Christian – Page 17 – Journeys of Heart and Mind

DaManCD

Articles that dig deep into where we are going, why, and how, what is expected of us, our fears, hopes, failures, successes.

This is a quick heads up for my readers, a mention of another website you might like to take a look at.

There are a multitude of websites out there, often on very specific topics, so many that there’s something for absolutely everyone. So many that it can be hard to find what you need. My online friend DaManCD (aka Christopher Dryden) runs one of them, and I run another. We’ve been aware of one another since we both contributed a chapter in a collaborative book, and we’ve interacted from time to time over the years, especially recently (though we’ve never actually met).

Chris’s website is called Life with CD and it’s well worth a visit. CD draws on his life experience as a follower of Jesus to produce articles that dig deep into where we are going, why, and how, what is expected of us, our fears, hopes, failures, successes. His focus is always on the King who leads us. Why not take a look at a recent article starting a great series on the theme of 40 days?

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If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please like, comment, and share below. (If you don’t see those links, click the article’s title above the main photo and they will appear.) Send a link to friends who might enjoy the article or benefit from it – Thanks! My material is free to reuse (see conditions), but a coffee is always welcome and encourages me to write more often!

About Patrick

My name is Patricius, I’m a sinner, a simple country person, and the least of all believers; I am looked down upon by many. My father was Calpornius, a deacon.

Patrick, or Saint Patrick as we normally think of him, had an interesting background and history. Of course, we know very little about him, but far more than we know about most other people who lived at that time.

What does the name, Patrick, mean? It comes from the Latin patricius, meaning “nobleman”, “of noble origin” or “patrician”. Patricians were the noble families in ancient Rome, a ruling class, and Patrick can be viewed as a Roman or perhaps a Romanised Briton. By 409 CE when all remaining Roman forces in Britannia were recalled to protect the Western empire against uncontrolled immigration across the Rhine, the distinction between Roman and Romano-Briton had pretty much vanished. Archaeological evidence makes it clear that Roman life continued well after the troops left, particularly in the west of Britain.

Patrick’s life

Patrick’s family lived in Roman style somewhere near the west coast in what is now northern England or southern Scotland (also possibly Wales). They would have been little affected by Angle and Saxon incursions into the far eastern regions of the British Isles, but raids from Ireland and northern Scotland were sometimes a problem. Farming life and indeed villa life and Roman town life would have carried on; no longer governed by the empire, but governed locally like a Roman province. Patrick was born around the time the Roman forces departed.

When he was sixteen he was captured by Irish pirates raiding the area where his parents lived. And he was sold in Ireland as a slave and had a hard life, outside in all weathers, herding sheep or pigs. He had been exposed to Christian ways as a child but had not believed in Jesus or made any attempt to follow him, but during his time in captivity he developed a faith. Spending times of great hardship as a herdsman slave, and living in the open air in all seasons, he must often have been wet and very cold. But spiritually it was a time of great growth and depth for him. He prayed incessantly and felt very close to his heavenly Father.

He made a dash for freedom when the opportunity arose, hearing a voice in his sleep telling him that a ship was waiting to return him home. He was recaptured, but escaped again and made it home successfully.

Later, sensing that his responsibility was to return to Ireland to share his faith with the pagan people there, he travelled back and began to share everything he knew of Jesus. People listened to what he told them and he started many local communities of believers. Later again, Patrick travelled back to northern Britain and spread his teaching about Jesus to the Irish and Welsh speaking Britons and also to the Saxons in the areas he visited. The Celtic church in Ireland and in Great Britain spread far and wide, even back into northern Europe. Celtic Christian monks journeyed singly or in small groups, spreading the good news and founding further communities and groups of believers.

His writings

At some point in his later life, Patrick authored books and letters, two have survived, and one of these is autobiographical in nature, telling the story of who he was and the events of his life. And that book (The Confessio) is why we know as much as we do about Patrick and the world he lived in. Here are his opening words:

My name is Patrick. I am a sinner, a simple country person, and the least of all believers. I am looked down upon by many. My father was Calpornius. He was a deacon; his father was Potitus, a priest, who lived at Bannavem Taburniae. His home was near there, and that is where I was taken prisoner. I was about sixteen at the time. At that time, I did not know the true God. I was taken into captivity in Ireland, along with thousands of others. We deserved this, because we had gone away from God, and did not keep his commandments. We would not listen to our priests, who advised us about how we could be saved. The Lord brought his strong anger upon us, and scattered us among many nations even to the ends of the earth. It was among foreigners that it was seen how little I was.

The Wikipedia article on Patrick provides a lot of good information.

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Jesus at the centre – 1

We are often overwhelmed by the complications and demands of modern life; our focus on the essential is lost and we are distracted by so many side issues.

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This article is an extract from my short book, Jesus, Disciple, Mission, Church (JDMC). The bite-sized piece below is roughly two percent of the book. This article opens a deeper look at the first forgotten way.

Introduction

It’s extremely important that Jesus is at the heart of our lives, both individually and in church life too. If we don’t get this foundation right we cannot be built into what he wants us to be. What would happen if you built a house of heavy stones but didn’t have proper foundations?

The fact is, this forgotten way is fundamental; everything else depends on it and results from it. We need Jesus to be in the right place because he is the only foundation we can trust (Matthew 16:15-20, 1 Corinthians 3:9-11). Has this way been truly forgotten? Not completely, perhaps, but we have sometimes been half-hearted in following it.

Discuss or consider – Do you follow Jesus in everything? List some parts of your life where you follow him. List some parts where you don’t. Is he the foundation of your daily living, truly?

The One

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 makes it very clear; Yahweh is One and we are to love him with everything we have and are. What a dramatic change from earlier times when offerings and worship had to be made to many gods, perhaps repeatedly during the day. For us, today, ‘Jesus is Lord’ in exactly the same way (1 Corinthians 8:6). No other loyalties are acceptable in our lives, just Jesus.

There are at least three helpful habits we can develop; these are keeping Jesus at the centre, following Jesus alone, and putting the gospels way, way ahead of anything else.

Discuss or consider – Read Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and think about the difference between one and many where gods are concerned (most people 2000 years ago had to make offerings to many gods). In John 10:30 what does Jesus mean when he says, ‘I and the Father are one’? And in John 17:20-23, what does he mean when he prays for all his followers – including you and me?

Jesus at the centre

We need a fresh understanding of who Jesus really is, every explosive church growth movement throughout history has had this focus. Many of these movements were persecuted and this seems to have given them a fresh and urgent vision. They let go of everything that would hold them back and clung to the core of their faith.

We need to know how Jesus lived and worked because he intends to live and work in these same ways through us. We can so easily block him, that’s part of having the privilege and responsibility of free will. And we are often overwhelmed by the complications and demands of modern life; our focus on the essential is lost and we are distracted by so many side issues.

To get away from everything that hinders us we need to focus on Jesus much more. The Bible calls him King, Shepherd, the One and Only, the Son, Master, Teacher, Lord, the Almighty with us (Immanuel), Prince of Peace, the Word and more. Jesus himself said, ‘Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father’. (John 14:9) By reading books about him, watching films about his life, and going through the gospels repeatedly we will begin to notice for ourselves what he is like, what he says, what he does and who he is.

Discuss or consider – Carefully think about where you are spiritually. How do your lives (individually and together) compare with that of Jesus? What changes would he want to see? When you meet, remember that you are meeting, as in all things, in Jesus’ name. (Colossians 3:17)

More sections of JDMC

Introduction – JDMC, what does it contain? – Using JDMC – how to approach it

Working together in six ways – Intro and Way 1 – Ways 2, 3 and 4 – Ways 5 and 6, six ways

Way One, Jesus at the centre – Jesus at centre 1 – Jesus at centre 2 – Jesus at centre 3

Way Two, Becoming disciples – Disciples 1 – Disciples 2 – Disciples 3

Way Three, Outward and integrated – OutAndInt1, OutAndInt2

Way Four, Gifts for building – GiftsForBuilding1, GiftsForBuilding2

Way Five, A living organism – LivingOrg1, LivingOrg2

More sections will appear here…

The work of the Spirit – Intro – Jesus, disciples, outward – Gifts, living, community, help

Other church leaders – Intro, bishops, elders – Deacons, pastors, priests

Last words – The end can also be the beginning

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Read the book

This was extracted from Jesus, Disciple, Mission, Church (JDMC), pages 13 and 14. Download the whole thing or read it online – GetJDMC.scilla.org.uk

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Ways five and six, and six ways

Different things may stand out for different people; tell one another what seems important and why.

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This article is an extract from my short book, Jesus, Disciple, Mission, Church (JDMC). The bite-sized piece below is roughly two percent of the book. This completes the first chapter entitled Working together in six ways.

5 – A living organism

This session looks at some important differences between organisations and organisms, particularly as they involve movements, networks and growth. As the body of Christ we are an embodiment of Jesus’ life and resurrection.

Is the church alive or is it an institution? How can we even begin to answer a question like this? Does the Bible contain anything to help us? As a clue, does Jesus speak more positively about organisations (Matthew 12:5-8, Matthew 23:1-12) or about living things (Matthew 13:18-23, Matthew 13:31-33)? This is another long forgotten road we need to travel together, a forgotten way.

Discuss – Talk about the differences between organisms (animals, plants, people) and organisations (businesses, governments, schools). Who creates plants? Who creates schools? Who creates church?

6 – More than community

Strong and vibrant communities develop where there is a shared ordeal. We need to be on a risky journey together; we need to be drawn out of our comfort zones. It’s not necessary to be persecuted, but it is necessary to be stretched in significant ways in our lives together.

This is the sixth forgotten way, something we are inclined to stop doing when we are comfortable and unchallenged. Read Acts 4:1-7, Acts 5:17-20 and Acts 8:1-3 for some examples of how the early church lived a risky journey. Even better, read the whole of Acts and note how the early church lived and behaved.

Discuss – Is it natural for people to go beyond a place of comfort and safety? So why do we go on roller coasters? Where would you expect the strongest bonds to form, in an army detachment under fire or at a tea party? Why?

Six parts of a connected whole

The six forgotten ways are utterly dependent on one another. Think about a tree. Trees have four principle parts – roots, trunks, branches and leaves. But if any part is missing the rest of the tree will die. Without roots the tree has no supply of water. Without the trunk the root won’t receive food from the leaves, the branches would have no support and the leaves would lack water and wither. Without branches the leaves would not spread wide in the sunlight. Without leaves there would be no food supply and the tree would starve.

When all six elements of the forgotten ways are active, explosive growth is possible. And this is the key take-home message. Improvement in any one way is useful, but only when all six are active will the full benefit become clear. Like the parts of the tree, the six ways depend on one another and work together.

Think of Jesus in the centre surrounded by and intimately involved in each of the other concepts – becoming disciples, outward and integrated, gifts for building, a living organism and more than community. Imagine all six elements at work together. Nothing will be impossible.

That is the dream; it’s an awesome revelation. Let’s watch Jesus turn that dream into reality in our lives together.

Discuss – What is the most important thing you have discovered during this part of the guide? Different things may stand out for different people; tell one another what seems important and why.

More sections of JDMC

Introduction – JDMC, what does it contain? – Using JDMC – how to approach it

Working together in six ways – Intro and Way 1 – Ways 2, 3 and 4 – Ways 5 and 6, six ways

Way One, Jesus at the centre – Jesus at centre 1 – Jesus at centre 2 – Jesus at centre 3

Way Two, Becoming disciples – Disciples 1 – Disciples 2 – Disciples 3

Way Three, Outward and integrated – OutAndInt1, OutAndInt2

Way Four, Gifts for building – GiftsForBuilding1, GiftsForBuilding2

Way Five, A living organism – LivingOrg1, LivingOrg2

More sections will appear here…

The work of the Spirit – Intro – Jesus, disciples, outward – Gifts, living, community, help

Other church leaders – Intro, bishops, elders – Deacons, pastors, priests

Last words – The end can also be the beginning

< Previous | Index | Next >

Read the book

This was extracted from Jesus, Disciple, Mission, Church (JDMC), pages 11 and 12. Download the whole thing or read it online – GetJDMC.scilla.org.uk

Useful? Interesting?

I will build my church

If Jesus builds something, then he may ask us to help – but he will be in charge. He will teach us how to build, he will give us tasks he knows we can do.

A gathering (Wikimedia)

What did Jesus mean when he said, ‘I will build my church’? And what are the implications for us in our attempts to follow him? Here are some thoughts on the word ‘church’ and the action of building.

Aramaic is similar to Hebrew and was probably spoken at home and in the villages in Galilee in Jesus’ day, it was a widely used language in the region and even today is still used in a few areas of, for example, Syria. Jesus would have been taught Hebrew, as all Jewish boys were; this was the language of the Old Testament and was used in the Synagogues. There were some Greek towns and villages in the region, as there were throughout the Mediterranean more generally, so Jesus likely understood Greek. He might have known some Latin as well because that would have been spoken in imperial government and military circles.

In a conversation with his follower, Peter, he may have used an Aramaic word or possibly the Greek equivalent, ekklesia (church); and that’s how it’s recorded in the New Testament (Matthew 16:13-20). As a word it seems to have its roots in daily life; the village or town elders would have gathered as a local council to discuss and manage local affairs. As people meeting together more or less regularly, groups of people following Jesus may have been been given the same label – a gathering, therefore an ekklesia.

In the conversation described by Matthew, Jesus asks his followers, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ Of all of them, Peter was the most outspoken and would offer an opinion when the more cautious held back. Peter didn’t seem to worry about the risk of giving a wrong answer and looking foolish. So several of them gave the answer to the easy question – ‘Who do people say I am?’. But it was Peter who responded to the much more tricky question – ‘Who do you say I am?’

What Jesus says next seems ambiguous, at any rate the way Matthew describes it is ambiguous. Some people think he’s saying that Peter is the rock that he’ll build his church on. Others think the rock is the truth Peter expressed, the truth that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Most High. Personally, I take the second view.

Jesus says that he will build his ekklesia, his church.

If Jesus builds something, then he may ask us to help – but he will be in charge. He will teach us how to build, he will give us tasks he knows we can do, but he remains the top man, the boss, the giver of instructions. We can’t just build what we want in the way that we want, call it church, and expect him to approve!

So let’s start by asking Jesus to show us what he wants us to do. And then when we each do our part, let’s keep checking with him that what we’re doing or saying is in line with his design. And then, as the job progresses, we’ll be able to gasp with astonishment saying, ‘Wow! This is far more amazing than anything I’d dreamed or imagined!’

It all starts with Jesus. The next step is that we have to learn to follow, to be Disciples. That will will steer us into Mission. And out of the results of mission we will see Church appear and grow.

Jesus, then Disciple, then Mission, then Church.

JDMC!