The Forgotten Ways- Pages 128-138
In Alan Hirsch's words, the missional-incarnational impulse "is, in effect, the practical outworking of the mission of God and the Incarnation. It is thus rooted in the very way that God has redeemed the world, and in how God revealed himself to us." By combining the idea of mission, or sending, with the idea of incarnation, or living amongst, we have a community that sends a group or individual to live amongst and impact another.
To help us understand the idea of the Incarnation of God in Jesus the Messiah, Alan uses the 4 P's, which include:
Presence: In Jesus, we have the full presence of God. Jesus was not a prophet or a representative, he was the real deal. Proximity: Jesus lived within proximity of all sorts of people. He ate with Pharisees, tax collectors and prostitutes. He lived and walked on the earth with us. Powerlessness: The all powerful, all knowing God became human, renouncing all coercive power and taking on the role of a servant. Proclamation: The proclamation is the gospel invitation. Jesus called people to repentance and faith and in doing so, opens a door for a relationship.
By studying the Incarnation, we get an idea of what God would be if he were human. By implementing the missional-incarnational impulse with the 4 P's, we are able to engage our communities in a way the Jesus himself might have.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
"The glory of God is man fully alive."
This quote by Saint Irenaeus is used in John Eldredge's book, "Waking the Dead". He outlines this idea of Christianity's promise of life and how it is often missed. Eldredge explains that most people say the Jesus died so they can have eternal life once they are dead. However, Eldredge says that life starts "in the land of the living."(Ps. 27:13)
Also in the first chapter, John Eldredge introduces his thoughts on clarity. He poses an idea that things are not what they seem, however, he gets into that later in the book. He describes that people go through life in a fog. They miss things and rarely do they see why things actually happen. He implies that there is a force against us, a force that does not want us to succeed in anything. I can only imply that force is Satan, as he did not explicitly say, but I assume he will delve into that concept later.
Also in the first chapter, John Eldredge introduces his thoughts on clarity. He poses an idea that things are not what they seem, however, he gets into that later in the book. He describes that people go through life in a fog. They miss things and rarely do they see why things actually happen. He implies that there is a force against us, a force that does not want us to succeed in anything. I can only imply that force is Satan, as he did not explicitly say, but I assume he will delve into that concept later.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Acts 2 Acts 17 and John 13
When I think of Acts 2, I think about the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Rarely do I consider the type of community it cultivated. The festival of Pentecost came 50 days after Passover (when Jesus was crucified). All the believers were gathered in one place in Jerusalem and then there was a sound that came from heaven and flames or tongues of fire settled on all the believers present as they began to speak in other languages. Devout Jews- Parthians, medes, elamites, people from Mesopotamis, judea, cappadocia, Pontus, asia, egypt and many other nations-were also present in Jerusalem and a crowd started to form around the believers as they spoke in foreign tongues. Some in the crowd ridiculed them, saying they were drunk. Peter, with the other eleven apostles stepped forward and preaches to the crowd. Peter's words caused about 3,000 people to be baptized and they were added to the church. God sets the stage for a community to be forged of the new believers. Acts 2:44 says, "And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had." (NLT emphasis added) I believe this includes the 3,000 new believers that were saved at Pentecost. Sciptures says they ate together, worshiped together, they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching. So, these 3,000 people who were once strangers to the believers were now selling their property and possessions to give to whoever was in need. Immediately the size of the church grew and seamlessly integrated these new believers. The Holy Spirit was the cement to this community.
Acts 17 also presents an interesting insight to the early church's community. Acts 17 is about a few of Paul's missions around the ancient world. In Thessalonica Paul and Silas began to preach in the Jewish synagogues. Some of the Jews became jealous and started a riot. The believers were dragged before the city council and forced to post bond. The entire city was thrown into turmoil by two men. That very night, Paul and Silas left for Berea. The people of Berea were more open minded and many Jews believed. Some of the Jews from Thessalonica heard news of Paul preaching in Berea and began to stir up trouble. As soon as the community of believers knew that the Jews were starting trouble, Acts 17:14 says, "The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind." (NLT) What is remarkable about this community is its' ability to adapt. Scripture says they "acted at once" and sent Paul to the coast. There was an immediate action to reaction. The Jews had started trouble and in response, the believers sent Paul somewhere else. The final portion of Acts 17 talks about Paul preaching in Athens. Paul was deeply troubled walking through the city, as he saw many idols. He spoke daily in the public square about Jesus Christ and was confronted by some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. These philosophers brought Paul before the high council of the city. There they discussed Jesus and the resurrection. Some men laughed, while others believed. This community was very public and open about sharing the latest ideas and philosophies. They were ready to debate and discuss any differing opinions.
Finally, John 13 presents Jesus washing his disciples' feet. He says, "And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet." (John 13:14 NLT) This seems backwards to me. Normally, I feel like people in lower authority must serve those in higher authority. But here Jesus, the Son of God, is washing the feet of these mere humans. This community of people is the community closest to Jesus. This community is very much a mentoring community; Jesus is discipling his disciples. They look to Jesus for everything- wisdom, protection, guidance. A true community sees Jesus Christ as the only worthy mentor.
I feel if we are ever to find a clear picture of what community should be, the Bible is the only place we need to look. After going over those three chapters, I cant help but compare the community of the early church to communities we see nowadays. I think that today's communities have small aspects of the early church's community. I think that today, people with similar beliefs meet together. Often times, entire neighborhoods can be composed of an ethnic group or religion. I feel that, as a whole, communities in our time are selfish, rarely giving to those who are in need. It is very much an individualistic society. Something that was fairly common in these scriptures was public proclamation. Today, there are rarely unplanned public readings or acts of any kind. I think that part of America's culture is to be "politically correct" and being politically correct sometimes means not openly discussing religion. The early believers werent afraid to offend or shock people which is unfortunately the opposite of today's culture in most communities. While I do believe that certain communities have an idol or someone they try to be like (like a soccer team trying to be like a certain team or player) rarely is it Jesus Christ. In my opinion we should do anything and everything in a Christ-like way.
Finally, John 13 presents Jesus washing his disciples' feet. He says, "And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet." (John 13:14 NLT) This seems backwards to me. Normally, I feel like people in lower authority must serve those in higher authority. But here Jesus, the Son of God, is washing the feet of these mere humans. This community of people is the community closest to Jesus. This community is very much a mentoring community; Jesus is discipling his disciples. They look to Jesus for everything- wisdom, protection, guidance. A true community sees Jesus Christ as the only worthy mentor.
I feel if we are ever to find a clear picture of what community should be, the Bible is the only place we need to look. After going over those three chapters, I cant help but compare the community of the early church to communities we see nowadays. I think that today's communities have small aspects of the early church's community. I think that today, people with similar beliefs meet together. Often times, entire neighborhoods can be composed of an ethnic group or religion. I feel that, as a whole, communities in our time are selfish, rarely giving to those who are in need. It is very much an individualistic society. Something that was fairly common in these scriptures was public proclamation. Today, there are rarely unplanned public readings or acts of any kind. I think that part of America's culture is to be "politically correct" and being politically correct sometimes means not openly discussing religion. The early believers werent afraid to offend or shock people which is unfortunately the opposite of today's culture in most communities. While I do believe that certain communities have an idol or someone they try to be like (like a soccer team trying to be like a certain team or player) rarely is it Jesus Christ. In my opinion we should do anything and everything in a Christ-like way.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Nationmaster.com
NationMaster.com is a website of World Statistics that has gathered data from sources like CIA World Factbook, UN and OECD. Today, Ocotber 21, 2009, there are 9,854 Stats, 4,118 Maps and 6,345 Profiles all containing information from the Agriculture of a country to the outflow of refugees.
At the top of the home page, there is a fun factoid. Factoid 2 states "At least 9 out 10 Nigerians attend church regularly. Only 4 out of 10 Americans claim to do so." What I find interesting about this is that from what I gather, the United States claims to be a predominately Christian country. In fact, nationmaster.com states that in the United States in 2002 Protestants make up 52% and Roman Catholics make up 24% of the population. Thats a total of 76% of people. In Nigeria, only 40% of people are registered as Christian. These numbers do not match up to me. Is there something wrong with the church in the United States? Do people just not care? Is there something that Christians in Nigeria do that those in the United States are not doing?
I think it is important to see how many "active" Christians are in these statistics as opposed to people who were raised a certain way so there "default religion" would be Christianity.
At the top of the home page, there is a fun factoid. Factoid 2 states "At least 9 out 10 Nigerians attend church regularly. Only 4 out of 10 Americans claim to do so." What I find interesting about this is that from what I gather, the United States claims to be a predominately Christian country. In fact, nationmaster.com states that in the United States in 2002 Protestants make up 52% and Roman Catholics make up 24% of the population. Thats a total of 76% of people. In Nigeria, only 40% of people are registered as Christian. These numbers do not match up to me. Is there something wrong with the church in the United States? Do people just not care? Is there something that Christians in Nigeria do that those in the United States are not doing?
I think it is important to see how many "active" Christians are in these statistics as opposed to people who were raised a certain way so there "default religion" would be Christianity.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
John 15,16 and 17
"Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. but take heart, because I have overcome the world." John 16:33 NLT
John 15,16, and 17 set the stage for what Jesus' disciples will undergo after he leaves them. The disciples' teacher, their mentor and source of guidance is leaving. However, Jesus doesn't leave his disciples without some last words of wisdom.
Jesus tells his disciples the reality of the situation. He eludes to his death and resurrection, although at the time, his disciples dont understand. He tells them that the world will hate them, he says they will grieve and that they will be kicked out of the synagogues. He tells them this as a fair warning. In fact, the first verse of John 16 says, "I have told you these things so that you won't abandon your faith." Jesus is saying that his disciples will go through so many harships, so many trials, so much sorrow that he has to tell them not to abandon their faith.
Although the journey will be tough, Jesus promises his team serveral things to take heart in. In John 15, Jesus says that he is the true vine and that in order to produce fruit, one must remain in him and he in them. He follows this by saying "But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask anything you want, and it will be granted!" (John 15:7 NLT) What a promise! The Mesiah and savior of the world telling us that whatever we want, we can ask and recieve. Also, notice the exclamation mark at the end of Jesus' sentence. He tells the disciples this so they know that just as Jesus provided for them while they were together, he will do this also when he leaves. Jesus continues to encourage his disciples when he tells them, "Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me." ( John 15:15 NLT) The Mesiah, the savior, the one who was with God in the beginning, the one who healed the sick and gave sight to the blind; he is calling his disciples friends. Not only is he calling them friends, but he is telling them that everything God shared with him, he shared with his disciples. The third of his several promises is that he will send the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that in order for him to send the Holy Spirit, he had to go away, back to his father. Jesus says the Holy Spirit will make righteousness with God available.
Jesus implies several things about movement in these chapters. He says at the end of John 16, "But the time is coming-indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way." Jesus, being fully God and fully man could only be in one place at a time. Jesus promises his disciples the Holy Spirit, which will be with them at all times, even when Jesus is not with them.
John 15,16, and 17 set the stage for what Jesus' disciples will undergo after he leaves them. The disciples' teacher, their mentor and source of guidance is leaving. However, Jesus doesn't leave his disciples without some last words of wisdom.
Jesus tells his disciples the reality of the situation. He eludes to his death and resurrection, although at the time, his disciples dont understand. He tells them that the world will hate them, he says they will grieve and that they will be kicked out of the synagogues. He tells them this as a fair warning. In fact, the first verse of John 16 says, "I have told you these things so that you won't abandon your faith." Jesus is saying that his disciples will go through so many harships, so many trials, so much sorrow that he has to tell them not to abandon their faith.
Although the journey will be tough, Jesus promises his team serveral things to take heart in. In John 15, Jesus says that he is the true vine and that in order to produce fruit, one must remain in him and he in them. He follows this by saying "But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask anything you want, and it will be granted!" (John 15:7 NLT) What a promise! The Mesiah and savior of the world telling us that whatever we want, we can ask and recieve. Also, notice the exclamation mark at the end of Jesus' sentence. He tells the disciples this so they know that just as Jesus provided for them while they were together, he will do this also when he leaves. Jesus continues to encourage his disciples when he tells them, "Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me." ( John 15:15 NLT) The Mesiah, the savior, the one who was with God in the beginning, the one who healed the sick and gave sight to the blind; he is calling his disciples friends. Not only is he calling them friends, but he is telling them that everything God shared with him, he shared with his disciples. The third of his several promises is that he will send the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that in order for him to send the Holy Spirit, he had to go away, back to his father. Jesus says the Holy Spirit will make righteousness with God available.
Jesus implies several things about movement in these chapters. He says at the end of John 16, "But the time is coming-indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way." Jesus, being fully God and fully man could only be in one place at a time. Jesus promises his disciples the Holy Spirit, which will be with them at all times, even when Jesus is not with them.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
National Community Church- Oct 11, 2009
This past Sunday TS brought AR and myself to National Community Church, located in the Union Station movie theater in DC. Part of this trip was to experience a small group activity called In Service, in which people gather to make bag lunches for the homeless and hand them out to the community of homeless people living around Union Station, and the other part was to experience an urban church setting.
The In Service ministry is led by a previous intern of TS. A group of 15-20 people gathered together, prayed, and brought bag lunches to the streets outside of Union Station to hand them out. For the first few minutes, I was the spectator. I watched as the others, people who do this on a regular basis, handed out lunches to people left and right. The interactions between the volunteers and the homeless was something truly remarkable. Normally, church groups do what I like to call a "hit and run". They swoop in to a community, drop off some food and clothing, and then they leave just as quickly as they came. Sure they helped but their actions ended there. It was a one time thing and the impact they had on the homeless community was minimal. But the In Service group had engaged this homeless community in a genuine way. Volunteers called the homeless people by their names. They were friends and they shared in each others lives. This volunteer project has been going on so long that they are expected to be there every Sunday morning.
The National Community Church community had essentially merged with the surrounding homeless community. And the result is indigenous leaders; out of the homeless community, leaders had emerged. I caught whispers of stories of how homeless people had been taken in by the National Community Church community and had gotten jobs and housing. These same people are now part of the In Service Ministry. To me, the In Service ministry is a success. If National Community Church vanished in a day, I believe that the In Service ministry would continue to thrive. The church had taken it's community, merged it with another community, and fostered leaders out of that environment. Now, the In Service ministry has transferred from the church community to a hybrid of the homeless, previously homeless, and the church. It is a self sufficient and self sustaining community.
After the In Service project, we headed over to the theater for a service with pastor, Mark B. Just from walking in the front doors, I noticed the National Community Church community was much different than my church back in Howard County. My church is white; white and wealthy. The National Community community is diverse not only in terms of race, but economic and social class as well. Black, white, asian, poor, rich, homeless; these groups of people were all represented in one service of National Community. I felt as if there was no minority. I felt that instead of having red and blue M&Ms, which are easily separated, we had the entire bag. No single race or social class or any other "qualifier of society" seemed to be predominate. It was true representation of the body of believers.
Pastor Mark broke some hard news to the people attending the service. It turns out that the first time I visit National Community Church is the last time they meet in Union Station. The theater management had cut the lease the church had prematurely and stated they are shutting the theaters down immediately. National Community Church will need to find a new home. I feel that most Western Churches I have been a part of have a "leadership " aspect and a "congregation" aspect. In other words, there are a few selected people who do all the work and then preach and the congregation sits down for an hour every Sunday to get fed some message and then they leave. Mark addressed the congregation in a way of equality. There was no separation between preacher and preached to. He delivered this message in a way that said we need to be in this together, as a church and as a body of believers. He asked the entire congregation to fast and pray that God will provide a place for them to meet. The people of National Community have a sense of ownership of the church, which is something I feel that most other churches lack.
If you have any other questions or would like to know more information about National Community Church visit their website at theaterchurch.com
The In Service ministry is led by a previous intern of TS. A group of 15-20 people gathered together, prayed, and brought bag lunches to the streets outside of Union Station to hand them out. For the first few minutes, I was the spectator. I watched as the others, people who do this on a regular basis, handed out lunches to people left and right. The interactions between the volunteers and the homeless was something truly remarkable. Normally, church groups do what I like to call a "hit and run". They swoop in to a community, drop off some food and clothing, and then they leave just as quickly as they came. Sure they helped but their actions ended there. It was a one time thing and the impact they had on the homeless community was minimal. But the In Service group had engaged this homeless community in a genuine way. Volunteers called the homeless people by their names. They were friends and they shared in each others lives. This volunteer project has been going on so long that they are expected to be there every Sunday morning.
The National Community Church community had essentially merged with the surrounding homeless community. And the result is indigenous leaders; out of the homeless community, leaders had emerged. I caught whispers of stories of how homeless people had been taken in by the National Community Church community and had gotten jobs and housing. These same people are now part of the In Service Ministry. To me, the In Service ministry is a success. If National Community Church vanished in a day, I believe that the In Service ministry would continue to thrive. The church had taken it's community, merged it with another community, and fostered leaders out of that environment. Now, the In Service ministry has transferred from the church community to a hybrid of the homeless, previously homeless, and the church. It is a self sufficient and self sustaining community.
After the In Service project, we headed over to the theater for a service with pastor, Mark B. Just from walking in the front doors, I noticed the National Community Church community was much different than my church back in Howard County. My church is white; white and wealthy. The National Community community is diverse not only in terms of race, but economic and social class as well. Black, white, asian, poor, rich, homeless; these groups of people were all represented in one service of National Community. I felt as if there was no minority. I felt that instead of having red and blue M&Ms, which are easily separated, we had the entire bag. No single race or social class or any other "qualifier of society" seemed to be predominate. It was true representation of the body of believers.
Pastor Mark broke some hard news to the people attending the service. It turns out that the first time I visit National Community Church is the last time they meet in Union Station. The theater management had cut the lease the church had prematurely and stated they are shutting the theaters down immediately. National Community Church will need to find a new home. I feel that most Western Churches I have been a part of have a "leadership " aspect and a "congregation" aspect. In other words, there are a few selected people who do all the work and then preach and the congregation sits down for an hour every Sunday to get fed some message and then they leave. Mark addressed the congregation in a way of equality. There was no separation between preacher and preached to. He delivered this message in a way that said we need to be in this together, as a church and as a body of believers. He asked the entire congregation to fast and pray that God will provide a place for them to meet. The people of National Community have a sense of ownership of the church, which is something I feel that most other churches lack.
If you have any other questions or would like to know more information about National Community Church visit their website at theaterchurch.com
Sunday, October 4, 2009
The Nations
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Jesus said these words in the closing verses of Mathew. When Jesus said "all nations", he was talking about everyone, literally all the nations. All people, all races, all families, all languages, all cultures. So we have this idea of spreading the Gospel to everyone in the world. That seems like quite a daunting task. To break this assignment down, it helps to put people into groups. In the book of Psalms, the word "nations" is referenced over 70 times. This word is used to describe two categories of people.
One verse in Psalm 67 describes these two types of people. The Psalmist writes, "that your[God] ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations." There is a distinction of two kinds of people- people who know God's salvation, and those who do not know yet. When the psalmist uses the word "may" he is implying a future date; he is saying that salvation has not yet been made known to all people, but it will be one day. The people who will find out about the Lord's salvation one day are under the category of people who do not know yet. Through the psalmist's writing we can see that he is among the people who know of the Lord's salvation. These are the two categories of people- those who know, and those who don't know.
Some might argue that these categories are vagued and undefined. I think that if Christians live an authentic Christian lifestyle, we don't need to break these categories down any further. There are simply people who are saved, and people who are not saved. Jesus commissions us to tell those who are not saved about salvation.
One verse in Psalm 67 describes these two types of people. The Psalmist writes, "that your[God] ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations." There is a distinction of two kinds of people- people who know God's salvation, and those who do not know yet. When the psalmist uses the word "may" he is implying a future date; he is saying that salvation has not yet been made known to all people, but it will be one day. The people who will find out about the Lord's salvation one day are under the category of people who do not know yet. Through the psalmist's writing we can see that he is among the people who know of the Lord's salvation. These are the two categories of people- those who know, and those who don't know.
Some might argue that these categories are vagued and undefined. I think that if Christians live an authentic Christian lifestyle, we don't need to break these categories down any further. There are simply people who are saved, and people who are not saved. Jesus commissions us to tell those who are not saved about salvation.
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