i, church

I have a lot of respect for people who stand up and speak passionately about this thing called church. Often the stirring rally cry of “There is more than this” is seeing as a threat to those who find comfort in the predictability of routine or those who prefer keeping their religion scheduled and apart from other aspects of their lives. Brett Fish Anderson is one of those folks willing to stick his head out and his debut work is a great read. He speaks from the heart and reasons from scripture as he exhorts the church to fulfill her potential in Christ.

There are plenty of highlights in i, church such as Brett’s ideas regarding the kinds of things that should be happening or that should be more evident within the church. He has a list of 13 of them which includes amongst other things loving God and people, community, breaking bread and drinking wine, witnessing and discipline others, prayer, bible reading, 2 way communication and social justice. Something else I really enjoyed is a portion on ‘running the race’ as opposed to the ‘walk with God’ thing we often hear about. I also thought that i, church did a great job of defining what the church is not and so hopefully there are people out there who will realize that they were not growing despondent with church as much as they were with what they may have perceived the church to be and hopefully this will lead them back into fellowship again.

The only real negatives for me were from the section subtitled Can you be a Christ follower without being part of an institutionalized Sunday gathering. If it were simply addressing lone ranger Christianity then it would have been fine but I do see the informal yet still intentional House Churches as a viable and healthy exception to this. Using Brett’s 13 ideas of what should be evident in a church; I think the institutional church is more prone to failure in those areas than House churches may be. Breaking bread (as a full meal), accountability, wrestling with the bible and 2 way ministry are impossible in large, formal gatherings and the sad reality is that even in churches which have home groups during the week, the larger portion of its members will always be involved merely as spectators on a Sunday.

Let it not detract too much from the rest of the book though. It is not a one book to solve all your problems and questions read but it is still a valuable contribution to the subject of this thing called ekklesia. Also, It is not only for those who have grown disillusioned with the church but it speaks directly to those who still think that ‘their’ church is the bee’s knees as well.

My favorite section of this book is just a collection of other people’s contributions on how they would define the church or how they feel toward it. There is a great variety of voices which gives a good indication of how the rest of the world thinks and feels about us. I absolutely love how Brett figured out a way to make this an interactive thing. Church is not just about what happens between 9 and 11 am on a Sunday. Church is expressed through the lives of the body in very real ways in a very real world everyday and everywhere. Brett gets it.

                                                       Bacon rating

You can pick up a copy of i, church by clicking here and you can read Brett's blog by clicking here.

House church 101 - Temples built by men and the Temple built by God

Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool, Where is the house that you will build for me?” – Isaiah 66:1

Much has been said in organic/house church circles regarding Israel’s demand for a king in 1 Samuel chapter 8 where the people rejected God in favor of being ruled over by a man (see verse 7). Many have likened it to how the church has fallen into the same trap by establishing a clergy/laity system in which the majority live out their faith passively through a priest or pastor who is elevated (willingly or not) above everyone else in their gatherings. In this post I would like to draw a similar illustration by focusing on Israel’s temple (as well as modern church buildings) and how they miss what God had originally intended for His people. I should start by giving credit where it is due; the idea for this post and some of the scriptures below are found in Keith Giles book “This is my body” which I am currently reading, it is a really good read and I highly recommend checking it out (you can download it for free by clicking over here).

The temple that men built

Okay; let’s start off here by stating that it was always Gods desire to dwell amongst His people. He is not some disinterested deity with His feet up sitting in a couch somewhere on the other side of the universe. Rather, He is a loving Creator who is actively involved with His creation. We see this in the Garden of Eden where God walked around in the cool of the day. After things turned South in Eden and people strayed further and further away from God. We read His request in Exodus 25:8 for His people to build Him a Sanctuary that He may “dwell among them”. It is worth mentioning that God desired a mobile home where He could always be among His people. Wherever they went, ho would go with them. The tabernacle came with very specific design instructions which are beyond the scope of this article (okay and often beyond the understanding of the articles author). But the bottom line here is that the tabernacle is filled with types and shadows of greater things that were to come in Christ.

So how did we go from tabernacle to temple to Christ? It may surprise you to learn that it was never Gods intention to build a temple, the idea originated with King David:-

Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around, that the king said to Nathan the prophet. “See now, I dwell in a house made of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains”. – 2 Samuel 7:1-2

Nathans first impulse seems to have been to affirm David’s idea (see verse 4) to build a permanent home for God to dwell in but later that night God gave Nathan a message for David:-

“Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Would you build a house for me to dwell in? For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about with the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I have commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’” - 2 Samuel 7:5-7

As the dialogue continues God reveals to David that He Himself will build a house and adds to that that He will establish an everlasting kingdom from one of David’s seed to reign over it.

…Also, the Lord tells you that He will make you a house… I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish His kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever. I will be His Father and He shall be my Son. - 2 Samuel 7:12-14

Most people (including David and Solomon) apparently believe that God was saying that because David had too much blood on his hands; the temple building duty would fall to one of his sons (Solomon). I think that they all assumed incorrectly as the text specifically says that the Lord Himself would make the house (see Acts 7:47-51 as well for confirmation of Solomon’s blunder). Neither Solomon’s temple nor his kingdom lasted forever. So surely 2 Samuel 7:5-7 must be pointing to Christ and a temple that He would build. Nevertheless, I am getting ahead of myself, so Solomon picks up the baton from his father and builds a temple for God. Notice his words in 1 Kings 5:3-5

You know how my father David could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until the Lord put his foes under the soles of his feet. But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence. And behold, I propose to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to my father David, saying, “Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build the house for My name.”

That Solomon missed the fact that it was the lord who would build Himself a house is further highlighted by his declaration in 1 Kings 8:13:-

I have surely built You an exalted house, And a place for you to dwell in forever.

Fast forward another chapter and you finally get to see what God’s response was regarding Solomon’s temple. It gives the impression that, like Israel’s request for a king, God endures with, rather than ordains or endorses this new house. In a warning to Solomon about what will happen if his sons would fail to follow Him; God directly addressed the temple which Solomon temple

“And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and will hiss, and say, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this land and to this house?’ Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, and worshipped them and served them, therefore the Lord has brought all this calamity on them.”

Sure enough, Israel turned its back on God and the temple was eventually destroyed. Fast forward a little bit again to when the second temple was about to be built, we see some interesting insights as God uses the opportunity to reveal His plans for the true temple that was still on its way. The second temple would be a sign pointing to the true temple which God had previously promised to build Himself. Even the name Joshua in the following verses is significant because it is the same Hebrew word used for Jesus’ name. The bible initially made the distinction between Joshua and Jesus purely to avoid confusion for its readers and hearers. Here are the key texts from Zechariah which highlight what I am saying:-

‘Hear , O Joshua, the high priest, You and your companions that sit before you, For they are a wondrous sign; For I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH. – Zechariah 3:8

Then the word of the Lord came to me saying: …“Behold the man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the Lord; Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord and He shall bear the glory. – Zechariah 6:9-12

The physical temple along with the sacrifices and priesthood was never going to be a permanent deal. Jeremiah says in chapter 3, verses 16 and 17 (in the book of Jeremiah):-

“Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in those days,” says the Lord, “that they will say no more, ‘the ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore.”At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem.”

Wow! The Ark of the Covenant was central to Jewish worship. It represented the presence of God as dwelling among His people. Without it, the temple, the priesthood and sacrifices would be meaningless. It is also significant that Jerusalem is identified in this passage as where God reigns as we will see in the New Testament which brings us to part 2 of this article...

The true temple of God

“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up again in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. – John 2:19-21

In the New Testament the true temple of God is finally revealed in Jesus. In Revelation 21 John writes that the New Jerusalem will be the Lamb’s wife (verses 9 & 10) but that there will be no physical temple in her, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple (verse 22). We have being invited into communion with the Godhead as He has made the church the temple of the Holy Spirit.

For you are the temple of the Living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God and they shall be my people.” – 2 Corinthians 6:16

But Christ (is) as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. – Hebrews 3:6

Coming to Him as a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Christ. – 1 Peter 2:4-5

Consider for a moment that the church is the only house that God ever built (Matthew 16:18) and the only temple that God ever sanctioned. Yes, He was and is willing to meet people where they were and work with them through the consequences of their decisions. God still worked through the kings of Israel and Judah, He still showed up in the temple and He still used it but it was only a shadow of what Christ would do later on. But just because we can still see the fingerprints of God in something it does not necessarily mean that it was His ideal.

Consider that the purpose of the temple was that it would be a place where people could be in the presence of God and offer sacrifices, it is a holy place where the Spirit dwells. Isn't this a definition of the church? The place where the Spirit dwells; where the people offer their bodies as living sacrifices, their reasonable act of service. She is the true house of God.

Church was never meant to be that building you attend once a week, God dwells in us 24/7 and where two or three gather in His name He is there in the midst of us. The temple Jesus is building looks nothing like the cathedrals that surround us. The brick walls that we may or may not assemble between are just that. They are not necessarily bad or wrong. The early church would gather at Solomon’s Porch and Paul reasoned with the Greeks in the school of Tyrannus for two years so that all who dwelt there would hear the word of the Lord. Once again, brick walls are not bad; they are just that, brick walls. Do not make the same mistake as Solomon did, let God build His church. So if you want to put any funds and energy into a church building project, consider doing so by investing directly into the lives of the living stones which make up that glorious temple. When we take food off a widow’s plate so we can buy a better sound system we are not building the church. When missions are sacrificed for a new coat of paint we are not building the church. When church buildings are built we are not building the church! The church is built only where Christ touches the lives of people in a way that furthers the Gospel of the Kingdom. Where members are added to His body, where disciples are made and where the ekklesia is edified. This may happen through His people but unless it is He who builds the house, we labor in vain.

Other posts in this series

Gathering to Christ
Two kinds of church
The Lords supper
A church without tithing
On authority, submission, coverings and accountability

The odd one out amongst ‘the Least of These’.

This post is part of the MennoNerds Synchroblog series taking place during Lent on the subject of suffering. Before reading the post below though I ask that you click on the video link first. 

A picture is worth a thousand words (so a video should be worth a few more) but for any international readers visiting here allow me to translate some of what is mentioned in the video above.

There are 600 000 Afrikaans speaking white South Africans (out of a total of 2.7 million) that are falling into or living in poverty.
131 000 white Afrikaaners are in desperate need of housing.
45% of rape cases involve children.
One toddler living on the East Rand (which is where I live) says that “Rich is when you eat more than once a day”.

Now I could have shared a video of a black squatter camp and believe me, black squatter camps are everywhere and the living conditions are just as terrible and the people living in them are equally in need of aid from those who have the resources to share with them. There are also of course areas with make shift homes where black, white and colored people have settled down together as well. But I intentionally linked this video because I wanted to make a specific point in this post which is that ‘the least of these’ are not always as obvious as our initial assumptions assume them to be. So many people, usually those who are outside the country, have strange ideas about what life is like in South Africa. I would recommend you read this post (click on the orange words) to get more of an idea if you are interested in that. But this particular post is not about what it is like to be black or white or about the pros and cons that may be associated with either. Rather, this post is about looking beyond the assumptions which we all subconsciously make about people.

                                      REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly

We make nasty judgment calls about people thinking that they must be on the streets because of a drug problem or other destructive habit.Every time a new act of terror goes viral on social media a large proportion of people will make blanket judgments about Muslims. How many people realize that the majority of ISIS’s victims are and will be other Muslims? One article I read said that they have marked 200 million other Muslims for death that they regard to be apostates. A wealthy lady in an upper class neighborhood can be counted among the least of these if bank accounts are not our only criteria we choose to measure people by. How many women get trapped in abusive marriages? How many school bullies are acting out because of their home environments?

Yes, we make generalizations because they are generally true but my question to you is how many people do you think we are we letting fall through the cracks because their skin color, their gender or their social status did not qualify them as victims in society’s eyes? Jesus had time for the poor just as he had time for the Samaritans, the Roman Centurion, Nicodemus, the tax collectors and the religious leaders around Him. It is true that scripture places extra emphasis on the poor and the widows (and so should we) but I would like to highlight that all men are broken in some form or another. When I read Matthew 23 I can envision a tearful Jesus pleading with the scribes and Pharisees as He says to them “what sorrow awaits you” because He cared deeply about the path each of them was on. These were men of high social standing and Jesus took no delight in their imminent downfall. Therefore let us learn to be charitable to all men and not just those who fit the mold. Until we can without prejudices feed the hungry, protect the week, speak for those who have no voice and bless our enemies rather than wishing any harm on them; we will not reflect the Jesus who is our example in all these things.



To read more articles in this series MennoNerds Synchro-Blog series reflecting on suffering during the Lent season of 2015 to http://mennonerds.com/tag/mennonerds-lent-2015/.  To find out more about MennoNerds in general, go to http://mennonerds.com/about.

Why I no longer pray for revival

This post is part of a Synchroblog for the month of February on the subject of 'Renewal'. Check out the list of contributions from those who participated at the end of this post.

I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city…so two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water, but they were not satisfied. - Amos 4:7-8

I once knew a godly man who had his alarm set to go off at a certain time every day. Whenever that alarm went off he would drop whatever he was doing and go and pray for revival. As far as I am aware this went on day after day and year after year until the time that he passed away in his old age. But while I greatly admired his discipline, perseverance and obedience to his convictions, I cannot say that I feel the same way about revival. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see the lost coming to Christ in their droves and I am a believer in the gifts of the Spirit and desire to see churches flowing freely in them for the edification of the body. But still I have my reservations about revival meetings and here is why.

Revivals never last

Every revival that you have ever heard of lasted about as long as Milli Vanilli’s moment in the spot light. The Welsh revival, Azusa Street, Asbury College, the Jesus movement and the Lakeland Revival (should we even be counting that last one?) all ended as suddenly as they begun. I am always reminded of the words in 1 John 2:19, “If they had been of us, they would have continued with us”. People who try Jesus in the same manner they try going to the gym every year for three weeks before Summer arrives are like the seed that fell on the stony ground in that they receive the word with joy but as soon as the going gets tough they fall away. Not that everyone who was involved in those movements fell away, many of them are today still faithfully serving Christ. But revival meetings do not show us who Christ’s followers are. All the hype and emotion that they bring attracts a crowd like Jesus' feeding of the 5000 did and it is easy to get caught up in all the excitement of the moment. After miraculously feeding the multitudes Jesus could have continued with his ‘signs and wonders’ meetings as the crowds started to swell but instead He followed it up with a teaching (about eating his flesh) that caused nearly everyone to walk away from Him (John 6).

There is a possible exception to the rule here though in what has taken place in the Chinese House Church movement for the last 60 odd years. China has been described as experiencing revival by some and it continues to gain momentum. Perhaps it is because the Chinese House churches have not focused so much on revival meetings, charismatic preachers or the health and wealth gospel but rather they have emphasized Christ and discipleship instead. It is hard to disciple people when we are hosting meetings night after night for fear of the hype that has being built up losing its momentum if we were to break for a while.

Staying Christ centered

Revivals always have a name attached to them and it is not Jesus. It is generally a certain preacher or faith healer who heads it up and the movement lives and dies with them. We refer to the anointed one (literally the Christ) as the man on stage or the bands powerful music. Focus tends to get lost and our prayers are often centered on personal spiritual encounters or personal needs (which do have a place, let's not throw the baby out with the bath water) rather than on the Kingdom of God.

We also like to attach the name of a location to our revivals. Come to Brownsville, Toronto or Lakeland. I am not saying that the Holy Spirit does not show up and do incredible things through certain churches because I am pretty sure that He does. I do find it weird though that we feel we can catch the Holy Spirit like the we pass on a flu virus. All we need is to find a city of infected people and God will do the rest. Jesus taught the woman in Samaria who inquired as to where the correct place to worship God was that the true worshipers did not go here nor there but worshiped in 'spirit and truth' (John 4:20-24). Similarly in Luke 17:20-23 Jesus taught us that the kingdom is within us. If Jesus is doing something great in another city then it may be beneficial to visit there and report back to your local body. But what they might have is freely available to you as well no matter where you reside.

Some peculiar things

There are a few other things that I find strange as well. What are we seeking that we have not already being given? 2 Peter 1:3 says “…His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue”. And why do we associate Gods moving with big, loud and emotional events? Jesus taught that the kingdom comes like a mustard seed not like a rock show (Matthew 13:31-32). Lastly and perhaps most alarmingly, why do revivals always end with segregation? In the aftermath of every revival we find new Christian splinter groups formed leaving the body of Christ looking like a stitched together Frankenstein monster.

Revival or Renewal?

This post has been a bit negative up to this point but I would like to offer something positive in closing. Only dead things need to be revived, the Church may be struggling, she may be run-down and perhaps even broken but she is not dead. It is my conviction therefore that the Church is in need of renewal rather than another revival. Revivals will come and go and people will throw their crutches away and then they may or may not get a new pair a few days or weeks later again. But renewal will transform the Church long term, of this I am certain.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. – Romans 12:2

So this might be a first but let me suggest that we rather start praying for renewal in our meetings. If you have no idea what that looks like, read the rest of Romans 12, it may not be as glitzy and glamorous from the outside but getting that right would transform the Church completely!





Other participants:-

Abbie Waters – It is Well with My Soul
Done With Religion – Renewal
Mark Votova – 30 Ways the Church Can Find Renewal
Jeremy Myers – I am Dying … (So I Can Live Again)
Phil Lancanster – The Parable of the Classic Car
Susan Schiller – Renewal by Design
Glenn Hager – Repurposed
Clara Ogwuazor-Mbamalu – Renewal of the Spirit
K. W. Leslie – Those who wait on the Lord
Lisa Brown – Momma’s Kick Off Your Shoes and Stay For A While!
Jenom Makama – …Like An Antivirus
Leah – Renewal!
Liz Dyer – Put Your Mask On First
Peggy – Abi and the February 2015 Synchroblog – Renewal

The Mysteries of God

This post was written by a dear friend of mine, Jaco Truter, who is a part of the group of believers that I break bread with every Sunday. I wish I could point you to his own blog but for the time being such a place does not exist. He shared a message on the mysteries of God similar to the one below last week and I asked him if I could have his notes and share it with all of you over here. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The grand narrative of Gods relationship with man as set out in the bible, details a definite sense of progressive revelation from the Old to the New Testament. Such grand doctrines as the Trinity, the New Covenant and God personally being the salvation of His people are all seen in the shadows of the Old Testament yet it is only in the New that we really see them in full color.

One such set of shadows hidden in the deepest part of the heart of our God are the Mysteries…

Consider the following scriptures:-

…I (Paul) became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God. The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. – Colossians 1:25-28

…that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. – Colossians 2:2-3

In Paul’s gospel (as revealed to him by the Lord Jesus), Christ is revealed as the Mystery of God.
Yet it does not stop there; in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in chapter 3:1-6 we see the Church revealed as the Mystery of Christ and in Ephesians 5:30-32 it is clear that union with Christ is the Mystery of the Church (see also 1 Corinthians 6:17). This is illustrated in the diagram below.

But there is yet another mystery to be revealed and this one is the real linchpin as all the other mysteries are revealed in this one…

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew, for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. - 1 Corinthians 2:7-8

1 Corinthians 1:18, 23-24 and 2:2 reveal that God has achieved all that He planned in His eternal purpose through Christ crucified, foolishness to the world, but to those who believe, the great power of God to salvation. Read those scriptures below and let them really sink in.

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

"But we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."

"For I determined not to know anything among you except Christ and Him crucified."

Note that these mysteries are the expression of the true wisdom of God, which is foolishness to the unregenerate:-

…Teaching every man with all wisdom - Colossians 1:28
…are hidden all the treasure of wisdom and knowledge… - Colossians 2:3
…we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery… which none of the rulers of this age has understood… - 1 Corinthians 2:7-8
Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God... - 1 Corinthians 1:24

Paul sums these four great mysteries up in Colossians 3:3 but in the opposite direction to that revealed in the diagram above.

For you have died and your life is hidden in with Christ in God.

“…for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ…” equals the mystery of the church.
“…hidden with Christ…”  equals mystery of Christ.
“…with Christ in God…” equals mystery of God.

And what exactly is the grand purpose of these mysteries?

To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. - Colossians 1:27

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory - 1 Corinthians 2:7

Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him - 1 Corinthians 2:9

When Christ who is our life appears, then you will also appear with Him in glory. - Colossians 3:4

A Living Alternative

If you are a regular reader here you should have noticed the “A Living Alternative” ad on this page before. The book was written by a bunch of my online Anabaptist minded friends from the MennoNerds group which I am affiliated with. Although I personally have no official association with Anabaptism outside of the MennoNerds network; it is an expression or tradition within the Christian faith which I have discovered mirrors my own personal views regarding how this thing called the Christian life is to be lived out. I have gained much by reading Anabaptist writings and the testimony of the original 16th century Anabaptists is truly inspiring.

Anyway, now that I have finally finished reading the book for myself let me tell what I thought about it. Firstly, it is a collection of 20 essays over about 300 pages written by twenty different people. reading the book could be likened to a certain degree to how I experience fellowship when the church that meets in my house assembles together. Everybody brings something unique to the table, some people open up and share from a very personal place within while others tend to be very academic and have the ability to make a seemingly insignificant portion of scripture come alive with meaning and beauty. And then there are others still who never seem to share a lot of 'info' yet they encourage and inspire with the fruits that are evident in their lives and stories.

A Living Alternative has this kind of a feel to it. Some people like Chris Lenshyn and Steve Kimes take a look back at the history of the church (something that really appeals to me) to remind us of what the church once looked like and where it may have wondered off the path. Others like Drew Hart and Deborah-Ruth Ferber remind us of the value of those persons and people groups whom the church has often ignored and even oppressed and that their voices are equally importanat and vital to the life of the church. Tyler Tully shares in his chapter how the scriptures were compiled and written (the OT in particular) and how they should therefore be understood and interpreted (this chapter is probably best read slower than the other chapters and may need a few extra reads to be fully digested). Several others shared on very specific topics such as the importance of community and an outward focused church, hospitality and the gifts of the Spirit. Benjamin Corey contributed a great piece as well which really just highlighted Jesus as the centre of all that Anabaptism stands for.

Some of my favorite parts of the book were the chapters on hospitality by Hannah E. Heinzekehr and Deborah-Ruth Ferber’s chapter on being a single person in the church and her thoughts regarding celibacy. Robert Martin’s chapter on ‘Starving the Beast’ was also a great read which looked at how kingdom people can offer a tangible alternative to the systems of oppression and power which the empires of the world operate by. I could not help but think though that Roberts chapter could just as easily have substituted the words government or empire with the word church and it would still be frighteningly accurate. This is an area where the Anabaptists and organic churches can be a real example to the rest of the church. Showing how, under Christ’s headship, there is no need for abusive hierarchies as we learn to “submit ourselves one to another”.

I would definitely recommend this book, especially to those who perhaps have grown up outside of the Anabaptist tradition as it really covers all of the fundamentals of a faith centered on Christ that will be able to withstand the coming waves that a Post-Christendom world is and will be throwing at those of us living in a Westernized culture. I am not saying that everyone should become Anabaptists but rather that there are treasures within the Anabaptist tradition that almost all other groups have lost sight of and could benefit from. It is a genuine alternative to Protestant and Catholic or left and right wing religion. In all my years growing up in Protestant churches how is it that I had never heard the word praxis before? I can honestly say that, while I did not agree with every single word written in the book, every contributing author has brought something of value to the volume of work which I could take hold of and apply in my own life. If you want to find out more about A Living Alternative click on the image of it in this article and if you want to read other articles and blogs by the authors go check out the MennoNerds by clicking over here. In closing, let me leave you with 2 of my favorite quotes from the book. The second one in particular really resonates with me:-

“I value the Holy Scripture above all human treasures but not as high as the Word of God, which is living, powerful and eternal, and which is free and unencumbered by all the elements of this world.” - Joanna Harader quoting Hans Denck

“(The Anabaptists) Protested what they saw as halfway measures taken by Luther and other magisterial Reformers in purifying the church of Roman Catholic elements. There ideal was to restore the New Testament church as a persecuted remnant as it was in the Roman Empire before Constantine. To them, the magisterial Reformers were all stuck in Constantinianism and Augustinianism. These were the two main diseases of medieval Christianity that the radical Reformers wished to eradicate from their own independent and autonomous congregations, if not from Christianity itself.” - AO Green quoting Roger Olsen

The one about the open letter to those writing open letters about what is wrong with the church.

Recently there was a blog post doing the rounds on the internet which was getting a lot of shares on facebook and other social media sites. If you want to read that post you can do so over here but the basic message it conveyed was that people should stop saying what it wrong with the church and being critical of its faults and simply trust that she is beautiful and that God is sustaining it.

I feel that the author of the original post has made several flawed assumptions in her post. Number one is the confusion between what or who the church is. The post takes exception to all of the criticisms being made relating to church programs, whether they are relevant and if our Sunday meetings are too flashy or not quite flashy enough. One quickly realizes that the church being spoken of in the article is not the people who make up the body of Christ on earth so much as it is the Sunday morning service which is made up of professionals, volunteers and spectators (this definition of church includes attendees who may not be born again as well). While I cannot speak on behalf of everyone who has voiced concerns with some of the things that take place in church halls across the globe I can say that I personally believe that one can maintain a high view of the bride of Christ while still calling her to pursue holiness as well as challenging some of our liturgical traditions.

The second area where I believe that the post has missed the mark is in that it paints a picture of people leaving or criticizing the church as being disgruntled, disillusioned or just downright selfish. This is incredibly sad to me as I have personally experienced the rejection, condemnation and judgment that comes with pursuing Christ outside of the institutional church. And I have since spoken to dozens of people who have gone through the same things as they have sought to follow Christ into a deeper reality of ekklesia and community. Many of the people that I know who have left the institutional church have not done so for selfish reasons but have done so specifically because they wanted to start gathering around Jesus. Many of them have had lies spread about them and have lost many friends for seeking to follow the Shepherds voice.Those who believe that the church should pay no attention to what people who are asking questions or are on the outside are saying may be surprised if they just sat down and listened to some of the stories from those on the outside which brings me along to point three.

There is a sad irony in a reasoning that says one should not mention the churches flaws but then turns around and says that it is okay to criticize the people who have grown tired of or who are simply questioning the methods and practices of the church sytem. The church is not bricks, pews, programs and liturgy but the people who have been joined together in Christ regardless of where they meet. So when you are critical of the people raising flags and start calling them spoiled, selfish, consumeristic and biblically lightweight; it is actually you that is being critical of the church.

The last point that I would like to make is that the bible itself makes a case for open letters addressing what is wrong with the church. Paul wrote the Corinthians a letter to address their immorality and lack of brotherly love. He wrote an open letter to the churches in Galatia who had fallen for the false teachings of the Judaizers. He wrote a similar letter to the Colossians who were polluting the true gospel by mixing it with legalism, Greek philosophy and mysticism. Jesus himself had a message to the seven churches in Asia Minor which was delivered through John in the book of Revelations. Jesus did not feel the need to bite his tongue when he repeatedly said to those churches, “nevertheless I have this against you”.

Yes, she is His bride and yes, He loves her and gave His own life for her. But as many as He loves He rebukes and chastens. Certainly, His words and those of the other New Testament authors who wrote addressing the churches problems did so with a view toward building her up and correcting her path. And I will concede that not all of the criticism that has been laid against the church has been done in a spirit of love. So yes, before throwing our 2 cents in about what is wrong with the church we should all be prayerfully considering just exactly what our motives are for doing so. But sticking our heads in the sand and saying that it’s all good regardless of our fruits is spiritual suicide. Let us examine and prepare ourselves for Him.