Have you seen this clip?  It was made a couple of years ago.  But I came across it again the other day while researching a church planting organization.  Though the clip is not new, I believe it’s worth checking out again.  Jeff Maguire did a fun job describing the authentic Kingdom life which he refers to as Missional living.  The point being that authentic Christ followers are all called to live out the Kingdom of God in their own daily lives.  Sharing the message and love of Christ is the call of every Christian and not merely the domain of the decorated.  Remember, the CHURCH is not a building; but the people.  So whatever your niche in the Kingdom, be sure to be “missional” about it today.  Enjoy and implement!

I was blessed to be part of the Crossings “Share Fair” 2010 event this past Saturday.  To me it was just another wonderful example of a local body of Christ putting their faith into practice by coming up with creative ways to serve their extended community.  The “Fair” was a great success this year as we gathered donations and gifts and networking with a local school, were able to get them into the lives of families in our area who are struggling.  A HUGE thanks goes out to Larry Foster who handled the goliath share of the details which made everything come together.  I also want say thanks to everyone who helped with the setup, teardown, and serving throughout the day.  In all, “Share Fair” was just another reason why you rock Cypress Crossings.  So keep up the good work and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Alright, show of hands here.  How many of you actually enjoyed taking history classes in High School?  Yup, that’s probably about right.  History is not the most popular subject with a lot of folks and that’s ok.  On the other hand, I’m one of those wired guys who actually enjoyed the study.  Don’t know, but maybe it’s just because I liked blowing an hour going to the film room at Tascosa High to watch a WWII documentary instead of sitting through Geometry.  But history does have important lessons to teach us in creating a more successful future.  If we take time to examine the good and bad decisions and the lives of those who have gone before us, we can learn from their victories and mistakes.  So it is with the CHURCH.  The first followers of Christ were so much like Jesus that they were actually called “Christians” for the first time in Antioch (Acts 11:26).  But how can that kind of “church” be realized today?  By that I don’t mean the wearing of a term, but actually being and living in such a way that others will see the real Christ and His Kingdom in us.  One of the ways to realize this is to rediscover the ancient church before man made traditions set in.  With that in mind, we’re going to take a few months to periodically examine what the early church looked like from the book of Acts and extra biblical sources written prior to the second or third century.  This was a period prior to the institutionalization of the church.  Writing about this era, Eberhard Arnold remarks that “The original witness of the church must lead us all, though still in very different camps, into the unity and purity of the clear light.”  Yes I know that there are some folks who would chuck this pursuit as being just too impractical for the modern Western thinker.  But I tend to agree with Roland Allen who rightly summed up the issue well in stating that, “In no other work do we set the great masters wholly on one side, and teach the students of today that whatever they may copy, they may not copy them, because they lived in a different age under exceptional circumstances and were endowed with exceptional genius.”  In every other pursuit, we take into consideration what past and ancient leaders have exemplified, so it would stand to reason that we can do so in living out the Kingdom and Church life as well.  Let’s take some time to rethink CHURCH in light of the ancient order of things.  What about you, have there been examples in your Church experience that more resembled western American culture or some other custom above simple Christian spirituality?

Recently we had our first “Official” membership class at the Crossings and it was a lot of fun.  It was just neat to see so many new and old faces excited about what God is doing in our own little part of the Kingdom.  It was neat to see people stepping up to the plate in heartfelt commitment.  Now I understand that in the greater body of Christ there’s been some debate as to what to do with Church membership.  Some claim it is not a Biblical principle and others hold the opposite position and see it as a great practicality for our day.  On my part I lean toward the second camp, so I’ve listed 7 reasons at the bottom of the post as to why we’ve gone with a formal membership at The Crossings.  But I think the greatest reason why I fall on the side of a designated church membership for the located body of Christ actually comes from a true story from our time in the former Soviet Union. 

The specific event actually took place about a year before Deb and I arrived in Moscow to help with a new church and the establishing of a Bible College.  It was the process of forming that new church that shaped how I think about “membership”. 

Lenin at Red Square

When Russia opened up and a number of people in Moscow embraced Jesus Christ, they began to come together as an official church to meet on a regular basis.  The State allowed them to do so but required them to provide evidence showing that they were indeed a legal church entity abiding by the laws.  So the Russian authorities asked for at least a dozen people in the church to come forward and submit copies of their pass ports for proof of the organization’s legitimacy.  This they did.  At least 12 Russian adults who had grown up under the Iron Curtain complied and their information was submitted.  Now that doesn’t sound like too big of an issue for us in the West and especially in the U.S.  I mean, we give our Social Security and Driver’s license numbers often when filling out documents.  But the big deal for these folks is that by giving out their information they were possibly putting their lives on the line if the winds of politics changed in Russia and the old guard Soviet Union came back.  Many of these people had relatives or knew people who were taken by the Soviet KGB in years gone by for religious reasons. So this was a heavy decision for them.  But they cared so much about committing to a local body of believers that they were more than willing to take the risk.  They had a level of discipleship and commitment that many in the US simply don’t understand. 

So when it came down to it, I decided that it was more than acceptable if not expected to ask those wishing to join The Crossings to attend a class and sign a commitment card. 

But for those who are still chewing on this issue, check out the seven reasons below.  What would you add?  (or not add)

 Why Make a Commitment?

 The difference between “attendees” and “belonging” can be summed up in one word:  commitment.

 At The Cypress Crossings Christian Church we recognize the need to be a membership-based church and therefore ask you to commit to membership for a least seven reasons:

1.  A Biblical Reason:  Christ is committed to the church.  “Christ loved the church, and He gave his life for it.” Ephesians 5:25

2.  A Cultural Reason:  It is an antidote in our society.  We live in an age where very few want to be committed to anything; job, marriage, and country.  This attitude has produced a generation of church ‘shoppers and hoppers’.  Membership swims against the current of America’s consumer religion.  It provides a model for our society on the value of belonging.

3.  A Practical Reason:  It defines who can be counted upon.  Every team must have a roster.  Every school must have an enrollment.  Even our country takes a census and requires voter registration.  Membership identifies our family.

4.  A Personal Reason:  It produces spiritual growth.  The New Testament places a major emphasis on the need for Christians to be accountable to each other for spiritual growth.  You cannot be accountable when you are not committed to any specific church family.

5.  A Creative Reason:  It creates the type of future we desire.  Commitments are greatly misunderstood in our culture – they are often seen as something that ‘ties us down’ or holds us back.  But commitments aren’t constraints, they are road maps.  They are the tools that God uses to shape our future!  Our commitments help us create the type of life and future that will glorify God and fulfill us.  We make our commitments, but in the end our commitments make us.

6.  A “Same Page” Reason:  Membership does not mean uniformity, but it does mean unity.  As followers of Christ we are all different and there is really a lot of freedom in the Church of Jesus Christ for all kinds of practices.  But when we commit to the same mission and values of the church we commit to each other as a football team commits to the same play book.  By doing this we avoid division and commit to going forward together in strength and unity.

7.  A Legal Reason:  It shows our willing submission to the authorities.  In order for us to benefit from non-profit status and 501c3 standing, we must be able to clearly illustrate and define to the State what our membership is.  This shows that we are indeed a non-profit entity by their standards.

Deb and I still have a bunch of really great friends back in Nor. Cal who will always be a part of our lives and the Kingdom effort.  One friend that is somewhat new to me is a great guy named Troy who has been involved in church planting and discipleship for a while and is really striving to know God.  Troy and Dawn live on the edge for Christ and I really appreciate their wisdom and input.  So, I was strolling down one of Troy’s blogs yesterday and came across a recent post he put up.  I thought that it really fit some of the discussions we’ve had on Kingdomology and the CHURCH.  In particular, do we really need to go to church every Sunday or is that just something archaic and for our grandparents.  I’ve got some thoughts, but check out Troy’s post, chew on it for a bit, and I’ll get back to you in a few days.

 Thanks Troy,

From, Sacred Scribbling. by Troy Dean.

This week I am away for a few days of solitude and reflection. This is the third Spring I have visited St. Columba Retreat House. It’s located on the Point Reyes Peninsula. I typically take a hike each day somewhere I can hear the waves crashing and see wildlife unseen in Lincoln (elephant seals). There is a historic lighthouse at the very end of the point. Many folks travel the winding roads pass a number of historic farms to come to visit and whale watch for a few moments. There are 300+ steps down to the lighthouse from the visitor’s center. It’s usually quite windy and sometimes foggy. The interesting thing about this particular lighthouse is that it no longer is lit. It does still have a loud fog horn that goes every 30 seconds, yet the light no longer is shining. It’s not due to budget cuts either. A number of years ago it was made automatic but now is dark. The information center states that since so much of our navigational equipment has advanced to include satellites and GPS maps, the light is no longer necessary. Modern day shipping no longer needs lighthouses.

It seems to me that might be said about what many think about the Church today because technology has given us a buffet for our spiritual appetites. We have a ton of unique and helpful Bible translations and tools to help us navigate the scriptures. We can listen to a favorite teacher or message via podcast. We have access to so many worship songs through sites like iTunes that we can construct our own personal worship set. We have big and comfortable homes to connect with our friends and host a family BBQ. We even have PayPal to help us give to those charities and compassion projects that personally move us. We can do everything that we do on a Sunday through our homes and the advanced technology of the internet. So who needs Sunday (or Saturday) church? It seems that modern Christians no longer need churches.  Can’t we just sit in front of our glossy screens (mine is an iPad) as belonging becomes an online customizable experience?  Do we really need the gathered church?

Before I respond to this critique, allow yourself to take a few moments and reflect on the question. Why do we need Church? Especially our weekend gatherings?

What do you think?

Oksana and the Blinchiki

I’ve always said that I could eat Tex-Mex food two or three times a week and I think that’s probably true.  But tonight was a dinner full of memories as we got together with some friends in North Houston for Borscht and Blinchiki.  Our chef, Oksana, is from Uzbekistan which used to be part of the Soviet Union.  So it was a lot of fun trying to remember our Russian and the names of the great dishes we had while living in Moscow back in the mid 90s.  I love trying foods from all over the world.  Probably the worst thing I’ve ever eaten was on a college internship in Chile back in 88 and I’d say that the best food I’ve ever had was in Nagaland, India.  But I think one of the greatest parts of these fun food festivities is not just the palate, but the friendships, culture, and Kingdom experiences that come along with them.  Cultural because we are all different and I love that.  But from the Kingdom standpoint, it is a reminder that the Kingdom of Heaven is not an American thing, but a God thing.  The real Kingdom of God, or Heaven, is something that Jesus said is within us.  It stretches all over the world and across time.  It will continue to expand in the hearts and minds of God’s children until Christ comes back.  So in a very real sense, the Kingdom is all over the world and transcends all cultures.  Having grown up in Texas, you could say that Tex-Mex really is a “national” or cultural reality for me.  But because the Kingdom of God is so big, there is really no one “national food” for Kingdom citizens.  But rather, it’s kind of a multi course banquet.  Now THAT smells good.  Fish Tacos anyone?

Ok Bonnie,
There’s a lot you have to say and I like your honesty and being upfront. No need to play games here. So with everything you wrote, (and didn’t write) we’ll just tackle one point at a time.

As I noted earlier, there exists a counterfeit church today which is quite foreign from the real deal. But there is always an element of the real CHURCH in the world no matter what kind of institution is being propagated. You can read more about the authentic church here in Kingdomology under the CHURCH page. But in short, the Church has nothing to do with buildings or institutions. The authentic Church is more about God’s people called to him. When it comes to people, yes, you are quite right, there are a lot of people who make great claims about being good “Christians” but don’t seem to be any different than the rest of the world other than just being a religious pain in the rear because of self-righteousness. I get that. But here are some other points to consider.

1. Possibly these folks are really not Christians. In other words I can say I’m a Muslim because I go to a mosque. But that doesn’t change who I am on the inside. An apple can say it’s an orange, but that doesn’t make one fruit the other. Pt? Judge a tree by its fruit and not by what it says.

2. Possibly these “Hypocrites” are followers of Christ, but have lost their way. In one sense, everyone is a hypocrite about something. A guy plays pro-ball, but blows it from time to time. Can he still say he’s a pro-ball player or is he a hypocrite?

3. Could be that they are just sadly misguided. They have not been properly taught about what it really means to follow Christ. They took the ‘fire insurance’ but didn’t connect the life change.

4. Just because there are hypocrites out there, that does not mean that God or the CHURCH in its purest sense is wrong. You’ve spoken of loving Texas. There are some real nut jobs from Texas. Does that mean that all Texans are weird?

5. In conclusion, I just want to throw out a challenge to everyone who hates the church. I understand you’ve been jaded and I want to apologize for that. I understand that you’ve been wronged and I’m sorry. I do love people who don’t like the Church and want to be friends with them. But real friendships are two way streets so I just want to ask that everyone consider at least two things to start with.

a. Look to the real church. Consider all the major institutions in the West which exist to help mankind that were actually started by the church and Christ followers long ago. The Red Cross, most hospitals, and the YMCA. Even Harvard was founded for the purpose of better educating itinerant preachers without resources. Do I say it, but the “SALVATION ARMY”? So don’t waste your time on the counterfeits, but look to the source. Look to Jesus alone.

b. Be honest. Critics of the Church have been honest with their gripes and I’m happy and open for that. But I also want to ask that they honestly examine their own hearts as well. In other words, are the arguments people bring up against God really that solid or just a mask for rebellion? I’ve had good friends in the past who have rejected Christ and the Church, but when it all came clean, it was just an issue of choosing to say no to God because they didn’t want to submit to a higher power. In short, they wanted to be Master of their own destiny and didn’t want anyone or any god telling them what to do.

Is there anything else you would add?

Well it’s obvious that I’m nuts about following Jesus and wouldn’t have it any other way.  As for me, I arrived at my convictions about Jesus not because I simply grew up that way kind of like a cultural thing, but because of a point in time where I was presented with the clear evidence of Christ, and then chose to accept it and follow him.  But that does not mean that I think I’m any better than anyone else or even those who have chosen not to accept Christ or his teaching.  In fact, there are times when I prefer to hang out with those who would consider themselves “outside” of the Church and even joke about themselves as being “pagans” or something like that.  They’re at least honest in the sense that they’re not trying to fool anyone by being more spiritual than the rest of humanity.  This is one of the many things I liked about living in CA.  There are a lot of folks who grew up in my home state of Texas who know how to play the religious church game really well.  They know the right “churchy” answers, dress and drink yet there is no real inner change in their lives.  But back in CA, most people didn’t play those kinds of games and you knew exactly where they stood.  They would just come out and tell you to your face.  But on the other hand, my heart aches a lot for my friends who don’t want to go to church or have a serious relationship with Jesus.  They feel that way because they’ve been jaded by a false, counterfeit kind of Christianity.  That’s why many times in discussions I try to clarify whether were talking about a man made religious institution or the authentic CHURCH and real Christian spirituality.  Those are really two totally different things.

Anyway, I got a quick response from one of my cousins in Dallas the other day to one of my recent posts on FACEBOOK.  The content dealt with an upcoming sermon title I was about to preach and her comment really illustrates a need for discussion on what the real deal of Christian faith is all about.  With her permission, I’ve put those posts below and will make some more comments as you’ve had a chance to think about the issues yourself.  Please feel free to add any comments or questions you might have, but just remember to be respectful of all parties no matter what side of the discussion you fall on.  Thanks and enjoy. 

(My Face book Post)

Discovering the Mystery of the CHURCH; Part III. It’s all about who? (No, not THE WHO)

(Bonnie)

Shoot, I like “The Who” better than church…

(me)

LOVE IT! But unfortunately, what you hate is the Counterfeit church. It’s the real CHURCH that rocks. Hey maybe you can shoot me everything that you think stinks about the church and we can blog about it. I’ve got a whole section at kingdomology.org on the authentic CHURCH, though it’s been a while since I’ve added to it. Hmm sounds like a time to dialogue. So go ahead Bonnie, throw it all at me, I want to hear it all.

(Bonnie)

I taught my kids from a very early age what a hypocrite is. That’s what I would be if I went to church. I’m tired of hearing about good Christian values and then see how these people are outside of church. Uh, it’s not for me. I am what you see (metaphorically speaking), like it or not. I took a great class on the Old Testament. It was taught by the minister that married Jeff and me. I loved it because to me it was like a history class. Jeff and the kids go to church. It’s nondenominational. Jeff has a very deep seeded faith and I respect that. Just as he respects my heathenism. I hope this explains something about me:).

(Bonnie)

I believe there is something out there bigger than us but not necessarily called/named God. I believe that if we lead a good life and teach our children from an early age to be good productive citizens then they will carry on our legacy. I don’t need to believe in something I can’t see or a God that was not nice in the Old Testament. I don’t need to prove my love for “Him” in order to be a good person.

We’ll I’m just about back into a consistent “blogging” saddle again as we’re finishing up our transition from the church plant back in CA to a work in the Houston area.  We’ve landed with an exciting bunch of folks in Cypress, Texas where there are some real needs and huge opportunities for Kingdom advancement.  This past Monday night we had a group of leaders over at our house to watch the movie Miracle on Ice.  The flick was based on the true story of the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team defeating the Soviet Union and winning the gold medal.  Personally it was fun to watch as I remember being glued to the tube when it happened in real life 30 years ago.  But we didn’t watch it to reminisce, but to learn some church leadership lessons.  We came up with at least these five principles.  Enjoy and feel free to add anything. 

1. Change:  In the opening scenes of the movie, the head coach made it clear that if the US team was going to compete with the Eastern Bloc countries, they were going to have to change everything they did from extended practice schedules to strategy.  I know that change is hard, but for the churches in the West, we have to be willing to kill some of our sacred cows if we’re truly going to be effective in reaching out.

2. Expectation: While most of the officials on the US Hockey committee were primarily concerned with merely doing well enough to “not be embarrassed”, the head coach was expecting to go all the way and even take on the Soviets.  He planned to win.  He reminds me of David who expected to take the giant Goliath down while the rest of the Israelite army stood shaking in their boots.  David trusted not so much in his ability, but God’s ability working through him.  As Kingdom citizens and Christ followers, that same power is available for our lives today.  Thus we must expect to advance.

3.  Hard Work:  We can never take the glory or credit for Kingdom advances and successes.  But the KING does expect us to work hard.  Note the parable of the talents where two were rewarded for their efforts but the third was kicked out and even called a “wicked and lazy” servant for doing nothing.  One of the reasons why the US team won in 1980 was because they were totally fit.  The theme of the coach was, “the legs feed the wolf.”  The point being that when they were at their utmost fitness they would be able to keep the same level of intense play even into the final seconds of the game.  For us, we need to remember that the Christian walk and church leadership is not just some hobby, but a way of life. 

4.  Team:  We see this in many sports, but it was really clear in this movie.  The success came when everyone got the picture that it was not about them as individuals, but them as a team.  Not who they were or where they came from as individuals, but who they were as the US TEAM.  I liked what one of our leaders said at our meeting the other night, “There’s no ‘I’ in ‘Team”

5.  Taking the Offensive:  No, this does not mean that we’re rude and offensive, but the opposite of hanging back in a fortress or defensive position.  This is similar to the expectation of winning.  The coach constantly put the agenda forward that they were going to attack the other team’s goal and not just defend their own.  It kind of reminds me of when Jesus said that the “gates of Hell would not prevail against His Kingdom.  The implication being that someone or something was advancing against those gates.  That someone is God’s mighty power in us.  Yes, the battle is fierce, but we can’t hunker down and take care of our own needs.  We’re called to make disciples and push forward.  We’re called to advance with the message that God really does love the world around us.

I got a link from a friend the other day to another church planter’s blog and in one of his recent posts he talked about what kind of church he’d like to be a part of.  I’ve read a lot of similar things in the past and can see where this guy is coming from.  He’s got a lot of good ideas and shares his heart well.  But I have noticed something that’s missing a lot these days, especially with anything connected with post-modern, emerging, or emergent churches, and that’s the issue of doctrine.  (Dan Kimball seems to be a great exception to this tendency)  While I understand that doctrine by itself is dead, I get the feel that there are a lot of folks who are throwing out truth for the sake of emotion, relativism, and pragmatism.  But what we find in the first church is that they “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.”  (Acts 2:42) In other words, they were concerned about truth and it seems that if we’re going to be authentic church today and not simply new clubs, then we have to seriously pursue the apostle’s teachings ourselves.  In short, truth really does matter.