The R00TS fellowship

iChurch (defining the Emerging coversation)

2008-08-05T12:00:00.001-04:00

The church began as a missionary movement in Palestine, it moved to Rome becoming an institution and as it spread over Europe it became a culture all of its own. In two thousand years the church has stretched across hemispheres and encountered nearly every people group and while the message of the Christian faith has not changed the story of God’s revelation but has contextualized around each culture. Although the gospel has not changed the ideas that shape our understanding of God’s revelation have. In the past forty years the world has grown smaller. Information, ideas and beliefs cross the globe at breakneck speeds thanks in part to the internet. We are a world at war; no longer afraid of tanks and troop deployments, we now fear commercial airliners, tennis shoes and dirty bombs. The rationalism and sense of civic duty embraced by our parents and grandparents has gone sway for something completely different. Now the church must engage with the emergence of a postmodern society, reforming to the context of a people so overwhelmed by information they overlook the longings of their heart.
In his introduction to Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches, Robert Webber illustrates that over time history reveals reoccurring cycles in society and culture; first with an upbeat era, followed by a spiritual awakening, then by the eventual unraveling of institutions and finally a decisive era of crisis and revolt. The church that bore our parents could be considered the beginning of the cycle (1950-1960) and the high point of evangelicalism. Fifty years later, we now find ourselves at the end of one revolution and at the beginning of another. “As evangelicalism now seeks to thrive in this new cultural context, it faces new challenges that demand new ways to think and speak the Christian message.” (Webber 9) The emerging church is a hero generation born out of an unraveling era, a decisive generation of the fourth turning ending one epoch and beginning another.
To distinguish between the modern church and the postmodern take two Jigsaw- puzzles for instance. Generally on the outside of the box there is an image of whatever it is you are going to try to piece together. The contention among the emerging churches is that the church over the past fifty years has taken the lid from the box and switched it with another lid. The faith they have lived out and taught does not correspond with the scriptures. The faith of Christianity in the modern era seemingly disregarded the study of scripture and theology and focused primarily on its own needs and self interest. ” From the perspective of the emerging church…,a Christianity shaped primarily on need, private interest, and self misses the point of a biblical and historic Christianity.” (Webber 15) And it is this matter that drives this new generation.
The emerging church reflects a growing concern to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The contention is that how a person lives is more important than what he or she believes. Experience does not prove that those who believe the right things live the right way. The emerging church is on a journey that may bring theological reflection back to practice in the body of Christ honest with its skepticisms, doubts and fears. It can then be said that the emerging church has the potential to form a new kind of evangelicalism that will relate to the current culture. The emerging church will form a new identity marked by new insights, new concerns and new patterns of theological application, biblical worship, and a fresh spirituality and ministry as compared with the old.
Along with the return to a foundation of scripture, the emerging church also seeks to incarnate the faith by reaching into the brokenness of life, ceasing to be a system but instead becoming more like Jesus for others. Portions of the emerging church are led by a call to become missional with their theology by participating, with God in His redemptive work throughout the world. These churches believe manifesting the credibility of the gospel is to exist within a holistic community, as seen in the ministry of Jesus. Christ sought out the marginalized and the lame, not just the tax-collectors or the lepers but both; caring for whole persons and whole societies. This concept can be seen in Acts 17 where Paul shares the gospel at Mars Hill not by quoting the Old Testament but rather using excerpts of Greek poetry. Paul conveys spiritual truths about God in a context the Greeks were familiar with. For example, Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church (Seattle) often describes his church as being a missional body of believers being theologically conservative yet culturally liberal; meaning they love the Bible, beer and tattoos.
Living as a Christian in a postmodern context means different things to different people. Although the majority of emerging churches seek biblically sound ways of ministering to post-moderns, as if they were stuck down in a muddy trench of relativism, there are others still that see the postmodern dilemma differently. Other emerging churches minister with post-moderns accepting their doubts. These believers hold post-modernity as yet another context in which to share their faith. Yet, others among the emerging churches decide to minister as post-moderns, embracing the idea that we can not absolutely know truth. They convey ideas as metanarratives and social conditions as the context of known truths in shaping worldviews. The postmodern dilemma is unavoidable and to define the emerging church without its mention is less than adequate. However, the emerging church as a whole is still less concerned with moral relativism than it is with a reformation of methodology.
Emerging churches are communities that practice the way of Jesus within postmodern cultures. This definition encompasses identifying with the life of Jesus, transforming the world around them and living highly communal lives. The emerging church is a far cry from the prevailing evangelical community of the modern era and farther still from the missionary movement stretching forth from the hills of Galilee. Until Jesus returns it appears that that which is emerging into our information age is the church in which we will grow old and raise our children. Until they decide to come up with something even newer, ministering ancient words changing the lives of those around them.

On The Road to.....

2008-06-25T13:02:00.005-04:00

Just throwing this out there.....but does anyone else find it funny that a conference usually held at Calvin College is now at a Wesleyian University? It could just be me. I giggle.
Regardless, in a few hours the R00TS kids are hitting the road for Indiana Wesleyian University's main campus for the Missionary Church's Central District's Youth Conference.

I've never been to a conference like this before so, truth be told, i have no clue what to expect.
Aaron Neiquist (former worship leader to the "other" Mars Hill) will be leading us in song all week. In addition, former Pheonix Sun & youth pastor, Bay Forrest will be speaking.....about stuff....?

I've been challenged by the Rev. Dr., John Lyons, to post daily from the dorms (like a real blogger) on the conference and how God is moving in the lives of our youth.
Ahhhh, this. This excites me.
If you would'nt mind (the three of you out there reading this) please follow along and pray for us as we leave this afternoon and for our hearts this weekend.
I feel like there are embers of a fire that need stoked. Maybe something will ignite over the next couple of days.
Shalom.

Prom Songs for Jesus 03 - The Worthiness of Christ

2008-06-09T14:27:00.003-04:00

Sorry, it's been awhile. Let's face it. The sun came out. It got warmer and I got lazy....lazier. Anywho....

In discussing “worship” there are four questions needed asked –
01. What is “worship”?
02. Why do we “worship”?
03. Who do we “worship”?
And finally, “how do we worship”?....but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

First, we defined “worship”.
One group -
“…a way to thank God for all the things he’s done for us. Love God. Love others”
Another group -
“…to express praise and devotion with the Lord in the splendor…in humility, justly, singing songs of love, thru prayer, perserverence and obedience.”

We talked about how the importance of including scripture in anything we discuss about God, because outside of His word/testimony we really can't know him personally.
In essence, it’s a reaction to the actions of God, as reflected through our lives & scripture

Secondly, we discussed why we worship.
Because we are created beings, in the image of God, our purpose then is reflecting God, not only in the cookie-cutter shapes we come in but, in character and action.
The nation of Israel did this in the tabernacle in the sheckinah glory of YHWH; first as they wandered then in the temple of Solomon, in Jerusalem.
The first five books of scripture illustrate the history and elaborate process of God’s creation coming back into a relationship with Him and honoring Him. (NOTE: Exodus 6.7)
Just as God is holy and set apart, He called his people to do the same. In many ways he called Israel to reflect how different he was than the gods and peoples surrounding them.
Leviticus, the third book of the Bible, Moses illustrates for the children of Abraham how they are to worship their God and how they are to live in the promised land different from the people of Bashan and Moab and Gilead and Philistine. For 26 chapters, Moses goes into elaborate detail the great lengths they are to atone for thier sins and live as God's people.

Why do we not follow these same ways?
Matthew 5.17-18
John 1.16-17
Ephesians 2.8
Romans 12.1&2, 13.9&10
All of this goes back to Jesus. Whether we use words like “reflect” or “follow” or “imitate”, it all goes back to Jesus. All of it is defining the worship of Jesus.

But, why? Why do we worship and honor Jesus? Why do we worship a first century rabbi from Galilee? Because He is/was/will always be more than just a rabbi from the sticks of a Roman occupied territory.
The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and the odd ball John) explain to us that the 39 books of the Old Testament pointed to a new way, when YHWH would bring his children to him again and give them a new law, a new way to worship him and make his name famous to the nations far from him and the God of all creation would finally be worshiped for his mercy and love in all of creation.
Here are some quick hits...
Hebrews 1.1-3a, 2.9-11,14-18, 10.19-22, 12.1-2, Romans 8.29, Phil. 1.18-30, 2.4-7, Col. 1.15-23, 2.8-23, 1 Peter 2.21-24, John 1.1-18

NOTE: emphasis on Colossians and Hebrews in scripture.

In the book of Colossians, Paul writes to a church he had never visited and harldy knew other than the false gnostic teachings floating around and the metropolis they were living in. More than anything else, he illustrates that above everything they know that Jesus Christ is supreme and worthy of their lives.

The writer of Hebrews, probably Barnabas or Apollo (associates of Paul), are writing to a fellowship of Jews struggling with the resurrected Messiah. The God they had worshiped through ceremony their entire lives unexprectedly brings them something extraordinary and totally unexpected and atoned for their sins with part of himself.

Check for yourself, look through the Scriptures and know the worth of Jesus...know for yourself that He is worthy of all that you are and worthy of your life because He paid your debt with Himself. And there is nothing that we should be more thankful for than Christ's death on the cross and the eternal life we invited to have with Him. Nothing. Nothing because there is nothing greater God can give us than himself.

It's alot to wrap your head around. I know, but this thing we call worship and more specifically, who it is we worship, is more than a few flowery songs on Sunday morning that make you feel under dressed and looking for the disco-ball. As God's people we can not be all that we are called for until we accept the mistakes we've made and reexamine how then we should live lives of worship....but that's for next time.
Shalom.

Developing a Rooted Gospel (part 01)

2008-03-24T14:29:00.005-04:00

(from March 9th, 2008)

Read - Matthew 13.1-9; 18-23 & Colossians 1.5-6, 9-12 & 2.6-7

In the scriptures Jesus often describes the kingdom to his followers in the form of a parable. Parables, for those of us that went to public school, are short allegorical stories that convey deeper spiritual truths and require a bit of thought and interpretation after hearing them. Of the many parables found throughout the scriptures, Matthew and Mark capture Jesus describing the story of a sower planting seeds. Christ explains that some seeds will grow but ultimately not all will mature. Some, he says, will be devoured by birds, others will be starved for soil and simply will not grow and some still will grow but will be hindered by weeds in the ground (Matthew 13.1-9). One, however, will find good soil and bear fruit.
Jesus clarifies the meaning of the parable for the dropouts and lead-paint babies, the seed symbolizes the gospel (“good news” or “truth” as some translate) of the kingdom and that our hearts are the soil (Matthew 13.18-23). The successful seed developed and bore fruit – multiplying a very similar seed over and over again. Even with my limited understanding of agriculture, three things pop out…

01. It takes a bit of work to make something grow
02. The condition of the soil has everything to do with the development of the seed.
03. The seed was only able to grow like this over time.

Granted, I’ve never intentionally grown anything, save the occasional mold in my car, but I’d guess if there are other things taking up too much space or sapping nutrients from the soil the seed doesn’t stand a chance. And without pulling weeds that sprout up or occasionally watering the soil, the seed simply can not grow and without growth the seed is useless. Even if we weren’t interested in multiplication, without growth of root there is virtually nothing keeping the seed in place (i.e. the second seed Jesus describes). The same goes for our understanding of the gospel and our relationship with Jesus.

When we throw around phrases and terms like being “saved” or “accepting Christ” we could say that this seed has been planted. And having taken this seed, the gospel or truth of Jesus, like the seed itself we really have a small simple understanding of what all of that means.

Example…
“Is there a God?” Yes.
“Is Jesus His son?” Yes.
“Did he die on a cross only to be resurrected three days later?” Yes.

Simple questions with simple answers, but without growth of understanding or being rooted, when storms and tribulations come things become difficult and suddenly the answers aren’t as easy or simple.

“How can Jesus be both man and God?”
“…and if there’s only one God how can he be three persons?”
“If Jesus is God’s son and God allowed him to die on the cross, isn’t that child abuse?”

The answers aren’t easy. Faith and life and worship go beyond trite, simple answers that we learned in Sunday school and sometimes we have to learn them in difficult ways. Developing our relationship with Jesus won’t be easy and it’s not going to be without its hardships.
However, it is the exact purpose of our entire being.
It takes not knowing all the answers but having the patience to wait, develop and pursue the answers with sincerity, diligent study and faith that God will guide us along the way.