Many have wondered how you change a nation. Today I saw an article by George Barna about faith tribes in the USA and how their distinctives might be useful for societal transformation. Readying this brought to mind a dream I had some time ago.
In that dream I was looking at the society in a country that had no previous or residual Christian influence. It was completely secular in all ways, all of the backgroud seemed white and bright in colour. People were hustling and bustling about with paying no attention to anything around them. In the dream, I was asking myself “how do you reach such a nation?” I contemplated, a mass media campaign to preach the gospel or perhaps to seek for value transformation (ie. the Kingdom)… the traditional means of reaching a nation. In the dream I was questioning the validity of all the approaches I was considering wondering whether the people would pay attention or even notice any message.
Then in the dream, the scene changed and I was in France. This scene in the dream was taking place in a walled city square of some sort and all of the image, buildings and atmosphere was dark in color with a musty old feel. I felt that I was there to plant a church and was looking for a place to meet when someone came to me and told me of a community center nearby. As I was in the square Christians began to appear one by one. We were worshiping and sharing in French. At one point, to my surprise, I began to lead out in spontaneous song in French. These Christians I knew were not there to be a part of the church plant but were the faithful Christians from all over that nation. Suddenly I awoke with these words “The Remnant turns the tide.”
Many have wondered how do you change a nation. In the case of a country like France, which has much history in the nation and some very dark times in church history, the task could seem overwhelming. The approach that I was reminded of in this dream that “the remnant turns the tide” is very biblical. In scripture the gospel of the kingdom is described as leaven that works its way through the dough. On many occasions God saved Israel through a small group of people or a king whose heart turned to God and who called the nation to repentance. In Canada over the past 10 years we have begun to see this sort of transformation occurring because of the response and obedience to God of a relatively small group of people, who have obeyed and continue to obey the words of 2 Chr 7:14 - “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
In societies where there is a residual Christian presence and were there has been much sin both in and outside the church, only God himself can unravel the mess and bring a nation to himself. Christianity 101 is that Christ is in us and all believers can hear and obey. As a faithful group of Christians in any nation find each other, begin the journey together can see the unraveling of the past and the restoration of righteousness and justice in their nation.
In the book of Colossians 3:4 this little phrase “Christ who is your life” is tucked in the middle of a sentence in a paragraph about the process of transformation for the Christian. It is an interesting phrase that can help us to examine the state of our relationship with Jesus.
Recently my wife related to me about the Quakers and how they were one of the first groups to preach “a personal relationship” with Jesus Christ. Today you would be hard pressed to talk to North American Christians without this phrase coming up. Many claim to have a personal relationship with Jesus.
I remember many years ago when I first believed the gospel and received Christ and was filled with the Holy Spirit. My life became an unending experience of “He walks with me and He talks with me.” Every day, in everything, Jesus was present and interacting with me and my life as I was experiencing it. At that time in my life, I spoke with many people who did not seem to have an all encompassing relationship with Jesus even though they considered themselves “saved” or “born again.” Consequently, I remember thinking that the term “personal relationship” with Christ was an evangelical theory but most people really did not pursue it or experience it. Down through the years of pastoring I have seen that this is often the case and even in my own life from time to time my relationship with Christ has waned. Is our personal relationship personal or is it just an event or occasional experience?
One impediment to experiencing the fullness of “Christ who is our life” can come through an improper view of the totality of the relationship we are to have with Christ. Many times Christians begin to segment their lives seeing their relationship with Christ and his body as a part of their lives. Perhaps the major part, but a part none the less - there are other parts of their lives that remain untouched by Christ and are lived without reference to Him. I would imagine that this occurs sometimes by choice, sometimes by busyness and other times through neglect. Without realizing it our lives become “Christ who is part of our life.”
A plain reading of the new testament does not support anything that is less than fully personal and full-time, all encompassing faith. A part time faith or partial experience is not biblical but only a relationship with Christ that is embodied in the statement “Christ who is our life.” So how do we achieve this. In Philippians, Paul speaks of gaining and attaining Christ, pressing toward the mark, seeking to be found in HIM. In another place the scriptures speak of working our our salvation. All of the epistles speak of a faith that impacts every area of our lives - our relationships, our marriages, our children, our work, our ministry, our church experience and our personal lives of prayer, scriptures, giving, etc. It is imperative that we seek a life that is embued with Christ, ordered by Christ, guided by Christ, lived through Christ and lived in Christ. We can have no other life but Christ.
“The man took Jesus at his word and then departed.” (John 4:50b)
How much better off we would be if we were to do the same as this man in every situation. The man in this case was a royal official whose son was sick in the town of Capernum. Jesus was in Cana, 30 or more km away when the man came to Jesus, begging him to come down to Capernum before his child died. Prior to his response Jesus said to the crowd, “unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders you will never believe.” To that the man asked Jesus “Sir, come down before my son dies.” Without a conversation Jesus replied “You may go. Your son will live.” Jesus had spoke and now there were only three choices for that man. He could believe, he could not believe and walk away despondent, or he argue and plead with Jesus to come.
I would think that the man already believed Jesus could heal his son, otherwise he would have not asked him to come down, but when Jesus declared that his son would live the man had a clear faith choice to make. Would he believe or would he plead or would he leave in disbelief. The man took Jesus at his word and walked away. That means he believed what Jesus said to him. He returned home and found that his son was well and the exact time his son became well was when Jesus spoke the words to him.
Yesterday I came across some thoughts that I wrote down in two of my prayer times. They were things that I believe Jesus clearly spoke to me about that now need miraculous intervention. I was reminded in reading this story again that I must take Jesus at his word. When he has spoken and clearly so to you or me through the scriptures or in our times of prayer, we must believe and not doubt. Often times we will not see the answer immediately. In this case the man had a 35-40 km journey home. We don’t know how he felt or what he thought during that journey home, but he did find his son well when he got there, just as Jesus had spoken to him. So to for us there may be a bit of mileage or time between the words of Jesus that have come to our heart, and seeing the outcome that He has spoken to us. In the interim this scripture helps us to take Jesus at his word regardless of what the situation is. To keep believing him and what He has said on the journey to see the outcome he spoke of. I don’t know whether this is more difficult to do when Jesus has spoken and the problem continues to be visible before you but even when the situation does not appear to change, we must take God at his word. Other bible examples help us to understand that the answer isn’t always instantaneous - Consider Abraham and God’s promise to him and Sarah’s barenness. “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed, and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him…” (Roms 4:18)
This post from our friend Steve Barr in Placerville CA (Westside Church International)…
What if I told you there was a well-researched and statistically proven program that can:
• increase the average life expectancy of your children by 8 years
• significantly reduce their use and risk from Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs
• dramatically lower their risk of suicide
• help them rebound from depression 70% faster
• dramatically reduce their risk for committing a crime
• improve their attitude at school and increase their school participation
• reduce their risk for rebelliousness
• reduce the likelihood that they would binge drink in college
• improve their odds for a “very happy” life
• provide them with a life-long moral compass
• and get them to wear their seatbelts more often
Is there such a program?
Yes, there is.
And it is supported by research from:
• Duke University
• Indiana University
• The University of Michigan
• The Center for Disease Control
• Barna Research Group
• and the National Institute for Healthcare Research.
How much would a program like this be worth to you?
What if I told you it was free, and only took several hours a week.
Take a look at the list again . . .
It’s not a dream . . .
God sent his son into the world not to condemn the world but to save the world through him. From the earliest time God has called his people and sent them to do his work. Biblical Christianity involves being sent to someone else with the good news of Jesus. “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news.” We understand that there is a time and a season for everything. Those who are grieving need to be comforted. Those who are sick need to be healed. Those who are broken need to be restored. But everyone needs to be equipped and eventually in due season everyone needs to be a “goer.” Jesus commission to go into all the world and preach the good news was not just to pastors, and evangelists or other gifted individuals. The commission is entrusted to all believers. All can go and all must go. Go where? Perhaps it is as simple as going to your neighbour to have a cup of coffee or help them with something. For others it might be going to spend some time with a workmate or school mate. For still others it could be going to another community or nation. The command of Jesus is “as you go, make disciples.” Faith and life cannot be separated but as we go we must live out our faith and see the transforming power of God at work in the lives of others.
The Vehicle for our Values is the local assembly of believers which we refer to a New Testament Patterned Church.
A New Testament Patterned Church is a gathering of followers of Jesus Christ in a given locality, led by a team of mature leaders called elders, supported by servant leaders called deacons who together as one team are living out their covenantal relationship with one another in Christ to fulfill the mandate of Jesus in their region and the nations of the world.
Following the pattern we see in the New Testament, each of these churches is autonomous, self governed and in relationship to an Apostolic Team. The purpose of the apostolic team is to keep the local church on target in the areas of doctrine, discipline and direction and to reach into the regions beyond helping each local church that is planted to mature and become a partner in the planting of additional churches in the nations of the world.
With the assistance of the Apostolic Team the local church is brought to maturity and leaders are developed and released to fulfill the mandate of Jesus to make disciples of all nations.
Hence our goal is as follows….
1. To bring help men women boys and girls to have a life changing encounter with Jesus
2. To help them to connect on an ongoing basis with the body of Jesus which is his Church family - the local church building friendships that will last into eternity.
3. To help them to grow in their faith and maturity in Christ applying the good news to every area of their lives seeing the fruit that comes from a living relationship with Jesus and His family.
4. To equip and empower them to make a difference in their families, workplace, and in the community at large - spreading the love and message of Christ everywhere.
5. To make disciples of all nations by:
a. becoming a church that reaches, and equips people for their life in Christ ( a base for facilitating reaching beyond into the region and regions beyond London)
b. the raising up and releasing of leaders to plant New Testament churches in every locality until Jesus returns in the context of an apostolic/prophetic New Testament model of church.
Sometimes things seem to happen all at once don’ they? In the last few days I have had three leaking tires and each of them has happened at the valve stem. Two of them were leaks in the little valve that holds the air in the tire and both of them caused flat tires because of a leaking valve stem. Now I believe I know the cause of both it was that somewhere along the line the valve caps did not get put on and likely the valves got some water in them and rusted partially open… enough to cause a tire to go flat. The fact that all three of these things happened at once caused me to think about the perils of not going all the way and finishing things off. Not putting the cap on had no apparent problem for quite some time but then all at once it was a problem and a serious one at that. The one leaking valve was on the front tire of my motorbike. It would have been bad enough on a trailer or car tire but the front tire of the bike going flat could cause a serious wabble and even a crash.
So it is with little things left undone in our lives spiritually and otherwise. Failure to finish things off and finishing them properly can often lead to failure later on. That leaking facet never fixed, that grudge left unresolved, these seem minor but later on they can cause a big problem. In the history of the Jewish people the failure to complete the task of securing the promised land, led to eventual compromise and problems.
Such a simple lesson but one that often needs to be relearned. Lord, help me to finish things properly and not leave them undone.
This past Sunday we had an extraordinary meeting where the Lord spoke to us about the kind of people he wants to raise up. For any Salvationists out there this will seem familiar as the words Blood and Fire are the motto of the Salvation Army. For those who have never seen these two words together I will try to capture something of what came out through the various prayers, prophetic words and songs that had been prayerfully prepared beforehand.
On Sunday we were confronted with the stark reality that statistically our church, the church in our city and many of the churches we know have not really reached the lost but have experienced growth by transfer. A Word about “blood and fire” came after we had committed as a church to giving ourself to see the folks of our city, who don’t know the saving Love of Jesus, come to know him. We committed to prayer, to equipping, to structuring, and to continuing a long term emphasis towards becoming a church that reaches the unchurched.
It was at that point in the meeting that God began to speak prophetically through a number of witnesses that He his desire is to raise up a people filled with the Fire of the Holy Spirit, equipped and sent to communicate the salvation, deliverance and healing that come through the blood of Jesus in every nation, town and village of the earth.
Now it is one thing to hear clear prophetic words, but it is another to be committed to the fulfillment of the word. We decided as a church to give ourself to that which the Lord has spoken. “Lord, may your word be fulfilled in us” …. May we be a BLOOD and FIRE people!
In the book of Colossians 3:4 this little phrase “Christ who is your life” is tucked in the middle of a sentence in a paragraph about the process of transformation for the Christian. It is an interesting phrase that can help us to examine the state of our relationship with Jesus.
“The man took Jesus at his word and then departed.” (John 4:50b)
