What we said last time… Amen.

Recently I tried another podcast source, Michael Spencer at InternetMonk.com. The episode I listened to was Internet Monk Radio Podcast #164 part of which addressed the Anglican Common Book of Prayer. Spencer praised the usefulness of using the common book of prayer because our prayers often become repetitious and that you might as well use a well crafted prayer as one that you evolve on your on.

Spencer commented that much of what you hear in public prayer in Christian assemblies become repetitious and often poorly conceived (my words in summary). This is true in much of my experience. Christian groups often expect a certain decorum, range of topics, and generality when people speak to God on behalf of the group. Growing up there was often a comment about Brother ______ who has used the same public prayer for the last 20 years, and how certain phrases like “guide, guard and direct us” were regular phrases amongst the less creative prayer leaders.

When Caitlin, Colton, Noah, and I sit down for the evening meal, we often have a period of silence when we join hands to pray for the meal waiting for someone to take the lead and speak the words of thanksgiving. Sometimes I just end the long silence by saying “Amen”. On a few occasions, I’ve said “What we said last time… Amen.” acknowledging the obvious fact that we typically say the same thing before the meal.

As I focus more on relationship with God and consider how our interaction with God is/can be compared to a relationship between a child and an earthly father, I doubt God is interested in repetitious, elongated monologues. I, as a father, do value regular comments of thanks from the kids, but not drawn out, tedious, and repetitious recitations. There are times that a well thought-out recount of past experiences and how it is significant to the son/daughter is heart warming. But, in the end, I like more personal reflection from the kids rather than a string of pattern phrases.

I think scripture and a common book of prayer can provide a good reminder of the goodness, the richness of our experience of being in God’s family, but I’m confident that God is looking for a more personal, earnest dialog with his kids. You get a sense of that reading through the Psalms. Quite a variety of topics and emotions, and very personal.

 

There is something wrong with you…

“If you need a bible verse to show you that murder is wrong, there is something wrong with you.”  I busted out laughing when I heard that comment in a recent podcast,  http://thegodjourney.com, 11/6/2009 episode. The participants were talking about our attitude that everything we say about God, morality, etc.  needs to be backed up by scripture. They also were making the point that many/most believers believe that the scriptures are the primary way to have a relationship with God, and then ask the question about all the illiterate believers and those with a copy of the bible. They also rightly make the point that you can “prove” almost any point you want by “pulling a scripture here and pulling a scripture there.”

A watershed moment in my walk with God was when I realized that well-studied, well-intentioned believers come up with very different doctrinal views. These are people that exhibit good fruit in their lives, not out to pull the fleece over the eyes of poor, ignorant people. It was a watershed moment because I grew up in a tradition that believed that the scriptures would always lead people to the same belief/understanding of at least the core tenants of doctrine: baptism, salvation, sanctification, eternity, whatever. Now I realize that that is not true.

In a recent meeting with some believers where we were discussing where to draw the line on fellowship based on doctrinal beliefs/teaching, I said it was God’s “fault” that there is so much division amongst believers. If God wanted to, he could have produced a Bible that would lead all “well-studied, well-meaning” believers to the same conclusion on doctrine. At this point, I think God left it as vague as he did to test our love for one another. At least that is one of the reasons. I’m sure there are many other reasons.

Jeremiah 31:34 has been ringing in my ears over the last few years and months especially as this subject of Bible interpretation/application keeps coming up in conversation.

No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

How can we complain if people come to different conclusions about God and his will in their life? There is, of course, much to be said about teaching and admonishing one another, about false doctrine, etc. But when it comes to disagreements between “well-studied, well-meaning” believers, we must give each other space out of love.

 

The journey continues…

Almost two years since the last post and it seems like its time to post again. Lots of things have happened in the almost 4 years of doing simple church. Here are some things that happened in those four years.

• Just me and the Lord for a few months
• A time of mentoring/discipling with my niece and her husband
• Visiting other house churches
• Creating various directories of simple churches in DFW
• Working with others to form the DFW Organic Church Connection (newsletter, directory, area-wide activities) to help connect local groups
• Moss Farm House Church – 4-5 families meeting Sep 2006 – Aug 2008
• Planning picnics and other events (with others) for area groups
• Meeting with a twenty-something group
• Watching a group I was part of split over a doctrinal issue
• Watch a group of leaders (across groups) grapple with divisive doctrinal positions
• Experiencing community in a Wednesday prayer breakfast group that is more church than we give it credit for (started in 2000 and my involvement survived my transition to simple church)
• Watching a new simple church gain intimacy and facing the diversity in faith and struggle with commitment to relationship
• Asking myself “what is church” about a million times
• Continued wonder at what God does and does not reveal in scripture
• Watching my own (blood) family deal with differences in beliefs about form/function of church

It has been fun to see God reveal himself in so many ways through all the experiences. My faith has grown by leaps and bounds with respect to how God achieves his purposes in large and small ways without my understanding or knowledge. I am much more at peace knowing that I am not critical to God’s success. If I screw up or don’t “step up”, that will not slow down, complicate, or divert God’s plan. Without all that pressure, I can trust God to give me daily “nudges”. I don’t need to know the plan, just follow the nudges as my faith/will allows. It’s been interesting to see my sense/confidence in nudges grow over the years, and my expectations around that sense of God’s direction grows every week.

 

New podcast – Road to Emmaus!!

This is the kickoff for my podcast. I have been toying with this idea for over a year. I think the Lord has led me to finally get started or he has finally led me to it. Just another question to deal with on one of the podcast episodes. Follow the podcast at http://r2e.us . To subscribe, go to iTunes and search for Road to Emmaus in the iTunes Store. Alternatively, you can enter the RSS URL of http://rd2em.wordpress.com/feed/ in your pod-catcher software. Be sure to leave comments as you have opportunity either in the iTunes Store or at the web/blogsite (http://r2e.us).

 

What is truth?

It finally got through to me a few months ago that Pilate asked the wrong question when he was questioning Jesus and finally asked him “What is truth?” Pilate should have asked “Who is truth?” When Jesus said that he is “the way, the truth, and the life,” he meant that he was the literal embodiment. It starts to make sense, “you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” Come to Jesus and Jesus will make you free.

I’m guessing a lot of you out there are saying DUH!! I was raised, though, in a religious culture that meant right doctrine when the word truth was used. “If everyone followed the truth, we would not have all this error.” That would be the line of thinking.

I guess we all know truth to varying degrees. When you ask someone, “Do you know Jesus?” It means so much more than knowing the life story of Jesus. It should mean “have you had the life-transforming experience of knowing Jesus.”

 John 14:6, John 18:38, John 8:32, Jeremiah 31:34, 1 John 2:20ff

 

The Shack – a great and weird book…

Just a quick note to say that this is a great book. It really confronts the issue of where is God during life’s tragedies. Not sure all the questions are answered, but certainly a new perspective is posited. Enjoy!!!

http://www.theshackbook.com

 

I have never seen the righteous forsaken…

Ps 37:25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

This text was raised in house church last Sun PM. I said that I didn’t believe that this passage holds for Christians today. I believe that the Psalmist wrote in the context/expectation of a person with a physical well-being contract with God (i.e. and Israelite under the old law). 

Dt 6:3 speaks to this health-and-wealth arrangement between God and Israel

be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey

Christians are told

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 

 (1 Pet 4:12ff)

The ONE righteous human ever to live did experience forsakeness. “”My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Mt 27:46.

 

Yeldell’s Axiom of Obvious Omission

My brother, Alan, made an amazingly poignant statement in a Bible study four or five months ago. A statement that has taken on a life of its own in my reconsideration of God’s will for me and the rest of mankind. I thought I’d title it Yeldell’s Axiom of Obvious Omission. So here it is…

If it were so important to God, why didn’t He just spell it out in clear terms?

I forget the point of disagreement, but it was something about the frequency, content, or practice of the Lord’s Supper. Wouldn’t this work nicely on other doubtful disputations like transubstantiation, instrumental music, the continuation of supernatural gifts, and infant baptism. So next time you feel compelled to take a point too far, remember Alan Yeldell’s Axiom of Obvious Omission and move on to the more important practice of faith and love.

 

Scout law…

My 10 year old son, Colton, is working on his scout badges. One of the requirements is to remember the “Scout Law” which is a commitment to 12 virtues.

TRUSTWORTHY
LOYAL
HELPFUL
FRIENDLY
COURTEOUS
KIND
OBEDIENT
CHEERFUL
THRIFTY
BRAVE
CLEAN
REVERENT
Who can argue with this as a firm foundation for youth (and adults) of all generations? Nonetheless, we find Paul in Romans 7 admitting that we are powerless to keep the law or perhaps even the scout law without some supernatural help.

 

The missing ingredient…

In a recent interview, Frank Viola noted this typical problem with “house churches”…

In my observation, many house churches are little more than glamorized Bible studies. And most perform the same ritual every week. I’d like to see more house churches hunger and thirst for an experience of Jesus Christ and who would seek for ways to make Him central, supreme, and preeminent in their house church experience. By my lights, there is a great deal of room to grow in this area.

Another concern he expressed in his book So You Want to Start a House Church? is that some house churches are little more than coffee house discussion groups where people get together to catch up with one another. I guess these are concerns of mine too. Being in a house doesn’t necessarily make a gathering more genuine, nurturing, accountable, etc. I think we are creatures of habit and it takes effort to change things up, to think about what to do week-by-week.

In the two house churches that I meet with, we have drifted into a repeating pattern. Nonetheless, I feel like we are asking the right questions. “What is Jesus doing in your life? How have you been Jesus to those around you? Where is the Lord leading you? What are you studying this week? What difference is it making in your life?”

 We do change up when a special need arises. Sometimes in Allen, we simply go out to eat together. When one of us have had a bad day, we can stop and talk/pray through it. When we have a Halloween carnival to go to, we can have a short service. So perhaps we aren’t so rigid…. yet.

Is Jesus at the center? Supreme? Preeminent? That’s a great goal to work toward.