Questions to the Contextualization of the Scriptures: How Does it Relate to Evangelism and Discipleship?
In Alan Hirsch’s and Michael Frost’s book ‘The Shaping of Things to Come’ they quote Charles Kraft’s four principles of contextualization in the Bible. Reflecting on their value I am left curious as to how they relate to evangelism and discipleship. What do you think?
“They are:
- The Bible goes considerably beyond revealing merely intellectual truth or information. It demonstrates how truth is conveyed. Says Kraft, ‘Our God… is mainly a God of dialogue who interacts with us.’
- God’s communication with humanity is depicted in the Bible as coming to humans in familiar, expected ways (though the message itself was often unexpected).
- God’s method of self-disclosure is demonstrated to be participatory.
- We observe God’s revelatory activity in the scriptures to be situation-specific.”
“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Questions of Church Planting: Focusing on Structural Dynamics
I have been trying to stay away from blogging for awhile so I can focus more on writing visionary work for our hopes of church planting. Lately, I have been turning my thoughts toward the structural dynamics of Epiphany Christian Fellowship and after conversing with a friend about it, he sent me an email with a number of questions to ponder with its regards to ECF.
I have found that some of the questions seem to rub off on me a little negitively with regards to their lack of missional conciderations and what seems like (C)hurch Organizational (Institutional) Structural underlying assumptions. But I guess, I do need to spend a little more time mulling them over these issues and yes, of course, praying about them. Perhaps though, within your own context, you might like to have a crack at them also. How would you answer these questions in your own missional and cultural contexts?
Winning People
- How are you going to get people to know about your church?
- How are you going to get them to come to some church activities?
- How are you going to get them to understand the essence of the gospel and to make a commitment to Christ?
Integrating People
- How are people going to find a place to belong?
- Where is there space to find Christian community?
Nurturing People
- What do you have to help people through the tough spots in life?
- How will you care for those in dysfunctions and addictions?
- How will you care for people’s souls?
Discipling People
- What will you do to help people understand what it means to follow Christ fully?
- What will you do to help people live in a Christian manner?
- What will you do to help people hear the voice of God and know his will?
Setting People Free to Minister
- How will you help people discover their ministry?
- What will you do to provide coaching and care for those in ministry?
- How will you go about training your leaders?
Transforming the World: It always starts with the Actions of One Person – Maybe It is You!
“Sometimes we don’t need another chance to express how we feel or to ask someone to understand our situation. Sometimes we just need a firm kick in the pants. An unsmiling expectation that if we mean all these wonderful things we talk about and sing about, then lets see something to prove it.”
As a kid, I remmember going to the movies a watching great characters like Zorro, The Count of Monte Cristo, Luke Skywalker in ‘Star Wars’, and modern day comic heros like Batman and Superman. I would come running out of the theater in a full blown emotional high! Why? I don’t really know, but there was something about the ideal pursuit of truth and justice in a world which was full of oppression and so many disheartening erroneous wrongs. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Have you ever felt this way?
It always strikes me that the characters we are drawn to in films, books, and other entertainment that always fires us up looking for change or something different in the world around us usually, indicate something we desire in our own life. A deep hiden ambition maybe to make a difference in our own communities but we are to affraid or maybe feel to inadequate or “alone” to take the steps in actually doing anything about it.
It is true. Transforming the World around us seems like an impossible pursuit when we percieve it as being something we have to do all alone. But, if we take it into a smaller context; say a country, or a city, or even just your local community; then we can really grasp it as a personal mission and most likely there would be others who could join with you in developing its outcome.
Jesus says in Luke 10:2, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” Typically we have interpreted the harvest as being those who are not “inside” the church but what if that is not what Jesus meant? Jesus himself took the harvesters (the disciples) outside of the church (the temple) and put them to work according to the needs that the people had. In this same passage Jesus tells them “pray earnestly”, “Go your way”, “carry no baggage”, “speak peace be with you” to others, “remain” and “eat and drink” with others in the household, “heal the sick”, and most of all tell and show them that “the Kingdom of God is near”. This seems more like a picture of pursuing social and communal justice for all the people of the community.
It seems apparent that Jesus himself modeled this idea that transforming the world starts by the actions of one individual. If we are following him, we will find ourselves called in the same way in that we each can and should pursue the transformation of our own communities for its better reflection of God’s Kingdom.
So, “What does God’s Kingdom look like?” If we truly believe that Jesus is in our inner most core and his Holy Spirit is really directing and guiding our thoughts, passions, and emotions; perhaps it returns to that earlier question of why we feel such an emotional high when we come out of a really good movie. When you concider the heros you had in your youth, or even the heros you have today; when you see your community or your city acting inappropriately or not acting when they should, and your blood presure goes through the roof; what is it that you think Christ would do differently? Then, what is it you think you can do to change it? Perhaps, there is a good place to begin the pursuit of transformation.
“Jesus evidently felt deeply the emptiness and futility of much… religious talk. He was interested only in those emotions and professions which could get themselves translated into character and action. Words have always been the bane of religion as well as its vehicle. Religious emotion has enormous motive force, but it is the easiest thing in the world for it to sizzle away in high professions and wordy prayers . In that case, it is a substitute and counterfeit, and a damage to the Reign of God among men.”
Empowering One Another
“If you explore the life of things and of conditioned being you come to the unfathomable. If you deny the life of things and of conditioned being you stand before nothingness. If you hallow this life you meet the living God.”
Martin Buber
Several years ago I can remember reading a quote in Philip Yancey’s book ‘Reaching for an Invisible God’. He quoted Gregory of Nyssa at the end of a chapter saying “Concepts create idols, only wonder grasps anything.” Deep down I couldn’t help but feel as though we seem to have forgotten this fundamental truth. It seems more like we have so neatly packaged our church communities to be managed through methodological hierarchies so that if you maintained a certain degree of appearance you were considered “in” the church while if you did not measure up to a certain likeness you would find yourself on the “outside” of any church community and most likely, whether spoken or not, considered inferior to those who were in the church.
What happened to our wonder and awe at the amazing graces God worked through our dreams and passions? Have we so modernized the way “church” is done that we have forgotten God’s creative nature and his love for bringing out the redemptive power of grace through all people and cultures? I hope not.
In Acts 2:17-18 Peter quotes the prophet Joel saying, ““And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.” Peter’s and Joel’s prophesy was becoming a reality. Thousands of those who stood there before Peter were being thrust into seeing how their visions and their dreams were all apart of God’s plan. It was no longer about what the temple and priests could give them but, it was about how the kingdom of God was so very near to who they already were and were becoming. Their stories and testimonies were already describing the redemption and freedom Jesus was offering everyone through the power of the cross.
Bringing the gospel to others today is no different then it was two thousand years ago. James Kouzes wrote that, “People already have tremendous power. It is not a matter of giving people power – it’s liberating people to use the power and skills they already have. It’s a matter of setting them free, of expanding their opportunities to use themselves in service of a common and meaningful purpose. What is often called empowerment is really just letting people loose, liberating them to use their power.” This is the story of the gospel at large. If we are to empower others, then we need to recognize and acknowledge the power to which is already in and working through their lives. Namely the presence of the Holy Spirit as we see him in their dreams, passions, and visions towards kingdom building. As we join relationally in that work with them we can begin a discipleship centered on Jesus as it is expressed through a communal relationship rather then individualistic gain.
How can we do this in a practical sense? Covenants are perhaps one of the best examples given throughout scripture which unit both God and people as well as people with other people. God created a covenant with Abraham to bless him and his people (Gen. 22:15-18) which united them eternally (Ps. 105:8, 10; Isa. 54:10) and was continually referred back to throughout the story of the gospel (Isa. 51:2; Acts 7:2-3; Heb. 11:8).We as Christ’s followers share in this covenant anew through our discipleship of Jesus (Rom. 11:25-36) but it must be affirmed through a personal and intimate commitment. It is in essence a covenant we personally write ourselves to and with God. When we are in covenant with God we naturally become committed to one another regardless of recognition or not as Paul says in Romans 11:28-29, “As regards the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
With All of Your Soul – Faith Lived Out Through Holistic Practice
Ed Stetzer writes in his book ‘Planting Missional Churches’ that, “The most surprising news of postmodernity is that postmoderns are on a ‘spiritual search and not an intellectual quest.’ They’re willing to take that quest with Christians, if we’re genuine and live a holistic faith.” This is not a new concept which he is acknowledging but rather a reawakening of what Jesus was asking of us when he said to love God with all of our soul.
Harper’s Bible Dictionary articulates that by asking for the individual soul’s expression of love, “God expects to be loved with the totality of one’s being” A totality which includes ones mind, spirit, and body. Paul Achtemeier was quoted writing, “Generally, the Bible suggests that humans have visible and invisible sides. The terminology, however, is mixed: on the one side, ‘flesh,’ ‘body,’ ‘members,’ ‘outer person’; on the other, ‘soul,’ ‘spirit,’ ‘mind,’ ‘inner person.’ And the two suit and interpenetrate each other, so that physical organs such as the heart, liver, kidneys, and bowels function on behalf of the inner consciousness. The brain does not get the credit modern science gives it, and clean distinctions among thinking, feeling, and willing are absent (e.g., the heart thinks and wills, as well as feels).”
The church traditionally seems to lean heavily on the need to follow Christ from an internal or invisible standing. It would rather promote intellectual exercises of knowledge building and spiritual developments toward worship practices. They would ask members to take part in ‘Spiritual Gift Networking’ classes and to take part in activities centered on prayer groups and Bible Studies; all of which have value and are apart of the soul but they seem to miss the very physical identities and needs that each person encounters as a whole complete being.
The church today in essence seems to have fallen pray to the same temptation that the early church in Corinth did by believing our physical bodies and its properties too have little to no value and instead abuse them without care, expecting Christ like transformation only to be spiritual and internal in nature. Bruce Winter describes the Corinthians saying, “Being people of the spirit, they imply, has moved them to a higher plane, the realm of the spirit, where they are unaffected by behavior that has merely to do with the body.” Paul’s answer is quick and to the point, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
If we are to love God with all of our soul it must be embraced through a holistic practice of caring for, training, equipping, and worshiping him through every part of our being: Body, Mind, and Spirit.
With All of Your Heart: Seeking Christ Like Character From the Inside Out
“The heart is the center of emotions, feelings, moods, and passions. Equated with the heart are joy (Deut. 28:47; Acts 2:26), grief (Ps. 13:2; Lam. 2:11), ill-temper (Deut. 15:10), love (Phil. 1:7), courage (2 Sam. 17:10; Ps. 27:14), and fear (Gen. 42:28).” The heart of an individual defines both the positive and negative psyche he or she may experience through life and is not the bubbly wishy washy moments which to often are expected by many Christians. God loves and wants to know every deep inner part of you including the ups and down moments which seem toughest to experience.
The Psalmist David was quick to share the times of anger and frustrations which he experienced while running from King Saul in the wilderness. At the same time, I imagine Moses arguing and pleading with God over the frustrations he experienced while leading the Israelite people. In my own life, it is difficult to acknowledge the battles and struggles over being in a wheelchair to which I face daily, however, I know God is right there beside me as I weep and push on.
In his book ‘Fan the Flame’, Joseph Stowell says the “Heart is used in Scripture as the most comprehensive term for the authentic person. It is the part of our being where we desire, deliberate, and decide. It has been described as “the place of conscious and decisive spiritual activity,” “the comprehensive term for a person as a whole; his feelings, desires, passions, thought, understanding and will,” and “the center of a person. The place to which God turns.”
Loving God with our hole heart means we are acknowledging and embracing him first internally through each moment being lived out with truthful emotion, passion, desire, and a deliberate conscious effort to acknowledge and engage with his presence with a spirit of authenticity at all times.
Loving God: Pursuing His Utmost With Our Utmost
At the core of all things Jesus tells us that we are to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Love at first seems a simple term however; the love that Jesus describes seems to be lost in the translation.
By the English definition love is described as a “strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties or affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests.” This kind of love seems tied to an understanding that it is a reactional response to something which is mutually experienced, beneficial or acquired between two individuals. Love is something which is earned through a relational development rather then a characteristic which is always present.
Although often interpreted this way by many unsuspecting believers this is not what Jesus meant when he called us to love God. The love which Jesus asks of us is in the Greek form of ἀγαπάω love which has the deeper meaning of “a God like love that loves regardless of the circumstances, a deliberate love that decides it will keep loving even if it is rebuffed. We are challenged to live out the highest love and to do so with the highest sincerity. Our love is to be genuine, not counterfeit.”
This is a love which seems most difficult to instill in the hearts of many people today. It is as though we do not trust that it has already been created within us. With the wear and tear of a consumeristic, competitive, self driven, and fallen society we have callused the relational sides of our hearts and hidden, even from ourselves, our own identities of ἀγαπάω love and the connection to which it gives us to God. In spite of this, the apostle Paul is still right in saying, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” We may hide from the love which is in our hearts but love is always present. Jesus knew this and calls us to acknowledge, revel, and bring that love to the surface of everything we do.
Mrs. A. E. Janzen describes the story of a college professor by saying, “A college president not long ago made this arresting statement to a class of graduating seniors: “It gets easier and easier for man to dominate his universe … and harder for him to dominate himself.” He went on to say, “It matters little what you learn or express if in the end you cannot find some ways of working things out with your neighbors.” We cannot dominate the universe, but, with God’s help, we can dominate ourselves.”
Similarly, Michael Frost quotes Vaclav Havel, “There is such an enormous gap between our words and deeds. Everyone talks about freedom, democracy, justice, human rights, and peace; but at the same time, everyone, more or less, consciously or unconsciously, serves those ideals only to the extent necessary to defend and serve his own interests, and those of his group and state. Who should break this vicious circle? Responsibility cannot be preached: it can only be borne, and the only possible place to begin is with oneself.”
Both Janzen’s story and Vaclav’s articulation point to the truth that love is not something which we can earn or acquire from God or others but is rather a conscious choice which we are free to express starting solely within ourselves. We are free to express love by choice and are not confined to expressing it through a consumeristic “what do I get out of it” mentality.
Loving God first starts by the words and deeds we begin within ourselves allowing others to see the transformation to which we experience and freeing them to recognizing God’s love within them. It starts by loving God with all of our heart by seeking the incarnation of Christ like character from the inside out and then extending that love outwards to all of our soul by living faith as a holistic expression of who God created us to be.
Why Church Plant?
From a Biblical Stance it seems natural to follow in Jesus’ final mandate to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matt. 28:19a) He is sending us as his followers to go to all places where the gospel has yet to be shared in a living form of existence. I say it this way because in our North American context it is extremely difficult if not impossible to escape the knowledge of Christianity and its influence over our heritage and culture. What seems less known or accepted is its living presence and mandate for salvation to be brought to all existence and life.
Christianity has been limited to the presentation of education and knowledge expressed through religiosity rather then the actual engagement with the resurrected Jesus and becoming a disciple or follower of his way in every day life and practice. The gospel in essence is much more than individual salvation and redemption. It is a communal journey of continuing to go out from the boarders of your own comfortability and connecting others to the freedom of following Christ into a greater self awareness and development of the holistic way in which he made them and you.
Nationality also becomes more than the simple nation to which you come from or were born in. It also is shaped by individual history and culture. Culture is defined as the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group or the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes a company or corporation. In a North American context these factors can be diverse when traveling from community to community even within a single city. The beliefs, values, and goals of those living in the inner city of downtown Calgary can be significantly different then those found in the South East corner suburbs of McKenzie Towne or Cranston.
There is the question of why not just work through existing churches? Ed Stetzer offers an answer in his book Planting Missional Churches; “Some people note that the Great Commission does not use the term church planting. Thus, they argue that the Great Commission is fulfilled only through existing congregations (particularly in highly churched areas). But the early church was filled with the Holy Spirit, according to the book of Acts (2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9). These Spirit-filled disciples planted churches. It’s obvious by their actions that the first hearers of the Great Commission assumed its fulfillment required multiplying disciples and forming new congregations.”
I think in close connection to Stetzer’s observation is the sense of calling through a “Holy discontent”. In a personal note to answering the question of why church plant I can only say that in my own following of Christ I see him envisioning a community of followers who are reaching the churched and un-churched in a new and more culturally emerging way. One which is not so easily embraced or expressed through traditional churches. It is a deep sense of the need to go and bring freedom and encouragement to live in holistic relationship to the way God has created us in spite of any challenges or obstacles which we may individually face.
Perhaps in embracing a vision as to why we should church plant we can begin to explore the values and community to which we wish to grow and develop in fellowship with.
Expressions
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years By Donald Miller
Follow Me to Freedom By Shane Claiborne & John Perkins
Journey to Significance By Neil Cole
Organic Leadership By Niel Cole
Sacrilege By Hugh Halter
Forge Canada
Friend of Missional
Missional Apologetics
The Missional Network
Verge Network
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