internet church

There is much talk about multisite ministry where video feed from one teacher/preacher is sent to other sites where groups meet. I think the idea is helpful at points as one can then access outstanding preaching in multiple locations. It has some issues too, but that is not what this post is about.

The multisite model has also now spawned the internet church. Here you can meet in forums (cell groups) and listen to live audio or video of the preaching. Whilst this does allow many more people to access the teaching in an informal and even anonymous environment, it has some major problems that many others are pointing to.

We at our congregation have been focusing on fellowship and community. Our love for God HAS to find meaning in our love for others. And this is, in my mind, where the internet church primarily falls short. Whilst one can open up on a forum and seek counsel via email, we've missed something in the personal interaction face to face. To confess sin online to a bunch of fairly anonymous folk is one thing, to bare ones soul to a brother or sister is a lot more real and life changing.

The second issue that I believe is a downfall of the internet church is that it is a consuming model in line with our consumer culture. There is little or no real opportunity to give back, and there is little opportunity to really identify with the community. It is very self serving in many ways and also it's tough to serve with ones spiritual gifts from behind the keyboard. How do I show hospitality, tongues/interpretation whilst we are separated?

I think internet church is helpful to a point...but because it lacks the personal connection and the opportunity to serve it is and never will be church.

Episcopalian church is apostate

The episcoplaian church has been getting more and more liberal as time has gone on. Acceptance of homosexuality, proponents of same-sex marriage and even ordaining practicing homosexuals. But they have now become apostate and are no longer fit to be called a church. According to VirtueOnline a webiste for Anglican orthodoxy at the 75th convention the house overwhelmingly voted to NOT state that Jesus is the only way to be saved. In case your scripture knowledge is a bit rusty:

"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" Acts 4:12

Here are some excerpts:

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The House of Deputies of the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church today overwhelmingly refused to even consider a resolution that affirmed Jesus Christ as the "only name by which any person may be saved."

"This type of language was used in 1920s and 1930s to alienate the type of people who were executed. It was called the Holocaust. I understand the intent, but I ask you to allow the discharge to stay," said the Rev. Eugene C. McDowell, a graduate of Yale Divinity School and Canon Theologian for the Diocese of North Carolina.
" The resolution further affirmed "the substitutionary essence of the Cross and the manifestation of God's unlimited and unending love for all persons," while calling on the Episcopal Church to renew its Scripture-based witness to "all persons."

The Rev. McDowell said "In the Episcopal Church we don't do up and down votes on Jesus Christ as Lord, and to do so is potentially a mean-spirited approach, to ask questions that aren't meant to be questions."

McDowell explained that how one lives his life is the more important issue than whether one affirms Jesus as Lord. To place a statement of belief over actions is the essence of "self-righteousness," he said. "Actions speak louder than proclamations...What Jesus calls us to do is to live our lives."

McDowell outlined his basic theology of grace: "Salvation by grace is remembering that we are the children of a living God. Grace is already there. And salvation is realizing we now live into that salvation. And sanctification is the transforming of my life from one that's me-centered to one that's God-centered."

The final tally on the electronic vote was 70.5 percent for discharge (675 votes) and just 29.5 (242 votes) to consider the resolution affirming Jesus Christ as Lord.

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Um....OK

So grace and Jesus are separable? It seems pretty clear from the Bible that the grace of God can only be accessed via Jesus - to accept that there are other ways or other saviours is to deny the supremacy and exclusivity of Christ. Please do pray for the episcopalian church - they are in dire need of salvation, as are many others.

As we forgive

I have just finished a truly profound book called As we forgive. It is about seven people's stories who survived the Rwandan genocide - a trully horrific event. The book is very moving and ones heart breaks at peoples violent anger and inhumanity to each other.

Where I found myself really stretched was in restorative justice vs retributive justice. Perhaps the toughest part was when a violent offender repents and asks for forgiveness, how do we deal with that when the crime has been so bloody, so inhumane? Should there still be retribution and punishment even if they have truly repented of their actions? The real challenge is that by seeking retribution the victim gains nothing. Their loved ones are still dead, innocence is still lost and any satisfaction is only hollow...

I found myself deeply challenged by God's grace through these survivors stories as well as my own sentiments around justice and punishment against the compassion they showed...really worth a read!

poor preaching

Every now and then I get to watch some DSTV and I see some of the "big" preachers. But I find myself normally walking away feeling very disturbed. This weekend it happened again.

I listened to the pastor of a very large and popular Australian church talk with a worldwide music ministry. I use the word talk because it was NOT a sermon and he did NOT preach. It was honestly one of the worst public addresses I have ever heard in a church and I was deeply saddened. His message was unbiblical at best and heretical at worst. He barely quoted scripture and when he did he twisted it so say what ever he wanted it to. It seems pretty clear that his message is predefined and then he uses the scripture to say what HE wants to say rather than what GOD wants to say.

We all make mistakes and certainly there are sermons that I look back on and I sometimes laugh, other times I get embarrased! But this was something else. I find I must stay close to God's word when I preach becuaseI am not sure that I trust my own opinion enough to work without it.

If you are looking for a church - find one where the preacher preaches God's word - where the sermon is saturated in the scriptures, where the preacher attempts to help you understand the text rather than his or her own ideas.

Preaching is the way that God has chosen to spread the message of Jesus love and atoning sacrifice - so we'd better do it well!

Praying and reading publically

We want to get people involved in praying and reading scripture in public worship to get a better participation. To this end a number of people have said that they are prepared to do this. So I’d like to give them some pointers as it is very different to speak up front than what it is to do so in private.

But in talking with a colleague he related the story of how a young girl recently was given some pointers, but now her praying has become stayed and conservative instead of the slightly ‘messy’ but real and passionate style she started off with.

Which got me thinking. What’s important and what is not? I’d like to give some direction, but would not want to box or limit the prayers into one narrow-minded style – a couple of people who pray just like me are not what I want!

A couple of key things that I will be looking at are:

1. Trinitarian prayers – my pet peeve is when people thank the Father for dying on the cross when it was Jesus who died on the cross (you could perhaps theologically argue differently, but this issue is about not being conscious of how we pray)
2. Repeatedly using some name for God. I know a person who will repeat one of God's names every fifth or sixth word. This is not helpful, we don’t speak like that to our friends, why should we do so to God.
3. The prayer would be helpful to be spoken in a communal style as is Our Father... not My Father...
4. We are not talking to those present but are voicing their prayers publically to God...sometimes we sermonize in our prayers
5. Keep it simple, conversational and directed
6. It’s OK to write your prayers out – to pray spontaneously is not necessarily more Spirit filled!

What else do you think would be important principals?

Sunday notices letter

Dear Friends,

In all of this discussion, debate, preaching and reflecting on the life of the church and what it means to be the church I have found my own understanding hugely challenged by things I have read and other things people have shared. In a moment when was feeling concerned about some of this debate, one of the older and wiser members said this to me “Don’t you think that a whole church discussing, talking, arguing about “love” is great? I may be naïve but I think that it only be beneficial.” And I think he is right.

Sometimes we need to go back, rework, discuss, debate and even disagree on things. It’s when we become complacent that we miss the work God is doing. So it has been really good to talk through these things. Our love for God and for each other are of primary importance to us being the church.

This week I have seen the church exhibit love in the following ways: Two people reconciled a difficulty in their friendship. Council and prayer given to a family in a tough place. A member offered a job prospect to another who needs additional work. Brothers and sisters met over a dinner that included some who are not part of Jesus church so as to plug them into Jesus. Some men shared together their deep joys and confusing difficulties and what they are learning from God through these times. People brought food to help those in our midst who are hungry. A father who has experienced deep pain gave a gift to encourage someone who is now facing what he has already gone through. Others have given of time money and resources to bless people whom they have never met outside the life of our congregation.

The church is built on our care and compassion for each other in the power of God’s spirit. I have been moved by what I have seen. Let’s continue from strength to strength making every effort to BE Jesus church in every way!

Blessings,

Brent

Missional church?

There is a lot of talk in various parts of the world about being missional. Every person has their own interpretation of this, like the other much bandied about word: emerging. But it does reflect a new way that people are looking at how churches focus themselves. Stetzer and Putmun in “Breaking the missional code” reflect this shift in thinking in this way:

• From programs to processes
• From demographics to discernment
• From models to missions
• From attractional to incarnational
• From uniformity to diversity
• From professional to passionate
• From seating to sending
• From decisions to disciples
• From additional to exponential
• From monuments to movements

This resonates hugely with me as many of these are things our church has been beginning to grapple with. When I started at Protea Valley we where a small church and we have more than doubled in size. But as we have, we’ve had to be more deliberate in the way that we do things. We’ve intentionally not committed to programs but rather are investing into groups where real life change happens. We are beginning to grapple with many of the above mentioned shifts.

Like all things these are journeys and we’re just starting this one.