It seems in recent posts we have been pondering the issue of what it means to live the Jesus-life (with Him and in the world incarnationally) as the priority over getting caught up with the form that church takes.
This reminds me of a recent quote by Frank Viola in theooze.com:
Before we can truly understand anything meaningful about the church, we must first be captured by a consuming revelation of the Person for whom it exists. Therefore, we must always begin with the Lord Jesus. We must always start with Him.
If we start out with the church, instead of with the One for whom it lives, we will end up with something quite distorted. As one writer put it:
"The church is so important! Yet her significance fades away compared to the glory of our Christ Himself. We face grave dangers when we ‘major’ on the church and especially on its ‘structure.’ We should major on the Lord and minor on the church . . . at most . . . If Christ is not exalted, we are building on sand, using wood, hay, and stubble as materials. All will be burned up. Whenever Christians, throughout the age, have built on a foundation other than Christ, the storms have come and living churches have fallen into spiritual death."
Thus, I ask the question, what is really the goal here?
It sometimes seems that the assumption is that the goal is to plant churches. We may word it in different ways: start new communities, reproduce organic churches, plant house churches, etc, etc. In fact, I acknowledge that many, in the "house church movement" that I more-or-less-relate to, assume that this is the goal. In fact, from my missiological "training," planting churches is pretty much the end-all: "a community of believers within reach of every person in every ethnic group."
But is this really "the goal?"
I, personally, would love to see a community of believers, who are gathering together and expressing kingdom life, within reach of every person on the earth. I think God would love to see that. But does that make it "the goal?" What we focus on ("the goal") often takes on a distorted sense of importance. Thus, Viola’s point: "If we start out with the church [as the goal]… we will end up with something quite distorted.
Is it even proper to think in terms of "a goal?"
I would like to suggest that Jesus did have "goals" in mind, but that they are very different than what we tend to consider.
He clearly had the goal (or at least the intention) to proclaim the reality of Kingdom life (the presence, reign, and life of God is now available) to many, many people within his assigned mission field (Israel). Furthermore, he had the goal (intention) to touch people’s lives: healing, freeing, blessing, etc.
I think the reason we look past these "people-oriented" goals is that they are not functionally measurable–thus they do not really fit into our western method of intentional living. We want to see a functional end-point and then we can strategize the steps to get there. Thus we like to start by envisiong a functional-type goal such as the formation of a church community, or the planting of churches.
Despite Jesus’ desire (most likely) to see communities of believers supporting and loving one another, I think he was focused on something more basic as His priority: bringing life to people. I suspect we know that this is the goal, but we (I) tend to default into a way of thinking that says: "the best way to bring life to people is to plant effective, simple communities that will thrive and thus support people’s spiritual life." But, the moment I have done this, I may have turned my eyes off the real goal: loving, healing, freeing people.
Do I think communities are important? Absolutely! Jesus assumed that believers would support and love one another in community life. I just sense (as I talk and listen to many, many people) that we so quickly move our eyes away from loving people into the more functional world that we are comfortable with: set functional goals, make plans, and move toward the objectives that have been set. Without realizing it, our own goal-oriented agendas become the focus while the objects of God’s love and purposes (people) become secondary to our own functional plans and goals.
Can loving God, hearing Him, and loving the people assigned to me really be a sufficient goal? I think it must be. I think it’s difficult. For me, it’s a challenge. But I believe if I can remain free of my need-to-be-in-control-of-a-goal-oriented-process, I will be freer to be involved in the work of loving people that I am called to. I believe the end result of this is that we will see the kingdom’s message and power spread to every ethnic group. He will do it while I learn to stay focused on my part.
Comments
9 responses to “What Is the Goal Here?”
Roger, I think this post strikes most at the center of what has been on my mind and heart for quite some time. You’ve clearly defined the dilemma within me. I try to hold in balance where I am, and where the church is on this journey while I seek to know where he is leading us. For me, I think the baggage from my past church life, coupled with my own idiosyncrasies, always makes it hard for me to gage exactly what Jesus is doing as he builds his church in and around us.
There is much about my involvement with house churches and those in them that I cherish. Some relationships here and across the country have made all the difference in critical times for us. Sometimes though, I feel like we do get a little results centered and goal oriented. When we do, I get the feeling that it smells a little more like us than it does Jesus.
In trying to determine what the Father is saying in all this, I find that I get a little confused and frustrated. I’ve been getting the idea that this frustration is a good thing for me – whether I enjoy it or not. I had it in the institutional church setting and I’ve rediscovered it at times along the way to where we are now. It just gets me to thinking that there’s a deep well of our man-made traditions and philosophies that needs to be drained out of me. And it’s a constant reminder to me that it colors the way I view everything.
I think Frank Viola does have it right that we do tend to “start out with the church” – it’s what we’ve known almost as long as we’ve known Him. I’ve been trying to recondition my thinking to view our church life as an extension of our life in Him, but I have a decade and a half of experiences where it was the other way around. I think, like others, I am still realizing the effects of a spiritual life within a system that at its best does and teaches good things and, it its worst, dulls us from our relationship with the Father. Sometimes, I feel some of my more organic church experiences since then still contain homeopathic doses of what we experienced back then.
I have recently been involved (long distance) with some folks going through some circumstances similar to what we went through, but much more devastating. It reminds me of how much of my relationship with God I had subjugated to others, and how I now feel like I’m on a long journey – running against the current of all that.
I’ve said all this to say that maybe others are finding that they are still in some form of “recovery” from church. Maybe this causes us, at times, to jump to some good answers which are much better than the answers we had where we came from. But, maybe they still fall short in some areas in helping us to comprehend what Jesus’ goal is for his church. As you see, I don’t have any real answers, but I do like the question.
Sure, groups of christians can be focused on many things… maybe on an issue… maybe on ‘trying to be the church’… maybe on the Lord. Of course, the Lord is IN those believers whether they focus on Him or not, so there is still HOPE for ‘glory’!
Still, best case, finding the Lord and finding the church OUGHT to be the same event!
But, if we get our goal-oriented, human (male) minds wrapped around a CONCEPT of what we THINK the “church” should be… then yeah, we’re missing the point. Christ is the only point.
So, I say, whatever we find to do with (or for) ‘church’, the challenge should not be mental, or strategic, or organizational… the challenge should be to keep Him as the pure, constant focal point. Whatever ‘strategy’ can help THAT happen more often, I’ll gladly be part of.
And, I agree that patience, not-trying to force our vision, and letting God be in control of the process and timing for these, our endeavors, is also extremely wise, prudent and helpful. All glory to him.
Thanks for sharing a great post, Roger.
I have been reading much lately on different understandings of “church.” The more I read the more I wonder if people take time to simply read the gospels? After more than 35 years of Bible Study, Pastoring, teaching, learning, meeting together in home groups and the last 4 years of “House Church” with 9 people, blessed people, I find the simple statements of Jesus to be the most helpful, bring the most life.
For me I think the most profound statement is found in John 10:27 “My sheep listen to (for) my voice, I know them, they follow me.” this brings me to the point of “goals.” To be able to listen (active verb, as opposed to ‘hear,’ passive)[I know it is translated differently in many translations], seems to me to be the whole goal. There are many levels of “listening/hearing.” On one level the Spirit is always telling me to love others more than myself (not too easy), to treat others as I would be treated, etc. Perhaps a little deeper the listening/hearing brings me to worship! Gratitude, praise, adoration, surrender (bowing/submitting), etc. Then maybe listening/hearing would take me to a place where I begin to really hear His delirious, delicious, astoundingly total LOVE for me! Not just academically understand the blood atonement on my behalf but to drink in His stupendous sacrifice, His proof, His demonstration of His raging love for His bride (of which I am a part)! To listen/hear His concepts of liberty, grace, election, etc. To listen/hear Him tell me of sanctification, how He longs to make me holy, spotless, blameless, with no wrinkle or blemish … Finally, perhaps to listen/hear simply what He wants me to say, who to say it to, where to go, who to eat lunch with, who to help, or teach, or bless with all that I have heard!!! Don’t you think that if we all accomplished this “goal” we would experience “church?”
It seems like we spend much time designing the nursery and forget to make babies. It’s the love affair between Christ and me that overflows into the community, both to the believer and to the pre-believer. It’s how we are to be known to the world, as beloved hence, lovers. For me, it’s just keeping my heart on-track, being led by His eye, rather than by “…bit and bridle”. And, if my love affair with Him and His kids is unbridled (pun intended, then babies should be the natural result.
I just typed a few more paragraphs but realized they’re better over on my blog: http://communion.typepad.com/table_talk/
I love this, people that speak about Jesus in a passionate way!!
Jesus is the only way, and yes, Mikey, I do believe that if we do what you describe, we will get a better understanding of how Jesus’ body should work.
Quick thoughts
The goal: Jesus Christ as all in all (the fullness and end measure of the Kingdom of God).
The method: Jesus Christ working in and through his church.
Today a podcast I follow called “The God Journey” released an episode
that dealt with this subject well in the first 20 minutes. Here is the link:
http://www.thegodjourney.com/audio/2006/0106h.mp3
I have found a wonderful web site and need to share with everyone, http://www.onlineblessings.com. My fellow faithful have brought this too my attention and have praised it.
great comments!
It gets back to what I call “spiritual role reversal”. We (I) always seem to get into trouble when I try to do what only God can do, and deceive myself into thinking that God should do what only We (I) can do.
Thank you for sharing and helping us put into words what we struggle with as Jesus followers!
Blessings!