Weblog

Friday, June 20, 2008

  • Prostituting God

    If you're a Christian, you probably already know that there is a "revival" going on in Lakeland, Florida.  There have been reports of hundreds of healings and over 20 resurrections.  Thousands of people have flocked to Lakeland to seek a healing or an impartation.  Many have gone just to discern if it is truly a move of God.  The Lakeland outpouring has definitely caused many in our house church to seek out the validity of the revival and its frontman, Todd Bentley.

    As I was meditating upon Lakeland and what revival should look like, the Lord gave me a shocking thought.  If our Christian walks are only about seeking after signs, wonders and experiences, then it's just like wanting sex but not the relationship.  You want to get the very best things of God without the commitment of taking up the cross and following Him daily.  In essence, it is prostituting God.

    It's a strong statement, but it's true.  That's why Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (ESV) "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."

    As Christians, we should really test ourselves to see what it is we are chasing after.  If you are only seeking God for power or supernatural manifestations, then you’ve got it all wrong.  I’m not saying that the gifts of the Holy Spirit should not be sought after, but those desires must be rooted in love.  Our first desire should always be to fall more in love with Jesus, and to seek to be conformed into His image (Romans 8:29).

    So in regards to what’s happening in Lakeland, true revival should ultimately result in two things:
    1. Leading non-believers to salvation in Christ
    2. Causing believers to fall more in love with Christ, being conformed into His image and character.
    You will notice that the root of these things is love leading to repentance.  Again, it’s not bad to be empowered by faith to do His will.  But what’s most important to God is not your power, it's your love.  Let faith, let power, let gifts flow out of love alone.  God is our lover, not our prostitute.

    “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
    -1 Corinthians 13:13

Monday, January 14, 2008

  • Growing Joys

    The Lord has been bestowing so much favor on us lately.  I'm utterly amazed by what God has been doing in our midst.  Our little house church has grown closer as a family, grown more mature in His ways, and now we're growing outwards.

    The Lord keeps reminding me of the importance and beauty of the Lord's Supper.  This is the very thing early believers gathered around, and we're reclaiming that in our group.  Last night, we put out the bread and grape juice in next to us as we ate.  At the beginning, I read from 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 "Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf."  After I read the verse, I took one loaf of bread and broke it in half, giving thanks to Jesus.  I gave each half to the person next to me, and they broke pieces off it and handed it to the next person.  As we were doing this, we gave thanks to God for various things.  We also left out the grape juice and left it open for anyone to suggest that we partake of it at any time during the meal. 

    It was a particularly joyous time together, as the Lord's Supper should be.  Remember that this is looking to the future wedding feast of the Lamb, when we will dine at the Messiah's table.  The Lord's Supper is celebrating a wedding banquet, THE wedding banquet of all time.  Jesus said he would not partake of the bread and wine again until that banquet comes (Luke 22:15-18).  So we dine with Him, and we say "Maranatha!" which means "Lord come!"  As His bride we incite His heart to return to us. 

    We sang a song called "We Love You Jesus" by Shane (Barnard) & Shane (Everett).  The first verse says:
    Opening the door to dine with Him
    Traveling to earth to let us in
    Laying down His glory crown of old
    Setting up the wedding feast foretold

    Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by the depth of the Lord's Supper.  I could literally keep revisiting it and find something new, or get stirred up again in its beauty and power.  I believe that this is not going to be just something we do as a house church.  I am convinced that the Lord is restoring this on all His churches.  The great thing about it is, I don't need to do anything in my own strength to make this happen.  The Lord will beckon the hearts of His people and bring them into a place of truth and understanding.

    ---

    I have already begun to see the Lord connect us with different house churches and different people searching for house churches.  We registered on House Church Central, a website that has a database of house churches.  We also started a webpage called San Francisco Bay Area House Church.  The link is here:

    http://www.freewebs.com/sfbayhousechurch

    Through House Church Central and people visiting the website, we have connected with some great people.  A couple just joined us last night who moved here from Michigan.  You would think that having new people, it'd be weird or awkward, but it automatically felt like family.  They jumped right in and worshiped and shared their hearts.  It was really neat to see that the people of God can meet for the first time and immediately be connected.  I know that we'll be seeing this couple again, too.

    Next week, because of House Church Central, we are meeting with a couple house churches in Santa Cruz.  They are making their way up to visit us in Millbrae.  I'm excited to fellowship on a little larger scale because we haven't done something like this yet.  I have many questions such as, what does a large gathering look like within a house church context?  I think I've resolved that the goals should be basically similar to a small house church meeting.  I want to know who these people are.  I want to fellowship with them to be mutually edified.  I want Christ to unite us.

    Again, I'm in awe of God's favor on us.  We've only been meeting for maybe 5 months now and God has already done so much.  Of course there will be challenges that come about, but I'm so excited to see what God has in store for us.

    Grace and peace...

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

  • The Lord's Supper: The Lost Art of Church

    I didn't realize how much time had passed since my last post, but I also don't want to post merely for the sake of posting.  My goal is to make this blog intentioned and focused on the things of God.  I want to share a couple of things that have been happening around me and in me.

    The Lord is continuing to show me the value and the depths of the Lord's Supper.  First, if you go to the original Greek translation of "the Lord's Supper,"  it literally translates to "the supper belonging to the Lord."  The Greek word for "Supper" is deipnon, which refers to the main meal of the day (dinner), and could also be used to describe a banquet or feast.  In the New Testament, the word deipnon is always used to refer to an entire meal, and it's almost always used to describe a banquet or feast. Isn't it funny how we somehow whittled it down to the "elements" of the bread and wine? 

    I also like the fact that the meal belongs to the Lord.  It's His, not ours.  So as we gather around the meal, our goal is to invite Jesus to dine with us.  To remember the Lamb who was slain and bring Him glory.  Revelations 3:20 says "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."  I've often heard this verse used to evangelize to a non-Christian.  However, Jesus said this to the church in Laodicea.  In other words He said this to those who already believed in Christ.  Having an understanding of the Lord's Supper brings a new meaning to this verse.  For when when we gather in His name to eat, we welcome the presence of Jesus among us and dine with Him.   Sharing a meal is an intimate thing.  It provides a forum to talk and get to know one another.  This opening the door to Jesus is not a one time occurrence (as in accepting Jesus as your Savior), this is a regular, frequent event.

    Here's another interesting tidbit I read recently: "Whereas modern Gentiles associate heaven with clouds and harps, first-century Jews thought of heaven as a time of feasting at Messiah’s table.  This idea of eating and drinking at the Messiah’s table was common imagery in Jewish thought of the first century.  For instance, a Jewish leader once said to Jesus, 'Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God' (Lk 14:15).  Jesus Himself said that 'many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven' (Mt 8:11)."  I think the first-century Jews had a clearer understanding that to dine with the Messiah is the very picture of heaven.  It makes partaking of the Lord's Supper so much more beautiful and powerful.

    The church needs to be reawakened to the Lord's Supper, to the "love feast" as Jude 1:12 puts it.  I believe the Lord is truly doing this, and it's an exciting time to be in.  

    If you're interested in more reading on this topic, here are some essays posted online.  My only disclaimer is that I haven't read everything these authors have written, so I can't say that I agree with every single thing they write.  But I have read these essays, and I appreciate their thoughts and insights.  In fact, much of what I have learned lately has come from these essays.

    The Lord's Supper - Feast or Famine?
    by: Steve Atkerson
    http://www.ntrf.org/articles/article_detail.php?PRKey=9

    The Lord's Supper, A study of 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
    by: John Zens
    http://homechurch.com/johnzens/ST_Zens_LordsSup.html

    This last one is really long, but packed with really good information.  Honestly, I'm still in the middle of reading through what he has written, but I everything I've read so far is right on.
    The Lord's Supper Series (found on the right column of the webpage)
    by:  Eric Svendsen
    http://ntrminblog.blogspot.com/2005/04/lords-table-is-not-funeral.html

    A group of 10 of us have been meeting over the Lord's Supper for about two months now.  We have been having dinner together every Sunday night.  It has been a true joy to feast together in the presence of God.  It feels like we're a family when we come together to prepare food and spend time with each other.  Indeed we are a family, with God as our Father and Jesus as our bridegroom.  As we eat together, our desire is to set aside worldly conversation and speak praises to our Lord, giving Him the precedence.

    Last Sunday I was especially blessed by our time.  A week ago, I had a dream about our Lord's Supper gathering.  In it, I said to the group "Let's not talk about ourselves or what's going on.  Let's not even talk about God.  Let's talk to God.  Let everything that comes out of our mouths be a prayer, a praise, a song to the Most High."  As I shared my dream with my wife the next day, she told me, "You have to share that with our group on Sunday."  So when we got together on Sunday, I shared this dream, and I asked everyone "Do you guys want to do this?"  Everyone said yes, so we just went for it.  I've never had a more intense dinner in my life.  There were praises, prayers, songs, and the Word being spoken.  Near the beginning,     one brother sang a prophetic song in the Spirit that really helped to fix our eyes on Jesus and usher in His presence among us.  Later one person read the verse from John 6:35 where Jesus says He is the Bread of Life.  As I heard those words and ate my food, I literally felt as if I was eating the Bread of Life.  It was like what I was doing physically reflected what was happening in my spirit.

    I praise the Lord for what He is doing in His church, and I'm blessed, honored and humbled to be a part of it. 

Sunday, August 26, 2007

  • Be Against The System, Not The People

    For the past four years, my heart for doing church has transitioned out of the pews and into the homes. During that span, I received criticism and persecution from some Christians in the institutional setting. Some would say that it was absolutely necessary to be in church on Sunday morning. Some would think that I was in a cult with the other believers I was fellowshipping with. Some couldn't understand that there was anything wrong with the way church was being done. I typically took this all in stride and didn't let it get to me.

    But a few weeks ago, the pastor at my church said that people who go to home churches are just disgruntled and angry with the way church is done, so they meet in the homes and throw pity parties instead of staying in the church and working these issues out. (As a background, I still go to an intitutional church, mainly because when my wife and I moved to San Francisco, we knew of no home church group, and fellowship with the body was essential to us.) I took offense to this statement, and became angry with my pastor because of it.

    Fastforward to the weekend of August 11-12. My good friend Matt was visiting from Boston. He was instrumental in defining church for me years back as I was in my struggles of knowing there was something wrong with the institution, but not knowing where to go from there. Matt was a leader in the home church I attended in San Diego a few years ago, and I always looked up to him as a mentor in the Lord. I told Matt what my pastor said, and I was hoping to drum up some "holy anger" in him. Instead, he said "You know there is some truth to that statement. There are some who have been hurt by the church and go and meet in this manner. Now your pastor doesn't have the full picture, but there is some truth to it." Not quite the response I was hoping for.  In spending more time with Matt, what I begun to pick up on was his deep heart for unity in the body. Because of what my pastor said, I became bitter towards him, and was not in a place of love for him. I became convicted to repent of my bitterness and keep loving my brother in the Lord.  Matt said that there have been many pastors who harshly criticized him for attending house churches, but he continued to love those pastors.  Matt didn't abandon them because of what they said.  He tried his best to understand the truth behind their statements, and to remain in unity with them.      Eventually, those pastors were disarmed because they saw that Matt still loved and cared for them. 

    Spending time with Matt helped me to realize that it's the system of church we need to be against, NOT the people. In the past, I think I there was a degree of judgement I placed on those who were in the institution, especially the leaders. But now that I am beginning to transition out of the institution (again), I need to make even more of an effort to love these brothers and sisters who are still in it. Even if they say something that might offend me regarding home church, I have to forgive them and show them that I still care about them. I need to hate the system, but love the people. For those of you that are meeting in the homes, please hear me out on this. It's the heart of Jesus to retain unity in the body. We house church goers especially need to set an example of love. We need to communicate that we're not splitting off to form another denomination. We are all one church, baptized into one body by one Spirit. We're pursuing God according to what the Word shows us, but that doesn't mean we're going to stop connecting with believers in the institution or stop loving them.

    I could expand on the issue of unity, but I won't at this time. I'll keep it to what I've been learning regarding those in the institution. Here's a verse that I used to apply to non-believers, but I have also learned to apply it to people like my pastor who have persecuted the home church.

    "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." (Romans 12:14) I made the decision to bless my pastor, to keep on loving him and to cause any bitterness I had against him to be washed away in my love for him.

    I'll leave off with Jesus' prayer for the church. He prayed this shortly before He was led to the cross:

    John 17:20-26
    "My prayer is not for them [the 12 disciples] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

    Amen and Amen and Amen!

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

  • Church ver. 777.0 = Church ver. 1.0...The Circle is Now Complete

    Lately we've begun to do church differently.  It looks very different from an institutional church, but it also looks quite different from a typical home church meeting.  I believe that the form we're adapting to is the very essence of how the first church did church.  I want to share this "new" form with you (really it's an old form), as an encouragement and a challenge.

    Let's take a look at 1 Corinthians 11.  In verse 17, Paul speaks about gathering over the Lord's Supper.  This was the situation in the Corinthian church.  Firstly, when they got together for the Lord's Supper, they were having full meals.  They weren't having "communion" with a cracker piece and 0.03 ounces of grape juice.  The bread and the wine were integrated into the meal.  Now the rich people, who did not need to work, would come in early and eat all the food and drink all the wine.  This left little or no food for the poor, who after working all day long, would often come in to eat much later.  Paul is rebuking those people who are not leaving food or drink for others.  That's why he says in v.22 "Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!"

    After explaining what Jesus said at the last supper, Paul goes on to say in v.27 "Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord."  You may have heard churches use this verse to create rules around taking communion.  One must be baptized first, one must not be in sin, etc.  But actually, the verse relates to those who were being selfish and greedy, not leaving food for others.  Perhaps the rich people didn't want to associate with the poor, so they ate first without waiting.  The root issue here is about unity in the body.  The way they were acting was grossly disunifying.  Paul implores them in verses 33-34, "So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. "

    Here's the important part:  As Paul continues into chapters 12-14, he is still writing within the context of the Lord's Supper.  Chapter 12 talks about spiritual gifts and how the body is made of many parts.  Chapter 13 describes love as the excellent way, above any of the giftings.   In Chapter 14, he continues to talk about spiritual gifts and the proper way to administer those gifts.  In Chapter 14:26 we read "When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church."  Yes, this is still within the context of meeting over the Lord's Supper!

    In the early church days, people used to eat dinner for hours.  Life wasn't as compartmentalized and fast-paced as it is today in our culture.  Meals would typically come out in different courses, and the early church coupled that with a potluck-type meal where people would contribute dishes.  So here's how the early church did church: Their meals were also their meetings.  People would be sitting around a dinner table eating, but also sharing about Christ with one another.  Sometimes someone would sing a song, and all would join in.  Sometimes someone had a revelation to share with the body, and people would listen.  If someone had a prophetic word, they'd be able to share it.  It's so simple, yet so profound in many ways:

    1. To remember Christ was always meant to be a joyful occasion, and the meal marks it as such.  We typically have meals to celebrate joyous occasions like a birthday, wedding, or anniversary.  This is the same idea, but we are celebrating Jesus! 
    2. There is NO pressure for any one person to bear the responsibility of bringing a teaching, preparing worship songs, or doing something to build up the church (as is the norm for the institutional church, and in some ways even the traditional home church setting)
    3. ALL members can easily participate.  If you talk to the person next to you, that means you are participating.
    4. It is truly led of the Holy Spirit, because people will tend to contribute based on the Lord's leading, not because they have to.
    5. It's a picture of the wedding feast of the Lamb.  What we're doing is living out that feast today, to not only remember Christ but to look forward to the day Jesus returns and we feast in His presence.

    One very crucial aspect to focus on is that they were meeting to remember and celebrate Christ, NOT to talk about the latest movie or celebrity gossip, etc.  Conversations would be centered around what Jesus had been doing or showing them that week.  1 Corinthians 11:26 says "For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." 

    This form of doing church is different from even the typical home church meeting.  What many home churches have (unknowingly) done is take what they learned about doing church from the institution.  Then they mimic the institution, albeit on a smaller scale.  So the meeting would be similar to this:  1. Eat a meal (some home churches do this, some don't).  2. Sing a few worship songs, prepared by the worship leader.  3. Someone brings a teaching.  4. Sharing and prayer time.  The problem with this is it's almost just a microcosm of a Sunday service.  I will say that in a typical home church setting, there is more room for the Holy Spirit to move freely and direct the meeting, but we still have people who are supposed to prepare something every week.  It's their responsibility every week to feed the body.  It should never be one man's responsibility to feed the body. 

    I first learned about doing church this way from my friend Matt who lives in Boston.  The Lord revealed to Matt the connection between the Lord's Supper and the gathering itself, as described in 1 Corinthians.  He was already in a home church group in Boston, and he brought this form of church to his group.  It took them a few times to get used to it, but it has been amazing, and it also has been multiplying.  People that would never talk even in the traditional home church format were beginning to contribute.  The people who weren't "worship leaders" were free to sing the song on their heart, and others would back them.  God loves to hear all His children sing, not just the ones that sing well.  One time the whole group started dancing in the Lord, and these are not crazy Pentecostals I'm talking about here.  This is a group of doctors and highly educated individuals, who are typically quite reserved.  One time a 10 year old child began to prophesy to Matt, and it was all right on with what Matt was going through.  I've personally always felt that there must be a way to do church where the children can participate, because Jesus had a heart for children too.  This little boy was given a forum to be led of the Holy Spirit and act on it.  In the Boston group, it's gotten to the point where people are jumping in one after the other to contribute something.

    We've done church like this twice at our place.  I can't say it's as smooth as the Boston group has been, but I realize it takes time to get used to the form.  The first time we did it, it was a small gathering with my wife Angela and friend Dale.  Somewhere in the middle of our conversations, I really wanted Angela to share a revelation the Lord had given her as she read through Nehemiah 8 that week.  I was about to say something, but just then, Angela begun to share about that passage in Nehemiah 8.  It was regarding a verse that says "the joy of the Lord is your strength." Afterwards I was humming a worship song called "Joy of the Lord" in my head.  Dale then said "I keep thinking about that worship song 'Joy of the Lord'."  Angela agreed that she was thinking about that song too.  So we sung it together.  After dinner we got to do some praying.

    The second time we met, it was with a bigger group of people.  It was Angela, Dale, me, and two couples from my church.  Our discussions initially were about what our role should be as Christians in terms of politics, and shifted to some related topics.  However, it wasn't until after we finished eating that we really begun to get into a flow.  The great thing is, it was totally organic.

    After dinner, Dale shared about his decision to move to a home in Hayward occupied by a group of Christians.  One of his concerns was that some of these guys come from Bethel church in Redding, CA and they do things like holy laughter or just can't control themselves during prayer.  He struggled with the fact that it didn't seem be edifying, but these were guys who really loved the Lord.  He asked us our experiences with this, and people began to share.  Somewhere in the middle of this, Angela pulled out her guitar and began to strum.  After people were done sharing, we asked Angela if she had a song.  She began to lead us in a song of worship.  Soon after, Dale pulled out his guitar and we continued to worship together.  During worship, I was sensing the need to pray for direction and guidance in our lives and ministries.  But as I was going to open my mouth, Angela began to pray for direction over us, asking the Good Shepherd to be our guide.  I smiled to myself, thanking the Lord that it was the Holy Spirit leading us.  As Angela was praying, I saw a picture of a sheep in a barren field.  There were a few blades of grass here and there, which the sheep would eat up, but the once green pasture was now completely barren.  Next to the sheep was the Good Shepherd, who patiently waited by it's side.  The Good Shepherd wanted to lead the sheep out of there and over the next hill, where He knew there were fields and fields of lush, green pastures. I shared this picture with the group, and Angela followed by singing "Be The Center." That was the perfect worship song to accompany the picture I was seeing.  We worshiped a little more, and had some time to pray as well.  It was a really blessed time together.

    I want to encourage you to read through 1 Corinthians 11 - 14 with the understanding that Paul is writing within the context of meeting over the Lord's Supper.  I want to further encourage you to try it out a few times with a group of believers.  Start small, so you have some room to figure it out.  The good thing is, I can communicate these things to you, but it's really the Lord's work to refine His church.  I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere around the world, a group of people is doing the exact same thing.  I also wouldn't be surprised if your group multiplies, as Matt's Boston group has been.

    This weekend, Matt and his family will be visiting from Boston.  We are planning to do a Lord's Supper together on Sunday night.  I am so stoked to have a veteran of the form come and fellowship with us.  More to follow...?...?...