New Testament Principals Today

John Ottley 4.5.08

The more things change the more they stay the same. If you keep some clothes long enough they come back in style. Take khakis and plaid shirts with button-down collars for example. I've been wearing that uniform for over 30 years. These days you can buy stuff like that at J. Crew. Just ask my daughter, she works there.

 

My point is that Cornerstone is based on some principles that are becoming cool again.  The problem some of us have is not freaking out so much and calming down enough to really think about the difference between "natural" and "spiritual" ways of thinking and responding. Or, to put it differently, we need to be so committed to discipleship and turning stuff over to younger people that we experience the joy of seeing God himself help us honor Him and His Word by practicing old principles in fresh, culturally relevant ways. Maybe some change is merely a different way of applying the "church truth" that some of hold dear.

 

Here's Rob Bell expressing some good ole' "church truth" in a recent interview in the Wittenberg Door (click here).

 

DOOR: How did this Mars Hill thing happen, anyway? [Mars Hill is the church Rob Bell serves in Grand Rapids, MI]

 

BELL: Seven years ago, a group of friends were just dreaming of something better. I guess the natural evolution of each generation is to explore what it means. How to live the way of Jesus here and now. So we started and it now feels like fifty years packed into seven. Mars Hill is an old mall. Our "architect"—I say that as a joke—says everything about the church should scream "Welcome to our church service! Now get... out of here." We say, "This isn't the church, this is a church service. It's just an hour where we have some teaching, some singing and you'll hear about things in the community." If there are 43 "one anothers" in the New Testament—serve one another, carry one another's burden's, confess to one another—you can only do a couple of those in a church service. Until you have a community that you are journeying with, please don't say you are a part of this church. You just come to a gathering. We are very intentional about that. The question is, "Who do you call when your brother ODs on cocaine? If your mom is in the hospital, who comes and sits in the waiting room with you? When you cannot pay your rent, who do you go to and say please help me out?" That's your church.

 

Bell makes a distinction between "the church" and "a church service," between being part of a "community that you are journeying with" and coming "to a gathering." 

 

"Brethren" from "assemblies" make a similar distinction between the church and the "meetings" of the church.  That's why they used to refer to local churches as "assemblies" full of belivers who "go to meeting" to "meet."  That's why they came up with names like "Bible Chapel" and "Gospel Hall" and "Christians Gathered Unto the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ meeting at 1245 Elm Street." They wanted people to know the difference between "being the church" and "doing church."  Talk to someone over 60 at Cornerstone and they can explain this to you.

 

I occasionally have breakfast with a younger Christian brother who is very cool. Cool pastors and other cool people in Des Moines hang out with this guy. Instead of saying "goodbye" he says "peace."  He knows his way around the East Village. I feel cool when I hang out with him.  I think about growing a beard or at least a soul patch.  I drop names like Don Miller. We talk about music and movies.  I ask him questions about his personal life. Sometimes I give him advice. I laugh at his jokes and he teaches me about contemporary culture from a more youthful point of view.  I've learned a lot from him.  I would even say I love him except a guy can't say that about another guy any more without pushing a lot of buttons created by certain aspects of our culture. 

 

Anyway, my friend reads a lot. Now he's reading a guy named Frank Viola.  Frank Viola speaks in venues with Shane Claiborne & Tim Keel.  These guys are all cool. They have blogs. They talk about being simple.  They know monks.  They quote obscure people.  They're into justice.  (Shane Claiborne is so cool he looks like David Crowder after a 2 week backpacking trip on the John Muir Trail.)  Anyway, Frank Viola co-authored a book with George Barna) called Pagan Christianity.  The thesis of Pagan Christianity is that a lot of stuff that happens in church services is not according to NT principles... not done "in His own appointed way" to coin another phrase from "Christians sometimes called Plymouth Brethren." 

 

Consider two of Frank Viola's quotes from an interview with Dan Kimball (click for full article).

 

"The outstanding characteristic of these churches is that Jesus Christ is central. The members pursue Him all throughout the week. They have a life together around Christ during the week. Then when they meet together corporately, there is an explosion of sharing about their amazing Lord with one another. Every one participates, everyone functions, and everyone ministers Christ in the gatherings. And it looks different from week to week. This is very different from the Protestant order of worship where a few people function each time and everyone else passively spectates."

[Notice he said "gatherings"]

Can you (and your pastoral staff) leave your congregation right now under the Headship of Jesus Christ? Can you say goodbye to the people you've been preaching to every week for years, and walk out on them, not seeing them for six months to a year? And you won't establish a surrogate clergy over them, but you will do as Paul of Tarsus did and leave them on their own totally to the Holy Spirit and to the Headship of Jesus Christ.

[Notice he doesn't sound real excited about "clergy"]

And if you did that … what would happen?

Will they scatter? Will they look for a substitute and erect a pastor to rule over them and do all the ministry for them in your place? Or … will they and can they … take care of one another, will they love one another as family, will they know how to have meetings where they make decisions together under the Holy Spirit's leadership, will they be able nourish themselves spiritually, will they be able to have regular meetings where everyone participates and Jesus Christ is displayed to principalities and powers through His every-member functioning body, will they know how to experience Jesus Christ with others during the week, and will they want to share their incredible Lord to the world around them, not out of guilt, duty, or obligation, but because they can't help but share Him with one another and others?   

Do you have a gospel that's powerful enough to do that?

Or to put it another way: Do you believe that Jesus Christ is alive enough to be Head over His own church, and can you equip God's people to the point where they function under His Headship instead of your own?

I could be wrong but I'd say even the Emmaus crowd might dig Frank Viola. I'd almost go so far as to say Uplook might review it (but we're not in the Millennium yet). So it may not be just "The Assemblies" who have figured out all the "church truth." We may not be the only ones who know "the appointed way." This could make sense. If the Bible can be understood by ordinary people (and we CCCers are nothing if not ordinary).  And if the principles are in the Bible & people read the Bible... Then it stands to reason that we may end up on common ground every once in a while.  

If we'd all relax more (Be anxious for NOTHING) and try to put ALL the NT principles into practice maybe we'd get more traction in making more & better disciples.  (Rob Bell says there are 43 "one anothers" in the NT.  Maybe we should work on one a week & spend the remaining weeks on the biggie:  "Love one another.")

So let's keep our principles but find new, creative & culturally relevant ways of applying them.  May God give us all enough grace to stop worrying and start whooping it up (i.e. "rejoicing") on Sundays and during the week.

OK, back to work on my Sunday school lesson...

John

The CRASH crew (our High School Youth Group) will be going to His Mansion June 3 through the 13th. His Mansion is a Christ-centered residential care program in Hillsboro, New Hampshire founded to help men and women between 18 and 35 years of age that have difficult life situations. We will be volunteering to help with a variety of service projects on the grounds and as well involvement as being part of the ministry to the students at His Mansion. We have 15 SEATS reserved for high school students and 15 SEATS open for other adults from Cornerstone that may be interested in going. If interest is significantly higher than the space in two vans, we will arrange for a 3rd van, opening it up to as many as 15 more people. The cost will be approximately $150-200 a person, and the first $50 is due by February 20th. We will plan on doing some fundraising to offset everyone’s final cost. If money is a serious issue, DO NOT let that deter you from signing up. Other financial help may be available. Anyone interested in signing up can do so at CRASH on Wednesday nights or Sunday morning during Cornerstone’s services at Johnston Middle School. You will also be asked to fill out a skills development form. Need more info? Visit His Mansion’s web site or contact Nick or Heather.