Hi all,
This is a bit early and I'll not be sending an email next week due to ministry travels, back 6/20.
Over the course of 4 days I received emails from several ministries, some saying God is judging America, others saying God is not judging America, he is judging the church.
Frankly I think Presidents and Congressional leaders going years back from both parties are to blame, but my point today is that no matter what comes our way, as disciples of Jesus, we are to use everything to grow in the Lord and trust Him through it all.
The blame game
While the devil can certainly be a harassment and add insult to injury, most every situation I've seen is very easily explained by someone's actions, Congress or otherwise, not the devil. When people are under an authority structure; national, state, local, work, military, church, family- decisions good and bad made by those in authority affect those under that authority. That's just life.
When God is working on us to trust him through changes, human nature is to dig in the heels and gripe, or blame others. No matter, we still have to make the decision to trust Him.
Some don't seriously ask the Lord how they should be looking at their situation and what he wants them to learn, oh they may lightly ask, but they won't linger to hear the answer because it's a hard lesson. It's more comfortable and safer not to change, because growing is launching into unknown waters and therefore a scary, humbling and very new experience.
One of the dangers of the victim culture in this country is that no one wants to take responsibility for their actions; it's either the devil did it, or the spouse, or the bank, or the boss, or the government...or, or...
Most everyone reading this has been flipped off at some point in their driving experience by somebody who broke half a dozen laws before they cut in front of you, but they flip you off for inconveniencing them!
A Bible student blamed first the devil and then the bank when they received over $100 in bounced check charges after trying unsuccessfully to 'float' some checks until payday.
I heard on the news today that a lady in a drive through lane was told that they were out of the diet cola she wanted, so she threw her french fries at the attendant, and then sprayed his face with pepper spray!
Now, if I was a recent certificate carrying graduate of the 'Learn how the devil is the source of all your problems' conference, would that have been a spirit named 'McFry' that caused her to act like that, or a 'Diet spirit'?
Maybe, just maybe, if she was a believer, the Lord might have wanted to use that lack of diet cola in her life as a growth tool for patience instead of blaming the guy at the window - ya think?!
I rebuke you...is that you Lord?
A lady came to me one day after church, convinced a 'spirit of condemnation' was telling her to apologize to another lady in the church. Her exact question was: Will the devil direct you to do something that seems scriptural even though you don't want to do it?
Turns out she had said something to hurt the other lady's feelings and knew she did wrong, but was convinced because 'there is therefore now condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus' (Rom 8:1) it was the devil giving her those feelings of 'condemnation' and urging her to make it right with the lady.
She had been rebuking that 'spirit of condemnation' all through church. When I told her she had been rebuking the Spirit of God who was convicting her of doing wrong, she wasn't too excited because she didn't want to do the hard thing and apologize (but she did).
What amazed me is that she manipulated scripture because she couldn't imagine God asking her to humble herself and do a difficult thing. Her theology was that God was her servant ever present to make her more comfortable in this life!
To her, growing more Christ-like each day meant more joy, more peace, more goose bumps found on the cutting edge - she wanted to know the power of his resurrection but not the fellowship of his sufferings. (Philippians 3:10)
I wonder how many Christians rebuke the Lord in a store when He urges them NOT to put things on their Visa and stick to a budget, after all, God wants you to always have abundant life, so God wouldn't be telling me not to charge it! Worse yet, are some blaming the devil for the card payments, like the devil was the one that had to have those shoes or weed eater or new 42" plasma TV?
Back to center
The Lord will always ask us to turn the finger we have pointing at others back around towards us. What is OUR part of the equation? He will always ask us to stop the blame game and look at our own heart.
Have you ever wanted to tell that person driving aggressively and flipping off drivers to relax? What if they took responsibility for their actions and stopped being a danger to themselves and others?
I got the Bible school student with the bounced check situation to acknowledge their wrong doing, and they received mercy at the bank.
And the lady in the drive through? Well, that was a McFry spirit I'm sure.
But the reality is that our first responsibility is to ask the Father what if anything we did wrong, how did we open the door, and to know ourselves well enough to know why we did what we did, and then repent if needed and learn of it. If things are happening beyond our control, then we have to ask what we can do to make the impact less, and how we can grow and trust the Lord through the changes.
Because the Lord builds us from the inside out away from the gaze of others, it affords the opportunity to be honest just between him and us, in very private moments of admission. Those private moments between us are when a person's life turns around. That's the point the momentum changes - when we take responsibility for our actions and determine to use whatever confronts us to grow more Christ-like.
On one level, I really don't care if God is judging America or the body of Christ. I watch with interest, don't get me wrong. But I know that He and I are at peace, walking closer than ever, and in my spirit I have peace.
You see, God is judging me every day; every time I say something in a wrong attitude or tone to my wife, I get convicted, which is judged, and I repent. Every time my mind wanders to things I shouldn't be thinking on, I get convicted which is judged, and he brings me back to center. Every time we weigh to do right or wrong, and choose right, we have judged ourselves.
Every time we are convicted of doing wrong and we confess our sin as I John 1:9 says, we are responding to judgement by judging ourselves and receiving the benefits of a humble heart.
So I'm not afraid for the future, because I know the Father and I are at peace, in fellowship, and he will always lead me through the valley to the other side.
If we do these things, we won't try to blame someone else for what is happening to us, or blame a McFry spirit as the source of our problems, we'll walk in peace and joy in the Holy Spirit!
Some thoughts this day,
Blessings,
John Fenn
www.iFaithhome.org
Sabtu, 06 Juni 2009
LK10 Update: THE ALBUQUERQUE PROJECT Saturday, 6 June, 2009 5:50 AM
LK10 Friends,
It was one of those mornings when it seemed like the Lord was speaking from the moment I awoke. "Invite them into an experiment".
It was the last day of a simple church conference I was leading in Albuquerque, NM just a week ago. The audience had been very responsive as we explored the idea of church as family. We had talked about and practiced SASHET (a way of listening to our own heart and the hearts of others in your church) and VIRKLER (a way of hearing God's heart). We had seen that the LK 10:2b PRAYER was central to reaching a city or region. And, now, it seemed that the Lord wanted to take all of this from theory to practice.
When we met together later that morning, I laid out for them what I thought the Lord was inviting them to as a three month experiment (June 1 to September 1). In essence, there were three simple practices which formed a sort of Kingdom "virus". The hypothesis was that these practices were a pathway to two objectives:
1. deep Kingdom transformation of individuals, marriages and families.
2. rapid viral Kingdom multiplication
Here are the three practices...
1. Daily. As close to daily as possible, connect with your prayer partner in person or by phone. Check in with each other using SASHET, share what God is saying to you that day (VIRKLER) and pray with each other. We call this "pair power" and we understand that this is the first and most foundational expression of church. We might call these pairs "embryonic churches" or "churches of two" (CO2).
2. Weekly. At least once each week, share a meal with those in your simple church. Check in with each other using SASHET. Do VIRKER together. Let "church and mission" emerge out of listening.
3. Monthly. At least once a month, meet with others in the ALBUQUERQUE PROJECT to share what you are learning. And, tell others as the Lord leads you to.
The people at the Conference responded with great enthusiasm to this invitation and we commissioned nine embryonic churches over the next couple of hours. We also agreed that we would report on this experiment in the Discussion Forum in LK10. So, if you are interested in learning more about the ALBUQUERQUE PROJECT and in following our progress over the summer, go to the link below. If you post a word of encouragement or comment in this thread, all subsequent posts will show up in your email box.
Link to THE ALBUQUERQUE PROJECT Conversation: http://lk10.com/component/option,com_fireboard/Itemid,31/func,view/catid,26&id=/id,2333/catid,26/
If the Lord tells you to start a similar experiment in your city or region, let me know.
*Forgot your User Name or Password for LK10? Just hit "Reply", tell me your name and I'll send you that information.
Your brother,
John
John White
Simple Church Coach
LK10: A Community of Practice for Church Planters
http://lk10.com
It was one of those mornings when it seemed like the Lord was speaking from the moment I awoke. "Invite them into an experiment".
It was the last day of a simple church conference I was leading in Albuquerque, NM just a week ago. The audience had been very responsive as we explored the idea of church as family. We had talked about and practiced SASHET (a way of listening to our own heart and the hearts of others in your church) and VIRKLER (a way of hearing God's heart). We had seen that the LK 10:2b PRAYER was central to reaching a city or region. And, now, it seemed that the Lord wanted to take all of this from theory to practice.
When we met together later that morning, I laid out for them what I thought the Lord was inviting them to as a three month experiment (June 1 to September 1). In essence, there were three simple practices which formed a sort of Kingdom "virus". The hypothesis was that these practices were a pathway to two objectives:
1. deep Kingdom transformation of individuals, marriages and families.
2. rapid viral Kingdom multiplication
Here are the three practices...
1. Daily. As close to daily as possible, connect with your prayer partner in person or by phone. Check in with each other using SASHET, share what God is saying to you that day (VIRKLER) and pray with each other. We call this "pair power" and we understand that this is the first and most foundational expression of church. We might call these pairs "embryonic churches" or "churches of two" (CO2).
2. Weekly. At least once each week, share a meal with those in your simple church. Check in with each other using SASHET. Do VIRKER together. Let "church and mission" emerge out of listening.
3. Monthly. At least once a month, meet with others in the ALBUQUERQUE PROJECT to share what you are learning. And, tell others as the Lord leads you to.
The people at the Conference responded with great enthusiasm to this invitation and we commissioned nine embryonic churches over the next couple of hours. We also agreed that we would report on this experiment in the Discussion Forum in LK10. So, if you are interested in learning more about the ALBUQUERQUE PROJECT and in following our progress over the summer, go to the link below. If you post a word of encouragement or comment in this thread, all subsequent posts will show up in your email box.
Link to THE ALBUQUERQUE PROJECT Conversation: http://lk10.com/component/option,com_fireboard/Itemid,31/func,view/catid,26&id=/id,2333/catid,26/
If the Lord tells you to start a similar experiment in your city or region, let me know.
*Forgot your User Name or Password for LK10? Just hit "Reply", tell me your name and I'll send you that information.
Your brother,
John
John White
Simple Church Coach
LK10: A Community of Practice for Church Planters
http://lk10.com
Senin, 01 Juni 2009
Rabu, 27 Mei 2009
"95 Theses for Church Revolution"
"95 Theses for Church Revolution" is dedicated to assisting Christians restore the purity, purpose and power that the New Testament Apostolic Church possessed. As such, you will find 95 power points of restoration. Each of the Theses (plural for Thesis - "a proposition that a person advances and offers to maintain by argument") are given with the same goal in mind as the Protestant reformer Martin Luther had when he posted 95 Theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517. http://www.luther.de/e/95thesen.html
He desperately wanted the Roman Catholic Church to consider one particular means that the Church used to raise money for building cathedrals (called indulgences). Eventually, his protest, along with many others, led to entire new streams of denominational Christianity. These reformers principally gained back three vital things: The authority of the Bible, salvation by grace through faith, and the priesthood of all believers in Jesus Christ. While this was a huge step in the right direction in steering the Church back to its New Testament roots, it was still woefully lacking. Since then, many books have been written, and many people have given their lives in order to help recover the original vibrancy of the early church. You might think of this site as a "virtual" Wittenberg Door. It is hoped that these 95 Theses will inspire you to do your part in the restoration of the Church to its New Testament Apostolic foundations. And so doing, perhaps ours or our children's generation will be the ones to complete our Lord's heart cry: to take the Good News of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth in order to set the captives free and see nations of disciples for Him!
Our Mission is to encourage the renewal, restoration, reformation and even revolution of the Church of Jesus Christ. The proposals listed herein represent the views of many people, albeit still a minority. But the goal of seeing the Great News of the forgiveness of sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus proclaimed in every nation is the goal! It is our intent to provide all levels of resources in order to see world discipleship accomplished. We do not represent any denomination, and believe that Christianity was intended to be simple, life changing, and for EVERYONE! Since no man has a corner on the truth, it is possible that some of the 95 Theses could be altered or even eliminated in the future. For this reason, we wish to humbly augment the work that God is doing throughout the earth in fostering Apostolic reformation to the Church of Jesus Christ. If you believe that you have a "piece of the puzzle" to contribute, please let us know. Soon, there will be a page for selective contributions, so that the entire Body of Christ may benefit. Please give us your honest, heartfelt comments by communicating on the feedback form or email at mail@95theses2000.org. ~ Bob Lund
The 95 Theses:
Six Proposals For Renewing Our Passion For Jesus And One Another!
1. Experiencing the love of God and obeying him by loving one another must be the focus of all our activities in the Church of Jesus Christ.
2. All of our activity in the church must have, as its goal, Christ being formed in every person.
3. Hearing God’s voice via listening prayer and cultivating an obedient response reflex must be at the center of our individual and corporate prayer activity.
4. Our lord never meant for our walk with him to be as complicated as medieval and subsequently, modern Christianity has made it; we must work to simplify the Christian church as exemplified in the New Testament.
5. Our walk with the lord was never meant to be mediated by an organization or an individual.
6. Our walk with the lord has more to do with "community" than most western Christians would admit or understand.
What Christians do when they get together is important to God!
7. The modern day "Sunday service" is far from fulfilling the scriptural exhortation to "not forsake our own assembling together."
8. Christian meetings were meant to engage every believer in action.
9. The lord’s supper was never meant to be a "polite ceremony with an itty bitty breadcrumb and a thimbleful of Welch's grape juice.."
10. While home fellowship groups are a great step towards the New Testament ideal of meetings, they are not necessarily the answer.
Since the "business" of Christian ministry is transforming peoples lives so that they are conformed to the image of Christ...
11. Ministry in the church today is often no more than the latest trick or technique from a new book or conference.
12. Much of the ministry in American churches revolves around planning programs and assumes that relationships will naturally follow those programs, rather than the biblical model of putting relationships first.
13. Equipping the saints in order to perform the work of the ministry is often talked about but rarely performed according to biblical pattern.
14. Many churches have not envisioned each person as being the key to attracting, transforming and keeping the lost.
15. The concept of ministry in the church is often no more than a conglomerate of impersonal programs.
16. Equipping the saints is much more than just herding people into a room and talking at them.
17. The "pulpit" is one device that has helped to perpetuate the anti-biblical doctrine of a clergy and laity distinction.
18. The practice of equating book learning with equipping and training has greatly contributed to the lack of real power in the Church of Jesus.
19. The average church-going Christian in America unconsciously thinks that the very act of faithfully attending church services is their ministry; it is not.
20. Our lord never meant for preaching to be the primary way that the saints are equipped for service; in fact, preaching as we know it in a Christian assembly may not have even existed in the very early church.
21. Deliverance ministry in the church is one of the most controversial, yet vital issues facing the church today. We cannot bring the body of Christ to maturity without dislodging demonic strongholds out of each new Christian.
Helping people grow and become all they are supposed to be in the Lord Jesus Christ requires leadership... not too much and not too little... but just as the New Testament prescribes!
22. A New Testament apostolic reformation is vital to the success of the church in the 21st century.
23. Our lord did not intend for church leaders to wield the kind of control over other people that we often see today.
24. Leadership "covering" in most traditional churches often resembles more of a political, military, or corporate business model than a new testament one.
25. The clergy-laity distinction is not biblical and has caused God’s people incalculable damage throughout history.
26. The gift of apostle is probably one of the most misunderstood ministry gifts. Yet it must be received if the church is going to be truly effective in worldwide church planting.
27. The New Testament function of elder is often misunderstood and rarely practiced.
28. Biblical elders are more than older men who are good businessmen.
29. The protestant reformation re-instated the truth of the priesthood of all believers, but not the practice.
30. The role of "pastor," in today’s modern usage, is far different from the New Testament definition and is without biblical support.
31. With little or no scriptural warrant, the reformers of the sixteenth century simply renamed priests, giving them the name of "pastor," and retained many of the functions of such priests.
32. The position of "senior pastor" may be more likened to that of a corporate CEO or president and is an entirely inappropriate model for the Church of Jesus.
33. For most churches in America, the position commonly referred to as pastor has turned into a vocation and probably should not be one at all.
34. Often, the senior pastor is not necessarily the most capable teacher of an assembly, yet is usually the one who does most of the teaching.
35. In many cases, the senior pastor is really a church planter, evangelist, teacher or biblical pastor who has settled into a biblically inappropriate role.
36. The Pastor/CEO position as we know it today is virtually an impossible position to fulfill, and can lead to incredible discouragement and burnout.
37. One of the principle reasons we have kingly, authoritarian leaders in the church today is for the same reason as Israel of old: people have rejected God as their king and usually cry, with one voice, for a single leader they can point to as monarch over their church assembly.
38. One of the best things that could ever happen to a senior pastor and the church would be for him to get a job and share many of his duties with others.
39. Churches ought to raise up leadership from within an assembly rather than hire someone from outside.
The Church of Jesus Christ is a family, not a corporation. We must embrace the community nature of the Church and shy away from institutionalism as much as possible.
40. One of our primary problems in the church occurs when we think God is in His house when He is not.
41. The church today has largely forgotten its Hebrew roots and has embraced a Greek philosophy which has led to an increase in worldly wisdom in its midst.
42. The Christendom model of the church is a failed experiment; we should begin to embrace the New Testament ideals with respect to the kingdom of God.
43. The corporation model of the church is a failed experiment; we should stop embracing it and press on towards God’s simple plan for His church.
44. The church was never meant to be a highly organized institution based on programs.
45. The Church of Jesus is, at its core, a family; any resemblance to a modern corporation, or any other institution, is a result of cultural influence and may not be biblical.
46. Naming a group of Christians is, in itself, an act of dividing the body of Christ.
47. The existence of denominational organizations within the church is further attestation to the fact that a full reformation has never taken place.
48. Headquarters or denominational control over local churches has no scriptural basis and is a practice that should not be embraced.
49. Church membership should be based on nothing less or more than a commitment to Christ.
The church is not made up of physical bricks. Rather, it is made of living stones... Believers. We must major on the spiritual house, and minor on the physical ones...
50. Unlike the Old Testament temple system, the New Testament lends slim-to-no support for physical buildings for the body of Christ to meet in.
51. Our church growth should not be limited to the size of our building, or the speed at which we are able to add on to it.
52. Money spent on buildings (both purchased and rent) tends to reflect an old covenant program. In many cases, such funds should be re-directed to efforts that better reflect New Testament values and patterns.
53. Many unsaved people are offended by the amount of money that church buildings cost. Rather, if they are going to take offense at the church, it should be at the cross of Christ expressed in the lives of believers.
54. Buildings often detract from the family aspect of the Church of Jesus.
55. Smaller church meetings in homes are a better way to build and transform lives in the body of Christ.
56. A growing segment of both the Christian and non-Christian populace will not enter into a church building.
57. We must not make a sacred cow of only meeting in homes.
58. While the "cell church" concept is working for some churches, and is a big step in the right direction, it is still not as optimal as the New Testament pattern.
Reproducing the life of Christ in others via disciple making lies in the center of God's heart. Therefore, we must be as serious about it as He is, and be diligent in doing it His way...
59. The "gospel blimp" mentality of program evangelism is a relatively recent mutation of an ancient, yet anti-biblical invention.
60. We should minimize program evangelism and encourage the New Testament pattern of equipping each Christian to be witnesses in their sphere of influence on a day-to-day basis.
61. We must be cautious in utilizing the "convert them and herd them into a Sunday morning service" approach to evangelism and discipleship.
62. An anti-biblical view of separation has cut many off from influencing others for Christ.
63. A call to radical discipleship is largely missing from many evangelistic pleas, calls, and outreaches
64. God’s manifest power will be available to us in our outreach efforts as we obey His call to go to the afflicted; we must resist the ingrown passivity that pervades church today.
Extending the kingdom of God via Church planting is our Lord's way of growing the Church. We need to focus on His work and do it in His way...
65. The Americanization of other cultures during the course of our world missionary efforts has been a tragic mistake; by doing so we plant a mutated form of the New Testament church.
66. World evangelization via mission organizations has been partially successful, and has been "plan b" at best..
67. Our lord never meant for people who felt called to missions to go around begging for money for support.
68. Missionary efforts that create umbilical cords to ourselves foster an unbiblical dependence among the churches that we have planted.
69. Something is most likely very wrong with this picture: the newly planted church in which the church planter stays too long.
70. We should be aggressively encouraging business people to be "stealth bomber" evangelists in countries that are typically closed to traditional missionaries.
71. We must remember how vital signs and wonders are in evangelism and church planting.
72. Church planting does not have to take place via apostles; regular believers may bring the gospel to outer regions and plant legitimate churches.
True worship is our heart of love responding in expressions of obedience...
73. The church has been overrun by a spirit of program and entertainment; we must restore intimacy with, and obedience to, God as our worship of God.
74. The "hymnal" of the church was never meant to be a bound book, but rather, a loose-leaf notebook.
75. Worship music was never meant to become a professional subsidiary of the church.
76. Singing in the spirit is either missing from, or abused by, many churches.
Money matters. We need to restore extravagant, New Covenant giving to the Church...
77. The tithe is an old covenant practice that principally served the priestly sacrificial system overhead. With the new covenant, money is allocated to perform tasks, such as assistance to the oppressed and church planting and related itinerant ministries.
78. Often, giving money to churches becomes "tithing to ourselves."
79. Except for itinerants and rare exceptions, paying church leaders, robs the people of being able to be released in their giftings and ministries.
80. By mixing money with ministry (in a tax-free way), we place ourselves in an unholy and unnecessary alliance with the state.
We must flee traditions which do not square with Scripture and run toward patterns which do...
81. Many churches have embraced traditions, which have developed after the close of the first century, while almost entirely neglecting New Testament, apostolic ones.
82. We must be careful of mimicking the activities of past brethren as well as not expecting that future generations will do so with ours.
83. We need to eliminate the offense of traditions, strange mannerisms, and sin in the church which often block the unsaved from facing the offense of the cross of Christ.
84. Often, the root of our misguided traditions come from an improper interpretation or application of scripture.
85. When the ways of the culture around us (secular or religious) are embraced in the body of Christ, especially if they preempt the patterns and principles that the lord has given us, we run the risk of being ineffective at best, and offending God, at worst.
86. The tradition of some Christian groups of "dressing up" for church is often a barrier to some believers and unbelievers alike that keeps them from fellowship.
The job of transforming lives cannot be done without the proper tools. We must fully restore the operation of all the spiritual gifts for all the Body of Christ today...
87. All of the gifts of the Holy Spirit were meant to be in operation until the day that Jesus returns.
88. Both charismatic and non-charismatic brethren ought to be careful in establishing their practices from experience or the lack thereof.
89. Prophesying as noted in the New Testament often is different than the prophetic expressed in the Old Testament and is certainly more than just good preaching.
90. Prophesying was never meant to be a vague word spoken by people who need attention.
91. He never meant for spiritual gifts and anointing to be more important than character and love.
Entertainment, false unity, and head knowledge without "heart" all have injected their venom into the church. We must root these things out...
92. The world of entertainment has had more influence on the ministry of the church than most would care to admit.
93. Higher education, principally utilizing the lecture method of training, has affected the body of Christ in a negative way; in order to make "whole" disciples, we must see training as more than simply preaching and lecturing.
94. It is dangerous to make doctrinal statements or church constitutions our points of unification; lest they possibly preempt the unity in the spirit we are to possess having been joined together by the blood of the Son of God.
95. Leaders have unwittingly widened the breach between the truth of the priesthood of all believers and the actual practice of it by misapplying scholasticism.
Selasa, 26 Mei 2009
"Eric Liddell Said"
"We are all missionaries. Wherever we go, we either bring people nearer to Christ, or we repel them from Christ."
~Eric Liddell~
~Eric Liddell~
HOUSE CHURCH CONFERENCE
Dear Friends and Fellow Workers,
I am forwarding the information below from Tony Dale about the upcoming annual House Church Conference in Dallas, Texas on Labor Day Weekend. I will be sharing on four topics in the breakout sessions daily which are four 90 minute sessions. These sessions will be interactive.
The four topics are:
1. Ministry Training Schools - Simple Bible College
2. Healing the Sick in Jesus' Name - Sending them out two by two
3. World Missionary Outreach - Helping Fellow Workers in every country
4. Church on the Road - Embracing the Whole Church Worldwide
Please pray about coming to these gatherings. If God leads you to go, he will also provide the money for you to go. Amen? Amen!
If you are planning to come, please write and let me know. The leaders are asking me to do this in order to have a better idea of what the attendance will be.
See you in Dallas, Lord willing! - Robert Fitts
Letter from Tony Dale
Dear Friends,
Please forgive my sending this to all of you at once, but it saves a huge amount of time and duplication of effort. We appreciate so much all that you are doing and the role you have agreed to play in this year's National Conference. I believe that the coming together of the large and small churches as represented by this conference is a powerful prophetic statement of one area that is on the Lord's heart.
First to some housekeeping: The conference will cover the conference registration cost for one person involved in the leadership of each track. Please can I ask everyone to register as per normal, and we will refund the registration at the conference, and if we find we can refund for a 2nd track leader we will handle that at the conference also.
Early bird conference registration costs end around the 14th of June. I know that each of you getting this is working with significant numbers of people around the country that you hope are coming to the conference. Can you alert them through your own communication channels that they need to register for the conference by June 14th to get the cheapest registration price. It does not go up much after that, but we just find it really helpful to get people to plan ahead. Use this link to connect people to the conference registration page: http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=721026.
If you are going to need anything special, like facilities for projection of power point, etc., you will probably need to bring your own equipment. We do have a little, but it will go to folk on a first come first served basis. We do encourage all who lead tracks within the conference to watch the very short video that is at this link to explain why we want you to make the sessions as interactive as possible. This year there is more time available to those of you leading the "Tracks" than is available to the plenary sessions. You have 4 x's 90 minute sessions, and we really encourage you not to just plan for long talks but to actively involve people in the process of whatever is being taught.
Some of you have asked me what we are hoping you will cover? We have no specific expectations. This is your time with your people for you to do what you sense the Lord leading you to. Our hope is that you will greatly strengthen your own network connections with those who are a part of your track, so that you can continue actively working with them after the conference. We believe the conference will provide a context for all to see that they are a part of something larger and more far reaching than anything they had yet imagined.
If you have any questions you are welcome to drop me a note. I will be around Austin for the two weeks following Memorial Day and will be delighted to hear from you by phone or email.
Every blessing,
Tony
A list of the different tracks and the person I show as leading the track follows:
Austin Stone and associated churches "Stew" Stewart
Apex Community and associated churches Chris Cardiff
Northland and associated churches, Dan Lacich
Frank Viola and associated churches Frank Viola
John Fenn and associated churches John Fenn
Robert Fitts and associated churches Robert Fitts
David Watson and associated churches David Watson
Greenhouse First Story (CMA) Neil Cole
House2House team will run a House Church Basics Track
Luke 10 Team will run a Developing Regional Networks Track
Robert Ricciardelli will run a Marketplace Ministries Track.
Dr. Tony Dale
Chairman and Founder
The Karis Group, Inc.
3755 S Capital of Texas Hwy Ste 240
Austin, TX 78704
Office: 512.292.9560
Direct: 512.828.8124
Fax: 512.292.5701
Email: tdale@thekarisgroup.com
The information in this email may be confidential. This email is intended to be reviewed by only the individual or organization named above. If you are not the intended recipient or an authorized representative of the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any review, dissemination or copying of this email and its attachments, if any, or the information contained herein is prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please immediately notify the sender by return email and delete this email from your system.
Robert Fitts
76-6309 Haku Pl
Kona, HI 96740
robertjoni@gmail.com
www.robertfitts.com
Where It All Begins
Out of the womb of prayer, praise and worship all things in the kingdom of God are conceived, nurtured, and brought to birth for the glory of God and the good of mankind.
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 in the world 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.
Say "Yes" to Grace and "No" to Law
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!
I am forwarding the information below from Tony Dale about the upcoming annual House Church Conference in Dallas, Texas on Labor Day Weekend. I will be sharing on four topics in the breakout sessions daily which are four 90 minute sessions. These sessions will be interactive.
The four topics are:
1. Ministry Training Schools - Simple Bible College
2. Healing the Sick in Jesus' Name - Sending them out two by two
3. World Missionary Outreach - Helping Fellow Workers in every country
4. Church on the Road - Embracing the Whole Church Worldwide
Please pray about coming to these gatherings. If God leads you to go, he will also provide the money for you to go. Amen? Amen!
If you are planning to come, please write and let me know. The leaders are asking me to do this in order to have a better idea of what the attendance will be.
See you in Dallas, Lord willing! - Robert Fitts
Letter from Tony Dale
Dear Friends,
Please forgive my sending this to all of you at once, but it saves a huge amount of time and duplication of effort. We appreciate so much all that you are doing and the role you have agreed to play in this year's National Conference. I believe that the coming together of the large and small churches as represented by this conference is a powerful prophetic statement of one area that is on the Lord's heart.
First to some housekeeping: The conference will cover the conference registration cost for one person involved in the leadership of each track. Please can I ask everyone to register as per normal, and we will refund the registration at the conference, and if we find we can refund for a 2nd track leader we will handle that at the conference also.
Early bird conference registration costs end around the 14th of June. I know that each of you getting this is working with significant numbers of people around the country that you hope are coming to the conference. Can you alert them through your own communication channels that they need to register for the conference by June 14th to get the cheapest registration price. It does not go up much after that, but we just find it really helpful to get people to plan ahead. Use this link to connect people to the conference registration page: http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=721026.
If you are going to need anything special, like facilities for projection of power point, etc., you will probably need to bring your own equipment. We do have a little, but it will go to folk on a first come first served basis. We do encourage all who lead tracks within the conference to watch the very short video that is at this link
Some of you have asked me what we are hoping you will cover? We have no specific expectations. This is your time with your people for you to do what you sense the Lord leading you to. Our hope is that you will greatly strengthen your own network connections with those who are a part of your track, so that you can continue actively working with them after the conference. We believe the conference will provide a context for all to see that they are a part of something larger and more far reaching than anything they had yet imagined.
If you have any questions you are welcome to drop me a note. I will be around Austin for the two weeks following Memorial Day and will be delighted to hear from you by phone or email.
Every blessing,
Tony
A list of the different tracks and the person I show as leading the track follows:
Austin Stone and associated churches "Stew" Stewart
Apex Community and associated churches Chris Cardiff
Northland and associated churches, Dan Lacich
Frank Viola and associated churches Frank Viola
John Fenn and associated churches John Fenn
Robert Fitts and associated churches Robert Fitts
David Watson and associated churches David Watson
Greenhouse First Story (CMA) Neil Cole
House2House team will run a House Church Basics Track
Luke 10 Team will run a Developing Regional Networks Track
Robert Ricciardelli will run a Marketplace Ministries Track.
Dr. Tony Dale
Chairman and Founder
The Karis Group, Inc.
3755 S Capital of Texas Hwy Ste 240
Austin, TX 78704
Office: 512.292.9560
Direct: 512.828.8124
Fax: 512.292.5701
Email: tdale@thekarisgroup.com
The information in this email may be confidential. This email is intended to be reviewed by only the individual or organization named above. If you are not the intended recipient or an authorized representative of the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any review, dissemination or copying of this email and its attachments, if any, or the information contained herein is prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please immediately notify the sender by return email and delete this email from your system.
Robert Fitts
76-6309 Haku Pl
Kona, HI 96740
robertjoni@gmail.com
www.robertfitts.com
Where It All Begins
Out of the womb of prayer, praise and worship all things in the kingdom of God are conceived, nurtured, and brought to birth for the glory of God and the good of mankind.
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 in the world 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.
Say "Yes" to Grace and "No" to Law
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!
Selasa, 12 Mei 2009
The Holistic Church
The Holistic Church
'holistic' - the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The importance of the whole and the interdependence of its parts. The organic or functional relation between parts and whole.
The term "holistic" is mostly used in the field of alternative medicine. In this context it is usually defined as treating the whole person, not just the physical body.
In conventional medicine, it is usually only the specific body part that has the symptoms which is treated. The body itself is not viewed as only "part" of a bigger picture, the whole person. I believe that this is a mistake, but that is not the reason I have written this article. I believe that we, as believers, have made a similar mistake with our viewpoint and approach to the Body of Christ.
The Expression of the Whole Christ
"And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all." Eph. 1: 22, 23
The letter to the Ephesians probably shows us more than any other letter how the church is the Body of Christ. And that Body is to express the fullness of the Head, Jesus Christ.
Just think about your own physical body. What purpose does it serve? Does it not express in a physical, visible way the invisible person who lives within it? Your body communicates with the outside world. Your body expresses what you are thinking and feeling on the inside. When you speak you move your hands around to express your thoughts. I'm sure you have heard the term "body language." It simply means that you can express your thoughts and feelings with your physical body.
It is the same way with the Body of Christ. We are to express (visibly) the invisible Person who lives within us. We do this individually and corporately. Each part expresses Christ but the fullness of Christ can only be expressed by the Body (Eph. 1:23). Individually we can only express a small part of this wonderful Person. But together, corporately, we can express the fullness or the whole Christ. And now this gets down to my point.
As the church, are we expressing the fullness of Christ or only a part? Could it be that we have taken and chosen certain aspects of His nature, character, and mission and only chosen to express those specific aspects? I strongly believe that we have done this. In fact, I hope to prove it to you in this article. I have termed this process as "selective expression."
What is Selective Expression?
It is the process whereby we see, speak, teach, and consequentially express only a small part of Christ, and not the "Whole" Christ.
At the core of this problem is a very weak and limited revelation of Jesus Christ. We have a revelation of Him, but only in one small area. We have a small and limited Christ. We have only seen Him with limited vision. And that's okay because we are all growing in our revelation and understanding of this unlimited Christ. Revelation is progressive and eternally growing and expanding.
However, the problem comes in when we stop the process along the way. We become satisfied with what we have already seen of Him and stop pursuing and pressing into Christ. Now, our experience of Christ settles and crystallizes like hardened concrete. This is when we form "filters" over our vision of Christ. We only see Him a certain way because we are looking through the "spectacles" of our past revelation and experience.
Here is an example. There was a time in my life when the Lord was revealing to me His heart for the lost. He showed me how much He loved them and wanted to reach them. This crystallized for me and became a filter over my eyes. Then, everything I saw in the scriptures was about evangelism. It didn't matter where I went in the bible, all I saw was evangelism. I had put on the "spectacles" of evangelicalism. And now I was out to convert the non-believer and recruit the believer into becoming as evangelistic as me. Partial vision can sometimes be worse than total blindness!
The real problem came in when I went out to find others who had on the same spectacles as me. I only wanted to fellowship with Christians who were as evangelistic as me. Now we are talking corporate expression here. What I saw effected how I expressed. And now there was a group of us expressing together. The problem was that we were only expressing a very small part of Christ! He is much bigger than evangelism, miracles, healing, deliverance, feeding the poor, helping widows, spiritual gifts or spiritual warfare.
He is the All!
And His desire is to be expressed as such by His church.
First Things First - the Chicken or the Egg?
One of the first things that God had the children of Israel do after they left Egypt was to build the tabernacle (Ex. 25 - 30). When the new generation entered the Canaan land, the whole point was for God to have two things: a house (temple), and a city (Jerusalem). There was a certain piece of property that God had in mind for his house and the children of Israel would have to fight their way into the land to obtain it. The reason God wanted the land was to have a building site for his house and his city. The theme of the house and the city runs all throughout scripture. You can even see the raw materials for this building project in the garden (Gen. 2:12). Throughout all of scripture we see "the house" and "the city." Here are just a few: Ezra 6:3; 2 Sam. 6:17; Ps. 132: 3-5; Heb. 4:16; Luke 9:58; Matt. 21:13; Matt. 16: 13-18; Heb. 11:10; Rev. 21 & 22.
The House and the City
It's important that we realize that the city grows out of the house. The house must come first. Who ever heard of a city without a house? The city is the expansion of the house. But what is all of this figurative language about?
The House - a place for the Lord to rest his head
The "house" is the dwelling place of God. It is the place where he can relax, where he can be himself. It is the place where he can freely express himself. Just like we design and decorate our homes to suit and express who we are, so does the Lord with his house. It's all about the place of rest, comfort, and expression (Acts 7:44-50; Is. 66:1). The house is always the center of the city. In Old Covenant language, the temple is the center of Jerusalem. The temple was the focal point for all Jewish worship and culture. This is but a shadow or picture of the true house of God, the church (I Pet. 2_5; I pet. 4:17; I Tim. 3:15; I Cor. 3:9-16). And this house expresses who he is. This house is Jesus Christ in corporate form.
The City - all throughout scripture the city represents authority and power
The establishment of a city always depicts the establishment of conquest and authority. God has always wanted a city. In Revelation 21 and 22 we see that he gets it. The New Jerusalem is the culmination of all of God's purposes and dreams in one place. It's a heavenly city that comes down to earth (Rev. 21:10). And God gets his desire fulfilled to dwell with and in man (Rev. 21:3). The Father and the Son are the Temple (Rev. 21:22). And this city is the wife of the Lamb (Rev. 21:9).
The city, since it represents God's authority, also represents the kingdom of God. The throne of God is there and his people rule with him (Rev. 22:3-5). The city expresses who he is and what he does. The city is the fullness and expansion of the house. Christ is fully expressed through his church and this brings forth the kingdom. The kingdom is the expression of his mission to the world. It includes evangelism, feeding the poor, reaching the lost, healing of all sorts, deliverance -- basically Isaiah 61:1, 2. The kingdom is the city set on a hill (Matt. 5:14-16).
The Present Dichotomy
I see that there has been a polarization happening among believers involving this issue of the house and the city. Many have created a dichotomy out of the church and the kingdom. There are those who say that the kingdom is what Jesus preached, so we should be into that. Then, there are others who say that Paul wrote mostly about the church, so we should be into that.
The truth is that this is not an either/or situation. The church and the kingdom are not diametrically opposed to one another. In fact, they are two sides of the same coin, so to speak. They are both aspects of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. The church brings the kingdom to earth because it is through the church that the nature, life, and works of God are displayed (Eph. 3:10, 11; Eph. 2:10).
Therefore, we will never see the kingdom come to this earth in any significant way until we see the church displaying the fullness of Christ. She is all about expressing her Lord. And the kingdom (his authority and works) are part of that expression.
We must remember that God has a divine order to things. The house comes before the city. Communal comes before missional. Relationship comes before good works. Identity comes before action. Being comes before doing. Who God is determines what he does. Jesus healed the sick because he is compassion. He raised the dead because he is resurrection. He fed the multitudes because he is the bread of life.
The Source and Origins of Church Life
Before anything else existed there was the fellowship and community of the Godhead (John 17). Before there was ministry, outreach, or mission, there was a divine community flowing with life. This is the model and foundation for all church life. If there is community life, and it is healthy, then the divine life of the Godhead will flow out to the world as well. Why? Because that is part of who God is. And the community of believers is all about expressing that life to one another and to the world. In other words, the community of the Godhead, in all of its fullness and glory, is to be expressed by the community of believers.
Sisters and brothers, we must begin there!
written by Milt Rodriguez
'holistic' - the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The importance of the whole and the interdependence of its parts. The organic or functional relation between parts and whole.
The term "holistic" is mostly used in the field of alternative medicine. In this context it is usually defined as treating the whole person, not just the physical body.
In conventional medicine, it is usually only the specific body part that has the symptoms which is treated. The body itself is not viewed as only "part" of a bigger picture, the whole person. I believe that this is a mistake, but that is not the reason I have written this article. I believe that we, as believers, have made a similar mistake with our viewpoint and approach to the Body of Christ.
The Expression of the Whole Christ
"And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all." Eph. 1: 22, 23
The letter to the Ephesians probably shows us more than any other letter how the church is the Body of Christ. And that Body is to express the fullness of the Head, Jesus Christ.
Just think about your own physical body. What purpose does it serve? Does it not express in a physical, visible way the invisible person who lives within it? Your body communicates with the outside world. Your body expresses what you are thinking and feeling on the inside. When you speak you move your hands around to express your thoughts. I'm sure you have heard the term "body language." It simply means that you can express your thoughts and feelings with your physical body.
It is the same way with the Body of Christ. We are to express (visibly) the invisible Person who lives within us. We do this individually and corporately. Each part expresses Christ but the fullness of Christ can only be expressed by the Body (Eph. 1:23). Individually we can only express a small part of this wonderful Person. But together, corporately, we can express the fullness or the whole Christ. And now this gets down to my point.
As the church, are we expressing the fullness of Christ or only a part? Could it be that we have taken and chosen certain aspects of His nature, character, and mission and only chosen to express those specific aspects? I strongly believe that we have done this. In fact, I hope to prove it to you in this article. I have termed this process as "selective expression."
What is Selective Expression?
It is the process whereby we see, speak, teach, and consequentially express only a small part of Christ, and not the "Whole" Christ.
At the core of this problem is a very weak and limited revelation of Jesus Christ. We have a revelation of Him, but only in one small area. We have a small and limited Christ. We have only seen Him with limited vision. And that's okay because we are all growing in our revelation and understanding of this unlimited Christ. Revelation is progressive and eternally growing and expanding.
However, the problem comes in when we stop the process along the way. We become satisfied with what we have already seen of Him and stop pursuing and pressing into Christ. Now, our experience of Christ settles and crystallizes like hardened concrete. This is when we form "filters" over our vision of Christ. We only see Him a certain way because we are looking through the "spectacles" of our past revelation and experience.
Here is an example. There was a time in my life when the Lord was revealing to me His heart for the lost. He showed me how much He loved them and wanted to reach them. This crystallized for me and became a filter over my eyes. Then, everything I saw in the scriptures was about evangelism. It didn't matter where I went in the bible, all I saw was evangelism. I had put on the "spectacles" of evangelicalism. And now I was out to convert the non-believer and recruit the believer into becoming as evangelistic as me. Partial vision can sometimes be worse than total blindness!
The real problem came in when I went out to find others who had on the same spectacles as me. I only wanted to fellowship with Christians who were as evangelistic as me. Now we are talking corporate expression here. What I saw effected how I expressed. And now there was a group of us expressing together. The problem was that we were only expressing a very small part of Christ! He is much bigger than evangelism, miracles, healing, deliverance, feeding the poor, helping widows, spiritual gifts or spiritual warfare.
He is the All!
And His desire is to be expressed as such by His church.
First Things First - the Chicken or the Egg?
One of the first things that God had the children of Israel do after they left Egypt was to build the tabernacle (Ex. 25 - 30). When the new generation entered the Canaan land, the whole point was for God to have two things: a house (temple), and a city (Jerusalem). There was a certain piece of property that God had in mind for his house and the children of Israel would have to fight their way into the land to obtain it. The reason God wanted the land was to have a building site for his house and his city. The theme of the house and the city runs all throughout scripture. You can even see the raw materials for this building project in the garden (Gen. 2:12). Throughout all of scripture we see "the house" and "the city." Here are just a few: Ezra 6:3; 2 Sam. 6:17; Ps. 132: 3-5; Heb. 4:16; Luke 9:58; Matt. 21:13; Matt. 16: 13-18; Heb. 11:10; Rev. 21 & 22.
The House and the City
It's important that we realize that the city grows out of the house. The house must come first. Who ever heard of a city without a house? The city is the expansion of the house. But what is all of this figurative language about?
The House - a place for the Lord to rest his head
The "house" is the dwelling place of God. It is the place where he can relax, where he can be himself. It is the place where he can freely express himself. Just like we design and decorate our homes to suit and express who we are, so does the Lord with his house. It's all about the place of rest, comfort, and expression (Acts 7:44-50; Is. 66:1). The house is always the center of the city. In Old Covenant language, the temple is the center of Jerusalem. The temple was the focal point for all Jewish worship and culture. This is but a shadow or picture of the true house of God, the church (I Pet. 2_5; I pet. 4:17; I Tim. 3:15; I Cor. 3:9-16). And this house expresses who he is. This house is Jesus Christ in corporate form.
The City - all throughout scripture the city represents authority and power
The establishment of a city always depicts the establishment of conquest and authority. God has always wanted a city. In Revelation 21 and 22 we see that he gets it. The New Jerusalem is the culmination of all of God's purposes and dreams in one place. It's a heavenly city that comes down to earth (Rev. 21:10). And God gets his desire fulfilled to dwell with and in man (Rev. 21:3). The Father and the Son are the Temple (Rev. 21:22). And this city is the wife of the Lamb (Rev. 21:9).
The city, since it represents God's authority, also represents the kingdom of God. The throne of God is there and his people rule with him (Rev. 22:3-5). The city expresses who he is and what he does. The city is the fullness and expansion of the house. Christ is fully expressed through his church and this brings forth the kingdom. The kingdom is the expression of his mission to the world. It includes evangelism, feeding the poor, reaching the lost, healing of all sorts, deliverance -- basically Isaiah 61:1, 2. The kingdom is the city set on a hill (Matt. 5:14-16).
The Present Dichotomy
I see that there has been a polarization happening among believers involving this issue of the house and the city. Many have created a dichotomy out of the church and the kingdom. There are those who say that the kingdom is what Jesus preached, so we should be into that. Then, there are others who say that Paul wrote mostly about the church, so we should be into that.
The truth is that this is not an either/or situation. The church and the kingdom are not diametrically opposed to one another. In fact, they are two sides of the same coin, so to speak. They are both aspects of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. The church brings the kingdom to earth because it is through the church that the nature, life, and works of God are displayed (Eph. 3:10, 11; Eph. 2:10).
Therefore, we will never see the kingdom come to this earth in any significant way until we see the church displaying the fullness of Christ. She is all about expressing her Lord. And the kingdom (his authority and works) are part of that expression.
We must remember that God has a divine order to things. The house comes before the city. Communal comes before missional. Relationship comes before good works. Identity comes before action. Being comes before doing. Who God is determines what he does. Jesus healed the sick because he is compassion. He raised the dead because he is resurrection. He fed the multitudes because he is the bread of life.
The Source and Origins of Church Life
Before anything else existed there was the fellowship and community of the Godhead (John 17). Before there was ministry, outreach, or mission, there was a divine community flowing with life. This is the model and foundation for all church life. If there is community life, and it is healthy, then the divine life of the Godhead will flow out to the world as well. Why? Because that is part of who God is. And the community of believers is all about expressing that life to one another and to the world. In other words, the community of the Godhead, in all of its fullness and glory, is to be expressed by the community of believers.
Sisters and brothers, we must begin there!
written by Milt Rodriguez
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