Food for Thought

The following excerpt was taken from a book by Edwin Hatch [1888] and makes an interesting observation. I found this at the Christ is All blog where a lengthier citation is given. If you'd like to read the rest check it out here..

It is impossible for any one, whether he be a student of history or no, to fail to notice the difference and contrast between the Sermon on the Mount and the Nicene Creed.
The Sermon on the Mount is the promulgation of a new law of conduct; it assumes beliefs rather than formulates them; the theological conceptions which underlie it belong to the ethical rather than the speculative side of theology; metaphysics are totally absent.The Nicene Creed is a statement partly of historical facts and partly of dogmatic inferences; the metaphysical terms which it contains would probably have been unintelligible to the first disciples; ethics have no place in it. The one belongs to a world of Syrian peasants, the other to a world of Greek philosophers.
[Why] an ethical sermon stood out in the forefront of the teaching of Jesus Christ, and a metaphysical creed in the forefront of the Christianity of the fourth century, is a problem which claims investigation…

Quote of the Day

We have felt a lot less emphasis on "what we're going to do in life" and a lot greater desire to be the man/woman, father/mother, husband/wife that God desires us to be

This was a comment on a blog I was reading. I copied it to my personal journal, but forgot to note who wrote it and where I found it. I've thought about what I'm going to do with my life since 7th grade. Recent changes in my life have brought this question to the front once again. The wisdom in these words spoke directly to me and reinforced what God has been trying to get me to understand these past few years. Simple Be. Being is more important than believing, knowing or doing. What we are is more important than our accomplishments. Our accomplishments will pass away, but what we are is eternal.

Can the Bible be our creed?

The other night I was able to drop by and participate in a friend's house church. After the meeting he mentioned that he was thinking about writing down a statement of beliefs for the church. The church was born in his home about two years ago and has already grown into two churches that meet in his home at different days of the week. It would seem to make perfect sense to write down the core beliefs that this gathering of believers hold in common and consider essential. In fact whenever I'm on vacation or attend a church with a friend or family member I usually pickup a copy of their statement of faith just out of curiosity. For some reason however, when my friend told me his intention to write just such a statement I became uneasy.

I wrote him an email a couple days later in which I explored my concerns. To be honest I was really surprised at how strongly I felt about this - almost embarrassed by how strongly I felt. After further reflection however I think I realize that if I take these creeds seriously, they would separate me from a body of believers that I have come to appreciate. Having reached out and been blest by fellow Christians outside of the box of my denomination, I'm not eager to withdraw behind those walls again. Here is what I wrote:

Why do you feel you should write down a creed or doctrinal position statement? What do you hope that will accomplish?

I ask these questions because I’m a little concerned. Historically, creedal statements were made after growth periods and were used to “settle” doctrinal conflicts within the church. Rather than settling the issues however they created divisions (or highlighted existing divisions and set them in concrete).

One of the dynamics of house / organic church is that the Holy Spirit is drawing people together from different denominations. God is drawing people in certain directions and revealing truths that are not welcome in “institutional” churches. People are drawn out or thrust out of their churches and are now gathering together with others who share their spiritual experience and revelation, but not their doctrinal background.

This is exactly what happened a century ago when God began baptizing people with his Spirit. Tongues, supernatural healing and words of prophecy scared the leadership of the “mainline” churches. When people shared what God was doing in their lives with others in their churches, they were forced out. Sermons were preached about how those who spoke in tongues were of the devil or deceived – in a similar way that house church is sometimes condemned in many “institutional” churches today. These people met together in homes for fellowship because they were unwanted everywhere else. Here were Baptists, Methodists and Episcopalians, worshiping together because of their common experience and belief in the power of God’s Spirit. These believers are the predecessors of all the Pentecostal and Charismatic groups today. Succeeding generations in the “main line” churches of that day eventually came around because the spiritual vitality of these believers couldn’t be refuted. In time they sought to find a way to embrace this move of the Spirit in ways they could incorporate into their existing theologies. If house church / organic church demonstrate a similar spiritual vitality and multiply, then I’m sure “institutional” churches will attempt to embrace those parts of it that they can integrate into their existing theology. As these Pentecostal groups grew they sought a way to organize or affiliate with each other, as they needed government recognition for certain things. They did so, but in time doctrinal divisions formed and doctrinal debates ensured. Creeds were then established that splintered the Pentecostal movement. But originally, it was just people with varied doctrinal backgrounds worshiping together because of a common participation in a move of God.

I say all that because I was hoping the believers who share the house church / organic church calling and experience could relish the unity of the body of Christ a little longer before they begin drawing boxes around themselves. Could the Bible be our creed? Could we admit that we are all still growing and learning and be open to the beliefs of others than can be clearly articulated from scripture? Would a creed really be of any assistance in reigning in doctrinal error? How good have other creeds been at accomplishing this? What makes us so competent at distilling the essential interpretations of scripture that we don’t trust succeeding generation to be able to do so? Does the body of Christ need creeds, or are they primarily for the survival of religious organizations as they help divide the greater body and then unify a sliver of it? I don’t have all the answers my friend. Perhaps it’s not even possible to avoid written creeds and let the Bible be our creed and our lives our interpretation of it. I think however, that I am going to try.

A Reply

I'm not sure why, but it is sometimes easier to write in response to a friend's question or comment that it is to sit down and write a blog entry. My friend Keith recently sent me an email to vent about frustration he was experiencing and bounce some ideas off me. He was so impressed with my reply that he asked permission to post it on his blog.

You can read it here.

A Dream

I'm not one who normally tries to interpret dreams. I'm not particulary adept at recognizing and interpretting symbols, and I doubt whether most dreams have a meaning anyway. Lately however, my wife has been having what she describes as "weird dreams." When she tells them to me however I immediately see a clear spiritual message to us and the church at large, that she herself did not see. Below is one such dream. I'll resist the temptation of telling you what I think it means. What do you think?

Our pastor called a leader’s meeting at a nice hotel. My wife did not want to go, but she went because it was important to me. The meeting was held in the restaurant at the top of the hotel. While we were discussing church business, my wife noticed a large group of people had gathered on the balcony outside and were throwing themselves off the building to their death. She was distraught and tried to get us to help, but all the church leaders (including myself) simply looked the other way and continued the meeting.

Finally my wife went out to the balcony to try to get the people to stop jumping off the building. They explained that were killing themselves because no one loved them. My wife insisted that she loved them and she was able to save many of them from committing suicide.

She returned to the leaders meeting in time to hear the pastor invite us all to go skinny dipping. Everyone was eager to go, but my wife freaked out and tried to get everyone to see what a sin that would be – but no one listened. Finally as she continued making a scene the pastor’s wife took her aside and explained that it was Biblical quoting a single word from a verse to make her point. Despite all her protests, my wife was unable to stop us.

Just then she realized that our son was not with her. She searched everywhere for him but could not find him. Finally she forced me to leave the leaders meeting and go look for him. Not finding him, I gave up and returned to the leaders meeting (yes, I’m not the hero of this dream). She then continued frantically looking for him until one of the people she had saved on the balcony came and asked her what was wrong. When she explained that her son was lost, all the people she had saved banded together and hundreds of people searched for him. Our son was found, all alone and crying in a corner. Then she awoke.

Orthodoxy

"There is nothing unorthodox about what is in the Bible."
- Grady Hancock

My grandfather spoke these words when I called him years ago to explain that I was mailing him a handkerchief that my church had anointed with oil when we had prayed for him to be healed. I explained that it might seem unorthodox to him, but that the book of James taught anointing with oil when praying for the sick, and the book of Acts mentioned that Paul had sent handkerchiefs to sick people he couldn’t visit and they were made well. While the Bible didn’t specifically teach us to send handkerchiefs to sick people 1,500 miles away, it didn’t say we couldn’t follow Paul’s example either.

My grandfather’s response – a lifelong Lutheran – was immediate and firm. “There is nothing unorthodox about what is in the Bible.”

These words by my grandfather have been burned into my memory. They serve as both confirmation and guide to my approach to living the spiritual life. I need not apologize for believing or obeying the Bible. The Word of God trumps any doctrine, theology or creed. They bow to the Bible, not the other way around.

The words of my grandfather have rung in my ears afresh over the past two years, as God has shown me powerful things in his Word that conflict with our church culture and theology. They have helped give me the strength to believe God, even in the face of opposition from the household of faith.

The Role of Teacher in a House Church

Some time ago I felt God instructing me to look at what my brothers and sisters outside of my church were doing to spread the Gospel. This led to my discovery and investigation of cell church, purpose driven church and organic / house church organizational structures. I learned valuable lessons from each of these types of churches, but of these I was most impressed with what was possible with the Organic or house church.

I haven't written about this investigation before because explaining it is actually a little boring. Spiritual life does not come from an organizational model - it comes from a living connection to Jesus Christ. At best these ways of organizing a local body of believers can be seen as a way to support and encourage the development of that spiritual life. At worst, they are a hinderance to true spiritual development. The organic or house church model has the advantage of almost zero organizational overhead, complete empowerment of each person in the church to use the gifts God has given them to minister to others, and the ability to grow and spread naturally and easily into almost any environment. However, many of the organizational norms of doing church don't apply to house churches. One of these is the role of the teacher. As a teacher, this is something that I wanted to get a handle on. Besides praying the meditating on this topic, I decided to write to a missionary house church planter that is starting churches among the unbelieving population of India. Here is a copy of that correspondence"

How does a teacher equip the saints for the work of the ministry in a house church setting?

I wholeheartedly agree that dialog, reasoning, and questions are all necessary for effective learning, and that a monologue often leaves people with the same unanswered questions and doubts for years, and if the speaker errs no-one can correct him. I also know that people can learn from the thoughts and experiences of other saints if only they were allowed to speak.

However, I still have difficulty understanding how someone gifted as a teacher can use that gift to equip the church in a house church setting. In the house church I visited, each person was able to bring a thought or need to share, and the group discussed it. It was refreshing. In this setting the best thing a teacher could do is keep his mouth shut and let people work out the answer for themselves - stepping in only occasionally. If the teacher was ever perceived as the guru with all the answers it would kill the whole dynamic and learning would actually decrease. I can understand that. I also understand that people can learn by seeing the Word of God modeled in the lives of those around them. But I can't help wonder how new believers would come to know the Bible if it is not taught directly - or asked another way, what is the role of the teacher in a house church?

Dear Brent,

You have my sympathy as I am also a teacher by gifting and have a great struggle to believe that the Holy Spirit can guide people to learn with very little monologue from me.

The role of the teacher is more of a facilitator and guiding the discussion and dialogue in such a way that it becomes fruitful and does not end in strife.

As my wife and I deal with a lot of seekers and non-literate first generation Christians who come from other faiths, it is amazing how these babes in faith come out with astonishing revelations and perceptions, which we often miss.

Reading your letter I am encouraged that you have the correct paradigm. Just practice it and see, what the Lord can do.

Shalom,

V.