kingdom grace

Ever since I wrote this post, Prophetic Word for 2008, the majority of the search phrases for my blog are about prophetic words. Apparently there are a lot of people looking for a prophetic word, which means there are a lot of people vulnerable to everything that claims to be prophecy.

At any given point in time, each of us, as believers, can take a look at the spiritual landscape and share from our perspective what we see. We can share the real impressions in our heart about what God’s Spirit is doing in our lives, in the church, and in the world today. In fact, when we do that, we find greater revelation in the sharing of vision with one another.

Yesterday’s post was a bit of an experiment. It was a reaction to this post from the Elijah List (ht Barb) where Bill shares what he sees. The difference is that Bill packaged his sharing very differently than I did.

(None of this is intended to disrespect Bill. I believe that he has made a contribution to the body of Christ. In his circumstances, he is expected to share what he sees as prophecy.)

What happens when I take what I see and present it as the Word of the Lord?

I have a prophetic background and know the lingo. I could have put a prophetic spin on what I shared, giving it more weight, adding some sparkly, impressive phrases that make it seem more supernatural and god-inspired. I could have thrown in some typology and predictive references to the timing of God. I could have presented my thoughts in a way that seemed seriously impressive and authoritative. And finally, I could have signed off as Bishop Grace.

Should I have done that? Why or why not?

I am thinking about prophecy and wondering if it is about more than the presentation. I believe there is a certain degree of revelation involved and that some of our thoughts carry a greater degree of spirit-inspired revelation than others. How do we determine when those thoughts should be presented as the Word of the Lord?

Looking around at the body of Christ, I see the average jane and average joe coming to a greater understanding of ministry. They see the role that they play as ambassadors of the gospel within the ordinary moments of their lives. They pursue opportunities to interact with those who don’t yet know Jesus. They find opportunities to express His life and love to the people in their sphere of influence.

More people are realizing that they have a role to play as agents of the kingdom of God. They are taking up their responsibility as ministers, no longer expecting to leave it to the professionals.

At the same time, I see that the understanding and definition of the gospel is returning to the holistic message of the kingdom that Jesus gave us. Many have begun to question the gospel message that is limited to personal salvation only, viewed solely as an escape from eternal damnation.

We realize that salvation and the gospel of the kingdom is a message of redemption that includes but also surpasses a one-time decision. There is a greater revelation of God’s heart and desire to see the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.

Like the church and christians of the early days, these believers, with a renewed understanding of their identity as the church, have begun to spread the message of the gospel of the kingdom in a more grassroots and organic way.

They have been released to demonstrate the kingdom. They have taken the message of redemption and reconciliation out of the church building and into the streets and avenues of the world, bringing the kingdom into the lives of those who are outside the church.

This humble style of ministry has the potential for viral multiplication and expanding the peace of the kingdom in a much greater way. Millions of average believers are taking responsibility for their role in ministry, realizing that they are released to be an incarnational presence in their spheres of influence.

This is a time of transition within institutional churches. They are feeling the shaking that results as the hearts of their members are being turned. However, I truly believe it is a transition led by the Spirit of God, and that churches who are willing to cooperate and adapt will find themselves fully involved in what the Spirit is doing today. There is great potential for institutional churches to equip, facilitate, and release their members into missional expressions of participation in the kingdom of God.

Ultimately I see that God is releasing to the body a greater revelation of His love and His nature. I also see that the focus has shifted from the gospel of salvation with its expression in religious services to the gospel of the kingdom with an organic expression that encompasses all of life.

As the reality of the kingdom is spread by average believers expressing the love of God to the people around them, I envision a whole new understanding of the apostolic nature of Christ being awakened in the church.

From last week’s Missional Monday:

A missional order says…

• we will gather for formation
• we will gather to edify and strengthen
• we will gather as a rhythm -

The gathering and the sent out rhythm
-the gathering to be formed and shaped into mission
-the sending out of God’s people into mission

• we will take on disciplines of resistance to consumeristic forces
• we will adopt an alternative definition of success

I will use this as an outline for some thoughts by Len Hjalmarson and Roy Searle.

Len’s comments are taken from his post, Missional Order:Two Lenses.

Roy’s thoughts are taken from a talk given at St. Hilda’s Priory posted on the Northumbria website. (ht Ron Cole)

I wanted to share how some of their thoughts flesh out these concepts. I hope that in removing them from their context, I have not diminished the authors’ intent. For a more complete picture, I recommend reading both of their posts in their entirety.

Because I have mixed their statements, they are color coded by author,
Len is blue, and Roy is red.

A missional order says…

We will gather for formation.

• We choose to give time to God and to prayer and to study rather than believing the lie that the kingdom is something we build in our own strength.We choose to believe the gospel that the kingdom is a gift that we receive.

• The emphasis upon spiritual formation, love of God, prayer and worship has been lost.
• I suggest that whenever God allowed his people to fall into exile one of his primary purposes was to call people back to himself, to renew their first love of him, return to his ways and renounce those things that were alien to his heart and kingdom.
• The first call upon our lives, to seek God, out of which a Way for Living that brings renewal and hope is born.
• The calling to be contemplatives in a world of action.
  
• The pace of contemporary life with it’s frenetic intensity and demanding preoccupations hinders a life that patiently and steadily seeks to centre on the “one thing necessary” that which really matters – seeking, worshiping and loving God.

We will gather to edify and strengthen.

• A rule of life can root and empower freedom.
• Shared exploration, a shared journey, but a journey with focus and intention.

• Challenging the church to re-examine those areas of it’s life where there is a weak sense of community, a narrow attitude of enquiry, prescribed programmes, anaemic worship styles, dead institutionalism and a disconnection from the issues of life.
• Inviting us into a deeper spiritual life.
  
• A life of prayer that will subvert and challenge the busyness and fragmentation of contemporary life, the driven culture that destroys people and relationships.
  
• Prayer as learning to listen to God, his heartbeat for the world and to know our own hearts, become priorities informing our lives, churches and communities.
  

The gathering and the sent out rhythm.

• As Henri Nouwen wrote, a Rule offers “creative boundaries within which God’s loving presence can be recognized and celebrated. It does not prescribe but invite, it does not force but guide, it does not threaten but warn, it does not instill fear but points to love. In this it is a call to freedom, freedom to love.”
• Our rule will involve three dimensions: God, self and other.
• Practices will be defined around inward and outward rhythm, both devotion and mission - prayer, study, and hospitality, available to God and free for His kingdom.

• Recovery of that which is at the heart of the gospel, relationship with God, our neighbours and one another.
• A Rule of Life provides a framework, a rhythm and balance of prayer and action, work and rest, study and reflection, productivity and play, cell and community.
  
• Where we are both alone and together, where the relationship between solitude and hospitality is exercised, where serving has priority over consuming, where authenticity reigns rather than image.
  
• A Rule of Life reminds us of the importance of relationships mattering more than reputation, where we cultivate generosity as opposed to calculating control, where we care for creation, express a commitment to the poor, welcome the marginalized and become a voice for the voiceless.

Resistance to consumerism.

• Our market culture is designed to keep us thinking about self and consumption., so we need culture-forming and character-forming disciplines to keep us focused on a different vision.
• We confront the lie that Imperial reality offers peace in limitless consumption and limitless growth.

• Paul writes to believers at Colossae encouraging them to follow Christ not Caesar, to live with the values of the kingdom of God not the Empire.
  
• For us today the dominant empire influence is not that of Rome or Caesar but Consumerism. As with the minority group of Christians at Colossae, so we too are called to live out the gospel.
• Stand against the pervasive consumerism and individualism of contemporary culture by providing a new ideal way for living. This is living out the gospel, the good news. This is our task.

An alternative culture.

• The church as an alternative (kingdom) culture.
• The disciplines that form alternative culture are alternative practices. We are formed by what we practice, our habits.
• So instead of fast, we choose slow. Instead of big, we choose small. Instead of up, we choose down. Instead of self-protection, we choose vulnerability. Instead of hording our time, we choose availability. Instead of rationalism, we choose faith. Instead of anxiety and drivenness, we choose to wait.

• Calling the entire church to a clearer and more radical witness.
• Community that counters the individualism of Western consumer culture; communities where belonging, identity, hospitality, welcome and honour are evidenced. Communities where difference and diversity are celebrated.
• That is surely the call of the gospel to tell and to live by an alternative story and therein lies the challenge to the church and our religious communities in the 21st century.

A review of some of the favorite links I ran across this week…

Post of the Week:

…goes to Jonathan Brink’s post, The Assumption of Participation. He expands the idea of participation beyond just “the meeting” to participation in God’s mission. Jonathan explains how our structures have actually prevented the kind of formation and discipleship that leads to participation in mission and have instead created a culture of complacency.

David Fitch’s post hits some of the same chords explaining how evangelical methods of salvation have not led to discipleship.

Highly Recommended:

This two part video interview of Graham Cooke is full of treasures to pull out, ponder and quote. Here are the links to Part 1 (28 min) and Part 2 (33 min). Part 2 was my favorite, but they are both worth a look. There are also audio links available. (ht Br.Maynard)

“I don’t think churches can stand to have 52 life-changing messages a year and no one’s life changes.”

“What are we doing?”

“People are learning how to become hearers, not doers.”

Spiritual Formation:

Robbymac’s post reminds us that the kingdom starts at the innermost parts and works its way outward.

Shawn Anthony talks about the necessity of the daily reality of the presence of the Spirit for real transformation.

Len describes how spending time in God’s presence forms and transforms us in a way that is necessary if we are to be vessels of His presence.

About the Church:

Quotes by Eugene Peterson (ht Internet Monk) :

• “the church we want is the enemy of the church we have.”
• “the church in America has become an abomination of desolation.”

(looks like Viola isn’t the only one given to extreme statements)

Speaking of…

An intelligent and thoughtful post from Dan Kimball about Pagan Christianity. Interview to follow in Part 2.

Recent statistics from Barna about Americans embracing alternatives to conventional church. (ht Brad Brisco)

A rant by Nathan Gann about the Barna article entitled, “You Pooped in the Refrigerator?”:

“Wait are you telling me that pastors who make over 75 K a year don’t really support house churches. Shut up!”

This from Dan’s post, The Myth of Leaderless Church:

“Hey, I’m all for not having to tell anyone what to do. That would be great. But…. What freakin’ planet do you live on?!?”

Another great post to read about leadership by Kathy Escobar from The Refuge.

Series to Follow:

Brother Maynard called it a vocabulary review, but for some it may have been more like a nightmarish flashback.

This leads into an ongoing series he is doing on apostolic ministry. Be sure to catch up and follow along.

Jeremy Bouma also just started a Missional Monday series based on Luke 5.

Jamie is doing a series unpacking the Missional Learning Disabilities.

While you are there, take a minute to read about the possibility of Adopting a Pixel in order to help Jamie and Kim in their process of adoption.

Miscellaneous:

Conversations to Watch is a new feature in my sidebar. It is an up-to-date, always-changing eclectic list of the top 5 posts that are on my radar at the moment. If you are looking for something interesting or worthwhile to read, I suggest glancing at the list whenever you stop by here. I hope this becomes a feature you will enjoy.

My first published piece of writing was in the junior-high-school newspaper. I don’t remember how it ended up in the paper. My friend’s dog was run over, and I was devastated. The only thing that I knew to do with my young grief was to write. I simply needed to write.

That was also why I started blogging. I needed a place where I could give my feelings a voice. While I have never aspired to be a writer, I am a person who needs to write, to take pen and paper or keyboard and spill out what is inside in order to make sense of it all.

In the process of blogging, I healed, and I learned from all of the wonderful people who interacted with the things I shared.

Anonymity

It surprises me how many people blog under their real names. At first I was very afraid and worried that my blog would be discovered by people who knew me. Anonymity seemed necessary in order to journal in such a public realm.

I grew to treasure the freedom of expression without scrutiny. For several years this has been an oasis, a secret place to process my journey - thoughts that are unpolished and unedited, free to be wrong, and subject to change.

My real world has been skating dangerously close to my blog lately. I have prepared myself for the inevitability of discovery.

With friends reading The Shack and Pagan Christianity, I hear of them talking about the internet places that I tend to hang out. Blog searches on abuse, authority, and apostles are leading them to blogs that are very close to home.

My carefully constructed walls seem to be developing fault lines.

Duplicity

I have had to question whether I am willing to take responsibility for my words and to reconcile this secret life with my public life.

There is a disconnect between the person that the blog-readers know and the person that my friends know. The blog writer is a part of me that I have not given my friends a chance to know.

I don’t feel like I have been deceitful or unaccountable about who I am in my writing. The blog-readers with whom I have developed email relationships know my real name and, if circumstances allowed, would be welcome to visit my home. I am willing for them to know the real me and meet my family and friends.

Yet it is somewhat ironic to share your thoughts freely with random strangers. These strangers though have been incredibly trustworthy with my thoughts and feelings. I am not sure yet if I trust my acquaintances to be as gracious.

Paranoia

The fear of having my blog discovered is that I envision people reading it voyeuristically as if it were a tabloid, my words becoming fodder for the local gossip mill. If people are going to read and discuss my writing, I would rather it be done in relationship.

The blog puts more of my thoughts and feelings out there than I would normally share with the people I know. I think that we all sense the degree of openness we can have in various relationships and about specific topics.

In an earlier post, I once said:

“I think, to a degree, that all of us package ourselves in appropriate ways for the group we are with. Do you ever get the feeling that people couldn’t handle a full dose of you, a straight-out-of-the-bottle, unrefined, undiluted 100% dose of the real you?”

I worry that people may end up with a fuller dose of my thoughts than they ever wanted or expected.

Initially, I was in this journey alone. Now, I don’t really want to be responsible for influencing how others process their journey out of the CLB and into whatever is next for them.

Maybe that’s the bottom line. This is my journey and my process of figuring things out. I don’t want it to be misunderstood or misinterpreted.

Risk, vulnerability, trust? We’ll see.

So I had this dream last night…

We went out to dinner with some old friends from out of town. Dinner was a little awkward because I got stuck on the end, and no one bothered talking to me. But that’s okay, the chips and salsa were good.

Then the friends announced that they wanted to come over to our house to pray, so we were like, “sure, okay.”

Next thing I know, we are in our living room and our friend is praying…

“Lord, I just call forth a pastor for this community, a strong man who will lead with authority, a man with the charisma to draw a crowd and to cause the people to ascend to a life of faith, a man who won’t bow to the whims of the people or compromise his vision.”

It was longer, but that is all I can remember.

“Lord, a week ago you told me to stand in this living room and pray this into existence. I’ve done my part, now you do yours.”

Oh wait, it wasn’t a dream. My life is so weird.

On Mondays I plan to pursue an ongoing study of all things missional and in particular, missional orders. I have many posts and articles squirreled away in my clippings folder that I want to take a closer look at and discuss.

This is an idea that I am studying, so I invite you to learn along with me and to share with me your understanding of the issues we consider.

The first item I am going to post about is this video of David Fitch by Allelon on Church Planting Via Missional Orders.

It is 15 minutes long if you want to watch the whole thing. (I recommend the whole thing, but if you only have a couple of minutes, start at 7:00.)

For those of us just trying to figure out and envision what a missional order is or could be, I feel like this is a good introduction to the idea.

What the video is a-boot…
(BTW, in the US, we say a-bowt. Does that sound funny to Canadians?)

Church planting in past decades in christendom has been the consumer model of rock stars, marketing, attractional methods, and organizational success.

Reimagining church planting as missional orders will be necessary to plant churches in post-christendom.

1. Funding versus sustainability
A missional order is about survival…

• being able to make a living
• while you plant the seeds
• banding together
• allowing sufficient time for the ethos of your community to develop

2. Attractional versus incarnational
A missional order says…

• we will gather together 10 people
• we will commit to being a body
• we will embed ourselves in this location
• we will incarnate Christ in this location

We will build relationships…

• we will look for those who are hurting
• we will look for the poor
• we will look for those who are struggling
• we will look for ways of connecting

3. Programs versus Formation
A missional order says…

• we will gather for formation
• we will gather to edify and strengthen
• we will gather as a rhythm -

The gathering and the sent out rhythm
-the gathering to be formed and shaped into mission
-the sending out of God’s people into mission

• we will take on disciplines of resistance to consumeristic forces
• we will adopt an alternative definition of success

4. Power versus Submission
Missional orders…

• give power away
• are governed by mutual submission

5. Organization versus Way of Life
A missional order…

• A way of life together that is gospel in the world.
• We are not looking to organize a system or way of being church.
• We are looking at living a way of life together.
• Encodes a way of life that we are all committed to.

A few of my thoughts…

What really struck me about this is that the traditional understanding of success and church growth is completely removed from expectation and intention. That alone significantly changes the focus and purpose of gathering.

The idea of rhythm addresses the balance between inward and outward focus, hopefully preventing the stagnation of a small, narrow group.

The ethos and essence of the group is something that would require both time and commitment to develop and a willingness to continue learning together.

What thoughts and ideas does this inspire in you?

This will be my attempt at a weekly sharing and review of some of the interesting things that I’ve come across in my blog reading during the week.

I enjoy these lists on a few other blogs. In particular Scot McKnight’s Weekly Meandering and Brother Maynard’s Random Linkage are a routine with my Saturday morning coffee. By doing this on Sunday, I hope to avoid duplicating their links, except for those items that are worthy of multiple mentions.

The runner-up title for this weekly post was “I Get Around” - which is true. It seems wasteful to read and lose track of the many posts that I run across in a week. In an attempt to stop the sieve-like flow of information through my brain, I hope to draw attention to a few items that deserve a second look.

In Process

This post by Ron about “church as the hub of the hood” is an idea that definitely deserves more thought and discussion.

Scott B. talks about how isolation has become the norm in our neighborhoods.

Over the past several weeks, Hamo had some interesting posts about hospitality and community in our neighborhoods. As he shared about the book God Next Door, there were interesting discussions in his comment section wrestling with the reality of living out hospitality in neighborhoods that are becoming increasingly private.

Interesting

Jamie put together a list of Learning Disabilities and the Missional Church.

Mary at One Thing Is Needed takes a look at unity and how we view the body of Christ.

Erika Haub has a guest post, A Bottomless Pit of Desires, on Jason Clark’s blog in which she challenged the tendency to mistakenly elevate inflated desires and personal fulfillment to the level of need.

Important

Darryl Dash covered the topic of forgiveness and the related idea of reconciliation quite thoroughly at his blog this week. Lots of helpful information, including one of my favorite quotes from Volf,

“Forgiveness flounders because I exclude the enemy from the community of humans even as I exclude myself from the community of sinners.”

Recently at dinner, I read the Time interview with NT Wright discussing heaven to my kids. It provoked an interesting discussion about heaven, hell, rapture, eternity, resurrection, and new creation - a worthwhile discussion to be having with our teens.

Inspiring

The next blog thing I want to read to my kids is Brant Hansen’s post about Kumar.

My friend Pam Hogeweide is editor of the February issue of PDL exploring the theme, The Power of An Ordinary Life. Be sure to check it out.

Interview

Brother Maynard takes on Frank Viola in three parts.

Insane

Apparently Ingrid has stirred up enough trouble to cause the cancellation of Shane Claiborne as speaker at Cedarville University. As an alumn, Jeremy discusses the issue and provides links for further reading, including a link to Shane’s response.

Most of you probably already saw the video clip declaring that real men should “pisseth against the wall.” Except this passage actually says that God is going to smite them. Plenty of women would like to smite men and boys that pisseth against the wall. Perhaps proof that God is a woman?

On a related note, in this article Joel Stein discusses the pros and cons of installing a urinal in his home and presents an interesting argument for a man’s right to stand up. (ht Holly and Wess)

“Basically, what I learned is that women have vastly overestimated the precision of peeing into a toilet bowl while standing up.”

Irrelevant

Often I have Pandora running in the background while I am reading.

A few recommendations for an interesting mix - Corinne Bailey Rae, Chris Tomlin, Todd Agnew, The Katinas, Delirious…

My new favorite this week, James Blunt.

As this conversation about ministry circles to a conclusion, of course it really doesn’t end. One of the good qualities of the emerging/missional conversation is a deeper understanding of incarnational life, kingdom perspective, and redemptive love. This understanding challenges the religious concepts of dualism.

A few links I wanted to point out where the conversation continues…

Alan Knox discusses Brother Lawrence and how the presence of God affects our lives and the lives around us.

Sarah contributed some awesome thoughts to the discussion, and at her blog she expands on the idea of ministry as presence.

Inheritor, who always has insightful comments, shared a short devotion on his blog about being co-workers with God and developing eyes to see His work all around us.

A few quotes from yesterday’s posts and comments regarding ministry:

What do you think?

Are we there yet?