A Kingdom A People and A River-House Church

A Kingdom, A People & A River
A New Paradigm
For the Post Modern House Church Movement
by R. Maurice Smith, M.A.
The Parousia Network

of House & Cell Churches
www.parousianetwork.com
© Copyright 2006 The P arousia Network

© Copyright 2006, The Parousia Network of House & Cell Churches. All rights reserved.
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All Scripture quotations from The New Ame rican Stan dard Bible (© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1975,
1977, The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California) unless otherwise indicated.
ISBN
Table of Conten ts
Table of Co ntents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Author’s Musings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Module 1: Zen And The Art Of Riding Dead Horses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Welcome! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Prepare to Have Your Paradigm Shaken . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Zen And The Art of Riding Dead Horses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
10 Myths About Chu rch Leavers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
The Collapse of T he Traditional Church Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Tough Questions, Revolution and The Emerging Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
What Difference Does It Make? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
The Problem of Shifting From Old to New Paradigms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
New Paradigms Arising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Paradigm Shift # 1: From “Growing Our Church” To “Building God’s Kingdom” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Para digm Shift # 2: Fro m C hurc h as A n Ex tens ive O rgan ization To C hurc h as a n Ex tend ed F am ily . 26
Paradigm Sh ift # 3: From A Paradigm of A Swimm ing Pool To A Paradigm of A River . . . . . . . . . . 27
Reflections on Revival & Shifting Paradigms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Conclusion (or Beginning?) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Questions For Reflection And Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Module 2: Post Modernism And “A Pain In The Mind” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

The W orld That Once Was . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
A Post-Christian Post-Modern Quiz (For the Culturally Impaired) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Post Modern Hemlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Post Cards From the Edge of A Post Ch ristian Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
The “First Age” of Man: Pre-Modernism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
The “Second Age” of Man: Modernism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
The Impact of Ideas and Rain Drops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Post Modernism, The Circle and The Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
The “Third Age of Man”: Post Christian Post Modernism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
A Post Christian Post Modern Quiz - Reprise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Post Modernism Versus Theological Bellbottoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Post Modernism And The Land Without Boundaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Post Modernism And The Mission of The Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
W hen ce? W here ? W hithe r? Po st Mo dern ism and T he W inter o f Ou r Colle ctive D isco nten t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Augustine, “Plausibility Structures” & The Kingdom of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
A Post Modern Reading List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Module 3: A Kingdom, A People & A River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Phe nom eno logist s An d Ke epe rs of Swim min g Po ols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
The River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Describing The River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Fasting & The River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
The Coming “River Houses” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Prayer of Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Mod ule 4: Th e DNA of Kingdo m Ho use Ch urch M inistry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Module 4-A: A River That Flows House To House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Introduction: The Kingdom, The Church & The River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
First Century Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
House Churches In The New Testament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
And The R iver Flowed Through the Ea rly Network of Ekklesias. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Pliny Encounters The Kingdom, The People & The River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Evangelism In The Early Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
The Decline of the House Church and The Rise of the Church Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
The Modern Re-Discovery Of The House Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Module 4-B: The DNA Markers Of Kingdom House Churches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
DNA Marker # 1: Perseverance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
DNA M arker # 2: The Fea r of The Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
DNA Mark er # 3: Un com mon Com mun ity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
DNA Marker # 4: One-Mindedness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
DNA M arker # 5: House-T o-House M inistry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
DNA Marker # 6: Sharing Meals Together (vs. 46) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
DNA M arker # 7: The Joy of Th e Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
DNA Marker # 8: Simplicity of Heart (vs. 46) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
DNA Marker # 9: Favor & Grace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
DNA Mark er # 10: G od-Insp ired Evan gelistic Gro wth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
A Kingd om H ouse C hurch R eading L ist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
House Church Websites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Module 5: Kingdom Transformation In Your Neighborhood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Module 5a - The O ff Broadway Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
“A Lack of Retu rn on Inve stme nt” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
The Off-Broadway Story - When The River Flows Through A Neighborhood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
“No Place For A Presbyterian” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
A Man of Pea ce Nam ed Larry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
On Any Given Monday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Baptisms In West Central . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Reaching Out With Back Packs & School Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Bible Studies & Drug Dealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Sometimes The Kingdom of God Tastes Like Turkey & Dressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Requiem For A Drug Dealer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
A Post Modern Neighborhood Outreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
And Then Someone W anted A Swimming Pool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Module 5b - Safe Houses Of Hope & Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
W hat is a Safe House of H ope & Prayer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Getting Started As A Safe House of Hope & Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Module 5c - Growing The Kingdom In Your Neighborhood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Mega Shift & Secular Historians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
The G reat Co mm ission & T he Prob lem of Basic M ath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Discipling The Nations: Addition or Multiplication? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Understanding The Tension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
A Pla ce T o Be gin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Reaching Beyond Your House Church & Into Your Neighborhood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Idea #1 - Make A Map of Your Neighborhood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Idea #2 - Begin Filling In Your Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Idea #3 - Begin Meeting Those In Your Neighborhood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
W hy So me Hou se C hurc hes Multip ly W hile O thers Don ’t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Moving Beyond Establishing & Multiplying To Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Follo wing The Mas ter's P arad igm of Ev ang elism & Dis ciples hip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Questions For Reflection And Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
A “Kingdom Transformation In Your Neighborhood” Reading List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
A “Mu ltiplying Group of Eight” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Your Neighborhood Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Could We Pray For You? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Are You A “Person of Peace” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Module 6: Kingdom Transformation In Your Market Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

The Spok ane Market Place Prayer Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Revival Then and Now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Entering A Season of Divine Visitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
W hy “Market Place Prayer” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
The Difference Be tween A Bonfire and A P rairie Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Wanted: Radical Christians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
W hat’s Your Vision For Revival And Com munity Transform ation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
And If N ot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Caveat Emptor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
The Spok ane Market Place Transform ation Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
O.K. Here's How You Can Get Involved With The Network! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
A W ord T o Fo ur G roup s of M arke t Plac e Pe ople . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Summary Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
A “Market Place Transformation” Reading List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Market Place Websites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Module 7: Life In The Kingdom - Discovering What It Means To Live Along The River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Introduction To Life Along The River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Samuel Wesley Had A Swimming Pool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
John Wesley Discovered A River And Became A Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Enter T he “Nik e Chu rch” - Ju st Do It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Baggage Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Bagga ge Ch eck an d Building C omm unity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
W hen an d W here Sh ould W e Mee t? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Tossed Salad Christianity - Mixing It Up Over A Meal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Lea ders hip: W ho’s In Ch arge Here Anyw ay? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Seven Biblical Leadership Callings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
The R ole of Lea dership & Men ding On e Anoth er’s Nets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
W hen You Assem ble: The Importance of Mutual Ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Guarding Against False Teachings Regarding Authority & Leadership In The Church . . . . . . . . . . . 137
That’s Almost Music!: Worship and Music in House Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
The Role of Teaching In House Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Let’s Talk About That . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Who Do I Make M y Check Out To? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Keeping The Main Thing The Main Thing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Taking Our Place In The Drama (or, Does Doctrine Matter?) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Fred Astaire, House Church & A Time To Dance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
A “Life In The Kingdom” Reading List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Module 8: “Thy Kingdom Come” - The Ministry of Prayer, Fasting & Intercession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
While Others Slept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
“Thy Kingdom Come” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Praying The Price of Fasting & Prayer For Revival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Fasting & Seeking G od W ith A Who le Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
A Personal Journey Into Intercession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Consider A Fasting & Prayer Covenant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
The Fasting Covenant of The Reverend James McGready . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
The Parousia Network Friday Fasting Covenant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
God Look s For Intercessors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
W hat Intercessors Believe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Sug ges tions For R evitaliz ing O ur Pr ayer T ime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Prayer of Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
A “Prayer, Fasting & Intercession” Reading List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
W ho Are You Praying For? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
People & Situations You Are Praying For . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Mo dule 9: Perso nal Dis ciplesh ip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Jason’s Story & A Parable of “Discipleship” Gon e Awry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
The Enig ma of Dis ciples hip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
The Cos t of D iscip lesh ip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
W olfga ng S ims on’s Ten Princ iples o f Luk e 10 D iscip lesh ip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
The Prac ticalitie s of P erso nal D iscip lesh ip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Star t W ith Th e Th ree “P illars o f Piety” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Daily Bible Reading & Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Personal Devotional Journaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Perso nal Introsp ection, Ev aluation & Accou ntability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
A “Personal Discipleship” Reading List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Kingdom Transformation Group
Accountability Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Reflections On My Personal Journey Into The Kingdom of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Mod ule 10: A House C hurch M anifesto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
“The Sound O f The Roar of A H eavy Shower” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
14 Propositions (And 1 Caveat) Toward An Apostolic Strategy for Rapidly Multiplying House Churches . . . 182
Seasons of Striving, Seasons of Ceasing & Seasons of Outpouring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Appendix A - Articles Referenced In This Workbook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Pliny and Trajan on the Christians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Ten Paradigm Shifts Toward Community Transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Praying The Price of Revival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Growth - A Supernatural Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
In History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Social Impact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Nineteenth Century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Twentieth Century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
W ill We "P ray the Price "? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
A Season of Prayer, Fasting and Repentance
For Spiritual Revival and Community Transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Answering The Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Seeking A Fresh Visitation From God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
A Seas on of R evival Vers us A Se ason o f Churc h Grow th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
The “Wall” Of The Status Quo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
The Role of Repentance In Revival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
What Exactly Is Repentance? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
The Relationship of Fasting & Repentance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Calling A Coalition For Repentance & Community Transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
W hat Are W e Repenting For? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
So, W hat Do W e Do N ext? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
House Church and Radical Sacrificial Giving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
The Problem of Money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Radical Sacrificial Giving Versus Tithing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
An Apostolic Conversion of Our Finances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
A Sum mary For Peop le Who se Hair Is On Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
"Gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Practical Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Jeremiah, West Central and Spiritual Transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
The Promise of Inward Spiritual Transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Jesus and Spiritual Transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
St. Paul & Spiritual Transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Legalism Vs. Transformation In West Central . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
What W e Stand For . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Of Servants, Fools And Kings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
“Morons, Inc” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Serving And Judging (4:1-5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Don’t Boast! (4:6-8) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
On Display as Spectacles, Fools and Scum (4: 9-13) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Fathers And Mentors (4:14-15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Imitators (4:16-17) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Words Versus Power (4:18-21) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Spiritual Power, Authority & Covering In The Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
A Doctrine Gone To Seed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Authority & A ccoun tability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Jerem iah and th e Spirit of Fa lse Autho rity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Eight Concerns Regarding “Spiritual Covering” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Understanding Biblical Authority, Power and Leadership In The Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Let The River Flow! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Appendix B - 7 Reasons To Believe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Sign # 1: The Wedding At Cana
Transforming Disaster Into Blessing (John 2:1-11) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Sign # 2: Healing A Nobleman’s Son
Transforming Sickness Into Healing (John 4:46-54) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Sign # 3: Healing the Lame Man At The Pool of Bethesda
Transforming Crippling Religious Traditions Into Healing (John 5:1-18) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Sign # 4: The Feeding of The Multitude
Transforming Lack Into Abundance (John 6:1-15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Sign # 5: Walking On The Water
Transforming The Storms of Our Lives From Fear Into Faith (John 6:16-21) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Sign # 6 - Healing The Man Born Blind
Transforming Blindness Into Sight (John 9:1-41) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
A Personal Journey Into Spiritual Light or Spiritual Darkness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Sign # 7: The Raising of Lazarus
Transforming Death Into Life (John 11:1-57) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Appendix C - Parousia Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Affiliating Your House C hurch W ith The Parousia Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
W hy You Should Affiliate With The Pa rousia Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
What Do W e Believe? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
The Lausanne Covenant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
1. The Purpose of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
2. Th e Au thority a nd P owe r of th e Bib le . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
3. The Unique ness a nd Un iversality of Ch rist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
4. The Nature of Evangelism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
5. Christian Social R espon sibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
6. The Church and Evangelism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
7. Co-operation in Evangelism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
8. Ch urch es in E vang elistic Partn ersh ip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
9. The Urgency of the Evangelistic Task . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
10. Evangelism and Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
11. E duc ation and L ead ersh ip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
12. Spiritual Conflict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
13. Freedom and Persecution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
14. T he P owe r of th e Ho ly Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
15. The Return of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
A Kingdom, A People & A River - Page 8
Author’s Musings
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at
its swelling pride.[Selah]. (Psalm 46:1-3)
Our w orld is cha nging. M y world is cha nging, an d your wo rld is chan ging too.
The ancient b iblical writer was familiar w ith chang e, and the challeng es whic h com e with it. The Old Testament poet Korah
understood this profound truth. Our world changes, usually from the familiar and stable to the unfamiliar and uncertain, and
we a re fa ced with th e tim eles s ch alleng e of h ow to resp ond acc ordin gly and appr opria tely.
This workbook is about some of those changes, from old and familiar paradigms which no longer serve the ir purpos e, to
new paradigms which take us back to the roots of historic biblical Christianity. It is about understanding these unfolding
changes and how they are impacting both our culture and the Church. Fifty years ago our cultural paradigm of faith and
values could be expressed in such films as “The Robe,” “The Ten Comm andments” or “Quo Vadis.” Today our cultural
paradigms are seen in such films as “The Matrix,” “The Lord of the Rings” (an optimistic Post Modern mythology which
Tolkien built upon a biblical understanding of mythology).
These changing paradigms will be forced upon us by two powerful unfolding trends. I believe the Church in North America
stands today between the book of Jeremiah on the one hand, and the book of Acts on the other hand. The great theme of
Jeremiah is God’s pending judgment upon Israel’s unrepentant “spiritual adultery,” whereas the great theme of the Book
of Acts is the Pen teco stal outpouring of the River of God’s Spirit to empower the Church. Judgment versus spiritual
outpouring; the tw o opp osin g yet c om plim enta ry side s of G od’s coming visitation. The tension between these two unfolding
trends of G od’s activity will, in the years ahead, undoubtedly find expression in spiritual and cultural upheaval of monumental
(even Biblical) proportions (consider for just a moment the changes which have taken place just since the events of
September 11, 2001). Times of great revival often presage or coincide with times of great cultural upheaval and even
judgm ent. It is like standin g at the turb ulent con fluence of two gre at rivers. O n the one hand, the River of God’s Spirit, the
River of Ezekiel 47, will flow in great power and blessing for spiritual renewal and revival the likes of which have not been
seen or experienced in the West in well over 100 years. On the other hand, the River of God’s judgment upon our
increasingly “spiritually adulterous” culture is also preparing to flow in great power. One divine visitation with two powerful
and diffe rent resu lts. That is the challeng e now fa cing the C hurch.
This work boo k is a bou t how God is pre parin g His peop le for these coming changes by raising up a new paradigm of Church,
a radically new (but old) understanding of ekk lesia . Specifically, this is an equipping workbook for the emerging house church
mov eme nt. You should understand early on that I did not choose the house church movement. By God’s Providential
workings, it cho se m e. Fo llowing a disastrous b usiness failure and bankr uptcy m y wife and I “fell into the house church
movement through the back door.” Our journey into house church reminds me of British author and apologist G. K.
Che stert on, w ho be gins his Orthodoxy with the fanciful thought of “an E nglish yac htsm an w ho slig htly m isca lculat es his
course and discovers England under the impression that it is a new island in the Sou th Seas .” That, said Chesterton,
represented his own story of discovering Christian faith in Christianized England. “What could be m ore delightful,” observed
Chesterton, “than to have in the same few minutes all the fascinating terrors of going abroad combined with all the humane
security of com ing hom e again.” Ches terton’s de scription o f his own journey into C hristian faith is also an apt description
of ma ny people’s journey into h ouse c hurch, inc luding m y own.
I was raised from an early age in the United Methodist Church by sincere parents who believed in the importance of Church
involvement (my elderly mother is a licensed lay speaker in the United Methodist Church). I came to saving faith in a
traditional Sou thern Bap tist Ch urch at the tail end o f the J esu s m ovem ent. I d id stre et m inistry in Fayetteville, North Carolina
among GIs retur ning f rom Sou thea st As ia during the waning days of the Vietnam W ar. I then became a Campus Christian
radical at the university of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) during the 1970s. After two years on staff with Campus Crusade for
Christ, I left to study Christian apologe tics a t Den ver S em inary u nde r Go rdon R. Le wis. I h ave p lante d chu rche s, sp lit
churches (Oh yes, that was fun) served as a ruling elder in a Presbyterian Church, pastored a small Assemblies of God
Church . . . well, you get the idea. I am a child and product of the traditional institutional Church. But I am also a child of
Christian philosophers, apologists, para-church training, business experience (oh, yea, that went well) and more. But at the
end of the day, I am a contemporary believer who is absolutely convinced that the church in the West is losing (I could even
say has lost) its battle with materialism, sec ularis m a nd P ost M ode rnism , and who is equ ally con vince d tha t the o nly hope
for the Church and our culture is a divine visitation of historic, even biblical, proportions which will manifest itself in and flow
like a river through new channels called house churches.
This is not another book o n a “theo logy of hou se chu rch.” I will dem onstrate (as have others) th at hous e churc h repres ents
both good the ology and g ood “pe ripatetics” (G reek: peripateo - to walk around, hence, “lifestyle” or “ap plicat ion”) . Ultim ately,
house church isn’t a theology club or discussion group. House church is an extended family of people who have been called
A Kingdom, A People & A River - Page 10 Author’s Musings - Page 10
out of the domain of darkness and who now share a com mo n jou rney in to the King dom of G od. It is the p ursu it of G od in
the company of friends and family. And that is good house church theology. Your journey into house church will not be
successful beca use of you r erud ite un ders tand ing of hous e chu rch th eolog y. It is not that theology is unimportant. It’s just
that o ne’s theo logy isn ’t ultim ately d eterm inative of su cce ss a s a fa mily!
The h ouse c hurch p aradigm represe nts seve ral significan t things. First, it represe nts a return to a fresh understanding of
fundamental Chris tian fa ith and commun ity. Second, it represents a return to radical transformational Christianity which
requires a level of spiritual courage and commitment seldom seen in contemporary Christianity. As my friend, Dr. T ony D ale
likes to sa y, “Many are called , but few c an stan d it!” Third, it represents a new (but old) channel through which the River of
God’s Spirit can flow to bring the Kingdom of God into our homes, our neighborhoods and our communities.
Let me briefly d iscu ss th e layou t of this workb ook. T here is a rh yme an d reaso n to it’s purpo se and conten t. I have arranged
the material in this book in “Modules” rather than “Chapters.” (Why? Because I liked the soun d of it! ) And each Mod ule is
a self-con tained stu dy. Each s ucces sive Mo dule is intend ed to build upon the foundation laid by the prev ious mo dule ( well,
theo retica lly, that’s how it should work). At the end of each Module you will find three things. First, you w ill find a set of
“Questions For Re flection And Discus sion.” These are intended to create opportunities for you (and your house church or
leade rship mentoring group) to interact with th e ma terial, and to help you de termin e where you are on your own journey into
house church and the Kingdom of God. W e have tried to create in telligent ques tions bas ed upo n the m aterial. Seco ndly ,
you will find a Biblio grap hy of re com me nde d rea ding c ons isting of bo oks whic h are direc tly relate d to th at m odu le. Ever
mindful of the Preacher’s admonition to his son in Ecclesiastes 12:12, the bibliographies are not intended to be exhaustive
or even extensive, but rather they are intend ed to be s ignificant an d com plem entary to the mate rial. Third, you will find (when
availa ble and appropriate) a listing of Internet Resources which contain additional material on the topic covered by the
Module. Warning, the internet is “not entirely stable.” Sites and pages come and go. Addresses change and articles appear
and disappear with no predictability, so please don’t blame us!
Module 1 will be a challenge for a lot of peop le, pa rticula rly thos e wh o are still at Point -2 on Wolfgang Simson’s “5 Steps
of Apo stolic Migration.” In fact, a good measure of where you are on that chart (yep, it’s in Module 1) is how you respond
to this first Module. The late Dr. Francis Schaeffer (whose prophetic warnings to the Church have found their f ulfillm ent in
the rise of our present day Post Modern culture) was fond of saying that sometimes you must first critique and point out the
flaws in a perso n’s worldv iew befo re he or s he is willing to listen to an y altern ative. This is the purpose of Module 1. It is a
wake-up call. There is nothing uniquely new in this material. It is a summation of a growing mountain of evidence that our
traditional paradigm of churc h simp ly isn’t working . “Church as we know it is preventing Church as G od w ants it.” It is also
a call for an “Apostolic Migration” into the new paradigm which God is raising up of a Kingdom , a people and a river, and
a new form o f ekk lesia called “house church” (this new and unfolding paradigm is frequently referred to as the “emerging
church ” mov eme nt, of which house church is an imp ortant ex pressio n).
The subtitle of this workbook is “A New Paradig m For the Pos t Modern Hous e Chu rch Mo veme nt.” Post Modernism
repres ents the dominant philosophy of our culture today, yet few Christians are even aware of it. The rise of Post Modernism
is one of the primary reasons why our old paradigms no longer function as they once did. For this reason I have devoted
an extensive Module to a discussion of Post Modernism. Much of contemporary Christian writing on Post Modernism (and
there is a lot of it!) seems to have missed the forest for the trees. Most of the discussions seem to be over which tree is most
cha racte ristic of the Post Modern forest (the deconstructive, the linguistic, the nihilistic etc.), rather than understanding the
origin and nature o f the fores t itself. The u ltimate qu estion ha s to do with whe re co ntem pora ry Pos t Mod ernis m s tand s in
the 500 year flo w of wes tern thou ght, of which Post Modernism (regardless of which variety) is the current product and
expression. To put it simply, a movement (such as Post Modernism) without a context appears as an anomaly. One of the
dangers for the C hurch is to treat Post Modernism simply as an anomaly to be ridiculed and ignored (or, worse, as a pattern
to be embraced) rather than seeing it for the gnostic-like threat it really is to genuine faith. Philosophically, Post Modernism
repres ents a dangerous flirtation with nihilism, a denial both of any binding truth and of any human ability to know such truth.
Cultu rally, Post Modernism represents a dangerous flirtation with “cannibalism”, a willingness to consume one’s own culture,
and wha tever stab ilizing values have been built up over the centuries, in order to pursue and achieve our own personal
success or fulf illme nt. In a very re als se nse , Pos t Mod ernis m is like a feas t am ong cann ibals who have not ye t fully
comprehended what their invitation to dinner really entails. Post Modernism has infes ted th e chu rch a nd th e con tagio n is
spreading, hence, my inclusion of this module. As authentic biblical Christians, our goal is not to become a “Pos t Modern
Churc h.” W e are neither nihilists nor cannibals. The idea of a “Post Modern Church” is an oxymoron on the same level as
a “Christian heavy m etal band ” or a “dea th of Go d theolog ian.” Rath er, our go al is to understand Post Modernism to such
an extent that we can communicate the message of the Kingdom of God in an authentic manner that challenges the
“plausibility structure” of the Post Modern seeker and results in his (or her) personal spiritual transformation.
I believe the God o f all creation h as always been ab out three things in this w orld. First, H e has always been about
establishing a Kingdom of righteousness and peace. Second, He h as alw ays be en ab out c alling o ut a p eop le wh o wo uld
love, worship and obey Him. In return He would love, bless and rule over them as both Shepherd and King. Third, God has
Author’s Musings - Page 11
alwa ys been about empowering His called out peop le to serve Him by pouring out a spiritual River of His power, presence
and blessing. As a stu den t of the histo ry of re vival, and an occasional writer on revival related topics, I have been dismayed
and disappointed by the inability of revival historians to articulate a simple yet consistent theology regarding the nature and
origin of tho se s eas ons of sp iritual r ene wal w hich we lab el “revival”. We appear to have been reduced to little more than
glorified “phenomenologists,” absorbed (and limited) by the endless analysis of “effects” and “phenomena” without ever
understanding the nature of what God is doing. Module 3 represents my “theology” of revival, an examination of the biblical
teaching regarding the R iver o f Go d’s S pirit as found in the Old Testament book of Ezekiel. I believe that God is preparing
to unleash the River of Ezekiel 47 in fresh power and blessing not before experienced in our generation, and I further believe
that His chosen “channel” will consist of emerging church gatherings such as house churches.
Every living organism, be it plant, animal or a house church, has a DNA blueprint which establishes its characteristics and
enables it to function and to reproduce. In Module 4 I attempt to extract that DNA from a biblical snapshot of first century
house church. I have actually divided this module into two sections. The first section offers a biblical/historical overview of
the rise of house churches and their continuation beyond the first century. In the second section of this Module I look at a
“snaps hot” of the early house churches as seen in Acts 2:42-47 in order to extract their DNA and answe r the que stion, “What
made them tick?” I outline what I see as 10 characteristics of New Testament house church which I call “DNA Mark ers.”
DNA represents the genetic code which defines all living organisms, determining how they function and what they will pass
on to successive generations. What was the DNA of the New Testam ent house church w hich enabled it to survive and thrive
in the midst of persecution and to eventually conquer the Roman Em pire? And how can we graft that DNA into our house
chu rche s tod ay?
Theory without application is little more than kno wled ge w ithou t wisd om . For t his re aso n Mo dule 5, “Kingdom Transformation
In Your Neighborhood” is a real-life description of the impact a house church outreach can have when it comes to the task
of neigh borh ood trans form ation . The mo dule is divide d into three sec tions . In the first s ectio n (M odu le 5a) I tell the story of
The Off-Broadway Family Outreach in the West Central neighborhood of Spokane, Washington. In section two (Module 5b)
I introduce a neighborhood house church concept, called “Safe Houses of Hope & Prayer ,” which summarizes most of the
bas ic principles of neighborhood transform atio n which we learned through our experience. Finally, in the third section
(Modu le 5c) I examine the issue of sp iritual multiplication and growth and offer a practical strategy toward for seeing th e
multiplication of house churches (including the forma tion of networks of house chu rches).
In our local area (Spokane & Eastern Washington) only 18 out of 100 adults attends any form of “church” (and that’s defining
church very loosely!), and that involvement represe nts nothing more than 3% of their time in a given wee k. So , do w e rea lly
think we’re gong to reach our cities for Christ with 19% of the people who give a whopping 3% of their time (and about the
s am e amount of their money) to the things of God? On the othe r han d, ho w m any ad ults w ork in the “market place” whe re
the average person spends 30% or more of their lives each week? What might happen if Christians began praying for the
unbelievers with w hom they s hare that tim e in the market place? W hat if God wanted to use those pra ying believers to start
“churches witho ut wa lls” in th eir market place, footholds for the Kingdom of God in the heart of the halls of mamm on (Sounds
cool doesn’t it? Sort of a “sou l-sav ing-a t-Sta rbuc ks k ind of thing ”). M y goal in Mod ule 6 (Kingdom Transformation In Your
Market Place) is to share a vision God gave me for market place ministry and to challenge and encourage you to become
an agent of Kingdom transformation in your market place.
“Mankind I love. It’s people I can’t stand .” This punch line, delivered by a frustrated Charlie Brown in a “Peanuts”® cartoon
which I have long since los t, could ea sily apply to life in many churches. As Christians we have often kidded each other that
life in church would be “perfect” if it weren’t for the people. Module 7 (Life In T he K ingdo m) won ’t solve all your peop le
problems. Sorry! But it is an introduction to what it means for ordinary people to live and meet together as extend families
and house church expressions of the Kingdom of God and to live with the biblical freedom and “wildness” of life a long G od’s
river (I’m resisting the temptation at this point to b reak into a poor re ndition of G arth Broo ks’ The River). I’m sure I have n’t
touched on every issue that will arise, but my prayer is that it will be enough to enable you to “Just Do It.”
So, how ’s your praye r life. O .K., th at wa sn’t a very smooth segue, but it did get your attention. Now, let me ask you again.
How ’s your prayer life? The River of God’s Spirit flows on prayer. Since reliable studies show that the average “ministry
professional” spends around 22 minutes a day in prayer, we shouldn’t be surprised that the River of God in our churches
is often little more than a trickle. The purpose of Module 8 (“Thy Kingdom Come: the Ministry of Prayer, Fasting &
Intercession”) is to en cou rage you to pray K ingdo m p rayer s wh ich w ill touch heaven and result in Kingdom transformation.
What exactly is discipleship? Can it be reduced to an 8 or 12 week program or bible study course? And is there a difference
between a “believer” and a “disciple”? Module 9 (Personal Discipleship: The Art Of Mending Our Nets) examines these and
related issues, because the coming move of God in power and bles sing will requ ire disciples who ha ve a King dom mind- set,
who know how to mend broken nets (both their own and the nets of those they seek to disciple), and are prepared for the
wildness of life along God’s River.
“Do you see it? Do you see the cloud yet?” This is the question I raise in Mo dule 10, “A Hous e Chu rch Ma nifesto.” I took
A Kingdom, A People & A River - Page 12 Author’s Musings - Page 12
the question from Elijah’s exp erience on Mt. C arm el in 1 Kings 18, but to k now m ore you’ll have to read the Mod ule. T his
mo dule originated as a response to a question posed by Wolfgang Simson at a house church conference, namely, how do
we prepare for a spiritual wildfire. This response repres ents what I believe is the beginning of an “A pos tolic Strategy” for
planting rapidly multiplying house churches in a way that is both dynamic (i.e., Spirit-led & empowered) and sus taina ble
(they’s still exist 5 years from now).
So, there you have it. Ten Modules which are intended to challenge and encourage you to come to terms with the collapse
of traditional church in our Post Modern culture, to become the church in your house which transforms your neighborhood,
to practice “kingdom living” in your house church family, to pray kingdom prayers, and to practice genuine New Testament
discipleship. And if that is n’t qu ite en oug h, I’ve includ ed ad dition al artic les on relate d hou se c hurc h top ics. O h yes, don’t
forget “7 Re ason s To B elieve,” an evangelistic bible study based on the seve n m iracu lous signs of Je sus in the gospel
of John which challenge people to conside r how G od can mirac ulously trans form their lives, com plete with Leader’s Guides
and Participants Outlines.
Of W ells, Batt leships & M emo rials
O.K., I’m almost done, but not quite.
Not long a go, m y fam ily and I t rave led ba ck to visit m y relativ es in North Carolina and celebrate Christmas together. As m y
fam ily and I bega n the retur n trip to Spokane I noticed something . . . unusual. About mid-way home, somewhere between
Atlanta and Seattle, I began to sense a growing burden and groaning in my spirit. I com men ted to my wife on the plane that
it was as if the burd en w as gr owin g as w e app roac hed the P acific Nort hwe st. T here was a gro aning in the Spirit over the
Pac ific Northwest . . . and it was growing. I believe that we are entering into a new Season of God's dealings. The River of
Ezekiel 47, the River of God's Spirit, is building in preparation to flow in power and blessing unprecedented in our generation.
Are we prepared for what is about to be unleashed upon His Church?
To prepare for new battle s (an d bles sing s) I be lieve in remembering and learning from old ones. Why? Because God has
a habit of rep eating H imse lf, just never in the sam e way twice . So bea r with m e while I rem emb er . . . and prepare you for
what is about to come.
When the fam ily and I t rave led ho me to Fa yettev ille I sen sed God saying that I s hou ld pay a visit to UNC-Ch apel Hill where
I attended college. As a student there I had been deeply involved in a powerful movement of God on that cam pus in th e
mid-1970s as a res ult of fasting & prayer and the efforts of the various campus ministries which laid down their individual
agendas in order to w ork an d pray toge ther for God's Kingdom purpo ses. As I walked the cam pus thirty years later I
remembered the all-night prayer gatherings, evangelistic dorm meetings, speakers in fraternity & sorority houses, leading
m y roommate to Christ after he and the others in my dorm "forced" me to let th em watc h an e vang elistic mo vie sent to me
by the Billy Graham Association, hours I spent alone in The Chapel of the Cross (an Episcopal Chapel on the edge of
campus that remained open all night for prayer) interceding for the campus known around North Carolina as a "hot-bed of
communist insurgency" (according to a local WR AL commentator by the name of Jesse Helms). Before leaving I took the
fam ily to pose for pictures at "The Old Well" the symbolic center of campus. As I sent them on ahead to a local restaurant
for lunch I stayed and began to pray there at "The Old Well." As I prayed I began to weep as I sensed G od saying that there
are no co ld and spiritu ally har d pla ces, only places where His Presence has not come. His Presence is coming. Are we
prepared? Are we p repared to lay dow n our pers ona l or co rpor ate a gen das in order to fast and pray and labor together for
His Kingdom Purposes in our area?
My next "pilgrimage" was to the coast of North Carolina. I sensed that I should take the family down to W ilmin gton to visit
the U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship Memorial. Now there is literally a history here. The “North Carolina” was commissioned
in 1941 and was one of the largest battleships afloat at that time. It fought in every ma jor na val en gag em ent o f the P acific
War, was torpedoed, repaired and fought again . In sh ort, it was the "hero" of the Pacific War. But in the late 1940s it was
decommissioned and in the late 1950s the Navy announced that it would be sold for scrap. I was in the 1st grade when we
learned that a plan had been hatche d to save the North Carolina . Thou sands of scho ol children fr om a cross th e State
collected dimes (well, a dime was silver then and actually worth something!) in order to save the Battleship. The plan was
suc ces sful. The S tate boug ht the ship and it is now safely m oored in W ilmington as a floating mem orial to the men who
fought and died in the Pacific during World W ar 2.
A visit to the Memorial is an awe-inspiring event for any student of history. The war in the Pacific was fought and won by
ships like this and by the brave crews who risked their very lives to win obscure-but-critical battles now forgotten. As I toured
the Memorial I was struck by several thoughts and comparisons. The p roblem with a Me mor ial is . . . that it is a Me mo rial.
The U.S. S. No rth C arolin a is no longe r a Ba ttlesh ip excep t in nam e. It is now a memorial to past victories, not a weapon of
war for future battles. Furthermore, it's brave crew is gone, present only in the form of an Honor Roll listing those who once
served , fought, died and triumphed. They have been replaced now with tourists whose only real risk is that of running out
of film before the tour is done.
Author’s Musings - Page 13
Forgive me for a harsh comparison, but here it comes. Much of the organized Church in America and the West is like the
U.S.S. North Carolina; a stately and beautiful Memorial to past battles fought and won, but not a weapon of war for the
spiritual battles which now confront us as individua ls, as chu rches a nd as a civilization. And o ur cong regants and attendees
rese mb le middle class vacationers in search of the concession stand more than they resemble soldiers prepared for fighting
battles and winning great victories. Just as we wouldn't tow the U.S.S. North Carolina out to do naval battle today, so much
of the visible church in its present state is in no condition to confront and fight the spiritual battles that inevitably surround
revival and God's Kingdom purposes. It is a memorial to past battles, not a weapon of war for future ones.
So, what does all of this mean (other than the obvious, that Maurice did a lot of sight-seeing!)? Let me summarize. Revival
is coming (probably accompanied by great spiritual conflict and even judg me nt). I h ave s ens ed th is bur den befo re, an d it
is growing. The River of Ezekiel 47 is building, preparing to flow in power and blessing unk now n in ou r gen eratio n. W hile
the Pacific Northwest (where your author resides) has traditionally been known as a spiritually cold and hard place (not unlike
a certain U niversity cam pus of m y acquain tance), th e Lord decla res th at the re are no sp iritually h ard o r cold place s, on ly
places where His Presence has not yet come. And He is coming. His coming will require that each of us lay down our
personal and/or corporate agendas in order to fast, pray and labor together for His Kingdom purposes of our area. And He
is raising up new paradigms of church, new channels and vessels for the flow of His River, vessels known as house
churches. And He is raising up people willing to fight the spiritual battles and confront the spiritual strongholds that get
revealed by any great move of God's Spirit. This battle cannot be fought and won by M emo rials to yesterday, or by tourists
more conce rned with c omf ort than w ith battle . And this c om ing ou tpou ring o f Go d's p owe r and pres enc e will have three great
effects. First, it will renew, redeem and empower the tru e Ch urch of G od, th e Bo dy and Bride of His Son . She will onc e aga in
be beautiful. Secon d, it will result in the Spirit convicting the world of sin, righteousness and judgment, just as Jesus
promised (John 1 6:8). Third, it will raise up a generation of believers whose hair is on fire for God’s Kingdom purposes and
whose homes (and form rooms and market places) are the new hot beds of God’s power and the new channels for the River
of His S pirit.
He is coming. Are we ready? Is your House Church a channel through which He can flow?
Let the River flow!

Module 1
Zen And The Art Of Riding Dead Horses

Module 1: Zen And The Art Of Riding Dead Horses
“The Twentieth Century is the name of a train that no longer runs” - David Lehman1
Welcome!
Welcome to the emerging church movement, and to that expression of emerging church know n as “ho use ch urch”. Le t me
beg in by addres sing som e of your po ssible ex pectation s regard ing this W orkbook. If you are expecting another church
growth book, another “how to do house church” book or another book on the history of the house church m ovement you are
going to be disappointed. Sorry. Or if you are thinking that the “house church thing” might be a good supplement to your
sm all group program and you are hoping to find a curr iculum that will ma ke that h appen in your chur ch, let m e save you the
troub le of tim e and disappointment. We don’t have (and probably never will have) a CD of sermon outlines for “40 Days
To A Purpose Driven House Church” here.
What you will find is a clear call for a new paradigm of what “church” is all about in our Post Christian, Post Modern culture,
and that will make many peop le uncomfo rtable. It is a parad igm tha t calls for an “aposto lic convers ion” of believ ers into
genuine radic al disc iples a nd an apos tolic re cove ry of the very na ture of ch urch, of N ew Te stam ent “ekk lesia ”. It is a
paradigm that c alls fo r mo re talk about the Kingdom of God, and less talk about institutional expressions of church. It is a
paradigm that emphasizes ministry over programs, and people over organizations. It is a paradigm that emphasizes revival
and transformation over church growth. It is a paradigm of a river, rather than a swimming pool. It is a paradigm that
encourages and empowers belie vers to be com e “ch urch es w ithou t walls ” and outp osts of the King dom of G od in th eir
homes, their neighborhoods and their marketplaces. It is a paradigm whose motto could well be summed up as: “We d on’t
go to church; w e are the church !” The purpose of this Workbook is to challenge and t o enc oura ge you to co nsid er this
new paradigm, and to become the church that meets in your house, in your neighborhood and in your market place. If that
though t mak es you un com fortable, the n stop no w. It will only get worse!
If we are going to fully understand, appreciate and embrace the need for such a new paradigm of “churches without walls”
(such as house churches and marketplace gathering s) which God is ra ising up in ou r day, we m ust first com e to terms with
the scope of the collapse that is currently engulfing our culture both inside and outside of the existing Church as we have
traditio nally know n it. And, so metim es, in orde r to understand the present (or the future) we must first understand the past.
S om e twenty-five years ago theologian and philosopher Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer wrote a book documenting "The Rise and
Decline of Western Thoug ht and C ulture." The title of his wor k was taken fr om E zekiel 33:1 0, How Should We Then L ive?
Ezekiel 33 is, of course, the great "watchman" passage in which the Prophet Ezekiel is warned of God’s impending judgment
if Israel does not repent of its sin. The culmination of the passage com es in vers e 10 wh ere Israe l declares , "If our
transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?" W hile th is m ay sou nd lik e
a lifestyle question , it is not. Rath er, it is a surv ival qu estio n. Th e Isra elites were won derin g, if ev erythin g Eze kiel h ad sa id
was true, h ow c ould they possibly survive the pending judgment of God. In the end, Israel did not survive. She did n ot repen t.
The nation was taken into captivity by the Babylonians and Jerusalem was destroyed.
Twenty-five years ago Dr. Sch aeffer w rote his book in the hopeful prayer that the coming generation (in which we now live)
"may get its feet out of the paths of death and m ay live." 2 Unfortunately, the decline which Dr. Schaeffer so ably analyzed
and documented has continued, even accelerated, during the intervening years. And in the ensuing struggle the organized
and institutional Church as m ost Christians have known and experienced it has become caught up in and overwhelmed by
this cultural collapse of historic proportions. During the years since Dr. Schaeffer’s prophetic analysis, numerous church
growth and renewal programs have run through their predictable life-cycles of excitement, activity, decline and eventual
relegation to the “church growth” section of the church library, leaving the church itself funda men tally unchan ged. T he reality
is that 40 years of cultural rot and collapse are not going to be reversed by 40 days o f purpos e driven a nything. “Its more
than numb ers,” writes Reggie M cNea l, “The American culture no longer props up the church the way it did, no longer
auto mat ically accepts the church as a player at the ta ble in p ublic life , and can b e dow nrigh t hos tile to the church’s presence.
The collapse I am detailing also involves the realization that values of classic Christianity no longer dominate the way
Amer icans be lieve or be have.” 3
1
David Lehman, “The Answering Stranger,” Operation Memory (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1990), p. 20.
2
Francis A. Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live? : The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture (Old Tappan,
New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1976), p. 258
3
Reggie McNeal, The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church (San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, 2003), p.
5
Perhaps you are among the growing number of Christians who sense that something is desperately wrong both in our culture
and in the C hurc h, an d wh o are incre asin gly frustrated with the institutional/denominational Church a s most of us ha ve
know n it. Your com fortable, trad itional churc h parad igm is b eing sha ken . . . and it isn’t over yet.
Prepare to Have Your Paradigm Shaken
A pow erfu l “sha king ” is oc curr ing in the Chu rch toda y, not unlike th e shak ing desc ribed in He brews 12:26ff, “And His voice
shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heave n.’
And this expression, ‘Yet once more,’ denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of crea ted th ings , in
orde r that t hos e thin gs w hich cann ot be shak en m ay re main .”
This shak ing is related to the rise of a P ost Chr istian Pos t Mode rn culture in Am erica and the W est, a culture that questions
the validity of the form of the Church as well as its message (we will explore this more deeply in Module 2 as we explore the
rise of Post Modernism and its impact upon the church). For too long we have operated out of a flawed paradigm of Church
which is no longer functioning as it did in previous generations. We have defined “Church” as an institution, and we have
identified the institution with a particular building, organizational structure or denomination. Unfortunately, I do not believe
that this represents a biblical definition of church, not the church that our Lord Jesus intended to bu ild. In th e wo rds o f Re ggie
McN eal, “As He hung on the cross Jesus probably never thought the impact of his sacrifice would be reduced to an invitation
for peop le to join and to suppo rt an institution.” 4 Our non-Christian culture, along with an increasing number of believers,
has notic ed th is disc repa ncy an d, in increasing numbers, is looking elsewhere for authentic spirituality. The “paradigm” or
model of Church as we have traditionally known it is being shaken to its very core, to the breaking point . . . and beyond.
This shaking is both external and in terna l, both cultu ral and ins titutional. In the w ords of R eggie M cNea l, “We are entering
a new epoch of human history called the postmodern age. The postmodern world will demand a new church expression,
just as did the rise of the modern world” 5 (more about this later).
Our English word “paradigm” comes from the Greek word paradeigma meaning “model” or “pattern” (used in classical Greek
to refer to an architect’s blueprint). The word is curiously absent from the New Testament. Perhaps there is a lesson here.
Men create paradigms, models and patterns. It is God who shakes them. If we try to put God into a fixed paradigm, model
or pattern (i.e., “put God in a box”), God will shake or destroy our box. He wants us to be flexible and willing to change and
adjust. His Spirit is a river that is ever moving, ever flowing; not a lake or a pond, and not a man m ade swimm ing pool where
the flow of the river can be trapped and collected in a box. He is shaking our paradigm because, I believe, He has a new
plan in mind, a plan that will bring the message of the Kingdom of God to a ne w ge nera tion. A nd th is new plan requires a
new paradigm . Are you rea dy to have your paradigm shaken, maybe even broken? Are you ready to “dismount” the dead
horse you may be riding?6
Zen And The Art of Riding Dead Horses
In his book Surfing The Himalayas Frederick Lenz, an American snowboarder, journeys to the Himalayas in search of the
ultimate snowb oarding experien ce. Th ere he m eets a B uddhist m onk w ho atte m pts to reve al the ess enc e of Z en to him .
“Become the board,” says the m onk, ad ding to a lon g list of am biguous Zen rem arks. Yo u know . . . “if you have to ask, you
won’t understand” . . . that kind of th ing.
What does a sno wbo ardin g Am erica n and a Bu ddh ist m onk have in common with the Church? Simple. Much of W estern
institutional Christianity has heeded the a dvice of the Bud dhis t mo nk: W e hav e bec om e the institu tion. U nfor tuna tely for the
ministry of God’s people today, that institution, which many of us grew up with, is looking suspiciously like a “dead horse.”
In other words, much to the chagrin of the monk, the horse and the church, we are now “one” with a dead horse.
In an article for Focal Point, a publication of Denver Seminary, Dr. Haddon Robinson gave an illustration regarding
organizations and dead horses. One bit of wisdom addressed to organizations is "Whe n the horse you are riding dies,
dismo unt."That soun ds lik e ke en ins ight in to the obvio us. Unfortunately, many organizations refuse to embrace it. Writer
Karen Peterson came up with some alternative strategies that organizations and institutions often use to deal with the
problem of dead horses (the com ments in parenthesis are m ine, not hers):
4
Ibid., p.1
5
Ibid, p. 5
6
Yep, we know. We are both criticizing “paradigms” on the one hand while offering “new paradigms” on the other. Chalk this
inconsistency up to the very real limitations of language. In other words, we’re running out of words to use to describe what God is doing.
I’m reminded o the ol’ golfing joke, “You know why they call it ‘golf’? Because all the other four-letter words were taken!” Why do we refer
to these changes as “paradigm shifts”? Because all the other fancy Greek words were already taken!
Module 1: Zen & The Art of Riding Dead Horses - Page 19
O Chang e riders (If you can't do the job of riding this horse we'll find someone w ho can!).
O Appoint a committee to study the horse (After all, we mustn't rush to judgment. Perhaps the hors e isn't really
dead, but sleeping).
O Attend a sem inar to increase riding ability (Wh en in doubt, blame the rider and question his abilities).
O Get a s trong er wh ip (even if this doesn't motivate the horse, it will make the rider feel better!).
O Enroll in a seminar to learn how others ride dead horses (Per hap s if you imp rove your te chn ique n o one will
notice that you lack substance).
O When there is nothing else to do, remember, the time honored wisdom of desperate organizations: "No
horse is too dead to beat!"
Dr. Robinson added a couple of ways that churches and other Christian organizations handle dead horses:
O Preac h a series of serm ons as suring listen ers that "this horse is n ot dead!"
O Keep reminding people of how strong the horse looked when it was alive and hope that they won't notice that
it has died.
O Pray that the dead horse will be resurrected.
O Move the dead horse to a new location.
O Label anyone wh o points out that the horse is dead a "heretic" (or a person of "no faith").
So let m e ask you: A re you trying to ride a dead hors e? In rece nt yea rs m any c om m itted Christians have become tired,
frustrated and disillusioned with the institutional, organizational and denominational structure of the Church as they have
traditio nally known it. As one ministry friend of mine declared with a note of frustration, "If Moses had relied on a committee
he ’d still be wand ering aro und in the wilderne ss!" Many of those Christians who are d isillusio ned with th e Ch urch as it exists
today are among the 20% who have been doing 80% of the work of the ministry. They are tired of trying to ride a dead horse!
10 Myth s About C hurch L eavers
As a result of their frustration with attempting to ride dead institutional horses, many Christians are opting out of traditional
institutional church structures. Christian researcher and writer George Barna states that, according to his research, four out
of ten born again Christians do not attend Church, and there are more than 10 million born again Christians in America alone
who are not attending Church. Author Reggie McNeal, Director of leadership development for the South Carolina Baptist
Convention writes:
“A growing number of people are leaving the institutional church for a new reason. They are not leaving because they have
lost faith. They are leaving the church to pres erve their fa ith. Th ey c onte nd th at the chur ch no longe r con tribute s to th eir
spiritual develop ment. In fac t, they say , quite the o ppo site. T he nu mbe r of “p ost-g ene ration al” Ch ristian s is gr owin g. Da vid
Barrett, author of the World Christian Encyclopedia, estimates that there are about 112 million “churchless Chris tians ” world
wide, an d abou t 5 perce nt of all adhe rents, bu t he projec ts that num ber will dou ble in the ne xt twenty five years !” 7
Author and pastor Alan Jam ieson wrote his PhD in sociology on the topic of "Churchless Faith" which analyzed why pe ople
leave churches and their journeys of faith outside the church. In an article for Reality magazine entitled “The Ten Myth s
About Church Leavers” 8 he listed the top 10 misconceptions or myths most of us have about Christians who have left the
institutional church:
O Myth One: It is only th e traditio nal m ainline c hurch es that have la rge nu mbe rs of leav ers.
7
McNeal, 4.
8
Dr. Jamieson has used his thesis as the basis for a book entitled A Churchless Faith (ISBN 0473070219). For snips from
this book you can go to www.pgpl.co.nz/bkchurchlessfaith.html. A copy of “Ten Myths About Church Leavers” is still available on the
Reality magazine website at www.reality.org.nz/articles/32/32-jamieson.html.
O Myth Two: The people who leave are youn g adu lts, peo ple on the fringe of our churches, and
people who have not been in the church for very long.
O Myth Three: Those with children are less likely to leave.
O Myth Fou r: If Mum and Dad go to church, their children will grow up to be churchgoers too.
O Myth Five: The peop le who leave lack co mmitm ent.
O Myth Six: Leavers don't have an adequate grounding in the faith.
O Myth Seven: They leave because of the increased pressure on people's time today.
O Myth Eight: They leave because of personal issues and disagreements with church leaders.
O Myth Nine: They'll be coming back.
O Myth Ten: They are backsliding and giving away their faith.
Jamieson’s research (along with that of many others) has helped to document the reality that many believers are leaving
the traditional church paradigm (G eorge Barna pre sently estimates between 15 and 20 million in America alone). These
peo ple are n ot “ab and oning their faith,” but are, for the most part, on a personal quest for a more meaningful and auth entic
expression of their faith. They are in search of a more authentic expression of the Kingdom of G od. M any of thes e peo ple
who have left are actually leaders who wanted to grow spiritually but felt they could no longer do so inside the confines of
the traditional, established church.
The C ollapse o f The T raditional C hurch C ulture
“The current church culture in North America is on life support. It is living off the work, money, and energy of previous
generations from a previous world order. The plug will be pulled either when the money runs out (80 percent of money given
to congregations com es from people aged fifty-five and older) or when the rem aining three-fourths of a generation who are
institutional loya lists die off or bo th.” 9
W e are witnessing and experiencing a cultural collapse of historic proportions, a collapse which involves both the church
and non-church cultures. And in the midst of this collapse the traditional, institutional expression of Church, as many of us
have known it, has lost its power. And this apparent powerlessness in the face of a wave of cultural collapse has taken its
toll.
O Our evangelism is ineffective. According to Christian researcher and author George Barna, a majority of
the peop le wh o m ade a "de cisio n" for Chris t in one of our evangelical churches "were no longer to be found
in a church context within eight weeks of having made such a decision ." Indeed, a study conducted by the
Southern Baptists discovered that out of every 10 converts who professed faith in a Southern Baptist
Church, only 1 was still active in the church one year later, and of the 15 million Southern Baptists carried
on membership rolls, only 1-in-3 attend church in any given month. We have evangelized for decisions
rather than conversions. But conviction is not conversion and a decision does not produce a disciple. W e
have made Jesus and His Church the answer to questions no one in our Post Modern culture is asking.
Jesus has become the parachute on the “plane of life” which no one seriously believes is in an y peril of
crashing. And when you make Jesus the unneeded extra baggage on life’s journey, we shouldn’t be
surprised when He gets dropped as soon as He bec ome s inconv enient. W e neve r con vince d peo ple of their
absolute need in the first place. Our ev angelism has de genera ted to little more than a slick ad-marketing
campaign, so we shouldn’t be surprised that the commitment of the average "convert" is about as deep and
authen tic as a ce lebrity com mer cial endo rsem ent.
O W e close more churches each year in America than we open, and som e 5,000 pastors leave the m inistry
every month. I was recently stunned to hear that the evang elical d eno min ation from who se s em inary I
graduated recently declared that it was closing some 50 chu rches in the Northwestern United States.
Across America we are closing down more churches each year than we are starting. In Scotland, th e
Church of Scotland recently announced that it is closing 600 of its 1,400 fellowships. Dead horses litter the
9
McNeal, p. 1
landscape.
O A recent study conducted by sociologist Stanley Presser of the University of Maryland and research
assistant Linda Stinson of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statis tics p egg ed ch urch atten dan ce in A me rica a t only
26% of Am ericans (as opposed to the stand ard claim of 40 to 43 percen t).10
O A recent CBS News report highlighted a paper entitled “The Vanishing Protestant Majority” b y T o m W .
Smith and Seokho Kim of the University of Chicago 11 which declared that for the first time since colonial
times, the United States will soon no longer have a Protestant majority. Their paper documents that the
number of Americans iden tifying th em selve s as Prote stan ts ha s falle n fro m 6 3.1% in 199 3 to 5 2.4% in
2002, a precipitou s decline of 10 pe rcentag e points in a single decade. During that same period of time the
number of Americans professing no religion grew from 9% to 13.8%!
O According to George Barna, the unchurched population in America has grown from 24% to 34% in just one
decade.
O According to Dawson M cAlister, national youth ministry spec ialist, 9 0 per cen t of k ids ac tive in high school
youth groups do not go to church by the time they are sop homores in college(?!) 12
O In 2001 Yout h Fo r Chr ist in Vancouver conducted a survey which revealed that despite pouring millions of
dollars and tens of thousands of hours into the lives of nearly 4,000 kids, less than 2% of them went on to
have any ongoing relationship with the church.
Tough Questions, Revolution and The Emerging Church
According to author Reggie McNeal, this shaking of our traditional church paradigm is confro nting the m odern c hurch w ith
“new realities” which, in turn, confront us with wrong (but often traditional) ways of addressing those new realities. McNeal
argues that the church must begin asking itself new questions. An example of the wrong type of question the Church may
be asking during this tra nsition is, “How Do We Do Church Better?” The new question we must ask is “ Ho w D o W e
Deconvert From Churc h-ianity To Christianity .” According to McNeal, the Church needs to recapture its sense of mission.
“The appropriate response to the emerging world is a rebooting of the mission, a radical obedience to an ancient command,
a loss of self rather th an self-pr eoccu pation, co ncern a bout se rvice an d sacrifice rather tha n conc ern abo ut style.” In this
new transition from traditional church to what is now referred to as the “emerging church” McNeal sees a need for the
Church to engag e in kingd om th inking. “Kingdom thinking challenges church thinking. Kingdom thinking does not force
peo ple into the church to hear about Jesus or mainta in that chu rch me mbers hip is the sa me thing as kingd om citizen ship.”
Another voice in this emerging church movement is long-time Christian trend watcher, statistician, sociologist and author
George Barna. For the past 20 years the Barna Research Group (www.barna.org) has worked to provide "current, a ccurate
and reliable information, in bite-sized pieces, at reasonable prices, to ministries in order to fac ilitate s trate gic
decision -mak ing." During that time they interviewed nearly a half million people in the course of hundreds of research
studies, provide seminar-base d training to leaders from more than 50,000 churches, produce more than 60 books and
syndicated reports. T hey also de veloped and m aintained a website that provides free information to hundreds of thousands
of peop le eve ry mo nth. A cco rding to Ba rna, th e m ost d isco urag ing study they ever conducted was one in which they
attempted to identify churches in the U.S. that consistently and intelligently evaluated life transformation among their people.
Barna found that very few churches measure anything beyond attendance, donations, square footage, number of programs
and size of staff. Finally, Barna hit a point of crisis in 2003. He came to the conclusion that he was basically giving
information to pe ople whose sole interest was finding facts that confirmed what they had already chosen to do without any
concern for genuine life transformation. Frustrated, Barna told the Lord that he could not continue doing what we had been
doing for the past 20 years. According to Barna their research had also shown that most of the influence on wh at pe ople
think and do com es fr om just s even sour ces : mo vies, t elevis ion, m usic , fam ily, books, law, and the Internet, and that the
local church has virtually no discernible influ enc e on p eop le's live s. As a res ult of th is info rm ation (mu ch of whic h sim ply
confirmed what other researchers we re already discovering) the Barna organization made a choice in 2005 to change the
10
McNeal, p. 4
11
Tom W. Smith & Seokho Kim, “The Vanishing Protestant Majority”, July 2004, NORC/University of Chicago, GSS Social
Change Report No. 49, available on the internet at www.norc.uchicago.edu/issues/PROTSGO8.pdf.
12
McNeal, p. 4
focus of their research and their output. According to Barna, upcoming rese arch and b ook s will “reveal what is happening
in the emerging Church - not the postmodern, candles/coffee/couc hes types of anti-modern m inistries, but the Revolutionary
ministry that is percolating to the surface of American society through new forms of ministry such as the cyberchurch, house
churches, marketplace ministries, and tribal faith e xperien ces.” The first such book, Revolution, indicates that, over the next
20 years, the number of Christians seek ing sp iritual f ulfillm ent in traditio nal ch urch es w ill decline. Today 70% of Americans
rely upon a local congregation as their primary spiritual expression. But by the year 2025 (only 19 years away, if you’re
counting) this number will decline to 30-35%. During that same time frame Barna projects that “alternative” expressions of
spirituality (e.g., house church, market place gatherings, etc.) will rise from the current 5% to between 30 and 35%. 13
Welcome to the reality of “the emerging church” (including house churches). The concept of the “emerging church” or “the
emergent church” embraces a wide variety of new expressions of church which are, for the most part, radical departures
from the traditiona l institutional chu rch exp ression of Christia nity most of us have known. Writing in Christianity Today Andy
Crouch observ es, “Like all labels, this one conceals as much as it reveals. But the phrase ‘emerging church’ captures several
important features of a new generation of churche s. They are work s in progre ss, o ften s tartling ly imp rovis ation al in the ir
approa ch to ev erything fro m wo rship to lead ership to p reachin g to pray er.” 14
These tough “n ew realities” emb odied in an d expre ssed th rough th e “emerging church” movement are challenging the
traditional church paradigms which most of us have grown up with and are causing the rise of a new paradigm for the 21 st
Cen tury. W hat d oes this n ew p arad igm look like? Leon ard S wee t (of “Postmodern Pilgrims” fame) offers “24 Transitions
for moving into the 21st Century”15 Let me offer just a handful of my own ideas:
O It is les s inst itution al and mo re org anic and p erso nal.
O It is “incarna tional,” rathe r than attrac tiona l. It doe sn’t c reate “holy p lace s” or “holy b uilding s” wh ere p eop le
must come to encounter God. Instead it “disassem bles” itself and seeps into the cracks and crevices of
soc iety, bringing the Kingdom of God to people who need it most in their homes, work places & dorm
rooms.
O Because it is “inc arna tiona l,” it places less emphasis upon structure and location (i.e., a church building
or cam pus) an d mo re em phasis u pon “ne tworking .”
O It is “Apostolic” rather than “hierarchical” in its leadership, recognizing and utilizing the 5-fold gifts of
Ephesians 4, along with elders and deacons.
O It is an extended family, rather than an extensive organization.
O It places les s em phasis u pon “ch urch” an d mo re em phasis u pon “the Kingdom of God .”
O It emphasizes the need and role of genuine spiritual renewal and revival which results in personal, church
and community transformation.
O It regards the Kingdom of God as a River that “grows as it flows” through our homes, our neighborhoods,
our market places and our communities, rather than as man-made institutional swimming pools to be
superv ised, con trolled and m aintained.
What Difference Does It Make?
“Objective and relevance - these are the crucial issues of our work . Both are interrelated, and the measure by which they
are mad e com patib le will largely determine the significance of all our activity. Merely because we are busy, or even skilled,
doing some thing doe s not nec essarily m ean that w e are ge tting anyth ing acco mplishe d. The q uestion must always be
13
George Barna, Revolution (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 2005), page. 41.
14
Andy Crouch, “The Emergent Mystique” in Christianity Today on-line edition posted 10/22/2004 at
www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/011/12.36.html
15
You can read these at www.leonardsweet.com/includes/ShowSweetenedArticles.asp?articleID=95
asked. Is it worth doing? And does it get the job done?”16
When we look at the current state of the traditional church in America (and Europe) we are forced to ask a very simple yet
profou nd que stion: W hat differe nce do es it ma ke? O ne chu rch leade r put it this way, "Would the community weep if your
church were to pull out of the city? Would anybody notice if you left? Would anybody care?" Or in the words of evangelism
expert Robert Colem an, when me asured by our stated objective (discipling the nations, Matthew 18:28-29) and by
relevance (are our activities actually accomplishing our stated objective) we must painfully conclude that much of the Church
in America (and the West) is floundering badly and is making very little difference. We are a chu rch full of activities,
something for every age group. A virtual “Wal-Mart” of Christian activity! But how much of that activity is actually relevant
to our stated objective. What are we measuring. Are we measuring the “success” of our ministry in terms of congregational
attendance or by community transformational impac t? 17 This is not so much a criticism as an observation of the times. The
Church today is bette r funded , its leade rship bette r edu cate d and its pro gram s bet ter pr odu ced than at an y time in its his tory.
But answer a simp le question: Is America (& the West) “more Christian” today than it was 100 years ago (or even 50 years
ago)? If our stated objective, as given by Ch rist H ims elf, is to discip le our nation, then, by all measures of our impact upon
our cultu re an d its p eop le, the Chu rch h as fa iled at its prim ary task. And that means that all of our activities, which
contributed to that failure, are apparently irrelevant, for they have done little or nothing to achieve our stated objective.
And this failure rais es an inte resting dilem ma. A re we as individuals, lea ders an d churc hes, pre pared to stand before God
on judgment day and be h eld acco untable fo r these fa ilures, and for our fa ilure to either re cognize or correct them? C ontrary
to much popular opinion, the Christian life is not a “zero sum game” (where everything adds up to “zero” in the end with no
winners or losers). Consider the following passage: “Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or abse nt,
to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for
his deeds in the body , accord ing to wh at he has done, whether good or bad. Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord, we
persuade men. . .” (2 Corinthians 5:9-11), Here the Apostle Paul acknowledges that life is not a “zero sum” game where,
regardless of what we did as Christians in this life, everything “zeros out” in the end. Instead, Paul declares that His ambition
is to please God. Why? Because, Paul argues, we must (it isn’t optional) all (no exceptions) ma ke an appearan ce before
the judgment seat of Christ. For what purpose? “That each o ne ma y be rec ompe nsed fo r his deed s in the bo dy,” declares
Pau l. Comm entators have labored over the years to explain exactly what this passage means for the believer. The usual
conclusion is that it has to d o with our rewards, and that som e Christians will receive more while others receive less (See
also Colo ssia ns 3: 25). W heth er or n ot this is the corr ect in terpr etatio n we won ’t kno w un til that Day. But what we do know
is this: Paul’s understanding of this “even t” struck fear into his heart, becau se in the n ext vers e Paul de clares, “Therefore,
know ing the fea r of the Lo rd, we p ersu ade men . . .”
The Christian life and ministry are not a “zero sum” game. A day of reckoning is approaching for the Church as a whole and
for each of us individually when all of our work and effo rts will be teste d by fire (1 C orinthians 3:12-15 ). Now is th e time to
ask ours elves , while there is still time to “please the Lord,” whether or not what we are doing is worth the reckoning that will
even tually take place. Are you personally ready to stand before God on judgment day and give an accounting for your failed
church paradigm, and for continuing to “sell” unbelievers on the merits of an obviously dead horse?
Th e Pro bl em o f Sh iftin g F ro m Old to N e w Par adigm s
A “paradigm shift” of historic and biblical prop ortion s is un der w ay as t he sh akin g of th e old gives way to the rise of the new.
There is both good news and “bad” news in this new paradigm shift that God is now bringing about. The good news is that
God is moving, raising up new paradigms to accomplish His Kingdom purposes, and He invites us to move with Him. The
“bad” new s is th at no t ever yone who “sho uld” m ove w ill mo ve. A nd th ere a re pre sen t lead ers o f the o ld paradigm who believe
that with a few m inor a djus tme nts th ey can beco me leade rs of this new paradigm. But this is not true. Keepers and tenders
of public church swimm ing pools are totally unprepared for the uncontrolled “wildness” of life along God’s River. Leaders
of the old paradigm cannot move into this new paradigm (much less lead it) witho ut ex perie ncin g a pr ofou nd “d eath ” to se lf
and to the old which is now passing away. Wolfgang Sim son has c reate d a dia gram whic h illust rates and h elps to ex plain
this dying proc ess . He c alls it “The 5 Steps of Apostolic Migration.” It is Wolf’s thesis that an “Apostolic Migration” (what
I call a “paradigm shift”) from old paradigms to new paradigms is sweeping across the Church, a migration (or “paradigm
shift”) which is being led by apostles and prophets whom God is calling out and raising up for this new move. I have
reproduced this diagram (with Wolf’s permission) on the fo llowin g pag e and I wan t to ex plain t he dia gram in an e ffort t o help
you come to terms with where you are on your own personal journey into this new paradigm of New Testament house church
and the Kingdom of God.
16
Robert Coleman The Master Plan of Evangelism (Tarrytown, New York: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1972), page 11.
17
See the article in Appendix A, “Ten Paradigm Shifts Towards Community Transformation”.
The heart of this diagram consists of two mountain peaks. The peak on the left represents wha t W olf (fo llowin g Ma rtin
Luther) calls the new and present “Babylonian C aptivity of the C hurch.” T he pres ent day ch urch is be ing held ca ptive to
programs and paradigms which no longer serve God’s purpose of restoring authentic New Testament Church. Church as
we know it is now preventing Church as God wants it. So, we have labeled this peak “B”. The mountain peak on the right
repres ents the “Promised Land” of house church and a restoration of authentic church as seen in the New Tes tam ent (in
such passages as Acts 2:41-47). I have labeled this peak “P”. The line/arrow going from Peak “B” directly to Peak “P”
repres ents the mistaken belief on the part of some people that they can migrate directly from the old paradigm to the new
para digm with fe w (if a ny) signif ican t cha nge s. Th is is a false view which seeks to avoid the personally painful process of
dying to ours elves an d to the old in o rder to give birth to the ne w.
Wolfgang Simson’s “5 Steps of Apostolic Migration”
Lets examine “The 5 Steps of Apostolic Migration” from the old into the new!
Point - 2: This is where mo st Christians are today as this new move of G od unfolds. This is the point of “happy clappy”
churchianity where most peop le are content with where they are in their chur ch ex perie nce . W hen you ta lk to them about
the n eed for a n ew p arad igm their r esp ons e is ba sica lly, “I hav e no id ea w hat y ou ar e talk ing ab out.”
Point - 1: This second point or step in apostolic migration represents people who are no longer satisfied with “happy clappy
church” as they have known it. These are people who have heard from God about more authentic expressions of church.
They have begun to move in their spirits, but their bodies and their money have not yet moved. They are frustrated pilgrims.
Som e will mov e to the ne xt step, wh ile others w ill not.
Point 0: W elcom e to the wilde rness. T his third step represe nts frus trate d pilgr ims who have finally le ft the o ld paradigm
and are now “out of the system,” but they do not yet know that there is a new paradigm to move into. And there is a reason
for this. G od k now s tha t it is ea sier to get a pers on “o ut of th e sys tem ” than it is to get the old system out of the person. For
this reason God en gineers the wildern ess as a place o f “spiritual dea th: to the old, a place of “religious detoxification” where
God deals with o ur “ba gga ge.” It is in the wilderness that God seeks to heal our hurts, wounds, bitterness, anger and other
personal “baggage” left over from our journey out of the old. Not everyone “survives” the wilderness experience to emerge
healthy at the next Point. Some peo ple are un able to “let go” of the past (pa st woun ds, hurts , betrayals, etc .) in order to
embrace God’s future plans. Like the Israelites in the wilderness, some long to return to Egypt, while others perish in the
wilderness. But for those who allow God to do his work of “religious detoxification” they begin to experience an alignment
of their spirits, both with w hat Go d is doing a nd with oth er peop le in whom He is do ing it. And so on, it’s time f or them to
em erge from the w ildern ess and t o ste p into the n ext s tage of the ir jour ney.
Point + 1: This is the stage or point at wh ich peop le choos e to leave the past and the wilderness behind and to “cross over
the Jordan” into the new paradigm of wha t God is doing. This requires both a leaving (of the old) and a cleaving (to the new).
It requires us to “uncovenant” with what has gone before, and to make a new covenant with God’s new unfolding paradigm.
It is often at this point that a person’s commitment or lack of commitment to the new paradigm is revealed through
statem ents like, “You mean I must do house church exclusively?” Such a response reveals that the person hasn’t yet caught
the vision of G od’s new para digm and is still trying to “straddle” both worlds (the o ld ver sus the n ew). I t me ans they a ren’t
quite ready to emerge from the wilderness because they haven’t yet fully died to themselves and to the old. In the words of
psycho logist Dr. Ph il McGra w, “You either get it, or you don’t.” This refu sal to die to the old while embracing the new can
be illustrated from the life of David & Jonathan. In 1 Samuel Chapter 20 David and Jonathan entered into a covenant of
blessing with o ne an othe r and their d esc end ants . Jon atha n, the son o f King Sau l, was the rightful and appointed heir to the
throne of Isr ael. Both he and David knew this. But David was the one anointed by God as the next King. Jonathan saw the
future and recognized that the future belonged not to him but to David. David would be King and the reign of the “house of
Sau l” would soon end. For this reason Jonathan covenanted with David for the future blessing of his descendants (1 Samuel
20:42). But the ch apter en ds with this statem ent, “Then he rose and departed, while Jon athan w ent into the c ity.” In other
words, even though Jonathan had recognized the future and covenanted with David, he had not “uncovenanted” from Saul
and his system. Jonathan returned to the old and died with his father Saul. W hen it com es to the new thing God is doing,
the new paradigms He is raising up, we m ust both e nter into a covenant with God for the future and “uncovenant” ourselves
from the past.
Point + 2: W elcom e to the house church movement and the new paradigm that God is raising up in our day. At this point
you have died to yourself and the past and have embraced the new thing God is doing. Your work isn’t over. In fact, it’s just
beginnin g.
New Paradigms Arising
So, where are you on this “Apostolic Migration” into God’s new paradigm. Can you place yourse lf on one of these five
“Poin ts”? The sim ple yet profo und truth is that a fres h wind of God’s S pirit is beginning to blow, an d it is beginnin g to
challenge the “listening and available” church with new paradigms for the future. The “new thing ” Go d is now unfo lding is
not simple an “upgrade” of the old. It is a radical shift or change from an old wineskin to a new.
Reme mber, God has a lways been abou t doin g thre e thin gs: H e is bu ilding H is Kin gdo m, H e is calling out His people, and
He is pouring out His River. Everything else is “religio us w indow -dre ssin g.” T here fore , it sho uld come as no surprise to us
that in this day of “Apostolic Migration” God is bringing about three basic paradigm shifts.
Pa rad ig m S h if t # 1 : F r om “ G ro w in g Ou r C hurch” To “B uilding God’s K ingdom ”
The first thing that God has always been (and continues to be) about is building His Kingdom. As Christians, however, we
love to talk about “church,” usually within the context of “our church.” When we greet one another one of our first questions
is “Where do you go to church?” But would it surprise you to learn that the New Testament talks more about “kingdom” (162
times) than about “church” (115 times)? The Kingdom of God was at the heart of Jesus’ message. In fact, the Kingdom of
God was Jesus’ favorite topic. And He wasn’t alone. It was the message preached by Paul and the early Church. As I stated
before, the early N.T. church didn’t “do evangelism” as you and I understand it. They proclaimed the Kingdom, they taught
the Kingdom and they lived the Kingdom, and people responded to what they SAW and H EARD. Here are just a few
examples:
O John The B aptist proc laimed the Kingd om o f God: “Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching
in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at ha nd.” (Matthew 3:1-2)
O Jesus preached the Kingdom : “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe
in the gos pel.” (Mark 1:15)
O Jesus commanded the disciples to preach the Kingdom: “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom
of heaven is a t ha nd .’” (Matthew 10:7)
O The disciples preached the Kingdom: “But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the
Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men a nd wo men a like.” (Acts
8:12)
O Paul preached about the Kingd om: “And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters, and was
welcoming all who ca me to him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus
Christ w ith all openne ss.” (Acts 28:30-31)
Our Post Christian Post Modern culture is increasingly dis-interested in “church” as we (and they) have known it. While they
are increas ingly interested in “spirituality,” their cry is one of “God, yes! Church, no!” We have contributed to this disjunction
between true s piritua lity and churc h by insisting that true spirituality consists of attending weekly meetings. We offer
“scriptural justification” by quoting such Scriptures as Hebrew 10:23-25 - “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without
wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not
forsaking our o wn a sse mblin g tog ethe r, as is the h abit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see
the day d raw ing ne ar.” But we never bother to consider that “assembling together” does not necessarily have to happen on
a Sunday between the hours of 9AM and Noon, or in a building called a church. We have m inimalized and trivialized the
significance of Jesus declaration, “The Kingdo m of G od is at ha nd, repe nt and be lieve the go od new s,” by reducing the
required response to membership in an organization which requires three hours of meetings each week. But the good news
of the Kingd om c annot be minim alized or trivialized. It is a life-transforming message which demands personal repentance
and the com mitm ent of on e’s entire life. It is a message about a Kingdom (and a soon-coming King) which promises to heal
the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons and much m ore. It offers the opportu nity to know God a nd to
touch and taste the powers of the Age to Com e. If we are to challenge and re-gain the attention of our Post Christian Post
Modern cultu re, it mus t be with a power-filled life-transforming message that God is building His Kingdom with the spiritual
stones of transformed lives, transformed homes, and transformed neighborhoods. We mus t declare to the m th at Go d is
unfolding His Kingdom b y planting “kingdom outposts” which we c all “house churches,” footholds for the Kingdom of God,
assemblies of those who have been called out of the Kingdom of darkness and into the Kingdom of God’s own Son.
Action Step: We must stop trivializing our message and begin teaching and proclaiming the Kingdom of God.
Parad igm S hift # 2: F rom C hurch as An Exten sive O rganiz ation T o Ch urch a s an Ex tende d Fam ily
The second thing that God has always been (and continues to be) about is calling out a people to himself. And as He does
so today, he is gathering His people together in churches or “ekklesias” which meet in people’s homes and which look and
function like extended families (More about this in Module 4). In a recent issue of the maga zine “Mission Frontiers” Dr.
Ralph Winter, Editor of the magazine and founder of the US Center for World Missions, made some sobering observations
regarding the relationship of house churches to the need in America for recovering the sense of church as an extended
fam ily. Listen to wha t Dr. W inter had to say:
". . . the trend to house churches is a phenomenon which runs counter to the long and slow drift of American churches
away from extended families. The Ame rican chur ch to day is strik ingly m ore a nd m ore a place for fam ily fragments, and
even see ks to repla ce natural families! The New Testament 'church' was a worshiping household like that of Cornelius,
Lydia, or Crispus, and was ca lled an ekklesia, a word that does not mean w hat we understand 'churc h' to mean. What
happened to us (slowly)? Modern age-stratified, highly specialized society has become Satan's Weapon of Mass
Destruction of the family - precisely where worship and accountability are supposed to be primary! The church has
mind less ly followed the world's pattern: a family drivin g up to a church door i s instantly chopped into pieces. Our
lengthened school system also s natc hes our c hildre n aw ay. F ar wo rse, it isolates the generations. Over 300 years it has
(slowly) gone from three years of schooling (as with Harvard in its first century - students without previous schooling) to 17
years of incarceration today. Whatever the merits of that long tunnel of isolation from adult responsibilities, such a system
postpones marriage and in so doing pries apart the generations so that grandparents are really old. (We no longer see
grandp arents in their 30s!). That means that little Johnny will never see his father obeying his own father. Three- and
four-generation households, which once joined churches together, and had family-level worship, are now almo st un ivers ally
reduced to 'nuclear' families (e.g., family fragments). The grand-parent generation is no longer a stabilizing factor, divorce
has skyrocketed, wives are abused, children go wrong, etc. This happened slowly, over 300 years. Thus, today we are blind
to what has happened - but must deal with the consequences. Those of us who have lived overseas, where most societies
have not yet been 'Westernized' and stacked against normal marriage, may be among the only ones who can even perceive
- much less unravel - the reality of this tragedy. Unfortunately, many cong rega tions toda y hav e the idea th at ge tting p eop le
into sma ll grou ps is all that is nece ssary. H owev er, extended families can be small groups, but small groups cannot
readily become extended families. Pas tors, frantic to do more than preach generalities to crowds on Sunday, may hope
to get m ost o f their c ong rega tions into s mall groups. Sure, those family fragments out there in the pews desperately need
to rise above their individualism and isolation. Thus, a non-family, artificial small group is better than nothing. In such
churches you may never hear a word about what could and should go on at the family level. I myself, in Evangelical
churches all my life, have never heard a sermo n on how or why families ou ght to hav e family de votions. But it is c learly
better - as we ll as mo re imp ortant - to ma ke eve ry real fam ily a sm all group than to try to make sm all groups into
artificial families . . . . All over the world it is gradually becoming clear that you can build a big church out of sm all
groups, but big churches without families remaining intact aren't worth much. Last I heard, the most famous large
church (in Korea) had 800,000 me mbers meeting in 21 auditoriums and 15 identical services a week. But the secret was
that behind all this once-a-week celebration were 52,000 (!) Neighborhood fellowships mainly based on extended families.
The house church pheno meno n could be revolu tionary . It just may be that the most valuable gift missions can give back
to the Am erican c hurch is a renew ed sen se of the fa mily as G od intend ed it to be." 18
In this new and unfolding mo ve of God , not o nly is He calling out a people for His own, He is restoring the basic structure
of an extended family to the heart of His Church. In an age when the family is under increasing withering attack by our
secular culture, it should come as no surp rise to us th at the God W ho cr eate d the fam ily is raising up a new paradigm which
restores the transforming power of the Kingdom of God to the family, and which restores the pivotal role of th e fam ily to its
proper place in the Kingdom of God.
Paradigm Shift # 3: Fro m A P aradigm of A Sw immin g Pool T o A Para digm o f A River
The third thing tha t God h as always been (a nd con tinues to be) a bou t is po uring out th e Riv er of His S pirit. It is popu lar in
traditional church circles today to talk about "organic church growth." But if we want to follow Biblical analogies, then the
Church of G od is neither an organization nor an organism; rather, it is a River. It is the River of Ezekiel 47, the River of
God ’s Spirit which flows from the alter of God, which was poured out in great power on the day of Pentecost, and which
grows in depth, breadth and power as it flows. And those times and seasons in the life of G od's peop le wh ich w e call “ reviva l”
are simply those times when the River of God’s Spirit rises to new levels of power and blessing not experienced before.
If you haven’t already guessed, I have a love for the history of revival. This has not always been so. Several years ago God
opened up a ministry in my life of fasting and prayer for revival (the same time at which He called us into the house church
movem ent). It has become a "fire" which I have been unable to extinguish. My study of the history of revival has led me to
the inescapable conclusion that the greatest periods of evangelism and growth in the history of the Church have taken place
during times of historic revival. During such times it is as if men live benea th an "o pen heav en" w hen the R iver o f Go d's S pirit
flows in power to sweep all before it. The "practical" result (we Americans alwa ys want to know "the bottom line") is that the
church is renewed and empowered for greater ministry, and multitudes are swept into the Kingdom of God . To "q uan tify"
this for the statisticians in our midst, during periods of historic revival, somewhere between 5-and-7% of the total population
of a region or a nation would profess Christ and join the church for the first time. Localized numbers could be much higher.
In Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the American extension of the Welsh revival of 1904, out of a population of 60,000 the
local pastors said they knew of only 50 adults who rem ained unconverted! T hese num bers do not include the uncounted
numbers of believers who are renewed, or of existing church members who are savingly converted (Barna estimates that
as many as 40 % of existing church attendees today are unsaved).
When we discus such things as the superiority of house church or organic church or cell church or institutional church as
"church planting too ls" or as "disc ipleship too ls," I believe we are overlooking an important question. Perhaps we should be
asking ourselves "Which form of church is the channel which God is raising up to best receive the coming outpouring of the
River of His Spirit a s it flow s in fresh power in the coming outpouring of revival?" God is looking for channels for His R iver.
Men tend to wa nt to build swimming pools where they can siphon off and capture a portion of the River, appoint lifeguards
to watch over the swimmers who come, offer swimming classes, hold "Holy Spirit pool parties," create committees to decide
whether or not a bigger swimming pool shou ld be b uilt an d how exac tly sho uld they rule and control what actually belongs
to God. In times of revival the River of God’s Spirit begins to flow. Old channels through which the River may have flowed
in times past, but which have since become damm ed up by unbelief, control and religion are by-passed as the River seeks
new channels where it can flow freely. Reggie McNeal's book The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church
reminds us that, at its heart, the struggle and decline of the institutional church has, in no small part, been the result of the
Churc h beco ming an antiqu ated co mm unity swim ming pool in a se ason w hen G od is prep aring to po ur out a R iver.
Action Step: Ever y exist ing ch urch , rega rdles s of its struc ture ( hou se, c ell, sim ple, in stitutio nal) s hou ld now be as king itself
a "survival qu estion": Are we a flowing River, a channel through which the River of God can flow freely, or have we become
a swimming pool?
Refl ect io n s on R e viv al & Sh iftin g Par a dig ms
I believe that this season of Apostolic Migration and of major paradigm shifts as we have described can best be described
and summed up as the difference between “revival” and “church growth.” These are, for the most part, two competing
paradigms regarding God’s plan for His Church. The much maligned and over-used phrase “revival” is the human term we
have created to describe those seasons of divine visitation when God moves in great power to build His Kingdom, call out
18
Mission Frontiers, March - April 2005, page 4. Posted in PDF format on the internet at www.missionfrontiers.org
His people and pour out His River. Suc h a se aso n of v isitatio n (or “ reviva l”) is fre que ntly confused with a successful “church
growth” program. What God is about to do in and through the house church movement is, quite literally, a season of divine
visitation, not a church growth program. Let me explain by comparing and contrasting an examp le of how peop le
misu ndersta nd and confus e these two para digm s.
Consider the following quote, then I’ll tell you where the q uote cam e from . Here’s th e quote: “If your church baptized 671
new believers, added 1,200 new members, and increased your average attendance by 2,000 in just 40 days, wou ld you c all
that a rev ival? If, dur ing th ose sam e 40 d ays , 2,20 0 pre viou sly un invo lved peop le volu ntee red to serv e in a ministry of your
church, and another 3,700 com mitted to go on missions som ewhere in the w orld n ext y ear, w hat w ould y ou ca ll that? An
awakening? What term would you use if your members became so bu rdened for their neighbors that they started 2,400
Home Bible Study groups and convinced nearly 25,000 of their friends, neighbors, and co-workers to attend for six weeks?
A mira cle? Wh atev er yo u call it, this actually happened at Saddleback Church in the Fall of 2002 during an incredible spiritual
growth emphasis called 40 Day s of Purp ose.” I took this q uote from the official we bsite of T he Purp ose D riven Ch urch. It
is Rick W arre n’s personal introduction to the 40 day campaign to a purpose driven church that over 1,500 churches around
the coun try wer e par ticipa ting in at the time . It is rea lly a perfect illustration of the confusion surrounding the issues of revival
versus church growth. A re the thing s he de scribes there a re vival? I would say “No.” A nd I wan t to explain why, and I want
to explain why with some help from Arthur Wallis. You may have read some of his works in the past, such as “Go d’s
Chosen Fast” or “Pray In The Sp irit”. But he also wrote another wonderful book on the topic of revival entitled, “In The
Day of Thy Pow er.” And I wou ld like to share some of what he has to say on the issue of “What is revival?” Consider the
thoughts of Arthur Wallis:
“There was never a day in which the term "revival" needed to be more carefully defined. It has come to be used in relation
to spiritual things so widely and so loosely that many are perplexed to know what it does mean. To some prejudiced or
misinformed people th e term is s ynony mous with exc essive emotion alism an d mas s hyste ria. Others use the wo rd to
describe a successful evangelistic mission. When they tell us that their church is "having a revival", we understand them
to mean that a gospel campaign is being conducted there. This use is possibly a relic of days when the Spirit was working
wide ly, an d one had o nly to arrange such a mission to w itness a quickening among st the believers and an ingathering of
the lost. Today it is otherwise, but in any case to use the term thus is misleading. Some, adhering closely to the etymology
of the word, use it to describe a personal reviving of the believer by the H oly S pirit. If a n indiv idual o r grou p is qu icke ned in
holiness and brought into a place of blessing, that is what they call "revival", even if there is little extension of the work.
Sim ilarly others, w hose e mpha sis is mo re on a d efinite experience of the Spirit, will claim that when an individual or group
has been filled with the Spirit they have "got revival", regardless of whether there are any repercussions outside their circle.
In so far as revival always involves the reviving of individual believers these views are true, but as definitions of revival they
are inade qua te. Re viva l is mo re tha n big m eetin gs. It is more than religious excitement. It is more than the quickening of the
saints, or their being filled with the Holy Spirit. It is more than a great ingathering of souls. One may have any one of these
without re vival, and y et revival inc ludes the m all.”
Do you see what Wallis is saying? He is pointing out that there is a fundamental difference between a very effective
evan gelist ic program or church growth campaign (such as Rick Warren is describing) and a move of God’s Spirit in spiritual
revival and community transformation. You can have a very successful Church growth program without ever experiencing
God’s Presence in revival. Let’s listen to more of what Arthur Wallis has to say about this:
“There is a wealth of difference between missions or campaigns at their best and genuine revival. In the former man takes
the initiative, it may be with the prompting of the Spirit; in the latter the initiativ e is G od's . Wit h the one t he or gan ization is
human; with the other it is divine. There is no intention here of disparaging the work of missions, or of denying that God has
owned them to the conversion of multitudes, but it must be made clear that they do not constitute revival. Missions may be
a part of the continuous programme of evangelism which is the task of the church, but revival is a thing of special times and
seasons. Revival may of course break out during a m ission, but when it does so certain features will appear which are
peculiar to revival, and certain features will disappear which are char acte ristic of missions. However, while revival tarries,
the normal evangelism of the chur ch m ust c ontin ue, b ut let u s ke ep th e dist inctio n clea r. The mea ning o f any word is
determined by its usage. For a definition of revival we must therefore appeal to the people of God of bygone years, who have
used the word with consistency of me aning dow n the cent uries , until it began to be used in a lesser and more limited sense
in mode m times . Numerous writings on the subject that have been preserved to us w ill confirm that rev ival is divine
intervention in the n orma l cours e of sp iritual thin gs. It is G od rev ealing H imself to man in awful holiness and
irresistible power. It is such a manifest working of God that human personalities are overshadowed, and human
programmes abandoned . It is man retiring into the ba ckgrou nd bec ause G od has taken the field. It is the Lord
making bare His h oly arm, an d work ing in extrao rdinary po wer on saint and sinner.
A successful church growth program may change your church in the short run, and cause it to gro w in nu mb ers, b ut Go d’s
Presence in revival will transform your church and endow it with the Kingd om P ower ne cessa ry to reach and transform a
city. As we in the house church movement begin to netwo rk togeth er and to pray for sp iritual revival and com mun ity
transformation we need to fully grasp the difference between a seas on of God ’s visita tion s uch as W allis has described and
just another church growth prog ram. After 32 years of life in the church I am convinced that most Church growth programs
are little more tha n a m an-m ade su bstitute for G od’s chu rch grow th progra m, wh ich is revival. I have studied the history of
revivals going back 500 years to the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, and I can tell you with absolute confidence
that the times and seasons of the church’s greatest growth have occurred during time s of re vival w hen the R iver o f Go d’s
Spirit flowed through communities and nations in such power that people were swept into the Kingdom of God because of
an over whelm ing sens e of the P resenc e of Go d.
Let me tell you a story to illustrate this point. During the 1830s and 40s in Ameri can the m ost p rom inent evan gelist in
America was Charles Grandison Finney. On one occasion in 1826 Finney was preaching in the area of Utica, New York
when he was invited by his brother-in-law to visit and tour a local cotton factory where he was the Superintendent. When
Finney arrived at the factory he proceeded to walk across the factory floor to meet his brother-in-law. As he passed through
the factory workers on the factory floor began to weep. Soon, many of the workers were weeping and unable to work. The
factory owner was not a Christian. But when he realized what was happening he closed the factory, saying “Stop the m ill
and let the peop le attend to religion; for it is more important that our souls should be saved than that th is factory ru n.” He
then invited Finne y to preach to the assembled workers. Finney preached, and over the course of the week that followed
nearly every worker in the factory professed Christ as savior. 19
Now, two que stions: First, do you think the C hurc h of G od in America could use something like that today? Second, do you
hon estly think that what happened was the result of Finney’s outstanding revival methods, or his brilliant seeker-sensitive
church growth plan? Do you think he could have done a bette r job if only he had read about the effectiveness of a purpose
driven church? Do you think he would have been more effective if only he had been thr ough s ome program on 40 D ays to
a Purpose Driven life?
You see, this is the difference betwee n a sea son of G od’s visitation and a hu man evange listic program . Let me illustrate
this again. Not too long ago Spokane, Washington hosted an excellent Franklin Graham Festival which averaged 20,000
per night at the 4 day series of me etings. N ow there were pro bably close to 500 area churches represented by the attendees
at the Festival. If you divided the nightly attendance by the number of churches represented you would have roughly 40
peo ple per church. That’s not really a lot of people per church and its hard ly a revival. But during the Welsh revival of 1904
every church in Wales was filled to capacity 7 nights per week, some of them 24 hours a day, for over 6 months! You see,
that’s the difference between a season of divine visitation and a man-made evangelistic program. Do you think all of those
peo ple in Wales who thronged the churches 7 days a week, 24 hours a day for 6 months or longer were coming because
the churches had suddenly become seeker sensitive and were placing their songs & messages into power point
presentations? Of course not. They were com ing be cau se th e Pre sen ce of God was there . You see, in a se aso n of G od’s
visitation it’s like living beneath an open window in heaven, and it is God Who woos people to himself. During the Manhattan
Prayer Revival of 1857 there are sto ries of sh ips at sea (two ships in particular, the U.S.S. V irginia and th e U.S.S . North
Carolina) and as the s hips appr oac hed New York Harb or the me n on b oard beca me over whe lme d with a sen se of God ’s
Presence and their own sin and need for Christ. As soon as the ships docked the men all headed for churches on shore!
In the We lsh Revival of 1904 there are documented stories of people walking into bars, ordering a drink and then being
una ble to drink it, setting it down, leaving the bar and going to the nearest church to find Christ. Taverns went bankrupt due
to the loss of business. In some jurisdictions crime all but disappeared and some judges were issued white gloves signifying
no cases to try. That’s w hat it’s like to ex perienc e a sea son of G od’s visitation in revival. It’s like living beneath an open
window in heaven.
What lasting impact could such a season of divine visitation have upon the growth of the Church? According to revival
historian Frank Grenville Beardsley, during the Great Awakening of Colonial America (1740 s), “more than 7% of the entire
population of (the) colonies would have been gathered into the churches as a direct result of the revival.” 20 Such figures are
reported again by historian Byrnmor P. Jones who confirms that during the Welsh Revival of 1904 some 5% of the
population of W ales was conver ted and a dded to the church.21 In America today a revival which resulted in 5-to-7% of the
population coming to faith in Christ would mean between 15 and 20 million new believers.
Revival is what God does (in spite of our best efforts) to extend His Kingdom and to build His Church. And while He
sometimes uses our “programs” for His purposes, more often than not He supercedes them. I believe that God wants church
growth and community transformation even more than we do. He just has a different plan for how to do it. God’s plan is what
I call “the desperation plan.” God wants for His church to become so desperate that it is willing to acknowledge and own up
19
You’ll find Finney’s account of this story on page 183 in his memoirs.
20
Frank Grenville Beardsley, A History of American Revivals, 3rd Edition (American Tract Society: New York, 1912), p. 65
21
Brynmor P. Jones, Voices From The Welsh Revival 1904-1905 (Evangelical Press of Wales: Bridgend, 1995), page 65-66.
to its own failure and spiritual bankruptcy so that when He moves to sweep people into His church the praise and the glory
will belo ng to him alone . Rev ival co me s wh en th e peo ple of God begin to pray the prayers of desperate people who have
come face to face with their own spiritual poverty and failure.
Action Step: If McN eal is right, then we m ust imp leme nt New Reality # 6. We m ust stop “planning for church growth” and
start preparing for the revival which God desires to send. So, exactly how do we prepare for revival? Allow me to suggest
three preparation steps we can take:
O Preparation Step # 1: The first step is to realize that we cannot “force God’s hand” in revival. Charles
Grandison Finney, the great 19 th Century Presbyterian evangelist was wrong when he declared that revival
is simply the result of the right use of the right means.22 Finney implemented, in a systematic way, methods
of presen ting the gos pel which were bles sed with impressive results. But he fell into the logical fallacy of
“post hoc, procter hoc” (roughly, “after the event, because of the event”). Finney assumed that the re vivals
which broke out under his min istry were the results of his methodology. In reality Finney was the beneficiary
of a sea son whe n the Rive r of G od’s Spirit was flowin g in gr eat p owe r. Finn ey cou ld have preached from
the New England phone directory and gotten the same results - because the revival wasn’t about the
method, or even the messenger, it was about the River. O ur first prep aratory step mus t be to understand
that re vival is a sov ereig n wo rk of God , and God has H is sea son s wh ich m en ca nno t con trol.
O Preparation Step # 2: Our second preparation step should be to recover the history of Revival. Much of
the Chu rch to day is w oefu lly unaw are o f the g loriou s hist ory of God ’s dea lings w ith His church in times of
revival and its impact upon both the church and the world.23
O Preparation Step # 3: Our third preparation step should be Fasting, Prayer & Repentance as a means of
waiting on God for Revival. This is the promise of Isaiah 64:1-4: Oh, that Thou wouldst rend the heavens
and come down, That the mountains might quake at Thy presence — As fire kindles the brushwood, as
fire caus es w ater to boil — To make Thy name known to Thine adversaries, That the natio ns m ay tre mble
at Thy pre sence ! When Thou didst awesome things which we did not expect, Thou didst come down, the
mountains quak ed at Thy pres enc e. Fo r from of old they have not heard nor perceived by ear, Neither has
the eye se en a G od bes ides Th ee, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for H im .” Here the promise
of God’s rending the heavens and com ing down in revival is tied to His people waiting upon Him, and
fasting, pra yer & repe ntance are biblically app ointed m eans o f doing tha t.
Action Step: Each of us must now identify and come to terms with where we are on Wolfgang’s “5 Steps of Apostolic
Migration” illustration. If we don’t know where we are, how can we prepare for what’s ahead? If you are at Point -1 and
have “left” spirituall y, it may be time fo r you to leave physically and enter the wilderness for healing an d “detoxifica tion.”
If you are at Point 0 perhaps it is time to ask Go d to complete H is wilderness w ork in you so that you can press on. If you
are facing Point +1 perhaps it is time for you to finally “cross over” by uncovenanting with the past and making a new
covenant with God for the future.
Conclusion (or Beginning?)
There is an important movement underway today which I believe is a genuine movement of God. God is moving in fresh
power to accomplish the three things which He as always been about: He is building His Kingdom, He is calling out His
people, and He is pouri ng out His Riv er. As a result, thousands of Christians are moving out of traditional, institutional and
denominational churches and are beginning to meet in new paradigms as house churches and market place gatherings.
This phenomenon is widespread and it is growing (outside of North America and Europe it represents the fastest growing
church phenomenon in the world)! In order to meet the challenges of the 21st Century I believe that God is raising up
thousands, even tens of thousands of house churches to provide the needed leadership for the times in which we live,
to be the new channels for the River of God’s Spirit in the coming revival, and to disciple the tens of thousands of new
converts who will be the fruit of that revival. And I believe He is raising up thousands of house churches which will be
22
Charles G. Finney, Lectures On Revival (Bethany House Publishers: Minneapolis, 1988). Finney explains his view of revival
in Chapter 1, “What Is Revival?” Unfortunately, Finney’s view of revival is commonplace within “revivalism” movements of the past 100
years.
23
Allow me to offer some help here. For his Doctor of Ministry degree at Gordon-Conwell Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina,
Stewart Michael Pattison wrote a thesis entitled “Revival as a Model For The Growth of the Church”. It is designed to be a six week
“Workbook on Revival” to be used as a curriculum by churches & Sunday School Classes. While we are working on making the
Workbook available, you can order a copy of the thesis directly from the seminary or via interlibrary Loan. Well worth the effort.
spiritual shelters and “Safe Houses of Hope and Prayer” during the difficult and turbulent times that I believe may lay just
ahead. Yes! God is raising up His end-time church(es), and He is preparing and equipping them fo r effective ministry
during the difficult times that may soon come upon both the Church and the world.
S om e 100 years ago a powerful movement of the Spirit of God swept around the world, shaking old paradigms and raising
up new ones . This world wide move ment of the Spirit between 1904 to 1907 gave birth to a new paradigm that found
expression in the Welsh Revival of 1904 (an "Evangelical-Pentecostal" rev ival without "tongues") and the modern day
Pentecostal mo vem ent. T hen , it was a new para digm for a n ew d ay. Bu t peo ple an d m ovem ents even tually g et trap ped in
their boxes and become the prisoners of their paradigm s as they a ttem pt to s iphon off th e Riv er of God ’s Sp irit into th eir
private, institutional swimming pools. Eventually, these new paradigms become institutionalized, trapping their members
inside and fending off outsiders who might bring change. When that happens it isn't long (and 1 00 yea rs isn't lo ng in G od's
sigh t!) be fore God mo ves in a fresh way, challenging and shattering "once new/now old" paradigms, whether Evangelical
or Pentecostal, and bringing in new para digm s for a new day. W hat d oes it me an? It me ans that G od w ill not allow Himself,
His Spirit or His Kingdom to become trapped in anyone’s box, model, pattern or paradigm (or swimming pool!). It also
means that God isn't done yet. He has more to teach us. And it means that He fu lly intend s to a cco mp lish H is original stated
goal of empowering and equipping us, His Church, to be His witnesses "even to the remotest part of the earth" irrespective
of any hum anly create d box.
I believe that house churches represent one of God's new paradigms for this time. I also believe that the River of Ezekiel
47, the River of the Water of Life, is about to flow in unprecedented power through a new paradigm of networking house
churches, resulting in renewal, revival, awakening, empowerment and a great harvest. The issues will not be baptism,
tongues, healings or any one experien ce or gifting . The qu estion of th e day will be, "Are you standing in the River?" W hy?
Because everything else the people of God so earnestly seek (revival, cleansing, healing, empowering, gifts, evangelism,
etc.) is a by- prod uct o f Th e Riv er. An d wh en th is River begins to flow in renewed power and blessing, the safest (and most
exciting!)place to position ourselves is standing in the dry river bed awaiting the coming of The River. And when this River
of God’s Power and Presence truly begins to flow, then our homes, our families and our ho use ch urche s will be gin
to change the world!
Let the River flow!

Questions For Reflection And Discussion
, Try to write down the topic your pastor preached on six months ago. How about six weeks ago? Now , can you re call
the last time you 1) experienced genuine personal revival? 2) Saw someone healed? 3) Saw someone delivered
from dem onic oppression? What event had the greatest impact on you, the sermon you heard or the person you
saw healed or delivered? Which do you think would have the greatest imp act u pon an un believ er an d m ake him
or her want to return to church with you?
, Discuss where you find yourself on the “5 Steps of Apostolic Migration” illustration and what you think your next step
should be.
, Desc ribe your un derstan ding of the differenc e betwe en “grow ing your ch urch” an d “building G od’s King dom .”
, How do you see t he C hurc h fun ction ing as an ex tend ed fa mily?
, What is the difference as you see it between the Church as a “public swimming pool” and the Kingdom of God as
a “River.”?
, How is “preparing for revival” different from “planning for church growth”?
, Discuss how you and the ekk lesia which meets in your house can begin preparing for the coming move of G od’s
Spirit in reviva l.
A “Paradigm Shifting” Reading List

Barna , Georg e. Revolution. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers. 2005.
Frost, Michae l and Hirsc h, Alan. The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21 st Century Church.
Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson Publishers. 2003.
Gibbs, Eddie & Bo lger, Ryan. Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Commu nity in Postmodern Cultures. Grand
Rapids: Baker. 2005.
Kimb all, Dan. The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 2003.
McN eal, Regg ie. The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons. 2003.
Swee t, Leona rd. Post Modern Pilgrims: First Century Passion for the 21 st Century Church. Nashville: Broadman &
Holm an. 2000 .
W allis, Arthur. In The D ay of Th y Pow er. Columbia: Cityhill Publishing. 1997.
Internet Resources
Andrew Jones’ “blog” site: www.tallskinnykiwi.typepad.com
Emerging :: Church : www.emergingc hurch.org
Emergent Village: www.emergentvillage.com
Leonard Sweet’s Home Page: www.leonardsweet.com
Vintage Faith: www.vintagefaith.com

Module 2
Post Modernism And “A Pain In The Mind”

Module 2: Post Modernism And “A Pain In The Mind”
The w orld is cha nged.

I feel it in the water;
I feel it in the earth;
I smell it in the air;
Much that once was is los t,
For non e now live who re mem ber it.
(The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring)
“All thin king begin s with a pain in the m ind.” Leslie Newbigin
“Most C hristians w ould rathe r die than th ink - in fact the y do.” Bertr and Rus sell
“If you don ’t get it, you don’t get it!” Post Modern m antra
Those of us who grew up in the traditional institutional church (I earned my “God & Country” award in Scouting in the
Methodist church where I grew up) can somewhat identify with the narrator of the above introduction to “The Lord of The
Rings.” So cou ld Leslie N ewbigin. A prod uct o f the S tude nt Ch ristian Mov em ent (a partic ularly evangelistic and missions
oriented group) and Westminster College, Cambridge, Leslie New bigin was ordained to ministry by the Presbyterian Church
in 1936 . He s pen t the n ext 3 8 year s, un til his retirement in 1974, as a missionary to India. By his own account he returned
to his native England only to discover that the Christian culture which he had left some thirty-eight years before had all but
disappeared. At the age o f 65, h e cam e hom e to E nglan d and foun d it foreign. As a result, ministry in England, he observed,
“is muc h har der th an an ythin g I me t in Ind ia. Th ere is a cold cont emp t for th e Go spe l whic h is harder to face than opposition
. . . . England is a pagan society and the development of a truly missionary encounter with this very tough form of paganism
is the grea test intellectua l and prac tical task fac ing the C hurch.” 24
Welcome to our Post-Christian Post-Modern world.
The greatest challenge to Christianity in the first 300 ye ars o f it’s existence didn't come from the Roman authorities (although
their perse cution certain ly didn't help matters any). It came from a pseudo-Christian philosophy called "Gnosticism." And
the greatest challenge to the church today isn't from secu lar authorities or out-right persecution.25 It is coming from the
philosophical phenomenon of Post Christian Post Modernism (and if it makes you feel any better, Gnosticism is also making
a c om e back!). But few Christians at the grassroots level know what Post Modernism is, even though it is as prevalent today
as the cultura l air we brea the. And even few er Chris tians understand what has been lost in the transition to this new
paradigm. Like the p rolog ue to the m ovie “The Lord of Rin gs,” much that once was in our Culture is now lost, for so few
remember what went before. Let me illustrate.
The World That Once W as
In the year 1904 a revival broke out in the tiny nat ion of W ales on th e sou thwe st co ast o f Gre at Brit ain. W ithin s ix months
of its outbreak some 100,000 persons had professed Christ as Savior and joined the Church for the first time. By the time
the revival had run its course roughly 5% of the population of Wales had done the same. When the revival spread to America
the effect was profound and widespread. In Denver, the Mayor declared Friday, January 20, 1905 a day of prayer. At 11:30
nea rly every business and every school in Denver was closed, and the Colorado Legislature voted to postpone business
in orde r to att end city-wid e pra yer m eetin gs. S imila r sce nes were repe ated in Atla nta where, on Novem ber 2 nd factories,
stores and offices closed at mid-day for prayer and the Supreme Court of Georgia adjourned in order to attend prayer
meetings. In Portland, Oregon some 241 businesses signed an agreement to close for three ho urs betw een 11 and 2 p.m .
in order to a llow their cus tome rs and e mplo yees to atten d prayer m eetings.
Can anyon e im agine similar scenes today? Can anyone seriously imagine Michael Eisner closing down Disneyland so
patrons and employees could go to Church? Not lik ely (alth oug h with God , all things are possible!). Businesses would be
afra id to close for such “religious reasons” for fear of offending non-believing customers and employees. And cries of
“separ ation of Church and State” would ring in the media if Legislatures and Courts were to close or postpone business
becau se of a re vival.
24
Leslie Newbigin, Unfinished Agenda: An Autobiography (Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans publishing Company, 1985)
25
Although, if you haven’t yet read David Limbaugh’s excellent book, “Persecution: How Liberals Are Waging War Against
Christianity,” you really should!
Growing up as a child in the Am erican S outh (sp ecifically, North Carolina ) I spent m y early childhoo d in a land o f “blue laws .”
This meant that com mercial businesses were closed on Sundays. It was to be a day of rest, and it was culturally assumed
that most people would be in Church. While you and I might argue the wisdom or acceptance of such notions today, to forget
that they o nce exist ed is t o fail to comprehend the massive philosophical, religious and cultural changes which have swept
over us as a peo ple in the span of my own generation. In the words of John Howard of the Rockford Institute, World War
2 is now “a ha lf cen tury a nd a w hole c ivilizatio n ago .”
“Much that once was is los t, for none n ow live w ho rem embe r it.”
A Post-C hristian Post-M odern Quiz (For the Culturally Impaired)
Our topic in this M odu le is going to be the rise of Post Modernism and its impact upon our culture and the church.26 So, why
don ’t we s tart th is discuss ion with a Po st Mo dern quiz. L et m e thro w you a “so ft ball.” W hich of the follow ing qu estio ns is
a Post Christian, Post Modern evangelism intro:
1. “Say, have you heard of the four spiritual laws?”

2. “Have you taken the red pill or the blue pill?”
That one got you stum ped ? Th e ans wer is Ques tion #2. It com es from the m ovie, “The Matrix” where the character “Neo”
must choose between taking the red pill, whic h would s how him the truth about “the matrix” or the blue pill which will allow
him to wake up in bed the next morning and for his life to continue as “normal.” Now, when I was in college (and then on
Camp us Crusade S taff) to ask som eone if they had heard of “The Four Spiritual Laws” was radical stuff. In recent years,
college ministries around America have held “Matrix” festivals and have challenged college students to “take the red pill.”
Yep, things have changed a little.
Post Modern Hemlines
Former presiden tial speech writer and syndicate d colum nist Peggy Noonan observed that, at some point, all of us must
adm it that something remarkable has happened to American culture. For her, this moment came during a high school
graduation. A young girl walked across the s tage to rec eived her d iplom a. Th e girl w as ob vious ly preg nan t. Noo nan reca lls
that her first impulse was admiration for the girl's grit and determination against social disapprova l. "But," recognized
Noonan, "society w asn't disa pprovin g. It was a pplaudin g." As she reflected, "Applause is a right and generous response for
a young girl with grit and heart. And yet, in the sound of that applause I heard a wall falling, a thousand-year wall, a wall of
sanctions that said: We as a society do not approve of teenaged unwed motherhood beca use it is not good for the child,
not good for the mo ther, not go od for us ."27
When I was in high schoo l the great d ebate involving the student dress code was over whether or not girls should be allowed
to wear “pant suits” to school (at the time, only dresses were allowed for girls). Today, we’re just thankful that they come
to schoo l wearing c lothes at a ll, sort of, and th ere in lies a Post Modern tale. I have a friend who is retiring after a career
teaching Middle School students in the local public school system. In her last year of teaching she became grieved at the
lack of enforcement of the standing dress code. What piqued her ire was the dress habit of middle school girls exposing
an increas ing am ount of the ir “mid-rift,” to the point that many girls were wearing low-hugging pan ts with waists barely above
the “hair lin e” (I’m being as ta ctful a s I ca n at th is poin t). Th is teacher expressed her growing concerns via e-mail to the other
school faculty. The variety of responses she received were “en lightening.” T here we re a han dful of othe r conce rned fac ulty
who agreed with her. Others, particularly male faculty, expressed concern about the possibility of losing their jobs over
sexual harassment if they confronted the issue. A guidance counselor ridiculed the whole idea of an enforceable dress code
as silly. An d fina lly, one ma le fac ulty m em ber re spo nde d by sa ying th at he had s imp ly learned to “enjoy the vie w” (N o, I’m
not making that up!).
Welcome to “grass roots Post Modernism,” the inability to find any common moral ground outside of one’s own personal
opinion. For these Middle School children, Post Modernism isn’t a theoretical discussion. It is a practical issue of no
reco gniza ble bound aries wh ich paren ts, studen ts and fa culty can agree upon. All they (and we) have left is personal opinions
26
For a good general overview of Post Modernism from an evangelical perspective see PostModerism: An Evangelical
Engagement, David S. Dockery, Editor, (Wheaton: Victor Books/SP Publications, Inc., 1995). One of the challenges of defining Post
Modernism is the reality that there are several different “schools” of Post Modern thought. Leslie Newbigin, a missiologist, wonderfully
articulates many of the challenges which Post Modernism presents to the church without ever referring to, or using the phrase, “Post
Modernism.”
27
My thanks to Dr. Albert Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for this illustrative anecdote from his
excellent article, “Transforming Culture: Christian Truth Confronts Post-Christian America” posted on his website at
www.albertmohler.com/article_read.php?cid=1
Module 2: Post-Modernism & A Pain In The Mind - Page 37
which vary across a wide spectrum, ranging from conservative Christians concerned about modesty and morality to Post
Modern faculty members who should be fired for leering at someone’s 15-year old daughter. Welcome to the Post Modern
wasteland, a philosophical, moral, spiritual, political and educational wasteland of our own creation.28 Now, I understand that
Post Modernism is much m ore profound and complex than a Middle School dress code, but in application it really isn’t. You
see, the philosophical musings of Pos t Modern philosophers and theologians will ALWAYS find eventual expression in the
grass root issues of life. In the real world, it is but a short step from the philosopher or theologian who declares the
impo ssibility of any ultimate moral truth and the Middle School teenager who agrees by lowering her waistline or engaging
in casual oral sex (the latest sex-trend among Middle and High Schoolers. After all, didn’t a President of the United States
argue th at oral sex wasn’t rea lly sex?).
Post Ca rds From the Edg e of A Post C hristian Cu lture
Over the past year I h ave in clud ed, w ithou t mu ch ex plana tion, a sec tion in my Week ly E-Letter Update entitled “Post Cards
From The Edge of a Post-Christian Culture.” In it I have sought to highlight stories which illustrate the”deconstruction” of the
traditional institutional church and the waning influence of Christianity in general on Western Culture as we ha ve tra dition ally
known and experienced it. Here is a small sampling of things I’ve included:
O God Kept Out of EU Constitution. France Leads Charge to Pander to Islamic Immigrant Populations. The
draft European Union's proposed constitution leaves out mention of God and Europe 's Christian roots , despite
strong pressure from conservatives and the Vatican, and amid fear of alienating Islamic immigrant populations,
reports the Italian news agency ANSA. The long-awaited preamble to the document used the words "spiritual",
"religious" and "humanistic" to describe Europe's heritage and references traditions in Europe "nourished by the
Greek and Roman ci vilizations," but makes no reference to the deity. The question of whether to include God in
the EU's first-ever constitution has been a subject of inte nse debate in re cent months as d rafters attempte d to
cobble the document. Its purpose is to build cohesion within the EU as it expands eastward and grows from 15
to 25 member countries next year. All current members are formally Christian states, but most make no reference
to their Christian roots in their respective constitutions and keep church and state separate.
O Guest Chaplain's Prayer Offe nds. Pastor Gives Inv ocation in House, Alludes to Social Issues. A pastor who
offered the opening prayer at a recent session of the U.S. House of Representatives is under fire for what some
believe were veiled references to abortion and hom osexuality, reports The Hill newspaper. The Rev. George
Dillard III of Peachtree City Christian Church near Atlanta served as guest chaplain of the House on May 14,
having been invited by Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., according to the House chaplain's office. Kingston, however,
told the paper he did not invite Dillard. According to the report, Dillard asked God for "leaders who will seek your
truth … who accept that a lie is a lie and not spin; that it is immorality and not an alternative lifestyle; that it is
murder not a procedure; that it is stealing and not creative accounting; that rebellion is rebellion no matter what
name we giv e it."
O "No Doubt We're In The Last Days" Associated Press. The Traditional Values Coalition is asking its 43,000
member churches to protest plans for a homosexual dating show called Boy Meets Boy on the Bravo cable
network. The Coalition's executive director, Andrea Lafferty, says: "Just when you thin k programming can't get
any worse, it seems like it drops another 100 feet to an even darker pla ce." She adds, "What's next after Boy
Meets Boy? Boy Meets Sheep?" Bravo also is scheduling another summer series called “Queer Eye for the
Straight Guy,” in which five homosexual designers make over the wardrobe of a heterosexua l man. (Author’s Note:
Notice how the outrageous quickly becomes the popular and trendy. The show “Queer Eye” became a smash hit
and cultural phenom).
O Minister: God doesn't exist. Suspended for remarks, but theologian finds claims 'refre shing'. It's not unusual
to hear of mainline Protestant clergy who reject fundamental Christian doctrines such as the deity of Jesus Chr ist,
but a Lutheran minister is going a step further, claiming God does not exit. Danish pastor Thorkild Grosboel of
Taarbaek, near Copenhagen, was suspended today by his bishop after stating in a recent interview "there is no
heavenly God, there is no eternal life, there is no r esurrection," the Associated Pr ess reported. Bish op Lise-Lotte
Rebel of the H elsingoer dio cese, said Grosbo el's commen ts "caused conf usion" within th e church.
O The Importance of Being Apathetic. When the Faithful Just Don't Care. by Chuck Colson. Columnist
Jonathan Rauch believes that America has made "a m ajor civilizational advance" in recent years. Rauch, a
28
Author and Christian convert T.S. Eliott saw and wrote about this in his classic poem, “The Wasteland” some thirty years
before Post Modernism even had a name.
longtime atheist, is thrilled about a phenomenon he calls "apatheism." It's not that people don't believe in God
anymore, Rauch writes in the Atlantic Monthly—the majority will still say they believe. But statistics show that
they're going to church less, and when they do go, it's more to socialize or enjoy a familiar ritual than to worship.
And as Rauch observes, they're refraining from sharing their faith with their friends and neighbors. On the whole,
the people Ranch describes haven't been putting much thought or effort into their faith. They're looking for comfort
and reassurance, not for a God who asks anything of them. Hence the rise of "apa thies," which Ranch defines
as "a disinclination to care all that much about one's own religion, and an even stronger disinclina tion to care
about other peo ple's."
I included these for a very simple reason. In order to minister effectively in our culture today, we need to understand the
times in which we live. We need to understand why old institutions and old ways of operating are no longe r effective . W e
need to understand the “cultural rot” that now perv ade s bot h the world and t he ch urch . W e can no lon ger a ssu me a cer tain
level of Judeo-Christian heritage or Christian background as a jumping-off point for our presentation of the Gospel. To make
suc h ass um ption s is to live in th e wo rld of the 1930s or ‘40s or ‘50s, a world that no longer exists, excep t in black & white
T.V. shows, where Tennessee Ernie Ford ended his weekly television variety show with a hymn.
C. S. Lewis once observed that popular culture can be likened to “the road into Jerusalem” (what I like to refer to as the
“suburbs of Jerusalem.”) 29 In other words, a Judeo-Christian culture that resonates with biblical values, symbols and thought
processes prepares the mind (if not the heart) to consider the claims of the Gospel. In the West, our Judeo-Christian
“suburbs” are being quickly raze d to the ground by the all-consuming fires of Post Christian Post Modernism. What does
that mean in practical terms ? It mea ns that the 10 Com man dme nts m ust be re mov ed from public building s, public na tivity
scenes must go, the Pledge of Allegiance must be attacked, the Boy Scouts must accept atheists (so much for my “God
& Country Award”) and Christian campus ministries (such as InterVarsity at Rutgers University) must sign agreements not
to discriminate on the basis of religion when it comes to the leadership of their groups (!?) or lose their campus status (these
are exam ples of wh at is k now n as “ dec ons truct ionist Pos t Mod ernis m” ). I cou ld offer more examples (as I try to do each
week in my “Po st Card s”), but I think you get the p oint.
History records that in the year s leading up to the Third Punic War (ca. 201-156 B.C., against the Carthaginians) the famous
Roman orator Cato ended all of his speeches to the Roman Senate, regardless of th e subje ct, with the w ords, Ceterum
censeo delendam esse Carthaginem - “Besides, I think that Carthage must be destroy ed.” So too, in our Post Christian and
Post Modern World the spirit of our age seems to end every public discourse with the words, “Besides, I think that the Judeo-
Christian suburb s mus t be razed .” Yes, burn the p ast, a nd all bridges w hich con nect to it, lest some innocent passerby stop,
notice an d ask th e ques tion, “What do these religious things mean? Is there more to reality beyond what I see here?”
Or in Po st Mod ern term s, “Take the blue pill, Ne o. Go b ack to s leep. The re is no m atrix and th ere nev er was .”
“Much that once was is los t, for none n ow live w ho rem embe r it.”
The “First Age” of Man: Pre-Modernism
Philosophy of The Age: Cred o ut int elligam (“I belie ve in o rder that I m ight u nde rstan d”)
Working Assumption: Faith in God and His Revelation will explain life in this world.
Baseball Analogy Regarding Truth: “There ’s balls and the re’s strikes, a nd I call ‘em the way the y are.” 30
In order to fully grasp what has occurred and how we have come to the Post Christian Post Modern world in which we now
find ourselves it may be helpful to briefly review some history. Bear with me, and I will try to make this as painless (maybe
even interesting?) as possible.31 Post Modernism did not arrive on the scene full grown and without philosophical parents.
Rather, it is the product of 200 years of western philosophical wanderings. In other words, we are the victims of our own
29
See “Christianity and Culture” in C.S. Lewis, Christian Reflections (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.,
1967, 1995), pp. 12-36.
30
This baseball analogy was first offered by Walter Truett Anderson, Reality Isn’t What It Used to Be (San Francisco: Harper
and Row, 1990), p. 75.
31
It is impossible in such a short space to fully recount the history of the intellectual decline of the west which has found its
current expression in Post Modernism. The best overall summary of this decline continues to be Francis Schaeffer’s “How Should We
Then Live?” along with his other books which preceded and led up to this seminal work. I would also highly recommend James Sire’s
excellent book “The Universe Next Door” (4th Edition), available from InterVarsity Press.
musings.
Peo ple who actu ally think abou t this s tuff u sua lly designate the period of European history prior to “the Enlightenment” (ca.
1700s) as “P re-M ode rnism .” Th is is a s om ewh at artif icial tim e-line since one could s eriou sly arg ue th at the artistic
Renaissance in southern Europe (primarily Italy of the 1400s) and the Protestant Reformation in northern Europe (of the
1500s) provided the necessary transition period which led up to the Enlightenment. Indeed, I would argue that our current
Post Modern culture is the product of 500 years of philosophical and cultural shift, a shift which simply accelerated during
the pat 200 years of “The Enlightenm ent Project”. This is important to understand because a cultural shift which has unfolded
over 500 years is not going to be “undone” quickly. In Europe, Pre-Modernism was the age of Christendom (i.e., “the
Kingdom of Christ”) when most of Europe was conquered by Christianity. It was the “Age of Faith” when common intellectual
life could easily be summed up in the phrase Credo ut intelligam, “I believe in order that I might understand”32 In this Pre-
Modern Age, truth was regarded as “Objective,” a part of the Divinely created order which existed independent of the
individual observer. This truth was regarded as “absolute” and unchanging, the sam e eve rywhe re at a ll times for all men.
The authority for this truth was 1) Revelation, specifically, the Bible; 2) The Church, which had the sole authority to interpret
the Bible; 3) Ancient Authorities (suc h as t he C hurc h Fa thers , and later, o ther a ncie nt au thoritie s); an d 4)S cien tific
investigation (such as it existed) utilizing rational deduction and empirical investigation.
In other words, Christianity provided the “meta-narrative” or “all encompassing universal story,” what Francis Schaeffer
called “the circle” which explained everything within the circle, and which enabled men to explain life and the world they lived
in. But winds of change were blowing, the leading edge of an approaching storm which would soon break upon the western
world. The Papal Schism of the late 14 th and early 15 th centuries had shaken the people’s faith in the authority of the Roman
Church. How could you have 3 elected popes, each anathematizing the others and claiming to speak for God? The fall of
Con stan tinop le to the Moslem Turks in 1453 had sent scholars fleeing to Europe with manu scripts of ancient authors
previously unknown to European scholars, giving birth to neo-classical studies. The classical world of Aristotle was re-
discovered after centuries of neglect, and Arabic writings were translated into La tin. An d the Ren aiss anc e in northern Europe
had given birth to “Renaissance Hu manism ” and renewed interest in the study of the “humanities.”
The “Second Age” of Man: Mod ernism
Philosophy of The Age: Cog ito erg o sum (“I thin k, the refor e I am ”)
Working Assumption: Man doesn’t need God or His revelation to make sense of the world we live in.
Baseball Analogy Regarding Truth: “There ’s balls and the re’s strikes, a nd I call ‘em the way I se e ‘em.”
The winds of change blew over Europe for 200 years, picking up speed until th ey fina lly arrived with gale force in the “second
age” of the W est. T his “s eco nd ag e” of wes tern m an is com monly designated as the “Modern” age or simply as
“Mode rnism .” In terms of time and dates, it began, roughly, with the Enlig hten me nt an d end ed(in tellec tually &
philosophically) with the “death of God” movement. Someone has described Modernism as the 200 year period from the
fall of the Bastille (1789) to the fa ll of the Berlin wall (1 989 ). But durin g the time fram e in qu estio n m uch mo re fe ll than sim ply
an abandoned fortr ess and a despised wall. Modernism began with the “Enlightenment” and man’s confident quest for
independent rational knowledge combined with the questioning of all things Christian, biblical or authoritative. When looked
at from an historical perspective, it is nothing short of breath-taking to see what has transpired over these 200 years of
Modernism. According to Newbigin, in his surve y of these e vents, “. . . it is clear that by th e middle of the eighte enth century
there was a widespread feeling that Europe had reached a turning point. Developments which had been going on
con tinuo usly for several centuries seemed to have reached a poin t of cla rificatio n suc h tha t peo ple could only use the word
‘enlightenm ent’ to desc ribe wha t had hap pened . Light had d awne d. Dark ness h ad pas sed aw ay.” 33
This “Enlightenment” was an exhilarating, semi-religious experience, as its name sugg ests , in which men saw life and the
world differently. In his book The Seven teenth Century Background, Basil Willey suggests that this feeling came from a
belief that things which had previously been obscure were now being explained. In place of “Church Dogma” and
“unscientific” explanations which no longer satisfied the mind, the “true explanation” of things was now coming to light
(hence, “enlightenment”). Intellectual cultures change at the point where the “explanations” provided by the intellectual
32
Variously attributed to St. Augustine and St. Anslem.
33
Newbigin, The Other Side of 1984, (Geneva: World Council of Churches, 1983) p. 7
paradigm of the previous age no longer answer the
questions being ask ed in a way which satisfies the A Rough Chronology Of Thought
mind. 34 As Ne wbigin so accura tely observe d, “All
(And A Few Critical Definitions)
thinking begin s with a pain in the mind .”35 The earth-
centered cosmology of Church dogma no longer
Pre-Modernism
explained what was being observed in the sky by
Defined as everything prior to Modernism.
G allileo, Copernicus and others. Church dogm a
Christianity Dominant
offered “explanations which didn’t explain” and that
A.D. 1 - 1700
caused “a pa in in the mind” which would not go aw ay.
Modernism/Enlightenment
And so the “A ge of Rea son ” (to b orro w W ill Dura nt’s
Roughly defined as that two hundred year period of “The
historical title for this time period) was born. It
Enlightenment Experiment” in Europe & North America
b ec am e a period of intellectual life which could be
during which Christianity, faith & revelation were
summed up in the phrase cogito ergo sum “I think,
increasingly rejected in favor of Greek Categories of
therefore, I am ,” the philosophical maxim of Renee
Rationalism, Empiricism & Radical Skepticism. I define
Descartes which he arrived at after doubting
“modernity” as the cultural products (medicine, science,
everything except his own existence.36 The Mode rn
art, technology, capitalist economics, democratic political
Age of man was born, founded upon radical doubt
structures, etc.) which arose during and from the
and skepticism. In this new Age of Man the very word
Mod ernis m/E nlight enm ent w orld v iew a nd w ill prob ably
“doubt,” which in the previous Age had summ ariz ed
outlive the collapse of that worldview.
ma n’s sin of questioning God’s goodness and
1700-1900
trustworthiness, was now eleva ted to a position of
honor as the first principle of knowledge.
Post Christian Modernism
A brief period characterized by the conscious rejection of
In this Modern Age, truth was still regarded as
the need for Christianity & a Judeo-Christian worldview
“Knowable” (as opposed to “objective”) and it was
while still em bracing Mode rnism /Enlighten men t optimism . A
prob ably even a part of a Divinely created order which
brief time of transition, primarily in America
existed indep end ent o f the in divid ual observer
(although this would be increasingly called into First half of 1900s
question as the M odern A ge proc eeded ). But the
source of this truth now shifted from God’s revelation
in Scripture to man’s rational & em pirical inquiry Post Christian Post Modernism
independent of God, Scripture or Authority. The focus The period of time from W orld War 2 to the present
was now upon “natural law” as apprehended by men. charac terized by a co nscious rejection o f both C hristianity
Truth (moral or otherwise) might indeed be “absolute” and Modernism/Enlightenment optimism regarding
and unchanging, the sam e everywhere at all times for empirical and rational approaches to ultimate truth.
all men, but it was now up to m an to discover it for Mid-1900s until now
himself, without help from God, revelation or the
Church. The “authority” for this truth was now Man
and his scientific, rational (referring to the m ind’s
ability to reason) and empirical (referring to the input of man’s 5 senses) investigation. Revelation, the Bible, the Church,
ancient authorities a nd other such a ppeals to source s of kn owledg e or auth ority beyond man himself were at best
discounted, and as time went on, increasingly disregarded. And the Church foun d itself slowly being pushed out of the very
cultural house it had worked so long and hard to build.
In the previous Pre-Modern Age, Christianity, Scripture and the Church provided the “meta-narrative” which enabled men
to expla in and m ake sens e (ind ividua lly and c ultura lly) of life in this world. It was assumed in the Modern Age a new meta-
narrative would eventually emerge from man’s rational and empirical investigation. The history of the 19th century became
a series of propo sed m eta-narr atives, often com peting an d contra dictory.
Francis Schaeffer des cribed it in terms of all encompassing ph ilosophical “circles”:
34
Basil Willey, The Seventeenth Century Background: Studies in the thought of the age in relation to poetry and religion
(London: Chatto & Windus, 1934), pp. 10f. Willey’s discourse on the nature of “explanations” and their role in intellectual transitions
is worth hunting down the book.
35
Quoted by Tim Stafford, “God’s Missionary To Us,” Christianity Today, 40 (14), December 9, 1996, p.26
36
For a more complete discussion of “the cogito” and its long-term impact upon the Church see Robert C. Greer, Mapping
Postmodernism: A Survey of Christian Options, (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2003).
“The histo ry of th is train of no n-C hristia n philo sop hers could be pic tured like this : One man wou ld say, ‘Here is a circle which
will give the unified and true knowledge of what really is’ . . . The next man would say, ‘No!’ and cross out the circle. Then
he would s ay, ‘Here is th e circle.’ A third would say, ‘No!’ cross out that circle and say, ‘Here is the circle’. And so on through
the centuries. Each one showed that the previous phil osophers had failed and then tried to construct his answer, which
future thinkers would again show to be inadequate to contain all of knowledge and all of like. The older philosophers did not
find the circle, but they optimistically believed someone would. Then the line of crossed-out circle s wa s bro ken , and a dra stic
shift cam e. It is this shift that c auses mode rn man to be mo dern (i.e., rea d “Post M odern”) m an.” 37
The Impact of Ideas and Rain Drops
One of the problems was that the Church as a who le never really understood or appreciated the long-term impact of ideas.
Ideas are like raindrops. Taken individually they appear insignificant and easy to ignore. But o ver tim e these raindrops collect
and combine together to form streams of thought which in turn combine to form rivers of life and culture. During the 200 (or
so) years of the Modern Age, Christianity and western culture we re subje cted to a constant rainfall of anti-Christian ideas
which gained intellectual cultural acceptance. The following are but a few of the key intellec ts wh ose thou ghts have deep ly
influence d weste rn thoug ht.
Voltaire, the French “father” of th e Enlightenment ridiculed Christianity and introduced radical French skepticism to the
colleges and social elite of America following the American Revolution.38 British Deists philosophized about an impersonal
Creator who was distant and uninvolved in the lives of men or nations, except for the “Natural Laws” which He left in place
to govern the world.
‘ Rene Descartes (1596 - 1650) Regarded as the “father of m odern philosophy,” Descartes gave modern thought
its skeptical foundation by doubting everything b ut his own existenc e. But beyo nd that he reduce d God to an innate
idea and began the separation of God, faith, theology and values into the real of emotions and “non-reason” on the
one hand, while placing philosophy, reason and empirical science in the realm of “fact” a nd “reas on.” Descartes
expressed this separation best when he said, “I am a Catholic, I wish to remain one, and I have faith in the teaching
of the Church. But I simply bracket all that out: It is in the realm of religious sentiment and emotion, whereas my
univers al scienc e is in the rea lm of reas on and know ledge.”
‘ David Hume (1711 - 1776) The Scottish philosopher David Hume established the idea of radical empiricism,
namely, that all truth and knowledge derives from the empirical experience of our senses. Because there can be
no kno wled ge or “truth ” beyo nd w hat o ur se nse s per ceive , issu es s uch as G od’s existence, the origin of the universe
(i.e., creationism) are unverifiable and meaningless. He challenged the idea of ca usality (i.e., arguing from effects -
such as an orde rly universe - back to causes - such as an order-giving Creator), thereby undermining most classical
argum ents for the existence of God. And morality, Hume argued, is not a matter of fact or reason, but an emotional
sentiment based upon feelings of approval or disapproval. Hume’s empirical skepticism cast doubt upon the
resurrection of Christ, along with all other miraculous phenomenon which could not be empirically verified.
‘ Immanuel Kant (1724 - 1804) Descartes began the modern separation of truth into “reason” versus “non-reason”
with his radical rationalism. Hume acc elera ted th is sep aratio n with his emphasis on radical empiricism. But it was
Immanuel Kant who brought these two streams of radical skepticism together. By doing so he became the “God-
father” of modern skepticism (Philosophers like to say that Hume gave Kant the problem of Knowledge and Kant
gave it back as if it were the solution). Kant introduce d subje ctivism into human knowledge. He acknowledged the
radical empiricism of Hume by limiting all human knowledge to the observable “phenomena” which can be
apprehended by the 5 senses. But he also acknowledged the radical rationalism of Descartes by arguing that our
sense perceptions are interpreted by the 7 Forms and Cate gorie s of th e m ind, le aving the “n oum ena ” or “th ing in
itself” (including “God”) unknowable in any absolute terms. God, truth, faith, morality (all assigned to the realm of
the “noumena”) could no longer be “disproved” by the “phenomena” of scientific investigation, but His existence
cou ldn’t be “proven” either. God, truth, faith, morality and “ultimate meaning” were the reby furthe r separa ted into
the realm of “non-r eason .”
‘ Georg F. Hegel (1770 - 1831) Hegel argued for a reality consisting of a pantheistic universal “spirit” which was
moving and evo lving throug h a “dialec tic” proce ss of two oppos ing argum ents (a “thesis” and an “antithesis”) which
resolve into a “synthe sis.” In Hegel’s view, a ll “truth ” is sim ply the curr ent p rodu ct (“s ynthe sis”) of this dialec tic
37
Schaeffer, How Should We Then Live, p. 151-152.
38
Timothy Dwight, the President of Yale University, preached against this Radical French skepticism among the student body
of Yale University for seven years beginning in 1795 until a revival broke out among the students in 1802and resulted in over half the
student body professing Christ as Savior.
process. This philosophy of “dialectic” (which is very much alive in Post Modernism’s view of “truth” today) was
“turn ed on its he ad” in the dialectical materialism of Karl Marx which challenged and questioned classic Christian
economics for nearly 100 years (and counting in some places). Utilizing the evolv ing dia lectic philos oph y of He gel,
the evolutionary theorizing of a Charles Darwin provided the theoretical basis for rejecting Classical “creationism”
and for explaining the natural order without God, revelation or creation.39
‘ Soren Kierkeggard (1813 - 1855) Danish Philosopher Soren Kierkeggard reacted against the impersonal universal
spirit of He gel’s dialectic by arguing for personal choice. Contrary to Hegel, Kierkeggard argued that the individual
human will and ability to choose are paramount. They represent an affirmation of one’s own individuality, culminating
in a “leap of faith” that elevates the individual above Hegel’s impersonal “universal.” From his journal, Kierkegga rd
describes this completely subjective personal choice, “The thing is to find a truth which is true for me, to find the idea
for which I c an live and die.” Faith in God becomes both a valid expression of one’s will and ability to choose and
an “irrational” leap of fa ith. Kierkeg gard be cam e the “G od-fathe r” of the ex istential sch ool of religiou s thoug ht.
Utilizing Kierkeggard and his predecessors, skeptics of the Bible realized that if God has been relegated to the realm
of “non-reason” where His existence can be neither proven nor disproved by critical investigation, then there is no
harm in “biblical criticism” which undermines the historic authenticity and accuracy of Scripture.
Throughout the 19th cent ury we stern Chris tianity ( prima rily Eur ope and N orth A me rica) was ceas eles sly pum me led by a
constant rain of anti-biblical ideas (I have given only a few of the more prominent ones) which combined to form a river of
doubt and skepticism directed at the heart of Christianity. By the opening of the 20 th century this river of doubt, skepticism
and reb ellion filled the we lls from which W estern C ivilization drew its dr inking wa ter. In many ways, America was spared
from the full effects of this deluge for much of the 19th century. I believe that this was the result of several powerful
nationwide spiritual revivals which swept America during the 1800s. But by the early 20th century this tide had become
inescapable. I was privileged to spend a sum me r term durin g m y sem inary d ays s tudyin g und er the late D r. Ca rl F. H . Hen ry,
the founding editor of Christianity Today ma gazin e and a brillia nt Ch ristian apolo gist. A cco rding to Dr . Hen ry, the 20th
century witnessed the mos t radical reversal of ideas and ideals in human history. Dr. Henry observed that at the beginning
of the 20th century textbooks referred to the God of the Bible, and the 10 commandm ents. There was an emphasis upon
revealed values, up on the need for an internal change within man in order to achieve “U topia.” But by World W ar 2
something had happened (Note: The World W ars of the 20th cent ury we re as violen t philo sop hica lly as the y were milita rily.
They shattered the last vestiges of liberal Enlightenment optimism and hastened the conc lusion of meaninglessnes s).
Following W W 2, references suddenly changed from the God of the Bible to “Nature’s God” or “God” in general. Rather than
revealed values, the new em pha sis w as up on sh ared value s. An d rath er tha n a ch ang e nee ded in man, the emphasis was
placed upon chan ge th roug h edu catio n. Fin ally, in the last half of the 20th century all theistic aspects and references to God
had been elim inate d. Go d now coun ted fo r noth ing in e duc ation or in public life. Ins tead of sh ared value s, the em pha sis
of the late 20 th century was upon the tolerance of diverse values. Instead of change by education and legislation, the
em pha sis was upon chan ge through revolution and violence. The optimistic Modernism of 200 years earlier had now become
a brief interlude of skeptical Post Christian Modernism. This sh ift from a Judeo -Christian unders tanding o f the world to an
essentia lly pagan one, a shift from a Judeo-Christian worldview to a “Post Christian Modern” one (see box on this page
above), which became the dominating characteristic of the Modernism in the 20th cent ury, was relativ ely swift ( partic ularly
in America where much of the change has occurred in the 20th century). But it did not arrive unannounced.
This philosophical shift found expression in the writings of the French Calvinist and existentialist theologian from Syarcuse,
Gabriel Vah anian , who sum ma rized it well in his boo k, The Death of God: The Culture of our Post-Christian Era. He
declared, “The fundamentals of modern culture are neither non-Christian nor anti-Christian; they are post-Christian. They
are derived fro m Ch ristianity, yet in the m Ch ristianity suffers ‘not a torture death but a quiet euthanasia.’ It may be that our
age still is religious. Bu t it is certainly po st-Chris tian.” 40 In his “Introduction” to Vahanian’s work, Professor Paul Ramsey
of Princeto n boldly ann ounce d, “Ours is the first attempt in recorded history to build a cu lture upon the premise that God
is dead. Dr. Ram sey wen t on to say, “The period post mortem Dei divid es into two distinct eras, roughly at some point
between the W orld W ars. U ntil that time, the cultural death of God meant something anti-Christian; after it and until now,
the death of God mea ns s ome thing entire ly pos t-Ch ristian .” Vahanian emphasized three essential points. He argued that
ours is a post-Christian world where (1) “Christianity has sunk into religiosity,” (2) “modern culture is gradually losing the
marks of that Ch ristianity wh ich broug ht it into being an d shap ed it,” and (3) “tolerance has becom e religious s yncretis m.”
(sort of hard to argue against those, isn’t it?!). In a subsequent work (“Wait Without Idols”) Vahanian explained further,
“This does not mean, obviously, that God Himself no longer is but that, regardless of whether he is or no t, his reality, as the
39
According to Roman observers of early Christianity, the doctrine of ex nihilo creation (creation of the world from nothing) was
one of the cardinal doctrines of the early church and one of the unique contributions of Christianity to the worldview of the ancient world.
See Robert L. Wilken, The Christians As The Romans Saw Them (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1984).
40
Gabriel Vahanian, The Death of God: The Culture of our Post Christian Era (New York: George Braziller, 1961) p. xxxiii.
Christian tradition has presen ted it, has be come culturally irrelev ant: God is de trop, as Sarte w ould say .”41 Vahanian was
not the first philos opher to speak of God’s demise or “death.” F redrich N ietzsche h ad prop osed th e notion o f God’s death
in his work “Thus Spake Zarathustra” a half century earlier. But Vahanian was able to formalize and popularize these
thoughts and apply them to the demise of Ch ristian ity’s influence in western culture. With a stroke of the writer’s pen and
a wave of the philosopher’s wand Vah anian offic ially ush ered in a Po st-C hristia n era . God was now dead . But if God was
indeed dead then so was everything to which God gave meaning, including man himself. When God died, modern man died
with Him .
Post Modernism, The Circle and The Line
It cannot be emphasized enough at this point, as we transition in our discussion from the Modern Age to the Post Christian
Post Modern Age, that it is impossible to understand our Post Christian Post Modern culture if we do not understand the
“circ le of life” and the “line of despair”. Let’s begin by imagining or drawing a circ le. Th at circ le represents the totality of our
reality - the universe in a circle. If anything exists, it exists within that circle. God, the supernatural realm, the created order
and mankind are all included in the circle. In Pre-Modernism all of these things were regarded, for the m ost part, as both
co-existing in the universe and as knowable by man (theology was even regarded as the “Queen of the Sciences”!). But
during Modernism and the 2nd Age of Man, this began to change. As men began to reject revelation in favor of radical
empiricism and rationalism, men began to draw a line (very faint at first) across the “Circle of Life.” It was the line between
“reason,” which filled the bottom portion of the circle, and “non-reason,” which filled the upper portion of the circle . Slow ly
but steadily, following the march of one modern philosopher/scientist after another, such concepts as God, theology, faith
& moral absolutes be came increas ingly relegated to the upper portion of the Circle of Life, the realm of “non-reas on”.
This was the w arnin g m ess age trum pete d by D r. Fra ncis Sch aeff er in his many works (see particularly his excellent book
“Escape From Reason”). Dr. Sch aeff er ex plaine d the issue by foll owing K ant’s divisio n of re ality into the “p hen om ena l”
world of sc ienc e and the “n oum ena l” wor ld of G od, m ean ing, va lue, e tc. Re ality, Dr. Schaeffer explained, had become a two-
story hous e. Go d dw elt in the “upper” story (the “noumenal”) where He was immune from being either proven or disproved.
Man, however, dwelt in the “lower” story of scientifically observable “phenomena.” The line which had begun very faintly with
a Des carte s, gre w da rker and m ore p rono unc ed as time prog ress ed. In crea sing ly, as time went on, these two “stories” (or
two halves of the “Circle of Life” in our illustration) became separated by an impenetrable “line of despair,” below which men
“despaired” of ev ery ac hievin g any m ean ingfu l kno wled ge of God . Not o nly could man not know God (or meaning or
absolutes or values), but God could no longer affect man in any practical and meaningful way. God, for all practical
purposes, had died (hence, the “Death of God” school of thought). But so had everything to which God’s existence had given
meaning. W hen God died, mo dern ma n, valu es, m ean ing an d Jud eo-C hristia n cult ure (t his is Vahanian’s argument) died
with Him. I n his often overlook ed but im portant b ook, Death In The City, written ten years before the declaration of the
“Moral Majority ,” Dr. Sch aeffer w arned u s that there was no Moral M ajority, “Ours is a post-Christian world in which
Christianity, not only in the number of Christians but in cultural emphasis and cultu ral res ult, is now in the absolute minority.
To ask young people to maintain th e status quo is folly. Th e status quo is no longer ou rs.” 42
Our Pos t Chr istian Pos t Mod ern c ulture repre sen ts the cultu ral ex pres sion of a p eop le and c ivilization who now live the ir
collective lives beneath this “line of despair.” This dividing line may be invisible to the naked eye, but is the very real “brass
heaven” that dictates the terms of life for our Post Modern culture. If God does exist (they will grudgingly allow for this “non-
ration al” possibility) on the other side of this “brass heaven” there is no rational or empirical way to know him in any
meaningful (i.e., “reasonable”) way, nor can God affect life on this side of the “line of des pair” in any m eaningf ul way. W e
are reduce d to nothing more than verbal religious chattering about our personal subjective experience of and opinions about
God. Creationism, prayer, traditional biblical morality and other Judeo-Christian values cannot be taught, practiced,
recognized or enforced because, being religious in nature, they are BY DEFINITION issues and items o f a non-ra tional faith
and matters of strictly individual personal opinion. In our Post Christian Post Modern culture, any appeal to Judeo-Christian
values (even on the basis of appealing to our historic heritage as a “once-Christian Civilization”) is regarded as an appeal
to “non-re ason” th at cann ot rise abo ve the intellec tual level of em otional sen timent.
41
Gabriel Vahanian, Wait Without Idols (New York: George Braziller, 1964) p. 31-32. Vahanian initiated the “Death of God”
debates, but he was quickly regarded as too “conservative.” He was quickly overshadowed by more radical “theothanatologists” such
as Harvey Cox of Harvard, Thomas J.J. Altizer and Rabbi Richard L. Rubenstein, the Jewish “death of God” theologian who wrote After
Auschwitz. I personally heard Rabbi Rubenstein lecture on the topic of “After Auschwitz: God is Dead” when I was a student at the
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in the 1970s. These were then followed by Joseph Fletcher and the “situational ethics” debates
of the 1960s and 70s, which were the precursors of and laid the foundation for the “Values Clarification” debacle which made it into the
public educational system in the 1980s and 90s. For an excellent treatment of the “death of God” movement and its implications for the
Church see John Warwick Montgomery, The Suicide of Christian Theology (Minneapolis: Bethany Fellowship, 1970).
42
Francis A. Schaeffer, Death In The City (Chicago: Inter-Varsity Press, 1969), p. 14
The “Third Age of Man”: Post Christian Post Modernism
Philosophy of The Age: Cop ula er go su m (“I have sex , there fore I a m”)
Working Assumption: There is no “ultimate truth,” so each of us must find what is true for us personally.
Baseball Analogy Regarding Truth: “There may b e balls and strikes, bu t they ain’t nothin ’ til I call ‘em.”
There is an unavoidable irony to be grasped in the death of Modernism and the birth of Post Modernism. As we observed
earlier, Modernism, The “Second Age” of Man, was born because of a “pain in the mind” cre ated by Pre -Mo dern ism ’s
inability to provide “explan ations w hich exp lained.” Ironically, Modernism died at the hands of the same fate which destroyed
the Pre-Modern Age. After more than two centuries of empirical investigation and rational skepticism, of observations and
doubts, Modernism was unable to provide “explanations which explained” those questions which most plague the human
heart and cause “a pa in in the mind”: What is the meaning of life? Why am I here? W hat is truth? Am I alone in the Universe,
or is there something more? These were the questions which Modernism could not answer and did not dare to address.
Mod ernis m’s inability to answer or even address these ques tions created “a pain in the mind” which could not be ignored.
In another irony, we observed that Modern ism was also “the Age of Reason,” founded upon the concept of radical doubt
and skepticism. But as Newbigin observed in his critique of western thought, “It is impossible to doubt all one’s beliefs at the
same time witho ut falling into imb ecility.” 43 Modernism, the Age of Reason, the Second Age of Man, had indeed “fallen into
imbec ility,” a victim of its own unique form of “cultural cannibalism,” the consumption of everything, including faith, and the
production of nothing but doubt. By doubting everything, it produced nothing worthy of “belief,” and in the end, consumed
the very value s it had se t out to affirm . Even the value of d oubt. M ichael Po lanyi sum mar ized it best:
“The critical movement which seems to be nearing the end of its course today was perhaps the most fruitful effort ever
sustained by the human mind. The past four or five centuries, which have grad ually d estro yed or ov ersh ado wed the w hole
mediaeval cosmos, have enriched us mentally and morally to an extent unrivaled by any period of similar duration. B ut its
incandescence has fed on the combustion of the Christian heritage in the oxygen of Greek rationalism, and when the fuel
was e xhaus ted, the critica l framew ork itself bur nt away .”44
A Post Christian Post Modern Quiz - Reprise
Are you startin g to g et the pictu re no w? O .K. Le t’s try th is Po st Ch ristian Pos t Mod ern q uiz thin g one mo re tim e. He re’s the
question. It’s a matching question: W hich one of the following two TV program s was “Mode rn & Post Christian” and which
one was “P ost Chr istian and P ost Mo dern”: “Star Trek” (the original series) and “Star Trek: The Next Gene ration.” Still
stumped? Hang on. The epitome of Post Christian Modernism finally arrived, not in Woodstock, but in “Star Trek” (the
original series) and its “prophet,” Mr. Spock, for whom truth was determined through e m pirical scientific observation
combined with ruthless incisive rational logic (for a Vulcan, Spock was very “Gree k”). “Where the laws of logic do not w ork,”
he once declared, “ther e can be no reality .” (O.K., I don’t rememb er the episode num ber, but if you insist I can look it up!).
Post Christian Modernism ended with the death of God a nd with the death of man ’s ability to rationally discover or know any
absolute truth or the ultimate nature of reality. Modernism had begun with the belief that rational man, independent of God
or divine reve lation , cou ld disc over the u nifying truth, the “m eta-n arra tive,” th e “big story” that would explain the universe and
provide the basis for meaning and morality. Modernism died a Post-Christian death when it finally realized that there was
no unified field, no meta-narrative, n o “ultim ate tru th” an d, ultim ately, n o bas is for a univ ersa lly bindin g m orality. T he all
encompassing “meta-narratives” of Modernism (Darwinism, dialectical materialism, comm unism, et. al.) lay tattered and
discredited in the ash-bin of history. The optimistic rationalism of the enlightenment had failed to discover the truth of the
universe and was being replaced with the black holes of pe rson al n arcissism, nihilism, existentialism, drug induced
spirituality, new age spirituality and worse. According to Post Christian Post Modern thought there are no universal truths
which are u niver sally binding on all men everywhe re. The re are on ly facts to be discovered and personal “stories” or opinions
as to what those facts might mean to me. Modernism’s failed search for “Universal” or “Ultimate” truth had been replaced
with Post Modernism ’s search for “personal truth.”
So, when the star ship Enterprise sailed again in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” the rational empiricism and incisive
logic of Mr. Spock had been replaced with Lt. Com mander “D ata,” an android. The incisive modern logic of Spock had found
its ultimate expression in a walking, talking computer which looked human but wasn’t. It was Modernism’s fascination with
43
Newbigin, The Other Side 1984, p. 20
44
Michael Polanyi, Personal Knowledge: Towards A Post-Critical Philosophy (Chicago, The University of Chicago Press,
1958) pp. 265ff.
science taken to its logical de-humanizing conclusion (But
a fasc inatin g sub -them e thro ugh out th e ser ies w as D ata’s
relentless desire to become “human”). But there was also
a new crew -m em ber: C oun selo r Dea na T roi, a h alf- Eight (8) Critical Post Modern Premises
hum an fem ale “B etazo id” wh o disc erne d truth via
The Deconstruction of Truth - According to Post Modern
telep athy, em pathy and feelings. She represented the
philosopher Richard Rorty, Truth is made (socially constructed),
epitome of Post Christian Post Mo dernism ’s reach into not found (objective and discoverable). Social groups (such as
subjec tivity in search of “truth.” So, in Post Modernism, Christians) construct their own “truth” to serve their own
you could still be religious or “spiritual” (it is interesting interests, which usually involves exercising power over other
that themes of “religion” and “spirituality” were worked into people. Hence, “The Jesus Project” which views the “divine
the plot of the “Star Trek” spin-off series “Deep Space Jesus” as a something constructed by Paul and the early church.
Nine”) but th at wa s your pers ona l story, meaningful to
you, but having no universal appeal or significance. There The Death of the Meta-Narrative - Because all “truths” are only
is no ab solu te or u niver sally binding tru th, wh ethe r in “social constructs” there can be no universal truths or
“metanarratives” which are true and binding on all men
mo rality, spirituality, politics, sociology or any other field of
everywhere. There are only “personal narratives.”
human endeavor. There are merely facts, experiences
and our personal, subjective interpretation of and feelings The Demise of the Text - If the Metanarrative is dead, then the
about those fa cts and experiences. In Post Christian Post great texts (i.e., the Bible) behind the metanarrative must also be
Modernism, in a ve ry re al sen se, it really is “all about me, dead. All texts must now be “deconstructed” to reveal the
my ex perienc es and how I fee l.” author’s oppressive intentions and allow the text to live as a
liberated and liberating word. Texts now mean whatever we want
Post M o d ern i sm Ve rs u s T h e olo gica l B e llb ottom s them to mean, not limited by the author’s intent, the ordinary and
contextual definition of words or other principles of interpretation.
Cer tainly the Church was not completely silent or inactive The Dominion of Therapy - “When truth is denied, therapy
while Post Modernism was “coming into its own,” but remains.” The crucial question is no longer “Is it true?” but “Does
often the resp onse o f the Ch urch wa s late in com ing. In it make me feel good?”. All issues eventually revolve around the
the words of Charles Colson, too many contem porary self. Categories such as “sin” and “repentance” are rejected as
churchmen sport “theological bellbottoms.” The late “oppressive” and “harmful” to self-esteem. Even theology is
1970s witnessed the formation of the “Moral Majo rity” and reduced to therapy, as we seek a “God” who will make us happy
the rise of the “conservative religious right” in an attempt and fulfilled.
to rally the Church both to engage the political process
The Decline of Authority - All authorities (church, state, school,
and to stem the tide of moral decay that was now
etc.) are, by nature, oppressive and must be overthrown, or at
appare nt. In other words, it was a declaration that the least resisted, in the quest for personal liberation, except the
Church and its “allies” (i.e., those individuals who were authority of the Post Modern theorists themselves, who are
“conservative” in their mo rals, even if they were not somehow above it all.
“Christian” in their convictions) were prepared to wage a
cultural “war of attrition” against the rising neo-paganism The Displacement of Morality - As Ivan, in Dostoyevsky’s “The
of conte mpo rary Am erican c ulture. Brothers Karamazov” observed, if God is dead, everything is
permitted. Post Modern philosopher Michel Foucault argued that
The pinna cle of the re spo nse was reac hed in the election all sexual morality is an abuse of power and personally lived a
lifestyle of “polymorphous perversity.”
of Ronald Reagan in what was hailed as the “conservative
revolution.” But s hortly a fter th e 198 0 elec tion o f Ro nald The Triumph of Subjectivity - In true Post-Kantian fashion Post
Reagan for his first te rm as P resid ent, D r. Fra ncis Modernism has moved the focus of “truth” from the “object” (i.e.,
Schaeffer wrote a book entitled A Christian Man ifesto. the Bible and what it teaches) to the “subject” (i.e., what I feel
In this much-neglected boo k Dr. Schaeffer, reflecting on about the Bible and what I have personally experienced). In our
the “conservative landslide” which ushered Reag an into Post Modern culture, everything really is “all about me.” As a
office, warned that, in reality, the landslide was prob ably result we hear people say, “Christianity is true for you, but not for
a vote for better economic numbers, not a vote for me” Or as Oprah Winfrey open declares, “The secret to life is
discovering your personal truth and living it out.”
Chr istia n values or conservative policies. In the event
those better economic num bers shou ld fail to materialize,
The Return of Doubt - We have gone from the “I think, therefore
Dr. Schaeffer warned that w e cou ld see a dra ma tic I am” of the Enlightenment, to a new “I doubt, there I’m going to
reversal in voter attitud es. D r. Sch aeff er’s p roph etic a therapist” of Post Modern “endarkenment”.
warning was realized in the1992 election of Bill Clinton.
Footnote: My thanks, again to Dr. Albert Mohler and his
The intellectual father of the Moral Majority, and a excellent article “Ministry Is Stranger Than It Used To Be: The
“founding father” of the “con servative religious righ t,” was Challenge of Postmodernism” (posted at www.albertmohler.com)
a man by the name of Paul Weyrich, now President of the for the first 6 premises. The last two are my own, so blame me
Free Con gres s Fo und ation . In Fe brua ry of 19 99, s hortly if you disagree!
after the United States Senate failed to convict and
im peach President Bill Clinton, Weyrich sent an open
letter to his con stituents announcing that, in his opinion, cultural conservatives (including many Evangelical Christians) had
lost their “cultural war of attrition” which he had helped launch som e twenty years earlier:
“In looking at the long history of conservative politics, from the defeat of Robert Taft in 1952, to the nomination of Barry
Goldwater, to the takeover of the Republican Party in 1994, I think it is fair to say that conservatives have learned to succeed
in politics. That is, we got our people elected. But that d id not resu lt in the adop tion o f our a gen da. T he re aso n, I thin k, is
that politics itself has faile d. An d polit ics ha s faile d bec aus e of th e colla pse of the cultu re. Th e cult ure w e are living in
becomes an eve r-wider s ewer. In tru th, I think w e are ca ught up in a cultura l collaps e of his toric propo rtions, a
collapse so great th at it simply overwhelms politics.”45
Post Modernism And The Land W ithout Boundaries
The shift from Post Christian Modernism to Post Christian Post Modernism, which Dr. Henry described and which we
witnessed in America during the first half of the 20 th century, represents a cultural collapse of historic proportions which has
sim ply overwhelmed everything in its path. Enlightenment-based Modernism had argued that “ultimate truth” could indeed
exist, but our knowledge of it was problematic. Post Christian Post Modernism took the next “logical” step by declaring that
there is no ultimate or universal truth, no universal values or morality, no “big stories” to explain life and the universe
(Although environmentalism seems to becoming our “post modern meta-narrative”). Post Modernism repre sen ts no t sim ply
the loss of the knowledge of absolute truth in our culture; it represents the loss of the possibility and the hope for any
universal or ultimate truth.
Tod ay, some 40 years after the announcement of “the Death of God”, the Church is still reeling from the impact of these
ideas. The Death of God announced in the previous gene ration has r esu lted in the death of ultimate truth or moral absolutes
in the pres ent gene ration. Go ne is the J udeo-C hristian co mm itment to Univers al, Ultima te truth which once provided the
moral compass for an entire culture, and gone is the Enlightenment optimism that such ultimate truth and meaning will be
found apart from God. For if God is truly dead, then the heavens are silent and there is no d ivine v oice to tell m an w hat is
morally right or morally wrong.
Now, b ecaus e all mo rals are re lative and n one are absolute , all argum ents and discussions regarding right versus wrong
(ranging from such “mundane” issues as school dress codes to su ch iss ues as ho mo sex uality, a bortio n, po rnog raph y,
pedophilia, human stem cell research, euthanasia, race relations, etc.) are matters of individual opin ion (“I have a right to
. . . . ”). And all opinions become equally valid, since the passionate holding and voicing of an opinion on any topic is a self-
validating act. Because there is no “Ultimate” truth by which to demonstrate that one moral opinion is valid over another, the
resu lt is the current “politically correct” philosophy of “toleranc e.” Tolerance is the admission that there is no Ultima te
truth by which arguments and differences of opinion can be resolved. The Ultimate or Universal truth of God’s moral
requirem ents and expectations has been replaced by the new personal and relative truth of “tolerance.” And those dissenting
voices who proclaim ultimate truth and the need for personal repentance and internal chang e (su ch as hom ose xua ls
repenting of their sin and experiencing a new birth) are regarded as “intolerant.” Intolerance has become the new “cardinal
sin” of our politically correct Post Christian Post Modern Age.
Like those Churchmen who sport theological bellbottoms in an age of Italian silk suits, much of the evangelical Church has
discovered itself to be out of touch with a generation that has drunk deeply at tainted wells, polluted by a river of moral doubt
and skepticism born of intellectual rainstorms from decades past. In a Christian vers ion of Rip van Winkle, we fell asleep
in Church and awoke one day to find ourselves in a Post Christian Post Modern culture that no longer recognizes the values
and principles th at we we re taugh t to live by. The Church has belatedly discovered that the tainted wells of our Post Christian
Post M odern c ulture hav e had a d ram atic effec t upon the Churc h itself.
O Today only 32% of born again adults (and 9% o f bor n aga in teenagers) claim to be certain of absolute moral
truth(!?). Read that again! That’s like saying only one-in-three born again Christians believe the Bible to be
ultimately and universally true!
O Not surprisingly in the light of this collapse of moral absolutes, born again adults are more likely to
experie nce a d ivorce (27 %) than are non -born ag ain adults (2 4%).
O In a nationwide survey of born a gain adu lts, none of those interviewed said that the single most important
goal in their life is to be a com mitte d follo wer o f Jes us C hrist ( bec aus e suc h a co mm itme nt wo uld require
an unshakea ble conviction that the Bible is ultimate and universal truth!).
O 68% believe the Bible teaches that God helps those who help them selves (it doesn’t!).
45
The September 6, 1999 issue of Christianity Today magazine reprinted Mr. Weyrich’s letter, along with responses by six
leading evangelicals, including Ralph Reed, Cal Thomas, Jerry Falwell, Don Eberly (his response is particularly good), James Dobson
and Charles Colson. These are a “must read.”
O 25% believe that Jesus committed sins while on

Gene Veith, dean of the Sch ool of Art s and
earth (He didn’t!).
Sciences at Con cordia Unive rsity, tells of a
young man who claimed to be a Christian and
O 30% believe Jesus was not physically resurrected professed belief in Christ and love for the Bible, but
(He was, or our faith is in vain!). also believed in re incarna tion. His pa stor
confronted this belief in reincarnation by directing
O 30% believe all religions teac h the sam e bas ic the young m an to Hebrews 9:27. The text was read:
truths (no, they don’t). “It is appointe d unto men o nce to die, bu t after this
the judgme nt.” The young man looked back at his
Based on these research results it should come as no surprise pastor and replied, “We ll, that’s your interp retation.”
that authors Hatch and Barna conclude that “the church is rotting
from the ins ide ou t, cripp led by a-bib lical theology” (perhaps Dr. Albe rt Mo hler, “ Minis try is Strang er Than It
because more people get their “Post Modern theology” from Oprah Used To B e: Th e Ch allenge of Postmodernism”
Winfrey or Rush Limba ugh than from their pasto r). In a sep arate posted at www.albertmohler.com.
study of “born again” Christians sociologist Wade Clark Roof 46
confirms that many people who des cribe themse lves as “born
aga in Chris tians ” actu ally hold beliefs that a re in conf lict with
historic, biblical Christianity. According to Roof, roughly 25% of his respondents believed in the possibility of communicating
with the dead; some 30% believed in reincarnation and astrology; 50% said they believed in psychic powers, and mirroring
Barna & Hatch’s research, some 50% believed that the various religions of the world are “equally good and true” (a
“consistent” conclusion if you don’t believe the Bible us ultimately and universally true).
In short, while 4 out o f 10 a dults (or 41 %) in our P ost-C hristia n cult ure p rofe ss to be bo rn-a gain, and w hile many of these
claim to be conservative, they are not walking it out in any way that meaningfully affects the surrounding society. For
example, in a recent story on pop stars and their faith, "The St. Petersburg Times" noted that in their sexually suggestive
videos and lates t single, "Boo tylicious," popu lar R&B trio Desti ny's Child, who declare their Christianity in nearly every
interview, contradict all the talk about God. "Christians who ha ppen to b e booty licious," the newspaper observed. "Nope.
No matter h ow yo u work it, these two words don't sound right together ." Besides Destiny's Child, Lauryn Hill, R. Kelly, Britney
Spears, DM X an d Se an "P . Didd y" Combs are other secular artists who frequently voice their religious convictions in public.
But the "Times" observ ed that "their lyrics and public lifestyles don't always jibe with traditional religious beliefs of right and
wrong ."
Comm enting on th e app aren t inab ility of co ntem pora ry Chr istian s to m ean ingfu lly affe ct the ir culture, Christian trend watcher
George Barna recently observed, “believers think of themselves as individuals first, Americans second, and Christians third.
Until that prioritization is rearranged, the Church will continue to lose influence, and biblical princ iples w ill repre sen t simp ly
one m ore option amon g the num erous w orldview s that Am ericans may c hoose from.”
This is what it means to live in a Pos t Christian P ost Mo dern cu lture. It is to live in a land w ith no re cogn izable
boundaries!
Post Modernism And The M ission of The Church
There is a fair degree of uncertainty among various ministry practitioners regarding how to respond to the challenge of Post
Modernism. This un certainty ca n be se en in tw o of the articles I have referenced in this section by Dr. Albert Mohler of
Southern Bap tist T heo logica l Sem inary. D r. Mo hler’s analys is of P ost M ode rn is in cisive and h elpfu l. But they lack anything
approaching a practical response. Dr. Mohler resorts to such evangelical rhetorical “truisms” as declaring that Christians
need “to proclaim the truth an d reach out to the c asualties .” Yes, BUT HOW ?! Again Dr. Mohler offers more “Christian catch
phrases” when he observes that we are called “to stand against th e stream and to pre ss aga inst the gra in,” and that “Our
challeng e is to ma tch truth to c ompa ssion, an d merc y to con frontation.” 47
And Dr. M ohler isn’t alone. In recent years, a steady stream of articles and books have flowed from such sources as
Christianity Today and Youthworker magazine (a “postmodernism” search on either of their websites will yield numerous
hits). Complete websites such as www.leonardsweet.com or www.theooze.com or tallskinnykiwi.typepad.com (just to name
46
Wade Clark Roof, Spiritual Marketplace: Baby Boomers and the Remaking of American Religion (Princeton: Princeton
University Press, 1999).
47
Dr. R. Albert Mohler, “Transforming Culture: Christian Truth Confronts Post-Christian America” posted at
www.albertmohler.com.
three among MANY) are dedicated to discussing Post Modernism and how we as believers and as churches should respond.
Writing in Youthworker magazine, Andy Harrington summed up the present Post Modern situation well in an article entitled
“Who Stole My Rule Book?: How the World Evolved When No O ne W as Loo king.” 48 Here is how he described the current
envir onm ent in whic h the chur ch fin ds its elf tod ay:
“To some it seems like a world gone crazy - a w orld whe re truth do esn’t mea n wha t it use to and values are judged on the
bas is of the latest tre nd. It’s a socie ty wher e individua lism is idealized , where it’s okay to be what you want to be, and w here
the only unforgivable sin is to be intolerant of somebody’s else’s beliefs. There are no big stories that explain the meaning
of life any mor e. An yon e wh o tries to tell th e Ch ristian one is dism isse d as ir relev ant a nd big oted , part o f a wo rld tha t sho uld
be con signed to the recy cle bin, just like th e 100 H otmail sp am letters that we d elete eve ry day w ithout read ing.”
By this point in this discussion you ma y feel like Jay R isner, also writing in You thwork er Mag azine, “Did you ever play that
gave with your students where you have a relay race with watermelons covered in Crisco? Slippery. I t se em s I j us t ca n’t
hold onto it; I can’t get my arm s aro und it. This who le postm odern th ing is just so obtuse and hea dy at time s, and as with
all of our mo dern pa radigm s for the m ost part, po stmod ernism can be like a greas y melon - slippery.”
Yep. Som etim es you get th at fee ling. R isne r goe s on t o say, “A s y ou th w ork ers , it’s important that we see what the secular
culture and the academy are saying and forecasting, but it doesn’t mean the gospel has to fit perfectly within the new
philosophy. If there’s anything true of the gospel through the ages, it’s that it certainly transcends philoso phy.” 49 Risner
makes an important point here. The gos pel (and the Kingdom o f God) transcends philosophy. Since the early days of
Mod ernis m’s attack on Christian ity, Christians have made the repeated mistake of hitching their intellectual wagon to a
particular sch ool of philos oph y whic h (they thought) promised to establish the validity of the gospel beyond dispute, or at
least make it acceptable to the prevailing philosophical culture. The Presbyterian adoption of “Scottish Comm on Sense
Realism” or the Barthian/Neo-Orthodox flirtation with continental existentialism are just two examples which pop to mind.
Any attempt to produce a “Post Modern Christianity” would be another such ill-conceived example. As Christians we must
remember that, at the end of the debates and discussions of Post Modernism, the gospel and the Kingdom transcend any
earth ly philosop hy. It is important that we understand them. It is equally important that we not become like them. Our goal
is to com mun icate, not to e mula te.
But for the 21st Century Christian working to come to terms with his or her cultural environment, it’s like waking up in the
mid dle of a game of baseball and discovering that all the rules have been changed. The game still resembles baseball, but
that resemblance ends when the next pitch across the plate (high, wide and outside the strike zone) is greeted with the cry
of “Good try - maybe a pers ona l best !” fro m s om eon e pre tend ing to be an um pire. S o, ex actly w hat a re the “rules ” of th is
new “Post Modern” game and how do they affect the mission and work of the Church? The following is a basic overview (for
a more detailed comparison see “A Post Modern Comparison” at the end of this Module):
Let’s be clear now that there is no such thing as a “Post Modern Church.” The idea of a “Post Modern Church” is an
oxymoron on the same level as a “Christian hea vy m etal band” or a “death of God theologian.” There is only the New
Testament Chu rch s eek ing to find a me ans of ex pres sing auth entic biblical truth in a form that is relevant to the Post Modern
culture of which w e are a p art.
Our Post Modern culture presents a host of spiritual challenges to the church, challenges wh ich I believe G od intend s to
answer with a new paradigm of “churches without walls” including house churches, marketplace gatherings and more (we
will exam ine the D NA of th is new pa radigm in Modu le 4).
O Cross-Cultural Outreach - Because of the rise of our Post C hristian Po st Mod ern cultur e, all Christian
outreach today, even if it is simply reaching out to neighbors across the street, is now cross-cultural
because ours is no longer a shared, com mon , “Christian” culture. According to Newbigin there are two
pitfalls of cross-cultural missions which we must work to avoid:
‘ Irrelevance - This means we so fail to understand the nature of our Post Ch ristian Post Modern
culture that our message appears irrelevant and is ignored;
‘ Syncretism - This means we embrace our Post Modern culture in such an uncritical way that our
message is simply absorbed without posing a radical challenge to our culture. This is ca lled
“syncretism” and much of organized Christianity in Am erica and the W est is in an a dvanc ed state
48
Andy Harrington, “Who Stole My Rule Book,” Youthworker, Nov/Dec 2003, posted on the internet at
www.youthspecialties.com/articles/topics/postmodernism/rule_book.php?
49
Jay Risner, “Having a (Purpose Driven, Seeker Sensitive, Fami ly Based,) Postmodern Ministry,” Youthworker, Nov/Dec
2003, posted on the internet at www.youthspecialties.com/articles/topics/postmodernism/having_postmodern.php?
of syncretism . Our c ulture, for the most part, has absorbed our Christian “sub-culture” and now
simply ignores our message.
O Exper iential Truth - For a Post Modern, truth is what you see. It’s what works, not what can be proved. A
true Post Modern wants an “experience of the truth” before considering “the truth of the experience.” They
want to “eat the bread.” Let me illustrate. For just a moment, think of the Church as a “bakery” with a sign
out front whic h invites pa sser-b ys to stop in s aying, “Fresh bread s erved e very S unday .” A hungry and
curious Post Modern responds and comes in (as they did after 9/11) asking, “Where’s the bread?” A very
polite, even friendly greeter explains that he is welcome (visitors are always welcome) to attend a Sunday
School class with other Post Moderns w here there will be an in-de pth study o f bread re cipes alo ng with sk its
(very “avant ga rde”) ac ting out the m eaning o f those re cipes. Af terward s, he is invited to discuss the recipes
over an espr ess o in the fellow ship hall (re cen tly rem ode led fo r this v ery pu rpos e). T hen , in the m ornin g’s
ma in message, the Praise Band is going to teach some new contemporary songs about bread and recipes,
and the Pastor is going to preach a message about the importance of bread (even examining bread recipes
written in Greek and Hebrew!). The poor bewildered Post Modern soon discovers that this group is very
know ledgeab le about b read an d its various recipes, but few people there have actually baked, and even
fewer have ever eaten, any actual fresh bread. There is no actual fresh warm bread to be cons um ed. O nly
recipes to be endlessly discussed. And the bewildered Post Modern moves on, saying to himself, “I hear
the HaraK rishna’s ha ve brea d. Mayb e I’ll check them out next.” The challenge to the church is that we need
to be ab le to pe rson ally model experiential Biblical truth and to be able to offer it to others in a way they can
both understand and experience.
O Dialogue vs. Preaching - Post M oderns don’t w ant to be talked down to by someone in a pulpit standing
“four feet above contradiction.” They want to be part of something, part of a dialogue about life and truth.
Unfortunately, man y Christians today do not know how to carry on a genuine dialogue about what they
believe. We’re generally too busy trying to make our next point, rather than actually listening to what the
other pers on ha s to s ay. Th e Ne w Te stam ent h as m uch to sa y abou t dialo gue (the G reek word is
dialegomai) and we will examine it further in Module 7)
O Relationships & Com munity - Post Moderns are lo okin g for genu ine re lation ship s. Th ey are incre asin gly
searching for authentic relationships and for experiencing truth as part of a community. In New Testament
terms this is called koin onia , and we w ill exam ine it m ore c lose ly in Mo dule 4 when we examine the DNA
of Kin gdo m H ous e Ch urch min istry.
O Personal Stories - Pos t Mod ern p eop le want to be heard. They want to be able to tell their own personal
life stories an d to express their opinions. This desire of our Post Modern culture to be heard has given rise
to the interne t phenom enon k nown a s “the blog ,” the epito me of o ur Post Modern cu lture’s turn toward
sub jectiv ity. The “blogosphere” (as it has come to be known) consists of countless on-line journals in which
people express their “self-validating” opinions on life, politics, sex, church, spirituality and everything
im aginable. After all, for a Post Modern there are no “big stories” which give life meaning. There is only
their personal story which they are trying to work out through the expression of self-validating opinions
which then con stitute their “personal truth.” For our part, as Christians we must be willing to listen non-
judg me ntally and with g enuine c omp assion, w hile seek ing to demonstrate how their personal stories rela te
to God’s unfolding meta-story of love, sin and redemption.
O Spirituality As A Journey - For the past 150 years or so Am erican C hristianity has e mph asized sp irituality
as a “decision” followed by a membership (i.e., someone makes a “decision” for Christ and is then
encouraged to “join” the church), whereas, Scripture regards spirituality as a “journey” into the Kingdom of
God which combines ongoing faith with ongoing obedience. Post Modernism may yet challenge the Church
to recover its own spiritual heritage of understanding true spirituality as a jou rney of faith a nd obe dience in to
the heart of God.
Whence? Where? Whither? Post Modernism and The Winter of Our Collective Discontent
America and W estern Civilization have now entered into the winter of our collective discontent. Gone are the carefully crafted
categories of inquisitive rational Enlightenment thinking which promised that truth (i.e., about God, the Bible, life, morals,
soc iety, etc.) w as s om ethin g ava ilable to thos e wh o are willing to work hard to find it, som ethin g tha t wou ld alwa ys give itself
“to diligen t stud y, me thod ical inq uiry, un bias ed int erro gatio n;” so me thing that “r esp ond s to s cien tific methods of discov ery.”
And Christian Apologetics, epitomized by such people as Josh McDowell, which has prided itself in its ability to use
Enlightenment categories to demonstrate the truthf ulnes s of th e Go spe l, is now finding itself tossed out by our Post Modern
audience like the proverbial baby in a tub of rational and empirical Enlightenment bath water.
But Post Modernism itself is not a permanent state of affairs. Neither a person nor a culture ca n live in an on -going sta te
of moral and spiritual imbecility (to revisit Newbigin’s observation) witho ut fallin g into com plete ruin a t som e unp redic table
point. For this reason alone, Post Modernism must be viewed not as a destination, but as a wayfarer’s station. It’s like the
international transit loung e of a large airport. It isn’t a dest inatio n; it’s m erely a tem pora ry plac e wh ere yo u can wait for your
connecting flight. Your destination lies somewhere else. So, as au thor A ndre w Jo nes obse rves , we a re in a time of transition.
Post Modernism isn’t a destination but m erely a trans ition time b etween the old par adigm that has b een dying a slow dea th
and the new emerging paradigm that is yet to be born . Here is h ow Jon es see s it: “Cultures do not shift immediately from
one major paradigm to the next. There is a transitional period that includes a rethinking of the previous paradigm, an
acknowledgment of its limitations, a deconstruction, an exploration of new thinking to explain a new reality, an adoption of
new ideas, a re-mixing of multiple viewpoints, and eventually a radically different group consensus. This transition period
cou ld last a hundred years befo re the majo rity of p eop le hold it to be the n ew d omin ant p arad igm. I believ e we are in such
a time a s this . Pos sibly half w ay th roug h, if this c han ge st arted in the 1 960 's. Pa ul Ra y belie ves that in the e arly 1 960 's, on ly
4% held to the value system of the Cultural Creatives. Today a quarter of Americans would hold to that paradigm and no
doubt the number would be much higher among youth, artists, and media influencers. Brian MacLaren says that 80% of
young people h ave alrea dy trans itioned into a p ostmo dern m ind set an d 20% of older pe ople. Pos tmode rnity is the water
we sw im in. It is not a ca se of wh ether w e like or not. O r agree w ith it or not. It is here. It ex ists. It just IS.” 50
In a c om m entary entitled “The P ostmo dern C rackup ,” published in Christianity Today, Chuck Colson has argued that
cracks ma y have appe ared in the Postmodern facade. “September 11, theologian Michael Novak says, was the beginning
of the end fo r Postm odern p reemin ence. P eople are beginning to realize pos tmode rn presu pposition s simply don’t work.
And what are those presuppositions? Postmodernists claim we can have no “grand metanarrative” that makes sense of
reality. Since there’s no such thing as tru th, all principles a re mere ly perso nal prefere nces. A s profes sor Ed V eith explains,
the postmodernist claims that all you can do is try to impose your preferences on others before they impose theirs on you.
But then came September 11, the day terrorists imposed their preferences, murdering 3,000 innocent Am eri ca ns . If o ne ’s
worldview is true, it has to c onform to reality - to our real-life experiences. Post 9/11, few Americans could continue believing
that there’s n o such thing as m oral truth, no such th ing as go od and evil.”51
Is Colson right? Only time will tell, but the crowds which came to church following 9/11 soon left, and the lasting impact of
9/11 on ou r Pos t Chr istian Pos t Mod ern c ulture is yet to be fully understood. But Colson’s observation provides us with a
good reason for a Post Modern reality check. Much of our Post Christian Post Modern world has looked at Christianity (as
they perc eive it) and h as w alk ed aw ay disill usio ned . Epis cop al sch olar O s Gu ines s rela tes h is con vers ation with a well-
known network news a nchor w ho des cribed ho w, when he was person ally searchin g for spiritua l truth, he was turned off
to Chris tianity b y . . . the h ate m ail he had receive d . . . fro m p rofe ssin g Ch ristian s. W hen the e xpe rienc e of o ur lifes tyle
doesn’t live up to our explanation of the Gospel, the disconnect can be devastating to a Post Modern audience for whom
a genuine experience of truth is at least as important as a clear explanation of truth. If the Post Modern House Church
movement is to have a future as a genuine new wineskin in our Post Modern world, then it must becom e a place where
genuine Christianity, what Francis Schaeffer called “True Spirituality,” is authentically lived out in the lives of believers. Our
House Churches must become p laces where the genuine experience of God’s Kingdom Presence (EXPERIENCE)
combines with the absolute truth of God’s W ord (TRUT H), resulting in genuine person al transfo rma tion that ove rflows into
our neighbo rhoods and our com mun ities. Com mun ity transformation will never occur apart from the transformation of
individual believers, our homes and the churches which gather there.
Augustine, “Plausibility Structures” & The Kingdom of God
“All thinking be gins with a pain in the m ind.” For th e Ro ma n Em pire th at pa in climaxed in the year A.D. 410. In August of the
year A.D. 410 the city of Rome was besieged and sacked by Alaric I, King of the Visigoths. A disgruntled slave opened the
gate of the ancient city, the Goths poured in, and for th e first time in 800 years the g reat c ity was take n by an enem y.
Rom e’s fall had a devastating effect upon Roman Christians and non-believers alike. Why, they asked, should the city whose
beauty and power men had built and admired through the many centuries, and which was now the center of Christendom
(i.e., the “kingdom of Christ.” Remember, Constantine had legalized and adopted Christianity almost 100 years earlier) be
ravaged by the barb arians? Many C hristians w ere sha ken in the ir faith. The y had com e to equate the stability of Christianity
with the stability of Rome (or America?). The pagans attributed the disaster to the Christians (hmm, nothing really changes
does it?!), claiming that the ancient gods had withdrawn their ancient, thousand-year protection from Rome.
50
Andrew’s excellent four-part series of articles on Post Modernism (“The Skinny on Postmodernity Series”) can still be fairly
easily found at www.theooze.com, and I would recommend his blog (website) www.tallskinnykiwi.typepad.com. Enjoy the rabbit hole,
Alice!
51
Charles Colson, “The Postmodern Crackup,” in Christianity Today, December 2003, Vol. 47, No. 12, page 72. Posted on
the internet at www.Christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/012/24.72.html
When the news of Alaric’s sack of Rome reached North Africa, Carthage to be precise, followed by thousands of despairing
refugees, Augus tine, Bishop of Hippo , was m oved to re spond to this “pain in the m ind.” Augus tine labored for 13 year s to
produce an “explan ation wh ich expla ined,” which he titled Civitas Dei, The City of God. Rome had been punished, argued
Aug ustin e, not for abandoning her traditional gods in favor of her new religion (Christianity) but for her continued sins.
Augustine went on to argue that, rather than looking for and pursuing an earth ly city (civitas terrena, for you Latin buffs),
Christians should b e pursu ing the city of G od, “Mankind is divided into two sorts: such as live according to man, and such
as live according to God . These we m ystically ca ll the ‘two cities’ or soc ieties, the on e prede stined to re ign eterna lly with
God, th e other c ondem ned to pe rpetual torm ent with the Devil.”
W e have much in comm on with Augustine. The ancient world of Augu stine (the predecessor of the Pre-M odern Age) was
collapsing under internal and external pressures it had no means of resisting. The worldviews and philosophies of the
Classical world had run their courses and come to a point of exhaustion, no longer able to offer “explanations which
explaine d.” This in turn left a “pain in the mind” of the collapsing ancient world which Augustine addressed with biblical
answers which would stand for a thousand years. It is ironic that the world of Au gus tine’s day abandoned the bankrupt
paradigms of the ancient classical world for the new paradigm of Christianity. A thousand years later the Enlightenment
abandoned the Pre-Modern world of Christianity in order to return to the classical world (launching the philosophical and
artist ic sch ools of “neo-classicism”). After 200 years of attempting to restore a classical world view, built on Greek categories
of thought and reasoning, Modernism discovered what Augustine had declared a thousand years before - that the Classical
world of Greek rationalism and empiricism was as bankrupt of ultimate spiritual and moral truth in the 21st century as it had
been in the 5 th. Just as Augustine had brought classical philosophy to a close, so too Post Modernism has now brought neo-
classical Enlightenment philosophy to a close. All that remains are explanations which do not explain, and a pain in the mind
which will not go away. Like Augustine of 1600 years ago, the Church today stands in the gap of a cultural paradigm shift
of histo ric proportions, a shift which cries out for new paradigms, new “plausibility structures,” for presenting the g osp el in
an authentic manner to gen erations of unbelievers who have no C hristia n her itage to dra w on or an y “plausibility structure”
which will allow them to evaluate what we are communicating.
New bigin observes that “No co herent th ought is p ossible w ithout pres uppos itions.” 52 This is true, he argues, because “Every
kind of systematic thought has to begin from some starting point. It has to begin by taking some things for granted .” These
presuppositions then combine to create “plausibility stru ctures,” or “patterns of belief and practice accepted within a given
society, which determine which beliefs are plausible to its members and which are not . . . . Thus when , in any so ciety, a
belief is held to b e ‘reasona ble,’ this is a judgm ent ma de on the basis of the reigning pla usibility structu re.”
New bigin continue s: “Reason does not operate in a vacuum. The power of a human mind to thin k ratio nally is only developed
in a tradition which itself depends on the experience of previous generations. This is obviously true of the vast edifice of
modern science sustained by the scientific community. The definition of what is reasonable and what is not will be
conditioned by the tradition within which the matter is being discussed. Within an intellectual tradition dominated by the
methods of na tural s cien ce it w ill appe ar un reas ona ble to expla in things in terms of a personal will and purpose. But if God
exists and he is capable of revealing his purpose to human beings, then the huma n reaso n will be sum mone d to understand
and res pond to th is revelation and to rela te it to all other ex perienc e.”
W hy is this me aningfu l for the Ch urch an d its mes sage? Newb igin explains : “It is no secret, indeed it has been affirmed from
the beginning , that the gospel gives rise to a new plausibility structure, a radically different vision of things from
those that shape all human culture s apart from th e gos pel. The Church, therefore, as the bearer of the gosp el, inhabits
a plausibility structure which is at variance with, and which calls in question, those that govern all human cultures without
excep tion. The te nsion w hich this ch allenge c reates h as bee n prese nt throug hout the h istory of W estern c ivilization.”
As N ewb igin ob serv ed re gard ing th e per son who doub ts eve rything , our P ost M ode rn cu lture h as s ucc eed ed in r ation ally
and empirically arguing itself into a state of practical imbecility. At the grassroots level this means that our Middle School
children don’t know the moral difference between a kiss on the cheek and oral sex. Martin Luther once described the history
of mankind as a drunk riding a hor se. W hen he starts to fa ll off one side of the hor se he righ ts hims elf only to fall off th e
horse on the other side. The calling of the C hurc h in ou r Pos t Mod ern c ulture is not to he lp the drunk right himself on the
horse (i.e., to repair his fa ltering plaus ibility structure). R ather, ou r calling is to ch allenge the whole reig ning plaus ibility
structure which suggests that drunk men should be riding horses in the first place, and in the process to deliver and heal
the man from his drunken condition (not to mention liberating the poor long-suffering horse!). Augustine’s response to the
collapsing “plau sibility struc ture” of the 5th Century was the proclam ation of a new p lausibility structu re, one based upon
a call to faith, in co ntrast to the philosop hical “fatalism ” of the an cient wor ld: “Believe and you will und erstand .” To those
disillusioned by the collapsing plausibility structure of the 5th century Augustine offered “the City of God.” To a Po st Modern
culture which has argued itself into practical imb ecility, we must pro claim a new (but old) plausibility structure:
52
The following discussion regarding “plausibility structures” comes from Leslie Newbigin, The Gospel In A Pluralist Society,
(Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1992) pp. 8-9
The Kingdom of God.
This can only be done through the “true spirituality” of believers authentically living out and proclaiming the message of The
Kingdom of God as a transformational message which radically challenges, confronts, judges and transforms the reigning
Post Modern plaus ibility stru cture of ou r day, just as Augustine challenged the collapsing plausibility structure of the ancient
world. Our message must be biblically authentic, Kingdom oriented, power drive n and pers ona lly trans form ing. A s aut hen tic
believers living in our Post Christian Post Modern culture, our calling is to challenge the “plausibility structure” of our
enlightenment-tainted Post M odern c ulture with the “tr ans -ratio nal” (i. e., it transcends our Greek/Enlightenment rationalism)
plausibility structure of the Kingdom of God, one in which God exists and speaks authentic truth to men who are called upon
to listen and believe. It is a plausibility structure in which faith is the essence of things hoped for and the substance of things
not seen, not the product of Greek rationalism or Enlightenment skepticism. It is a plausibility structu re wher e the pow er to
transform the human condition is more important than empirical observations about the human condition, where the sick
can be healed, the dead can be raised, the unclean leper cleans ed, the demonized delivered and the hu man hea rt
transformed by faith, hope and love. It is a plausibility structure which may indeed be foolishness to Greek, Enlightenment
and Post Modern thinkers who have argued themselves into moral and s piritua l imb ecility. But the Kingdom of God is (and
has always been) a supernatural, trans-rational place where th ings im possible with me n (i.e., impossible under their existing
plausibility structu re) are po ssible with G od.
“The King dom o f God is at han d; repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:14)
Let the R iver flow!

, Describe how you have witnessed the change in moral and spiritual values in our Post Christian culture in your lifetime.
Do you regard these changes as good or bad? How have these changes affected the way you live out your faith?
, How have changes in the moral and spiritual climate of our Post Christian Post Modern culture affected or changed the
way you as a Christian relate to unbelievers?
A Post Modern Reading List

Ander son, W alter True tt. Reality Isn’t What It Used to Be. San Francisco: Harper and Row. 1990.
. The Truth About Truth: De-Confusing and Re-Constructing The Postmodern World. New
York: Putnam. 1995.
Clapp, Rod ney. A Peculiar People: The Church As Culture In A Post Christian Society. Down ers Gr ove: InterV arsity
Press. 1996.
Colson, Charles. “The P ostmo dern C rackup .” Christianity Today. Dece mbe r 2003, V ol. 47, No. 1 2, page 7 2.
Dock ery, David S . Editor. Post Moderism: An Evangelical Eng agemen t. Wheaton: Victor Books/SP Publications, Inc.
1995.
Greer, Robe rt C. Mapping Postmodernism: A Survey of Christian Options. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press. 2003.
Harring ton, And y. “Wh o Stole M y Rule B ook.” Youth worker. Nov/Dec 2003.
Linds ley, Art. True Truth: D efending A bsolute Truth In A Relativistic World. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press. 2004.
McLaren, Brian D. A New Kind of Christia n: A T ale of Two Friends on a Spiritual Journey. Hoboken: Josey-Bass/John
Wiley & Sons. 2002.
. The Story We Find Ourselves In: Further Adventures of a New Kind of Christian. Hob oke n: Jo sey-
Bass/John Wiley & Sons. 2003.
Miller, Kevin A . “Nom o Pom o - A Pos tmode rn Ran t.” Christianity Today/Leadership Journal, January 30, 2003.
Newb igin, Leslie. Unfinished Agenda: An Autobiography. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 1985.
. The Other Side of 1984. Geneva: World Council of Churches. 1983.
. The Gospel In A Pluralist Society. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans. 1992.
Risner, Jay. “Having a (Purpo se Drive n, Seek er Sens itive, Fam ily Based ,) Postm odern M inistry.” Youth worker. Nov/Dec
2003.
Roof, W ade C lark. Spiritual Marketplace: Baby Boomers and the Remaking of American Religion. Princeton: Princeton
University Press. 1999.
Schae ffer, Fran cis A. A Christian Manifesto. Westchester, Illinois: Crossway Books. 1981.
. Death In The City. Chicago: InterVarsity Press. 1969.
“The Antimoderns: Six postmodern Christians discuss the possibilities and limits of postm odernis m.” Christianity Today.
November 13, 2000, Vol. 44, No. 13, Page 74.
A Post Modern Comparison

Our Post Modern Culture A Christian Response
Post Modernism is all about “self-awareness.” Authentic Christianity is all about “Christ Awareness”
“Life really i s all about me an d my personal jo urney.” “Christianity is all about a journey into the Kingdom of God”
Truth is Relative & Subjective. Truth is “made” (socially Truth Is Constant (as opposed to “Absolute”), Objective in
constructed), not “found” (objective and discoverable). Social nature, but subjectively appropriated. The laws of physics
groups (such as Christians ) construct th eir own “truth” to s erve haven’t changed. A post-modern architect must objectively
their own interests, which usually involves exercising power calculate the weight-bearing load characteristics of a span
over other people. We are all shaped by our cultural context. when building a structure. They are constant. But that post-
We may have “objectivity” by our cultural standards, but there modern architect can subjectively appropriate those laws with
is no universal, trans-cultural standard of objectivity. As a unique designs. The truth of the Kingdom of God truth is
result, truth is subjective and life really is “all about me.” Truth constant, universal and trans-cultural, a reflection of the
is also “dialectic,” the result of opposing viewpoints which unchanging nature of God as expressed in the written word of
come together in conflict to form a new “synthesis” resulting in God. “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.”
“truth by consensus”. (Hebrews 13:8)
Suspicion Regarding “Meta-Narratives.” According to Belief In “Meta-Narratives.” Scripture teaches a “big story” of
Jean-Francois Lyotard, Post Modernism is “incredulity toward man’s creation, fall and God’s plan for redemption and the final
meta-narratives.” If there is no “ultimate truth” then there can consummation of all things. We call that “meta-Narrative” the
be no “big stories” which explain life and demand our story of The Kingdom Of God. “The Kingdom of God is at
allegiance. But people can’t live without meta-narratives and hand; repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:14)
long to be part of something greater than themselves. So our
Post Modern culture has created “pseudo-meta-narratives” in
politics, environmentalism, feminism, the war on terrorism or
the struggle for Middle East or World peace.
Deconstruction & the Demise of the Text. Because “meta- Reconstruction. The Kingdom of God presents a radical
narratives” have been used to oppress others, “Deconstruction critique of all existing meta-narratives, worldviews or
is justice” claimed Derrida. The texts behind those “plausibility structures” in order to call men everywhere to
metanarratives must be “deconstructed” to disprove their consider the Kingdom of God. While sinful or misguided men
validity and dem onstrating th e absence of an y comprehensi ve may have used Scripture or the Kingdom of God to oppress
or universally compelling meta-narrative. others, this is not its true purpose. “You shall know the truth,
and the truth shall set you free.” (John 8:32)
Emphasis upon “Personal Narratives.” In the absence of Emphasis upon Personal Testimonies. As Christ ians we
Meta-Narratives, all that remains are “personal narratives. believe in “personal truth,” the subjective experience of
“Personal truth” replaces “universal truth.” Truth is now objective truth which informs our “personal narratives.” The
personal, subjective and self-validating. “It’s true because I Kingdom of God is a call into a personal relationship with and
experienced it.” My personal story is all that matters. submission to God as King. (Acts 22:1-21 or 24:10-21)
No Universally Binding Morals or Ethics. Ethical and moral Morals are Universally Binding. Because God is the Creator
claims represent only personal sentiment and opinion, which His moral Laws are universally applicable to all men
may inform your personal narrative, but have no universal everywhere, regardless of culture. Amercian Associate
appeal. As a result there can be no neutral moral grounds on Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson appealed to such
which to condemn other cultures or even such events as the higher moral law in his prosecution of war crimes during the
Holocaust. Nuremberg War Crimes Trials following World War 2.
Triumph of Rhetoric. There is no ultimate truth, so the person Rhetoric (Preaching) as Vehicle for Truth. The goal of
with the most compelling story or the loudest argument “wins.” preaching (rhetoric) is to communicate truth in such a
convincing manner that people believe. (Acts 28:23-24)
Truth Is Experience & Experience Is Truth. “When truth is Truth Can Be Authentically Experienced, but experience
denied, therapy remains.” This isn’t an epistemology based must be clarified with propositional truth. Jesus answered
upon experience so much as experience substituting for an him, “Truly, truly , I say to you, unless one is born anew, he
epistemology. Post Modernism has found itself at an cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)
epistemological “dead end.”
Truth Known Through Community. Communities “create” Truth Is Lived Out In Community. Truth exists independent
truth which they live out in a common experience. The New of the community, but is to be experienced and authentically
Testament story of a divine Christ was created by the early lived out by Christians in genuine community (koinonia) with
church community and became their “truth.” one another. (Acts 2:44-46)
Community Determines Word Meanings. Words and the Truth Is Propositional With Consistent Word Meanings. A
texts they create now mean only what the social community of common language has common words with commonly
people creating them want them to mean. accepted meanings, which makes meaningful communication
between differing communities possible.
Module 3
A Kingdom, A People And A River

Module 3: A Kingdom, A People & A River
A New Paradigm For The Post Modern House Church Movement
“And He showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the
midd le of its street. And on either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every
month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:1-2).
Phen ome nolog ists And Keep ers of S wim ming Pools
For the past 150 years Western & American Christians have increasingly become “p he no m enologists.” O.K., that needs
s om e explaining. As we noted in the previous Module on Post Modernis m, the German philosopher Immanuel Kant
introduced subjectivism into human knowledge by limiting all human knowledge to the observable “phenomena” which can
be apprehended by the 5 senses and interpreted by the 7 categories of the mind. This left what he called the “noumena”
or ultim ate re ality (inc luding God , truth , value s, m ean ing) u nkn owa ble in a ny abs olute term s. As a res ult we are lim ited in
our know ledge of re ality to the outwa rd appe arance of things, th e “phen ome na.” Ultim ate reality (if it exists at all) is beyond
our ability to kno w. In other w ords, wh at we se e is what w e get. Th at’s it.
The imp act o f this wide ly acce pted view o f rea lity has been noth ing sh ort of disas trous . Stud ents of Dr . Fran cis Schaeffer
will remember his explanation of the “upper” and “lower” stories of knowledge separated by a “line of despair.” Our Post
Modern culture represents the end result o f a corporate intellectual life lived by men who, for all practical purposes, are
“pheno men ologists” tra pped b eneath a line of despair that separates them from any genuine knowledge or experience of
God, truth and meaning.
The Chu rch h as no t esc ape d this disaster. We, too, have become “phenomenologists” of a different sort. Valuing only what
we can see, we have become earth-bound analysts, absorbed and distracted by the endle ss a nalys is of “things.” Even our
apo loget ic proofs for God’s existence rely, for the most part, upon collections of “phenomena” which our culture has already
concluded can neve r rise above the invisible “line of despair” which holds all men captive. On a practical level this means
that chur ch gr owth is reduced to things we can see, such as analyzing cultural trends, understanding the ratio between the
size of our nurseries and the size of our sanctuaries, or focus group studies on whethe r the esp resso b ar (com plete with
a life-sized cardboard-photo cut-out of the past or se rving a latte ) sho uld be locat ed in th e m ain lobby or somewhere else.
W e have concluded that statistics (counting the phenomena) constitutes “knowing the truth.” To apply the harsh words of
Les lie Newbigin to the Church, we have analyzed ourselves into practical imbecility. Never in our history have we known
more . . . and accomplished less.
Now, because we value only what we can see we have become builders and keepers of institutional swimming pools.
According to historians the Roman Em peror Constantine’s mother, Helena embarked upon a tour of Palestine in search of
biblica lly significant locations. Wherever she found a place where Jesus had visited she built a church (as did the Crusaders
of the 11th Centur y). W hile we gro an and laugh at this behavio r, we are n o differen t, just mo re creati ve. T he H oly Sp irit
man ifests himself in great power and blessing in an event tha t can only be describ ed as a “revival.” So, what do we do? We
respond by building a religious swimming pool. W e start a magazine to prom ote and institutionalize a move of G od’s Spirit
that has already passed. Like Moses with the veil over his face we hope that no one will notice how the glory has already
faded. T he elusive “noum ena” of G od, truth an d spiritual rea lity is som ethin g we can n eithe r see nor c ontro l. So w e set tle
for something we can see and control. We start a “school of revival ministry” to teach a method for achieving something we
were ne ver resp onsible fo r produc ing in the first p lace.
But in times of revival it is the River of God’s Spirit which has begun to flow, not the methodologies of men which have begun
to work. The invisible tide of heaven has suddenly begun to beat upon the visible shores of earth. Old channels through
which the River may have flowed in times pa st, but which have since become dammed up by unbelief, control and religion
are by-passed as the River seeks new channels where it can flow freely. God is look ing fo r cha nne ls for His River. Men tend
to wa nt to b uild swimming pools where they can siphon off and capture a portion of the River, appoint lifeguards to watch
over the swimmers who come, offer swimming classes, hold "Holy Spirit pool parties," create committees to decide whether
or not a bigger swimming pool should be built and how exactly should they rule and control what actually belongs to God.
The God of all creation has always been about three things in this world. First, He has always been about establishing a
Kingdom of righteousness and peace. Second, He has always been about calling out a people who would love, worship and
obey Him. In return He would love, bless and rule over them as both Shepherd and King. Third, God has always been about
empowering His called out people to serve Him by pouring out a spiritual River of His power, presence and blessing.
The River
On the sanctuary wall of a local Presbyterian church hangs a set of beautiful banners created by several women in that
church, includ ing th is aut hor’s wife. T he ba nne rs de pict a flowin g rive r of th e Sp irit of God with a quote from Revelation 22:1,
“And he showed me a rive r of the wa ter of life.” The ima ge of a river as a m etap hor o f the H oly Sp irit, like this p ass age in
Revelation 22, is not new, either with the Apostle John or with the Church. Two hundred years before Joel prophes ied it,
five hundred years before Ezekiel saw it, and nine hundred years before the early Church experienced it, the Psalmist Korah
wrote (and sang!) about this River, “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling places of
the Most High”(Psalm 46:4).
Tod ay, we sing songs abou t the River flowing, asking the Holy Spirit to come and flow over us and through us in power,
without ever examining the scriptural teaching regarding the River of the Water of Life and asking ourselves what it means
to the mission of the Church today. I believe that a proper understanding of this River will result in a new and powerful
paradigm of God’s dealings His Church and the world today, and will give us in a renewed vision and the promise of
renewed power in our lives as we m ove into God’s new paradigm of house churches . So lets look at The River.
The image of the Rive r in Re velatio n 22: 1 is ta ken direc tly from the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, chapter 47, verses 1-12
This passage occurs within the co ntext of E zekiel’s vision of a future (future to E zekiel’s da y) restoration of Israel, th e
Temple, the People, the Priesthood and the Land. In Ezekiel 47:1-12 the prophet is given a vision of the Temple. The
em pha sis of the vision is upon water that begins to flow “from under the threshold of the house tow ard the east, for the house
faced east.” We are told that this water was flowing “down from under, from the right side of the house, from south of the
altar.” This will become imp ortant later.
When Ezekiel is taken by his angelic guide to the east gate of the Tem ple he sees that th e wa ter is trickling from the south
side of the Tem ple and is traveling eastward. At this point Ezekiel’s angelic guide travels east from the Temple with a
measuring line (obviously taking Ezekiel with him as he goes). At a distance of a thousand cubits from the Tem ple th e trick le
of water has become a flow that covers the prophet’s ankles. Ezekiel and his guide then move another thousand cubits from
the Tem ple wher e the flow h as bec ome deepe r, reachin g the kn ees. Afte r anothe r thousa nd cub its distance the flow of water
has increased to where it now reaches the loins (about waist deep). Finally, Ezekiel and the guide move another thousand
cubits and discover that what began as a trickle of water beneath the threshold of the Temple has now become “a river that
I could not ford, for the water had risen, water to swim in, a river that could not be forded”(Ezekiel 47:5).
Describing The River
At this point the angelic gu ide ask s Ezek iel, “Son of man, have you seen this?” The guide wants to know if Ezekiel
understands what he has se en. Ezek iel is brough t back to the bank of the river, a river bank lined with trees. He is told that
the waters of the river will travel east toward the Dead Sea (the only Sea east of Jerusalem). Even the dead salt waters of
the Dead Sea will become fresh and will teem with life, such is the cleansing power of the River. Every living creature that
the river touches will live. The river also produces a great harvest, a wide variety of fish (a reference to John 21:6). And,
finally, the River c auses trees to gr ow along its bank (borrowing the imagery of Psalm 1), producing fruit and leaves which
are for the healing of the nations. What does this all mean? In order to understand the meaning of this unique and wonderful
river we need to look at each of its characteristics.
It flows from the Temple. This river f lows from the T em ple in Jerusalem. But every student of Jerusalem and the
Tem ple is ke enly aware that Jerusalem (and particularly the Temple Mount) has no river or spring of water. Indeed,
when the Assyrians threatened to invade Palestine in the early 700s B.C. King Hezekiah ordered workmen to dig a
tunnel 1,777 feet through solid rock from the P ool of Siloa m to the S pring of G ihon o utsid e of J erus alem ’s walls in order
to provide fresh w ater to the c ity during a sieg e.
If we w ant th e Te mp le imagery itself to explain the source of this water then we need to ask ourselves a question: W here
in the Temple was there a large source of water? The answer is: in the Great Bronze Sea. Th is was a large bowl or “laver”
for water, cast in bronze, w hich stoo d in the co urt of Solo mon ’s Tem ple. The Great B ronze Se a me asured ten cubits (fifteen
feet) in diameter and stood five cubits (7.5 feet) high (see 1 Kings 7:23-26). The Sea was located on the southeast side of
the Temple (1 Kings 7:39), beside the altar (the water of Ezekiel 47 flows from the south side of the Temple, toward the
east). The purpose of the Sea was to provide water for the Priests to perform cere mo nia l washings. Now, The water
contained in the Great Bronze Sea, which the Priests used to cleanse themselves after every sacrifice, is symbolic of the
Holy Spirit, just a s in the New Testament the Holy Spirit cleanses the believer through the “washing of regeneration” (Titus
3:5).
So, wha t is this all about? In the Tem ple ima gery of Eze kiel 47 the Great B ronze Sea ha s been tipped ove r, pouring o ut its
water which flows out under the threshold from the south side of the Temp le. The mess age is clear. At some point in time,
future to Eze kiel, a day would come when the Holy Spirit would be poured out from the Temple of God. So, another question
presen ts itself: Has there ever been such a time, subsequent to Ezekiel’s day, when the Holy Spirit has been po ured ou t?
The answer is, Yes! The Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost. On the day of Pentecost the Great Bronze Sea
of the tem ple was tipp ed over and the w aters of th e Holy Sp irit were pou red out!
Module 3: A Kingdom, A People & A River - Page 59
In order to have a more complete unders tanding of the imagery used here we need to understand the New Testament
concept of the Heavenly Temple found in the book of Heb rews, C hapter 9 . Accord ing to the w riter o f He brew s, the Hea venly
Tem ple is the true and perfect temple, of which the earth ly tem ple w as bu t a sh ado w an d a typ e. In th is He aven ly Tem ple
Jesus, following His crucifixion, entered the holy of holies and p rese nted Him self a s the perf ect a nd fin al sac rifice and H is
blood as the final perfect atonement for sin. W ith the s hed ding a nd pr ese ntatio n of J esu s’ bloo d in the Hea venly T em ple
there was no longer any need for e ither sacrifices or ritual washings. When did these events occur in heaven? They
occurred betw een the d eath of Je sus (afte r whic h He appe ared in heaven to present His blood in the Heavenly Temple) and
Pentecost (when the G reat Bronze Sea of the Heave nly Temple was overturne d).
Now the Great Bronze Sea in the Heavenly Temple has been overturned and the water of life, the River of the Ho ly Spirit,
that cleanses and gives life, has been poured out upon the Church and the world in a River that grows as it flows. On the
day of Pe ntecos t the Gre at Bronze Sea of the Heavenly Temple, where Jesus now mediates for us as our heavenly high
priest, was over turne d and the R iver o f the H oly Sp irit was pour ed ou t upo n the Chu rch. T hat e vent w as “o nce -for- all” in that
it will never be repeated. But that River of the Water of Life continues to “grow as it flows.” This is the fountain-head of revival
in the Church, and the hope of the Church for revival in our day. It is a River of God’s presence, power and blessing that
is ever incre asin g, risin g to n ew le vels a nd em pow ering God ’s Church in fresh seasons of God’s dealings. Indeed, what we
call seas ons of “re vival” or “awakening” are simply seasons when the River of God’s Spirit, the River of Ezekiel 47 rises and
flows in fre sh dep th and po wer.
It grows as it flows. Imagine placing a bowl of water on your kitchen table and then tipping the bowl over so that the
water spilled out. How far would the water flow? W ould it flow o ut the door and d own the s treet , bec om ing a r iver in
the process? Of course not. But that is exactly what happens to the water in Great Bronze Sea in Ezekiel’s Temple.
The Great Bronze Sea is tipped over and the water begins to flow. At first it is only a trickle of water under the threshold, but
a thou san d cub its (ro ugh ly 1500 feet) from the T em ple th e trick le has grow n to a strea m th at co vers Ezek iel’s fe et up to his
ankles. The trick le of water grows in p ower an d depth the further it flows, eventually becoming a river that cannot be forded.
This point is crucial to understand. Most believers today have a view of the world which says that the power of G od is
waning, not increasing. In other words, in their understanding the River of the Spirit of God is slowly “drying up.” This is not
the teaching of Ezekiel 47. According to Ezekiel 47 God’s power and blessing grow as they flow! Do you be lieve th at! T his
passage teaches us that we sh ould exp ect the R iver of Go d’s Spirit, God ’s pow er in o ur wo rld, to g row a nd inc reas e as t ime
goes on. W e should expect every revival, renewal and awakening to be more powerful than the one which preceded it. But
do we believe that? Do we genuinely expect God to do grea ter thin gs in our d ay tha n He did 10 0 or 2 00 yea rs ag o? If th is
interpretation is correc t, then Ezek iel 47 sugg ests tha t Pentecost was only the beginning “trickle” of a mighty river that grows
as it flows!
It purifies and cleanses everything it touches. The God of Scripture is a God of redemption. The great redemption
that was purposed by God the Father and was achieved through the death of the Son is now applied by the Holy
Spirit. The Apostle Paul desc ribes it this way, “He sav ed us , not o n the basis of de eds whic h we have done in
righteousness, but a cco rding to His mercy , by the w ashing o f regene ration and renew ing by the Holy Sp irit. . .” (Titus 3:5).
The river of the Holy Spirit purifies and cleanses by the washing of regeneration. This should be a source of hope and
encouragement for th e chu rch. W e live in a world that is becoming increasingly polluted and is in need of cleansing, and
cleansing is the promise of the River!
It brings life to ev ery creature it touches. This is living w ater. It is the wa ter of life. It is alive with p ower to bring
life to every creature it touches. This is the ministry an d powe r of the H oly Spirit. Jesu s prom ised this living w ater to
the Sam aritan wom an at the w ell in Jo hn C hap ter 4. H e pro mis ed th is living wate r to all who were thirsty on the last
and grea t day o f the f eas t in Jo hn C hap ter 7. T his river, w hich gives life to e veryo ne it to uch es, is availa ble today. It is the
River of the Spirit of God!
It yields a great harvest of fish. Ezekiel was told that fishermen would stand before the river and w ould s prea d the ir
nets from Engedi to Englaim, places along the Dead Sea which were not known for fishing. Ezekiel was told that the
fish would be “according to their kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea, very man y.” This description seems to be a
precursor of John 21:6-11 where the disciples caugh t a “grea t num ber o f fish.” It is the power of the River of the Spirit that
turns ordinary men into fishers of men. The River of the Spirit of God is the power in our evangelism, and the promise of
the River is that we will have a great harvest of fish!
It nourishes trees which produce food, and leaves for the healing of the nations. The word pictu re he re in
Ezekiel 47:12 is taken from Psalm 1 where the righteous are described as trees planted by streams of water. The
river of the Sp irit of God c auses the trees ( the righteo us) to grow so th at the ir leav es do not w ither a nd th eir fru it do
not fail. But there is more. The fruit which the righteous produce is to provide food, while their leaves are for healin g. Th is
promise is repeated in Revelation 22:1-2, where w e are told, “the leaves of the tree wer e for the he aling of the n ations.” This
is an incred ible prom ise to all believe rs. God w ants to heal the hurting nations of the world. God desires to heal Russia,
China, Serb ia, Ko sovo , and ma ny oth ers. A nd H e is send ing th e Riv er of the H oly Sp irit in incr eas ing po wer to prod uce in
the lives o f belie vers the fr uit (an d the leave s) ne ces sary to bring abou t that h ealin g. God desires to heal natio ns and to
sweep them into the Kingdom of God.
Fasting & The River
When the Holy Spirit fell upon the early church at Pentecost, Peter declared that this outpouring of the Spirit was “what was
spoken of thro ugh the p roph et Jo el” (Acts 2:16 ). Th e pro mis e of th e Sp irit’s ou tpou ring in Joel w as pr ece ded by a thr ee-f old
call to fast. Th is strongly su ggests that the waiting church in the uppe r room w as dev oting them selves to fasting and prayer
during those ten days between the ascension of Jesus and Pentecost. I believe that th e outpouring of the H oly Sp irit
described in Ezekiel 47 occurred on the day of Pentecost, and has been “flowing & growing” ever since.
God answered the prayers and fastings of the early Church, and at Pentecost, not only was the prophecy of Joel fulfilled,
but the imagery of Ezekiel 47 was also fulfilled. The G reat Bronze Sea was overturned and the River of the Spirit of God
began to flow. Here we see the relationship between fasting and the River of Ezekiel 47. Like the early Church, our calling
today is to fast and pray and implore God to cause the River of Ezekiel 47, the River of the Spirit of God, to flow deeper and
wide r in ou r day, to be a R iver o f bles sing that “g rows as it flo ws.” Our calling is to fa st an d pra y, ask ing G od to send His
River to cleanse our polluted land, by convicting its inhabitants of sin, righteous ness a nd judg men t. Our calling is to fast and
pray, asking God to send the River of His Spirit into our lives and our Churches to make us fishers of men, to empower our
evangelism, and to reap a great harvest of fish. Our calling is to fast and pray, asking God to send His River to empower
the Chu rch, r eleas ing all His many gifts and blessings and producing fruit with which to feed the nations a nd leave s with
which to heal them.
The Coming “River Houses”
It has alwa ys been, a nd con tinues to b e, the hea rt of God to build His K ingdom , to call out a People, and to po ur ou t His
River. I believe God is onc e aga in raising up “old-but-new” paradigms to accomplish His three great purposes. Can you hear
what He is saying? One of the mature prophetic people in our house church network recently had a conversation with a
Christian couple who are n ot invo lved in hous e chu rch ( yet!), b ut wh o are gifted prop hetic intercessors. “What are these ‘river
hou ses ’ I keep hear ing fro m the Holy Spirit? ” she asked my prophetic friend. When he shared this with me I cou ldn’t h elp
but laugh. For some time now the Lord had been telling me that the coming move of His Spirit would be an outpouring of
the River of Ezekiel 47 in great power which would flow through house churches: “river houses” if you will. Two “old-but-new”
paradigms coming together to achieve God’s three great purposes in this world. What she was hearing was confirmation
of wh at I ha d bee n hea ring a nd te ach ing, a nd am now shar ing w ith you . The Rive r of G od’s Spirit is about to flow in great
power and blessing, and house churches are the new-but-old channels through which He plans to flow.
In Ephesians 3:20 the Apostle Paul tells us that we worship and serve a God “wh o is ab le to do exc eed ing ab und antly
beyond all that we as k or think, a ccordin g to the po wer tha t works within us.” God’s a bility to do, excee ds both our ability
to ask, and even our ability to think. Yet most Christians today act as though God’s power in the world is like an hour glass
whose sand is a bout to run out. How wrong we ar e! I believe Pa ul unders tood the R iver of Ezek iel 47. God ’s power , to
renew the Church, to awaken the world, to heal the nations and more, is a River of His Spirit that grows as it flows. All that
is nee ded toda y, is believers who are willing to seek Him in p rayer and fasting, as king ou r God, W ho delights to bless, to
sen d the Rive r of H is Sp irit into o ur live s, ou r hom es, o ur ne ighbo rhoo ds an d our com mu nity.
Prayer of Application
Hea ven ly Father, I fast and pray before your Throne of Grace this day and ask You to send the River of Ezekiel 47, the River
of the Spirit of G od, to flow deeper and wider today. Come, Holy Spirit, in greater power than we or our generation have ever
known. Come, Holy Spirit, and flow through our land. It is polluted and unclean and we need your convicting, cleansing
power. Com e, Holy S pirit, and flow th rough th e Chu rch. Ou r evang elism is w eak. W e lose more fish than we catch. We need
your power to become fishers of men . Com e, Ho ly Spirit, and flow through the Church to empower us to produce fruit to feed
the hungry nations, and leaves with which to heal them. Come, O mighty, Holy River, and flow through us in greater power;
deeper and wider than anything we have ever asked or imagined. Come, River of God, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord
I pray. Amen.
Let the River flow!

Module 4
The DNA of Kingdom House Church Ministry

Module 4: The DNA of Kingdom House Church Ministry
Module 4-A: A River That Flows House To House

Introduction: The Kingdom, The Church & The River
As we saw in the previo us Mo dule, it has a lways bee n, and co ntinues to be, the hear t of G od to do th ree th ings : He is
building His Kingdom, He is calling our His People, and He is pouring out His River. Throughout the ages since the light of
creation first shone on Adam and Eve, God has been calling a peop le to Himself. Now, in this Age of the Spirit He is pouring
out the River of His Spirit to empower and encourage His people throughout these end times. But rivers are not static like
oceans, ponds or pools. A river is dynamic, constantly moving, always seeking new places into which to flow. The power
of mo ving w ater is not to be under estimated - ask any flood survivor. While men may trap and control natural rivers behind
ma n m ade dam s, the Rive r of G od’s Spirit is not so easily tamed by men. How foolish we are to imagine that we can trap
and hold God’s River in a building or any other human structure. And so, following the ascension of Jesus, the early church
soon received a “crash course (or “splash course”) in the power of moving water, particularly the kind that flows from the
Throne of God. It washed them out of the Upper Room where they had gathered and swept them into the streets of
Jerusalem with great power and blessing. They quickly learned how to “ride the river.” They didn’t build boxes or swimming
pools. They sim ply allowed the River to floo d over the m an d to flood through their homes like channels. From Jerusalem
they allowed the River to carry them out to Lydda, Joppa, Caesarea, Antioch and beyond. They quickly became “people of
the River” and their homes became channels through which the River of God’s Spirit flowed as it carried them to the ends
of the ea rth, just as J esus h ad prom ised.
God was building His Kingdom, calling out His people and pouring out the River of His Spirit. And the homes of those early
believers were the new footholds of this Kingdom and the first chan nels through which that River flowed. The River of God
would now flow person to person and house to house.
First Century Background53
In the world of Jesus and the early Church Jews gathered in assemblies known as Synagogues which had originated during
the Babylonian captivity some 400 years earlier. The Synagogue, which derives from the Greek verb sunago mea ning “to
gather to gether,” referred primarily to the official gathering of 10 ad ult male Jews. O nly secon darily did it com e to refer to
the place whe re the y gathered. Following Pentecost the early believers, who were mostly Jews, continued to attend
synagogue and to worship in the Temple in Jerusalem. But they also added an aspect that had been missing among pious
Jews. They began to meet in one another’s homes. Jewish converts to Christianity were soon banned from synagogues and
open persecution mad e attendance at Tem ple services difficult (As Paul discovered in Acts 21). As the Church spread into
pred om inant ly Gen tile (i.e., non- Jew ish) a reas , neith er Syn ago gue nor T em ple at tend anc e we re im porta nt to G entile
conve rts. But the C hurch, c onsisting of Jews and G entiles, con tinued to m eet “hou se to hou se.”
The “church” began to replace the Synagogue as the fo cus of C hristian ac tivity. But like the origin al mea ning of “s ynagogu e,”
the designation “church” referred to any assembly of Christians gathering together for worship. The word translated “church”
in the New Testament is the Greek word ekk lesia . It comes from the Greek preposition “ek” meaning “from” or “out of,” and
the Greek verb kaleo mean ing “to call.” Hence, the ekk lesia was the “assem bly of called -out one s.” The word has no
reference to a meeting place or building. It is a description of the people wh o assem ble together, not a referen ce to
their structure, building or organization. They are those who have been “called out” of “the domain of darkness and
transferred to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Coloss ians 1:13 ).
The word ekk lesia has both a Gentile and a Jewish background:
O In classical Greek ekk lesia referred to the citizen-assembly of a Greek city-state (or polis ).
O In the Gre ek Se ptuagint (th e Gree k trans lation of the H ebrew O .T.) ekkle sia is one of th e words used to
refer to the nation of Israel in its religious character as the “congregation of Jehovah”. Jews of Jesus’ day
cou ld not read Hebrew. The Greek Sep tuagint was the Old Testam ent with which most Jews were familiar.
In Deuteronomy and the following O.T. books (except Jerem iah and Ezekiel) ekk lesia is the regular
Septuagint translation equivalent for the Hebrew word qahal (“assem bly”). Jews o f Jesus ’ day would re late
the ekkle sia (which we translate “church”) with the qahal (“assembly”) of the Old Testament. New
Testament scholar F. F. Bruce notes: “The Christian “ekklesia” was both new and old -- new, because
53
Perhaps the most extensive modern work on the house churches of the New Testament is Roger W. Gehring, House Church
and Mission: The Importance of Household Structures in Early Christianity (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 2004).
of its relation and witness to Jesus as the Messiah and to the epoch-making events of His death, exaltation,
and sending of the Spirit; old, because it was the continuation and successor of the old “congregation of
Jehovah” which had formerly been confined within the limits of one nation but was now to be thrown open
to all believers without distinction”.54
House Churches In The New Testament
As the River of God’s Spirit began to flow, there could be little question that the “house ,” household” or “hom e” played a very
important and uniqu e role in the life of the N ew Te stam ent ekk lesia . It really is impossible to understand the life of the New
Testament Churc h apart fro m the contex t of the “ho use” wh ere it me t and wh ere m ost m inistry ac tually o ccu rred . The ir
homes became the new channels for the River of God ’s Spirit. So let’s start there. In the Greek New T estament there we re
2 primary words for “house”:
O oikia - In Class ical Gree k this word referred primarily to the dwelling place, the “house” itself, consisting
of a building.
O oikos - This word originally referred to the broader “estate” of which the house (oikia ) was a part, but which
also includ ed th e pre me sis, th e fam ily property and even the inhabitants of the house. It was this broader
or extended sense that led to the concept of oikos as enc omp assing o ne’s “ex tended family.”
By the time of the New T estament the two wo rds had lost most of their clear distinctiveness and were used more or less
as synonyms, although some distinctives remained. For example, when the New Testament says that salvation comes to
a “house,” the word used is always oikos, not oikia (with the possible exception of John 4:53). Also, the word oikia is never
used in the N T to r efer to “the chur ch in yo ur ho use ,” only oikos. The distinctive use of oikos rather than oikia in these two
situations suggests that Scripture is emph asizing the extended “household” (or what we m ight refer to as the “home” o r
“exte nde d fam ily”) asp ect o f the p eop le invo lved r athe r than the p hysic al “ho use ”. Ne w Te stam ent “h ous e chu rch” was n’t
about meeting in small buildings called houses. It was (and is) about the River of God’s Spirit flowing through the ekk lesia
which gathered and met there.
In the New Testament, homes were the primary centers of ministry activity, both for Jesus and for the early Church. The
gospel was preached in homes (see Acts 5:42 & 20:20) and the Lord ’s sup per w as c elebr ated (usu ally as p art of a m eal)
in homes (Acts 2:46). The creation of these home-based ekklesias or “house churches” was a critica l step in the spreading
of the Gospel. By means of its ne twork of “ho use chur che s” the early ekk lesia placed the good news of the Kingdom of God
at the c ente r of th e nat ural o rder of life. This became the regular or normative pattern for the next 250 years. The Kingdom
of God beca me insep arab ly integ rated into th e ext end ed fa mily, a nd th e ear ly ekk lesia quickly came to resemble a large
extended family, not a large over-extended organization. The centrality of the home in ministry can be seen in the following
examples:
O The magi (or wise men) followed the star to the house where Jesu s, Ma ry & Jo sep h we re living in
Bethlehem (M atthew 2:10).
O Jesus ministered the gospel in people’s homes:
‘ Jesus entered Pe ter’s house to minister to Peter’s mother-in-law (Matt. 8:14; Luke 4:38);
‘ Jesus m inistered in the house of Matthew the tax collector (Matthew 9:9-10);
‘ Jesus entered the hou se of Jairus to heal his daughter (Luke 8:49);
‘ Jesus m inistered in the house of a Pharisee (Luke 7:36ff);
‘ Jesus m inistered in the house of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:5);
‘ The “upper room” where Jesus observed the Passover was a room in a private home (Luke 22:7-
12).
O Jesus told the disciples to use private homes as their base for ministry in a communi ty (Matt. 10:11-14;
Luke 10:5-7).
O The early ekk lesia can be seen meeting in homes and moving from house to house (Acts 2:46; Acts 5:52).
54
F.F. Bruce, Commentary on the Book of The Acts, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, F.F. Bruce,
General Editor (Grand Rapids: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1977), p. 116.
Module 4: The DNA of Kingdom House Church Ministry - Page 65
O The Apostle Peter use d the home of S imon the tanner as a ba se for his ministry in Joppa (Acts 9:43).
O Peter also m iniste red th e gos pel in the hom e and to th e asse mble d hous ehold of C ornelius (A cts 10:22 &
11:12).
O The Apostle Paul m inistered in the home and to the househ old of Lydia in Philippi (Acts 16:15).
O Paul described his work in Ephesus as ministering both publicly (in the School of Tyrannus) and “house
to house” (Acts 20:20).
O The early ekk lesia met in the homes of various individuals:55
‘ Acts 18:7 - An ekk lesia in Co rinth m et in the house of Titius Justus, a God-fearer who lived next
to the Synagogue;
‘ Acts 18:8 - Another ekk lesia in Co rinth m et in th e hou se of Cris pus , lead er of the S ynag ogu e in
Corinth;
‘ Acts 21:8 - An ekk lesia appears to have met in the home of Philip the evangelist in Caesarea;
‘ 1 Corinthians 1:16 - Another ekk lesia in Corinth met in the house of Stephanus;
‘ Romans 16:5 - Paul greets the ekk lesia which met in the home of Prisca & Aquila;
‘ Colossians 4:15 - Paul greets Nympha and the ekk lesia meeting in her house;
‘ Philemon 2 - Paul greets the ekk lesia meeting in the house of Philemon.
It is pro bab ly safe to sa y that n early e very N ew T esta me nt Ep istle (o r letter ), with the tw o exceptions of Hebrews and
Revelation, was written to an ekk lesia meeting in someone’s home, or to an individual who had an ekk lesia me eting in his
or her home!
The early ekkles ia functioned like an extended family, and the homes where they met became the new c hann els
throug h which the River o f God’s S pirit now flo wed w ith great po wer!
And The R iver Flowed Throug h the Early Netw ork of Ekklesias
Acts 2:43-47 provides us with an excellent snap shot of New Testament house churches at work. Within a brief period of
50 days (from the resurrection to Pentecost) the early Church found itself in the midst of a spiritual outpouring (a revival!)
of great power as the River of God’s Spirit was poured out upon the Church. As a result the ekk lesia quickly grew from 120
peo ple gathered in the uppe r room to a gr oup of 3,0 00 ne w co nver ts (Ac ts 2:4 1). An d sinc e this num ber p roba bly
represented only the number of men (see Acts 4:4), the addition of women and children actually pushed this total to around
10,000 new converts who were now a part of the young church. If true, then Acts 2:43-47 is describing a network of home-
based ekk lesia s (ho use chur che s) tha t abs orbe d as m any as 10,0 00 you ng be liever s. W ithin a noth er ch apte r-an d-a- half
(encompassing what appears to be only a few days) the ranks of the young church swelled again with another 5,000 men
(Acts 4:4) or up to another 15,000 men, women and children (for a total ingathering of as many as 25,000 new co nverts).
And yet this structure of networking ekklesias, me eting in hom es, a bso rbed this flood of converts and met their needs for
encou ragem ent, instruction and provision. Could our present-day traditional, institutional church-building structure do this?
I seriously do ubt it.
Desp ite spor adic persecutions by the Jewish religious establishment, the book of Acts portrays the early Church (rem ember:
think ekk lesia ) as living in relative peace with the Roman government. Acts ends with the Apostle Paul under house arrest
with relativ e fre edo m to rece ive frie nds and p rocla im th e gos pel w hile awaiting the outcome of his appea l to Caesar, “And
he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters, and was welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God,
and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered” (Acts 28:30-31). But that situation would soon
change for this new sect as it came to the increasing attention of the Roman authorities. What this new sect was doing was
believing in someone or something greater than Rome and the divine emperor. And that was dangerous . All Romans were
55
I am intentionally using the term ekklesia to refer to New Testament churches here in order to help the reader make a mental
distinction between the “assembly of called out ones” and the location, place, building or house in which the ekklesia met. In our Western
culture the word “church” elicits immediate images of buildings called “churches,” something which would never have occurred in the
New Testament.
“religious.” 56 They had a pantheon of gods and everyone was free to believe in any gods they chose, so long as they were
also willing to acknowledge the “genius” of the divine Emperor by offering a pinch of inc ens e upo n alta rs de dica ted to him .
Romans would offer their pinch of incense with the usual incantation, “Caesar is Lord.” By doing this, average Romans
acknowledged the supremacy of the state in all practical matters.
But this new sect and its followers were different. They worshiped a god named “Chrestus”57 or “Christ,” a Jewish rabbi who
had been crucified in Palestine, but whom they claimed had been raised from the dead. They rejected idols of all the gods
(which had caused no small riot in the city of Ephesus), and refused to make any idol of their own god (which in Roman eyes
was highly pecu liar). In fact, they claimed that there was only one true God. It was rumored that they practiced cannibalism
in their secret meetings (something about eating the body and drinking the blood of someone). But worst of all, they refused
to acknowledge the “genius” of the divine Emperor. They refused to acknowledge the “spirit of Rome” and the supremacy
of the Sta te. And this mad e them a threat.
For this reason, two of their leaders, one a former fisherman named Simon Peter and the other an itinerant Jewish
philosopher named Saul (or Paul) of Tarsus, had been arrested, tried for sedition and treason against the Emperor, and had
bee n exe cute d as e nem ies ag ains t the S tate. T his had taken place under Emperor Nero, around A.D. 65. F rom that tim e
onward, for the next 250 years (until Emperor Constantine) it was a criminal offense against the State, punishable by death,
to openly profess Christianity. Although actual persecutions were sporadic and localized (but intense when they occurred),
the threat wa s real and consta nt. The m ere acc usation b y a neighbo r, friend or a cquainta nce co uld me an arres t,
imprisonment, a challenge to confess or renounce, and death.
In order to p ursue th eir faith withou t drawing a ttention to th emse lves these early Christians were forced to take unusual
steps. The early Church was forced to become an underground networking church. The Book of Acts (written prior to the
beginning of official Roman persecution) demonstrates that the early Church had always been a networking church that
networked house-to-house. Indeed the anonymous author of the New Testament book of Hebrews admo nished th ese
believers, “let us con sider how to stimulate one another to love and good deed s, not forsaking our own assem bling together,
as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day draw ing near” (Hebrews 10:24-
25). This was simple first century networking among Christian believers. They met in homes and ministered to one another
priva tely, while also a ttending p ublic wors hip at the T emp le and in loca l synagog ues. P eople associated w ith the early
Church open ly and the Church freely accepted all who came. But once the official Roman persecutions began, certain things
had to change. Churches began to meet secretly in members’ homes, or in secret locations (such as in the subterranean
catacombs beneath the city of Rome). In order to identify themselves to fellow believers (or to prevent identifying themselves
to hostile non-believers) they created “secret signs” including the sign of the fish. In Greek, the word “fish” ichthus)
represented an “acrostic” where each letter represented the first letter in the fo llowing phra se in Gr eek: Je sus C hrist - God’s -
Son - Saviour. By drawing the sign of a fis h one believ er co uld ide ntify him self a s a C hristia n to a fellow believ er (w ho w ould
acknowledge the sign), but a non-believer would ignore the cryptic message. In difficult times you need to be able to identify
and ne twork w ith people w hom you kno w you can trust.
And the River flow ed on . . . .
Pliny Encounters The Kingdom, The People & The River
In spite of the growing official persecution of Christianity, the River of God’s Spirit continued to flow in great power through
the lives and homes o f these early believers. Roughly 80 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, and a bout 50 years
after the end of the N.T. book of Acts the River of God encountered a Roman governor by the name of Pliny. Pliny the
Younger (Pliny Secundus) was a member of the Roman Senatorial class, a famous Rom an orator and an administrator who
had achieved a reputation as a prosecutor and defense counsel in political cases, including the defense of two former
governors of the Province of Bithynia (in what is Turkey or Asia Minor). As an acknowledgment for his services the Emperor
Trajan appo inted his frie nd P liny to be the im peria l legat e and Gov erno r of B ithynia where he served from 111-113 AD. And
it was at this time that Pliny encountered a Kingdom, a people and a River. 58
W e have a whole set of exchan ges of Pliny’s letters with the emperor Trajan on a variety of administrative and political
matters. Two o f these lette rs, 96 an d 97, are the m ost fam ous (Pliny, Letters 10.96-97). In Letter 96 Pliny encounters
56
There are records from the Great Persecution of Roman magistrates admonishing Christians with the words, “We, too, are
a religious people. So what makes you special.” See Wilkens, Christians As The Romans Saw Them.
57
Seutonius, Life of Claudius, 25.4. See also his Lives of the Caesars, 26.2.
58
For a detailed treatment of Pliny’s encounter with Christians see Wilkens, Christians As The Romans Saw Them.
Christian ity for the first tim e and s eeks Trajan ’s advice a nd app roval of his actions in d ealing with Chris tians . Pliny’s letter
gives us a “snap shot” of the early Church and its practices as seen and understood by a prominent unbeliever (i.e., the
Roman Governor). Trajan’s response in letter 97 contains the first surviving statement of imperial policy respecting the
treatment of Christians. The following is Paragraph 4 from Pliny’s Letter To Trajan:
1 - 4. “They (the Christians) asserted, however, that the sum and substance of their fault or error had been that they were
accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ a s to a god, and to bind themselves
by oath , not to som e crim e, bu t not to com mit fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to refuse to return a trust
when called upon to do so. When this was over, it was their custom to depart and to assemble again to partake of food--but
ordinary and innocent food (Note: Christians had been accused of practicing cannibalism). Even this, they affirmed, they
had cease d to do afte r my ed ict by wh ich, in acco rdance with you r instruction s, I had forbidden political associations.
Accordingly, I judged it all the more necessary to find out what the truth was by torturing two female slaves who were called
deaco nesse s. But I disc overed nothing e lse but de praved , exces sive sup erstition.”
Here we see Christians gathering together as an ekk lesia on a s pec ific day to worship together (by singing a hymn to Christ)
and to pledge among themselves to do no harm, and gathering again to share a meal and probably to observe the Lord ’s
Supper. While not stated, these activities probably took place in someone’s home (where food could be prepared and
served). Welcome to house church , 2 nd century style! Does that look simple enough that you could do it in your home along
with fellow believers? Probably!
How effective was this type of 2nd century “house church?” Appare ntly it was very effe ctive, beca use Pliny go es on to
com plain to Traja n, “For the matter seemed to me to warrant consulting you, especially because of the number involved.
For many persons of every age, every rank, and also of both sexes are a nd w ill be en dan gere d. Fo r the c onta gion o f this
superstition has sp read no t only to the c ities but also to the villages and farm s.” Yes! Isn’t that what we want, a genuine and
“infectious” faith that spreads like a “contagion” through our homes, our families, our friends, our neighbors and our
communities? Isn’t it time we returned to the house church ekk lesia of the 2nd century? Isn’t it time for your home to become
an outpost for the Kingdom of God, and for the River of God ’s spir it to flow in power through you and the ekklesia that m eets
in your house? 59
And the River flo wed on . . . .
Evangelism In The Early Church
In the face of such growing persecution for their faith, how did the early church go about evangelizing? And why aren’t we
nea rly as effec tive as they w ere? R ams ay MacM ullen, profe ssor of ancient h istory at Yale, ha s estim ated that i n each
generation some 500,000 people were added to the church up until the conversion of Emperor Constantine in AD 312, when
the church finally made up between 5 and 8 per cent of the population of the Roman Empire.60 Think about tha t. Christianity
represented only 5- to-8 p er ce nt of th e pop ulatio n wh en C hristia nity co nqu ered the R om an em pire. T oda y it’s estimated that
born again Chris tians repre sen t 38% of all adults in America, yet we are losing our communities, our nation and our culture.
W hat’s the d iffere nce betw een their treme ndous effectiven ess an d our se emin g powe rlessne ss to reverse the spiritual rot
in our c ulture ? It ce rtainly w asn ’t their e vang elistic tech nique , their public prea chin g or th eir se eke r sen sitive w orsh ip
services. In his boo k, Hou ses Th at Cha nge T he W orld , author W olfgang Sims on obs erves, "Except for Philip (Acts 9) and
the fivefold ministry (Eph. 4:11), there is almost no mention of ‘evangelists’ or ‘evangelism’ as we know it in the New
Testament and the records of the early church at all . . . . Arthur Darby Nock says that in the history of the early church ‘there
was little, if any’, direct preaching to the public masses ; it was sim ply too da ngerou s." 61 In fact, the p agan C aecilius, a
contempo rary of the early church, reported that Christians were ‘silent in public, but c hattering in th e corne rs.’ W e forget tha t,
after the year AD 64, shortly after the book of Ac ts, Ch ristian ity was a forb idden faith, p rofe ssio n of w hich was punis hab le
by death. There were no "seeker sensitive" church services in the early church. Again, W olfgang Sims on says, "Although
the church in Corinth was still open to outsiders, from the mid-first century onwards pagans were usually neither invited nor
admitte d to Christian meetings. After the persecution under Nero in the middle of the first century, most churches closed
their doors to outsiders . . . . The fellowship meetings of the Christians were not at all meant to be attractive for outsiders,
59
If you would like to do a house church lesson on Pliny and the early church we have included a guided study of Pliny’s
complete letter and Trajan’s response in Appendix A of this book. See “Pliny and Trajan on the Christians” in Appendix A.
60
Wolfgang Simson, Houses That Change The World (UK: Paternoster Publishing, 1998), p. 40
61
Ibid., p. 42-43
becau se they were n ot design ed for them ."62
So, if there were no evangelistic meetings or public preaching, no seeker sensitive services for unbeliever s, ho w did
Christian ity spread? W hat attracted unbelievers to what the heretic Celsus called a "secret society?" Here is what Wolfgang
Simson says, "Beyond the fact that Christians lived in organic and easily multipliable house churches, equipped and guided
by the fiv efold minis try (E ph. 4 :11), som e of th e ma in rea son s for p eop le becoming Christians in ancient times, according
to numerous historic studies d one by Alan Kre ider and o thers, are as follows . . ." Wolfgang gives 5 basic reasons why
people were attracted to the early church. I want to summarize these 5 reasons:63
O Curiosity - The church appealed to people’s basic instinct and desire to be part of an exclusive family. According
to W olfgang , people w ere not fre ely adm itted to church es, and this only spar ked an d heighte ned their inte rest. He
goes on to say that today, we are sometimes in danger of pressing home answers to people who have not even
asked the right questions, and thereby preventing people from becoming truly curious. Doe s your faith m ake peop le
truly curious? Or are you throwing pearls before swine by giving people answers to questions they haven’t asked?
O Steadfastness in persecution a n d m a r ty rdom . I was stru ck by this q uote: "The first time that many people in the
first centuries set eyes on a real, living Christian was when they saw one die”.
O E xo rcism. The early church father, Irenaeus, wrote of the evangelistic function of exorc ism, "Those who have been
cle ansed often both believe in C hrist and join thems elves to th e churc h." Justin of Rome, writing in AD 150,
described how Christians helped other people almost systematically to renounce demons, and saw them being
liberated from spiritu al opp ress ion m ainly in four key areas: unlawful sex, the secret and magic arts, escalating
private wealth, an d violent xe nopho bia. “The early Christians would have seen people who practiced illicit sex
outside marriage, who accumulated material wealth for personal gain, who were involved in occultism, or who were
violent to foreigners and strangers, as demonically bound people who needed the help of Jesus to be released from
these o verpow ering spiritua l forces."
O They had fo und a way to live. Before they were called Christians, the early believers were called followers of "the
way." After, hadn’t Jesus said the He was "the w ay." Ch ristian s had not o nly fou nd th e righ t reas on an d wa y to die
(as martyrs), they had also found the right way to live. The way they organized and structured their life was called
"the church." Church wasn’t an organization or a building, it was a lifestyle.
O The teachings & person of Jesus. Many early Christians were convinced ‘that conversion began not so much
at the level of belief but at the level o f lifestyle.’ Today, we ask people to "believe" without requiring any alteration
in their life style. T he ea rly chu rch h eld that the person unwilling to change their lifestyle was a person unprepared
to believe. “The church did not preach itself, it preached Christ by promoting his teach ing and b y living his lifesty le.”
The Decline of the House Church and The Rise of the Church Building
For most of the first three hundre d years of its existenc e Christian ity consisted of group s of believe rs, ekklesias, which met
for worship in private homes. Author and New Testament scholar Bradley Blue, writing in “Acts A nd The Hous e Chu rch,”
summarizes this period as follows:
“Recent archaeological evidence from such diverse places as Capernaum, Rome and Ke nt strong ly sugge sts that for the
first few hundred years of the Church’s existence, Christian groups gathered, not in large ‘purpose- built’ church buildings,
but in dom estic resid enc es w hich could acc omm oda te the ir nee ds. S ome times thes e we re ren ova ted b etter to fit the needs
of the community, but in at least one case (Dura-Europos) the internal renovations were carefully made invisible externally.
The book of Ac ts me ntion s su ch fig ures as A quila and Priscilla, Jason of Thessalonica, Simon the Tanner, Lydia and the
Philippian Jailor (and their homes and hospitality) not merely out of gratitude for offering Christian leaders a place to sleep,
62
Simson, Houses That Changed the World, p. 45
63
Ibid., pp. 47-52
but prob ably bec ause th ey ope ned their h omes for mee tings of their loc al Christian comm unities.” 64
The period of official persecution of Christians, from the reign of Ne ro in A .D. 67 until the rise of Constantine and the Edict
of Nantes in A.D. 313 prevented the building of large formal dedicated buildings for Christian worship. Structures were limited
to private residences which were occasionally renovated to accommodate large groups of Christian worshipers. But even
this was risky since such residences could be seized and even destroyed. The ascension of Constantine to the Imperial
Throne of Rome and the cessation of official persecution resulted in a building spree, encouraged by Constantine himself,
who ordered Christian property restored and ordered the building of numerous “basilicas” or dedicated places of Christian
wors hip throughout the Empire. Christians, havin g end ured 50 yea rs of The Gre at Pe rsec ution , beg an to cong rega te pu blicly
in designated structures called “churches” for the first time in nearly 250 years.
This transition from house chur che s to c entra lized m eetin g plac es c ulm inate d und er the Imp erial ru le of Theodosius I (AD
379-395). Following his ascension to the Imperial Throne in the Eas t and his ba ptism in AD 380 Theodosius endorsed the
Nicene Creed (the statement of faith produced by the Council of Nicea in AD 325) against the Arian faction of the church.
In order to promote doctrinal orthodoxy and suppress Arian heretics, Theo dosius o rdered a ll Christians to profess the faith
of the Bishops of Rome & Alexandria (the Nicene Creed) and he forbade heretics to meet within cities. He outlawed all forms
of pagan worship, both public and private, throughout the empire. Theodosius is noted for stamping out the remnants of the
old pagan Roman gods, but in his zeal to promote orthodoxy his actions also had the net effect of driving all worship out of
private homes and into the basilicas where it could be overseen by a Bishop, and so the tradition of one person “pastoring”
a “church” was born.
The Modern Re-Discovery Of The House Chu rch
It is not m y purpos e here to recount the history of house churches from the time of Theodosius (late 5 th Cen tury) u ntil tod ay.
Others have done that a bly and I will leave it to the reader to explore that topic further.65 Recently, house churches returned
to prominence in the life of God’s people during the 1950s in China. It has been suggested that 1950 will one day be seen
as the time when God began to complete the restoration of the early church by returning it to its house church roots. As
Comm unism took over China in the 1950, all of the traditional western missionaries were expelled from country, the
traditional churches were closed down and the leadership was either ostracized, jailed or kille d. Ye t, out o f the f ires o f this
terribly difficult period (known in China as the “Cultural Revolutio n”) em erged th e greate st growth of the chur ch in h istory.
Much to their surprise, when China began to “re-o pen” in the 1980s and communication with believers could be re-
established, western mission agencies discovered that the approximate 6 million believers of the 1950s had g rown to we ll
over 60 million! And, most of that spectacular growth occurred in the context of a 1st C entury structure called a "house
church" (the “Official” state church known as “Patriotic Three-Self Churches” encompassed roughly 15% of Chinese
believers, while the illegal underground house churches account for roughly 85% of Chinese believers). Meg a chu rche s in
the west which tout membership or attendance of 2 0,000 or more are dwarfed by Chinese house church networks of 10
million and more!
It has also been suggested that the year 1980 will be seen as a key date for the academic recognition of the importance of
house churches. In 1997 A. J. Malherbe wrote a book entitled Social Aspects of Early Christianity 66 in which he observed
that up until that time (1977) “no ma jor work has be en dev oted to the New T estam ent hous e churc h.” I was intrigu ed by t his
observation and decided to do a little quick research. Utilizing the OCLC FirstSearch system of a local college which
searches libraries around the world, I found that between 1940 and 1979 there were 30 boo ks w ritten a nd av ailable (in
English) on the topic of “house churches.” But between 1980 and 2005 there were 215 books in English (including numerous
books that treated both house and cell church) on “house churches.” So, in a real sense, the observation regarding 1980
as a “waters hed” da te ma y be corre ct. Som ethin g has definitely occurred in the past 25 years in terms of awareness
regarding house churches!
I also r eflec ted o n the obse rvatio n tha t the h ous e chu rch m ovem ent b ega n to e xplo de in C hina in the 1950 s. I was sharing
these thoughts with a member of our house church network and observing how it has only taken the mainline church,
64
Bradley Blue, “Acts And The House Church,” in The Book of Acts In Its First Century Setting, vol. 2, David W. J. Gill and
Conrad Gempf, eds. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1994), p. 119-222.
65
A good concise summary of that history can be found in Chapter 2, “House Churches In History” of Wolfgang Simson’s book,
Houses That Change The World.
66
Abraham J. Malherbe, Social Aspects of Early Christianity, 2nd edition (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1983).
seminaries and missiologists 30 years to catch on to this m ove of G od. His c omm ent took me b ack. H e said, “Yep. Now
they’re ana lyzing the du st that’s alread y settled.” As I th oug ht m ore a bou t his comment it struck me that much (not all) of
what is being written about house church is, in fact, an analysis of the past in the hope of recovering yesterday’s paradigm,
whereas God wants us to begin preparing for wha t is about to c ome . The “d ust” has settled from the last move of God, and
after 30 years of analysis we’ve concluded that it was in fact biblical (much to God’s relief, I’m sure). Our question must now
become, “How do we u se this inform ation to prepare for the next and unfolding move of God?” This rem inds me of Re ggie
McN eal’s New Reality #5: The Shift From Planning To Preparation. What is the difference between “planning” a house
church planting m ovem ent and “ preparin g” for a m ove of G od’s Sp irit through hous e chu rche s? A nd ho w do we av oid
drawing the wrong conclusions from these current on-going academic studies of house church, conclusions which leads
to misapplications which in turn confuse culture with principle? Allow m e to illustrate. Wrong Application: “The early church
was built around a patriarchal Jewish family structure, therefore, any valid expression of the Kingdom of God in house church
today requires that we first re-institute a patriarchal Jewish family structure, “The Kingdom of God is at hand, repent and
become a Jewish family.” Better Application: The mes sag e of th e Kin gdo m tou che s and trans form s our mos t bas ic
relationships of life, turning our oikos into an ekk lesia for the Kingdom of God, “The Kingdom of God is at hand, repent and
believe the good ne ws.”
As I read som e of th ese rece nt ac ade mic works (such as the recent one by Roge r Gehr ing, House Church And Mission)
I am struck by what seems to be a great deal of “backward isogesis” taking place. In other words, I think I am seeing and
hearing 2005 years worth of ecclesiological and missiological vocabulary and baggage being brought to and imposed upon
the text and the historical record. Mind you, I am not opposed to either missiology or ecclesiology. I am simply concerned
about imposing pre-existing categories and paradigms on the Word, in this case, on what the Word has to say about house
churches. W as it really a “missiolog ical ou treac h” or “ strat egy” (a s Ge hring sugg ests ) that m otivat ed Je sus to live in
Capernaum and hang out with Peter, James and John? At wha t poin t did Jesus’ friendship with fishermen, publicans and
assorted sinners becom e a “strategic missiology?” Do you o r I divide our frie ndships and relation ships into “friends” and
“m issio nally strate gic fr iends ”? W as it re ally a “m issio ns s trate gy” that caused Phillip to live in Caesarea? Isn’t it ju st as likely
that he, his wife and extended oikos grew up there, and that his wife threatened to stab him in the heart and make it look
like an unfortunate cutlery accident if he ever tried to move them somewhere else, leaving him no choice but to do house
church outreach in Caesarea. Yes, I’m being facetious, but I’m also making a point about our over- analyzing things and
turning them into a “missiology. I’m just thankful we don’t know what Peter in Joppa had for breakfast, otherwise, someone
would be promoting the “breakfast of missionaries” as part of a “missiology for gentile outreach”
At the heart of this academic or “missiological” discussion abou t hou se c hurc h, I am conc erne d tha t the ve sse l will b ec om e
the message. It seems to me that turning house church into another missiology or ecclesiology runs the SUBSTANTIAL risk
of confusing the vehicle/organization/location with the message: “The kingdom of house church is at hand, repent and start
one in your house (right after you becom e a Jewish family)”! We need to remind one another that our message isn’t house
church (or market place chu rch, or simple church, etc.). Rather, our message is the Kingdom of God, a message which,
in the thought of missiologist Leslie Newbigin, radically challenges all existing “plausibility structures.” I suppose that the
current irony is that the message of the Kingdom is now a messa ge which is radically challenging the plausibility structure
of its historic messengers: Christians and the institutional church. At times it may even need to challenge the “return of the
house church .”

Module 4-B: The DNA Markers Of Kingdom House Churches
“So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And
they were continually devoting themselves to the apo stles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and m any wonders and s igns were takin g plac e thro ugh the a pos tles. A nd all
those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions,
and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and
breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising
God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
(Acts 2:41-47)
Rec ently I have noticed some n ew church “signage” po pping up in various and sundry locat ions . It usu ally says something
like this: “An EPIC Church Meets Here”. W hat e xac tly is an “EPIC” Church? Well that requires a little explaining. The concept
of “EPIC” churches com es from a recen t (2000) b ook by c hurch h istorian an d sociolo gist Leon ard Sw eet entitled, “Post
Modern Pilgrims.” 67The book is an insightful look at the role and ministry of the Church in our Post Modern culture, and
Sweet makes many va luable observations (in other words, the book is a worthwhile read). In the last portion of the book
Sweet argues that in order to succeed in our Post M odern culture Church (and he is referring primarily to various forms of
institutional church) must emphasize four characteristics which appeal to a Post Modern audience. Church must become
more Experien tial, Participatory, Image-driven and Connected (hen ce, th e acr onym E-P-I-C). Sweet’s groundbreaking book
has becom e the “gu ide book ” for m uch Po st Mod ern m inistry in traditional ch urches seekin g to attract a nd reach a Post
Modern audience today. References to his idea of EPIC church can be found scattered throughout articles on Post Modern
min istry. It is the “standard” by which Post Modern ministry is now evaluated. And now it can even be found on church
signage advertising that “An EPIC Church Meets Here”.
W hile Sweet’s book deserves a vigorous discussion as to its pros and cons (and it has both), I want to toss out two thoughts.
First, placing a sign in fron t of your chu rch whic h declare s that “An EPIC Church Meets Here” is only going to appeal to Post
Modern Church wonks who have read Sweet’s book, and that limits your market appea l! But, second, can the characteristics
of a “successful” church that will appeal to a Post Modern audience really be reduced to four over-simplified points?
Aren ’t there other characteristics of a genuine ekk lesia which might “appeal” to believers and unbelievers, and shouldn’t we
ask if Scripture itself offers us characteristics of genuine ekk lesia which we should look for? In his book Houses That
Change The W orld author Wolfgang Simson talks about growing up in Germany with churches on every corner. He talks
about feeling that, in spite of all those many churches, there was a type of New Testament Church that was missing and
how he dreamed of such a radical New Testament Church:
"A church, which does no t need huge amounts of money, or rhetoric, control and manipulation, which can do without
powerful and charismatic heroes, which is non-religious at heart, which can thrill people to the core, make them lose t heir
tongues out of sheer joy and astonishment, and simply teach The Way to live. A church which not only has a message, but
is the message. Something which spreads like an unstop pable viru s, infects whatever it touches, and ultimately covers the
earth with the glory and knowledge of God. A church whose power stems from its inventor, who has equipped it with the
most ingenious spiritual genetical code, a sort of hea venly D NA, w hich allow s it to transfer kingdom values fro m hea ven to
earth and to reproduce them here. It the process it transforms not only water into wine, but atheists into apostles,
policewomen into prophetesses, terrorists into teachers, plumbers into pastors, and dignified village elders into beaming
evangelists. The church I dreamed of is like a spiritual extended family - organic, not organized, relational, not formal. It has
a pers ecu tion-p roof s truct ure. It matu res u nde r tear s, mu ltiplies under pressure, breathes under water, grows under the
carpet; it flourishes in the desert, sees in the dark and thrives in the midst of chaos. A church that can multiply like five loaves
and two fish in the hands of Jesu s, wher e the fathe rs turn the ir hearts to their sons and the sons their hearts to their fathers,
where its people are its resources, and which has only one name to boast about, The Lamb of God. God is changing the
church, and that, in turn will change the world. Millions of Christians around the world are aware of an imminent reformation
of global pro portions. T hey are saying, in e ffect: "Chu rch as w e know it is preventing Churc h as G od wa nts it." 68
I was struck by one phrase in Wolf’s description of his ideal Church, namely, that it possessed “. . . the most ingenious
spiritual genetica l code, a s ort of heav enly DN A . . .” This phrase raised a question in my own mind regarding the
characteristics of genuine ekk lesia. W e hav e alre ady no ted th e rea lity that the early home-based ekk lesia looked and
functioned like an extended family. But what was the “family DNA” of the New T estam ent ekk lesia which empowered it to
function, to grow, to reproduce and even to multiply like a spreading contagion? And is there a way th at we toda y can
67
Leonard Sweet, Post Modern Pilgrims: First Century Passion for the 21st Century Church (Nashville: Broadman &
Holman, 2000)
68
Simson, Houses That Changed the World, p. xii - xiii.
incorpo rate that DN A into our own mod el of ekk lesia so that we can function, grow and reproduce in the same way they did?
Every living organism possesses a genetic code, DNA, which contains the essential blue-print that defines its existence and
enables it to function, grow an d reprod uce. As the pres ent-day P ost Mo dern ho use ch urch m ovem ent see ks to co me into
its own and to practice authentic biblical Christianity, I believe we need to re-discover the basic DNA markers which
characterized the exten ded fam ily of the 1 st century ekk lesia . While m any things have changed in 2000 years, there are
certa in DNA markers or characteristics which span time and cus tom . The abov e pas sag e fro m A cts 2 :41-4 7 rev eals these
DNA markers, timeless characteristics that we would do well to ask God to make an organic part of our home-based
ekklesias toda y.
DNA Marker # 1: Perseverance (vs. 42, 46) “And they were cont inually devoting themselves to the apostles’
teaching and to fellowship, to the brea king of bre ad and to praye r.” Let’s get real. Some things in life and ministry
just take work. They require us to be “con tinually devoted” in order to succeed. The Greek word translated
“con tinua lly devo ting” by the NAS B in vers e 42 is proskartereo. The sense of the verb is “to be strong towards” something,
hence, “to be co ntinually ste adfast” or “to be de voted.” The adverbial form of this word is commonly translated
“perseverance” which is why I have labeled this particular characteristic “perseverance” ( By adding the imperfect form of
the verb “to be” the Greek carries the force of saying “they were continually persevering”). The same word phrase is found
in Acts 1:14 where the disciples in the Upper Room were described as “continually devoting themselves to prayer” (See also
Acts 6:4). T he se nse of this char acte ristic m ean s tha t the e arly house church networks demonstrated perseverance in four
specific activities:
‘ They persevered in teaching. What was the role o f teac hing in the e arly ch urch ? Th e Gr eek word for “te ach ing” is
didache, which suggests formal instruction regarding a body of information. The house churches of the New
Testament demonstrated a conscious com mitm ent to form al inst ructio n in the thing s of G od. T his ve rse s pec ifically
refers to the Apostles’ teaching or doctrine, but we also know from Ephesians 4:11-12 that along with Apostles, God
has given Teachers to the Church for the purpose of “the equ ipping of the saints for th e work of service .” The early
ekklesia considered teaching a priority; something which required perseverance and commitment. But we need
to mak e two im portant o bserva tions. First, teac hing in the early church was not to the exclusion of everything else.
Teaching in the ekklesia was important (as opp osed to optional), but it was not exclusive or dominant either.
Second, the goal of biblical teaching is NOT knowledge, but a trans form ed life. “Know ledge m akes a rrogant,” Paul
warned the house churches of Corinth, “but lo ve ed ifies” (builds up). We need to pursue and persevere in teaching
the truths of God in a way that transforms our lives (and those of our hearers) into the image of Christ, and causes
us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves. After all, these are the
two greatest commandm ents.
‘ They persevered in fellowship. I would dare to say that most traditional churches never achieve or experience
genuine fellow ship . W hy? Bec aus e gen uine f ellow ship is me ssy, ta kes work and r equ ires p erse vera nce . For t ime
pressed leade rs, it is mu ch ea sier to teac h peo ple to death with impressive Bible notes in PowerPoint presentations
than to work through the personal issues which stand in the way of genuine community. And lectures you can
control are easier than dialogues which you can’t. Our English word translated “fellowship” i s t h e G reek word
koin onia which comes from the Greek word koine, meaning “common.” “Fellowship” is the holding of certain things
in common. In the life of the ekk lesia it is a m utua l shar ing of our liv es together. We share a common life in the
Kingdom of God and drink from a com mon River of H is Spirit in the bond of Christ. The Classical Greek
philosophers, such as Plato and others, had always envisioned a “utopian fellowship” that they described as
koin onia . But all human attempts to achieve this koin onia by human effort had failed miserably. But now, through
the death and resu rrec tion o f Ch rist an d the outp ourin g of th e Riv er of His S pirit, G od ha s bee n able to accomplish
in the Kingdom of God what the efforts of men throughout the ages had nev er achiev ed: genuine fellow ship . And
this fellowship, this genuine koin onia , was manifested in the home-based ekk lesia where believers shared their lives
with one another. The y shar ed m eals toge ther in one a noth er’s homes. They prayed together, endured persecution
together, worshiped togethe r and , at tim es, th ey died toge ther. The y pref erre d one anot her’s com pan y abov e all
others and gav e sacrificia lly to meet each othe r’s ne eds . To e xpre ss it in cont em pora ry term s for toda y, thes e ear ly
house chur che s we re m ade up of peop le who loved to hang out together. They shared an affinity that surpasses
the natural - it was supernatural. True koin onia or fello wsh ip me ans that a s Ch ristian s we shar e a co mm on life in
the Kingdom of God.
‘ They pers eve red in “the breaking of bread”. Have you ever sung the old spiritual “Let Us Break Bread Together On
Our Knees”? Have you ever wondered what it meant? What is “the breaking of bread”? This particular Greek
phrase only appears twice in the New Testa men t. The oth er occu rrence is Luke 24:35, “And the y bega n to relate
their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the brea d.” The circumstance
was the appearance of Christ to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. The risen Christ went to stay with the
disciples who had not yet recogn ized who H e really was. T hen, “it came about that when He had reclin ed at the ta ble
with them, H e took the bread a nd bless ed it, and br eaking it, H e bega n giving it to them . And their eyes were opened
and they recognized Him; and He v anis hed from their sight.” In what was essentially a “re-enactment” of their final
meal together, the disciples recognized Jesus in “the brea king of the bread.” It should come as no surprise to us
that the e arly ekk lesia was fond of sh aring me als to geth er, an d at s om e poin t in the meal they would observe “the
breaking of the bread” in a manner that c om me mo rated that fin al m eal of Jes us w ith His discip les. W e call it
“observing the Lord ’s Supper .” For far too long many churches have separated “the breaking of the bread” from
the body of believers, attempting to surround it with a “mystique” by requiring the attendance of an “ordained” person
to supervise the “event” and even to adm inister special “words of institution” in order to give the “sacrament” a
unique validity. But no where in the New Testament do we see such a ritualized observance of the Lo rd’s Supper.
The simplicity, im portanc e and c entrality of observing the Lord’s Supper in the New Testament church can be seen
in Paul’s admonition to the Ch urch in C orinth: “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that
the Lord Jes us in t he nig ht in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and
said, “This is My body , whic h is fo r you ; do th is in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He took the cup also, after
supper, saying, “This cup is the new cov ena nt in M y bloo d; do this, a s ofte n as y ou dr ink it, in remembrance of Me.
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord ,s death until He co mes.” (1 Corinthians
11:23-26) The good new s is that to day’s Hou se C hurc h is re disc over ing the imp ortan ce of shar ing m eals together
on a regular basis, during which we remember and celebrate “the brea king of the bread,” the Lord’s Supper.
‘ They persevered in prayer. Oswa ld Cham bers on ce obs erved, “Prayer does not prepare us for the greater work.
Prayer IS the gre ater wo rk.” But do we as believers really BELIE VE that? Not too lon g ago I ha d a con versation with
a person who attends a Post Modern E-P-I-C mega-church in our area which has an average monthly attendance
of around 7,000. He told me how he attended a recent prayer meeting and was saddened to discover that from a
church of 7,000 people, only 40 showed up for prayer. Not exactly what I would call “persevering in prayer.” Now,
while you and I may groan at that s ituatio n, wh en it com es to pers ever ing in s pec ific inte ntion al pra yer, ar e we really
much better? Prayer is the life-breath of the s oul an d of th e Ch urch . It is in tim es of praye r and wors hip, in dividu ally
and as an ekk lesia that th e Ho ly Spirit s pea ks w ith guid ance fo r us and the chur ch (see Acts 13 :1)and tha t gifts
beg in to manifest and function. Perseverance m eans we work at learning how to pray and minister together.
Several years ago I was co nducting a hom e fellowsh ip leader’s m eeting for a church and I was emphasizing the
importance of open prayer together. One of the leaders (a physician) spoke up, “You know ,” he said with a wry grin,
“praying together is sort of like sk inny-dipp ing togeth er; it takes s ome g etting use to.” Yep. Abs ent th e sk inny-
dipping, we call that “perseverance.” The House Church of the New Testament was committed to prayer, and God
heard and answered their prayers in powerful ways, “And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered
together was shak en, a nd th ey w ere a ll filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with
boldnes s.”
Now, here’s “the rub,” if you will. Do you genuinely believe that prayer is as important as teaching? Do you believe that
fellow ship is as important as prayer, or that sharing a meal together is as important as sharing a teaching? My point is this.
The early House Church was equally com mitte d to p erse verin g in each of the se fo ur ac tivities , and they a ppe ar to h ave h eld
and practiced these four things in balance with one another. The health of the body of believers requires an equal
commitment to all four. Neither the intercessors nor the teachers must be allowed to dominate the life of the House Church.
And times of fellowship and meal-sharing must be given priority along with times of formal instruction and intense prayer.
DNA Marker # 2: The F ear of T he Lo rd (vs. 43 ). “And everyone k ept feeling a sense of awe; and ma ny wonders
and signs were taking place through the apostles .” Now this is wha t I wou ld call E -P-I- C ch urch , with a n em pha sis
upon EXP ERI ENC E! T he ea rly ekk lesia EXPERIENCED the genuine awe or fear of God! The word translated “awe”
is the Greek phobos which is the com mon New T estam ent word for “fear.” T he Ne w Tes tame nt ekk lesia was characterized
by a deep s ense o f fear tow ards the God W ho dwe lt in their mids t.69 We can see this not only he re in A cts 2 but a lso in Acts
9:31 where w e read: “So the church (ekk lesia ) throughout all Judea and Galilee and Sam aria e njoy ed pe ace , bein g built up;
and, going on in the fear of th e Lord and in the comfort of the H oly Spirit, it continued to increase. What was the source
of this fear? It was, I believe, the result of a pervasive sense of the Presence and Power of God in their midst, a Presence
and a Power that was evinced by the regular manifestation of miraculous signs and wonders. This is often a stumbling block
for believers who have grown up in what I call the “rationalistic wing” of the Church and have grown up in a tradition which
maintains that the “sup erna tural g ifts” o f the S pirit no longe r fun ction . But w e m ust fa ce up to a ve ry real a nd pr oblem atic
question. Where is the experience of the Presence and Power of God in our Chu rche s and fellow ship s tod ay? Paul told the
ekk lesia in Corinth that “the King dom o f God d oes no t consist in w ords, bu t in powe r,” (1 Corinthians 4:20) but where is that
power in our churches today? As a result, many (if not most) contemporary churches have lost their sense of the fear of God
69
A study of the concept of “fear” in Scripture quickly reveals that believers are continually admonished by God not to fear, with
one exception: God Himself. The genuine fear of God is the only healthy fear in all of Scripture. He who genuinely fears God fears
nothing else because God is his shield and bulwark. We do ourselves a disservice by “diluting” such “fear of God” to something
acceptable and manageable like “reverential awe.” When Ananias and Sapphira dropped dead by the power of God for lying to the Holy
Spirit, I doubt that it was “reverential awe” that people felt (Acts 5:11). When God shows up in great power and holiness, genuine fear
is the only proper response. And it is then that the fear of the Lord truly becomes the beginning of spiritual wisdom.
because we have lost (even prohibited in some cases) the ma nifes tation of G od’s supernatural power. Many contem porary
Christians are content to talk about God without ever expe rienc ing th e rea lity of H is Presence or Power. Our churches and
seminaries often resemble a con vention of bakers who gather together to swap bread recipes, but who never actually get
around to baking and sampling actual bread. It is one thing to talk about God; it is quite another to stand (or lie prostrate)
in His Presence. If, at some point, the ekklesias me eting in our h om es ar e not char acte rized b y a sense of the Presence
and Power of God, manifested through the operation of the whole range of the spiritual giftings described in 1 Corinthians
12-14 as part of genuine wors hip ex perie nce , then our s o-ca lled ho use chur che s will ev entu ally devolve into little more than
miniature versions of the failed and impotent institutional structures we once left behind. The house churches of the New
Testament possessed a genuine sense of “the fear of the Lord” a sense that was intensified by the occurrence of miraculous
signs and wonders, tangible manifestations of God’s Kingdom Presence and Power in their midst, convincing them that they
were indeed “tasting of the powe rs of the A ge to Co me.”
DNA Marker # 3: Unc omm on C omm unity (v s. 44, 45). “And all those who had believed were together, and had
all things in common; and they began sellin g their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as
anyone might ha ve nee d.” In the ancient world there was a Greek proverb regarding friendship which said that
“friends h old all things in c omm on.” The phrase “all things in common” in the Greek (panta koina) is the same both in the
Greek prov erb a nd in Acts 2:44. The uncom mon, even su pernatural, fellowship or koin onia which we looked at earlier is here
exp ress ed by a shar ing of ma terial g ood s bas ed up on th e nee ds of the b ody.
Take a moment and try to imagine the situation in Jerusalem following the events of Pentecost. Within a brief period of 50
days (from the resurrection to Pentecost) the early C hurc h fou nd its elf in th e m idst o f a rev ival in w hich it quick ly grew from
120 people gathered in the upper room to a group of 3,000 new converts (Acts 2:41). And since this number probably
represented only the number of m en (see Acts 4:4), the addition of women and children probably pushed this total to around
10,000 new converts who w ere now a part of the young church. Many of these people were from outlying places outside of
Jerusalem. They ha d com e to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost with only provisions for a few days. Now, many of them
chose to remain in Jerusalem to explore the mea ning of the ir new fou nd faith. Question: How w ere their ne eds to be m et?
Answer: The comm unity of believers began to respond, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, by selling property and
possessions and sharing the proceeds with others as they had need. What we are witnessing, I believe, is the House Church
movement in Jerusalem dem onstrating in their ministry what Paul would later teach regarding giving in 2 Corinthians 8: 1-15.
W hile the House Church movement of today may not support such traditional church projects as buildings, facilities,
programs, and professional staff, we must rediscover the importance, the blessing and the m inistry of being a com mun ity
that gives radically and sacrificially to the meeting of needs within our House Church body of believers, and beyond our own
body of believers to the needs of believers in the greater body at large (See our article on “Radical, Sacrificial Giving” in
Appendix A.
DNA Marker # 4: On e-Mind edne ss (v. 46 ). “And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking
bread from house to house . . .” Have you ever bee n tem pted to as k a fellow believer, “Why are you here?” The
run-away succe ss of R ick W arren’s b ook, “The Purpose Driven Life” has revealed an ugly secret about many
chu rche s (an d Ch ristian s), na me ly, that the Church of today too often resembles an organization in search of a purpose.
So, why do we mee t? W hy are we here? W hat even t, expe rienc e or p urpo se do we as believ ers h old in common that unites
us together with “one- mind ”? The New T estam ent ekk lesia knew their purpose. They knew why they w ere to geth er, an d it
was expressed in Acts 2:46 as “continuin g with on e mind.” The ekk lesia of God was “purp ose driven” long before there were
prog ra m s announcing or explaining it. The Greek word used to express this “unity of purpose” is homothumadon, from
homo meaning “one” and thumos meaning “mind.” It comes from the Greek word homothumos meaning “with the same
emotion” or “unanimously.” In Classical Greek, the word didn’t focus on the personal sympathies of the people involved.
Instead, it focused on a common m aterial interest in a specific action. For exam ple, when Philip of Ma cedon threaten ed to
invade Greece, the great Greek orator Demosthenes called on the people to set aside their personal feelings and work “with
one accord” to res ist Ph ilip. This idea of a “common concern” which supercedes our personal interests or feelings was
based on an event which com es upon a group from without, provoking a comm on response or reac tion. This Greek word
appea rs 11 tim es in the N .T., 10 of w hich are in the Boo k of Ac ts.
O Acts 1:14 - Someone has observed that the true miracle of Acts 1-2 wasn’t Pentecost. Instead it is found
here in Ac ts 1:1 4. Th e m iracle was that 120 very different people (tax collectors, fishermen, political zealots,
and much more) entered the upper room as “believers,” spent 10 days (240 hours) together in prayer and
fasting, and when they emerged on the day of Pentecost they were 120 “disciples” who were of “ one-m ind.”
O Acts 4:24 - The disciples prayed with “one-mind” as a result of persecution.
O Acts 5:12 - The believers were of “one-mind” regarding the ministry of signs and wonders at the hands of
the Apostles in Solomon’s Portico in the temple.
O Acts 7:57 - The enemies of the church were of “one-mind” in stoning Stephen to death.
O Acts 8:6 - The crowds of Samaria were of “one-mind” in giving attention to the preaching of Philip.
O Acts 12:20 - The people of Tyre & S idon approached H erod with “one-mind” to earn his favor.
O Acts 15:25 - The A postolic C ouncil at Je rusalem was of “o ne-m ind” in their res ponse to the Jud aizers.
O Acts 18:12 - The Jew s of C orinth were of “on e-m ind” in their o ppo sition of Pa ul and the g osp el.
O Acts 19:29 - The crow d at E phe sus was of “on e-m ind” in its op pos ition o f Pau l and th e gos pel.
O Romans 15:6 - Paul exhorts the church at Rom e to be of “one-mind” in serving one an other.
Two th ings stan d out to me a s I read the se pas sages . First, the believe rs of the e arly New T estam ent ekk lesia walk ed in
a “onene ss of m ind,” a “sing ularity of purpose” that characterized their life together. They knew why they existed and why
they gathered together. They were people of the resurrection and of the Holy Spirit. The resurrection of Jesus and the
subsequent outpouring of the Holy Spirit (confirming the arrival of the New Messianic Age of the “end times” ) were ev ents
which produced “one–mindedness” in the early New Testament House Church. The message of the crucified and risen
Christ and the out pouring of the promised River of God’s Spirit were “The Main Thing” (we w ill exam ine th is in-d epth in
Mod ule 7: Life In The Kingdom), the com mon mes sage a nd purp ose wh ich boun d the ear ly Christians to gether. A sim ple
reading of Acts 2:46 might sugg est that they were “in one accord in the Temple,” but the meaning appears to be “whether
in the T em ple or mo ving h ous e-to- hou se, th ey we re of one m ind.” T heir “one-mindedness” was not related to a location or
an activity, but rather it describe d a state o f heart an d mind within the bo dy of the N ew Te stam ent ekk lesia as they went into
Jerusalem, Judea and all the world with the good news of the risen Christ and the outpo ured Sp irit. But second, we s hou ld
also see that there were times when the enemies of the Church and the gospel also walked in great “unity of purpose” in
their opposition to the things of God, and that should come as a warning reminder to us.
DNA Marker # 5: Hou se-To -Hou se Minis try (v. 46). “. . . and brea king brea d from h ouse to house . . . .” As we saw
earlier in this Module regarding ministry in homes (see page 44 ), the idea of meeting and ministering in individual
homes was not n ew to the e arly ekk lesia . The discip les an d tho se ar oun d Jes us du ring H is ministry had seen and
experienced this first-hand. The Greek phrase kat’ oikon in verse 46 carries a distributive force rendered “house-by-house”
or “hou se-to -hou se” ( it is fou nd ag ain in A cts 2 0:20 ). Th e idea conv eyed by this idiom is tha t the e arly ekklesias were mobile,
not static . The King dom of G od as ma nifes ted in the e arly ekk lesia was a R iver which flowed h ouse-to -house , not a
swimming pool which staye d in on e plac e only to grow stagnant. Believers moved from one house to another. And what
were they doing as they moved from house to house? A s we saw earlier (vs. 42), they were teaching, prayin g, sh aring me als
and “breaking bread” together. This describes the “heart-an d-so ul” of h ous e chu rch m inistry, b oth th en an d now . It is
believers expe rienc ing a c om mo n life in the K ingdo m o f Go d and shar ing th eir hearts, their homes and their lives with one
another in one another’s homes.
DNA Marker # 6: Sharing Meals Together (vs. 46). “. . . they were taking their meals toge ther . . .” The first
disciples had le arne d dire ctly from Jesus Himself regarding the importance of sharing meals with people. Jesus was
a freq uen t dinn er gu est in the h om es of peop le He wa s seek ing to reac h, so m uch so that it becam e a “sca ndal” to
the religious pe ople of H is day: “And as Jesus passed on from there, He saw a ma n, ca lled M atthe w, sitt ing in the tax office;
and He *said to him, “Follow Me!” And he rose, and followed Him. And it happened that as He was reclining at the ta ble in
the house, behold ma ny ta x-gatherers and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. And when the
Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Wh y is your T eache r eating w ith the tax-gatherers and sinners?”70 But when
He heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.“But go and learn what
this means, ‘I desire compassion, and not sac rifice,’71 for I did not com e to call the righ teous, bu t sinners.” (Matthew 9:9-13;
see also Mark 2:16 and Luke 5:30). Wolfgang Simson once told a hous e chu rch c onfe renc e aud ienc e tha t Jes us re ally only
did three things: He ate with people, told stories about the Kingdom of God, and cast out people’s demons. The early church
followed this example. They regularly shared meals together. It had become part of their DNA.
DNA Marker # 7: The Joy of The Lord (vs. 46). “. . . they were taking their meals together with gladness and
sincerity of he art. . .” The believers who made up these New Testament ekklesias experienced something that the
70
In Palesti ne taxes wer e collec ted by Jews who collaborated with the Romans under a contract to collect taxes at a profit.
Because they were Jews who collaborated with the Romans, tax-gatherers were regarded as social outcasts. We tend to spend our time
with other believers (“the righteous”), but Jesus spent his time with sinners.
71
This quote is from Hosea 6:6.
peo ple of G od ha d look ed fo rwar d to, n am ely, the “eschatological joy of the Lord ,” and that d ese rves an ex plana tion. L et’s
beg in by noting that, in the New Testament, there are two root word groups used to express “gladness” or “joy”. The
common word group is chairo (verb: to be glad) and chara (noun: gladness, joy). This is not the word group which appears
here. The second word group is agalliao (verb: to exult, to rejoice greatly) and aga lliasis (noun: exultation, exuberant or
exceeding joy). This is the word gro up trans lated “gladn ess” he re in Acts 2:46. The Greek words agalliasis/agalliao in their
biblical context carry the idea of “jubilant exultation and spiritual gladness”. One writer has described it as “eschatological
joy in the pre sence of the Lord .”
The Joy of the Lord in the Old Testament
This word grou p occ urs f requ ently in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament (especially in the
Psalms) and the emphasis is always rejoicing or exulting in God, His Name or His works. It is “jubilant exultation and spiritual
gladness” in the Lord, a festive joy which expresses itself publicly over God’s a cts of sa lvation in the liv es of His p eop le. Th is
“joy of the Lord” is expressed both personally and corporately through attitudes of thankful joy before God. It’s a joy over
both what God has done for His people in the past, and over what He promises He will do in the future. Here are just a few
examples:
O Psalm 62:11 - the Psalmist com mands the nations to serve the Lord with fear, an d to rejoice with trembling.
O Psalm 9:14 - the Psalmist expresses the joy of the Lo rd’s salvatio n: l will “rejoice in Thy sa lvation.” (See
also Ps alm 13 :5; 21:1;
O Psalm 35:9 - the P salm ist de clare s tha t his s oul “shall be joyful (rejoice) in the Lord .”
O Psalm 45:7 - Here the word is directly tied to Jesus’ life and min istry: “Therefore God, Thy God , has
anointed Thee w ith the oil of joy above Thy fellow s.” God prom ises that th e com ing M ess iah w ill walk in
the joy of the Lord. Then, in Hebrews 1:9, the writer of Hebrews declares that this Psalm was fulfilled in the
life and ministry of Je sus , God ’s So n. Th e peo ple of God are essentially being promised that same joyous
exu ltation whic h Jes us ex perie nce d wh en H e wa s ano inted by Go d for His M ess ianic m inistry!
O Psalm 48:11 - the Psalmist declares that th e dau ghte rs of Juda h sha ll rejoice because of God ’s judgm ents
(which vindicate His people. See also Psalm 97:8)
O Psalm 89:16 - the p eop le of G od w ill rejoice in God’s Name.
O Habakkuk 3:18 - here the prophet Habakkuk declares that, although he doesn’t know what the future holds,
he will express the joy of the L ord, “Though the fig tree should not blossom, And there be no fruit on the
vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail, And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be
cut off from the fold, And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will ex ult in th e Lor d, I will r ejoice in the God
of my s alvation.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18)
The Joy of the Lord in the New Testament
The joy of the Lord in the Old Testament was the joy of experience and promise. In the New Testament the joy of the Lord
is the joy of experiencing the fulfillment of all God’s promises. God in Christ has fulfilled His promise and inaugurated the
“esc hato logica l” (i.e., “end time”) age of salvation with the outpouring of the River of God’s Spirit (promised by Ezekiel and
Joel for the “last days”).
O Matthew 5:12 - Jesus tells the disciples to walk in the joy of the Lord when they are persecuted.
O Luke 1:14 - The a ngel prom ised Za chaias th at he and Elizabeth would experience the joy of the Lord as
a result of th e com ing birth of the ir son, Joh n the Ba ptist.
O Luke 1:44 - Even the unborn baby John experienced the joy of the Lord in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary
greeted her.
O Luke 1:47 - Mary experienced the joy of the Lord because she had been granted a role in God’s plan of
salvation.
O Luke 10:21 - Jesus Himself experienced the joy of the Lord because the things of the Kingdom of God
were being revealed.
O Acts 16:34 - The Philipp ian ja iler ex perie nced the joy of the Lord because he and his whole family had
com e to faith an d were n ow includ ed in the s aved co mm unity of the las t days.
O 1 Peter 1:8 - Peter tells his readers that because they love Jesus and believ e in H im they are experiencing
the jo y of the Lord . The y “greatly rejoice with joy inex pressib le and full of glory .”
O Jude 1:24 - Jude tells his readers that God is able “to make you stand in the prese nce of His glory
blameless with great joy.” This is a promise of “joy-yet-to-come” when we stand in the pres enc e of G od in
etern ity.
When these early believers met together as God’s ekk lesia in their homes, they experienced the joy of the Lord. It was the
joy of those who realized that the “end of the ages” had come upon them, that God had sent His promised Messiah and was
fulfilling His promise to pour out the River of Ezekiel 47, the River of His Spirit. As believers they had partaken of the
outpouring of the eschatological Spirit and were experiencing the joy promised to those who partook of the Presence of the
Lord. D uring the “T oronto B lessing” m ovem ent of the m id-1990 s participa nts were often criticized for the phenomenon of
unc ontro llable laugh ing. C ould it be possible that the what they were actually experiencing was a tangible expression of the
joy of the Lord, and that God was returning to His people a characteristic of the Kingdom of God which we have lost and
need to regain?
DNA Marker # 8: Simplicity of Heart (vs. 46) “. . . they were taking the ir meals to gether w ith gladnes s and s incerity
of he art. . .” Along with the “eschatological joy of the Lord” these believers were also experiencing a “sinc erity” or
“sim plicity” of heart. The Greek word aphelotes (“sim plicity,” f oun d only h ere in the New Testament) carries the idea
of a pure motive, like pure unalloyed metal. What does that look like? Well, it doesn’t look like a multi-level marketing
scheme. I never will forget my introduction to the world of network marketing. I was invited by new “friends” to attend
meetings where I heard about the importance of “fr iends helpin g frien ds” s ucc eed in this w ond erfu l busin ess oppo rtunity.
I never new I had so many “friends.” But when I finally made it clear that I really wasn’t interested in the “opportunity,” all of
m y new-fo und “frien ds” sud denly disap peared , stopped calling and no longe r had tim e for m e. In reality, these people and
their “friends hip” repre sented “alloyed m etal,” impur e mo tives and a lack of “simp licity.” Unfortunately, this also describes
many Christian “friendships” with unbelievers, and sometimes with other believers. Ours is all too often a “kindn ess” with
strings attached, with impure or ulterio r mo tives, dem ons trating an ab sen ce of “sim plicity.” W e “giv e” (i.e ., our f riend ship or
kindness) in order to get, believing that our “kindness” somehow creates an obligation on the part of others that we can use
to man ipulate them into com ing to Church with us, or attending a Bible study, etc. As a result, people feel like Church is just
another multi-level marketing schem e. Not so with Jesus . Jesus undou btedly loved, h ealed, de livered and ministe red to
many people w ho neve r “believed ” in Him or followed Him. H is motive was sim ple and p ure. He cam e to dem onstrate the
unconditional love of G od, and to allow peo ple to touc h and tas te the pow ers of the Age to c ome . He didn ’t seek to
man ipulate them into a particular response or commitment. He offered the Kingdom of God with no strings attached. How
peo ple resp ond ed w as up to the m. In the e arly ekklesias, this Christ-like “simplicity of heart” manifested itself among
believers as a g enu ine sp irit of g ene rosity, bene volen ce or kind nes s with out a ny “ulte rior m otive” and m oved in a life style
of kindn ess-fo r-kindne ss-sak e.
DNA Marker # 9: Favor & Grace (vs. 47). “. . . and having favor with all the pe ople.” The word com mo nly
translated “favor” is the Greek word cha ris whic h is mos t com mon ly translated “g race,” bu t can also translate “f avor.”
I suspe ct that cha ris was a two-edged sw ord in the lif e of th e ear ly ekk lesia . On the one hand God gave the e arly
Church favor in the eyes of their friends and neighbors, allowing them to see the church in a favora ble light. But on the other
hand, I believ e tha t this cha ris from God also made these believers a “gracious” people. As the River of God’s Spirit flowed
through these believers and the ekk lesia whic h m et in th eir ho me s, the ir lives over flowed with God’s grace. A s a resu lt,
unbelievers saw a people whose lives overflowed with the grace of God, and that was attractive. I believe that the Church
today needs to ask itse lf, “Are we a gracious people? Does the Rive r of G od’s S pirit and Grace flow through us and overflow
into the lives of those around us?” When was the last time you were gracious in meeting the needs of someone (believer
or unbeliever) simply because you wanted to demonstrate the unmerited love and grace of God to them?
DNA Marker # 10: God-Inspired Evangelistic Growth (vs. 47). “And the Lord w as add ing to their number day by
day those who were being saved.” For the New Testa men t ekk lesia evangelism was “a God thing”! Evangelism
was n’t som ethin g the y did or an activity they engaged in (See our discussion of “Evangelism In The Early Church”
earlie r in this module). Evangelism was n’t a pr ogra m o r a ca mp aign. It is eve n diff icult to point to an exam ple of the e arly
Chu rch s etting out to “do e vang elism .” Th e ear ly ekk lesia proclaimed the Kingdom of God and lived out Kingdom values
by healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers and delivering the demonized. As a result, for these believers
“evangelism” b ec am e “a God thing,” the resu lt of the pres ence a nd the po wer of G od m oving in the ir midst a nd add ing to
their numbers those whom He touched.
The ekk lesia of the New Testament was nothing less than a small manifestation of and a “foothold” for the Kingdom of God
in the form of an extended family which met in people’s homes. As such, the ekk lesia became a channel through which the
River of G od’s Sp irit flowed and in which pe ople touc hed an d tasted th e powe rs of the A ge to Co me. W e have examined
ten (10) cha racteristics of the ear ly New Te stam ent ekk lesia , characteristics which I have labeled “DNA Mark ers”. Now the
challenge becomes how we as God’s ekk lesia meeting in homes 21 centuries later can recapture this sense of being an
extended fam ily along with th ese “fam ily DNA traits” in an authentic manner (not as a forced, contrived or artificial “program”
or form ula) with the p ractical res ult that we ca n be an a uthentic N ew Te stam ent chu rch to day and pass on this healthy
“genetic code” to our house churches as we grow and reproduce.
, What role did the home play in the Church of the New Testament? How is the role of the home different in Church
today? Why do you think that difference is good or bad?
, How is the way we “do evangelism” in the Church today different from evangelism in the early Church? What do
you think we could learn from the early church when it comes to evangelism?
, Re-read W olfgang Sims on’s quo te on pag e 50 reg arding his vision of an ideal chur ch. Now , describ e your own
“vision” of what your “ideal church” would be like? How does your vision of an “ideal church” incorporate the “DNA”
of the early New Testament church?
, Perseverance - Of the four specific activities which the early Church persevered in, which one do you think was
the most difficult? Why? And which one do you think was the easiest? Why? Describe what you think happens when
these four activities get out-of-balance in a group.
, The Fear of the Lord - Describe a time in your life when you experienced “the fear of the Lord” and what impact
it had on your spiritual life. Read Acts 5:1-11 and explain what effect the fear of the Lord (see vs. 11) might have
upon a group of people.
, Uncommon Commun ity - Describe an example of “uncommon com munity” that you have either witnessed or
experienced. Read the article on “House Church & Radical Sacrificial Giving” App end ix A and desc ribe h ow th is
type of giving might be expressed in “uncom mon com munity”.
, One-Mindedness - The re is much talk today about “unity” among believers. In your opinion, what should believers
be “of one mind” about? How could such “one-mindedness” work to achieve “unity” in the large r body of C hrist?
Describe how this “one-mindedness” characterizes your house church.
, House-To-House Ministry - From your own personal experience, describe a home meeting that was partic ularly
meaningful to you, and explain why. Describe why meeting in a home does or does not appeal to you. What do you
see as the “pros” and “cons” of home based ekk lesia .
, Sharing Meals Tog ether - Why do you think Jesus spent so much time sharing meals with people in their homes?
, The Joy of the Lord - Describe a time in your life when you experienced “the joy of the Lord.” What brou ght th is
about? Does this joy chara cterize your c urrent ch urch ex perienc e? Exp lain why or wh y not.
, Simplicity of Heart - Describe an event or situation in your life when you discovered that the motives of those
around you were “less than pure” (like being invited to dinner only to discover it was a network marketing
presentation!). Discuss how we can achieve “pure motives” and “simplicity of heart” in our house church
relationships.
, Favor & Grace - Describe a situation or experience when God gave you “favor” in the eyes o f ano ther p erso n in
order to accomplish His w ill in your life or m inistry. W hat c ould it look like if God were to give you and your house
church “favor” in the eyes of the people in your neighborhood? What practical things could you and your house
church do to be a more “gracious” example of the Kingdom of God in your neighborhood?
, God-Inspired Evangelistic Grow th - Describe experiences you have had which demonstrate the difference
between your own efforts at e vangelism and wh at an insta nce of “G od-insp ired” evan gelism might l ook like.
Describe what “God-inspired” evangelism might look like within the context of your house church.
A Kingdom House Church Reading List
Banks, Robe rt. Paul’s Idea of Community: The Early House Churches. Peabody: Hendrick son Pu blishers. 2 005. 2 nd
Edition, Revised.
. Going To Church In The First Century. Jacksonville: The Seedsowers. 1990
. The Church Comes Hom e. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers. 1998.
Dale, T ony & Fe licity. Simply Church. Austin: Ka ris Publish ing. 2002 .
Gehring, Roge r W . House Church And Mission: The Importance of Household Structures In Early Christianity.
Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers. 2004.
Kreider, Larry. House Church Networks: A Church for a New Generation. Ephrata, PA: House to House Publications.
2002.
Neighbour, Jr. Ralph W . W here Do We Go From Here?: A Guidebook for the Cell Group Church. 10 th Anniversary
Edition. Houston: Touch Publications. 2000.
Osiek, Carolyn. Fam ilies In Th e New Testam ent W orld: H ouse holds & Ho use C hurch es. Louisville: Westminster/John
Knox. 1997.
Osiek, Carolyn. Women Deacon s and Presbyters In The Early Church: A Documentary History. Baltimore: John
Hopkins University Press. 2005.
Osiek, Carolyn; M acDo nald, Ma rgaret Y., an d Tulloc h, Jane t H. A Woman’s Place: House Churches In Earli est
Christianity. Minnea polis: Augs burg Fo rtress. 20 05.
Peterse n, Jim. Church Without Walls: Moving Beyond Traditional Boundaries. Colorad o Spring s: NavP ress. 19 92.
Reid, R aymo nd. The Gate Seldom Found. Eugene: Harvest House Publishers. 2004.
Sims on, W olfgang , Houses That Change The World. UK: Paternoster Publishing. 1998.
Viola, Frank . Rethinking The Wineskin: The Practice of the New Testament Church. Brandon, Florida: Present
Testimony Ministry. 2001.
_____ _____ _. Who Is Your Covering? Brandon, Florida: Present Testimony Ministry. 1998.
Zdero , Rad. House C hurches: A G lobal Movem ent. Pasadena: William Carey Library. 2004.
_____ ___. The Glob al House C hurch Move ment. Pasadena: William Carey Library. 2004.
House2House Magazine. Pub lished b y House 2Hou se Pub lications, this is a new an d well don e ma gazine de dicated to
House Chu rch M inistry. S ubs criptio ns ar e “fre e” on a sug ges ted d ona tion b asis . Ord er it via their website at
www.h ouse2 house .net.
House Church Websites

www.h ouse2 house .net or hou se2ho use.tv www.thirddaychurches.org
www.hccentral.com www.ntrf.org
www.house-chu rch.org www.bbm in.org
www.housech urch.org www.searchingtogether.org
www.hom echurch-hom epage.org www.tallskinnykiwi.org
www.openchurch.com www.robertfitts.com
www.parousianetwork.com www.shareonhousechurch.net
www.cm aresources.org www.healingcom munities.org
www.dcfi.org www.homefellowshipleaders.com
www.ptmin.org
www.geneedwards.com
Module 5
Kingdom Transformation In Your Neighborhood

Module 5: Kingdom Transformation In Your Neighborhood
Module 5a - The Off Broadway Story

“A Lack of Retu rn on Investm ent”
It should come as no surprise to us that the heart of God is to bring the Kingdom of G od to every person in every
neighborhood in our city. Traditionally the church has sought to do this by building church buildings in a community and then
inviting peop le in the community to come and attend services. Fifty yea rs ag o loca l chur che s we re rela tively sm all with sm all
parking lots. Why? Because the church drew its attendees from the local neighborhood and most people walked to church.
Tod ay, churches are sprawling cam pus es w ith ha lf or m ore o f their campus es devoted to parking for attendees w ho drive
from all over an extended area in order to attend. Numerous small neighborhood churches have been replaced by large
mega-churches, while the surrounding neighborhoods themselves (and the people in them) remain untouched and
untra nsfo rm ed. A nd th erein lies a s tory.
For several years, a large evangelical church in our community held an annual neighborhood block party. The effort was
led by people within the church (not the staff). It became a three day event which brought the neighborhood surrounding the
church together in a spirit of community involvement and celebration. At its peak a couple thousand people attended and
participated in the annual event. Then, it was cancelled by the church leadership. The reason given was, “A lack of return
on inves tme nt.” Allow me to translate. The church leadership had viewed the neighborhood block party as a tool for inviting
interested peop le in the neighborhood to com e and try the church. The expected “return on investment” was an expectation
that these people from the neighborhood would eventually attend th e church, its Sunday School & services and become
involved in the life of the institutional church. When this failed to materialize as expected, they concluded (wrongly) that the
required investment of time and resources was insu fficient for the “return” w hich they w ere realizing (i.e ., not e nou gh pe ople
from the neighborhoo d coming to churc h).
The real problem here was not a “lack of return on investment.” There were, in fact, a couple of problems. The first problem
was a wrong definition of “return on investment.” The church leadership had wrongly defined “return” in terms of growing
the institution (i.e., increased Sunday School attendance, increased attendance at Sunday worship, increased membership,
increased giving in the collection plate, etc.). This erroneous definition ultimately views people as resources to grow and
ben efit the institution, rather than seeing the institution as a resource to assist, empower and equip people to find their place
in the K ingdo m o f Go d, eve n if that place is outside the four walls of the institutional church. What if the goal of the block
party had simply been to have an opportunity to connect with people who might otherwise never come to church, to discover
their needs, and to pursue the possibility of establishing a bible study in their home regardless of whether or not they ever
c om e to an institutional service? What if the goal had simply been to take the Kingdom of God into their homes and to touch
their oikos with the transforming power of the Kingdom? This brings us to the second problem. Our Post Christian Post
Modern culture distrusts institutions, especially churches. But they do long for a sense of authentic community and a sense
of genuine spirituality. The n eighbor hood b lock pa rty offered the sense of authentic community which Post Moderns desire.
But the church erron eou sly ass um ed th at the Pos t Mod ern d esire for ge nuine spiritu ality wo uld be satisfied by simply inviting
peo ple to attend the institutional church service. In a sense, the potential for neighborhood transformation which the block
party represented was sho rt-circuited by the church’s inability to see genuine spirituality in any terms other than sim ply
inviting peop le to attend tra ditional chu rch serv ices.
The Off-Broadway Story - When The River Flows Through A Neighborhood
One of the reasons why the Church as a whole has failed to transform our neighborhoods and our communities is because
of a spir it of co ntrol and religio us leg alism which seeks to control people and their responses to the things of God. As a
result, we prefer to create institutional “swimming pools” which can be controlled, rather than pursue the wild and
unc ontro llable nature of a River. We are afraid to place the Kingdom of God into the hands of “ordinary” people for fear of
what they might do with it. But if we are to see our neighbors, our neighborhoods and our communities transformed by the
pow er of the K ingdo m o f Go d, the n we mu st rep ent a nd re nou nce this s pirit of control and religious legalism which wants
to control people into attending an institution where they can be properly “dry-cleaned” and controlled to represent the
interests of the institution. We must be willing to let go of our institutional religious agenda and simply be willing to take the
Kingdom of God into the homes of the dispossessed, the downtrodden and the unlikely and to place the message of the
Kingdom into their hands. Our goal should not be to organize them to fit into our community swimming pool model of church,
but to prepare them to become living channels of the River of God’s Spirit as it flows in power to redeem their homes and
their neighborhoods. For a more in-depth treatment of this issue of control versus transformation see our position paper
“Jeremiah, West Central and Spiritual Transformation” in Appendix A of this workbook.
There is m uch talk to day am ong chur che s and Chris tian org aniz ations about “community transformation.” The idea of
“transformation” has now become a Christian “buzz phra se.” And one of the potential da ngers o f the curre nt “buzz” about
com mun ity trans form ation is that churches may simply use “transformation” as the new label to cover old and failed church
outreach programs. The failed programs remain unchanged except that they are now labeled “transformation.” For example,
what is the difference between a neighborhood block party which churches have done for years as a tool to attract new
potential members, and a block party designed to be a tool of neighborhood transformation? It is the difference between
inviting people to come and play in your controlled community swimming pool, and inviting them to “ride the River.” So, what
does it look like when the River of God’s Spirit begins to flow through a neighborhood? T he following story of the Off
Broadway Family Outreach provides a go od real-life exam ple of how God can move outside the four walls of the traditional
church paradigm to transform a neighborhood.
“No Place For A Presbyterian”
Perhaps you have read or heard Mark Twain’s account of his move to Carson City, Nevada in the mid-1800s. According
to Twain h e had ne ver see n such a wretch ed hive of sin, corrup tion and villainy. “I concluded that it was no place for a
Presbyterian, and I did no t remain o ne for ve ry long.” Mark Twain would have felt right at home in the West Central
neighborhood of Spokane. The West Central neighborhood of Spok ane is the secon d poore st neighb orhood in the state
of Washington. Over the years it has become the “containment zone” for drugs, gangs, ex-felons, parolees, sex offenders,
drug-related crime & domestic violence, the impoverished and the dispossessed of the city. Generations of dysfunctional
behavior had r aise d up s ucc ess ive ge nera tions of fam ilies fo r who m d rugs , dom estic violence and poverty has become a
way of life. A han dful of trad itional churc hes ha ve strugg led for years to establish a footho ld for the Kin gdom of God with
only occasional success. Feasibility studies conducted by church planting organizations had concluded that plan ting a
successful new work was simply not feasible. In the words of Mark Tw ain, it was no place for a Presbyterian. But then, God
does love a challenge.
It is important to understand that the West Central neighborhood of Spokane is a microcosm of our Post Christian Post
Modern culture. Most of the pred om inant char acte ristics of Po st Mo dern ism are o n disp lay. This is not the Post Modernism
of the p hiloso phe rs or theo logian s with their g ilt-edg ed ar gum ents . It is the Post Modernism of the street where people live
out the hopelessness and despair which Post Modernism has created. Post Modernism’s emphasis upon subjectivity is lived
out by people in s earch o f person al fulfillmen t through alcohol, dru gs and sex. Po st Mod ernism ’s rejection of univers al truth
(spir itual, moral, etc.) is expressed th roug h lifes tyles w hich reco gnize no bo und aries . “Ge tting lo ade d” (us ing dr ugs ) is
recr eatio nal, sex is indiscriminate, sexual ass ault is a form of pe rson al intim idatio n and dom estic violen ce is g ene ration al.
Post Modernism’s doubt and skepticism toward institutions manifests itself in distrust of institutions ranging from organized
churches (several of which have started and folded in the neighborhood) to government, welfare and law enforce men t. It
is a Post Modern culture of person al hopelessness and de spair.
A Man of Peace Name d Larry
It was into this rich soil of hopelessness and despair that God planted a man of peace nam ed Larry W histo n. Larry had
rece ntly spen t six ye ars in priso n for a crim e of v iolence. In the depth of his own personal prison of despair and
hopelessness, God h ad touc hed La rry’s life, transfor med it and turne d him in to a man of faith and of peace. Upon his release
from prison Larry lived for two years at the local Union Gospel Mission while participating in the Mission’s various
rehabilitation programs. Afterwards he moved into a small duplex in the We st Central n eighb orho od on W est B road way.
W ith help from Christian friends, including Jan Foland (an art teacher at a local Middle School), Larry began reaching out
to his new neighbors and offering a weekly Bible study. The Bible study quickly grew until it filled the sm all apartm ent. A meal
was added and the outreach became an evening of food and fellowship. By the spring of 2003 the meal and study moved
outside under white pavilion tents in the front yard where m ore peo ple from the neigh borhoo d could a ttend. It quickly grew,
by mid-summer, into a weekly neighborhood barbecue and Bible study with nearly 100 people attending every Mo nday night.
The local area Youth For Christ staff began helping out with the neighborhood children who began showing up in need of
attention.
On Any Given Monday
By the S pring of 20 04, th e Of f Bro adw ay Fa mily O utrea ch (a s it was now “offic ially” kn own ), rep rese nted a coa lition of peop le
and ministries who had com e togeth er to p artne r with L arry in o rder to se e the W est C entra l neigh borh ood spiritu ally
transformed by the power of the gospel and the practical outw orkin g of th e Kin gdo m o f Go d. Th ese includ ed T he P arou sia
Network (Maurice & Gale Smith), S.I.S.T.E.R. Ministries (Larry Whiston & Jan Foland) and several other ministries who were
partnering together to bring the Kingdom of God to the West Central neighborhood (known throughout the city as “felony
flats” or “the war zone”). This amazing story of kingdom ministry could be seen every Monday evening throughout the
summer of 2004 at W. 1817 Gardner in the heart of West Central. Larry had become a Luke 10 “Person of Peace” in West
Cen tral, an d Lar ry’s front yard had become “ministry central” every Monday. I thought it might be helpful to describe what
a “typical” Mo nday night h as bee n like.
A “typica l” Mo nda y wou ld beg in as early as 8 AM as Larry Whiston, Maurice Smith and Jan Foland begin their rounds to pick
Module 5: Kingdom Transformation In Your Neighborhood - Page 85
up food from the Union Gospel Mission, Tidym ans and Safew ay (all of which were donating food items to the outreach). By
early afternoon volunteers begin arriving at Larry Whiston’s house. On any given Monday during the summer of 2004
(actu ally we starte d outside in April!) wh ite pavilion tents begin going up by early afternoon, the signal to the neighborhood
that Monday night has arrived. Food for the evening meal is already being assembled in the Kitchen. Local neighborhood
kids (and some a dults) are fanning out through the neighborhood, handing out flyers to invite and remind residents that
tonight is the night for food and fellowship. A passing car stops long enough for someone to ask what time dinner will be.
“Six o’cloc k!” on e of the vo lunteers s houts b ack as the car m oves on .
By 4 o’clock people are starting to arrive and talk among themselves. The music team is setting up their equipment and
tuning their instruments. Volunteers scurry around setting up chairs (there are always more people than ch airs), but before
the evening is over it will be standing room o nly. More people arrive. Jan Foland, an art teacher from Salk Middle School
has arrived (us ually bringing ice , punch , desserts, and people) and is busy getting the evening’s children’s lesson ready (by
late summ er she was joined by Jeanne, Joa n and Lori to form the c ore o f the c hildre n’s ministry). The kids flock around Jan
like bees around honey! Soon L arry arrives b ringing a c ar load of p eople wh o com e from outside th e imm ediate
neighborhood. The evening is already hectic and it hasn’t officially begun yet! Gale Smith and Kitty Shipley are busy
overseeing food preparation in the kitchen. Maurice will teach the evening lesson out of the Gospel of John, but for now
he is applying his seminary degree to the fine art of barb ecu ing ho t dog s. Mo re pe ople h ave a rrived includ ing vo lunte er he lp
from various local area churches.
By 6 o’clock you would have thought that someone had rung a dinner bell. People begin coming from all over the
neighborhood for a dinner of hot dogs, chili, chips, salads & dessert. By 6:30 there are 200 (or mo re) peop le crowd ed into
Larr y’s fron t yard. O ver th e m ore re laxe d atm osp here of din ner, people open up with each other an d our team m embers
about their struggles: addictions to drugs & alcohol, struggles with domestic violence, poverty, drug deals in their front yards
at night accompanied by gun shots in the dark. The list of struggles and needs seems endless. Becau se of co unty health
department rules (several of our helpe rs have gotten the ir food han dler’s licens es from the local co unty health district) we
cou ldn’t let people take prepared food hom e. But our dinner rule is simp le, “No on e leaves hungry .” There is also free bread
(com plimen ts of a co uple loca l super m arkets who do nate) for p eople to tak e hom e.
By 7 o’clock nearly everyone has had something to eat, but the “kitchen” will remain open as long as anyone asks for
something to eat. Shortly after 7 the worship team hands out song notebooks and the worship time begins with numerous
praise and w orsh ip songs, led by Bobby, Daniel and others who join them. Around 7:30 the worship winds down. Larry takes
the microphone to share his amazing testimony (there are always new people who haven’t heard it yet, and those of us who
have are s till am azed !). M auric e follo ws L arry an d beg ins by a skin g peo ple to sh are w hat G od ha s bee n doin g in their lives
over the past week. There are always testimonies of God’s goodness and faithfulness. For several weeks Maurice shared
from the Gospel of John about “Seven Reasons To Believe” based upon the 7 great signs of John’s Gospel. The message
was simple but profo und: “God cares about the circum stance s and s ituations of y our life, and H e has the powe r to transform
wha teve r you are g oing t hrou gh.” It’s a me ssage that reson ates with th e crowd .
After 30 minutes of teaching and interacting Maurice asks everyone to break into four or five sm aller g roup s to ta lk about
what they are hearing and to pray for each other. Now the serious work of the evening begins as people begin opening up
in thes e sm all gro ups , sha ring th eir str ugg les an d ask ing fo r praye r. Th ere is praye r, wee ping a nd re joicin g, and for this
evening the c loud o f hop eles sne ss a nd de spa ir, whic h see ms to ha ng ov er this neighborhood like a perpetual fog, is broken
as the Presence of God settles over the people gathered in the front yard of W. 1817 Gardner on th is particular summer
evening. Somewhere around 8:30 PM t he ev ening com es to an “e nd.” P eop le beg in leaving, while others remain to talk, ask
for prayer or just “linger” a while longer. Volunteers begin the process of “tear down,” stacking chairs, folding tents, collecting
garbage and cleaning the kitchen. Although the evening is “over,” people remain standing on the sidewalk, talking about what
has trans pired this e venin g. Go d has been good , and a sm all footh old for the Kingdom of God is growing in the West Central
neighborhood.
Baptisms In West Central
On one Monday evening we had the thrill of baptizing several people who had made new or renewed professions of faith,
or who had p rofe sse d Ch rist pr eviou sly but neve r bee n bap tized. W e set up a w ading pool in the front yard and peop le
gathered from around the neighborhood to witness the even t! Mau rice spo ke briefly fro m R oma ns 10:9 , “if you con fess w ith
your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your he art tha t God raise d Him from the d ead , you shall b e sav ed.” The
neighborhood had the opportunity to hear the gospel and an explanation of the meaning of believer’s baptism. Larry and
Maurice (along with others) who ba ptized sev eral neigh borhoo d peop le they had b een wo rking with and praying for. It was
a wond erful even ing of rejoic ing in Go d’s good ness.
Reaching Out With Back Packs & School Supplies
The Off Broadway Family Outreach has always had a large children’s ministry. Kids from all over the neighborhood show
up on an y given Mon day n ight (50 to 75 kids is “normal” for a Monday night). For many of these kids Monday night
repres ents a hot mea l, or an island of tranquility in a very un-tranquil neighborhood. Many of these kids attend the local
elementary school where the poverty rate among the students & their families runs as high as 92%. As a result, many of
these kids cannot afford the normal school supplies which most of us and our c hildre n tak e for gran ted. O ne of our c hildre n’s
workers had the idea of providing back packs and s cho ol sup plies f or all of the kids involved in our ministry. After soliciting
the help of community organizations and businesses (including the local Campfire Girls, WalMart & Costco to name a few)
we were able to hand out 40 back packs to our ministry kids on Monday night, September 1st. But the need kept growing
and so did the vision. So the children’s’ ministry team rounded up another 60 back packs which they delivered to Holmes
Elementary school on Friday, September the 10th (we left it up to the staff of the school to decide who would receive them ).
The Princ iple was moved and told our team that no one had ever done that for them before. By the end of September we
had ha nded o ut a total of 15 0 back packs to local neigh borhoo d scho ol kids.
So, why w as it impor tant for us to do this? F or three re asons , really: First, because of the need. As Christians, we need to
beg in identifying the n eeds o f our neigh borhoo d and ou r com mun ity, rather than the n eeds o f our Ch urch. Second, we do
this because it is a practical expression of the love of God toward th ose we want to m inister to. Third , we do this in the hope
of opening a dialog with the families of the West Central neighborhood about how the love of God and the power of the
Kingdom of G od ca n pos itively tra nsfo rm their liv es an d the ir neig hbo rhoo d, an d m eetin g the need s of th eir children for back
pack s and s chool su pplies se eme d like a go od place to start.
Bible Stu dies & D rug Dea lers
It is no secret that drugs are a plague in the We st Central neighborhood (drugs are increasingly present in other
neighborhoods, too). The drug traffic feeds a seemingly endless cycle of prop erty crime, counterfeiting (a neighborhood
convenience store had b een hit es pec ially har d with coun terfe it bills), domestic violence, poverty, etc. (and the cycle goes
on). Is there any hope of breaking this cycle? Yes! All you need to do is be willing to leave your comfortable church box,
stand o utside the doors o f know n drug d ealers, pr ay for them and sing “Am azing Gr ace.” An d therein lies a story.
Earlier this summer our leadership team felt compelled to go to a local known drug house at 10PM one evening after our
wee kly leadership meeting. We stood on the sidewalk outside of the apartment where a known drug dealer lived and
trafficked. There we prayed and ended by singing “Amazing Grace.” It wasn’t until later that we learned “the rest o f the story.”
Unknown to us, inside of the apartment was a d rug dea ler whos e paren ts had been ministers in a church. This person had
been raised in a church home, but she had begun walking in open rebellion against God after the death of her parents.
When we sang “Am azing Grace” it became too much and she “lost it.” Something broke inside this person, who realized
the depths to which she had fallen. A series of events followed over the course of a few weeks, including a police raid and
the issuing of a warran t for her arr est. In early September this drug dealer cam e to o ur m inistry h ous e and told us the w hole
story. She broke down and said she wanted to get out of this lifestyle and to turn herself in to the authorities. Larry Whiston,
our te am leade r, look ed th is pers on in the eyes and said, “We love you , and we will walk with you thro ugh this.” Personal
redemption, and neighborhood transformation, often begins with a decision followed by a journey. Like this repentant drug
dealer, the West Central neighborhood is on a journey towards neighborhood and community transformation. And you can
be a part of it. All you need to do is be willing to leave your comfortable church box, stand outside the doors of known drug
dealers, pray for them and sing “Amazing Grace.” And you thought this was going to be hard!
Sometimes The Kingdom of God Tastes Like Turkey & Dressing
W e believe in bringing the Kingd om o f God to people w here the y live! And w hen you b ring the Kin gdom of God to peop le
where they live it can take ma ny for ms . Som etim es it c an ev en ta ste lik e turk ey & dressing! In early September of 2004 we
conceived of the idea of providing a com plete Thanksgiving dinner for the fam ilies and students of the local elementary
school in the heart of West Central. We approached the school principal with the idea. He and his staff were very receptive,
even excited. Once details were agreed upon (no preaching or evangelizing at the event, pre-approval of all distributed
mate rial, etc.) we g ot busy. T he sch ool prom oted the e vent to its fam ilies and en courag ed them to com e. Local area
churches were contacted and encouraged to send volunteers to help with such things as set up, decorations, serving, and
clean-up. Local area businesses were contacted to help underwrite the cost of the event. The local Convention Center
kitchen volun teere d to p re-c ook turk ey & d ress ing an d plac e it into institutional serving pans (simplifying preparations
imme nsely!). On the day of the event (the Saturday before Thanksgiving) everything came together like a divine orchestra
and we had the joy of serving nearly 600 people from 1 until 6 PM. Left-over food went to a local homeless shelter. The
sch ool, staff and families were deeply touched by the qua lity of the event and the neighborhood discovered that a group of
Christians cared enough about the people of the neighborhood to love them in a tangible way which they understood and
appreciated. And we all learned that sometimes the Kingdom of God tastes like turkey and dressing.
Requiem For A Drug Dealer
When your neighborhood becomes your “ministry family” you eventually become a part of the “family crises” which occur
within the neighborhood. That’s what happened when “Sonny” died. As a young black man Son ny had serv ed tw o tou rs in
Vietnam. When he left the military he joined the railroad as a brakem an/conductor where he worked for another 15 years
while raising his family. After retiring from the railroad his life took several turns, which eventually led him into the drug trade
in the West Central neighborhood. When Off Broadway began its outreach on Gar dne r, Son ny lived in an a partm ent d irectly
across the street from our ministry house. We soon befriended one another and Sonny became a frequent visitor at our
Mon day nig ht m eetin gs. S onn y wou ld com e to vis it with Larry late at night and discuss what God was doing in his life. He
wou ld even bring some of his “troubled” clients over to talk w ith La rry abo ut ho w to b reak free from the d rug life style
(something much harder to do than most Christians realize). Sonny had made a profession of faith as a young man. Now,
over the c ours e of 2 004 he be gan to se e the neigh borh ood chan ge as the re sult o f Go d wo rking throu gh La rry an d O ff
Broa dwa y. Drug houses were closing up, drug cartels were being broken and drug u sers and dealers were coming to know
the Lord. So nny bega n to realize and talk openly about his own need to change his life, to renew his commitment to Christ,
and to bre ak fr ee fr om the d rug life style w hich had e ngu lfed h im.
In early January of 2005 Sonny entered the hospital to be treated for pneumonia. The treatment was successful, but on
Sunday he experienced a seizure. The doctors worked to help him, but he suffered a heart attack and died, all within a span
of a few minutes. He thought he would be going home the following day, but Sonny didn’t realize which home he was being
called to. Bu t he had m ade a re newed profess ion of faith a nd was “drug fre e” when he died.
Son ny’s family asked us to do his memorial service. He was part of our neighborhood family, and we agreed. We also
insisted on ho sting a rec eptio n at o ur m inistry h ous e foll owing the service (we also raised money to buy flowers for the
funeral). Sonny’s funeral was quite an event. Over 150 people attended. Many people, both family and friends, shared
testimonies of how Sonny’s life had changed. Larry Whiston and Maurice Smith officiated the service, and both of them had
opportunities to share the gospel with the crowd. Later, many of these people came over to our ministry house for the
reception. It was packed “wall-to-wall” for 2 hours with friends and family, and many of them talked more about their own
lives and struggles. An example of just one conversation was a young girl who shared with us that the fact that Sonny had
broken free of drugs before he died had given her hope of breaking free, too. The funeral and reception had a profound
impact upon the neighborhood where everyone knew Sonny. It opened several ad dition al m inistry d oors . Sev eral p eop le
who atten ded the fu nera l or rec eptio n ask ed us to sta rt Bible stud ies in th eir homes and began asking spiritual questions
which they had n ever da red to a s k b efo re . T he family was deeply touched by all we did for them and the neighborhood
continues to echo with good things as a result. And all bec aus e, by G od’s grac e, we ma de a lo cal dr ug de aler a nd his fam ily
part o f our min istry fa mily.
A Post Modern Neighborhood Outreach
Over the cour se of the 2004 m inistry year the lea dership team of Off B roadwa y cam e to the realization that God was calling
us to become a house church outreach within the neighborhood (we literally had people coming to the door of our ministry
house asking “Are you h aving ch urch this w eek? ”). It finally dawned upon us that, in a very real sense, the Off Broadway
Fam ily Outreach had become a Post Modern neighborhood house church outreach which had successfully met the six “Post
Modern Challenges To The Church” which we discussed in Module 2 (Understand that we didn’t actually set out to meet
those six challenges. W e just did it and realized later what we had done! ):
O Neighborhood hous e chu rch is cro ss-cu ltural - Off Broadway successfully bridged the cultural divide
between the “Christian” world of the church and the “real world” of Post Modernism as it is lived out at the
“grass-roots” level in people’s lives, their homes and their neighborhood.
O Neighborhood house church offers exp eriential truth - As a house church Off Broadway offered Post
Modern seekers the opportunity to “come and see” (Joh n 1:46). We ate together, prayed together, struggled
together and experienced God’s grace and power together (hmm, just like Jesus & His disciples did!). To
use an earlier illustration, we baked bread together and ate it together, and the truth of that bread was
exp erien tial, no t theo retica l.
O Neighborhood house church emphasizes dialogue over preaching - At Off Broadway, “preaching” to
the crow d gen erally did not work (in the early days of Off Broadway there was literally a pulpit and rows of
chairs in the front yard! That idea died really quick!). Instead, lesson s beca me inte ractive, with b oth
believers and unb elievers ga thered in s mall gro ups to share their own personal struggles, to discuss what
was being taught and how it might apply to each person’s unique situation.
O Neighborhood house church builds relationships and community - At Off Broadway we were amazed
to discover the relationships and the com munity we could build over the informal atmo sphere of hot dogs
and bible study in someone’s front yard.
O Neighborhood house church listens to people’s personal stories - At Off Broadway, as relationships
and our sense of community grew, we discovered that people have life-stories to tell, and often times they
are simply looking for someone who cares e nough to listen to their story without judgmentalism and without
preaching to them.
O Neighborhood house church offers biblical spirituality as a personal journey - At Off Broadway we
quic kly discovered that we were surrounded by a wide variety of people who were at widely divergent places
on their spiritual jou rneys into the Kingdom of God. These included drug dealers (and users) who had made
professions of faith years before (one whose parents had been Pentecostal pastors!), church drop-outs and
burned out Christians who found spiritual refre shm ent in discovering that God could meet them in their front
yard over hot dogs, homosexuals struggling with condemnation from their Christian families and wondering
if God (and other believers) could ever love them, dom estic violence victims (and perpetrators) who were
crying out to God for he lp, and many more. We also discovered the reality of how messy the personal
spiritual journ eys of people could be as we sought to love them into a deeper walk into the things of God.
O Neighborhood house church provides a biblical channel through which the Riv er of G od’s S pirit
can flow in pow er to redeem an d transform o ur neighbo rhoods an d our com munity! - There is a
growing chorus of Christians today who are fasting and praying for revival. Predicting and prophesying a
coming revival has become a cottage industry today. But if God should graciously and powerfully answer
all of our p rayer s for reviva l, what would be the anticipated and expected outcome, and are we prepared
to receive it? How and where will this River of Revival flow, since only about 26% of Am erica ns pr ese ntly
attend Church? Where are the vessels to receive this outpouring and its anticipated fruit? I believer that the
rise of neighborhood home-based ekklesias, house churches - Safe Houses of Hope & Prayer - represent
the new wineskin for w hat God is abo ut to d o. Th e Riv er of God ’s Sp irit is pr epa ring to flow in
unprecedented pow er fo r spir itual re vival, renewa l and com mun ity transformation. The result will be scores
of thousands of people who will be savingly redeemed, delivered, healed and discipled, and it will all take
place primarily in home-based ekklesias, Safe Houses of Hope & Prayer. The only question remaining
question is, “ W ill y o u r h o u se b e o ne of them ”?!
And Then Someone Wanted A Swimming Pool
An international leader in the house church movement recently observed that there are two leading causes of conflict and
failure among house churches. The two top causes are:
O Immature leadership - This means that the leader (or one of the leaders) of a hou se c hurc h is sp iritually
i m ma ture (often resulting from a lack of experience). When a crisis eventually occurs within the house
church (as crises usually do), the leader’s immaturity causes the crisis to be poorly handled with the resu lt
that the house church is seriously damaged, compromised or even destroyed.
O Legalism - Legalism is often a m anife statio n of a cont rolling spirit and usually stems from an unbalanced
understanding of God and how he works in people’s lives. For a legalist, pleasing God means creating and
adhering to a carefully crafted set of rules which control personal behavior and result in “holiness.” When
a crisis even tually a rises a lega list is un able to “let go” or to resolve it on any terms other than his (or her)
set of “rules”. The result is often wounded people and a splintered church.
It would be dishonest of me to leave you with the impression that our outreach was beyond such problems or challenges.
The Off-Broadway Family Outreach experienced the “perfect storm” of a crisis involving both of these issues. I have
addressed the s piritua l issue s invo lved in this c risis extensively in the article entitled “Jeremiah, West Central and Spiritual
Transformation” whic h you c an re ad in Appendix A of this workbook. As a result, the individual who owned the ministry house
in the neighborhood where Off Broadway ministered demanded that we cease all ministry at that location, thereby forcing
us to m ove a nd ho ld our gath ering s else whe re. T hat in dividu al the n pur cha sed a sto re-fr ont lo catio n a fe w blo cks awa y,
opened a thrif t store and f ood bank and a ttem pted to re- direc t the m inistry th ere u nde r his o wn p erso nal co ntrol. I n sim ple
terms, he was unable to embrace God’s new paradigm for Kingdom transformation, rejected the challenging freedom of
ministry along the banks of God ’s River, an d chos e instead to establish another closely controlled swimming pool. After “re-
groupin g,” Off Broadway continued on by meeting in the home of a former neighborho od drug dealer whose life had been
transformed by our outreach. He became our “person of peace” in the neighborhood and the journey continued on.
And the River flow ed on . . .

Module 5b - Safe Houses Of Hope & Prayer
Introduction
The concept for “Safe Houses of Hope & Prayer” was born out of the Off Broadway ministry in the West Central
neighborhood of Sp oka ne. A fter m onth s of f eed ing 15 0-to- 200 peop le in the front yard of a neighborhood house, leading
Bible studies, working with children, drug dealers, users, families in crisis and much more, God gave birth to the idea of
“Safe Houses of Hope & Prayer” by causing us to see and understand that’s what we had become for the neighborhood.
W e had become a “Safe House of Hop e & Prayer” - a neighborhood, home-based ekk lesia - where people from t he
neighborhood came to find and ex perience God’s love am ong a com munity of believers who were willing to reach out in love
to their neighb orhood . It finally “dawned ” on us tha t what we were do ing was a practical s tep toward seeing com mun ity
transformation occur one home and one neighborhood at a time. The conce pt of Safe Houses of Hope & Prayer is based
upon both our vision and our experience of taking the Kingdom of God into our neighborhoods with power to transform them,
believing tha t there is no need s o great o r overwh elming that the King dom of God canno t mee t and ove rcom e it.
It is probably safe to say that most people in our Post Modern culture have never witnessed or experienced a genuine,
auth entic expression of the King dom of God either in the C hurch o r in their neigh borhoo ds. Th is is our op portunity to change
that. Our goal through Safe Houses of Hope & Prayer is to introduce people to an authentic experience of the Kingdom of
God right where they and we live . . . in our homes.
It is our belief a nd prayer that Safe Houses of Hope & Prayer represent a new vessel which God is raising up for the coming
move of His Spirit in spiritual renewal and community transformation. We believe that the River of Ezekiel 47, the River of
God ’s Spirit, is abou t to flow throu gh our c omm unity in power and blessing never before experienced in our generation. The
day of G od’s visitation in our community is approaching, and He is callin g out and r aising up ne w ves sels and n ew p eop le
to take new territory for the Kingdom. And these Safe Houses of Hope & Prayer, meeting in homes and neighborhoods just
like yours and led by Kingdom-minded believers just like yo u, will beco me the n ew c han nel fo r the R iver o f His Spirit a s it
flows in spir itual re new al and com mu nity tran sfor ma tion. T his is a challe nging and e xcitin g m ove o f Go d’s S pirit, an d He is
calling you to be a part of what He is doing.
The challenge of being a Safe House of Hope & Prayer is that it represe nts the “c utting edg e” of hou se chu rch m inistry. It
is what I call “raw ministry,” without the veneer of artificial cleanness that ofte n covers over ministry in many traditional
churches. Minis try in the Kingdom of G od is powerful, but it is seldom neat. As I have often taught in our house church
network, “Life is messy.” And no where will this truth be more clearly displayed than in the ekklesia which meets in our
homes, which we are calling “Safe H ouses of Hope & Pray er.”
What is a Safe House of Hope & Prayer?
Let’s begin by attempting to understand and describe what a Safe House of Hope & Prayer is:
A Safe House of Hope & Prayer is a home-based ekkles ia (house church), a foothold for the Kingdom of
God on your block and in your neighborhood.
As we seek to become the ekkles ia in our hom e and in o ur neighb orhood , our com mitm ent sho uld be to em phasize
“Kingdom” over “Church.” The Kingdom of God was at the heart of Jesus message, and it was the message preached by
Paul and the e arly Churc h. In fact, the New Testament talks more about “kingdom” (162 times) than it does about “church”
(115 times). As I mentioned earlier, the early N.T. church didn’t “do evangelism” as you and I understand it. They proclaimed
the Kingdom, they taught the Kingdom and they lived the Kingdom, and people responded to what they SAW and HEARD.
Here are just a few examples:
O John The Baptist proclaimed the Kingdom of God : “Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching
in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at ha nd.” (Matthew 3:1-2)
O Jesus preached the Kingdom : “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe
in the gos pel.” (Mark 1:15)
O Jesus com man ded the d isciples to preach the Kingdom: “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom
of heaven is a t ha nd .’” (Matthew 10:7)
O The disciples preached the Kingdom: “But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the
Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, m en and wom en alike.” (Acts
8:12)
O Paul preach ed abo ut the Kingd om: “And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters, and was
welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus
Christ w ith all openne ss.” (Acts 28:30-31)
God is unfolding His Kingdom by planting “kingdom outposts,” the ekk lesia in your home, which we are calling “Safe Houses
of Hope & Prayer,” footholds for the Kingdom of God, assemblies of those who have been called out of the Kingdom of
darkness and into the Kingdom of God’s own Son.
A Safe House of Hope & Prayer Is “People of Peace” (Luke 10:2) Look ing to C onne ct with Othe r Peop le
of Peace in Their Neighborhood.
Are you a “person of peace”? Jesus taught about “people of peace” in Luke Chapter 10 and the first 7 verses. To Him they
were “key players ” in sprea ding the K ingdom of God . Let’s read this pass age: Now after this the L ord app ointed se venty
others, and sent them two and two ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. And He was
saying to them , “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out
laborers into His harvest. “Go your ways; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. “Carry no purse, no bag,
no shoes; and greet no on e o n th e w ay . “A nd wh ate ve r ho us e y ou en ter , fir st s ay , ‘Pe ac e b e to thi s h ou se .’ “And if a man
of peace is there, yo ur peac e will rest upo n him; bu t if not, it will return to you. “And stay in that house, eating and drinking
what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wag es. Do n ot keep moving from ho use to ho use.” (Luke 10:1-7) What
we have here is a snap shot of how Jes us ins truct ed H is followers to “do evangelism.” (Remember: The early N.T. church
didn’t “do evangelism” as you and I understand it. They proclaimed the Kingdom, they taught the Kingdom and they lived
the King dom , and peop le res pon ded to wh at the y SAW and H EAR D). T he co mp anion pass age to this one in Luke is found
in Matthew Cha pter 1 0 wh ere J esu s inst ructs His 1 2 disc iples o n how they s hou ld condu ct them selves w hen they g o out.
In Luke 10 Jesus repeats these instructions only this time he is instructing the 70, instead of the 12. In Luke 10, starting at
verse 5 Jesus instructs the 70 in what it means to be and to find a Person of Peace.
So, what exactly is a “person of peace.” This is a person sovereignly prepared by God, before you arrive, to receive the
good n ews ab out the Kin gdom . Let me sugge st at least two charac teristics:
O First, they can be a person of receptivity. In other wo rds, this someone who is open to the gospel, to the
Kingdom of God and to the possibility of God working in their lives. Our typical mentality has alwa ys been that we
must first sow, sow, sow, and then we can harvest. But what if God has already done the preparation and sowing?
Here in Luke 10, Jesus teaches and demonstrates that you can actually “harvest first” by finding a person of peace,
and then you can sow even more effectively, especially in the oikos (that’s the Greek word for ou r “ex tend ed fa mily”
or “household”) of that p erso n! T his pr inciple is illustr ated in act ion by th ree e xam ples : by the conv ersio n of
Cornelius, by the conversion of Lydia, and by the conversion of the Philippian Jailer. These three illustrate that you
can “harvest” first by finding a receptive “person of peace” and then begin sowing within their “household” and
beyond. It is all of God. God has, in fact gone before you to prepare these hearts!
O Second, they can be a person of reputation. These can be people of a known reputation, and that reputation
can be either good or bad. For example, in Mark Chapter 5 Jesus lands at Gadara and is greeted by a demoniac
who is violent, naked, in broken chains, and has a horrible reputation. Everyone in the area is afraid of him! BUT
God has sovereignly placed him there, desperate and ready for an encounter with Jesus! He is not the kind of
person that yo u and I wou ld norm ally see as a s trong cand idate to be a “Pe rson of Pe ace ,” but t hat is exactly what
he became! This ma n, afte r he w as de livere d fro m h is dem onic affliction , begged Jesus for perm ission to go with
Him . But in stea d, Je sus sent him back to De cap olis to tell his story to his family and friends, that is, to “sow” back
into his own oikos(i.e., extended family). Do you think he had a powerful story to tell to his circle of family and
friends? Then, again, in Mark 7:31-37, Jesus returned to that area, to Decapolis, and “they brou ght to Him one who
was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they entreate d Him to lay His ha nd upo n him.” The demoniac’s family and
friends had seen a changed man and the region responded by bringing more people to Jesus. The former
demoniac was now a Godly “man of peace” proclaiming Jesus. The story of the Gadarene demoniac is a wonderful
example of how Jesus can raise up a notorious and receptive Person of Peace, and by transforming their life He
can so w kingd om s eed into the lives of m any mo re.
Cornelius: A Soldier and Man of Peace
Another example of this principle at work is the story of Cornelius in Acts Chapter 10. Cornelius was a person of peace, and
it changed his life. And therein lies a story. Cornelius (we don’t know his full name) lived in Roman occupied Pale stine in
the 1st Cen tury A.D. T he story we have ab out him comes from around A.D. 45. He wa s a Rom an military officer (a
Centu rion) assigned to a Roman Legion headquartered in the strategic town of Caesarea, on the northwest coast of
Palestine. From all accounts he appears to have been an honorable man with good standing in the com mu nity. He had even
befriended the local Jewish com mu nity an d had show n inte rest in their religion. The Jewish community in turn had honored
him by calling him a “god-fearer” (a high compliment) and his spiritual interest appeared genuine. Then something happened
to this praying, god-fearing Roman that changed the course of his life . Acc ordin g to th e acc oun t we h ave, o ne da y while
Cornelius was praying an angel appeared to him and informed him that God had heard his prayers. The angel told Cornelius
to send for a man named Simon who was staying in the coastal town of Joppa, about one day’s travel away. Bewildered
(and afraid) but obedient, Cornelius sent two servan ts and a s oldier to Joppa to find this man named Simon. When Simon
arrived at the house of Cornelius three days later he found that this god-fearing “man of peace” was not alone. Cornelius
had invited all of his relatives and close friends in Caesarea to come and hear wha t this man Simon was going to say. It must
be important, since an angel had arranged the whole thing! Cornelius introduced himself to Simon, explained to him all that
had happened and said, “W e are all her e pre sen t in the sight of God, to hear all that you have been commanded by the
Lord.” W hat a moment for both Cornelius and for Simon, both realizing that they were each part of a divinely orchestrated
moment much bigger than themselves! Realizing that God had gone before him to prepare this “man of peace,” Simon
proceeded to tell the story of his own experience. You see, Simon, too, had once been a “person of peace,” a lover of God,
seeking spiritual truth and reality. Some fifteen years earlier, while mending his fishing nets beside the Sea of Galilee, he
had met the teacher, Jesus of Nazareth, and his life had been changed forever. But now his audience was waiting. Simon,
also nam ed P eter, kne w Go d wa s abo ut to d o som ethin g wo nde rful in the life of this go d-fearing man of peac e. “God is not
one to show partiality,” Simon began, “but in every nation the man who fears Him an d does what is righ t, is welcom e to Him .”
The words began to flow now as Simon remembered and described the events that had forever changed his life. “You know
of Jesus of Nazareth, how G od anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good, and
healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all the thing s He did bo th in
the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And they also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. God raised Him up on
the third day, a nd gran ted that He should become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen
beforehand by God, that is, to us, who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He ordered us to preach
to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the
dead. Of Him all the p roph ets b ear w itnes s tha t throu gh H is name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of
sins.” The n it happened. Simon was still speaking when the presence and power of God filled the room, touching Cornelius,
his entire fam ily and e veryo ne pr ese nt. An d Pe ter, th e for me r ma n of p eac e and fishe rm an fr om Galile e, wa tche d in
amazement as the sovereign God a nswer ed the cr y of anothe r search ing heart a nd swe pt anothe r ”perso n of pea ce” into
the peaceable Kingdom of God.
So, what about you? Are you a Cornelius, a “person of peace,” searching for spiritual truth, personal fulfillment and a genuine
relatio nsh ip with God. There are many such “persons of peace” recorded in the New Testament. People like Cornelius, Peter
and you. People who were searching and open to spiritual tr uth. T hey, to o, fou nd th eir ho nes t que stion s ans were d, the ir
search fulfilled, their sins forgiven and their lives changed forever by placing their personal faith in Jesus of Nazareth. So,
let me ask you. Are you a person of peace in your own oikos, among your extended family and friends? Are you a Person
of Peace in your neighborhood? Are you someone whom God can use to sow Kingdom seed into the lives of others around
you? Are other people around you recep tive to the gospel because they see God a t work in your life? And are you on the
look-out for other people of peace who are receptive to what God wants to do? Being a Safe House of Hope & Prayer mean
being a person of peace in our neighborhood and then asking God to lead us to other persons of Peace whom God has
already prepared with a hunger for the Kingdom of God.
(We have reproduced the story of Cornelius as a flyer entitled “Are You A Person of Peace” which you can copy and
distribute in y our neigh borhoo d.)
A Safe House of Hope & Prayer Is a Personal Co mmitm ent to Neighb orhood an d Com munity
Transformation.
A thirty-th ree ye ar old conq uista dor la nded in Mexico with five hundred men. He was shocked to find the Aztecs taking
prisoners of the weaker tribes, ripping their hearts out atop temples, and, in a frenzy, eating their bodies. The conquistador
freed the prisoners, knocked down idols, and erected crosses. His name was Hernando Cortez. His personal secreta ry,
Francisco Lopez de Gom ara, wrote : "Cor tez told them of the ir blindness . . . in worshiping many gods and making sacrifices
of human blood . . . He then told them of a single God, Creator of Heaven and earth . . . whom all men should worship and
serve." When Cortez landed in the New World he knew that the greatest danger facing his troops was not the natives but
his men's own fears. And the greatest temptation they faced was the temptation to yield to their fears, re-board their ships
and return to S pain. So C ortez orde red his m en to strip the ships of e verything us eable . . . and then to set them on fire.
Cortez b urned h is ships s o that he a nd his m en wou ld have no choice b ut to survive and to co nquer.
Hernando Cortez, for whatever other faults he may have had, understood the cost of victory. Do we? I can’t help but ask
a question: What is your kingdom vision for the spiritual transformation of your neighborhood and your community? And what
price are you willing to pa y to se e Go d fulf ill that vision? In my own life and ministry I have discovered that Kingdom visions
c om e with spiritual price tags attached. And on those tag s I find the p rices sp elled out in wo rds, word s like "pride ," "lifestyle,"
"reputation ," "material comfort," "traditions." And the fine print on the tag says something like, "This kingdom vision will cost
you all of these th ings." To put it anothe r way, "What is it you want God to do in your life, in the life of your family, and in your
ministry, and what price are you willing to pay to see Him do that?" Answer that question and I can tell you what God is about
to do in yo ur life a nd m inistry. M y King dom Visio n is to see God give birth to a genuine movement of His Spirit in which the
River of God's Spirit is poured out in Spokane and the Pacific Northwest resulting in the creation of genuine Christian
communities called Safe Houses of Hope & Prayer where believers gather with family and friend s in th eir ho me s and their
neighborhoods to experience God's Kingdom Presence and His Kingdom Power as He turns our homes into places of
power, peace & healing where unbelievers can come and experience the Kingdom of God and "touch and taste the Powers
of the Age to Com e."
This really is important. If you don’t understand and embrace the vision of wha t God is doing by way of revival and spiritual
transformation throu gh ho use chur ch, yo ur co mm itme nt will b ec om e nothing more than an outward legalistic and religious
allegiance to a powerless paradigm (or what we call “another dead program ”).
Are you willing to take personal ownership and responsibility for the spiritual renewal and transformation of your
neighborhood? A frequently quoted verse among Christians involved in promoting community transformation is Jeremiah
29:7 “And seek the welfare (literally, Shalom, “peace, health, wholeness , or welfare”) of the city where I have se nt you into
exile, and p ray to the L ord on its b ehalf; for in its w elfare you will have w elfare.” But look at the context of this verse. The
context of this verse is the Children of God in the ir Bab ylonia n captivity. It was written to God’s people living in pagan
BABYLON, the epitome of this evil world system! Do you really think that your neighborhood is any more wicked than pagan
Babylon? Do you really think representing the Kingdom of God in your neighborhood is any more difficult than trying to
represent the Kingdom of God in pagan Babylon?! We need a wor ldview whic h says that n o neig hbo rhoo d is beyond the
power of the Kingdom of God to redeem! And we need a personal commitment to become the instrument that God is going
to use to b ring that tran sform ation abo ut.
A Safe House of Hope & Prayer Is a Place for the Practical Living-out of the 10 DNA Markers of Acts 2:41-47
as an Extended Family in Your Neighborhood That Can Bring the Kingdom of God to Your Po st-mod ern
Neighbors in Terms They Can Understand.
O DNA Marker # 1: Living Out Perseverance - Being a Safe House of Hope & Prayer means that you have
made a decision to “persevere” at the calling of being the ekk lesia in your home, a house church manifestation of the
Kingdom of G od in yo ur ne ighbo rhoo d. W e hav e disc over ed th at pe ople w ho w ant to beco me a hou se c hurc h in the ir
neigh borh ood usua lly go thr oug h fou r (4) s tage s in th eir jou rney.
, Stage #1 - The Dream Stage. This is the stage at which peop le think to the mse lves, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful
if . . .”. In other wo rds, this is w hen pe ople drea m ab out wha t church could be like if only they were to follow the New
Testament pattern as seen in such passages as Acts 2:41-47. Such dreaming often leads to Stage #2.
, Stage #2 - The Experimental Stage. This is the stage when people decide to “take the plunge” and “give it a
try.” It is usually during this expe rimen tal stage w hen pe ople beg in to discov er that “many are called, but few can
stand it”! If they “persevere” through the experimental stage (and many people do not, because perseverance takes
work and dedication), then they will eventually find themselves in Stage #3.
, Stage #3 - The Practitioner Stage. At some point peop le rea lize tha t they a re no longe r “ex perim entin g” with “this
house church thing.” They have, in fact, become a 1 Corinthians 14-style house church and they have become
genuine house church prac titioners. They have become the ekk lesia which meets in their home, and an au then tic
house church outpost for the Kingdom of God in their neighborhood.
, Stage #4 - The Teacher Stage. Generally speaking, you can’t teach what you don’t do (well, let’s say, unless
you are “doing” it your teaching simply won’t ring true or authentic. Unfortunately, that doesn’t stop some people!).
Peo ple who have become “Practitioners” of house church soon discover that, by their example and practice, they
are teaching others how to become the church which meets in their house.
O DNA Marker # 2: Living Out The Fear of Th e Lord - So, how do we live out “the fear of the Lord” in our house
churches and our Safe Houses of Hope & Prayer? By pursuing, encouraging and expecting the supernatural presence of
God. And how do we do that? By obeying the ministry example and com mands of Jesus Him self. In Matthew 10:7-8 Jesus
gave the disciple s six specific commands (what I call the “original great commission”): 1)Preach the Kingdom of God, 2)
heal the sick, 3) raise the dead, 4) cleanse the lepers, 5) cast out demons, 6) freely give. Are you doing these six things?
W hy not? Amazing things (even supernatural things) happen when we pray for someone to be healed and God heals them,
or we confront the demonic and it flees. The pres enc e of G od’s supe rnatu ral po wer in resp ons e to th e pra yers o f His peop le
can ha ve a dram atic effec t, produc ing a gen uine “fea r of the Lo rd” in our h ouse c hurche s.
In his new book “Mega Shift” Christian a uthor an d hous e churc h planter J im Ru tz argues that Christianity has become the
fastest growing faith in the world. “The growing core of Christianity crosses theological lines and includes 707 million born-
aga in peop le who ar e increas ing by 8 p ercent a year.” And what is driving this incredible growth? Miracles. In his boo k Rutz
attem pts to document scores of healings and powerful answe rs to the pr ayers of b elievers, inc luding (be lieve it or not)
hundreds of dramatic cases of resurrections (no, not near-death experiences, but real resu rrections of actua l corpse s)! Ru tz
claim s that such miraculous occurrences (as Jesus commanded the disciples in Matthew 10:7-8) are happening around the
world every 25 minutes! W hat we are seeing worldwide is a return of the supernatural, the miraculous and the fear of the
Lord to His church with the result that people are believing in record numbers!
Miracles in your house church can have a profound effect upon unbelievers in your midst. Just ask Je ff. Jeff was an
unbeliever who lived in the u psta irs apartment at the original Off Broadway ministry location in the West Central
neighborhood. He o cca sion ally helped out with preparing food for the Thursday night neighborhood gathering (it later moved
to Monday nights). After one particular gathering Larry found Jeff sitting on the steps around 2:00AM with a very serious look
on his face. “I coo ked the fo od to night , Larr y,” Jeff sa id very em phatically. “Yes, I know,” Larry replied. “Y ou do n’t understand,
I cooke d the food tonight,” Jeff said again, this tim e visibly shak en. “Yes, I know . Wha t’s your point, Jeff.” Then came the
reply, “W e fed mor e peo ple th an I h ad fo od to cook for the m,” Jeff said w ith tea rs in his eyes. According to this shaken
unbeliever who prepared the eve ning meal, that night God had multiplied food and he had witnessed it. Jeff made a
profession of faith shortly after that experience. What you believe about God multiplying food today is between you and God
(trust me when I say, We Believe!). But what this unbeliever experienced involving multiplied food and the God who can do
such things caused him to believe.
O DNA M ark er # 3 : Livin g O u t U n c om mo n C om m unity - Who on your block or in your neighborhood has a
financial or material need which is unm et? Is there a yard that needs work? A ho use that needs repair? A house that needs
cleaning? What can you do to meet that need? How could your Safe House of Hope & Prayer take the initiative to bring the
neighborhood together to meet that need (Be prepared to lead, even if no one initially follows). If there is a financial need,
cou ld you do a neighborhood yard sale where everyone contributes things to sell with the proceeds going to meet a special
need?
O DNA Marker # 4: Living Out One-Mindedness - Establish ing a thriving h ouse c hurch, a Safe House of Hope
& Prayer, requires that those participating in the leadership manifest a genuine one-mindedness of he art, m ind an d spir it
regarding what you are about. Is your leadership “on the same p age”? Your one-mindedness will be put to the test by times
of “cris is m inistry” . One -m inded nes s will be built du ring th ose time s of w orsh ip and mutual ministry when your church works
on “mending one another’s nets” (More about this in Module 7 under “Who’s In Charge: Biblical Leadership and the Mending
of Nets”).
O DNA Marker # 5: L iving Ou t House -To-Ho use Ministry - Don’t do everything in your house. Sometimes you
need to do it in other people’s homes! This is what we call NIMBY (“Not In Mine, But Yours”!). W e want the Kingdom of God
to spread to other homes, so that they, too, become Safe Houses of Hope & Prayer, house church outposts for the Kingdom
of God in the neighborhood that reach out to their extended oikos of friends and fam ily. That m eans w e need to occ asio nally
say, “Hey, lets meet a t your ho me ne xt week .” Then everyone pitches in to make it happen!
O DNA Marker # 6: Living Out Sh aring Mea ls Togeth er - When’s the potluck?! Turn your house church meeting
into a neighborhood potluck or BBQ! Invite your neighbors to come & to bring something. People tend to relax and open up
around food. Some house churches do this w eek ly (yes, it’s work , but w e nev er sa id sign ifican t min istry in your neighborhood
was going to c ome easy!), wh ile som e do it m onth ly. The point is, it should become a regular and consistent time that
peo ple come to count on and attend. It must become part of your house church DNA. What you do & model is what others
are going to one da y reprodu ce. If it can’t be reprodu ced, do n’t do it.
O DNA Marker # 7: Living Out The Joy of The Lord - We need to ask ourselves a simple yet profound question:
“Do the people in my neighborhood see me walk ing in th e joy o f the L ord, b oth in public and in private, as I interact with and
serv e the m on a daily basis ?”
O DNA Marker # 8: Living Out Sim plicity of Heart - Keep personal or outside agendas out of your house church.
You’ll soon come to know people’s politics, economics, hobbies, prejudices, etc. Som e peop le will com e simp ly to prom ote
their favorite “hot button.” Nothing will destroy a house church quicker than allowing ulterior motives or agendas to dominate.
W e don’t allow p eop le to read their latest favorite prophetic newsletter, circulate materials, make speeches, etc. Save that
for before, after or outside the house church. Questionable motives, private agendas and suspicion as to why someone
comes will breed divisio ns. W e are here to wo rship God , hea r His voice , obe y His in struc tions , help one a noth er m end their
broken, tangled nets, and to advance God’s Kingdom purposes for ourselves, our neighborhood and our city. Let’s keep
things simple.
O DNA Ma rker # 9: Living Out F avor & Grace - A s w e s ee k t o b ec om e a Safe House of Hope & Prayer in our
neighborhood we need to pray that Go d will give us H is favor in the eyes of ou r neighbo rs, and w e need to ask G od to
empower us to manifest His grace to those we reach out to.
O DNA Ma rker # 10: Living Ou t God-Inspired Evangelistic Grow th - I believe we w ill discover that “God-
inspired evangelistic growth” will be the outcome of our practicing the other nine (9) DNA markers!
Getting Started As A Safe House of Hope & Prayer
"You are the light of the world. . . . Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and
glorify your Father who is in Heaven" (Matt. 5:14 , 16, NAS B).
Safe Houses of Hope & Prayer is not a program. It is a Spirit-birthed lifestyle of “being the church” in our neighborhoods.
Our goal is to turn our homes into authentic outposts for the Kingdom of God in our neighborhood by authentically living
out the ten (10) DNA markers of Kingdom oriented house church. Our mandate as followers of Christ is to shine where we
are as a light to a lost and dying world. People are seeking moral and spiritual direction. They are adrift in a sea of darkness
and need a safe place of hope and prayer where they can discover a perso nal and a uthentic re lationship w ith Jesus Christ.
But many people in our Post M odern culture are e xpre ssin g this need and h ung er in a new way - they are saying “God, yes!
Church, no!” A Safe House of Hope & Prayer is a personal outpost for the Kingdom of God, a “church without walls,” in the
heart of ou r neig hbo rhoo d wh ere C hristia ns liv e out what it means to BE a Christian. Here are some basic principles for
getting started:
Covenant with God to Become the Church in Your Neighborhood.
Remem ber Point +1 of the “5 Steps of Apostolic Migration”? Is it time for you to “cross over Jordan ” and to co venant w ith
the “new thing” that God is doing? Wolfgang Simson suggests that we may need to make three (3) covenants:
‘ First, a co vena nt with God in whic h we give u p our agen da an d yield o urse lves w holly to Him .
‘ Second, a covenant with God’s Kingdom purposes for our neighborhood, such as His purpose of planing
house churches in your neighborhood. In this covenant we stop asking God to bless what we are doing,
and we start asking God to include us in what He is already blessing!
‘ Third , a covenant of co-operation and blessing with other like minded people whom He is calling us to labor
with.
There is no reason why people in your neighborhood should have to leave the neighborhood in order to have a genuine
experience of the Kingdom of G od! W hy can’t they experience the Kingdom of G od in your living r oom (or, b etter yet, in
theirs!). Why should they need to go to a “healing room” when God can touch and heal them right in their living room!
Commit Yourself to Pray for Your Neighbors and Your Neighborhood.
Prayer really does m ake a d ifference . As Os wald Ch amb ers onc e declare d, “Prayer doesn’t prepare us for the greater work,
prayer is the greater w ork.” Specific, consistent, biblically-based prayer for individual believers and unbelievers is the life-
breath of the Kingdom of God in your neighborhood. A strong prayer foundation is vital to the effectiveness of a Safe House
of Hope & Prayer (W hich is why Module 8 is dedicated to “The Ministry of Prayer and Intercession”).
The pastor of a Christian church in Phoenix, Arizona, recently asked the members of his church to randomly choose 80
peo ple from the telephone book. He then asked them to pray for each of the 80 names every day for 90 days. At the same
time, he asked them to ch oos e ano ther 8 0 nam es fr om the te lepho ne bo ok - b ut this second list was simply laid aside, and
nobody prayed for the people on the list. After 90 days, church members called all 160 people on the lists, asking them
whether they would a llow Christian s to visit them to pray for the m. "The am azing resu lt," says Alvin VanderGriend, speaker
of the Am erican Lig hthous e mo vem ent, "was this: only one person on the list of people who did not receive prayer was
prepared to allow Christians to visit, whereas 69 of the 80 people for whom the church mem bers prayed were p repared to
allow Christians to visit, and 45 even inv ited them into their house, offered coffee and named special prayer requests. Prayer
was c learly the de cisive fac tor caus ing these people to open the ir houses for perso nal praye r."
Tod ay it is popular to do “prayer walking” through neighborhoods. While this can be good (you might even meet some of
your neighbo rs as you p rayer walk ) practica l prayer for sp ecific peo ple is always better than abstrac t prayer for c oncep ts
(like “the neighborhood”). Go through your neighborhood and meet real people who need real prayer for specific things! Use
the “Could We Pray For You?” flyer (the text is at the end of this Module) to exp lain th at yo u are having a regular
neighborhood gathering for prayer & fello wsh ip. Ag ain, te ll them it’s a potluck and invite them to bring som ething. If they are
reluctant to come, tell them that you would like to know how you could pray for them and their family. Here are just a few
simple ideas for how to make prayer for your neighborhood more effective.
- Set aside a regular day for prayer and fasting over your neighborhood,
- Begin creating a prayer list for your neighborhood,
- Begin pray-walking around your block and neighborhood,
- Stake off the boundaries of your neighborhood and anoint the corners with oil (symbolizing the anointing that
breaks the yoke) and co mm union juice (symb olizing the bloo d of Ch rist) to symbolically reclaim your neighborhood
for the Kingdom of God,
- Ask neighbors to share prayer requests,
- Keep a prayer journal to record how God is answering your prayers.
Ask God To Raise Up “People of Peace” In Your Neighborhood.
Chances are that God has already prepared “people of peace” in your neighborhood for you to reach out to and pa rtner with
as you beco me th e churc h in your hou se and your neigh borhoo d. Begin p raying and asking God to raise them up and to
lead you to them.
Manifest the love of God by caring for your neighbors and your neighborhood.
Preaching is easy. Living out a Christ-like life before a watching world is more challenging. Our Post Mod ern culture is tired
of hearing Christians preach one thing ( suc h as t he sa nctity o f ma rriag e) an d live o ut an othe r (infid elity, sp ous e or c hild
abuse, divorce, pornography, etc). Our message has been compromised by our lifestyles. Being a Safe House of Hope &
Prayer means a lifestyle of genuinely caring for your neig hbors. Our goal must be to discover the needs of our
neighborhood, rather than the needs of “our Churc h.” As you pray and seek Go d for your neighbors & your neighborhood,
ask God to show you their needs and the steps you should take to meet them. In the process, remember the following:
O Cultivate genuine non-judgmental friendships. Many people are very lonely and your fr iends hip co uld
make all the d iffere nce in their lives. B ut m any C hristia ns s trugg le with personal judgmentalism toward the
“messiness” of other people’s lives. God has not called us to be judges, but friends.
O Becom e a listener. People need to know that you care about what is im porta nt to th em . Liste n to th em talk
about the s trugg les or challe nge s in their lives without judging them, criticizing them or preaching at them.
Then, make the issues of their lives the objects of your specific prayers.
O Build relationships. Celebra te birthdays, a nniversa ries and o ther “sign ificant” events. When a drug dealer
who had come into our ministry had to go to prison on an old charge, we threw a “go ing to jail par ty” at his
apartment and t hen walk ed him over to the jail where he turned himself in. At his sentencing hearing earlier
that day I had as ked the judge to release him into my custody on my assurance that I would see that he
turned himself in at 5PM that evening. Much to the surprise of the Prosecutor, the Judge agreed and we
had a hous e churc h party to send him off to jail! Now we have neighborhood house church in his apartm ent!
O Pursue intentional acts of kindness. Look for opportunities to serve othe rs in s imp le wa ys like picking
up trash on their lawn, moving their empty garbage can up to their h ous e if the y are s till gone late in the
day, puttin g the ir paper up by their door if they are away. If a neighbor is struggling financially, hold a yard
sale and use the proceeds to help meet that need. We contacted three local supermarkets and arranged
to pick up their day-old bread and pastries and to distribute them throughout the neighborhood to pe ople
in need.
O Avoid “religiou s legalis m.” It is not our ca lling to play the Ho ly Spirit or to judge others and impose our
external religious legalism upon others (“You mustn’t dance, drink, smoke or chew or run around with g irls
who do.”) Leg alism w ill destroy your ministry and will spread a “false DNA” which teaches people that
Christian spirituality and the Kingdom of God can be reduced to a set of religious rules. For more about this,
read our a rticle “Jeremiah, West Central and Spiritual Transformation” in Appendix A of this Workbook.
Work for neighborhood and community transformation.
W ork to discover the “spiritual affliction” of your neighborhood and then bring the power of the Kingd om o f God to bear to
heal that affliction. In order to encourage you and to give you some real-life examples of believers and churches working
to pursue community transformation, we have included an excellent article by Eric Swanson entitled “Ten Paradigm Shifts
Toward Community Transformation” whic h you w ill find in Appendix A of this wor kboo k. All believer s have a man date to
proc laim the Kingdom of God to a lost and dying world (see Matthew 10:7ff and 28:18-20). But m uch of our Post Mo dern
culture is tired of what they perceive (rightly or wrongly) as Christians who preach one thing but live another (like preaching
God ’s love but practicing legalistic judgmentalism). Our goal must be to build a consistent outreach of dialogue and love
concerning the things of the Kingdom of God w hich will lead to g enuine p ersona l, neighborh ood an d com mun ity
transformation.
Module 5c - Growing The Kingdom In Your Neighborhood
Mega Shift & Secular Historians
If you haven ’t read Sam uel Hun tington’s bo ok, The C lash of Civilizations a nd the Rem aking of Wo rld
Order, and if you don’t mind slogging through some in-depth geo-political-sociological-historical analysis, then
you really should put this book on your read ing list. Huntington’s thesis (simplified) is that with the collapse of
the ideological orientation of nations (i.e., communist versus capitalist), the nations of the world are returning
to what he regards as a more basic and fundamental orientation, namely, they are re-orienting themselves
along the lines of the g reat Civilizations of which they have h istorically been a part.
As I indicated, reading this book involves s ome “serious slogging .” But if you are persistent then you will be rewarded when
you reach page 65. Actually, rewarded probably isn’t the best description. Cha llenge d is pr oba bly a be tter de scrip tion. It w ill
challenge your understanding of where we are in relation to the Great Commission. And since a quote is always better than
a description, allow me to quote Huntington at length:
“In rapidly modernizing societies, if the traditional religion is unable to adapt to the requirements of modernization, the
potential exists for the spread of Western Christianity and Islam. In these societies th e most successful protagonists of
Western culture are not neo- classica l econom ists or cru sading d emoc rats or multinational corporation executives. They are
ad mos t likely will co ntinu e to b e Ch ristian miss ionar ies. N eithe r Ada m Sm ith no r Tho mas Jeffe rson will meet t he
psy cho logica l, emotional, moral, and social needs of urban migrants and first-generation secondary school graduates. Jesus
Christ may not meet them either, but He is likely to have a better chance.
In the long run, however, Mohammed wins out. Christianity spreads primarily by conversion, Islam by conversion and
reproduction. The pe rcentag e of Christians in the world peaked at about 30 percent in the 1980s, leveled off, is now
declining, and will probably approximate about 25 percent of the world ’s pop ulatio n by 2 025 . As a resu lt of the ir extr eme ly
high rates of population growth, the proportion of Muslims in the world will continue to increase dramatically, amou nting to
20 percent of the world’s population about the turn of the century, surpassing the numb er of Christians some years later,
and pro bably ac counting for abou t 30 perc ent of the w orld’s popu lation by 20 25.” 72
Did you ge t his point? If current trends continue Islam will surpass Christianity in its percentage of the global population by
the year 2025. Who’s fulfilling the Great Commission?
Hun tingto n’s co nclu sion s hav e rec ently b een challe nge d by au thor a nd ho use chur ch pla nter J im R utz. In h is book Mega
Shift Rutz argues that Chris tianity (n ot Isla m) is ove rlook ed as the fa stes t-gro wing faith in the w orld b eca use mo st su rveys
look at the traditional Protestant denominations and the Rom an Catholic Church while ignoring Christian believers who have
no part o f eithe r. He says there are 7 07 m illion "s witch ed-o n disc iples" who fit into th is new category and that this "church"
is explodin g in growth . "The growing core of Christianity crosses theological lines and includes 707 m illion bo rn-a gain p eop le
who are incre asing by 8 perce nt a year ," he says. So fast is this gro up grow ing that, und er curre nt trends , accord ing to Ru tz,
the entire world will be composed of such believers by the year 2032. Rutz’s conclusions are based upon research provided
by Dr. Todd Johnson, co-author of the standard work in the field of Christian statistics, the “World Christian Encyclopedia”
(the same source, by the way, that Huntington used to reach his conclusions regarding Islam vers us C hristia nity. H m m m .)
The Grea t Comm ission & The Problem o f Basic Math
Pers ona lly, I hope (no, I pray) that Rutz is correct and Huntington is wrong. But I see three specific cautions.
First, as Rutz himself admits, exponential growth projections seldom (if ever) work out in reality over time .
Second, the apparent exponential growth of Christianity in China, Africa, India and Latin America is not
imm ediat ely transferable in any tangible way to North America and Europe. The explosive growth of
Christian ity in Ch ina as been fuele d by intense official persecution of the underground house church
mov eme nt. In Africa, crus hing p over ty com bined with a dead ly AIDS pand em ic has created an environment
in Sub-Saharan Africa where Christianity has flourished . Third , most of the readers of this workbook do not live in China,
India, Africa or Latin Am erica, but in P ost Chr istian Pos t Mode rn North Ame rica and E urope.
But Jim’s analysis of Christianity’s explosive growth worldwide serves to illustrate and underscore a b asic dilemma (or two).
The W estern C hurch to day is facing two dilem mas that are in re ality one-and -the-sam e. The dilemm a is structu ral and it
is math ema tical. Her e it is : The traditional Church as most of us have known it all of our Christian lives is built upon a
structure that ma kes it phys ically an d ma them atically im poss ible to ever accomplish and fulfill Christ’s command to
72
Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and The Remaking of World Order (New York: Touchstone, 1997), p.
65.
disciple the nations, because it is a structure that regards evangelism and church growth as a matter of simple addition.
This prob lem first o ccu rred in the Book of Acts in the ministry of the early Church. So it is there that we will find our solution
to this problem. The early Church began its ministry be experiencing phenomenal growth-by-addition. Three times in the
Book of Acts (Acts 2:41; 2:47; and 4:4) we are told that God “added” souls to the Church. The Greek word used is the Greek
word prostithemi which means “to add one thing to anothe r.” It is a descr iption of sim ple addition . By the time we reac h Acts
4:4 (the word “added” is not used, but the concept of addition is clear) God h ad ad de d s om e 25,000 souls to the Church.
Tha t’s not bad addition, and I certainly don’t know of any pastor today who would turn down 25,000 converts in less than
a month’s time!
But when we reach Acts 6:1 something changes. The word used to describe the growth of the Church changes from
prostithemi (“add”) to a new word: plethuno. This is the Greek word m eaning “to cause to increase” hence “to multiply” and
it appe ars in Acts 6:7; 9 :31 & 12:2 4 in the sam e con text o f mu ltiplica tion. A t this point the growth of the early Church went
from SIMPLE ADDITION to MULTIPLICATION (the word for “add” is never again used to describe the growth of the e arly
church)!
W e will never disciple the nations (the goal of the Great Comm ission) by utilizing simple addition (seeing how many conver ts
we can add to ou r existing C hurch s tructures ). Let m e dem onstrate why by introdu cing you to tw o Chu rches:
O Church #1: The First Church of Great Addition. Each year of its existence it adds 25,000 new converts.
Here is what its growth looks like:
End of Year 1: 25,000 people

End of Ye ar 2: 5 0,00 0 peo ple
End of Ye ar 4: 1 00,0 00 pe ople
End of Ye ar 11 : 275 ,000 peop le
O Church #2: The House Church of Simple Multiplication. It ends its first year with 8 disciples, but each
of those 8 disciples will now disciple eight more, so The House Church of Simple Multiplication grows 8-fo ld
every year. Here is what its growth looks like.
End of Year 1: 8 people

End of Ye ar 2: 6 4 peo ple
End of Ye ar 3: 5 12 pe ople
End of Ye ar 4: 4 ,096 peop le
End of Ye ar 7: 2 ,097 ,152 peop le
End of Year 8: 16,777,216 people
End of Year 9: 134,217,728 people
End of Year 10: 1,073,741,824 people
End of Ye ar 11 : 8,58 9,93 4,59 2 peo ple
O.K., Here is the quiz:
O Question: In wha t year w ill The House Church of Simple Multiplication catch and pass The First Church
of Great Addition?
‘ Answe r: In Year 6
O Question: In W hat ye ar will The House Church of Simple Multiplication fulfill the Great Commission?
‘ Answe r: Between years 10 and 11

O Question: In wh at yea r will The First Church of Great Addition fulfill the Great Commission?
‘ Answe r: NEVER! W ell, technically, it will take 343,597 years for it to reach the world’s population
by adding 25,000 per year, assuming that the world’s population doesn’t grow between now and
then!.
Sim ply put, our curren t church structure combined with our current view of evangelism, resu lting in a paradigm of
adding conver ts to existing boxes , guarantees our inability to accomplish the Ch urch’s primary calling - to disciple th e
nations. Then, when we consider that the sum total of all Christian workers and missionaries divided into the world’s non-
Christian population mea ns that each w orker/mis sionary mus t discip le 9,335 p eople , well, you get the picture (I hope!).
Now, tell m e, which s ounds more feasible to yo u: discipling 9 ,335 peo ple, or disc ipling 8 peo ple.
Discipling The Nations: Addition or Multiplication?
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and
the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the
en d o f th e a ge .’” (Matthew 28:18-20)
When was the last time you baptized a nation? There is much talk today among missions minded Christians
about “d iscipling the n ations.” Bu t I have yet to see anyone baptize a nation (and if you are trying to think of wa ys it co uld
be done, you are missing the point!).
The w ord trans lated “nation s” in Matth ew 28:1 9 is the G reek w ord “ethn os,” from which w e get our English w ord “ethn ic.”
It has the b asic m eaning o f “people .” A little backg round is n eeded at this point. In the Hebrew Old T estament there we re
two primary words for “people.” The first word was the word ‘am and was used primarily with reference to the covenant
peo ple of God. The second word was gôy and referred to any non-Israelite, anyone outside of the covenant people. When
the Hebrew O.T. was translated into Greek (a version called the Septuagint - abbreviated “LXX” - which was the common
Bible of the 1st century since Jews of that time could read Greek but not Hebrew) the word ‘am was consistently rendered
as the Greek word laos (from which we get our English word “laity”) and the Hebrew word gôy was rendered as ethnos. As
a result (and the reason we went through this exercise), the words ethnos and laos “acquire a term inolog ical ch arac ter in
the sense of Gentiles on the one side (that’s ethnos) and the chosen peo ple on the other (laos).” In the view o f the O ld
Testament, you were either one of the chosen people of God (laos) or you were a Gentile (ethnos).
This is the background of these two words when we come to the New Testament. The word ethnos a pp ea rs so m e 160 times
in the N .T. B y N.T . time s it wa s the mo st ge nera l and w eak est N .T. te rm for “p eop le,” de notin g the natural cohesion of
peo ple in general (hence the idea of “nations” which represent people in their natural cohesions based upon such things
as racial origins or shared, common languages & customs). Of the 160 occurrences of ethnos in the N.T., there are at least
100 occurrences where ethnos seems to refer specifically to Gentiles, that is, people outside of God’s covenant people.
W ith this as background, lets re-examine the Great Comm ission of Matthe w 28:19 . Question: W ho exa ctly are we to
disciple, baptize and teach? Answ er: People. The command of Christ to His church is to disciple, baptize and teach
everyone who is presently “an outsider” to God’s New Covenant in Christ - the Messiah. God’s saving activity is no longer
restricted to the laos, to God’s chosen peop le (to th e Jew s of J esu s’ day t his w as a r adic al issu e, se e Ac ts 15 ), but is now
open to the Gentiles, the ethnos.
Her e’s the point: We don’t disciple, baptize or teach nations. We disciple, baptize and teach people. Question: How do we
go about discipling the 4 billion (plus) unbelieving people of our planet? Answ er: By discipling, baptizing and teaching eight
(8) “units” at a time. W e obey Christ’s command and thereby fulfill the great commission by becoming the “multiplying house
church” that meets in our homes and that has as its go al to m ultiply 8- fold in each suc ces sive g ene ration (O.K ., the p rincip le
here is “multiplication,” not the significance of the number “8" or any other number, like “12" - as in the “Government of 12
or “G-12" cell church structure).
Now we are b ack to w here we started. W hen it com es to disc ipling the natio ns and fulfilling the G re at Co m mission, the
traditional institutional Church, relying upon an evangelism based upon the simple addition of people to boxes, cannot get
there from here! To state it differently, WE MU ST CHANG E OR W E WILL FAIL. Now do you understand wh y God is
shaking existing structures and paradigms and is raising up networking, multiplying house churches - Safe Houses of Hope
& Prayer - as His new paradigm for discipling the “nations,” including the ones in your neighborhood?
Understanding The Tension
In the p revio us S ectio n (5b ) of th is Module we focused on the relational aspect of establishing Safe Houses
of Hope & Prayer. Here we are looking at the “strategic” aspect of multiplying house churches. W e are
“caugh t” in the tension which exists between relationships and strategy, the tension between the wildness of
a river and the “organized predictability” of a “swimming pool.” The question is how d o w e b ec om e
“conscious ly intentional” in what we are about (i.e., creating strategies) while not creating new boxes and
swimming pools where we are seeking to control what belongs to God.
In his book Fearless Faith: Living B eyond the W alls of "Safe" Christianity 73 John F ischer tells a bout a pastor who served
as a short-term m issionary in Fra nce . Part of his job w as to kno ck o n 4,0 00 do ors a nd to leave a car d tha t the p erso n cou ld
fill out and mail in for a free Bible and study guide. Out of 4,000 homes, there w as no t one resp ons e. Re flectin g on h is
experience, the pastor said that if he had the opportunity to do it all over again: "I would m ove into that neighborhood and
love my neighbo rs." W ow! Tha t is sim ple, p rofo und and b iblical!
Of course, it sounds so simple when we say it, but it's so fundamental and basic we sometimes overlook it. The good news
for us is w e're alread y in the neighb orhood s. W e don't need to go to France. We don't need to go anywhere. All we need
to do is open our front doors and our eyes and notice the people who live around us. God's plan for reac hing t he w orld is
quite simple when you come right down to it. It's you and me making friends with people who don't know Him yet, and then
inviting them into the ekk lesia that meets in our homes. What would happen to our neighborhoods if there was a Safe House
of Hope & Prayer on every block a nd who se sole p urpose was to love the people who live in that neighborhood? The goal
of Safe Houses of Hope & Prayer is to bo th do this a nd to see it mu ltiply.
A Place T o Beg in
So, where do we start? How do we become “consciously intentional” and actually begin the process (or
sho uld I say, the adventure) of building a multiplyin g hou se c hurc h? W hat if w e cou ld beg in by gr aph ically
illustrating or visualizing what our “Multiplying Group of 8" might look like. It might look something like the
diagram at the end o f this m odu le (Ye p, you shou ld go there now an d look a t it, although it looks a lot like the
funny diagram to the left of this paragraph). The concept is really quite simple.
O Step 1 - Plac e your self in the c ente r circ le. Th at’s rig ht, wr ite you r nam e in the cent er cir cle, th ereb y sym bolica lly
declaring that you are covenanting with God’s purposes to become the Church that meets in your house!
O Step 2 - Nex t, in the box a t the b ottom of the page begin writing in the n am es of peop le, eithe r belie vers or
unbelievers, for whom you wan t to be gin pr aying t hat G od w ould b ring th em into you r hou se c hurc h. Th ese could
include the names of co-workers, neighbors, unsaved friends or acquaintances, etc. Think creatively. List everyone
you know who is unsa ved, unchurched, or looking for a deeper and more meaningful walk with C hrist. The se pe ople
will now becom e the subjects of your prayers that God would bring them into the extended family of your house
church.
O Step 3 - After a time of prayer and fasting for these people, begin inviting them over for a house church gathering
(call it a hous e churc h potluck and invite them to brin g som ethin g). As they re spo nd po sitively, place their names
in a circle (on e fam ily or unma rried pers on per c ircle). Soon your hous e churc h netwo rk will be filled.
O Step 4 - As God blesses and your house church begins to function & grow, teach the same model to each
participant so that they, too, will become “consciously intentional” about what it means to become a “multiplying
house church” with the result that they, too, will one day become the church that meets in their house.
Reaching Beyond Your House Church & Into Your Neighborhood
As believers intent on seeing the Spiritual transformation of our neighborhoods and our community our goal
must be to reach out beyond our hom e and to reach into our neighborhood. This is the whole purpose of being
a “Safe H ouse o f Hope & Prayer ,” to intentionally reach out to our neighborhoods. Here are some more ideas
to help you become more intentional in this process:
O Idea #1 - Make A Map of Your Neighborhood - Begin by making a map of your immediate neighborhood.
73
John Fischer, Fearless Faith: Living Beyond the Walls of Safe Christianity (Eugene: Harvest House, 2002)
At the end of this section you will find the begin nings of a g rid map that you can use to get started (many
new residential neighborhoods are not laid out in a grid format, so you will have to adjust or create a hand-
drawn ma p of your own).
O Idea #2 - Beg in Filling In Your Map - On your map begin filling in the names, add resses & phone numbers
of everyone in your neighborhood. Find out more about them. Who are they? What do they do for a living?
What about their children? Do they have special needs or circumstances (the effective communication of
the gosp el ofte n beg ins at th e poin t of so me one ’s nee d or c risis) . W hat is their r eligiou s bac kgro und (if
any!)? Do they go to church somewhere?
O Idea #3 - Beg in Meetin g Tho se In Your Neighborhood - Since you probably don’t already know everyone
in your neighborhood, now you get to meet them. How? Plan a series of walking visits through your
neighborhood. Spend som e tim e goin g doo r-to-d oor, in trodu cing yours elf an d wh ere yo u live. T ake time
to learn their names and something about them for your neighborhood map. Invite them to your next house
church potluck and invite them to come & bring something.
O Additional Ideas
‘ Don ’t eng age in a “o ne tim e blitz.” Com mit yours elf to on -goin g visits and in terac tion w ith pe ople
in order to discover their needs.
‘ On each visit ch eck up on how peop le are doing, what they may need prayer for. Use the contact
to discover needs or challenges they may be facing. Send prayer/encouragement cards & birthday
cards.
‘ Offer them a c opy of “Are You A Person Of Peace?” or “Cou ld We Pray For You?” These are
reproduced at the end of this chapter. You can reproduce them as tracts for distributing in your
neighborhood.
‘ Use the opportu nity to invite them over for your regular house church gathering/potluck. In times
of good weather make it an outdoor neighborhood BBQ/potluck.
‘ Sponsor a neighborhood “yard sale” to encourage you neighbors to work together and to give you
an opportunity to meet them. Agree ahead of time to use the proceeds to meet a need in the
neighborhood.
Wh y Som e Hou se Ch urche s Mu ltiply Wh ile Othe rs Don ’t
Joel Com iske y is a well known leader in the Cell Church movement (the more organized cousin of the House
Church movement). For his doctoral dissertation at Fuller Theological Seminary Joel studied 8 of the largest
and fastest growing cell churches in the world and surveyed m ore than 700 cell group leaders. His goal was
to discover why some cell leaders succeed while others fail at the task of evangelizing the lost and giving birth
to new cell groups. His conclusions have subsequently been validated by other independent studies. Joel has
published his results in a book entitled Home Cell Group Explosion, which we highly recommend that you
purchase and read.74
As we th ink a nd pr ay abo ut ho w to c reate a gro wing & m ultiplyin g hous e churc h, I believe that Joel’s conclusions are as
app licable to House Churc h ministry as they are to cell churc h minis try. Here are two sets of Joel’s conclusions (his book
is an expansion upon and an explanation of these conclusions). The first set of co nclusion s deals w ith those factors in the
lives of leaders which DO NOT affe ct wh ethe r or no t their c hurc hes mu ltiply. Th e sec ond set o f con clus ions deals with those
facto rs in th e lives of lea ders whic h DO affe ct wh ethe r or no t their c hurc hes mu ltiply.
Those Factors That DO NOT Affect Church Multiplication:
O The leader’s gender, social class, age, marital (civil) status or education.
O The leader’s personality type. Both introverted and extroverted leaders multiply their cells.
74
Joel Comiskey, Home Cell Group Explosion: How Your Small Group Can Grow And Multiply (Houston: Touch
Publications, 1998)
O The leader’s spiritual gifting. Those with the gift of teaching, pastoring, mercy, leadership and evangelism
equally multiply their cell group.
Those Factors That DO Affect Church Multiplication:
O The leader’s devotional tim e. Th ose who spen t 90 m inute s or m ore in devo tions per d ay m ultiplie d the ir
groups twice as much as those who spent less than 30 minutes!
O The leader’s intercession for the participants. Those who pray daily for the participan ts are m ost likely to
multiply their groups.
O The leader spending time with God to prep are for a meeting. Spending time with God preparing the heart
for a meeting is more important than preparing a lesson.
O Setting Goals. The leader who fails to set goals that the mem bers remember has about a 50% chance of
multiplying his or her group. Setting goals increases that chance to 75%.
O Knowing your multiplication date. Leaders who set s pec ific go als fo r givin g birth cons isten tly mu ltiply their
groups more often than goal-less leaders.
O Tra ining. Lead ers w ho fe el bet ter tra ined m ultiply th eir gro ups mo re rap idly.
O How often the leader contacts new people. Leaders who contac ted five to se ven new people p er mo nth had
an 80% chance of multiplying their group.
Moving Beyond Establishing & Multiplying To Networking
As we look at the long-term Kingdom transformation of our homes, our neighborhoods and our
communities, it bec om es qu ickly a ppa rent to me that a suc ces sful “Safe Houses of Hope &
Prayer” (house church) movement requires the successful completion of three steps. Let’s look
briefly at these three steps:
O Step 1: We need to successfully establish Safe Houses of Hope & Prayer (hou se c hurc hes ). Let’s face reality.
You can’t have a “house church m ovement” if you aren’t successfully establishing house churc hes. So the first
critical step is that we must successfully establish numerous “Safe H ouses of Hope & Pray er.”
O Step 2: W e need to successfu lly mult iply Safe Houses of Hope & Prayer. In oth er wo rds, e ach suc ces sfully
established house church needs to reproduce or multiply itself, which is why we have spent the time in this M odu le
to understand the importance of multiplication along with a strategy for creating “Multiplying Groups of Eight”. If it
is unable to do so, its lea dership mus t seriously as k the qu estion, “Why?”
O Step 3: We need to succes sfully netw ork established and multiplying house churches together. When we read
in the book of Acts that the early church met “from house to house” it should become immediately apparent that
these house churches were inter-connected. They were networked together. They met in one another’s homes. The
leaders of the various house churches knew and interacted with one another. The ministry of the 5 -fold leade rship
was known and received by the various house churches whic h the y oversaw . Such inte r-conn ectedn ess bo th
requires and builds a trust which is the result of intentionality and conscious networking.
Follow ing Th e Ma ster's Pa radigm of Eva ngelism & Disc ipleship
I recently had an opportunity to re-read an old classic book on discipleship and multiplication, The Master Plan of
Evangelism by Robert Coleman . Wow . To read that book is to be confronted w ith the reality that, for as long as I can
remem ber, the o rgan ized C hurc h has done the o ppo site o f wha t Jes us did . The re's a reas on w hy Dr. Cole ma n's b ook is
gen erally ig nore d tod ay. His book is an u ninte ntion al indic tme nt of v irtually e veryth ing th e Ch urch does toda y.
At the end of the day, m ost people with an IQ greater than that of a cucumber know when they are being used to further
someone else's program. And most evangelism in the Church today (and for as long as I can remem ber) comes in the form
of a program of some type (Here's Life, Key '73, Evangelism Explosion, 40 Days To A Purpose Driven Whatever, etc.). One
of the problems with such programs is that they tend to use people for an end (“If you aren’t comfortable with what we’re
doing, maybe you should look for another church”), and they h ave a fairly predictable life cycle. Then its time for a new
program and the cycle starts all over again. If you haven't been through such a cycle more than once, then you haven't been
involved in organized Church for very long.
Jesus didn't use p eople to fu lfill a program . He sim ply invested h imse lf in twelve ke y people. Ye s, he ministered to the
masses, but h e pou red H ims elf into 12 dis ciples . The y were His “plan,” and the Kingdom of God was His “program.” Writes
Coleman:
"Why did Jesus deliberately concentrate His life upon comparatively so few peo ple? Ha d he not c ome to save the world?
With the g lowin g ann oun cem ent o f Joh n the Bap tist ring ing in th e ear s of m ultitud es, th e Ma ster e asily could have had an
imme diate following of thousands if He wanted them. Why did He not then cap italize upon H is opportu nities to enlist a m ighty
army of believers to take the world by storm? Surely the Son of God could have adopted a more enticing program of mass
recruitm ent. Is it not rather d isappoin ting that one with all the powers of the universe at His command would live and die to
save the world, yet in the end have only a few ragged disciples to show for His labors? The answer to this question focuses
at once the real purpos e of His pla n for eva ngelism . Jesus was no t trying to imp ress the crowd , but to ush er in a King dom."
Jesus never concerned Himself with large numbers of converts. In fact, as best we can tell, he neve r con cern ed H ims elf
with more than twelve. Why? First, because knew how fickle the easily-led masses could be. He knew that the same masses
who would hail Him with loud Hosannas on Palm Sunda y would trad e Him for a m urderer and cry ou t "Crucify H im. W e have
no king but Caesar" only one week later. Tha t's fickle. Second, Jesus knew that the day would eventually come when the
Holy Spirit, working throu gh ev en on e of th ose twelve discip les, c ould swe ep th ous and s into the K ingdo m o f Go d on a single
day. But th at da y, He k new , wou ld never come if He did not pour Himself into 12 illiterate fishermen, zealots, tax collectors
and peasants, and if He did not prepare them to be clothed with power from on high.
It is ironic, but it should not surprise us, that whenever the Church has focused upon the masses we have eventually lost
them. The history of the Church in America and its traditional love for crusades and mass meetings should be sufficient proof
of that. Bu t we pres s ahea d with m ore m ass m eetings in th e firm b ut failed belief th at "big is better ."
"Yet, strangely enough, it is scarcely comprehended in practice today. Most of the evan gelist ic effo rts of t he ch urch begin
with the mu ltitudes und er the ass ump tion that the church is qualified to conserve what good is done. The result is our
spectacular emphasis upon numbers of converts, candidates for baptism, and more members for the church, with little or
no genuine concern m anifested toward the establishment of these souls in the love and power of God, let alone the
preser vation an d continu ation of the w ork."
The wisdom of Jesus’ model of 12 has been demonstrated in church history during times of revival, such as the season of
God ’s visitation which we are now entering into. So, take note. Th e River o f God’s Spirit is abou t to flow in unprecedented
power and bles sing. But a re we pre pared to receive it? In his book , The Second Coming of the Church, Dr. George Barna
argues that th e Ch urch toda y is com plete ly unprepared to handle the anticipated fruit of revival. Where are the classes and
small groups needed to absorb, encourage and equip these new converts? Accor ding to D r. Barna''s researc h a m ajority
of the peop le who “m ake a d ecision” fo r Christ in on e of our e vangelica l church es are n ot to be found in any church context
within eight wee ks o f ma king that d ecis ion. O ur cu rren t chu rch in fras truct ure is not a deq uate to ha ndle t he re sults of "no rm al"
activit y, much less the overwhelming stress that com es during times o f revival, or fro m tim es of cris is and up heaval. It
reminds me of God's word to Jeremiah, "If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, then how can you
comp ete with horses?" (Jeremiah 12:5) If we have been tired out and exhausted by the "norm al" req uirem ents of da ily
Christian living and ministry ("running with the footmen"), how do we expect to "keep up" with the intense demands placed
upon Christian leade rs du ring th e inte nsive time s of re vival a nd gr eat o ut-po uring s of th e Ho ly Spirit that He plans to send
upon the Church ("competing with the horses")? I believe that God is raising up the House Church paradigm and Safe
Houses of Hope & Prayer at this particular time in history in preparation to receive and to disciple the fruit of the coming
reviva l. I believ e tha t Hou se C hurc h rep rese nts a retur n to th e im porta nce of inv estin g our selve s in a h and ful of peop le who,
in the ir turn , will do the s am e with their o wn h and ful.
So, let m e ask yo u. How man y people ar e in your Ho use C hurch? If it's more than 12 then you're doing better than Jesus
ever did, so be encouraged. What's your goal? Is your goal is to impress the crowd, your traditional church friends or the
faculty back a t the deno mina tional chur ch planting office? O r is your goa l to usher in a Kingdom? To im pres s the crow d will
require big nu mb ers. T o ush er in th e Kin gdo m o f Go d req uires only 12. Choose which it will be. A simple House Church of
12 committed disciples or families could change the world. As Coleman observes:
"We should not expect a great number to begin with, nor would we desire it. The best work is always done with a few. Better
to give a year or so to one or two men who learn what it means to conquer for Christ than to spend a lifetime with a
congregation just keeping the program going. Nor does it matte r how small or inauspicious the beginning may be; what
counts is that those to whom we do g ive priority up on our life lear n to give it aw ay."
- What was your reaction to “The Off Broadway Story”? How has it encouraged you to consider becoming a house
church in your neighborhood?
- What appea led to you ab out Safe Houses of Hope & Prayer? What would it take for you to become a Safe House
of Hope & Prayer in your neighborhood? W hat would be the hardest part of implementing A Safe House strategy
in your neigh borhoo d.
- Who are the “people of peace” in your neighborhood, and what could you do to connect with them?
- Discuss how your neighborhood might be different if the people living there could have an authentic experience of
the Kingdom of G od where they love, rather than being invited to attend a church building somewhe re else? How
could such an experience lead to and result in neighborhood transformation?
- Look again at “DNA Marke r # 1: Living O ut Perse veranc e.” Which of the 4 stages of house ch urch represents where
you are today? How do you plan to move to the next stage?
- How prepared are you to bring the Kingdom of God to your neighborhood by living out the 10 DNA Mark ers of A cts
2:41 -47. W hat d o you n eed to do diffe rently in your s piritua l life to m ake this a reality?
- What is your response to the “Multiplying Group of Eight” strategy. What do you think are the “pros” and “cons” of
such a strategy? W hich disc ipleship stra tegy is m ore realistic, a strategy of personally discipling 9,335 people, or
of personally discipling a house church of 8 “units”?
A “Kingdom Transformation In Your Neighborhood” Reading List

Com iske y, Joel. Home Cell Group Explosion: How Your Sma ll Grou p Can Grow And Multiply Houston: Touch
Publications. 1998.
Fische r, John. Fearless Faith: Living Beyond the Walls of Safe Christianity. Eugene: Harvest House. 2002.
Hollis, Jam es. Be y on d th e W alls : A C o n gr e gation Guide for Lifestyle R elational E vangelism . Nas hville: D iscip lesh ip
Resources. 1993.
Montg ome ry, Jim. I’m Gonna Let It Shine. Pasadena: William Carey Library. 2001.
Petersen, Jim an d Sham y, Mike. The Insider: Bringin g the Kingd om of G od into Your Everyday World. Colorado
Springs: NavPress Publishing Group. 2004.
Richardson, Rick. Evangelism Outside The Box: New Ways to Help People Experience the Good News. Downers
Grove: InterVarsity Press. 2000.
A “Multiplying Group of Eight”
Building Your “Multiplying House Church”
Use This space to begin making a list of people for whom you intend to pray and who m yo u inte nd to even tually
challenge to become part of the church that meets in your house. After a period of fasting & prayer, begin inviting them
to attend an introductory meeting. As they respond positively, move their name from the list here to one of the circles
above, u ntil your netwo rk is full.
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Your Neighborhood Map
House/Family Alley/Fence House/Family Street House/Family Alley Hou se/Fam ily
Could We Pray For You?

“More th ings are w rought b y praye r than this w orld drea ms of.
Wh erefore, let th y voice ris e like a foun tain for me night and day.”
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Prayer is the life-b reath o f the hu man soul. For that re ason a lone, praye r is as old as man kind. W e are told in t he B ible
that within the first generation after man’s cre ation, “At that time men b egan to c all upon the name of the Lord .” In other
word s, the y bega n to p ray.
The Bible is filled with stories of people like you and me who prayed with great e ffect. Elijah p rayed and God s ent rain to
break a 3-year drought. Elijah also prayed for the dead son of a widow and he was restored to life. Elisha defeated an entire
Syrian army with only prayer (wow, is there a lesson there?!). King Hezekiah and the people of Israel praye d aga inst a vastly
superior invading army and defeated them in battle. King David prayed for deliverance from the hand of his enemies.
Throughout the Bible God answered prayers for protection, provision, physical healing and much more.
Jesus of Nazareth told his disciples that they “should always pray and not los e heart.” Perh aps there is a les son here : if
we don’t pray about the issues of our lives (and as k others to pray for us , too) we w ill eventually beco me d iscoura ged. W e
will “lose hea rt.” And whe n His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray Jesus gave perhaps the most famous prayer of
all, what is ofte n referre d to today as “The L ord’s Pra yer.” Jesu s Him self spe nt whole n ights in praye r to God .
The early Christian community was made up o f people who were com mitted to prayer. Many of them had seen powerful
answers to prayer during the life & ministry of Jesus, and they began to see those same powerful answers to prayer as they
prayed in the name of Jesus for the circumstances of their o wn live s. Th ey m et an d pra yed in e ach othe r’s ho me s as well
as in the Temple. They prayed during good times of blessing, and they prayed during the difficult times of persecution when
local auth orities tried to dest roy the early Church. In answer to their prayers God had sent an angel to deliver Peter from
prison. On another occasion God caus ed th e build ing w here they w ere p raying to sh ake in a tan gible demonstration of the
power of prayer and of God’s listening ear to the prayers of His people. It is no surprise then that the Apostle Paul (the first
Christian Missionary) told the Christians in the Greek city of Thessalonica to “pray w ithout cea sing.”
So, what is prayer? Prayer is both a rem inder to us that there is a God Who is really there and Who cares about our
situation, and it is the way we approach Him to ask Him to intervene in the circumstances of our lives and the lives of others.
What about you? Do you need prayer for the issues of your life? W e all have issues in our lives. Some of them are minor
irritations, while o thers ma y be m ajor lif e-ch ang ing (e ven d isas trous ) cha llenge s. W heth er larg e or s ma ll, all of them need
our prayers, and the prayers of others who care. Without regular, consistent prayer you may soon find yourself losing heart
and becoming discouraged.
So, what do you need prayer for? We would like to pray for you and for th e issu es an d circ um stan ces of you r life. W ould
you be willing to sh are them (either gen erally or spec ifically) with others you could trust to pray for you? We will pray for you
and for them in the genuine belief that God loves you, that the issues and circumstances of you r life ar e im porta nt to H im,
and that He responds to the prayers of H is people. Jesus gave His disciples an important prom ise regarding prayer. Here
is what He said, “Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that th e Fa ther m ay be g lorified in the Son; if you ask anything
in m y nam e, I will d o it.” W e gen uinely b elieve that p rayer in the N am e of J esu s will be answered, and we would like to pray
for you.
So, could we pray for you? You aren’t alone in your situation, whatever it may be. G od care s, and s o do we . Let’s start
praying together for the circumstances of your life and see how God will answer! Here’s what you can do.
(Place Your Contact Information Here)

Are You A “Person of Peace”

Are you a “p erson of peace”? Cornelius was, an d it chang ed his lif e. And therein lies a story.
Cornelius (we don’t know his full name) lived in Roman occupied Palestine in the 1st Century A.D. The story we have
about him comes from around A.D. 45. He was a Roman military officer (a Centurion) assigned to a Roman Legion
headquartered in the strategic town of Caesarea, o n the northwest co ast of Palestine . From all accou nts he appears to
have been an honor able man with good standing in the commu nity. He had even befriended th e local Jewish community
and had shown interest in their religion. The Jewish co mmunity in turn had honored him by calling him a “god-f earer” (a
high compliment) and his spiritual interest appeared genuine. Then something happened to this praying, god-fearing
Roman that changed the course of his life.
According to the account we have, one day while Cornelius was praying an angel appeared to him and informed him that
God had heard his prayers. The angel told Cornelius to send for a man named Simon who was staying in the coastal town
of Joppa, about one day’s travel away. Bewildered (and afraid) but obedient, Cornelius sent two servants and a soldier
to Joppa to find this man named Simon. When Simon arrived at the house of Cornelius three days later he found that this
god-fearing “man of peace” was not alone. Cornelius had invited all of his relatives and close friends in Caesarea to come
and hear what this man Simon was going to say. It must be important, since an angel had arranged the whole thing!
Cornelius introduced him self to Simon, explained to him all that had happened and said, “We are all here present in the
sight of God, to hear al l that you have be en comman ded by the Lord.” W hat a momen t for both Cornelius and for Simon,
both realizing that they were each part of a divinely orchestrated moment m uch bigger than themselves!
Realizing that God had gone before him to prepare this “man of peace,” Simon proceeded to tell the story of his own
experience. You see, Simon, too, had once been a “person of peace ,” a lover of God, se eking sp iritual truth and re ality.
Some fifteen years earlier, while mending his fishing nets beside the Sea of Galilee, he had met the teacher, Jesus of
Nazareth, and his life had been changed forever. But now his audience was waiting. Simon, also named Peter, knew God
was about to do something wonderful in the life of this god-fearing man of peace. “God is not one to show pa rtiality,” Simon
began, “but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right, i s welcome to Him.” The words began to flow
now as Simon remembere d and describe d the events tha t had forever c hanged his lif e.
“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing
good, and healing a ll who were oppre ssed by the devil ; for God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all the things He
did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And they also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. God raised
Him up on the third day, and granted that He should become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were
chosen beforehand by G od, that is, to us, who a te and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He ordered us
to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living
and the dead. Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives
forgiveness of sin s.”
Then it happened. Simon was still speaking when the presence and power of God filled the room, touching Cornelius, his
entire family and everyone present. And Peter, the former man of peace and fisherman from Galilee, watched in
amazement as the sovereign God answered the cry of another searching heart and swept another ”person of peace” into
the peaceable Kingdom of God.
So, what about you? Are you a Cornelius, a “person of peace,” searching for spiritual truth, personal fulfillment and a
genuine relationship with God. There are ma ny such “persons of peace” recorded in the New Testament. People like
Cornelius, Peter and you. People who were searching and open to spiritual truth. They, too, found their honest questions
answered, their search fulfilled, their sins forgiven and their lives changed forever by placing their personal faith in Jesus
of Nazareth.
If you are a genuine “person of peace,” open to new ideas and in search of real spiritual answers, we want to help. We’re
The Parousia Network of House & Cell C hurches and we’re looking for “persons of p eace” (and so is God!).
(Place Your Contact Information Here)

Module 6
Kingdom Transformation In Your Market Place

Module 6: Kingdom Transformation In Your Market Place
The Spokane Market Place Prayer Initiative
It has always been, and continues to be, the heart of God to do three things: He is building His Kingdom, He is calling our
His people, a nd He is pouring out His R iver. In this module I want to challenge you to think a bout how God n ow wan ts to
do all three in your “Market Place.” This module is based upon a vision and calling which God gave me (suddenly and
une xpe cted ly) in the Spring of 2003 to form “The Spokane Market Place Prayer Initiative” to call and encourage believers
to pray in and f or the ir res pec tive M arke t Plac es. G od’s Kingdom Purpose is to raise up “churches without w alls,” chan nels
for the River of His Spirit to flow through on His way to trans form ing ou r cities and o ur co mm unitie s. O ne of thos e cha nne ls
which He is preparing is Market Place Prayer gatherings.
In this Module I want to give you an overview of The Spokane Market Place Prayer Initiative, how God brought it into being
and how I believ e Go d wa nts u se M arke t Plac e Pra yer in th is sea son of His Kingdom plans and purposes for spiritual revival
and community transformation in Spokane. If you are a believer who has a job or a business in the greater Spokane,
Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho area, then this message is for you (I believe the vision of “Market Place Prayer” goes
far beyond Spokane, but the Spokane community is my immediate sphere of reference). God is calling you to be part of the
coming mov e of Go d’s Spirit in reviva l and com mun ity transform ation in our a rea. And this leads to my s eco nd go al. I want
to offer you a pra ctica l resp ons e for ma king Mar ket P lace Minis try and com mu nity tran sfor ma tion a reality, by becoming part
of what we are calling The Spokane Market Place Ministry Transformation Network. I believ e Go d wa nts Y OU to play a
significant role in bringing spiritual renewal and transformation to our community. Interested? I hope so!
I think that the best place to start this overview is with a story from the history of revival, a story which has been the
inspiration for what we believe God is currently doing. One of the greatest revivals in the history of America and the Church
began in the fall of 1857. In the fall of 1857 Jeremiah Lanphier was a New York businessman, not a pastor. Lanphier was
a business man with the heart of a missionary, and his field was the people living and working in the Hell’s Kitchen area of
Manhattan, only a few blocks from where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center once stood. He asked for and received
permission to open the doors of the North Dutch Church on the corner of Fulton and William Streets from 12 Noon till 1:00
p.m. for prayer one day every week. Lanphier then wrote and distributed a small handbill (or “tract”) entitled “How Often Sha ll
I Pray?” which invited businessmen to come and pray. Here is what it said:
“How Often Shall I Pray?”
“As often as the language of prayer is in my heart; as often as I see my need of help; as often as I feel the power of
tempta tion; as often as I am m ade se nsible of an y spiritual de clension or feel the ag gressio n of a wo rldly spirit.
“In prayer we leave the business of time for that of eternity, and intercourse with men for intercourse with God.
“A day P rayer Meetin g is held every We dnes day, fro m 12 to 1 o'c lock, in the Con sistory bu ilding in the rea r of the No rth
Dutch Churc h, corne r of Fulton a nd W illiam Streets (entranc e from F ulton and Ann Stre ets).”
“This meeting is intended to give merchants, mechanics, clerks, strangers, and business men generally an opportu nity to
stop and call upon God amid the perplexities incident to their respective avocations. It will continue for one hour; but it is also
designed for those who may find it inconvenient to remain more than five or ten minutes, as well as for those who can spare
the who le hour.”
At the first meeting on September 23, 1857 six men showed up. At the second meeting on September 30 th 2 0 m e n c am e
to pray. On October 7th between thirty and forty men came for prayer. The response was so encouraging that Lanphier
decided to open the c hurc h for praye r eve ry day, in stea d of ju st we ekly. On October 8th the room was filled. And by October
14th ove r 100 m en attend ed, “many of them not professors of religion but under conviction of sin and seeking an interest
in Christ.” That alone would have been encouraging, but then, something happened.
In late September of 1857, New York had begun to see the first signs of what was then called a “ba nke r’s pa nic.” B ank s in
Phila delph ia had begun calling in loans and suspending the payment of gold for notes. By early October the New York
Observer was warning of “the financial crash of 1857." Then, on the 14th of October, 1857, the entire banking system of the
United States of America collapsed, bankrupting many businesses and bringing financial ruin to hundreds of thousands of
people in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and other financial and industrial centers. Banks in New York remained closed
for the ne xt two m onths a nd thous ands o f people w ere throw n into une mplo ymen t.
At the height of the crisis, the New York Synod of the Presbyterian Church published the following Declaration in the New
York Observer newspaper:
“In view of the recent commercial disaster that has come upon our country, the Synod of New York, deeply impressed by
the fact that the Lord has a controv ersy w ith His peo ple, and tha t it is incumbe nt on them to hum ble them selves benea th
His hand, does solemnly recom mend to all its churches to set apart Thursday , November 5 th as a day of special humiliation
and pra yer to Alm ighty Go d that He will have m ercy up on us.”
The nearly universal opinion among Christians of that day was that God “had a controversy with His people” and that He
was using the banking crisis to get their attention for His greater Kingdom purposes. They responded with a call to fasting
(humiliation) and prayer for God’s mercy. And God began to respond. By the beginning of December, 1857, other churches
in New York bega n opening their doors during the day for prayer, the purpose being “interces sion for the Spirit’s outpou ring.”
By early Febru ary of 185 8 the sec ular pres s was a ckno wledging the grow ing prayer m eetings, o bserving that “Soon the
striking of five bells at 12 o’clock will genera lly be know n as the s ignal for the H our of Pra yer.” The crescendo of prayer and
revival was reac hed in March of 1858. On Thursday, March 18 th the New York Times reported that the YMCA had rented
Burt on’s Theater for daily prayer m eetings fr om n oon to 1 p.m. The next day the Times repo rted th e firs t praye r me eting in
the Thea ter and w ent on to n ote that “There are s ome 27 pr aye r me eting s now held daily in New York an d Brook lyn.” Then
on Saturday, March 20 th awe-struck reporters from The New York Times wrote under the heading “The Great Awakening”:
“In this city, we have beheld a sight which not the most enthusiastic fanatic for church observance could ever have hoped
to look upon. We have seen in the business quarters of the city, during their busiest hours, assemblies of merchants, clerks,
and working men, to the number of 5,000, gathering day after day for a simple, solemn worship. Similar assemblies we find
in other portions of the city; a theater is turned into a chapel; churches of all sects are open and crowded by day and by
night.”
The great Manhattan Prayer Revival (also known as “th e Laym an’s Praye r Rev ival”) s oon spre ad to othe r cities . It quic kly
b ec am e a wildfire of prayer which burned intensely for the next two years, sweeping over 1 million new believers into the
Kingdom of God. In New York city alone the number of conversions announced (often published in the local news papers!)
reached a total of 50,000 per week!
And it all began with a market place business person, just like you, who had a bu rden to p ray for the bu siness com mun ity
in his city. So, what’s your burd en an d your vision for sp iritual tr ans form ation in your m arke t plac e and in your com mu nity.
Revival Then and Now
Someone has s aid th at his tory alw ays repeats itself, but never in the same way twice. The same can be said of the Kingdom
of God: God always repeats Himself, but never in the same way twice. I don’t believe God wants to repeat what happened
in 1857 in the same way that it happened then. Many things have changed in 150 years. Jeremiah Lanphier published his
prayer me eting with h and bills in a day wh en ne ws s prea d via h orse bac k an d sailin g ship (the te legra ph w as a r elative ly new
invention!). Today, news spreads via the internet, cell phones and satellite T.V. But some things have not changed. God
still loves people and desires that they should hear the good news about the Kingdom of God. And just as in 1857, prayer
is still the key that unlocks God’s Kingdom purposes for ourselves, our families, and our communities.
Entering A Season of Divine Visitation
I believe that we are entering a season of God’s visitation in spiritual renewal and transformation. This season is a window
of opportunity which God is offering to His people. What happens durin g this seas on an d how long th e sea son itself will last
will be de term ined b y how the p eop le of G od re spo nd. T his se aso n will be characterized by numerous catalytic events that
God is bringing together, rather than large meetings, crusades or what I would call “culmination events.” As the church, as
God ’s people, we must be prepared to move quickly, discarding old baggage & struc tures as ne ces sary in orde r to qu ickly
embrace what God wants to do.
In order for you to fully appreciate what God is doing, I want to give you a brief history of Market Place Prayer in Spokane.
Almost four years ago a group of Christian businessmen stood on the roof of the Double Tree Hotel in downtown Spokane
to look ou t over the c ity and to pray for it. They felt a burden to begin praying for the down town core of the city. They were
curious to know exac tly whe re the cent er of the d own town was , so th ey ask ed a C hristia n wh o wo rked in the C ity Eng ineer ’s
office to do a survey to find the exact center of the downtown. The answer that came back was that the down town center
was locat ed on a piec e of p rope rty then occ upied by a restaurant named . . . The Mustard Seed Café. These men
recognized what God was telling them. They were about to plant a mustard seed of prayer that wou ld one day gr ow to engu lf
the whole city. T hey then de cid ed to plant a stake containing Scripture verses in the ground at that site. They committed
themselves to pray-walk around the 600 city blocks which fo rme d the bus iness co re of the c ity and to anoint the four corners
of that 600 city blocks with oil, asking God to bless the core of the downtown. A smaller group of people committed
themselves to pray-walk around each individual block, and this group spent the next three years walking and praying (once
per w eek ) thos e 600 block s, as king for G od’s bless ing up on th e hea rt of th e city.
Module 6: Kingdom Transformation In Your Market Place - Page 115
In De cem ber o f 200 2, I be gan to rec eive a prof oun d sen se fr om God that w e we re ab out to ente r a un ique s eas on of His
Kingdom dealings with our city. Seven years earlier God had given me a ministry of fasting and prayer for revival and had
led m e to write a book on the great Welsh Revival of 1904. I had been fasting and praying for 7 years that God would send
revival to our city, but not until late 2002 did I have a sense from God that the time was near. In December that changed.
I also sensed that the first 6 months of 2003 would represent an initial window during which He wou ld initiat e His Kingdom
purposes for revival an d com mun ity transformation. I shared what I was sensing with people in our house church network
through my we ekly E-Le tter Upda te (which is posted in our new sletter arch ives on o ur hous e churc h webs ite at
www.parousianetwork.com. I spent a cons idera ble am oun t of tim e in the first three months of 2003 fasting and praying that
God would show us what it was He wanted to do to bring about revival and c om mu nity tran sfor ma tion. T hen , in late March,
during an exchange of e-mails with a prayer partner who had been praying for the Market Place for nearly 3 years, God
reminded me about the story of Jeremiah Lanphier and the businessman’s prayer revival of 1857 that I shared with you
earlier. I sensed God saying that this was to be the model of ministry which we were to follow. Within a week of that
conversation, The Spokane Market Place Prayer Initiative was born.
A couple of months later, in May of 2003, I felt that God wanted me to stop by the manage ment office of River Park Square
Mall in downtown Spokane. I met the mall Marketing Director and asked if the mall might be interested in allowing us to
sponsor a public event to commemorate the 9/11 terror attacks. The Director was very receptive, even interested, and we
had a good d iscuss ion. But due to my own fu ll schedule and the lack of any help or resources, I put the idea on the
proverbial back burner. Then, in early August, I received a phone call from the Mall. Were we still interested in sponsoring
a public commemoration event, and if so, they would like to pursue the idea. Well, can you say “Open Door”? I can and so
I renewed the conversation and sensed God saying that we were to do this. So, with no resources and little help I committed
The Spokane Market Place Prayer Initiative (which, by the way, consisted of myself, my wife and a few friends and prayer
partn ers) to pu t on a public event in the atrium of River Park Square Mall in order to comm emorate Sep tember 11. Later,
as I prayed about God’s Kingdom purposes and why we were supposed to do this event I sensed God saying that He wanted
us to take His Kingdom Presence into the heart of the Spokane Market Place, into the heart of the spiritual battle for our city
and the original 600 blocks that had been prayer-walked for 3 years, because through our obe dience and His Presen ce there
He intended to bring ab out a pow erful shift in the heaven lies and op en His s eason of blessin g, revival and com mun ity
transformation in Spokane. And He was as good as His promise. In less than 5 weeks, working with no resources and no
staff, God enabled us to put on an hour-long public ceremony in which His name was honored through music and
presentations, an ass emb ly of prom inent com mun ity leaders including the Mayor, the police chief, fire battalion chief, sheriff,
and state repre sen tative s, a c om mu nity involve me nt fair featu ring 1 5 non -pro fit org aniza tions , a you th co nce rt, and the w hole
event was broadcast live over 6 radio stations covering eastern Washington and northern Idaho! Over 500 people attended
the even t (not t o m entio n the hund reds who listen ed via radio ), and ma ny told me after ward s tha t they s ensed Go d’s
Prese nce thro ughou t the time . And the M all man agem ent sen t us word that they rega rded it as a “superb ” event.
I believe that God has begun to open a window over Spokane during which He is going to give His people extra-ordinary
grace and f avor to brin g His King dom Pres enc e into the M arke t Plac e in particular, a nd into ou r com mun ity at large. But why
the Market Place?
Why “ Marke t Place Praye r”
Let’s face a harsh reality for just a mome nt. If the non-Christian masses were going to come to our snappy contem porary
seeker-sensitive services, they would already have come by now. Our churches are in crisis. We are being challenged and
shaken right d own to ou r fou nda tions . Mos t alleg ed ch urch grow th in ou r area toda y is, in reality, little more than
congregation swa pping by rev olving door chur che s wh ich ho pe to have mo re pe ople coming in by the front door than they
have leaving by the back door. And most of the people coming an d going are existing believers who are playing musical
churches. The reality is that our Post Christian Post Modern culture is avoiding our b uilding s and prog ram s in dr oves . Tod ay,
in the Greater Spokane County area only 18 out of 100 adults attend any form of church in any given month. Our Post
Christian Post Modern culture isn’t interested in our buildings or our programs (regardless of how passionately we may feel
about them). W e will never reach our comm unity for Chris t and see it spiritually transformed by inviting people to our
buildings. As a result, we must stop trying to “take people to church,” and start “taking the Kingdom of God to people.” How?
By becoming organic “churches-without-walls” which meet for prayer and worship in our homes, our neighborhoods and our
market places, led by radical Kin gdom -mind ed believe rs like you! . W e will never re ach ou r com mun ity for the Kingdom of
God from inside the four walls of the institutional church building, or by making evangelistic raids into our community and
then trying to convince people to come back to our wonderful programs and buildings.
But one thing that most people in our community today have in common is that almost ever yone has a job w orkin g in the
business “Market Place” where they spend most of their time every day earning a living. This includes both Christians and
non-Christians. So, what if Christians were to bring God’s Kingdom Pres enc e into their w ork p lace whe re oth ers c ould “touch
and tas te the pow ers of the Age to C ome ,” people who otherwise would never darken the door of any traditional church?
How could that happen? Through the Spokane Market Place Prayer Initiative.
It was the E nglish Poe t Alfred, Lord T ennyson who de clared, “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams
of. Wh erefo re, let th y vo ice ris e like a foun tain fo r me night and d ay.” And it was Oswald Ch ambers who declared, “Prayer
doe s not prep are u s for th e gre ater w ork. P raye r is the grea ter w ork.” Do yo u belie ve tha t. If you do, th en it is time for the
voice of a praying Church to “rise like a fountain” from hundreds, even thousands of Christians pausing to pra y in
businesses, offices, shops, stores, malls and wherever people gather, on behalf of our community, asking God to send the
River of His Spirit to flow through our neighborhoods and our market places in power to cleanse, redeem and transform.
As I say this, two things are increasingly clear to me. First, it is clear to me that Scripture commands and encourages
Chr istian s to p ray:
O to pray continually (Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:9)

O to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
O to pray with perseverance (Luke 18:1)
O to pray for everything that concerns us (Philippians 4:6)
O to pray for one another (Philippians 1:4; James 5:16)
O to pray for our governmental leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2)
Second, it is also clear to me from the history of revival that revival, when it comes, always arrives on the w ings of inte ntion al,
concerted prayer on the part of God’s people. The issue isn’t where we pray (home, church, office, a park, a mall), but the
fact that w e pra y. If we genu inely de sire to see r eviva l com e to o ur city a nd to see G od’s ma nifest Kingdom Presence
transform our c om mu nity, it will only happen as God ’s peo ple ris e up in a fou ntain of pra yer, pr aise and b less ing on beha lf
of our co mm unity and all wh o dwell in it.
The D ifference B etwee n A Bon fire and A Prairie F ire
Do you know the difference between a bonfire and a prairie fire? A bonfire sits in one place and people come to watch it
burn. A prairie fire s preads like what it is, a wild fire. You don’t “com e and watc h.” Yo u run for you r life! W hat w e des pera tely
need in our day is “a prairie fire of p rayer” swe eping thro ugh ou r com mun ity, spreading person to person , house to house,
office to office, business to business, even church to church. Why? Because the greater and more intense the prayer that
preced es any m ove of G od’s Sp irit, the greater a nd m ore intens e the m ovem ent that follow s.
This is the prayer goal of T he Spo kane Mark et Place P rayer Initiative: to as k Go d to ignite a prairie fire of pra yer tha t will
eng ulf our community in a firestorm prayer for God’s Kingdom purposes and blessings for our com mu nity, le ading to a
genuine season of revival, awakening and community transformation. What about you? Are you ready to pray and ask God
to ignite a “prairie f ire of prayer ” in our com mun ity? Are you rea dy to invite God ’s Kingdo m Pr esenc e to come an d transform
our homes, our neighborhoods, our businesses and our city? During the Welsh Revival of 1904 the Presence of God came
so powerfully upon some comm unities that alcoholism disappeared, taverns closed and went bankrupt, crime vanished along
with profanity. Are you ready to invite God ’s Kin gdo m P rese nce into ou r com mu nity in su ch po wer th at it he als people of drug
addictions, and c leans es ou r neig hbo rhoo ds an d our com mu nity of d rugs , violen ce, c rim e, abortion, teen pregnancies,
pornography and all of the other practical moral problems which plague our community? It has happened before in times
of revival, and it can happen again. Isn’t it time that we began praying in businesses, in offices, in stores, in shops, in malls,
in Starbucks, in McDonalds, in food courts and restaurants and wherever people gather to live out their daily lives?
Wanted: Radical Christians
I'm abo ut ready to h ang ou t a sign wh ich reads : "Wanted: Radical Christians Willing To Pray, Work and Prepare For
The Com ing Re vival (Lu ke wa rm ch urch a ttende rs need not ap ply)" If we are to see our community transformed with
chu rche s-wit hou t-walls in our hom es, our n eighbor hoods , and our mark et places , it will not come ab out through a lukewarm
faith and a half-hearted commitment to show up on Sunday mornings for a couple of hours. What makes us think that we
will reverse the tide of spiritual and cultural rot that is now sweeping our nation by spending three hours each week inside
the 4 walls of a church building? I fear that m any C hristia ns to day ar e like the J apa nes e Ka mik aze p ilot wh o had suc ces sfully
completed his 50th mission. Let that sink in for just a minute. Here’s a fellow who’s obviously involved but not committed.
Many Christians are like that - we want to be involved in what God’s doing (we want revival and co mm unity transformation),
but we aren’t really committed to paying the price to see it happen. I believe that God wants to raise up a generation of
radical "church-without-walls" Christians who are committed to taking the Kingdom of God into ev ery fa cet o f our com mu nity,
and to tak ing their res pective n eighbor hoods and M arket P laces fo r Christ.
I believe that God wants to send Spiritual Revival and Transformation to our community, and I believe that He wants you,
as a Market Place Christian, to be key leade rs in that revival. This isn’t about a program, a crusade, or a festival. It isn’t even
about your pastor or your church. It’s about the heart and desire of God to pour out spiritual revival and transformation, and
its about the role He w ants you to play. And as this season of spiritual outpouring unfolds, each one of us must ask ourselves
a very simple yet very profound question. Your answer to this question will have a profound effect upon you, your family, your
church & you r com mu nity. Here ’s the ques tion, in two p arts: W hat d o you w ant G od to do in yo ur life, the life of you r fam ily,
the life of your c hurch a nd the life of your com mun ity; and what p rice are you willing to pay to se e Him do that?
This is the question which confro nts the people of God at the outset of every great move of God’s Spirit in revival. The
Presbyterian Church realized the importance of this very question as both the church and the nation stood on the verge of
revival in 1857. Here is what they said in their official record, written 6 months prior to the outbreak of the great Prayer
Revival of 1857.
“Another and the last evidence, that we cite, of an increasing vigor and efficiency in our denomination is, the intense longing,
breathed through all the Narratives for a general, glorious outpouring of the Spirit. The past year has not been one which
may be characterized as a year of revivals, although many churches in many Presbyteries have been greatly quickened,
and some have been favored with spiritual influences of extraordinary power. . . . This longing for revivals we cannot but
consider a cheering indication of the noblest life. Next to a state of actual reviv al is the s ens e of its need , and the s trugg le
to attain it at any sacrifice of treasure, toil or time. So, what price are you & I willing to pay in treasure, toil or time.
So, let me ask you again: What do you want God to do in your life, the life of your family, the life of your church and the life
of your comm unity; and what price are you willing to pay to see Him do that? I believe that in this p rese nt se aso n of G od’s
dealings in Spokane, He is calling you and me to pay the price of devoted, disciplined prayer in and for our respective market
places. And that commitment to pray may cost you. Taking a stan d for Chris t in a pub lic plac e is be com ing inc reas ingly
difficult. But I also believe that prayer is the first step in every great move of God, including the one that is about to un fold
in Spo kan e. I be lieve G od w ants to ignite a prairie fire of prayer for Spiritual revival and Community Transformation
throughout our area. And it starts here, today, with you and with me. Revival and community transformation are not going
to come because your pastor preaches on it, or prays for it, or leads meetings to encourage it. It is going to come because
hundreds and thousands of believers begin praying for it and asking God to rend the heavens and come down. The day of
God ’s visitation in Spo kane is approa ching. I have been a Christian now for 32 years , and for th e pas t 7 yea rs G od’s call
upon my life has been to fast and pray for revival in Spokane. In all that time I have never sensed the Spirit of God brooding
over a city as powerfully as I do over Spokane today. The day of God’s visitation in Spokane is approaching, and He is
asking each one of us a simple but profound question: What do you want God to do in your life, the life of your family, the
life of your ch urch an d the life of you r com mun ity; and what p rice are you willing to pay to se e Him do that?
What’s Your Vision For Revival And Community Transformation?
Let me challenge your thinking for just a mome nt. W hat’s your pe rsonal visio n for spiritua l revival and c omm unity
transformation. If God were to personally visit our city and our community with His Kingdom Power and His Kingdom
Presence, just as H e has d one in pa st times of historic re vival, what w ould it do to the Church and to our community? What
wou ld happen to crime, drugs, unemployment, poverty, hom elessne ss, sexual impurity, pornography, abortion, teen
preg nan cy, divor ce an d all of the s ocia l ills which plague us today? How would God’s visitation in revival change the way
you do business, the way you treat your employees (or employer), or the say you reach out to those in need.
This history of historic revivals clearly demonstrates that Seasons o f historic spiritual awakenings always have a profound
spiritual and practical impact upon the Market Place and then upon the rest of society. During the Welsh Revival of 1904,
social transformation was widespread. Crime all but disappeared. In one jurisdiction the town coun cil held an emergency
meeting to discus s what to do with the police, now that they wer e unem ployed. Th ey interviewe d a police s ergean t to learn
what the police were now doing. The sergeant explained that before the revival the police had two main jobs; preventing or
inves tigatin g crime and crowd control. Now, he explained, becau se of the revival there was no crime, so the police were
sim ply going with the crowds. “What does that mean?” inquired on e confu sed co uncilm an, “How does that affect you?”. The
Sergeant expla ined t hat th e cro wds were now in the c hurc hes . So th e 17 m en in his precinct had formed three men’s singing
quartets. Now, whenever a church needed a quartet, they simply called the police station. Drunkenness fell by 60% in the
Welsh capital city of C ardiff alone while births o ut of wedlock fell by over 40%. Bible studies broke out in the coal mines,
miners traded the singing of hymns for profanity, and bitter labor disputes were quickly settled. Old debts were repaid, stolen
goods were returned and many cases of restitution were reported. To cast a broader vision for what God can do in and
through the market place during seasons of spiritual awakening, we have produced an audio presentation entitled, “His toric
Spiritual Awakenings and Market Place Transformation” which is downloadable as an MP3 file from our Market Place
website at www.marketplaceprayer.org.
So, let me a sk you a gain. W hat is your pe rsonal visio n for spiritua l revival and c omm unity transfor ma tion d uring this
unfo lding s eas on of divine visitat ion in our area. What do you want God to do in your life, the life of your family, the life of
your chu rch and the life of your c omm unity; and wh at price are you willing to pay to s ee Him do that?
And If N ot . . .
I want you to take a moment and think about how the moral and spiritual climate in America has changed over the past 50
years. Fifty years ago Dwight Eisenhower was Pres ident , Billy Gr aha m w as c ond uctin g rec ord s etting crus ade s in T ime
Square, the song at the top o f the hit para de was “It Is No Secret What God Can Do” and Congress was voting to put the
phrase “under God” into the Pledge of Allegiance. The top p roblems faced in the public schools were such crimes as running
in the h allwa ys, ch ewin g gum and c utting in line. And while such social ills as sexually transmitted diseases and out-of-
wedlock pregnancies existed, they existed at levels we could only pray to achieve today. The moral and spiritual climate of
America has changed dramatically in the past 50 yea rs. An d bar ring G od’s grac ious interv entio n in genuine spiritual revival
and transformation, you and I can scarcely imagine how the moral and spiritual climate of America may will change over
for the worse over the n ext 5 0 year s, pre sen t your c hildre n and gran d-ch ildren a wor ld which is unrecognizable by any biblical
standards. But it does not have to be that way. The history of the church is the history of how God, in the darkest hours of
His people, s ends s piritual revival an d transfo rma tion to rene w His peop le, red eem the los t and trans form the w orld in which
they live. I do not have the time here to tell you in detail how the Evangelical Awakening in England of the 1700s protected
and spared that country from the disastrous consequences of the French Revolution and set off a wave of social
transformation which included the abolition of slavery throughout England. That s am e awakening in America prepared the
American people for the trial of the War for Independence and produced men of faith who could produce one of the greatest
politic al systems which the world has ever known. I do not have the time to describe in detail how the Second Great
Awakening of the early 1800s broke the stranglehold of French atheism and radicalism upon American university campuses,
or how it so tamed and transformed the American frontier that it turned the American southeast into what we today still refer
to as “the Bible belt.” Now , con side r this q ues tion. H ow m ight A me rica o f toda y be dr am atica lly differ ent fo r the w orse if
those great revivals had not transformed us as people, as communities and as a nation? My point here is both simple and
profound. The strug gle fo r spir itual re vival a nd co mm unity tra nsfo rm ation is not an op tion, it is an imp erative. T his is not a
g am e of visions, dreams or wishful think ing ca rried on by C hristia ns w ith too mu ch tim e on t heir h and s. It is a n indis puta ble
fact of our history as a nation, and it is, in reality, our only hope for the future. The alternative to spiritual revival and
com mun ity trans form ation is NOT the s tatus quo. Rather, it is the complete moral and spiritual collapse of our culture as
we have known it, and the loss of the freedom and prosperity which that culture created. Perhaps the promise and the
imperative of spiritual revival was best summed up by London journalist W. T. Stead as he reflected upon the effects of the
great W elsh Re vival of 190 4. Here is what he observ ed:
“As spring-time precedes summer, and seed-time harvest, so every great onward step in the social and political progress
of Great Britain has ever been preceded by a national Revival of Religion. The sequ enc e is as unm istak able a s it is ine vitab le
. . . . Hen ce it is not necessary to be Evangelical, Christian, or even religious, to regard with keen interest every stirring of
popular enthusiasm that takes the familiar form of a Revival. Men may despise it, hate it, or fear it, but there is no mistaking
its significan ce. It is the p recu rsor of pro gres s, the hera ld of ad van ce. It m ay be as ev ane sce nt as the b lossom of the
orchar d, but witho ut it there wo uld be no fruit.”
So, let m e ask you ag ain. W hat is your p erso nal vis ion fo r spir itual re vival a nd co mm unity tra nsfo rm atio n durin g this
unfolding season of divine visitation in our area. W hat do you want God to do in your life, the life of your family, the life of
your chu rch and the life of your c omm unity; and wh at price are you willing to pay to s ee Him do that?
Caveat Emptor
At the entran ce to the great market place of ancient Rome, the Forum, a sign was posted which read, “Caveat Emptor” or
“Let The Buyer Beware.” In the spirit of Caveat Emptor I want to share with you a few of my concerns regarding Market Place
Minis try. When G od gave me the vision for The Spokane Market Place Prayer Initiative in the Spring of 20 03, I w as to tally
oblivious to the “faith in the workplace” movement. I had not read the articles in Christianity Today and other Christian
publications. I had not heard the quote from Billy Graham , when h e said, “I believe one of the next great moves of Go d is
going to be through the believers in the wor kplace.” I had not heard the quote from Franklin Graham that “God has begun
an evangelism movement in the workplace that has the potential to tra nsform our soc iety as we k now it.” Tod ay it is dif ficult
to pick up a Christian publication without seeing an article on the “faith-in-the-workplace” movement. Market Place ministry
is quickly becoming the “flavor de jour” in the Church. Now, before I share with you the vision I believe God has given me
for a Market Place M inistry Network and its role in community transforma tion, I feel compelled to share with you several
potential concerns that I have about the current Market Place ministry phenomenon.
First, I am concerned about what I call “bap tized m aterialism .” W e live in wha t is pe rhap s the mo st m ateria listic culture
in the world. Americans live to work, to produce and to consume. Consequently, we measure our success or failure as
individ uals and as a nation by the size of our homes, the number and price of the cars we drive, the kind of vacation we take,
the balance in our inves tmen t accou nts and whether or not we wear the latest fashions. Nearly all of our gauges of success
are materialistic. Just one example among many is the enormous popularity of the recent TV show, “The Apprentice” where
the goal was to fight one’s way to the top to become the next Donald Trump. This type of materialism has worked its way
into the church at nearly every level. Churches measure their success by the size of their offering, their budget and their
attendance. In addition, a false “prosperity gospel” has haunted the church for years now, and my concern is that we may
be on the verge of “baptizing” this pursuit of materialism by telling believers that they have been anointed for business and
called by God to go and prospe r in the Market Place, w ithout a lso preparing and warning them to combat the spirit of
mamm on and the love of money, and to understand that “not even when one has an abundance does a man’s life consist
of his possessions.” We must impart and embrace biblical definitions of success which are not essentially materialistic.
Second, I am concerned about baptizing a CEO/Corporate model of ministry with the ide a that if it w orks in
business, it will also work in the church. I suspect that few Christians today even know that the corporation is a Roman
creation. The model of the early church was not that of a corporation led by a CEO , but that of a family led by a faithful
husband whose calling was to nurture and serve those around him. The New Testam ent Churc h wa s not over see n by a
corpor ate board o f directors elected b y its share holders. It was overseen, encourage d and equipped by a five-fold ministry
of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teac hers wh o rose to the calling of those po sitions on th e basis o f God’s gifts
and their willingness to serve others rega rdless of the price involved. Personally, I cringe whenever I hear a pa stor or
Christian leaders say they are gong to attend another Christian CEO leadership workshop. The CEO/Corporate model lends
itself far to o eas ily to a very controlling model of top-down ministry that is foreign to the New Testament, but is common place
in the Church and m any ministries today. It should c om e as n o sur prise that th e CE O/C orpo rate M ega Chu rch m ode l is
already show ing sig ns of seve re str ain an d bre akd own both in America and around the world, and that one of the fastest
growing church movements in the world today is the house church model and the church-without-walls model of believers
gathering for sim ple churc h, worsh ip and m inistry in both home and market place settings where the emphasis is upon being
a net work ing bo dy of b elieve rs, ra ther th an a t ightly c ontro lled co rpor ate c ons tituen cy.
Third, I am concerned about the false lure of raising more money for ministry. Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking
that we have discovered something new and unheard of. It is simply new to many of us. John W esley, one of the leaders
of the Evangelical Awakening in England and the founder of the Methodist Church understood the role of the Market Place
in funding Christian ministry activities. Wesley had a motto which every Methodist came to understand and which went like
this: “Gain all yo u can, s ave all you can, give all you can .” W esley both taug ht an d m ode led th is m otto th roug hou t his life,
and I talk more about how he modeled this in my message entitled, “House Church and Radical Sacrificial Giving” which
you can order from our ministry. But today, I am hearing an increasing number of people promoting market Place M inistry
as a means of empowering people to make millions for Christ. Unfortunately, I do not hear or see the same spirit among
many of them that I see modeled in the life of a John Wesley (who gave away 98% of everything he made) or a J.C. Penny
(another com mitted C hristian wh o gave a way over 9 0% of his fortune ). In fact, to be quite frank, I generally cringe whenever
I hear be lievers say th is. W hy? Let m e offer s everal brie f reason s. First, I cring e bec aus e I’ve h eard it all befor e, us ually
within the context of some new business scheme being promoted by another multi-level marketer looking to lure Christians
into the venture with promises of making lots of money for the Kingdom. To make a long and tortured story short, I have
almost never seen the prom ised “m illions-for-C hrist” m aterialize. No w unde rstand, I have met and know many wonderful
Christian busin ess own ers a nd op erato rs an d pro fess ionals who are g ene rous giver s to th e Kin gdo m o f Go d, bu t few if any
of them went into business with the goals of making millions for Christ. They usually went into business to fulfill an interest,
to provide for their families, and they obeyed biblical principles of business and giving, with the result that God prospered
them and they became generous givers to the Kingdom . Second, I cring e bec aus e gen erally s pea king suc ces s doe sn’t
change one’s character. Here’s what I mean. If you were not a radical, sacrificial giver whe n you w ere p oor, yo u will pr oba bly
not be a radical sacrificial giver when you are affluent. A person who wasn’t a radical sacrificial giver when he or she made
$60,000 a year won’t be a radic al sac rificia l giver whe n the y ma ke $ 600 ,000 a year . Add ing dig its to yo ur pa y chec k wo n’t
change your char acter - it will sim ply reveal wh at was th ere all along . Third , I cringe because, historically, growing affluence
has not been kind to the Church. Let me explain. I remember when Larry Burkett (who recently went to be with the Lord)
c am e out w ith his first book on biblical money management. Since that humble beginning, Christian financial planning has
b ec om e an industry. Who hasn’t been to a biblical money management seminar. Yet over the same 30 years of biblical
teaching on m oney m anage men t, Christian giving as a percentage of income has fallen by 30%. Our giving has NOT kept
pace with our rising affluence. Only 8 out of 100 born again Christians tithe. Those are the cold hard facts. It is estimated
that if all born again believers would simply tithe (that is, give 10%) Christian giving would at least DOUBLE! without any new
Market Place money making or business promotion schemes! Financial success in the M arke t Plac e will no t nec ess arily
translate into more money for the Kingdom , not unles s we ch ange o ur giving be havior. Fourth , I cringe because the lure
of mo ney is prob ably th e sec ond oldes t lure o f all time. Caveat E mpto r! Financially strapped ministries should beware of
Market Place promoters who dangle the lure of money-for-ministry as the hook to get you involved.
The Sp okane M arket Place Transfo rmation Netw ork
So far in this M odule I ha ve tried to share with you a vision of God’s desire to bring ge nuine sp iritual renewa l and com mun ity
transformation to our area, just as He has done elsewhere during prior times of historic revival. I have also shared how I
believe that God desires to move powerfully through the Market Place as a tool to bring about spiritual renewal and
com mun ity transformation. And I have shared some of my concerns regarding the present day Market Place M inistry
phenomenon. But what genuinely excites me about what God is doin g is the potential it holds for empowering and releasing
believers to become churches without w alls which take God’s transforming Kingdom Presence out into our homes, our
neighborhoods and our m arket places. With these things as background, what I would like to do now is to offer you a
practical response to help you make Market Place Ministry and community transformation a reality, by becoming part of what
we are calling The Spokane Market Place Ministry Transformation Network. I believe God wants YOU to play a significant
role in bringing genuine spiritual renewal and transformation to our community, and that is why we have created this network.
The Spokane M arket Place Transform ation Network is a network of Christian business and professional people who are
committed to the spiritu al ren ewa l and tr ans form ation of ou r com mu nity, be ginnin g in their own market place. This network
has three basic goals:
O To Impart A Vision For Spiritual Renewal and Community Transformation Beginning With Market Place
Transformation
God wants to transfor m our comm unity, and he wan ts to enlist you, your business and your market place in the task! We
want to equip, challenge and encourage Christian business and professional people (like you!) to become agents for the
spiritual renewal and transformation of our community. Is God doing a work of Kingdom transformation in or through your
market place? Would you be willing to share the story so that others can be encouraged and catch part of the vision?
O To Help Christian Business and Professional People to Network For Market Place and Community
Transformation by Creating an Open Form Where Networking Can Occur
Our goal here is to link and network Christian business and professional people together and encourag e them to share
visions, strategies and experiences (something they are doing that's w orking) for sp iritual renewa l and commu nity
transformation, beginning in their own market place and extending to our entire community. One of the ways we will do
this is through the Spokane Market Place Transforma tion Network Resource Directory (read below).
O To Support A Sister Network of Ministries Working for Spiritual Renewal and Community Transformation
Our goal here is to support the creation of an internet-based min istry re sou rce n etwo rk hu b tha t will encourage ministries
throughout our community to network together, and provide the searching public with a user-friendly way of discovering what
ministries and resources are available to meet specific ministry needs. We are doing this by sponsoring and supporting The
Spokane Blessing Network I talk about the importance of these two networks in Modu le 10: A H ouse C hurch M anifesto
under “Proposition #9").
O.K. Here's How You Can Get Involved With The Network!
Becoming a vital part of The Spokane Market Place Transformation Network is real simple! You can begin by simply going
to our we bsite at www .marketp lacepraye r.org, reading and learning more about the network and then contacting us!
A Wo rd To Four G roup s of M arket P lace Pe ople
Now, before ending this Module I want to speak a word to several groups of Christians in the Market Place. Before I do that,
here is a word of encouragement for everyone. If you have a job in Spokane or our area (say, eastern Washington or
northern Idaho) then you are part of what God wants to do in the M arket P lace by wa y of spiritual reviva l and com mun ity
transformation, and this message so far has been for you. But now I want to speak specifically to five groups of people.
The first grou p I wa nt to s pea k to a re tho se I c all “chu rchless Christia ns.” These are believers who have left the organized
institutional church for a variety of reasons. Researcher David Barrett, author of the World Christian Encyclopedia, estimates
that there are abou t 112 mil lion “c hurc hles s Ch ristian s” wo rldwid e, or a bou t 5% of all b elieve rs. H e est ima tes th at this
num ber w ill doub le over the next 20 years. Closer to home, researcher George Barna estimates that there are 10 million
born again “churchless believers” in America, and you may be one of them. If you are, I have a word for you. There is an
und eniab le call upon your life in this season. God has called you out and is raising you up for such a time as this. He is
calling out a body of believers whose loyalty and commitment is not to any church, organization or denomination, but to the
King dom of G od alo ne, a nd w ho ar e willing to wa lk in genuine peace and humility with other believers in order to fast and
to pray in your m arket pla ce and in your neigh borhoo d for Go d to send spiritual reviva l and com mun ity transform ation.
The second group I want to speak to are Christia n Bu siness Own ers. If you are a Christian business owner then I believe
that you have a unique position and calling. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever asked yourself what God’s Kingdom
purpose might be for your b usin ess . Beyo nd m akin g a livin g and perh aps even pros perin g fina ncia lly, what is God’s purpose
for your business? I believe God wants you and your business to be a foothold, a beachhead for the Kingdom of God in the
on-going spiritu al bat tle for our c om mu nity. To put it a noth er wa y, God does n’t wa nt to b less your b usin ess sim ply to make
you prosperous and successful (although that may be a fringe benefit that He allows); God wants your business to become
a blessing to others and an instrument in His transformation of our community. This means you have a unique o pportun ity
in this season of God’s activity to release and encou rage, and perh aps even to lead , your e mp loyees to pra y for G od’s
King dom purp ose s for your M arke t Plac e and for ou r com mu nity.
The third group I want to address is Christian Professionals - I have spok en w ith m any C hristia n Pro fess ional p eop le
(including attorneys, d octors, financial people, media people and more) who have expressed a need for personal and
professional encouragement in their respective market places. If you are a Christian Professional who senses a call of God
to be more effective for the Kingdom in your profession and in your market place, I want to encourage you and to tell you
that God wan ts to u se you pow erfu lly in this s eas on of spiritu al rev ival tha t is no w op ening up in our a rea. N ow is the tim e
for you to embrace what God is doing and to begin praying and networking in y our market place to become a church without
walls and a new wineskin that He can fill with the River of His Spirit as it begins to flow in fresh power and blessing.
Fina lly, let me speak to those of you who are Christian Employees - Your calling to Market Place ministry consists of the
fact that God has placed you where you are in the Market Place. You don’t need anyone’s permission, blessing or covering
to do what God Himself has called you to do. According to 1 Peter 2:9 you are a royal priest of the Most High God who has
called you to represent Him in your home, your neighborhood and your Market Place. And that is a position and a calling
which no person has the rig ht or autho rity to deny to you.
Summary Conclusion
I believe that, in the Providence of God, it is once again time for the Church to look and act like the early Church in the book
of Acts. H ere’s wh at that chu rch look ed like ac cording to Acts 2:4 1-47: “So then , those who had received his word were
baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they were continually de voting the mselv es to
the apostles ’ teaching an d to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe;
and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together, and
had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone
might have need. And day by day co ntinuing w ith one m ind in the tem ple, and b reaking bread fro m hou se to house, they
were taking their meals together with gladness and s ince rity of h eart, prais ing G od, a nd ha ving favo r with all the people.
And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved”. The early Church of the New Testament
looked this way, not because of any man-made Church growth program, but because the River of God’s Spirit, the River
of Ezekiel 47 had been poured out upon God’s people, and it was flowing in incredible power and blessing. God was now
filling His new wineskin with fresh wine, and I believe He is about to do the same thing again in our day and in our area. The
River of God’s Spirit is about to flow in great power and blessing, revival and transformation, the likes of which have not been
seen in over 100 years. The new wineskin He is preparing to fill is an organic church without walls made up of radical
Kingdom-minded believ ers w ho m eet a nd pr ay in ho me s, bu sine sse s, co ffee shop s, m alls and wherever else people gather
in the market place of life. The purpose of The Spokane Market Place Prayer Initiative and The Parousia Network of House
& Cell Churches is to call, challenge, equip and encourage the available Church to pray in and for their respective market
places, asking God to open a fres h sea son of div ine vis itation in our area , resulting in re vival, awak ening an d com mun ity
transformation. Consider this your call and your challenge to join us.
I want to end with a prayer from the Book of Acts which a market place friend of mine, by the name of Malcolm Bowie, has
been praying over Spokane for severa l years. It’s foun d in Acts 4:29 and following. H ere it is: “And now, Lord, take not of
their threats, and grant that T hy bon d-serv ants may speak Thy word with all confidence, while Thou dost extend Thy hand
to heal, and signs an d won ders tak e place th rough th e nam e of Thy holy serv ant Jes us.”
And here is the best p art: “And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they
were all filled w ith the Holy Spirit, and b ega n to s pea k the word of Go d with boldn ess .” May God grant us individually and
as a Church the same powerful answer to our prayers for revival and transformation in our neighborhoods, our Market
Plac es an d our com mu nity!
Let the River flow . . . through your Market Place!

, Discuss your biggest personal challenge in bringing the Kingdom of God into your marketplace?
, Discuss how the coming of spiritual revival might change and transform your marketplace. What sort of problems
could it solve? What sort of new problems could it create?
A “Market Place Transformation” Reading List

Hillman , Os. The 9 To 5 Window. Ventura: Regal Books/Gospel Light Publications. 2005.
Julian, Larry S. God Is My CEO: Following God’s Principles in a Bottom-Line World. Avon , MA : Ada ms Med ia
Corporation. 2002.
Mars hall, Rich. God at Work. Shippensburg: Destiny Image Publishers. 2005.
Orr, J. Edwin. The Event Of The Century: The 1857 - 1858 Awakening. Wheaton: International Awakening Press. 1989.
Silvoso, Ed. Anointed for Business: How Christians Can Use Their Places of Influence to Make a Profound Impact
on the World. Ventura: Regal Books/Gospel Light Publications. 2004.
Market Place Websites

www.icwm.net (The International Coalition of Workplace Ministries)
www.marketplaceprayer.org (The Spokane Market Place Transformation Network)

Module 7
Life In The Kingdo m:

Discovering What It Means To Live Along The River
Module 7: Life In The Kingdom -
Discovering What It Means To Live Along The River
Introduction To Life Along The River
It has always been, and continues to be, the heart of God to do three things: He is building His Kingdom, He is calling our
His People, and He is pouring out His River. And He wants to do all three in your house! This Module is not another
discussion regarding a philosophy or the ology o f hou se c hurc h. Th ere a re ple nty of b ook s, pa mp hlets and p ape rs av ailable
out there that discuss the “theory” of house churches and why they are better, more biblical, etc. This isn’t one of those
books. This Module is about some of the practical aspects of actually functioning as the ekk lesia which meets in your home.
It is about what it means to be the people of God who live their lives along the banks of God’s River. It’s about what it means
to be an exte nde d fam ily that w orsh ips an d ser ves G od as a belie ving c om mu nity. If you can’t apply your theory, theology
or philosophy in a meaningful way that fits the facts and realities of life then you have a very big problem.
To put this another way, if Christianity were (or is) really as hard and complicated as we have made it in the traditional church
(i.e., you must have a professionally trained pasto r and a professionally trained staff, and programs for every age group,
etc.), Christianity never would have survived the first two c entu ries o f its ex isten ce. N or wo uld it su rvive a s it do es to day in
closed countries whe re Ch ristian ity is off icially (and un-officially) persecuted. In order to survive and grow, Christianity must
be simple enough for any average person to understand, to practice (i.e., live out authentically) and to pass along to the next
generation.
As a manifestation of the Kingdom of God, House Church can happen an ywhere. Neil Cole of Church Multiplication
Associates refers to house church as “organic church” because the Church is really an organism that can thrive anywhere
believers gather; in an office building, a rented meeting room in a local hotel, a Mexican restaura nt (which is where our
network started), even in a house . W hat we d on’t want to do is to substitute a new box (like a house) for an old box (a church
building). Ultimately, God doesn’t dwell in any man-made box or “swimming pool” where people attempt to capture and
control the things of God for their own agendas.
The purpose of the ekk lesia which meets in your home is to empower believers to love, worship and serve God and to reach
out to unbelievers by offering them a Spirit-empowered model of what Christian faith looks like when it is authentically lived
out by real people in their everyday lives. The ultimate purpose of the ekk lesia which meets in your home is to become a
manifestation of and a foothold for the Kingdom of God, a channel through which the River of His Spirit can flow unimpeded
into the neighborhood & community around you. As God’s ekk lesia we ar e par t of a K ingdo m w hich is nourished by a river.
W e are the spiritual trees which grow along the banks of that Rive r of God ’s Spirit, and G od des ires to use our “leave s” to
heal the n ations (sta rting with your n eighbor hood! ).
Let the R iver flow . . .
Samuel Wesley Had A Swimming Pool
The problem of dysfunctional “swimming pool” churches that don’t meet the needs of those under its care is not a new
problem. Just ask Samuel Wes ley. Better yet, ask his wife Susanna. If you don’t recognize the names of Samuel and
Susanna Wesley, then perhaps you’ll remember two of his sons, John and Charles Wesley. In the early 1700s Samue l
Wesley was the Anglican Rector of the small parish of Epw orth in Eng land. It was in that Rec tory at Epw orth that Samuel
and his wife, Susanna, raised their family of 9 children and where Samuel served as pastor of the parish church. In the winter
of 1711-12 Samuel was called away to London on Church business for several months. In his absence Samuel arranged
for a fellow pastor (one Reverend Inman) to preach and m i nister in his place (in other words, to supervise the swimming
pool) until he could retu rn.
That was a m istak e. Th e m an ha d little o r no p reac hing a bility, an d peo ple liked him even less than his sermons. When
neighbors and member s of the congregation learned that Susanna was holding devotions for her children at home on
Sunday evening they began asking to attend. Soon, th ere were forty people attending Susanna’s Sunday evening
devotionals. Susanna would read prayers, one of Samuel’s sermons and then devotional topics wou ld be discussed. Soon
the crowd of 40 had grown to over 200 people crowding into the small rectory on Sunday evening to hear Susanna read
Samuel’s sermons.
The Revere nd Inm an took great offe nse at s uch a “s canda l.” People w ere neg lecting th e Sunday morning services and
attending Susanna’s evening meeting instead. Inman wrote and complained to Samuel in London. Sam uel w rote to his wife,
expressing his concern that s he sh ould be supporting the interim preacher and encouraging her to discontinue these evening
meetings. His obje ctions we re three-f old. First, that the Sunday evening meetings “will look particular” (i.e., peculiar);
second, that she was a woman and there fore sho uld not be leading su ch m eetings; a nd, third, that he (Samuel) had a
“pub lic station” to pr otect. Bu t Susan na W esley was not a wom an ea sily det erre d fro m w hat s he be lieved to be God ’s will.
She wrote ba ck to Samuel and addressed his concerns. She reminded him that in “our corrupt age” the genuine work of
God always looks peculiar. As to her being a woman she reminded Samuel that in addition to being a woman she was also
the “mis tress of a la rge f am ily” whic h he, in his absence, had entrusted to her care and that the evening family devotions
were part of her a ttem pt to s ee to their s piritua l cond ition. T he fa ct tha t the c hildre n had told th eir frie nds who had t old th eir
parents and that those parents now asked perm ission to attend the meetings was not a m atter of blame upon her.
“But I nev er did posit ively presume to hope that God would make use of m e as an instrume nt in doing g ood; the fa rthest I
ever did go w as, ‘It may be : who ca n tell? W ith God a ll things are p ossible.’ I will resign myse lf to him; or as Herbert better
expres ses it,
Only, since God doth often make

Of lowly m atter, for high uses m eet,
I throw m e at His fee t;
There will I lie until my Maker seek
For s ome mea n stu ff whe reon to sh ow H is sk ill;
Then is my time.
When Sam uel raised new ob jections in a subse quent lett er and expressed his desire that she discontinue the meetings
Susanna wrote back and t old him that s he w ould reluc tantly s top th e m eetin gs if he spe cifically instructe d her to do so. “If
you do after all think fit to dissolve this assembly, do not tell me a ny mo re that you desire m e to do it, for tha t will not satisfy
my conscience; but send me your positive command in such full and express terms as may absolve me from all guilt and
punishment for neglecting this opportunity of doing good to souls, when you and I shall appear before the great and awful
tribunal of our Lor d Jesu s Christ.” No letter containing such instructions ever arrived, and Samuel’s return home soon
brough t an end to this extra-o rdinary “hou se chu rch” m eeting.
Upon his return to Epworth Samuel discontinued the special evening meetings at the Rectory. The crowds dissipated
(without returning to the parish church) and life at the “Church swimming pool” returned to “normal”. Samuel Wesley, and
the Church under his care , was a prisoner of a traditional church box that had taken his mind prisoner long before it had
captured his congregation. He saw the Kingdom of God as a public swimming pool to be managed by properly trained and
appointed caretakers. He h adn’t even noticed that the River of God had, for a brief time, flowed throu gh his own hom e in
great power. That’s the problem with church swim ming pools an d their care takers ; they tend to view the R iver as a thr eat,
not a bles sing.
I have included this story of Susanna and Samuel Wesley because it illustrates many of the phenom ena that we are seeing
today in the hous e churc h mo vem ent. You might say that house church is a concept that has been struggling to be re-born
into the life of God’s people for nearly 300 years! So many of the questions and concerns of today’s house church
movement are not new. They are at least 300 years old! What do you do when traditional institutional churches no longer
me et the need s of th ose unde r their care ? W hat a bou t wom en in leadership? Don’t house churches look “peculiar” when
compared with traditional church min istry? ( The Rive r of G od alw ays looks peculiar, which is why people want to tame and
trap it in man made swimm ing pools which they can control and understand.) What abo ut trad itional pastors who feel
threatened and “scandalized” by the rise of house churches in their midst? All of these issues (and others) would re-surface
and present fresh challenges to the Churc h thirty years later during the great Evangelical Awakening and under the ministry
of Samuel & Susanna’s son, John.
John Wesley Discovered A River And Became A Channel
John Wesley was nine years old during the “evening prayers controversy.” We don’t really know how much he understood
of what occurred, but in his later evangelistic career Wesley demonstrated that he was keenly aware of the shortcomings
of the institutional church of which he remained a part until the day of his death.
John Wesley regarded evangelism (and therefore the salvation of an individual) as more of a process than an event (he had
long and s pirited discu ssio ns w ith his Moravian friends over the issue of instantaneous regeneration and salvation), unlike
most evangelism today where the focus is upon an event that results in a decision which is a ssum ed to coin cide with
regeneration. This process of salvation had been Wesley's own experience. Wesley regarded all of his searchings and
efforts prior to his Aldersgate experience in 1738 (his education at Oxford, ordination to Anglican ministry in 1728, leade rship
of the H oly Club, missionary activity to Georgia in 1735) as the time of his "awakening" to the things of God during which
the Spirit of God was working on his conscience. This "awakening" finally culminated at "about quarter before nine" in the
evening of May 24 , 1738 w hen he felt his hear t strange ly warme d and re alized that he trusted "in C hrist, Chris t alone for
salvation."
In his subsequent preaching ministry throughout the chapels, by-ways and fields of England Wesley regarded those who
responded as people whom the Spirit had "awakened." Whether or not they were "regenerate" could only be determined
Module 7: Life In The Kingdom - Discovering What It Means To Live Along The River - Page 127
over a period of time during which the individual must be given pastoral care and close examination. All of these "awakened"
respon dents were invited to attend Wesley's Methodist Society meetings. "The re is only one condition previously required
of those w ho des ire adm ission into the se soc ieties," W esley wrote ; "a desire 'to flee from th e wrath to come, and to be saved
from th eir sins .'"
A problem soon arose. The River of God’s Spirit was beginning to flow in great power and revival. Wesley's preaching
ministry was so successful that in the year 17 43 alone one thou sand n ew m emb ers wer e adde d to his Lo ndo n So ciety. T his
kind of rapid growth presented a problem for personal pastoral care and supervision. How were so many "awakened"
seekers to be supervised and encouraged, and false professors weeded out? Wesley was adamant regarding the nece ssity
of consta nt, personal pastoral care. "How grievously are they m istaken who imagine that as soon as the children are born
they ne ed take no mo re care o f them," he wr ote. B ut ho w co uld he pers ona lly min ister to so m any?
The answ er beg an in B ristol wh ere W esley's Society had grown to 1,100 people. A society member by the name of Foy
suggested that one p erson c all on eleven others d uring the w eek to inquire of the ir status. T he Bristo l Society was quick ly
transformed, "In a while, some [class lead ers] inform ed me that they fo und su ch and such a one did n ot live as he ought.
It struck me immediately, 'This is one thing, the very thing we have wanted so long .'" These weekly visitations soon became
weekly class meetings, "This wa s the origin o f our class es at Lon don," he wrote, "for which I can never sufficiently praise
God, the unspeakable usefulness of the institution h aving ev er since been m ore and more m anifest." Soon, every Methodist
Society was broken into smaller Classes of 12 persons who met weekly with a Class Leader for pastoral care, examination,
encouragement and exhortation. According to W esle y, "Many now happily experienced that Christian fellowship of which
they had not so much as an idea before. They began to 'bear one another 's burde ns,' and n aturally to 'ca re for eac h other.'
As they had daily a more intim ate acq uaintanc e with, so th ey had a more endea red affec tion for, eac h other."
The Wesleyan "Class," consisting of 12 people meeting together to pursue the discipline of Christian godliness, became
the centerpiece of Methodism for the nex t 100 years, until the mid-1800s. It was in the Class that the "awakened" were
discipled, examined and instructed, and where they shared mutual fellowship and learned to bear one another's burdens.
It was in the Class that the "Rules" (those standards of behavior expected of every Methodist) were read and where
individuals were examined to see if they were sincere in their desire to live according to Methodist discipline.
Like his mother thirty years earlier, John Wesley sought to so lve the prob lem of a d ysfun ction al inst itution al chu rch w hile
meeting the spiritual needs of new believers who were being swept into the King dom of G od th roug h the on-g oing r eviva l.
It was a “church within a church,” a hous e church structure within the larger structure of the Anglican Church (of which
W esle y insisted tha t Metho dism rema in a part thro ughou t his lifetime) . By so doing W esley crea ted a struc ture that
accomplished at least three impor tant task s. First, he cr eate d a st ructu re tha t cou ld hand le the increasing fruit of widespread
revival and could offer a secure fellowship in which new converts and young believers could be nurtured and discipled.
Second, he created a structure flexible enough to serve as a channel for the River of God as it flowed while avoiding the
temptation to create a man -ma de swim ming pool to co ntrol what G od was doing. Third, he created a persecution resistant
structure that withstood the sporadic and sometimes intense persecution that Methodists experienced at the hands of the
institutional chur ch. U nfor tuna tely, within 50 years of Wesley’s death (in 1791) the Methodist “Class” structure began to break
down into swimming pools. 75
New time s and new challe nge s co mb ine w ith old dysfu nctio nalities to dem and ne w wines kins. T hat is wha t happen ed to
Susanna W esle y, and to Jo hn W esle y, and it is hap pen ing ag ain to day. A nd I b elieve that, in His sovereign Providence, God
is raising up the house church movement as today’s “new” wineskin. And now it is time to “Just do it!”
Let the R iver flow . . .
Enter The “N ike Church” - Just Do It!
Perhaps you’ve heard of the seven Churches of Asia Minor, found in the first 3 Chapters of the book of Re velatio n. W ell,
the Church of Nike was n’t on e of th em , but it p roba bly sho uld have been. Nike, of course, is the sports apparel company
that specializes in cheap labor and expensive footwear. They also have a marketing slogan that we could learn a lot from:
Just D o It! When it comes to becoming the Church that meets in your house, you and I simple need to “just do it”!
One o f the first que stions pe ople con sidering h ouse c hurch w ant to ask is, “How do you get started?” W hen it com es to
getting started and becoming the church that mee ts in our ho uses th ere are m any reas ons wh y we don’t “jus t do it.” The re’s
75
For an excellent treatment of the origins, functioning and demise of the Weslyan “Class of 12" structure, see David Francis
Holscla w, “The Demise of Disciplined Christian Fellowship: The Methodist Class Meeting in Ninete enth-Century America,” A Doctoral
Dissertation in History in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Davis, 1982.
the fe ar of failure that s pring s fro m n ot kn owin g exa ctly what to do and being afraid that we won’t “do it right.” W e want to
wait until we’ve figured out “the program” so we can do it just right. One of the reasons for this is that we have been “ruined
by exam ple,” namely by an institutional model of “church” which has trained us to sit passively in a pew while the
“professional staff” perform a “well scripted” program on Sunday morning. After watching this well orchestrated and
complicated performance we tell ourselves, “I can’t do that.” And, of course, we’re right! We can’t do “that.” But then the
good news is that God doesn ’t want you or me to do “that”! It is a false model of what church sho uld be. At a very basic
level, TH AT’S NOT CHU RCH! So, it is NOT the goal of house church to become small copies of the larger failed institutional
mo dels we lef t beh ind. G od sim ply desir es th at we gath er tog ethe r and wors hip H im in spirit and in truth. Everything else
is flexib le and nego tiable ! And to do that, yo u don ’t need an y profess ional training o r a pre-pr inted bulletin. All you & I really
need is to just do it!
O O.K. L et’s App ly This
, Post Modern Application: Post Moderns are looking for reality and spontaneity, not something that is the
product of a com mitte e meeting. They want to experience being part of a movement, not a program.
Sha ring things over a meal also serves to fulfill the Post Modern desire for relationships and commu nity
building. Flexibility and spontaneity are important expressions of what it means to function as an extended
fam ily. Don’t over co mplica te or “over -think” thing s. Just do it!
, Plan a potluck with some like-minded folk who want to experience “ekk lesia in the home”
‘ Dur ing th e pot luck , talk a bou t wha t God is doing in your life. (Answered prayers, something God
showed you from the Word, a significant dream you recently had, etc.
‘ At some point in the potluck, celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Have juice and bread available. Read
Paul’s words to the house churches in Corinth found in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.
, After the m eal, gathe r to worsh ip and pra y.
‘ Ask if anyone ha s a devo tional thoug ht they wan t to share; a Scripture that spoke to them over the
past we ek, or so meth ing else G od has spoke n to them about.
‘ Have worship CDs with worship songs that are familiar and easy to sing;
‘ As you worship, encourage everyone to wait on God and listen for His voice of encouragement and
direction in the meeting. Silence before the Lord is a good thing. Learn to pray and wait on God.
Let th e Riv er flow . . . and don’t b e afra id to s imply step our a nd “ju st do it”!
Baggage Check
When I was in se mina ry in the early 198 0s in De nver, plan s were a nnoun ced to re place the existing S tapleton A irport with
a new regional airport outside of the City. It took twenty years of planning and building for the new Denver International
Airport (DIA) to become a reality. As the day approached for the “grand opening” of the new airport there was a glitch. The
airport auth ority ha d spe nt litera lly hund reds of m illions o f dolla rs on a new com pute rized a nd au tom ated syste m to hand le
passenger baggage. The trouble was that it didn’t work. The opening of the new multi-billion airport facility had to be delayed
because it cou ldn’t h and le peo ple’s b agg age . W elco me to the Chu rch. O ur “ba gga ge ha ndling ” syste m d oes n’t work very
well either and needs to be fixed.
O n e o f m y favorite Christian thinkers during my college days was Os Guinness. His book, The Dust o f Death , a critique
on the collapse of western thought, was "required reading" among Christian college students during the 1970s (It is still an
excellent read). Guinness studied unde r Dr. Francis Schaeffer at L’Abri and Schaeffer’s thought resonates through much
of Guinness' writings even today. In one of his most recent books, entitled The Long Journey H om e, Dr. Guinness
discusses the th ree im ped ime nts to Chris tianity mos t often cite d by unbelievers. The first impediment to faith among
unbelievers is the problem of “theodicy” or the problem of pain, evil and suffering in the world. The second impediment cited
is the problem of the historical Jesus in light of such things as The Jesus Project (which questions the historical veracity of
the biblical accounts of Jesus’ life). The third impediment to Christian faith cited by unbe liever s is . . . . "C hristia ns." T hat’s
right. When it comes to evangelism and the gospel, we are often our own worst enemy. At least, that’s how unbelievers often
see us. Ouch! As Christians, it is often our “baggage” (religious, spiritual, emotional) that gets in the way of what it is God
wants to do in us a nd throu gh us.
In light of this observation by an evangelical Christian scholar who has devoted most of his professional Christian career
to the issue of Christian apologetics, it should come as no great surprise that at a house church conference I attended a few
years ago one of the speak ers rema rked, "W e d on ’t start hous e churc hes w ith believers . They b ring too m uch ba ggage ."
I was somewhat taken aback, but his point was an honest one (and one shared, apparently, by many unbelievers). At the
present time muc h of the house church m ovement con sists of a cast of people who have left the institutional church for one
reason or anoth er, and in the process they have brought with them all of their left over “bad habits.” The resulting
hodge-podge is an amalgamation of house fellowships still in the process of unpacking their church baggage (or disbanding
because the same baggage which they were u nable to d eal with in trad itional churc h has n ow poiso ned their jo urney into
house church and ren dered th em u nable to w alk in “sha lom” (b iblical health, un ity and peace). When you listen to them they
sound som ething like th e following:
"We’re the Ch urch o f those who . . . (pick you r favorite from th e follow ing or fill in one o f your o wn):
O Don’t let wo men speak in church (yeah, sure , that’s always a churc h-builder! );
O Think the institutiona l church is myste ry Babylon (s o did Ma rtin Luther 4 00 years ago, so w hat’s new ?);
O Are faithfully studying prophecy & waiting for the rebuilt temple & the Rapture (although we’re not really sure
which comes first, or why, or when, but we’re wa iting . . . and stud ying . . . end less ly stud ying); g reat, let’s
get together and argue over the meaning of the 7 th seal. That’s always a church builder!
O Don’t be lieve in paid m inisters (yep, a nd you’ll get ex actly what you paid for);
O W ill start actually doing house church once we get a prop er theolog y of house church nailed dow n (right,
like that’ll ever ha ppen! ).
C o m ’ on, let’s get real. Life (both inside and outside of the church) is a process of ac cum ulatin g bag gag e. Th e pro blem within
the Kingdom of God is that you can’t swim in God’s River while clutching on to needless baggage! “Apostolic Conversion”
(even in the life of an ex isting believe r) is God ’s way of ca using us to shed tha t baggag e and to lea rn how to “travel light”
on this jo urne y into G od’s King dom plans and p urpo ses . Phys ical b aggag e is often a meta phor for spiritual bag gage. In
Matthew 10:9-10 Jesus instructed the disciples about shedding baggage and “trave ling light.” Listen to what he said: “Do
not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts,10 or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or
a staff; for the w orker is w orthy of his suppo rt.” Just as Jesus instructed the disciples to “travel light” by shedding physical
baggage, so too we need to help one another shed religio us, s piritua l and e mo tiona l bagg age with w ill “slow us down” (you
can’t swim in God’s River wh ile clutching it) fro m wh at God is calling us to do.
Baggag e Check an d Building Co mmu nity
Our ability to suc ces sfully deal with “baggage” will depend in no small part to our individual commitment to being part of what
I call “genuine community” (I would relate this to Module 4 and DNA Marker #1 - Persevering in fellowship or “koinonia”).
In genu ine co mm unity ( koin onia ) “baggage happens” and this can result in initial conflict. But mature believers look past
the conflict and work together to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2) and help each other unpack that baggage.
Unf ortun ately this is a new expe rienc e for ma ny peo ple who have only experienced the “pseudo-community” of many
traditional churches. In his book “ T h e D iffe re nt D r um ” Dr. M . Sco tt Pec k de scrib es ps eud o-co mm unity th is wa y: “The
essential dyna mic o f pse udo -com mun ity is conf lict av oidan ce. T he ab sen ce of conf lict in a g roup is not by itself diagnostic.
Genuine community may experience lovely and sometimes lengthy periods free from conflict. But that is because they have
learned how to d al with con flict rather than avoid it. Pseudo-community is conflict-avoiding; true community is conflict
resolving .”76 Genu ine com mun ity requires intim acy, vulnera bility and conflict re solution w ith both God and m en. If we are
to successfully help people unpack their baggage then we must pursue genuine community in our house churches and
create a “safe place” where it can take place.
Baggage Check # 1: Shedding Spiritual/Religious Baggage. People (both Chris tians and u n-be liever s) ca n com e to th eir
house church experience with spiritua l or reli gious baggage. We need to realize that this is nothing new. It is a timeless
phenomenon . Religious/Spiritual baggage created a crisis in the first-century church during the transition period leading
up to Acts 15 (the Jerusalem Council). In the transition from institu tiona l Jew ish-b ase d Ch ristian ity to the Gen tile
missions-oriented Church of Antioch (this "transition" began in earnest in Acts 10 with C orne lius an d culm inate d in the crisis
of Acts 15) the early church was forced to deal with (and shed) a great deal of religious bagga ge left ove r from its Jewish
M. Scott Peck, The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace, 2nd Edition (New York: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster,
76
1998) p. 88
roots. That included shedding the 5,000 (or so) quasi-laws, called "traditions of the elders," which had been created over
many centuries by the religious establishment as a hedge around the 613 Mos aic law s of th e Old Tes tam ent. T he ne t resu lt
was a great de al of "religious bagga ge" that the early churc h was fo rced to c onfron t and to shed. This included confronting
religious “Jud aizers ” who taug ht tha t Gen tile believers had to be circumcised and keep the “Law of Moses” in order to be
truly saved and spiritual. The expansion of the church to the Gentiles (who neither understood nor cared about the religious
baggage of Judaism) forc ed th e ear ly believ ers to re-th ink th eir un ders tand ing of “faith and p ractic e” in o rder to avo id
"placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke wh ich neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear"(Acts 15:10).
Later, during his missionary journeys, the Apostle Paul found it necessary to confront more baggage that was being brought
into the hous e churc hes tha t he had p lanted. Pa ul wrote to the house churches of Colossae (see Colossians 2:16-18) not
to allow baggage regarding “food” (probably Jewish dietary laws), “a festival or a new moon (probably referring to the
observance of O.T. Jewish feasts), or “a Sabbath day” (Christianity no longer observed the Jewish Sabbath as required
under the O. T. Law), or “angels” or “visions.” Baggage comes in many form s. To the house church es of G alatia Pau l wrote
in strong ter ms a bout the n eed to reject the baggage of Jewish legalism that many believers there were attempting to impose
upon the Christian community. And to his spiritual son, Timothy, Paul gave pastoral instructions on dealing with baggage
brough t by false teac hers inc luding “m yths,” “gene alogies,” “m ere spe culations ” and “fru itless discu ssions .”
“The Kingdom of God in your home” isn’t about your view of women in ministry, the end-times, Pentecostal manifestations,
recovering the Old Testament feasts or anything else. Home based ekk lesia in your house isn’t even about evangelism
(whoa, that’ll goad somebody’s ox). House Church is about a Kingdom, a people and a River. It’s about Jesus and the
Kingdom of God. House church is about experiencing the living Jesus in His resurrection power and presence as a
manifestation of the Kingdom of God in your home. Home based ekklesia is God’s basic “corporate” expression of the
Kingdom of God. As a miniature expression of the greater Kingdom, it is to be a place where the River of His Spirit flows,
where His Presence dwells and where both believers and seekers can touch and taste the Powers of the Age an d can "tas te
and see that the Lord is Good." Ask yourself a question. What do you want people who visit your house church to remember
when they leave? Do you w ant the m to leave saying to themselves "I’ve tasted and seen God’s power and goodness" or
"Gee, what did you think about his idea that Prince C harles c ould be th e anti-Ch rist"? Hou se chu rch is abo ut helping b oth
believers and unb eliever to disc over that "there is a R iver, the stre ams w hereof m ake glad the city of G od." Everything else
is religious baggage and window dressing.
Baggage Check # 2: Shedding Em otional Baggage. Many existing believers (and yes, may unbelievers) have been
poo rly treated and wounded at the hands of other believers, usually within the context of the traditional institutional church.
The resulting “emotional baggage” can include anger, un-healed woundedness, fear of controlling & manipulative spiritual
auth ority, and much more. This type of emotional baggage can manifest itself in a variety of ways. Em otio nally wounded
people te nd to be w ary of getting too close to other or o f mak ing com mitm ents to gro ups, he nce the y tend to be “loners .”
Wounded apostles tend to go into business or professional work where they can apply their ability to see and implement
strategies to business & secular work . Wou nded prophets tend to beco me solitary prop hetic figures (“I’m God’s battle axe
and He’s c alled m e to w ar ag ains t the p rincip alities in this area.” This person visited one of our house church meetings.) who
even tually end u p eith er alo ne or me eting with o ther w oun ded prop hetic types , spe nding their tim e eng aging in “pro phe tic
tail chasing” by prophesying to each other and calling it “prophetic ministry.” Since such people have often suffered at the
hands of cont rolling auth ority fig ures in churches (“We don’t need or allow that kind of false prophetic ministry in our church”)
they are naturally wary of partnering with other 5-fold gifts out of fear of some trying to control (i.e., qu enc h) the m a nd th eir
gift.
Like I said, baggage can come in many forms and nearly everybody has some. It isn’t anything new. But in our house
churches today, as in the house churches of the 1st century, we need to be self-aware of what baggage we are carr ying
around, and w e nee d to b e able to lovingly help others see their baggage too. So, take some time for healthy reflection. Do
a personal “baggage check.” What Christian baggage are you carrying around, and are you willing to leave it at the door
as you enter house church. If not, your house church experience will probably not be a pleasant one and will probably not
last very long, because, as airport officials in Denver discovered, baggage that cannot be handled and properly disposed
of will cause the whole operation to eventually shut down.
, Post Modern Application: Post Moderns are looking to experience authentic relationships and genuine
com mun ity where people help each other “unpack” the baggage we have brought in, and to do this in a
manner that resolves conflicts without being harsh or judgmental. It is important to create a “safe”
environment as an extended family where people can authentically deal with their baggage without feeling
judged, condemned or ostracized.
I believe that baggage, whether religious, spiritual or emotional, needs three things:
, Death. People carrying around this kind of emotional baggage need to experience a profound and biblical
"death-to -self.” Some pe ople have been so wo unded for so long and have been carrying around their
baggage for so long that it has beco me a par t of wh o the y are. T heir w oun ds an d the ir bag gag e AR E the ir
identity. Only a profound spiritual death, to self and their baggage, can set them free. Dead peo ple have
no baggage. So, are you (am I) prepared and willing to die to ourselves and our baggage in a profound
manner that everyone can see? Is your pride and personal religious baggage worth stumbling over ? Is it
worth causing others to stumble? Would you be willing to allow God to "set fire" to your baggage and
hum ble your pride in order to build His Kingdom? Are you willing to die-to-self so that others might live as
a resu lt of you r obe dienc e? A t this point, let me encourage you to go back to Module 1 and com e to terms
with Wolfg ang S imso n’s “5 S teps o f Apo stolic Mig ration.” Man y exist ing be liever s pre sen tly
“experimenting” with house church still need to go through the W ilderness experience of Point 0 where God
intends for them to experience this profound and biblical death. They are not really ready yet to mo ve to
Point +1 and cross over into house church.
, Healing. Thankfully, God desires more than simply our death. He desires our healing, “He heals the
brokenhearted, and bind s up their w ounds .” (Psalm 147:3) Once we have died to ourselves and our
baggage God can begin the genuine process of healing us and restoring us to our proper fulness and place
in His Kingdom purposes.
, Partnering. People with baggage need to partner with other people to help them see and shed such
baggage wen it arises. We will discuss this more when we discuss “The Role of Leadership & Mending One
Anothe r’s Nets.”
Let the Rive r flow . . . and wash away your bagga ge. Rem embe r, you ca n’t swim in G od’s River while holdin g on to
it!
When and Wh ere Should W e Meet?
I rece ntly read an article about Christians in China. The article described how, at the end of a busy workday, a group of 30
believers met on one of the highest floors of a Beijing office tower. The location of the meeting was a secret until that very
day with the tim e and pla ce being confirm ed with brief cell phone calls and exchanged passwords to protect privacy. As rush
traffic filled the streets below this group of 30 working professionals began to pray and worship God clandestinely. Welcome
to the underground house church, Chinese style. Here are believers who are simply thankful to be able to meet. They don’t
spe nd a lo t of tim e quib bling a bou t the tim e, pla ce an d day.
I grew up in th e Am erica n So uth w here , throu gho ut m y youth , there were “Blue Law s.” A “ Blue Law ” me ant th at on Sun days
all commercial establishments, from grocery stores to gas stations, were closed and most people went to Church (and the
ones who didn’t go always kn ew that the y should ha ve gone !). My how things ha ve chan ged. W hen it com es to the times
and places of our house chu rch meetings today you and I have the luxury of freedom of choice. House church can take
place literally any where on any day and at any time. W e actually see this occu rring in the B ook of Acts in the early church.
There we learn th at the early ch urch m et “day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from
house to house . . .” (See A cts 2:46 ). Gone is the notion that w e m ust g o to a holy pla ce on a holy d ay to h ear a holy
person lecture on holy things . W hen an d where your hous e churc h me ets is up to yo u and tho se in your gr oup. It could meet
during the week, or, yes, even on S und ay. 77 It may meet in one fixed location or you may choose to move around “from
house to house” as the early Church did. So choose a time and a place, make certain that everyone in your group knows
about it, and then “Just Do It”!
77
“Sabbatarians” or people who believe that Church must take place on the “Sabbath” have a problem with this issue of meeting
anytime. I offer several responses. First, the early church didn’t worship on the Sabbath (the seventh day of the week, or our Saturd ay)
but met on the first day of the week, thereby acknowledging that the death and resurrection of Jesus had altered the “times and
seasons”. Second, the Council of Elders in Acts 15 which considered whether Gentiles needed to keep “the Law of Moses” apparently
did not see Sabbath observance as necessary. Third, Paul, writing to the predominantly Gentile church at Colossae told those Gentile
believers not to allow anyone to “act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day,
things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17). This admonition would
only make sense if Jewish legalists were attempting to impose Sabbath-keeping on Gentile believers as something necessary for their
faith and obedience. Fourth, if Christians are obligated to “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” then they are also obligated
to keep the other 612 requirements of “The Law of Moses.” W e don’t ge t to pick and choo se which o nes we will keep and which we
won’t. Or have you not read the book of Galatians?
, Post Modern Application: Post Moderns believe in “participation.” There are several ways this can
hap pen . Eve ryone shou ld participate in the decision of when and where to meet. It could also mean that
the house church decides to meet in different homes so that everyone has the opportunity to host the
gathering . They m ight even d ecide to meet in an alternative location such as a restaurant or a Starbucks
(been there, done that!).
, Pick a day that is best for mos t people in you r house church . It may be a Mond ay night, a W ednes day night,
a Saturday morning, a Sunday evening, etc. Set a time, make it known and work at being consistent (yep,
back to that ol’ perseverance thing again). Make sure you allow enough time. Our meetings usually take
around three hours (a little longer if we’re doing a potluck).
Let the River flow . . . and don’t limit it to a holy day or a particular place!
Tossed Salad Christianity - Mixing It Up Over A Meal
In case you missed it, Christianity began over a meal. It was a Passover m eal that Jesus earnestly longed to share with H is
disciples. W e have romanticized it by painting it on frescoes and by labeling it “The Last Supper,” but make no m istak e, it
was a meal shared between Jesus and His disciples. As we discovered in Module 4 under DNA Marker # 6: S harin g Me als
Together, the disciples had learned directly from Jesus Himself regarding the importance of sharing meals with people.
Jesus was a fre quent din ner gue st in the hom es of pe ople He was se eking to reac h, so mu ch s o tha t it bec am e a “s can dal”
to the religious people o f His day: “And as Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man, called Matthew, sitting in the tax
office; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he rose, and followed Him. And it happened that as H e wa s rec lining a t the ta ble
in the house, behold many tax-gatherers and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. And when the
Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax-gatherers and sinners?” But when
He hear d this , He s aid, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.“But go and learn what
this means, ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners .” (Matthew 9:9-13;
see also Mark 2:16 and Luke 5:30). Wolfgang Simson told a hou se c hurc h con fere nce audie nce that J esu s rea lly only did
three things: He ate with people, told stories about the Kingdom of God, and cast out people’s demons. The early church
followed this example. They regularly shared meals together. It had become part of their DNA. The early church loved taking
me als toge ther in one a noth er’s h ous es. I th ink it was because it reminded many of them of the many meals they had shared
with Jesus while He was on earth. These meals became common in the early Church and came to be known as the Agape
or Love feast. By the time Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth (a network of between half-dozen and a dozen house
churches that me t in Corinth) problems had arisen with these love feasts and Paul wrote to correct those problems (see 1
Corinthians 11:17ff), but the feasts themselves were an integral part of house church life for the first several centuries of
the Church. And it was during such a meal that the L ord’s Sup per w as no rm ally cele brate d, jus t as it w as th at firs t time
between Jesus and His disciples.
Mea ls can be great social occasions where people can let down their guard and get to know others. It can help to put new
people at ease. During the Protestant Ref orm ation , Mar tin Lu ther w ould e ntert ain his stud ents over dinne r and enga ge in
significant theo logica l discu ssio n ove r the m eal. 78 I enc oura ge all of ou r hou se c hurc hes to be gin a practice of sharing a meal
together as pa rt of th eir m eetin g (wh at W olfga ng S ims on ca lls a “m eatin g”). T his can be a potluck where everyone brings
something, thereby not placing the burden for prepa ring the m eal on on e perso n, or your gro up m ay agree to host me als
at various h ome s. The n, at som e point in th e meal the Lord’s Supper can be observed. I usually have bread and juice
prepared and I like to read Paul’s words from 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. We then dip our bread in a common cup of juice and
partake together. Sometimes we end the Lord’s Supper by singing the doxology or another appropriate song o r hymn. There
is no “right” or “wrong” way to do this, although Christian s co min g out of more liturgical backgrounds (remember our
discussion of “baggage”) may take a while to adjust to this freedom of worship.
, Post Mod ern Application: From a Po st Mo dern pers pec tive sh aring a m eal to geth er is e xpe rientia l,
partic ipato ry, relatio nal an d com mu nity bu ilding! It is also an important aspect of what it means to function
as an extended fam ily. Families eat meals together.
, Plan a potluck as part of the ekk lesia meeting in your home.
78
Luther, Martin. Tabletalk: Luther’s Comments on Life, the Church and the Bible. _____: Christian Focus Publications,
2003.
‘ Make sure that everyone who wants to has the opportunity to participate and bring something.
‘ During the potluck, talk about what God is doing in your life. (Answered prayers, something God
showed you from the Word, a significant dream you re cen tly had, etc.). If you are inviting
unbelievers consider holding a BBQ and do your best to avoid “religious” discussions.
‘ At some point in the po tluck, ce lebrate the Lord’s Supper. Have juice and bread available. Read
Paul’s words to the house churches in Corinth found in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.
‘ For a variety, like any family, we sometimes just order out for pizza for our Monday night house
church meeting!
Let the River flow . . . and let Him teach you how to have fellowship over dinner w ith Himself and with each other!
Leadership: W ho’s In Charge Here Anywa y?
Here is the simple biblical answer: The Holy S pirit sh ould b e in charge, or there is something wrong! But on a human level
we always want to know who is leading the meeting. When we look at the Book of Acts, many New Testament Churches
got started and initially functioned without designated or appointed leadership. That cam e later. And even when leaders were
appointed by Paul (see Acts 14:23) all of those leaders were converts from either paganism or Judaism with little or no
training or experience in “what it takes” to lead a church. In short, they learned by doing and corrected their “mistakes” along
the way. There were no books on pastoral care and biblical leadership. There were no Bible college or seminary graduates,
no or daine d or c rede ntiale d cler gy, no professional staff. But God called out and raised up leaders. It was all “on the job”
trainin g among believers who probably had far less Biblical knowledge and experience than you or I have today. If God
could use them, He can use you! If they could do it, so can you!
Seven Biblical Leadership Callings
“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ,s gift. Therefore it says, ‘When He ascended
on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men’ . . . . And He gave some as apostles, and some as
prophets, and so me as evang elists, an d s om e as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of
service, to the building up of the b ody of C hrist; until we a ll attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son
of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer
to be children, tossed here and there by w aves, and carried about by ev ery wind of doctrine, by the trickery o f men, b y
craftiness in deceitful sc heming ; but spea king the tru th in love, w e are to gr ow up in all aspec ts into Him, who is the head,
even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the
proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love .” (Ephesians 4:7-16)
I believe that Scripture describes seven (7) leadership callings (I want to avoid referring to these as “offices” because they
are really callings and job descriptions). They consist of “the 5-fold ministry” of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and
teachers, along with elders and deacons. Every house church, if it is an “extended fam ily,” has a father or mo ther figure
of experience and wisdom who lead s it. W e call these “elders.” There are also God-appointed itinerant ministers who service
a network , a city or a region. These are the 5-fold ministry gifts.79 In Acts 15 the Apostles & elders came together to form
an Apostolic Council to solve problems, make decisions and set policy. These seven callings are intended by God to function
as a leadership team, each with a unique role, to oversee and encourage the health and growth of the body. Over time, as
your group matures and grows God will call out and raise up people to function in all of these areas:
‘ Apostles & Prophets - I am treating these two together because they share a unique calling to provide the
“foundation” for planting and building up of Chu rches. T his is wha t Paul tells us in Ephes ians 2:20 : “So then
you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God,s
household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being
the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted togethe r is growin g into a holy temple in the Lord;
in whom you also a re be ing bu ilt toge ther in to a d wellin g of G od in th e Sp irit.” (Eph esia ns 2: 19-2 2). T his
does not mean that a house church cannot be planted without apostles and prophets (although some
peo ple teach this) but that they have a unique calling to work together in the establishment of new works.
Proph ets are uniquely called and gifted to hear from God regarding His h eart a nd pu rpos es fo r peo ple and
79
For more on the 5-Fold ministry see our article in Appendix A entitled “Of Servants, Fools & Kings: Two Competing Views
of 5-Fold Minist ry”.
for area s. Pro phe ts tea m w ith Ap ostle s bec aus e Ap ostle s are uniqu ely called and gifted to trans late G od’s
prop hetic voice into practical strategies for accomplishing what the prophets are hearing. Without Apostles
Proph ets become “prophetic junkies” who end up “chasing their prophetic tails” with no way to implement
what they a re he aring . This leads to fru strat ion, p roph ecie s with out a purp ose and p roph etic conferences
where frustrated prophets gather to prophesy to one another and call it ministry. Without Prophets, Apostles
b ec om e builders of “Apostolic empires,” seeking to implement grand strategies with no prophetic direction
for what God is seeking to accomplish. Together, Prophets hear God’s heart for pe ople a nd pla ces while
Apostles translate those visions into strategies for planting house church networks to reach those peop le
and places. Apostles see far and understand imp licatio ns. P roph ets h ear c learly a nd ha ve ins ight in to Go d’s
heart. Ap ostles are about stra tegy and a rchitectur e. Proph ets are a bout vision and “ad renaline.”
‘ Teache rs - In 1 Corin thians 12 :28 the Ap ostle Pau l gives an o rder of gifting s which place Ap ostles first,
Proph ets sec ond and T eac hers third. T hat is the order being followed here. Prophets have spiritual insight
into God ’s hea rt. Ap ostle s hav e stra tegie s for acc om plishing God’s purpose. Teachers look for
understanding by digging deep into God’s word in order to explain God’s plan as He reveals it to the
Apostles & Prophets. The ro le of the tea cher is no t to “bala nce ” the a pos tolic o r prop hetic , but to expla in
and expound on the biblical basis for what God is saying through the apostles and prophets. Teachers do
not lay foundations (a task given to Apostles and Prophets) but can ex plain foundations brilliantly! They are
the explainers and apologists of the body. If a church is built around a gifted teacher (as may churches
today are) people will end up with notebooks full of great notes and insights, but with no sense of God’s
prophetic heart for His people or His Apostolic strategies for accomplishing His Kingdom purposes.
‘ Evangelists - Evangelists are the gatherers of stray sheep. In the book o f Act s Ph ilip of Caesarea was
known as “Philip the Evang elist” (Acts 2 1:8).Th eir pass ion is to bring in large numbers of sheep. Therefore,
they are all about encouraging the church to turn outward in its thinking. They want to see as ma ny peo ple
brought into and involved with the church as possible. Evangelists live on adrenaline and activity. A church
built on or by an evangelist will be a hub of non-stop activity and programs. It will be very wide, but very
shallow, with virtually every message being a salvation message with little depth or discipleship.
‘ Pastors - The English word “pastor” is actually the Greek word poimen or “shepherd.” Pastors are
shepherds, people who simp ly love sheep. Pastors are relational people who want to spend time with the
sheep. For them, ministry is all about meeting the needs of the sheep. Pastors are the networkers of the
body, the counselors of the wounded and needy, the team builders who bring the body together, and the
fam ily founders who want to see the body function together as an exte nde d fam ily. But if a chur ch is le ft in
the hands of pastors it will become a need driven (as oppos ed to God-vision driven) counseling and rehab
ministry, a spiritual hospital for the wounded that will soon be overwhelmed by endless needs.
‘ Elders - Every extended family has a father or mother figure who lead the extended family. The sam e
sho uld be true of the house church fam ily. Generally spea kin g, elders (as the Greek term presbuteros
suggests) are people of age, wisdom and maturity who know and understand the needs of their particular
house church families. (See 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and 1 Peter 5:1-4). The ir biblic al res pon sibilitie s are ess entia lly
two, summed up by two Greek words. F irst, they are “ov erseer s” (Gre ek: episkopos or “overseer”). They
are to oversee the life, the functioning and the administration of the house church. Second, they are
“shepherds” (again, poimen) whose responsibility it is to “feed and tend” the flock (A house church
“shepherd” tends his own house church flock. A 5-fo ld she phe rd ten ds s ever al hou se c hurc hes ). Fina lly,
elders are not give n author ity to (indeed, they are prohibited from) “lord” it over those they serve (1 Peter
5:3). Elders are to be men tors, examples of C hrist-likeness to those they serve. They also work with the
Apostles to solve problems and set policy for the house churches.
‘ Deacons - These are the people of service and compassion, and the organizers & need assessors of the
bod y. The functioning of deacons is first seen in Acts 6:1-6. In addition to being spirit filled men of wisdom
and good repu tation , their r ole is to identify and know the needs of the house church and to co mm unicate
those needs to the rest of the leadership. They are the uniquely and powerfully gifted servants of the body
who work closely with the Apostles & elders to see that the physical needs of the body are met (Acts 6:1-4).
The New Testam ent pattern suggests that it was primarily men who served as elders, while both men and women served
as deacons. But his pattern was not abs olute or ex clus ive. P aul ac kno wled ged Aqu illa and Prisc illa as h is “”co-workers” or
“fellow-laborers” in the Lord (see Romans 16:3). We also know that Phoebe was a deaconess, and it is clear from 1 Timothy
3 that the qualifications for both elders and deacons are virtually identical (including the requirement that both be the
“husband of one wife,” suggesting that the issue is not gender but marital fidelity). In Romans 1 6:7 Paul says, “Greet
Andronicus and J unias , my k insm en, a nd m y fello w pris one rs, w ho ar e out stan ding a mon g the apos tles, w ho als o we re in
Christ before me.” Paul here identifies two additional “apostles,” both of whom preceded him in the faith. And Junia was
app aren tly a woman. 80 Gender is not an obstacle to house church leadership! I believe it is biblical to say that if you are
qualified to lead a family, then you are probably qualified to lead a house church. I believe that the New Testament provides
broad parameters for leadership that are inclusive, unless there is a specific disqualification. In other words, God desires
that you be a lead er in the C hurch th at me ets in your ho use un less there is a spec ific reason why you sh ould not (i.e., a
specific unrepented violation of the leadership qualities found in 1 Timothy 3:1-13).
How leadership expresses itself in your house church will vary, within the guidelines provided by Scripture. I know of house
churches whe re ea ch m eetin g is “facilitated” by a different person or family, and others where there are recognized elders.
But rem em ber, g ene rally sp eak ing, th e Ne w Te stam ent p atter n is that house churches get started and then produce leaders,
not the oth er way aro und. Fo r now, be the Chu rch of N ike: Just Do It! And allow God to begin H is work in your m idst.
The Role o f Leadership & Mending O ne Anoth er’s Nets
To ident ify and defin e a lea ders hip ca lling is not the same thing as understanding the practical role or functioning of a leader.
And spiritual gifts and callings are o ften b est id entifie d and reco gnize d by wa tchin g wh at pe ople do and how they respond
in various m inistry settings. So, what is the practical role of a leader in house church? In 1 Peter 5:1-5 the Apostle Peter
gives instruction s regard ing leader ship in the c hurch. In verse 3 h e says, “nor yet a s lording it o ver thos e allotted to you
charge, but prov ing to be ex amples to the flock.” The last time I heard a church pastor preach on this passage he proceeded,
in the m onths fo llowing that serm on, to institu te a h eavy h and ed “s hep herd ing” p rogr am whic h res ulted in the le ade rship
“lording” it over the flock, wounding scores of believers and splitting one of the oldest and la rges t evan gelica l chur che s in
our c ity.
So, what is the practical role of leadership in house church? I found the answer to that question in the Greek word katartidzo .
This powerful Greek word means “to render (som ethin g) fit,” hence to render something “com plete.” In class ical G reek it
was used to describe the setting or mending of broken bones and of restoring someone to their right mind. As we will soon
see, it is used in the gospels to describe fishermen “mending” their nets (i.e., rendering them once again com plete and f it
for fishing). I observed earlier that the physical is often a metaphor for the spiritual. I believe this is true here. Let’s face
reality. Life is a process which “shreds” our nets and sometimes gets them so tangled up that we can barely function. And
like good fishermen, we need a time a nd a plac e to sit with other fishermen and “mend our nets.” Based on this biblical
metaphor, I want to suggest that the proper and primary role of all leaders in the home based ekk lesia which God is building
is to serve one another by helping each other “mend our n ets.” I believ e an e xam inatio n of s ever al biblic al pas sag es w ill
reveal several important leadership principles which will demonstrate my understanding of the role of leaders.
, Scripture: And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as
pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of
the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of
God, to a mature man, to the m easure of the statu re which belongs to the fulnes s of Chr ist.
(Ephesians 4:11-13)
‘ Observation: God gave the five-fold ministry g ifts to the church for (a word which implies purpose) the
“equipping” of the saints for the work of service. The Greek word translated “equipping” is katartidzo .
‘ Principle: If we as leaders are not helping others to mend their nets and restore order in their lives,
we are not fulfilling our calling.
, Scripture: “And going on from there He saw two other brothers , Ja m es the son o f Zeb ede e, an d Joh n his
brother, in the boat w ith Zebed ee their fath er, mending their nets; and He called them. And they
imm ediat ely lef t the b oat a nd th eir fath er, an d follo wed Him .” (Matthew 4:21-22)
, Scripture: “And going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were
also in the boat mending the nets. And immediately He called them; and they left their father
Zebed ee in the bo at with the h ired serv ants, and went aw ay to follow Him.” (Mark 1:19-20)
‘ Observation: There are many observations we could make regarding these passages, including the fact
that the mending of nets he re was a collective (team) effort which involved everyone in a common task. But
80
See Dr. James Edwards, Romans, New International Biblical Commentary Series, Vol. 6 (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers,
1992). “Depending on the Greek accenting of Iounia (a form of the name which unfortunately obscures its gender), the name could be
either male (Junias) or female (Junia). The name is normally presumed male, but a recent study reveals over 250 examples of it in Greek
literature, not one of which is masculine! This se ems to be nearly incontrovertible evidence that the name is feminine . . .” Page 355.
we shouldn’t miss the importance of the task. Without proper mending of broken nets, the task of fishing
ground to a halt. The proper mending of the nets of our lives in house church must occur if the task of the
church in bringing the Kingdom of God to the world is to go on.
‘ Principle: It’s impossible to fish with broken nets.
, Scripture: “Now I exhort yo u, brethre n, by the n ame o f our Lord Jesus Christ, tha t you all agree, and there
be no divisions among you, but you be mad e comp lete in the same mind and in the same
judgme nt.” (1 Corinthians 1:10)
‘ Observation: This is a pa ssa ge ab out u nity in th e chu rch. T here is much talk today about “unity” among
believers, but no ap parent u ndersta nding tha t “unity” begins in the local ho use ch urch. Pa ul’s solution to
“divisions” in the church is “to be mended” together. Nothing heals divisions and builds unity better than the
body and its leaders coming together in the common task of mending one another’s nets.
‘ Principle: When house churches and their leaders mend nets together as a team the result is unity.
, Scripture: “Brethren, even if a man is caugh t in any tres pass, y ou wh o are sp iritual, restore such a one in a
spirit of gentlen ess; ea ch one looking to y ourself, les t you too b e temp ted.” (Galatians 6:1)
‘ Observation: W hat I n otice here is tha t the e mp has is of this passage is not upon the trespass, but upon
the impor tance o f man ifesting a s pirit of gentlen ess (i.e., hum ility) in the process of restoration (katartidzo).
People are going to be “overtaken before one has the opportunity to flee” (the m ean ing of the w ord) by a
lapse, error or transgression. The call of biblical leadership is to manifest a spirit of humility as we restore
that pers on by helpin g them to me nd their bro ken ne t.
‘ Principle: Helping som eone else m end their broken net requires hum ility on our part.
, Scripture: “For what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice before
our God on your account, as we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see your
face, and may complete what is lacking in your faith?” (1 Thessalonians 3:9-10)
‘ Observation: Paul understood that “net mending” was a team activity, and he longed to be with the
believers in Thessalonica so that he could have a part in making them “complete” helping them mend
their nets. Paul understood that we all need the ministry of people with other gifts and callings in our lives
in order for our faith to be made complete.
‘ Principle: We need the ministry of others in our lives to mend our ne ts and to make up wha t is
lacking in our faith.
, Scripture: “Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through
the blood of the eternal co venan t, even J esus o ur Lord, equip you in ev ery goo d thing to do H is
will, working in us that whic h is ple asin g in H is sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory
forever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21)
, Scripture: “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal
glory in Ch rist, will Himse lf perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” (1 Peter 5:10)
‘ Observation: Both the author of Hebrews and the Apostle Peter saw the same principle at work in the body
of Christ. They both saw that, ultima tely, it is God - throu gh Jes us - W ho is the o ne m ending o ur nets to
equ ip and perfect us. God uses all of the ministry and leadership gifts together to accomplish His purpose
of mending our nets and equipping us for ministry in His Kingdom.
‘ Principle: Ultimately, it is God Himself Who mends our nets, but H e usu ally doe s it throu gh H is
appointed & gifted people.
When You A ssemb le: The Im portanc e of Mutu al Ministry
No discussion of gifts, leadership and net mending in the life of the New Testament home based ekk lesia would be com plete
with some observations regarding the role and importance of “mutual ministry” in the life of the Church when we gather
together. Someone once described professional football as 22 men in desperate need of rest being watched by 50,000
spectators in desperate need of exercise. Sound familiar? It is estimated that in the traditional church 20% of the people do
80% of the work (with such a lopsided work loa d, the m iracle is that an ything gets d one!). In m any resp ects contempora ry
traditional chur che s hav e ado pted this p ass ive en terta inment model for worship. A few professional people perform on
Sunday mo rning and e veryo ne els e “en ters in vicar ious ly” and “che ers” them on, b ut the y neve r really p articip ate. It is
passive , specta tor-oriente d Christian ity, and it is destroying the chur ch.
As we have already seen under the discussion of mending one another’s nets, the model of the early New Testament
Church is quite different. In the New Testament house church everyone participated , “When you assemble, each one has
a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation” (1Corinthians 14:26). In this setting each
person has the opportunity to share what God has laid upon their heart, to share a Scripture, to share a word of
encou ragem ent. Paul’s entire argument in 1 Corinth ians 12-1 4 is that 1) G od gives spiritual gifts to every person in the body
of Christ (Chapter 12:1-11), 2) no gift is unnecessary and all are impor tant to the proper functioning of the body (12:12-31),
3) Love is the required element that enables the body to exercise those gifts in a way that builds the body up and does not
tear it down (Chapter 13), and 4) each of us is to exercise our unique gift clearly and in an orderly manner so that the entire
body is edified (Gree k: oikodomeo - “to build up”), literally “built up” like a house being built piece by piece, each of us
contributing our unique piece to the overall building).
This is what we call “mu tual min istry.” It is not one a ctive pers on m inistering to many passive people. It is every person
contributing the unique thing God has given him or her. Eventually, gifted teache rs will be reco gnized for their unique ability
to teach the things of God with clarity, intercessors will be identified for their commitment to private and public intercession,
those with gifts of healing will be seen by their calling to effectually pray for those in need, etc.
W e see this concept of active mutual ministry reflected in Hebrews 10:23-25, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope
without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you
see the day dra wing ne ar.”
The word "consider" comes from the Greek katanoeo (noeo = to think + kata = an intensifier) which means “To th ink de eply
about, conside r, contem plate, obs erve.” Jesus used the same word when he said, "Consider the ravens...consider the lilies."
(Lk. 12:24-27). The idea h ere is that active m utual m inistry mea ns we m ust “prepare with prayer” before we meet. The
Greek sentence really says "Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and goo d work s." Part of our preparation
for house church is that we are constantly observing and thinking deeply about the others in our fellowship in order to be
able to eff ective ly stimulate one ano ther to love and good deeds Each person in your fellowship is unique. What stimulates
one person to greater Christlikeness may not work for another. Each of us is called upon to "think deeply" about one
another. The word “s timulate” comes from a root word that means "to make sharp" as with a sword. It means "to stir up,
incite, provok e, motiva te." Again, as every parent and every coach knows, what motivates one person will not mo tivate
anothe r. It requires th oughtfu l prepara tion on ou r part.
The chall enge of mutual ministry is that each believer must be spending individual time alone with God during the week,
reading the Scriptures, praying (for ourselves and for each other) and listening to hear God’s voice, so that when the house
church assembles he (or she) has something to bring that is the result of their on-going walk with God. Then, as your house
chu rch a sse mb les an d beg ins to wors hip ta ke tim e to se ek th e fac e of G od in p rayer , waitin g to s ee if He has something
to say to the waiting Church. Don’t fear the silence of God’s Presence (by trying to fill it with “praye r verb iage” ), but u se it
as an opportunity to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. Then, step out in faith to pray for one another, to prophesy over one
another, to share words o f encou ragem ent with one a noth er, to s hare a psa lm, a hymn or a spiritual song. Be willing to “take
a risk” that God is actually moving among His Church.
Guarding Against False Teachings Regarding Authority & Leadership In The Church
Many people have been deep ly wou nde d by au thority f igure s in organized churches. This has happened through such things
as the “shepherding” movement of the 1980s and the “Spiritual Covering” movement (the “shepherding” movement under
new guise) of today. I personally have a growing list of people who have been told that they are in sin and under a curse
because they have lef t som eone’s “u mbr ella of spiritual a uthority and c overing.” (And tha t is absolute biblical nonsense!).
The result has been a great deal of fear and mistrust of “spiritual leadership” in the church. For this reason (and because
these false teachings, such as the current teaching regarding “covering,” keep circulating) I have written an article entitled
“Spiritual Power, Authority & Covering In The Church” and have includ ed it in A ppe ndix A of th is workbook. If you have
issu es or conc erns on th is topic of authority in the church (more particularly in the House Church) I would encourage you
to read that article, as it represents our teaching and practice.

, Post Modern Application: Remem ber, Post Moderns are acutely suspicious of authority figures and
institutions, and that includes religious authority figure s and religio us ins titution s or o rgan ization s. Th is is
why th e Ne w Te stam ent m ode l of lea ders hip by e xam ple an d ser vice is so cr ucia l.
So, exactly how does all this work? It’s really sort of simple and should unfold “naturally” (or “supernaturally” as your house
church gathering proceeds.
, Pray and a sk th e Ho ly Spirit to caus e His gifts ( includ ing th e lead ersh ip gifts) to “float to the surface” as your
house church ministers to one another and grows toge ther. Gifts are b est id entifie d by th eir exercise, and
that requ ires s om e tim e and prac tice. A nd G od’s anoin ted le ade rs ar e bes t iden tified b y the gifts they
exercise in the body over time.
, Turn one of your house church evenings into a “Mending Nets” evening where the sole “agenda” is to come
toge ther a s a ho use chur ch fa mily to pray, w orsh ip Go d, invite the H oly Sp irit to ignite all of His gifts, and
to spen d the eve ning praying for one a nother a nd helping each o ther “m end ne ts.”
, After the m eal (ass umin g a potluc k here !), gather to worsh ip and pra y.
‘ Consider sharing with the group some of the Mending Nets Scriptures & Principles in this section;
‘ Have worship CDs with worship songs that are familiar and easy to sing;
‘ As you worship, encourage everyone to wait on God, invite the Holy Spirit to come and anoin t all
of His gifts in the body, and listen for His voice of encouragement and direction in the meeting.
Silence before the Lord is a good thing. Learn to pray and wait on God. Ask people for their needs
(“where are your nets broken tonight”) and t hen take the init iative b y ask ing se vera l peop le to he lp
you pray for that person. Ask others what they are hearing and seeing from the Lord for that
person.
‘ Don ’t expect (or demand) that every person will participate every time. The goal is to create an
atmosphe re where everyone feels the freedom to participate as God leads and to see that the
“success” of the house church meeting does not come to dep end upon the “perform ance” of a
single gifted person.
‘ Give peop le the fr eed om to “fa il” and make “mistakes.” They will, so get over it. Remember, God
sove reign ly placed 1 Corinthians 13 in the middle of two chapters of instructions concerning mutual
ministry and exercising spiritual gifts in a house church meeting! So, step out in obedience and
then LOVE EACH OTHER!
Let the River flow . . . and allow Him to release all of His gifts and raise up His anointed leaders!
That’s Almost Music!: Worship and Music in House Church
My wife and I were privileged to attend one of the last conferences conducted by John Wimber, founder of the Association
of Vineyard Churches, before he went home to be with the Lord. Before his conversion to Christ John had been a
professional mus ician and the m anage r of “The Righteo us Broth ers.” John never lost his passion for music and the Vineyard
movement became a pioneer in the area of co ntem pora ry Chr istian wors hip music. At this particular conference the session
began with a time of singing and worship led by a worship band that, well, still needed some work. At the end, as the band
was putting away its instruments and John was taking his pla ce behind the podium, preparing to speak, he turned to the
band m emb ers and said, “Than ks fellows , that was almost m usic.” I laughed so hard I thou ght I w ould split a seam! John
had summed up the essence of the m ome nt, and ha d unkn owingly high lighted a pro blem in the con temp orary Ch urch. W e
are no lon ger satisf ied with “alm ost m usic.”
In man y ways the c ontem porary ch urch ha s beco me s poiled with re gards to music. I came to Christ at the tail-end of “the
Jesus M o ve m ent” in the early 1970s. I remember when your choice of Christian music consisted of traditional hymns,
“gos pel” music (usually with a Na shvill e-country flair) or that new “radical” music coming out of Christian hippies like
Maranatha Music o r strange charac ters like La rry Norm an (rem emb er, “Just Vis iting This Pla net” and “I W ish W e’d All Been
Ready”?). A lot has changed. One of the things that has changed is that Christians today are m uch m ore acc ustom ed to
prof ess ionally orchestrated praise & wo rship mu sic th at lea ves th e ave rage believ er intim idate d abo ut an y attem pt to s imp ly
“Make a joyful noise unto the L ord.” W hen a Fra nklin Gra ham Fes tival re cen tly visited our c ity the choir director was
approached with an unusual request. A young lady wanted to sing in the choir. The only problem was that she h ad re cen tly
had major throat surgery and couldn’t speak or sing above a whisper. When the choir director asked her how she would sing
she wro te out a sim ple respo nse, “You do n’t understa nd. I sing w ith my he art.” They invited her to sing in the choir.
The people of God have always been a singing people. The Psalms of David were originally sung, and on occasion it was
the worship choir that led the way into battle (see 2 Chronicles 20:21ff). Jesus sang hymns with his disciples at the last
supper (see M att. 26 :30 & Mar k 14 :26), and, as G over nor P liny des cribe d to th e Em pero r Tra jan, w hen the e arly churc h
gathered together they would “sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god.” During the dark times of the Middle Ages as
Europe reeled under barbarian invasions the Church developed the Gregorian Chant as the discip lined m usic for dif ficult
times. During the Reformation, reformers like Martin Luther wrote new songs to celebrate a new found faith, and the
Gregorian Chant of the Medieval Church gave way to the strains of the Psalter and a rediscovery of the Psalms set to music.
Times of revival have always produced new hym ns and songs. D uring the Evangelical Awakening of the 1700s Charles
W esle y, one of the most prolific of hym n write rs with som e 4,0 00 hym ns to his cr edit, w rote n ew h ymn s for spec ific
Methodist congregations to encourage them during dark times of persecution. During the Great Manhattan Prayer Revival
of 1857-58, two prominent leaders of the revival at Jayne’s Ha ll (in Ph iladelphia) were the Reverend Dudley Tyng, an
Epis cop al, and the Reverend George Duffield, a Presbyterian. In May of 1858 Dudley Tyng was mortally wounded in an
acciden t. On his death-bed Tyng told his father to tell the men in Jayne’s Hall “to stand up for Jesus.” When T yng’s father
related this story at his son’s memorial service, George Duffield was so moved by the dying words of his friend that he went
h om e and wrote the hymn w e sing tod ay, “Stand u p, Stand up for Jes us, ye s oldiers of the cross.” The Welsh Revival of
1904 came to be k nown as “the singing revival” because of the prominent place given to corporate worship through the
singing of great old Welsh hymns. W hether in times of crisis, times of revival, or times of regular worship, the people of God
have always been a singing people. But historically their singing and worship was always relate d to their life-ex perienc e with
God. T he peo ple of G od wors hiped thro ugh their m usic the s ame God w hom they worsh iped with the ir lives.
The issue of music and worship in the church has been complicated in today’s Church by the rise in popularity of
“contempora ry Christian worship music” which has become a billion dollar indus try. Th e pop ularity o f “co ntem pora ry wor ship
music” has c onfr onte d Go d’s pe ople w ith a ne w-old challe nge , nam ely, to avoid developing a ne w “religious mind- set”
regarding music and worship. Anyone, Christian or unbeliever, can go through the motions of singing contem porary wors hip
songs (or traditional old hym ns, o r the “ Psa lter,” e tc.). B ut on ly a belie ver c an ge nuine ly worship God “in Spirit and in tru th.”
The a bility to sing without w orshiping is the beg inning of a “religious m ind-set.”
O W orsh ip beco me s “re ligious ” whe n it becomes “cheap,” requiring no price or sacrifice on the part of the
individual in order to participate;
O W orsh ip becomes “religious” when it becomes “eas ily repro duc ible,” w hich happ ens beca use it is sim ply
a hum an crea tion, rather th an a divine event;
O W orsh ip becomes “religious” when it becomes the formula for causing God to step into our presence, rather
than challenging us to step into God’s presence;
O W orsh ip becomes “religious” when it begins to look like a replica of the priests of Baal, dancing around the
altar, cutting th ems elves in ord er to “m ake G od com e down .”
O W orsh ip beco me s “re ligious ” whe n we begin to “worship our worship” because it has become the “spiritual
formula” for “finding God’s presenc e” or getting God to “come down.”
Mus ic and worship in the house church can be a blessing, or it can be baggage. It depends on what we do with it. I have
seen Christians argue and Churches split over the color of a new hymnal, or over which hymnal to use, or whether or not
to use a hymnal versus song sheets. Some Christians dislike contemporary worship music (“I don’t like the rhythm and they
are theologically shallow”) and prefer traditional hymns (“Good theology and the music doesn ’t drown out the words”), while
othe r peo ple w ill only sing from the Psalter Hymnal (the Psalms set to music, “after all they were good enough for David!”
usu ally in minor keys just to assure that you don’t enjoy them too much!). Well, you get the picture . Thes e conflicts are often
a manifestation of a “religious mind-set” which thinks it has found the “spir itual fo rm ula” fo r wing ing an d find ing G od’s
presen ce.
O.K., lets shed our music baggage and start over. God is pleased with the mu sic of ou r hea rts. Yo ur ho use chur ch w ill
even tually learn to worship together, and in the process they will disc over wha t style of music meets the worship needs of
those in your fellows hip. Is there a m usically inclined person who ca n play the pian o or guitar to facilitate the m usic? If no t,
then you can do it acapella (without instruments) or you can purchase music tapes or CDs containing your favorites hymns
or songs and learn to sing along. But be flexible and creative. Learn to appreciate the diversity of music and worship in the
body of Christ (b ecaus e not eve ryone is like you . . . or me!). Rem ember the biblical standard for mu sic and w orship: “Make
a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth”! And you will never he ar the Lo rd com plain, “that was almo st mu sic”!
, Post Modern App licatio n: Post Moderns a re looking to participate in the worship experience of a
worshiping comm unity. We m ust becom e an extended fam ily that enjoys worshiping together.
, Cons ciously wor k to avo id develop ing a “religiou s mind -set” that loo ks to dis cover a worship “form ula.”
, W ork to recover a holistic view of worship by re-uniting the idea of worship with the living of a life of
sacrificial obedience. In Genesis 22 God told A brah am to sa crific e his s on (2 2:1-2 ). But Abra ham told his
servant that “I and the lad will go yonder; and we will worship and return to you.” (22:5). The required
obedience which G od de scrib ed as a sac rifice Abra ham desc ribed as w orsh ip. W e nee d to m ode l and
teach the very biblica l concep t that a life of sacrificial obedience that personally costs us something is, itself,
an act of worship before God.
, Challenge your house church to come up with creative worship ideas that don’t just involve singing songs.
In one of our house church meetings a woman asked if she could to a worship dance the following week.
I agre ed. T he ne xt we ek s he pe rform ed a w ond erfu l danc e to a wors hip C D an d eve ryone was grea tly
blessed ! Challen ge your ho use ch urch to find new ex pressio ns of wo rshiping G od “in Sp irit and in truth.”
, Eng age in times of silent worship before God, interspersed with the spontaneous reading of Psalms and
other Scriptures.
Let the River flow . . . and allow Him to empower you into authentic, sacrificial worship in Spirit and in truth.
The Role of Teaching In House Church
Let me begin this section with a story from the Great Welsh Revival of 1904. This revival came to be calle d “the singing
reviva l” because of the tremendous amount of worshipful singing that occurred at many of the meetings. Nearly every church
in W ales was filled to capa city 7 nights a week for 18 months, and over 5% of the population of the nation professed Christ
for the first time and joined a Church! But the revival was fre quently criticized for a lack of Bible tea ching & preach ing. A well
respected Lond on Jo urna list (an d Ch ristian ) nam ed W . T. S tead trave led to W ales to pe rson ally witn ess the re vival. H is
articles, which appeared in several Christian publications, popularized the revival in London. He was asked specifically about
the lack of teaching & preaching in many of the services. Here is Mr. Stead’s observation as it appeared in The Methodist
Times for December 15, 1904:
“Do you think that teaching is what people want in a revival? These people, all the people in a land like ours, are taught to
death, preached to insensibility. They all know the essential truths. They know that they are not living as they ought to live,
and no amount of teaching will add anything to that conviction. To hear some peop le talk you w ould imagine that the best
way to get a sluggard out of bed is to send a tract on astronomy showing him that according to the fixed and eternal law the
sun will rise at a ce rtain hour in the morning. The sluggard does not deny it. He is entirely convinced of it. But what he knows
is that it is precious cold at sunrise on a winter's morning, and it is very snug and warm between the blankets. What the
sluggard needs is to be well shaken, and in case of need to be pulled out of bed. 'Roused,' the Revival calls it. And the
Revival is a rouser rather than a teacher. And that is why I think those Churches which want to go on dozing in the ancient
ways had bette r hold a sp ecial series of praye r meeting s that the R evival m ay be p revente d com ing their wa y.”
I share this story for several reasons, not the least of which is that house church, like revival (and like the revival which I
believe will soon be coming to the house church movement in America), is a rouser as well as a teacher. There is a
difference between cognitive learning and affective learning. Cognitive learning has to do with imparting information and
facts. Affective learning ha s to do w ith engaging our emotions in a way that leads to changed behavior. It is the difference
betwee n the hea d and the heart. Th is, I believe, wa s W . T. Stead ’s point.
Do you remember what the pastor of your church preached on six months ago? What about six weeks ago? No? Now, do
you rem em ber th e last time you sa w so me one heale d or d eliver ed fr om dem onic oppression? You can probably remember
mos t, if not all, of the details! That was a “teachable moment” when affective learning (experiencing the power of God to
heal) opened the door for cognitive learning (teaching on what Scripture says about God as our healer, etc.).
W e see this idea at work in the early hous e churc hes of th e book of Acts: And they were continually devoting themselves
to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe”
(Acts 2:42 -43) . The early church devoted itself to the apostle’s “teaching.” The word for “teaching” here (didache) refers to
formal instru ction rega rding a bod y of do ctrine . Tha t was the “c ogn itive” side. But they also devoted them selves to
fellowship, taking meals together and praying together (what I would call “affective learning” activities). The result was “a
sense of awe” which led them to change their behavior (read the rest of Acts 2:43ff to see all the ways that the behavior of
these early converts changed). In other words, what they were being taught ( cognitive learning) was directly related to what
they were experiencing (affective learning) on a daily ba sis. T eac hing w as no t divor ced from real life . So to o, in our house
churches we need both formal teaching that leads to cognitive learning and “experiential teaching” that leads to affective
learning and changed lives. Cognitive learning and head knowledge alone will lead to pride (1 C orinthians 8:1) and sterility
devo id of ge nuine prac tical a pplica tion (i.e ., cha nge d lives ). Exp erie ntial learning alone will eventually devolve into mysticism,
sen time ntality, error and an experience contrary to truth. House church leaders should be people who are able to teach so
that te ach ing ca n tak e plac e reg ularly as needed.
So, once again, what is the role and place of teaching in house church? Remember that formal cognitive teaching alone (the
kind of tea chin g m ost o f us C hristia ns ar e fam iliar with) is not “the secret ingredient” to a successful house church. God
wants us to experience the entire body in all its various parts/gifts functioning together as we share m eals together & wors hip
together; through one person bringing a teaching, ano ther person bringing a song, another praying for healing for others
in the group, another exercising a gift of intercession to pray over thos e in ne ed, a nd an othe r bring ing a p roph etic w ord. A ll
of these things working together will result in both cognitive and affective learning with the result that lives will be changed
and the saints will be equipped and encouraged for greater service!
, Post Modern Application: I have said elsewhere that Post Moderns want an experience of the truth before
considering the truth of the experience. In essence, a Post M odern min d-se t pla ce affective learning
(experiencing truth) ahead of cognitive learning (understand ing truth). O ur challen ge is to co mm unicate
“propositional truth” (God is . . . . ) in ways which are BOT H affective (engaging the heart) and cognitive
(engaging the mind).
, Be prepared to “teach on the go” in your hous e chu rch, u tilizing te ach able m om ents that G od su pern atura lly
and sovereignly provides to engage in both affective (“here’s the experience”) and cognitive (“here’s what
the experience means”) learning as God leads.
Let the River flow . . . and allow Him to sovereignly give you t eac hab le mom ents an d open hearts, w hich thos e with
teaching gifts can utilize to the building up of the body.
Let’s Talk About That
I was in my Freshman year of Seminary when it happened. It was my first introduction to the annual Senior’s preaching and
Bible read ing co mp etition . In a n utsh ell, every year graduating Senior seminary students competed before a student and
faculty panel. There were two catego ries: preaching and Bible reading (with money as the reward, of course). When I
mentioned the upcoming competition to my Hebrew teacher, himself a graduating senio r, he r olled h is eyes and quipped,
“Yea, I think they should have more categories. We should have a healing competition, a tongues speaking competition,
and a ‘raising the dea d’ compe tition.” His to ngu e wa s firm ly in his c hee k by th is poin t in the conv ersation. C hristians lov e to
preach. W e always h ave. W e enco urage it. We teach people how to do it in our bible schools and seminaries. W e even have
competitions to see who is “the best” at it. And we build our church bu ildings and f acilitie s to p rovid e a pla tform for th is
particular style of communication.
In the N ew T esta me nt the re are two p rim ary w ords that are often translated as “preach.” The first is the Greek wo rd
euang elidzo . It occurs 61 times in the New Testament in 52 verses. It is used almost exclusively of proclaiming the good
news of the gospel. From this Greek word we get our English word “evangelize.” The emphasis is upon proclaiming a
message of good news. The second New Tes tam ent w ord f or “pr eac h” is the Greek word - kerusso, which means “to be
a herald.” It often described an official herald and literally meant to perform the actions and to mak e the proclamation of a
hera ld by making an official proclamation. This word appears some 63 times in 60 verses in the N.T. Th e basic concept here
is “to proclaim.” These two words occur together three times in the N.T., twice in the ministry of Jesus (Luke 4:18 & 8:1) and
once in Paul’s letter to the church at Rome (Romans 10:15). These two words form the basis for our concept of “preaching”
and there is no question that such preaching held an important place in the life of the early church.
But there is a third word that was also imp ortan t in the life of th e Ne w Te stam ent c hurc h, bu t whic h see ms to rec eive little
attention in mos t church es toda y. It is the word - dialegomai, from which we derive our En glish word “dialogue.” The word
dialegomai com es from two Gre ek wo rds, dia (a preposition meaning “through”) and - lego (a verb meaning “to talk,” hence,
“to talk through”). In Classical and Hellenistic Greek (the Greek of the 1st Century world) this word was mostly used for
“converse” or “discu ssion.” La ter it cam e to m ean “to n egotiate.” It wa s used of a philoso phical dialog ue, debate or
disputation. In Jewish writers of the 1 st Century such as Philo and Jo sephu s over ha lf of all occur rences had to do with
“conve rsation.” W.E. Vine suggests that dialegomai prim arily means “to think different things with oneself, hence, to ponder
or to r es olv e in on e’s mind, then, to converse; most frequently to reason or dispute with, not by way of a sermon, but by a
discourse of a more c onvers ational cha racter.” In other words, it was a conversation, a dialogue, with an intent to persuade.
For this re ason it is ofte n translate d “reaso ned.”
When we look at the Book of Acts (the missions book of the New Testament) we discover that the Apostle Paul preferred
the concept of dialegomai. The word euang elidzo appe ars 7 time s in P aul’s m inistry in Acts (13:23; 14:7, 15, 21; 15:35; 16:10
& 17:18) and the word kerusso appears 2 times in Pau l’s Acts ministry(Acts 20:25 & 28:31). But it was dialegomai that Paul
preferred. In fac t, it appears that a change of emphasis took place during Paul’s missionary journeys. From the tim e of P aul’s
first missionary journey (see Acts 13:3 2) un til his ministry in Athens during the second missionary journey the predominant
word used to describe Paul’s message was euang elidzo. But the wo rd neve r occurs after Acts 17:18 an d Paul’s ti me in
Athens. Instead, the word dialegomai beco me s the pred om inant word throu gho ut the rem ainde r of P aul’s ministry (the last
occurrence of dialegomai in Acts is with Felix in Caesarea in Acts 24:25). The word dialegomai is used 10 times in the book
of Ac ts to d esc ribe P aul’s m inistry:
O Acts 17:2 Paul reasoned in the Synagogue at Thessalonica.
O Acts 17: 17 Paul reasoned in the Synagogue and in the market place in Athens.
O Acts 18:4 Paul reasoned in the Synagogue at Corinth.
O Acts 18:19 (19:8) Paul reasoned in the Synagogue in Ephesus.
O Acts 19:9 Paul reasoned in the School of Tyrannus in Ephesus.
O Acts 20:7 & 9 Paul reasoned with believers in a home.
O Acts 24:12 Paul refrained from reasoning in Jerusalem.
O Acts 24:25 Paul reasoned with Felix in Caesarea.

In his missionary activities Paul understood the importance of carrying on a “reasoned conversation,” a “dialogue.” He knew
how to carry on such a conversation both with unbelievers he wa s se ekin g to lea d to C hristia n faith , and with b elieve rs in
house churche s whom he was seeking to instruct and enc ourage in their faith (see Acts 20:7 & 9).
I fear that many Christians today have lost (or at least have failed to cultivate) the ability to carry on a genuine conversational
dialogue, either with an unbeliever whom they want to lead to faith, or with a believer whom they are seeking to instruct or
encourage (or whose views they are seeking to explore or to change). There are reasons why this has happened. If you do n’t
really know or understand wha t you believe o r why you be lieve it, it is difficult to carry on a prolong ed or in-de pth
conversation with s om eon e wh ose ques tions are a nythin g more than superficial. In addition, eloquent (or at least
passionate) preaching tends to exalt the messenger, sometimes at the expense of the message.
House Churc hes are not particu larly conduc ive to eloquent preaching, and not everyone can preach eloquently. But House
Churches can be a safe place where people with questions and problems can enter into a dialogue, a reasoned discussion,
regarding the questions and issues confronting them in their search for Christ, or in their search for a more fulfilling and
inform ed walk with Him . W e need to learn ho w to say, “Let’s talk abo ut that .”
, Post Modern Application: Post M oderns want to be part of a d iscuss ion regar ding life, truth & sp irituality.
They do not wa nt to sim ply be lecture d or prea ched to by someone “standing three feet above
contradiction.”
‘ Look for ways to engage your house church in dialogue about spiritual truths you are experiencing
as a house church. Controlling and religious people struggle with dialogue because of their inability
to control the discussion or its outcome. As a result they usually try to dominate the discussion.
Let the River flow . . . and allow Him to guide you into fruitful discussions about the things of God.
Who Do I Make My Check Out To?
The last two lines of Isaac Watts’ glorious hymn, “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross” declare, “Love so amazing, so
divine, De mand s my s oul, my life, m y all.” Once, after this hymn had been sung in the Church of Saint Edmund, London,
Father Ignatius repeated the last two lines of the hymn with great emphasis. Then he adde d, “Well, I am surprised to hear
you sing that. Do you know that altogether you put only fifteen shillings in the collection bag this morning?” Not much has
changed over the years. Christians today still sing better than they give!
Speaking to a ho use chur ch c onfe renc e wh ich I a ttend ed in Denver, W olfgang Simson ob served that there are three primary
issues facing the house church movement today: 1) Restoring what is church, 2) Defining how Christians are to work or
network toge ther, and 3 ) How Chris tians hand le m one y. I agree, and I believe that how the house church movement handles
the issue of giving among its members will determine much of its future effectiveness.
I believe that most Christians today have not y et undergone an “Apostolic Conversion” of their finances. Most “Christian
financial counseling” is little more than sec ular financ ial advice w ith bible verses and lessons on tithing and debt included
to make m iddle class Christians comfortable that they are being “good stewards.” Hardly an “Apostolic Conversion” of our
financial lives. If the House Church movement is to grow and prosper as God’s new paradigm for the recovery of New
Testament Church, then this “Apostolic Conversion” of our finances must take place. For this reason I have included (and
am now suggesting that you take time to read) a detailed treatment of financ es in App endix A entitled, “House Church and
Radica l Sacrificial Giv ing.”
, Post Modern Application: Because Post Moderns are suspicious of “institutions” they are also skeptical
of where the money goes in those institutions. Rather than giving to build the new $11 million church
campus, they would ra ther give to the needs of people. We have a responsibility to see that house church
finances are w ell spen t (no R olex or Le xus for th e Ap ostle kind of nonsense) and invested in the Kingdom.
, Read and discuss the article on “House Church and Radical Sacrificial Giving” in Appendix A.
Let the R iver flo w . . . an d allow Him to brin g about an “Apostolic Conversion” regarding your finances and the
Kingdom of God.
Keeping The Main Thing The Main Thing
W e have a saying that I try to em phasize with everyone involved in our house church circle. It goes like this. “Remember
that the ma in thing is to ke ep the m ain thing the main thing .” Read that a gain. Do yo u get it? If no t, don ’t go fo rwar d unt il you
do. This is really critical, because we Christians are easily distracted. So, let me ask you. W hen the Church assembles
together for wors hip and m inistry, what is the main th ing? In othe r words , What are we doing here?
W e can begin to answer this question by asking anot her q ues tion. W hen we loo k at th e ear ly Church in the Book of Acts,
and elsewhere in the New Testament, what did they regard to be the main thing? Answer: In the early New Testament
Church the main thing was Jesus, particularly in His resurrection power and glory. Their message was that the Kingdom
of God had come, the Resurrection of Jesus was the proof, and the outpouring of the Spirit was the sign and seal that they
were indeed living in the “last days” as promised by the prophet Joel. AT the end of this module I have included a chart which
shows 17 sermons from the book of Acts. When you examine these 17 sermons, “the main thing” is quickly apparent. When
the 11 Apostles chose a replacement for Judas the spec ific man date was that this person “should becom e a witne ss with
us of His res urrection .” The re surrec ted Jes us was “the m ain thing.” T he pow er prom ised to the waiting Ch urch in A cts 1:8
was power to be His witnesses. And that witness was specifically a witness to the resurrected, living Jesus. On six different
occasions we are told that the early church was a witness to the events surrounding the resurrected Christ (See Acts 1:22;
2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39-41, 13:30-31). And the resurrection of Jesus is mentioned some 19 times in the preaching and
ministry of the e arly chur ch. W ithou t the re surr ecte d, living & ex alted Jes us ev erythin g else falls a part, and o ur fa ith is in v ain
(see 1 Corinthians 15). For this reason, it should come as no surprise that Jesus Himself placed His death and resurrection
at the heart of every gathering of believers by commanding a specific act to be observed when we gather. Remem ber? We
refe r to it as the L ord’s Supper. Paul tells us in 1 Corinth ians 11:2 6 that, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the
cup, you pro claim the Lord’s dea th until He c omes .” This is why, whenever I lead a celebration of the Lord ’s Ta ble, I u sua lly
read Paul’s words from 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. I do this, not because I can’t think of anything else to do, but because,
scrip turally and p ractic ally it brings our focus back to “the ma in thin g”. Je sus ’ deat h and resu rrec tion is the m ain th ing; it is
the center of all we do. Everything else (i.e., power for ministry, spiritual gifts, evangelism, etc.) flows from the resurrection
power of our Lord Jesus Christ as it is poured out upon His worshiping church.
O Post Modern Application: From a Po st Modern perspective, remembering “the m ain th ing” by observing
the Lord ’s Ta ble together as a house church family/community is Experien tial, Participatory, Image-Driven,
and Connected. In other words, it meets all of Sweet’s definitions of a ge nuine Pos t Mod ern w orsh ip
experience. That isn’t why we do it, but it is nice to know!
, House Church is not about patriarchy, prophecy, eschatology, Calvinistic or Arminian theology, social or
political action. We m eet to worship the resurrected Jesus, to minister mutually to His body, to empower
and equip one another to worship and serv e Him mo re ef fectiv ely, an d to b ear p erso nal w itnes s to H is
death an d resurr ection. He is the main thing.
Let the River flow . . . and allow Him to empower you, just as He did the early Ch urch, to be a witnes s to the de ath
and resurrection of Jesus!
Taking Our Place In The Drama (or, Does Doctrine Matter?)
"Be not ashamed of your faith; remember it is the ancient gospel of martyrs, confessors, reformers and saints. Above all,
it is 'the truth o f God ', aga inst w hich the g ates of He ll cann ot pre vail. Let your lives adorn your faith, let your example ado rn
your creed. Above all live in Christ Jesus, and walk in Him, giving creden ce to no te ach ing but that w hich is ma nifes tly
approved of Him, and owne d by the H oly Spirit. Clea ve fast to th e Wo rd of Go d which is here m apped out for you ." C.H.
Spurgeon
Please forgive m e, but it has b een 25 years sinc e I last saw the
Peanu ts cartoon posted on Dr. Bruce Shelley’s office door at Providence
sem inary. S o m y recollection of it may not be precise, but it is still
vivid and pointed. Linus and his sister Lu cy are stan ding at a Prov idenc e is
window watc hing it rain. L ucy w ond ers if there will be another the almighty and ever present power of God
cata strop hic flood. In response Linus quotes God’s promise from by which He upholds, as with His hand,
Gen esis 9 regarding the rainbow and the promise not to destroy heaven and ear th
the earth again with a flood. Lucy says this has set her mind at and all creatures,
ease. Quips L inus, “Yes, good theology has a way of doing that!” and so rules them that
leaf and blade,
As Linus so adeptly pointed out, in the final analysis, it really does rain and d rought,
matter what we believe. People and groups that casually (but fruitful and lean years,
ferve ntly) declare, “We have no creed but C hrist” do, in r eality, food and drink,
beg the ques tion of “W hich Ch rist”? W hich Jes us do th ey health and sickness,
wors hip: the “cosmic Christ” of the New Age movement, the prospe rity and pove rty
gno stic Jesus of the Aquarian gospel, the Jesus of Mormonism ~ all things, in fa ct, ~
or the Jehovah’s Witnesses? Eventually, doctrina l issue s will come to us
arise and questions w ill need to be c learly answ ered in ord er to not by chance
avoid what I call “spiritual hodge-podge” ( c om m only expressed but by His fatherly hand.
today with one word: “whatever”!). So, what do you believe?
What body of beliefs (dare we use the word “doctrine”?) brings We can be patient when things go against us,
truth, stability, hope and comfort to your turbulent world, providing than kfu l whe n thin gs go well,
the guideposts for your personal journey into the Kingdom of and for the future we can have
God? W hile truth in Scripture is ultimately rooted in a person good confidence in our faithful God and Father
(Jesus said, “I am the way, the TRUTH and the life”), it is also that nothing will separate us from His love.
propo sitional (Our God is a cons uming fire” or “God is love”).
W hat s et of p ropo sition s guid es you r jour ney? All creatures are so completely in His hand
that w ithou t His w ill
In the first three decades of the 20th Cen tury a heated d ebate they can neither move nor be moved.
erupted between what was then described as the
“Fundamentalists” and the “Modernists” or “Libera ls.” The d ebate The Heidelburg Catechism
was between those who held to what they regarded as the
“fundamentals” of the Christian faith (They even published twelve paperback volumes between 1910 and 1915 called “The
Fundam entals”) and those who held to a libera l “high er cr itical” v iew o f Scr ipture that c alled in to qu estio n m any ba sic his toric
items of Christian faith. The “Fundamentalists” as they came to be called (bec aus e the y ma intain ed th e nec ess ity of ce rtain
“fun dam enta l” doctrines) argued that there were at least five “essential (or fundamental) truths” that distinguished genuine
Christian ity from its liberal counterpart. Those five “essential truths” were: 1) the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible; 2)
the deity of Chris t and His v irgin birth; 3) the substitutionary atonement of Christ’s death; 4) the literal resurrection of Christ
from the dead ; and 5) the literal return of C hrist.
Some sixty years ago, in the wake of the Funda men talist-Mod ernist deb ate, British author and apologist Dorothy Sayers
wrote an excellent little book entitled, “Creed or Chaos ? Why C hristians Must Choose Either Dog ma or Disaster (Or, Why
It Really D oes Ma tter Wh at You B elieve).” Here is Ms . Saye rs op ening salv o against those who, both then and now,
main tain that doc trine and d ogm a are un impo rtant.
“Official Christianity, of late years, has been ha ving what is known as ‘a bad press .’ We are constantly assure d that th e
churches are empty because preachers insist too much upon doctrine - ‘dull dogma,’ as people call it. The fact is the precise
opposite. It is the neglect of dogma that makes for dullness. The Christian faith is the most exciting drama that ever
staggered the imagination of man - and the dogma is the drama. That drama is summarized quite clearly in the Creeds of
the Church, and if we think it dull, it is because we either have never really read those amazing documents, or have recited
them so often and so mechanically as to have lost all sense of their meaning. The plot pivots upon a single character, and
the who le action is the answ er to a sing le central pr oblem: What think ye of Christ?”
Ms. Sayer’s point was simple and clear. What we as Christians have historically believed, and continue to believe to this day,
has been clearly stated and defined in the historic Creeds and Confessions of the Church. It is these Creeds and
Confessions which provide the boundaries of historic Christian and biblical orthodoxy. To use the imagery developed by Ms.
Sayers, they detail both the d o g m a (from the Gre ek, dokeo, mea ning “to think or believe,” hence, that which we believe,
doctrine) and the d r am a of what God has done in Christ on our behalf, and what we are called upon to do in response.
The ima ge of a dra ma is a bib lical im age . In 1 C orinth ians 4:9 P aul te lls the Corinthians that “we h ave beco me a spec tacle
to the world , both to ange ls and to me n.” The word translated “spectacle” is the Greek word theatron from which we get our
English word “theater.” Paul is declaring that our lives as Christians are a divine and cosmic drama, a theatrical performance,
that is bein g wa tche d by th e wh ole created order, including both men and angels. W hat are we “acting out” in our daily lives?
W e are acting out what we believe to be true regarding God, His Word and the truths of Scripture as we understand them.
Do our lives demonstrate the truth of what we profess to believe? Men and angels are watching to see how we perform our
part in this great cosmic drama of the Providence of God.
- Post Modern Application: The Post Modern leaning of our cu lture, both inside and outside of the church,
causes people to value personal experience (affective learning) over being told what to believe (cognitive
learning) by som e religious a uthority. As believers committed to absolute Biblical truth we must continue
to teach solid doctrine, but in a manner w hich relates to and interprets life and experience. Helping others
understand the re ality of th e cos mic dram a and our ro le in it will go further than trying to convince peop le
that they really should memorize the Westm inster Shorter Catechism.
, Identify some stand ard teaching tools and reference wo rks whic h you c an re fer to for te ach ing ba sic
doctrine or as reference tools which you refer people to in order to resolve doctrinal disputes. For example,
two exc ellent b eginner books for new believers are “Know What You Believe” and “Know Why You
Believe” both by Paul Little. For a good contemporary theology reference work get a copy of “Syst ema tic
Theology” by Wayne Grudem.
Let the River flow . . . and allow Him to empower you to take your place in the unfolding cosmic drama of sin and
redemption.
Fred Astaire, House Church & A Time To Dance
O.K. I confess. I love old movies. I’m one of those afficionados who genu inely be lieves that th e bes t over all m ovie ever made
was (and still is) “Casablanca” (Yep, I have the 50th Year Anniversary Edition, just in case you were wondering - which you
prob ably weren’t). W hen my wife and I are in the mood for a m ovie, we often turn to an old classic. And nothing is more
clas sic than watc hing a nd old song & da nce mu sica l. Even as I write this I’m watching an old Fred Astaire movie (The Band
Wagon) in which he dances with Cyd Charisse to the music of “Dancing In The Dark.” Talk about beautiful music combined
with incredible gracefulness. It’s the st ory of two ve ry diffe rent d anc ers w ho m ust le arn to danc e tog ethe r, des pite th eir
differences. O.K., if you think that’s tough, in “Royal Wedding” Fred A staire dan ces with . . . a hat rack, and he makes the
hat ra ck lo ok g ood and t he w hole t hing lo ok e asy!
So, what’s all this g ot to do with house church you ask ? W ell, as my daughter says when we’re translating Greek together,
“W ait for it, dad, wait for it!” If you ask the question “What is house church?” among house church participan ts you’ll get a
wide variety of answers, which reflect the varying interests and emphasis of the different house chur che s. If you were to visit
on one particular evening devoted to prayer and worship, you might conclude (both rightly and wrongly) that house church
was a prayer meeting. If you were to visit on a different night when teaching was being emphasized you might conclude
(again, rightly and wrongly) that house church is all abo ut tea chin g. On yet an othe r nigh t whe n a m ature 5-fo ld pro phe tic
individual is ministering you might conclude that house church is all about a ministry of giving and receiving prophetic words.
And on still another night when God is moving and all the gifts are functioning through many people you might conclude that
house church is borderline pandemonium (and you would be right . . . and wrong . . . again!). By now you should be getting
the point, namely, that house church is about all of these things, and yet, it is about NONE of these things. So, allow me to
return now to m y dancing meta phor. H ouse c hurch, like our individua l relationships with God , is about lea rning to da nce with
God . . . and then with each other. Da ncing rep resents a very intima te relationsh ip betwee n two pe ople. It requires
communication, practice, allowing someone else to lead (control!) w hile you an d I follo w, an d bec om ing so intim ately
acquainted with another person that you can sense (and eventually anticipate) their every move by looking in their eye or
watching the inf lectio n of th eir body. And it requires a deep level of trust. If you have ever watched ice dancers in the Olym pic
games, then you have seen the intricate moves which require ea ch partn er to trust one another, often at substantial personal
risk. But when it comes together it is beautiful to watch. I still vividly remember Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean
performing their intricate and intimate dance to Ravel’s “Bolero” at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo (earning them 12
perfect 6.0s and a gold medal). Wow.
O.K., let’s go bac k to the question. What is house church? At its m ost b asic and in tima te leve l, hou se c hurc h is th e pur suit
of God in the company of friends who are learning to dance . . . with God and with one another. Is house ch urch about mo re
than that. Yes, of course it is. Revival, church planting, city-reaching, neighborhood and community transformation, and
much more. But ultimately, all of those “other things” are dependent for their success upon people and house churches who
have discovered, practiced and are leaning the intricate and intimate art of dancing with God and with one another.
Several years ago b lind C hristia n rec ordin g artis t Ken Med em a did a song that I’ll never forget. I don’t recall the title and have
since lost the album (bigger than a CD and played on som ething called a “record player” - just in case you were wondering).
But the words went like this:
He asked me to dance though I’d never tried dancing before,

I had visions of saints & angels laughing us right off the floor,
Although I protested it just wouldn’t be any good,
He gently insisted and finally I told him I would.
Unf orge ttable , he w as th e com ing of Sprin g on a cold w inter’s day;
Unf orge ttable , he ta ugh t this s inger to sin g in a w hole n ew w ay.
So, tell me. How are your dancing skills, both with God and w ith oth er be liever s in you r hou se c hurc h? T his is a challenge
for those of us who have gro wn up a nd spe nt mo st of our C hristian lives in w hat I call the “rationalistic wing” of the church,
where what little da ncin g tha t occ urs is very c aref ully scr ipted and c hore ogra phe d to m ake ever yone look good . Unf ortun ately
we want to bring this carefully rehearsed script into house church, and the results thus far have been , , , disappointing. As
the coming seas on of spiritual awakening and outpouring begins, I believe God is onc e aga in goin g to te ach His p eop le the
intimate and intricate art of dancing with Him and with each other. There is a certain degree of risk here, the risk of “saints
& angels laughing us right off the floor”. But tr ust m e (an d I’m still learning this). If Fred Astaire can dance with a hat rack
and m ake it look good an d easy, ch ances are that Je sus ca n danc e with you an d ma ke it . . . unfo rgett able .
Let The River Flow!

, What did you learn from the story of Samuel, Susanna and John Wesley? Based on their experiences, what do you
see as the difference between being a “religious swimming pool” and being a c hanne l for the flow o f God’s spirit?
, When it comes to getting stated as the ekk lesia in your home, what is preventing you from “just doing it”?
, What kind of religious, spiritual or emotional baggage do you see yourself carrying around. What baggage has other
peo ple pointed out to you? What steps are you taking to deal with it so that it doesn’t become an issue in your house
church?
, What day of the week would you want your house church to meet on? Why? Describe a place, other than your
home, where you have considered starting a gathering.
, Discuss a time of significant fellowship which you have experienced over a meal with other people. List some ways
you could encourage such times of fellowship and meal sharing in your house church.
, Have you ever been “mistreated” by either church leaders or others in authority? How has that experience colored
your view of leadership in house church? Describe your understanding of leadership in house church now.
, Describe your ideal worship experience. Have you ever expe rienc ed it an d is it realistic? Is it self-centered or self-
sacrificing? How would you relate it your worship in a house church setting?
- Relate a time in your life when an experience in your life (affective learning) brough t about a “te achab le mom ent”
and led you to ask questions (cognitive learning) and to dig deeper into understanding the things of God. How does
this type of learning relate to your house church experience?
- Describe an experience in your life when you engaged in a dialogue with an unbeliever regarding your faith. How
did that dialogue challenge or strengthen your faith?
- Describe your understanding of radical sacrificial giving ins Scripture, and compare that understanding with your
own giving practices. How would your life and ministry be different if you practiced radical sacrificial giving?
- Describe what you see as your part in God’s cosmic drama. How does your role in what God is doing challenge you
to become the ekk lesia which meets in your home and your neighborhood?
A “Life In The Kingdom” Reading List
Bank s, Robe rt and Ste vens, R . Paul. Thinking About Church Life. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press. 2005.
Bonhoeffer, Dietich. Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Commu nity. New York: Harpercollins Publishing.
1978.
Ches terton, G .K. Orthodoxy. Mineola: Dover Publications. 2004.
Dale, T ony & Fe licity. Simply Church. Austin, TX: Karis Publications. 2002
Deere , Jack. Surprised By T he Pow er of the Spirit. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 1993.
Lam b, Richa rd. The Pursuit of God In The Company of Friends. Down ers Gr ove: InterV arsity Press . 2003.
Little, Paul E. Kno w W hy Yo u Belie ve. Colorado Springs: Cook Communications Ministries. 2005
__________ Kno w W hat Yo u Belie ve. Colorado Springs: Cook Communications Ministries. 2005
Luther, Martin. Tabletalk: Luther’s Comments on Life, the Church and the Bible. Geanies House, Fearn, Ross-Shire
Tain GBR: Christian Focus Publications. 2003.
Meier, Paul and W ise, Rob ert. Windows of the Soul: A Look At Dreams and Their Meanings. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
1995.
Neighb or, Jr. Ra lph W . The Shepherd’s Guidebook. Revised Edition. Houston: Touch Publications. 1994.
Peck, M. Sco tt. The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace. 2 nd Edition. New York: Touchstone/Simon &
Schuster. 1998.
Ryle, Jam es. A Dream Come True: A Biblical Look At How God Speaks Through Dreams and Visions. Orlando:
Creation House. 1995.
Sayers, Doroth y L. Creed or Chaos?: Why Christians Must Choose Either Dogma or Disaster (or, Why It Really Does
Matter What You Believe). Manchester: Sophia Institute Press. 1996.
Spangler, Ann. Dreams: True Stories of Rem arkab le Enco unters With G od. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing
House. 1997.
The Message of The Early Church In The Book of Acts
Occasion How The Early Church Kept “The Main Thing” The Main Thing Reference
Peter at Pentecost Holy Spirit as Fulfillment of Joel 2/ The Resurrection Prophesied/ We are Witnesses/ Jesus Acts 2:14-40
Ascended & Exalted/ Repent/ Promised Gift of Holy Spirit
Peter In The Temple Healing Glorifies Jesus/ God Raised Him Up/ We Are Witnesses/ Faith in His Name/ The Acts 3:12-26
Prophets Foret old/ Bless you b y turning you from wicked ways
Peter to Sanhedrin The power & the Name/ The Name of Jesus Heals/ God Raised Him Up/ Stone Builders Acts 4:5-12
Rejected/ Salvation in no other Name
Peter to Council Obey God not Men/ God Raised up Jesus/ Jesus Exalted to God’s Right Hand/ A Savior to Acts 5:29-32
Grant Repentance & Forgiveness/ We & Holy Spirit Are Witnesses
Stephen to Review of Jewish History/ You Are Just like Your Father Who Killed the Prophets/ You Acts 7
Sanhedrin Betrayed & Murdered the Righteous One
Peter to Cornelius God Doesn’t Show Partiality/ The Ministry of Jesus/ God Raised Him Up/ We are Acts 10:34-43
Witnesses/ Jesus Appointed by God as Judge of the Living and the Dead/ Prophets Bear
Witness That All Who Believe In His Name Receive Forgiveness of Sins
Peter to Church in What God Has Cleansed, no longer consider unholy Acts 11:4-17
Jerusalem
Paul in Synagogue at From the Offspring of David, according to Promise, God has raised up a Savior/ God raised Acts 13:16-41
Pisidian Antioch Him up according to the Scriptures/ Through Him Forgiveness of sins is proclaimed/ Through
Him everyo ne is free d-justi fied from the Law.
Peter to Jerusalem “We believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus.” Acts 15:6-11
Council
James To Jerusalem Gentile Converts are free from the requirements of the Law, including circumcision. Acts15:13-21
Council
Paul on Mars Hill in The God Who Made Heaven & earth has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in Acts 17:22-31
Athens righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having given proof to all men by
raising Him from the dead.
Paul to Ephesian “Testifying to both Jews & Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Acts 20:17-35
Elders Christ”/ “Testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God”
Paul to Jews in Paul’s testimony of his conversion and calling to the Gentiles Acts 22:1-21
Jerusalem
Paul to Sanhedrin “I am on trial for the hope of the resurrection of the dead!” Acts 23:1-6
Paul Before Felix “Having a hope in God . . . . that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the Acts 24:10-21
righteous and the wicked.”
Paul Before King Paul’s testimony/ “I stand to this day testifying both to small and great . . . . that the Christ Acts 26:1-23
Agrippa was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He should be the first
to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”
Paul to Jewish “He was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God, and trying Acts 28:23-29
Leaders at Rome to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.”
Module 8
“Thy Kingdom Come”

The Ministry of Prayer, Fasting & Intercession
Module 8: “Thy Kingdom Come”
The Ministry of Prayer, Fasting & Intercession
“A man is no bigger than his prayer life, or as Murr ay M ’Chey ne is r epu ted to have said, ‘Wha t a ma n is on his knees before
God, that he is - and nothing more.’ In that coming day when the hearts of m en are revealed , a day which is now nearer than
when we fir st be lieved , there will be som e ‘big m en’ wh o will a ppe ar ve ry sm all, and some we had thought small will appear
as spiritual giants. How different are spiritual values when God takes them from the balances of human judgment and weighs
them o n the bala nces o f the sanc tuary.” 81
“G od ’s intense longing to bless seems in some sense to be graciously limited by His dependence on the intercession that
rises from the e arth. He s eek s to ro use the s pirit of intercession that He may be able to bestow His blessing on mankind.
God regards intercession as the highe st expre ssion of H is people ’s readines s to receive and to yie ld thems elves w holly to
the wor king of H is almighty powe r.” Andrew Murray, The Secret of Intercession
“Praye r does n ot prepa re us for th e greate r work; p rayer is the greater w ork.” Oswald Cham bers
While Others Slept
W hile othe rs sle pt, he rose to pra y. It was not the first time he had risen in the early morning hours to pray, nor would it be
his last. The birth of a Church and the future of a nation demanded nothing less. So with only the stars and the angels as
his witnesses, he wrestled with God over the future of his beloved but troubled nation. One of the sources of his natio n’s
problems, Mary Queen of Scotland, had o nce rem arke d tha t she fear ed th e pra yers o f this m an m ore th an sh e fea red a ll
the armies of Europe . If she could have witnessed his intercessions this night, her worst fears would have been confirmed,
for here , alone be neath the stars, wa s a m an who knew how to w restle with G od . . . and pr evail.
“Grea t God,” cried Joh n Knox , “Give m e Scotlan d, or I shall die.”
The mantle of intercession that rested upon John Knox would one day be picked up and carried by his associate and son-in-
law, John Welch, who would marry his daughter, Elizabeth. Welch becam e widely kn own for his perso nal com mitm ent to
fasting and prayer, and for the significant amount of time he spent in personal prayer, often as much as eight hour s a da y.
He also became known for tremendous spiritual power which seemed the outward result of his fervent intercessions. On
more than one occasion his wife, Elizabeth, would awaken to an empty bed and find her husband prayin g alon e in the cold
night air of their garden, praying “with great force & fervency, m ixed and accom panied w ith floods of tea rs,” 82 crying out,
“Lord, wilt Thou not grant me Scotland?” She wo uld rem emb er the tim es she had hea rd her fath er, John Knox, p ray with
a similar burden on his he art, “Great God, give me Scotland, or I shall die.” And how many times had she heard her husband
won der a loud h ow a Chris tian c ould lie in bed all nigh t neve r rising to wa tch a nd pr ay.
Such are the wrestlings and intercessions of those whom Go d has used ove r the c entu ries, a nd co ntinu es to use t oda y,
to bring revival and to change the course of nations and of history. Throughout the history of His people, whenever God has
intended to move in great spiritual power, He has always raised up people to carry the burden of prayer, fasting and
intercession for what He intended to do. Such intercessors have always been the secret heralds of a coming visitation. One
such herald was Seth Joshua of Wales. Seth Joshua was one of the men greatly used of God during the Welsh Revival of
1904. But God was at work in his life long before the revival broke out. Years after the revival, Seth Joshua’s son, Dr. Peter
Joshua, told a story a bou t mis sing (“m itchin g”) s cho ol one day an d goin g to a local p ark t o play. 83 Suddenly he spotted his
fathe r walk ing in th e par k. H iding in som e bus hes he wa tche d as h is fath er wa lked by:
“As he came near I was frighte ned as I he ard th at he was cryin g (so met hing I thou ght n eve r my Dad wou ld ever do) and
as he went by he was saying, ‘Please God, give me Wales’, and kept saying this as long as I could hear him. After a wh ile
I ran back home, and while I had to explain to mother that I had mitched school, I asked her what was wrong with Dad, and
told her that I had heard him crying and saying ‘Give me Wale s.’ She ruffled h er hair and said, ‘You’ll unders tand one day.’
God never gave Wales to my Dad, although he gave him many souls, but one day when he was preaching when he made
an appe al Ev an R obe rts w as th e only one w ho st ood to his feet and trusted the Saviour. God never gave Wales to my Dad,
but he ga ve W ales to Ev an Ro berts.”
81
Arthur Wallis, Pray In The Spirit (Fort Washington: Christian Literature Crusade, 1993) page 9.
82
Fleming, Fulfilling Of The Scripture, p. 423.
83
This anecdote is related in a letter in the possession of Mr. Meurig Thomas of Llangeler, Dyfed. A copy is in the Evangelical
Library of Wales at Bridgend, quoted by Brynmor P. Jones, Voices From The Welsh Revival 1904-1905 (Evangelical Press of Wales:
Bridgend, 1995), page 16.
“Thy Kingdom Com e”
Do you know how to pray? The phrase “Thy Kingdom Come” is par t of pe rhap s the mo st fam ous praye r in all o f histo ry,
known to us as “T he Lo rd’s Prayer.” When terrorists bombed the London subway system in mid-2005, survivors told stories
of hearing other survivors reciting The Lord’s Prayer in the midst of the horror. What we refer to as The Lord’s Prayer was
Jesus’ respon se to a sim ple reque st on the p art of His d isciples, “And it came about that w hile H e wa s pra ying in a ce rtain
place, after He had finished, one of His disc iples said to Him, ‘Lord, te ach us to pray . . . .” (Luke 11:1) As good Jews, the
disciples knew about prayer. They had grown up with it in their homes and in the synag ogu e all their lives. But when they
saw and h eard Jes us pr ay, they knew something was different. What Jesus modeled in prayer was very different from what
they were accus tome d to, so the y asked Him to teach the m ho w to pray.
There is much talk today about prayer. It is even “fashionable” to call oneself an “intercessor.” You can take video classes
on prayer. You can subscribe to magazines dedicated to prayer. You can join internet-based prayer organizations, or attend
workshops about turning your house into a “lighthouse of prayer.” But if we are to see heaven moved and our
neighborhoods transformed, prayer must be more than a book, class, workshop, magazine, conference or program. Prayer
(along with fa sting ) mu st be com e a pe rson al prio rity, a dis cipline in our pers ona l lives and the life breath of our house
church es. Ou r house church es m ust bec ome house s of praye r (or better ye t, Safe Houses of Hope & Prayer!)
I believ e tha t the g reate st wo rk of the C hurc h on e arth is intercession. And the true measure of any church (house church
or otherwise), like that of a man (or woman), is the measure of the time spent in prayer and intercession before the Throne
of Grace. Intercessory prayer is the life-breath of the Church. It precedes evangelism, missions, works of kindness and all
other worth while activit ies. It is the G od-a ppo inted me ans of ca lling do wn H is pow er an d His blessings upon the Church
and the world, and has been the n ecessary forerunner of every great revival, renewal and awakening in the history of the
Churc h. A Christian or a Church that does not pray and intercede is like a body that does not breathe. Sooner or later its
life will be in doub t.
Every believer prays, but not all believers persevere and p reva il in prayer the way the disciples saw Jesus pray. So, when
Jesus taught them to pray in Luke 11:1ff he taught them to pray “audaciously,” “I tell you, even though he will not get up and
give him a nyth ing be cau se he is his fr iend, yet b eca use of his pers isten ce he will get up and give him as much as he needs”
(Luke 11:8). T he Greek word translated “persistence” in this verse (ana ideia ) carries the sense of “recklessness” or
“shameless ness”, hence , “audac ity”. Then, in Lu ke 18:1 Jesus reminded them of the importance of perseve ring in prayer,
“Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose h eart. ” As a resu lt, the e arly
church learned and applied that lesson. Me eting in the u ppe r room in Ac ts 1:1 4 the y “were c ontinually d evoting (i.e.,
persevering) them selv es to pray er.” Not only must we learn to pray, but we must learn to pray pers isten tly and auda ciou sly
Reliable studies that have been conducted regarding the devotional habits of pastors indicate that the average traditional
church pastor spends an average of 22 minutes per day in prayer. I went through four years of Seminary training, even
serving on the ad junct fac ulty of the Seminary, without ever taking a single course, workshop or seminar on the importance
of fasting and prayer for successful ministry. So, it should therefore come as no surprise that most contem porary church
ministry looks and acts like little more than the sum total of its hu ma n par ts (or as a v isitor to an A me rican chur ch re cen tly
observed, “It’s amazing what yo u peop le can ac comp lish withou t the Holy S pirit!”). If our house church ministries are to
prosper and to grow long-term, then they m ust repre sent m ore than the sum of me n’s best e fforts. We must learn to fast
and to pray an d to inte rcede , or we w ill fail.
In Chapter 2 (“The New Engines of Change”) of his book Mega Shift , Jim Rutz identifies several “engines of change” in the
worldwide move of God through house churches. These “engines of change” which God is usin g aro und the w orld to build
His Kingdom include Intercess ory Prayer (#1), On-Site Prayer (#7) and Fasting (#8). 84 But all of the various new expressions
of prayer and intercession which he describes (prayer journeys, prayer battles, covering-prayer stations, prayer walks), and
which we nee d to prac tice in our house church ministries, have one thing in common. They all assume that individual
Christians are spending significant time (more than 22 minutes per day!) alone in prayer, fasting and intercession with God.
Do you really want to go into strategic level spiritual warfare and prayer battle for your neighborhood or community without
already having spent significant time alone with God in prayer & fasting & personal repentance?
If we w ant o ur ho use chur che s to b e ves sels and c han nels for th e Riv er of God ’s Sp irit as it be gins to flow in our day; if we
want our house churches to be places where the Kingdom Presence and Power of God dwell, and where all of the gifts of
His Spirit operate with the result that believers are built up in their faith, unbelievers are redeemed, and the Kingdom of God
grows in peace, righteousness and power, then we mus t becom e a peop le who de vote them selves to prayer, fasting and
intercession.
84
Jim Rutz, Mega Shift: Igniting Spiritual Power (Colorado Springs: Empowerment Press, 2005), Chapter 2.
Module 8: Thy Kingdom Come: The Ministry of Prayer, Fasting & Intercession - Page 155
Praying The Price of Fasting & Prayer For Revival
“A . . . more weighty reason for fasting is tha t it is an help to prayer; particularly when we set apart large portions of time for
private prayer. Then especially it is that God is often pleased to lift up the souls of his servants above all the things of earth,
and so metim es to rap t them up , as it were , into the third he aven.” 85
Seasons of great s piritual revival an d renew al always co me a t a price, an d that price alm ost always includes a personal
commitment to disciplined fasting and prayer.86 To put this issue differently, let me re-phrase it as a question: “What is it that
you w ant Go d to do in yo ur life, in your fam ily, in your ho use ch urch m inistry; and what pric e are yo u willing to pay to see
Him do that?” There is a price to be paid for God’s moving in great power. And that price is greater than spending 22
minutes per day in prayer. John Knox understood that price as he labored to give birth to the Presbyterian Church of
Scotland. John Wesley understood the price of spiritual power. He fasted two days ever y week, and in his “Rules for the
United Societies” he encouraged eve ry Methodist to set aside every Friday for fasting and prayer.
The Presbyterian Church of 1857 understood this price. On the eve of the Great Manhattan Praye r Rev ival of 1857 the
Gene ral Asse mbly of th e Presb yterian Chu rch note d the price required for a grea t move men t of God ’s Spirit:
“Another and the last evidence, that we cite, of an increasing vigor and efficiency in our denomination is, the intense longing,
breathed through all the Narratives for a general, glorious outpouring of the Spirit. The past year has not been one which
may be characterized as a year of revivals, although many churches in many Presbyteries have been greatly quickened,
and some have been favored with spiritual influences of extraordinary power. . . .This longing for revivals we cannot but
consider a cheering indication of the noblest life. Next to a state of actual revival is the sense of its need, and the strugg le
to attain it ant any sacrifice of tre a su r e, to i l, or tim e. We trust t hat th e per iod is n ot dis tant, w hen this s tate o f actu al,
gen eral, glorious revival shall be ours; when the Church, ‘seeking the Lord God by prayer and supplications, with fasting,
and sa ckcloth, a nd ash es,’ shall find the a nnual rec ord of he r progre ss a bles sed rea lization . . . .” 87
Throughout history, desperate believers seeking God for a fresh spiritual outpou ring and re vival have a lways reso rted to
fasting and prayer. What is the relationship between fasting and prayer? This question is not as easily answered as we
might think on first glance. For example, in the b ook of Es ther w e find one o f the m ost p owe rful ex am ples of fas ting in all
of Scripture, resulting in deliverance from total destruction for the Jewish people. Yet there are no instances of prayer in the
entire book! It would appear that, just as one can pray without fasting, so too, one can fast (successfully and powerfully)
without praying! Please Note: My point here is not an encouragement to fast without praying nor to minimize the importance
of prayer, but to underscore the intense intercessory nature of genuine fasting.
W hy is fasting such a powerful prayer tool? I believe there are several Biblical reasons why fasting & prayer are so effective
and powerf ul, but let m e share just a few which I ha ve pers onally discov ered. First, I believe that fasting represents a
sacrificial act o f wor ship on our p art be fore God ’s Th rone of G race . In oth er wo rds, f astin g is a form of wors hip which costs
us something. For this reason it becomes a sacrifice which pleases God a nd empo wers us to pray a uda ciou sly bef ore H is
throne with an expectation (but not a presumption) that our God will both hear and ans wer. Second, fast ing is a biblica lly
appointed expression of humility and repentance before God. And Scripture reminds us that God is opposed to the proud
but gives gra ce to the h umb le. Third, when we fast God honors the attitude and intent of our hearts. His Spirit searches our
spirit, interceding with groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26 & 27). God knows the secret unspoken reasons and
motivations for our ou tward fas ting, and H e hono rs them as we fa st “unto H im.” Fourth , I believe that fa sting (don e with the
proper attitude towards God) is itself a form of intercession, and the fasting saint is an in terce ding s aint in the eyes of God.
And ou r God is One w ho loves intercess ors and intercess ion so m uch tha t He see ks them out.
I believe that fasting, when combined with fervent prayer, is the Christian’s most powerful form of intercessory prayer. When
we fast and pray for individuals or situations, God often places us in the unique position of an intercessor. In this position
God e nables u s to identify with the p erson o r circum stance (often de scribed as the giving of a “burd en” to pray). He then
grants us to ente r into a nd sh are th e ago ny felt b y that p erso n. An d fina lly He gives us the spiritual authority to pray life-
changing “prophetic” prayers into that person’s life or into that particular circumstance.
85
Wesley, Sermon 27, page 600.
86
In Appendix A of this wor kbook we have included an excellent article by Dr. Stuart Robinson entitled “Praying The Price of
Revival” which I would encourage you to read as a personal encouragement in your prayer life regarding revival and spiritual renewal.
87
Minutes of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America with an Appendix, 1857,
page 418.
Fasting, when combined with prayer, is the most powerful form of intercession available to the believer. The fasting and
praying believer is one who, like Daniel, has “set (his) face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplica tions, with
fasting . . .” (Daniel 9:2-3). This is serious, powerful, intercessory praying. De rek Prin ce has well desc ribed suc h times , “In
the prayer life of each one of us there comes a time when we have to “set our face.” From that moment onward, no
discour agem ent, no distraction, no opposition will be allowed to hold us back, until we have obtained the full assurance of
an ans wer to w hich Go d’s Wo rd gives us title.” 88
Fasting & Seeking God W ith A Who le Heart
A frequently quoted Old Testament passage regarding prayer is found in Jeremiah 29:12-13, “The n you will ca ll upon Me
and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek me and find Me, when you search for me with all your
heart.” One question that is seldom asked (or answ ered) by tho se who quote this verse is, “What does it mean to seek God
with all of our heart?” If our goal in prayer is to “find” God and His answers to our prayers, then answ ering this q ues tion is
critica l, since the promise is based up on our seeking Him with all of our heart. It should come as no surprise that there is
a relationship between seeking God with all our heart in prayer and seeking Him through fasting. It can be seen in Joel 2:12,
“Yet even now, de clares the Lord, retu rn to me with all your h eart, and with fasting , weepin g, and m ourning . . .” Here ,
returning to the L ord “w ith all you r hea rt” is c onn ecte d dire ctly with fastin g. Pu t diffe rently, to seek God by means of prayer
with fastin g is to seek Him with a ll of our hearts. And when a man (or woman) does this he achieves the attention of Heaven
for his prayers. Arthur Wallis agrees and observes89:
“When a man is willing to set aside the legitimate appetites of the body to concentrate on the w ork o f pray ing, h e is
demo nstrating th at he m eans b usiness , that he is se eking w ith all his heart, an d will not let Go d go until H e answ ers.”
A Personal Journey Into Intercession
I always hesitate to share personal stories of ho w Go d brin gs pe ople into places of intercession. Such stories can seem self-
serving. And my study of great revivals throughout the history of the church has taught me that people like John Knox, John
Welch, Seth Jo shua, E van Ro berts and the vast majority of saints whose prayers for revival God pow erfully answered, were
private people who did not parade around the church calling themselves “intercessors.” Rath er, they were simply priva te
men who fas ted, wep t and pra yed, privately an d ferven tly. It was often not until after their deaths that people learned the
power of their personal prayer lives. God’s dealings with people are never for “show” but for “substance” (although He,
Himself, occasionally places us on display as an encouragement to others). This is why Jesus admonished His disciples
to give, fast and pra y in secret, “and yo ur Fathe r who s ees in se cret will repa y you.” (See Matthew 6:1-6) W e are to “perform”
our spiritual lives for “an audience of One.” So it is with a certain degree of reluctance that I share my own personal journey
into intercession, in the hope that it will encourage you and help you to understand what God may be doing in your own
personal journey into the Kingdom of divine intercession.
Several years ago, through a series of events, God began to open up a ministry in my life of prayer, fasting and intercession
for spiritual re newal an d revival. It beg an (as b est as I ca n determ ine) whe n I helped to lead a you th group miss ion trip to
Mexico to build a home for a homeless family outside of Tecate, Mexico. Four days into the trip I sensed God saying that
I was to fast for the remainder of our two week trip. And although I was not to ea t, I was to ke ep to a “no rm al” wo rk sc hed ule
just like e veryo ne els e on t he trip (whic h m ean t work ing 10 hour days in 100+ degree heat, followed by team meetings and
conducting a Va catio n Bib le Sc hoo l for th e loca l kids ). W hen I arriv ed home at the end of tw o we eks I foun d m yself
embarked on a journey of prayer and fasting which was beyond my control (which I have discovered is often the case when
God pours out a fresh anointing and ignites a new gifting. It can be absolutely overwhelming, like riding a roller coaster which
you have no ability to control!). I found myself spending hours at night weeping before God in pra yer fo r reviv al in ou r city.
He then led me to write a book on the Welsh Revival of 1904, and then to lead area wide workshops on fasting and prayer
while writing a book of fasting. I was overwhelmed, and little did I know that my journey into intercession had only begun.
As my wife and I sought God about what was happening to us and for His purposes in our lives, we were invited to attend
a conf eren ce in Anaheim, California, along with our pastor and four other people from our church. It was a wonderful week
of receiving te aching, m inistry, prayer an d listening fo r God’s voice. Du ring this tim e I was thr ee wee ks into a forty-day fast.
On th e fina l even ing of the c onfe renc e, as our g roup was leavin g the audit orium , we p aus ed in the lobby to have a group
pictu re tak en. S om eon e in ou r grou p sto ppe d a wo ma n (a to tal stra nge r) in the lob by, as ked her if s he w ould mind taking
the picture and han ded he r a cam era. As s he agre ed to tak e the pictu re she a dded, “And when I’m done, I think the Lord
has a word for those tw o,’ pointing to me and my wife. After taking the picture of our group this person approached me and
m y wife. She turned to m y wife and s aid, “I believe that God wants you to bless him (nodding toward me) and impart the
88
Derek Prince, Shaping History Through Prayer & Fasting (Fleming H. Revell Company: Old Tappan, 1973), page 103.
89
Wallis, God’s Chosen Fast, p. 50.
word to him. The re is mor e, but Go d will show it to you later.” W ith tho se w ords she w alke d aw ay, and we left the auditorium
wondering what it was that God was doing.
What He was doing was opening a “season of the heart” which would last for the next three years. The week we returned
h om e my w ife be gan kee ping a journ al of G od’s dealings during the times which followed, and a t the e nd of three years it
had reached almost five hundred type-written 8 ½ X 11 pages. God’s dealings with us were powerful, profound and
humbling. Like Paul in Arabia, we seemed to disappear from the view of our Christian friends into a wilder nes s of G od’s
design where dross is burned away to purify metal, and where woo d, hay and stubble are revealed for what they really are
. . . worthless .
During these three years our vision of a ministry of prayer, fasting, and intercession for renewal and revival seemed to die.
W e expe rienc ed a b usin ess collap se, b ank ruptc y, the foreclosure of our home and what appeared to the outward observer
to be a disastrous defeat. But God had a different agenda for this “season of the heart.” During this time He taught us to trust
Him without fear or wavering by bringing us into c ircum stan ces that w ould c aus e our hear ts to tr em ble and our resolve to
waver with fear. There, alone in the midst of a battle field and surrounded by “enemies” on every side, He taught us to do
battle against the Enemy of our souls with weapons of righteousness for the left hand and the right. He trained us to hear
His v oice in thing s gre at an d sm all. He wou ld aw ake n m y wife in the m iddle of the night with a Scripture reference on her
mind (the reference, not the verse). Not knowing the verse she would look up the reference and discover a verse that was
exa ctly appropriate for what we were going through at that time. This happened not once or twice, but dozens of times, as
God fulfilled His prophetic word spoken to us throu gh a c om plete stran ger, th at Ga le wo uld im part H is wo rd to m e. Fo r nea rly
six months he gave us some three dozen significant dreams which He then spent the next two years teaching us to pray
over and to watch Him fulfill. He taught us to pray for the needs of others and to rejoice in their answers, even when our own
needs appea red to go unm et. He tau ght us to pray for daily provision, and to rejoice when the answ ers He sent took a form
different from what we had hoped. He taught us to pray for the River of Ezekiel 47, that it would flow in greater power in our
lives and in the life of the Church, because this River of the Spirit of God is the well-spring and source of all revival, whether
personal and national. H e taught u s to pray witho ut ceas ing and to prevail over circumstances that we thought would destroy
us. We learned that His fire purifies but does not consume, and that in a flood of great waters they will not overwhelm us,
because He sets our feet upon a rock, making our footsteps firm. This was our “iron furnace of Egypt,” our “Arabia,” our
“Seas on of the Heart.”
As of this writing , our jo urne y into int erce ssio n, fas ting a nd pr ayer f or sp iritual r ene wal and revival has been a ten-year
journey which has led us into the house church movement and into what we believe will become God’s new channel for the
coming outp ourin g of H is Sp irit in sp iritual r ene wal, re vival a nd co mm unity tra nsfo rm ation . And this ama zing journe y into
the Kingdom of God has led us to you, and to the writing of this House Church equipping workbook so that yo u can bene fit
from our jo urne y.
Consider A Fasting & Prayer Covenant
I want to challenge you to consider the power and significance of a fasting and prayer covenant in God’s plans and purposes
for spiritual revival and renewal. Let me enco urag e you w ith an histo rical e xam ple, d rawn from one o f the g reate st rev ivals
in Am erica n hist ory. In 1798 the Reverend James McGready moved from North Carolina to Logan County, Kentucky in order
to pa stor th ree s ma ll churches. McGready understood the role of dedicated fasting and prayer in seeking God’s blessing
for the conv ersion of the lost and the enco uragem ent of the C hurch. H e challen ged his c ongreg ations to enter into a
coven ant to set a side spe cific time e very week to fast and pray for rev ival. Here is th e coven ant that the y entered in to :
The Fasting Covenant of The Reverend James McGready
“When we consider the word and promises of a compassionate God, to the poor lost family of Adam, we find the strongest
encouragement for C hristia ns to pray in faith - to ask in the name of Jesus for the conversion of their fellow-men. None ever
went to Christ, when on earth, with the case of their friends that were denied, and although the days of his humiliation are
ended , yet for the e ncoura geme nt of His pe ople, he h as left it on record, that when two or three agree upon earth, to ask
in pray er, be lieving , it shall be done. Again whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name that will I do, that the Father may
be glorified in the Son. With these promises before us we feel encouraged to unite our supplications to a prayer-hearing God,
for the outpouring of his Spirit, that his people may be quicke ned and com forted, and that our children, and sinners
generally, may be converted. Therefore, we bind ourselves to observe the third Saturday of each month, for one year, as
a day of fasting and prayer, for the conversion of sinners in Logan County, and throughout the world. We also engage to
spend one-half hour every Saturday evening, beginning at the setting of the sun, and one-half hour every Sabbath morning,
at the rising o f the sun, in p leading w ith God to revive H is work.” 90
McGready and his band of prayer warriors fasted & prayed for over two years. The result was that a great revival, known
to historians as The Second Great Awakening, broke out in Logan County and swept all across the southe aste rn United
States, resulting in the conversion of tens of thousands of unbelievers.
The Parousia Network Friday Fasting Covenant
As a result of my own personal journey, we at The Parousia Network are committed to a ministry of personal fasting and
praye r for one another, for God's working in the Network and for the coming of The River in power and renewal. To
underscore the importance of fasting a nd to enc ourage others in th eir quest to fast and pray, I have written a devotional book
(entitled Not By Bread Alone: Daily Fasting Devotions For The Hungry of Heart ) which examines every occurrence of
fasting in Scripture. The book offers a devo tiona l on each passage, along with a personal devotional journal. In addition,
we have established what we call our Friday Fasting Covenant. The goal of the Friday Fasting Covenant is to set aside one
day per week (preferably Friday) to meditate on Scripture ("feed on the Word") and to pray for our families, for the churches
that meet in our homes, for our neighborhoods, for the needs of those around us, for the ministry of The Parousia Network,
and above all, to a sk o ur So vere ign G od to turn o ur ho use chur che s into the n ew c han nel w here the R iver o f His Spirit w ill
be poured out a nd w ill flow in great power and blessing! If you would like to become a part of the Friday Fasting Covenant
you can join by simply sending us a blank e-mail with "JOIN" in the subject line to FastingCovenant@parousianetwork.com.
God L ooks F or Intercess ors
“On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; All day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind
the Lord, take no rest for yourselves; and give Him no rest until He establishe s and m akes J erusale m a pra ise in the ea rth.”
(Isaiah 62:6-7)
I now unde rstan d, in a way I never did before, that God is searching for intercessors, people who are willing to become the
vesse ls and ch annels f or His Kin gdom prayers fo r our gen eration. W e see this aspec t of God ’s heart in two passa ges:
“And H e saw that there w as no m an, and w as asto nished th at there w as no o ne to interc ede. . .” (Isaiah 59:16).
“And I searched for a man among them who should build up the wall and stan d in the gap before M e for the lan d, that I
should not destroy it; but I found no one” (Ezekiel 22:30).
These passa ges tell us s ome thing abo ut the hea rt of God and abo ut the calling o f an interce ssor. First, God is looking for
and sovereignly raising up people who will intercede with Him on behalf of others, and He is astonished when no
intercessors are to be found. Let me digress here for just a moment. We need to understand the difference between “need”
and “calling.” God is indeed looking for intercessors, but God does not need us (thereby implying some kind of deficiency
in His n ature ). Go d has sove reign ly chos en to use u s. He look s for peop le to be com e inte rces sors who are w illing to be
emp ty vess els th at He can f ill with H is Sp irit and who will pra y His Kingdom prayers and purposes in this world. As a result,
our prayers become “effectual” not because they are ours, but because they are His. We are simply the vessels through
whom the Spirit of God prays with groaning s too dee p for wor ds. Second, an intercessor is someone who does two things:
they “build up the wall” and they “stand in the gap”. An intercessor is someone who sees a spiritual situation where a need
exists; there is a “gap” in the wall. He (or she) responds first by “standing in the gap” in prayer and thereby preventing the
situation from deteriorating further. But he (or she) also respon ds by helpin g to “build up the wall,” there by partner ing with
God in pra yer to r epa ir the damage that has already been done. Intercession is more than simple prayer, or even intensified
prayer. Listen to Norman Grubb describe intercession as exemplified in the life of Rees Howells:
“Perhaps believers in general have regarded intercession as just some form of rather intensified prayer. It is, so long as there
is great emphasis on the w ord ‘intensified’; for there are three things to be seen in an intercessor which are not n ece ssa rily
found in o rdinary p rayer: ide ntification, ago ny and authority.” 91
An intercessor is someone who identifies with a situation, who agon izes over that situation , and to wh om G od gran ts
authority to pray effectual prayers which change that situation for the Kingdom of God. T he goa l of our interc ession is to
90
Covenant of Rev. James McGready. From James Smith, History of the Christian Church, Including a History of the
Cumberland Presbyterian Church (1835). Quoted in Catharine C. Cleveland, The Great Revival In The West 1787-1805. Copyright
1916 University of Chicago (Gloucester, Mass: Peter Smith, 1959).
91
Grubb, Rees Howells Intercessor, page 81.
b ec om e interc ess ory ve sse ls thro ugh who m th e Ho ly Spirit in terce des for th e wo rld ac cord ing to the w ill of God. Arthur
Wallis, in his excellent little book Pray In The S pirit, makes a distinction between the intercessory ministry of Christ and
that of the Holy Spirit. Christ, he says, intercedes for us.92 That is, we are the passive recipients of His intercessory prayers.
But the Holy Spirit desires to intercedes through us. He desires to use us as His willing instruments to intercede for the world,
but He requires our co-operation. I believe that through the discipline of fasting, combined with prayer, we place ourselves
in a unique ly powerful p osition to be com e the interc essory ve ssels fo r the interce ssory m inistry of the H oly Spirit.
What Intercessors Believe
I believe that God is moving in our present generation to raise up an army of intercessors. He is raising up pe ople who He
has uniquely touched and anointed both to fast and to pray His kingdom purposes into the lives of men and wo men and into
the affairs of nations. These are true intercessors be lieve in the power of intercessory prayer. What do they believe about
prayer? Here are some of the beliefs that characterize God’s army of true intercessors:
O True Intercessors believe:

‘ that Jes us Ch rist has m ade interc essory p rayer pos sible (Joh n 14:6).
‘ that God hears and a nswers prayer (Jerem iah 33:3; Hebrews 11:6; Psalm 65:2).
‘ that Jes us Ch rist placed priority on praye r (Mark 1:35; Luk e 18:1).
‘ that Jes us Ch rist has tau ght us ho w to pray (Lu ke 11:1 -10).
‘ that Jesus Christ prays and intercedes on ou r behalf (Luke 22:31-32; John 17 :20; Hebrews 7:25).
‘ that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us acco rding to the will of God (Romans 8:26 -27).
‘ in personal prayer (Matthew 6:5-15).
‘ in the partn ership an d powe r of united p rayer (Ma tthew 18 :18-20).
‘ in the need for persistence and prevailing in prayer (Daniel 6:10; Luke 11:5-13; Luke 18:1-8).
‘ in the prac ticality of prayer (Isa iah 40:28 -31).
‘ in the power of prayer (Acts 12:5-7).
‘ in surrender in prayer (Psalm 62:8; Matthew 26 :39).
‘ in the comprehen sive coverage of prayer (Philippians 4:6; John 15:7).
‘ in corporate prayer (Acts 12:12).
‘ in meeting the conditions of prayer (John 15:7; Psalm 66:18; I John 3:22; 5:14-15; Jame s 4:2-3).
‘ in the promises of prayer (Psalm 91:15; Luke 11:9-10 Jerem iah 33:3).
‘ in God's W ord as the guide to prayer (Psalm 119 :10-11; 2 Timothy 3:l6).
‘ in the church is a house of prayer (Matthew 21 :13).
‘ in praying for others (Ephesians 6:18; Jame s 5:16).
‘ in praise and worship predom inating prayer (Psalm 103:12; Psalm 145; Psalm 146 :1-2; Acts 16:25).
‘ in fasting as a God-appointed m eans of aiding intercessory prayer.
‘ in prayer as a primary means to fulfill the Great Com mission (Matthew 9:37-3 8; Acts l:8).
Sug gesti o ns F o r R e v ita lizin g Ou r P r ay e r T im e
Like the early Church in the book of Acts, we must make a commitment to persevere in prayer. I recently had a conversation
with a person who attends a Post Modern, E-P-I-C mega-church in our area which has an average monthly attendance of
around 7,000. He told me how he attended a recent prayer meeting and was saddened to discover that from a church of
7,000 people, only 40 showed up for prayer. While we may groan at that situation, when it comes to specific intentional
prayer for our house church brethren, locally a nd ar oun d the world , are w e rea lly mu ch be tter? W hen was the las t time we
spent intentional time praying for those “outside the box” of our own network? Why do we not pray more? Why do we not
persevere in prayer? Why are our “prayer me eting s” so poor ly attended? Why are our prayer ministries so ineffective? What
is it tha t hind ers o ur pra yers? W hat c an w e do t o rev italize o ur tim es of praye r and interc ess ion? T he fo llowin g are only a
few ideas to stimulate our thinking and discussion in the Church.
O Spiritual Hin drances To Pray er: There are m any reasons why we do not pray m ore, or have a more e ffective
ministry of prayer and intercession. A list of these reasons should include, but not be limited to the following:
, Spiritual W arfare - We have an enemy who does not want us to pray, and in order to prevent prayer he
engages in warfare against the saints. The last thing Satan wants to see is Christians humbling themselves
with fasting before the Throne of Grace in fervent intercession. The warfare that the enemy uses against
praying saints can range from simple things that irritate (sleepiness, unclean thoughts, worrisome
distractions, unexp ected inte rrup tions, “I d on’t fe el like prayin g ton ight,” e tc.) to mo re se rious dem onic
92
Arthur Wallis, Pray In The Spirit (Fort Washington: Christian Literature Crusade, 1993).
oppressions.
, Traditions of Men - How God has b less ed pa rticula r ways of do ing th ings in the past can become a
hindrance to new ble ssings He wa nts to release in the present. Long established “prayer chains” or “prayer
meetings” (long esta blishe d but poor ly attended) may need to give way to sm all groups of intercessors who
meet in hom es or other convenient places for prayer.
, Pride - I Peter 5:5 warns us that God is opposed to the proud. There is no place for pride before the Throne
of Grace.
, Unconfessed Sin and Unforgiveness - If we c ons ciou sly har bor u nco nfes sed sin in o ur he arts, God will
not hear our prayers.
, Unbelief - Faith is the k ey that ope ns all of G od’s bles sings to His people, for “with out fa ith it is im pos sible
to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who
seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).Notice that we mu st no t sim ply believe that God exists, but we must believe that
He active ly rewa rds ( i.e., an swe rs) th ose who seek Him in prayer. Most of us believe that we should pray
(it is the “Christian” thing to do), but we don’t really believe that God answ ers e very p rayer . This is unbelief.
, Dry eyes; lack of heart-felt fervor - W hile we should not wait upon or depend upon emotions before
praying, there shou ld com e a po int in the prayer life o f every believe r when p rayer bec ome s both a passion
towards God, and a compassion towards men. We need to ask God to break our hearts over the things that
break His hea rt.
, Impatience (unwillingness to wait be fore the Lord) - The P salm ist, Dav id, de clare d, “I wa ited p atien tly
for the L ord; a nd H e inclin ed to me , and hear d m y cry” (P salm 40:1). A significant aspect of true
intercession is the discipline of waiting upon God.
, Disinterest in His W ill - This is usua lly express ed in term s such as MY church , MY m inistry, My
__________. We must continually remind ourselves and one anot her th at the purp ose of pra yer is not to
tell God what it is that we want, but to discover what He wants. While part of intercession is making our
needs known to Him (Philippians 4:6), a much more significant part of intercession is asking God to change
our w ill and to give u s His will.
O Mechanical Hindrances To Effectu al Prayer: In addition to s piritual hindra nces to effective prayer, there are also
practical or mechanical hindrances (which the enemy can also use, thereby creating a spiritual crisis over some
mundane issue). Such Mechanical Hindrances can include:
, Prayer R e q ue s t T im e - this often becomes an opportunity for extended times of visiting (or gossiping)
instead o f time fo r prayer.
, Rushing Into His Presence - God is not in a hurry, nor should we be hurried in His presence.
, Eloquent Prayers and Monologs - Prayer time is not a time for preaching, lecturing or any thing other than
talking with God. People should be reminded that neither the length nor the volume of a prayer has anything
to do with its power before God. Long and loud prayers do not impress God, and they can be downright
irritating to His people.
, Failure To Pray In One Accord - Praye r tim e is no t a tim e for pursuing one’s personal “agenda” under the
guise of praying. The calling of an intercessor is to pursue God’s kingdom purposes, whatever they may
be. Unity in prayer comes when believers agree to seek God’s will rather than our own purposes.
, Intolerance of Silence and Failure to Listen Before Praying - In prayer, silence is listening and silence
is intimacy. Many people fear silence during prayer because they confu se “silence” with “em ptiness.” In
reality, it is when we are silent before God that He has opportunity to speak to us. And He has opportu nity
to spea k be cau se s ilence is intimacy. Someone who is comfortable with silence durin g pra yer is u sua lly a
person who ha s discov ered intim acy with G od.
O Suggestions For Effectual Corporate Praying: The first suggestion for effectual corporate or group p rayer is to
find peop le wh o hav e a bu rden , des ire or a noint ing to pray. A ll Christians have the privilege to pray, and Scripture
encourages us to “Pra y witho ut ce asin g.” Bu t there are C hristia ns w hom God has t ouc hed and c alled t o pra y.
Sometimes He calls u s to pray by “squeezing” our circumstances until we cry out. At other times he simp ly pours
out His S pirit of interc ess ion in s om eon e’s lif e and calls them to a ministry of prayer. But the beginnings of an
effectual ministry of intercession are found in bringing together individuals who have a desire to pray. This “coming
toge ther” of inte rces sors ma y be in c orpo rate “ praye r me eting s” at c hurc h, or it m ay be in small groups in private
homes. Whatever the “format” or “venue” prayer is not a “program” or a “meeting.” Prayer is God’s people gathering
together to seek God’s presence. Here are a few ideas for more effective “group” or “corporate” praying:
, Be a le r t to th e en e m y tactics that foil prayer time - Intercessory prayer in the name of Jesus is the most
powerful tool we as believers have against the schemes of the Enem y, and he k nows it. It should come as
no surprise that he will do everything in his power to foil our times of person al and co rporate p rayer. Pastor
Ron Dunn describes the significance of such prayer this w ay, “Prayer is not a religious exercise - it is a
human necessity.” He adds: “Praye r mean s that I nev er have to say, ‘The re’s nothing I c an do.’ I can always
do something. . .I discovered that prayer is the secret weapon of the kingdom of God It is like a missile that
can be fired toward any spot on earth, travel undetected at the speed of thought, and hit its target every
time. . . Satan has no defense against this weapon; he does n ot have an anti -pra yer mis sile...We do not
pray by de fau lt - b ec au se the re’s no thi ng els e w e c an do . W e p ray be ca us e it ’s the best thing we ca n d o.’”
, Make prayer time a priority - Praye r can not b e “ha pha zard. ” It sho uld be at a re gula r place and at a
regular time. In the world of hectic schedules and competing time commitments, prayer must become a
con scio us c hoic e. W e cho ose it abov e oth er po ssib le act ivities b eca use we re cog nize its priorit y.
, Arrive “prayed up” - If you h ave n ot sp ent e xten ded time in pra yer alone, your effectiveness in group
prayer will be lim ited. E ffec tive pu blic int erce sso rs ar e peo ple who are also effective private intercessors.
I do not believe that we should have people lead in public prayer who do not spen d con side rable time in
private prayer (my point here has to do with leading corporate prayer, not with participating in corpor ate
prayer meetings).
, Pray in small groups - Even in large corporate prayer gatherings, breaking into smaller prayer groups
encourages intimacy and discourages anyone who might be tempted to “pray for effect” before larger
crowds (yes, it does happen!). Small groups are also less threatening for to individuals who may be
unc om forta ble praying aloud before other people. Be sensitive and do not create an environmen t where
participan ts who are not accustomed to praying aloud in a group setting will be embarrassed or intimidated.
, Limit prayer request time - This ca n often tur n into an un sched uled sha ring time , with the m ajorit y of tim e
spent sharing and visiting rather than praying. Allow sufficient time for everyone to share their most pressing
concerns then conclude the request time by suggesting that if anyone remembers additional needs during
the prayer time, they should feel free to prayer for them.
, Take time to “draw nigh - There is no need to “rush” into prayer. Be willing to be silent, praying for the
Holy Spirit to come, to bestow His presence and to release His ministry of intercession.
, Enter into His courts with praise - Don’t be afra id to sing as the Spirit leads. If someone is gifted to lead
worship, allow them to lead the group in a few songs of worship and praise.
, Examine y o u r o wn he a rt b efore H im - Silently confront and confess the sins of your own heart as the
Holy Spirit reveals them to you, claiming the promise of 1 John 1:9.
, Keep your prayers brief & focused - Intercede for prayer needs item by item, as the Holy Spirit leads,
keeping your prayers brief and focused, allowing others the blessing of praying!. Be sensitive to the voice
of the Holy Spirit as He leads and guides your prayer time, bringing additional thoughts and needs to mind.
, Ask HOW to pray before praying. Use silence to listen to the Holy Spirit for direction to pray in keeping
with H is will.
, Welcome silence - Welcome periods of silence as times when the Holy Spirit can speak to your heart as
you rest in His presence.
, Be prepared to spend tim e in p ra yer , wor ship and waiting before H im . Do not rush your agenda, and
do not be in a hurry to “get done.” I have seen small group prayer times go for three hours with no one
wanting to leave.
, Remember the relationship between fasting and pray er - “Fas ting is designed to make prayer mount
up as on eagles’ wings. It is intended to usher the suppliant into the audience chamber of the King a nd to
extend to him the golden sceptre. It may be expected to drive back the oppressing powers of darkness and
loosen their hold on the prayer objective. It is calculated to g ive an ed ge to a ma n’s intercessions and power
to his petitions . Heave n is ready to bend its e ar to listen w hen so meon e prays with fasting .”93
Conclusion
God is raising up a new generation of intercessors and teaching and anointing them to pray Kingdom prayers. Are you one
of them ? Go d wa nts in terce sso rs an d is alw ays loo king for ind ividua ls wh o are willing to stan d in the gap o n beh alf of peop le
and circumstances in intercessory prayer. He is looking for individua ls who ar e willing to exe rcise the p ersona l discipline to
spend prolonged times of isolation alone with Him, fasting and praying for His Kingdom purposes in the lives of men. He
is look ing fo r peo ple w illing to b eco me the ve sse ls for interce ssion by the Holy Spirit. This is the discipline, the devotion and
the calling of divine intercession in the Kingdom of God.
Prayer of Application
Hea ven ly Father, m ake m e an interc essor. T each m e to fast, to pray and to intercede. Build in me the disciplines of devotion
and of solitude to spend time alone with you in prayer. Send the River of the Spirit of God to flow through me in gre ater
power for intercession. Make me a vessel through which the Holy Spirit can intercede for tho se ar oun d be. Sen d you r Holy
Spirit into my prayer life to inspire the desires and longings of my heart, to quicken my mind and my heart to your Kingdom
purposes, to give me your prayers for others, and to pray those prayers through me. In the powerful name of Jesu s Christ,
my Intercessor. Amen.
Let the River flow . . . and allow the Holy Spirit to pray His Kingdom prayers through you!
93
Wallis, God’s Chosen Fast, p
A “Prayer, Fasting & Intercession” Reading List

Bounds, E. M. The Complete Works of E. M. Bounds On Prayer: Experiencing The Wonders of God Through Prayer.
Ada: Baker Publishing Group, 2004.
Damazio, Frank . Seasons of Intercession: God’s C all To Praye r-Intercessio n For Ev ery Believe r. Portland: City Bib le
Publishing, 1998.
Dawson, John. Taking Ou r Cities For God: How To Break Spiritual Strongholds. Lake Mary: Charisma House/Strang
Comm unications Company, 2001.
Eastman, Dick. No Easy Road: Discover The Extraordin ary Pow er of Perso nal Prayer. 30 th Anniversary Edition. Ada:
Chosen, 2003.
Goll, Jim . Kneeling On The Promises. Shippensburg: Destiny Image Publishers. 1999.
. The Lost A rt of Intercession: Resto ring The Power & Passion of the Watch of the Lord. Shippensburg:
Destiny Image Publishers, 1997.
Grubb , Norm an. Rees H owells Inte rcessor. Fort Washington: Christian Literature Crusade, 1952
Kendrick, Graha m an d Haw thorne, S teve. Prayer walkin g: Pray ing O n Site W ith Insight. Lake Mary: Creation
House/Strang Communications Company, 1993.
Murra y, Andrew . Living A Prayerful Life. Bloomington: Bethany House Publishers, 2002.
. The Minis try of Interces sory Pray er. Bloomington: Bethany House Publishers, 2003.
. Waiting On God: Daily Readings on Knowing God. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1987.
Spurg eon, Ch arles Ha ddon. Prayer. New Kensington: Whitaker House, 2001.
. The Po wer In Pra yer. New Kensington: Whitaker House, 2001.
W agner, C . Peter. Breaking Strongholds In Your City. Ventura: Gospel Light, 1997.
W allis, Arthur. God’s Ch osen Fast. Fort Washington: Christian Literature Crusade, 1993.
. Pray In The Sp irit. Fort Washington: Christian Literature Crusade, 1993.

Who Are You Praying For?
The following prayer suggestions are offered to help stimulate your “consideration” (remem ber katanoeo?) and prayer for
particular people in your house church. List the names of people under the prayer that you are praying for th em . W hen this
list becomes too confining, begin your own “open prayer list” using the pages that follow.
1. Lord , I pray t hat You would dra w these people to 5. Lord, I ask the Holy Spirit to convict these people of
yourself (John 6:44): their s in and their need for your salvation in Christ (John
16:8):
2. Lord , I pray th at Yo u wo uld cause these people to seek 6. Lord, I ask You to give me the opportunity, the courage
to know You (Acts 17:27 ): and the right word s to sha re the go spel with thes e peo ple
(Colossians 4:3-6; Ephesians 6:19-2 0):
3. Lord, I pray that You would cause these people hear 7. Lord, I ask You to send someone to share the gospel
and believe the W ord of God (1 Th essalonians 2:13): with these people (Matthew 9:37-38):
4. Lord, I ask You to prevent Satan from blinding these 8. Lord , I pray th at the Holy S pirit wo uld move in the lives
peo ple to Your truth (2 Corinthians 4:4; 2 Timothy 2:25- of the following people, equipping, filling and empowering
26): them for greater m inistry in your Kingdom, and release
your fresh giftings for effective service in their lives:
People & Situations You Are Praying For

Use the space below to list people or situations by name, to describe your prayer request, to list a Scripture passage you
are claiming as you pray and to list the date you began praying for this person or situation. As some prayer situations can
be sensitive, keep your prayer sheet in a secure & private p lace. Re mem ber: “The effective (literally “energetic”) prayer of
a righteous man (or woman) can accomplish much” (James 5:16 ).
Name Prayer Request Scripture Promise Date

Module 9
Personal D iscipleship
The Art of M ending Our Nets
Module 9: Personal Discipleship
“If anyon e wishe s to com e after Me , let deny him self, and tak e up his c ross, an d follow M e.” Matthew 16:24
“W he n J es us Ch ris t ca lls a m an , H e b ids him ‘Co me an d d ie. ’”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer
The C ost of D isciples hip
Jason’s Story & A Pa rable of “D iscipleship” Gone Awry
Jason (not his real name, but he is real) went to prison for a sex crime. While in prison Jason had a ge nuine ex perienc e with
G od. His life beg an to cha nge. He studied, too k Bible co rrespo ndenc e cours es and becam e a resp ected lea der of th e
Chr istian com mu nity with in the priso n. He kne w his Bible and he knew how to lead people to Christ. He became a model
prisoner and a model (if somewhat legalistic) Christian. His changed life so impressed the staff, counselors and chaplains
that everyone made extraordinary efforts to get Jason paroled. Everyone agreed Jason no longer belonged behind bars.
The ir efforts were eventually successful and Jason was paroled an released. Then, to everyone’s horror and disbelief, Jason
re-offended. He lured an unsuspecting female realtor to an empty house under pretense of being a potential buyer, where
he raped her at gunpoint and t hrea tene d to k ill her. B ut the n, in the m idst o f this h orre ndo us ac t, Go d bec am e rea l to him
again. H e left the wo man (alive), went to a nearby tavern and waited for the police to arrive. He was arrested a few hours
later and taken to the county jail. There he was befriended by a fellow priso ner, Larry W histon (se e Mod ule 5a, “The O ff-
Broadway Story.”) Jason was a broken man (now facing life in prison without any possibility of parole) as he told La rry his
story of crim e, sin, rede mption and . . . m ore crim e and s in. Two th ings em erged fr om th eir on-go ing conv ersations . First,
Jason said, “Larry, tell people it isn’t enough for them to know their Bibles. Tell them they need to get to know the One Who
wrote it.” Second, Jason came to the personal realization that his “white-knuckle” legalism had enabled him to fool everyone
about what was really going on beneath the surface of his life. According to Jason, his outward legalism (working hard
outw ardly to be “spiritual” while insisting that everyone around him do the same) had fooled everyone . . . including himself.
Sometimes self-delusion is the greatest delusion of all. And that delusion can even apply to the area of discipleship.
In Module 7 we looked a the Greek word katartidzo and the role of “mending nets.” This word also appears in Luke 6:40
where Jes us s aid, “A pupil (disciple) is not above his teacher; but ever yon e, afte r he h as be en fu lly train ed, w ill be like his
teache r.” The phrase “fully trained” is the word katartidzo . Here the word describes the process of a disciple becoming like
his (or her) teacher. The role of a teacher is to help the disciple discover and learn how to mend the broken nets of his life.
Jas on’s story is a parable of discipleship gone awry, of discipleship misdefined as Bible courses and Bible knowledge and
misapplied in the form of “white-knuckle legalism” an d outward performance. According to Jesus in Luke 6:40, true
disc iplesh ip is a personal relationship between a teacher (e.g., a more ma ture believer) and a disciple (e.g., a less mature
believer) in which the disciple learns from som eone mo re mature how to mend the broken nets of his life. Could it be that
one of the reas ons why J aso n faile d, an d wh y othe r peo ple fa il (in les s dra ma tic wa ys) in th eir discipleship journey, is
because no one took the time to look past his legalism (“Look at how hard I am working to live a model Christian life!”) and
to teach him how to understand and mend the broken nets of his own life?
Fred, on the other hand, asked for help to mend his nets. Fred had grown up in the Aryan Nations, fallen into drugs at an
early age, work ed va rious jobs , bec am e a “s oldier ” (enf orce r) in th e Ca liforn ia dru g wo rld working for Columbian and Cuban
drug gangs. He was a drug dealer, user and enforcer. I met Fred through our outreach in the West Central neighborhood
of Spokane when he shot the third digit of his little finger off while cleaning an illegal gun which had been rigged to misfire
and kill him - apparently both he and the gun were “loaded.” I prayed for him while we waited for the paramedics and police
to arrive). Fred became involved in our outreach, his life began to change, he made a profession of faith in Christ and we
started a house church in his apartment. He called me one Saturday morn ing aroun d 7:45A M. “I had a ba d night last n ight,
and I almo st we nt ou t and used . So I th oug ht I be tter ca ll you an d talk abo ut it.” Thank God for small words in the English
language, words like “almost”! Stress from Fred’s living environment had “pushed his buttons,” re-igniting old pains and
anger. When a former addict is confronted with such “challenges” the old tendency is to go out and “get loaded” on drugs
as a means of “coping.” Fred’s “nets” were broken and he knew he needed help. And because his life was changing he
responded not by falling back into old habit patterns, but by reaching out and asking for help to mend his nets. We talked
about what was going on in his life, I shared briefly about what Scripture says concerning anger and forgiveness, and then
we prayed together over the phone. We spent time mending one anot her’s nets . And that is wha t disc iplesh ip is es sen tially
all about.
And how about you? Are you masking and hiding brok en, un-m ended nets beh ind a faca de of se emin gly spiritual activity
and “white kn uckle leg alism” ? It’s time to ge t real. It’s time to ask fo r help m ending you r nets. O r your discip lesh ip will fa il.
The E nigm a of Dis ciplesh ip
At wha t poin t in the life of the C hurch d id disciplesh ip get rede fined from a perso nal relations hip of net m ending to b ec om e
a program? For many Christians today the Kingdom of God has ceased to be a journey into the heart of God, a personal
experience in spiritual net-mending, and has become a correspondence course , a curriculum, a class and/or a non-stop
stream of seemingly spiritual activit y (“Hey, God, do you see how busy I am and how hard I’m working for you”)? At what
point did discipleship become the impartation (or absorption) of information? When did the call of Christ change from
“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” to “Co me a nd sig n up f or m y six wee k clas s on p urpo se dr iven fishin g.”
The New Testament word “disciple” comes from the Greek word (mathetes). The word occurs 269 in the New Testament
(but not after the book of Acts). It literally r efer s to a pupil, a stu den t, a lea rner . To f ollow Jes us as His d iscip le means that
a relationship exists between Jesus as our teacher and us as H is stu den t. It m ean s tha t we e ach pers ona lly look to Him as
He speaks to us and teaches us how to mend our broken nets, so that we in turn will be “fully trained” to teach others how
to do the s ame .
Throughout H is 3 years of ministry Jesus preached to tens of thous ands, and m any of those “tasted of the Powers of the
Age to Come” by way of healings, deliverances and resurrections. As a res ult, m any pe ople “believed” in Jesus, “Now when
He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, beholding His signs which He was doing.
But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to
bear w itness co ncernin g man for He H imself kn ew wh at was in man.” (John 2:23-25) But when he ascended into heaven
at the e nd of 40 da ys of p ost-r esu rrec tion m inistry, the number of follower-disciples numbered between 120 (Acts 1:15) and
500 (1 Corinthians 15:6). Before His ascension into Heaven, Jesus gave instructions to His disciples, namely, that as they
were going into all the world (it was His operating assumption that they would go) their specific instruction was “to make
disciples.” The charge of the Church, given by its Head - Jesus - is to make disciples. And we read in Acts 11:26 that it was
“the disciples” who “were first called Christians in Antioch.” Did you make the connection? To be called a Christian, one first
had to be a disciple. Hmmmm .
The C ost of D isciples hip
So, what was the distinction between being a “believer” in Jesus and being a “disciple” of Jesus? I has been suggested that
a “believer” was someone who had embraced Jesus by faith. A disciple was someone who had embraced Jesus, but who
had also le ft som ethin g sign ifican t in ord er to f ollow Him . Perh aps this helps to ex plain why the number of disciples at the
close of Jesus’ earthly ministry was small. Why? Because discipleship comes at a price. Jesus declared in Luke 14:27,
“Wh oever does not c arry his o wn cro ss and come after Me c annot be My disc iple.” A cross was a Roman instrument of
execution. The disciple of J esus w as som eone w ho lived un der a se ntence of death , beginning with death to self. The grace
of salvation is ind eed “so rich and fr ee,” but w e spen d the res t of our ea rthly lives “paying fo r it.” If this sounds like a
contradiction, it is not. It is a paradox, an unresolved dilemma, two true statements held in constant tension without resolution
on th is side of ete rnity.
True faith, true discipleship and “free grace” all come with a price. It costs us nothing to believe; and yet it costs us everything
to be H is disc iple. T hat is what Jesus taught. That is what Dietrich Bonhoeffer understood. In the 1930's and 40's Dietrich
Bonhoeffer was a pas tor in the German Lutheran Church and a leader of the anti-Nazi “Confessing Lutheran Church.” He
wrote and bemoaned the fact that the doctrine of “free grace” had deteriorated into a belief in “cheap grace”; the notion that
one could believ e in Jesus without having to pay the price of one’s convictions in this world. Bonhoeffer believed that being
a Christian, a disciple, meant that he must speak out against and actively resist Nazism. He did so, and was arrested and
sent to a concentration camp. Those who knew Pastor Bonhoeffer in the final months of his life, spent in Nazi concentration
camps, observed the peace and dedication with which he ministered to those around him up until the very d ay of h is
execution. Understanding the true price of free grace, and that it wasn’t “cheap,” Dietrich Bonhoeffer had died the death of
a discip le long befo re his physic al bod y perished on the gallows of his Nazi executioners, who saw but who never
understood.
Contemporary Christianity sells “cheap grace” like a novelty item in a Christian bookstore, right alongside cheap mints
wrapped in packaging that assures the purc haser of their usefulness in furthering their Christian testimo ny. It sh ould
therefore come as no surprise to us that c ontem porary C hristianity also specializes in passive, vicarious discipleship where
Christians live off of the spiritual experiences of others - a form of disciples hip-by-pro xy if you will. W e enthus iastically quote
cute cliches such as “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a da y; teach a man to fish and y ou feed h im for a lifetime .”
Then we promptly proceed to give away “free spiritual fish” and later wonder why our people have no clue as to how to use
their spiritual fishing poles for themse lves (or if they even possess such poles?).
House Church, if it is to live up to its promise of truly becoming the Church that lives and meets in our homes, must reject
both the passive spirituality of traditional church and contemporary Christianity and the legalism of a Christianity which sees
spirituality and d iscip lesh ip as a set of rules to be obeyed. We can no longer passively sit while others tell of how God has
Module 9: Personal Discipleship - Page 171
spoken to them. We must now become intentionally active, asking God to speak to us, and doing those things which lend
themselves to hearing God’s v oice. W e mu st reclaim the biblical he ritage of co stly disciplesh ip. W e m ust re claim the
spiritual disciplines that have characterized genuine discipleship. We m ust begin modeling within our house churc h
fellowships the active spirituality of people who daily fish in the ocean of God’s Manifest Presence.
Wo lfgang Sims on’s T en Prin ciples o f Luke 10 Disc ipleship
Wolfgang Simson has suggested that, based upon the model of discipleship seen in Luke Chapter 1 0 (an d its p aralle l in
Matthew Chapter 10) that there are ten basic ap ostolic princ iples of disc ipleship wh ich we ne ed to rec over if we a re truly to
b ec om e a self-multiplying house church mov eme nt. 94 I believe that these ten principles provide us with an excellent broad
outline of what was involved in New Testament discipleship:
1. Apostolic Conversion - Conversion must again be experienced not as a mere agreement on theological doctrines or
happen in simpl e "pray after me" - p rayers and raise-your-hands-moments, but as a radical and profound change of
allegiance and ownership from Self to Jesus. God has gone out of his way not just to touch and bless us, but to literally
and radically deliver us from sin and evil, a hell bound, self-centered life that brings glory to the flesh, not to God. From
the very first moments of our lives as disciples, holiness, self-denial, humility, servant hood and the carrying of the cross
must become our h allmarks. Af ter a life chang ing encounter w ith Jesus, we need to be ready to sell everything for the pearl
of great price, and remain or become radical in our co mmitment to our Lord. The result is a changed life, not a changed
set of religious opinion; people dead to themselv es and their ambitions, but ready to be commissioned into Gods plan and
dream. Without a deep conversion, discipleship and church will become a shallow religious process. A radical start,
however, will provide the right first step for radical, lifelong discipleship.
2. Baptism - Baptism typically happened at the same day a person converted to follo w Jesus.
3. Filled With The Holy Spirit - Peter answered at the day of Pentecost: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in
the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit". All this obviously
happene d the sam e day.
4. Incorporation Into The Church - A disciple does not live and truly enjoy an individualistic lifestyle, but becomes
"added", a part of the family of God, the church. Either he joins an existing or emerging church in someone else's house
(or life), or opens his own house to let Jesus live there from now on.
5. Clean Start - A new future starts with a clean and reconciled past. Too many Christians are "wounded warriors",
confused, bleeding and weak, and stay so for many unproductive and self-centered years, unable to be useful for the tasks
of our Master. Many Christians will need to undergo a "washing machine" experience to clear up the past, since many
come from broken families and relationships, occult involvement, religious confusion and bondage, a life in sexual or
financial immorality, and need to be cleaned through repentance, bringing back stolen goods, reconciliation, healing,
forgiveness, exorcism, the breaking of generational curses, counseling, etc. Open wounds need to be dressed, traumas
healed, persecutors forgiven, wrong teachings overcom e. This happens through love, acceptance and forgiveness,
deliverance ministry and experiencing God’s undeserving grace personally. Only then does it make sense to truly begin
working.
6. Apostolic Foundations - From our spiritual birth on we become part of God’s Mission, God’s apostolic agenda. It is
His clear purpose to see all nations discipled. Instead of living a life continuously asking God to solve our next problem,
we need to learn to become part of God’s purposes; to do what He is blessing, rather than ask Him to bless what we are
doing (Matt. 6:33). We need to catch his apostolic breath to be sent on a lifelong mission, to be blessed in order to bless
others. It must become part of our bone and marrow to be utterly jealous for the purposes of God and His glory, so that
Jesus can truly continue His mission through us. The book of Matthew is Jesus’ own way of laying apostolic foundations
in 5 teaching segments, starting with the most famous serm on on earth, the sermon on the mount (chapter 5-7).
7. Financial Conversion - People need to be literally delivered from the dominating financial principles of materialism,
greed, jealousy, coveting and making money their false security or power-base. If anyone on earth, it will be the disciples
of Jesus who need to show to the world that God, not money is the determining factor in life. Jesus gave us a crossroads:
"You cannot serve Go d or money" (Matt. 6:24). The early disciples had learnt to crucify the spirit of materialism head on,
sharing their lives and possessions with each other and those in need, and learnt to go into the harvest "with no money
in their belts" (Matt. 10:9). Disciples will learn that "the resources are in the harvest," and discover how to break away from
94
You can learn more about the Luke 10 equipping course which Wolfgang and others have built around these ten principles
by visiting their website at www.lukas10.ch. There is an English link there. Everything else is in German.
our dramatic limitation of trusting God (but only as far as comforting money is in the bank). Financial conversion is a willful
breaking with the world's financial principles and embracing a New Testament financial habit to experience that it is more
blessed to give than to receive.
8. Gifts And Callings - God is not sending out stereotypes, but equips each one of us individually to help us fulfill God’s
purposes through our lives. Disc iples will lear n how to apprec iate and value the different giftings and callings in e ach other,
how to function as a team and church with diffe rent gifts , and how to use God s tools to b uild his h ouse for his glory.
Through observation, prayer, prophecy and testing each others fruits we will discover the passion, spiritual gifts and
callings for each one, and some may even be called and prepared for itinerant equipping ministries (Eph. 4:11) in the
future.
9. Discipling Others - Being a disciple ourselves is one thing, making others to be disciples is the next. Under the
influence of Greek class room-style teach ing Christians b ecame the stud ents of professors (or teaching pastors) mastering
subjects. Today we need to discover again the Hebraic model of being disciples of masters, who will help us to change
our lives through their example. We need to learn not only to disciple people one-on-one, but to disciple whole group s,
streets, gangs, villages, towns, cities, people groups and nations.
10. Planting Networks of churches - Jesus has instructed and commissioned his disciples to go and find "houses of
peace" that are open for the gospel of the Kingdom because God has already prepared them. The disciples where to move
in and to establish His presence b y sharing lives f or a short while w ith those ready to re ceive the King dom (Lk. 10:7 ). In
the early days this became the main way of starting churches, the family of God on earth, and it will again be so a the end
of time: workers will go out 2 by 2, and rather than inviting people to join their church, they literally bring the church to the
people by planti ng it into househ olds and group s that would be o pen for it.
The P racticalitie s of Pe rsona l Disciple ship
Needless to say (especially after reading the ten principles above) the practical outworking of personal discipleship means
different things to different people. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church and leader of the Evangelical Awakening
in Eng land in the 1 700 s, es tablis hed “rules ” or “D irectio ns” f or pe rson al disc iplesh ip gro ups called “Ban d So cietie s” with in
the Methodist Church. These “Band Societies” consisted of 2 or 3 believers who”banded” together to encourage each other
and to ho ld one anot her a cco unta ble in areas of personal discipleship (You can view Wesley’s “rules” for the “band” societies
and the “United” societies on our website at www.parousianetwork.com by clicking on House Church Resources and
following the Wesley links). The purpose of this section is not to endorse 18 th Century Methodist rules of dis ciples hip (o r their
contempo rary equivalen ts), but to demonstrate that the Church’s understanding of the nature & requirements of personal
disc iplesh ip have varied over time. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to pursue personal discipleship . Each of us must
discover what it m eans fo r ourselve s to be C hrist’s discip le. W hat we w ant to offer here is an outline of those elements of
biblical discipleship that Scripture teaches and the Church has discove red to be timeles s. How you incorp orate the m into
your own walk with God on a daily basis is up to you. Consider the following.
Start With The Three “Pillars of Piety”
Jesus actu ally add ress ed th e nat ure o f per son al disc iplesh ip with His d iscip les. In Matt hew 6:1-1 8 Jes us w arne d His
disciples abou t the d ang er of “prac ticing their r ighte ous nes s” (i.e ., their pers ona l spiritu al disc iplines ) pub licly in order to be
seen by other people. Jesus explained what He meant by giving specific instructions regarding three basic “spiritual
disciplines”: giving alms, praying, and fasting. These three spiritual disciplines have been referred to as “the three pillars
of Jewish piety” and were expected of every pious Jew. Notice, Jesus did not attempt to abolish these practices. Instead
He gave His disciples instructions on their proper exercise & observance:
O Charita ble Giving - In 6:1-4 Jesus gave His disciples instructions regarding personal acts of c harity (the
giving of alms to the poor). Let’s place this in today’s terms. In a traditional church of say 300 people on a
Sunday morning you could go through the entire service, probably for weeks on end, without ever knowing
that four pews away from whe re you are s inging and w orsh iping G od sit s an in dividu al or a fam ily in deep
financial distress with pressing needs that go unmet. Why? Because, if the truth be told, we are out of touch
with all but a handful of people in the church. Out of a congregation of 300, we might be personally involved
in the lives of how many? Probably less than a dozen (individuals or families). Or about the number of
peo ple in an average house church. Who do you know who is experiencing personal finan cial dif ficulty?
What have you done to help? Or what excuses have you made for not helping?
O Personal Prayer - In 6:5-15 Jesus gave extensive instructions regarding how we should pray. How much
time do you spend in prayer? Prayer was so important in the life and ministry of Jesus that he often spent
who le evenings in prayer (Luke 6:12 ; Mat thew 14:2 3). O n oth er oc cas ions Jes us w ould “ slip away to the
Module 9: Personal Discipleship - Page 173
wilderness and pray” (Luke 5:16). Frequently the disciples would find Jesus alone in prayer (Luke 9:18) or
Jesus would tak e them away for a time of s olitude and prayer (Lu ke 9:28 ). It should come as no surprise
that the discip les w ould e ventu ally ask Jes us, “L ord, te ach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). So, how much time do
you spend in prayer? (For more help on prayer & fasting, see Module 8)
O Devotional Fasting - In 6:16-18 Jesus gave instructions regarding how His disciples (Both then and now)
sho uld fast. W hen was the las t time you sp ent a day, or several days (or longer) fasting and praying for
God ’s Kingdom purposes for your life, your family and your ministry? Jesus expected His disciples to fast
on a reg ular b asis . Joh n W esle y, whom we have referred to on several occasions, fasted two day per week
(every W edn esd ay and Friday, from sunrise until after 3:00 PM) thr ougho ut his life. And he refus ed to
appoint to the Methodist ministry anyone who refused to commit themselves to fast one day every week
(pre fera bly on Friday). F ro m m y own personal study of the history of revival and the role of fasting & prayer
I can tell you that every great revival in the history of the Church has been preceded by earnest and
prolonged periods of fasting and prayer on the part of God’s people. I believe, as Jesus taught, that regular
personal fasting should characterize the devotional life of every disciple.
The implication for personal discipleship is clear: Jesus expected that all of His disciples would regularly practice all three
of these spiritual disciplines. Christ expects His disciples to regularly engage in personal acts of charity (the giving of “alms”
or gifts to the poo r). Simila rly, Jes us ex pec ts His discip les to prac tice re gular pers ona l praye r. Jes us als o exp ects His
disciples to regularly practice personal devotional fasting.
Daily Bible Reading & Study
If the Word of God is really going to be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, then we must make the reading and
study of God’s Word a priority in our personal spiritual disciplines. W hat is your p lan to pers ona lly read & stu dy Go d’s word
on a daily basis?
O If you need a guided reading p rogram , Walk Thru The Bible Ministries offers a monthly Bible reading guide
entitled “The Daily Walk” that will take you through the entire Bible in one year. A subscriptio n to the
mo nthly guide is available from Walk Thru The Bible Ministries. The annual subs cription price for “The
Daily Walk” is $18 per year, and the guides are mailed out monthly. You can order on the web at
www.wa lkthru.org or call them toll free at 1-80 0-868-9 300.
Personal Devotional Journaling
A personal devotional journal is a written record of your discipleship walk with God. Most Christians today do not keep
devotional journ als (much of what we know of John W esley’s personal ministry comes from his extensive journals). We h ave
included a sample journal page entitled “Reflections On My Personal Journey Into The Kingdom of God”. You can make
additional copies to use and begin keeping your own personal discipleship journal of what God is doing in your life and that
of your house church.
Personal Introspe ction, Evaluation & Accoun tability
There is a place in the Christian life, in o ur ow n per son al disc iplesh ip, for pers ona l exam inatio n of w here we ar e in ou r walk
with the L ord. P aul told th e Co rinthia ns, “Test (examine, scrutinize) yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine
yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you - unless you fail the test?” (2
Corinthians 13:5). For this reason we have prepared a series of questions entitled “Kingdom Transformation Groups
Accou ntability Que stion s.” These are questions which you can reflect on a nd ans wer, either alone or w ith one or two other
people, as a means of building personal accountability in your discipleship walk. This also raises the question of who helps
you mend your nets. To whom are you personally accountable?
Getting Started
If the hous e chu rch m ovem ent is to su rvive a nd th rive in the lon g term it will req uire th e act ive ra dica l discip leship of
everyone involv ed. A ny chu rch, w heth er ho use chur ch or traditio nal, is only as strong and vibrant as the spiritual lives of its
members. The famous playwright, George Bernard Shaw (not a Christian), once put these words into the mouth of one of
his charac ters, “You cannot build a marble mansion from a mixture of mud and m anu re.” Shaw was right. And you cannot
build a strong N ew Te stam ent chu rch (of a ny kind) fro m a m ixture of no mina listic profes sing Ch ristians wh o believe th at
genuine personal discipleship is some how “optional.” It isn’t!
, Briefly desc ribe and d iscuss your own unders tanding o f what it m eans to be a “disc iple” of Jes us Ch rist.
, Do you a gree with th e distinction betwee n a “believe r” and a “d isciple”? W hy or why no t?
, What are yo u doin g in you r pers ona l life (no t your ministry activity) to set yourself apart as a genuine disciple of
Jesus? Discuss what “price” you have personally paid in order to be a disciple.
A “Personal Discipleship” Reading List
Bank s, Robe rt J. Redeeming The Routines: Bringing Theology To Life. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic. 2001.
Eisenm an, To m. The Accountable Man. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2004.
Eldredg e, John . Wild at Heart: D iscove ring the Secret of a Man ’s Sou l. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. 2001.
. Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive. Waterville: Thorndike. 2004.
. The Ransomed Heart: A Collection of Devotional Readings. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
2005.
Foster, Richard . Streams of Living W ater: Celebrating The Great Traditions of Christian Faith. San Francisco:
HarperSanFrancisco. 2001.
. Devotional Classics: Selected Readings for Individuals and Groups. San Francisco:
HarperSanFrancisco. 2005.
. Celebration of Discipline, 25 Anniversary Edition. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. 1988.
Murra y, Andrew . The B eliever’s C all To C omm itmen t. Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers. 2005.
Petersen, Jim. Lifestyle Discipleship: The Challenge of Following Jesus in Toda y’s World. Colorado Springs: NavPress
Publishing Group. 1994.
Kingdom Transformation Group
Accountability Questions
A Kingdom Transformation Group is a group of 2 or 3 Christians meeting together once e ach week to sha re what God
is doing in their lives and where they are on their personal journeys into the Kingdom of God. The goal is to pray for God
to visit our homes, our neighbo rhoods and our com mun ity with His trans form ing Pres ence a nd Pow er. The “requirem ent”
that participa nts com mit them selves to meet regularly, come prepared to sh are h one stly ab out w hat G od is d oing in their
lives and to end their time together with prayer for one another and for God to send spiritual rene wal and tra nsform ation to
our c om mu nity.
Questions To Be Discussed At Each Meeting:
1. How have you sensed God’s presence in your life during the past week?
2. Have you receive d a spe cific answ er to your pra yers? W hat was it?
3. Have you spoken with a non-believer about your faith in Jesus Christ? With whom?
4. To whom have you shown God’s love and compassion during this past week? Describe what took place.
5. What have you learned about God in your personal Bible reading this past week?
6. As a result of your Bible reading this past week, how have you determined to better obey God?
7. Specifically, what area of your life or your family do you feel that God most wants to cha nge? W hat specific steps are
you taking to make those changes?
8. W hat good habit do you feel God wants to form in yo ur life or your fa mily’s life? W hat spe cific steps are you tak ing to
develop that habit?
9. W hat spe cific challen ge are you facing in you r life or your fam ily this week, a nd how are you go ing to dea l with it?
10. How has God used you an d your fam ily this week to further His Kingdom in your neighborhood? What role do you see
yourself and your family playing in God’s plan to bring spiritual renewal and transformation to your neighborhood?
11. Someone once said, “You w ill destroy w ith your ch aracter w hat you build with yo ur gift.” How has t his be en tru e in your
life or your family’s life this week?
Additional Questio ns For P ersonal Reflec tion D uring T he W eek (an d discu ssed a s time a llows). The following
questions were first developed by John Wesley when he was a student at Oxford University in the 1700s.
1. Did I consciously or unconsciously create the impression that I am better than I am (in other words, was I a hypocrite)?
2. Was I honest in all my acts and words, or did I exaggerate?
3. Did I confidentially pass on to another what was told me in confidence?
4. Was I a slave to dress, fashion, work or habits?
5. Was I self-conscious, self-pitying or self-justifying?
6. Did the Bible live in me this week?
7. Did I give th e Bib le tim e to s pea k to m e eve ry day?
8. Did I enjoy my times of prayer?
9. Did I speak to someone this week about my faith?
10. Did I pray about the money I spent this week?
11. Did I get to bed on time and get up on time?
12. Did I disobey God in anything this week?
13. D id in ins ist up on do ing so me thing abou t whic h m y cons cien ce w as un eas y?
14. Was I defeated in any part of my life?
15. Was I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful towards anyone this week?
16. How did I spend my spare time?
17. W as I prou d or arrog ant?
18. Did I thank God that I am not as other people, like the Pharisee who despised the publican?
19. W as th ere a nyon e wh om I fear , dislik e, dis own , criticiz e, hold resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I going
to do abo ut it?
20. Did I grumble and complain constantly this week?
21. Was Christ real to me this week?

Reflections On My Personal Journey Into The Kingdom of God
For The Week of:
W here are you at on your personal journey into the Kingdom of God? Use the space below to record Scriptures you are
reading each day, your daily prayer concerns (so you can see later how God answered), a key thought from any devotional
ma terial yo u are read ing, a nd w hat yo u belie ve G od is s aying t o you a bou t your jo urne y for th at da y.
Monday:
W hat Scrip ture Am I Readin g Tod ay?:
W ho & W hat A m I P raying For T oda y?:
W hat Is My D evotiona l Reading Toda y?:
What Am I H earing F rom God T oday?:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
W hat Am I Hearing From God T oday?:

Thursday:
Friday (Fastin g Day ):
Saturday/Sunday:
What Scripture Am I R eading T oday?:
A Summary Of What I Heard From God Th is Week
What Did I Hear From God This Week?

What Answer To Prayer Did I See This Week?
What Person Or Ministry Did I Help This Week?
Who Did I Share The Gospel With This Week?
W ho D id I En cou rage This W eek W ith A W ord, N ote O r Call?
Module 10
A House Church Man ifesto

“Toward An Apostolic Strategy For Rapidly Multiplying House Churches In Spokane”
Module 10: A House Church Manifesto
“Toward An Apostolic Strategy For Rapidly Multiplying House Churches In Spokane”
“Now Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower.’ So Ahab went up to eat and drink.
But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he crouched down on the earth, and put his face between his knees. And he said to his
servant, ‘Go up now, look toward the sea.’ So he went up and looked and said, ‘There is nothing. And he said, ‘Go back’ seven times.
And it came about at the seventh time, that he said, ‘Behold, a cloud as small as a man,s hand is coming up from the sea.’ And he said,
‘Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’‘ So it came about in a little while,
that the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. Then the hand of the
Lord was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and outran Ahab to Jezreel.” (1 Kings 18:41-46)
“The S ound Of The Roar of A H eavy Sh ower”
In the Spring of 2005 the house church community in Spokane was blessed to have a weekend conference with Wolfgang
Simson. I have spent considerable time since Wolfgang’s visit mulling and praying over the th ings he sh ared , but p articu larly
the need for a regional strategy for how we are going to see the planting and rapid multiplication of 10,000 new house
churches in the greater Spokane (Eastern Washington - Northern Idaho) area. To assist those interested in the house
church mov eme nt to better understand what God is doing both locally and around the world, we have posted all of the
Wolfgang Conference sessions on our website at parousianetwork.com. I hope that you will avail yourself of that resource.
As I have listened an d reflecte d on W olf’s com men ts, I have been particularly struck by two things. First, I was struck by
a question, “How do we prepare for a spiritual wildfire?” (i.e., a genuin e outpou ring of G od’s Sp irit in revival). Second, I was
struck by Wolf’s discussion of the need for a “locally birthed” apostolic strategy (what he referred to as a “Dom ino Strategy”)
for seein g a loc al m ovem ent o f rap idly mu ltiplying hous e chu rche s wh ich, o ver tim e, wo uld re sult in the planting of upwards
of 10,0 00 ne w ho use chur che s in our area. I was also encouraged by an e-mail I received (just as I was beginning to pen
the following thoughts) from fellow house church planter John White in Denver regarding a regional house church strategy
for the Denver area. It suggests to me that God is moving many people in the same direction, which is usually what happens
when God is opening a new season for His church.
Most of us are overly familiar with the story of Elijah on Mt. Carmel, but I will try to make this interesting. Starting in verse
41 of Ch apte r 18 (a fter th e wh ole “p roph ets o f Baa l” and “fire fr om heav en” in cide nt) Elij ah re ceive d and gave a pro phe tic
word regarding a coming rain storm, which would end the 3-year drought which Elijah had prophesied som e 3 years earlier.
Elijah “kne w-tha t-he- kne w” tha t this drought breaking storm was com ing. H is pro blem was a com plete lack of an y tang ible
confirmation. So, b eing t he pr oph et an d m inistry le ade r that h e wa s, Elija h sen t his p oor lo ng-s uffe ring s erva nt on a clim b
up Mt. Carmel in search of the promised but elusive rain storm. But alas, no clouds, no storm and no confirmation. But Elijah
was persisten t. “Go ba ck,” he instructed. But six hot, dusty & tiring trips up Mt. Carmel later, still no sign of the coming storm .
By the end of trip #6 up the mountain the servant was probably thinking, “This guy is nuts, I’m exhausted and if He tells me
to do this one more time I may just have to bury his body up here and tell eve rybody it was an u nfortuna te climbing acciden t!”
(Trust me, it’s all in the nuance of the Hebrew footnotes!).But then, on trip numb er seve n, he saw it. “Behold, a cloud as
small as a man ’s hand is co ming up from the sea.” Finally, tangible c onfirm ation of a p rophetic p rom ise.
Do yo u see it? C an you see the c loud yet?
Prophesying revival has become a cottage industry in our day, much of which needs to be held lightly. But that caveat not
withstanding, the Pacific Northwest lives beneath a blanket of reliable prophetic promises that a genuine mo ve of God ’s Sp irit
is com ing. M any pe ople, mys elf included , have in rec ent m onths h eard in ou r spirits wha t Elijah hear d in his, “the sound of
the roar of a heavy show er.” But it has been a long journey, a tough climb, and many of us ar e fee ling so me wha t like E lijah’s
poor long-suffering servant must have felt around trip #6 up the mountain.
W e have been holding a house church prayer and worship gathering every Wednesday evening since last December. Our
purpose has s imp ly been to gather, to worship and to pray, and to invite & welc om e Go d’s P rese nce . One of the prop hetic
peo ple in our me eting rece ntly ha d a co nver satio n with a cou ple (w ho ar e not involved in house church, but are gifted
prop hetic intercessors). “W hat a re the se ‘rive r hou ses ’ I keep hear ing fro m the Holy Spirit? ” she asked my prophetic friend.
When he shared this with me I could n’t he lp but laugh . The Lord had t old m e m onth s ago that th e com ing m ove o f His Spirit
wou ld be an ou tpou ring o f the R iver o f Eze kiel 4 7 in great po wer wh ich would flow throu gh hou se chu rches: “river houses”
if you will. What she was hearing was confirmation of wha t I had been hear ing an d tea chin g. Th e Riv er of God ’s Sp irit is
about to flow, and hous e chu rche s are the c han nel H e plan s to flo w thro ugh . As a n inte restin g “sid e not e,” this woman and
her husb and are p art of the p erso nal int erce sso ry praye r team for th e sen ior pa stor o f a m ega chu rch in our a rea. R ece ntly,
the Lord gave the husba nd a pro phetic wo rd for this P astor: “A m ove of the Spirit is com ing.”
Do yo u see it? C an you see the c loud yet?
So, where is all of this going, you ask? When Wolf challenged us with the vision of 10,000 house churches in our area I was
ske ptica l, treating it lightly like a certain degree of “house church hype.” But since then I have sensed the Holy Spirit giving
birth to so me thing mu ch big ger th an m e (or W olf). I s ee it. I c an se e the cloud . It is a c loud no bigger than a man’s hand
rising up out of God’s great prophetic sea. It is a promise of thousands of house churches through whic h the Rive r of G od’s
Spirit will flow in great power in the coming season.
I see it. Do you? I can see the cloud. Can you?

I hear “the sou nd of the ro ar of a hea vy sho wer.” Do you?
Are you ready for what’s coming? “Then the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and h e girded u p his loins . . .”
Gird yourself up and get ready to run!
14 Propositions (And 1 Caveat) Toward An Apostolic Strategy for Rapidly Multiplying House Churches
Let m e begin w ith the cave at (that’s La tin for “warn ing”). W hen it com es to strategies and methodo logies beware of what
I call “the Finney fallacy.” Charles Grandison Finney, the great 19 th Century Presbyterian evangelist declared that reviva l is
sim ply the result of the right use of the right means. Finney implemented, in a systematic way, new methods of presenting
the gospe l which we re bless ed with impressive results. But he fell into the logical fallacy of “post hoc, procter hoc” (roug hly,
“after the e vent, beca use of the even t”). H ere’s how it works: 1) We create and implement a strategy, 2) God blesses and
a revival breaks out, 3) THEREFORE, we conclude that the revival broke out as a result of our brilliant strategy. This
explains our all-too-human tendency to assign causality to our brilliant methods & strategies. In Finney’s case, he assumed
that the revivals which broke out under his ministry were the result of his methodology (ther eby as sign ing ca usa lity to his
great method which, of course, anyone could then reproduce and create their own revival). In reality Finney was the
beneficiary of a season when the River of God’s Spirit was flowing in great power. Finney could have preached from the New
England phone directory and gotten the same results (sic) - because the revival wasn’t about the method, or even the
mes senge r, it was abo ut the Rive r.
Does God give us strategies which He then blesses with great

fruitfulness? Of course he does. Is a brilliant strategy a pre- Thou Who Camest From Above
requisite to God’s blessing? No. Just ask John Wesley. Following Charles Wesley
his Aldersgate experience and the birth of an evangelical
message, Anglican churches throughout England began closing THOU who camest from above
their doors and pulpits to We sley (an ordained Anglican priest). The pure celestial fire to impart,
Fina lly, at the urging of his friend, George Whitefield (who had Kindle a flame of sacred love
gotten the same reception), and out of a certain degree of
On the mean altar of my heart!
desperation born of no alternative, Wesley began preaching in the
fields, streets and squares of England. When he preached his first
There let it for thy glory burn
open air message to the miners of Kingswood Colliery in, it was With inextinguishable blaze;
not the result of strategic research on the spiritual strongholds of And trembling to its source return,
the coal mining industry or on the social and economic bondages In humble prayer and fervent praise.
of the miners. No. It was the passionate an d desperate act of a Jesus, confirm my heart's desire
man who se he art ha d bee n set ablaz e wit h heavenly fire that no To work, and speak, and think for thee;
strategy could contain or explain. The words of his brother Charles Still let me guard the holy fire,
W esley, see n in the text b ox to your rig ht, expre ssed it be st::
And still stir up thy gift in me;
Let’s agree now that we will be willing to trade all the strategies
Ready for all thy perfect will,
and plans of men for one burning coal, one divine spark from My acts of faith and love repeat,
God ’s altar that w ould kindle such an inextinguishable blaze in the Till death thy endless mercies seal,
hearts of our generation. And make the sacrifice complete.
O. K., with that c avea t firm ly lodge d in ou r think ing, le t’s talk
strategies. During his time with us in Spokane Wolfgang Simson
shared something he called a Nine Step Domino Strategy which represented the core of a regional strategy for pla ntin g
rapid ly multiplying house churches (You can hear Wolf’s presentation of these nine steps in greater detail in the Saturday
session from the Conference). These nine steps have sp arked som e serious thought a nd reflec tion on m y part. I believe
it is time for us to stop debating semantics (house church, institutional church, emerging church, simple church, open church,
etc.) and focus our atten tion o n wh at it m ean s to B E the chur ch, to plant chur che s, an d to re prod uce chur che s. Th is
“Manifesto” represents my thoughts on a regional house church planting strategy that embodies Wolf’s nine steps, but also
modifies and expands them into 14 “Propositions” (the first nine are Wolf’s with my modifications, while the rest are my
contribution). I offer these, not as a “finished product” but as propositions for further discussion and ac tion. I look forward
to seeing what ad ditional ideas these m ay spark in your m ind.
Proposition # 1: We need to seek out those in our region who are carrying an apostolic mandate for house church planting.
W e need to put out a n “apos tolic call” to thos e peop le who are carrying the “John K nox” bu rden for our area in relation to
Module 10: A House Church Manifesto - Page 183
house churches. These are NOT the leaders of significant ministries today who are already “locked in” to an existing non-
house church paradigm. Rather these people will emerge from wilderness experiences, from beneath rock piles, or from
the sea shore where they have recently floated ashore on pieces of the last para digm that fa iled. T hes e sho uld be peop le
who have successfully completed Wolfgang’s “5 Steps of Apostolic Migration” (see Module 1) and who are genuine apostles
of the house church paradigm and other related forms of “chu rch w ithou t walls .” W hy is th is im porta nt? B eca use the “S aul’s
of Tarsus” must die completely to their old paradigms and what has come before and experience an “apostolic conversion”
to house church befo re the y are p repa red to beco me the “A pos tle Pauls” of the new paradigm. In addition, they must also
link up with the rest of the 5-Fold Ministry, which we will discuss under Proposition 7. Who do you know who is carrying such
a burden? Are you one of them? Our challenge as a movem ent is to identify & call out these “John Knox” people,
distin guis hing betw een thos e wh o are genu ine an d tho se w ho ar e not . As o f this w riting, J ohn W hite & his co -labo rers in
Denver are hoping to launch a year long research project to identify every apostolic church planter in Colorado. “Hum anly
speak ing,” says John, “these ‘sent ones’ are the key to the harvest. To use Wolfgang's words, we want to "pour oil" on these
folks.”
Proposition # 2: We need to train up as many harvest workers as possible. This pro position co nfronts us with two important
question s.
‘ First, where are these harvest workers going to come from? My first thought was that they would not be
coming from existing non-house church paradigm s. If they were not harvest workers in their prev ious
paradigm, wha t (bes ides an ap osto lic conversion) will make them harvest workers in the new paradigm?
When I shared the first version of this “Manifesto” with fellow house church planter Jo hn W hite of Denver
he h ad so m e challenging thoughts: “We are seeing a growing number of traditional church people (including
pastors) who have been sovereignly and supernaturally prepared to move into house church. The Lord of
the Harvest has spoken to them about this and they are just ready to go. They need a little help but the DNA
takes root quickly and they begin functioning in the new paradigm quickly. (We think [praying Luke]10:2b
has something to do with this.) Perhaps Cornelius is a picture of this . One d ay he w as quite involved with
the synagogue (as a god-fearer) and the next day he was probably leading a house church. He was
prepared for this by two things. First, he was a mature and experienced he ad of a household (oikos).
Second, he and his household had an encounter with the Holy Spirit.” These people, wherever they come
from, must eventually be the products of Apos tolic house church conversions, peop le who have
suc ces sfully completed Wolfgang’s “5 Steps of Apos tolic Migration .” Otherwise they will not embody house
church values (The “house church DNA” described in Module 4). Their values will be those of a n old
exis ting para dig m, o r thos e of a conf eren ce at tend er, bu t not th ose of a h ous e chu rch d iscip le. Th is is
important because both we and they will eventually reproduce who we are , not what we teach.
‘ Second, “What’s the training?” What do we want to equip (a word I like better than “train”) these house
church disciples to do? What’s the job description? W hat’s the m essag e we wa nt them to com mun icate
and what gifting is necessary. We should be clear that the greatest “equipping” that any house churc h
disc iple will ever rece ive is their own dedicate d participation in a healthy, vibrant house church itself.
Personal modeling is the best equipping! House church disciples and harvest workers must be equipped
for planting house churches by living and modeling a reproducible house church paradigm. How can they
reproduce and plant what they don’t practice on an ongoing basis? House church isn’t a class, book,
course, conf eren ce, s em inar o r tech nique . It is BE ING the c hurc h on a daily b asis; the living out of Ac ts
2:42-47. And the living out of the paradigm is itself an equipping experience for reproducing it elsewhere.
That being said, there are some excellent house church equipping courses being developed, including the
“Org anic Church Planters’ Greenhouse” developed by Neil Cole and Paul Kaak and available through
Churc h Multiplication Assoc iates (go to www.C MA.or g).
Proposition # 3: We need to cre ate c hurc h plan ting te ams of up to 4 pe ople each, to act as a quick response team to plant
a house church within 24-to -48 hou rs of som eone c oming to Christ. I want to expand on Wolf’s point here, and take it beyond
only planting a house church at the point of conversion. We m ust become a movem ent which “plants-and- teaches-to-the-
mom ent,” and t his m u st al so be co m e an “equipping” value. Here’s what I mean. God arranges “teachable moments” in the
life of an individual or a family (even an extended oikos) when He so works in their lives (through an answered prayer, a
conversion, a dem onic delive ranc e, a fa mily reco nciliat ion, th e bre akin g of a drug addic tion, e tc.) th at the resu lt is a unique
openness on th eir pa rt to th e thin gs of the K ingdo m a nd ho sting a hou se c hurc h gat herin g in their home. This in turn opens
an oppo rtunity f or tea chin g (wh at I ca ll “affective” learning because it involves their “affections”) about the Kingdom of God
and wha t a ho use chur ch ex pres sion of the King dom is all a bout. W olf is right. We m ust move quickly to embrace and
max imize such teachable moments and turn them into opportunities to plant house churches in receptive and f ertile s oil.
By so doing (rather than simply inviting them to “go to church” with us somewhere else) we embody, model and teach
another important house church value, namely, the value which declares, “Not In Mine (i.e., my house) But Yours” (NIMBY
for short). We must take the Kingdom of God to where people are; rather than trying (in vain) to c onvince them to com e with
us to another place. W e must m odel and teach them the reality that there is no p lace mo re ho ly, sacred and worshipful than
their own living room if God is in it!
Proposition # 4: W e need to create a regional co-ordination “hub” to co-ordinate between new converts and church
planters. O.K., I’m not really sure about this one. I’m not sure what the purpose is here, and w hy, in re ality, this isn’t s imp ly
one of the roles of the 5-Fold ministry gifts whose responsibility it is to overs ee th e life of the va rious hou se chu rches. I
dislike extra layers of bureaucracy, and that’s what this o ne fe els lik e. Ma ybe so me one can e duc ate m y ignor anc e on t his
one, but till then I’ll move on without comment or discussion.
Proposition # 5: We need to establish clear discipleship standards. W olf made an insightful comment when he observed
that, “We always multiply w ho we are, NO T wha t we teac h.” Or as Graham Cook once observed, “You will destroy with your
character what yo u build with y our gift.” Person ally, I believe that the challenge here is to impart biblical character (sexual
purity, integ rity, hon esty, C hrist- liken ess , cha rity, benevolence, prayer & fasting, etc.) in our discipleship without devolving
into “Chr istian legalis m,” an ins idious form of ps eud o-sa nctific ation whic h per petra tes a lie that holiness is achieved through
rule-keeping (“I don’t dance, smoke, drink or chew or run around with girls who do”) and attempts to place us in outward
control of what should be God’s inward process of Spiritual transformation in the life of an individual. Herein lies the
importance of treating personal discipleship as a m entorin g rela tions hip in w hich a m ore m ature discip le m ode ls wh at it
means to grow in Christ by “mending one another’s nets,” rather than treating discipleship as a program wh ich can be
suc ces sfully acc om plishe d via a twelve wee k “dis ciples hip co urse ” (Are suc h cou rses good and h elpful? Yes! Are they
sufficient to produce genuine discipleship? NO!). This is not a “moot” point. An experienced leader in the house churc h
movement recently observed that there are two leading causes of conflict and failure among house churches. According
to this person, the two top causes are:
Immature leade rship - This means that the leader (or one of the leaders) of a house church is spiritually immature (often
resulting from a lack of experience). When a crisis eventually occurs within the house churc h (as crises usually do), the
leader’s immaturity causes the crisis to be poorly handled with the result that the house church is seriously dam aged,
compromised or even destroyed.
Legalism - Legalism is often a manifestation of a controlling spirit and usually stems from an unbalanced understanding of
God and how he works in people’s lives. For a leg alist, pleasing God means creating and adhering to a carefully crafted set
of rules whic h con trol pe rson al beh avior and r esu lt in “ho liness .” W hen a cris is eve ntua lly arises a legalist is unable to “let
go” or to resolve it on any terms other than his (or her) set of “rules”. The result is often wounded people and a splintered
church.
Ultim ately, both ma turity (o r imm aturity) and legalism are issue s of d iscip lesh ip wh ich ca n only b e dea lt with b y wha t I call
“per son al m ento ring o n the find a rt of m end ing ne ts,” on e of th e callin gs an d fun ction s of th e 5-F old m inistry.
Proposition # 6: We need to p rovide inn er healing & delivera nce m inistry to new conve rts in order to heal or cut off past
dem onic influences. Yes! And such ministry should be a regular, normal and on-going aspect of the ministry of our house
churches. Jesus’ instructions to His disciples were that they should preach the Kingdom, heal the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers and cast out demons(Matthew 10:7-8). But much of the traditional church has chased such functions out
of the normal life of the church. The result is that “para-church” ministries have arisen to fulfill the very ministry functions
that should have been occurring in the daily life of the church. I believe that every house church express ion of ekk lesia and
the King dom of G od sh ould be a place where all of these things take place as a normal and regular part of ministry. To send
peo ple somewhere else other than to a house church for these ministries is to subtly model and teach that such needs
cannot be m et in the house church. I believe this represents the “Balkanizing” of the church, dividing the work of the church
up into competing “religious franchises.” One group has the “healing franchise”, while another has the “deliverance franchise”
and still another has the “prophetic” franchise. As a result the Kingdom of God now appears to consist of a string of religious
franchises, and we are now som ehow “obligated” to send people to those “franchises” in order to receive sim ple ministry
which should be taking place in the house church. Can’t people receive healing in a house church, or deliverance, or
prop hetic min istry, or biblica l teac hing, or fina ncia l coun seling ? Isn ’t this p recis ely the issue Paul dealt with in 1 Corinthians
12:28-3 0, “And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teache rs, then m iracles, the n gifts
of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they?
All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do
not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?” Paul’s point is that all these gifts function within the church,
the ekk lesia o f the N .T., w hich is always a reference to house churches! Want to get healed? Skip the healing rooms and
c om e to a house church meeting and let them pray for you. That’s what Paul is teaching us here. So, here’s my conclusion.
If we are ever to see a genu ine ho use chur ch m ovem ent in our c ity, one of the thing s tha t mu st ha ppe n is we mu st EN D this
Balkanizing and f ranc hising of the King dom of G od an d we mu st be gin declaring that there is no ministry function o r activity
which c annot or should n ot occu r within the co ntext of a simple house church mee ting.
Proposition # 7: We need to e mbrac e a genu ine 5-Fo ld ministry o f gifted apos tles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and
teache rs and e ncoura ge them to function as teams and to multiply themselves strategically. In addition to Proposition #1
and the raising up of the Apostolic, we need to encourage and facilitate the formation of 5-fold teams which work and
function together and e xerc ise their giftings among the growing network of house churches. The 5-Fold needs to model
among themselves the House Church values they seek to teach and impart to the House Churches. Simply put, how can
they promote the unity of the body in the bond of peace if they themselves are not unified. To facilitate this we need a regular
“School of the 5-Fo ld” in w hich the 5 -Fold Ministry peo ple interac t with one a nother a nd learn h ow to com plim ent e ach othe r’s
unique gift and calling for the greater edification (building up) of the church. House churches, on the other hand, including
their elders and deacons, need to acknowledge the validity of and the need for this m inistry and invite th e 5-Fold team s to
visit them on a r egu lar ba sis and impart God’s heart, strategy, vision, encouragement and teaching. 5-Fold people without
house churches are like generals without armies. W hile house churches without the m inistry of the 5-Fold giftings are like
companies of soldiers without strategic instruction or equipping on where they fit in the greater battle plan for our city and
our region. And the 5-Fold ministry teams, as they visit and interact with the various house churche s, need to be looking for,
calling out, raising up and anointing new 5-Fold teams, thereby multiplying the leadership for the next phase of church
growth. Felicity Dale shared a cautionary observ ation rega rding 5-fo ld ministry tea ms w hich des erves a ttention: “Ob viou sly
the 5 different ministries functioned in the NT, but I am not convinced they functioned in 5-fold teams, at least not as a set
and permanent team. I am concerned if we build a doctrine or practice on a single verse. Maybe my caution comes from
our experiences in the UK where we saw such teams formed across the nation and becoming a source of division in what
was then kno wn as the hous e churc h mov emen t (I am of Pa ul, I am of C ephas etc.). All the differe nt house churches
belonge d ‘under’ one 5 -fold ministry team o r anothe r. In the NT , it appears to be a much more fluid thing, and maybe that
is what you are meaning. A prophet was neede d, and A gabus happe ned to be around .” Felic ity’s co nce rn is v alid. P eop le
tend to polarize around personalities. Part of any “Sch ool of the 5 -Fold ” sho uld inc lude s pec ific cautions against this type
of “I am of Cephas” thinking, which I believe is the responsibility of the 5-Fold to recognize and teach against. The idea of
“fluid ity” is also good, sort of a 5-Fold “mix and match” approach to teaming up with various gifted people. One of the
purposes of the “School of the 5-Fold” would be to build a degree of “working trust” among various 5-Fold people which can
only come about by spending time together, praying together and sharing each other’s lives. You can read more regarding
our perspective on the role of the 5-Fold ministry in Module 7 under “Leadership: Who ’s In Charge Here Anyway?” and in
Appendix A in our Article “Of Ser vants, F ools and Kings.”
Proposition # 8: We need to create a financial structure built upon Apostolic values and principles to fund the emerging
work. Here our house churches must both teach and model radical sacrificial GIVING as well as a lifestyle of radical
sacrificial LIVING! Why should people be motivated to GIVE radically if others are not willing to LIVE radically. I am not yet
convinced that all new converts in the New Testament brought all their wealth to the Apostles and then lived on whatever
the Apostles and dea cons th ought w as ade quate. I am not convinced that Scripture teaches this as a normative lifestyle,
therefore I am reluctant to build a house church funding structure on a the ologic ally sus pec t teac hing w hich could lend its elf
to great ab use an d harm to the house church movement (the wisdom of com bining mo ney, c ontro l and c oerc ion - “T his is
God ’s will for you” - is questionable at best). But I am fully convinced that the New Testament teaches and the early church
practiced both radical sacrificial GIVING and radical sacrificial LIVIN G. A fter re viewin g m y initial dr aft of this “Manifesto” Tony
Dale had this re flection on this issue o f mon ey and fina ncing m inistry: “We need a g rowing m aturity to understand how the
Holy Spirit wants us to fund ministry that impacts the region/nation, and that are not merely the outgrowth of one local home
church or home chur ch ne twor k. I do n’t kno w if the re is a sens e of u nity o n this issue yet among leaders of these emerging
mov eme nts.”
Proposition # 9: We need to create a network of Christian professionals. A couple of years ago my late friend Kriste n
Grace (in whose home the Kansas City Metro Fellowship began with Mike Bickle, Bob Jones, et. al.) believed she heard God
saying that the various ministries in our region should re-organize themselves into “m inistry hubs” of related ministries which
would come together as “networks” or “coalitions” of co-operating ministries. Unfortunately, because it didn’t “fit” with the
prev ailing plan and represented a dec entralization of the then-existing power structure, both Kristen and her vision were
polite ly received, co-opted and dismissed. The coalition or network never materialized as envisioned. But the need for such
network s rem ains. I believe that two types of netwo rks are neede d.
‘ “The Spokane Blessing Network” - This first network is a network of Christian m inistries which have
unique services and res ources to offer to the body of Christ (including many services and/or resources
which the individual house churches cannot provide for themselves). We have begun form ing th is network
and it is now available on line at www.parousianetwork.org (Click on “T he S pok ane Bles sing Netw ork” in
the left hand site menu).
‘ “The Spokane Market Place Transformation Network” - This second network is a network of
professional people within the greater Market Place, and I will address this more fully under Proposition #
10.
Both of these networks should have an internet presence consisting of a home page which lists organizations, people,
ministries or businesses by category with links to individual web pages which would include a photograph of the person &
location, a brief summary of specific services they provide and needs they are equipped to meet, and their contact
information. Both of these networks sh ould include doctors, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors, debt counselors,
business people, politicians and m edia peo ple, to integra te the trans form ation proc ess into the lar ger c om mu nity, to e xpla in
it to the public and t o give it public cred ibility.
Proposition # 10: We need a m ulti-pronged regional strategy for planting house churches and other alternative forms of
Churches without walls. John White of Denver points out that any such strategy should include four components:
‘ Clarity about the en d result - Where are we going? What does the product we are seeking to achieve
look like. To my thinking this means that we are clear on our purpose of produ cing disciples who are
meeting as house churches and other forms of churches without walls and who possess a kingdom vision
to reproduce themselves and to transform their particular “oikos” (i.e., extended family or sphere of
influence).
‘ Clarity about m y personal assign ment - W hat are m y gifts and w here do they (and I) fit into what God
is doing. What has God gifted and called me to do ? Joh n W hite g oes on to say, “I'm thinking more about
the John K noxer k ind of thinking here. ‘Give me Sc otland or I d ie!’ What part of the harvest am I called to?
Cou ld be large (a whole country) or small (my block). Could be geography (the state of Co lorad o) or c ould
be a people group (all of the Russian speakers). The text doesn't say this but when Jesus send the 72
‘ahead of him to ev ery tow n and pla ce wh ere he w as abo ut to go’ (Lk. 10 :1), I think he ga ve th em s pec ific
assignments. "You two go to Capernaum. You to Jericho. Etc." We nee d to be clear about our ministry
assignm ents.”
‘ Clarity about the starting point - John W hite (a nd m any ot hers ) sug ges ts tha t the s tarting point is Luke
10:2b, “And (J esus) w as say ing to them , ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore
beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out labore rs into His h arvest.” It is hard to arg ue with the strength
or importance of that verse. But it seems to beg a question about a prior point. Who is supposed to do the
praying? Answer: a cadre of comm itted d iscip les w ho ha ve ac cep ted J esu s six com ma nds foun d in
Matthew 10:7-8 (the parallel passage to Luke 10). Here they are: Preach the Kingdom, heal the sick, raise
the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons & freely give. So, what’s our starting point? Which comes
first, the committed disciple who has accepted the commission of discipleship as given by Je sus, or the
praying disciple wh o is ask ing God for mo re harve st work ers. Or is n’t the starting point a recognition by the
individual believer that God is calling him or her into a life of radical discipleship in the Kingdom of God.
Who, other than radical disciples, will be willing to pray such prayers or enter into the labor of such a
harves t?
‘ Clarity about m y partner - This asks the ques tion, “W ith whom has G od called me to labor.” While Jesus
did indeed send disciples out by twos, we also see a pattern in the New Testament of 5-Fold ministry teams
which labor together. Where are the people, and where is the team, that God has called me to labor with?
Now, the goal of this multi-pronged strategy should be to see the spiritual transformation of our region through the
transformation of those major areas where people naturally spend their time:
The Transformation of Our Neighborhood
‘ W e need to identify the “neighborhoods” of ou r com mu nity. Ho w m any dis cern able a nd ide ntifiab le
neighborhoods are th ere? W hat a re the ir boundaries? What is the unique character of each neighborhood
that distinguishes it from the others?
‘ W e need to offer a simple reproducible concept for becoming a reproducible house church and then
planting a reproducible house church on every block in that neighborhood. W e are calling our re prod ucib le
house church conce pt “Safe Hous es of H ope & P rayer.”
‘ W e need a strate gy for plant ing re prod ucib le hou se c hurc hes in eve ry iden tifiable neigh borh ood in our city.
This strategy should include:
- Asking God to raise up one or mo re “persons of peace” to host a house church gathering in each
neighborhood. Again, Jo hn W hite’s obse rvations a re helpfu l on this point: “Amen to this! One thing
we must be clear about is the nature (definition) of a ‘person of peace’ (how do you know when you
have one?). Some teach that this is any person who is open to the message and who has some
influence (positive or negative). In this way of thinking, the woman at the well in John 4 would be
a ‘perso n of p eac e’. This wou ld lead us to try an d plan t a ch urch in the home of anyon e who meets
Christ. The result of this has been lots of churches being planted but also of many of them dying
fairly quickly because of the immaturity of the new leader. My belief is that we must understand
‘person of peace’ in the context of the First Century Jewish culture. Shalom implies ‘wholeness,
health an d m atu rity ’. So, the ‘person of peace’ may not be a believer but they are a mature person
who is probably an experienced hea d of a household (Cornelius is a good ex ample). I can't prove
it but I suspect that Paul is describing a ‘person of peace’ in 1 Tim. 3. All of this means that we
might plant fewer churches initially but they will be much healthier and will have a much better
chanc e of repro ducing. T his also s hapes the way we pra y [Luke ]10:2b.”
- Prayer walking and anointing the boundaries of each neighborhood (I personally like to drive stakes
with appropriate scripture verses attached into the corners of the “target area” and anointing them
with oil symbo lizing the anoin ting which breaks the yoke, and juice symbolizing the blood which
redeems ).
The Transformation of Our Market Place
‘ W e need to see Market Place Ministry as an important opportunity to reach nearly 100% of the population
where they spend some 30% of their time. This m inistry outreac h shou ld be und erstood as an op portunity
to connect with people an d to e ventu ally plan t hou se c hurc hes and o ther “ chu rche s with out w alls” w ithin
their oikos.
‘ W e need a Market Place ministry to professionals in the Market Place which has as its goal, not the raising
of mo ney or financial resources, but the birthing of a Kingdom vision for a spiritual wildfire in the Market
Place and the eventual spiritual transformation of the Market Place and our Community. To do otherwise
is to reduc e Mark et Place m inistry to nothing more than a glor ified fund-r aising pro ject.
‘ W e need to create an internet-based network ing resource hub (which we a re calling the Spokane Market
Place Transformation Network) to intentionally co-ordinate Christian business and prof ess ional p eop le in
the Market Place. We currently have such an internet-based networking hub under construction which you
can see at www.marketplaceprayer.org.
‘ W e need one or more Market Plac e m inistry lo catio ns in vario us M arke t Plac e loca tions throu gho ut the city,
to serve as a hub of personal ministry to those who work in or visit the Market Place (Som ething sim ilar to
“The Mars Hill Café” ministry that Kevin and Lisa Crouse are developing in Australia or “The Service
Station” in Spokane, W ashington).
The Transformation of “The Academy”
‘ This aspect of comm unity transformation was left out of my original draft of this “Manifesto.” This was an
oversight on my part, probably due to being 25 years removed from my last co llege m inistry assign men t!
But it is an important aspect of house church ministry. The future of the church is, in many ways, in the
hands of those under the age of 25, and a significant number of thes e potential house church planters are
in school (“The Academy”). I am still thinking and praying about this one, so in the mean time, take a
mom ent to visit ww w.cam pusch urch.ne t on the intern et.
Proposition # 11: W e nee d a co nsis tent m ess age to ou r com mu nity tha t is biblically derived, Kingdom oriented, power
driven and relevant to our Post-Christian Post Modern cultu re. T his m ess age shou ld probably include a call for the spiritual
and prac tical tra nsfo rm ation of the vario us s ecto rs of our c om mu nity.
Proposition # 12: W e nee d a lon g-ter m c om mitm ent to dedic ated fastin g & p rayer for G od’s bless ing fo r this strate gy. Th is
could include:
‘ A regular (weekly) time of worship, prayer, intercession and seeking God for His will and purposes
regarding the h ous e chu rch m ovem ent in our area. In keeping with g ood hous e chu rch p ractic e this shou ld
take place in a home (we must model house church values in all we do). Eventually there should be such
a gath ering in eve ry neig hbo rhoo d of th e city w ith each gat herin g foc usin g prim arily (bu t not e xclu sively)
upon the unique needs of that particular neighborhood.
‘ A regular (and therefore consistent) time of prayer and fasting for the needs and direction of the house
church movement in our area. I would suggest a region-wide prayer and fasting covenant, the goal of which
would be to set aside one day per week (such as a Friday) to meditate on Scripture ("feed on the W ord")
and to pray for our families, for the churches that meet in our homes, for our neighborhoods, for the needs
of those around us, and abo ve all, to ask our Sovereign God to turn our house churches into the new
channel where the River of His Spirit will be poured out and will flow in great power and blessing!
Proposition # 13: We need to create an informa tion hub tha t is widely and easily accessible as a place of news,
inform ation, netw orking, s haring ne eds & b lessings , asking question s, etc.
‘ W e need an internet we bsite that is specifically focused on the house church movement in our region and
what God is doin g her e. Ho use chur ch ne twork s with in par ticula r neig hbo rhoo ds c ould have pages devoted
to their neighborhood, meeting times & places, etc.
‘ W e need a house church “blog” where regional house c hurch participants can com municate, share stories,
ask qu estions, e tc. via the intern et.
‘ W e need an on-going area wide radio program that gives the house church movement a public voice and
serves to “normalize” the new paradigm to the general public.
Proposition # 14: We need a city-wide house church gathering (a “Celebration” meeting) on a regular basis. A “stepping
stone” toward this could be the neigh borh ood praye r & wo rship gath ering s. As thes e “co me on line ” and grow they w ould
be logical stepping stones to a larger and regular area wide gathering for the greater house church family in ou r region. In
m y original draf t I sug ges ted a mo nthly “C elebr ation ” eve nt. In re spo nse Ton y Dale of House2House offered good wisdom
on this point: “We would have big questions on the wisdom of having a regional celebration too often, and would say from
our own experience that having such a gathering monthly is way to often. If you do it monthly, it not only takes a huge
amount of time and resources (the sort of thing that traditional Pastors find taking up much of the ir time week by week), but
it also models a type of gathering that will qu ickly be viewed as the norm. The regional gatherings, we believe, need to focus
around the fact that from time to time the Holy Spirit brings along to your region gifted minis tries ( Eph . 4 typ e) tha t it wou ld
be good for everyone to be exposed to. For example, when Wolfgang was in Spokane, that was a regional gathering. But
you only think towards something like that o ne or twice a yea r. I act ually t hink that s ome thing locally (regio nally? ) on a year ly
basis, and then encourage everyone to also support something National (such as a Greenhouse type event, or an H2H type
event) a nnually w ould be e nough (i.e. there w ould be tw o“celeb ratory” eve nts eac h year).”
Seasons of Striving, Seasons of Ceasing & Seasons of Outpouring
I can’t speak for the rest of the world, but Americans (and American Christians) are not particularly or widely known for th eir
hum ility. In a philosophical sense Americans are the spiritual descendants of the Romans, who were lousy philosophers but
great builde rs. Lik e the m, w e love to bu ild things. If architecture is the embodiment of a Spirit, then Americans are possessed
by a “spirit of bign ess”. “Build thee mor e sta tely m ans ions , O m y so ul,” wrote Oliver W endle Holmes . In addition we are
compulsive “doers,” embodied in the phrase, “Don ’t just sta nd th ere, d o som ethin g.”
But King dom value s are often “inve rted” value s. G od of ten te lls His p eop le to “Be still (literally, “Cease striving”), and know
that I am G od.” Th ere is an im portant, an d often o verlook ed point h ere. Go d wants us to take the time to know the difference
between Him and us; between what He does and what we do. As a result, God is NEVER in a hurry. The God who spent
2000 years preparing the w ay for the c om ing of His S on an d wh o sen t Him “in the fullne ss o f tim e,” isn ’t in a hu rry. There
are indee d sea son s wh en G od te lls His peop le to “C eas e striv ing.” S top la borin g. Se ek H im u ntil His face is all you see and
His Presence is all you desire. Take the indispen sable tim e to be qu iet, to worsh ip sacrificially with fa sting, to pra y and to
listen. Suc h “ce asin g” go es ag ains t the g rain o f mo st Am erica n’s (and American Christians) who are incorrigibly compulsive
“doers .” Such seasons of ceasing, of fasting, praying and seeking God are seasons of preparation, and are in disp ens able
to future seasons of blessing. When such seasons of preparation change to seasons of productive obedience God can
accomplish more in two or three years of Spiritual Outpouring than man could have accomplished in twenty years of striving.
Seasons Change. And I now sense this one changing. Are you ready for what’s coming? “Then the hand of the Lord was
on Elijah, an d he girde d up his loins . . .”
Let the R iver flow . . . Re st time is ov er. Gird y ourself up and get re ady to ru n!
Appendix A
Articles Referenced In This Workbook
Appendix A - Articles - Page 191
Pliny and Trajan on the Christians
Editor’s Note: Pliny the Younger was a member of the senatorial class of Rome, a Roman orator and administrator who
achieved a reputation as a prosecutor and defense counsel in political cases, including the defense of two former gove rnors
of the P rovin ce of Bithy nia (in what is now Asia Minor). As an acknowledgment for his services the Emperor Trajan appointed
Pliny the imperial legate and Governor of Bithynia where he served from 111-113 AD. We have a whole set of exchanges
of his letters with the emperor Trajan on a variety of administrative political matters. Two of these letters, 96 and 97, are
the most famous (Pliny, Letters 10.96-97). In Letter 96 Pliny encounters Christianity for the first time and seeks Trajans
advice and app roval of his actions in d ealing with Christians. Pliny’s letter gives us a “snap shot” of the early Church and
its practices as seen and understood by a prominent unbeliever (i.e., the Roman Governor). Trajan’s response in letter 97
contains the first extant statement of imperial policy respecting the treatment of Christians. The paragraph numbers given
below have been inserted by your editor for ease of reference.
Pliny to the Emperor Trajan (Letter 10.96)
1 - 1. It is m y prac tice, m y lord, to refe r to you all m atter s co nce rning whic h I am in doubt. For who can better give
guidance to my he sitation or info rm m y ignoranc e? I have never pa rticipated in trials of Christia ns. I therefore do not know
what offenses it is the practice to pu nish or in vestigate , and to wh at extent. A nd I have been no t a little hesitant as to
whether there should be any distinction on account of age or no difference between the very young and the more mature;
whether pardon is to be granted for repentance, or, if a man has once been a Christian, it does him no good to have ceased
to be one; w hether th e nam e itself, even w ithout offenses, or only the offenses associated with the name are to be
punishe d.
1 - 2. Meanwhile, in the case of those who were denounced to me as Christians, I have observed the following
procedure: I interrogated these as to whether they were Christians; those who confessed I interrogated a second and a third
time, threatening them with punishment; those who persisted I ordered executed. For I had no doubt that, whatever the
nature of their creed, stubbornness and inflexible obstinacy surely deserve to be punished. There were others possessed
of the sa me fo lly; but becaus e they were Rom an citizens, I s igned an order for them to be trans ferred to R ome .
1 - 3. Soon acc usa tions spre ad, a s us ually happe ns, bec ause o f the proc eedings going on , and sev eral inciden ts
occurred. An ano nymo us doc ume nt was p ublished conta ining the names of many persons. Those who denied that they
were or ha d bee n Ch ristian s, wh en th ey invo ked the g ods in words dictated by me, offered prayer with incense and wine
to your image, which I had ordered to be brought for this purpose together with statues of the gods, and moreover cursed
Christ--none of which those who are really Christians, it is said, can be forced to do--these I thought should be discharged.
Others named by the informer declared that they were Christians, but then denied it, asserting that they had been but had
ceased to be, some three years before, others many years, some as much as twenty-five years. They all worshiped your
imag e and the statues of the god s, and c ursed C hrist.
1 - 4. They as serted, h oweve r, that the su m an d subs tance o f their fault or error had been that they were
accustomed to m eet o n a fix ed da y befo re da wn a nd sin g res pon sively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and to bind themselves
by oath, not to some crime, but not to commit fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their trust, no r to refuse to return a trust
when called upon to do so. When this was over, it was their custom to depart and to assemble again to partake of food--but
ordinary and innocent food. Even this, they affirmed, they had ceased to do after my e dict b y whic h, in accordance with your
instructions, I had forbidden political asso ciations. A ccordin gly, I judged it all the more neces sary to find o ut what the truth
was by torturing two female slaves who were called deaconesses . But I discovered nothing else but depraved, excess ive
supers tition.
1 - 5. I therefore postponed the investigation and hastened to consult you. For the matter seemed to me to warrant
consulting you, especially because of the number involved. For many persons of every age, every rank, and also of bo th
sexes are and will be endangered. For the contagion of this superstition has spread not only to the cities but also to the
villages and farms. But it seems possible to check and cure it. It is certainly quite clear that the temples, which had been
almost deserted, have begun to be frequented, that the established religious rites, long neglected, are being resumed, and
that fr om ever ywhe re sa crific ial anim als are coming, for which until now very few purchasers could be found. Hence it is
easy to im agine wh at a m ultitude of pe ople can be reform ed if an op portunity for re pentan ce is affo rded.
Trajan to Pliny (Letter 10.97)
2 - 1. You observed proper procedure, my dear Pliny, in sifting the cases of those who had been denounced to you
as Chris tians . For it is not poss ible to lay down any general rule to serve as a kind of fixed standard. They are not to be
sought out; if they are denounced and proved guilty, they are to be punished, with this reservation, that whoever denies
that he is a Christian and really proves it--that is, by worshiping our gods--even though he was under suspicion in the past,
sha ll obta in pardon through repentance. But anonymously posted accusations ought to have no place in any prosecution.
For this is both a dangerous kind of precedent and out of keeping with the spirit of our age.
Questions for Discussion
1. In p arag raph 1-1, w hat w as ha ppe ning t o the Chris tian c om mu nity?
2. In paragraph 1-1, what issues was Governor Pliny struggling with?
3. In paragraph 1-2, what was Pliny’s procedure for dealing with accused Christians?
4. In paragraph 1-2, other than “their creed” what was Pliny intent on punishing?
5. In p arag raph 1-3, w hat h app ene d onc e the even ts of p arag raph 1-2 g ot un derw ay?
6. In paragraph 1-3, what was the process for demonstrating that one was not a Christian?
7. In paragraph 1-3, what was the one thing that Pliny understood a true Christian could not do?
8. In paragraph 1-4, according to Pliny’s description, how did the early Christians here practice their faith?
9. In paragraph 1-5, what seems to be Pliny’s real concern which has prompted him to seek Trajan’s advice?
Summary Questions:
1. If you were accus ed of be ing a Ch ristian and placed o n trial, what ev idence c ould be fo und to pr ove your g uilt?
2. What kind of pressure could be used against you to make you deny your faith?
Ten Paradigm Shifts Toward Community Transformation
by Eric Swanson
From The International Coalition of Workplace Ministries at www.icwn.net
A small cloud is on the horizon. The winds of change are beginning to gather strength and with certainty a storm is coming
. . . change is com ing. All over ou r world the re is a quiet m ovem ent of the S pirit of God that is caus ing believer s to
re-examine how they “do church.” Churches are throwing out the old measures of success. It’s no longer merely about size,
seeker sensitivity, spiritual gifts, church health, nor the numb er of small groups. It’s about making a significant and
sustaina ble differen ce in the lives of peop le around us— in our com mun ities and in ou r cities.
There is a gr owin g aw aren ess that w e can not c ontin ue to do th e sam e old things and expect a different result. If we want
to be the salt and light, we as the church were created to be, we have to do something different . . . we have to be something
different! Comm unity transformation is not found in programs, strategies, campaigns or tactics. For most of us it will take
nothing less than a shift of seismic propo rtions in what the church is to be in the 3rd millennium. A paradigm is a model
consisting of shared assum ptions regarding what works or wh at is true. A paradigm shift is that “aha!” moment when one
sees things in such a new light that one can never go back to the old ways again. Each paradigm shift takes us from model
of thinking that we must discard to a new model that we must embrace. A new paradigm is the new wineskins that will be
needed to hold the new assumptions about what is true. To maximize our impact on our communities--urban, suburban
or rural, we need changes in at least ten of our paradigms of how we currently view church.
1. From Building Walls to Building Bridges. “You are the salt of the earth . . You are the light of the world” (Matthew
5:13,14). The first paradigm shift pertains to where we, a s the chur ch, s ee ou rselv es in r elatio n to o ur co mm unitie s. W ill
we remain outside of the c om mu nity invitin g peo ple in or will we go to our com mun ities, seek ing to be a tra nsform ing agen t?
The church is called to be separate in lifestyle but never called to be isolated from the people it seeks to influence. For many
years founding pastor, R obert Le wis, of Fe llowship B ible Chur ch (FB C) in Little Ro ck wa s conte nt to be growing a successful
suburban mega church. By his admission, FBC was a “success church.” Success churches s eek to grow by having
attractive programs and offerings that people can come to and benefit from. But Robert grew increas ingly dissatisfied with
the imp act F BC w as ha ving o n the com mu nity. So he m ade an ap point me nt with the m ayor o f Little Rock and asked one
question , "How ca n we he lp you?" Th e ma yor respo nded w ith a list of challen ges fac ing the gre ater Little Ro ck are a.
FBC then challe nge d the ms elves with th e que stion , “W hat c an w e do t hat w ould c aus e peo ple to marvel and say, ‘G od is
at work in a wonderful way for no one could do these things unless God were with them?”’ That one question was the first
step in becoming what Lewis calls a “bridge-building church.” For the past four years, FBC has joined with over 100 other
churches and over 5,000 volunteers in the greater Little Rock area and served their communities by building parks and
playgrounds and refurbishing nearly 50 schools. They set records for Red Cross Blood donations and have enlisted
thousands of new organ donors. They began reaching out to the community through "LifeSkill" classes (on finances,
marriage, wellness, aging, etc.) in public forums like banks and hotel room s, with over 5,000 pe ople atten ding. In the past
four years the c hurc hes of gre ater L ittle Ro ck h ave d ona ted n early a millio n dollars to community human service
organizations that are effective in meeting the needs of at-risk youth. They have renovated homes and provided school
uniforms, schoo l supplies, w inter coats , and Ch ristma s toys for hu ndreds of children . After gett ing new shelving for her
classrooms, one sc hool princ iple said, “I think this is the most fabulous day of my life as far as education is concerned. I’ve
been in th is 29 yea rs and th is is the first time a com munity o r church project ha s com e throug h for us.”
The churches of Little Rock have let their light shine in such a way that Jesus Christ is made real to the community. Once
a church ma kes this mental shift regarding how it lives in its commun ity, it is only limited by its creativity in how it can serve
its com mun ity and be the salt and light it wa s me ant to be. It makes the transition from providing ministry programs for the
com mun ity to forever ch anging its re lationship to a com mun ity.
2. From M easuring Attenda nce to M easuring Imp act. “The kin gdom of heave n is like yea st . . . mixed into a large amount
of flour until it worked all through the dough” (Matthew 13:33). In a post-modern world most people are neither impressed
with the size of a church or its commitment to “truth.” Yet from the cover of TIME magazine to the front page of the W all
Street Journal, transformational community-centered ministries are grabbing the attention of the American people. Perhaps,
in this century, the greatest apologetic for the reality of Jesus Christ living in a community will be observational more than
prop ositio nal. To have a faith that can be observed is to be living out the truths we want others to grasp and the life of the
Savior w e want the m to k now.
When Jesus chose one passage to describe his mission and ministry, he picked up the scroll of Isaiah and read from Isaiah
61: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind
up the b roke n hea rted, to pro claim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners… to comfort all who
mourn and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness
instead of mourning and a garm ent o f prais e inst ead of a sp irit of de spa ir . . .” The way he “p reac hed ” bes t was by holis tically
combining proclaiming with c om fortin g and prov iding. This is how Jesus did ministry. “The Word became flesh and made
his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). Likewise, the apostle Paul was as “eager to rememb er the poor” (Galatians 2:10) as
he was “eag er to p reac h the gosp el” (Roman 1:15-17). Effective ministry has always been holistic, combining good deeds
with good news (Acts 10:36-38 ).
When Tillie Burgin started Mission Arlington, her mission was simple—take the church to the people who were not going
to church—“to hang out and hover around John 3:16.” As she ventured out to meet and minister to her neighbors, she was
imm ediat ely challe nge d by Je hova h’s W itnes ses who told he r, “Yo u’re in vadin g our territory. Get back into your church
building where you belong.” Today Mission Arlington is a house church movement of nearly 250 community house churches
(and near ly 4,000 in attendance) serving over 10,000 people a week in the Arlington Texas community with food, furniture,
medical and dental care, school transportation, child and adult day care, couns eling, etc . What ca n Jesus do for a
com mu nity? The people of Arlington know. Every year hundreds of people come to Christ through this transformational
min istry. Lives are being touched. Lives are being changed. The church should and can make a huge difference in a
com mu nity.
Windsor Village United Methodist Church has made a big difference in southwest Houston. From 25 mem bers in 1982
Windsor Village is currently the spiritual home for more than 14,000 members. Embracing both evan gelism and e con om ic
development and armed with the belief that e very m em ber is a minister, each congregant is encouraged to embrace Jesus’
mission of identifying and holistically meeting the needs of those around them. Under the leadership of pastor Kirbyjon
Cald well the church purchased a 104,000 square-foot former K-Ma rt that was conver ted into their “P ower C enter.” Since
1999 the Power Center has had an estimated $28.7 million impact on the community creating over 500 construction jobs
and 300 regular jobs through the Power Center which serves over 9,000 families a month through Windsor Village’s over
100 ministries. Currently they are engaged in developing a 24-acre planned residential community consisting of over 450
affordable single-family homes called Corinthian Pointe and they continue to make a difference.
In 1988 Vaughn and Narlene McLaughlin moved into a depressed area of Jac kso nville to begin a church designed to meet
the needs of the whole person. Tod ay the ir con verte d Be ll Sou th bu ilding c alled t he "M ultiple x" ho use s nea rly 20 fo r-pro fit
businesses includ ing th e Po tter’s House Café, a credit union, a beauty salon, a graphic design studio and a Greyhound Bus
term inal, all started by church mem bers who lacked capital but had a dream. Another building serves as an incubator for
two dozen new businesses. The multiplex also hou ses a 5 00-stud ent Chr istian Aca dem y. In addition to their ministries of
eco nom ic empowerment and education, they also have nearly 25 other ministries such as a prison an d jail ministry, you th
min istry, Big and Little Brothers, and free car repair. They also have a team of 250 volunteers who “look after things in the
city” even if it means to simply sweep the streets of Jacksonville. Though an outstanding preacher, to Bishop Vaughn
McLaughlin, ministry is always what happens outside the church - "If you are not making an impact outside of your four walls,
then you are not ma king an im pact at all." In 1999 Bishop McLaughlin was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" by Florida
State Univers ity. Is it any mystery wh y the city and its leaders have so wholeheartedly embraced Potter's House? The
question he repeatedly asks is the question that churches in all kinds of neighborhoods are increasingly asking themselves:
"W ould the com munity weep if your church were to pull out of the city? Would anybody notice if you left? Would anybody
care?"
The question , “How big is your church?” should be replaced with “How big is the impact you are having on your community?”
Every othe r me asu re is interesting b ut not releva nt. Let’s refu se to be im pres sed by num bers alone . The re are ma ny wa ys
to engag e the com mun ity and ma ke an im pact. Th e only “bad ” way to engag e the com mun ity in service is not to engage
at all!
3. From En couraging th e Saints to Attend the Service to Equipping the Saints for Works of Service. “It is (God) who
gave some to be…pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service . . .” (Ephesians 4:11,12) In the typical
church, lay people are asked to serve in five or six capacities:
‘ Teach a Sunday School class

‘ W ork in the nursery
‘ Lead a home Bible study or small group
‘ Sing in the c hoir
‘ Be an usher or greeter
‘ Serve on a board or committee
Little won der p asto rs lam ent th at on ly 20% of the ir me mb ers a re “ac tive.” C ould it be that the service opportunities are not
broad enough to engage the energies and passions of people in the church? Robert Lewis notes that whe n peo ple entered
his church they were excited for about 4-5 years. How could they not be excited? Fellowship Bible is a teaching church and
Robert is an incredible teacher. But he observes that after around five years, people get bored with church if they are not
involved in ministe ring to othe rs. It was not until the church began to serve their community did members find their serving
niche and continue in their growth. Tim Keller of Redeem er Presbyterian Church in New York City writes that the process
of mobilizing members into ministers “starts by articulating clearly and regularly a theology of ‘every-member ministry’…From
the pulpit, in the classes, by word of mouth, it must be communicated that every layperson is a minister and that ministry
is finding ne eds an d me eting them in the goal o f the spre ad of the kingsh ip of Chris t.”
In the 1980 ’s a small group in Mariner’s Church in Costa Mesa, California met for a year to study every Scripture that had
to do with the people of God and the needs of a community. They asked themselves two questions—“What could we do?”
and “What should we do?” This was the beginning of Mariner’s “Lighthouse Ministries.” Today Lighthouse is employing the
volunteer hearts a nd entre preneu rial skills to m inister to the unde r-resou rced pe ople Or ange C ounty. In 2001 Lighthouse
Ministries employed the dedication and talents of nearly 3,400 church volunteers who gave 95,000 hours of service (the
equivalent of 46 full-tim e sta ff!) in the form of tutoring foster children, mentoring motel families, taking kids to camp, visiting
the elderly, teaching English at one of the ir learning centers, working in the Mariner’s Thrift Store ($168,000 in sales last
year) distributing Christmas gifts, team building with teens at their leadership camp, assistance with immigration papers,
working in transitional housing or volunteering with Orange County Social Services. Despite the prolific use of volunteers,
volunteering is simp ly the avenu e to “build rela tionships with peop le in our com mun ity.” Recently th ey w ere featured on
National Public Radio for their work in providing tra nsitional ho using fo r youth leaving foster care. Last year they touched
the lives of nearly 12,000 people in their community through their relational volunteer ministries. Their mission of “Bringing
Christ’s h ope to tho se in nee d” is being fulfilled.
4. From “Serve Us” to Service - From Inward to Outward Focus. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve and to giv e. . .” (Mark 10:45). Several years ago Chuck Colson made the observation that when the
Com mun ists took over Russian in 1917, they did not make Christianity illegal. Their constitution, in fact, did guarantee
freedom of religion. But what they did make illegal was for the church to do any “good works.” No longer could the church
fulfill its his toric r ole in feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, housing the orphan, educating children or caring for the
sick. W hat w as th e res ult? 70 years later, th e chu rch w as to tally irre levan t to the com mu nities in whic h it dw elt. W hat L enin
did by diabolic design, most churches have done by default. But the result is identical. Church is irrelevant to most people.
Take away service and you take away the church's power, influence, and evangelistic effectiveness. The power of the gospel
is com bining the life-c hanging mes sage w ith selfless s ervice.
Marion Patillo is the executive director of a m inistry in Dallas c alled Me tro-link. As the name suggests, Metro-link serves
as a “conduit” between volunteers from some 40 churches and 27 city blocks in South Dallas. Marion observes that when
Metro-link began, there were 955 churches in South Dallas yet the area was rife with crime, alcoholism, drug addiction and
prostitution. Why? It was certainly not from the lack of churches! The problem centers on the fact that most churches had
not been s erving this c omm unity. It is obs erva tions like th is that caused Charles Chaney, former head of Southern Baptist
H o m e Mission Board to rema rk, “Am erica will no t be w on to Chris t by e xistin g chu rche s, ev en if th ey s hou ld sud den ly
become vibra ntly a nd ev ang elistic ally alive. Nor will the US be won to Christ by establishing more churches like the vast
majority of those w e now have.” The power of the church is not merely in the number of churches but the focus of those
churches.
Mary Francis Boley, was the director of wome n’s ministry at First Ba ptist Chu rch in Pe achtree City, Georg ia. Wom en from
metro Atlanta wo uld gathe r each w eek ar ound c offee an d an ope n Bible. But the ministry took a radical step forward when
Mary Francis decided that no Bible studies could meet unless they included a component of ministry to the community. So
they sco ured Atlan ta for the w om en in th e “hig hwa ys and hedges” who nobody else was reaching. They identified cashiers,
food serv ice em ployee s, ha irdre sse rs, sin gle mom s, the women’s she lter, strippers and prostitutes. Mary Francis calls her
min istry, “W ellspr ing of Living W ater. ” Th e goa l of W ellspr ing is to get the women within the church to reach the women who
are outside of the walls of the church. Mary Francis’ purpose is to “save the women in Atlanta”—and that begins with the
women who are in the p ews of the chur ch ev ery Su nda y. She firmly believes that people cannot grow into Christian matu rity
without giving themselves away to others. By ministe ring to “the lea st of thes e” they invite the p rese nce of Je sus into th eir
ministry (Matthew 25:31-46). Lives are being touched and changed.
Churches like V ineyar d Co mm unity C hurc h of C incinn ati ha ve als o fou nd th at it is e asie r and mo re ef fectiv e to re cruit
existing sm all gro ups to en gag e in m inistry a nd se rvice proje cts th an it is t o m otivat e, ad min ister s piritua l gift tes ts an d rec ruit
individ uals to serve in a ministry. You can serve in most any ministry with your friends. Each Saturday they send out teams
of peop le jus t to se rve p eop le in the city through “low touch-high grace random acts of kindness.” One day you might find
them handing out free Cokes or washing cars for free. Founding pastor Steve Sjogren defines their servant evangelism as
“demonstrating the kindn ess of G od by offe ring to do some act of humble service with no strings attached. It’s not so much
a matter of sharing information but sharing love.” Senior pastor Dave Workm an notes that their church believes that it takes
between 12-20 positive “bumps,” or refreshing encounters with the church, before people come to Christ. These sma ll acts
of serv ice m ove p eop le tow ards Chris t. Tho ugh all ser vice is with no strings attached, each year they see hundreds of
peo ple come to faith. Carved in stone over the entrance of the church are engraved the words: “small things done with great
love will change the world.” Steve Sjo gren’s ad mon ition to church planters is this: “Don’t go to start a church…go to serve
a city. Serv e the m w ith lov e and if you go af ter the peop le nobod y wan ts, you’ll end up with the pe ople eve rybody wants.”
First Baptist Church of Leesburg, Florida (population 20,000) has a prevailing influe nce on th eir co mm unity th oug h the ir
incarnational (Joh n 1:1 4) m inistry w hich they c all ‘m inistry evangelism .” The c hurch h as spa wned o ver 70 m inistries to
intersect the p hysic al, em otion al and spiritu al nee ds of the p eop le in Leesburg. Through their Men ’s Shelter, Wom en’s Care
Center, Benevolence Ministry, Latchkey Ministry, the Children’s Home etc, they regularly lead hundreds of people to Christ
and disciple them towards maturity. Senior pastor Charles Roesel (since 1976) says, “The only way the gospel can be
biblica lly shared is to focus on the whole person, with all their hurts and needs, and to involve th e churc h in ministe ring to
those p ersons and lead ing them to Christ. T his is the es sence of ministry evang elism.”
Erw in McManus of Mosaic Church in East Los Ang eles says that th e sing le bigg est fa ctor in his ch urch retain ing pe ople is
not personal fo llow-up or jo ining a sm all group; it is be ing involved from the very beg inning in se rvice to others in th e
com mu nity. W hen m emb ers hav e told him that they want the church to meet their needs his reply is “You ARE the church
and together we are called to meet the need s of the world.” Over 1,800 me mbers agree. We grow and are healed as we
serve others. Maybe this is what Isaiah (58:6-8) had in mind when he penned God’s words to his people: “Is this not the
kind of fasting I have chosen: To loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and
break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter…? Then your
light will break for th like the da wn an d your h ealing will quic kly appe ar.” What if we settled for nothing less than 100% of
our church me mbers en gaged at som e level in meaningful ministry to the com mun ity? Pe ople ( or sm all gro ups ) cou ld
choose their field and level of engagement (from once a week to once a year), but non-involvement would not be an option.
5. From Duplication of Human Services and Ministries to Partnering with Existing Services and Ministries. “Two
are better than one, because they have a good return for their work” (Ecclesiastes 4:9). Nearly every community has a
number of hu ma n ser vice a gen cies that a re m orally positive and spiritually neutral that are doing their best to meet the needs
of the under served and under-resourced people of the community. Such agencies include the local food bank, homeless
shelter, emergency family housing, and safe houses for abused women etc. Equally true there are church and parachurch
ministries that a re ef fectiv e in m iniste ring to spec ific target audiences (business com munity, youth, college students, etc).
Rather than starting a new ministry, why not form partnerships with existing groups as “partner ministries” of a local
congregation? Chances are that people from your congregation are already serving in many of these organizations. Why
not use the current community energy to create synergy?
The Bible is replete with examples of how God used secular people in partnership with his people to fulfill his purposes.
Think of Joseph and Pharaoh, Nehemiah and Artaxerxes, and Esther and King Ahusuerus. Instead of each congregation
having its own food pantry, why not p artner with the local community food bank? When needy people request food,
congregations could refer these folks to the ir “partner ministry.” In our Boulder County comm unity, Big Brothers Big Sisters
of America (BBB SA) has 2 00 bo ys on a list waiting for an older mentor yet how many churches do you know that are saying,
“One of the se da ys we ’d like to begin a youth mentoring program.” Why not form a partnership with BBBSA? Let BBBSA
shoulder the cost and liability for screening applicants. There is no reason to form a duplicate ministry if the service or
ministry already exists and is effective in accomplishing its mis sion . Ima gine h ow g reat it w ould b e if you r chu rch b ulletin
included not o nly the me n’s an d wo me n’s B ible study times but also a list of 20-30 “Community Partner Ministries” as w ell.
Maybe we can effectively love our city with the love of Jesus Christ through agenc ies and m echan isms that alread y exist!
Most human s ervice agencies need wha t the church could readily supply--caring volunteers, financial support and even
facilities. The door is always open for servants w anting to serve and help. We form partnerships not around theology but
around our com mon conce rn and lov e for the c ity.
Rick Rusaw is pastor of a 2,900-member LifeBridge Christian Church in Longmont Colorado. Several years ago LifeBridge
made a consc ious decis ion to “c are f or the ir com mu nity.” T hey inv ited lo cal hu ma n ser vice a gen cies to off ice on their
campus and e nco urag ed m em bers to ge t involv ed in th e life o f the c om mu nity. “We’re jus t looking for w ays to h elp the city,”
Rick explains . “For example we decided we didn’t want to start a Christian school but to get involved in serving the needs
of the existing public schoo ls of our co mmu nity. We don’t need to duplicate what is alre ady ou t there.” Last year when a
local high sch ool stude nt took h is life, the sch ool principle called Ric k at LifeB ridge and asked if they could send over 20
counselors for 3 days to be on campus with the kids. When asked about how they gained such access into a public High
Sch ool, Rick responds that he sent over the same 20 folks who had been setting up chairs at assemblies and raking the
long-jump pit all year long. Servants always have acces s to the pa laces of kings. Last December over a thirteen hundred
peo ple from LifeBridge donated thousands of hours of community service over during the ir “Time to Serve .” Partnerin g with
29 human service agencies and loca l ministries they cleane d three e leme ntary scho ols top to bottom and then spent another
six weekends fixing up a mobile home park. Five auto mechanics from LifeBridge serviced over 300 cars of single moms
in the Longmont area . Rec ently, L ifeBr idge m em bers cam e up w ith 5,0 00 ne w wa ys the y could serv e the ir community. Rick
s um s up his com mitm ent to L o ng m o nt — “I used to think I could change the world. Now I just want to change the stream
. . . not by standing on the bank and yelling but by getting in the water. The way to make truth visible is to make ‘Christian’
a verb not just an adjec tive.” This past year they were on the front page of the local newspaper 30 times (the majority of
which were positive!). Their commitment to their community is their letter “known and read by everybody” (2 Corinthians 3:2).
6. From Fellow ship to Func tional Unity. The re is a stron g cas e to s ugg est th at the re is re ally only one church in a city
or community (made up of all believers) that meets in several congregations around the city. In Philippians 2:2 Paul
implored, “…m ake m y joy com plete by being of the sa me m ind, ma intaining the s ame love, united in spirit, intent o n one
purpos e.” Only unity of purpose around th e vision of a transformed comm unity is strong enough to unite pastors and
churches of different denominations. Jack Dennison of CitiReach writes, “While solid relationships form the basis for unity,
we can’t stop the re. My ob servatio n in city after c ity is that oftentimes unity becomes an end in itself. So we see repetitive
efforts to demonstrate our unity through citywide worship events, prayer vigils…and other similar events. These
activities…are won derfu l symbols of our u nity but they rarely produce real substance. They make us feel good and
sometimes result in gre at news paper c overag e, but the c ities rema in uncha nged.” Uniting the church around a common
goal is preferable to trying to unite the church around a c ooperative project. We align ourselves “in unity to pursue the same
goa ls for our co mmu nity while ea ch particip ant deter mines the part it sho uld play.” Functio nal un ity does not exclude
cooperative efforts but functional unity also implies that each church can act with a degree of sanctified independence, not
waiting for permission from others to serve the comm unity, as long as it is working toward the agreed upon vision of a
healthy, transformed comm unity. Commu nity transformation begins at the intersection of the needs and dream of a
com mun ity, the calling and capac ities of the ch urch an d the m andate s and d esires o f God f or a com mun ity.
In 1990 past ors a nd C hristia n lead ers in Fres no C alifor nia “fueled by the pain of the city” formed a mu lti-sec tor lea ders hip
team and began praying together for their community. Emphasizing compassion over power this “no name fellowship” was
the beginning of unprecedented cooperation not just among the faith community but also between the faith community and
other entitie s se rving the c ity. By “connecting leaders who often never c ross pa ths,” what has come to be known simply as
“One by One Leadership” is “transforming geography into community” through mentoring, tutoring, job tra ining, com mun ity
storehouse, asset-based community development, welfare to work, police / church partn ersh ips an d a m yriad o f othe r civic
engagements. “It works because we love each other, we trust each other and we hold each other acc oun table ,” says Fresno
pastor Paul Binyon. Other cities like Houston, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Little Rock, New York City and several others are
being changed because the churc h is coming together around a comm on vision for what the city can become thro ugh
significant ministry and service.
7. From Condemning the City to Blessing the City and Praying For It. Jerem iah 29 be gins by sa ying; “This is the text
of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem…to those I carried into exile from Jerusa lem to Babylo n.” What
follows are instructions on how to live as aliens in a fo reign land . Listen to his admonition: “Seek th e peac e and pr osperity
of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (v. 7)
For too long we a s the ch urch ha ve position ed ours elves as advers aries to our communities. The monolithic church has
stood from afar and lobbed in pontific salvos condemning the city and those who are trying to serve it. Maybe it is time we
began blessing the city by blessing those who have given themselves to the city! Pastors in our Colorado com munity have
begun inviting city officials an d influenc ers to their m onth ly lunches. The Mayor, the Chief of Police, District Attorney, editor
of the newspaper, the university president, and others have spoken to this ministerial alliance. After these guests address
the gathering they are prayed over and the ministers thank God fo r these fo lks and ask H im to bless these city servants (1
Timothy 2:1-4). Anyone can curse the city but pastors are in a unique position to really “bless” a city and her people. Each
year the church in Little Rock has honored a different group of servants—the police, firefighters, schoolteachers, etc at their
annual “Share Fest.” This past year Pastor Adam Hamilton of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection ( C O R)
passed out the names of every teacher, administrator and employee of the Kansas City School District—one for eve ry one
of the 5 ,700 peop le in att end anc e. Ea ch pe rson was ask ed to pray re gular ly for that person and send a card of
encouragement and appreciation. The response was overwhelming! From that one strategic blessing scores and scores
of COR m embers a re now volunteering and tutoring the children of Kansas City…and are transforming the city. Perhaps
the n ext g reat r eco nciliat ion m ovem ent w ill be be twee n the chur ch an d the com mu nity.
W e not only need to bless our comm unities but we need to pray for them as well. The extent that we will impact our
communities will be proportionate to how effectively each influential segment of our community (educators, business, law
enforc eme nt, arts, civic leaders, human service agencies, etc.) are being prayed for. 230 c ong rega tions in Jacksonville are
praying daily for every one of the police force through their “Adopt-a-Cop” ministry. Twice a year in Little Rock over a
thousand people come together to intercede on behalf of the city. In Houston, Doug Stringer of Turning Point Ministries
(“Somebody Cares Houston”) writes that over 75% of Houston’s 2,700 square miles are now covered by daily prayer by the
church in Houston. It’s hard to be adversaries with those you p ray G od’s blessings on. All over our nation, through
organized efforts like Concerts of Prayer and Mission America’s Lighthouses of Prayer movement, walls are coming down.
Individ uals and c om mu nities are b eing p rayed for. T he ch urch is bein g rec onc iled to the c om mu nity.
8. From Being a Minister in a Congregation to Being a Minister in a Parish. “As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw
the city, he we pt over it . . .” (Luk e 19: 41). A cong rega tion is ma de up of pe ople w ho at tend a loca l church from a
com mu nity. The minister typically feels that this congregation is his flock whom he must baptize, marry and bury. They
c on su m e his time and e nerg y. Bein g in a parish is different. A parish differs from a congregation in that it is a geographical
scope of concern and responsibility. A congregation is a subset of a parish. So what difference does that m ake ? Be ing in
a parish give s one the God-g iven right to min ister to anyon e in the com mu nity, wh ethe r they a re pa rt of o ne’s congregation
or not. Urban theologian, Ray Bakke, illuminates this point by writing that every minister has two functions; 1) to be pastor
to the members and 2) chaplain to the community. Rich is a pastor of a small church in our city. His congregation is 70 but
his parish is over 90,000! Rich sits comfortably serving between the human service community and the fa ith co mm unity.
Rich ’s office is the local coffee shop. His tools are his cell phone and his laptop. Rich is the person God has used to
connect our com mun ity leaders to ou r mon thly minister ial alliance m eetings. H is days are often filled with walking through
our city and interceding for it. Isaiah 61:1-6 describes the reward of those who “reb uild…re store… (and) re new” the city. It
is the city who bestows on them their titles – “And you w ill be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our
God.” (Isaiah 61:6)
9. From Anecdote and Speculation to Valid Information. Two pieces of information changed the course of Neh em iah’s
life that re sulte d in the trans form ation of a c om mu nity. In N ehe mia h 1, Nehem iah learned that the walls and gates of
Jerusalem were broken down and her peop le were in great distress. These two pieces of acc urate information were cata lytic
to Nehe miah ’s prayers a nd plans to restore a broke n wall and a broke n peop le. His burd en to transform the city came from
accura te information. We too need correct information about the real needs of our community as well as the resources we
have to meet these needs. Do we know the demographic information of our community? Do we know the number of
churches? Do we know the spiritual history of our community? Ray Bakke writes that in assessing community needs we
need to identify the peop le in ne ed (p oor, d isad vanta ged , child ren, e lderly, s ingle parents, disabled, prisoners, sick, aliens,
etc) along with the type of needs they have (phys ical, s piritua l / mo ral, so cial, e mo tiona l or co gnitive ). Mo st info rm ation is
read ily available thro ugh loca l huma n service agenc ies and th e cens us bure au. W e also need to identify the spiritual assets
of our com mun ity—the nu mbe r of faith comm unities and believers. Together, these two research pieces g ive us a picture
of our “m ission field” a nd our “m ission forc e.” Armed with accurate information, we can determine best how to go forward.
In 1994 , 21 ye ar-o ld Pastor Matthew Barnett began the Los Angeles “Dream Center” by walking around his neighborhood
looking for unmet needs. He saw the thousands of outcast people living on the fringes of society. Today the Dream
Center—“the church that never sleeps” has adopted 50 city blocks (2,100 homes !) that it serves with 200 volunteer staff.
Its Franciscan Hospital campus houses 400 people in its rehab and discipleship program and feeds m ore th an 25,000
peo ple a week. They have a free 2 4-hour med ical clinic, a mobile medical unit and dozens of effective ministries that are
finding needs and meeting them. Scores of churches around our country have adopted the Adopt a Block strategy as a
mea ns of tou ching the lives of peo ple aroun d them .
In our town of Boulder, Colorado, the pastors realized that they knew very little about the other agencies that were serving
our community. They decided to organize a one day “Magic Bus Tour” to meet with the directors of these agencies, to find
out what they did and what help they ne eded. T hey visited the local shelte r, the food bank, a day-care facility, a health clinic,
a home for runaway youth, the AIDS project, etc—a total of eight agencies. It was the beginning of bridge-building
relationships between the faith community and the community where new openness, healing and friendships have begun.
Our pastors are now ministering to AIDS patients and utilizing their churches for overflow nights in partnership with the
homeless shelt er. O ne pa stor, who is now takin g m eals to AIDS patients on a weekly basis, was drawn into this ministry by
two t hi ng s — “This was a group of people who were in need of the grace of God and also the group I was most
unc omf ortab le with, so I just thought it was something God wanted me to be a part of. If anything, this ministry is changing
my life.”
10. From T eacher to Learner. “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak . . .” (Jam es 1:19 ). It is interesting to
note that for the historic African-American churches, the concept of holistic ministry is not a new concept. They have never
suffered from trying to split effective evangelism from social justice or meeting the needs of those around them. It’s how
they’ve alwa ys don e chu rch. A stud y of 2,1 50 bla ck c hurc hes by C. E ric Linco ln and Law renc e H. M am iya in their book The
Black Chu rch in the African American Experience report that nearly 70% “of black churches are involved with social service
agencies and non-church programs in dealing with community problems.” The effective churches see the community as one
that is full of assets more than full of problems. Churches in New York City like Concord Baptist Church of Christ, Allen
AME, Bethel Gospel Assem bly to those in Los Angeles like First AME, Faithful Central Bib le Church and West Angeles
COG IC have led the way in transforming and preserving their communities. John DiIulio, former Director of the White House
Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, sites a study of over 400 of the roughly 2,000 community-serving
congregations in Philadelphia:
a. Ove r 90 p erce nt of u rban cong rega tions prov ide so cial se rvice s, fro m p resc hoo ls to prison ministries, from food
pantries to health clinics , from litera cy progra ms to day-care centers , etc.
b. Th e rep lace me nt valu e of th eir se rvice s in Philadelphia alone is a very conservatively estimated quarter-billion
dollars a yea r.
Suburban congregations have much to learn from these innovative leaders and ministries.
Where do we go from here?
From Isaiah 65 :17-25 R ay Bakk e outlines s even ch aracteris tics of a he althy com mun ity from the heart of G od:
a. Public celebration and happiness (18, 19)
b. Public health for children and the aged (20)
c. Housing for all (21)
d. Food for all (22)
e. Meaningful work (22, 23)
f. Family support systems (23)
g. Absence of violence (25)
This list outlines ou r potential m arching orders. T he Spirit of G od is at wo rk. There is a good chance that the next great
movement of God will involve putting the church back into community where it can be the leaven, salt and light God designed
the chur ch to be. W ill we join God in this transforming work? For the sake of the gospel, the church and our communities,
in faith… let’s move forward!
What are the next steps for you?
a. W hich para digm s do yo u rea dily iden tify with ? W hich princ iples o r illustr ation s sp eak to you mo st str ong ly?
a. How would you answe r the question, “Tell me about the impa ct your church is having on your comm unity?”
b. Define yo ur “grow th model” for individuals? Can those in your church grow significantly apart from service? Why or why
not?
c. W hat a re so me natu ral wa ys you c an be gin bu ilding b ridge s into your c om mu nity?
a. Where is the “low-hanging fruit” for your church?
b. Where do you sense is your first (or next) entry point into your community?
c. W hat a re the intern al / ex terna l barrie rs to e nterin g into the life of you r com mu nity?
a. What human service agencies would make natural “partner ministries” for your church?
b. How can you begin expressing “unity of purpose” with others in the faith community?
c. What are some ways that you can “bless” your city?
d. How can you begin to get good inform ation about your comm unity’s “mission field” and “mission force?”
e. Discuss the “Ten Paradigm Shifts” with your staff / board at your next leadership retreat
Praying The Price of Revival
by Dr. Stuart Robinson
Introduction
In 1952 Albert Einstein was asked by a Princeton doctoral student what was left in the world for original dissertation research
Eins tein replied, "Find out a bout pra yer." English preacher Sidlow Baxter, when he was eighty-five years of age, said, "I have
pastored only three churches in my more than sixty years of ministry. We had revival in every one. And not one of them
came as a result of my p reac hing. The y ca me a s a re sult o f the m emb ersh ip ent ering into a c ove nan t to pra y unt il revival
came. And it did come, every time”.95
Cha plain of the United State s Se nate , Rich ard H aIver son , advis ed th at we really d on’t have any alternatives to prayer. He
says, “You ca n organ ize until you are exhausted. You can plan, program and subsidize all your plans. But if you fail to pray
it is a waste of time. Prayer is not optional. It is mandatory. Not to pray is to disobey God".96
Roy Pointer, after extensive research in Baptist churches in the United Kingdom, arrived at the conclusion that wherever
there was positive growth, there was one recurring factor: they were all praying churches.
In the United States of America, at Larry Lea’s Church on the Rock in Rockwall, Texas, numerical growth was from 13
peo ple in 1980 to 11,000 people by 1988. When he wa s as ked abou t suc h am azing grow th, he said "I didn’t start a church
- I started a prayer meeting". When David Shibley, the minister responsible for prayer in that church was asked the secret
of the chur ch, he s aid, "The evangelistic program of the church is the daily prayer meeting. Every morning, Monday through
Friday, we m eet at 5:00 a.m. to pra y. If we see the harvest of conversions fall off for more than a week, we see that as a
spiritual red alert and seek the Lord".97
In Korea, where the church has grown from almost zero to a projected 50% of the population in this century alone, Pastor
Paul Yonggi C ho attribute s his chu rch’s co nversion rate of 12,000 people per mon th as primarily due to ceaseless prayer.
In Korea it is normal for church members to go to bed early so they can arise at 4 a.m. to participate in united praye r. lt is
normal for them to pray all through Friday nights. lt is normal to go out to prayer retreats. Cho says that any church might
see this sort of phenomena l growth if they were prepared to "pray the price; to "pray and obey." Cho was once ask ed by a
local pastor why was it that Cho’s church membership was 750,000 and his was only 3,000 when he was better educated,
preached better ser mon s and e ven had a foreign w ife ? Cho enquired , "How much do you pray?” The pastor s aid, "Thirty
minutes a day." To wh ich Cho replied, "There is your an swer. I pr ay three to five hour s per da y."
In America one survey has sh own tha t pastors on avera ge pray 22 minute s per da y. In mainline church es, it is less tha n that.
In Japan they pray 44 minutes a day, and China 120 minutes a day. It’s not surprising that the growth rate of chur che s in
those countries is directly proportional to the amou nt of time pastors are spend ing in prayer.
Growth - A Supernatural Process
The chur ch is a living o rgan ism . It is G od"s crea tion w ith Jesus Christ as its head (Colossians 1:18). From Him life flows
(John 14:6 ). W e hav e a re spo nsib ility to cooperate with God (1 Corinthians 3:6). We know that unless the Lord build our
house we labour in va in (Ps alm 127:1). The transfer of a soul from the kingdom of darkness to that of light is a spiritual
supernatural process (Colossians 1: 14). It is the Father who draws (John 6:44). It is the Holy Spirit who convicts (John
16:8-11 ). He cau ses co nfessio n to be m ade (1 C orinthians 12:3). He com pletes co nversion (Titus 3:5 ). It is the H oly Sp irit
who also strengthens and empowers (Ephesians 3:16). He guides into truth (John 16:16). He gives spiritual gifts which
prom ote unity (1 Corinthians 12:25), building up the church (1 Corinthians 14:12), thus avoiding disunity and strife which
stunt grow th. T his is fundamental spiritual truth accepted and believed by all Christians. However, the degree to which we
are convinced that all real growth is u ltimately a su pernatu ral proce ss and are prep ared to act u pon that b elief, w ill be dir ectly
reflected in the priority that we giv e to c orpo rate a nd pe rson al pra yer in the life of the church. It is only when we begin to see
that nothing that matters will occur except in answer to prayer that prayer will become more than an optional program for
the faithful few, and instead it will become the driving force of our churches.
95
Bob J. Whillhite, Why Pray?: Lessons Learned in the School of Prayer. (Lake Mary: Creation House, 1989) p. 111.
96
David Bryant, With Concerts of Prayer, (Ventura: Regal Books/Gospel Light Publications, 1984) p. 39.
97
David Shibley, Let’s Pray in the Harvest, (Rockwall, Texas: Church on the Rock, 1985) p. 7.
Obv ious ly God wants our pastors, other leaders and His people to recognize that only He can do extra-ordinary things. When
we acc ept th at sim ple pr em ise, w e m ay beg in to pr ay. b In the B ible The battle which Joshua won, as recorded in Exodus
17:8-13 was not so dependent upon what he and his troops were doing down on the plain. It was directly dependent upon
Moses prayerful intercession from on top of a near by hill with the support of Aaron and Hur. In the Old Testament, not
counting the Psalms, there are 77 explicit references to prayer. The pace quic ken s in the New Testament. There are 94
references alone which relate directly to Jesus and prayer. The apostles picked up his theme and practice. So Paul says,
"Pray continually, for this is God"s will for you" (1 Th ess alonia ns 5: 16) P eter u rges believ ers to be "c lear m inded and s elf
controlled" so they can pray. (1 Peter 4:7). James declares that prayer is powerful and effective" (James 5:16) John assures
us that "God hears and answers" (1 John 5: 15). In the book of Acts there are 36 references to the church growing.
Fifty-eight percent [i.e. 21 of those instances) are within the context of prayer. We wo uld all love to see growth in every
church in the world like it was at Pentecost and imm ediately thereafter. The key to what happened is found in Acts 1:14 when
it says: "They w ere a ll joined togeth er cons tantly in pray er.” They were all joined together - one mind, one purpose, one
accord. That is the prerequisite for effectiveness. Then, they were all joined together constantly in prayer. The word used
there means to be "busily engaged in, to be devoted to, to persist in adhering to a thing, to inte ntly attend to it." And it is in
the form of a pres ent participle . It means that the practice was continued ceaselessly. The same word is used in Acts 2:42:
"They d evoted thems elves ......to pra yer." Ove r in Co loss ians 4:2 P aul us es th e sam e wo rd ag ain in the imperative form,
"Devo te yourse lves to pra yer.” Most significant expansion movements of the church through its history took up that
imperative.
In History
When we read the biographies of William Carey, Adoniram Judson, David Livingstone, Hudson Taylor, or whomever, the
initiating thrust of the work of their lives began in prayer encounters. About a century ago, John R. M ott led an extraordinary
movement which became known as the Student Christian Movement. It was based among college and university students.
It supplied 20,000 career missionaries in the space of thirty years. John Mott said that the source of this amazing awakening
lay in unified intercessory prayer. It wasn’t just that these missionaries were recruited and sent out in prayer; their work was
also sustained through prayer. Hudson Taylor told a story of a missionary couple who were in charge of ten stations. They
wrote to their home secretary confessing their abso lute lack of progress, and they urged the sec retary to find intercessors
for each station. After a while, in seven of those stations, opposition melted, spiritual revival broke out and the churches grew
stron gly. But in three there was no change. When they returned home on the next furlough, the secretary cleared up the
mys tery. He had succeeded in getting intercessors for only seven of the ten stations. S. D. Gordon concludes “The greatest
thing any one ca n do for G od and man is to pray." 98
Luther, Calvin, Knox, Latimer, Finney, Moody, all the "greats” of God practiced prayer and fasting to enhance ministry
effectiveness. John WesIey was so impressed by such precedents that he would not even ordain a person to ministry unless
he agreed to fast at least until 4.00 p.m. each Wednesday and Frid ay. Yongg i Cho sa ys, “Normally I teach new believers
to fast for three days. Once they have become accustomed to three-day fasts, they will be able to fast for a period of seven
days. Then th ey will mo ve to ten-d ay fasts . Some have e ven go ne for forty days." 99 These people seem to have latc hed on to
something which here in Australia we hardly know anything about. We are so busy, so active. We try so hard to get
something good up an d run ning. But it d oes n’t seem to grow much or permanently change many lives. Why? Is it that the
ground in Australia is too hard? Compared to other times and places, this could hardly be so.
For exam ple, b ack in the e ighte enth cent ury thin gs did n’t loo k go od. E ighte enth cent ury F rance was working th rough its
bloody revolution, as terroristic as any of the modern era. America had declared its Rights of Man in 1776. Voltaire was
preaching that the church was only a system of repres sion for the hum an spirit. Ka rl Marx w ould later ag ree. A ne w mo rality
had arisen. Am ongst b oth sexes in all ranks of society Christianity was held in almost universal contempt. Demonic forces
seem to have b een un leashed to drive the c hurch o ut of existe nce. In many places it was almost down and o ut. Preachers
and peop le wo uld be pelte d with ston es an d coa l in plac es in England if they dared to testify to Jesus Christ in public. But
even befo re tho se s atan ic for ces collab orate d to c onfo und and c onfu se it a ppe ars th at the Holy S pirit had prep ared His
defence, like a plot out of some Peretti novel. In the 1740s, John Erskine of Edinburgh published a pamphlet encouraging
peo ple to pray fo r Sco tland and e lsew here . Ove r in Ame rica, the ch allenge w as pick ed up by J onatha n Edwa rds, who wrote
a treatise ca lled, "A Humble Attempt to Promote Explicit A greement and V isibIe Union of God’s People in Extra-ordinary
Prayer For The Revival of Religion an d the Ad vance ment o f Christ’s King dom." For forty years, John Erskine orchestrated
what became a Concert of Prayer through voluminous correspondence around the world. In the face of apparent social and
98
S. D. Gordon, "Prayer, The Greatest Thing.” Australia’s New Day. April, 1983, p. 40.
99
Paul Yongee Cho, and R. Whitney Manzano, Prayer: Key to Revival, (Waco: Word Publishing Group, 1984) p. 103
moral deterioration, he persisted. And then the Lord of the universe stepped in and took over. On Christmas Day 1781, at
St. Just Ch urch In Cornwall, at 3.00 a.m., intercessors met to sing and pray. The heavens opened at last and the y knew it.
They prayed through until 9:00am and re-gathered on Christmas evening. Throughout January and February, the movement
continued. By March 1782 they were praying until midnight. No significant preachers were involved - just people praying and
the Holy Spirit responding. Two years later in 1784, when 83-year old John Wesley visited that area he wrote, "This country
is all on fir e and the fla me is spread ing from v illage to village.” And spread it did. The chapel which George Whitefield had
built deca des prev ious ly in Tottenham Court Road had to be enlarged to seat 5,000 people - the largest in the world at that
time. Baptist ch urches in North Hampton, Leicester, and the Midlands, set aside regular nights devoted to the drumbeat of
prayer for revival. Methodists and Anglicans joined in. Matthew Henry wrote, "When God inten ds gr eat m ercy for H is peo ple
He first sets them p raying." Across the country prayer meetings were networking for revival. A passion for evangelism arose.
Conve rts were being won - not through the regular services of the churches, but at the prayer meetings! Som e we re he ld
at 5.00 a.m , som e at midnight. Some pre-C hristians were drawn by dream s and visions. Some came to sco ff but were
thrown to the grou nd un der th e pow er of the H oly Spirit. Sometimes there was noise and confusion; sometimes stillness and
solemnity. But a lways there was that c eas eles s out pou ring o f the H oly Sp irit. W hole d eno min ation s dou bled, triple d and
quadrupled in the next few years. It swept out from England to Wales, Scotland, United States, Canada and to some T hird
World countries.
Social Impact
The social impact of reformed lives was incredible. William W ilberforce, William Pitt, Edmund Bourke, and Charles Fox , all
touched by this movem ent, worked ceaseless ly for the abolition of the slave trade in 1807. William Buxton worked on for
the emancipation of all slaves in the British Em pire a nd sa w it ha ppe n in 1834 . Joh n Ho ward and E lizabe th Fry g ave th eir
lives to radically reform the prison system. Florence Nightingale founded mo dern nursing. Ashley Cooper, the seventh Ea rl
of Shaftesbury, came to the rescue of the working poor to end their sixteen-hour, seven -day-a-week work grind. He worked
to stop exploitation of women and children in coal mines, the suffocation of boys as sweeps in chimneys. He established
pub lic parks and gymnasia, gardens, public libraries, night schools and choral societies. The C hristian So cialist Mov eme nt,
which became the British Trade Union movement, was birthed. The Roya l Soc iety for the P reve ntion of Cr uelty to Anim als
was formed to protect animals. There was amazing growth in churches, and an astounding change in society came about
because a man prayed and worked, seeing the establishment of thousands of sim ilar pra yer m eetin gs, a ll united in calling
on God for revival. Missionary societies were established. William Carey was on e who g ot swep t up in that m ovem ent. W e
speak of him as the "father of modern missions". The environment of his situation was that he was a member of a min ister’s
revival prayer group which had been meeting for two years in No rtham pton in 178 4 - 17 86. H e sha red h is visio n of G od’s
desire to see the heathen won for the Lord . He wen t on to esta blish what later became kno wn as the Baptist Missionary
Soc iety. In 1795 the London Missionary Society was formed. In 1796 the Scottish Missionary Society was established, and
later still the Church Missionary Society of the Anglicans was commenced.
Nineteen th Centu ry
The prayer m ovem ent had a treme ndous impac t, but wane d unt il the middle of the 19th century. Then God started
something up in Ca nada, an d the nec essity to pray was picked up in New York. A quiet man called Jeremiah Lanphier had
been appointed by the Dutch Reformed Church as a missionary to the central business district. Because the church was
in dec line an d the life of th e city w as s om ewh at sim ilar, he did not know what to do. He was a layman. He called a prayer
meeting in the city to be held at noon each W ednesday . Its first meeting was on the 23rd Sep tember 1857 . Eventually five
other men turned up. Two weeks later, they decided to move to a daily schedule of prayer. Within six months, 10,000 men
were gathering to pray and that movement spread across America. Surprise, surprise! Within two years there were one
million new believers added to the church.
The movement swept out to touch England, Scotland, Wales and Ulster. Ireland was as tough a nut to crack as any. But
when news reached Ireland of what was happening in America, James McQuilkan gathered three young men to meet for
prayer in the Kells schoolhouse on March 14, 1859. They prayed and prayed for revival within a couple of months a similar
prayer meeting was launched in Belfast. By September 21, 20,000 people assembled to pray for the whole of Ireland. It was
later estimated that 100,000 converts resulted directly from these prayer movements in Ireland. It has also been estimated
that in the years 1859-60 1,150,000 people were added to the church, wherever concerts of prayer were in operation.
Twe ntieth Ce ntury
Many would be aware of the Welsh Revival this century. lt commenced in October 1904. It was spontaneous and was
characterized by simultaneous, lengthy prayer meetings. In the first two months, 70,000 people came to the Lord. In 1905
in London alone, the Wesleyan Metho dists increased from their base membership of 54,785 by an additional 50,021 people.
Coming closer in time and nearer to Australia, in the Enga churches in Papua New Guinea there was a desperate spiritual
state 20 years ago. To redress the situation, people there committed themselves to pray. Prayer meetings began amongst
pastors, missionaries and Bible College students. It spread out to the villages. In some villages, groups of people agreed
to pray to geth er ev ery da y until G od se nt ne w life to the c hurc h. On 15 S epte mb er 19 73, w ithout any prior indication,
sim ultan eou sly spo ntan eou sly, in village after village as pa stors stoo d to d eliver their normal Sunday morning messages,
the Holy Spirit descended bringing conviction, confession, repentance and revival. Norm al work stop ped as pe ople in their
thousands hurried to special meetings. Prayer groups met daily, morning and evening. Thousands of Christians were
restored and thousands of pa gans were converted. W hole villages becam e Christian , and the c hurch g rew not o nly in size
but in maturity. In the Philippines in the 1980s, as a result of some people attending an inte rnatio nal pr ayer c onfe renc e in
Korea, 200 missionaries of the Philippine Missionary Fellowship each organized prayer group meetings daily at 7.00 p.m .
to pray for the growth of the church. They report that within a couple of years this directly resulted in the formation of 310
new churches.
Spectacular growth is occurring in Argentina. Jose Luis Vasquez saw his church explode from 600 to 4,500 with a
constituency of 10,000 mem bers in five years following a visit from Carlos Annacondia. Hector Gimenez started his church
from zero in 1983 . His c ong rega tion n ow n um bers 70,0 00. O ma r Cab rera starte d his c hurc h in 19 72 w ith 15 mem bers.
There is now a comb ined mem bership of 90,000 m embers. Pe ter Wag ner, who is intensely investigating what lies behind
such effective ministry, has arrived at the conclusion that powerful intercessory prayer is the chief wea pon . Muc h of it is
happening in a Pente costal, ch arism atic environ men t but the stru cture or d octrine is n ot the essential thing. Walter
Hollenwager, a prolific researcher into Pentecostalism said that for them, from the earliest Pentecostals onwards, it was
more important to pray than to organize .100 W hereve r that principle is invoked, amazing things happen. East Germany
started to form sma ll groups o f ten to twelve person s com mitted to mee t to pray for peace. By October 1989, 50,0 00 pe ople
were involved in Monday night prayer meetings. In 1990, when those praying peop le m oved quiet ly onto the s treet s, the ir
numbers quickly swelled to 300,000 and "the wall came tumbling down.” In Cuba in 1990, an Assemblies of God pastor
whose congregation never exceeded 100 people meeting once a week suddenly found himself conducting 12 services per
day for 7, 000 peop le. Th ey sta rted q ueu ing at 2:00 a.m. and even broke down the doors to get into the prayer meetings.
Asked to ex plain these ph enom ena, Cu ban C hristians s ay, “It has come because we have paid the price. We have suffered
for the Gospel and we have prayed for many, many years".101 W hen a gr oup kn own as the Ove rseas M issionary S ociety
saw that a fter 2 5 year s wo rk in In dia all they could report was 2000 believers in 25 churches, they adopted a new strate gy.
In their homelands they recruited 1,000 people committed to pray for the work in India for just 1 5 m inute s per day. W ithin
a few years the church exploded to 73,000 members in 550 churches.
Will We "Pray the Price"?
Today there is great pressure from many directions in our society to work harder, to become smarter, to produce results,
or to be moved aside. The church in many W estern countries is in danger of absorbing this mentality into its own attitudes
and practices, forgetting that in the divine-human endeavour, success comes not by might nor by power but by a gracious
release of God "s Holy Sp irit (Zechar iah 4:6). Ye ars ago , R. A. To rrey said, "We live in a day characte rized by the
multiplication of man"s machinery and the diminution of God"s power. The great cry of our day is work, work, work! Organize,
organize, organize! Give us some new society! Tell us some new methods! Devise some new machinery! But the great need
of our day is prayer , more p rayer an d better pr ayer." 102 Friends, in the church in the wes t we now have the mos t up to date,
state of the a rt tech nolog y availa ble to com mu nica te the Gos pel. Ye t com para tively little seems to be happening in so many
countries. In terms of the growth and mission of our churches, could it be that whilst the world has learned to com mun icate
with robots on Mars, in sections of the church we have for gotten to c omm unicate with the Lord of the earth? If that is so,
then our best course of action is to stand again with the first disciples and, like them, return to the Head of the church - Jesus
Chr ist - an d say "Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).
References
Bryant Da vid. With Concerts of Prayer. Ventura: Regal Books/Gospel Light Publications. 1984
Cho, P aul Yong ee, and M anzano , R. W hitney. Prayer: Key to Revival. Waco: W ord Publishing Group. 1984.
100
Walter J. Hollenwager and R. A. Wilson, The Pentecostals, (Minneapolis: Augsburg/Augsburg Fortress, 1972)p. 29.
101
Greg 0'Connor, "Miracles in Cuba” New Day, May, 1990, p. 7-9.
102
Ruben A. Torrey, The Power of Prayer, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974). p. 190
Gordo n, S. D. "Praye r, The G reatest T hing.” Australia’s N ew Da y. April, 1983.
Hollenw ager, W alter J. and W ilson, R. A. The P entec ostals . Minneapolis: Augsburg/Augsburg Fortress. 1972.
0'Conn or, Greg . "Miracles in Cuba” New Day , May, 199 0.
Shibley, Da vid. Let’s Pray in the Harvest. Rockwall, Texas: Church on the Rock. 1985
Torrey, R uben A . The Power of Prayer. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 1974.
W hillhite, Bob J.. Why P ray?: Les sons L earned in the Scho ol of Praye r. Lake Mary: Creation House. 1989
A Season of Prayer, Fasting and Repentance
For Spiritual Revival and Community Transformation
Introduction
(Editor’s Note: This article was originally written for a specific time and place, namely for a season of prayer and fasting
during the 2004 Lenten season in Spokane, Washington. Since that time I have been asked if this message of repentance
might be for the church-at-large [outside of the Spokane, Washington area]. My first response is that I do not feel
personally called to be a “prophet-to-the-nations.” My specific calling is to fast and pray for revival in the Pacific Northwest
where God has ap pointed me to labo r in the house ch urch movement. That being said , I do believe that the call of God
for repentance to begin among His people is a biblical and universal theme which seems particularly timely as the greater
church seeks God for revival in our day. For this reason I have lightly edited my original article to reflect a wider potential
audience in the prayerful expectation that our God, who gives grace to the humble, will bless all genuine steps taken to
call His Church to genuine repentance and humility through fasting and pra yer. I will leave it to the individual reader to draw
any greater impli cations).
This presentation is entitled “A Season of Fasting , Prayer and Rep entance For Spir itual Revival An d Community
Transformation,” and is sponsored by Th e Spokane Mark et Place Prayer Initi ative, a prayer m ovement to encourage and
empower Christians to get out of their traditional boxes and to pray in their homes, their neighborhoo ds, and their market
places for spiritual revival and commu nity transformation. This presentation represents what I believe to be God’s next
step toward opening up a season of divine visitation in revival and renewal. You see, I believe that God wants to send
Spiritual Revival and Transformation to our community. He is calling His available church to seek Him in humility, in
fasting, in prayer and in genuine personal and corporate repentance, asking God to have mercy upon us and to pour out
His Spirit upon us, our churches and our community. This isn’t about a program, a crusade, or a festival. It isn’t even about
your pastor or your church or your ministry. It’s about the heart and desire of God to visit our city, to pour out spiritual
revival and tran sformation, and its about the role He wants you to play.
Repentance has become the “lost heart” of the Church today. One seldom hears messages on the need for personal or
corporate repentance from sin. And yet when we look at the New testament there are some 58 references to the need to
repent. “Repent” is the most frequent instruction given by the risen Christ to the 7 Churches of Asia in Revelation chapters
2 & 3 (occurring 6 times). Repentance is a matter close to God’s heart. I believe God is about to make repentance from
sin as important to us as it is to Him. I believe that God is calling His Church into a season of prayer, fasting and
repentance in preparation for revival.
When you and I stand before God on judgment day He will not ask you to give an account for anyone’s sin but your own.
That sin or issue in your neighbor’s life that you thought was so terrible and which you believed cried out for repentance
on their part will not even come up in the conversation. But God will ask you to explain the log in your own eye which you
steadfastly denied was there and which you refused to rep ent over. Repe ntance isn’t abo ut any one else. It is about you.
It isn’t about anyone else’s sin. It’s about yours. It isn’t about what you might think God wants to do in anyone else’s life.
It’s about what God wants to do in your life. It isn’t about the Church calling the world to repent of it’s sin. It’s about the
Church wanting to be holy before God and living out a life of humility and repentance before a watching world that has
yet to see a genuine role model of repentance and forgiveness. Perhaps the world will consider the claims of Christ more
seriousl y when it se es the pro fessing Church living ou t a life of humility, forgiveness and holine ss more f ully.
Answering The Question
And as this season of spiritual outpouring unfolds, e ach one of us must ask ourselves a very simple yet very profound
question. Your answer to this question will have a profound effect upon you, your family, yo ur church & your com munity.
Here’s the question, in two parts: What do you want God to do in your life, the life of your family, the life of your church
and the life of your community; and what price are you willing to pay to see Him do that? This is the question which
confronts the people of God at the outset of every great move of God’s Spirit in revival. The Presbyterian Church realized
the importance of this very question as both the church and the nation stood on the verge of revival in 1857. Here is what
they said in their official record, written 6 months prior to the outbreak of the great Prayer Revival of 1857.
“Another and the last evidence, that we cite, of an increasing vigor and efficiency in our denomination is, the intense
longing, breathed through all the Narratives for a general, glorious outpouring of the Spirit. The past year has not been
one which may be characterized as a year of revivals, although many churches in many Presbyteries have been greatly
quickened, and some have be en favored with spiritual influences of extraordinary power. . . . This longing for revivals we
cannot but consider a cheering indication of the noblest life. Next to a state of actual revival is the sense of its need, and
the struggle to attain it at any sacrifice of treasure, toil or time.
So, let me ask you again: What do you want God to do in your life, the life of your family, the life of your church and the
life of your community; and what price are you willing to pay, in “treasure, toil or time,” to see Him do that? I believe that
in this present seas on of God’s dea lings He is call ing you and me to pay the price of h umility and repentance. I believe
that humility, repentance and prayer are the first critical steps in every great move of God, including the one that is about
to unfold. I believe God wants to ignite a prairie fire of prayer for Spiritual revival and Community Transformation
throughout our area. And it starts here, today, with you and with me. Revival and community transformation are not going
to come because your pastor preaches o n it, or pra ys for it, or leads meetings to encourage it. It is going to come because
hundreds, even thousands, of believers begin humbling themselves in personal repentance, fasting and prayer, asking
God to open a w indow in the heav enlies over our City. The day of God’s visitation is approaching. I have been a Christian
now for 32 years, and for the past 7 years God’s call upon my life has been to f ast and pray for revival. In all that time I
have never se nsed the S pirit of God brood ing over a city as po werfully as I do today. The day of God’s visitation is
approaching, and He is asking each o ne of us a simp le but profoun d question: What do you want God to do in your life,
the life of your family, the life of your church and the life of your community; and what price are you willing to pay
to see Him do that? Are you willing to pay the price of personal humility, fasting, prayer and repentance?
Seeking A Fresh Visitation From God
We are a community in desperate need of a visitation from God. But su ch a divine v isitation does n ot come to a people
who are satisfied with themselv es. It does not com e to a people or group because they demonstrate themselves powerful
enough or worthy enough either to earn it like a deserved blessing, or to usher it in themselves like the fruit of their own
labor. Such a divine visitation comes to desperate souls who are willing to acknowledge their own failures, their own
weaknesses and their own need. It comes to a church which is willing to confess before God that they themselves are the
stronghold which holds back what He wants to accomplish. All of our failures can ultimately be traced back to one common
source: ourselves.
Scripture teaches and warns us that “God is opposed to the proud, but giv es grace to the hu mble” (1 Peter 5:5). As a
church desperately seeking a fresh visitation from God, and desperately in need of greater grace to fulfill all that God has
called us to do, it is important beyond description for us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may
exalt us at the proper time. Now is a time for humility, not exaltation. It is time for the Church of the Living God to die, in
order for it to truly live. Resurrection power comes only to those who are willing to die: to themselves, to their own plans
and agendas, even their own ministries. Death is God’s prerequi site for resurrec tion life. And ge nuine repenta nce, both
personal and corporate, is one of the ways we as believers and as a Church “die” to ourselves. A person or a Church that
is unwilling to seek God in humility and repentance for their own failures, sins and short-comings is a person or Church
with no adequate spiritual foundation for mov ing forward into God’s new season. That is a person or a Church without the
foundation ne cessary to either rec eive or sustain the new thing tha t God may want to do and to impart.
Scripture reminds us that there is “A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.” (Ecclesiastes
3:4) I believe that now is a time for weeping and mourning in Zion. This is the season for individual believers as well as
Churches to weep and mourn for our sins and our failures. The p urpose of such a time is to acknowledge an d confess
that the blood of the lost in our community is upon our heads and our han ds, and that we have failed to be an effective
living witness to the Gospel. This is the season for us to acknowledge and confess that we are the stronghold, that we are
the problem, that w e are the reason why revival do es not come. Th is, I believe, is God’s season of fasting, prayer and
repentance for His Church.
A Season of Revival Versus A Season of Church Growth
A discussion of repentance and revival raises the inevitable question: What exactly is revival? The best way to illustrate
this question is with an example of how people misunderstand revival. Consider the following quote, then I’ll tell you where
the quote came fr om. Here’s the quote: “If your church baptized 671 new believers, added 1,200 new members, and
increased your average attendance by 2,000 in just 40 days, would you call that a revival? If, during those same 40 days,
2,200 previously uninvolved people volunteered to serve in a ministry of your church, and another 3,700 committed to go
on missions somewhere in the world next year, what would you call that? An awakening? What term would you use if your
members became so burdened for their neighbors that they started 2,400 Home Bible Study groups and convinced nearly
25,000 of their friends, ne ighbors, and co -workers to attend for six weeks? A miracle? Whatever you call it, this actually
happened at Saddleback Church in the Fall of 2002 during an incredible spiritual growth emphasis called 40 Days of
Purpose.” I took this quote from the official website of The Purpose Driven Church. It is Rick Warren’s personal
introduction to the 40 day campaign to a purpose driven church that over 1,500 churches around the country are currently
participating in. It is really a perfect illustration of the confusion surrounding the issue of revival. Are the things he describes
there a revival? I would say “No.” And I want to explain why, and I want to explain why with some help from Arthur W allis.
You may have rea d some of his works in the pa st, such as “God’s Chosen Fast” or “Pray In The Spirit”. But he also
wrote another wonderful book on the topic of revival entitled, “In The Day of Thy Power .” And I would like to share some
of what he has to say on the issue of “Wha t is revival?” Listen to Arthur Wallis:
“There was never a day in which the term "reviv al" needed to be more carefully defined. It has come to be used in relation
to spiritual things so widely and so loosely that many are perplexed to know what it does mean. To some prejudiced or
misinformed people the term is synonymous with excessive emotionalism and mass hysteria. Others u se the word to
describe a successful evangelistic mission. When they tell us that their church is "having a revival", we understand them
to mean that a gospel campaign is being conducted there. This use is possibly a relic of days when the Spirit was working
widely, and one had only to arrange such a mission to witness a quickening among st the believers and an ingathering of
the lost. Today it is otherwise, but in any case to use the term thus is misleading. Some, adhering closely to the etymology
of the word, use it to describe a personal reviving of the believer by the Holy Spirit. If an individual or group is quickened
in holiness and brought into a place of blessing, that is what they call "revival", even if there is little extension of the work.
Similarly others, whose emphasis is more on a definite experience of the Spirit, will claim that when an individual or group
has been filled with the Spirit they have "got revival", regardless of whether there are any repercussions outside their circle.
In so far as revival always involves the reviving of individual believers these views are true, but as definitions of revival they
are inadequa te.
Revival is more than big meetings. It is more than religious excitement. It is more than the quickening of the saints, or their
being filled with the Holy Spirit. It is more than a great ingathering of souls. One may have any one of these without revival,
and yet revival i ncludes them all.”
Do you see what Wallis is saying? He is pointing out that there is a fundamental difference between a very effective
evangelistic program or campaign (such as Rick Warren is describing) and a spiritual revival. You can have a very
successful Church growth program without ever experiencing God’s Presence in revival. Let’s listen to more of what Arthur
Wallis has to say about this:
“There is a wealth of difference between missions or campaigns at their best and genuine revival. In the former man takes
the initiative, it may be with the prompting of the Spirit; in the latter the initiative is God's. With the one the organization is
human; with the other it is divine. There is no intention here of disparaging the work of missions, or of denying that God
has owned them to the conversion of multitudes, but it must be made clear that they do not constitute revival. Missions
may be a part of the continuous programme of evangelism which is the task of the church, but revival is a thing of special
times and seasons. Revival may of course break out during a mission, but when it does so certain features will appear
which are peculiar to revival, and certain features will disappear which are characteristic of missions. However, while
revival tarries, the normal evangelism of the church must continue, but let us keep the distinction clear. The meaning of
any word is determined by its usage. For a definition of revival we must therefore appeal to the people of God of bygone
years, who have used the word with consistency of meaning down the centuries, until it began to be used in a lesser and
more limited sense in modem times. Numerous writings on the subject that have been preserved to us will confirm that
revival is divine intervention in the normal course of spiritual things. It is God revealing Himself to man in awful holiness
and irresistible power. It is such a manifest working of God that human personalities are overshadowed, and human
programmes abandoned. It is man retiring into the background because God has taken the field. It is the Lord making bare
His holy arm, and working in extraordinary power on saint and sinner.
A successful church growth program may change your church a nd cause it to grow in numbers, but God’s Presence in
revival wil l transform your church and end ow it with the King dom Power ne cessary to reach an d transform a c ity.
The “Wall” Of The Status Quo
Now, this presentation you are listening to (or reading) has been revised and updated as of Mid-2004, and this requires
an explanation. In September of 2003 The Spokane Market Place Prayer Initiative sponsored and put on a Public
Commemoration of 9/11 in the River Park Square Mall in downtown Spokane. You can see a picture summ ary of this event
on our website at marketplaceprayer.org and I talk about this event and how it came about in my Overview of The Spokane
Market Place Prayer Initiative. After that event, which God greatly blessed, we began asking God “What’s next?” because
it felt as though Spokane had hit what I call a “revival prayer wall.” I began sensing (and it was confirmed by others) that
God is calling His available church into a season of prayer, fasting and repentance as the next step in His unfolding season
of revival. In response to this call, beginning in January of 2004, we mailed out over 200 information packets to area
pastors and churches. The packets included a call to “40 Days of Purposeful Repentance” during the 2004 Lenten Season,
an audio tape (similar to this message which I am now updating), a written copy of this message, information on how to
participate in this season, a “Repentance Petition” and more. We also began sending out over 200 weekly e-mail
devotionals focusing upon prayer, fasting and repentance to area pastors, churches and leaders.
When I looked back and reflected on this time I was reminded of several conversations with believers who were involved
in the "40 Days of Purposeful Repentance" and they all had the same basic question: "Have you heard anything from the
Lord; has anything been accomplished?" That's a good question that deserves a response. As the "40 Days" progressed
I began to receive feed back (usually through the grapevine) from intercessors w ho said something like this: "Yes, we have
received the same word from God that He is calling His people into a season of repentance, and we have shared this word
with our leadership ." The story usually ended with some statement that the leadership had "received" the word but had
not yet acted on it. Such sto ries finally led m e to a conclusion. Much of the Church and its leadership during this season
has often resembled the parable which Jesus told in Matthew 21 :28ff. It went like this: "But what do you think? A man had
two sons, and he came to the first and said , ‘Son, go work today in the vi neya rd.’ And he answered and sa id, ‘I will, sir’;
and he did not go. An d he came to the sec ond and said th e same thing. But he answered and said, ‘I will not’; yet he
afterward regretted it and we nt. Which of the two did the will of his father? They s aid, ‘The latter.’” We like to give the
appearance of obedience by agreeing with the intercessor who bring us what they believe to be a word from the Lord, like
the son in the parable who said "I will, sir" but did not go. But God isn't looking for "lip-servi ce agreement." It is better to
be the son who ans wered, "‘I will n ot’; yet he afterward regretted it and w ent." Obstinance w hich turns to regre t,
repentance and obedienc e is something God can work w ith for blessing . Hearing and f alse agreem ent which lead s to
disobedience is something th at God will eve ntually judge. If you aren't going to listen to your interc essors & prophe t with
a heart of obedience then you would be better off to not have them, because now you are accountable for hearing,
knowing and disobeying. Ouch! So, back to the question. What was accomplished in this season? Let me mention just
a couple (there are more, but I am not sure that this is the time and place to dis cuss them). First, we have the
accomplishment of obedience. In Luke Chapter 17 Jesus told another parable which ends like this: “He does not thank
the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? So you too, when you do all the things which are
commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we o ught to have d one.’" (Luke 17:9-10)
At the end of the day (or season) we have the joy of knowing that while God is not "impressed," He is pleased with our
obedience. We have done what He told us to do. And when we obey, the resul ts belong to God. Just a s when we disobey,
the results belong to us. Second, we have the accomplishment of having entered into and waged warfare in the
heavenlies on behalf of our city and the people who live here . I am no expert on spiritual warfare (nor do I know many
people who are, despite their protestations to the contrary), but I have learned over the years that, as Daniel discovered
during his fasting times, changes in the heavenlies precede changes on earth. And I know that prayer, fasting and
repentance bring about changes in the heavenlies. H ow those chang es will be ma nifested here w here we live i s yet to
unfold . . . but be assured that they will unfold. The obedience of all who have participated in this season of prayer, fasting
& repentance has had an impact upon the coming day of God's visitation in our area. W e are all now w aiting for God to
reveal to us what that impact will be.
As I mentioned earlier, back in the Fall of 2003 I sensed that Spokane had hit a "revival prayer wall." Even at that time I
was afraid that this would happen. Now, six months later as I look back over what God has done and how His people either
have aor hove not responded, I am more convinced than ever of this wall. Everything that has been done up 'til now
(prayer walking, spiritual mapping, proclamations, etc.) has been the "easy" work of clearing away the brush and rubble
which, when removed, reveals "the wall" which had been concealed there. Now the question is whether or not we will do
the genuinely hard work of pressing in with persistent and devoted prayer, fasting and repentance. This isn't about
planning new outreaches or new programmes or new activities. It is about the church's willingness, our willingne ss, to
press into God's Kingdom Purposes for our community through individual as well as corporate prayer & fasting &
repentance.
As I have prayed and sought God about this situation over the past several weeks, I have sensed the Holy Spirit saying
that one of the Chu rch's greatest "en emies" in this s eason is . . . the status quo. God hates the status quo, because it
represents present complacency waging warfare against revel ation and visi on . . . and reviv al. The status qu o represents
complacency attempting to hold a "middle ground" somewhere between revival or judgment. But in God's spiritual
economy there is no such "middle ground." A person, a church, a community and a nation is always moving in one
direction or another, either towards spiritual revival and transformation on the one hand, or towards judgment on the other
hand. Men (individual Christians as well as churches) attempt to mask the status quo with activities which keep people
busy and which divert their attention from the reality that nothing has really changed (revealing the stark d ifference
between "activity" and "impact"). The current status quo is like the lukewarmness of the Laodiceans in Revelation 3:16.
It is activity masking spiritual poverty and complacency, and it nauseates the Lord Jesus because we are neither hot nor
cold. Jesus didn't suffer & die so that we could be comfortably complacent while our churches swap congregations and
call it church gro wth and while o ur city perishes aro und us.
The Church now stands at a spiritual crossroads. After many years of prayer for revival, and many prophetic words
promising a season of revival, we now stand at a critical crossroads where we must choose. We can choose to continue
on in more man-made structures, activities, programs and coalitions which will do nothing but mask spiritual poverty with
activity while perpetua ting the status quo , or we can choos e to lay aside all other considerations and enter into a season
of prayer, fasting and repentance which will lead to genuine revival. In this season, God is not looking for empty, ritualized
and formalized repentance events. Rather, He is looking to raise up men (and women) like Ezra who are genuinely
appalled at the condition of God's people and who are willing to weep the prayers of the broken hearted over the sin of
God's people and the failure of the Church. All future seasons of God's blessing are contained in this present season which
now looms before us. For if the Church fails to embrace and enter into this season, there may be no future season of
blessing in our generation. I believe that God wants to send Spiritual Revival and Transformation to our community, and
at this current point in time He is calling His available church to seek Him in humility, in fasting, in prayer and in genuine
personal and corporate re pentance, aski ng God to have mercy upon us a nd to pour out His Spirit upon us, our churches
and our community.
The Role of Repentance In Revival
Why is repentance important for revival, and why should we be pursuing and praying for it in this season? Let me offer
two thoughts. First, repentance is important because it clears the way for God to do more and greater things in our lives,
by dealing with past sins or issues which may be standing in the way of a deeper relationship with God. Do we really want
God to bless our sin? But, Christians who are stuck in self-satisfied complacency & the status quo often respond to calls
for repentance by saying, “I don’t have anything I need to repent of. I’m already working hard and doing my best, and we’ve
got a great program underway at our church and everything is O.K. So, why do I or we need to rep ent?” That’s actually
an important question. And I want to offer three specific answers: First, 1 John 1:8-10 says, “If we say that we have no
sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is
not in us.” Notice that according to this verse there are 2 basic kinds of Christians: those who deny they have sin in their
lives and are therefore self-deceived, and those who acknowledge and confess their sins (by the way, that’s repentance)
and experience God’s forgiveness and cleansing. To say that we have no need to repent is the same as saying that we
have no sin in our lives and no need for forgiv eness and cleansing. I wonder if that’s really true; and I wonder if that’s really
what you want to tell God - “Don’t mind me God, I’m sinless and perfect. Go on to some poor sinner who really needs yo u.”
My second answer to this question of why do we need to repent is found in Revelation 3:14-20 which describes the Church
of Laodicea. Now, some Bible teachers teach that this represents the end-time apostate church. But as I study this
passage, what I see is not an apostate church, but a complacent one. You see, the problem in Laodicea wasn’t that they
were apostate, but that they were lukewarm, complacent and blind to their own spiritual poverty and need. Here’s my point
from this passage: the Christians in Laodicea didn’t realize they were the complacent church in Laodicea until Jesus
revealed it to them. And what was the antidote to their spiritual poverty, blindness and lukewarm complacency? We see
it in verse 19: ‘Those whom I love, I reprov e and disciplin e; be zealous therefo re, and repent.
My third answer to the question of why we need to repe nt has to do with our community. In the greater Spokane-eastern
Washington area reliable surveys show that only 18 out of 100 adults attend any form of Church. To put this in simple
terms that we can all understand, as Christians we have failed our community to the point that 82 out of 100 people have
no interest in the gospel or the Kingdom of God. Rather than defen ding our failed programs and activities, we need to
acknowledge and confess our failures, repent before the throne of Grace, and beseech God in humility and tears for a
fresh visitation.
Now, my second thought on why repentance is important to re vival is that repentance is to revival what roots are to a
tree. A tall tree with sha llow roots is a di saster waiting to h appen. And tree s develop sha llow roots because the available
water supply is close to the surface and there is no immediate need f or it to send its roots deep into the earth in search
of water. When the winds of adversity blow, tall trees with shallow roots are easily blown over with disastrous results. Much
of our life in the church today is likewise shallow. We are often spiritu al trees with shallow roots, never having been either
forced or challenged to dig deep into God’s Presence, and never discovering that the sins and issues which we dismiss
so lightly are in reality things which break the heart of God. I believe God desires and intends to send powerful revival to
His Church and awakening to the world, but I bel ieve He wants to grow it among a people with roots of repentance driven
deep into His Presence, in fulfillment of Isaiah 61:3 - “To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead
of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called
oaks of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” I believe God will be glorified when His “oaks
of righteousne ss” have roots o f repentance d riven deep in to His Presence.
What Exactly Is Repentance?
Now there is a question which we haven’t yet answered, which is: W hat exactly is repentance? In the O. T. repentance
was a very con crete thin g. It was most frequ ently exp ressed by the Hebrew word shuwb which means “to turn”.
Repentance meant that you were going in the wrong direction away from God and that you needed to turn and go in a
different direction - toward God. This is the emphasis throughout the book of Jeremiah where this word occurs some 112
times in 52 chapters (look particularly at chapter 3). In the New Testament the emphasis in repentance was upon a change
of mind or heart. It is expressed in the Greek word metanoia which literally m eant to have an “after thought” or a “change
of mind” which resulted in a change of direction or action. Listen to what the Apostle Paul says about repentance as he
describes his ministry among the Ephesians from Acts 20:18-21: “And when they had come to him, he said to them,“You
yourselves know, from th e first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all
humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from
declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you pub licly and from h ouse to house, so lemnly testifying to
both Jews and Greek s of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Most Christians probably think of
repentance as something negative, as turning away from something we don’t really want to give up. But Paul talks here
about “repentance tow ard God.” The Christian life must never be defined by what we are against. Ultimately, our spiritual
lives must be defined by what we turn towards. Repentance is turning towards God. Repentance is saying no to anything
which separates us fro m a deeper wa lk with God. And that is a good thing. Now, many Christians, maybe some of you
hearing or reading this, think that repentance is only a message for believers to preach to unbelievers, but that is not true.
We see this most clearly in Revelation Chapters 2 and 3 where the command to “repent” is the most frequent instruction
given by the risen Christ to the 7 Churches of Asia in Revelation chapters 2 & 3 occurring 6 times. God earnestly desires
a people who will repent by turning away from and saying no to anything that separates us from a deeper walk with Him,
and which compromises our witness and testimony to the world. One of my favorite Christian thinkers during my college
days was Os Guinness. His book, The Dust of Death, a critique on the collapse of western thought, was "required
reading" among Christian college students during the 1970s (It is still an excellent read). Guinness studied under Dr.
Francis Schaeff er at L’Abri and Sch aeffer’ s thought resonate s through much of Guinness ' writings even tod ay. In one of
his most recent books, entitled The Long Journey Home, Dr. Guinness dis cusses the three i mpedimen ts to Christianity
most often cited by unbelievers. The first impediment to faith among unbelievers is the problem of pain, evil and suffering
in the world. The second impediment cited is the problem of the historical Jesus in light of such things as The Jesus
Project (which questions the historical veracity of the biblical accounts of Jesus’ life). The third impediment to Christian
faith cited by unbelievers is . . . . "Christians." That’s right. When it comes to evangelism and the gospel, we are often our
own worst enemy. At least, that’s how unbelievers often see us. Sometimes the worst thing we can do for an unbeliever
is to bring him or her to Church! What makes us think that the sins of pride, gossip, prejudice, anger, judgmentalism and
the like are somehow OK in the life of God’s people, but are condemned in the life of an unbeli ever. And how can we ask
and expect unbelievers to repent of those things which separate them from God wh en God’s own people are unwilling to
do so?
Perhaps the best biblical example of both inw ard and outward repentance is found in Luke Chapter 15 and the story of
the Prodigal Son. The interesting thing about this story for our purposes in understanding the need for repentance in the
Church today is to note that there were, in fact, two sons. One was a prodigal who went away, squandered his
inheritance, repented, returned and was joyously restored to fellowship with his Father. But there was a second son who
didn’t do anything wrong, except live in self-righteousness abou t how good and obedient he was, and in judgmentalism
toward his wayward but repentant brother. Now, here’s the question. Which one of these represents you? And which one
represents me? And which one represents the Church today? Here’s the point. Genuine repentance is always welcomed
and blessed by God; but complacency, self-righteousness and judgmentalism are NEVER welcomed or blessed.
Let’s take a moment to put this into strictly hum an terms. I’m a f ather. I have two children, a son a nd a daughter, b oth in
their early twenties. But suppose for a moment that one of them had come to me when they were younger, had gotten
down on their knees and said some thing like this: “Dad, I want to tell you how sorry I am for the ways I have failed to be
the son or daughter you’ve wante d me to be. If there are specific things I’ve done or not done that I need to correct, I want
you to tell me. And I want to do wha tever you think is n ecessary to chan ge. I really want to love you more and to honor
you as your son or daughter, and to do the things that please you. I genuinely want to build a deeper relationship with you.
Would you tell me what it is I need to do?” Now, after recovering from the shock of this experience, how do you think I
would respond? How would you respond? Would you dismiss it or minimize it or trivialize it? Or would you be deeply
touched and moved to the point of doing whatever you could to encourage your child and to build a deeper, more vital
relationship w ith him or her? And how do you think God will respond to his people; how do you think Jesus will respond
to His bride doing the same thing with Him? This is the Church driving deep roots into the Presence of God through
repentance, in order that the tree of revival which will grow from tho se roots will be strong and tall. This kind of repentance
requires humility rather than pride. It requires a people and a Church willing to acknowledge their weaknesses and fa ilures,
rather than proclaiming their power and strength. If we cannot see our own need for repentance, we may be like the
Laodiceans of Revelation Chapter 3. Remember, the Laodiceans didn’t think that they were the Chu rch in Laodicea either.
We seldom see ourselves as God sees us. We often need God’s prophetic voice breaking through to us, calling us to send
our spiritual roots deeper into His Presence through prayer, fasting and godly repentance. Now the question is, are you
willing to take the first steps toward God in repentance, asking Him to meet you in this process a nd to reveal to you those
areas of your life or your ministry where, like the Laodiceans, you may have become blind to your own spiritual poverty
and need. And in this process I am rem inded of Paul ’s words to Tim othy when he said , “And the Lord’s bond-servant must
not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in
opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth . . “(2 Timothy 2:25). Our goal
should not be to artificially “create” something to repent over, but to ask God Him self to grant to each of u s persona lly,
and to His Church, a genuine spirit of repentance that expresses the heart of God, and the spiritual need of our own hea rts
and lives.
The Relationship of Fasting & Repentance
Now let’s talk some about the relationship between fasting a nd repen tance. Joh n Wesley, the founder of the Methodist
Church, was a highly disciplined person in his personal spiritual devotions. He fasted two days every week, every
Wednesday and every Friday, from the time he got up in the morning until after 3:00 in the afternoon. And he refused to
appoint to the Methodist ministry any man who would not commit himself to fast two days per week. Listen to what Wesley
has to say about fasting and prayer: “And with fasting let us always join in fervent prayer, pouring out our whole souls
before God, confessing our sins with all their aggravations, humbling ourse lves under his mig hty hand, laying open before
him all our wants, all our guiltiness and helplessness. This is a season for enlarging our prayers, both in behalf of ourselves
and of our brethren. Let us now bewail the sins of our people, and cry aloud for the city of our God: that the Lord may build
up Zion, and cause his face to shine o n her desolatio ns.” As one of the leaders of the First Great Awakening in England,
Wesley understood the important role fasting plays in confession of sin, repentance and preparation for revival. The reason
I wanted to share this quote, and the reason I want to talk about the importance of fasting and prayer is this. As we enter
this new season of God’s dealings with His church, one of the crying needs of the church in our relationship with God is
to enter into a season of earnest repentance for our sins. And biblically, fasting plays an important role in how the people
of God deal with their sin. When we look at the Old Testament we see the people of God practicing fasting in order to deal
with their sin in f our ways:
1. They fasted in order to humble themselves before God. In 1 Peter 5:5-6 Peter exhorts elders to “clothe yourselves
with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves
therefore under the mighty h and of God . . .” The Old Testament mentality was very practical and concrete. Fasting, as
taught and practiced in the Old Testament, provides a practical means for us to humble ourselves before God and one
another. There is a clear scriptural relationship between humbling ourselves and fasting. In Leviticus 16:31 God instructed
the Israelites to “afflict” their souls each year on the Day of Atonement. The Hebrew word translated “afflict” in Leviticus
16:31 means “to be bowed down or afflicted.” It is the same word which is translated “humble” in Psalm 35:13 where David
declared, “I humbled my soul wi th fasting.” The same word is found along with fasting in several passages, including Ezra
8:21 where Ezra proclaimed a fast, “that we might humble ourselves.” The word for “fast” and “humble” are used together.
In Scripture, fasting is God’s appointed means for believers to “afflict” their souls and to humble themselves before God,
demonstrating our earnestness and sincerity of purpose in confro nting sin in our lives.
2. They Fasted As A Means of Confessing Their Sins. The relationship between fasting and the confession of sin can
be powerfully seen in Ezra 9:5ff, “But at the evening offering I arose from my humiliation, even with my garment and my
robe torn, and I fell on my knees and stretched out my hands to the Lord my God; and I said, ‘O my God, I am ashamed
and embarrassed to lift up my face to Thee, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads, and our guilt has grown
even to the heaven s.’” The Hebrew word translated “humiliation” here m eans “to afflict or humble oneself b y fasting.” The
remainder of the chapter is Ezra’s confession of the people’s sin and his prayer for God’s forgiveness. The result of Ezra’s
fasting and con fession was tha t a spirit of conv iction over sin began to spread among the pe ople, “Now while Ezra was
praying and making confession, weeping and prostrating himself before the house of God, a very large assembly, men,
women, and children, gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept bitterly” (Ezra 10:1). Ezra’s time of fasting,
humiliation and confession of sin had a powerful effect upon the people of Israel, resulting in their own conviction,
confession, mourning (as evidenced by their “weeping bitterly”) and repentance from sin. God intends for times of personal
and corporate fasting to be times of acknowledging and confessing our sins, confessing them first before God and
secondly before those persons against whom we have sinned.
3. They Fasted In Order To Mourn Their Sins. In the Old Testament there is also a relationship between fasting and
mourning. In the passage from Ezra 10 referred to above the word “mourning” is found in verse 6, “Then Ezra rose from
before the house of God and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. Although he went there, he did not
eat bread, nor drin k water, for he was mour ning over the un faithfulne ss of the exiles.” Here the relationship is clear
between fasting (“he did not eat . . . nor drink”) and mourning. Ezra fasted as an expression of mourning over the sin of
the people. Ezra didn’t simply confess his sin and the sins of the people as so me form of “intellectual agreement” with God.
It went much deeper. As a result of his fasting, Ezra’s heart was broken by the sins which broke the heart of God. It is one
thing to intellectually and mentally acknowledge our sin and to confess it. It is quite another when God touches our heart
and causes it to break over our sin, just as His heart breaks over our sin. Ezra expressed his mourning by fasting, but his
fasting led to a deeper mourning because his heart had been broken over sin. We see the relationship again in Nehemiah
1:4, “Now it came about when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and
praying before the God of h eaven.” Here we see fasting that results specifically in mourning and weeping over sin (the
sin is specified in Nehemiah’s prayer for forgive ness in verse 7). In the Old Testament, fasting is a form of mourning,
particularly mourning for one’s sins. Biblical mourning is neither the self-centered remorse nor the hopeless grief of the
unbeliever. Instead, biblical mourning through fasting is a response to the prompting of the Holy Spirit through which we
share in a small measure in God’s own grief over our sin. Fasting is a time when we consider and mourn our own sins,
failures and shortcomings before God. As John We sley observed, “Let every season, either of public or private fasting,
be a season of exercising all those holy affections which are implied in a broken and contrite heart. Let it be a season of
devout mourning, of godly sorrow for sin. . .” It is this kind of go dly mourn ing is followed b y “the oil of gladness instead of
mourning, the mantle of praise instead of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord,
that He may be glorified” (Isaiah 61:3)
4. They Fasted As A Sign of Repentance For Their Sin. Fasting, when combined with humility, confession, and
mourning over our sin, is a true indication of genuine repentance. No where is this more clearly seen than in the example
of Jonah and the N inevites. In Jonah 3:5, in response to the preaching of th e prophet, “the people of Nineveh believed
in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them.”Their action of fasting was
matched with an attitude o f repentance, “let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from
the violence which is in his hands” (Jonah 3:8). God graciously acknowledged the fasting of the Ninevites as an indication
of genuine repentance, “When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning
the calamity which H e had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it” (Jonah 3:10).
Calling A Coalition For Repentance & Community Transformation
There is much talk today among ministry people about formin g "coalitions" to partner in ministry to reach our comm unity.
Coalitions and partnerships are good. But as good as they can be, they are irrelevant at this moment in time. Changing
our working structure to a coalition, a partnership, a "ministry hub" or anything else is meaningless if we are not willi ng to
obey God in the one thi ng He is callin g us to do at this moment in time. God is calling Churches, ministries, leaders and
believers into a season of genuine soul-searching repentance. It’s time for God's people to "weep between the porch and
the altar, and let them say, 'Spare thy people, O Lord, and do not make Thine inheritance a reproach, a byword among
the nations." (Joel 2:17) To labor on building coal itions, partnersh ips or hubs, whi le ignoring God 's call to repent an d to
seek Him first and foremost in this season, is to do nothing more than to tie together the tails of many "dead cats" in the
vain hope that there is somehow life and strength in numbers.
There is also much talk today about the need for “unity” among believers, churches and ministries in our area. And unity,
like partnerships and coalitions, can be a good thing. And what greater unity could there be than for the visible church of
Jesus Christ in our community to unite in the single-minded purp ose of meeting before the Throne of Grace in a concert
of prayer, fasting and repentance, beseeching God to have mercy upon His people and to send a genuine season of
spiritual revival and community tran sformation. In th e words of John Wesley, “And with fasting let us always join in fervent
prayer, pouring out our whole souls before God, confessing our sins with all their aggravations, humbling ourselves under
his mighty hand, laying open before him all our wants, all our guiltiness and helplessness. This is a season for enlarging
our prayers, both in behalf of ourselves and of our brethren. Let us now bewail the sins of our people, and cry aloud for
the city of our God: th at the Lord may bui ld up Zion, and c ause his face to sh ine on her deso lations.”
All future seasons of God's blessing are contained in this present season which now rises up before us like a cloud no
bigger than a man’s hand. For if we are unwilling or unable to embrace and enter into this season of repentance and
preparation, there may be no future season of blessing in our generation. I believe that God wants to send Spiritual Revival
and Transformation to our community, and at this current point in time He is calling His available church to seek Him in
humility, in fasting, in prayer and in genuine personal and corporate repentance, asking God to have mercy upon us and
to pour ou t His Spirit upon us , our churches and our comm unity.
What Are We Repenting For?
There are no cookie-cu tter patterns, programs or so lutions h ere. Repe ntance is always pe rsonal, and will v ary from
individual to individual, as well as from Church to Church. My sins are not your sins. What God convicts me concerning
will be different from the things He wants to deal with in your life. W hile one church may need to repent of a spirit of false
authority and abuse by its leadership towards its people, another church may need to repent of a pattern of the
congregation abusing pastors and leaders, or of the people closing their hearts to the needs of its missionaries, or of
saying “go, be warmed and be filled” to the poor in their midst while never giving sacrificially to meet their needs. And don’t
be taken by surprise by the depths of the enemy’s work among God’s peop le. I am personally aware of situations where
Christian marriages are being destroyed by addictions to pornography and internet sex, or where Christian families are
being torn apart by drug addictions, or spousal abuse and other attacks of the enemy. Like the Church of Laodicea it does
us no good to deny our spiritual poverty and to proclaim our false prosperity, while Jesus stands outside the door, knocking
and calling His pe ople to repentan ce and deeper fellowship w ith Himself. The choice we make whether or not to confront
these realities in ourselves and our churches and to repent of them is a choice as to whether or not we will pursue a
deeper and more intimate relationship with Jesus Himself and the revival and transformation He has promised, or keep
Him on the outside and allow this season of rev ival to pass us by unclaimed. The choice is ours.
So, What Do We Do Next?
Let me begin by saying, there is never a bad time to repent and seek God for personal and corporate revival. So, please
don’t feel limited by any artificial time constraints. But at the same time I believe that there are times and season which
God determines in His Providence when He calls His people to seek Him in humility and repentance. I believe that we
have entered such a time. For this reason The Spokane Market Place Prayer Initiative and The Parousia Network of House
& Cell Churches are encouragi ng individua l believers an d churches to set aside dedicated and concerted times and
seasons of fasting, prayer and repentance, asking God to visit us, our churches and our city in spiritual revival and
community transformation.
Now, I want this to be as p ractical as possi ble, so I want to give some specific vision and an action ste p. First, the Vision.
Let me re-state the vision with some help from the great Welsh Revival of 1904. On Friday morning, November 4, 1904
Evan Roberts wrote to Mr. Hartley Aspden, the Editor of the Sunday Companion newspaper asking for a cost quote for
printing up some “Revival Picture Post-cards”. At the conclusion of his letter Roberts ad ded, “We are on the eve of a great
and grand revival, the greatest the world has ever seen. Do not think that the writer is a madman”. Those picture post cards
never got printed, but the revival came and Mr. Hartly Aspden never forgot that note. I believe that God has opened a
season for revival among His people. I believe He wants to pour out the River of His Spirit in power and blessing and
transformation the likes of which we have never seen or experienced before. What God wants to do will take your breath
away. In the words of the Prophet Isaiah in Chapter 64 and verse 3. “When Thou didst awesome things which we did not
expect, Thou didst come do wn, the mountains qu aked at Thy prese nce.” God is about to come and do new things “which
we did not expect.” Second, the Challenge. I believe that in order to fully enter into this season of promised revival, God
is calling His Church to a season of humility, fasting, prayer and repentance for all our sins and failures. I believe that God
wants His people, as individuals, ministries and Churches, to form a coalition for prayer, repentance, for revival and for
community transformation. It is time for the visible Church to unite before the Throne of Grace and wi th many voices as
one voice to weep between the po rch and the altar, a nd to cry out saying 'Sp are thy people, O Lord, and do not make
Thine inheritance a reproach, a byword among the nations." Third, the Action Step. Make a persona l commitme nt to
fast, pray and repent in your own devotional life. Ultimately, all prayer, fasting and repentance are personal. Encourage
your church or ministry to declare a season of prayer, fasting and repentance and to encourage everyone to participate.
Your pastor, your church or your ministry may need your personal encouragement to become involved with this season.
Make sure they have a copy of this article and encourage them to circulate it to people in your church or ministry. You can
also do such things a s cover your chur ch with fasting and prayer by setting up a “Daily Prayer Calendar” where individuals
volunte er and sig n up to fast and pra y for one p articular day or par t of a day.
I would like to end this presentation with a personal story. Roughly 7 years ago I began working on my book on the great
Welsh revival of 1904. During that time I traveled to London and Wales to do research. When I arrived at London-
Heathrow I immediately caught the subway (the “Tube”) to downtown London, looking for the hotel which the travel agent
in Toronto had booked for me. I spent the next two days in London doing research and visiting old bo ok stores. On
Wednesday morning I wo ke up at 4 :00 AM with a powerf ul dream on my min d and hea rt. In my jou rnal for that day I
recorded, “I had a dream last evening that was very intense. I dreamt that I met Evan Roberts and we talked about the
Welsh Revival and what God did during that time. In my dream we ended o ur time by praying together for reviva l.” I
suppose that it is possible that my dream of encountering Evan Roberts was what C. H. Spurgeon described as nothing
more than “the steam from an overhead brain,” since I was in the process of writing a book on those events. But I sensed
that it was much more, like “fire from off God’s altar.” I spent the following hour, from 4:00-to-5:00 AM in intense prayer,
with the deep sense that God was telling me that He intends to send the fire of His Holy Spirit in revival and renewal, just
as He did in Wales and around the world from 1904 to 1907. May God in His Providence during this Season of Fasting,
Prayer and Repentance ignite that same fire that caused Evan Roberts to pray the prayer that changed himself, a nation
and the world - O Arglwydd, Plyg ni - “O Lord, Bend Us” May God bless you and bend you as you fast and pray and
repent be fore Him for spiri tual revival and for the tra nsformation of o ur city.
House Church and Radical Sacrificial Giving
by R. Ma urice Sm ith
The Problem of Money
The com edian H enny You ngm an onc e quippe d, "I've got all the mone y I'll ever nee d . . . If I die by 4 o'cloc k." I think he wo uld
have felt right at home in the house church movement. In fact, I think I've finally figured out why there are so many
"prospe rity gospel" preachers and teache rs today. T he ans wer is rea lly quite simp le when yo u think ab out it: It pays better
(W ell, duh! ). At lea st in this life. Unfortunately, the accounting that really matters comes later, after it's too late to do anything
about it. Now, don 't worry. I'm no t planning to begin pre aching p rosper ity & wealth. I'm allergic to polyester and h air sp ray,
and despite repeated attempts, I still can't stretch the word "God" into three syllables.
Not to o long ago I hear d W olfga ng S ims on sa y that th ere a re thr ee iss ues facin g the chur ch to day:
1. Resto ring wha t is church ,
2. How Christians can work together, and
3. How Christians handle money. Hmm, some things never change!
I recently hea rd the pa stor of a lar ge see ker frien dly church relate the fo llowing statistic s regard ing Chris tian giving:
1. 80% of all giving in the church is done by 20% of attendees.
2. The remaining 20% of all money is given by the next 30% of attendees.
3. If you're following the math, this means that 100% of all giving is done by 50% of church attendees.
4. The remaining 50% of church attendees give NOTHING. Ouch!
So it should come as no surprise (a disappointment, yes, but no surprise) that reliable studies conducted by such
organizations as The Barna Group show that only 8-to-12 out of 100 born again believers tithe. And Christian giving as a
percentage of income is actually declining. In 1968 the average percentage of one’s income given to the Church was 3.1%,
but by 199 8 (30 years later) that p erce ntag e had fallen to 2.5 2% . Tha t’s a 20% drop! F or m e it raises the question: Why
sho uld God bless our eco nomy when w e, the Church, are not using the prosperity He has given us for His Kingdom
Purposes. Let me be as clear as I know how to be. I do not think that "tithing" is really the issue when it comes to Christian
giving. W hy do I say tha t? Because I am convinced that the New Testament standard & model for giving is not tithing, but
radical sacrificial giving out of a transformed life. Now , I don 't really w ant to enga ge in a "deb ate" o ver tith ing, b ut I wo uld
challenge anyone to produce a single N.T. passage where tithing is dem onstrate d in practice in the life of the New
Testament church . I can't find on e. But I can find many examples of radical, sacrificial giving out of a transformed life which
went far beyond tithing.
I have received numerous repo rts ab out h ous e chu rch m inistrie s wh ich ar e stru ggling and w here the lea ders hip has been
forced to tak e sec ular e mp loym ent in order to survive. This has evoked several thoughts in my own mind, and I would like
to share some of them with you. First, this news will no doubt hearten some house church "purists" who think that no one
sho uld rece ive an incom e or fr om the m inistry. U nfor tuna tely they are at odds with the Apostle Paul who, quot ing Je sus in
Matthew 10:10, declared "The laborer is worthy of his hire." (1 Tim othy 5 :18). This state me nt as sum es th at so me one is
working in the ministry and is getting paid for doing so. To put it into modern term s that even I can understand, "You get what
you pay for. Pay for nothing and that's exactly w hat you 'll get, 'cause n obody can afford to work for free." (Maurice's Loose
Contem porary Trans lation) But sec ond ly, I cannot a void the ine vitable que stion: "Where is the radical sacrificial giving of
Christians to the work of the Kingdom?"
Let's face r eality. Th e statis tics (cite d abo ve) do n't lie. Ch ristians by-and -large d on't give; not by any measurable biblical
standard. And that hurts to admit. Let me m ake an observation at this point regarding what I believe the biblical standard
of giving to be. I believe that the New Testament transforms and redefines the believer's responsibilities before God. For
example, in Matthew 5:27ff Jesus transforms & redefines adultery from an outward physical act to an inward attitude of the
heart. In effect, Jesus "raises the bar" from simply avoiding the physical act of adultery (which we should all avoid, in case
you're wondering!) to examining our inward attitudes and thou ghts (that o l' secret lust issue). Keeping the requirements of
the Law is no longer a matte r only of exte rnal conf orm ity, but a ma tter of inw ard tra nsfor ma tion. Th is is the h eart of Paul's
argument in 2 Corinth ians 3 as he exp lains the N ew Co venant o f Jeremiah 31. The Law of M oses em phasized outward
con form ity. The Law of the Spirit emphasizes inward transformation. The Law kills. But the Spirit transforms lives. What does
this have to d o with giving in th e New Testa men t? Simply this. The N ew Te stam ent trans form s the believ er's resp onsibility
conce rning giving from an outw ard fixed percen tage to an inward attitud e of radic al sacrificial givin g.
Radical Sacrificial Giving Versus Tithing
As I said earli er, I can find no New Testament church example of believers tithing. But I can find numerous examples of
radical sacrificial giving. Consider the following:
O God Himself - That's right. Radical sacrificial giving begins at the top. God Himself is our model and example, and
God doesn't tithe. Instead, He gives radically and sacrificially. God gave to u s radica lly and sacrificia lly by giving to
us un worth y sinne rs the unfa thom able gift of His Son. He "spared no expense" to redeem us from our fallen and
lost condition. And so Paul could declare, at the end of his discourse on giving in 2 Corinthians 8-9, "Thanks be to
God for His inde scribab le gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15 ) Now do you unde rstan d wh y it really is impossible to out-give
God?! "He who did not spare His own Son , but d eliver ed H im up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give
us all things?" (Roman s 832) Am en! God is a radical sacrificial giver!
O The Widow - In Mark 12:41ff the writer paints a fascinating picture. He tells us that Jesus "sat down opposite the
treas ury, and beg an obs erving ho w the m ultitude wer e putting m oney into the treasury." Imagine this scene. Jesus,
God in human form , sitting there at the temple treasury, studying people's giving habits! He sat there watching as
"many rich peop le were pu tting in large su ms." You would think that Jesus would be impressed with that kind of
gen eros ity. But He wasn't. But then someone caught His a ttentio n. A w idow . A po or wid ow w e are told. S he pu t in
two small copper coins. What were they worth? Around one-sixty fourth (yep, 1/64th) of a denarius (a denarius was
equal to one day's working wage). It was a mere pittance, compared with the gifts of the rich donors who visited the
treasury on that day. But unlike them, her gift was radical and sacrificial. Of all the gifts placed into the Treasury that
day, only h ers earned J esus a ttention and blessing : "This poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the
treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty (literally, "destitution"), put in all she
owned, all she had to live on." Had she "tithed" her income. Hardly. She had given everything, "all she had to live
on." And God Himself, sitting there in human flesh, had seen and taken notice. If God were to study and take notice
of your giving habits today, what would He notice about you (or about me) and how would He respond?
O Zaccheus - In Luke 19 we learn the story of Za ccheu s. He w as a "pu blican" or s ome one with a "public con tract"
with Rome to collect taxes at a profit on their behalf. We all know the story of Zaccheus climbing the tree to g et a
better view of Je sus an d Jesu s calling him down, s aying, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay
at your ho use." (Luke 19:5) A cur ious thing o ccurs in verse 8. Z acche us tells Jes us, "Behold, Lord, half of my
possessions I will give to the poor, and if I hav e def raud ed an yon e of a nyth ing, I w ill give bac k four time s as m uch."
So much for tithing. Zaccheus isn't responding to any requirement of the Law concerning tithing or concerning fraud.
Under the Law a thief was required to return what he had stolen plus an additional 20%. But Zaccheus, responding
out of a transformed life, promises to repay 400% to anyone he has defrauded, plus to give not 10% but 50% of
everything he owns to the poor (nothing about this in the Law)! Now that's radical sacrificial giving! You know that
God h as "set s ome body's ha ir on fire" whe n they resp ond like th at!
O Barnabas - Actually, his name was Joseph, not Barnabas. But he had such a gift of encouraging others that the
Apostles had apparently "nick named" him Barnabas, which means "Son of Encouragement." The young church
in Jerusalem was in need. Thousands of pe ople had come to new-found faith in Christ as a result of Pentecost and
subsequent events. Many of them had stayed in town to learn more about their faith and the church was now
confronted with the challenge of how to meet their needs. Barnabas saw the need and responded. We are told that
he "own ed a t ract o f land , sold it and bro ught the m oney a nd laid it at the ap ostles fee t." (Acts 4:37). That's radical
sacrificial giving to the needs of the Kingdom. Barnabas saw the need and acted radically and sacrificially to meet
the need.
O The Macedonian s - This on e, like the w idow of M ark 12 :41, is both h eart brea king an d convic ting. Paul tells us
about the Macedonians in 2 Corinthians Chapter 8, "Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God
which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and
their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond
their ability they gave of their own accord, begging us with much e ntreaty for the favor of participation in the support
of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of
God." I cou ld spen d a wh ole letter just exegeting this passage and not do it justice. The language of the Greek alone
is overpowering as Paul des cribes p eople wh o (as we used to s ay back hom e in North Carolina ) were "dirt p oor."
Yet, in the midst of this "deep poverty" they overflowed with joy and liberality, so mu ch s o tha t they g ave n ot sim ply
according to their ability but "beyond their ability." This, too, is radical sacrificial giving by people who, like the widow
whom Jesus commended, had nothing and gave everything. (By the way, this passage is the biblical basis for giving
away ca rs to peo ple in need , after all, it says "they g ave (of) th eir own A ccord." O .K., that was bad.)
An Apostolic Conversion of Our Finances
Wolfgang Simson has declared that Christians today need an “Apostolic conversion” of their finances. What does he mean?
Simson ma intain s tha t whe n peo ple ca me to faith in the N ew T esta me nt the ir lives were com plete ly and r adic ally
transformed. One of the signs of this transformation (or “Apostolic conversion) was that they placed all of their material
posse ssions at the feet o f the Apo stles to be used fo r the work of the Ch urch as the Apo stles dee med fit.
W hile I agree with Wolf’s assessment that most Christians need an “Apostolic conversion” of both their lives and their
finance s, I disagre e with his inter pretation o f what tha t mea ns. Let m e briefly expla in with seve ral points:
O If conversion to faith meant selling or giving away all of one’s po ssess ions, I believe Jesus would have taught and
emphasized it more than such isolated cases as the rich young ruler (Luke 18:18-23). Many people (including Jesus
disciples) did, in fact, leave everything in order to follow Jesus. But that is not the same thing as saying, “Jesus
taught that If you’re really a committed disciple yo u’ll give all your m aterial pos sessio ns to the C hurch (o r Apostle s).”
O Yes, the early church went through a period of sharing possessions based upon need, (Acts 2:44-45) even selling
property and giving the proceeds to the Apostles to use as they deemed best (Acts 4:32-37). But two observations
are in ord er. Fir st, it appears to have been spontaneous and voluntary, not done under any outward coercion or
compulsion. Even the incident with Ananias and Sapph ira had nothing to do with their failure to give. They were
struck down fo r lying to the Church and the Holy Spirit by claiming to have given all the proceeds of a sale when they
had actually given only part (Acts 5:1-11). Second, we do not see this practice continuing in the Church after Acts
5. The fact that Paul worked at tent-making to support himself and even refused financial help from some churches
(nota bly the Corin thians) su ggests that the “se ll everything an d give it to the Apostles” type of giving was not an on-
going prac tice w ithin the Church. On the other hand, 2 Corinthians Chapters 8-thru-9 suggests that the common
practice and teaching of the early church was what we have already called “Radical Sacrificial Giving,” the overflow
of a transformed and thankful life.
O W e mu st be ware the p ractic al dan gers whic h can (and inevita bly will) flo w fro m a dvoc ating a “do ctrine ” whic h tells
people, “If your life has really been transformed and you really are a committed follower of Jesus, then you’ll give
your m aterial pos sessio ns to the C hurch.” It is only a short a nd quick step to gro ss abu ses of s uch a tea ching.
I believe that the teaching of Scripture and the model of the New Testament church is radical sacrificial giving, the overflow
of a transformed life that gives thankfully without any sense of coercion or outward compulsion.
A Summ ary For Peo ple Wh ose Ha ir Is On Fire
I confess. My favo rite m edia p sych ologis t has beco me Dr. P hil (“You eith er get it, or you d on’t!”) McGraw. And I stole the
"hair on fire" analogy from him (Although it was C.H. Spurgeon who on ce told on e of his stu dents from Spurgeon's College,
"Young man, set yourself on fire; and people will come just to watch you burn!" ). Let's face reality. W e are in desperate need
of a gen eratio n of C hristia ns w hos e hair has b een set o n fire b y God and w ho ar e pow erfu lly motivated for desperate and
radical kingdom living . . . and giving. Some 25 years ago Dr. Francis Schaeffer warned the church that it faced the potential
of embracing what he called the two terrible values of "personal peace and personal affluence." Translated this means,
"Leave me alone ("peace") with my materialism (affluence, things, toys, lifestyle) and I do n't really care what else happens
in the world around me." I genuinely fear that Dr. Schaeffer's prophetic warning has com e to fulfillment. The c ontemporary
church appears to have turned Dr. Schaeffer’s “two terrible values” into two “positive prosperity affirmations”: God really does
want His people to be other affluent (prosperity) and left alone to enjoy their affluence in peace! The church has replaced
radical kingdo m living w ith radical comfort ("personal peace & affluence"), and the results, for both the church and the world,
has been disastrous. W e are no longer a generation of believers w hose h air is on fire fo r God, a nd the w orld has ta ken no te
and is abandoning the Church in droves!
I am n ot in a place to be able to tell you what radical sacrificial giving should mean or look like in your life. That's between
you and God. What I am certain of is that the Church is entering one of the most challenging seasons of min istry in its
history. The spiritual battle for our generation is raging. And I believe that the sound of the trumpet is calling the availa ble
church to ride to the sou nd of the b attle. G od is a bou t to rele ase grea t bles sing for th ose who are w illing to s erve Him
radic ally in the Kingdom for the next several years. And H e is going to hold eac h of us a ccoun table for ho w we utilize the
resources he has given us to ad vanc e His Kingdom causes during this season. And as David Wilkerson pointed out in a
recent newslette r entitled, "The Spoils of Spiritual Warfare" those who fight in this spiritual battle will collect the spoils fo war
for reinvestment in the Kingdom. But the spoils only go to those who show up for the battle.
As someone who has experienced financial failure, bankruptcy foreclosure and other financial disasters that other Christians
only have nightmares about, I suspect I and my family have a unique perspective on these things. Having literally suffered
the loss of all things my wife and I have made a personal commitment to live by faith and to never allow money to deter us
from purs uing G od's King dom purp ose s for our live s. I am slow ly beginning to understand what Jim Elliott meant when he
said, "He is no fool who gives w hat he ca nnot k eep, to gain wha t he cann ot lose." That's radical sacrificial giving, the
overflow of a transformed life.
"Gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can"
There are shining examples of radical sacrificial giving throughout church history. One of my favorites comes from the life
of John W esle y. Dur ing th e Eva nge lical A wak enin g in England during the m id-17 00s John W esle y adop ted ru les fo r his
Methodist Societies which called upon ever y prof ess ing M etho dist to live a m ode st lifes tyle an d to a void gaudy clothing &
jewe lry, to avoid pa wning go ods (a p rimary m eans o f obtaining consu mer loans), to a void borro wing any m oney witho ut a
reasonable expectation of repaym ent, and for Christians to prefer one another in business dea lings (a novel thought!).
But Wesley did more than merely offer these simple rules. He offered him self as a living example of a lifestyle dedicated
to radical sacrificial giving and free from the love of money. Each year Wesley calculated what he needed in order to live.
Once that figure was calculated he gave away everything in excess of that modest amount. In one particular year Wesley
lived on approximately £30 (in today's currency, approximately $2,400). In that same year he earned and gave away a n
additional £1,400, which mea ns that he gave away nearly 98% of his earnings for t hat year. Early in his lon g m inistry, in
1743, W esley wrote , "If I leave behind me £10 . . . you and all mankind bear witness against me that I lived and died a thief
and a robbe r." W esley rega rded his life a nd wea lth as a stew ardship , entrusted to him by God for the benefit of those around
him.
Wesley believed in industry and hard work, helping many fellow Methodists to start successful businesses. His financial
motto was sim ple. "Gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can ." The sale of his pamphlets could have made W esley
a wealthy man, had he not chosen to be a conduit for the less fortunate instead. In the year 1776 W esley rece ived a note
from the Commissioner of Excis e. At that tim e the gov ernm ent imp osed a luxury exc ise tax up on all silver plate (dinnerware,
etc.). The Comm issioner of Excise claimed that Wesley owned more silver plate than he had declared and paid tax on.
Wesley responded curtly but profoun dly, "I hav e two silver spoo ns at Lond on an d two at Bris tol. This is all the plate I have
at prese nt, and I sh all not buy a ny mo re while so many round m e wan t bread."
But Wesley took additional steps beyond his own personal lifestyle. He formed what today would be called credit unions.
The "Benevolent Loan Fund" made short-term loans to Methodists in fina ncia l need. Wesley personally solicited capital
donations for the fund, and loaned money on more than one occasion to assist a Methodist to start a business. In addition,
Wesley founded the "Strangers Society" which, according to Wesley, was "instituted wholly for the re lief no t of ou r Soc iety,
but of poor, sick, friendless strangers." These early "credit unions" were intended to assist individuals in need who might
have no other alternative.
On the e ve of his de ath w ith his strength failing, John Wesley closed his personal financial Account Book with these words:
"For upwards of 86 years I have kept my accounts exactly, I will not attempt it any longer, being satisfied with the continual
conviction that I sav e all I can, and give all I can - th at is all I have." When the day comes and it is time for us to settle and
close our accounts here on earth in preparation for the reckoning of heaven, may we be able to say the same.
Practical Considerations
So, have you and your finances undergone an “Apostolic conversion”? Are you giving radic ally and sac rificia lly? Th is isn’t
about whether or not you beat the national average in your percentage of giving, or even about whether or not you tithe.
God ’s standard is much higher: He calls us to radical sacrificial giving. Our role m ode l is the W idow in the t em ple who gave
everything.
I hear Christians today complaining that ministries, especially on the radio, are always asking for mon ey, or trying to sell
things. And that’s partly true. But the flip side to that complaint is that Christians simply don’t give by any measurable biblical
standard. It has been estimated by the research group “Empty Tomb, Inc.” that if American Christians simply tithed, annual
giving to Christian causes would double. I think they’re wrong. I think it wou ld triple . And we s till wou ldn’t b e givin g rad ically
or sa crific ially!
Good stewardship involves more than simply giving money. It involves a lifestyle that glorifies God by how we utilize all of
the resourc es He has en trusted to us. T his must be true of our house churches. Those of us in the house church movement
have already chosen to do church differently. Perhaps it is also time for us to consider giving differently too.
In a trad itiona l chur ch of say 30 0 peo ple on a Sunday morning you could go through the entire service, probably for weeks
on end, without ever knowing that four pews a way from where you are singing and worshiping God sits an individual or a
fam ily in deep financial distress with pressing needs that go unmet. Why? Because, if the truth be told, we are out of touch
with all but a hand ful of peop le in the chur ch. O ut of a cong rega tion o f 300 , we m ight b e per son ally invo lved in the lives of
how many? Probably less than a dozen (individuals or families). Or about the number of people in an average house church.
Using th is as a sp ring-boa rd, allow m e to give so me th oughts on giving.
O First, supp ort tho se w ho de vote t hem selve s to la bor in the m inistry. T his, o f cou rse d eals with th e alw ays popular
question of “Should people in house church ministry be paid?” The biblical answer is, “Yes.” Let me off er two
Scriptures to quickly illustrate:
‘ “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at
preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,’ and ‘The
laborer is w orthy of his wage s.” (1 Timothy 5:17-18)
‘ “So also the Lord directed those who proc laim the gosp el to get their living from the gospe l.” (1 Corinthians
9:14)
Pau l’s argument in both passages is that Jesus’ Himself instructed that those who work in the ministry should be supported
by the m inistry. In 1 Tim othy 5:17-1 8 Paul qu otes Je sus very words to that effect from Luke 10:7. In 1 Corinthians Paul
explains Jesus’ words so that there would be no misunderstanding. The interesting thing abou t the C orinth ian pa ssa ge is
that it is part of a longer passage (9:1-19) in which Paul argues that although he had the right to receive support from the
Corinthians, he ha d cho sen “not to ma ke fu ll use o f my r ight in the gospel” (i.e., his right to receive support from them). Why
did P aul m ake this c hoic e? B eca use of the ir imm aturity a nd m isun ders tand ings conc ernin g his m inistry!
O Second, have a plan for ho w you and yo ur ho use chur ch w ill give. G iving is not o ption al in ho use chur ch m inistry.
It is part of the ministry! Begin by setting aside your radic al sacrificial gift in a separate place. Perhaps look at
opening a separate checking account where you accumulate your offering to the Lord.
O Third, look for n eeds to me et. Be gin looking for people in your house church fellowship, or people outside of your
fellow ship but who are known by the fellowship, and give to the needs of those people. Your fellowship might even
look at doing joint giving to people known by the fellowship to be in need. Perhaps there is an unbeliever to whom
you are seeking to minister who has a need. Compassionate, practical evangelism might be to help meet that need.
O Fourth, give to support the house church ne twork of which you are a part. Look first to meeting the needs of people,
and then to su ppo rting th ose who are in volve d in m inistry, p articu larly ho use chur ch m inistry.
So in closing, I wa nt to challen ge you. First, I want to challenge you to check out the growing resources available to house
churches to teach and encourage radical sacrificial giving. Chec k out www .generou sgiving.o rg, a ministry that seek s to
encourage believers to experien ce the joy o f giving and to em brace a lifestyle of gene rosity, acco rding to God’s word and
Chr ist’s exam ple. Seco ndly , I wan t to ch alleng e you t o exa min e your giving to the King dom . Is it gene rous ? Is it radic al?
Is it sacrificial? And if not, w hy? If J esu s we re ex am ining yo ur giv ing ha bits, lik e He exam ined t he w idow in the temple, what
would He say about your giving?
Let the River flow?

Jeremiah, West Central and Spiritual Transformation
By R. Maurice Smith, Elder

The Off-Broadway Family Outreach
The story goes something like this. President Calvin Coolidge returned to the White House after church services one
Sun day. “What was the preacher’s message about?” inquired his wife. “Sin,” cam e the rep ly. “Well, what did he have to s ay,”
aske d Mrs. C oolidge. “He’s aga inst it.” Now tha t’s eloquen ce in few words.
When it comes to issues of sin, I wish the church could be as simple, as brief and as eloquent as President Coolidge and
the preacher. Unfortunately, we are not. There is a variety of re asons why, one o f which is th at “Life is Mes sy.” That
“messiness” is most often, but not always, caused by sin and its ripple effects. This is true of the non- Chr istian as w ell as
for the believe r. For thos e of us in m inistry, our cha llenge is ho w to resp ond to the “mes siness ” of life. How do we d eal with
issues of sin or ap pare nt sin in the liv es of thos e aro und us as we s eek to lead peop le into the K ingdo m o f Go d. Ge nera lly
speaking, there are two basic ways such “messes” can be addressed: 1) We can attempt to create religious rules (“You
mu stn’t dance, smoke, drink or chew or run around with girls who do!”) intended to clean up messes and prevent sin, or
2) we ca n seek God fo r the inwar d transfo rma tion of the h eart and life which ov erflows in o bedienc e to Go d.
The choice between these two approaches for dealing with issues of sin and the messiness of people’s lives, the choice
between outward religious conformity to rules versus trusting God for th e inw ard s piritua l trans form ation of the individ ual,
has brou ght a bou t a se aso n of tr ans ition fo r the O ff Bro adw ay Fa mily Outreach and has necessitated our moving from our
current ministry location by the end of January. As a leadership team we have chosen to believe God for the inward spiritual
transformation of people’s hearts (in spite of the messiness of the ir lives ) rath er tha n to a llow ou rselv es to be fo rced to wa lk
in a spirit of control and religious legalism. Every ministry will eventually be defined by two things: What it stands against,
and what it stands for. At Off Broadway we stand against sin and the kingdom of darkn ess in all of its manifestations, and
against a spirit of control and o utward re ligious con form ity which believe s that you c an fight sp iritual darkn ess with
man-made religious rules. We stand for the Kingdom of God in all of its righteousness, and for the genuine spiritual
transformation of the individual heart which will overflow in obedience to all of God’s commandments and in the spiritual
transfor mation of the per son, the h ome , the neighb orhood and eve ntually our co mm unity.
The Promise of Inward Spiritual Transformation
“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house
of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the
land of Egyp t, My cov enant w hich they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “But this is the
covenant which I will ma ke w ith the hous e of Is rael a fter th ose days ,” dec lares the L ord, “ I will pu t My la w w ithin them, and
on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. “And they shall not teach again, each man
his neighbo r and ea ch ma n his broth er, saying, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the
greatest of the m,” de clare s the Lord , “for I w ill forgiv e the ir iniquity, and th eir sin I will reme mber n o more .” (Jeremiah
31:31-34)
This passage from the Old Testament book of Jeremiah represents one of the greatest and most important Old Testament
promises regarding the people of God, the Law of God and “true spirituality.” Under the Old Testament covenant “true
spiritu ality” was defined primarily by outward personal conformity to the 612 commandments of the Law (no, not just the 10
Comm andmen ts). The history of ancient Israel was the story of the consistent failure and inability of the Israelites to keep
those 612 comm ands. This failure culminated in the ministry of the Prophet Jeremiah, the “Prophet of the Covenant”, who
prophesied the destru ction and captivity of Go d’s peop le for their continued unfaithfulness to the Covenant and its 612
requirements. Yet, in the midst of this 52-chapter-long condemnation of the people for their “spiritual adultery” Jeremiah
offers this stunning promise: A day is coming when God w ill replace the O ld Coven ant of ou tward co nform ity with a NEW
covenant of inward transformation: “I will put My law within them, and on their h eart I w ill write it; and I will be their God, and
they shall be My peo ple.” God, thro ugh Je rem iah, was p rom ising a com ing day wh en outw ard religious conform ity to a set
of exte rnal ru les (e ither G od’s or m an’s ) wou ld be r eplac ed w ith the “true spiritu ality” of a transformed life whose highest
desire will be to obey God because His Law will be written on their hearts.
Jesus and Spiritual Transformation
The New Testam ent is the record of the unfolding of that New Covena nt. Jesus highlighted this difference between outward
religious conf orm ity and inwa rd sp iritual tr ans form ation in His encounter with the rich young ruler in Luke 18:18-23. His had
been a life dedicated to outward religious conform ity to the requirem ents of th e Law, “All these things I have kept from my
youth,” he declared in response to Jesus. Perfect conformity to all the rules. But Jesus saw things differently. Jesus saw a
heart boun d by re ligious legalis m a nd se lf-righ teou sne ss, a nd in desperate need of spiritual transformation. So, to highlight
that need Jesus asked him to do the one thing an untra nsform ed hea rt could no t do, “One thing you still lack, sell all that
you posse ss, and distribute it to the poor, an d you s hall have treasure in heave n; and co me, follow me.” There was nothing
in the L aw w hich requ ired s uch an ac tion. B ut the New Cov ena nt isn’t about th e requirements of the Law, it’s about the
condition of the heart. Jesus exposed a condition of the heart which the Law couldn’t address. And this highlights the conflict
between outward religious conformity to rules (including the 612 commandm ents of the Law) and inward spiritual
transformation. A religious person can keep all of the Law yet never experience genuine spiritual transform ation, but a
spiritually transfo rme d perso n will want to ob ey all of Jesu s’ com man dme nts for love ’s sake , if for no othe r reason .
St. Paul & Spiritual Transformation
The Apostle Paul understood the difference between the Old Covenant of outward religious conformity and the New
Coven ant of inwa rd spiritual tran sform ation, and he exp lained it to the C hurch in C orinth in 2 Corinthians Chapter 3. Paul
understood the promise of Jeremiah Chapter 31 and in 2 Corinthians 3 he claimed that it was now being fulfilled in the
ministry of the Holy Sp irit in the lives of be lievers, “you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the
Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of sto ne, but on tablets of hu man h earts.” (2 Corinth . 3:3) Pau l then goe s on to contrast
the Old Cove nant of outward conformity to the Law and its 612 requirements with the New Covenant and its promise of
inward spiritual transformation. Acc ordin g to P aul, th e Old Covenant was a “ministry of death” which offered only a fading
glory, whereas the New Covenant represented a “ministry of the Spirit” which offers a greater glory. The Old Covenant was
a ministry of “the letter” which killed, whereas the New Covenant was a ministry of the Spirit which gives life. T he O ld
Covenant was a “ministry of condemnation” (i.e., because the Law condemns us for our unrighteousness) whereas the New
Covenant is a “ministry of righteousness” (i.e., it gives us the very righteousness - the righteousness of Christ - which the
Old Covenant demand ed but could not provide). The Old Covenant represented a fading glory whereas the New Covenant
represents a glory which “abides” and “abound s.”
Pau l’s “punch line” comes in 2 Corinthians 3:17-18: The Spirit o f Go d brin gs libe rty. It se ts pe ople f ree f rom the im pos sible
demands of outward religious conformity and religious legalism. And the Spirit of God under this new and glorious covenant
brings abou t som ethin g the Law neve r cou ld - in ward spiritual trans form ation whic h results in our being transfor med into
the very image of God in Christ!
Legalism Vs. Transformation In West Central
O.K., let me “b ring this hom e” to the m inistry of Off- Broad way in W est Cen tral. Let m e begin b y saying that, when it comes
to sin, the Off-Broadway Family Outreach and I agree with President Coolidge and his pastor: We’re against it!
But now life gets complicated and messy. You see, in order to “deal with” or “prevent” the sins which they see in others,
peo ple and m inistries are c onstan tly tempted to create rules of ou tward religio us c onfo rm ity. W e fail to com preh end Pau l’s
description of the Law in 2 Corinthians 3 as representing a “ministry of death” and which offer only a fleeting, temporary
glory. And we fail to realize that if the Law of God brought only death and condemnation, any laws and rules of m en ca n only
do wors e! R eligiou s lega lism is like “foo ls gold ,” in the end a worth less disap point me nt, bu t one whic h lead s m any pe ople
astray before the truth is discovered. But because men are sometimes desperate for any kind of glory, they will pursue even
a temporary and fading glory which they can control, rather than a greater abounding glory which only God by His Spirit can
give. And there’s the rub. Religious legalism and outward religious conformity places trust in ourselves to conquer sin and
to clean up life ’s m ess es by o ur ow n eff orts, whe reas spiritu al tran sfor ma tion m ust a lways trust G od, fo r He a lone g ives H is
Spirit witho ut m eas ure. T his is w hy Pa ul cou ld write to the Co rinthians a nd say, ‘And such confidence we have through Christ
toward God.’ Pau l’s con fiden ce w as no t in his ability to control the Corinthian s into god ly behavior w ith religious rules, or even
in the ability of the Corinthians themselves to live by some set of outward religious rules. Paul’s confidence was in th e
surpassing power and ability of God to transform the Corinthians and to write His Law on their hearts.
What does this mean for our work here in West Central, and why is this an issue? It means that in both word and deed our
message MUST be that we are not here to call anyone to obey a se t of rules; we are here to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and to proclaim that God wants to transform people from the inside out, to deliver them from the ministry of death and
condemnation and to introduce them to the abiding and abounding glory of God in the face of Christ. To the extent that we
impose any man-m ade rules which dem and religious conformity we short-circuit the work of God’s Spirit and we offer
individ uals the “fool’s gold” of believing that personal transformation and sanctification will come as the result of keeping a
set of rules .
Unf ortun ately, I must now illustrate this. I have the personal blessing of having been married to the same wonderful woman
for 27 years (this January). Neither I nor my wife have ever had sex with anyone else. It is a joy we have shared only with
each other. We believe in biblical sexual purity; we have lived and modeled sexual purity; we have ta ught it to our two
children; and I have openly taught the importance of sexual purity to the crowd at our Monday night neighborhood meetings.
But I and our leadership team were recently challenged by someone in ministry who demanded that we agree with them that
two unm arrie d adu lts of th e opp osite sex sleep ing in th e sam e roo m c ons tituted the s in of a dulte ry. W e disa gree d. W hile
such behavior might not be wis e, there ar e ma ny unwise behavio rs in life which are not in a nd of the mse lves sin. Bu t to
con siste ntly apply such an interpretation of Scripture to other situations would mean that two men sleeping in the same room
constituted homosexuality; that two women sleeping in the same room constituted lesbianism; a person and an animal
sleeping in the same room would constitute bestiality . . . well, you get the point. They went on to say that unless we
accepted their interpretation of “adultery” we were twisting Scripture and tolerating adultery, and they could no longer support
or be inv olved with o ur m inistry. W hile their interpre tation on its s urface might a ppeal to s ome as “spiritua l,” it is nothing less
than fool’s gold, outward religious legalism masquerading as spirituality. While it may be well intended, it is none-the-less
a ministry of death and condemnation to all who might embrace it (not to mention a misinterpretation and misapplication of
God’s W ord).
What We Stand For
As I said earlier, when it comes to sin, including sexual sin (biblically defined), we are against it. We are also again st the
fool’s gold and fading glory of outward religious conformity to rules which appear spiritual, but which are nothing short of
religious legalism masquerading as spirituality. But no ministry or church can allow itself to be defined solely by the things
which it is against. It is important that you, and all those people to whom we minister in the hope of leading them into the
Kingdom of God, know what we stand FOR. We stand for the following things which, in m y opinion, are God’s a ntidote to
religious leg alism a nd outw ard religious conform ity:
O We stand FOR God ’s Unconditional Love. The people whom we are seeking to reach in West Central have known
many things over the years: s ex, drugs, violence, and even religious people. But many (if not most) of them have never
known or experienced unconditional love from either God or His people. We want to change that. The importance of offering
God ’s unconditional love to people cannot be overstated. Writing for Focus on the Fam ily, Christian author Ken Gire
sum me d it up w ell:
“When asked what the secret of living the Christian life was, Augustine replied: ‘Love God, and do as you please.’ The
thought of that is both liberating and confining. Liberating because it means we are free to do whatever we want. Confining
because i t m eans our love for God sets the boundaries of that freedom. It guides every thought, every action, every
conversation. And it does s o every minute o f the day, e very da y of our life. Ins tead of a B yzantine c omplex ity of laws to
regulate ever y det ail of our life, we have only one. The love of God. When that is at the heart of who we are, it changes what
we do. And it changes something else. How we will be judged. St. John of the Cross once said that ‘at the evening of our
day we sha ll be judged by our lov ing.’ As we look back over our day, what we have done is not as important as how we have
done it. Better to do little with much love than much with little love. For without love, whatev er we d o will be dism issed w ith
a judicial wa ve of hea ven’s han d as just s o man y trivial pursu its (1 Corin thians 13 :1-3).”
W e believe that God, by His Holy Spirit, is the “Hound of Heaven” who pursues each of us through our many vain
wanderings with a love that never sleeps, that never grows faint, that never retreats, and that never presents us with a list
of rules w hich says : “Do thes e 10 thing s and I w ill love you.”
O We stand FOR God ’s Grace, His Unmerited Favor. At some level, those who walk in a spirit of control, religious
legalism and outward religious conformity to rules someho w believe that God’s love and favor can somehow be earned, or
at least maintained, by what they do, and they expect others to believe and do the sam e. Th ey hav e a ge nuine ly hard time
believing that God loves people for who they are, warts and all. But that is the nature of Grace. Grace is God’s unmerited
love and favor. And we can no more earn it after we believe than we could earn it before we believed.
O We stand FOR the Spiritual Transformation of each individual person by the Holy Sp irit. W e sha re Pa ul’s
confidence in God’s ability to transform every individ ual an d to w rite H is law upon their h earts with th e res ult tha t they w ill
love Him and obey all His commandm ents as the outflow of a transformed heart. That is what Scripture teaches, that is what
Jesus did, a nd th at is w hat w e belie ve. A nd un til that d ay of p erso nal sp iritual tr ans form ation arrive s, ou r callin g is to
dem onstrate to them God’s u ncond itional love and to offer the m G od’s unm erited favo r.
O Finally , we believe in and stand for a soon coming day of God’s gracious visitation in power, in blessing and in spiritual
transformation. We believe that the River of G od’s Sp irit, the river of Eze kiel 47, is pre paring to flo w in great p ower to
cleanse, to heal, to dra w peop le to Him self a nd to spiritu ally tran sfor m n ot on ly West Central but our community. In the day
of His power and visitation God will do more in a day to deal with our sin and the messiness of our lives than all the religious
rules of m en co uld acc om plish in a lifetim e. Bu t God is look ing fo r ves sels whe re His River of power and blessing can flow
unim peded by hum an con trol, by religious leg alism o r by any m an-m ade religiou s rule.
If you believe in and stand for these same Kingdom values, then we invite you to join us in prayer, in hopeful expectation
and in Kin gdom ministry to th e W est Cen tral neighbo rhood a nd our c omm unity.
Let the River flow!

Of Servants, Fools And Kings
Two C omp eting View s of 5 Fold Ministry
(1 Corinthians 4)
Introduction
Leadership in the house church (or “emerging church”) movemen t is undergoing a radical transf ormation, com plete with
all of the misunderstandings and growing pains naturally e ndemic to any su ch dramatic pa radigm shift. The leadership
model of most traditional churches has been built upon a synergism of the Old Testament “priesthood,” the New Testament
synagogue and the “corporate” mo del of a CEO. As a result, the average traditional church is led by a senior “Pastor” who
is a combination of an Old Testament priest who intercede with God on behalf of the congregation, a synagogue Rabbi
who teaches and leads the believing community, and a corporate CEO who is hired and appointed by a board populated
by individuals who were themselves ele cted by the “shareholders” (i.e., members).
But as we discussed in Module 7, the New Testament leadership structure is quite different. Individual churches were led
by elders, served by deacons and overseen by an itinerant 5-fold ministry of gifted individuals who exercised their unique
gifts to serve, equip and build up God’s church. This paradigm of New Testament church leadership is re-emerging in our
day, and it is encountering all of those same challenges and issues which the early New Testament church experienced.
When we first began holding our “School of 5-Fold Ministry” in an attempt to teach and clarify the nature of the 5-Fold
ministry, it quickly became apparent (by God’s leading) that God wanted us to spend more time reflecting on “character”
rather than “calling,” more time reflecting on the importance of spiritual growth than on celebrating spiritual giftedness. God
wants each of us to “grow into” our spiritual gift and calling so that our life and character become a testim ony and story
which affirms God’s call and gifting in us.
“Morons, Inc”
I confess. I’ve a lways had a lov e for morons. O .K., that really does need some explaining. I’m referring, of course, to Moe
Howard, his two brothers (Curly & Sh emp) along w ith Larry Fine, whom my generation grew up knowing as “The Three
Stooges.” Their “comedic shtick” was known as “Morons, Inc.” and throughout the hay-day of their careers (during the
1920s, 30s and 40s) the y kept us in absol ute stitches with their slap-stick low-brow humor. (O.K., Their real last name was
“Horwitz” and Curly - everyone’s favorite stooge - left the trio in 1946 after suffering a stroke during the filming of their 97th
2-reel comedy episode. He was replaced by Shemp wh om I never really liked). I still laugh like a kid every time I see and
hear Moe look at Larry and Curly and say something like “Listen up, you morons!” Never had three people had so much
fun, or made so many people laugh like kids, by acting like complete clueless fools!
So, what’s all this have to do with house church leadersh ip and the 5-fold m inistry? W ell, nothi ng really, except that our
English word ‘moron’ comes (almost directly) from the Greek word moros meaning ‘fool.’ And therein lies an apostolic story
of serva nts, fools and king s, and wha t it means to walk in 5-Fold m inistry.
This story begins among house churches in the ancient city of Corinth. The Corinthian house churches, originally planted
by Paul during his eighteen month stay in Corinth, now had a serious problem (well, they had several, but I’m short on time
& space here!). Having heard the gospel, having received and tasted of the promised eschatological Spirit and having
experienced many of the promised gifts and manifestations of that Spirit, the Corinthians thought they ‘had arrived’ (funny
how spiritual power and gifts do that to people, both then and no w!). Their sp iritual experi ences had led to an attitude of
moral superiority, causing them to tolerate gross sin in their midst. To make matters worse they had fallen for traveling
teachers and self-proclaimed apostles whose rhetorical skills (i.e., great preaching) and human wisdom had contributed
to the Corinthians’ ego and had made Paul’s sim ple proclamation of Christ crucified seem lik e the “foolish” words of a
second rate country-bumpkin in comparison (I’m paraphrasing Dr. Gordon Fee’s evaluation of the situation in Corinth from
his excellent com mentary, “The Fir st Epistle to the Co rinthians,” 1987). To the gullible Corinthians, these guys looked and
sounded like “real” apostles, whereas Paul . . . . well, you get the picture. Paul was forced to respond, and in the first four
chapters of 1st Corinthians he addresses what constitutes true wisdom, spirituality and apostleship. Culminating in Chapter
4, Paul draws a sharp contrast between the Corinthian view of apostleship and his own view concerning the
characteristics of genuine apostolic ministry (which we are extending to include church leadership in general and the 5-
Fold ministry). The Corinthians saw apostleship and gifts as signs of having arrived spiritually. They now saw themselves
as “kings” reigning from strength. Paul saw ministry differently, as the calling of servants, stewards and fools whose
greatest strength consists of their own weak ness (because i t is in our weak ness that His stren gth is made perfect). For
Paul, genuine 5-Fold ministry represented the call of those condemned to die in the arena, not th ose with places of honor
in the box seats. In defense and explanation of his m inistry, and to correct the Corinthians’ misunderstandings, Paul
undertakes to describe his understanding of ministry, leadership and gifts. The Corinthian believers had experienced
powerful spiritual gifting without personal character development, and it nearly destroyed them and their church. Paul
labors in this chapter, as he does throughout the book of 1 C orinthians, to de monstrate that Go d is more conce rned with
our character than He is with ou r gifts or c allings. Why, because when our ministry is seen as a “whole cloth,” we discover
that each of us will destroy with our character what we build w ith our gift. It was true of those Corinthian believers, and it
is true of us toda y.
Serving And Judging (4:1-5)
Scripture: 1 Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.2 In this
case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. 3 But to me it is a very small thing that I should
be examined by you, or by any huma n court; in fact, I do not even examine myself.4 For I am conscious of nothing against
myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment
before the time, but wa it until the Lord co mes who will both bri ng to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose
the motives of men,s hearts; and then each man,s praise will come to him from God.
Both Paul and the Corinthians were faced with a practical conundrum that we, too, face. How do we evaluate or “add up”
a person’s life and ministry without engaging in p remature judg ments? W hat standard do w e apply to others, and what
standard do we want othe rs to apply to us? Paul uses the Greek word logidzomai (“let a man regard”), an accounting term
which described a numerical calculation. By extension it became a term of evaluation, the idea being “to take into
account,” to “add up” and come to a conclusion. Pau l declares that wh en anyone eva luates his life a nd ministry he w ants
them to see two th ings: a servant a nd a steward.
‘ We are servants - A “servant” was a huperetes, literally an “under-rower.” It originally referred to the lowest
rower on a Rom an trireme, a galley slave whose job was to “row the boat” and whose fate, if the battle went ill,
was to perish with the ship, chained to his oar (check out the sea-battle scene in the movie “Ben Hur”). By
extension the word came to describ e any subordina te acting under another’s direction. Someone once pointed
out to me that by New Testament times the word huperetes simply meant “servant” (with no nautical implications)
and that I was engaging in the “etymological fallacy” of using the history of a word to obscure its current meaning.
But we have to ask why Paul chose huperetes to express his idea of servant-hood when he could easily have
used another word for servant, such as diakonos (from which we get “deacon”). The answer is that Paul
understood the background of the word and chose it precisely because its history expressed an aspect of servant-
hood that he felt important. So, the Apostle Paul, whose favorite description of himself was that of a doulos, a
bond-slave, of Jesus Christ, understood that gifted leaders on their best and most exalted day are nothing more
than “under-rowers”, galley slaves who serve at the comm and of another.
‘ We are stewards - The second word Paul used to describe himself is “steward” (Gree k: oikonomos). A steward
was a servant charged and entrusted with the management of someone else’s household estate, but he owned
nothing himself. The steward would be held accountable for hi s faithfulness in carrying out the instructions of his
master. Paul sees himself (and leadership in gene ral) as a steward entrusted with the “mysteries” of God. One
day the master will return and call us to account for what we did with the gifts He e ntrusted to us.
‘ Don’t Judge - The Corinthia ns were attemp ting to “exami ne” Paul (Greek : anakrino - meaning to question or
investigate something in order to pass judgment). But Paul regarded the Corinthians’ opinion of him as “a very
small thing” (G reek: elachistos, a superlative meaning that which is “smallest” or “least”). In today’s vernacular
we would say some thing like “I cou ldn’t care less.” P aul understood two basic truths. First, he understood that
human “judgments” can be flawed for any number of reasons. Because human judgments can be flawed, Paul
says that he doesn’t even examine himself. Second, Paul understood that leaders (like all believers) ultimately
live and serve for an audience of One. Only He has the right and ability to pass true judgment upon our service
and call our stewardsh ip into ac count, because only He is able to “brin g to light” the things men try to hide in
darkness, and to reveal the se cret motives o f every leader’ s heart.
Welcome to the “high calling” of the 5-Fold Ministry. If you thought that 5-fold ministry was the glamorous world of Italian
silk suits, leased jets and Rolex watches, think again. Here is h ow Paul describ ed his high cal ling to 5-Fold m inistry: “To
this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and
we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are
slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, eve n until now.” (1
Corinthians 4:11-13). How’s that for good copy in a recruiting brochure?! Still interested?
O Let’s Talk!
‘ When people add up the sum of your ministry, what do they see? According to Paul in vs. 1, what should
they see?
‘ According to Paul, who do we serve? What does it mean for you to exercise your 5-Fold calling as a
huperetes, a servant of Ch rist?
‘ What are we stewards over? What does it mean to be a “steward” o f the gift God has given you (see also
1 Peter 4:10). To whom is a steward accountable for his (or her) trustworthine ss?
‘ Why do you think it was “the least” of Paul’s concern to have his apostolic gift & calling examined or
questioned by other people? Why would he not even “ex amine” himself? According to Paul, whose
examination of his stewardship really mattered? What is “the down side” of being accountable only to God
for our stewardship?
‘ According to Paul (vs 5), what should be our response to other believers regarding their gifts and calling?
When the Lord comes to examine us, what two things will He do?
O Challenge For 5-Fold Ministry
‘ For those who believe they are called to the 5-Fold ministry, how do you see yourself and your calling?
Do you see yourself as a servant, or as something more? Are you genuinely content to simply “row the
boat” or do you see yourself as the Admiral in charge of the fleet?
Don’t Boast! (4:6-8)
6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that in us you might learn
not to exceed what is written, in order that no one of you might become arrogant in behalf of one against the other. 7 For
who regards you as superior? And what do you have that you did not re ceive? But if you d id receive it, why do you boast
as if you had not received it? 8 You are already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us;
and I would indeed that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you.
In the Corinthian house churches Paul saw a growing “arrogance” over “giftedness”. The Corinthians were arguing over
who was the most gifted apostle (or prophet, or evangelist, or pastor or teacher). This caused people to pit one 5-Fold
ministry against another (specifically in Corinth the polarization was between Paul and Apollos). In response to this
“arrogant” misunderstanding, Paul used some very blunt language.
‘ What makes you so special? - The verb “to be come arrogan t” (Greek: phusioo) means to blow up or
inflate, hence, to make proud or arrogant (Our equivale nt would be to say that someone is “full of hot
air”). Their spiritual pride was causing divisions. As a result of their spiritual gifts and experiences, the
Corinthians regarded them selves as “sup erior” to others, in cluding Paul. “. . . who regards you as
superior,” Paul demands. “What sets you apart ? Who do you think you are? What makes you so special?”
would be today’s equivalent.
‘ What part of “gift” didn’t you understand? - The Corinthian response was that their superior spiritual
giftings was what made them so special and set them a part from everyone else. The Corinthians, that
church which had experienced so much of the Spirit’s manifestations (so much that Paul devoted three
chapters to correcting their excesses), had a “boasting” problem. The Greek word-group kauchaomai (to
take pride in, to glory in, to boast) occurs 59 times in the whole New Testamen t, 39 (or 78%) of which
occur in 1st & 2nd Corinthians. The Corinthians had a problem with spiritual pride and boasting. Paul’s
response? Don’t boast, he exhorted them, because every spiritual/charismatic manifestation you have
you received as a gift (i.e., an expression of undeserved grace on the part of the giver) from God. In our
fallen world we often mistake possession for ownership. We may possess a spiritual gift, but we do not
own it. The gift we possess belongs to God. We are merely the temporary stewards for Him. One day He
will require us to return it with an explanation of how and why we used it as we did . We hav e no right to
boast in either the possession or the exercise of a gift which came to us as a stewardship and which
belongs to someone else.
‘ Kings For A Day? - In a 1st Century version of present day “Kingdom Now” or “dominion” theology, the
Corinthians had concluded that not only had the Kingdom of God arrived, but they had become kings in
that kingdom and had begun to reign with Christ. Paul responds with “apostolic sarcasm”: “I wish you were
kings (but you aren’t) so we could reign with you!” This misunderstanding by the 1st Century Corinthians
is again gaining ground in today’s church. It is a “division” (i.e., heresy) with both ancient roots and
modern fruit. It is the embodiment of a view concerning spirituality, gifts and calling that was diametrically
opposed to Pau l’s. It was the diff erence betwee n servants and kings.
O Let’s Talk
‘ What “twin sins” can you see Paul addressing in verse 7?

‘ How can leadership (specifically 5-Fold leaders) fall into the trap of arrogance? How do we avoid the
pitfall of pitting one gift against another & teach others to avoid it as well?
‘ If “boasting” is the manifestation, what is the underlying sin? Discuss the importance of thankfulness or
gratitude in com bating arrogan ce.
‘ Summarize verse 8 in your own words.
Here is the challenge for house church leadership and 5-Fol d ministry. Our gifts and our calling do not make us “special”
or “superior” to anyone else. Instead, they make us accountable. Our spiritual gifts and calling can either “go to our heads”
and make us think (wrongly, like the Corinthians) that we have arrived and are “Kings for a Day,” or we can take our place
among those called to be servants, stewards and fools (no, I’m not done talking about “morons” yet!) for the Kingdom of
God.
On Display as Spectacles, Fools and Scum (4: 9-13)
9 For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle
to the world, both to angels and to men.10 We are fools for Christ,s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but
you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. 11 To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty,
and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; 12 and we toil, working with our own hands; when we
are reviled, we bless ; when we are persecuted, we endure; 13 when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have
become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.
‘ Curtain Call - You’re On! - To illustrate the profound nature of the difference between his understanding of 5-Fold
ministry and that of the Corinthians, Paul “muses” that God has placed apostles (again, think 5-Fold house church
leadership) on display, like captives in a Roman triumph pro cession, “last of all, as men condemned to death”.
Prisoners condemned to death in the “spectacle” of the arena always came last in a Roman Triumph. The word
“spectacle” is the Greek word theatron. It occurs only here and Acts 19:29 & 31 (the riot in Ephesus when the city
gathered in the local amphith eater) and refe rs to what one sees in a theater. It is the Greek word from which we
get our English word “theater.” Paul likens his life and apostolic ministry to playing out a part on a public stage,
a play in a divine theater in which both men and angels watch to see how he will acquit himself and play out the
role given to him. In this divine drama each of us is given a role and a script (a calling & gift - and no swapping
scripts either!) to play out before a watching world. Do you see your life as a divine drama to be played out on full
public display so that others can see how “people of the Kingdom” live their lives and respond to the challenges
of life, and how the God of this Kingdom responds and works in the lives of His people? I find it fascinating (and
somewhat sad) that “seeker-friendly” churches think they are somehow “cutting edge” by using “Christian drama”
in the form of artificial people acting out artificial stories, rather than recognizing that the greatest “dramas” of all
are the ones God is working out in the lives of ordinary people whom He has called to worship Him by living out
the drama of their lives for men and angels to see. This is particularly true for those people who aspire to walk in
leadership of God’s Church. God’s call upon leaders, as it was upon Paul, is to live our lives as “spectacles” in
God’s divine drama for m en and angels to see! This i sn’t a call to outward legalism masquerading fo r “holiness”.
Rather, it is a call to authenticity and integrity. Authenticity means that our lives are “real,” while integrity means
that we are consistent - we ar e the same in p ublic as we are in private and the same in private as we are in public
(or as I like to say, “Do you really pray like that when you’re at home alone?”). What you see really is me in all of
my fallen glory and transformed mess. For those who believe they are called to the 5-Fold ministry, here is your
next challenge. Are you prepared to allow your life to become a public spectacle for others to see? Are you
prepared to play out your part in God’s divine drama with authenticity and integrity before a watching world?
‘ Morons, Inc. - Paul goes on to describe himself as a “fool” (Greek : “moros” - “that which is considered by the
ignorant as a foolish policy or mode of dealing”) for Christ sake. O.K., what’s up with this whole business of being
a “moros” (please note - I did not say “moron”!). It has to do with being a genuine “fool" for Christ, someone who
is willing to be regarded by others as engaging in the “foolishness” of the gospel of Christ crucified. We choose
to stake our lives and reputations on the belief that the “foolish” things of God are wiser than the greatest wisdom
of men, declaring with saints and leaders who have preceded us that “He is no fool who gives what he cannot
keep to gai n what he ca nnot lose.” (Jim Elliott, Through Gates of Splendor)
‘ Simple Christians Under Maintenance - Closing this section, Paul describes himself (and those 5-fold people
who labor with him) as “scum” and “dregs” (the Greek words here literally refer to the sweepings from the floor
and the dirt removed from the body during bathing). I can only conclude from this that Paul’s goal was to confront
the sensibilities o f the self-exa lted Corinthian s in such a way as to shock them ba ck to a realistic perception of
themselves. I have two wonderful ministry partners in the Off Broadway Family Outreach, Larry Whiston and Jan
Foland. Several years ago they created an outreach that they called “SCUM,” which stood for Simple Christians
Under Maintenance. They made up T-shirts and held “SCUM runs” when they reached out to people in need of
food, clothes, encouragement, etc. You see, in the Kingdom of God, being “scum” can be a good thing!
O Let’s Talk
‘ How would you summarize Paul’s perspective on the “status” of leadership in the Church? How is it
different from how the Corinthians saw them selves? How is Paul’s perspective differen t from yours?
Paul’s perspective on 5-Fold ministry and gifting represents a direct frontal assault against pride and arrogance on the
part of leadership, intended to produce two outcomes: personal humility and accountability; humility toward one another
and accountability before God.
Fathers And Mentors (4:14-15)
14 I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.15 For if you were to have
countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the
gospel.
‘ Who’s Your Daddy? - There is a movement in the church today to emphasize what can best be described as
“spiritual fathering and mothering”. Believers are asking other believers (pastors, leaders, older Christians), “Will
you be my spiritual father (or mother)?” I believe that Pa ul’s answer to tha t question woul d be, “No. I’m your tutor,
not your father.” What’s the difference? Paul w as a spiritual father to the Corinthian church, but not because
someone asked him to “be their daddy.” H e was their spiri tual father beca use he had “beg otten” them in C hrist.
The Greek word translated “became your father” is the word gennao meaning “to beget”. Paul was indeed their
“spiritual father” because he had been instrumental in their spiritual birth. They would go on to have many “tutors”
(Greek: paidagogos - an old and trusted slave who took the child to school, who trained him in moral matters and
cared for his character - Barclay), but they would have only one spiritual father. As 5-fold ministry leaders we need
to know the difference between tutoring existing believe rs, and begetting spiritual children by being instrumental
in their spiritual birth. One is discipleship, the other is evangelism.
O Let’s Talk
‘ As a 5-Fold ministry leader, how do you see yourself functioning as a “tutor” (or “mentor”) to those in your
house church? How do you see yourself functioning as a “spiritual p arent”?
Which are you doing (and thereby modeling for others)? Are you adopting other people’s spiritual children, or are you
begetting spiritual children of your own? The need in the church today is for spiritual leaders at every level to stop
“adopting” other people’s spiritual children and start “begetting” spiritual children of our own!
Imitators (4:16-17)
16 I exhort you therefore, be imitators of me.17 For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful
child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.
‘ A Mime Is A Terrible Ministry To Waste - Paul exhorts the Corinthians to “be imitators of me.” The Gree k word
here is mimeomai, “to imitate,” hence, “to follow,” from which we get our English word “mime.” This word group
appears 11 times in the New Testament and ONLY in Paul’s letters. The Greek word “does not refer to one who
mimics, nor even to one who follows as a disciple, but to one who actually internalizes and lives out the model that
has been set before h im.” Paul und erstood a n important spiritual principle, na mely, the principle of “modeling”.
Modeling means we watch someone else walk out spiritual truth, and then we “imitate” by internalizing the model
we have seen and living it o ut authentically.
O Let’s Talk
‘ Who was Timothy (verse 17) and why do you think Paul sent him to Corinth?
What is your 5-Fold ministry calling/gift? How are you exercising and modeling it in such a way that those around you in
your house church can learn and “imitate”?
Words Versus Power (4:18-21)
18 Now some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills,
and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant, but their power. 20 For the kingdom of God does not consist
in words, but in power. 21 What do you desire? Shall I come to you with a rod or with love and a spirit of gentlene ss?
‘ Talk’s Cheap - It is easy to be arrogant (puffed up, over inflated) when you are un-confronted. Paul understood
this and promised a coming confrontation between himself and “those who are arrogant.” Paul then draws a sharp
disjunction and distinction between “the word” (logos) of the arrogant and “the pow er” (dunamis). But Paul wants
to make it clear that this is not a “personal contest,” rather it is an issue which goes to the heart and nature of the
Kingdom of God. Is the Kingdom of God “all talk” or is ti about power? In verse 20 Paul creates a strong contrast
(the Greek construction is “ou . . . alla” - “not this . . . but this”). Words come easily and cheaply to men who love
to hear themselves talk and are impresse d with their own wisdom and eloquence. But true pow er (dunamis) is
of a completely different order. To touch and taste the powers of the age to come is to touch the Kingdom of God
in a way that words can never achieve.
O Let’s Talk
‘ How would you sum marize Paul’s perspective on the “status” of leadership in the Church? How is it
different from how the Corinthians saw them selves? How is Paul’s perspective differen t from yours?
O Challeng e For 5-Fo ld Ministry
I want to end this discussion of the 5-Fold ministry with a challenge which is applicable not only to those people a spiring to
walk in 5-Fold ministry, but to the entire house church movement, and it has to do with this issue of spiritual power which
Paul raised in this section. As I was finishing this section of my stud y on 1 C orinth ians Cha pter 4 I was rem inded of an article
entitled "W here’s The Power?" by Samuel H. Moffett, the well-known Presbyterian missionary to China and Korea. The
article was originally an address which he delivered to the Presbyterian Congress on Renewal in January of 1985. It was
then re-printed in "The Princeton Seminary Bulletin" (1985; Vol. 6 , Num ber 2 ) whic h is wh ere I f oun d it (so rry, old
Presbyterian habits, like reading seminary journals, are hard to break). It is an excellent article based upon Acts 1:8, and
Moffe tt is disarmingly honest about the powerlessness of the present day church, with confessions like, "You see, I’m a
Presbyterian. I have order and decency up to here. But where’s the power?" In the course of the article (page 66 to be
"precise as a Pre sbyterian") Moffett recounts a story that you may have heard before, but which bears repeating. Let m e
simp ly quote Mo ffett, since I w ould hav e a hard time im proving o n his acc ount:
"We are mo re naive e ven tha n the Ara b chieftains Lawre nce of A rabia brought with him to the Paris Peace Conference.
Perhaps you have read the story. These men of the dese rt we re am azed at ma ny th ings , but n othin g ast onis hed them half
so much as the running water in their hotel rooms. They knew the scarcity of water and its value, yet here it was to be had
by the turning of a tap, free and seemingly exhaustless. When they prepared to leave Paris, Lawrence found them trying
to detach the faucets so that out in their dry deserts they might always have water. He tried to explain that behind the flowing
taps were huge reservoirs, and that without this supply the faucets were useless. But the Arab s insisted. They were sure
that the m agic instru ments would g ive them water for ever."
Let me be lovingly blunt. The church today is full of "spiritual Arabs" whose understanding of spiritual power in the Church
is on about the same level as those Arab chieftains and their understanding of faucets and modern plumbing. How can you
spot such "spiritual Arabs"? Its really quite simple. They believ e and teac h tha t spiritu al pow er is th e res ult and product of
a technique, of a formula. In other words, "if you want water (i.e., the Holy Spirit) all you need to do is to turn the faucet
(insert favorite technique at this point)”. Like their Arab predecessors, they have become enamored with the instrument (the
faucet) with the unfortunate result that they have confused the instrument with the source. They want water and are willing
to settle for any instrument (i.e., technique, formula, teaching) that appears able to temporarily satisfy their thirst. Like the
spiritual Arabs they have become, such people are blissfully ignorant that behind the faucet is a reservoir of boundless
sup ply. They are content to study the faucet. To build schools to study and teach the proper operation of faucets. To open
faucet franchises. To encourage the building of more faucets. To write books about how you, too, can build and operate a
faucet. Now, lets m ove c lose r to ho me (litera lly). Ho use chur ch, in all of its various manifestations (house church, emerging
church, simple church, organic church, etc.) is a faucet. That’s all. And the danger we now face in the house church
movement is the danger of allowing ourselves to become "spiritual Arabs." A plethora of books is now coming to market
about the "right" and "wrong" ways to do house church. May I politely sugge st that you ign ore the b ooks , becau se, in reality
there is only one "wrong" way to do house church. What will ultimately and eventually kill the house chur ch m ovem ent w ill
be for ho use chur che s to b eco me anot her f auc et pro mo ted a nd po pulat ed by " spiritu al Arabs" who have mistaken the
instrument for the source, who have confused the channel with the River. I believe that the promise of the house church
movement (or "organic church" or "simple church" or whatever label you want to attach) is that God is sovereignly raising
up a new channel for the River of His Spirit. The coming revival is not a meeting (whether in a house church or in a traditional
institutional church). It is a River, the River of His Spirit, flowing freely through the lives of individu als. Reviva l is not a faucet.
It is a reservoir of the Spirit of God. God is raising up this new channel for the River of His Spirit because He fully intends
to pour out H is Riv er in fresh po wer and to fill the chann el to overflow ing. Don ’t becom e distracte d by focus ing on the faucet.
Prepare the channel. Pray for the coming of the River. And get prepared for a new lesson on God’s plumbing!
Let the River flow!

Spiritual Power, Authority & Covering In The Church
by R. Ma urice Sm ith
Introduction
It was April o f 152 1 in the Germa n town of W orms (pronou nced "vorms"). The Imperial Diet under Holy Roman Em peror
Charles V had gathered along with mu ch of the hierarch y of the Me dieval Ch urch, in ord er to hear and pass judgment upon
the views of an obscure Augustinian Monk and Professor of Bible from the University of Wittenburg. The problem had begun
four years earlier when this mo nk had challeng ed to deb ate the Church's theology concerning indulgences. The Archbishop
of Mainz complained to Rome. Next came a confrontation with Cardinal Cajetan in Augsburg (1518) where this defiant monk
refused to recant his views. The following year (1519) he disputed the Papal Lega te, Ca rdina l Eck , in Leip zig and fled town
w he n s um m o ne d t o R o me to explain himself before his supreme spiritual authority, the Pope. The following year he was
excommunicated by his "covering" (the Pope & Church), to which the recalcitrant monk responded by publicly burning the
Papal "Bull". Finally, he had been invited, no summoned, by the Church and the Holy Roman Emperor (under a promise of
safe conduct) to appear before the Imperial Diet at Wo rms to present and defend his views. And so he did. The re Dr. M artin
Luther stood. Abandoned and condemned by all of those who should have "covered" him, the “rebellious” and recalcitrant
mon k decla red:
"Your Imperial Majesty and Your Lordships demand a simple answer. Here it is, plain and unvarnished. Unless I am
convicted of error by the testimony of Scripture or (since I put no trust in the unsupported authority of the pope or of councils,
since it is plain that they have often erred and often contradicted thems elves) b y man ifest reaso ning, I stand convicted by
the Scriptures to which I have appealed, and my conscience is taken captive by God's Word, I cannot and will not recant
anything. For to act against our conscience is neither safe for us, nor open to us . On this I take my stand, I can do no other.
God h elp me. A men."
God did he lp him , and the Protestant Reformation was born in earnest. Martin Luther understood something about spiritual
authority which m any Chris tians toda y appear to have forgotten: God alone is our “covering”. Scripture alone is our auth ority.
Grace alone is sufficient for all our needs. Faith alone opens the door to salvation. And each and every believer is a Priest
before God , in need on NO O NE to c over, interc ede or m ediate be tween th em a nd Go d exce pt our G reat High Priest, Jesus
Christ. (May I suggest that you re-read this paragraph several times, especially if you are one of those “wounded sheep”
who have suffered at the han ds of abusive spiritual authority in the church).
Someone has suggested that the only two places in Scripture where "covering" is specifically mentioned involve a fig leaf
(Ge nes is 3:7) a nd an obsc ure a nd co nfus ing pa ssa ge on head cove rings (1 Co rinthia ns 11 ), and it is always da ngerou s to
build a doctrine of church government on little mo re tha n a fig leaf and an obscure passage. The doctrine of "covering" as
often practiced (and misused) among Christians today basically holds that we are called upon to be in submission to the
spiritual authority and “covering” of someone who hears from God and who exercises God's authority in a way that we do
not. If we submit to and obey our "covering" we will be blessed. If we disobey or remove ours elves from bene ath th e um brella
of protection & authority provided by our “covering” we will suffer serious spiritual consequences (you know: curses, fire,
famine, boils, the ten plagues, a Jessica Simson concert, etc.). Personal anecdotes (personal stories describing how
someone was, in fact, blessed or cursed) are usually included to validate and prove the doctrine.
A Doctrine Gone To Seed
It was simply impossible for me to get any work done. Sitting at a local Starbucks sipping overpriced (but addicting) coffee
had beco me a wee kly ritual for me as I wrote newsletters, did correspondence and prepared my weekly radio program. As
I sat there trying to get some work done before my next appointment I couldn't help but overhear a heartbreaking but true
conversation which, it turned out, would illustrate this article. At the neighboring table (which was so close that I could have
joined the conversation without moving) a young woman was relating to her table companion the story of a local evangelical
church which had rece ntly dis mis sed its pa stor. She seem ed qu ite ple ase d tha t the c hurc h elde rs ha d held him
"accou ntable." I already knew about the situation she was describing from friends who had been attending the church at the
time of the events. She described to her friend how the elders had confronted the Pastor over a matter which was described
as "a non-fireable offense." But when the Pastor refused to "submit" to the elders by agreeing that he was wrong and they
were right on the matte r, they dism issed him . After all, she prote sted, you c an't h ave s om eon e not in sub mis sion to the ir
authority, now can you. R ight.
Unf ortun ately, she had only given her companion the greatly edited & revised cliff note version of what had actually occurred.
On a bright Sunday morning in this church the arriving congregation (numbering near 1,000) was informed that the pastor
had been fired by the elder board for mis-using church funds. This was publicly announced in a manner that suggested that
the pastor was a thief. The pastor was "sent packing" and "placed under care" in another city. Only over the following year
did the full story emerge. The amount of money in question was arou nd $2 50 ac cord ing to my s ourc es. T he "n on-f ireab le
offense" was that the money had been budgeted, but the Pastor and the Elders disagreed on how it should be spent. The
Pastor wanted to spend it one way; the elders saw it differently. When the Pastor "refused to submit" to the elders the
"non -firea ble offense" became public accusations of pilferin g the fund s res ulting in his being publicly humiliated and fired.
It took the n ext year for the story to be "ironed out" that he had actually been dismissed (that sounds so much better than
"hum iliated and de stroyed") o ver refus al to subm it to the elders hip.
So, there you have it. A gifted individual and pastor was publicly humiliated and his career destroyed (with false accusations
over $250) b ecaus e of his ref usal to "su bmit" to a uthority and c overing. (T he irony to this s tory is that th is chu rch, le d by th is
pastor, had been "birthed" out of an acrimonious church split over the issue of "shepherding" - another form of "cover ing."
Bad DN A be gets bad D NA) . This is a do ctrine of au thority and cove ring "g one to se ed," b ut wh ich is b eing p layed o ut in
church settings all over America. In one form or anoth er it declare s that it is better f or you to be destroyed than to live outside
of som eone e lse's auth ority or "covering." It is a manifestation of what I refer to as a "spirit of control" which would rather
see believers fail and perish than to see them living in freedom, particularly freedom from the c ontrol of other "more
spiritu ally mature" believers. Some of you have been victimized by this doctrine in one form or another; while others of you
are silently saying, "Hey, they did the right thing. What's the problem" Tha t's how wounded and divided the chur ch is o n this
issue. I kn ow. I read your e-m ails.
In the disc ussion th at follows I w ill do the following :
‘ More c learly define the issue of c overing a s com mon ly practiced,

‘ Distin guis h bet wee n fals e “co verin g” an d biblic al acc oun tability,
‘ Explain th e dem onic spirit of fa lse autho rity which is beh ind the “co vering” m ovem ent,
‘ Offer eight (8) specific objections to the practice of covering,
‘ Exp lain biblically why the false doctrine of “covering” is a manifestation of the “Jezebel spirit” of rebellion
and witch craft.
Finally, I will demonstrate from Scripture that God inten ds fo r His Church to be "equipped and built up” for service, rather
than "covered" and controlled. Men want to "cover and c ontrol." G od wa nts to "e quip” a nd “bu ild up.” P erson ally, I like G od's
way better.
Authority & Accoun tability
I want to distinguish between the conce pts of "accountability" and "covering." They are not (in my understanding) the same
thing. W e need to begin by un derstan ding that the re is a differe nce be tween "a ccoun tability" and "cove ring." Acc ountab ility
means that we voluntarily allow other people, believers, into our lives, a llowing them to know us well eno ugh to speak into
our lives, b oth b y way of enco urag em ent a nd co rrec tion. N eil Cole (of Church M ultiplication As sociates ) and Jo hn W hite
(Denver house church coach) are speaking to this issue within the House Church movement through such instruments as
Life Transformation Groups and Marriage Transformation Groups where small groups of people (3 or 4 individuals or
couples) commit themselves to m eet together and share their lives and growth experiences and to hold one another
accountable. All of us should have mature believers who are close enough to us in our personal lives that they can speak
to us on spiritual and personal matters to offer encouragement during difficult times, praise during good times and correction
when w e stray. That's biblical and right!
The general idea of "covering," on the other hand, a s it is used a nd abu sed tod ay, mea ns som ething ver y different. It
sugge sts that the spiritual leadership of a local congregation (however that leadership is organized) is capable of exercising
spiritual authority and of providing spiritual "covering" for th e “lay” peop le and that th ey are som eho w pro tecte d fro m d em onic
assau lts as long as they are under that covering. This doctrine of "covering" has come to represent a false teaching by which
one group of people seek to control other peop le. It ha s bec om e a fo rm of "ps eud o-ac cou ntab ility," a co unte rfeit of what God
wants for His people. This type of "covering" has its origins (I believe) in a spirit of false (Greek: "pseudo" or “false”) a uthority
which seeks to control other believers by claiming to exercise unique authority from God. It is a counterfeit of genuine biblical
spiritual auth ority.
Allow me to offer a co uple of ex amp les. I know of a wom an who recently left a local church under strained circumstances.
She recently returned and attended a service. At the end of the service she went forward for prayer and ministry. The pastor
and his wife approached her and told her that she was wrong to leave the church and their covering and that God was giving
her a window of oppo rtunity to repent and return, but if she did not repent God was going to destroy her life. That is NOT
biblical accountability or authority. In another situation of which I am aware, "covering" meant that if the wife wanted to buy
a new pair of shoes she had to ask her husband, who had to ask their elder, who had to ask the pastor (no, I'm not making
this up!). That is not biblical ac cou ntab ility. This is fals e acc oun tability p roce eding from a spir it of fa lse au thority. It is
unbiblical intimidation and manipulation.
One of the many difficulties of writing an article on authority and covering is the danger of confusion and wrong conclusions.
Peo ple readin g this ar ticle m ight wro ngfully c onclu de tha t I don't believe in authority in the church or that I am attacking the
biblical concept of "headship". Neither conclusion would be true. I do believe in pro per biblical au thority and its exer cise in
the church, and I do believe in a biblical doctrine of headship. Unfortunately, the popular doctrine of "covering" is a perversion
of both these legitimate biblical teachings.
The popular doctrine of "covering" as it is often practiced holds that there are certain people whose position in the church
som ehow e nables th em to provide spiritual covering for those under them. They maintain that their position in the church
both enables them and gives them the spiritual authority to hear from God on behalf of othe rs, to k now God 's will for th eir
lives, including e verything fro m wh o they sho uld ma rry, whethe r or not to chang e jobs, to whether or not to buy new clothes,
if and when they can change churches without being cursed, (no, I'm not making this stuff up.), to control how and when
they function within the church, and to bless them or to curse them as needed and a ppropriate. To be under and s ubmissive
to their covering is to be blessed, and to leave their covering and that of their church without permission is to be cursed (or
at least to open yourself to the spiritual attack of the Enem y).
In working on this series I have been greatly helped by material provided by Arthur Burk of Plumbline Ministries
(www.plumblineministries.com). He has produced a tape on this topic ("Perspectives On The Church: Perspective On
Accou ntability and Covering") which you can order from them. I would encourage you to do so. Now, here is what Arthur
Burk (a former pastor) has to say on the practical matter of accountability in the average institutional church.
"The reality abou t acc oun tability is tha t it is relativ ely im pos sible for the institutional church to hold people accountable. To
put it very simply, the issue of being out from under accountability because you're no longer part of the institutional church
is simply a "straw man," because those that are in the institutional church by and large are not accountable. The institutional
church is able to check on the performance at the institution. It generally knows whether people showed up for their nursery
assignm ent, whether the Sunday School teachers were all there, and which of the deacons show ed up for the board
meeting. That level of accountability is possible. It is carried out regularly in all the different traditions of the faith. But to go
beyond that to have the leadership of the church hold you accountable in your personal life is relatively impossible.
There are a few churches of 20 to 30 members where the pastor has a pretty good idea of what all the people of the church
are going through at any given time. But by the time a church reaches 100 or 200, it is simply humanly impossible for the
leade rship to hold the believers accountable. The pastor cannot know the condition of each marr iage within the church;
cannot measure, evaluate and speak into the quality of parenting in each family; cannot look at the devotional life of the
peo ple in the church, weigh the financial choices they are making, or on a broader scale, look at their testimony at work or
in the neighborhood. No matter how well intentioned a pastor is, how passion ate abou t sheph erding, ho w mu ch he w ants
to be aw are o f wha t is ha ppe ning in the live s of h is par ishion ers, it is logistically impo ssib le for c hurc h lead ersh ip to ho ld
peo ple accountable in the basic stuff of life, and that is why it is the norm in every church of every denomination for the
pastoral staff to be surprised when there is melt down in the church. When a marriage blows a part, mo st of the time the staff
didn't see it com ing. W hen a delin que nt ch ild leav es ho me o r gets in big tr oub le, mo st of th e time the staff didn't know that
the family was in trouble. This is not an indictment of the pastoral staff. Most pastors are already working far more hours than
other professions and trades in America. All I'm saying is that the concept of accountability has been inflated beyond reality.
When we leave a church for whatever reason, with blessing or without; if a person spends weeks or months or even years
between churches, the question is raised, "Where is your accountability?" The assumption is that when they were in a
brick-and-mortar church there was accountability and that some spiritual leader was overseeing the nuances of their life.
That assumption is utter rubbish! From the sheer numbers involved, the ratio of parishioners to pastors, it is almost
impossible for there to be any realistic accountability in the local church other than in church functions.
Take it up a notch: every pastor in every denomination is theoretically accountable to some degree or another to a church
board at times, or to the ordaining institution or denominational leaders; while those accountability structures tend to be more
defined on paper, more formalized, they are for the most part also ina dequa te. Som e deno mination s mak e a ma jor effort.
One I know sends a team in to view the pas tor's relations hip with his c hurch e very fou r years o r so, and it is a pretty
extensive survey after four years. But to go four years at a time without on site oversight is the norm. Many pastors have
not been personally investigated, checked up on, by their leaders for ten years at a time. So accountability of church
leade rship also tends to be more of a myth than a reality. To be very blunt, many people have left the local church which
they've attended for years, and the leadership doesn't even know they are gone, doesn't even follow up on them to find out
if they're sick, dead or unhappy with the church. So the accountability from the formal leadership of the average American
church is a myth, not a reality.
Does that mean we need to ignore accountability? Absolutely not! One of the healthy moves of the last ten years has been
the thrust toward accountability created by Prom ise K eep ers, e tc., bu t that is peer acc oun tability - an in dividu al volu ntarily
linking up with two or three other people in a realistic arrangement where they get together face to face in a particular
contex t, regularly, a nd ask each o ther spe cific ques tions with th e freedo m to de lve into each other's lives. This a ccoun tability
is functional and has blessed very many lives. It would be ideal in a bricks-and-mortar church, except for the numbers ratio.
There are not enough leaders and not e nou gh ho urs in the lea der's day t o sit d own once a we ek w ith ea ch m emb er of th eir
congregation and hold them accountable.
I believe that accountability is profitable, almost essential, for every believer, but pragmatically, in the old institution when
there was acc oun tability , the m ajority of it wa s vo lunta rily initiated peer acc. In this transition period when so many peop le
are not a ctive ly engaged in the institutional church, it is even more important that there be peer accountability, so that the
non-participation in structured events does not allow you to slide into carelessness in your spiritual walk. But my central
reason for bringing up the issue is beca use of the underlying inference that a person is not legitimate if they don't have
accou ntability and t hat th ey w on't h ave it outs ide of the loc al chu rch. M y co nten tion is that a cco unta bility o n a pe er lev el,
volu ntarily entered into by the average believer, is the reality and the norm and can function in or out of the local church.
The vast majority of people who have peer accou ntability even when they are in a local church, are doing it across church
boundaries. More and more, believers are reaching out to like-minded friends who share the same values and have the
same vision, and are forming networks of relationship that frequently become networks of accountability apart from the
involvement or loyalty to a local church.
To summarize: the accusation that yo u are o ut of G od's will be cau se y ou ar e not unde r acc oun tability to a loc al chu rch is
simp ly a straw man, a myth, a fantasy. The local c hurc h usu ally didn't prov ide acco untability to be gin with, an d acco untability
is totally pos sible outsid e of it.” (End Arthur Burk’s comments)
To whom are you personally accountable? Who speaks the things of God into your life? Who do you allow to get close
enough to be able to see what God is doing in your life, close enough to weep with you when you weep and to rejo ice with
you when you rejoice, and to occasionally say "Wow , that's the du mbes t thing I've ev er seen anybo dy do!" ? How else are
we to "Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2)? I believe that the house church offers
the best oppo rtunity f or this to ha ppe n. It is in the house church of 15-to-20 people, where we "know and are known," that
this type of biblical accountability has the greatest opportunity to flourish, no t in a heavy-h anded way, but "in a spirit of
gentlene ss; eac h one loo king to yo urself, lest yo u too be te mpted ."
Jeremiah an d the Spirit of False Autho rity
I stated earlier that I believe this doctrine of covering stems from a spirit of "pseudo-authority" which motivates individ uals
(and then organizations) to assume an d to exercise authority they have not been given by God. My belief in this area was
recently confirmed from my study in the O.T. book of Jeremiah. In Jeremiah 5:30-31 Jeremiah declares:
"An appalling and horrible thing Has happ ene d in the land: The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own
authority; And My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it?"
In what amounts to an "epilogue" or after-thought in his discourse regarding God's pending "visitation," Jeremiah describes
Israel's spiritual condition with two very emotion-filled words. He describes their condition as "appalling" and "horrible." The
word "appalling" literally means something that is "stunning" or "astonishing." The word "horrible thing" is used to refer to
something "so h orrib le tha t it make s you s hiver with fear." According to Jeremiah, Israel's spiritual condition was stunning
to anyone looking at it from God's perspective; a condition so horrible that anyone understanding it would "shiver with fear."
What could possibly be so bad? Jeremiah gives four characteristics:
First, there were people claiming to speak for God who were pro phesying falsely (i.e., speaking untruth, a sham,
speaking dece itfully, an d doin g it in God's name). This can happen today in the church, just as it did in Is rael. I b elieve in
the New Testament gift of prophecy, and have both given and received prophetic words. But not ever y allege d “pro phe tic
word” is genuine (which is why they are to be tested and discerned); and there are people who use the gifts of God to control
and ma nipula te pe ople t o the ir own ends . This is why p roph etic w ords mu st be weig hed and d isce rned . Not a ll prop hetic
words are from God!
Second, the priests (those in positions of religious & spiritual authority) were ruling over the people on their own
authority. The w ord "ruling" s ugges ts "to tread d own" or "to subjugate." It is used in Leviticus 25:43 where the Israelites were
told not to treat one ano ther (spe cifically referring to debtors) this way. It is later used in 2 Chronicles 8:10 to describe how
Solom on's overseers treated the slave labor in Israel (a practice which eventually contributed to the division of the Kingdom
following Solom on's death). T he Pries ts in Israel we re neve r given au thority to rule in su ch a m anner. In other words, like
those who are claiming to "cover" people today, they were exercising false authority and subjugating God's people.
Third, the people loved it that way! Error can best take root among people who want to be so deceived and ruled.
I have personally met and counseled with people who want to be covered and protected by someone else, rather than taking
respon sibility for themselves before G od. They are absolutely convinced that God will judge and punish them if they leave
such c overing w ithout being "released ."
Fourth, and finally, no one involved in this process (prophet, priest, people) was giving any thought to the long-term
consequences of their actions, such as the hurt & harm that will occur in this life, or the ine vitable accountability and
judg me nt be fore God for th eir ac tions in har min g tho se th ey've le d ast ray.
Eight Concerns Regarding “Spiritual Covering”
I have developed a list of eight (8) concerns which I have regarding the current teaching and practice of "covering." Here
they are:
Conc ern # 1: It Den ies a basic te net of Pro testant Th eology: T he Priesth ood o f the Individu al Believer.
It could easily be argued that "covering" Christians are closet Catholics. Surprised? You wouldn't be if you understood church
histo ry. Roman Catholicism has always had a doctrine of covering. The Pope is the Vicar of Christ who hears directly from
God. He in turn covers the Card inals (the "P rinces o f the Ch urch") who co ver the B ishops w ho cove r the Pries ts who cover
the people. From the year A.D. 481 onwards Catholic Christians were forbidden from mee ting in "private c onventic les" (i.e.,
house church es or an y meeti ng outs ide of the institutional church not overseen by a Priest or Bishop). They were also
forbidden from reading the Scriptures for themselves (lest they "misinterpret" and come to a conclusion different than the
official teaching of the Church), and to assure that they could not do so all Scriptures were in Latin (known as The Vulgate)
and no translation into the common language was permitted. No teaching contrary to the official teaching of the Church was
permitted. The Church held the keys to heaven and hell, and the Priests & other clergy were the gate keepers. Th ey were
the mediators between God and men. They heard personal confessions of sin, granted "absolution" and assigned "penance."
To be in the Church and under her covering was salvation and blessing. To leave the church was damnation and cursing.
This was the status of "covering" for 1500 years until Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation. And one of the central
beliefs of the Protestant Reformation was the doctrine of "the Pr iestho od of t he Ind ividual B eliever."
Beginning with such passages as 1 Timothy 2:5 the leaders of the Protestant Reformation rejected the notion that a person
needed anyone to mediate for them (or to cove r over them ).They bo ldly maintain ed that "there is one God and one mediator
also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all." Every individual, they proclaimed,
had the right to read the Scriptures for themselves and to appro ach God directly through the com pleted work of Jesus Christ.
Every believer, they taught, was a priest before God:
“But you are a chosen race , a roy al prie stho od, a holy nation, a people for God ,s ow n pos ses sion , that y ou m ay pr ocla im
the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but
now y ou are th e peop le of God ; you had not rece ived me rcy, but n ow yo u have receive d merc y.” (1 Peter 2:9-10)
“. . . and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father; to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and
ever. Am en.” (Revelation 1:6)
Much of the contemporary teaching on authority and covering seeks to reverse 500 years of Protestant theology on th is
subjec t. As Arthur Burk h as obs erved: “Time a fter time the re has b een refo rmation , trying to bring the believe r back into
position of every man havin g acc ess to the thron e of g race and h earin g Go d per son ally an d bein g res pon sible to God for
what he does. And time and again, with different language, different excuses, theological packages and structures, the idea
has been re-introduced that some people can hear from God better than others, and those who can hear from God better
can hear for the ones who are supposed to be the second class group of believers. That is an issue that I will fight for that
every believer has the same Holy Spirit. Some have more skill, perhaps, in hearing God, some have bette r dev elope d the ir
ability to relate to G od, but an intrinsic right tha t every b eliever ha s to hear God o n their ow n is centra l to my the ology.”
Concern # 2: A Gaping Lack of Any Clear Theology Regarding Spiritual Authority in the Church
If the Reformation doctrine of the Priesthood of the Believer is clear (and I believe that it is), then the current "teaching"
regarding "cove ring" is equa lly uncle ar. It is note worth y for its lack of an y clear biblica l mand ate or exa mple . W here in
Scripture is it either taught or modeled? The answers given in res pon se ar e vag ue at best . Rath er tha n dea ling wit h this
issue of sp iritual a utho rity her e, I wa nt to tr eat it later in this article under the topic of “Understanding Biblical Authority, Power
and Le adersh ip In The C hurch.”
Concern # 3: It Is a Relatively Recent Teaching with a Track Record of Abuse and Woundedness
The 19 th Century “Prince of Prea chers” Charles Hadd on Spu rgeon p erhaps said it best, “If it’s ne w it’s pr oba bly heresy .” I
agree. And the current doctrine of authority and covering is bot h new and h eretic al. Ap art fro m its pote ntial ro ots in
Catholicism as noted above, the current teaching on co verin g is a fairly recent phenomenon in Protestant Christianity, having
arisen over the p ast 20-to-30 years. In that time it has taken a variety of forms including the now widely discredited
"shepherding" movement of the 1980s & 90s. Its present day manifestations are varied and widespread. But w here ver th is
teaching has be en con sistently app lied, it has left a trac k reco rd of abu se and wound ednes s.
One popular form of "covering" is the teaching that no church member can leave that particular church and go on to attend
another fellowship without first being "released" by the Pastor and leadership of the first church. To leave without such a
"release" is an act o f reb ellion w hich will res ult in God's judgm ent. The use of the word “release” sh ould itself be instructive
as to the underlying spirit of this doctrine. “Release” implies either ownership, captivity or control of one person by another.
Another variation on this theme is the church covenant which the individual must sign in ord er to jo in the chur ch. T hen , if
the individual seeks to leave the church w ithout first being "released" by the leadership, they are informed that a churc h
covenant is binding like a marriage covenant and to leave without being "released" is like a divorce which God will punish.
Such "relea sing " and talk o f "m arria ge co vena nts" is , of co urse , biblic al non -sen se an d spir itual d oub le-talk by peo ple whose
hearts are set upon the manipulation and control of other people. There are no biblical exam ples of such "releasing" nor are
there any examples of church membership covenants. As Christians we are indeed a people who partake of the New
Covenant in Ch rist's b lood, a cov ena nt wh ich is s ealed to us by the Holy S pirit. B ut it is a covenant which God has made
with us. W e are all equal members of that same covenant, the terms of which are laid out for all of us in the New T estam ent,
and which ea ch of us is entitled to hold one another accountable to. No human church covenant can replace or supercede
God's covena nt.
Concern # 4: The Absence of Any Clear Qualifications for Covering
This conc ern is sim ilar to th at ex pres sed in Concern # 2 above regarding a lack of any clear theology regarding covering
and authority. This concern has to do with the lack or absence of any clear set of qualifications for who gets to “be covering”
versus those who are “in need of being cove red.” Or, a s I like to sa y, “Who died and left you in charge?” Arthur Burk has
said it mo re diplom atically:
“In all of th e diffe rent e xpre ssio ns of the th eolog y of s piritua l cove ring, I'v e not hear d any bod y add ress the is sue of wh o is
qualified to be covering, and who is unqualified. It is not as though there is a verse that is hotly debated, a passage of
Scripture where there is a difference of opinion on what the Greek means. This movement that touts covering is silent on
the issue of why some people can be covering and other people have to be under covering. Regardless of your structure,
whether you're talk ing abou t a two tiered system where the laity is cov ered by the pasto r, or whe ther you have a n elabora te
system where you have laity who are covered by the elders and the elders are covered by the pastor, the pastor is covered
by an apostle, and the apostle is covered by a bishop - sooner or later you arrive at a human being, a mere mortal, who goes
direct with G od, is under God's covering and has no human covering. And my question is, Wha t mak es him specia l? Why
is it that there are some people who claim the right to be covering and don't need covering and they report to God, whereas
the vast majority of Christendom is assumed to not be capable to be covering, and they have to have human covering and
can't go d irect with G od.”
I believe Burke is correct on this point. But I would go further. I believe that the lack of any clear qua lification for wh o gets
to provide covering reveals that this false doctrine is simply a tool used by controlling and manipulative leaders seeking to
intimidate trusting and ill-informed people into submission using pseudo-spiritual language to mask the reality that they are
walking in a dem onic stron ghold of f alse auth ority and control (actually, I will demonstrate later in this article that they are
actually prac ticing rebe llion, witchcra ft and divina tion on G od’s peo ple).
Concern # 5: It Re-establishes, Under a New Form, the “Clergy-Laity” Distinction
One of the greatest hindrances to the mission of the church throughout the centuries has been the distinction between a
professional clergy and the “laity” (which comes from the Greek “laos” meaning “people”). It has its origins in Revelation
Chapter 2 and Je sus’ m essag e to the C hurch a t Ephes us: “‘Yet this you do have, that you h ate the deeds of the Nicolaitans,
which I al so ha te. ’” (Revelation 2:6). Accor ding to W olfgang Sims on, “One of the first attempts at inventing the non-scriptural
distinction between “clergy” and “laity” was made by the Nicolaitans, a group that emphasized the difference between ‘the
listening lay people and the ministering brothers’. They go back to Nicolas, who was one of the first seven church deacons
(Acts 6:5), later influenced by Greek Dualism, who then goes on to develop the doctrine of ‘the Nicolaitans’ (Rev. 2:6), which
the ris en Ch ris t sa ys he ‘ha tes ’. N ico lai tan in G ree k is co mp os ed of t wo wo rds . ‘N ikao” me ans to conquer, to be above
others, and laos means common people. ‘A Nicolaitan is someone conquering the common people, climbing above the lait y’,
says Watc hman Nee in h is book T he Orth odoxy of the Ch urch. ‘The condu ct of clim bing over and above the common
be lie ve rs as a m ed iat ori al c las s is wh at t he Lo rd d ete sts an d h ate s.’” 103
The practical result of this clergy/laity distinction has been the tendency to place the responsibility for ministry activity on the
shoulders of a few paid professional staff, and the commu nication of an attitude that only the professional clergy (and
perhaps a select few which they train) are a ble an d equ ipped to do the w ork o f the m inistry. As a result, some 80% of the
work & ministry in the average church is done by 20% (or less) of the people. We will never fulfill the Great Comm ission by
equipping and releasing only 2 out of 10 people for the work of the ministry. But the popular doctrine of “covering” teaches
(by defa ult, if not by intent) that the vast majority of believers are in need of “spiritual covering” and are incapable of being
“released” for the work of ministry. Covering is the doctrine of the Nicolaitans all over again, and the Lord Jes us C hrist s ays
He hates it! We m ust come to see every Christian, every believer as a church planter, and every home or business where
a believer is present as a potential church.
Concern # 6: Covering Versus Equipping
The re-enforcement of the clergy-laity distinction (those “covering” versus those “being covered”) leads to this next concern.
When does the person being “co vered” re ach m aturity and the point of being released for ministry? I believe that it is very
noteworthy that, in all of Paul’s prayers for the various churches which he planted and nurtured, He never me ntion s or p rays
for them to be “covered.” Fo r example, in Colossians 1:9ff Paul prays for the Colossians to be to be filled with the knowledge
of His will, to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to be strengthened with all power and much more. But Paul never
mentions or prays about their being “covered.” Why? Because Paul’s goal was not that they be “covered,” but that they be
equipped and built up in their fait h unt o a m ature pers on. G od’s plan is n’t “co verin g.” G od’s plan is best seen in Pau l’s
description of the 5-fold ministry in Ephesians 4. There Paul clea rly describe s the two prima ry functions of leaders hip. First,
leade rship is to help people “mend their nets” (See “The Role of Leadership & Mending One Another’s Nets” in Module 7).
Second, leaders a re to con tribute to the “b uilding up” (G reek: oikodome, a construction term used of building a house) of
believers and the Church. But no where in Paul’s various descriptions of the role of leadership does he describe leaders as
“covering ” anyone. N o where . It is a conce pt that sim ply doesn ’t exist in Scriptu re.
Concern # 7: A Lack of Responsibility For the Fruit of its Practice
What are you willing to stand before God on judgment day and be held accountable for? I am appalled at times at the
cavalier attitude among authoritative covering types who want to wield authority over other believers, but who take no thought
regarding the fact that they will one day stand before God to account for their actions within the body of Christ. Arthur Burk
speaks about this tension between authority and responsibility when it comes to the matter of covering. “In every facet of
life authority and responsibility are suppo sed to be parallel. God o nly give us as mu ch auth ority as w e need to carry o ut a
responsibility, and if we have authority there is a responsibility commensurate with it. And so I see two extreme aberrations
in this area. On the one hand there are leaders who want control without responsibility. I would challenge those who believe
they are the ones to hear from God fo r the entire c ongreg ation to ow n all of the pain that their con gregation is in.”
The issue of co verin g and auth ority b egs an impo rtant (but un answe red) que stion. Ca n som eone in “a uthority” instruc t a
person to sin (that is, to do som ething tha t person believes to be wrong, for whatever is not of faith is sin, Romans 14:23)
and thereby absolve that person of sin and guilt before God because they were “obeying their covering/authority”? All of
Scripture would say no. Each of us is accountable before God for the spiritual/moral decisions we make and the deeds we
do. If it is sin, then no person can absolve us of the guilt of disobedience. God will hold leadership accountable for telling
peo ple to obey them instead of their own consc ience before God. And God will hold the individual accountable for obeying
103
Simson, Houses That Change The World, p. 54.
men rather tha n God .
Contrary to much popular opinion, the Christian life is not a “zero sum game” (where everything adds up to “zero” in the end
with no winners or losers). Consider the following passage: “Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or
absen t, to be pleasing to Him. F or we mus t all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be
recompensed for his deed s in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Therefore knowing the fear
of the Lord , we pers uade m en. . .” (2 Corinthians 5:9-11), Here the Apostle Paul ackn owledges that life is not a “zero s um ”
game where, regardless of what we did as Christians in this life, everything “zeros out” in the end. Instead, Paul declares
that His ambition is to please God. Why? Because, Paul argues, we must (it isn’t optional) all (no exceptions) make a n
appearance before the judgment seat of Christ. For what purpose? “That each one may be re com pen sed for his deed s in
the body,” declares Paul. Commentators have labored over the years to explain exactly what this passage means for the
believer. The usual conclusion is that it has to do with our rewards, and that some C hristians will receive more while others
receive less (See also Colossians 3:25). Whether or not this is the correct interpretation we won’t know until that Day. But
what we do know is this: Paul’s understanding of this “event” struck fear into his heart, because in the next verse Paul
declare s, “There fore, know ing the fea r of the Lo rd, we p ersu ade men . . .”
The Christian life and ministry are not a “zero sum” game. A day of reckoning is approaching for the Church as a whole and
for each of us individually when all of our work and effo rts will be tested by fire (1 Corinthians 3:12-15). This includes those
who claim to exerc ise autho rity in the churc h over oth er believer s. Be warned. God will hold you accountable!
Concern # 8: A Lack of Q uantifiable Benefits and Results
Christians love anecdotal stories. We even build whole theologies on them . An anecdote is “a short, entertaining account
of so me h app ening , usu ally pe rson al or b iogra phic al” (than k you W ebs ter’s C ollege Editio n). As Chris tians we lov e to te ll
such stories about how we did “X” and then “Y” happened (conve niently ignoring the logical fallacy and pitfall of “post hoc,
procter hoc” - “after the event, therefore because of the eve nt”). In the context of au thority a nd co verin g suc h sto ries w ould
say something like “I came under m y Pasto r’s authority a nd cov ering and I have be en bless ed and at peace ever sinc e.”
W hile such stories may be personally meaningful, they are n o bas is upon w hich to bu ild a theology o r doctrine of autho rity
in the Church, nor do they represent a “confirmation” that such a doctrine is true or valid. Such reasoning also ignores the
reality that Satan loves to deceive people by positively re-enforcing false doctrines. In other words, a person may have been
under strong d emo nic attack . W hen they decided to be lieve a false doct rine b y placin g the ms elves unde r som eon e’s
“covering ,” Satan decided to deceive them into believing the false doctrine by ceas ing his attack on them, thereby deceiving
them into thinking the doctrine was true!
At this point I want to defer to the comments of Arthur Burk on th is iss ue, a nd sim ply say t hat I a gree with h is observation:
“For all of the rhetoric, the theology of covering providing protection simply doesn't measure up to reality. Look at the stats:
take any three churches where there's a strong teac hing o n spir itual c ove ring a nd w here the p eop le are voluntarily under
the coverin g of the sp iritual leaders hip of the ch urch. C ompa re those to any th ree ch urche s that d on't even men tion th e top ic
of coverin g and w here the re's nev er been any form al proces s of the laity coming under covering. Now look at the difference
between the two, if you can fin d it. My experience has been that both groups have an equal level of broken marriages,
delinquent children, people who are in chronic financial problems, people with serious health problems, an equal level of
immature believe rs. I sim ply do n't see any consistent me asurable difference on any level between c hurches where covering
is taught and practiced, whose leaders say they're providing covering and followers say they're under covering, and
churches where that isn't true. If covering were suc h a via ble principle, it ought to work! If covering is so central a Biblical
conc ept as it is often to uted to be, wh y is it that th e chu rches that do n't practice covering aren't a whole lot worse off than
the churches which do? O r to tur n it around the other way, why is it that the churches that teach covering as a means of
protection from demonic assault and as a means of the leadership hearing from God for the people so that they make wise
decisions, why are there so many problems in those churches? Why isn't the theology of "protection through covering"
working?”
Understanding Biblical Authority, Power and Leadership In The Church
W e need to take a moment to examine where we have been. Much of the Church today is being victimized by a spirit and
structure of “fa lse au thority” whic h claim s tha t it is the role of leadership to provide spiritual covering, fathering, shepherding
or other spiritual oversight while keeping people in submission, even subjugation, to the leadership; a spirit of control which
preven ts people fro m be ing fully equipp ed and built up for m inistry. This spirit of false authority is outside of any biblical
mandate or teaching.
In this section I want to de al with a “hodge-podge” of related issues which the “false authority & covering” proponents have
loosely strung together in order to create this false teaching, a false teaching which I will soon demonstrate to be a
manifestation of the Jezebel spirit of rebellion, witchcraft and divination.
O “Don’t Touch God’s Anointed”
I have often hear d cov ering prop one nts d ecla re tha t you s hou ldn’t “stretch out your hand” against “God’s anointed.” What
this means is that “ano inted ” auth ority fig ures are s om eho w be yond criticis m o r disc ipline f rom ordin ary “un ano inted ” peo ple
like you or m e. To jus tify this false teac hing they ofte n appe al to the relationship between David and King Saul. After all King
Saul was “God’s anointed” and David refused to stretch out his hand against him. Unfortunately, this is a “fig leaf” of an
argu me nt ba sed upon a m isrep rese ntatio n of th is clas sic s tory.
Saul was chosen by God as King over Israel (1 Samuel 9) and anointed as King by the Prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 10). He
began his reign powerfully by delivering the men of Jabesh-Gilead from the cruelty of Nahash, King of the Am monites (1
Samuel 11). Afterwards, his kingship was again pu blicly co nfirm ed (1 Sam uel 12 ). He was , by divin e cho ice an d pub lic
acclamation, the anointed King of Israel. But things quickly began to unravel. Under pressure from the Philistines on the one
hand and his own scattering people on the other. Saul disobeyed Samuel’s command to wait for his arrival at Gilgal (1
Samuel 13). Instead, Saul usurped the priestly office. Sam uel rebuk ed him and ann ounce d, “The Lord would have
established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has soug ht ou t for H imse lf
a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the
Lord co mma nded.” Desp ite having been chosen and anoin ted, S aul w as no w “dis ma ntled ,” reje cted and r eplac ed. S aul’s
disgrace is completed in Chapter 15 when h e disobe ys God ’s com man d throug h Sam uel to utterly destroy the Amalekites.
Because Saul in his disobedience had rejected God’s word, God now rejected Saul from being king. In The following Chapter
(16) David is chosen by God and anointed by Samuel to be the n ext King o f Israel. In C hapter 1 7 David d efeats Goliath and
wins the favor of both the people and the King. But it isn’t long before the anointing in David’s life causes Saul to feel
threatened (controlling authoritative people often feel threatened by the anointing in the lives of other people, especially when
it is painfully clear to everyone around them that God is no longer anointing their own ministry). Saul begins to persec ute
Dav id and to plot h ow to de stroy him (Chap ters 18-1 9). David consp ires with Jo nathan , Saul’s so n and ap parent h eir, to
expose Saul’s true intentions (controlling authoritative people often have hidden motives and intentions which get revealed
in a time of crisis). When Saul reveals his intention to kill him, David begins a life of fleeing from Saul, culmin atin g in a
con fron tation with S aul in C hap ter 24 . Afte r spa ring S aul’s lif e, Da vid de clare s to S aul:
“May the Lord judge between you and me, and may the Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you. As
the pro ve rb o f th e a nc ien ts s ay s, ‘O ut o f th e w ick ed co me s fo rth wic ke dn es s’; but my hand shall not be against you. After
whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog, a single flea? The Lord therefore be judge
and decide between you and me; and may He see and plead my cause, and deliver me from your hand.” (1 Samuel 24:12-
15)
O.K. Lets summarize all of this within the context o f our discu ssio n of s piritua l auth ority an d cov ering . Thr oug hou t this
episode with Saul, David steadfastly refused to “stre tch o ut his hand ” aga inst S aul, b eca use Dav id reg arde d Sa ul to be God ’s
anointed (see 1 Samuel 24:6&10; 26:9,11& 23). False authority and covering propon ents like to use t his ep isod e and Dav id’s
refusal to stretch out his hand against Saul as proof that God’s anointed leaders are som ehow above criticism or discipline
from those beneath them. But let’s consider the facts.
‘ God had already “dismantled” Saul from being King (1 Samuel 15: 23-28 & 16:1). Because God had once
chosen and anointed an individual does not mean that they are beyond criticism or discipline. Saul lost his
anointing through his disobedience. Do you really want to run around calling yourself “God’s anointed” when
in reality God has removed your anointing and set you aside? Leadership beware.
‘ Dav id had already been chosen by God and anointed by His prop het as the next King. There are many
believers in the Church whom God has anointed, but are being “covered” and held back by authoritative
leaders who feel threatened by what God is doing through others rather than through them.
‘ Dav id did no t sub mit h ims elf to S aul’s “ auth ority,” n eithe r was Dav id “in re bellion ” for c hoo sing not to subm it
him self to Sa ul but to flee from Sau l. Inde ed, b ase d on 1 Sam uel 24 :12-1 5 quo ted a bove Dav id asked the
Lord to “avenge me on you” (hardly an act of respect or submission), described Saul as “wicked” and asked
God to “be judge and decide betwee n you a nd me . . . . and deliver m e from y our han d.” At no point is Da vid
described as “rebe llious” by Go d (in spite of his refus al to “subm it” to “God’s anointed”. Rather it is Saul who
is in rebellion against God.
‘ Dav id’s choic e not to ph ysica lly harm (i.e., “stretch out his hand against”) Saul was a personal choice, not
one required by any biblical doctrine of authority or submission.
So, if you can find some doctrine of authority, “covering” or submission to God’s anointed leade rship (lest yo u be in
“rebellion”) in this episode, please let me kn ow, because I can’t find it (no, not even in the Hebrew)!
O “I’ll Deliver You Over To Satan”
“For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though
I were p resent. In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assem bled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord
Jesus, (I have decided ) to deliver s uch a o ne to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day
of the Lord Jesus .” (1 Corinthians 5:3-5)
I know of church s ituations where people leaving were told by the leade rship that if th ey ref use d to s ubm it to the leade rship
and/or left their covering without being “released” they would be “delivered over to Satan” for the requisite punishment of
their “disobedience” (i.e., fire, flood, plagues, curses, locust, being forced to watch American Idol, etc.). When challenged
for the biblical basis for action the leadership usually appeals to the above passage from 1 Corinthians. Unfortunately, again,
this passage is another fig leaf for the false authority and covering proponents. Consider the following:
‘ Cov ering is neith er m entio ned nor im plied in this p ass age . Sorr y!
‘ The issue being dealt with by the Church in Corinth was how the Church should deal with a person in the
Church who was living in unrepentant sexual imm orality, nam ely, an inces tuous s exual rela tionship w ith his
step-mother (see 1 Corinthians 5:1). This was an issue of c hurch d iscipline in the fa ce of blata nt imm orality
and sin, not an issue of so me one “in reb ellion” for re fusin g to s ubm it to the leade rship of the church and
wanting to leave.
‘ This was an act of church discipline for unre pen tant s in, an act c arrie d out by Pa ul in conjun ction with the
who le church (“when you are assembled, and I with y ou in spirit”), not a unilateral action by the leadership.
‘ Together, Paul and the Church decided “to deliver s uch a o ne to Sa tan for the d estructi on of h is flesh.”
According to Dr. Gordon Fee, “for Paul, this was quasi-technical language for some kind of expulsion from
the Christian community, probably from the gatherings of the assembly for worship, including the meals and
supper in honor of the Lord Thus we are not dealing with an “execration” formula, nor is it probably that Paul
intends the langua ge to be ta ken literally, in the sense of perso nally han ding the m an to Sa tan to “go to
work on him,” as it were. More likely, the language mean s to turn him back o ut into Sata n’s sphere . . . . In
contrast to the gath ered com mun ity of b elieve rs w ho ex perie nce the S pirit and power of the Lord Jes us in
edifying gifts and loving concern for one another, this man is to be put back out into the world, where Satan
and his ‘princ ipalities and p owers ’ still hold sway o ver peo ple’s lives to de stroy the m.” 104
Sorr y, no doctrine of covering here, nor any doctrine that the leadership of any church can deliver someone over to Satan
for having left their covering.
O Rebellion, the Jezebel Spirit, Witchcraft and Covering
Whenever the issues of authority and covering come up among false authority and covering proponents, the conversion
nea rly always turn to the sub ject of “reb ellion.” Statements such as “That pe rson ha s a rebe llious Jezeb el spirit abou t them,”
are often heard. So, we need to address these two items: 1) a “Jezebel spirit”, and 2) rebellion. L et’s take o n Jezeb el first,
because she will, in fact, lead us to the heart of this issue.
According to 1 Kings 16:31 Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, King of Zidon (Sidon). The region of Sidon was a “hot-bed”
of pagan Baal worship. So, Ahab, King of the northern Kingdom of Israel, who was already in rebellion against Jehovah and
walking “in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Neba t,” married a pagan religious Baal worshiper, who “went and serv ed B aal,
and w orshipe d him.” To make a long story short, Jezebel came to be known for seven (7) things:
104
Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, in The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand
Rapids: William B. Eerdmans publishing Company, 1987), pp. 209.
‘ She was a religious Baal worshiper (1 Kings 16 :31),
‘ She killed (“cut off”) the Prophets of Jehovah (1 Kings 18 :4),
‘ She fed and provided for 400 prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19),
‘ She waged pe rsonal warfare against Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-2),
‘ She plotted with her husband, Ahab, to kill Naboth and steal his vineyard (1 Kings 21:1-15),
‘ She stirred up Ahab “to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord” (1 Kings 21:25),
‘ She practiced “witchcrafts” (2 Kings 9:22).
So, what exactly is a “Jezebel spirit”? And how does it relate to the issue of reb ellion? I believ e the answ er is fo und in
Deuteronomy 18:10, “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire,
one who uses divination, one who practices, witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer. . .” The word “sorce rer”
here is the same Hebrew root word use for “witchcraft” to de scribe J ezebel in 2 K ings 9:22 . Jezebe l was a so rceres s, a
witch, according to the Law. But there is another word in Deuteronomy which is important, the word “divination.” This word
is foun d in 1 S am uel 15 :23 w here the P roph et Sa mu el told King S aul, “For rebellion is as the s in of divination, and
insubordination is as iniquity a nd idolatry .” This is the connection. The “witchcraft” of Jezebel and the “divination” of
Saul were both forms of spiritual rebellion against God’s authority. The sins of divination, witchcraft and rebellion have
a common root, namely, an improper relationship to God’s power and authority . That is why divination and rebellion are
linked. Jezebel was guilty of “witchcraf t” which is spiritual rebellion, and Saul was guilty of rebellion which is spiritual
divina tion. W itchcraft/divination are forms of rebellion, and rebellion is a form of witchcraft and divination. Both are the
prod uct o f a wr ong relatio nsh ip to G od’s spiritu al pow er an d aut hority.
Let’s take a moment and look more closely at the nature of spiritual power and authority. In his book “Wh en Th e Spirit
Comes With Pow er,” Canadian psychiatrist and medical doctor J ohn W hite explain s the co ncept o f “stolen po wer.” W hite
argues (and I agree) that all spiritual power (and authority) derives from God. Here is what White says,
“There is one source of supernatural power, and one only. Satan’s power is power once entrusted to him by God. God was
the Creator of the power just as, being the Creator of all that is, he created Satan himself. The power was meant for use in
God’s se rvice. It is wh at we m ight call em bezzled po wer.” 105
Lets be clear. All spiritual power originated in God. When Lucifer fell, along with a third of the a ngelic ho st, both he and they
retained the power that God had bestowed upon them while in His service. Lucifer and his followers have now “embezzled”
that pow er and u se it to oppo se Go d’s purpo ses. G od’s pow er, em bezzled an d misu sed, no w beco mes “mag ical powe r.”
“Whenever anyone, Christian or non-Christian, angel or demon, uses (God’s) power for selfish ends . . . the power can be
called magica l power. It is the same power with the same characteristics put to a wrong use and subtly changed by that use.
Christian s who use G od’s pow er in this wa y have begun to act like so rcerers . Angels s o using it fall.”
Do you see the implication here? Leaders who falsely claim authority to “cover” and control other people are guilty of
rebellion against G od’s gen uine auth ority; they are “em bezzling” G od’s auth ority and power, just as Satan and his demons
do. They have become “magicians” and “sorcerers” who now walk in a spirit of false authority (Jeremiah 5:30-31). They are
walking in rebellion against God’s legitimate power and authority, and are guilty of practicing witchcraft and divination! The
doctrine and p ractice o f cover ing is a manifestation of the Jezebel spirit of rebellion and witchcraft! And churches
or min istries who se lea ders teac h and prac tice th is false doct rine w ill open them selve s, the ir peo ple an d the ir ministries to
the entra nce of w itchcraft a nd divination in their mid st.
O A Lesson In Spiritual Econom ics And Au thority
Our God is an “economist.” He likes things to be done in an orderly way. Classical theologians often write and speak of the
“economic” view of God:
“When Scripture discusses the way in which God relates to the world, both in creation and in redemption, the persons of
the Trinity are said to have different functions or primary activities. Sometimes this has been called the ‘economy of the
Trinity,’ using economy in an old sense meaning ‘ordering of activities’ (In this sense, people used to speak of the ‘economy
of a household’ or ‘home economics,’ meaning not just the financial affairs of a household, but all of the ‘ordering of activities’
105
John White, When The Spirit Comes With Power: Signs And Wonders Among God’s People (Downers Grove:
InterVarsity Press, 1988), p. 141.
within the household.)”106
By economic such theologians are referring to the root meaning of the Greek word oiko nom ia from which we get our English
word “economics” (the “oi” having been changed to an “e” and the “k” to a “c”). In the first century the word oiko nom ia
referred to the practical management of a household. Our English the New Testament usually translates this word as
“stewardship.”
‘ Econ omic Authority & Voluntary Obedience. At a summer Bible institute with Campus Crusade for
Christ many years ago I was privileg ed to serv e as t he te ach ing as sista nt for Haro ld O.J. Brown (then of
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) as he taught a memorable course on Christian Cultural Apologetics.
During one o f his lectures he defined biblical authority as follows: “Authority is the ability to command
voluntary obedien ce.” This is an excellent working definition of the “economic authority’ that God has given
to the home and to His Church.
‘ Econ omic Authority & The Church. When it comes to spiritual authority in the Church, such authority is,
indeed, “eco nom ic,” tha t is, G od inte nds it and g ive it to o rder the a ctivitie s of th e Ch urch and t o ena ble
us to function as His Church, each person fulfilling his or her proper role and exercising his or her gift as
God has gifted each person in the body of Christ . It is the authority to administer, to manage a nd to steward
His Churc h. It is authority to equip, to build, to bless, and occasionally to discipline. But this authority is not
absolute. God a lways rese rves ab solute po wer to Himself. No leader or group of leaders has au thority to
interfere in the lives o f thos e he s hep herd s, to d eterm ine G od’s will for t hos e peo ple or to co ntrol th eir lives.
God ’s authority, as m anife sted in the C hurc h thru His g ifted 5 -Fold leade rship , alon g with elders and
deacons, represents the ability of those leaders “to command the voluntary obedience” of others, based
upon the gifting and anointing God has placed upon those leade rs alo ng with their commitment to live a
Christ-like example of humility and serv ice (a nd so Pau l could tell the Corinth ians, “Be imitators of me, just
as I also am of Christ” 1 Corinthians 11:1). In this way, authority flows from gifting and anointing, combined
with Christ-like obedience and humility, NOT from any position or office.
‘ Econ omic Authority & The Home. Because the Church of the New Testament is ordered by God as an
extended fam ily (and elder s are often head s of h ous eho lds) the sam e conc ept of ec onom ic authority
applies in the home. Th e authority of a husband over his wife is strictly economic. God intends and gives
it solely for the orderly functioning of the family. It is not absolute. No husband has authority to order his wife
(or children) to sin or to violate her con scienc e before God w ith impu nity. His autho rity is the ability to
command the voluntary obedience of his family by the exercise of his gifts and the personal examp le of a
Christ-like life. H is aut hority o ver h is wife is his ability to lead her with a Christ-like example of loving her as
Christ loves the Church. The husba nd who misus es or ab uses h is authority (or who claims authority which
he has not been given by God) is engaging in r ebe llion ag ains t God and is prac ticing witch craf t with h is
fam ily.
O Anointing Versus Appointing
Fina lly, spiritu al aut hority in God’s Church does n ot rest upo n or flow fro m an y “office” or “p osition.” O rganization al authority
(he is the “President” of our ministry/corporation or the “p asto r” of o ur ch urch ) is no t the s am e as G od’s spiritu al aut hority.
God ’s spiritual authority and His power as based upon our relationship to Him and come as gifts empowered by the anointing
of the Holy Sp irit, not as positions appointed by men. We see this b est d esc ribed in Eph esia ns C hap ter 4. T here Pau l tells
us that when Jesus ascended into heaven “He gave gifts to men” (verse 8). After a brief (2 verses) digression Paul says,
“And He gave some (i.e., gifts) as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
for the equipping of the saints for the work of service , to the building up of the b ody of C hrist.” Here we see God’s plan for
how He governs His church. Not through offices and p ositio ns, b ut thro ugh gifts w hich He b esto ws to individ uals within His
Church. This is what is referred to as “the five-fold ministry.” This “five-fold leadership” is given as a gift to the body with the
authority to accomplish two things (neither of which involves covering, fathering, shepherding or any other form of control):
The first is to “equip” the saints for the work of service. The word equip here (Greek: katartidzo-to mend) appe ars in
Matthew 4:21 and Mark 1:19 wh ere the d isciples are “men ding their ne ts.” The five fold leadership of the Church teaches
the body of Christ how to mend “the broken nets” of their lives and ministries, because broken nets catch no fish. And the
second task of the five fold ministry is to “build up” the body of Christ. The Greek word (Greek: oikodomeo) literally means
106
Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 19940,
p. 248.
“to build a house.” God doesn’t want His people “covered” or otherwise controlled. He wants them mended and built up so
that they can move forward in their spiritual lives toward “the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulnes s of Chr ist.”
God ’s anointed leaders do not seek to control those around them; rather, they seek to equip people, to build up people and
to lead them by example toward greater ma turity in C hrist ( see or ex tend ed tre atm ent o f this in Mod ule 7 under “Leadership:
Who’s In Charge Here Anyway?”).
L e t T h e R iv e r F lo w !
In Ephes ians Pa ul declare s, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints,
and are of God,s household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being
the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you
also are b eing built toge ther into a d welling of G od in the S pirit.” (Ephesians 2:29-22)
Paul tells us that we are all “fellow citizens” and part of God’s household, a house which has been built upon the foundation
of “the apostles and prophets.” God is in the process of building a house in which to dwell. The cornerstone of the house
is Jesus Christ Himself. The foundation is being laid by apostles and prophets who hear from God and who plow up the
fallow ground. The rest o f the f ivefo ld m inistry a lso co ntribu tes its uniqu e tale nts. T he ev ang elists are b ringin g in additional
living stones. The pastor/shepherds are organizing the stones (or sheep) and se eing to it that their needs are met. And the
teachers are in struc ting th em in the things of God, and “the w hole b uilding , bein g fitted toge ther is grow ing int o a ho ly tem ple
in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of G od in the S pirit.” This is God’s picture of His Church.
It is a body and a building led by gifted individuals who move in God’s anointing, n ot to contro l or lord it over oth ers, but to
equ ip them by mending their nets and helping them find their place in the building that God is constructing. As for the peop le
themselves, they see a nd se nse God ’s callin g and anoin ting re sting upon God ’s lead ersh ip and they fo llow vo lunta rily
becau se Go d is in it.
This issue of authority, power and control is highlighted in our day by the truth that the River of God’s Spirit, the River of
Ezekiel 47 is preparing to flow in spiritual power not before seen in our generation. And God does not want His River
controlled or manipulated or siphon ed off into p rivate organizational or church “swimming pools” where controlling people,
walking in false authority, rebellion and witchcraft seek to control other people by trying to set the terms and conditions on
which oth ers can receive o r exercis e the things of God .
Let the River flow!

Appendix B
7 Reasons To Believe
A Study Of The Seven Signs Of Jesus In The Gospel Of John
Introduction
Welcome to this evangelistic Bible study in th e G ospel of John. How many times have you heard someone say, “I wo uld
believe if God w ould give me a s ign,” or “If God wants people to believe, why doesn ’t He just give u s a sign.” We ll, I’ve got
good news. Not only has He given us a sign, He has given us SEVE N (yep, 7! Actually, quite a few m ore, but ac cording to
the writer who reco rded thes e sev en, h e didn ’t have the tim e or space to record them all - Check out John 21:24-25). Many
peo ple wrongly believe that God doesn’t (or didn’t) give signs to people to encourage them to believe. For example, the
religious people of Jesus day (the Jews) were always asking him for “a sign” to validate His ministry. And the truth is that
Jesus gave them many signs, but H e alw ays ga ve sig ns on His te rm s, no t theirs ; in His timin g, no t theirs . And He a lways
used mirac ulous sig ns to te ach those aroun d Him som ething ab out His p ower to tra nsform life’s appare nt disaste rs into
blessings, to prick their consciences, and to call people to repentance and faith (sometimes it worked; som etimes it didn’t,
and right th ere is both a lesson and a ch allenge).
The Goal & Purpose of This Study
So, wha t’s the goal or purpose of this study? Our purpose in studying these signs is basically the same as John’s purpose
in record ing them , “. . . these ha ve bee n written tha t you m ay believ e . . .”. In the Gos pel of John , the K ingdo m o f Go d is
a place where the power of God transforms people, causing them to be born again; and transforms their lives from disaster
to blessing, from curse to blessing, from blindness to sight and from darkness to light. John will use seven of Jesus’
“miraculous signs” in the lives of ordin ary people to illustrate this truth and to challenge both us and them to repent and
believe.
Your Role As A Facilitator
So what’s your role in this whole process. Let me make som e suggestions:
, Don’t Teach! First and f orem ost, it is NOT your role to “teac h” ea ch les son (and I sup pos e tha t me ans you do n’t
need to be a “teacher” in order to lead it!). You are a leader and a facilitator of dialogue. There will be times when
that is specifically called for and appropriate (if you’re a little fuzzy on this point, may I suggest that you go back and
re-read Module 7, specifically the two sections entitled “The Role of Teaching in House Church” and “Let’s Talk
About That”). Even when you are specifically called on to “teach” by giving certain “fill-in-the-blank” answers, give
people th e oppo rtunity to interac t with the text a nd the “a nswer s.”
, Facilitate! Your primary role is that of a “Facilitator,” someone who encourages others to participate and to interact
with the study while gently keeping everyone “focused” and “on task.” There is always a balance to be found for
each group b etween allowing pe ople to expr ess their v iews and o pinion s, an d pre ventin g the deve lopm ent o f “rab bit
trails” which take the discussion in unproductive and time-consuming directions far from the point, issue or question
at hand. O ften, the be st respo nse is sim ply to say, “That is an interesting question whic h we shou ld pro bab ly
consider at an othe r time ,” or “I would love to explore that with you after our study ton ight.” Here are three questions
which you can use to keep the discussion focused on the text: 1) What does the text say? 2) What does this mean
in the c onte xt of to night ’s study? 3) What difference should this make in my life? If you aren’t answering one of these
three questions then you are probably off track.
, Don ’t Dominate! Reme mber that a “Facilitator” does not d om inate . You r role is not to preach but simply to be an
integral part of guiding the discussion and encouraging dialogue. Leave your pre-conceived agendas behind, and
allow the H oly Sp irit to re veal H is age nda for th e tim e. In e ach of the 7 sign s you w ill are g oing t o stu dy you w ill
discover that Jesus never “preached.” He simply found people in the midst of life’s circumstances, touched them
in the midst of their “life crisis” with the transforming power of the Kingdom of God, allowed them to respond
according to their own choices and then made observations on those responses and choices. Try not to do more
than Je sus did, o r to say m ore than He said .
, Practice Patience! For some people this may require wiring your mouth shut for the first few weeks. Remember
that the power and impact of these seven signs is cumulative. How do we know this? By following John’s own use
of the word “believe.” In John, the word/verb “believe” (pisteuo) occurs 101 times in 87 vers es, three times mo re
than in the other three gospels combined. For John, people’s responses to Jesus are all about believing versus not
believing. So, what about in the seven sign episodes? In the first four signs, the w ord “b elieve ” occ urs 4 time s (in
other words, it isn’t heavily emphasized). Then in the 6th sign alone it occurs 4 more times (in other wo rds, the
challenge to believe is growing). Finally, in the 7th sign “believe” occurs 9 times. Jesus saved the best and greatest
sign (along with the strongest challenge) for last, allowing th e six prev ious sign s to have their full effect, and then
challenging men to believe and to embrace light over darkness.
, Watch Out! Keep an eye open fo r religious people w ho have all the right religious answe rs, or who want to
dom inate the discussion or hijack the study for their own agenda, or just feel that it’s important for everyone to hear
how mu ch th ey kn ow. A s you will soon discover, Jesus was always running up against religious people who
questioned wha t He w as do ing. G od’s trans form ing po wer n early a lways challe nges religio us pa radig ms to the ir
breaking point . . . and beyond!
, Rem embe r! Our goal is not to make people religious, but top lead them into a transforming relationship with the
risen, living Jesus . And it is ultimate ly the Holy Spirit wh o does this. Our challenge is to not get in His way in the
process.
About The Meeting
This is a study that can be co ndu cted anyw here that p eop le gat her. I a m o ften p leas antly surprised to discover the number
of Bible studies going on in places like Starbucks (expensive coffee, but cheap rent!). So feel free to be creative, and keep
in min d the circu ms tanc es an d nee ds of thos e you a re se ekin g to re ach . Tha t bein g said , I wou ld encourage you to consider
the following:
, Go Home! Consider holding the study in your hom e where people c an relax a nd “let dow n”. Better yet, hold it in
the home of a seeking unbeliever who will invite their seeking friends to come!
, Eat! Cons ider building it aro und a po t-luck m eal. Peop le tend to relax and open up over food. Do a taco salad and
encourage everyone to bring an ingredient. Do a spaghetti feed or Italian night. When weather permits, have a
BBQ.
, How Long? Ask people to set aside the evening (say, 6-to-9 pm) so that you have time to eat, visit and study
witho ut fee ling ru she d. Allo w rou ghly 1 h our f or the me al and 2 hou rs fo r the s tudy.
, Invite and Pray! Cons ider using the “Mu ltiplying Group of Eight” dia gram in Modu le 5 to begin listing the names
of peop le to invite. Spend time praying for them. And getting to know them. Remember: You cannot change what
you do not love; You cannot love what you do not know; and you cannot know wha t you a re un willing to inve st tim e
in. Friends will respond better than strangers, and friendships take time.
, Don ’t be religious! House Church is about the pursuit of God in the company of friends and family without religious
baggage or trappings. It isn’t about looking, acting or sounding religious. Don’t try to force your non-Christian friends
to sing praise and worship songs just because you t hink it’s a sp iritual th ing to do. T his tim e isn’t abou t you, it’s
about them and t heir jo urne y into th e Kin gdo m o f Go d. If pe ople a ren’t com forta ble ar oun d you, it does n’t matter
what great spiritual insights you may have to share (assuming that you have any!). I must confess that some of the
worst decisions we have made regarding outreach have involved inviting “church people” to come and participate.
It isn’t long before they (and everyone else!) Are stumbling over their religious baggage, bringing with them all the
“right ans wers” b ut all the wron g spirit!
, Don ’t Force Things! Don’t force issues on people. People must be given the freedom to draw their own
conclusions and applications without you coercing them (Isn’t it amazing how we all believe in “free will” until the
exercise of that free will take s peop le in directions we don ’t’ wan t them to go . The n we cry ou t for G od’s sove reign ty,
or try to man ipulate or co ntrol peop le into doing th e “right thing”). W e can suggest valid conclusions and
applications, but we cannot force others to accept our conclusions anymore than we can live their lives for them.
The fa ith they come to must be genuinely and authentically theirs, and not something they borrowed from you or
it will not last. Each person must come to valid conclusions which they are willing to authentically apply to their lives
in genu ine fa ith. An d, ultim ately, th at is th e wo rk of the H oly Spirit. And stop mumbling abou t the u rgen cy of p eop le
believing the truth. No one unders tood (or ta ught) the urgenc y of acce pting spiritua l truth more or better than Jesus,
and yet He seldom (if ever) forced that truth on people or coerced them into believing. As an apologist friend of mine
once observed, there is sufficient evidence for any person who hasn ’t clos ed th eir heart or mind to believe, but there
isn’t enough proof in all the world to force into the Kingdom of God a person who just doesn’t want to go. And
nothing illustrates this truth better than the life and ministry of Jesus Himself. As we will soon see, he healed the
sick, stilled storms, multiplied food, made the lame walk, opened blind eyes and raised the dead, all in the open view
of people who saw and yet chose not to b elieve. Why did such people choose not to believe in the face of such
obvious miracles? Answer that question and you can write your own evan gelist ic bible s tudy a nd to ss th is one in
the trash!
, Plant a House Church! At so me point durin g this stud y som eon e will experien ce a tran sform ing enco unter with
God. It is at that moment that a new house church will potentially be born and planted among the extended oikos
of that transformed person. That’s how Jesus and the early church did it, and it’s probably the way we should be
doing it too! The study itself sh ould tak e 7 wee ks (i.e ., 7 lessons, duh!). Week eight should be a house church
planting week as the participants in your study become the new participants in your newly planted house church!
About The Gospel of John
Let’s finish this introduction with a little background information on the Gospel of John.
, Joh n’s gosp el has been desc ribed as a p ool in w hich a child may wade and an elephan t can sw im. It is both
simple and profound.
, The early church and most evangelical scholars today agree that the Gospel of John was written by John,
the son of Zebedee, the beloved disciple who leaned on Jesus during the last supper (John 13:23-25). John
went on to be an Apostle, write the books of I, II, and III John, and The Revelation. He was the “elder” of
the Church at Ephesus, was exiled to the Isle of Patmos by the Emperor Domitian (where he wrot e The
Revelation), and f inally die d at E phe sus durin g the reign of the Em pero r Tra jan (A .D. 98 -117 ). Th e ear ly
church father Irenaeus wrote that after the three othe r gos pels were written, “John, the disciple of the Lord
who also h ad lea ned upon his breast, did hims elf write a go spel durin g his resid ence a t Ephes us in Asia .”
, John wrote his gospel as an eyewitness to the events he records. He wrote it roughly 60 years after Jesus’
death & resurrection and approximately 30 years after the last of the o ther th ree w ere w ritten. His gospel
account is “different” in that he wants to give the reader a perspective on events that was different and
unique from the common perspective given by the other three gospel writers.
, The best comprehensive commentary on John is the one by Le on Mo rris, The Gospel According To
John, Revised Edition in The N ew Int ernatio nal Commentary on the New Testament, Gordon Fee,
General Editor (Grand R apids: Wm . B. Eerdmans P ublishing Compan y, 1995).
Transforming Disaster Into Blessing (John 2:1-11)
(Leader’s Guide)
1 And on the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there;2 and Jesus also was invited, and
His disciples, to the wedding.3 And when the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus *said to Him, “They have no wine.”4 And Jesus *said
to her, “Woman, what do I have to do with you? My hour has not yet come.”5 His mother *said to the servants, “Whatever He says to
you, do it.” 6 Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons
each.7 Jesus *said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.8 And He *said to them, “Draw some out
now, and take it to the headwaiter.” And they took it to him. 9 And when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and
did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter *called the bridegroom,10 and *said
to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when men have drunk freely, then that which is poorer; you have kept the good wine
until now.” 11 This beginning of His signs Jesus di d in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disc iples believed in Him.
O General Background
, The Purpose of John’s Gospel - In John 20:30-31the author tells us his purpose in writing his account
of Jesus life the way he did: “Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the
disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of God; a nd that be lieving you may h ave life in His name .” Accor ding to John, Jesus
did “many other signs,” but John chose these seven to achieve a spec ific purpos e, nam ely, “that you may
believ e.”
- About Cana - The village of Cana was lo cated roughly 8-9 miles north of Nazareth in Galilee (northern
Israel). Jesus visited there twice (John 2:1 and 4:46), and Nathaniel (John 21:2) was from there.
, About Jewish Weddings In Jesus’ Day
‘ Weddings In Jesus’s Day - Wed dings in the ancient near east of Jesus day were an important
event which invo lved a “lega l reciprocity.” This meant that the bridal party was expected to provide
for the g ues ts wh o atte nde d, wh ile the gues ts we re ex pec ted to bring suita ble gif ts. Po tentia lly,
there could be legal penalties for either party who failed to live up to expectations.
‘ The Betrothal - In a Jewish wedding there was a betrothal period which was much more serious
than today’s “engagement.” This was a solemn pledge of each person to the other which required
a divorce to break. Mary and Joseph were in the Betrothal period when she conceived Jesus.
‘ The Wedding - Weddings took place on a Wednesday if the bride was a virgin and on a Thursday
if she wa s a widow . The Bride groo m a nd his friend s m ade an ev ening proc ess ion to the b ride’s
house. The Bridegroom and the bridal party would then return to the Bridegroom’s house where
a celebration and a wedding banquet was held. This feast was often prolonged and could last for
several days.
‘ The Stone Water Pots. The Jews of Jesus’ day practiced frequent ritual religious washings,
including prior to meals. A controversy over this issue is found in Mark 7:1-13. Water was stored
in these waterpots until needed for these ceremonial washings.
O Let’s Look At What Happened

Scripture: And on the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and Jesus also
was invited, and His disciples, to the wedding (2:1-2)
- Let’s Talk: What does it say about Jesus that he began His public ministry at a wedding?
‘ It suggests that Jesus enjoyed “hanging out” with people; It suggests that He enjoyed shar ing in
and celebrating the significant events of people’s daily lives; It suggests that Jesus didn’t consider
Him self “too goo d” or “too h oly” to hang out with people at a party! (This wasn’t a “church event”!)
Scripture: And when the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus *said to Him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus *said to her,
“Woman, wha t do I h ave to do with y ou? My h our h as no t yet c ome .” His m othe r *said to the servants, “Whatever He says
to you, do it.” (2:3-5)
- Let’s Talk: Desc ribe the situa tion. W hat’s hap pened ? W hy is this imp ortant?
‘ The supply of wine for the banquet had run out; the Greek word here is the comm on Greek w ord
for “wine.” This was so cially emb arrass ing and c ould bring the celeb ration and banqu et to a halt;
‘ This was a “disaster-in-the-making”; potentially, a devastating legal liability because the gues ts
could claim that the bridal party/family had breached their obligation to provide for the guests.
- Let’s Talk: What you think was going on between Jesus and His Mother over this situation?
‘ The wedding party & family appear to have been family friends; Mary wants Jesus to intervene and
to do something about the problem;
‘ Jesus wasn’t be ing rude to His mother; rather He wa s establishing the boundaries of His m inistry
and letting His m othe r kno w tha t she could not d ictate the te rm s or tim ing of His m inistry.
‘ Mary understood Jesus well enough to know that He would act. How do we know this? Because
John te lls us that “His moth er sa id to th e ser van ts, ‘W hate ver H e say s to y ou, d o it.’”
Scripture: “Now there were six stone waterp ots set the re for the J ewish c ustom of purification, c ontaining tw enty or thirty
gallons each. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them,
“Draw some out now, and take it to the headwaiter.” And they took it to him.” (2:6-8)
- Let’s Talk: Describe what Jesus did. How m uch water would this have involved? Try to estimate how many
people were aware of what Jesus was doing.
‘ Jesus commanded the water pots to be filled to the brim creating between 150 and 180 gallons
of wine.
‘ At least 15 people knew what was going on: Jesus, the 12 disciples and at least 2 servants.
Scripture: “And when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but
the serv ants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, and said to him, “Every man serves
the good wine first, and when men have drunk freely, then that which is poorer; you have kept the good wine until now.” (2:9-
10)
- Let’s Talk: Describe what has ha ppene d. W hy do you think John tells u s, “but the servants who had drawn
the w ater k new ”? How has Jesus “transformed” the situation?
‘ John is preparing us for the “ripple effects” of the miracle by reminding us that th ere w ere p eop le
other than the disciples who saw and knew what happened.
‘ 1) He has transformed 150-to-180 gallons of water into celebration wine, enough to sustain the
wedding feast and celeb ration for se vera l days if nece ssa ry; 2) H e has enab led th e we dding fam ily
to avoid embarrass ment and a po tential legal disaster; 3) He has fulf illed the responsibility of a
good w edding g uest by giving an appr opriate gift.
Scripture: “This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and m anife sted His glory, and His disciples believed
in Him.” (2:11)
- Let’s Talk: What does the phrase “beginning of His signs” suggest? List some ways Jesus’ glory was
manifested through this event? What do these teach us about Jesus?
‘ It suggests that there would be m or e signs to come !

‘ It showed His concern for people and the practical issues of their lives;
‘ It show ed H is supernatural power over the natural order and His powe r to transform disasters
into blessin gs;
‘ It pointed to a greater power than cou ld be see n on the h uma n level;
‘ It was a miraculous confirmation of som ething the y already sus pected , nam ely, that there was
something unique and special about Jesus!
O Application
5 How did Jesu s transfo rm dis aster into b lessing? It says that “His disc iples believe d in Him.” Why do you think
they believed? W hat have you learned from this story that might cause you to “believe” that Jesus could transform
the disasters in your life into blessing?
Transforming Sickness Into Healing (John 4:46-54)
(Leader’s Guide)
46 He came therefore again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain royal official, whose son
was sick at Capernaum.47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him, and was requesting Him to
come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death.48 Jesus therefore said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders,
you simply will not believe.”49 The royal official *said to Him, “Sir, come down befo re my child dies.”50 Jesus *said to him, “Go your way;
your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he started off.51 And as he was now going down, his slaves
met him, saying that his son was living.52 So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. They said therefore to him,
“Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.”53 So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son
lives”; and he himself believed, and his whole household.54 This is again a second sign that Jesus performed, when He had come out
of Judea into Galilee.

Scripture: He came therefore again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain royal
officia l, whose son was sick at Cap erna um. Wh en he hear d tha t Jes us ha d com e out of Ju dea into G alilee, he w ent to Him ,
and was requesting Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. (4:46-47)
- Let’s Talk: Describe the situation in your own words. What is happening? How do you think “the ripple effects”
of Jesus first visit to Cana are effecting this second visit to Cana?
‘ Jesus has retu rned to C ana in no rthern G alilee where he perfo rme d his first sign .
‘ The “ripple effect” has been that this “royal official” has now heard about Jesus ability to work
mirac les and h as com e looking for Him to heal his s on.
‘ The “royal official” was probab ly an official in the c ourt of Kin g Hero d, who ru led Galilee f or the
Romans.
- Let’s Talk: W here are Jesus and the royal official in relation to the man’s son? What does the official think
must take place in order for his son to be healed? How desperate is the situation?
‘ Jes us an d the offic ial are in Ca na, w hile th e m an’s son is in Ca pern aum , abo ut 20 mile s aw ay.
‘ The official thinks that Jesus must physically come to Capernaum and heal his son.
‘ The child is at the point of death.
Scripture: Jesus therefore said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” (4:48)
- Let’s Talk: Summarize Jesus statement in your own words. What do you think this m ean s, es pec ially in light
of John 20:30-31?
O Notes Regarding Miracles, Signs and Wonders:

- Definitions:
‘ A “miracle” (Gree k: dun amis ) is a work of God’s POWER & emphasizes the NATURE of the even t.
‘ A “won der” (G reek: terata) is a MIRACLE & emphasizes the awe-inspiring APPEARANCE.
‘ A “sign” (G reek: semeion) points to something greater; emphasizes the PURPOSE of the eve nt,
namely, to comm unicate spiritual truth .
O Scriptures Regarding Meaning of Signs and Wonders:
Matthew 12:38-41 - “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, ‘Teacher, we want
to see a sign from You.’ But He answered and said to them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation craves for
a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three
days and three nights in the bel ly o f t h e s e a m onster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three
nig hts in t he he art of t he ea rth .’”
‘ Observation: The religious leaders asked Jesus for a sign in order to “test” Him . Jesus never
gave into such demands or tests. He always chose the timing and circumstances of His signs.
Matthew 11:21 - “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occ urre d in Tyre
and Sido n which occurre d in you, the y wou ld have re pented long ago in sackc loth and a shes.”
‘ Observation: The p urpose of a m iraculous sign is to bring about faith and repentance.
Matthew 22:29 - “B ut Jesus answered and said to them, ‘You are mistaken, not understanding the
Scriptures, or the power of God.
‘ Observation: Jesus insists that people understand BOTH the Scriptures and the power of God
(i.e., miraculous signs).
John 12:37-43 - “But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him; that
the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom
has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For this cause they cou ld not believe, for Isaiah said again, He has blinded
their eyes, and He hardened their heart; lest they see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and be converted,
and I heal them. These things Isaiah said, because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him. Nevertheless many even
of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, lest they should be put out
of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”
‘ Observation: In spite of the fact that Jesus performed “so many signs” people still didn’t believe
because 1) they were spiritually blind, and 2) “they loved the approval of men rather than the
approv al of God .”
O Summary Explanation Regarding Miracles, Signs & Wonders:
Miracles are Signs which cause men to Wond er and which point to God at Work
and are intended to result in Repentance and Faith .
Scripture: The royal official said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son
lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he started off. (4:49-50)
- Let’s Talk: Describe the urgency that the royal official must have been feeling. How did Jesus deal with the
situation? If you ha d bee n the offic ial, did J esu s do w hat yo u wo uld have expected? What do we
learn about Jesus by the way he handled the situation? How did the official respond? What do you
think was going through his mind during the journey home?
‘ His “little boy” was dying and he knew there was no time to waste because Capernaum was half-a-
day’s journ ey aw ay.
‘ Jesus sent him away with a promise that his son would live. This probably wasn’t what the father
expec ted. He p robably ex pected Jesus to com e to whe re his son was at.
‘ W e learn that Jesus cares. W e also learn that Jesus has power over disease, and that He can heal
with simply His spoken word, and that He isn’t limited by time or distance.
‘ He responded by believing Jesus’ word and starting for home.
Scripture: And as he was now going dow n, his slave s me t him, say ing th at his son was living. So he inquired of them the
hour when he be gan to ge t bette r. The y sa id the refor e to h im, “Y este rday at the sev enth hour the fe ver le ft him .” So the
father knew that it w as at that h our in whic h Jes us s aid to him, “ You r son lives”; a nd he hims elf be lieved , and his w hole
household. This is again a second sign that Jesus performed, when He had come out of Judea into Galilee. (4:51-54)
- Let’s Talk: What is the difference between the man’s “belief” in verse 50 and his “belief” in verse 53? What
were the “ripple effects” of this miraculous “sign and wonder”?
‘ The “sign” had transformed his initial faith into a “greater faith”.
‘ The g reatest “rip ple effec t” was tha t the man’s whole household now believed in Jesus.
O Application
5 How did Jesu s transfo rm dis aster into blessing? W hat new thing have you learned about Jesu s from this story
that might cause you to believe that Jesus could transform the disasters in your life into blessing?
Transforming Crippling Religious Traditions Into Healing (John 5:1-18)
(Leader’s Guide)
1 After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the
sheep gate a poo l, whic h is called in Hebrew Bethesda, hav ing five porticoes.3 In these lay a multitude of those who were
sick, blind, lame, and withered, [waiting for the moving of the waters;4 for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons
into the pool, and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from
whatever disease with which he was afflicted.] 5 And a certain man was there , who had b een thirty- eight year s in his
sickne ss.6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that c ondition, H e *said to
him, “Do you wish to get well?”7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water
is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”8 Jesus *said to him, “Arise, take up your pallet, and
walk.”9 And immediately the man became well, and took up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that
day.

Scripture: “After these things there was a feast of the J ews , and Jes us w ent u p to J erus alem . Now there is in Jerusalem
by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of those who
were sick, blind, lame, and withered, [waiting for the moving of the waters; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain
seasons into the pool, and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made
well from whatev er diseas e with wh ich he w as afflicted.] (5:1-4)
- About The Gate & The Pool - The “sheep gate” is usually where sheep were sold for sacrifice in the Temple.
It is mentioned two other times in Scripture (Nehemiah 3:32 & 12:39). It was located on the north east side of
Jerusalem near the Temple (a short walk). In 1888 an archaeologist named Schick excavated a site not far from
the Crusader Church of St. Anne and found twin pools, one fifty-five feet long and a second sixty-five feet long. The
second one was arched in by five arches with five corresponding porches. The Crusaders believed this to be the
site of Joh n 5 and s o they built a C hurch o ver it.
- About The Angel - Some ancient manuscripts do not include the part abo ut the ang el stirring the w ater (note
the portion in the brackets). Assuming the verses to be original, John appears to be relating local legend, lore or
“superstition” without passing judgment pro or con. He is sim ply telling the reader the circumstances and explaining
what people believed and why the lame man was there. It is simply the “background” to the incident he is about to
relate to us.
Scripture: And a certain man wa s there, who had been thirty-eight years in his sickness.6 When Jesus saw him lying
there, and k new that h e had alrea dy be en a lo ng tim e in tha t con dition , He * said to him, “Do you wish to get well?”7 The sick
man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another
steps dow n bef ore m e.”8 J esu s *sa id to him, “Arise, take up your pallet, and walk.”9 And immediately the man beca me w ell,
and took up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day. (5:5-9)
- Let’s Talk: How long had this man been sick & lame? What question Jesus ask the man? Did the man answer
Jesus’ Question? Based upon his answer, describe how was this man was “stuck in a box” of religious tradition.
‘ He had been lame 38 years, or basically all of his life.
‘ Jesus asked the man if he wanted to be healed.
‘ No, he never answered Jesus’ Question. He described to Jesus why he couldn’t get healed based
on local religious traditions and his own limitations.
‘ The ma n wa s “stu ck in a box ” of re ligious traditio n, un able to im agine God healin g him any other
way. He was crippled both by his body, and by his religious traditions and expectations.
- Let’s Talk: How did Jesus “transform” the situation? On what day did this all take place?
‘ Jesus simply healed him irrespective of any religious tradition, limitation or even his lack of faith.
‘ All of this took place on the Sabbath.

O Notes Regarding The Sabbath
The Hebrew word “sabbath” means “cessation, rest” and was to be a day of rest. The first mention of “sabbath” occu rs in
Exodus 16:23ff where the Israelites were forbidden from gathering or preparing manna on the sabbath. This was before
the giving of the Law. The Fourth Commandm ent of the Decalogue says, “Rem emb er the sabb ath d ay, to keep it holy. “Six
days you s hall labor and d o all yo ur wo rk, bu t the s eve nth d ay is a sabb ath o f the L ord y our G od; in it you shall not do any
work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourne r who s tays w ith
you. “For in six days the Lord made the heav ens an d the ear th, the sea and all that is in th em, an d rested on the se venth
day; therefore the Lord bles sed the sabba th day an d mad e it holy.” (Exodu s 20:8-1 1) No w ork wa s to be do ne on th e
sabba th (Exodus 31:12-17) on penalty of death (N umb ers 15:3 2-36). Bu t by Jesus ’ day the 612 com man dme nts of the Law
had grown into 5,000 religious regulations which must be obeyed, including not healing on the sabbath and not carrying a
pallet. Jesus always tried to point out the true m eaning o f the sab bath as a day set as ide for m an’s ben efit, “The sa bbath
was made for man, not man for the sabbath” (Mark 2:27). (Leader Note: Avoid getting bogged down by someone
wanting to deb ate “sa bbath keepin g” tod ay. Tha t isn’t John’s point. “Tha t’s a go od Q uestio n that w e sho uld
explore later.”)
Scripture: The refor e the Jew s we re sa ying to him who was cure d, “It is the S abb ath, a nd it is not perm issible for yo u to
carry your pallet.” But he answered them, “He who made me well was the one who said to me, ‘Take up your pallet and
wa lk. ’” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your pallet, and walk’?” But he who was healed did not
know who it was; for Jesus had slipped aw ay while there was a crow d in that place. Afterward Jes us fo und him in the temple,
and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse may befall you.” The man went
away , and told the Jews that it was J esus w ho had made him we ll. (5:10-15)
, Let’s Talk: What did “the Jews” (i.e., John’s nam e for th e Jewish religious leaders) tell the man about
Jesus? W hat is missing from their statement? What does this conversation tell us about how the religious
leaders were “stuck in a box” of religious tradition.
‘ They told him that Jesus was violating their religious regulations and traditions regarding the
Sabbath.
‘ What is missing is any reco gnition that a significant miraculous sign has occurred and that God
was at work calling them to repentance an d faith.
‘ It tells us that 1) they were so “stuck in box” of their religious regulations and traditions that they
cou ldn’t reco gnize God at wo rk th roug h a sig nifica nt m iracle of he aling, and 2 ) that t heir
regulations and traditions had becom e more important than either God’s activity or people’s needs.
O Remember: What have we learned about the purpose of miracles, signs & wonders?
and are intended to result in Repentance and Faith . Did that happen here?
Scripture: And for this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. But
He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am wor king .” For th is cause therefore the Jews were
seeking all the m ore to kill Him , because He not only was break ing the Sabbath, but also was calling God H is own Father,
making Himself equal with God. (5:16-18)
- Let’s Talk: What were the two reasons why the religious leaders were seeking to persecute and kill Jesus?
‘ He was healing on the Sabbath , thereby breaking their religious regulations & traditions, and
‘ He was calling G od H is “Fath er,” thereby making him self equal with God.
O Application
5 How did Jes us tra nsfo rm disas ter into bless ing in th is situ ation ? W hat re ligious traditio ns ha ve cr ipple d yo u
spiritu ally? Are you ready for Jesus to break through and heal you? What new thing have you learned about Jesus
from this story that might cause you to believe that Jesus could transform the disasters in your life into blessing?
Transforming Lack Into Abundance (John 6:1-15)
(Leader’s Guide)
1 After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias).2 And a great multitude was following Him,
because they were seeing the signs which He was performing on those who were sick.3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there
He sat with His disciples.4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Jesus therefore lifting up His eyes, and seeing that
a great multitude was coming to Him, *said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, that these may eat?”6 And this He was saying to test
him; for He Himself knew what He was intending to do.7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for
them, for everyone to receive a little.”8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter,s brother, *said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who
has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was
much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.11 Jesus therefore took the loaves; and having given
thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted.12 And when they were filled, He *said
to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments that nothing may be lost.”13 And so they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets
with fragments from the five barley loaves, which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 When therefore the people saw the sign
which He had performed, they said, “This is of a truth the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, therefore, perceiving that
they were intending to come and take Him by force, to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.”

Scripture: 1 After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or T iberias).2 And a great multitude
was following Him, because they were seeing the signs which He was performing on those who were sick.3 And Jesus went
up on the m ountain, a nd there He sat w ith His disciples.4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. (John 6:1-4)
, Let’s Talk: Based on this de scription, d escribe the size and mood of the crowd that was following Jesus.
W hy we re the y follow ing him ?
‘ Twice (vs. 2 & 5) it is described as “a great multitude”

‘ They were curiously amazed about Jesus. They were following Him because of the miraculous
signs He was performing. The use of the imperfect tense suggests tha t they w ere “c ontin ually
following” Him because they were “continually seeing” the signs which He was “continua lly doing.”
Scripture: 5 Jesu s therefo re lifting up His eyes, a nd see ing that a gr eat mu ltitude was coming to Him, * said to Philip,
“Where are we to buy bread, that these may eat?”6 And this He was saying to test him; for He Himself knew what He was
intending to do .7 Ph ilip ans wer ed H im, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive
a little.”8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter,s brother, *said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves
and two fis h, bu t wha t are th ese for so man y peo ple?” (John 6:5-9)
, Let’s Talk: Describe the situation in your own word s. W hat Q ues tion d id Jes us as k Ph ilip? W hat w ould
have been the obviou s answ er? W hy did he as k the Q uestion? W hen G od con fronts us with a problem or
Question, is He looking to us for a solution? What is He doing?
‘ A great multitude of people were following Jesus; they had been with Him all day; it was late, they
were probably getting hungry, and there was no place close by where they could get food.
‘ He asked where they were going to buy bread for so many people? Philip was from Bethsaida, the
nea rby tow n. Of all the d iscip les he wou ld hav e kn own the a rea w ell.
‘ The o bvious a nswer would ha ve been , “We can’t - there isn ’t enough m oney o r bread!”
‘ Jesus asked the Qu estion to “te st” him. The G reek word “test” (peiradzo ) originally me ant “to put
someone on trial,” hence , to try, to examine, to test or to prove. Philip didn’t see a solut ion, o nly a
problem. Jesus wanted Philip to examine the situation so that he would know their LACK and how
beyond their ability the need was.
‘ God has all the info rma tion He needs! He wants us to understand how beyond our ability our
situation really is. He is testing our responses, looking for a response of faith.
‘ This was “exam day.” Jesus was looking to see if the disciples had learned any lessons from the
three previous signs! They should have learned that God cares about the practical problems of our
lives, and He has the power to transform our disasters in to blessings, regardless of any
LACK on our part.
Scripture: 10 Jesus said, “Ha ve the pe ople sit dow n.” Now there was muc h gra ss in t he pla ce. S o the men sat d own , in
number about five thousand.11 Jesus therefore took the loaves; and having given thanks, H e distributed to those who were
seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted.12 And when they were filled, He *said to His disciples, “Gather
up the leftover fragments that nothing may be lost.”13 And so they ga thered th em up , and filled twe lve bask ets with
fragments from the five barley loaves, which were left over by those who had eaten. (John 6: 10-13)
, Let’s Talk: How many people are involved?
‘ The number given includes only the number of men. When women and children are included, the
number is probably well in excess of 10,000.
, Let’s Talk: How much did every one receive?
‘ Verse 11 says “as much as they wanted.” Not only was there no LACK , but there was enough for
everyone to have “s econd s.”
, Let’s Talk: How m uch ex tra was c ollected? W hy do you think this was im portant?
‘ Twelve full baskets of bread and fish. Notice: Not 10, not 11, but 12. There was a basket for each
disc iple as a tangible, edible reminder (they were probably eating fish and brea d for the n ext c oup le
of days!) that Jesus is able to transform our need and lack into abundance.
Scripture: 14 When therefore the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is of a truth the Prophet
who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, therefore, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force , to
mak e Him king, withd rew again to the mou ntain by H imse lf alon e.” (John 6:14-15)
O Note Regarding “The Prophet”

W ho is “The Prophet who is to come into the world”? In Deuteronomy 18:15 Moses had told the people o f Israel that “The
Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from yo ur coun trymen , you sh all listen to him.” The
ident ity of this unna me d Pro phe t is not revealed anywhere in the Old Testament. By Jesus’ day, the Jews had developed
a clear-cut expectation of a coming figure wh o would fulfill Moses’s words. Religious leaders from Jerusalem asked John
the Baptist if he were the Prophet, and he said “no.” (John 1:21) On mo re than one o cca sion durin g Jes us’ m inistry, p eop le
concluded that Jesus was the Prophet (see John 6:14 & 7:40). Peter declared that Jesus was this Prophet in his temple
sermon in Acts 3:22-23. But Peter understood that Jesus was more than the promised Prophet; He was also the promised
Mess iah, “the Ch rist appoin ted for you .” (Acts 3:20).
, Let’s Talk: What had the crowd following Jes us s een ? W hat d id they conclude from what they saw? What
was wrong about their conclusion?
‘ They had seen the miraculous “sign” of Jesus multiplying food and feeding the multitude.
‘ They co ncluded that Jesu s was th e prom ised Pro phet.
‘ They wrongly concluded that, if Moses (the first “prophet”)could deliver them from bondage from
the Egyptians, heal their diseases and feed them with manna from Heaven, then this P roph et co uld
deliver them from the bondage of Rome, heal their diseases, and feed them with fish and bread.
They wrongly concluded that it was time to make Him King.
O Application
5 How did Jesus transform disaster into blessing in this situation? What need or lack do you have today? Are you
ready for Jesus to transform your need or lack into His abundance?
Transforming The Storms of Our Lives From Fear Into Faith (John 6:16-21)
(Leader’s Guide)
16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the
sea to Ca pern aum . And it had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.18 And the sea began to be stirred
up because a strong wind was blowing.19 When therefore they had rowed about three or four miles, they *beheld Jesus
walking on the se a and dr awing n ear to the b oat; and they were frightened.20 But He *said to them, “It is I; do not be
afraid.”21 They w ere willing the refore to re ceive H im into the boat; and immediately the boat was at the land to which they
were going.
Alternative Passage: Mark 6:45-52
45 And immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He
Himself was sending the multitude away.46 And after bidding them farewell, He departed to the mountain to pray.47 And
when it was evening, the boat was in the midst of the sea, and He was alone on the land.48 And seeing them straining at
the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night, He *came to them, walking on the sea; and
He intended to pass by them.49 But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried
out;50 for they all saw Him and were frightened. But immediately He spoke with them and *said to them, “Take courage;
it is I, do not be afraid.”51 And He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were grea tly astonished,52
for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.

P The Event From John’s Perspective (John 6:16-21)
, Let’s Talk: Describe the situation as John saw it, remembering that John records these things for
a reason:
‘ It was dark . Dar kne ss c an be spiritu al, ph ysica l or circ um stan tial.
‘ Jesus had not com e yet. Where was Jesus when they needed Him? Where is Jesus in the
midst of your darkness?
‘ It was gettin g sto rm y (Joh n’s em pha sis is upon the sea and the wind). Are things getting
storm y for you, and are you wo ndering where J esus w ent?
- Let’s Talk: How did Jesus come to them?
‘ Jesus came to them 1) in the midst of a c risis, a nd 2) at a tim e and in a wa y they d idn’t
expect. The 4th watch of the night was the last watch of the night (from 3-6AM). God has
a unique sense of timing. He is never late, but He m isse s m any op portu nities to be early!
, Let’s Talk: Why would they be frighten ed of Je sus? H ow did Je sus de al with their fears? (Vs. 20)
‘ Jesus isn’t “playing by the rules.” He is doing things they d on’t e xpe ct in w ays th ey don ’t
expec t, and that’s scary. Many believers are afraid of God’s unique dealings in their lives
, Let’s Talk: W hat did the disciples do, and what was the result? (Vs. 21).
‘ They ev entually overc ame their fears and we lcom ed Jes us into the boat.
P The Event From Mark’s Perspective (Mark 6:45-52)
Unlike John , who was an eye witne ss a nd ac tually live d the even ts he reco rds, M ark w rote h is account by
interviewing the peop le involved, the reby getting s lightly different pe rspective s on the e vent.
- Let’s Talk: Desc ribe the sa me s ituation as M ark sa w it. W hat is differe nt in this acc ount?
‘ Jesus left them to go pray (vs. 46);

‘ It was eve ning (vs. 4 7);
‘ They were physically separated from Jesus. They were in the middle of the sea and Jesus
was on land (vs. 47);
‘ Jesus sees them “straining at the oars, for the wind was against them ”; He ’s aw are o f their
situation, but they don’t know that (vs. 48);
‘ They thought Jesus “intended to pass them b y.” In other words, they concluded that Jesus
saw them s truggling but didn’t really care enough to help (vs. 48);
‘ They still had religious superstitious baggage, they thought Jesus was a “ghost” (vs.49)
‘ They were “greatly astonished” or “amazed ” at what happened (vs. 51).
- Let’s Talk: What insight do you think the disciples had failed to gain from the incident with the
loaves & feeding the multitude?
‘ The disciples h ad not “gained any insigh t.” Litera lly, the G reek me ans they h adn ’t “put
it together” me ntally w ith the resu lt that they still didn’t “comprehend” the meaning of
the previous sign (“the incident of the loaves”). In terms of modern learning theory they had
failed to “synthesize” old lessons and apply them to this new situation.
‘ They still “didn’t get it” that Jesus has the power to transform any situation, regardless
of the circumstance. If He has the power to create bread out of nothing then He has the
power to reach u s where ver we are and to calm th e storm s and fea rs of our lives.
and are intended to result in Repentance and Faith . Did that happening here?
O Application
5 Describe how Jesus transformed the disciples’ disaster into a blessing in this situation? W hat storm is blowing
and causing fear in your life today? Do you believe that God sees & cares & ha s the power to transform your storm
& fear into faith & bles sing? A re you willing to invite J esus into your boat?
Transforming Blindness Into Sight (John 9:1-41)
(Leader’s Guide)
O Background Regarding Messianic Miracles

Religious Judaism of Jesus day (particularly the Pharisees) taught that there was a class of miracles which only the Messiah
cou ld perform. Other mirac les could be theor etically perform ed by anyon e who w as acting under th e powe r of the H oly Spirit,
but it was agreed that this special class of “Messianic miracles” could only be performed by the Messiah when he came.
This class of “Messianic miracles” or “signs” included:
‘ Mes sianic Miracle # 1: The healing of a leper - in the entire history of ancient Israel, no Jew had ever
been healed and cleansed of leprosy according to the guidelines found in Leviticus 13.
‘ Mes sianic Miracle # 2: The casting out of a mute/dumb demon - the Pharisees taught that in order
to cast out a demon you must first establish v erbal com mun ication with the demon, learn its name, and then
cast it out using its name. But what do you do if the demon has afflicted the person with dumbnes s (no
speech). You c ann ot es tablis h ver bal co mm unic ation , learn its na me or ca st it ou t. It was agre ed th at on ly
the Messiah would be able to cast out such a demon. (Matthew 12:22)
‘ Mes sianic Miracle # 3: The he aling of so meon e born blind - Now you’ll understand why the events of
John Chapter 9 were such a “big deal” for everyone involved!

The Healing of the Man Born Blind (9:1-12)
Scripture: “1 And as He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who
sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?” 3 Jesu s answ ered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor
his pare nts; b ut it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 “We must work the works of Him who sent
Me, as long a s it is day; night is com ing, w hen no m an ca n wo rk. 5 “ Wh ile I am in the w orld, I a m the light of the w orld.” (9:1-
5)
, Let’s Talk: Describe the disciples’ understanding of the m an’s blindness. Read Job 4:7-8. How does
Eliph az’s understanding of Job com pare with th e disc iples’ u nde rstan ding o f the m an bo rn blin d? H ow d id
Jesus understand the man’s blindness?
‘ The disciples assumed that the man’s blindness was the result of sin; either the sin of the mans
parents, or the man’s own sin. It was widely taught and believed that a ll suff ering , and espe cially
a disaster like blindness, was the result of sin. In Job 4:7-8 Eliphaz tells Job that the righteous
don’t suffer, so his suffering must be the result of his sin.
‘ Jesus understood that the man’s blindness was not the result of sin, but it would ultimately be
something that would result in God being glorified.
, Let’s Talk: In verses 4 & 5 Jesus uses the man born blind as an object lesson for two important lessons.
W hat a re the y?
‘ Lesson Regarding Spiritual Urgency: There are two urgencies involved here.
- The urgency for the believe r to do the work of God while t here is tim e and oppo rtunity.
- The urgency for the unbeliever to believe & embrace the light while it is available.
Both urgenc ies shar e the sam e issue, n ame ly, time is against you. There is an urgency in the
things of God which must not be ignored.
‘ Lesson Regarding Spiritual Blindness: S om e people have perfect physical sight, 20-10 vision,
but spiritually they are blind as a bat. Jesus wants to challenge us to think about whether or not we
are spiritu ally blind . The point of this lesson is simple : Jesus is the light. Without Jesus we are
spiritually blind and walking in spiritual darkness. For the spiritually blind, it is always night-time.
Scripture: “6 When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes,
and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). 7 And so he went away and washed, and came
back s eeing.” (9:6-7)
- Question & Observation: W hat’s this “sp ittle” busines s all about?
‘ Spittle & Healing On the Sabbath. We will learn in verse 14 that Jesus performed this healing
on the Sab bath. Ra bbinical tea ching he ld that it was fo rbidden to heal on the Sab bath exc ept in
order to save a life. But some Rabbis went beyond this and taught HOW you were not supposed
to heal on the Sabba th. In the M ishnah (w hich is the c ollection of ra bbinical tea chings) , in Tracta te
Shabbat it says: “To hea l a blind ma n on the s abbath it is prohibited to inject wine into h is eyes. It
is also prohibited to make mud from spittle and smea r it on his eye s.” Mishnah, Tractate Shabbat
108:20.
‘ Waging War Against Religious Traditions & Spiritual Blindness. Not only did Jesus break the
rabbinical traditions and teachings regarding healing on the Sabbath, he chose a method (mud &
spittle) which was spe cifica lly prohibited for use on the Sabbath. Jesus was waging open w arfare
against the spiritual blindness of religious legalism and religious traditions which were non-biblical
and were keeping people from a true knowledge, experience & worship of God.
Scripture: “8 The neighbors therefore, and those w ho previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, “Is not this the one who
used to sit and beg?” 9 Others were saying, “This is he,” still others were saying, “No, but h e is like him.” He kept saying,
“I am the one.” 10 Therefore they were saying to him, “How then were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man who
is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam, and wash’; so I went away and washed,
and I rec eived sig ht.” 12 And they sa id to him, “W here is H e?” He *s aid, “I do no t know.” (9:8-12)
, Let’s Talk: How d id the m an’s neig hbors re act to his healing. What two group s do they seem to “fall into”?
W hy do you think som e peo ple Q ues tione d the ident ity of the ma n? H ow d oes this illus trate John ’s
message regarding spiritual blindness?
‘ The n eighbor s react b y dividing into two groups :
, those who believe it really is the man and that he has been healed, and
, those who deny it really is the man becau se they can’t believe that he could be healed.
‘ It is easier to Question his identity than to accept the possibility of a miraculous healing.
‘ S om e people choose to remain in spiritual blindness, when confronted with the miraculous light
of truth.
O For Further Reflection

You don’t need to do this right now, but take time to reflect on how the four (4) groups of people responded to this miraculous
sign. Think about how each responded, why they responded the way they did, and which response you most identify with.
‘ The Man Born Blind:

‘ The Man’s Friends and Neighbors:
‘ The Man’s Parents:
‘ The Religious Leaders:
‘ YOU:
The Interrogation of The Man Born Blind & His Parents (9:13-23)
Scripture: “13T hey brou ght to the P haris ees him who was formerly blind.14 Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus
made the c lay, a nd op ene d his eyes.15 Again, therefore, the Pharisees also were asking him how he received his sight. And
he said to them , “He app lied clay to my eyes, and I wa shed, and I see.”16 Therefore som e of the Pharisees were saying,
“This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a
sinner perform such signs?” And there was a division among them.17 They *said therefore to the blind man again, “What
do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.”18 The Jews therefore did not believe
it of him, that he had been blind, and had r ece ived sight , until th ey c alled t he pa rents of the very one w ho ha d rec eive d his
sight,19 and Q ues tione d the m, sa ying , “Is th is your son, who you say was born blind? The n how does he no w se e?”20 His
parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;21 but how he now sees, we
do not know ; or w ho op ene d his e yes , we d o not know . Ask him; h e is of ag e, he shall s pea k for h imse lf.”22 H is par ents said
this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jew s had a lready ag reed, tha t if anyone should c onfess Him to b e Christ,
he should be put out of the synagogue.23 For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”(9:13-23)
- Let’s Talk: How do the Pharisees react to this man’s healing? W hat two groups do they seem to “fall into”?
How does this illustrate John’s message regarding spiritual blindness?
‘ The Pharisees responded by dividing into two basic groups:
1) Those who are spiritually blind and deny - they deny that Jesus can be from God because
He has violated the religious traditions of the Elders by healing on the Sabbath and in a forbidden
way.
2) Those whose spiritual eyes are open and believe - they believe that Jesus must be from God
because He has performed a Messianic sign.
‘ S om e people choose to remain in spiritual blindness, in spite of the miraculous light of truth.
- Let’s Talk: How d oes the fo rm ally blind ma n des cribe Jes us (v s. 17 )? Ho w is th is diff eren t from his
previous understanding of Jesus (vs 11). What is happening to his understanding of who Jesus is?
‘ The Respon se of Growing Faith. In verse 11 he refers to Jesus as “the ma n who is called Je sus,”
but in verse 17 he refers to Jesus as “a Pr oph et”. Although the man had his physical sight
restored, he wa s still s piritua lly blind. N ow, h is spir itual e yes ar e beg inning to op en an d he is
beginning to see that there is something spe cial about Jesus, so he calls Jesus “a prop het.”
- Let’s Talk: Describe the respon se of the Jewish religious au thorities to this miraculous healing? What does
their r esp ons e say a bou t “spir itual b lindne ss” in gene ral?
‘ The Respon se of Unbelief . They did not believe 1) that he had been born blind, or 2) that
he had been healed. If they could prove that the man had not been born blind then they would be
“off the hook” to explain how Jesus could perform a Messianic miraculous sign. Spiritual blindness
will go to grea t length to sta y blind and to a void the light.
- Let’s Talk: Describe the pressure that the man , his parents and other potential followers of Jesus were
under to co nfor m to the re ligious blindness and traditions of their day? How do we face similar pressure
today when it comes to believing or not believing?
‘ They were thre atened with expu lsion from the synag ogue (th e center of Jewish cultural and
religious life) if the y gave any ind ication of ac know ledging J esus a s the Ch rist.
‘ History of Christians Versus The Synagogue. Pressure against Christians in the Synagogues
grew with time. In approxim ately 90AD the Jewish Sanhedrin re-worded one of the blessings
recited daily in the synagogues so as to make it impossible for ‘Nazaren es’ (Jew ish Chris tians) to
take part in synagogue worship. This blessing, which traditionally included a curse on the enemies
of God was revised so that the curs e said, ‘let Nazarenes and heretics perish as in a moment; let
them be blotted out of the b ook of life an d not be e nrolled w ith the righteo us.’ The revision was
approved by the San hed rin and ado pted in the s ynagogu es, so tha t “Nazare nes,” by keeping silent
whe n the word s we re rec ited b y the c ong rega tion, w ould g ive the ms elves awa y.
The Second Interrogation of The Man Born Blind (9:24-34)
Scripture: So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give glory to God; we know that
this man is a sinner.” He therefore answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that, whereas
I was blind, now I see .” The y sa id the refor e to h im, “W hat d id He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” He answered
them, “I told you already, and you d id not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples
too, do you?” And they reviled him, and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. “We know that God has
spoken to Moses; but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.” The man answ ered and said to them, “W ell, here
is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. “We know that God does not hear
sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing, and does His will, He hears him. “Since the beginning of time it has never been heard
that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. “If this man were not from God , He c ould do nothing.” They answered
and sa id to him, “Y ou we re born e ntirely in sins, a nd are y ou teac hing us? ” And they put him o ut. (9:24-34)
- Let’s Talk: Based on this passage, what had the Jewish leadership concluded regarding Jesus?
‘ That Jesus is a sinner and a fraud and that he could not have performed this miracle.
- Let’s Talk: What had the man born blind concluded about Jesus? It has bee n said tha t, “A man with an
argument is no match for a man with an exp erience .” How is this true in this exchange between the
formerly blind man and the Jewish religious authorities?
‘ That Jesus is from God.
- Let’s Talk: Based upon the statem ent You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?” what had
happened to the m an born blind? How does he now see him self?
‘ He had become a disciple of Jesus.
- Let’s Talk: Con side r this s tatem ent b y the m an bo rn bli nd: The man answered and said to them, “W ell,
here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. “We know
that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing, and does His will, He hears him. “Since the
beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. “If this man
were not from God, He cou ld do noth ing.” How is he u sing the P haris ees ’ own teac hing r ega rding me ssia nic
signs and miracles to defend Jesus against the religious leaders?
‘ He rem inds the P haris ees how they h ad ta ugh t that o nly God’s Messiah could open the eyes of a
man born blind. He was refuting their conclusions with their own teaching.
The Man Born Blind Believes In Jesus (9:35-41)
Scripture: Jesus heard th at they ha d put him out; and find ing him, H e said, “D o you b elieve in the S on of M an? ” He
answered and sa id, “And w ho is He , Lord, that I m ay believ e in Him? ” Jesus s aid to him, “You have both seen Him, and
He is the one who is talking with you.” And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him. And Jesus said, “For judgment
I came into this world, that those who do not see may see; and that those who see may become blind.” Those of the
Pharisees who were with Him heard these things, and said to Him, “W e are no t blind too, are we?” Je sus sa id to them , “If
you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains. (9:35-41)
- Let’s Talk: Based upon his statem ent, And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worsh iped Him .” describe how the
ma n’s unde rstan ding o f Jes us ha s ch ang ed fr om the b eginn ing of this s tory? C om pare yours elf to the man born
blind. Where are you in your understanding of who Jesus really is.
‘ In verse 11 he simply refers to Jesus as “the man who is called Jesus.” By verse 17 he says of
Jesus, “He is a p rophet.” Next, in verse 27 he desc ribes him self a s Je sus ’ disc iple. Then, in verses
30-33 the man explains why Jesus is performing messianic miracles (i.e., he is from God ). Fina lly,
in ver se 38 he be lieves in Jes us an d wo rship s him .
- Let’s Talk: In your own words, e xplain Je sus’ state men t: And Jes us s aid, “F or jud gme nt I ca me in to this world,
that those who do not see m ay see ; and that th ose w ho see may b ecom e blind.”
A Personal Journey Into Spiritual Light or Spiritual Darkness
John C hapter 9
Introduction
Throughout this story of the man born blind John wants to do three things:
O John wants to challenge us with a theme of Spiritual Blindness versus S piritual Sight .
O John wants to Illustrate a point , nam ely, that Jesus is the Light of The World
O John wants to give us a real life example of what it means for Jesus to be the light of the world .
- Question: What do physical blindness and spiritual blindness have in common?
- Answe r: They both suffer from an absence of light
“Who Is This Man Called Jesus”

A Jou rney In to . . .
Spiritual Sight Spiritual Blindness
The Man Born Blind The Religious Leaders
Step 1: He’s A Man (9: 11) Step 1: He’s A Sabbath breaker (9: 16)
Step 2: He’s A Prophet (9:17) Step 2: He’s A Sinner (9:24)
Step 3: I should follow Him (9:27) Step 3: We follow someone else (9:28)
Step 4: He’s from God (9:33) Step 4: He’s not from God (9:29)
Step 5: I believe & worship (9:38) Step 5: We reject Him and you (9:34)
Jesus Is The Light Of His World Jesus Is The Judgment of Their World
and are intended to result in Repentance and Faith . Did that happening here?
O Application
5 Many people like to say that they would believe in Jesus if God would simply give them a sign. How does what
you have seen so far prove or refute such assertions? Com pare yourself to the man born blind. W here you are
in your understanding of who Jesus really is.
Transform ing Blindness Into Sight ( John 9:1-41)
Scripture Text
The Healing Of The Man Born Blind
1 And as He passed by, He saw a ma n blind from birth. 2 And His d iscip les as ked Him , saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man
or his parents, that he should be born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but
it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 “We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long
as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work.5 “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”6 When He had
said this, He spat on the grou nd, and m ade clay of the spittle, an d applied th e clay to his eyes, 7 and said to him, “Go, wash
in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). And so he went away and washed, and came back seeing. 8 The neighb ors
therefore, and thos e who previous ly saw h im as a b eggar, w ere say ing, “Is not this the one who used to sit a nd be g?” 9
Others were say ing, “T his is h e,” still others were saying, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the one.”10 The refore
they were saying to him, “How then were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man who is called Jesus made clay,
and an oin ted my ey es , an d s aid to m e, ‘G o to Sil oa m, an d w as h’; so I went away and washed, and I received sight.”12 And
they sa id to him, “W here is H e?” He *s aid, “I do no t know.”
13 They *brought to the Pharisees him who was formerly blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the
clay, and opened his eyes. 15 Again, therefore, the Pharisees also were asking him how he received his sight. And he said
to them, “He applied clay to my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man
is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform
such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 They *said therefore to the blind man again, “What do you say about
Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.” 18 The Jews therefore did not believe it of him, that he
had been blind, and had receive d sight, un til they called the parents of the very one wh o had re ceived h is sight, 1 9 and
Questioned them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he no w see ?” 20 His p arents
answered them and said, “W e know that this is our son, and that he was bo rn blind; 21 but how he now sees, we do not
know; or who opened his eyes, we d o not know . Ask him; h e is of ag e, he shall s pea k for h imse lf.” 22 H is par ents said t his
because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed, that if anyone should confess Him to be Christ, he
should b e put out o f the syna gogue . 23 For th is reaso n his pare nts said, “H e is of age ; ask him .”
24 So a second time they called the m an w ho ha d bee n blind , and said t o him , “Giv e glor y to G od; w e kno w tha t this man
is a sinner.” 25 He therefore answered, “W hether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that, whereas I was
blind, now I see.” 26 They said therefore to him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” 27 He answered
too, do you?” 28 And they reviled him, and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 “We know that God
has spoken to Moses; but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.” 30 The man answered and s aid to them , “W ell,
here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. 31 “We know that God does
not hear sinne rs; bu t if any one is Go d-fea ring, a nd do es H is will, He hears him. 32 “Since the beginning of time it has never
been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 “If this man were not from God, H e could d o nothing .”
34 The y answ ered an d said to h im, “You were b orn entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they put h im out.
35 Jesus heard that they had p ut him out; a nd fin ding h im, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered
and said, “And who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the
one who is talking with you.” 38 And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him. 39 And Jesus said, “For judgment
I came into this world, that those who do not see may see; and that those who see may become blind.” 40 Those of the
Pharisees who were with Him heard these things, and said to Him, “We are not blind to o, are we? ” 41 Je sus said to them,
“If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.
Transforming Death Into Life (John 11:1-57)
(Leader’s Guide)
Introduction
O The ra ising of La zarus rep resents the clima x of Jes us’ min istry. It has bee n prece ded by SIX great miraculous signs,
each of which has taught us God’s transforming power over the circumstances of our lives, and all of which have fulfilled
the same purpose:
and are intended to result in Repentance and Faith .
O Throu gh all 6 signs the unde rlying mes sage h as bee n that God Cares about our circumstances, and that He
has the p o w er to tra n sfo rm our c ircum stan ces if we w ill sim ply repent and believe .
O In the sixth sign (“Healing The Man Born Blind”) Jesus added a new dimension to the purpose of signs:
‘ Signs divide men into those who are Spiritually Blind and those whose Spiritual Eyes are
open . To see the m iraculous signs which Jesus pe rforms and N OT believe is to be Spiritually Blind.
Act 1: Preparing The Disciples/Setting The Stage (11:1-16)

O Background
“Lazarus” is the Greek form of the Hebrew name “Eleazar” which means “God has helped.” He is the brothe r of M ary &
Martha. Mary and Martha are famous from Luke 10:38, and it was Mar y who anoin ted J esu s with perf um e and wipe d His
feet with her hair (Luke 7:36-38). Bethany is a village about 2 miles southeast of Jerusalem on the road to Jericho at the
Mount of Olives. Jesus stayed there whenever He came to Judea/Jerusalem.
Scripture: 1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.2 And it was the
Mary who an ointed the Lord w ith ointmen t, and wipe d His fee t with her ha ir, whose brother L azarus w as sick.3 The sisters
therefore sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”4 But when Jesus heard it, He said, “This sickness
is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her
sister, and Lazarus.6 When therefore He heard that he was sick, He stayed then two days longer in the place where He was.
- Let’s Talk: What was Jesus’ unique perspective on Lazarus illness? From whose perspective was Jesus seeing
things? What is your perspective on your own struggle?
‘ Jesus sees Lazarus’ illness from the perspective of its potential to glorify God.
- Let’s Talk: Exp lain ve rse 5 in the lig ht of v erse 6? W hy wa s it imp ortan t to inc lude v erse 5 at th is poin t in the
narrative? When you our someon e you love is in the midst of difficult circumstanc es, do you struggle with God’s love
and His timing? What encouragement can we find in these two verses?
‘ John does not want there to be any Question regarding G od’s love toward the people caught up
in this circumstance. Jesus’ delay in going to Lazarus is not a reflection of any lack of love. God
loves us and He knows exactly what He is doing, even when He delays His coming in the midst of
our pain a nd suff ering.
‘ The Greek word for “love” used by Mary & Martha in verse 3 regarding Jes us’ lov e for Laza rus is
the word phileo which represents strong friendship or brotherly love. But the word used in verse
5 for Jesus’ love toward Lazarus is agape which represents God’s love.
Jesus’ love for Lazarus and his sisters was far greater than they understood.
O Observation
Jesus’ response to the news of Lazarus’ illness is to wait an additional two days. It probably didn’t matter. When Jesus
arrived Lazarus had been dead four days, and the journey to Bethany only took one day. When you “do the math” we see
that Laza rus’ d eath prob ably occurred soon after the messengers left Bethany for Jesus. Lazarus was already dead when
Jesus received the new s of his illness .
O Application
How do you see your own circumstances? Do you see them as hopeless or as setting the stage for
God to be glorified ? God’s love for us is Far greater than we will ever
compreh end. God is never controlled or coerced by circumstances. He is never late or in a hu rry .
Scripture: “7 Then after this He *said to the disciples, “L et us go to Judea again.”8 The disciples *said to Him, “Rabbi, the
Jews were jus t now se eking to stone You, and are You going there again?”9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours
in the d ay? If any one walk s in th e day , he d oes not s tum ble, b eca use he se es th e light of this world .10 “B ut if anyone walks
in the night, he stumb les, beca use the light is not in him .”
- Let’s Talk: What were Jesus’ disciples concerned about? Was it a legitimate concern? Wh at was Jesus
response? What concerned Him? W hat concerns and motivates you more: T he dangers of believing or the urgency
to believe?
‘ The disciples were concerned about their & his safety. In John 10:31 at the festival of Dedication
the relig ious leaders had tried to stone Jesus. Jesus refused to give in to the dangers of
confronting the spiritual blindness of the religious establishment. Jesus was concerned about the
urgency of the hour.
O Application
There is an urgency to walking in God’s spiritual light. Each of us must choose between
spiritual light and spiritual darkness , and we must be willing to accept the consequences
of this choice. It is the price we pay for knowing the truth.
Scripture: “11 This He said, and after that He *said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, that I may
awaken him out of sleep.”12 The disciples therefore said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now
Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was spea king of litera l sleep .14 T hen Jes us th erefo re sa id to them
plainly, “Lazarus is dead,15 and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, s o that you may b elieve; but let u s go to
him.”1 6 Th oma s the refor e, wh o is ca lled D idym us, s aid to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we m ay die w ith Him.”
- Let’s Talk: Look at verses 14 & 1 5. Wh at might have been different if Jesus had been there (with Lazarus)?
Why do you think that Jesus’ not being there would now cause the disciples to believe?
‘ If Jesus had been there He might have healed Lazarus from his illness. While this would have been
a significant miracle, it would not have been as great as what would now take place. The disciples
had seen Jesus heal the sick before, but now they would witness a far greater miracle - the power
of Jesus over death through the raising of Lazarus from the dead.
O Application
Som etimes God’s a pparen t “lack of response” to the circumstances of our lives may be setting the stage
for something greater which God wan ts to accomplish in our lives. W hat “greater thing” is God doing in your
life?
Act 2: Scene I: Jesus & Martha (11:17-29)
Scripture: 17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem,
about two miles off; 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.20 Martha
therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him; but Mary still sat in the house.21 Martha therefore said to Jesus,
“Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 “Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
23 Jesus *said to her, “Your brother shall rise again.” 24 Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the
last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who
lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ,
the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.” 28 And when she had said this, she went away, and called Mary her sister, saying
secretly, “The Teacher is here, and is calli ng for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she *arose quickly, and was coming to Him.
, Let’s Talk: Describe Martha’s understanding of the circumstance in verse 21. Was he r understanding
true? What do verses 21-22 tell us about Martha’s faith?
‘ Martha is fixated on her belief that Jesus could have healed her brother if only He had come
sooner. This wasn’t factually true. Lazarus died shortly after the messeng ers left to go and find
Jesus. Verses 21-22 s ugges t that, while Martha’s faith in Jesus was genuine, it was limited by her
pain and her understanding of the circumstances.
- Let’s Talk: Read the exchange between Jesus and Martha in verses 23-27. What does Martha understand
Jesus statement in verse 23 to mean? How does Jesus corre ct he r und ersta nding ? Ho w ha s Ma rtha’s
understanding of and faith in Jesus changed by verse 27?
‘ Martha thinks Jesus is referring to the resurrection of the dead on t he da y of judgment. Jesus
challenges Martha to see the resurre ction of the dead in ter ms o f a perso n, not an event. Jesus
IS the re surr ectio n. To have a rela tions hip with Jesus is to be resurrected and to never die. Martha
responds with a declaration of faith that understands Jesus as more than a healer. She now
understands that He is the promised Christ, the Son of God, with power over life and death.
O Application
In Luke 10:38 Martha was a “doer.” Now she is in a crisis where there in nothing she can do except believe .
Martha’s faith must now grow, from a faith that believes in Jesus’ power to heal sickness , to a much
deeper and greater faith that believes in Jesus’ power over death . God wants to deliver us from living in the
world of “If only . . . .” and bring us into the world of “I believe” .
Act 2: Scene II: Jesus & Mary (11:30-37)
Scripture: 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him.31 The Jews then who
were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, supposing that she
was going to the tomb to weep there.32 Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him,
“Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with
her, also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit, and was troubled,34 and said, “Where have you laid him?” They *said to Him, “Lord,
come and see.”35 Jesus wept.36 And so the Jews were saying, “Behold how He loved him!”37 But some of them said, “Could not this
man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have kept this man also from dying?”
, Let’s Talk: Com pare Mar y’s res pon se to Jes us in verse 32 to that of Martha’s in verse 21. Then co mpare
Jes us’ re spo nse to ea ch? W hat is the d iffere nce and w hy?
‘ The ir first respo nses a re nearly iden tical, “Lord, if You had been here . . .” Jesus inte racts with Martha
but n ot with Mar y. Jes us tre ats u s as uniqu e indiv iduals and r esp ond s ac cord ingly.
O Application
God loves you and shares your pain . It is time to stop blam ing God for the human condition
(or for Your condition ), and start believing God for His divine solution .
Act 3: The Raising of Lazarus (11:38-44)
Scripture: 38 Jesus therefore again being deeply moved within, *came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against
it.39 Jesus *said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, *said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he
has been dead four days.”40 Jesus *said to her, “Did I not say to you, if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”41 And so they
removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank Thee that Thou heardest Me.42 “And I knew that Thou hearest
Me always; but because of the people standing around I said it, that they may believe that Thou didst send Me.”43 And when He had
said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”44 He who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with
wrappings; and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus *said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
- Let’s Talk: Describe the situation in your own words. How long had Lazarus been dead?
‘ Lazarus has now been dead and buried four (4) days.
, Let’s Talk: What would have been the natural expectation after four days? What does Martha’s response
(Vs. 39) tell us about her understanding of what is unfolding? Can you relate to Martha’s state of mind?
According to Jesus statem ent in verse 42, what is the purpose of the sign that is about to occur?
‘ The process of decomposition would have begun and there would be a stench.
‘ Martha doesn’t fully comprehend (or believe) what Jesus is about to do.
‘ The purpose of this sign is to cause people to believe that Jesus is from God.
Act 4: The Religious Leaders Respond (11:45-53)
Scripture: 45 Many therefore of the Jews, who had come to Mary and beheld what He had done, believed in Him.46 But some of them
went away to the Pharisees, and told them the things which Jesus had done. 47 Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened
a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs.48 “If we let Him go on like this, all men will
believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”49 But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, who
was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all,50 nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man
should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish.”51 Now this he did not say on his own initiative; but being high
priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation,52 and not for the nat ion only, but that He might also gather
together into one the children of God who are scattered ab road.53 So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.
- Let’s Talk: Describe the three (3) responses to this miracle as described in this passage. Which one of
thes e thre e res pon ses can yo u bes t iden tify with ? W hy?
‘ The Resp onse of Belief (vs. 45) - the sign resulted in repentance and faith.
‘ The Respon se of neutrality (Vs. 46) - these are people who saw but didn ’t com mit
themselves one way or another, but they did spread the news.
‘ The Resp onse of Unbelief (Vs. 47-50) - they saw the signs and people’s responses and
regarded it as a threat to their existing order of things.
Epilogue: Jesus Withdraws From Public (11:54-57)

Scripture: 54 Jesus therefore no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews, but went away from there to the country near the
wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples.55 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many
went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover, to purify themselves.56 Therefore they were seeking for Jesus, and were
saying to one another, as they stood in the temple, “What do you think; that He will not come to the feast at all?”57 Now the chief priests
and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyon e knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.
- Let’s Talk: What does this say about how God responds to our responses?
O Application
Without being overly obvious, describe how Jesus transform ed disaster into a blessing in this situation. How did he transform
people and their understanding of spiritual truth in the process? What has this story taught you about God’s transforming
power?
Review & Personal Application
What Have We Learned From The Seven Signs of John?
O Review
What Did We Learn about John’s Purpose in Recording the Miraculous Signs of Jesus?
“Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but
these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of G od; and th at believing you m ay hav e life
in His nam e.” (John 20:30-31)
What Have We Learned about the Purpose of Miracles, Signs & Wonders?
and are intended to result in Repentance and Faith . Why didn’t this happen in every situation?
What Have We Learned From Each Sign About God’s Power To Transform The Circumstances of Our Lives?
O Sign # 1: The Wedding At Cana (John 2:1-11)
O Sign # 2: Healing The Nobleman’s Son (John 4:46-54)
O Sign # 3: Healing The Lame Man At The Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-18)
O Sign # 4: Feeding The Multitude (John 6:1-15)
O Sign # 5: Walking On The Water (John 6:16-21)
O Sign # 6: Healing The Man Born Blind (John 9:1-41)
O Sign # 7: The Rasing of Lazarus (John Chapter 11)
Application: What Do You Believe?
John uses the word “believe” 10 1 times in his gosp el. He us es it 4 times in the first 4 Signs, another 4 times in Sign # 6 and
then 9 times in Sign # 7. T he m essag e is clear:
After 7 miraculous signs demonstrating His power to transform the circumstances of our lives, Jesus calls men to
believe .
Transforming Disaster Into Blessing (John 2:1-11)
(Participant’s Outline)
1 And on the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there;2 and Jesus also was invited, and
His disciples, to the wedding.3 And when the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus *said to Him, “They have no wine.”4 And Jesus *said
to her, “Woman, what do I have to do with you? My hour has not yet come.”5 His mother *said to the servants, “Whatever He says to
you, do it.” 6 Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons
each.7 Jesus *said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.8 And He *said to them, “Draw some out
now, and take it to the headwaiter.” And they took it to him. 9 And when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and
did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter *called the bridegroom,10 and *said
to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when men have drunk freely, then that which is poorer; you have kept the good wine
until now.” 11 This beginning of His signs Jesus di d in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disc iples believed in Him.
O General Background
, The Purpose of John’s Gospel - In John 20:30-31the author tells us his purpose in writing his account
of Jesus life the way he did: “Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the
disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of God; a nd that be lieving you may h ave life in His name .” Accor ding to John, Jesus
did “man y other signs ,” but John chose these s even to a chieve a specific p urpose , nam ely, “
”
- About Cana - The village of Cana was lo cated roughly 8-9 miles north of Nazareth in Galilee (northern
Israel). Jesus visited there twice (John 2:1 and 4:46), and Nathaniel (John 21:2) was from there.
, About Jewish Weddings In Jesus’ Day
‘ Weddings In Jesus’s Day - Wed dings in the ancient near east of Jesus day were an important
event which invo lved a “lega l reciprocity.” This meant that the bridal party was expected to provide
for the g ues ts wh o atte nde d, wh ile the gues ts we re ex pec ted to bring suita ble gif ts. Po tentia lly,
there could be legal penalties for either party who failed to live up to expectations.
‘ The Betrothal - In a Jewish wedding there was a betrothal period which was much more serious
than today’s “engagement.” This was a solemn pledge of each person to the other which required
a divorce to break. Mary and Joseph were in the Betrothal period when she conceived Jesus.
‘ The Wedding - Weddings took place on a Wednesday if the bride was a virgin and on a Thursday
if she wa s a widow . The Bride groo m a nd his friend s m ade an ev ening proc ess ion to the b ride’s
house. The Bridegroom and the bridal party would then return to the Bridegroom’s house where
a celebration and a wedding banquet was held. This feast was often prolonged and could last for
several days.
‘ The Stone Water Pots. The Jews of Jesus’ day practiced frequent ritual religious washings,
including prior to meals. A controversy over this issue is found in Mark 7:1-13. Water was stored
in these waterpots until needed for these ceremonial washings.

Scripture: And on the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and Jesus also
was invited, and His disciples, to the wedding (2:1-2)
- Let’s Talk: What does it say about Jesus that he began His public ministry at a wedding?
Scripture: And when the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus *said to Him, “The y have no wine.” And Jesu s *said to her,
“Woman, what do I have to do with you? My hour has not yet come.” His mother *said to the servants, “Whatever He says
to you, do it.” (2:3-5)
- Let’s Talk: Desc ribe the situa tion. W hat’s hap pened ? W hy is this imp ortant?
- Let’s Talk: What you think was going on between Jesus and His Mother over this situation?
Scripture: “Now there we re six ston e water pots set there fo r the Jew ish custo m of pu rification, con taining twe nty or thirty
gallons each. Je sus sa id to them , “Fill the water pots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them,
“Draw some out now, and take it to the headwaiter.” And they took it to him.” (2:6-8)
- Let’s Talk: Describe what Jesus did. How much water would this have involved? Try to esti mate how many
people were aware of what Jesus was doing.
‘ Jesus commanded the water pots to be filled to the brim creating between and gallons
of wine.
‘ At least people k new wh at was g oing on:
Scripture: “And when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but
the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, and said to him, “Every man serves
the good w ine first, and when men have drunk freely, then that which is poorer; you have kept the good wine until now.” (2:9-
10)
- Let’s Talk: Describe what ha s happ ened. W hy do you think John tells u s, “but the servants who had drawn
the w ater k new ”? How has Jesus “transformed” the situation?
Scripture: “This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and m anife sted His glory, and His disciples believed
in Him.” (2:11)
- Let’s Talk: What does the phrase “beginning of His signs” suggest? List some ways Jesus’ glory was
manifested through this event? What do these teach us about Jesus?
‘ It suggests that there would be !

‘ It showed His concern for and the ;
‘ It showed His over the natural order and His disasters
into blessin gs;
‘ It pointed to than cou ld be see n on the h uma n level;
‘ It was a of something they already suspected, namely, that
there was something unique and special about Jesus!
O Application
5 How did Jesu s transfo rm dis aster into b lessing? It says that “His disc iples believe d in Him.” Why do you think
they believed? W hat have you learned from this story that might cause you to “believe” that Jesus could transform
the disasters in your life into blessing?
Transforming Sickness Into Healing (John 4:46-54)
46 He came therefore again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain royal official, whose son
was sick at Capernaum.47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him, and was requesting Him to
come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death.48 Jesus therefore said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders,
you simply will not believe.”49 The royal official *said to Him, “Sir, come down befo re my child dies.”50 Jesus *said to him, “Go your way;
your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he started off.51 And as he was now going down, his slaves
met him, saying that his son was living.52 So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. They said therefore to him,
“Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.”53 So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son
lives”; and he himself believed, and his whole household.54 This is again a second sign that Jesus performed, when He had come out
of Judea into Galilee.

Scripture: He came therefore again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain royal
officia l, whose son was sick at Cap erna um. Wh en he hear d tha t Jes us ha d com e out of Ju dea into G alilee, he w ent to Him ,
and was requesting Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. (4:46-47)
- Let’s Talk: Describe the situation in your own words. What is happening? How do you think “the ripple effects”
of Jesus first visit to Cana are effecting this second visit to Cana?
- Let’s Talk: W here are Jesus and the royal official in relation to the man’s son? W hat does the official think
must take place in order for his son to be healed? How desperate is the situation?
Scripture: Jesus therefore said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” (4:48)
- Let’s Talk: Summarize Jesus statement in your own words. What do you think this m ean s, es pec ially in light
of John 20:30-31?
O Notes Regarding Miracles, Signs and Wonders:

- Definitions:
‘ A “mirac le” (Gree k: dun amis ) is a work of God’s & emphasizes the of the
event.
‘ A “won der” (G reek: terata ) is a & emphasizes the awe-inspiring .
‘ A “sign” (G reek: semeion) points to ; emphasizes the of the
event, namely, to .
, Scriptures Regarding Meaning of Signs and Wonders:
Matthew 12:38-41 - “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, ‘Teacher, we want
to see a sign from You.’ But He answered and said to them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation craves for
a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three
days and three nights in the bel ly o f t h e s e a m onster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three
nig hts in t he he art of t he ea rth .’”
‘ Observation: The religious leaders asked Jesus for a sign in order to “ ” . Jesus
never gave into such demands or tests. He always chose the and of
His signs.
Matthew 11:21 - “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occ urre d in Tyre
and Sido n which occurre d in you, the y wou ld have re pented long ago in sackc loth and a shes.”
‘ Observation: The p urpose of a m iraculous sign is to bring about .
Matthew 22:29 - “B ut Jesus answered and said to them, ‘You are mistaken, not understanding the
Scriptures, or the power of God.
‘ Observation: Jesu s insis ts tha t peo ple understand BOTH the and the
(i.e., miraculous signs).
John 12:37-43 - “But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him; that
the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom
has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For this cause they cou ld not believe, for Isaiah said again, He has blinded
their eyes, and He hardened their heart; lest they see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and be converted,
and I heal them. These things Isaiah said, because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him. Nevertheless many even
of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, lest they should be put out
of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”
‘ Observation: In spite of the fact that Jesus performed “so many signs” people still didn’t believe
because 1) they were , and 2) “they loved the rather than the
approv al of God .”
O Summary Explanation Regarding Miracles, Signs & Wonders:
are which cause men to and which point to
and are intended to result in and . Did that happen here?
Scripture: The royal official said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son
lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he started off. (4:49-50)
- Let’s Talk: Describe the urgency that the royal official must have been feeling. How did Jesus deal with the
situation? If you ha d bee n the offic ial, did J esu s do w hat yo u wo uld have expected? What do we
learn about Jesus by the way he handled the situation? How did the official respond? What do you
think was going through his mind during the journey home?
Scripture: And as he was now going down, his slaves met him, s ayin g tha t his son was living. So he inquired of them the
hour when he began to get better. They said therefore to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” So the
father knew that it w as at that h our in whic h Jes us s aid to him, “ You r son lives”; a nd he hims elf be lieved , and his w hole
household. This is again a second sign that Jesus performed, when He had come out of Judea into Galilee. (4:51-54)
- Let’s Talk: W hat is th e dif ference between the man’s “belief” in verse 50 and his “belief” in verse 53? What
were the “ripple effects” of this miraculous “sign and wonder”?
‘ The “sign” had transformed his into a “ ”.

‘ The g reatest “rip ple effec t” was tha t .
O Application
5 How did Jesu s transfo rm dis aster into blessing? W hat new thing have you learned about Jesu s from this story
that might cause you to believe that Jesus could transform the disasters in your life into blessing?
Transforming Crippling Religious Traditions Into Healing (John 5:1-18)
1 After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the
sheep gate a poo l, whic h is called in Hebrew Bethesda, hav ing five porticoes.3 In these lay a multitude of those who were
sick, blind, lame, and withered, [waiting for the moving of the waters;4 for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons
into the pool, and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from
whatever disease with which he was afflicted.] 5 And a certain man was there , who had b een thirty- eight year s in his
sickne ss.6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that c ondition, H e *said to
him, “Do you wish to get well?”7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water
is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”8 Jesus *said to him, “Arise, take up your pallet, and
walk.”9 And immediately the man became well, and took up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that
day.

Scripture: “After these things there was a feast of the J ews , and Jes us w ent u p to J erus alem . Now there is in Jerusalem
by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of those who
were sick, blind, lame, and withered, [waiting for the moving of the waters; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain
seasons into the pool, and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made
well from whatev er diseas e with wh ich he w as afflicted.] (5:1-4)
- About The Gate & The Pool - The “sheep gate” is usually where sheep were sold for sacrifice in the Temple.
It is mentioned two other times in Scripture (Nehemiah 3:32 & 12:39). It was located on the north east side of
Jerusalem near the Temple (a short walk). In 1888 an archaeologist named Schick excavated a site not far from
the Crusader Church of St. Anne and found twin pools, one fifty-five feet long and a second sixty-five feet long. The
second one was arched in by five arches with five corresponding porches. The Crusaders believed this to be the
site of Joh n 5 and s o they built a C hurch o ver it.
- About The Angel - Some ancient manuscripts do not include the part abo ut the ang el stirring the w ater (note
the portion in the brackets). Assuming the verses to be original, John appears to be relating local legend, lore or
“superstition” without passing judgment pro or con. He is sim ply telling the reader the circumstances and explaining
what people believed and why the lame man was there. It is simply the “background” to the incident he is about to
relate to us.
Scripture: And a certain man wa s there, who had been thirty-eight years in his sickness.6 When Jesus saw him lying
there, and k new that h e had alrea dy be en a lo ng tim e in tha t con dition , He * said to him, “Do you wish to get well?”7 The sick
man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another
steps dow n bef ore m e.”8 J esu s *sa id to him, “Arise, take up your pallet, and walk.”9 And immediately the man beca me w ell,
and took up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day. (5:5-9)
- Let’s Talk: How long had this man been sick & lame? What Question did Jesus ask the man? Did the man
answer Jesus’ Question? Based upon his answer, describe how was this man was “stuck in a box” of religious tradition.
- Let’s Talk: How did Jesus “transform” the situation? On what day did this all take place?
O Notes Regarding The Sabbath
The Hebrew word “sabbath” means “cessation, rest” and was to be a day of rest. The first mention of “sabbath” occu rs in
Exodus 16:23ff where the Israelites were forbidden from gathering or preparing manna on the sabbath. This was before
the giving of the Law. The Fourth Commandm ent of the Decalogue says, “Rem emb er the sabb ath d ay, to keep it holy. “Six
days you s hall labor and d o all yo ur wo rk, bu t the s eve nth d ay is a sabb ath o f the L ord y our G od; in it you shall not do any
work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourne r who s tays w ith
you. “For in six days the Lord made the heav ens an d the ear th, the sea and all that is in th em, an d rested on the se venth
day; therefore the Lord bles sed the sabba th day an d mad e it holy.” (Exodu s 20:8-1 1) No w ork wa s to be do ne on th e
sabba th (Exodus 31:12-17) on penalty of death (N umb ers 15:3 2-36). Bu t by Jesus ’ day the 612 com man dme nts of the Law
had grown into 5,000 religious regulations which must be obeyed, including not healing on the sabbath and not carrying a
pallet. Jesus always tried to point out the true m eaning o f the sab bath as a day set as ide for m an’s ben efit, “The sa bbath
was made for man, not man for the sabbath” (Mark 2:27).
Scripture: Therefore the Jews were saying to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not pe rmissible for you to
carry your pallet.” But he answered them, “He who made me well was the one who said to me, ‘Take up your pallet and
wa lk. ’” The y as ked him, “ Wh o is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your pallet, and walk’?” But he who was healed did not
know who it was; for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple,
and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse may befall you.” The man went
away , and told the Jews that it was J esus w ho had made him we ll. (5:10-15)
, Let’s Talk: What did “the Jews” (i.e., John’s name for the Jewish religious leaders) tell the man about
Jesus? What is missing from their statement? What does this conversation tell us about how the religious
leaders were “stuck in a box” of religious tradition.
‘ They told him that Jesus was regarding the Sabbath.
‘ What is miss ing is any rec ognition tha t has occurred and that God
was at work calling them to .
‘ It tells us that 1) they were s o “stuck in box” of th eir religious regulations and traditions that they
cou ldn’t reco gnize God at wo rk th roug h a sig nifica nt m iracle of he aling, and 2 ) that t heir
regulations and traditions had become more important than either God’s activity or people’s needs.
Scripture: And for this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. But
He answ ered the m, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” For this cause therefore the Jews were
seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His ow n Father,
making Himself equal with God. (5:16-18)
- Let’s Talk: What were the two reasons why the religious leaders were seeking to persecute and kill Jesus?
‘ He was , thereby breaking their , and
‘ He was “ ” thereby making him self .
O Application
5 How did Jesus transform disaster into blessing in this situation? What religious traditions have crippled you
spiritu ally? Are you ready for Jesus to break through and heal you? What new thing have you learned about Jesus
from this story that might cause you to believe that Jesus could transform the disasters in your life into blessing?
Transforming Lack Into Abundance (John 6:1-15)
1 After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias).2 And a great multitude was following Him,
because they were seeing the signs which He was performing on those who were sick.3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there
He sat with His disciples.4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Jesus therefore lifting up His eyes, and seeing that
a great multitude was coming to Him, *said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, that these may eat?”6 And this He was saying to test
him; for He Himself knew what He was intending to do.7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for
them, for everyone to receive a little.”8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter,s brother, *said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who
has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was
much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.11 Jesus therefore took the loaves; and having given
thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted.12 And when they were filled, He *said
to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments that nothing may be lost.”13 And so they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets
with fragments from the five barley loaves, which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 When therefore the people saw the sign
which He had performed, they said, “This is of a truth the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, therefore, perceiving that
they were intending to come and take Him by force, to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.”

Scripture: 1 After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or T iberias).2 And a great multitude
was following Him, because they were seeing the signs which He was performing on those who were sick.3 And Jesus went
up on the m ountain, a nd there He sat w ith His disciples.4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. (John 6:1-4)
, Let’s Talk: Based on this de scription, d escribe the size and mood of the crowd that was following Jesus.
W hy we re the y follow ing him ?
Scripture: 5 Jesu s therefo re lifting up His eyes, a nd see ing that a gr eat mu ltitude was coming to Him, * said to Philip,
“Where are we to buy bread, that these may eat?”6 And this He was saying to test him; for He Himself knew what He was
intending to do .7 Ph ilip ans wer ed H im, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive
a little.”8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter,s brother, *said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves
and two fis h, bu t wha t are th ese for so man y peo ple?” (John 6:5-9)
, Let’s Talk: Describe the situation in your own word s. W hat Q ues tion d id Jes us as k Ph ilip? W hat w ould
have been the obviou s answ er? W hy did he as k the Q uestion? W hen G od con fronts us with a problem or
Question, is He looking to us for a solution? What is He doing?
Scripture: 10 Jesus said, “Ha ve the pe ople sit dow n.” Now there was muc h gra ss in t he pla ce. S o the men sat d own , in
number about five thousand.11 Jesus therefore took the loaves; and having given thanks, H e distributed to those who were
seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted.12 And when they were filled, He *said to His disciples, “Gather
up the leftover fragments that nothing may be lost.”13 And so they ga thered th em up , and filled twe lve bask ets with
fragments from the five barley loaves, which were left over by those who had eaten. (John 6: 10-13)
, Let’s Talk: How many people are involved?
, Let’s Talk: How much did every one receive?
, Let’s Talk: How m uch ex tra was c ollected? W hy do you think this was im portant?
Scripture: 14 When therefore the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is of a truth the Prophet
who is to come into the world .” 15 Je sus , there fore, perc eiving that th ey w ere in tend ing to com e and take Him by force , to
mak e Him king, withd rew again to the mou ntain by H imse lf alon e.” (John 6:14-15)
O Note Regarding “The Prophet”

W ho is “The Prophet who is to come into the world”? In Deuteronomy 18:15 Moses had told the people of Israel that “The
Lord your God will raise up for you a proph et like me fro m am ong yo u, from y our cou ntryme n, you s hall listen to him .” The
identity of this un nam ed Prop het is not re vealed a nywhere in the Old T estam ent. By Je sus ’ day, the Jews had developed
a clear -cut e xpe ctatio n of a com ing fig ure w ho w ould f ulfill Moses’s words. R eligious leaders from Jerusalem asked John
the Baptist if he were the Prophet, and he said “no.” (John 1:21) On more than one occ asio n dur ing Je sus ’ min istry, pe ople
concluded that Jesus was the Prophet (see John 6:14 & 7:40). Peter declared that Jes us was this Pro phe t in his t em ple
sermon in Acts 3:22-23. But Peter understood that Jesus was more than the promised Prophet; He was also the promised
Mess iah, “the Ch rist appoin ted for you .” (Acts 3:20).
, Let’s Talk: What had the crowd following Jesus seen? What did they conclude from what they saw? What
was wrong about their conclusion?
O Application
5 How did Jesus transform disaster into blessing in this situation? What need or lack do you have today? Are you
ready for Jesus to transform your need or lack into His abundance?
Transforming The Storms of Our Lives From Fear Into Faith (John 6:16-21)
16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the
sea to Ca pern aum . And it had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.18 And the sea began to be stirred
up because a strong wind was blowing.19 When therefore they had rowed about three or four miles, they *beheld Jesus
walking on the se a and dr awing n ear to the b oat; and they were frightened.20 But He *said to them, “It is I; do not be
afraid.”21 They w ere willing the refore to re ceive H im into the boat; and immediately the boat was at the land to which they
were going.
Alternative Passage: Mark 6:45-52
45 And immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He
Himself was sending the multitude away.46 And after bidding them farewell, He departed to the mountain to pray.47 And
when it was evening, the boat was in the midst of the sea, and He was alone on the land.48 And seeing them straining at
the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night, He *came to them, walking on the sea; and
He intended to pass by them.49 But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried
out;50 for they all saw Him and were frightened. But immediately He spoke with them and *said to them, “Take courage;
it is I, do not be afraid.”51 And He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were grea tly astonished,52
for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.

P The Event From John’s Perspective (John 6:16-21)
, Let’s Talk: Describe the situation as John saw it, remembering that John records these things for
a reason:
- Let’s Talk: How did Jesus come to them?
, Let’s Talk: W hy would they be frightened of Jesus? How did Jesus deal with their fears? (Vs. 20)
, Let’s Talk: W hat did the disciples do, and what was the result? (Vs. 21).
P The Event From Mark’s Perspective (Mark 6:45-52)
Unlike John, who was an eyewitness and actually lived the events he records, Mark wrote his account by
interviewing the peop le involved, the reby getting s lightly different pe rspective s on the e vent.
- Let’s Talk: Desc ribe the sa me s ituation as M ark sa w it. W hat is differe nt in this acc ount?
- Let’s Talk: W hat in sigh t do yo u thin k the discip les ha d faile d to g ain from the incident with the
loaves & feeding the multitude?
‘ The disciples h ad not “ ” Litera lly, the G reek me ans they h adn ’t “
” men tally with the resu lt that they still didn’t “ ” the
meaning of the previous sign (“the incident of the loaves”). In terms of modern learning
theory they had failed to “ ” and apply them to this new
situation.
‘ They still “didn’t get it” that Jesus has the power ,
regardless of the circumstance. If He ha s the power then
He has the powe r and of our
lives.
and are intended to result in and . Did that happening here?
O Application
5 Desc ribe how Jesus transfor med the disciple s’ disaste r into a blessing in this situation? What storm is blowing
and causing fear in your life today? Do you believe that God sees & cares & ha s the power to transform your storm
& fear into faith & bles sing? A re you willing to invite J esus into your boat?
Transforming Blindness Into Sight (John 9:1-41)
O Background Regarding Messianic Miracles

Religious Judaism of Jesus day (particularly the Pharisees) taught that there was a class of miracles which only the Messiah
cou ld perform. Other mirac les could be theor etically perform ed by anyon e who w as acting under th e powe r of the H oly Spirit,
but it was agreed that this special class of “Messianic miracles” could only be performed by the Messiah when he came.
This class of “Messianic miracles” or “signs” included:
‘ Mes sianic Miracle # 1: - in the entire history of ancient Israel, no Jew

had ever been healed and cleansed of leprosy according to the guidelines found in Leviticus 13.
‘ Mes sianic Miracle # 2: - the Pharisees taught that in order
to cast out a demon you must first establish v erbal com mun ication with the demon, learn its name, and then
cast it out using its name. But what do you do if the demon has afflicted the person with dumbnes s (no
speech). You c ann ot es tablis h ver bal co mm unic ation , learn its na me or ca st it ou t. It was agre ed th at on ly
the Messiah would be able to cast out such a demon. (Matthew 12:22)
‘ Messian ic Miracle # 3: - Now you’ll understand why the
events of John Chapter 9 were such a “big deal” for everyone involved!

The Healing of the Man Born Blind (9:1-12)
Scripture: “1 And as He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who
sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?” 3 Jesu s answ ered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor
his pare nts; b ut it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 “We must work the works of Him who sent
Me, as long a s it is day; night is com ing, w hen no m an ca n wo rk. 5 “ Wh ile I am in the w orld, I a m the light of the w orld.” (9:1-
5)
- Let’s Talk: Describe the disciples’ understanding of the m an’s blindness. Read Job 4:7-8. How does
Eliph az’s understanding of Job com pare with th e disc iples’ u nde rstan ding o f the m an bo rn blin d? H ow d id
Jesus understand the man’s blindness?
, Let’s Talk: In verses 4 & 5 Jesus uses the man born blind as an object lesson for two important lessons.
W hat a re the y?
‘ Lesson Regarding : There are two urgencies involved here.
- The urgency for while there is time and oppo rtunity.
- The urgency for while it is available.
Both urgencies share the same issue, name ly, . There is an

urgency in the things of God which must not be ignored.
‘ Lesson Regarding : S om e peop le have pe rfect phys ical sight,

20-10 vision, but spiritually they are blind as a bat. Jesus wants to challenge us to think about
whether or not we are spiritua lly blind. The po int of this less on is sim ple: . Without
Jesus we are spiritually blind and walking in spiritual darkness. For th e spir itually blin d, it is a lways
night-time.
Scripture: “6 When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes,
and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). 7 And so he went away and washed, and came
back s eeing.” (9:6-7)
- Question & Observation: W hat’s this “sp ittle” busines s all about?
‘ Spittle & Healing On the Sabbath. We will learn in verse 14 that Jesus performed this healing
on the Sab bath. Ra bbinical tea ching he ld that it was fo rbidden to heal on the Sab bath exc ept in
order to save a life. But some Rabbis went beyond this and taught HOW you were not supposed
to heal on the Sabba th. In the M ishnah (w hich is the c ollection of ra bbinical tea chings) , in Tracta te
Shabbat it says: “To hea l a blind ma n on the s abbath it is prohibited to inject wine into h is eyes. It
is also prohibited to make mud from spittle and smea r it on his eye s.” Mishnah, Tractate Shabbat
108:20.
‘ Waging War Against Religious Traditions & Spiritual Blindness. Not only did Jesus break the
rabbinical traditions and teachings regarding healing on the Sabbath, he chose a method (mud &
spittle) which was spe cifica lly prohibited for use on the Sabbath. Jesus was waging open w arfare
against the spiritual blindness of religious legalism and religious traditions which were non-biblical
and were keeping people from a true knowledge, experience & worship of God.
Scripture: “8 The neighbors therefore, and those w ho previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, “Is not this the one who
used to sit and beg?” 9 Others were saying, “This is he,” still others were saying, “No, but h e is like him.” He kept saying,
“I am the one.” 10 Therefore they were saying to him, “How then were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man who
is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam, and wash’; so I went away and washed,
and I rec eived sig ht.” 12 And they sa id to him, “W here is H e?” He *s aid, “I do no t know.” (9:8-12)
, Let’s Talk: How d id the m an’s neig hbors re act to his healing. What two group s do they seem to “fall into”?
W hy do you think som e peo ple Q ues tione d the ident ity of the ma n? H ow d oes this illus trate John ’s
message regarding spiritual blindness?
‘ The n eighbor s react b y dividing into two groups :
- it really is the man and that he has been healed, and
- it really is the man because they can’t believe he could be healed.
‘ It is easier than .
‘ S om e people choose , when confronted with the miraculous light of truth.
1. Remember: What have we learned about the purpose of miracles, signs & wonders?
O For Further Reflection

You don’t nee d to do this rig ht now, bu t take tim e to reflect on how the four (4) groups of people responded to this miraculous
sign. Think about how each responded, why they responded the way they did, and which response you most identify with.
‘ The Man Born Blind:

‘ The Man’s Friends and Neighbors:
‘ The Man’s Parents:
‘ The Religious Leaders:
‘ YOU:
Scripture: “13T hey brou ght to the P haris ees him who was formerly blind.14 Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus
made the c lay, a nd op ene d his eyes.15 Again, therefore, the Pharisees also were asking him how he received his sight. And
he said to them , “He app lied clay to my eyes, and I wa shed, and I see.”16 Therefore som e of the Pharisees were saying,
“This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a
sinner perform such signs?” And there was a division among them.17 They *said therefore to the blind man again, “What
do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.”18 The Jews therefore did not believe
it of him, that he had been blind, and had r ece ived sight , until th ey c alled t he pa rents of the very one w ho ha d rec eive d his
sight,19 and Q ues tione d the m, sa ying , “Is th is your son, who you say was born blind? The n how does he no w se e?”20 His
parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;21 but how he now sees, we
do not know ; or w ho op ene d his e yes , we d o not know . Ask him; h e is of ag e, he shall s pea k for h imse lf.”22 H is par ents said
this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jew s had a lready ag reed, tha t if anyone should c onfess Him to b e Christ,
he should be put out of the synagogue.23 For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”(9:13-23)
- Let’s Talk: How do the Pharisees react to this man’s healing? W hat two groups do they seem to “fall into”?
How does this illustrate John’s message regarding spiritual blindness?
‘ The Pharisees responded by :
1) - they deny that Jesus can be from God

because He has violated the religious traditions of the Elders by healing on the Sabbath and in a
forb idden way.
2) - they believe that Jesus must be from God

because He has performed a Messianic sign.
‘ Some people choose , in spite of .
- Let’s Talk: How d oes the fo rm ally blind ma n des cribe Jes us (v s. 17 )? Ho w is th is diff eren t from his
previous understanding of Jesus (vs 11). What is happening to his understanding of who Jesus is?
‘ The Resp onse of .
- Let’s Talk: Describe the respon se of the Jewish religious au thorities to this miraculous healing? What does
their r esp ons e say a bou t “spir itual b lindne ss” in gene ral?
‘ The Resp onse of .
- Let’s Talk: Describe the pressure that the man , his parents and other potential followers of Jesus were
under to co nfor m to the re ligious blindness and traditions of their day? How do we face similar pressure
today when it comes to believing or not believing?
‘ History of Christians Versus The Synagogue. Pressure against Christians in the Synagogues
grew with time. In approxim ately 90AD the Jewish Sanhedrin re-worded one of the blessings
recited daily in the synagogues so as to make it impossible for ‘Nazaren es’ (Jew ish Chris tians) to
take part in synagogue worship. This blessing, which traditionally included a curse on the enemies
of God was revised so that the curs e said, ‘let Nazarenes and heretics perish as in a moment; let
them be blotted out of the b ook of life an d not be e nrolled w ith the righteo us.’ The revision was
approved by the San hed rin and ado pted in the s ynagogu es, so tha t “Nazare nes,” by keeping silent
whe n the word s we re rec ited b y the c ong rega tion, w ould g ive the ms elves awa y.
Scripture: So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give glory to God; we know that
this man is a sinner.” He therefore answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that, whereas
I was blind, now I see .” The y sa id the refor e to h im, “W hat d id He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” He answered
too, do you?” And they reviled him, and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. “We know that God has
spoken to Moses; but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.” The man answ ered and said to them, “W ell, here
is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. “We know that God does not hear
sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing, and does His will, He hears him. “Since the beginning of time it has never been heard
that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. “If this man were not from God , He c ould do nothing.” They answered
and sa id to him, “Y ou we re born e ntirely in sins, a nd are y ou teac hing us? ” And they put him o ut. (9:24-34)
- Let’s Talk: Based on this passage, what had the Jewish leadership concluded regarding Jesus?
- Let’s Talk: What had the man born blind concluded about Jesus? It has bee n said tha t, “A man with an
argument is no match for a man with an exp erience .” How is this true in this exchange between the
formerly blind man and the Jewish religious authorities?
- Let’s Talk: Based upon the statem ent You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?” what had
happened to the m an born blind? How does he now see him self?
- Let’s Talk: Con side r this s tatem ent b y the m an bo rn bli nd: The man answered and said to them, “W ell,
here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. “We know
that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing, and does His will, He hears him. “Since the
beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. “If this man
were not from God, He cou ld do noth ing.” How is he u sing the P haris ees ’ own teac hing r ega rding me ssia nic
signs and miracles to defend Jesus against the religious leaders?
Scripture : Jesus heard that they had put him out; and finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He
answered and said, “And who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and
He is the one who is talking with you.” And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him. And Jesus said, “For judgment
I came into this world, that those who do not see may see; and that those who see may become blind.” Those of the
Pharisees who w ere with Him heard th ese thing s, and s aid to Him , “We a re not blind to o, are we ?” Jesus said to them , “If
you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains. (9:35-41)
- Let’s Talk: Based upon his statem ent, And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worsh iped Him .” describe how the
ma n’s understanding of Jesus has changed from the beginning of this story? Compare yourself to the man born
blind. Where are you in your understanding of who Jesus really is.
- Let’s Talk: In your own words, e xplain Je sus’ state men t: And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world,
that those who do not see m ay see ; and that th ose w ho see may b ecom e blind.”
A Personal Journey Into Spiritual Light or Spiritual Darkness
John C hapter 9
Introduction
Throughout this story of the man born blind John wants to do three things:
O John wants to with a theme of .
O John wants to , nam ely, that
O John wants to give us of what it means for Jesus to be .
- Let’s Talk: What do physical blindness and spiritual blindness have in common?
- Answe r: They both suffer from
“Who Is This Man Called Jesus”

A Jou rney In to . . .
Spiritual Sight Spiritual Blindness
The Man Born Blind The Religious Leaders
Step 1: (9: 11) Step 1: (9: 16)
Step 2: (9:17) Step 2: (9:24)
Step 3: (9:27) Step 3: (9:28)
Step 4: (9:33) Step 4: (9:29)
Step 5: (9:38) Step 5: (9:34)
Jesus Is Jesus Is
and are intended to result in and . Did that happening here?
O Application
5 Many people like to say that they would believe in Jesus if God would simply give them a sign. How does what
you have seen so far prove or refute such assertions? Compare yourself to the man born blind. Wh ere you are
in your understanding of who Jesus really is.
Transform ing Blindness Into Sight ( John 9:1-41)
Scripture Text
The Healing Of The Man Born Blind
1 And as He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man
or his parents, that he should be born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but
it was in order that the w orks of Go d mig ht be displa yed in him . 4 “W e mu st wo rk the work s of H im who sent Me, as long
as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work.5 “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”6 When He had
said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, 7 and said to him, “Go, wash
in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). And so he went away and washed, and came back seeing. 8 The neighbors
therefore, and t hos e wh o pre viou sly s aw h im as a beg gar, w ere s ayin g, “Is not th is the one w ho us ed to sit an d beg ?” 9
Others were saying, “This is he,” still others were saying, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the one.”10 Therefore
they were saying to him, “How then were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man who is called Jesus made clay,
and anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam, and wash’; so I went away and washed, and I received sight.”12 And
they sa id to him, “W here is H e?” He *s aid, “I do no t know.”
13 They *b rought to the P haris ees him who was formerly blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the
clay, and opened his eyes. 15 Again, therefore, the Pharisees also were asking him how he rece ived his sight . And he sa id
to them, “He applied clay to my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man
is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform
such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 They *said therefore to the blind man again, “What do you say about
Him, since He o pen ed yo ur ey es? ” And h e said , “He is a pr oph et.” 18 The Jew s the refor e did not believe it of him, that he
had been blind, and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight, 19 and
Questioned them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then h ow do es he n ow se e?” 20 H is parents
answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but how he now sees, we do not
know; or who opened his eyes, we d o not know . Ask him; h e is of ag e, he shall s pea k for h imse lf.” 22 H is par ents said t his
because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed, that if anyone should confess Him to be Christ, he
should b e put out o f the syna gogue . 23 For th is reaso n his pare nts said, “H e is of age ; ask him .”
24 So a second time they called the m an w ho ha d bee n blind , and said t o him , “Giv e glor y to G od; w e kno w tha t this man
is a sinn er.” 25 He th erefo re an swe red, “ Wh ethe r He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that, whereas I was
blind, now I see.” 26 They said therefore to him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” 27 He answered
too, do you?” 28 And they reviled him, and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 “We know that God
has spoken to Moses; but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.” 30 The man answered and s aid to them , “W ell,
here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. 31 “We know that God does
not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing, and does His will, He hears him. 32 “Since the beginning of time it has never
been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 “If this man were not from G od, He c ould do n othing.”
34 The y answ ered an d said to h im, “You were b orn entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they put h im out.
35 Jes us he ard th at the y had put h im out; and finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered
and said, “And who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the
one who is talking with you.” 38 And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him. 39 And Jesus said, “For judgment
I came into this world, that those who do not see may see; and that those who see may become blind.” 40 Those of the
Pharisees who were with Him heard these things, an d said to H im, “W e are no t blind too, are we?” 41 Jesus said to them,
“If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.
Transforming Death Into Life (John 11:1-57)
Introduction
O The ra ising of La zarus rep resents the clima x of Jes us’ min istry. It has bee n prece ded by SIX great miraculous signs,
each of which has taught us God’s transforming power over the circumstances of our lives, and all of which have fulfilled
the same purpose:
and are intended to result in and .
O Throu gh all 6 signs the unde rlying mes sage h as bee n that about our circumstances, and that He
has the our c ircum stan ces if we w ill sim ply and .
O In the sixth sign (“Healing The Man Born Blind”) Jesus added a new dimension to the purpose of signs:
Signs divide men into those who are and those whose .
To see the miraculous signs which Jesus performs and NOT believe is to be .
Act 1: Preparing The Disciples/Setting The Stage (11:1-16)
O Background
“Lazarus” is the Greek form of the Hebrew name “Eleazar” which means “God has helped.” He is the brothe r of M ary &
Martha. Mary and Martha are famous from Luke 10:38, and it was Mar y who anoin ted J esu s with perf um e and wipe d His
feet with her hair (Luke 7:36-38). Bethany is a village about 2 miles southeast of Jerusalem on the road to Jericho at the
Mount of Olives. Jesus stayed there whenever He came to Judea/Jerusalem.
Scripture: 1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.2 And it was the
Mary who an ointed the Lord w ith ointmen t, and wipe d His fee t with her ha ir, whose brother L azarus w as sick.3 The sisters
therefore sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”4 But when Jesus heard it, He said, “This sickness
is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her
sister, and Lazarus.6 Whe n therefore He heard that he was sick, He stayed then two days longer in the place where He was.
- Let’s Talk: What was Jesus’ unique perspective on Lazarus illness? From whose perspective was Jesus seeing
things? What is your perspective on your own struggle?
- Let’s Talk: Exp lain ve rse 5 in the lig ht of v erse 6? W hy wa s it imp ortan t to inc lude v erse 5 at th is poin t in the
narrative? When you our someone you love is in the midst of difficult circumstances, do you struggle with God’s love
and His timing? What encouragement can we find in these two verses?
The Greek word for “love” used by Mary & Martha in verse 3 regarding Jesus’ love for Lazarus is the word phileo
which represents strong friendship or brotherly love. But th e wo rd us ed in v erse 5 for J esu s’ love towa rd La zarus is
agape which represents God’s love .
.
O Observation
Jesus’ response to the news of Lazarus’ illness is to wait an additional two days. It probably didn’t matter. When Jesus
arrived Lazarus had been dead four days, and the journey to Bethany only took one day. When you “do the math” we see
that Laza rus’ d eath prob ably occurred soon after the messengers left Bethany for Jesus. Lazarus was already dead when
Jesus received the new s of his illness .
O Application
How do you see your own circumstances? Do you see them as or as setting the stage for
? God’s love for us is than we will ever
compreh end. God is never by circumstances. He is never .
Scripture: “7 Then after this He *said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”8 The disciples *said to Him, “Rabbi, the
Jews were jus t now se eking to stone You, and are You going there again?”9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours
in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.10 “But if anyone walks
in the night, he stumb les, beca use the light is not in him .”
- Let’s Talk: What were Jesus’ disciples concerned about? Was it a legitimate concern? What was Jesus
response? W hat con cerned Him? W hat con cerns a nd m otivates you more : The dangers of believing or the urgency
to believe?
O Application
There is an to walking in God’s spiritual light. Each of us must choose between
and , and we must be willing to accept the
of this choice. It is for knowing the truth.
Scripture: “11 This He said, and after that He *said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, that I may
awaken him out of sleep.”12 The disciples therefore said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now
Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was spea king of litera l sleep .14 T hen Jes us th erefo re sa id to them
plainly, “Lazarus is dead,15 and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, s o that you may b elieve; but let u s go to
him.”1 6 Th oma s the refor e, wh o is ca lled D idym us, s aid to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we m ay die w ith Him.”
- Let’s Talk: Look at verses 14 & 1 5. Wh at might have been different if Jesus had been there (with Lazarus)?
Why do you think that Jesus’ not being there would now cause the disciples to believe?
O Application
Som etimes God’s a pparen t “ ” to the circumstances of our lives may be
for which God wan ts to accomplish in our lives. Wh at “greater thing” is God doing in your
life?
Act 2: Scene I: Jesus & Martha (11:17-29)
Scripture: 17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem,
about two miles off; 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.20 Martha
therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him; but Mary still sat in the house.21 Martha therefore said to Jesus,
“Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 “Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
23 Jesus *said to her, “Your brother shall rise again.” 24 Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the
last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who
lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ,
the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.” 28 And when she had said this, she went away, and called Mary her sister, saying
secretly, “The Teacher is here, and is calli ng for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she *arose quickly, and was coming to Him.
, Let’s Talk: Describe Martha’s understanding of the circumstance in verse 21. Was he r understanding
true? What do verses 21-22 tell us about Martha’s faith?
- Let’s Talk: Read the exchange between Jesus and Martha in verses 23-27. What does Martha understand
Jesus statement in verse 23 to mean? How does Jesus corr ect h er un ders tand ing? H ow h as M artha ’s
understanding of and faith in Jesus changed by verse 27?
O Application
In Luke 10:38 Martha was a “doer.” Now she is in a crisis where there in nothing she can do .
Mar tha’s faith must now grow, from a faith that believes in , to a much
deeper and greater faith that believes in . God wants to deliver us from living in the
world of “ ” and bring us into the world of “ ” .
Act 2: Scene II: Jesus & Mary (11:30-37)

Scripture: 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him.31 The Jews then who
were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, supposing that she
was going to the tomb to weep there.32 Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him,
“Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with
her, also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit, and was troubled,34 and said, “Where have you laid him?” They *said to Him, “Lord,
come and see.”35 Jesus wept.36 And so the Jews were saying, “Behold how He loved him!”37 But some of them said, “Could not this
man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have kept this man also from dying?”
, Let’s Talk: Compare Mary’s response to Jesus in verse 32 to that of Martha’s in verse 21. Then com pare
Jes us’ re spo nse to ea ch? W hat is the d iffere nce and w hy?
O Application
God . It is time to stop blam ing God for
(or for ), and start believing God for .

Act 3: The Raising of Lazarus (11:38-44)
Scripture: 38 Jesus therefore again being deeply moved within, *came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against
it.39 Jesus *said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, *said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he
has been dead four days.”40 Jesus *said to her, “Did I not say to you, if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”41 And so they
removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank Thee that Thou heardest Me.42 “And I knew that Thou hearest
Me always; but because of the people standing around I said it, that they may believe that Thou didst send Me.”43 And when He had
said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”44 He who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with
wrappings; and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus *said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
- Let’s Talk: Describe the situation in your own words. How long had Lazarus been dead?
- Let’s Talk: What would have been the natural expectation after four days? What does Martha’s response
(Vs. 39) te ll us ab out h er un ders tand ing of wha t is unfo lding? Can you relate to Martha’s state of mind?
According to Jesus statem ent in verse 42, what is the purpose of the sign that is about to occur?
Act 4: The Religious Leaders Respond (11:45-53)
Scripture: 45 Many therefore of the Jews, who had come to Mary and beheld what He had done, believed in Him.46 But some of them
went away to the Pharisees, and told them the things which Jesus had done. 47 Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened
a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs.48 “If we let Him go on like this, all men will
believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”49 But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, who
was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all,50 nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man
should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish.”51 Now this he did not say on his own initiative; but being high
priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation,52 and not for the nat ion only, but that He might also gather
together into one the children of God who are scattered ab road.53 So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.
- Let’s Talk: Desc ribe the thre e (3) resp onses to this miracle as described in this passage. Which one of
thes e thre e res pon ses can yo u bes t iden tify with ? W hy?
‘ The Resp onse of (vs. 45) - the sign resulted in repentance and faith.
‘ The Respon se of (vs. 46) - these are people who saw but didn’t commit themselves
one way or another, but they did spread the news.
‘ The Response of (vs. 47-50) - they saw the signs and people’s responses
and regarded it as a threat to their existing order of things.
Epilogue: Jesus Withdraws From Public (11:54-57)

Scripture: 54 Jesus therefore no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews, but went away from there to the country near the
wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples.55 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many
went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover, to purify themselves.56 Therefore they were seeking for Jesus, and were
saying to one another, as they stood in the temple, “What do you think; that He will not come to the feast at all?”57 Now the chief priests
and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyon e knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.
- Let’s Talk: What does this say about how God responds to our responses?
O Application
Without being over ly obvious, describe how Jesus transformed disaster into a blessing in this situation. How did he transform
people and their understanding of spiritual truth in the process? What has this story taught you about God’s transforming
power?
Review & Personal Application
What Have We Learned From The Seven Signs of John?
O Review
What Did We Learn about John’s Purpose in Recording the Miraculous Signs of Jesus?
“Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but
these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life
in His nam e.” (John 20:30-31)
What Have We Learned about the Purpose of Miracles, Signs & Wonders?
and are intended to result in and . Why didn’t this happen in every situation?
What Have We Learned From Each Sign About God’s Power To Transform The Circumstances of Our Lives?
O Sign # 1: The Wedding At Cana (John 2:1-11)
O Sign # 2: Healing The Nobleman’s Son (John 4:46-54)
O Sign # 3: Healing The Lame Man At The Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-18)
O Sign # 4: Feeding The Multitude (John 6:1-15)
O Sign # 5: Walking On The Water (John 6:16-21)
O Sign # 6: Healing The Man Born Blind (John 9:1-41)
O Sign # 7: The Rasing of Lazarus (John Chapter 11)
Application: What Do You Believe?

John uses the w ord “b elieve ” 101 time s in his gosp el. He uses it in the first 4 Signs, another in Sign # 6
and then in Sign # 7. The message is clear: After 7 miraculous signs demonstrating His power to transform the
circum stance s of our lives , .
Appendix C
Parousia Information
Affiliating Your House Church With The Parousia Network
Why You Should Affiliate With The Parousia Network
House Churches tend to be an independent group, but in the days ahead that very independence and isolation ma y prove
to be the A chilles hee l of the hou se chu rch m ovem ent.
W hy are networks of house churches going to be so important in the days ahead? First, because networks of house
churches will be the channel and vessel for the next great movement of the Spirit of God in renewal and revival. Second,
because networks of house churches will provide a pers ecu tion re sista nt stru cture to pro tect a nd en cou rage God ’s peo ple
through the difficult times that may lie ahead.
Let me be blunt and to the point: Neither you nor your house church will survive or prosper long-term if you are not
networked with other house churches and house church leaders who can offer you support, encouragement, equipping,
teaching, counseling and more. And one of the stated purposes of The Parousia Network is to provide a networking support
structure for house churches like yours. So, by networking together by m ean s of a ffiliatio n Th e Pa rous ia Network would like
to do the following:
O To p rovid e spir itual a cco unta bility for you an d your hous e chu rch m inistry,
O To connect you with an intercessory prayer network of believers who are regularly fasting and praying for one
another and f or the Rive r of E zekie l 47 to f low in fresh power for revival and renewa l in our nation, b eginning with
the Church that meets in our houses,
O To help you get started and to become the Church that meets in your house,
O To provide you with fellowship, mutual nurturing and encouragem ent with fellow believers who are of “one-mind”
rega rding the im porta nce of ho use chur ch m inistry,
O To provide you with a regular newsletter filled with information and perspec tive that will help you to understand what
it me ans to be a Ch ristian and a hous e chu rch in a Po st-C hristia n, Po st-M ode rn cu lture s uch as ou rs tod ay,
O To help you think and pray through the appointment of biblical leaders, elder and deacons, in your house church,
O To help you to keep your ministry focused on “the m ain thing,” an d to help you avoid being “tossed about by every
wind of d octrine,”
O To provide you with equipping, information and encouragement to become a growing and multiplying house church
that is ma king a pos itive co ntribu tion to the g rowth of the King dom of G od in yo ur ne ighbo rhoo d & c om mu nity,
O To help you with issues o f accou ntability, counseling and problem-solving as issues arise in your house church
min istry tha t nee d out side input and c oun sel.
O To help you bu ild network ing relations hips with oth er hous e churc hes, both in your a rea a nd ar oun d the coun try,
that will provide an important resource of prayer, encouragement and support during the difficu lt times that may
soon come upon the Church & the world,
O To prov ide you with th e opp ortun ity to pa rticipa te in the cutting-edge of house church ministry through your financial
gifts and offerings which go to fund our house church support activities.
It is not the ro le or place of The Parousia Network to tell you how to manage and lead your house church. Our calling and
our miss ion is to enc ourage you to bec ome the chur ch that m eets in your h ouse a nd to provide you with the equipping and
resour ces tha t you need to do that.
But none of us can do it alone.

The Parousia N etwork
of House & Cell Churches
Affiliation Application
Nam e of the C hurch/F ellowship:
Churc h/Fellows hip Mailing A ddress :
City/State/Zip Code :
City State Zip Code Phone
Describe and attach any organizational/legal paperwork which you have put in place for the church:
Has the Church/Fellowship applied for and received an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS?
Yes No Explan ation:
Chu rch Pro file
Does your Chu rch/Fe llowship ha ve a De nom inational ba ckgro und? If s o, briefly desc ribe:
How lon g has this fellowship been m eeting?:
Has your house church appointed/recognized elders? Yes No
Has your house church appointed/recognized deacons? Yes No
How m any peop le curren tly attend? # of families : ; # of Adu lts: ; # of Ch ildren:
W hen is your regularly sch eduled m eeting (da y/time/plac e)?:
Do you want your meeting information to be made available to those seeking house churches in your area?
Lead ership Profile (Please use this space to describe the present leaders of your house church fellowship)
Who are the Elders and Deacons in your fellowship?:
Elder #1 Nam e: Birthday:

First Midd le Last
Have you ever been licensed/ordained (circle as appropriate)? Yes No. By whom?
Elder #2 Nam e: Birthday:

First Midd le Last
Deacon #1 Nam e: Birthday:

First Midd le Last
Deacon #2 Nam e: Birthday:

First Midd le Last
Your Comm ents (Please use this space to briefly describe 1) a “typical meeting of your house church; 2) what you expect
from your affiliatio n with The Paro usia Network; 3) what questions or issues you need help resolving; and 4) how we can
be of specific and practical help in the building and growth of your house church):
Agreement
W e, the undersigned, by our signatures ascribed below, do hereby indicate our desire and agreem ent to become an
AFFILIATED HOUS E CHUR CH with The Pa rousia Network of Ho use & Cell Churches , and do hereby indicate that we have
read THE OPERATING COVENANT OF THE PAROUSIA NETWORK OF HOUSE & CELL CHURCHES and THE
POLICIES AND PROCEDUR ES MANUAL (as amended) and do agree to be govern ed there by in a ma nner co nsistent w ith
conscience and Scripture:
Na m e Address Phone
Return your completed Affiliation Application to: The Parousia Network, P.O. Box 18793, Spokane, WA 99228
What Do We Believe?
The purpose of doctrinal statements, confessions and creeds has historically been to present the outline, sometimes broad
and sometimes in excruciatingly specific detail, of historic and biblical Christian orthodoxy. In other words, to establish the
boundaries of orthodox Christian faith. On our website we have links to several of the best reco gnize d sta tem ents of his toric
orthodox faith.
There is alwa ys a temptation for a ministry or church to create its own “unique” doctrinal statement. The usual purpose of
this is to establish the minimum standards of acceptable doctrine for its members, while including those unique doctrinal
items which distinguish their particular group or church from all others (You can just imagine what “unique” items the
doctrinal statement of the Independ ent Primitive Foot-wash ing M issio nary Baptists of my native North Carolina must
include!).
W e have taken a different approach in The Pa rousia N etwork . We acknowledge, with all of their differences and
similarities, the great historic confessional creeds of the Christian Church (a list of which along with links can be found on
our website home page under “What We Believe”). In addition we have included in this Equipping Notebook a copy of The
Lausanne Covenant which originated in the 1974 Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization. The Covenant is a clear
expression of historic Evangelical faith with an emphasis upon the calling of the Church to evan gelize the wo rld and to
disc iple the nations. In other wo rds, it is a do ctrina l state me nt tha t focu ses upon the a ctive c alling o f the C hurc h to fu lfill
Chr ist’s Great Commission, which is the active calling of the Ho use C hurch M ovem ent. If we miss this, then we will have
missed the main thing.
The Lausanne Covenant
Introduction
W e, m embers of the Church of Jesus Christ, from more than 150 nations, participants in the International Congress on
W orld Evan gelization at Lau sanne , praise G od for his great sa lvation and rejoice in the fellowship he has given us with
him self and with each other. We are deeply stirred by what God is doing in our day, moved to penitence by our failures and
challenged by the unfinished task of evangelization. We believe the Gospel is God's good news for th e wh ole world, and
we are dete rmine d by his grac e to obey C hrist's com miss ion to proc laim it to all mankind and to mak e disciples of every
nation. W e desire, th erefore , to affirm our faith an d our res olve, and to mak e public ou r coven ant.
1. The Purpose of God
W e affirm our belief in the one-eternal God, Creator and Lord of the world, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who govern all things
according to the purpose of his will. He has been calling out from the world a peop le for himself, and sending his people back
into the world to be his servants and his witnesses, for th e ext ens ion of his k ingdo m, th e build ing up of Ch rist's b ody, and
the glory of his name. W e confess with sham e that we have often denied our calling and failed in our mission, by becoming
conformed to the world or by withdrawing from it. Yet we rejoice that even when born e by ea rthen vess els th e gos pel is s till
a precious treasure. To the task of ma king tha t treasure know n in the pow er of the H oly Spirit we de sire to ded icate
ourselve s anew .
Scripture References: Isa. 40:28; Matt. 28:1 9; Eph. 1:1 1; Acts 15:14; Jo hn 17:6, 1 8; Eph 4 :12; 1 Co r. 5:10; Ro m. 12 :2; II
Cor. 4:7
2. The Autho rity and P owe r of the B ible
W e affirm the divine inspiration, truthfulness and authority of both Old and New Testa men t Scripture s in their entire ty as the
only w ritten w ord o f Go d, with out e rror in all that it affirms, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice. W e also affirm
the power o f God's word to a ccom plish his pu rpose o f salvation. T he m essag e of th e Bible is addressed to all men and
women. For G od's reve lation in Ch rist an d in Sc riptur e is unchangeable. Through it the Holy Spirit still speaks today. He
illumines the m inds of G od's peop le in every culture to perceive its truth freshly through their own eyes and thus discloses
to the who le Churc h ever m ore of the man y-colored w isdom of God .
Scripture Refere nces: II Tim. 3:16; II Pet. 1:21; John 10:35; Isa. 55:11; 1 Cor. 1:21; Rom. 1:16, Matt. 5:17,18; Jude 3; Eph.
1:17,18; 3:10,18
3. The Uniqueness and Universality of Christ
W e affirm that there is only one Saviour and only one gospel, although there is a wide diversity of evangelistic approaches.
W e recognize that everyone has some knowledge of God through his general revelation in nature. But we deny that this can
save, for people suppress the truth by their unrighteousness. W e also reject as derogatory to Christ and the gospel every
kind of syncretism and dialogue which implies that Christ sp eaks equally throu gh all religions and ideo logies. Jes us Ch rist,
being himself the only God-man, who gave himself as the only ransom for sinners, is the only mediator between God and
people. The re is n o oth er na me by whic h we mu st be save d. All men and women are perishing because of sin, but God loves
everyone, not wishing that any should perish but that all should repent. Yet those who reject Christ repudiate the joy of
salvation and condemn themselves to eternal separation from God. To proclaim Jesus as "the Saviour of the world" is not
to affirm that a ll peop le are eithe r auto ma tically o r ultim ately s aved , still les s to a ffirm that a ll religions offer sa lvation in Ch rist.
Rather it is to proc laim G od's love for a world of sinners and to invite everyone to respond to him as Saviour and Lord in the
wholehearted personal commitment of repentance and faith. Jesus Christ has been exalted above every other name; we
long for the day when every kne e shall bow to him a nd ever y tongue s hall confe ss him Lord.
Scripture Ref eren ces : Gal. 1:6-9 ;Rom . 1:18 -32; I T im. 2:5,6; Acts 4:12; Joh n 3:16-1 9; II Pet. 3:9; II Thess. 1:7-9;John 4:42;
Matt. 11:28; Eph. 1:20,21; Phil. 2:9-11
4. The Nature of Evangelism
To evange lize is to spread the good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised from the dead according to the
Scriptures, and that as the reigning Lord he now offers the fo rgive nes s of s ins an d the libera ting g ifts of the S pirit to a ll who
repent and believe. Our Chris tian p rese nce in the w orld is indisp ens able t o eva nge lism , and so is that kind of dialogue whose
purpose is to listen sensitively in order to understand. But evangelism itself is the proclamation of the historical, biblical Christ
as Saviour and Lord, with a view to persuading people to come to him personally and so be reconciled to God. In issuing
the gospel invitation we have no liberty to conceal the cost of discipleship. Jesus still calls all who would follow him to deny
themselves, take up their cross, and identify themselves with his new community. The results of evangelism include
obedien ce to Ch rist, incorpo ration into his Churc h and re spons ible service in the world.
Scripture References: I Cor. 15:3,4; Acts 2: 32-39; John 20:21; I Cor. 1:23; II Cor. 4:5; 5:11,20; Luke 14:25-33; Mark 8:34;
Acts 2:40,47; Mark 10:43-4 5)
5. Christian Social Resp onsibility
W e affirm that God is both the Creator and the Judge of all men. We therefore should share his concern for justice and
reconciliation throughout human society and for the liberation of men and women from every kind of oppression. Because
men and women are made in the image of God, every person, regardless of race, religion, colour, culture, class, sex or age,
has an intrinsic dignity because of which he or she should be respected and served, not exploited. Here too we express
penitence both for our neglect and for having sometimes regarded evangelism and social concern as mutually exclusive.
Although reconciliation with other people is not reconciliation with God, nor is social action evangelism, nor is political
liberation salvation, nevertheless we affirm that evangelism and socio-political involvement are both part of our Christian
duty. For both are necessa ry expressions of our doctrines of God and man, our love for our neighbour and our obedience
to Jesus Christ. The message of salvation implies also a messag e of judgmen t upon every form of alienation, oppression
and discrimination, and we should n ot be afra id to denounce evil and injustice wherever they exist. W hen people receive
Christ they are born again into his kingdom and must seek n ot only to exh ibit but also to s pread its righteousness in the midst
of an unrighteous world . The salva tion w e claim shou ld be tr ans form ing us in the t otality o f our pers ona l and s ocia l
respon sibilities. Faith witho ut work s is dead .
Scripture Refere nces: A cts 17:26,31; Gen. 18:25; Isa. 1:17; Psa. 45:7; Gen. 1:26,27; Jas. 3:9; Lev. 19:18; Luke 6:27,35;
Jas. 2:14-26; Joh. 3:3,5; Matt. 5:20; 6:33; II Cor. 3:18; Jas. 2:20
6. The Church and Evangelism
W e affirm that C hrist s end s his redeemed people into the world as the Father sent him, and that this calls for a similar deep
and cos tly pen etrat ion of the w orld. W e nee d to b reak out o f our ecc lesias tical g hetto s and perm eate non- Chr istian soc iety.
In the Church's mission of sacrificial service evangelism is prim ary. World evangelization requires the whole Church to take
the whole go spel to the w hole w orld. T he C hurc h is at the very centre of God's cosmic purpose and is his appointed means
of spre ading the g osp el. Bu t a ch urch whic h pre ach es th e cro ss m ust its elf be marked by the cross. It becomes a stumbling
block to eva nge lism whe n it bet rays the gospel or lacks a living faith in God, a genuine love for people, or scrupulous hones ty
in all things including promotion and finance. The church is the community of God's people rather than an institution, and
mus t not be iden tified with any pa rticular culture , social or po litical system , or hum an ideolog y.
Scripture References: John 17:18; 20:21; Matt. 28:19,20; Acts 1:8; 20:27; Eph. 1:9,10; 3:9-11; Gal. 6:14,17; II Cor. 6:3,4;
II Tim. 2:19-21; Phil. 1:27
7. Co-operation in Evangelism
W e affirm that the Church's visible unity in truth is God's purpose. Evangelism also summons us to unity, because our
oneness strengthens our witness, just as our disunity undermines our gospel of reconciliation. We recognize, however, that
organisational unity may take many forms and does not necessarily forward evangelism. Yet we who share the same biblical
faith should be closely united in fellowship, work and witness. We confess that our testimony has sometimes been marred
by a sinful individu alism a nd nee dless du plication. W e pledg e our selve s to s eek a dee per u nity in truth, worship, holiness
and mission. We urge the development of regional and functional cooperation for the furtherance of the Church's mission,
for strateg ic planning , for mu tual enco uragem ent, and fo r the sha ring of res ources and ex perienc e.
Scripture References: John 17:21,23; Eph. 4:3,4; John 13:35; Phil. 1:27; John 17:11-23
8. Chu rches in Eva ngelist ic Partn ership
W e rejoice tha t a new m issionary er a has d awned . The do mina nt role of we stern m issions is fa st disappearing. G od is
raising up from the younger churches a great new resource for world evangelization, and is thus demonstrating that the
responsibility to evangelise belongs to the whole body of Christ. All churches should therefore be asking God and
themselves what they s hou ld be d oing b oth to reac h the ir own are a and to s end m issionaries to other pa rts of the w orld. A
reevaluation of our m issionary re spons ibility and role s hou ld be c ontin uou s. Th us a g rowin g par tners hip of chur che s will
develop and the universal character of Christ's Church will be more clearly exhibited. We also thank God for agencies which
labor in Bible translation, theological education, the mass media, Christian literature, evangelism, missions, church renewal
and other specialist fields. They too should engage in constant self-exa mina tion to evalua te their effectiveness as part of
the Chu rch's m ission.
Scripture References: Ro m. 1:8; Phil. 1:5; 4:15; Acts 13:1-3, I Thess. 1:6-8
9. The Urgency of the Evangelistic Task
More than 2,700 million people, which is more than two-thirds of all humanity, have yet to be evangelised. We are ashamed
that so m any ha ve be en ne glec ted; it is a standing rebuke to us and to the whole Church. There is now, however, in many
parts of the world a n unpre ceden ted rece ptivity to the Lord Jesus Christ. We are convinced that this is the time for churches
and para-church agencies to pray earnestly for the salvation of the unr eache d and to launc h new effo rts to a chie ve wo rld
evangelization. A reduction of foreign missionaries and money in an evangelised country may sometimes be nec essary to
facilitate the na tional ch urch's grow th in s elf-re liance and t o rele ase reso urce s for unev ang elised area s. Mis sion aries shou ld
flow ever more freely from and to all six continents in a spirit of humble service. The goal should be, by all available means
and at the earliest possible time, that every person will have the opportunity to hear, understand, and to receive the good
news. W e cannot hope to attain this goal without sacrifice. All of us are shocked by the poverty of millions and disturbed by
the injustices which causes it. Those of us who live in affluent circumstances acc ept o ur du ty to de velop a sim ple life -style
in order to c ontribute m ore gen erously to bo th relief and evange lism.
Scripture References: John 9:4; Matt. 9:35-38; Rom. 9:1-3; I Cor. 9:19-23; Mark 16:15; Isa. 58:6,7; Jas. 1:27 ; 2:1-9; Ma tt.
25:31-46; Acts 2:44,45; 4:34,35
10. Evan gelism a nd Cu lture
The development of strategies for world evangelization calls for imaginative pioneering methods. Under God, the resu lt will
be the ris e of c hurc hes deep ly roote d in C hrist a nd clo sely related to their culture. Culture must always be tested and judged
by Scripture. Because m en and wom en are God's creatures , some of their culture is rich in beauty and goodness. Because
they are fallen, all of it is tainted with sin and some of it is demonic. The gospel does not presuppose the superiority of any
culture to another, but evaluates all cultures according to its own criteria of truth and righteousness, and insists on moral
absolutes in every culture. Missions have all too frequently exported with the gospel an alien culture and churches have
sometimes been in bondage to culture rather than to Scripture. Christ's evangelists must humbly seek to empty themselves
of all but their pe rsonal au thenticity in order to become the servants of others, and churches must seek to transform and
enrich c ulture, all for the glory of Go d.
Scripture Refere nces: M ark 7:8,9 ,13; Ge n. 4:21,22 ; I Cor. 9:19 -23; Phil. 2:5- 7; II Cor. 4:5
11. Edu cation and L eader ship
W e confess that we have sometimes pursued church growth at the expense of church depth, and divorced evangelism from
Christian nurture. We also acknowledge that some of our missions have been too slow to equip and encoura ge national
leaders to assume their rightful responsibilities. Yet we are committed to indigenous principles, and long that every church
will have national leaders who manifest a Christian style of leadership in terms not of dom ination but o f service. W e
recogn ize that there is a great need to improve theological education, especially for church leaders. In every nation and
culture there should be an effective training programme for pastors and laity in doctrine, discipleship, evangelism, nurture
and service. Such training programmes should not rely on any stereotyped methodology but should be d eveloped by creative
local initiatives ac cording to biblical stan dards.
Scripture References: Col. I:27,28; Acts 14:23; Tit. 1:5,9; Mark 10:42-45; Eph. 4:11,12
12. Spiritual Conflict
W e believe that we are engaged in constant spiritual warfare with the principalities and powers of evil, who are seekin g to
overthrow the Chu rch and frustrate its task of world evangelization. We know our need to equip ourselves with God's armour
and to fight this battle with the spiritual weapo ns of truth and pra yer. For we detect the activity of our enemy, not only in false
ideologies outside the Church, but also inside it in false gospels which twist Scripture and put people in the place of God.
W e need both watc hfuln ess and d isce rnm ent to safe gua rd the biblica l gosp el. We acknowledge that we ourselves are not
immune to worldliness of thoughts and action, that is, to a surrender to secularism. For example, although careful studies
of church growth, both numerical and spiritual, are right and valuable, we have sometimes neglected them. At other times,
desirous to ensure a response to the gospel, we have compromised our message, manipulated our hearers through
pressure techniques, and b eco me undu ly preo ccu pied w ith sta tistics or ev en dis hon est in our u se of them . All this is wor ldly.
The C hurch m ust be in the world; the w orld m ust not be in the Chu rch.
Scripture References: Eph. 6:12; II Cor. 4:3,4; Eph. 6:11,13-18; II Cor. 10:3-5; I John 2:18-26; 4:1-3; Gal. 1:6-9; II Cor. 2:17;
4:2; John 17:15
13. Freedom and Persecution
It is the God-appointed duty of every government to secure conditions of peace, justice and liberty in which the Church may
obey God, serve the Lord Jesus Christ, and preach the gospel without interference. We therefore pray for the leaders of
nations and call upon them to guarantee freedom of thought and conscience, and freedom to practise and pro pagate religion
in accordance with the will of God and as set forth in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We also express our deep
concern for all who have been unjustly imprisoned, and especially for those who are suffering for their testim ony to the Lord
Jesus. W e promise to pray and work for their freedom. At the same time we refuse to be intimidated by their fate. God
helping us, we too will seek to stand against injustice and to remain faithful to the gospel, whatever the cost. We do not
forget the warning s of Jes us that pe rsecutio n is inevitable.
Scripture References: I Tim. 1:1-4, Acts 4:19; 5:29; Col. 3:24; Heb. 13:1-3; Luk e 4:1 8; Ga l. 5:11; 6:12; Matt. 5:10-12; John
15:18-21
14. Th e Pow er of the Holy Sp irit
W e believ e in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Father sent his Spirit to bear witness to his Son, without his witness ours is
futile. Conviction of sin, faith in Christ, new birth and Christian growth are all his work. Further, the Holy Spirit is a missionary
spirit; thus evangelism should arise spontaneously from a Spirit-filled chur ch. A chur ch th at is n ot a m issio nary c hurc h is
contradicting itself and quen chin g the Spirit. W orldw ide ev ang elizatio n will be com e a re alistic poss ibility only w hen the S pirit
renews the Church in truth and wisdom, faith, holiness, love and power. We therefore call upon all Christians to pray for such
a visita tion o f the s over eign S pirit of G od th at all his fruit m ay app ear in all his p eop le and that a ll his gifts may enrich the
body of Christ. Only then will the whole world become a fit instrument in his hands, that the whole earth may hear his voice.
Scripture References: I Cor. 2:4; John 15:26;27; 16:8-11; I Cor. 12:3; John 3:6-8; II Cor. 3:18; John 7:37-39; I Thess. 5:19;
Acts 1:8; Psa. 85:4-7; 67:1-3; Gal. 5:22,23; I Cor. 12:4-31; Rom . 12:3-8
15. The Return of Christ
W e believe that Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly, in power and glory, to cons um ma te his salva tion a nd his
judgm ent. This promise of his coming is a further spur to our evangelism, for we remember his words that the gospel must
first be prea ched to all nations. W e believe th at the interim period be tween C hrist's asc ension a nd return is to be filled with
the mis sion of the peop le of G od, w ho ha ve no liberty to stop before the end. We also remem ber his warning that false
Christs and f alse prop hets will arise as precursors of the final Anti-christ. We therefore reject as a proud, self-confident
dream the notion that people can ever build a utopia on earth. Our Christian confidence is that God will perfect his kingdom,
and we look forward with eage r anticipation to that d ay, an d to th e new heav en an d ear th in w hich righte ous nes s will dw ell
and God will reign forever. Meanwhile, we rededicate ourselves to the service of Christ and of people in joyful submission
to his auth ority over the w hole of ou r lives.
Scripture References: Ma rk 14:62; Heb. 9:28; Mark 13:10; Acts 1:8-11; Matt. 28:20; Mark 13:21-23; John 2:18; 4:1-3; Luke
12:32; Rev. 21:1-5; II Pet. 3:13; Matt. 28:18
Conclusion
The refo re, in the light of this o ur faith and our reso lve, we en ter into a so lemn covena nt with God a nd with ea ch othe r, to
pray, to plan and to work together for the evangelization of the who le wo rld. W e call u pon othe rs to jo in us. May G od he lp
us by his grace and for his glory to be faithful to this our covenant! Amen, Alleluia!
Index
Apo stle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23, 58-60, 65, 108, 130, 134-136, 142, 143, 183, 194, 212, 217, 224, 228, 229, 240, 242, 253
Apostolic Migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10, 23-25, 27, 30, 32, 95, 131, 183
Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39, 40, 100, 121, 128, 130, 134, 137, 138, 145, 147, 155, 158, 215, 235-247, 305, 309
Baggage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 24, 70, 114, 128-132, 139, 147, 252, 264
Com mun ity . . . . 10, 22, 23, 27-29, 32, 49-51, 54, 60, 64, 68, 72, 74, 77, 78, 80, 83, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92-94, 97, 101, 108,
109, 113-121, 125, 128-130, 132, 140, 144, 146, 148, 154, 157, 169, 175, 181, 186, 187, 192-199, 207,
208, 210, 211, 214, 215, 223, 226, 227, 244, 301, 306
Covering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80, 115, 121, 137, 154, 235-246
Dialogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49, 88, 97, 141, 142, 147, 251, 306
Disc iplesh ip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 12, 27, 103, 105, 134, 167, 169-174, 184, 186, 198, 231, 306, 308
DNA Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72-75, 77, 93-95, 105, 129, 132
Doctrine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42, 72, 133, 141, 144, 145, 170, 185, 204, 219, 235-242, 244-246, 301, 305, 308
Emerging Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10, 11, 17, 21, 22, 32, 171, 182, 227, 233
Evangelism . . 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, 28, 31, 36, 59, 60, 67, 77-79, 90, 91, 99, 100, 103-105, 118, 126, 128, 130, 144, 154,
194, 196, 198, 203, 209, 212, 221, 231, 306-308
Evangelist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29, 30, 65, 134, 182, 229
Exte nde d Fa mily . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 22, 26, 27, 32, 64, 65, 71, 72, 78, 91-93, 101, 125, 128, 130, 132-134, 140, 186, 246
Ezekiel 47 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 11-13, 27, 31, 58-60, 77, 90, 121, 157, 181, 225, 247, 301
Fasting . . 11, 12, 27, 30, 60, 74, 88, 96, 101, 106, 114, 115, 151, 153-159, 162, 163, 172, 173, 178, 184, 187, 188, 196,
202, 207-211, 213-216, 301
Finances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143, 193, 219, 220
Gifts . . . . 22, 31, 60, 73, 119, 130, 133, 135-138, 141, 144, 146, 154, 172, 173, 184, 186, 193, 195, 201, 218, 227-230,
238, 244, 246, 255, 277, 301, 306, 308
Giving . . . 20, 21, 39, 41, 68, 72, 74, 75, 78, 83, 102, 103, 119, 143, 144, 146, 147, 155, 172, 173, 182, 185, 195, 211,
215, 217-221, 236, 239, 251, 256, 260, 282
Gospel of John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 85, 249, 251, 253
House Church . . . 1, 9-13, 17, 22, 23, 25-28, 49, 50, 57, 60, 61, 63, 64, 67-70, 72-75, 78-80, 87, 88, 90, 93-96, 98-106,
115, 119, 120, 125-147, 154, 155, 157, 159, 164, 169-173, 179, 181-188, 194, 207, 217, 221, 227, 230-
233, 236, 238, 251-253, 301-305
Intercession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 95, 103, 114, 137, 141, 151, 153-163, 187, 202
Intercessors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60, 73, 137, 153, 155, 156, 158-162, 181, 202, 203, 210
Katartidzo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135, 136, 169, 246
Kingdom of God . . 10, 11, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25-27, 29, 32, 48-50, 52, 54, 60, 64, 65, 67, 70, 72, 73, 75, 77-79, 83-88,
90-97, 104, 105, 109, 114-116, 119, 120, 122, 125-127, 129, 130, 132, 136, 143, 144, 149, 154, 157,
158, 161, 162, 170, 173, 175, 177, 183-186, 211, 223, 225, 229-232, 251, 252, 301
Lea ders hip . . . 10, 19, 22, 23, 30, 38, 53, 69, 83, 86-88, 94, 103, 119, 126, 131, 133-138, 147, 184, 185, 194, 195, 197,
199, 210, 215, 217, 223, 225, 227, 228, 230-232, 236-238, 240-244, 246, 247, 268, 290, 302, 307, 308
Market Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 17, 30, 70, 111, 113-122, 142, 186, 187, 207, 209, 215
Modernism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 10, 18, 33, 35-40, 42-51, 54, 57, 84, 87
Money . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 20, 24, 71, 87, 119, 129, 141, 143, 171, 172, 176, 185, 187, 217, 218, 220, 221, 236, 261, 307
Multiplication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 99, 100, 102, 103, 125, 181, 183, 204, 236
Multip ly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71, 99-103, 105, 184, 185
Mutual Ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94, 136-138
Neighborhood . 11, 12, 17, 26, 79, 81, 83-98, 100-102, 105, 107, 120, 121, 125, 146, 147, 154, 169, 175, 186-188, 198,
223, 225, 226, 237, 301
Off Broadway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83, 84, 86-90, 94, 105, 223, 231
Oikos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64, 70, 83, 91, 92, 94, 183, 186, 187, 252
Paradigm . . . 1, 9, 10, 17, 18, 20-27, 31, 32, 35, 40, 48, 50, 51, 57, 58, 70, 84, 89, 93, 97, 100, 103, 104, 143, 183, 188,
193, 199, 227
Pastor . 19, 32, 37, 47, 49, 57, 95, 99, 101, 113, 116, 117, 119, 125, 134, 135, 140, 154, 156, 157, 161, 170, 181, 193,
194, 196-198, 201, 204, 207, 208, 215, 217, 224, 227, 229, 235-237, 240, 246, 247
Person of Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84, 89, 91, 92, 102, 109
Plausibility Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50, 51, 54, 70
Post Christian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17, 18, 26, 35-38, 40, 42-48, 50, 52, 53, 83, 84, 98, 115
Post Modern . . 1, 9, 10, 12, 17, 18, 20, 26, 32, 35-39, 41, 43, 44, 46-54, 57, 71-73, 83, 84, 87, 88, 90, 95-98, 115, 128,
130, 132, 138, 140-145, 159, 187
Post Modernism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 10, 18, 33, 35-38, 40, 43-51, 54, 57, 84, 87
Prayer 11, 12, 17, 22, 27, 29, 30, 35, 37, 43, 60, 71-74, 85, 88, 90-96, 100-106, 108, 113-118, 121, 137, 139-141, 146,
151, 153-165, 172, 173, 175-178, 181-184, 186-188, 191, 197, 198, 201-205, 207-211, 213-216, 226,
236, 301, 308
Pre-modernism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38-40, 43
Prophet . . 17, 44, 58, 60, 76, 143, 181, 185, 197, 207, 210, 214, 215, 223, 229, 239, 243, 245, 257, 258, 261, 262, 267-
270, 279, 280, 283, 284, 289, 292
Repentance 26, 30, 46, 149, 154, 155, 171, 191, 192, 204, 207-216, 251, 258, 260, 262, 264, 266, 269, 271, 274, 275,
296, 306
Revival . . 9, 11, 13, 17, 22, 27-32, 35, 41, 57, 59, 65, 74, 88, 93, 104, 113-122, 127, 139, 140, 146, 153-158, 173, 181,
182, 201-204, 207-216, 233, 301
Safe House of Hope & Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90-96, 101, 105
Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36, 75, 84, 85, 92, 93, 109, 132, 134, 140, 141, 169, 170, 195, 197, 198, 229, 251, 273, 295
Teaching . 11, 25, 26, 36, 41, 58-60, 65, 68, 71-73, 75, 85, 91, 93, 94, 100, 103, 119, 121, 137, 140, 141, 144-146, 156,
157, 162, 171, 172, 181, 183-185, 195, 212, 219, 221, 233, 236, 239, 240, 242, 243, 246, 251, 266, 268,
270, 288, 290, 292, 301
Transformation . 10, 11, 17, 21-23, 28, 29, 50, 81, 83, 84, 86, 88-90, 92, 93, 97, 101, 103, 105, 111, 113-122, 146, 157,
173, 175, 184, 186, 187, 193, 197, 198, 207, 208, 210, 211, 214-219, 223-225, 227, 236
Wesley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119, 125-127, 139, 147, 155, 172, 173, 176, 182, 203, 213, 214, 220
W orsh ip . . . . 10, 22, 26, 38, 57, 60, 63, 66-69, 73, 74, 83, 85, 93-95, 114, 115, 119, 125, 128, 131, 132, 137-141, 143,
144, 146, 147, 155, 159, 161, 162, 181, 187, 188, 197, 230, 244, 252, 266, 267, 269, 288, 289, 307

A Kingdom A People and A River-House Church

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A Kingdom, A People & A River

by R. Maurice Smith, M.A.

The Parousia Network

© Copyright 2006 The P arousia Network

Published b y: Distributed by:

Teen-Aid, Inc The Parousia N etwork

Module 1: Zen And The Art Of Riding Dead Horses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Module 2: Post Modernism And “A Pain In The Mind” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Module 3: A Kingdom, A People & A River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Mod ule 4: Th e DNA of Kingdo m Ho use Ch urch M inistry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Module 5: Kingdom Transformation In Your Neighborhood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Module 6: Kingdom Transformation In Your Market Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Mo dule 9: Perso nal Dis ciplesh ip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Appendix A - Articles Referenced In This Workbook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Appendix B - 7 Reasons To Believe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

Appendix C - Parousia Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Of W ells, Batt leships & M emo rials

O.K., I’m almost done, but not quite.

Let the River flow!

Zen And The Art Of Riding Dead Horses

Prepare to Have Your Paradigm Shaken

Zen And The Art of Riding Dead Horses

O Pray that the dead horse will be resurrected.

O Move the dead horse to a new location.

10 Myth s About C hurch L eavers

O Myth Three: Those with children are less likely to leave.

O Myth Five: The peop le who leave lack co mmitm ent.

O Myth Six: Leavers don't have an adequate grounding in the faith.

O Myth Nine: They'll be coming back.

The C ollapse o f The T raditional C hurch C ulture

Tough Questions, Revolution and The Emerging Church

O It is les s inst itution al and mo re org anic and p erso nal.

O It is an extended family, rather than an extensive organization.

What Difference Does It Make?

Th e Pro bl em o f Sh iftin g F ro m Old to N e w Par adigm s

Wolfgang Simson’s “5 Steps of Apostolic Migration”

New Paradigms Arising

Pa rad ig m S h if t # 1 : F r om “ G ro w in g Ou r C hurch” To “B uilding God’s K ingdom ”

Paradigm Shift # 3: Fro m A P aradigm of A Sw immin g Pool T o A Para digm o f A River

Refl ect io n s on R e viv al & Sh iftin g Par a dig ms

Conclusion (or Beginning?)

Let the River flow!

, How do you see t he C hurc h fun ction ing as an ex tend ed fa mily?

A “Paradigm Shifting” Reading List

W allis, Arthur. In The D ay of Th y Pow er. Columbia: Cityhill Publishing. 1997.

Emerging :: Church : www.emergingc hurch.org

Emergent Village: www.emergentvillage.com

Leonard Sweet’s Home Page: www.leonardsweet.com

Vintage Faith: www.vintagefaith.com

Post Modernism And “A Pain In The Mind”

The w orld is cha nged.

Welcome to our Post-Christian Post-Modern world.

The World That Once W as

A Post-C hristian Post-M odern Quiz (For the Culturally Impaired)

1. “Say, have you heard of the four spiritual laws?”

Post Modern Hemlines

Post Ca rds From the Edg e of A Post C hristian Cu lture

The “First Age” of Man: Pre-Modernism

The “Second Age” of Man: Mod ernism

Francis Schaeffer des cribed it in terms of all encompassing ph ilosophical “circles”:

The Impact of Ideas and Rain Drops

Post Modernism, The Circle and The Line

A Post Christian Post Modern Quiz - Reprise