I want to be a reformer

Now today is my birthday and I have had a busy weekend.  I have received so many well wishes from so many people this weekend, via facebook, mail, and in person.  Thank you all so very much.  At dinner yesterday with my family Vania asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday.  Now at my age, (I am not old yet) birthdays sometimes are just another day.  So, I said to Vania, “I am not sure, it’s just another day in my life”.  She stood up from the table motioning at herself and said “just another day! If it wasn’t for you” waving at herself.  I got it and Jeannie just laughed saying “I guess biology class is paying off.” 

Now in all seriousness, I want to take the time to share from my heart.  After seeing so many friends we have connected with over the years and so many youth that Jeannie and I have had the privilege to minister to, I can truly say I am so blessed.  God has placed me in this world for so such a time as this, and as I get older, I can only hope, I have made a big enough ripple in the pool of life to impact as many as possible for the good.  Over the last few years after hearing from so many I am beginning to think God has blessed me in just such as that.  I am a man blessed beyond capacity, enriched with love and lasting fruit of my labors.  I see this in my own children and the many we have ministered to who are still actively growing in the Lord.   I thank and love each and every one of you from my heart.

I have been bloging for a few weeks now and this in it’s self is a learning experience for me.  I am here just to ignite a passion, and thought in you.  Hoping to build a learning experience for all of us and a forum for us to talk and get answers.   I will get back to the theme I was on next week but for today I want to share my life experiences with you, and along with that, it still goes with what I have been sharing.  In no way do I feel bitter or angry and that is not the reason for such a topic that I have chosen.  It is from my heart and the things I have learned over the years and want others to grow and from that is why I do this.  I have always had questions that never received answers or because I dared to ask them, was rejected, even by ones I felt was dear to my heart.   I have even lost friends, and fellowship from other ministers for asking question concerning what I would call religious sacred cows.  

When I moved to Texas I decided to do church differently, but in a few short months with me only making a few small gradual changes in the church, they decided I was not the man for them.   After about a year we started a new church saying from the beginning we wanted services to be the result and not the cause.  We went to a church plant seminar and found that there was no real working model for us to go by.  So once again we found ourselves doing what we have always done because that was what everybody expected. 

Then there came a man by the name of Billy.  He loved the Lord with all his heart, because he knew what God had brought him from.  He was unorthodox and had a lot of questions.  He had seen what religion had done and had enough of that.  He grasped the concept of what I was saying and felt God wanted in our group.  In services he would speak out, share or even ask questions.  Often this was even during my teaching and preaching.  Others were just shocked and thought he was so disrespectful, but I never saw it as such.  He had questions and needed answers.  This kept me on my toes in study and prayer.  The church services began to open up, people were beginning to get it and understand our services were open and they needed not leave with questions or with needs not being met.  There were times it seemed like a debate between us but we loved each other and would allow each other to be themselves. 

This only lasted for too short a time.  Billy became sick and died.  During His sickness I would spend one evening a week at his side just to love on him and talk.  One day he looked at me and said “Pastor they just don’t get it do they?”   Then he shared with me something I already knew. “Pastor I would often disagree with you or ask that hard question for them, so they could get it and know that a church could be open.”  “They just did not get it, how can you pastor people who don’t get it” I told him it can only be by the love of God.  I could only hope that a few would get it.  Billy died and I miss that man, our services have not been the same since.  By the grace of God we are now changing into what I feel and see was what God intended for His church in the New Testament.

Let me share with you my experiences, as simple as it is but, much like you.  53 years ago today I was born to Clara and Lester Anson in Schylur, Nebr.  It was a day of a miracle from the start.  First, I was a result of a promise the Lord gave my mother to have a son (I have three older sisters).  Second, that after my birth the doctors said I was going to die but God gave me a miraculous blood transfusion changing my blood type.   I knew from an early age there was a God purpose for my life and from the time I can remember I fell in love with God and pursued that purpose. 

I preached my first sermon at the age of 11, I don’t remember what exactly I preached but it was already prophetic then.  I do remember what the pastor did say after that message, which is forever burned in my heart.  At the time I did not realize what he said was so prophetic.  He said as I was preaching it seemed that I was throwing spiritual stones at spiritual walls, knocking down traditions and ways of men that were blocking freedom for God’s people.  I was stoning spirits that were holding people in bondage, setting people free.  Today, I now know what that meant, and still ask God to guide me to the fullness of that word.  I feel today that God has called me to be a reformer, to break down walls of tradition.

Growing up I sat at the feet of my pastor learning the word of God, yet seeing things different and growing with many more questions.  I just knew I had to be what God wanted in my life. As I entered my teen years, I had already suffered wrong and set backs.  I struggled with all the same things many teens do and maybe more due to some of the things that had happened to me.   I just remember reaching a point of pouring my heart out to God.   At that time I was asking to be like many of the great preachers of that day.  I will never forget the voice of God that day as it spoke so clearly to me.  Some may say it was my imagination or I made it up but, I even today know in my heart it was God that spoke to me.  “Why do you want to be like those men, you are aiming to low?  I have a purpose just for you and it is even greater than they.  Seek me with all your heart and I will make you what I would have you to be.”

At the age of 16 I felt the call of God to move to Independence, Missouri, to grow in ministry under a pastor there.  I don’t know how to explain it nor how it may have came about, I just knew that was where God wanted me.  Some how arrangements were made and I moved in with a family.  At that time the rest of my family was still in Nebraska.

I could make this a long story but, at this time I will make it short.  Due to a series of events in my family and by then their involvement in the same church I was kicked out of our home and on my own at the age of 17.  I stood for what God said was right and also, what I knew in my heart to be God.  Through all this I was still growing with more questions and finding few answers.  I was sent to set under a pastor that was very charismatic and showing a power of God that I had only seen in big ministries that I had been exposed to.  This was a very Pentecostal church with the whole package, if you know what I mean.  The Pastor was what they called apostolic.  We were taught everything about submission and all that went with that.  I did not stay in that church because I felt they were teaching all the right stuff, I stayed because that was where God put me.

Over the 17 years I was there, I grew in ministry and leadership.  I became connected to many different ministries and traveled one year with an evangelist.  My eyes were opened to so much that few do not understand.  I know that there are some of you that may read this that came from that same church; I may or may not know your personal experience there, good or bad, but please understand mine.  I could not fall back or give up, I heard a voice from God and I was there to learn.  Many may never know the heat I took for standing up for them when I saw them wronged by the pastor.  Many may never know the heated fights the pastor I engaged in.  A few were very close to being physical, all because when I saw a wrong I was not afraid to make a stand.  Yet, I stayed! God would not release me.  I know how it is to respect ministry and a man of God even when you see his flaws.  This man even did me wrong and violated areas of my trust that no one should.  Wrong is wrong and the system of church I grew up under fostered this kind of spiritual abuse. 

What kind of system you may ask?  Well where the Pastor is master and chief, he is the only one who can hear from God.  The Ministry is a special kind of elite status, and the members are there to do the work and support it with their money, even if it keeps them from paying their bills.  Tithe or else was the call from the pulpit.  Questions were piling up with very little answers.

What I was reading in the word was not matching up with what I was seeing.  What I was going through in life was not making since.  I was the one living and doing it by the book, or was I.  I worked on a job 40-50 hrs a week and then worked for the church for no pay up to 40-50 hrs a week.  It was costing me my family and my life.  Yet I could not leave at that time. 

Then, the time came for us the leave that church.  You would think I had learned enough about church systems and unbiblical leadership, but I guess I didn’t.  The first church was a living nightmare.  I began to teach and do things according the bible and ran head strong into tradition.  Well, before I knew it I was out and made to feel like a criminal.  I ran into opposition with in my own fellowship over the events in that church. The leadership would agree with me that the Bible does teach what I was doing, but we just don’t do it that way anymore.  They sided with a man (that was caught in an affair a few years earlier) against me; my only wrong was going against their traditions.

I started my own church a little later, and all hell so to speak broke out against me.  I did not know what I was doing but, I just did not want to do it the way I had been exposed to.  I wanted to change things but did not know how.  So, I found myself doing church like we always have.  Yet, I refused to give into the pressure to be like all the others.  I began a journey with God; dug into His word and poured my heart out to him.  God began to radically change me and heal me from within.  Yet, the church that I had built was already hung up with traditions and was not going to change with me.  So, after 13 years I knew I had to resign to move on into the areas God wanted for me. 

I traveled for a few years sharing God’s love and purpose for all who would  listen.  During this time I myself was rediscovering the Bible in a whole new way, and finding God a fresh in my life.

 I have found myself in Texas doing what seems starting over.  In a way I am.  I am finding answers to my questions.  Finding those who except me for who I am and are not trying to change me to fit their mold.  I can’t go back and do church as usual.  I can’t get angry or bitter at those who wronged me for they have been tools to shape me into the man I am.   I don’t feel I am the only one right, and do not wish to abandoned my long time friends.  When you read these posts they are not because I am angry or bitter, they are a part of my journey in truth. 

I feel a God call, to tell others, to help them discover God in a fresh non-man made way.  To discover who they are through Jesus and the kind of relationship they too can have with the Father.  These posts are designed to spark thought and discussion, to break through and find truth.  Its ok, ask the hard questions, challenge my thinking, and let’s discover what is in God’s word.

There are so many of you out there that I love and are in my heart.  You are in our prayers and God Bless!!!

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Church Leadership II

“Custom without truth is error grown old” Tertullian, Third Century Theologian

Let’s look at a little history and see what got the church in the trouble it is in today. 

In 303 AD the Christians was under the greatest persecution they have received to date.  They were being beaten, all their property taken, and many killed.  When Constantine became emperor of Rome he started what was called religious tolerance.  Persecution has ended and rights were being restored to the Christian.  During this time hot debates over church beliefs, leaders, and methods were happening.  Some of these debates lead to riots and killings by Christians to Christians.   There were deep resentments directed towards those who seemed to compromise to spare their lives during persecution.  Since about 69 or 70 AD after the destruction of Jerusalem and the persecutions of believers by Jews and Romans, and the last of the book of Acts apostles were dead.  They church leaders and churches were scattered all abroad.  There was no conformity in groups and leaders.  Then new leaders began to emerge on the scene, which were schooled in Greek philosophy and held to the teachings of such people as Socrates, and Plato.  These men were charismatic and demanding leaders.   This problem lead to the first council of Nicaea, (325AD) ordered by Constantine, and directed by him. 

Many historians agree this was the beginning of the organized church.  One thing was sure that what happened at that council was detrimental to the church of Jesus. It was not truly represented by all the church leaders, and anyone who disagreed with the outcome was exiled out of the Roman Empire.  This assured the beginning of an organized church and leadership.  It was the beginnings of church as a business and controller of society.  Constantine built the first known church buildings, set up the order of leadership, and ordered church to be held on Sunday.  Sunday was unique in the fact that Constantine was still a worshiper of the sun god, thus the day of the sun, Sunday. Much of how church is done and our practices can be traced to these beginnings.  The teaching that salvation could not be received apart from the church, which birthed a leader class called the clergy.   The leaders depended on the fact that its members did not have a bible and was not educated in the word of God.  The members of the church became dependent on its leaders for understanding of the word of God.  This kind of structure leads to abuses of authority, and how money was taken up to support this top heavy leadership in the church.  Offerings for indulgence, purgatory, and sainthood were forced.  

Church historian Rodney Stark says “For far to long, historians have accepted the claim that the conversion of the Emperor Constantine (ca 285-337) caused the triumph of Christianity.  To the contrary, he destroyed its most attractive and dynamic aspects, turning a high-intensity, grassroots movement into an arrogant institution controlled by an elite who often managed to be both brutal and lax…..Constantine’s ‘favor’ was his decision to divert to the Christians the massive state funding on which the pagan temples had always depended.  Overnight, Christianity became ‘the most-favored recipient of the near limitless resources of imperial favors.’ A faith that had been meeting in humble structures was suddenly housed in magnificent public buildings-the new church of Saint Peter in Rome was modeled on the basilican form used for imperial throne rooms”

 Now, over many years there have been some great reformations and changes.  There have been great men and women of God that have showed courage in going against the norms of their time.  Yet, many of these reforms did not go far enough to restore a basic community of believers and doctrines that was according to the New Testament church.  They would start out on a right path and then fall back into the hands of false teachers and doctrines of men. They all served their purpose to bring man a little closer to what God wanted in us, but we can’t stop growing and learning, we most move forward.  We have the Luther reformation and the Calvin one in 15^th and 16^th century, where we reestablished salvation by grace, but yet there were problems.  All these reformations did not restore ministry to where it began and belonged, among the members. Much of the reformation was based on the ideal that people could not know God or even grow spiritually with out being preached to. Church was and still is stifling participation of each member to operate by God’s spirit in ministry. Leadership was not dealt with; it still had a dependency on a professional clergy. 

Here in America we have the great awaking in 1730-40, bringing us to repentance. The second awaking in 1800-1830 where there were great camp meetings and many sinners were saved.  The Holiness movement of 1857, but yet through the 19^th century it was doctrinal differences and leaders that kept the church separated.   Also, the 19^th century produced the concert style format of church service we now know.  Then in 1906 we have the Azusa street revival and another holiness movement.    In much of my reading of Azusa, it was the members of the congregation and young people that God used in many manifestations, not the leaders.  Yet it did not take long for the leaders to bring this back under the control of a clergy leadership.  We have the latter rain, charismatic, faith, and history will only tell what we are living now will be called.  In all this we still do not see a ligament move of a church body.  There is still a separation of clergy, and laymen, being driven by a top heavy leadership in organizations and churches.  We look more like clubs and where CEO/Pastors lead services with worship leaders who try to get everyone emotionally involved. Where leadership thinks participation is people clapping to the music, raising hands, giving, and responding to calls of prayer. Churches today often foster passivity in its members who now expect their leadership to do everything.  We still look like a big business, what some would say if you want to find the truth follow the money.  

Now, before you get angry at my last statement, let’s be honest a lot of what is done in the name of the Lord today is about raising money.  The world sees it and the business community knows it, yet the church denies it.  In America alone combined church properties are worth $230 billion.  A large part of a church budget goes for building debt, service, and maintenance.  This is about 18% of the $50-$60 billion tithed to the church annually.  Another large portion goes to salaries of staff and preachers, and then down on the list may be missions, the poor, and if anything is left helping its own.  One thing I have found out, that truth does not have a good pay check.  Over the years I have talked with many who would admit that they were wrong, yet were afraid of changing because of the life style they were now enjoying as things were.  I am not against ministers getting money and the bible tells us that it’s OK.  We just don’t have to do it by fear tactics, and false teaching.  For many years I felt like I was under pressure to perform for others and felt the pressure of my peers that a successful minister was doing it fulltime.  I was told anything from, I lacked faith or being fulltime was a sign of success in ministry.  Today I choose to be free from the performance trap and who cares what others think.  It is God’s approval that I seek. 

I guess what I have learned from the word of God, history, my own travels and experience is that God did start a wonderful thing called a church which is a community of believers, within whom God has raised up leaders.  Now the Biblical example of leaders has shown a heart after God and humility before people.  They are from the same body and stay connected to the body; they are no different than any other part of the body.  Not one member is greater than another (I Cor.12).   The early church functioned in unity and each member contributed in ministry.  (I Cor. 14.26; Heb. 10.24-25; Acts 13-21, 20.17,28-29; I tim.1.5-7) Its leadership was pluralistic not singular, they had many leaders, elders, deacons, and so forth, none of whom were paid.  I realize that I do not have all the answers, or that my preaching is going to change a thing.  I have learned that what often works best is just simple one on one discipleship, getting down into the lives we minister to.  Rolling up our sleeves and getting dirty with those who need to be pulled out of the gutter.  I am not saying we need to become like a sinner, but like Jesus be willing to go to where they live and eat their food and learn to love on them.  Professional preachers have often forgotten where they have come from.  They have become celebrities, with body guards, living lifestyles far above those they minister to.  Teaching doctrines nobody dares challenge without being called a devil or worse.  Don’t be mistaken we have this in small scales too in small churches where pastors demand respect and treat everyone as if they are there to serve them.  From these churches and ministries we need to run as far away from as possible.   Let’s get back to the basics of the gospel message.  There are great churches out there and great church leaders.  We need to up hold them but not expect them to do what we can do ourselves.  We should be working hand in hand with them learning from each other.  We need to set each other free from what I call the performance trap, recognize what God is doing in each other and encourage the potential.  Great churches will produce great leaders, and great godly leaders will recognize they are just a small part of the whole.   God should be getting all the glory in what His church is doing not us.  Let’s not become victims of our past history.   

 Next week I will share some personal thought, experiences, and ideals about leadership.

Church Leadership

Church Leadership

Now I am entering a delicate area of the church.  I do not want to be condescending or even seem arrogant.  I do not want to dishonor any of the well intended ministers and the hard committed work they do.  I just want to take a fresh look at the role of church leadership.  It has through history been proven that church leadership has set the tone of all church movements and direction.  We all know that Jesus is supposed to be the head  of his church, but how that is done has over the years been left up to the interpretations of men we call our church leaders.  For this reason I do not want to debate who is right and who is wrong.  I will look at some scriptures and then some history and let you be the judge.  I feel how we look at church leadership forms our views of what a church should look like.  For most people all the information they get about God and what the bible teaches comes from their church leadership of whatever form that is, or what kind of church you are a part of.   Before I enter this subject let’s understand that our system of church in today’s modern world is greatly influenced by our society and life styles.  Today’s modern church produces many social influences, raises millions of dollars, sets mind sets, creates a social step stool to what is conceived to be success and blessed.  What I mean by this, is many people will look at a preacher or person and say they must be right because of the prosperity, and following they have.  This is not how the word of God addresses such things.  We should always judge things by the fruit of the spirit of God, (Gal. 5.22-23) not by the standard of this world.

As I have mentioned in the past article that the early church was first made up of Jews and they may have fashioned their meetings and organization after the synagogue system.  It stands to reason and even looking at the development of the church body we find structure and leadership much like a Jewish synagogue.  The synagogue did not have a singular leader.  They may have been able to hire a leader for the sole purpose of making sure that the business of the building and group was taken care of.  Then this was overseen by the members of the group.  They had many leaders all having similar yet different responsibly, yet they were subject to the membership.  There was a since of family and cohesiveness in each group and this prevented scripture abuse.   If one was to begin teaching something contrary to the scriptures, they were quickly dealt with or even excommunicated.  This does not mean that if this person had the personality and good use of speech that were not able to draw a following and start their own group, which history all the way up to our day proves to be so.     

Let’s start with scripture and see how the church looked at leadership.  First let me say that in Revelations the letters in chapters two and three were not to the churches per say but to the leaders.  With this perspective you will read these chapters with fresh understanding.  Each letter starts out with “to the angel of the church”.  In the Greek the word here is aggelos, meaning messenger.  This is what the lead reader of the scrolls was called in each Jewish synagogue.  Because of this there are many scholars that believe the seven churches were in fact synagogues.  I will deal more with this later.  In Acts 2 we find the beginning of the church as we know it today.  Peter was the one to deliver its first message, not because he was a better leader, he was just a little more bold.  Thousands were being added to the church and they were meeting in the temple court, synagogues, and homes daily.  People were following the teachings of the apostles, which were primarily, Jesus the Christ, the son of God who lived, died and rose again, ascended on high with the promise to return and set up an earthly kingdom. Note: (they all believed the kingdom message would happen in their lifetime.)   Then there arose the churches first problem, which needed leadership.

 Like the synagogue the church became the center of their social life and all matters were dealt with through the body of believers.  There were needs of the poor and the generosity of the rich.  Now the church was taking on a social responsibility.  The Jew was well versed in God’s commands on taking care of the poor, widows, and orphaned.  James even states it in (James 1:27 NIV)  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.   The church was now overseeing the distribution of funds for those who had needs.  At that time in Jerusalem there were many coming from other nations due to a great persecution of Jews through out the Roman Empire, then the heavy oppression by Roman against the land of Judah.  Needless to say there were many in Jerusalem without home, food, and jobs.  The new group of believers found themselves filling this gap and meeting the needs of those that came to them.  Now these were still all believers that were receiving this help. (Rom 15:26 NIV)  For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.  There is no indication that the church was feeding all the hungry in Jerusalem.   They were taking care of their fellow believers.  Because of this problem according to Acts 6 we find a selection of seven men by the people from among themselves to oversee the business of taking care of the needs of the poor.

These men were not called deacons or elders anywhere in the Bible.  Yet as we see they were able to teach and preach.  In later history by early church fathers they receive the titles of deacons and elders.   So how do we come up with biblical church leaders?  By looking in the pattern we see as the church developed.   We find a man by the name of Paul who was sent to spread the word of God through out the world.  What we now call missionary Trips.  He was sent with Barnabas from a group in Antioch not Jerusalem, after they prayed and laid hands on them for the commission.  Every town Paul went to, he would start out in to in a synagogue, then to homes.  If opportunity was present he would just start preaching in the market place. ( Acts 13.5, 14.1, 17.1&2,10,17, 18.4,19, 19.8) Once a group of believers was established he would set up leadership from within the group to help in the growth of that group.  You will find in Paul’s writings he address many of these.  We must understand in all this, that at this time not one believer had a bible of any sort.  Any scripture they might have known about would have only been found in the local synagogue.  They had to rely on the good teachings of men.  It was this group mind set and cohesiveness that help foster the ability to stay true to the teachings of the apostles. 

We find in Acts 15 another problem arises.  There are Jewish believers that tried to make all the gentile believers keep the Jewish rituals, such as circumcision, holy days, and foods.  Notice there is not direct leadership or central headquarters; they just met at Jerusalem to deal with this.  There was no one trying to make anyone have a church service in any such way.  Each group was left up to them how they met and did things.  It was Jews that felt they needed to make everyone be like them.  This was resolved in Acts 15 in part, but we find in the writings of Paul He had to deal with it in Rome, Galatia, and the Colossian church.  Paul defended the rights and freedoms that came through Jesus.  All believers were saved by grace and not of works, and that all were free from mosaic laws.  Even today many churches still try to mix Mosaic Law with grace, this doe not work.

 For the sake of time and space lets look and see what these early church leaders looked like and what was their role.     (Eph 4:11-12 NIV)  It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, {12} to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up

We find here that God gave us leadership.  Yet today there are many who have perverted these verses.  There is no place in the Bible that elevates any one of the above leadership roles above the other.  The focus here should be their given purpose, to disciple people for growth in ministry and spreading the good news message.  Ministry should be the extension of an overall group not just a personality or individual.  Looking at the above areas we should look simply at what each one means.  The ideal of being called a five fold ministry was developed from what I can find only in the last hundred years.  Then when it is being taught, it is from a corrupt ideal of a dictator type leadership where one is in all authority and they only can hear from God.   The Word apostle simply means sent one. This is where we may get the ideal of a missionary.  Then prophet is one who foretells or just speaks for God, a preacher so to speak. Evangelist is one who preaches the gospel of the good news.  The church already has the good news so we should know where the evangelist should be found, in the market place.   The pastor, teacher are similar and too many are the same, I also feel they are one and the same.   The Bible has much to say about them, and I feel we can once again look at the synagogue for similarities of defining their role.  They can be called bishops, elders, and teachers.  The point is they are responsible for the word of God in a group.  There is no other leader that can shape a group more than a pastor or teacher, good or bad.  I also want to note that a pastor is not a profession but a position among a group.  It does not have anything to do with how many is in a group (a synagogue only needed ten), but everything to do with a heart to disciple others wither it be ten or thousands, full time or part.

In Acts 20. 17- 38 we find Paul meeting with church leaders and giving them instructions for leadership.  Then we find in His writings to Timothy and Titus in giving the qualifications and principles for leadership.  When Paul met with the elders in Ephesus, he shared his story of ministry and encouraged them in theirs.  He gave them instructions in leadership, and to take their role in the church seriously without greed. We even find that Paul was bi-vocational, and in doing much research early church leaders did not get paid for services in their groups.  Like in the synagogue, elders, and leaders were lay-members and were not paid.  Now this does not mean they did not receive blessings, honor, and gifts from those who received teaching from them. We do find Paul statement concerning his working. (Acts 20:33-35 NIV)  I have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing. {34} You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. {35} In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"   It sounds to me that Paul not only worked for His needs but for the needs of those who traveled with him and that he worked hard for others.  Wow! I wonder how many preachers today would do that.   He warned them that after he would leave that many false teachers would arise, drawing people to themselves.  Just a note about preachers today, that no matter what they say, if they are building themselves up drawing many to their teachings, red flags should be going up especially if they refuse to hear from anyone else for correction when they are wrong.  Boy history has proved out Paul’s warning.  (Unfortunately we have many such cases we can use as examples in our recent history)

Look at 1 Tim 3, and see what Paul has to say about church leaders.  Once again I know there has been hot debate over certain parts of this chapter, but I want to point out a few things.   First Paul opens with the ideal that someone could lead out of desire, not just a calling.  Of course, I am not sure why anyone with a pure conscience would want to lead people today and live under the scrutiny they would receive.  Actually all of Paul’s writings to Timothy are basically instructions in faith and good leadership.  We can learn a lot from what Paul teaches Timothy & Titus.  Paul also warns Timothy of false leaders and how to look for the warning signs.  There are many ministries today that would fail a limpness test comparing what they do to the letters to Timothy.  Satan has set out to destroy the church, when he could not do it from without through persecution, he has been more successful from within the church.   We have churches today that are full of people who have gathered to themselves teachers having inching ears, and our book stores are filled with their books, telling us we need to be like them.

I could go on and on and fail to fully share what I have been discovering in research and study.  Now let me say that there are many great men and women of God that are leading churches from a pure heart.  Then there are many today that are corrupt in heart and are teaching for wealth and gain.  I feel it is time that God’s people get back into the word and stop following personalities that sound good to our ears.  I am amazed at what you can hear on Christian radio, television, and in many churches.  Makes me wonder if anyone is paying attention to what is said or do they really know the word of God.  When something tragic happens in our world, look at what our church leaders say.  From hostile use of words to lets all get along mind set.       To be continued next week

Church

Part II

   In this second installment of the article on church, I want everyone one to know my heart.  After receiving phone calls, emails, and facebook responses, of which many were kind.  I could see that you might be missing where I am coming from.  I am not saying we need to go back to anything or we need to quit what we are doing, I am simply opening it up for discussion and thought.  Then, if we from what we see and hear are compelled by the Lord to change, then do so.  I myself have no desire to go back to the way things were, nor do I want to make sweeping changes just for the sake of change.  There are some traditions that have been handed down from the New Testament writers that are good, but, do we truly understand what they were teaching or are we just repeating what someone else taught us what church the fathers meant.   There is a good share of thinking and tradition that has been fashioned after pagan rituals and accepted as truth and orthodoxy.   There is a book written by George Barna and Frank Viola that deals with this, but yet they do not expose everything.   The book is called “Pagan Christianity”; they address many things we do in church today and where they come from, reveling startling truths from preachers to methods of services.   

  Lets be honest here, if what we are doing is so right why isn’t working the way it should.  Pastors are being burned out and quitting ministry and churches are closing their doors.  Then the groups that seem to be growing are weak in faith and truth. Other religions are growing faster in America than the Christian churches.  The Barna Group is showing there is a major shift in how people see church and are seeking alternatives to traditional church.  After all these years of great movements and revivals the church has made no greater impact than it did a century ago.  One third of all adults in America are still unchurched.  According to the Barna Group of this one third (34%) (24%) are atheist and agnostic. (20%) are of a non- Christian faith. The remaining percentage call themselves Christians but attend no kind of church, of this group, 15% call themselves born again. This varies from region to region, from the east coast to the west, from north to south.  Then there is another startling statistic, which a large majority of our youth leaves the church at 18 never to return.  Once again the Barna Group has some staggering numbers and reasons.  I could spend a lot of time dealing with theses but for time sake and your reading I will not.  I would encourage you to take the time and see for yourself.  There is an article on the top six reasons the youth leave our churches, which is eye opening.  The fact is, today our youth are being bombarded with science and secular humanism, and their faith is under attack.  Then what they get in church neither prepares them for what they are to face in life or many of the teachings they get in church makes no since, in a troubling world.        

  While doing some research into this matter I have found so many groups from one extreme to another, they all telling us they are right.  From heavy oppressive leadership and legalism, to those who teach nothing and are so loosely assembled that anything goes and is accepted since we are all going to the same place (speaking about heaven).  Do not get me wrong and again I say it, do not get me wrong.  I am not speaking for or against your church or the ideal of church.  I do believe everyone needs to belong to a group of some kind and what that should look like is what you are comfortable with, as long as there is a clear message of truth.  Like I said in part one the word for church in the Greek is ekklesia; meaning a community or group that comes together.  Many of the usages in the New Testament were not addressing a whole but a singular group or place so we know we are encouraged to belong to a group.  (Heb 10:25 NIV)  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

 With the above said lets start taking a good look at the church in the Bible.  The new church that started in Acts chapter 2 was made up of Jews that held fast to the Jewish ideals of Christ.   They first began meeting within their synagogues and believe it or not there are some things we do today that can be traced back to them.  With that said let’s look at the synagogue and its function and way of worship, maybe we will see a pattern here.  Synagogues began in Babylonian captivity between 606-536 B.C...  The exiled Jews could not go back to the temple in Jerusalem to worship so they began to gather in the communities they were assigned to.  These meetings were dedicated to preserving the word of God and their devotion to the Old Covenant.  Even when they were allowed to return back home to the land of Judah, many remained behind being dispersed to various parts of the world.  By the time of the Roman empire synagogues were in about every civilized town. 

 The synagogue was a place where they Jew could come every day to offer prayers and worship besides what they did in their homes.  To establish a synagogue there had to be at least 10 men to make up a meeting.  Women were allowed in the meeting, but sat in their own designated place.  This would be a building where the Jewish community would revolve around.  They not only had Sabbath services (we will look at that later) but it was somewhat like a community center, school, and local court to settle civil matters.  Youth were taught in the law and traditions of the Jewish way. 

Each synagogue had leadership that would over see the affairs of the group and building, There would be one or more responsible for the reading of the word.  If they were fortunate to have a Scribe to make sure they were accurate in the law that was even better but not all groups had one.  The local synagogue was run by laypeople and financed by membership dues.  Each building had a platform and podium from which they read the word.  They would often let visiting Rabbis read from the law, such as Jesus did in Luke 4.17-20.  They would have a booth called a “holy ark” where they kept the scrolls, considered the most sacred items in the synagogue.

  The order of a worship service would be some what in this matter.  They would come together and one of the leaders would read from the scriptures (mostly the books of the law).  Then someone would be called upon from the congregation to share what the reading would mean for the hearer in daily life.  This could take any where from a very short time to hours depending on what was being spoken, or how many would share.  Then there would be a psalm of benediction, prayer and then they were dismissed.  To this day most synagogues still operate in this matter.  I myself have had the privilege of doing some remodeling work on a synagogue platform and taking the time to talk to a Rabbi , asking many questions on how they conducted their services, and I was amazed in many similarities.   The ideal of group worship was not common, they believed that was more a private matter in their daily lives, and every good Jew would take time daily for worship and prayer.  There were also times in solemn assembly they would worship together (we will deal more on worship later).    (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Robert Yarbrough “Encountering the New Testament”, Judaism 101)   

With this understanding let’s look at the new birthed church in the Bible.  Other than in homes (Acts 2.44), and notice in the beginning when they met they were not a place for the unsaved to get saved but were already believers coming together because of their faith.  Boy have we got that one turned around now days.  The early church would be meeting in the local synagogues when they could.  Until Cornelius in Acts 10 there is no record of any gentile member.  That event took place in a home as well, but we are looking at the synagogue right now.  Stevens’s great message that got him stoned in Acts 6 was in a synagogue of former slaves from other countries.  Saul, later called Paul first went to synagogues to bring believers back to Jerusalem for judgment, then to their homes.  Then when he began to preach he started in the synagogues Acts 9.20.  In fact as you read in Acts, Paul would often start with the Jews and in their synagogues teaching them about Jesus. (Acts13, 14, 17, 18 ).  This would explain somewhat why the church would fashion it’s services after a synagogue.

The point I want to make here is the way they conducted a service in a synagogue has many similarities to a modern church but yet there are some great differences.   It is these differences that even today that are dividing us. There is much of what we do today that was developed much later, about the third century. The way we do things such as worship and rituals that there is no evidence in the scriptures that the New Testament church did.  The ideal that salvation or getting saved at alters as we know it today through the church or taking place in the church also developed many years later.  Over the next several weeks I will be looking at many aspects of church and how we do things.

I want to deal with the following:

• Leadership
• Worship
• Service styles
• Denominations
• Doctrines
• Legalism
• Apostasy

 I know I will challenge many of you and your thinking.  I might even make some of you mad.  I have always been known for killing sacred cows.  Please join with me in our search for truth and let’s talk about these things.  In all honesty none of us have a corner on truth and let’s face it there are a lot of things we would all change if we had the courage to do so.  We have a troubling world we live in and we need pure direction from God in giving answers to the questions people have.  The unbelievers today are convinced that the church hates them and is out of touch with reality.  While we hide out in our four walls doing our Sunday duty, singing and preaching, making sinners feel bad and righteous people feel better.  We are bleeding members that leave our groups angry and disillusioned never to return to the faith, because to them it don’t make since in their world. The world around us grows more angry and misguided; we are facing a post Christian society while we are having church.     

  When I came up in church and under many preachers, a lot of what they taught me, did nothing to prepared me for what I was to face in this generation.  Even when I began to pastor my first church, I quickly found out how little I was prepared for.  I muddled through making so many mistakes.  Looking back there are some things I wish I could take back, but I can’t dwell on the past.  As I began to lead a group on my own and started studying more for each service I began to raise more questions than answers.  How was I to deal with the people that were coming to church with so many different ideals, from who God is to how we should live?  I went to those who I trusted as leaders and what they offered me was based on traditions or things I knew were no longer working.  “Just be faithful” they would say, but I was hurting and in need of truth, and just staying where I was at, being faithful was not helping.  

In closing this week I will not tell you to just be faithful, get up and search for truth.  Like the disciples of Jesus they had some what an ideal of the truth but could not wrap their brain around it.   They understood that Jesus was the one but could not at first accept the ideal of him suffering, dying, and resurrecting from the dead.  That is why they where so taken back and discouraged when Jesus died and had a hard time at first accepting that he was risen.  It seems to be a human condition.  When we are confronted with a truth over something we have held in tradition over many years we will stick with the tradition simply because we are familiar, and comfortable with it. Let me use a quote from an unknown source “when a man is honestly mistaken and hears the truth, he either ceases to be mistaken or he ceases to be honest.  What will you be!