I’ve been meditating on Colossians 1:13 for the last few days. “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves.” There is a radical shift that takes place when we align our allegiance with Yahweh and enter His kingdom. We are baptized into a new way of life. We begin to see reality through a different worldview.
Even our spiritual genetics change. We are a new creation and, thus, find that our desires are drawn in different directions than what we were familiar with. This spiritual DNA is in the makeup of every believer, from the stay-at-home mom to town’s local pastor/priest. It is the one common denominator that we share as sons of the Living God.
Within these strands of DNA are certain hardcoded characteristics: What we desire, love for fellowship, and (I believe) how we relate to others within the Body. While the application of these foundational constants may vary based on geography, culture, political climate, etc, there should always be an underlying similarity shared between authentic expressions of Christian ecclesiology.
I trust it’s safe to say that you and I are both homo sapiens. We share common DNA. As such, you and I both have an organ on our face called a nose. We both have a set of ears. We eat have an opening at the front of our face into which we place various forms of food. If we eat something with beans we both get gas (maybe?). Though we are two distinct individuals, there is are expressions of our humanity that are common. Indeed, these expressions are a witness to the world that we are human beings.
I believe that ecclesiology works the same way. There can be many authentic expressions of “church” so long as each type holds fast to the foundational building blocks of who we are as a people of God. These building blocks are determined by the characteristics of our Father, Yahweh.
When I received this revelation, I began to be much less concerned about the outward structure or label applied to a Christian meeting and more concerned with whether the gathering I was a part of modeled the genetic characteristics of my Father.
“On earth as it is in the heavens…” I think the Father is looking for His people to model community in such a way that reflects the community that exists in the Godhead. Whether we classify ourselves as “traditionalists,” “house churchists,” or “simple churchists,” the important issue we need to address is this: Does the way I relate to other believers in this fellowship reflect the type of relational community modeled in the Godhead? If not, (a) why do we persist in that practice and (b) how can we change to more closely mimic relational interactions in the Trinity?
I plan to explore this idea in a series of blog postings over the next few weeks. However, I’d be interested to see others weigh in on what they believe the “common DNA” is that we share as fellow believers and whether it is supported by their present ecclesiology.
For the past few weeks, my wife and I have been reading portions of Acts and Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia. During our reading, I’ve savored the freedom that we have in Jesus. We can live a life free from a works mentality, released to simply come to God through faith.
I’ve also thought a lot about the institutionalized structure of modern-day Christianity. As I continue on this journey in organic Christianity, I’m beginning to believe that the inorganic structure, made up of external rules and expectations, can cripple the Body of Christ. In some ways, it appears to present, in Paul’s words, “a different gospel,” that delivers an inaccurate view of salvation and our relationship with God.
In Acts and Galatians, there are striking parallels between the state of modern-day Christianity and the early church.
A Different Gospel
Paul had recently returned from Galatia (located in modern-day Turkey) only to receive word that there was serious trouble among the new believers. A group of Jewish men, called Judaizers, had entered the churches and begun teaching that the non-Jewish believers had to keep the Mosaic law in order to find approval from God. Most notable, was the strict stance on male circumcision (ouch!). To the Jews of that time, circumcision was a mark of superiority that proved (or so they thought) that they had a preferential relationship with God.
This contradicted to the message entrusted to Paul, which was based on faith in the completed work of Jesus Christ. To Paul, there was no amount of good works that can gain favor with God. Everyone stands absolutely condemned and incapable of “posting bail” on the account of “good behavior.”
“But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” – Galatians 5:22
To Paul, the Mosaic law served as a light to reveal the wickedness of the human heart. It was never designed to be a code to follow. By revealing the sin within our hearts, the Law shows us that we cannot measure up to God by our own good deeds. Recognizing this shortfall, should be the first step in following Jesus.
The Jerusalem Council
The Galatians were receiving a counterfeit gospel that was enslaving them to external actions and lifeless ritual. Paul was enraged, rising up like a father to their defense. He quickly went down to Jerusalem, the epicenter of Christianity, to talk with the believers there.
He brought his case before the entire church in Jerusalem. To Paul, this was not an issue for some hierarchical elite; this was a disease that threatened to attack every member of the Body of Christ. In response to that meeting, known as the Jerusalem Council, the entire church crafted a message to send out through the Roman world. It was an memo of clarification for all the new believers scattered across the empire.
“Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas–Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren…
“For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.” (Acts 15:22, 28-29)
To summarize, the only burden the apostles placed upon the non-Jewish believers was to avoid the following:
- Meat sacrificed to idols
- Blood from animals
- Meat from animals that have been strangled
- Sexual immorality
Preserving Unity
The first three commandments were made for the sake of the Jewish believers. In their culture, sacrificial meat, blood, and strangled meat were strictly taboo. It was unfamiliar to them. If a gathering of non-Jewish believers served blood-sausage for dinner, the ethnically Jewish believers would not want to come. Though the food was a non-issue to the Gentiles, it was a serious stumbling block for the Jews. These first three commands were given for the sake of unity. By serving “safe food,” Jewish brothers and sisters could join in gatherings without hesitation.
Let me paint a modern example. You have just been invited to someone’s house for dinner on Friday night. They are believers and you, being hungry for fellowship with other Christians, have been thinking about it all week. The host family is from the Phillipines, a precious elderly couple. The day before you arrive, however, you are told by a friend what kind of meal they served last week:
“They were serving soup that night. I was excited because there’s nothing like a warm cup of soup on a cold Minnesota night. Little did I know what was coming. I asked them what kind of soup it was and they told me, ‘A Phillipino special: Soup No. 5.’ What’s in it, I asked? They replied, ‘It’s a savory soup with bull’s rectum and testicles. We also have coconut grubs and Betute Tugak, which is stuffed frog.’”
You feel your lunch begin traveling up your through in the wrong direction. You gulp and exclaim: “Bull’s rectum and testicles, coconut grubs, and stuffed frog? Ahh!! I’m not going to go over there ever!!”
Get the picture? The taboo food became a stumbling block for the non-Phillipino brother. Something as simple as dinner prevented unity. (Note: Although I’ve never eaten the aforementioned items, I can say that the Phillipino food that my wife’s aunt makes is incredible.)
The last command they give concerns sexual immorality (i.e. fornication). When most people read this they falsely assume this means sexual intercourse outside of marriage. Both Jew and Gentile believers understood that the concept that sex was a gift to be exercised only within the covenant of marriage.
Instead, they were directing these Gentiles living in such close fellowship with the Jewish believers to observe the specific marriage regulations required by Leviticus 18, which prohibited marriages between most family relations. This was something that Jews would abhor, but most Gentiles would think little of.
Gentile Christians had the “right” to eat meat sacrificed to idols, to continue their marriage practices, and to eat food without a kosher bleeding, because these were aspects of the Mosaic law they definitely were not under. However, they are encouraged (demanded?) to law down their “rights” in these matters as a display of love to their Jewish brethren.
All four of the requested abstentions related to ceremonial laws laid down in Leviticus 17 and 18, and three of them concerned dietary matters which could inhibit Jewish-Gentile common meals.
No Greater Burden
When the question regarding church practice was brought up, there were only four requests that the Jerusalem church laid upon the Gentile believers. Of all the issues they could have addressed, they chose four that touched on diet and relationships. There was no mention of consistent tithing, church attendance, church membership, appropriate “spiritual covering,” or signed statements of faith.
Yet, in spite of this clear scriptural truth, we can add additional requirements in an attempt to validate one’s relationship with God.
I think we would have more people walking in freedom and wholeheartedness if we kept the main thing, namely, Jesus Christ, the main thing. Let the pure and unadulterated simplicty of following Jesus be the only requirement for being a “Christian.” Let’s not load extra burdens on people needlessly.
May the Lord help me to add “no greater burden” to those He brings into my life.
After his martyrdom at the hands of the Gestapo in 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer continued his witness in the hearts of Christians around the world. His Letters and Papers from Prison became a prized testimony to Christian faith and courage, read by thousands. Now in Life Together we have Pastor Bonhoeffer’s experience of Christian community. This story of a unique fellowship in an underground seminary during the Nazi years reads like one of Paul’s letters. It gives practical advice on how life together in Christ can be sustained in families and groups. The role of personal prayer, worship in common, everyday work, and Christian service is treated in simple, almost biblical, words. Life Together is bread for all who are hungry for the real life of Christian fellowship.
Click here to download the gleanings for “Life Together”(PDF)
(Right-click and select “Save Link As”)
GLEANINGS – What are They?
Several months ago, I decided to go through the time-intensive labor of typing out passages from books I read. The collection of quotes and comments came to be known as “gleanings.” If you want to read the gist of a book without flipping through all the pages, this format is for you. Consider it my version of “Cliff’s Notes.”
