CHURCH OF THE HEART PODCAST: Giving It All Away

In this episode: Keith Giles of the Mission House Church in Santa Ana, California talks about being a part of a fellowship that has as its goal giving everything that the group takes in to help the poor in the community. Dan and Keith also discuss politics, millennials, Keith’s books and a few other things.

CLICK LINK HERE TO LISTEN>

SO YOU WANT TO JOIN OUR HOUSE CHURCH?

Wendy and I regularly have to meet with new members, or those seeking to join our house church family, to explain to them about what we do and why we do it.

This usually involves letting them know that we have no statement of faith, and that we welcome anyone to join us as long as they are seeking to know Jesus better and want to follow Him in their daily life.

This means that, at any gathering of the Body, we potentially have Dispensationalists sitting next to people who accept Fulfillment Theology; and Calvinists sitting next to Arminians; and Cessationists sitting next to Pentecostals; and sometimes even homosexuals sitting next to straight people or Muslims sitting next to Atheists who are sitting next to Jesus Freaks.

For most, this is just too much and they have to admit that this is not the church they are looking for.

But, for those who do find this sort of freedom refreshing and who are only interested in knowing Jesus, and hearing Him, and experiencing Him, and focusing on Him with others who are also interested in the same Jesus, they discover a community where they are as loved and as welcome as anyone else.

We know we're different, even from other local House Church or Organic Church groups, and that's ok. For those who are looking for something a bit more traditional, there are plenty of others to choose from...and we are happy to help them find their spiritual home if it isn't among us.

Some who hear about our approach are concerned that someone might come into our group and lead us astray.

I understand that, if you've never experienced what I'm talking about, you might think that it's a free-for-all where "anything goes" and therefore it would leave us wide open for false teachers, cultists, or even other religions like Islam or Hinduism, etc.

Well, the truth is, it would be very hard for any person to do this successfully in a room full of people who are hungry for Jesus.

Hindus can't give us more of Jesus. So, they wouldn't find any takers in our group.

Plus, we wouldn't allow anyone to advance their own agenda, whether it was Amway, or Dispensationalism, or Hinduism, etc.

When we gather together our singular focus is Jesus. We talk to Him, we pray to Him, we listen to Him, we talk about His teaching, we encourage one another to follow Him, we remind one another of His heart and character and example, etc.

It would be hard for a Hindu to introduce their faith into that conversation.

Maybe that's why we've never had any problem with that?

As you might imagine, we are pretty sensitive to this sort of thing. Anyone who tries to advance their own pet doctrines or to sway others to agree with their particular convictions about anything is going to raise eyebrows in our group.

Or, to put it another way: We're not afraid that other people might rub off on us. But we are pretty certain that they should be concerned about how much we are going to rub Jesus onto them.

And also, I am not the leader of our group, Jesus is. For reals.

My personal doctrines and convictions, etc. are not on display or even championed.

For example, I've written several books and I have a blog, but most in our group have never read those books or follow my blog.

I just finished a series against Dispensationalism, but I have never uttered the word "Dispensationalism" in our house church in over 10 years.

Our focus is not doctrine, or anything other than knowing and following and experiencing the person of Jesus.

Some might argue that "just saying that Jesus is your Leader doesn't change anything."

And I would totally agree - if all we are doing is "just saying Jesus is our leader" then we have accomplished nothing.

But if we are actually working together to allow Jesus to be our leader whenever we come together - and it does take cooperation from everyone - then we have done something pretty amazing.

Having done this for 10 years now I can tell you that we have only enjoyed more of the presence of the Lord Jesus in our midst and over time our love for Him and for one another has only increased.

Those who are hungry for more of Him find themselves thriving in this community and those who want to find a group that believes everything the way they do finds that they're unsatisfied by our constant focus on Jesus.

Of course, it's very challenging to explain what our gatherings look like in a post. I wish everyone could visit one of our gatherings and notice how I almost never talk and how everyone else is sharing spontaneously from their heart about what Jesus is teaching them or showing them or how different people spontaneously encourage one another and pray for one another, etc.

As one brother said who visited us a few years ago: "If I didn't know that you had started this church, I would never have guessed it after what the Lord did today."

I've heard people suggest that what our group is experiencing is simply peer pressure at work.

I understand that we are so jaded by our previous experiences in what has been come to be called "Church" in America, but seriously, the regulating mechanism in the Body of Christ is not peer pressure [although, certainly it can be if the Spirit is not present in the Body].

It's really amazing what happens when everyone in the Body surrenders themselves to the Holy Spirit all at once!

We can probably relate to what it's like in our individual lives when we do so. But now imagine a room full of people who are all submitted to Christ and who are all seeking Him as their leader and Head.

Imagine that they don't speak to be heard, or to show off their wisdom, but only if the Holy Spirit gives them an encouragement for someone else in the Body.

Imagine that they don't speak unless they honestly feel that they are speaking, as if "the very words of God" [1 Peter 4:11]

Imagine that they don't do anything apart from the direction of Christ within them whispering in His still, small voice.

That is closer to what I'm talking about.

And until we started doing this 10 years ago, I never thought it was really possible.

Granted, we are only really beginning to experience this in a greater measure these last 2 years or so, but it has been so worth it to partner together with the family of God to arrive at this place.

So, our house church family might not be what you're looking for. We understand that. But for those who are hungry and thirsty for this sort of group where Jesus is the center and we all work together to keep Him as our focus, it's a wonderful opportunity to experience Jesus as the Head of the Body.

It really is the best thing I've ever done with the word "Church" on it for the last 10 years, now.

-kg

Revival, Resurrection and Reality

Maybe there’s something wrong with me? 

I already know that I don’t quite fit perfectly into the usual American Christian Evangelical mindset. That’s why I blog about things that often get me into trouble, or invite criticisms from those who disagree with my skewed views.

I think I'm also cursed to always see things from a slightly different perspective, and whenever I share that perspective I'm often blasted for it. But, I can't help myself.

So, when I see thousands of Christians gathering in a stadium for a revival, it doesn’t really resonate with me. Maybe because I don’t really expect God to perform for us on command. Or maybe because I don’t believe that God is impressed by large crowds.

Jesus seemed to always be trying to get away from large crowds, not looking for ways to attract more people. Jesus seemed to care more about those one-on-one conversations with lepers, or prostitutes, or outcasts, or women who most people ignored.

Big events don’t move me, and so I guess I tend to assume that they don’t move God either. Maybe I’m wrong about that. Maybe I’m not. I’m just sharing my gut reaction to big-scale events where people equate a trending hashtag with spreading the name of Jesus – especially when that hash tag doesn’t contain the name of Jesus.

 The bottom line is that I’m not in the place to judge anyone. I know that. No one needs to clear anything with me before they host a large Christian gathering.

If this event ignites someone's heart to follow Jesus more fully in their day-to-day life, then that's a very good thing.

But, if it leaves us empty after the emotional high is over and people are unable to see Christ in their sometimes mundane reality, it might create a dependence on emotional experiences rather than keeping us focused on the reality of a life-changing daily relationship with Jesus.

I’m just saying that if Revival truly comes to our nation, it will probably be in the quiet solitude of a prayer closet and not up on the Jumbo-Tron screen. At least, that’s where most Revivals begin, historically.

Can God do whatever He wants? Well, obviously. Yes, He can do whatever. And maybe if He really wants to get our attention, He’ll have to show up to one of our stadium events because that’s where most of us are looking.

But typically, God seems to love to do things differently. He seems to prefer to defy our expectations and to upset our status quo.

If nothing else, maybe we should keep our eyes open for Jesus in the unexpected places, off the main stage, outside the coliseums, in a quiet place, with a still, small voice calling out in rooms where no one is recording anything on their iPhone or live-Tweeting the play-by-play.

Revival, for me, is a word for a people whose hearts are broken. A person whose soul is ripped down the middle at the sight of all the suffering that surrounds them.

Revival is essentially a word that calls attention to the reality that something that is dead needs to come alive again.

Maybe we don’t need another revival meeting. Maybe what we need is more like a resurrection.

A resurrection doesn’t have a soundtrack or an official t-shirt.

A resurrection is simply a miraculous burst of life in a dark place.

When people who are hungry for Jesus and moved by Jesus are willing to go out and act like Jesus in a world that is desperate for Jesus, then we can honestly say that we have experienced a resurrection.

I’d love to host a “Let’s Go and Do the Stuff Jesus Did Conference"

where thousands of Christians spread out over the city

and break into groups of five or ten

to visit children’s hospitals

and pray for cancer patients

and give hugs to the homeless

and reconcile with their gay brothers and sisters

and pray a sincere blessing for their President

and repent publicly from seeking to change the culture through political power

and maybe take up an offering to feed the poor and house the mentally ill who sleep on our streets every night.

Now, that’s the kind of revival I can get excited about, and it just might deserve to go viral on Twitter, too.

What do you think?

-kg

INVITATION: Jesus At The Center Conference - Nov. 12 and 13, 2016

Are you curious about house church? Or are you interested in learning more about how to realize Jesus as the actual, functional head of your church gatherings?

This is conference is for you!

Join us in the Bay Area of California for two evening sessions where we will answer questions, provide practical examples and explore what it means to allow Jesus - not a pastor or a teacher - to actually lead the Church on a regular basis.

DETAILS
Session 1: Saturday, Nov. 12 at 6pm
Session 2: Sunday, Nov. 13 at 6pm
Location: In the Bay Area of California (Oakland, San Jose, San Francisco, etc.)
Note: Actual address to be announced soon.
Hosts: Herb Montgomery, Keith Giles and Ross Rohde [tentative].

Cost: FREE!

RSVP at our Facebook Event page HERE>

5 MINUTE VIDEO: How To Build A Better House Church

What if you could learn how to experience Jesus in a brand new way? What if your house church could learn how to gather around Him as your actual leader? What if you could all learn how to eliminate all the other junk that seems to get in the way of seeing, knowing, and experiencing Him more?

Let's take 5 minute and talk about it.

5 MINUTE VIDEO: Practical "How To" Tips For Organic Church

What is the format for an organic church? How do you start? What do you do next? Are there any "How To" steps to follow?

Take 5 minutes and listen as Keith Giles provides a very simple, practical description of what happens when his house church family comes together.

He also shares some ideas that your house church group, or small group, can try together if you're interested in experiencing more of Jesus in your gatherings.

5 MINUTE VIDEO: "When You Come Together" - Organic Church Practices

So, what happens when the ekklesia comes together to realize Jesus as the Head of the Body? 

How do you do it? What does it look like? 

Take 5 minutes and listen as Keith Giles explains practically what organic church gatherings look like when they work together to see and hear Jesus. 

5 MINUTE VIDEO: Discipleship [Part 5] "Spiritual Gifts & Love"

Got 5 minutes? Listen as Keith explains why Paul always pairs love with spiritual gifts and why so many organic churches struggle to realize the presence of Jesus when they come together.

Optimistically Organic

[My response to Frank Viola's recent post about Organic Church]

A few days ago, author Frank Viola shared an article about Organic Church that has garnered much attention. This isn't surprising given that Frank Viola is still seen as an authority on the movement, even though he hasn't been involved in an organic church for 8 years. He also admits that he's not interested in writing about the topic and he isn't planting organic churches and he typically refrains from posting anything at all about organic church on his blog, although he does still believe what he's written in his books.

So, this post was a bit of a surprise to me, given his inactivity in an organic church for nearly a decade now and his admitted lack of personal interest in the topic.

Still, he did write the definitive book on the subject and therefore his opinion carries a lot of weight with many people in the organic circles.

That's why his post caught my attention, and it's also why I felt the need to respond to some of what he shared.

It's probably a good idea to mention that I contacted Frank privately about this before I wrote this response. He and I corresponded back and forth on this already. I'm not against Frank. I love him and I do sincerely believe that Frank loves me, too.

Frank also mentioned to me that he had shared his post with several others in the Organic Church movement and that about 95% agreed with his statements. So, please keep in mind that my opinion on this matter is in the apparent minority.

Please don't read this article as an attack on Frank or an opportunity to pick sides. I'm simply responding to what Frank has said as a way to add to an ongoing conversation about a topic that we all happen to have an interest in.

So, having said all that:

In his post, Frank points out several things about the Organic Church today that I totally agree with.

*He says that it's not as popular as it was back when he wrote his books.
*He says that it's very hard to find an organic church in most communities.
*He says that most of those involved in the movement tend to be in the 50's and older range.
*He says that God isn't fanning the flames of revival in America like He used to.
*He says that many "organic church" groups aren't truly organic.
*He says that the term "organic church" is misued and abused.

I honestly agree 100 percent with all of that.

But the relative popularity of the ekklesia of God isn't relevant to me. What's relevant to me is that God has identified a specific design for His Body. Even if I was the only one following His instructions, it would still be important to obey Him in this area.

Are organic churches hard to find? Yes, they are. Mostly because they are word of mouth and not visible on the street corner or found in the yellow pages. It has always been that way.

For example, someone in Orange County, California [where I live] could search for an organic church and very easily conclude "there aren't any organic churches here" simply because they are hard to find. But there are at least seven organic/simple churches in Orange County that I am aware of. There most certainly could be more, but I haven't heard about them yet.

Simply put, just because they might be hard to find doesn't mean they don't exist.

But, what if they really DON'T exist in my community? Well, I would encourage you to start one in your home and begin to pray that the Lord might help you connect with others in your community who are yearning for the same organic expression of His Body.

Are most organic church members eligible for a Senior Discount at Denny's? Yes, maybe. I agree that there was a time very recently when I was beginning to despair that the next generation wasn't going to pursue the organic church. Our local conferences were beginning to look like my High School Reunion. But lately we've experienced a very encouraging shift. Our house church family is now mostly single adults in their 20's and 30's. Another new house church group has started recently among students at Biola University. This is encouraging. Granted, my experience isn't necessarily indicative of the rest of the movement, but it does give me hope.

I also noticed when hosting my "Jesus Without Religion [Or Politics]" groups on Meetup.com that dozens of young adults were very desperate for community and searching for other young Christians who wanted to get together and focus on Jesus. They wouldn't call that "organic church" but regardless, what they're hungry for is what we have and maybe we just need to find more creative ways to share it with them.

I also agree that many "organic" churches are not truly organic. They do not practice the priesthood of all believers. They still have a designated pastor or central teacher who makes all the decisions. They still operate like an institutional church but they've traded their pews for sofas. I get that, and I agree, that's not something I want to promote.

That being said, here are a few things I feel like I need to stress:

*Church has always been what God is doing, not what we are doing

*The growth of the Ekklesia might be hidden, but it continues to thrive apart from our observation

*Organic church has never been about numbers or popularity

*God’s design for His Ekklesia has never changed

*If we truly desire Ekklesia in our community we can start one now

For the last 10 years now, my family and I have been very blessed to experience the true Koinonia in the Body of Christ.

Yes, I do understand that not many people have this same experience, but I want to encourage you - if you're still searching - it’s not impossible. It will take a resolve and a determination – and it might be just you and your family for a long while before God sends others your way, but giving up isn’t a solution. Starting one in your living room, is.

Here’s my optimistic view of Organic Church:

*There are more free resources for the organic church today than when I started 10 years ago

*Most of those who are leaders in this movement are highly accessible and willing to help you

*There are people near you who are just as hungry for community and ekklesia as you are

Finally, as I read Frank's insightful post one sentence jumped out to me:

“As I write this, we’re in a season where the waves of a Spirit-generated revival are non-existent in North America. There’s also no significant awakening regarding the restoration of God’s house.”

My first thought after reading that was a quote I heard from an old surfer dude once. He said, “We don’t make the waves. We just ride them.” Which is great advice for those of us in Organic Church! But then this thought came to me:

“If you’re not in the water when the wave comes, you’ll miss it.”

So, my resolve is to stay here in the water. Maybe there are no big waves coming along at the moment, but every good surfer knows that if you stay in the water long enough, you’ll catch the big one when it arrives.

I would also encourage you, and others in this movement, that there are organic churches being started outside of our field of vision. For example, through my friendship with Herb Montgomery, I’ve discovered a new movement within the Seventh Day Adventist denomination which is identical to organic church in every way, but they don’t call it that.

It’s my firm belief that God is stirring up many other such movements like this here in the States, and all over the world, that might not bear the “organic church” brand but is still based on the simple church model found in the new testament where the priesthood of all believers is freely practiced and encouraged.

Thanks for taking the time to read my perspective and for allowing me to contribute my voice to the ongoing conversation. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

NOTE: If you're currently searching for an organic church in your area, please feel free to contact me. If I can't help you find one, I can help you start one. I’ve already made almost every mistake possible, so you can benefit from my failures.

Also: Be sure to search out the numerous Organic Church groups on Facebook. I'm a moderator over at the Organic Church Movements page along with Jon Zens, and Richard Jacobson. We'd love to have you join us.

Peace,

Keith

FREE RESOURCES:
*Free Organic Church Resources>
*Free Ebook Download "This Is My Body: Ekklesia As God Intended" by Keith Giles >

Other Links:
Organic Church Movements [Facebook Group]> 
Herb Montgomery>
Milt Rodriguez>
Jon Zens>
Neil Cole>

THE HEALING POWER OF COMMUNITY

Sometimes I think God hammers me over the head with something until I get it.

That’s what’s been happening with me lately.

First, I started noticing a pattern in the conversations I was having with all sorts of people. The pattern that started to form was the common denominator in every conversation. Eventually I saw a video clip that, at first glance, had nothing to do with the pattern, until the very end. That’s when I realized that God was trying to show me something profound.

First, take a look at this video. It’s about addiction – which is not the subject that God has been talking to me about – but near the end the narrator says something that most certainly does relate to the concept.

Take a look:

Hopefully you’ve watched the video and you’ve come across the part where he reveals that one of the strongest weapons against drug addiction is community.

The most powerful part of the video for me was this part:

“Human beings have an innate need to bond and connect. When we are happy and healthy we will bond with the people around us. But when we can’t because we’re traumatized, isolated or beaten down by life, we will bond with something that gives us some sense of relief. It might be checking our smart phones constantly. It might be pornography. It might be gambling, etc. but we will bond with something because that is our human nature. The path out of unhealthy bonding is to form healthy bonds - to be connected to people who you want to be present with. Addiction is just one symptom of the crisis of disconnection that’s happening all around us. We all feel it. “

And the absolute best quote of all is this one:

“The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. The opposite of addiction is connection.”

I would like to substitute the word “community” for “connection”.

In almost every single conversation I have had with various people over the last few months, the theme of community, and the evidence that what people need more than anything else is community, has been unmistakable.

Some of these were conversations with homeless people, others were conversations with small business owners and with self-employed entrepreneurs. Some of these people were lifelong friends and some of them were practically strangers to me. But in every case the solution to their inner struggle was to find a community of people who would love them for who they are and provide a stable support system for them when they felt weak, or lonely, or tempted to return to bad habits.

What does all this mean? It means that the Ekklesia of Christ is what people are looking for most. They all want, and desperately need, a place to belong. They crave a true family of people who will offer love and acceptance. They are dying to find a community of support and faith that gathers around Jesus and looks to Him for love, hope, relief and peace.

Bottom line: We were not made to survive alone. Community is what connects us to life. Ekklesia is what connects us to Jesus and to one another.

Sadly, the barriers to finding community are numerous. Many people are surrounded by those who would love to welcome them and embrace them into a community of faith, but for various reasons these people cannot – or will not – make the decisions necessary to prioritize community over work, or sleep, or convenience.

That’s been the most frustrating thing for me, honestly. I’ve listened to these different people as they share their brokenness and I see how being surrounded by a loving community of fellow Christians would alleviate their suffering and propel them into a healthier lifestyle. But in nearly every case the person has one excuse or the other about why they must remain alone, or isolated. In some cases the person is reaching out for community but is constantly sabotaged by an unrealistic expectation of perfection in other people. So, when people within a community prove to be flawed, that’s enough for them to justify disengagement.

What I’d love to do is to connect all of these different people to one another, or to help them discover a community of believers who could help them to see and experience the presence of Jesus more powerfully. But as desperate as some people are for community and connection, the truth is that there is a cost and sadly many are not willing to give up what they have to realize it.

What I’m learning is that Ekklesia as God designed it is exactly what people need to be happy and healthy and productive. But at the same time, there is an Enemy who works day and night to place roadblocks and obstacles in the way to make sure they never actually get connected to Christ through His Body.

Loneliness is a powerful weapon. It crushes people. It strips them of the connections they need for life. It can even kill someone with enough sustained exposure.

Yes, loneliness is powerful. The only thing more powerful than loneliness is love.

My prayer is that those who need love most will have the courage to do whatever it takes to find connection and to experience the community of Christ before it’s too late.

-kg

[Subversive Radio Podcast] Still Embracing Constantine?

So, many House Church practitioners only disavow the Hierarchy model that Constantine introduced into the Church, but do not yet feel comfortable letting go of the Church/State political entanglements that he infused at the same time.

Episode 15: Dan Notti & Keith Giles - "Teaching and Learning"

In our pursuit of Spiritual Formation as the central activity of the Ekklesia, how do we handle teaching, listening and learning? What do we do when some of our views collide? How do we create an optimal environment for learning?

Conformed To His Image

"Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - Jesus (Matt. 28:18-20)

Here we have our marching orders from our Commander in Chief. This is about so much more than Evangelism. Rather, it is a framework for what every Christian community should be focused upon.

Where the Christian Church in the West has failed most, I believe, is in taking this mandate to heart and putting it daily into practice.

Instead, the Church has twisted this "Great Commission" from Jesus and turned it into a justification for building million-dollar structures, launching extravagant outreach campaigns, and publishing thousands of "How To" books, all aimed at creating converts while at the same time ignoring any call to make disciples who understand how to "obey everything (Jesus) commanded".

This is largely why the Evangelical Church in America finds Herself in deep decline today. Instead of inviting people to know God more intimately through an ongoing encounter with Jesus, and creating a church full of people who are intentionally seeking to put His words into practice in their actual lives, we have opted for a Gospel that does little more than provide an escape from Eternal Torment; leaving our Churches with nothing to do but entertain a growing crowd of un-transformed converts until they eventually die and move on to their promised "Heaven".

It also creates a world where the Church hardly resembles Her founder and causes many outside the faith to doubt the love of God and the power of Christ to transform the human heart.

This is not the Gospel. It's also not what Jesus had in mind for His Body.

Reading the New Testament reveals that Jesus expected to inspire a community of people who were called out and empowered to not only call Him 'Lord, lord', but to actually put His words into practice.

Essentially, what the Church needs today is to return to Jesus, renew their allegiance to Him, and begin to become Disciples (so that they can start to "make Disciples of all nations").

A recent conversation with my dear friend, Dan Notti, honed in on this missing element of Christian life. Specifically, the idea of spiritual formation is becoming extinct in our Christian faith today.

Not only is it slowly fading away as a concept, it is actually becoming an idea that is radically opposed by many Christian teachers who argue that the teachings of Jesus cannot be kept, and that Jesus never intended for us to try to follow His teachings or to put His words into practice.

This is flabbergasting. Especially when we cannot read the Gospels without being inundated by the words of Jesus crying out, over and over again, that those who love Him obey Him, and that those who put His words into practice receive life, and that those who call Him 'Lord, lord' but refuse to do what He says will be told "Depart from me, you workers of iniquity. I never knew you."

How does this happen?

Partly because, as we've already seen, the Gospel that gets communicated is the bumper sticker "Pray this prayer if you don't want to burn in Hell forever" variety rather than the "Repent! The Kingdom of God is near" version we hear Jesus proclaiming.

Another reason we see the abandonment of the Gospel of the Kingdom, however, is the rise of a more Pauline version of the Gospel which emphasizes - or rather over inflates - the message of Grace so that it begins to eclipse the teaching of Jesus.

This is not to say that Paul and Jesus were at odds. Far from it. Anyone who reads the writings of Paul, or especially the Acts of the Apostles, will see that Paul, and the other Apostles, all preached the Gospel or Good News, of the Kingdom. [See Acts 28:23; 30-31; 14:22; 19:8; 8:12; Eph. 20:25, etc.]

However, when Christian teachers and preachers overemphasize the Gospel of Grace - in a way that Paul never intended - they create the false impression that Jesus' message and Paul's message were different.

Not so. Paul preached the Good News of the Kingdom everywhere he went. Yes, he did write a few epistles where he reminded the disciples that their salvation was a work of God's unmerited favor and grace. But this was always within the context of submission to Christ as Lord - something Paul writes a lot about - and an assumption that those Christians understood the "Good News of the Kingdom" which involved complete submission to Jesus as both Lord and Savior.

One revealing verse about how Paul truly understood the concept of Grace is found in Titus 2:11-12 where he says:

"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.."

Notice two things:

1) Paul affirms that the Grace of God "offers salvation to all people."

2) Paul also teaches that the Grace of God "teaches us to say 'No'" to "worldly passions and to live self-controlled...godly lives in this present age."

According to Paul, the Grace of God is about salvation, AND about living a godly, self-controlled life - right here and now!

The Grace of God isn't only an instant "get out of hell free card", it's also an ongoing, continual power at work in our everyday lives that empowers us to become more like Jesus.

That's spiritual formation, folks.

Grace, then, is like the small amount of yeast that enters our lives the day we respond to the sound of Jesus' voice [to save us from our sins], and that continues to permeate our entire being every moment after as we continually become transformed into the image of Christ.

What if our Church family was single-mindedly focused on cooperating with the Holy Spirit in this process of becoming more like Christ?

What if our main focus as Christians was to collaborate together with one another, and with Jesus, to ensure that everyone within our church community was actually on the path towards having the heart and mind and character of Christ formed within them? [Ourselves included, of course].

To me, that is what is missing from our Churches today. That is what would breathe new life and vitality back into the Body of Christ again.

As Dallas Willard has put it, the Church should be about "...transforming disciples inwardly, in such a way that doing the words and deeds of Christ is not the focus but is the natural outcome or side effect." (from "Renovation of the Heart")

Simply put, we as individual Christians should begin by falling to our knees - daily - and surrendering continually to Jesus, we should focus on abiding in Christ and allowing Him to abide in us, so that our lives can bear more fruit.

If we do that, everything else will fall naturally into place.


-kg

Episode 12: Dan Notti & Keith Giles: "Pharisee Me" - Video Skype Podcast

EPISODE 12: "PHARISEE ME"

When Jesus speaks to the Pharisees, he's talking to you and me.

Episode 10: Dan Notti and Keith Giles "Too Much Jesus?"

Do Christians today put too much emphasis on Jesus and not enough on the Father or the Holy Spirit?

Is it really possible to have "too much Jesus"?

Still Embracing Constantine?

I have a little more grace for Christians who are still part of the Traditional Church when it comes to mixing politics and faith. I mean, they already accept the Constantinian model of Church with its hierarchy and professional clergy, so it’s not a mystery to me why they also embrace the idea of a Church that is aligned with the State.

But when Christians in the Organic (or House) Church movement affirm an entangled Christianity, I have to wonder what’s really going on?

Historically, the Christian church viewed the State as an adversary – at best as a necessary evil – and something that was to be “called out” from, not something to be embraced or to become entangled with.

Paul affirmed that the State served a purpose – to wield the sword and maintain civil authority – but that the Church served a higher purpose – to carry the cross and proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom. (See Romans 13)

The early Christian church took all of that to heart. From the earliest writings of the Apostles, through the Second and Third centuries, the Church resisted military involvement and refused engagement at the political level – even requiring new disciples to the faith who already served in public office to resign or be turned away at the Lord’s Table and disqualified from Baptism.

Of course, all of that changed when the Emperor Constantine allegedly converted to Christianity. But the form of Christianity that Constantine offered the Church was one that was fused with the State.

In exchange for a place of honor and acceptability within the public square, the Christian Church sold Her birthright and bowed her knees to the State.

Ironically enough, the Church compromised Her values so that the sword would no longer come against Her –and yet once Constantine and the Empire become entangled with the Church there were even more Christians put to death than ever before. Only now, sadly, it would be the Church Herself who would imprison and torture and put to death any Christian that opposed Her – or the State.

When the Anabaptists stood up and defied the State Church – even the Reformed State Church of Calvin and Luther – they were arrested, beaten, tortured, and put to death for seeking to turn back the clock to a time when the Church wasn’t aligned with the State.

Because of all this, Christians who today embrace the Organic or House Church model should automatically understand the importance of untangling their faith from their politics. If they truly understand that the Church went off the rails by aligning Herself with Constantine, then it shouldn’t be too hard to see that any Christian who maintains political entanglements is still enslaved to that Constantinian form of Church.

Yet this is not the case. Perhaps part of the problem is that Christians who have left the Traditional Church are still carrying some of the baggage they brought with them from the Constantinian form of Church? Maybe they have yet to fully grasp all that the Constantinian model stands for?

I do know that many within the House Church movement do not automatically reject Constantine’s Sword, for example. They still hold fast to a form of Christianity that embraces violence rather than returning to the words of Jesus for instruction on how to respond to those who want to harm us. They haven’t yet understood the power of Christ that is at work in our weakness or fully trusted in the transformational power of the love of Christ to disarm our enemies.

So, many House Church practitioners only disavow the Hierarchy model that Constantine introduced into the Church, but do not yet feel comfortable letting go of the Church/State political entanglements that he infused at the same time.

Until we completely turn away from every perversion of the Christian faith that Constantine introduced into the Church, we will never be completely free to experience the Koinonia of the Ekklesia, and we’ll never be empowered to really “Be the Church” that Jesus designed in the first place.

-kg
**
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READ THE ENTIRE "JESUS UNTANGLED" SERIES:

Part 1: "Jesus Untangled"
Part 2: "Who Are We?"
Part 3: "Why Do People Think I'm A Liberal?"
Part 4: "Still Embracing Constantine?"

Part 5: How American Evangelicalism Has Been Exploited, by Ross Rohde

Part 6: The Entanglement Agenda

Part 7: "What Would Jesus Say About The American Revolution?" by Chuck McKnight

Part 8: "Ambassadors of Contrast"

Part 9: “AWOL Christian Soldiers”
Part 10: "The Elephant In The Church"

Part 11: "Christian American Horror Story"

Part 12: "Our True Source of Liberty" by Ross Rohde

Part 13: "Welcome To Post Christian America"

Part 14: "What Would Wilberforce Do?"
Part 15: "Crucify Your Politics"

EPISODE 9: Dan Notti and Keith Giles: "Being The Church"?

What does it mean to "Be The Church"?

Don't we need to find out what the Church is first?

How can we work towards unity in the Body of Christ?

These topics and more are part of this week's episode.

3-D Communion: From Ritual to Relationship

Guest Post by Christopher Dather

A few months ago, our organic church group celebrated its first Lord's Supper.  Think less a wafer and a shot of grape juice, and more a "love feast."  

Everyone pitched in and served everyone else.  The meal was homemade- nothing processed.  Everybody helped make the bread- even the children.  We did everything but stomp the grapes.

We fellowshipped while we prepared the feast.  We shared thoughts, songs and passages of Scripture during the meal as the Lord led, and we carried that communal time into the post-meal cleanup.  In short, this experience revolutionized the word "fellowship" for me.  

This experience also brought an entirely new meaning- a deeper meaning- to Paul's rebuke of the Corinthian believers in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34.

Under-Interpreting 1 Corinthians 11

Some Christians in the contemporary church today fail to grasp the deeper meaning of 1 Corinthians 11.  We don't necessarily misinterpret, but we probably under-interpret the immensity of the problem.  It wasn't until I began to experience organic church life that I was able to grasp the depth of the offense Paul was seeking to correct in the Corinthian church.  

Many of us cannot fathom what a 1st century Lord's Supper may have looked like.  I couldn't.  Until recently, I never knew the Lord's Supper as a full meal. All I knew was a Styrofoam wafer with a factory-stamped cross on it, and a shot glass of grape juice, served on a golden tray that passed by me as I sat quietly in my pew. Somber music played in the background while I waited for everyone else to get their Communion elements before we "feasted" on the Lord "in our hearts."  

This scene is a far cry from the Communion of Paul’s day.  The 1st century Christians knew Communion as the Lord's Supper, a love feast- an entire meal shared between disciples who gathered to fellowship with one another and remember the Lord who sacrificed Himself for them on the cross.  And now that I've experienced natural, God-led fellowship in the context of a full-fledged communion meal, Paul's rebuke of the Corinthian believers becomes more pointed and heartbreaking than ever.

Re-examining 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

In 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 Paul told the believers in Corinth that he could not praise them for the way they acted when they gathered together to break bread.  Why not?  

The Corinthians who gathered to celebrate the love feast honored neither God nor neighbor by their actions.  When they gathered, some believers gorged themselves while others went hungry.  As Paul wrote,

"...When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper that you eat, for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers.  As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk" (11:20b-21).  

His most incriminating rebuke comes in v. 22: "Don't you have homes to eat and drink in?  Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing?"

He even goes on to say that those who are guilty of acting in this way are "guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord" (11:27).

Ouch!  That's a weighty accusation to throw out against a church.  But honestly, I couldn't completely understand why.  I never got it because I always assumed it was about the communion elements themselves.  While, yes, that's obviously important, that also misses a huge detail.  It was never only about the food.  It was also about the people; the people who missed out on the fellowship; the people who didn't connect with other believers; the people who were shortchanged of the opportunity to both serve others and be served by them.  

I'm also floored by the way the offending believers acted toward the poorer disciples at these love feasts.  I simply cannot imagine someone showing up to our supper and me telling them, "I'm sorry, brother, but we went ahead without you.  We feasted- and it was good!  We fellowshipped and really connected in such a powerful way that only God could have done that!  Sorry you didn't get here sooner.  We don't really have much left, but maybe I could whip you up a bologna sandwich...."  The poorer believers were left with not only mere physical crumbs of food, but also spiritual crumbs of fellowship.

Do you see how spiritually criminal this was?  They gathered together to celebrate the Lord's Supper, but they obviously forgot to bring God with them!  Expecting God to be okay with the way these believers were acting was no different than the wayward Israelites offering sacrifices while trampling mercy and love underfoot.

The believers at Corinth failed to realize the truth that James so beautifully captured when he wrote: "Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" (Jam. 2:17).  

If our faith is not a tangible faith, then what good is it?

From Ritual to Relationships: A Paradigm Shift

What tripped me up when I used to approach this passage was that I looked at the situation in terms of the sacrament, but failed to truly grasp what was going on.  I failed to understand that Paul warned the believers to check their hearts before taking part in the Lord's Supper, (not because we have to be paranoid about any lurking unresolved sins and confess them lest we invite the punishment of the Almighty), but rather because communion had become something less than it was intended for the Corinthian believers.  It had devolved into something somewhere between a rote ritual devoid of its true meaning and an outright excuse for the wealthier believers to get together and feast without restraint.

So, where's the application here?  Actually, I have two application points.  First, we have to be so very careful when we approach the text of the Bible. It’s easy to read what we think it says rather than what it actually says. This is a Hermeneutics 101 lesson- check your biases at the door.  It's easy to slip up, anyone can do it.  

The second point plays off of the first: faulty interpretation can lead to misguided application. I misinterpreted this passage and only saw the ritual, but Paul was speaking just as much about the people who were being overlooked as He was about the supper itself.  I saw communion elements, he saw the poor being neglected.  I saw ritual, he saw relationships.

Our new life in Christ was never supposed to be primarily about lifeless religion- the world has enough of that. It's supposed to be about a living, breathing, vibrant relationship with the Lord that is expressed in the context of relationships with others.  

The world needs to see authenticity like this – true disciples filled with the love of Jesus and living missionally. 

You were reborn for more.  Don't settle for anything less.

**

(Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version NIV

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.)

[Subversive Radio Podcast] The Anabaptists: Part 2: "Sacral Society"

What is a "Sacral Society" and what lessons can we learn today from the Anabaptists?

EPISODE 7: DAN NOTTI AND KEITH GILES: "THE DONES" AND "SUSTAINABILITY"

In this episode, Dan and Keith talk about a variety of subjects, including:
*What happens when God gives the same scripture to 2 different people, 2 weeks in a row?
*Who are "The Dones" and how should the Church respond?
*How can Organic churches sustain and retain membership and engagement?