Why SASHET is not enough (1)

Why SASHET is not enough (1)
February 11, 2015

In this video, I share about a humiliating experience I had over 50 years ago when I was in 9th grade.  I remember it like it was yesterday!  That experience illustrates why “checking in” with SASHET was initially difficult for me.  See if you identify with my story and share your comments with the rest of us.  Click on the picture below to go to our blog and watch the video.

You helped turn this tragedy around

Hi Dave,

You have been on our hearts during the first couple weeks of our current trip in Africa. I can tell you that adjusting to a 9 hour time shift, going 36 hours without sleep while traveling, being surprised by the ‘extra hot’ weather in Burundi, and the usual adjustment to the African environment is now mostly behind us!

As you travel as part of our team, you can celebrate with us:

• You have helped turn tragedy into new life for many women (see below). Also note that Brooks writes some compelling stories on these same women here.

• You played a part in this amazing story of two rebel soldiers who find new life.

Your prayers are so appreciated as we continue our journey through mid-December:

• DR Congo: training and empowering rural church planters, meeting with key leaders, and providing trainings with the Methodist denomination.
• Western Kenya: training with key leaders and time spent at Liberty School in Bikeke.
• Uganda: trainings and strategic meetings with leaders from all areas.

Your help turns tragedy into a whole new life

Bahizi was horrified as he saw the images of fire on TV that was destroying the downtown marketplace in his own city of Bujumbura. The fire destroyed thousands of businesses and left scores of families penniless.

He, and his wife Lillian, saw women in tears watching helplessly as their life savings literally went up in smoke.

As church planters in that area, Bahizi and Lillian knew they had to do something. As the fire receded, they made their way down to where the devastated families were looking for any remnant of their businesses.

Befriending several of the women who had lost everything, Bahizi and Lillian reached out to them and offered to help them start again with a loan from their own pockets. Amazed, these women began to open their hearts to the Gospel that they saw displayed in the compassion they saw in Bahizi and Lillian.

When we met several of these women, last week, their testimonies of God’s goodness overflowed from them. Their lives had become filled with a joy they had never known before. Their love for God was evident as they talked enthusiastically about reaching out to many others and starting churches in their homes.

NOTE: You helped provide training to Bahizi and his growing team of church planters that have now reached several provinces in Burundi and seen well over 100 new churches planted.

Blessings,
Roger & Brooks

P.S. You can stay connected with us through our un-edited, on-the-road travel blog.

THE LION AND THE LAMB

"His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace."
REVELATION 1:15


When John was given a revelation of Christ in the Isle of Patmos he
described the feet of Jesus as "fine brass as if refined in a
furnace." Brass is a symbol of judgment, and the furnace is a
symbol of wrath, purification, and refinement. This dimension of
the Lord Jesus was something quite new to John.

Because Jesus did not come to judge the world right away, but to
save it, we tend to think of Jesus only in terms of the "Lamb" -
meek, silent, longsuffering, and turning the other cheek. He
certainly is all that.

Yet here we get a glimpse of Jesus as the "Lion." He said He was
indeed a King, but that His Kingdom was not of this world. Up until
now the kingly aspect of Christ and the majestic glory of His
Kingdom had remained hidden.

Older is Not Always Elder

"Let no one despise your youth,
but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity." 1 TIMOTHY 4:12

An older person is not necessarily a spiritual elder. We do not look to the age of a person's physical body when determining their spiritual maturity. Of course, we owe a certain amount of respect to the aged by virtue of their seniority; but they may not necessarily be our elder in the things of the Lord.

One can be older chronologically and be quite immature in spiritual matters. Likewise, a relatively young man or woman can have a deep relationship with the Lord and be light years ahead of those two or three times their age. A young man or woman who knows God is more elder than a senior citizen who does not know God. We cannot judge by the flesh, or we will be misled.

Shalom,
Blog ini merupakan bagian dari pelayanan dunia maya (e-ministry) dari Eagles Nest Ministries dan pelayanan pastoral (e-church) Eagles Nest Fellowship. Pelayanan kami memiliki visi untuk “Memberitakan Kabar Baik, memuridkan dan mengutus setiap anak Tuhan untuk ‘menjadi gereja’ dimanapun mereka berada”.
Pelayanan kami fokus pada penginjilan, missi penanaman gereja, pemuridan dan memperlengkapi tubuh Kristus. Kerinduan kami dapat mengutus setiap anak Tuhan untuk dapat menjadi terang dan garam dimanapun mereka berada sebagai saksi Kristus hingga Kerajaan Tuhan ditegakkan dan diperluas.
Pelayanan kami berada di bawah naungan Tuhan Yesus Kristus, di dunia kami merupakan utusan Injil dari lembaga United Christian Faith Ministries.
Bagi saudara seiman yang mau konseling, turut terlibat pelayanan, mendoakan, bersahabat dengan kami atau menyalurkan dana untuk perluasan Kerajaan Tuhan dapat menghubungi kami di 081330135643 atau email: davebroos@yahoo.co.uk atau melalui Facebook (Dave Broos). Sedangkan bagi mereka yang mau mendukung pelayanan ini melalui dana dapat menyalurkannya melalui Bank BCA no rek 0081824788 atas nama Dave Broos.
God bless you all,
Salam dan doa,
Ps. Dave Broos

THE STAINED GLASS BARRIER

PRESENT TRENDS BACK TO SIMPLE CHURCH



From the sanctuaries to the streets . . . doing the works of Jesus wherever we find a need.



As we read through the life of Jesus in the New Testament it is difficult to find him organizing a religious gathering or an evangelistic meeting, or any kind of meeting. It seems that all of his large meetings, such as the feeding of the five thousand or the multitudes that gathered on the shores of the Sea of Galilee all took place more or less spontaneously as crowds would gather to hear what he was saying and to be healed of their diseases.



Jesus sometimes spoke in the synagogues on the Sabbath. Once he sent out the seventy, two by two, into the towns and cities where he himself would come later. He arranged for the final meal with his disciples, but aside from that, most of his earthly ministry took place as he walked among the people, taught them, and met their needs as he moved about in the ordinary events of daily life.



Jesus’ strategy was to go where the people were; to see the needs and minister to those needs. We find him healing a man at the Pool of Siloam as he walked by and saw his need. We see him feeding the hungry, ministering, teaching in the Temple, teaching on the streets, at the beach, in a synagogue or on a mountainside.



Once as he sat near a well waiting for the disciples to return with food for lunch he spoke the word of life to a woman of Samaria who had come to draw water. This resulted in making a trip to her town where so many people were listening and receiving his word that he stayed in that town two whole days preaching the Kingdom of God.



Nicodemus came to him at night seeking to know who he was and Jesus shared with him the message of salvation. It was to Nicodemus that Jesus spoke the most life changing sentence ever uttered, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)



As he walked along a crowded road one day he saw Zaccheus, a man small of stature, who had climbed a tree to get a better look at Jesus as he passed by. Jesus invited him to come down from the tree and as they ate a meal together Jesus led him out of his darkness into the light of life. Zaccheus became a different man right on the spot!



He healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever when he arrived at their house for a meal. She immediately arose from her bed of affliction and began to serve them.



Jesus' primary ministry was spontaneous responses to the needs of people as he walked through each day. In every place where he found people in need, he met that need in the power of the Holy Spirit.



At the age of seventeen, when I first started going to church, it was a tremendous challenge to learn "church talk." The King James Bible was the only Bible people used in those days in West Texas. Everybody prayed using King James language. It was unthinkable to address God in our prayers as "you." To be respectful we had to use "thee" and "thou." Then there was "wouldst" and "couldst" and "whence" and "hither" and "whither" and "thither." I finally got used to it but it took me a while.



Then I had another problem, I was finding it difficult to talk to people about spiritual things when I was not in a church setting; to talk about Jesus to people at work or to my friends who did not know Jesus was a huge leap of faith for me!



Then, the day came when I knew God was calling me to preach! The thought that I was to stand up on a stage behind a pulpit and speak formally to a lot of people through a microphone was the scariest thing I could imagine! At age seventeen, the first time I had to do that, I became physically ill as I sat on the platform awaiting my time to talk. I almost vomited on stage right there in front of the congregation, but somehow I got through the ordeal. It was only a three - minute talk on "Youth Night" at our church, but it was a major challenge for me!



From the time I was a very small boy, I was always very shy and quiet around people. The fear of man was on me something awful for as long as I can remember! But I went off to Bible College and finally learned how to bring formal teachings from the pulpit and how to lead in prayer in a public meeting. But in spite of the curious language we always used as we preached and prayed in church, somehow I learned how to witness to unsaved people one on one.



But something was still missing. It was not the spontaneous, unplanned kinds of things that Jesus did in his ministry. All our evangelistic and teaching ministries had to be planned well in advance so that we could be well prepared and most of our evangelistic efforts were inside the four walls of a church building. I was still not trained to always be ready to minister healing to the sick or do the other things Jesus did such as, speak a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge, a word of prophecy or rebuke the devil as I went about my daily routine. That was all in another realm of ministry that I learned to move in later on, but at the time, I trembled to even think about it.


Recently God has given me a way to move toward the Jesus kind of spontaneous ministry. It is by praying daily with another believer the Divine Appointment Prayer: "Father, give us a divine appointment today with someone who is hungry for God, or sick, or in need, and give us the grace to minister the love of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit." God is answering that prayer for us and I am encouraging people everywhere to find a partner and pray that prayer together daily in person or by phone. It is exciting what God will do in answer to that simple prayer of agreement! "If any two of you on earth shall agree as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by my Father in heaven." - Jesus





Robert Fitts
76-6309 Haku Pl
Kona, HI 96740
robertjoni@gmail.com
www.robertfitts.com


A Declaration of Unity
I belong to everything that belongs to Jesus and everything that belongs to Jesus belongs to me! It's not us and them. It's just us! There's only one Body of Christ, and the problems of the church, the whole church, are our problems, for we are the church and we can do more united than we can do divided! So let's unify, simplify, and multiply!

Divine Appointment Prayer
Father, give me a divine appointment today with someone who is hungry for God, or sick, or in need, and give me grace to minister the love of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Winning the War on Terror by Prayer
Father, give every terrorist an encounter with Jesus such as Paul had on the road to Damascus.

Living to Give
Father, make me a generous giver today! Show me where to give and what to give, and let all my giving bring glory to the name of Jesus.

Grace, YES! Law, NO!
Law demands, demands, demands
But gives me neither feet nor hands
Grace and Truth are better things
They bid me fly and give me wings

Do you miss church?

Some thoughts from Karla


Dear Friends,


For those of you who are "outside the camp"...

How many times do you catch yourself missing the things that "church" offers?

Especially this time of year, with the holidays approaching, it can be a lonely time for some who used to go to church.

Do you miss the singing, praise and worship, Women's ministry, Men's ministry, potluck dinners, preaching, tithing/giving, children's ministries, even listening to people giving "prophetic words" (just to name a few).

Ask yourself a question...

Are the "things" that I miss really ministering to the LORD or to ME?

Really look deep into yourself and ask this question.

"Church" for the most part gives you the mindset of Martha. Busy little Martha, trying to minister to others, much serving, and even fulfilling her own need to be needed; maybe even fulfilling a desire to be in charge (because she thought Mary should be doing more to help her).

How many of you can remember working your butt off in churches thinking, "Why isn't everyone else working as hard as me?"

But we see Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus, ministering to Him.

A lot of people write in and ask us what it means or looks like to minister to the Lord. I always picture Mary sitting quietly at Jesus' feet. She has no other person on her mind or any concerns other than sitting at His feet and listening, talking, sharing, and loving the Lord Jesus while He is right there in front of her.

Did she do this 24/7? No, of course not. Jesus went on with what His Father had Him to do, and Mary went on to do her daily things that needed to be done. But remember that she did take time out to sit at His feet and Jesus said this is what is needed.

So when you start to miss the things you once enjoyed so much in "church", remember where the Lord has brought you. Do not be like the children of Israel who always complained and wanted to go back to Egypt, thinking you had it better in "church".

There is a reason and a purpose for bringing you out. Let the Lord guide you in this new walk. Let Him teach you His ways - which are far better then your ways or the church's ways. And remember that the main lesson is: He will increase and I will decrease. This process is not an easy one but you have to go through it!


In Him,

Karla Brogden
http://www.TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

Chinese House Churches Raided, Two Foreign Pastors Missing

Chinese House Churches Raided, Two Foreign Pastors Missing

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

SICHUAN/HENAN, CHINA (ANS) -- ChinaAid (www.ChinaAid.org) has told the ASSIST News Service that on Sunday, September 26, 2010, Youqing Church in Qu County, Da Prefecture, Sichuan province, China, was raided by the local police.

"Objects were smashed, books were confiscated and people were taken to the local police station," said a ChinaAid spokesperson. "Their family members were requested to pay money to bail out the detainees.

"On September 29th at 5 p.m. local time, four of the church members attempted to negotiate with Sichuan police in hopes of having their confiscated belongings returned to them in accordance with law. Instead, they were arrested on the spot."

ChinaAid is also reporting that a raid was conducted on Wednesday,September 22, 2010, at around 4 p.m on the Mid-Autumn Festival Day where a house church meeting in Wancheng District, Nanyang City, Henan province ,was invaded and all who were present, except for one elderly woman, were arrested.

"Two foreign pastors present at the meeting, one from the United States and one from Russia, were detained and so was their translator," said the spokesperson. "During the arrests, one member of the church, Ma Hanzhong, was beaten. The whereabouts of the two foreign instructors are unknown. The officials of Henan province have threatened to sentence the detained believers to re-education through labor."

In both of these critical cases, ChinaAid calls for worldwide attention and advocacy on behalf of those in need.

"We encourage Christians to stand with the persecuted and continue to pray for them," added the ChinaAid spokesperson.

UNDANGAN Simple Church Network

UNDANGAN
Simple Church Network


Shallom,

Kepada saudara saudariku dalam Kristus Yesus, Simple Church Network, merupakan sebuah komunitas orang percaya yang terbeban pada penanaman gereja dan mereka yang perduli terhadap apa yang tengah Tuhan kerjakan dalam kehidupan umatNYA. Di seluruh dunia dewasa ini Tuhan tengah membangkitkan pria maupun wanita untuk terlibat bersamaNYA memasuki pengalaman dan petualangan baru yang menantang. IA memanggil kita semua untuk terlibat dalam pelebaran KerajaanNya dengan melahirkan banyak keluarga Kristus yang bergairah dalam Dia (simple churches = gereja sederhana, gereja organik, gereja rumah,dll) di seluruh wilayah dan kelompok suku bangsa.
Simple Church Network bukanlah sebuah organisasi tetapi kumpulan penanam gereja yang berkumpul sebagai saudara seiman dan keluarga dalam Tuhan. Saling berbagi pengalaman, pelajaran, mendoakan, mendukung pelayanan seorang dengan yang lainnya, menasehati dan lain-lain. Tanpa memandang ia berasal dari denominasi atau organisasi mana. Sebab kita semua satu dalam tubuh Kristus.

APAKAH SIMPLE CHURCH NETWORK?

Kami adalah keluarga penanam gereja. Tuhan Yesus memanggil kita semua untuk terlibat dalam Amanat AgungNYA. Kita dipanggil untuk melahirkan keluarga-keluarga baru secara rohani (yang sering disebut simple church, gereja rumah atau gereja organik). Kita dipanggil untuk memultiplikasikan gereja dan memobilisasi setiap anak Tuhan untuk terlibat dalam pelebaran Kerajaan Tuhan.
Kami adalah komunitas praktisi. Kami adalah sebuah komunitas praktisi penanam gereja. Kita di sini bukanlah kumpulan “pakar”, tetapi kumpulan orang yang mau belajar bersama.
Kami adalah komunitas keluarga. Komunitas ini tidak memiliki kepemimpinan dengan sistem sentralisasi tetapi desentralisasi. Kita ingin bergerak bersama secara fleksibel dengan keunikannya masing-masing dan dengan kecepatan optimal tidak dibatasi oleh sistem hierarki yang kaku dan menghambat. Kita menitik beratkan pada sisi kekeluargaan dan kebersamaan.
Kami berjejaring dengan LK10 dan Outreach Fellowship International. Dua badan ini telah menjadi rekan dan juga mentor kami dalam hal penanaman gereja sederhana atau simple church.
Kami mengikuti teladan pelayanan Tuhan Yesus. Langkah awal pelayanan Tuhan Yesus memilih 12 orang murid, di mana Ia menginvestasikan hidupnya pada mereka (Lukas 6:40). Lalu Ia mengutus mereka untuk masuk ke kota maupun desa, menemui keluarga-keluarga memberitakan Kabar Baik dan memuridkan mereka, memulai gereja di rumah-rumah. Setelah itu mereka melaporkan apa yang telah dikerjakan pada Yesus (Lukas 9:10). Pada tahap ke dua, kita melihat kini Tuhan Yesus mengutus 72 orang murid, untuk melakukan tugas yang sama dan lalu mereka pun memberikan laporan atas apa yang telah terjadi (Lukas 10:17). Kerinduan kami sebagai murid-murid Kristus adalah untuk mengikuti pola yang telah IA berikan dengan memuridkan orang percaya, mengutus mereka dan saling menguatkan dalam memperlebar Kerajaan Tuhan.








DESKRIPSI BAGI YANG MAU MENJADI BAGIAN SIMPLE CHURCH NETWORK

Rekan jejaring Simple Church Network

1. Seorang yang memiliki hati dan gaya hidup seorang ayah atau ibu rohani (1 Tes 2:1-12). Mereka berfungsi sebagai seorang pemimpin berhati hamba yang merindukan setiap “anak rohani” yang dimentor beroleh keberhasilan (Mat 20:25-28). Ia memiliki karakter yang terefleksikan dalam kehidupan sehari-hari dari seorang episkopos (penilik) dalam 1 Tim 3.
2. Seorang yang memiliki hati dalam penanaman gereja Tuhan, pemuridan, kesatuan tubuh Kristus dan pelebaran Kerajaan Tuhan; seorang yang isi hatinya tampak dalam pekerjaannya. Seorang yang mungkin pernah atau tengah mementor paling tidak dua buah penanaman/perintisan gereja (simple/house/organic/emerging church). Simple Church Network tidak pernah membatasi rekanannya dalam berorganisasi. Mereka dapat saja terlibat dan melayani di dalam organisasi/institusi gereja tradisional atau sebuah denominasi atau yayasan Kristen (parachurch).
3. Seorang yang setiap hari berdoa sesuai Luk 10:2b, meminta penuai-penuai baru di ladang Tuhan. Seorang yang tak berhenti berdoa dan mencari “man or woman of peace”(orang yang layak menerima damai sejahtera) di dalam sebuah wilayah atau kelompok tertentu. Luk 11:5-10, 18:1-8, Pkh 4:9-12.
4. Seorang yang dalam tiap kesempatan mengajarkan semua orang percaya untuk taat pada semua pengajaran Tuhan Yesus (Mat 28:20).
5. Seorang yang merasakan panggilan Tuhan atas suatu wilayah (lingkungan tetangga, kota, propinsi, negara dst) atau suatu kelompok suku dan budaya tertentu (suku terabaikan, suku yang mayoritas belum percaya, subkultur {punk, gothic, bikers, anggota gang/mafia, skaters, dst}, postmodern dst). Seorang yang bersedia berjejaring dan saling memperlengkapi di dalam jaringan ini. Dimana setiap saat kita saling berkomunikasi melalui milist, email, chatting, blog, SMS, telpon atau bertatap muka dalam pertemuan tahunan. Dimana setiap rekan jejaring bersama-sama mencari wajah Tuhan untuk mendapatkan strategi dalam memperlebar Kerajaan Tuhan dengan cara yang beragam, kita disini tidak mau terjebak dalam “penyeragaman strategi”.
6. Seorang yang secara pribadi siap untuk membina hubungan dengan semua rekan jejaring dalam skala nasional. Siap untuk bersama rekan yang lain untuk hidup saling memperlengkapi dalam jejaring regional.
7. Seorang yang pembelajar (memiliki hati yang mau diajar) dan pengajar/pelatih bagi penanam gereja lainnya (atau bagi mereka yang baru mau melangkah menjadi penanam gereja). Seorang yang mau belajar dalam Konferensi Simple Church Network dan mengajar dalam konferensi tersebut.









TIM SIMPLE CHURCH NETWORK AKAN:

1. Kami akan membawa diri Anda dalam hati kami (Kel 28:29) dan berdoa bagi Anda (Fil 1:3-11).
2. Kami akan ada untuk Anda melalui telpon, e-mail atau mengunjungimu kalau hal itu memungkinkan (1 Tes 2:8).
3. Kami akan menyediakan bahan-bahan pelajaran bila diperlukan untuk memperlengkapi Anda maupun jemaat (http://gerejaperjanjianbaru.blogpsot.com , http://enonlinebibleschool.blogspot.com , http://zoeministries.blogspot.com, www.LK10.com, www.robertfitts.com , dll)
4. Kami akan menghubungkan diri Anda dengan rekan-rekan jejaring lainnya dalam jejaring ini.


CONTACT PERSON:

DAVE BROOS
E-mail : davebroos@yahoo.co.uk
Mobile phone : +6281330135643

Now THAT's a Community Church

Now THAT's a Community Church

by Gerald Harris www.christianindex.org

I think it is important to look at the following story, not as a model, but as an encouragement towards obedience from a community of God's people. We are watching God do many things through His people and there is a divine shift going on that will impact all systems and methods. At the same time we are witnessing the Lord making it clear that it is not about the system or structure, He wants to be All and in all, whether it is in a church building, business, or home. It is all about Him, and about the people He desires to touch for His glory. Be ready to do His will in ways that go beyond any religious or systematic box....... Robert Ricciardelli
If you're frustrated with leading your congregation and need a reminder of why you love the body of Christ, you'll want to hear the inspiring story of what's happening at Rolling Hills Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Ga.
Last year the congregation of no more than 100 people was a mere $150,000 away from paying off their $1.4 million property. Their pastor, Frank Mercer, had come from a megachurch in Charlotte, N.C., and envisioned replicating the numerical growth he'd seen there. Naturally, everyone thought that after fully paying off their buildings and 20-acre plot, they'd pat themselves on the back and move on to "bigger and better" ministry.
They have … only in a way few churches are willing to do. On October 5, 2008, with a reeling economy hitting their community hard, the congregation voted overwhelmingly to sell the church property and invest all proceeds into what they believe really matters: people.
“Our motive should not be to fill these seats, but to empty these seats,” Mercer has often stated to a profoundly unified and supportive congregation. But he admits it has taken a transformational journey to embrace a mindset that would rather see local families with roofs over their heads and food on the table rather than the church having a better sound system.
“We had long been considering how to best maximize ministry and missions resources by reducing operating costs," Mercer says. "But the idea of leveraging the value of our buildings and property so that we could begin to invest more deeply in people rather than property still seemed far-fetched.”
After a season in which God prompted the pastor to research more on the idea of a "church without walls," Mercer visited a small congregation in New York making a difference in their community by serving the homeless, hungry, sick and lost. When asked about future plans to purchase property, the church's pastor, Tom Richter, responded with a statement Mercer couldn't shake: "If we become a church of brick and mortar, we may cease to be a church of flesh and blood.”
Mercer returned to Georgia and gradually shared with others what he believed was God's new vision for the church. Within only a few months, 95 percent of the congregation agreed: It didn't make sense for them to spend more than 50 percent of the church budget on a building that sat unoccupied for 90 percent of the time. Rolling Hills members have since become regulars in serving a local homeless shelter, children's home and various other community projects. Once the building is sold, they are considering either renting or building a warehouse-like structure where they could meet for services while also storing clothes and food for distribution.
“At our church we’ve tried to keep up with the Joneses for too long," Mercer admits now. "Churches buy property and build buildings to expand the club and improve the clubhouse. We suffer from steeple envy. We work to attract guests. And the church that has the most people who give the most money wins. We’re tired of playing that game. We no longer want to be like everybody else. And that is not to say that everybody should be like us either. This model is not for everybody."
[ajc.com, 7/28/09; christianindex.org, 12/4/08]

Good For Us

Good For Us
by Chip Brogden
“…Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles…” (Luke 9:33ff).
The Greek word for “church” is “ekklesia”, which means “called out ones” and came to mean the assembly (or local expression) of those who had been called out and set apart. This assembling together is not something we do on our own. It is the work of the Lord. We are not the Church because we gather ourselves together into a meeting or a group. Anyone can organize themselves into a meeting for whatever purpose they wish. But we are being assembled by the Lord Himself into a spiritual temple, a House of Living Stones. Jesus is building His Church, and Jesus is assembling His people. Our meetings are external and visible, but this assembly of Living Stones is internal, invisible, spiritual and eternal. I pray that God will deliver us from “meetings” and show us His Son. Then we will see that we have already been assembled together into the Church that He is building upon the revelation of Himself.
We cannot build the Church, for Jesus is building it. Similarly, we cannot assemble ourselves together; the Lord has to do that as well. I am not saying we cannot have a meeting, but I am saying that a meeting is not what makes us the Church. There are many such meetings we can host or attend, but that does not make us the Church. People frequently ask me if I know where they can go to find fellowship. After examining them at length I determine that what they are really looking for is a meeting. Well, meetings are everywhere. You do not need me for that. I am afraid that I cannot recommend “meetings”, I can only recommend brothers and sisters who love the Lord.
Now the Lord wants to assemble us together into a spiritual Temple, but if we look around it is clear that we are divided over several issues. We could go down the list and name them all. We could take time to talk about denominations, organizations, doctrines, beliefs, customs, and the like. We could draw up a list of one hundred or one thousand divisions, but the heart of the matter is this: have we seen the Lord? If we have seen the Lord then we do not need to see anything else: this revelation of Him is sufficient. And, if we have not seen the Lord, it is a waste of time to try and discuss anything else along the lines of doctrine or teaching.
So the question is: have you seen the Lord? I do not mean in a dream or a vision, but I mean have you seen the Lord because the Father has revealed Him in you? It is possible to pray a prayer, but not see the Lord. It is possible to perform good works, but not see the Lord. It is possible (and quite common) to attend church meetings all your life, but not see the Lord. Two men who claimed to know Jesus walked with Him on the road to Emmaus, but they did not know Who He was until their eyes were opened. Many people are in the same situation. We cannot see Him until the eyes of our heart are opened, and when we are thus illuminated from within, we will see Him, we will know Him.
If you have read the Scriptures you know that many who say, “Lord, Lord” and do mighty things in the name of the Lord are, in fact, not known by Him at all, and will have no part in the Kingdom of God. This ought to bring us to our knees. This ought to cause us to search our hearts. Do we really know the Lord? Have we really seen Him? Has God revealed His Son to us?
When we look at the history of God’s dealings with man we see a pattern emerging, and this pattern is illustrated for us in the Mountain of Transfiguration, an event recorded in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Here is the pattern. First, the Lord sovereignly reveals His glory to us. Then, we try to grasp the Lord with fleshly hands. Finally, the Lord moves on, and we must either move with Him or stay where we are. Let us look at each point more particularly.
HE WAS TRANSFIGURED BEFORE THEM
We are saying that the revelation of Christ is sufficient; that is, if we have seen the Lord Jesus, then nothing else matters, and in time, everything else will take care of itself. But if we do not have the revelation of Christ, if we only have our idea of Who He is, or if our knowledge of Him comes to us from somewhere or someone other than the Father Himself, then it does not matter how much we may read the Bible, attend meetings, or hear people preach. We will be “ever learning, but never coming to the full-knowledge of Truth”. This explains how it is possible for someone to perform many works in the Name of Jesus, and yet the Lord Himself says, “I never knew you.”
The Lord reveals Himself to us in a variety of ways, and every testimony is different. Peter received the revelation of Christ while fishing. But Thomas received the revelation of Christ only after the Lord appeared to Him and showed him His wounds. Paul received the revelation of Christ on the road to Damascus, as he was on his way to kill Christians. One man says Christ was revealed to him as he stood watching a tree in the dead of winter. Christ was revealed to me as I sat in my backyard, arguing with the Lord over the Bible.
What do these experiences have in common? They are spontaneous unveilings of Jesus Christ. Without warning the Lord simply reveals Himself, and whereas we were blind before, today we see. It is like walking out of one room and into another room, closing the door behind us. We are the man born blind in John 9. It is not that he can improve himself, or gradually come to the place where he can see something. He is BORN blind, and he can see nothing but darkness until the Lord, the Light of the world, makes him see. So many blind people hope to improve their seeing through sermons, meetings, and more teachings. But one moment of seeing is worth ten thousand years of learning. It is better to sit at the feet of an ignorant man who has seen the Lord than it is to be instructed by the most educated Bible teacher who is blind to the things of God.
Frequently when I speak along these lines I am asked, “What do I have to do to get this revelation of Christ?” And the answer is there is nothing TO do, and nothing you CAN do. But we are confident in saying that it is the nature of the Father to reveal Himself. The Father longs to reveal the Son to us. The only condition is that we likewise long to see Him, to know Him, as He is. The revelation of Christ is like a single ray of sunlight, without warning, breaking through the thick clouds of this world and knocking you to the ground - inwardly speaking. It may or it may not be an outward thing, and it may or may not be something dramatic. But when we have seen Him, something “clicks” on the inside. We know we have been changed.
It can be likened to the Mountain of Transfiguration. The Lord Jesus took Peter, James and John with Him high onto the mountain to pray. Presumably they were in the habit of doing this, as the Scriptures record several instances of the Lord at prayer. But on this occasion, His appearance was changed, and His glory was revealed to them. It was a sovereign act, an unveiling. There was no warning, no special preparation. Peter, James and John had nothing to do with it. In fact, they were sleeping when it happened. I hope that will reassure those of us who think there is something we have to do in order to get the revelation of Christ. No, it is all of grace. In fact, until we rest from our works and our words, we are unlikely to see the Lord.
Now we have primarily discussed the revealing of Christ to us personally, but there is also a corporate revelation as well. What we receive of the Lord personally ought to be received on behalf of the Body, and not merely for our own personal benefit. Even so, there is an unveiling of the Lord that occasionally occurs when we are gathered together in the Name of the Lord. After all, He says that “where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there I am in the midst of them.” This is the simplest expression of the Church - the called-out assembly. Not two or three thousand, not two or three hundred, not two or three dozen - just two or three, and the Lord is there. We are so concerned for numbers. The real issue is not how many are gathered, but is the Lord with the ones so gathered? I would rather be with two people and have the Lord with us than to be in a crowd of religious people with whom the Lord is not present.
It is in this corporate revelation of Christ that we find a danger, and Peter expresses it nicely when the first words out of his mouth are…
“IT IS GOOD FOR US”
Here is a point that needs to be made. When the Father is pleased to reveal His Son to us, it is for His glory, not ours. So often we seek spiritual things because we desire a name, or power, or glory for ourselves. This is not permitted in the Kingdom where Christ is All in All. What we see of the Lord is for His glory, and not our own.
But just observe how quickly the Self comes into the picture. “Master, it is good for us to be here!” Good for us. Good for us. Good for us. We hear this sentiment all the time. “Isn’t it good to be in the house of God today?” “I really enjoyed the message.” “I loved the music.” “What a lovely service.” “I’m so happy I found this little group.” Or, “I didn’t get anything out of that message.” “The music was awful.” “They don’t have anything for my kids.” I, I, I. Me, me, me. Good for us, or not good for us. The music, the preaching, the service, everything is for us, for our needs.
This is why we continually stress that the reason we do not attend or sponsor meetings with any regularity is simply because the Lord’s Need is often not met in these meetings. Self permeates so much of what we do (or do not do), even in spiritual matters where Self is supposed to be denied. Peter is a man full of himself. So his reaction to the glory of the Lord is, “It is good for us! Let us build for You…” This is how many works, denominations and ministries are begun. The Lord sovereignly reveals something of His glory to a handful of people, and they begin to build something - a church, a movement, a denomination - in order to contain that glory. Or, the Lord visits His people in a particular meeting or setting. It is good for us: so we decide to meet again the next week in hopes that we can experience more of the same. And so on. We believe if only we can find the right combination of music, or teaching, or worship, or people, then it will be “good for us” every time we meet. Soon, however, the Life is gone and the glory is departed, but the meetings continue!
“I will build My Church,” Jesus says. That is Life. “Let us build for You,” Peter says. That is Death. To see if a thing is living or dead we need only trace its source. Not only is “let us build” wrong, but “let us build FOR YOU” is equally wrong. Each is motivated by the same thing: “It is good for us.”
What Peter did not realize, and what we, too, fail to perceive, is that the glory is in Christ, and not in a method, a meeting, or a movement: and it is for Him, and not for us. How quickly “It is good for us…” turns into “Let us build for You…” How subtle our flesh is! How often in the name of “fellowship” have we have built something “for” the Lord Jesus that really serves our own agenda?
“LISTEN TO HIM”
Scripture records that Peter did not know what he was saying, even while he was offering to build something for Jesus. Jesus gave him no reply. Instead, a cloud enveloped them, and a voice spoke: “This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him!”
The Father is continually pointing us to the Son as All in All. He is working all things together towards the fulfillment of His Purpose, which is for Christ to have the preeminence in all things. So it is at this point that the Lord Jesus begins to descend into the valley, and the disciples must decide if they will stay on the mountain or follow Him down. The mountain is full of light, power, and glory. But the valley is full of darkness and demons. “It is good for US to be HERE, Lord! Let us build something for You!”
How many tabernacles on the mountaintop have been made in the Name of Jesus - when Jesus has long ago descended into the valley? How many people and places claim the presence and glory of God, when the glory has long ago departed? I can think of several instances in which the Lord genuinely moved in a group, church, or meeting long ago, and now that group, church, or meeting has built an entire movement around the experience. What began in the Spirit is now perpetuated by the flesh, and “it is good for us”. It is a shame that some people cannot realize that there is no presence, or glory, or power, or anything apart from the Lord Jesus. We can claim to have the presence, the glory, and the power, but if we do not have the Lord Himself, then these things are only spiritual counterfeits.
Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fish, and the crowd thought, “It is good for us to be here!” But Jesus left during the night and crossed the lake. The people woke up the next morning to find Him gone, and crossed the lake in a desperate attempt to locate Him. But when they found Jesus, He said, in essence, “You are only following Me because I filled your stomachs with food.” It is important to make this distinction, because I am afraid that if something is deemed “good for us” then we will begin to follow IT and miss the Lord. John records this episode in order to signify that the real miracle is not that the Lord gave them bread to eat, but that the Lord gives Himself to us as Living Bread. Which would you rather have, a full stomach, or eternal life? The presence of God, or God Himself? The glory of God, or God Himself? Do we want salvation, or a Savior? Do we want a healing, or a Great Physician? Do we want what the Lord can give us, or Who the Lord is?
Christians seek many spiritual things: anointing, power, gifts, blessing, fruit, wisdom, prosperity. I pray the Lord will make us thoroughly and completely dissatisfied with THINGS, even the things He gives us, and make us hungry and thirsty for Himself. May we judge things not by whether they are “good for us”, but whether they are good for the Lord, whether His Will is done in them, whether His Need is met by them, whether His Purpose is fulfilled in them, whether His Son is seen through them. He is the Only One, the Beloved Son of God. May the Lord be transfigured before us! Amen.

GOD'S RECIPE FOR ORGANIC CHURCH

Gods Recipe For Organic Church
by Terry Somerville www.totalchange.org

 
Eating organic food has become a big industry in recent years. For a while the word "organic" was used to trick the public into paying more with getting the real thing. Now there are government guidelines in labeling "organic' food.
 
In the last few years there's been much talk about returning to the "organic" church. But what does that mean? Many regular churches are using this term to attract members. Now (somewhat tongue in cheek) I'd like to suggest some guidelines to using the term "organic church".

Guidlines To organic Labels in The Church
 
The Organic Church Is Not Genetically Modified - It Has Pure DNA
For centuries church life has been planned and preprogrammed down to tiniest detail. The church's DNA has been modified in the petrie dish of institutionalism. Such manipulation of the core life of Jesus' gathered people is unnatural and "inorganic". In spite of occasionally creating monstrous plants, this modified DNA has resulted in chronic immaturity with little fruit bearing.
To be organic the church must have the unmodified DNA of Jesus controlling her life. Each plant growing according to the divine code within. Only then is the church truly organic. Unfortunately, most of her gardeners are trained in church genetics and refuse to take a "hands off" approach. To be labeled "organic" the life of Jesus must be allowed to freely flourish in His body.

The Organic Church Does Not Use Pesticides - It Has Natural Resistance
In the modern church, out of control plants ( young believers) and disruptive pests (sinners) are controlled by a herbicidal response and poisonous attitude. "Unsubmissive" or "You are not welcome here". No More! What may seem to be "a garden springing up in disorder" in fact allows God's life and natural immunities to start to work! Discernment, healing gifts, evangelism, encouragement, and many other gifts all wait dormant. When these gifts operate, believers will love the unlovely, resist sin, cast out devils, and save souls. Organic church life is a natural pesticide. In the organic church we embrace Christian life, weeds, pests, and all. To be labled 'organic" the church allows God's love to flow to problem people. It covers a multitude of sins.
 
The Organic Church Does Not Use Chemical Fertilizers - It Grows In The Compost of Life Recently, the futility of "seeker friendly" fertilizers has been noticed by church gardeners around the world. The "church growth" garden was all the rage but it produced an addiction to fertilizer, not to Jesus. These chemicals gave a spurt of enthusiasm but soon drained the plants of real life! This "hydroponic church life" is not organic, not genuine. We need real soil! Theres nothing like being dumped in manure grow Gods life! Away with the artificial church! To be labled organic, the church must grow in the compost of daily living.
 
The organic Church Has No Artificial Color or Flavor - It Is All (super) Natural!
In spite of the claims of spectacular signs and wonders, intensely dramatic prophecies and promises of the "greatest anointing", it seems that the plants in God's garden have not been doing well at all! But what do we expect? The recent spate of "heavenly" flavors tasted intensely artificial! Cheap imitations of the real thing, being sold by hucksters! ("Come and get it!") NO! It's time for God's people to get out of the supermarket and visit God's road side stand! Go organic! The organic church produces the best naturally ripened fruit and it tastes like nothing else on earth! Ditch the fake stuff and get into God's organic garden!
 
The Organic Church Has Free Range Believers - No Chicken Coop!
The church as we have known it, has been like a farming conglomerate. Every chicken owned and controlled! Sure you know the manager, but his job is to keep you in the coop! .... Force fed on a timer under artificial lighting! Lay that tithe! The real organic church has free range believers. Freely gathering together, but part of the larger flock. Eat naturally, sharing with each other, growing under the sun! Free to stretch and fly! (God's chickens can fly) To labled organic means believers are free to be part of God's entire garden and not bound. They are bound only by the law of love!

The Organic Church Has Biodiversity - It is Not A MonoCulture
Todays church farm is a monoculture. All may NOT contribute their ministry. All plants are expected to be the same. Sit there and grow! No variety allowed. If something different springs up in a church it is soon cut down. It is "unsubmissive".
In the organic church every plant is unique and contributes to the farm. It is encouraged. Each one contributes their unique gift as Jesus works through them. We are the 'planting of the Lord" and produce His abundance. This makes for stronger roots, rapid growth, greater strength, disease resistance and healthier variety of fruit! To be labled "organic church" every member participates, bringing their particluar flavor. Building each other up.

The organic Church Is Environmentally Sustainable
The modern church garden is coming to an end. It has exhausted the gardeners, stripped the soil, created chemical-resistant pests, become over run with weeds, and produces tasteless fruit. It is not sustainable. The world is not buying from this garden any more.
 
The organic church garden is coming into its own. It can grow in todays environment. It can adapt to a changing world. It thrives in crisis. It is simple. It is portable. It needs no budget or building or program. It is full of God's life. It is real and produces great tasting fruit. It just needs organic believers.
 
It is God's Organic Garden

FROM SEATING CAPACITY TO STANDING CAPACITY

From Seating Capacity to Sending Capacity:
Why an Incarnational Kingdom on Mission is Very Attractive
by Neil Cole
If we think that a model of church is our solution to reaching the world we are already in a bad place, whether that model is a mega church or a micro church.
There is a vast difference, however, between an attractional posture and an incarnational/missional understanding of church. The difference is not in the organization, but in the release and flow of God's kingdom. The church is not meant to be sedentary but sent-"one holy, apostolic (sent) church."
Today we expect the lost to come to us. In the Bible, God is always the Seeker going after those who are lost. He pursued Adam in a garden and Moses in a desert. He found Jonah at the bottom of the sea and Peter on top. Jesus found Matthew in an office and Paul out on the road.

God became a man and entered the world through a birth canal just like the rest of us. He chose to come to us on our turf, rather then expecting us to rise to His. Jesus preached everywhere that the kingdom of God has come near. He came to seek and to save the lost, and He now invites us to join Him.

Many ask: "How can we make the church more attractive to the lost?" If we start down this path we unintentionally leave our true path: Letting people see how attractive Jesus is! It's all about Jesus ...not us. In a sense, for every step we take toward impressing people with our own strengths we move further from letting them become impressed with His.

God always prefers to reveal Himself in weak things rather strong. It is the simple vessels that often reveal God's glory more then having to find Him in the midst of laser lights and fog machines. The curiosity of a child's question; the embrace of a loving grandmother; the accepting handshake of a good friend; the smile of a proud father; the warmth of a soft shoulder to cry on-these are the things that reveal God's character more than any sermon.

Love for one another is a powerful ingredient in evangelism, but sitting in an auditorium listening to a preacher talk about it is not as powerful as being able to see it and taste it first hand. A "neighbor nudge" for two minutes on Sunday morning is not enough.
Coming into a home with a loving spiritual family-each praying, singing and sharing their inner lives-is amazing for someone who never learned to trust. Sensing the power of Christ working in and through those people can break even the most hardened heart.
More than once, I have seen toughened gangsters and drug dealers, weep in the presence of Christ among His people and pour out confession unsolicited. I have seen a Palestinian Muslim surrender everything to Christ in the midst of a faith community praying together. Four fraternity brothers gave their life to Christ in a meeting at their frat house in front of their peers unreservedly. Christ in us is powerful; it is the hope of glory. Simply being another anonymous person in a pew is not so powerful.

The reality is most people are not even curious about what is happening in church. For the few who are seeking, the last place they want to look is in church. Why? Because church is seen as a passive religious event that demands allegiance but offers very little experience. We ask for volunteers all the time. We offer spiritual-gift assessments to see where people fit best in our program, but we never really offer very challenging experiences for people. Handing out bulletins, directing traffic wearing a bright orange vest, chaperoning a youth function, or changing a diaper in the nursery may be helpful for the church program, but none of it is a task worth giving your life to. Many who struggle to do these things have a nagging unspoken question: "Did Jesus come so I can do this?"

We must transition from seeing church as a once-a-week worship event to an ongoing spiritual family on mission together. Then people will see church as something worth giving your life for. Honestly, people need one another more then they need another inspiring message. You would be surprised what people will do for Jesus , or for a brother or sister, that they will not do for a vision statement and a capital giving campaign.

One side effect of pursuing excellence in production is that common Christians become spectators who can contribute a percentage of their income to keep things going, but little more. We have raised the bar on how church is done so high that few believe they could ever do it themselves. The dark side of this endeavor is that we have lowered the bar of what it means to be a Christian so that simply showing up to the weekly one hour event with some regularity and a check book is all it takes.

My goal in life is to reverse this. I want to lower the bar of how church is done so that anyone can do it, and raise the bar of what it means to be a disciple so that they will do it.

I will never forget meeting with an organic church made up of high school students. As we were all singing praises to the Lord I felt His pleasure. I asked the students to share the biggest church they had ever been to. Southern California has many mega-churches. Several were mentioned, ranging from 2,000 to 20,000 attendees.

"I think Satan is more intimidated by this little church of 15 kids than by any of those Godzilla-sized churches," I said. They all snickered and looked around the room at one another with smiles, thinking that the old man had finally lost his mind.

I then showed them why I thought this way. I asked, "How many of you think you could start a church like one of those mega-churches?" No one raised a hand. I then asked, "How many of you think you could start a church like this one?" All raised their hands. The snickering stopped. It was one of those holy moments in life that are hard to forget. I then asked them to look around the room at all the raised hands, and I said, "I assure you, Satan is terrified by this. And he should be!"