A 24/7 COMMUNITY CREATED BY THE SPIRIT

The Church is a community created by the Spirit. The church is people, the called and redeemed people of God. As a spiritual community, the church uniquely delivers the presence of God to the world. The lives of redeemed people that are empowered by God's Spirit are missional wherever they are lived and at all times. We forget that church is "us" 24-7 when we constantly think and speak about church as place and time, or organization and ministries.

Spirit-filled 24-7 people exhibit the presence of God in profound ways in diverse situations among countless networks of other people. That's the God-plan.

The plan allows for community to gather in one location for brief periods to exalt God together and to experience Body life, and presumes that the saints, that is, followers of Christ will then disperse to live life in a Spirit-filled 24-7 manner among people who are not of the community called church. While the church formally commissions specific persons to full-time missional investment in their own neighbourhoods and overseas, every believer must know and live a commissioned life as salt and light. Character and calling and giftedness are prerequisites for every child of God, not just a few. We are all missionaries - full-time. One hour on Sunday out of 168 hours of each week, is not enough.

The church is so much more than a human organization with well-managed functions or a massive property with a large budget. It's a community created by the Spirit to deliver God's presence in the world.

FROM ZEALOUS ADVOCATE TO RELUCTANT ATTENDEE TO DELIBERATE ABSENTEE

"From zealous advocate to reluctant attendee to deliberate absentee."

Someone other than me threaded these descriptors to illustrate the evolution of the unaffiliated Christian. In a series of prior posts I have tested terms like 'de-churched' and 're-churched' to describe the believer voluntarily disassociated from the local church. The expression tracks the emotional and convictional movement of a person who has been enthusiastically involved in local church ministries and over time for reasons irrelevant to this comment, begins to attend sporadically, declines service opportunities, reduces the tithe/offering in order to support ministries outside the church. Then one day, after consideration, this person stays away from church, never to return.

A point that some of my readers make, is that community/family/body of Christ and a consequent accountability is essential to the corporate entity that we have together become as new creations. We are all called to holiness. One of the ways by which this transformation predictably occurs is by being transparent and answerable within a localized gathering of other believers, some of whom are approved to shepherd and care for us. The concern in part may be that the unaffiliated Christian without this mutual accountability may spiritually depreciate.

The concern is valid. What will the unaffiliated Christian do to remain a zealous promoter of the gospel, filled with the Spirit, pure, godly. Can this health status be maintained unaccompanied? Why don't you tell me. A married couple can cheer lead one another. Even they do better in the company of other Christians. Some readers say this is the way God intended for his church to function in the world to emit light and to flavour companions. I suppose that is church.

A DEFENSE FOR LEAVING CHURCH

For the past few days I have been sympathetic with people who act upon their expressed need to leave the church, no longer to attend any church. I qualified that these are people who are leaving to explore their relationship with the LORD away from the organized, institutional church. Factoring into their decision there may be mitigating conditions such as frustration with worship forms, music styles, teaching, congregational size, mission and vision. These are individuals who have been faithful, involved, productive members but who are now hungering for holiness, serenity, more of God, solitude. I have been advocating that pastors and church members who witness such departures be considerate and understanding.

You wouldn't expect such believers to remain would you? Perhaps they have a history of active service and financial support in the church and their departure will be modestly noticed. Would you be upset with them? Would they receive your blessing as they move on? This may have been a tortuous decision for them but the right one. Their own worship will need to find another venue.

One of the motivations presented by those who leave, is their felt inability to worship in the public services at church any longer. But where are they going to go?

A quick online survey of local church advertisements for my area indicates that all congregations that describe themselves as evangelical, present contemporary worship music by a band. One congregation meeting in a school informs seekers that the church provides earplugs to anyone who asks, because their music is loud. Well suppose that a worshipper's soul at present is in need of something different, calmer, and meditative. Among other options are Anglican, one sectarian congregation requiring women to wear long dresses, one Scottish Presbyterian Church that requires women in hats and men in suits & ties, and an orthodox congregation where everyone stands. There are no chairs.

After examining the options, this worshipper decides to worship privately. That becomes fulfilling and meaningful. In time perhaps he meets others like himself and there is agreement to benefit mutually from meeting in one of their homes. They read scripture, talk about it, apply it to life situations about which they become increasingly transparent, and they pray. They grow in their obedience, receptivity to God's Spirit, commitment to one another and easy engagement with non-religious neighbours. They become satisfied that this is also church. The question is then, is Jesus Christ satisfied that this is church? I believe he is satisfied.

LET’S HAVE A SAFE AND OPEN TALK ABOUT PEOPLE LEAVING CHURCH

There are Christians who remain theologically evangelical but who have journeyed philosophically from being comfortable within church as the one way to live church. I suspect that I cannot talk about this in an open way in most of the church circles in which I am known. To suggest that some people may actually satisfy their spiritual hunger outside the church, may be perceived as criticism of church, which is not my target. Yet this is among the issues with which Christians and churches should engage. A trickle of people have stopped going to church over many years. The trickle is a stream according to some reports. I am certainly aware of numerous friends and acquaintances who no longer attend church. They still love the organized church for the foundation it provided to them when they were young and when they were growing up spiritually. They have found, however, that they are uncomfortable within the culture of the westernized church. They require something else.  

I have been advocating that Christians inside churches should work at understanding rather than at suspicion. I am not convinced that all of those who leave have taken or are taking steps appropriate to spiritual development. It is easy to become lethargic. If spiritual disciplines were lacking while attending a church, they will not easily emerge outside it. So while I advocate to the insiders, I implore the outsiders as well to act on the conviction that allowed them to leave - namely, church is not the main or only place where we worship God. 

RE-CHURCHED? IS THAT BETTER THAN DE-CHURCHED?

I have been writing about people who have stopped attending church. My friend Marvin left a question on the previous post, asking whether the term 're-churched' serves as a descriptor for people who no longer attend church? The prefix "re" has several meanings. It can mean “again” or “again and again” to indicate repetition. Repetition doesn't work here. These people are not leaving one church after another. They have stopped attending church. That's it. However, if the preferred intent for the prefix is "again,' then the expression "re-churched' can apply to a small percentage of non-attenders who for some reason decide to go back and try again. However, they may not appreciate being labeled "re-churched."

Today's comment spins from my recent blog chat in which I used the term 'de-churched' but later found this was inappropriate because "no longer churched" people are still connected with God's definition of Church. They are not "de-Churched" (capital C). They are detached from a local church. They believe in Christian theological essentials and they live Christianly. They have not abandoned faith. They practice faith outside of the organized church, and they worship privately or within their family or a small affinity group.

If a Christian stops going to church and is heard to say with relief, "Ohhh, finally free." That person is not likely to return to church any time soon. The term 're-churched' cannot apply to them without some linguistic stretching. Maybe they are churched 'again' or re-churched in a manner dissimilar to any conventional model but nonetheless connected to the concept of fellowship, service, worship, reading of scripture, prayer, giving to others, support of missionaries, nurture of children, all of that which identifies with church.

NO ADDITIVES BUT ONE KEY INGREDIENT FOR CHURCH THEN AND NOW

Perhaps our concern arises out of a sense that so much has been added to basic church down through the centuries and recent decades that the essential, the fullness of the Spirit has been overlooked.

An upper room full of people filled with the Spirit of God, spilling into the streets in raucous display that provoked opposition but led to an empowered message that persuaded over 3000 people to join the Church, is what we read, and what we need. 

To increase production times and quantities, growth hormones, antibiotics and genetically modified feeds are given to animals that are raised entirely indoors. The result is flavourless meat and poultry. So, 80% of all processed foods contain genetically modified ingredients, artificial colours and flavours. Then these foods are stabilized with chemical preservatives and packaged in plastics. We come to love the tastes that chemicals provide and we want them more than we want real value food. These altered foods do not satisfy, so we must have more of them more often and soon another health issue is apparent, obesity.

At various times in the history of the church, people have realized that an upper room full of people talking, praying, maybe singing, can become steadily dull and tasteless. So over the centuries various church thinkers and theorists added flavour enhancers, singers and dancers, and candles in elaborate gold candelabras, ornate facilities, images and idols, priestly vestments, choirs and high ceilings, immense pipe organs. At another stage in this unvelopment, other additives like comfortable pews, then lighting, sound systems, visual presentations and programs have been added. No matter how many impressive additives are poured into the formula for making church, nothing compensates for the fullness of the Spirit.

Whether you choose to remain in your church or leave the church and search for new options, the key to fulfilling God's plan for you in relation to His Church is your true, no snow job, actual, no pretending, real and consistent daily surrender to the LORDship of Christ and the fullness of God's Spirit who alone cultivates holiness in you. 

Bill Bright in the early years of Campus Crusade for Christ, designed the 'Four Spiritual Laws' booklet and the ' Wonderful Discovery of the Spirit Filled Life' booklet. These were dumbed down formulaic theology to be sure and they were useful, inspiring and effective for thousands of people. 

One concept for consistent holy living was called Spiritual Breathing (exhaling the impure and inhaling the pure) as an exercise in faith that enables a person to continue to experience God's love and forgiveness. 

Exhale means -- confess your sin -- that is, agree with God concerning your sin and thank Him for His forgiveness of it, according to 1 John 1:9. Confession involves repentance - a change in attitude and action. 

Inhale means -- surrender the control of your life to Christ, and receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit by faith. Trust that He now directs and empowers you; according to the command of Ephesians 5:18, and the promise of 1 John 5:14, 15.

IF WE STARTED A CHURCH

I am continuing my food and nutrition metaphor with a church application.

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.