I hypothesized that I was starting a church. Let me revise that. I need more than me. I need we. That's church. So let's assume that a few of us have agreed on fundamentals and we believe that with God's help, we can establish group life that honours God, nurtures us and invites others. Our aim is to rediscover New Testament church and practice that in our day. It sounds idealistic, disrespectful, overconfident and presumptuous. Please for this moment, let's assume that the motivation is pure and without guile.
Suppose that this pursuit emerges from discussions about the mission, purpose and practices of churches today and how these are affecting our own hearts and minds and spiritual experiences. Suppose that our hearts have become disillusioned, our minds cynical and our spiritual lives sluggish as we relate to church. And let's suppose that the easy response is not valid - that is, "well then, get your spiritual act together and get with the church program." Suppose with me that this small group of us are keeners spiritually, love the LORD, study scripture, believe and obey and share our faith with others, lean hard on the direction of God as we perceive it to be.
So here we are thinking again about similarities between foods and nutrition and what we should do about church. One hundred years ago, organic farming was the norm. Today, because of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, soil quality has been depleted and produce contains far fewer vitamins and minerals than they did fifty years ago. As recently as 60 years ago people enjoyed dairy products from their own animals or from dairies nearby. People ate the healthiest and tastiest kinds of grass fed, outdoor raised meat and poultry products that they either raised themselves or purchased from a local butcher who may have raised the animals.
The earliest living definition of church were the people who had seen Jesus and who became empowered with the Holy Spirit of God. They became vibrant. They were often compelled to meet in secrecy. Their gathering times essentially strengthened them for living with faith in hostile circles. They became courageous. Their confession of faith was modest, almost naïve. With limited resources they relied on one another's recollections of what Jesus had taught them and how his teaching related to Old Testament instruction. They became reservoirs of truth. They had learned the necessity and value of prayer from Jesus and they soon witnessed answers to prayer that motivated them to stay at that task. They became intercessors. It was through them that good news spread by routine conversation. They became heralds. That, we identify is what we want our gathering to be like.
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