Friday, October 30, 2009
No questions this week
Tim Sullivan, our field staff with Heartcraft in Colorado, will be guest preaching on John 15.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
First things first
We were blessed to have Ajai Prakash, the semi-new pastor of Valley Church, and his wife Maureena over for dinner last night. It's always wonderful to get together with family you didn't even know you had! The beautiful thing is that even though we'd never met, we have fellowship through Jesus (we have the same Father). The Middle East house churches started this way too.
Ajai and Maureena accidentally planted more than ten house churches in the Middle East. I say "accidentally" because they didn't set out at first to be missionaries - they set out to make easier money than they would have in India and get enough to be able to afford a house. Both third generation Indian Christians, Ajai told me he started his missionary journey thinking that being a Christian meant sitting in the pews. His devotional life frequently resembled the two-minute drill that all-too-frequently characterizes ours. But God wasn't done with Ajai and Maureena.
Upon arriving in the Middle East, Maureena was distraught at the thought of not going to church. Asking around for directions, she was told, sorry, but she'd come to a place without churches. There were a few Christians that met together to pray, however, if she were interested. This koinonia in Jesus developed these Christians into friends, then into an underground house church. The church grew and grew until there were about sixty people in the Prakashes' living room on Sunday night (God had provided a house with an enormous living room - that the Prakashes did not much like at first - at half rent). Ajai would have to make trips to pick up the people who would come in his car (they would not risk a large herd of cars out front). They quietly sang in worship, but had to keep the volume down lest an Arab passerby hear them and call the police. Ajai, a teacher of English in a madrassah, was befriended by colleagues and his students' parents alike. Maureena was a trainer of nurses and became friends with the women with whom she worked. Along these relationships, the gospel moved. Underground churches began to grow and multiply.
Planting house churches would carry the Prakashes 4-6 hours each way out into the wilderness to serve in far-flung underground churches. As they had secular jobs, they did their ministry on their own time - which made their weekends a blur of dangerous travel along rocky roads deep into the countryside. They'd return home at 10pm on Sunday night just to get up and head to work in the morning. Yet they'd be the most refreshed people in the workplace Monday morning, by God's grace. And then they'd do it all over again the next week.
Anyone else amazed? They lived their entire lives for the advancement of the gospel. How much TV did I watch this week? Really?
It would take too long to tell you everything I learned from the Prakashes. Two things, however, I want to share with you.
1. The most important thing in all of life is your intimacy with God. Your marriage, family life, work life and ministry are all directly correlated with how good your relationship with your Father is. Yet we so frequently seek the aforementioned (and lesser things as well) before our Lord, the gift before the Giver. When we do so, we do it in our flesh and to our peril. We all know that building a relationship requires time and authenticity. Why are we so stingy with our time with God, as if scheduling a ten minute conversation with him once a day were sufficient to get to know him well? How would our spouses react if we treated them the same way? If we want to see change in our hearts, in our families, in our church, in our world, the first step is prayer and hearing from God through his Word.
2. Focus on internal growth in Christ. It's so easy to try to judge our fruitfulness by looking at the external. Man looks on the outward appearance, 1 Samuel 16:7 says, yet God looks at the heart. Work diligently to present every man mature in Christ and shepherd people into a deeper relationship with God, wherever they are starting from. If the internal is set right, the external will take care of itself. Mature disciples make more disciples. All we need to do is make mature disciples. And that starts with sharing the gospel with those we know well and helping believers grow in their faith.
I don't know about you, but I have a long way to go in growing to be dependent on Christ. The wonderful hope is that, if God can grow the Prakashes and use them despite themselves to share Jesus and plant churches, he can even fill and use a fragile, leaky clay jar like me too.
I challenge you to decide what you're going to do to grow closer in your relationship with God this week, and do it (I'm cutting the time I spend following the economy - and I'm going to trust God that if he wants me to know about something, he'll bring it to my attention). Post it here in the comments section. We'll hold you accountable!
Ajai and Maureena accidentally planted more than ten house churches in the Middle East. I say "accidentally" because they didn't set out at first to be missionaries - they set out to make easier money than they would have in India and get enough to be able to afford a house. Both third generation Indian Christians, Ajai told me he started his missionary journey thinking that being a Christian meant sitting in the pews. His devotional life frequently resembled the two-minute drill that all-too-frequently characterizes ours. But God wasn't done with Ajai and Maureena.
Upon arriving in the Middle East, Maureena was distraught at the thought of not going to church. Asking around for directions, she was told, sorry, but she'd come to a place without churches. There were a few Christians that met together to pray, however, if she were interested. This koinonia in Jesus developed these Christians into friends, then into an underground house church. The church grew and grew until there were about sixty people in the Prakashes' living room on Sunday night (God had provided a house with an enormous living room - that the Prakashes did not much like at first - at half rent). Ajai would have to make trips to pick up the people who would come in his car (they would not risk a large herd of cars out front). They quietly sang in worship, but had to keep the volume down lest an Arab passerby hear them and call the police. Ajai, a teacher of English in a madrassah, was befriended by colleagues and his students' parents alike. Maureena was a trainer of nurses and became friends with the women with whom she worked. Along these relationships, the gospel moved. Underground churches began to grow and multiply.
Planting house churches would carry the Prakashes 4-6 hours each way out into the wilderness to serve in far-flung underground churches. As they had secular jobs, they did their ministry on their own time - which made their weekends a blur of dangerous travel along rocky roads deep into the countryside. They'd return home at 10pm on Sunday night just to get up and head to work in the morning. Yet they'd be the most refreshed people in the workplace Monday morning, by God's grace. And then they'd do it all over again the next week.
Anyone else amazed? They lived their entire lives for the advancement of the gospel. How much TV did I watch this week? Really?
It would take too long to tell you everything I learned from the Prakashes. Two things, however, I want to share with you.
1. The most important thing in all of life is your intimacy with God. Your marriage, family life, work life and ministry are all directly correlated with how good your relationship with your Father is. Yet we so frequently seek the aforementioned (and lesser things as well) before our Lord, the gift before the Giver. When we do so, we do it in our flesh and to our peril. We all know that building a relationship requires time and authenticity. Why are we so stingy with our time with God, as if scheduling a ten minute conversation with him once a day were sufficient to get to know him well? How would our spouses react if we treated them the same way? If we want to see change in our hearts, in our families, in our church, in our world, the first step is prayer and hearing from God through his Word.
2. Focus on internal growth in Christ. It's so easy to try to judge our fruitfulness by looking at the external. Man looks on the outward appearance, 1 Samuel 16:7 says, yet God looks at the heart. Work diligently to present every man mature in Christ and shepherd people into a deeper relationship with God, wherever they are starting from. If the internal is set right, the external will take care of itself. Mature disciples make more disciples. All we need to do is make mature disciples. And that starts with sharing the gospel with those we know well and helping believers grow in their faith.
I don't know about you, but I have a long way to go in growing to be dependent on Christ. The wonderful hope is that, if God can grow the Prakashes and use them despite themselves to share Jesus and plant churches, he can even fill and use a fragile, leaky clay jar like me too.
I challenge you to decide what you're going to do to grow closer in your relationship with God this week, and do it (I'm cutting the time I spend following the economy - and I'm going to trust God that if he wants me to know about something, he'll bring it to my attention). Post it here in the comments section. We'll hold you accountable!
What Is Your Faith Family Studying?
The Chidister Faith Family is starting 1st John this coming Monday. What is everybody else studying, and what has God been teaching you? Faith Family leaders, if you would like me to add you to the list of people who can add posts, send me an email at pchidister@gmail.com.
-Peter
-Peter
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Chidister Faith Family has multiplied!
Dan and Bridget Baumhover will lead the daughter house church. Great work, Chidister Faith Family!
And the Kingdom advances...
And the Kingdom advances...
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Some Food for Thought
This weekend I began rereading An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus, and found the following three paragraphs especially thought provoking:
"The contemporary church has chosen the same course. We have chosen standardization over uniqueness. We have chosen predictability over surprise. And without realizing it, to our own regret, we have chosen comfort and convenience over servanthood and sacrifice. But in the end, what we have chosen is organization over life, and this, perhaps, is the fundamental dilemma we face--that at best the church is seen as a healthy organization.
The church is seen as the religious equivalent of IBM or Microsoft. If the church is not running well, then the solutions clearly lie in the best business practices available. The pastor becomes the CEO, and the success of the church is in its ability to move from a mom and pop business to a conglomerate. And Robert's Rules of Order becomes the guiding text rather than the pattern of the apostolic church.
The problem is that we treat the church as an organization instead of an organism [italics are mine]. Even an elementary reading of the New Testament would make it clear that the church is the body of Christ. The church in her essence is a living system. Whenever we relate to the church as an organism, we begin to awaken an apostolic ethos, which unleashes the movement of God. The power and life of God's Spirit working in his people result in nothing less than cultural transformation."
What do you think?
"The contemporary church has chosen the same course. We have chosen standardization over uniqueness. We have chosen predictability over surprise. And without realizing it, to our own regret, we have chosen comfort and convenience over servanthood and sacrifice. But in the end, what we have chosen is organization over life, and this, perhaps, is the fundamental dilemma we face--that at best the church is seen as a healthy organization.
The church is seen as the religious equivalent of IBM or Microsoft. If the church is not running well, then the solutions clearly lie in the best business practices available. The pastor becomes the CEO, and the success of the church is in its ability to move from a mom and pop business to a conglomerate. And Robert's Rules of Order becomes the guiding text rather than the pattern of the apostolic church.
The problem is that we treat the church as an organization instead of an organism [italics are mine]. Even an elementary reading of the New Testament would make it clear that the church is the body of Christ. The church in her essence is a living system. Whenever we relate to the church as an organism, we begin to awaken an apostolic ethos, which unleashes the movement of God. The power and life of God's Spirit working in his people result in nothing less than cultural transformation."
What do you think?
Friday, October 23, 2009
True Religion
I have conflicting feelings when I hear the term 'religion' used. Often it is used negatively--as a synonym for ignorance or hypocrisy. Other times it can refer to an ingrained pattern of behavior that has nothing to do with spiritual matters, like to describe the regularity with which I drink coffee or pick up a book. Dictionary.com's first entry for 'religion' reads: "a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs." One of my favorite definitions of religion comes from the Book of James, chapter 1:26-27:
"If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."
Here's the irony though--I hate hearing mainstream culture describe Christian religion as worthless or ignorant or hypocritical, but if I evaluate my "religion" according to James' criteria, I find mine to be just that: tainted, hindered, ineffectual and stained. How often do I dishonor Christ by not bridling my tongue (often); how often do I visit orphans and widows in their distress (never); and how well am I keeping myself unstained by the world (not very well).
How do I remedy this? James has an answer for this in 4:7-10: "Submit yourselves therefore to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you."
"If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."
Here's the irony though--I hate hearing mainstream culture describe Christian religion as worthless or ignorant or hypocritical, but if I evaluate my "religion" according to James' criteria, I find mine to be just that: tainted, hindered, ineffectual and stained. How often do I dishonor Christ by not bridling my tongue (often); how often do I visit orphans and widows in their distress (never); and how well am I keeping myself unstained by the world (not very well).
How do I remedy this? James has an answer for this in 4:7-10: "Submit yourselves therefore to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you."
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Calvary Road Discussion Questions – Chapter 8
- Describe the difference between a hired servant and a bondservant. Does it rob a person of their dignity to think of themselves as a bondservant, belonging to their master, with no rights of their own? Why or why not?
- Read Philippians 2:4-7. In what ways are we most like Christ as servants? In what ways are we least like Christ as servants?
- Read Luke 17:7-10 along with the five marks of a bondservant on pages 86-88 of The Calvary Road. Which of the five marks of the bondservant are most difficult to swallow?
- Do you agree or disagree with Hession's five marks of a bondservant as they apply to daily Christian living? Why or why not? If not, what then is the point of Luke 17:7-10?
- Hession says concerning being a bondservant, "Those who tread this path are radiant, happy souls, overflowing with the life of the Lord." How would your life be different if you believed this statement with your heart as well as your head?
- Read the last paragraph on page 89. Why is it impossible to become a humble servant without repenting over our current non-servant attitudes and dispositions?
Anybody reading who...
...has a Tae Kwon Do uniform to lend for 8 weeks? We need a size 5 (for a guy who is 5'10" tall and wears an XL shirt). If so, let us know at Koinonia@gracecommunitynet.org.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Koinonia in the Chronicles of Prydain
I am reading and discussing the Chronicles of Prydain with one of my friends from the lab. It's a classic good-and-evil tale in which through dangerous quests a boy grows into a man. I'd read them before as a kid, but since my friend loves fantasy and was looking for something to read (and I am always looking for good discipleship stories for the kiddos -- especially ones that will help my boys grow into men), I thought I'd recommend this and join him in it (I didn't remember it all that well, due to the time since I'd read it). Lloyd Alexander has a lot right, and there are copious hidden gems (some not-so-hidden) about sin and righteousness and what it means to become a man scattered throughout the text. My favorite from The Black Cauldron is the personification of pride in Ellidyr, how he eventually comes to brokenness, and how that brokenness leads to self-sacrifice. Somehow the tale lends clarity to my own pride.
But I digress. Now we are reading The Castle of Llyr together and I ran across this gold nugget about koinonia [my notes for those unfamiliar with the story in brackets]:
"He [Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper] turned to Gwydion [the Prince of Don]. 'I remember, too, when a Prince of Don aided a foolish Assistant Pig-Keeper. Is it not fitting now for the Pig-Keeper to aid a Prince [Rhun, the bumbling princeling whose life Taran had been saving the whole novel]?'
'Whether it be Prince or Pig-Keeper,' said Gwydion, 'such is the way of a man. The destinies of men are woven one with the other, and you can turn aside from them no more than you can turn aside from your own.'"
Permit me a few brief illustrations/parallels:
But I digress. Now we are reading The Castle of Llyr together and I ran across this gold nugget about koinonia [my notes for those unfamiliar with the story in brackets]:
"He [Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper] turned to Gwydion [the Prince of Don]. 'I remember, too, when a Prince of Don aided a foolish Assistant Pig-Keeper. Is it not fitting now for the Pig-Keeper to aid a Prince [Rhun, the bumbling princeling whose life Taran had been saving the whole novel]?'
'Whether it be Prince or Pig-Keeper,' said Gwydion, 'such is the way of a man. The destinies of men are woven one with the other, and you can turn aside from them no more than you can turn aside from your own.'"
Permit me a few brief illustrations/parallels:
- There are no lone rangers in humanity, especially not in the Body of Christ. We can't sever ourselves from community and pretend that others' lives don't impact our own. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" (1 Cor. 12:21)
- The natural response of a man to being aided is to aid others who need it. Same goes with our spiritual walks with Christ. Does this evoke 2 Tim. 2:2 to anyone else? A man of God responds to being discipled by discipling others whom he can help grow in Jesus. This isn't dependent on where you are (be you Prince or Pig-Keeper, spiritually) - there is always someone less mature than you that you could pour into.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Greetings, all! The Koinonia Blog will now be the central posting ground for all things Faith Family, including the discussion questions. Here are Brooks' questions for this week...hope they're fruitful for your study.
1. Read Matthew 7:1-5. In what context have you most often heard Matthew 7:1 quoted in contemporary culture?
2. Do you think Jesus wants Christians to never address sin in others or make a moral judgment as to whether something is right or wrong? Why or why not?
3. Jesus called the Pharisees “blind guides” in Matthew 15:14, 23:16, and 23:24. What does Matthew 7:1-5 reveal about the nature or reason for their blindness?
4. Why do you think it is so much easier to see and identify sin on the lives of others while missing the sin in our own lives?
5. What does Jesus mean by a speck in your brother’s eye?
6. What does Jesus mean by a log in our own eye?
7. Roy Hession in Calvary Road suggests that the log in our own eye is often our reaction to the speck in someone else’s eye. Read 79-80 and describe a time in your life when you developed a log in your eye over someone else’s speck.
8. If some logs are our sinful responses to another’s sin, can it be said that those people’s sin “caused” our sin? Why or why not?
9. Jesus says we are to first take out the log in our own eye, and then we can see clearly to remove the speck from our brother’s eye. What often happens if we address the speck before addressing the log in our own eye?
10. How do you get rid of a log in your eye? (See Calvary Road pages 80-82).
11. Describe a time you allowed God to reveal and remove a significant log in your own eye.
1. Read Matthew 7:1-5. In what context have you most often heard Matthew 7:1 quoted in contemporary culture?
2. Do you think Jesus wants Christians to never address sin in others or make a moral judgment as to whether something is right or wrong? Why or why not?
3. Jesus called the Pharisees “blind guides” in Matthew 15:14, 23:16, and 23:24. What does Matthew 7:1-5 reveal about the nature or reason for their blindness?
4. Why do you think it is so much easier to see and identify sin on the lives of others while missing the sin in our own lives?
5. What does Jesus mean by a speck in your brother’s eye?
6. What does Jesus mean by a log in our own eye?
7. Roy Hession in Calvary Road suggests that the log in our own eye is often our reaction to the speck in someone else’s eye. Read 79-80 and describe a time in your life when you developed a log in your eye over someone else’s speck.
8. If some logs are our sinful responses to another’s sin, can it be said that those people’s sin “caused” our sin? Why or why not?
9. Jesus says we are to first take out the log in our own eye, and then we can see clearly to remove the speck from our brother’s eye. What often happens if we address the speck before addressing the log in our own eye?
10. How do you get rid of a log in your eye? (See Calvary Road pages 80-82).
11. Describe a time you allowed God to reveal and remove a significant log in your own eye.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Welcome
Welcome to faithfamily.blogspot.com, the Koinonia blog. After a three-week hiatus, we are back, and in a new format. We are changing to a blog format to open the articles up to community response and discussion--rather than responding via email only to the author of an individual article, you will be able to respond publically in discussion threads, both in response to the article itself, and to other comments.
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