BLOGGING THROUGH COLOSSIANS IV. APOSTOLICITY OR IMPERIALISM

“… The gospel which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world, is bearing fruit and growing…” 1:5 + 6

The red eye flight from Perth to Brisbane slipped by without much rest. The 5:30am exit from the plane jolted us awake as the humidity reminded us of a January summer with rain in the air. Coffee. Had to find a long … very long black coffee to create the impression to my son that I really was very good at this and that my attitude was simply marvelous.

We stumbled into a bookshop to bide the time away, when my eye caught the classic Penguin book section, this title jumping out at me: “EMPIRE: How Britain made the modern world” written by Niall Ferguson. Coming from the colonies, the book had potential interest for me but the note that this was a ‘most successful and controversial history book’, had me reading more. Opening it to browse at the contents, I was immediately intrigued by the section given to the missionary movement that opened the way for colonialism and imperialism.

“The Victorians had more elevated aspirations. They dreamt not just of ruling the world but of redeeming it”[1] The purpose of this blog is not to enter into a debate around the British Empire [although that would be a most noble conversation]. Rather, I wish to link this assessment to the modern apostolic movements and their solid preoccupation with “discipling all nations”.

As we have read, this gospel will get to all the corners of the globe and bear fruit there. However, how imperialistic are these movements? As much as I despise a message that shrinks God to my myopic world, there are some repeated mistakes that seem to be creeping into a call to all nations. Allow me to ponder around the Pauline apostolic model for just a moment.

1. His love for Israel never ceased, in fact he said to the Romans that he would forfeit his own salvation for the Jews to know their messiah – Rom 9:3; 10:1,

2. He was called to be an apostle to the Gentiles Gal 2:9. The notion of one man being an apostle to all nations is not seen in scripture outside of Jesus who is the great apostle to all – Heb 3:1,

3. Jesus did not had over his authority to one man but gave this ascension gift to all 11 in Matt 28 – there was no apostolic succession to one man… then Jesus added Paul and others to ensure that there was no one model, pattern or person. He did not even require the apostles to remain in touch with each other,

4. Paul never started an organization, denomination or ministry. His preoccupation was with Jesus and his gospel of the Kingdom. There can be no imperialism if there is no organization to colonize the world with, [of course I know that organization is needed],

5. Churches were planted but not as part of an apo organization. They were to be autonomous, elder governed communities that desired partnership with these apostles – and then never with just one ‘guy’,

6. The true role of the apostles was to bring these churches to maturity by equipping them to do the works of the ministry – not to become life members of an organization,

Our 26 intoxicating years of exploring this apo journey has been an exhilarating adventure. We were daily in the unchartered waters of uncertainty that found us thrusting ourselves onto God and his Word in desperation. These thoughts are from watching our journey closely as well as that of others who are wrestling with the very same challenges.

My desire is not to for this to be as much a critique, as much as it is an appeal. There must be conversations about our journey but that is not this blog’s objective. When do we shift from becoming apostolic to drift into imperialism? May I suggest a few items and then I would love to hear from you:

We slip into ‘imperialism’ when:

· Our message becomes anything other than the pure and wonderful gospel – 1 Cor 15 is most helpful in this regard;

· We preach a singular model as if there is only one way in scripture and that is the way we do ‘it’;

· Ecclesiology [seen as the way we do church] gains the ascendancy over Christology;

· The ‘culture’ / ‘context’ conversation is not entered into as that implies that the way we do things may need to change but how can that be if we are ‘biblical’;

· If one culture dominates for too long, the ‘whole world’ quotient of the text has been quietened by this imperialism – notice the role of Epaphras in the Colossians church;

· We plant our flag in as many countries as we can rather than be preoccupied with seeing local churches grow to maturity, base churches being established and local Eph 4 leaders emerge with the nation discipled – in other words, building away from ourselves;

· Subtly the expansion and defense of the organization becomes more important than the multiplication of the gospel in honoring, celebrating and loving every local church as well as that of every culture where this gospel is taken…

· Organizational pride begins to overcome kingdom humility,

· Like David, counting the army becomes a priority rather than a quest to create many apostolic households,

· Planting the name and the flag becomes more important than being prepared to let the church be called something else and even working with others also…

There is so much more to this conversation but I wanted to put these thoughts down on paper as Ferguson’s book stirred me …

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[1] Empire pg 113

GOING HOME to 2010

The long flights home awaits T and me today. It has been a most outstanding vacation here in OZ. The double flight from Perth to LA, keeps us in the travel zone as we anticipate the joy of the seeing the crew at the Gallery soon. T has his first rugby game of the season on Saturday and I am back in the pulpit on Sunday.

2010 promises to be a huge year, I was told that Tony Fitzgerald said; "2009 would be a year of repositioning whilst 2010 would be a year of harvest and great fruitfulness". I am not really into the 'theme for a year' thing. However if there is prophetic truth in that announcement, then my faith certainly engages with it.

For many 2009 was a very tough year. The spiritual journey seemed to be loaded with challenges and warfare rather than celebration and victory. Of course, the scripture encourages us to walk through the valley of Baca and make it a place of springs. There are no shortcuts on that spiritual journey but to go through it. As a father, I have had to learn not to take challenges from my children, The tearlessness of heaven awaits us there, but down here we will find our Jesus in our pilgrimage. We will find the richness of our God in the shadowlands of life's pain. There, to the scripture's fathers, he was their comfort, their strength, their healing, their grace, their empowerment, their friend, their partner. This is so often a lonely road. Our wonderful saviour will not let any relationship be 'God' in our lives. In the "valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me". We all have those God only stories. Tell them to your children.

So 2010 is here. At a most elementary level there will be much growth in grace, faith and the gospel understanding. I keep hearing the Holy Spirit call us to deepen our relationships but keep our hearts open to the new friendships, alliances and partnerships he is bringing our way. Retain and grow in His joy. There is a deep victory cry that slaps the enemy when we find a joy that speaks of what Jesus has done, is doing and will do in our lives. If it is true that the providence of God is where his sovereignty and goodness meets, then may we drink deeply from the wonder of this understanding. There is also a call to simplicity. I wonder sometimes if complexity is not just a kernel of truth overloaded with a ton of our humanity. Not all bad, but not all helpful.

Fascinating faith is what stirs in my heart. I know there is so much more he is doing in me. I am not maverick- I find no value in walking alone. The notion of a 'partnership of peers' as well as a 'fellowship of apostles' continues to intrigue me. The 2010 journey will sharpen our friendships whilst defining our callings for this new chapter with greater clarity. Hope to see you all soon...

BLOGGING THROUGH COLOSSIANS III THE G FACTOR.

“… The word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing…” 1:5 + 6

So I was wrong. For so many years, I subconsciously believed that the apostle’s full preoccupation was with the divine pattern of the text. There it was all over scripture. The various forms of pattern, model, wineskin, and architecture shouted at me as I read this through the Word. Becoming an expert on ecclesiology was uppermost in my mind. My bookcase reflected this focused and intentional priority.

Then a friend messed it all up. He went and told me that the scripture’s major focus is not correct architecture but the centrality of the ‘G’ word – the Gospel. Initially irritated, then intrigued, I was on an irreversible journey of discovery. How would we do church differently if our hub was ‘the gospel’ and not ‘the model, pattern, or wineskin’?

Paul’s first and full preoccupation was with the height, depth, width and length of the gospel. To the Romans he wrote: “ I Paul, an apostle set apart for the gospel… I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.” Romans 1:1 + 15 – but they already had the salvation thing. What did he want to bring to them? Then Paul again mystified me with this often quoted text: “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” 1 Cor 2:2. I had to admit that I had had many messages yet Paul says that he had but one. What did he know about this glorious gospel that I had reduced to a periodic wrap up at the end of a Sunday to get a response?

In the Colossians conversation, Paul introduces the gospel with one key thought: “Of this you have heard before in the word of truth, the gospel, which has come to you…” The ‘incarnational’ angle to this presented gospel, has a most wonderful edge, if it is not limited to simply ‘living…[or] being…’ the gospel. At some point in time the gospel must be ‘heard’. We are not called to extend the kingdom through being good people only engaged in the shadowlands of our cities. The gospel must be spoken so that it can be “heard”. The ‘Word of Faith’ crew do not have a solo franchise on Paul’s exhortation that “faith comes by hearing”. This is a text that should stir every heart to a call that requires the gospel being heard, not just seen or felt.

Being ‘missional’ is best understood when we launch every Christ follower into the missionary journey with a message not just a model. The call to be a ‘missional community’ makes so much sense when the gospel wrings deep and loud from our lips and our lives. ‘Be the gospel’ – Yes… but also ‘Speak the gospel’ as it is a life-changing story that needs to be heard.

The G factor is declared to be “the word of the truth” [ESV]. It is not a subset or a portion of the truth but the full embodiment of all truth. Oh the joy that truth is not a philosophy or a moral measure. It is Jesus that provides meaning, purpose, clarity, and redemption to life’s journey. Without him, how is this pilgrimage to be measured but in the murky waters of relativity. These dangerous rip currents drag humanity into uncertainty, vulnerability and self-worship.

I love the redemption meta narrative. I love the mystique of His Salvation Story. I am mystified by this glorious truth:

1. The sheer wonder and artistry of the creation,

2. The trauma of rebellion and its curse driven consequences,

3. The mystery of redemption weighted around a virgin birth,

4. The hope that captivates a human heart toward an eternal consummation.

And when this gospel is heard, things happen. What else can we expect? It cannot be limited to a white picket fence message that makes me feel good about me. Forgive my bluntness but that is nauseating. The brutality of the cross, which has rung through the ages cannot be limited to a self-centered, culture driven, myopic way of thinking. Jesus died for the whole world. The full weight of heaven is behind our preaching of the gospel. Every angel in partnership with the Holy Spirit empowers a surging faith community to let the gospel trumpet abroad, so please do not infuriate heaven by limiting this glorious gospel to a suburban world view, foreign to the call of the nations. This gospel of Paul, Epaphras and the Colossians was felt all over the world… that is where it belongs, on the international corridors of communications, business, the arts and the like. There it will thrive. There it will bear fruit. There it will grow. In the shadowlands of society as well as in the greenhouses of colleges, on the couches of urban cafes as well as in boardrooms of the corporate, that is where this glorious gospel bears fruit. And we who overshadow pulpits, should with our passion, empower and then launch our partners into this world, with this gospel, watching to see what Jesus does…

BLOGGING THROUGH COLOSSIANS II THE APO MAN

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,” 1:1

Don’t you love the detail of the text? Whilst this is a common greeting of the day, it is also a most weighty moment that leads us into the heart of this book. This truth wrapped in its historical context, draws us into the relationship between the apostles and the local church.

Let’s step back for a moment and address the matter of apostleship. I believe it is erroneous to dismiss this ascension gift given to men [Eph 4] with casual commentary that apostles ceased to exist after the scriptures were recorded. As if all that Jesus had in mind was apostles for one generation alone. Because of rash decisions concerning the gift of the apostle we find the church at large now speaking of missionaries or mega-church leaders as the replacements for the role of the apostle. These simplistic comments demean the most noble office, which the Father designed to be key and pivotal to the church until Christ’s returns.

May I suggest these major conversation points related to our text?

1. Ephesians 2:20 tells us that every church and believer need the foundations that were laid by apostles and prophets – this is not just within the writing of the Old and New Testament. These gifts (ie. Apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher) come in the form of men, earthly vessels, appointed “by the will of God”. We can only be who and what God has appointed us to be – not what men say we are or even what we would like to be!

2. Philippians 1:5 speaks of “your partnership in the gospel”. This is a most wonderful Kodak moment. It seems like the Father creates a most intimate relationship between local churches and apostles, proving its importance by beginning almost every epistle with the stating of that essential partnership. The structure of the partnership however is not meant to control local leaders and churches, or to create ongoing and complete dependence, and it is certainly not to establish organizations or denominations. Apostles are spoken of as being “first of all” in 1 Corinthians 12 but not “over all”. They come alongside church plants, or replants, yet like parents, their desire is that these churches would become more and more mature and in turn require them less and less. It seems like every local church in scripture worked with two or three apostles – great case studies for this can be found in Corinth and Thessalonica.

3. Ephesians 4 clearly announces to us that every local community needs all five of these gifts operating to become mature, lacking nothing, till we reach the unity of the faith.

Allow me to focus on the apostles for just a moment. I am so intrigued at how many leaders, who profess to be ‘Bible folk’, are blinded to the weighty role that apostles play in church life. These leaders or movements are so comfortable with either ‘abiblical’ or ‘unbiblcal’ leadership titles as if to suggest that the scripture is silent on these matters. So movements are led by ‘presidents’, ‘superintendents’, or ‘team leaders’ rather than revisiting the conversation and the scriptures that deal with these 5 fold giftings/roles. The Galatians 2 world of apostolic recognition has been replaced by election or succession, and we wonder why things go wrong.

Without going into a larger study on apostles at this time, an overview of an apo job description, seems to include around twelve elements. Some emphasize the power quotient of Paul’s writings to the Corinthians. Others place huge importance on his theology, and so on. Obviously these are important. However the most strategic part and yet most often forgotten, is that a true apostle is a “master builder” or “expert builder” as seen in 1 Cor 3:10-15. The notion here is of one person being both architect and engineer as was clear and evident in scripture. The entrepreneur, pioneer, strategic thinker, designer is a leader who can convert ‘the vision’ into measurable steps. He can also help recognize, train, and release leaders as part of the gift of the apostle.

It is not enough that they are fathers – all Eph 4 giftings should be that. It is not enough that they operate in the miraculous; all Eph 4 giftings should do that. It is not enough that they are solid in theology and truth – that is necessary for all the 5 fold offices. They are different in that God has empowered them with the unique anointing to think, talk, dream, decide with these building abilities that become evident in the churches they work with - Paul says of these churches that they are the “seal of our apostleship” 1 Cor 9:2. When you look over a leaders shoulder, what is seen in their wake will determine whether or not these men are apostles. Is evidence of wholeness, maturity and strategic impact?

Here are some ‘beware of’ bits and pieces that will hopefully trigger even more conversations concerning the gift of the apostle:

1. Beware of the danger of demeaning this great ascension gift by calling it a ‘missionary’, ‘special assignment’, ‘team leader’, and ‘entrepreneur’. The anointing and appointing of the apostle is still God’s prerogative.

2. Beware of believing that the body of Christ [personal or community] can get by without this master builder – this borders on raw arrogance.

3. Beware of identifying ‘apostles’ based on any ingredients other than a true biblical job description – it is never the size of the church, the amount of success, the type of profile, or being a father, in age or experience or even self appointment.

4. Beware of the drift to letting this most noble office become abused by becoming ‘dictators’, ‘CEO’s’, ‘top down leadership models’, ‘unilateral decision makers’. Biblically, apostles are not ‘over all’ but ‘first of all – scum of the earth”.

Lets see how this works out in this epistle…

BLOGGING THROUGH COLOSSIANS 1 - A PEEP INSIDE

1983 was a huge year for me. It was the year that a group of friends found each other and a Christian community began to evolve. Ultimately called Glenridge Church International, our passion transcended our knowledge, our zeal covered over our ignorance. I was teaching at Durban High School whilst we set out on this journey of planting this little church. It was also the year that a few of us decided to run the ultra marathon between Durban and Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. The uphill climb of around 89 kilometers had us out on the road early in the mornings. The Saturday early morning training runs of 20 kms or so, had us out as the sun was peeping out of the Indian Ocean horizon. Great days. Great memories.

It was on one of these runs that a friend and I were talking about the scriptures. We were both passionate about Jesus, excited about the church plant yet we were also thoroughly ignorant on so much of this spiritual journey. He asked me if I believed that the scriptures were the Word of God, the true text around which we could evolve our lives and the plant. We were running down from 45th Cutting Rd. huffing after a very good run, when I casually remarked that I wasn’t really sure. He stopped in mid stride, turned to me and said: “It is imperative that you settle that – for both our sake”. I was struck cold. My friends were looking to me for spiritual leadership. I was no longer simply a member of the crew. They needed me to settle this weighty matter. What did I believe about the scripture? Was it God’s word? Could I rest the whole of my life, present and future, on these sacred writings? Could we have confidence in these stories to fully discover this Jesus whom we loved? Would we be courageous enough to design our community based on this literature?

For the last 26 years I have become increasingly more intoxicated by the scriptures. That day, on the road to Durban, my life was transformed. Discovering the truth of the text; inspired, inerrant, sharper than any two edged sword has captured me. Slogans like “the bible plus nothing, the bible minus nothing” have been simplistic and yet profoundly helpful. However there has been a deep driving quest to see scripture as the matrix by which all that we do it measured. From worship to prayers, from government to ethics, from love to finances and everything in between; the word of God has enslaved us with this uncompromising freedom.

Now having led two churches, on two continents, and having helped many others plant around the world; I am more persuaded than ever that true full life, the liberty and the super-natural power of our holy God lies in the Scriptures. As I write this, I am on vacation in Perth, Australia with my wonderful family and daily enjoying here the time to mull over the Book of Colossians. This blog is not meant to be a commentary on the text but rather a thoughtful and honest reflection on what is being reveal through the text in relation to our spiritual journey. These are the musing of a Jesus lover, with a father’s heart on a most wonderful book in the New Testament. Enjoy it with me.

Silence in the face of opposition

Simply an outstanding quote "The answer is simple: for myself, I do not believe that it is appropriate that I spend my time defending my name. My name is nothing—who really cares about it? And I am not called to waste precious hours and energy in fighting off every person with a laptop who wants to have a pop at me. As a Christian, I am not meant to engage in self-justification any more than self-promotion; I am called rather to defend the name of Christ; and, to be honest, I have yet to see a criticism of me, true or untrue, to which I could justifiably respond on the grounds that it was Christ’s honour, and not simply my ego, which was being damaged. I am called to spend my time in being a husband, a father, a minister in my denomination, a member of my church, a good friend to those around me, and a conscientious employee. These things, these people, these locations and contexts, are to shape my priorities and my allocation of time. Hitting back in anger at those who, justly or unjustly, do not like me and for some reason think the world needs to know what they think of me is no part of my God-given vocation. God will look after my reputation if needs be; He has given me other work to do." Carl Trueman

Gospel Centered Leadership I

What a journey it has been! The recent years saw us preoccupied with an ecclesiology that, Michael Eaton called "over realized". We preached 'model', 'pattern' passionately. But our God is gracious, kind and infinitely generous. He walked us back to the edges of our faith... to the gospel we had so sadly sent to the bookends of our convictions and gently drew us in. After 25 years of pastoral ministry I had to admit to a wonderful community that I had erred. This was a most humbling realization.

Those years saw us use many hubs as the center piece of our faith. At times we placed 'the nations' as our focus. At other times it was leadership development, church planting, being missional... of course we splashed it with community and even thought 'encounters' were worthy center pieces. What a tragedy. When we found that the gospel was not a tag on to a sermon to test the waters of salvation but the very vertebra of body life we knew so much had to change. When I read that Paul wanted to 'preach the gospel even to you [the church]' in Rome I knew I had lost my way somewhat. Then to read that he chose to know nothing but "Christ and him crucified" to the Corinthians, I knew a new and fascinating journey lay ahead of me.

This blog will take a few days to explore what gospel centered leadership might look like. I look forward to our conversation...