prayeramedic.com » Church

Happy Reformation Day!

Dan — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 16:40:20 +0000

What happened today in 1521? Chris Castaldo helpfully explains what happened when Luther was asked to recant before the Diet of Worms. Here is the scene from the recent Luther movie:

Bureaucracy: The Real Problem

Dan — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 08:30:04 +0000

I saw this post about bureaucracy being the real problem over at Mike Baker’s blog. Mike writes:

The greatest allies of a failing bureaucracy are not the bureaucrats; they are the common people who believe that the bureaucracy could be used for good if only it was steered in the right direction. Bureaucracy isn’t a big ship with a bad captain. It’s an oil slick. It isn’t a productive machine that is just going the wrong direction. It is the juggernaut that systematically destroys all productive ideas because it is in its very nature to do so. The man who tries to harness a wild bureaucracy for “good” is as foolish as the various heroes of story and legend who–in their hubris–thought that they should try to control the mighty cave beast rather than just slay it.

Here’s my question: do all institutional churches fall into the bureaucracy category? What about denominations? I don’t think this was Mike’s point, but it made me think. People are quick to apply this logic to national government, but what about church government/ politics/ bureaucracy?

Is the best solution really to “slay the beast,” or can a bureaucracy be used for good if steered in the right direction?

No related posts.

Authentic Worship

Dan — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 08:30:36 +0000

First watch this short, humorous video:

As a former attendee of a Pentecostal church, I couldn’t help but laugh. Many of these apply to most traditions these days. I’d really like to focus on one word, however: authentic. I’ve given examples of inauthentic / fake worship before, but what does authentic worship look like?

The core meaning of the word authentic is something that “is not counterfeit or copied; conforming to fact and therefore worthy of belief.” Almost everything about modern day “worship” is often just a copy of some other church or movement’s style. Some Christians love to say that “worship is about how you live Monday through Saturday, not just something you do on Sunday,” but then proceed to live as though this isn’t true and continue to use the same rhetoric as those who view it as just the opposite. So what is worship?

Worship is defined as “reverent love and devotion; adoration; a religious service.” The last definition is the one I have a problem with. This is just like the word “church.” Church is not a place we go, it’s something we are. It’s an organism, not an organization. Worship is a reaction to who God is and all that He has done for us in and through Jesus Christ.

Worship is natural for a believer, it doesn’t have to be learned. We do a disservice to the kingdom of God when we think of a Sunday morning gathering as worship and coach others into a certain way of responding to music. Rock fans do the same thing when they teach fans how to mosh or head bang. This doesn’t make them any more or less a fan of rock music, it just helps them fit in and acclimate better to rock concert culture. Telling people to raise their hands is no different, we’re simply training them in a culture. This is a culture that is foreign to nonbelievers and frankly, it can even be a hindrance to the Gospel. I’m not saying it is wrong to raise hands, clap, dance, etc. I am saying that the reasons it is being done should be authentic, not simply because it is normal in your local gathering’s culture.

We may worship God at a Sunday morning gathering, as a member of the Church (the Body of Christ), but the scheduled event itself is not “worship.” I don’t want to turn this whole thing into semantics, which is useless if hearts don’t also change along with terms, but I think a vocabulary shift is in order. It’ll hopefully make people think.

Back to my original question: What does authentic worship look like? It’s not something that can be seen externally. It’s impossible to look at how someone responds to music on a Sunday morning and say, “That person is really worshipping authentically!” There are too many people who close their eyes and look sincere but their hearts are far from God. This has been a problem throughout all of creation:

“The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men’” (Isaiah 29:13).

“They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men” (Matthew 15:9).

Authentic worship is our heartfelt response to our Creator and Savior. It flows naturally out of our gratitude for what God has done for us in and through Jesus Christ. It doesn’t have to look like anything to others. It’s what is going on in our hearts when we think of our great and gracious God. It’s our attitude toward God in the midst of our sufferings. It’s how we praise Him for His blessings. It’s our reaction to a merciful Lord.

Thanks Luke Dalach for sharing this video with me!

The Smallest Church in America

Dan — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 03:46:04 +0000

Recently I visited the smallest church in America. Yes, I’m being serious. Here’s a few more shots I took:

And here’s inside the building:

It’s actually even smaller than it looks in the photos. I was driving down a backwoods highway in Georgia and saw the sign and had to stop. I was really surprised that the door was open and candles were lit inside (then again, it was a Sunday evening when I stopped by). It was littered with religious symbols and artifacts and smelled like musty carpet. Yet still, there it was, open to all.

I know this is more or less a tourist attraction, not really a genuine attempt to reach out into the community, but I couldn’t help but begin to think. In the comments on a recent post about filling the pews with false converts, Daniel Cosby wrote:

“No one builds a building and fills it with seats, so it can sit empty…”

That’s a simple and yet profound point. An institutional church must, by necessity, focus on filling the pews. Anyone who has read this blog for any length of time knows that I strongly feel that we cannot judge the church’s success by numbers. Instead, I ask this question: Are you making disciples who make other disciples? But recently a pastor (who happens to be very into the church growth movement) pointed out to me that this is a sort of logical conundrum: don’t measure church progress numerically; but if you are making disciples, your numbers will grow. His argument was that measuring disciple-making disciples is a numerical metric for success. I had to think about it for awhile, but now I’ve been able to clarify my thoughts, and I beg to differ.

The Christian faith is actually filled with these sorts of conundrums. A perfect example is the role good works play in our walk as a believer. Our personal works contribute nothing to our salvation, but the Bible says that we will recognize genuine believers by their fruit. We are not saved by obedience to the Law, but if we continually disobey and disregard God’s Law, the Bible says that we are not saved. James points out that if a man claims to have faith but does no good works, his faith cannot save him (James 2:14, 17). Yet the Apostle Paul continually makes it clear that Christ alone saves us apart from works (Ephesians 2:8-9). The answer lies in our focus and motivation.

Do we do good works in order to earn our salvation? No! That would be futile. We do them because good works become natural for us when we become new creatures in Jesus Christ. Does a tree bear fruit in order to continue being a tree? No! A tree bears fruit by nature, that is its purpose. So also “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

In the same way, the biblical believer makes disciples in order to expand God’s kingdom and out of heartfelt gratitude for what God has done for him and for all mankind. His aim is not to build or grow a local organization, his goal is to build the global organism of Christ’s Body.

The Smallest Church in America is only judging its size by its building dimensions and attendance, not by the metric of Christ’s Body, for She is one Church, and one Bride. Granted, on occasion numbers are noted in the New Testament (such as how 3,000 people were baptized on the day of Pentecost), but the focus never shifted from Christ and His kingdom. The emphasis wasn’t about how Peter’s sermon attracted 3,000 people to the faith. The emphasis was on repentance and the forgiveness of sins being offered by Jesus Christ to 3,000 broken sinners who were literally “cut to the heart” by their sin (Acts 2:37-38).

I wish more people recognized that when we gather as believers, we gather with the Church universal. Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” Jesus Himself is present with those who gather in His name, and we are thus all gathered together in Him.

Instead we all tend to focus only on our local gathering of believers – and we begin to think in isolated terms. The Bible continually points us to Christ and His Body, the Church universal. One day we will all join in praise and worship of our God forever in heaven, but we can do so here as well….

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped (Revelation 5:13-14).

Let’s go forth throughout this week thinking in collective terms about the Church universal, remembering that we worship a big God and that we are a part of a much larger organism, the Body of Christ. Sure, making disciples does mean more people, but learn to count them as additions to God’s kingdom, not to our own.

Here’s a few questions to ponder this week:

What does the architecture of a gathering place communicate to those who meet there?
What does the culture of our regular assembly communicate about how it measures growth?
Does focusing on the wrong metric for success produce bad/false results? How so?

The Church is failing…

Dan — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 00:40:56 +0000

I’m getting sick of always hearing about what the Church is doing wrong from people who offer no solutions other than to give up on it. The bottom line is, the Body of Christ isn’t going away – it is Christ’s Bride whom He loves and for whom He died. Whether She meets in houses, buildings, cathedrals, college campuses, coffee shops, or bars, She is Christ’s Beloved.

I’m really not one to talk since I used to join in the banter, although long ago I recognized the problem with how it’s Chic to Critique and that when we do so, we’re Critiquing His Bride. It’s not fair to critique without offering suggestions for improvement and becoming part of the solution. It’s easy to make pot shots from the sidelines, it’s a lot harder to work for effective, lasting change from the inside.

A lot of the complaints about the church stem from a misunderstanding of the distinction between the Church’s calling and the individual believers’ calling. Without this distinction, the church gets overwhelmed and overburdened with good ideas. I’ve heard people suggest that the Church should do all of these things:

Feed the homeless and build shelters
Help people find jobs
Offer parenting classes
Help people struggling with addiction
Support overseas missions and send missionaries
Begin mentoring programs
Offer free community healthcare clinics
Visit shut-ins and hospitalized
Build nursing homes or find families for elderly
Run a daycare
Offer bible studies and classes that accommodate everyone’s schedule
Reach out to people using Web 2.0 / social networking
Offer relevant, cutting edge worship music with talented musicians
Offer a strong youth program
Provide a community food pantry
Buy Christmas gifts for underprivileged children in the community
Offer specific life phase ministries (age, marital situation, parenting, hobbies, etc.)

Do you know what all of these have in common? They all require significant financial and/or human resources to develop and sustain! The funny thing is, many of the people who recommend that the Church do these things also don’t think the Church should have any hierarchy of leadership or organizational structure – nor a building from which to operate. Others want to see these things from their own local church, but they are not willing to contribute their time, talents, or money to support them. And that’s really not fair.

Nothing is wrong with any of these ideas, in fact I like many of them. But these are not the Church’s primary responsibilities. If we judge the Church by the above standards, She is failing miserably and She always will be. The Church cannot meet everyone’s needs.

Critics like to use the existence of a need as justification for the Church being a failure. For instance, if we have homeless people in the community, the Church is failing to care for them. But I would be willing to bet that a lot of things in most communities are actually better because the Church is offering some programs to help and is witnessing in that community. Do we assume that police officers are worthless because we still have crime or that parents are useless because kids do stupid things? NO! Why then do we assume that the existence of an unmet need is proof of the Church’s failure?

The other thing we forget is that individual believers do meet a lot of a communities’ needs simply by fulfilling the duties of their vocations. The Church is filled with healthcare providers who help the sick, social workers who help the underprivileged, emergency service providers who respond to community crises, teachers who educate children, and many more people who help communities and make godly changes in the world. But the Christian faith, more specifically the Church, is never credited with the daily actions of individual believers as they fulfill their vocations.

Most of the above-listed needs overlap with other social institutions. None of these are unique to the Church, that is, others can fulfill them. The Church does have one thing that is unique, however. This is something that NO ONE else can offer. The Church must meet people’s most vital need for the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Church primarily exists to preach the Gospel and to equip others to do the same. No one else has this message and no one else can equip others to share it.

So the next time you think of a great ministry that your local church should provide, offer to lead it and to develop the resources for it. Do a little research before making a suggestion, there may be reasons why it isn’t feasible to do something at that time. At the same time, you may find that there are many people interested in donating their time, talents and financial resources to meet a need in your community. As you develop the ministry, be sure that it also meets people’s greatest need for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Otherwise you’re just like any other social institution, and you’ll be failing at the very thing the Church is called to do.

Canceling church to do service projects

Dan — Mon, 24 May 2010 08:30:08 +0000

I’ve heard a lot about this lately. A church in St. Louis, MO recently canceled services in order to do community projects. Several people whose opinions I respect have mentioned the prospect of doing this lately, and several others whom I also respect have voiced strong opposition to this. Here’s a short video about this church event:

I guess a lot of this centers around your definition of “church” and “worship.” If Church is something we are, then wherever we go there is Christ’s Body. At the same time, what about those visitors who didn’t get to hear the Gospel that day? I’m not of the mindset that actions alone preach the Gospel, words are essential – specifically the Word of God.

If “worship” is something we do for God, then service projects are an appropriate substitute. But if worship is a place where the Church receives Christ’s gifts and is replenished for service, then what happened at this church in St. Louis is equivalent to sending starving people out to the fields to work.

Here are a few questions I have about this:

What about the visitors? Did they hear the Gospel? (Hearing the message is important, see Romans 10:17).
Did everyone have an opportunity to serve? What about the disabled, those with special needs, elderly, mothers with many children, etc.? Did they attend this event and if so, were they able to contribute in a meaningful way?
Why couldn’t service events be scheduled after the service, or over the weekend? Were people not willing to devote additional time to service projects?
What does this convey about this church’s theology of worship and why we gather?

Those are some questions to consider. I’d love to hear your responses. Please comment with your thoughts here or on Facebook. Do you think this is a good idea? Why or why not?

For a great audio clip discussing this very issue check out this episode of Issues, Etc.

H/T: Cyberbrethren and Issues, Etc.

Coming soon to a church near you…

Dan — Sun, 09 May 2010 04:49:30 +0000

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: To all those who claim that traditional worship is “dead” and “quenching the Spirit” because it follows a set pattern, I’d challenge you to analyze the practices of most “contemporary,” “postmodern,” and “relevant” worship services today. They all have their own “dead” traditions and patterns they fall into. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a problem with any of these worship styles, but everyone must be honest and admit that it is human nature to fall into repetition. This humorous video makes light of this fact:

“Sunday’s Coming” Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

Maybe the so-called “relevant” stuff isn’t as “authentic” as everyone likes to think….

H/T: BeDeviant

Soundbite on Decisional Theology

Dan — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:30:19 +0000

This is a short soundbite from a talk by Bryan Wolfmueller entitled “Decisional Theology.” You can listen to the full talk at Issues, Etc. by clicking here.

Soundbite on Decisional Theology from Dan O'Day on Vimeo.

This is a short soundbite from a talk by Bryan Wolfmueller entitled “Decisional Theology.” You can listen to the full talk at Issues, Etc. here: http://issuesetc.org/2010/01/14/2446/

Missionary as Vocation

Dan — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 11:00:09 +0000

Yesterday I posted about how Those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. I just wanted to point out another thought I had on that.

In many respects, the Church today still follows the example of Paul. In areas where the gospel has been established and a large body of believers exists to support ministers of the gospel, church workers are paid.

In places where the gospel is not prevalent, missionaries raise their own money (or serve bi-vocationally) and ask nothing from the people to whom they minister. This is the same pattern we see from Paul, and it’s what the Church still practices today.

Another question is: Are there people in America we are failing to reach because the only ministry model they’ve encountered collects an offering? Should there be more ministries that ask nothing from those whom they serve? What would this look like? Would it be house churches? Or would it be ministries functioning as extensions of an institutional church? Or perhaps both working together? Just a thought….

Those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel

Dan — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 23:49:53 +0000

I know that’s a bold statement, but I didn’t say it. The apostle Paul did. That is a direct quote from 1 Corinthians 9:14, and it is preceded by saying that this is the Lord’s command (not Paul’s). Here’s the whole passage, in context:

This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. Don’t we have the right to food and drink? Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas? Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living?

Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?

But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. Don’t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast. Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it (1 Corinthians 9:3-18, NIV, emphasis mine).

Matthew Henry wrote this in his commentary on v. 6:

[Paul] had a right to marry as well as other apostles, and to claim what was needful for his wife, and his children if he had any, from the churches, without labouring with his own hands to get it. Those who seek to do our souls good, should have food provided for them. But he renounced his right, rather than hinder his success by claiming it. It is the people’s duty to maintain their minister. He may wave his right, as Paul did; but those transgress a precept of Christ, who deny or withhold due support.

In other words, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel have the right to earn their living from it. This is the modern day pastor (which corresponds more to the biblical role of elder). Paul chose to serve in bi-vocational ministry, that is, he chose to earn his living from a separate job, that of tentmaking. But that was Paul’s choice. Paul makes it clear that biblically, ministers have a RIGHT to earn their living from preaching the gospel.

However, Paul also says that voluntary preachers receive a reward for their duties, while those who exercise their right to a salary “simply discharge the trust committed to [them].” In other words, their vocation is no better than the local plumber, teacher, tax collector, or nurse. Each of these is commanded to be a full-time minister of the gospel (all believers), but some may earn their living from it as a right, which has clearly been commanded by the Lord.

Paul recognized that as a missionary in his context, bi-vocational ministry was a more effective approach. He willingly sets aside his right to financial support so that people will not think his message is just a fancy speech designed to get money. Some Greek orators made their living by traveling and entertaining audiences with speeches. Others formed schools and charged students for lectures. Paul does not want anyone to think his message is motivated by selfish concerns. But Paul’s willingness to support himself does not change the Lord’s command. Ministers of the gospel have a right to financial support, and believers have an obligation to provide that support.

The command is not aimed solely at vocational ministers so that they should run around demanding their support (although it would be biblically warranted if their “flock” didn’t support them), the command appears to target all believers so that they recognize that it is their responsibility to support the work of the gospel.

1 Timothy 5:17-20 says:

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.” Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.

Elders here are appointed leaders, not merely those recognized because of their age and experience. Those folks are actually addressed in v. 1: “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father.” In Acts 14:23, “Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.” “Double honor” in the 1 Timothy 5 passage does not refer to salary, but this passage does reiterate the point that “the worker deserves his wages.” It also establishes that those elders whose work is preaching and teaching are serving in an honorable vocation. It is a respectable career choice.

This becomes even more pertinent as more and more heresies abound and the resurrection of false teachings from the past continues. It is extremely beneficial to the church to have individuals who receive in-depth training in the bible, church history, theology, and practical ministry (counseling, helping people cope with traumatic events, addiction therapy, etc.). There is nothing wrong with this, indeed it is very helpful to the Church. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to go to seminary to learn about church history, biblical languages, etc. Many more don’t have the opportunity to go, and even more do not have the intellectual capacity to retain this knowledge. This doesn’t invalidate the education and training, however. A lot of people aren’t smart enough to go to medical school, but we’re all glad that we have doctors. The same is true of pastors. They are not better than other believers because of their training, but they are to be respected and should be able to earn a living from their work.

Not everyone is meant to serve in this role. Ephesians 4:11-13 says:

It was [God] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Clearly not all are called to fulfill these roles in the Church. The purpose of these roles is to prepare God’s people for good works of service, building up the body of Christ “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Since this hasn’t happened yet, we still need people to fulfill these roles. Not just anyone should jump into these roles, either. James 3:1 says:

Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

God apparently even has a higher standard of judgment for those who teach His people. This should not be taken lightly. To ensure that not just anyone became an elder, Paul set up standards for them. Hear his words in Titus 1:5-9:

The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

There you have it, the requirements of an elder and parts of his job description, and a reiteration of the fact that it is an appointed position. Paul also mentions here (and in several other places) that elders should not pursue dishonest gain. This precludes those folks who would serve in these roles solely to make money, or to make it dishonestly (such as through prosperity teachings). That would be wrong. But it doesn’t preclude them from making an honest living from preaching and teaching the gospel.

There are a lot more scripture passages that we could explore, but this post is long enough as it is. It is a topic that deserves attention, though. And it is one I should have posted at least a few weeks ago before I started shifting some of my terminology on this blog. I apologize for not sharing these thoughts sooner with you, my readers. I know I have written blog posts with the opposite stance in the past, but the clear teachings of the word of God prevail, as explained above. Undoubtedly there will be more discussion on this issue, feel free to comment and read the comments to gain more insight.