.  After all, the Scriptures refers to ALL Christ’s disciples as “saints”.  That means “holy” or “separated” people.  We are to separate ourselves from the world, not adapt ourselves to it.

Unfortunately, the “emerging church” is based around “seeker sensitiveness” and the Gospel’s fangs are removed – leaving it toothless in the face of sin and depravation.  Is this what Jesus taught?  I think not.  He laid His cards on the table and was accused of “hard sayings” because He equated improper thoughtlife to adultery and told folks that He was the Only Way to the Father and that they’d have to “eat His flesh and drink His blood” if they wanted to come into the Kingdom.  Those were not exactly “seeker sensitive” words and attitudes.  He told people flat out, “You’re seeking me because I filled your tummies with food.” And today that is what many churches are striving to do – make folks feel good and leave it at that.  But living in sin is not supposed to “feel good”.  It is supposed to wear at us and worry us and nag at us until we repent and turn back to God’s paths.

What would the “emerging church” look like if we actually lived like Jesus taught?  What if we actually repented from our sins and came to Him humbly, seeking His direction for our lives?  I believe that then we would once more “turn the world upside down”.  But that’s not going to happen as long as we sugar coat the Gospel.

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