He captures the difference…
I’ve just read this short but truly excellent article by Chris Dryden, aka CD, aka DaManCD.
In his inimitable way, he captures the difference between typical church as most people know it, and the living organism of ekklesia as Jesus intends it. There’s an absolute chasm between the two, and Chris clarifies that.
Excellent! – Pop over there and take a look.
There was a young man holding a baby just a few weeks old, and right opposite him a young woman, clearly the mother. The three of them were interacting so beautifully
Here’s a short story from a morning recently, here in Cirencester where I live. It involves the very briefest of interactions between me, a young man, a young woman, and their baby. Maybe we can learn several things from what happened, useful lessons about life, about ourselves, about politics, and about the nature of Love itself.
I sat in Coffee#1 in Cirencester enjoying a white Americano, I’d walked into town and had a heavy load of shopping in my rucksack to take back home, a range of fruit from the market stall in the beautiful old Market Place, and a loaf of fresh bread from a traditional bakery. I fancied a break before setting off for home.
I put down the weighty rucksack and my hat on a chair at a vacant table, ordered the coffee and waited while it was prepared, then returned to the table, put in my earbuds, and caught up with some of the news following the previous night’s exciting General Election. While I was watching and listening, I couldn’t help noticing the people at the next table. There was a young man holding a baby just a few weeks old, and right opposite him a young woman, clearly the mother. The three of them were interacting so beautifully, the parents obviously very fond of one another and completely relaxed, the baby equally happy to be held by either of them, and both the adults alert to the needs of the little one. It was a triangle of love and of trust, a happy and peaceful grouping.
They were still there when I got up to leave and I had to pass their table to reach the door. I put on my rucksack and hat, stopped briefly at their table and said, ‘I just have to say that you three are such a lovely little family, and I want to wish you the very best going forward’. I received two huge smiles and headed out through the door to the street. As I passed the shop window, they were still beaming and the young man and I waved to one another, both smiling.
Why am I sharing this little story? Because it seemed notable to me. How many young families are there with difficulties and troubles? All of them! We all have problems during our lives, the important thing is not whether we have them, but how we will handle them. The threesome at Coffee#1 will likely grow to four (maybe more) but it seems to me that they’ll deal with any difficulty wisely and lovingly and will come through any troubles stronger than before. Love is such a powerful thing. There’s a lesson there for everyone.
Go through life pouring out love towards those you meet along the way, and you’ll fare better than if you approach life asking, ‘What can I get out of it? How can I profit? How can I become wealthier or more successful? How can I benefit by ignoring the needs of others?
This is not irrelevant to the politics of our day. For some time there has been a rather nasty drift towards selfish, arrogant, pushy, self-serving, uncaring attitudes from some quarters. It’s not too hard to find examples of this approach in Britain or America with some disturbing and growing trends towards noisy, yet empty politics. The old adage remains true, ‘Empty vessels make the most noise’. In Britain, the Labour victory may work to quell this for the next four or five years, and hopefully the electorate will appreciate the change and clearly understand the dangers, and not support parties or politicians that behave like that.
We now have a chance for more well-considered sanity in our politics, and less mis- and dis-information, or so I fervently hope. We need debate that is less like the destructive accusations and anger inevitable in broken families, and more like the love and gentleness and hope for the future of that young family in Coffee#1.
I like what Paul wrote about love in 1 Corinthians 13, here’s an extract:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
Such love was abundantly present in those parents in Coffee#1. They clearly cared for one another, and they trusted one another completely in caring for the little one. Babies are vulnerable and helpless, it takes parental love to keep them safe and to guide them well as they grow. And the examples provided by two good parents will give a child the best possible chance to develop the same sort of love themselves as they grow and mature.
Paul, as he wrote about love, was thinking of the love of the Creator King acting as Parent, Offspring and life-giving Breath, showing love and care for us all; and the love that we have for one another, for the world, and even for our enemies as we do our best to follow his lead. Paul expresses this clearly, but he was also thinking about the nature and attributes of love itself.
The Victorian teacher and writer, Henry Drummond, had some wonderfiul perspectives on John’s words to the believers in Corinth; he, too, draws out deep truths about love.
Henry Drummond’s essay on love – Journeys of heart and mind
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The priests were members of a single family, descended from Aaron and his sons. The men of this family were responsible for offering sacrifices
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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.
Sometimes, in the early years as communities of believers formed, individuals or small teams were given particular tasks, often when there was a specific need. The men and women who were given these tasks were called ‘deacons’ (Greek ‘diakonos’). The word at its root means ‘dust kickers’, people who would run errands. Over time it came to have a more general meaning in everyday Greek, servant’, ‘waiter’ or ‘administrator’. Deacons in the early church were about getting things done.
At their first mention (in Acts 6:1-6) they were responsible for giving out aid to Greek widows who had been previously overlooked, but the task could be anything else that needed regular and reliable attention. For more on deacons see 1 Timothy 3:8-13).
Think it through – Read some of the passages about deacons and consider the
people who were chosen to do the work. Can you identify people doing
some of these things in the church today? (They may or may not be called
‘deacons’.) Do deacons have command authority or knowledge and wisdom
authority?
Pastor is an old fashioned English word for ‘shepherd’. Read about the The shepherding gift in the section on The APEST gifts, JDMC page 42. Bear in mind that there are many people today called ‘pastor’ who are administrators, teachers and managers. This is not the same thing as the gift of shepherding.
Where does this title come from and what does it mean? In the Old Testament we read about priests and, in particular the ‘High Priest’ or ‘Chief Priest’ (2 Chronicles 19:11). The priests were members of a single family, descended from Aaron and his sons (Exodus 29:44). The men of this family were responsible for offering sacrifices on the altar, first in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. An animal would be slaughtered and offered on behalf of the people when they had transgressed the law in some way. A sin offering was required for forgiveness (Leviticus 4:27-31). The priest acted as a go-between, taking the living animal and offering its life (the blood) in place of the sinner’s life, a substitutionary sacrifice.
Priests today are church leaders who offer the bread and wine on our behalf, a role that the New Testament clearly states is not required. All who believe in and follow Jesus are priests! (1 Peter 2:9) We offer Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice to all who will accept him. We are the go-betweens, and need no-one to bring us into the Presence of the Father, something Jesus has already done once and for all (John 14:9).
Consider – Were the priests helpful towards Jesus or a hindrance? (eg
Matthew 16:21) How do you suppose the church made the mistake of
thinking we still need this role today? Think about the role of Jesus as our
Great High Priest and our role as a Royal Priesthood (Hebrews 4:14).
(Bishops and elders were considered in the previous post in this series.) Many denominations use these words in a different sense than the early church. Often they are used for organisational roles. But if we see church as a living organism rather than an organisation we will also need to understand these terms in living ways instead.
Consider – Do we need to identify certain people as bishops, elders and
deacons? Paul identified them, think about how he saw them and why he
regarded them as necessary and useful. Did he see them as functions of
control or of service? How do we see them? And is there a role for pastors
and priests?
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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This was extracted from Jesus, Disciple, Mission, Church (JDMC), pages 47 and 48. Download the whole thing or read it online – GetJDMC.scilla.org.uk
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!
It’s not about hearing a voice or seeing an image, it’s simply trusting that the Holy Spirit will inhabit the thoughts you are having and that it’s OK to express them.
People have a way of jargonising more or less anything (is that even a word? – well, it is now!). We need to understand the value and the dangers of inventing and using jargon. It may be convenient, but it can also be quite misleading. This is just as true for the Spirit as it is for more or less anything else. Over the centuries people have used jargon to streamline conversations, but latching onto words can obscure meaning.
When it comes to Jesus’ followers and the Holy Spirit we need to be alert to the difficulties jargon can introduce. What do we really mean when we talk (or write) about the Holy Spirit’s presence in our meetings? As usual we need to see what the Bible and particularly the New Testament has to say and then take a careful look at how church has dealt with ideas that have sometimes seemed difficult. Here are a few New Testament quotes:
Those are some verses I picked from the gospels, but there are plenty more New and Old Testament references to the Holy Spirit’s nature and activities. Given those quotes, think about what the Holy Spirit has done for you (has done, not will do, and not might do):
He has thoroughly drenched and saturated you, he gives you what you need when you need it, you are certainly as capable as any unborn child, you are prophetic, he’s shown you things you didn’t already know, he’s filled you with joy, he’s taught you and reminded you, he’s made you fully alive.
Let’s think for a moment about the things people say about the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts. Here are some examples with my translations and suggestions what to do. (Jargon always needs translating, and what to do should be simple and easy.)
I had a word or I have a prophecy – I have a sense that the Holy Spirit wants me to say something. – No need to announce it, wait for a pause and just say it. Sometimes, once you start to speak more will come as you go along, if so keep speaking, but if not that’s fine too.
I have a vision or I have a picture – I had a thought about a hill, or a scarecrow, or a crashing wave, or an alligator, or a king on a bike. – Wait for a pause and just describe it; if you don’t know what it means, perhaps somebody else does. Don’t worry about that, but share what you have been given whether it’s a little or a lot.
Let’s sing… or We should sing… – I have a hunch this song will be useful at this point. – If you are brave enough, simply begin singing, or humming the tune, if not, ask if others know the song, if there’s someone there with a musical instrument they might be able to start, or break in and restart if the key was wrong.
Let’s turn to the passage xyz – There’s something quite relevant in the Bible. – Just read the verses and briefly explain why they’re relevant or outline what you’ve just thought about them. Try not to use up too much time (don’t preach a sermon).
Speaking in a tongue – These sounds are buzzing around in my mind and I think I should speak them out. – No need to say what you’re about to do, just start when there’s a gap. As with the prophetic words, once you start it’s quite likely that more will follow. Someone may interpret what you say, but if not, be prepared to step in and say something yourself. If you only have a short and simple interpretation that’s fine; let others have the chance first and if a long silence opens up, then say something even if it’s brief.
Let’s pray or Let’s turn to the Lord in prayer – A prayer is jiggling around in my head, wanting to come out. – Start to pray when you sense a suitable gap. Avoid being over-long, you will know when to stop with an, ‘Amen’ or a ‘Thank you, Father’ or just silence.
Interpret a tongue – I feel I should share what I’m thinking after hearing that. – It might be praise, or explanation, or like a translation. But however it starts, just go for it. The Holy Spirit wants someone to speak so that everything is done in an orderly way. Someone should say something in English and it might as well be you!
Sing in the Spirit – I just have to sing with unknown words; I can’t express what I feel any other way. – This can be delightful to hear, especially when several or all the people join in. It’s often very uplifting and feels like praise or worship; unlike tongues, nobody needs to interpret. I remember one occasion when I sang like this and after a pause of several seconds, somebody else sang the interpretation. That was amazing, but it’s just fine without.
The important thing here is not that we avoid jargon, but that we recognise it for what it is and don’t allow it to intimidate us. Remember that whatever words or phrases we use, it’s just labelling aspects of people expressing how they feel. It’s not about hearing a voice or seeing an image, it’s simply trusting that the Holy Spirit will inhabit the thoughts you are having and that it’s OK to express them.
I think the intimidation comes from the lack of transparency brought along by the jargon. There’s a sense of mystery when we hear, ‘speaking in a tongue’, ‘having a vision’, ‘interpretation’ or ‘prophecy’. But what is really happening is not mysterious at all; it’s just a matter of ordinary people expressing themselves when all is said and done! And if you’re taking part for the first time there’s the normal slight anxiety and nervousness we get when speaking to a group at work for the first time. How will I be received? Will I get this right, will I embarrass people, will I embarrass myself? All of this makes it harder to get started. But afterwards there’s a sense of relief (I did it!) and it’s much more comfortable after that. Just push up over that little hump in the road, and it’s downhill the rest of the way.
We’re not used to having opportunities to be really free and open, but it’s important that we do because this is how the Spirit guides us in our meetings. He will speak to each of us through the others. It’s not necessary for everyone to speak out, but it’s not unusual with smaller numbers that they will do. This sort of sharing together works best with groups between five or six and up to ten or twelve. The dynamics with two or three, or twenty-five to forty, are very different – and not always conducive to the sort of shared hearing from the Spirit described here. ‘Practice makes perfect’, as they say. So don’t be fazed by what seems to be slow progress or a bad meeting now and then – meet again anyway, keep going.
Finally, here’s a thought about confirmation. During a meeting there’s little opportunity for confirmation. Sometimes somebody might say, ‘I’m so glad you mentioned that because…’. But towards the end, it’s not unusual for a pattern to emerge, and everyone begins to understand that the whole meeting was on a theme of some kind. The sum of the parts was more significant than the individual contributions. When that happens, be grateful and be excited!
There can, by definition, never be a better meeting than one led by the Holy Spirit.
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!
Elders … are people we would naturally turn to when we are confused or anxious or when conflict arises.
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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 three percent of the book.
We have already seen in part Four – Gifts for building, that the original pattern of church leadership springs from the apostolic gift (JDMC, page 41). We also saw that four further gifts are released to operate where there is an apostolic foundation, and we looked at these in more detail in the previous part, The APEST gifts (page 41-44). But the New Testament also mentions bishops (or overseers), elders and deacons, and today we use the terms pastor and priest quite widely. We need to briefly examine these too and understand how they fit into the overall picture. Before we do this, let’s consider the New Testament principles around authority – particularly what Jesus himself said and modelled.
It’s easy to think of the Greek words and their English translations as positions in a hierarchical authority structure, each with defined powers and roles. But as we have seen in Five – A living organism, church is much more a life form than an organisation. The six forgotten ways are not the only things that have been mislaid during the two millennia since Jesus’ time. Our understanding of the functions of bishops, elders and deacons has changed, and very dramatically so. We need to understand them again as they were understood by those early believers, just as recorded in the New Testament.
Perhaps the first thing to say is that as with the APEST gifts, bishops, elders and deacons are not positions of authority in the sense of ruling over other believers. Jesus explicitly told his disciples that they were to love one another as he had loved them (John 13:34-35). If he came to serve, so also should we. And he also told them that they were not to rule over one another as the gentiles do (Matthew 20:25-28). Paul writes that we should submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21). This much is very clear. So whatever else we may say about bishops, elders and deacons, we can be quite certain at the outset that they are not about enforcing rules, governing people’s behaviour or managing an organisation.
Bishops, elders and deacons don’t seem to chime with the idea of
the APEST gifts of service or with church as a living organism. Is this a
problem? If so, how can we resolve it? Consider this carefully before
moving on.
The Greek word here is ‘episkopos’ and it means, literally, ‘overseer’, someone who keeps watch, someone who keeps an eye on things. Another word we could use is ‘lookout’. It need not be understood to mean an official who makes sure everyone follows orders, although it might seem to imply control because that is the sense of the English word ‘overseer’ in everyday usage.
We need to check the New Testament to understand how the word is used there. Here are some wise words from JP Louw and EA Nida writing in Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament, ‘Though in some contexts [episkopos] has been regarded traditionally as a position of authority, in reality the focus is upon the responsibility for caring for others’. This is a responsibility we all share, we must all look out for one another.
‘Episkopos’ is not always used in a positive way; just take a look at 1 Peter 4:15. Which word in this verse contains the Greek ‘episkopos’ do you think? There’s another Greek word ‘allotri’ which means ‘other people’s business’ and ‘meddler’ (NIV) is ‘allotriepiskopos’, an ‘episkopos’ who meddles in other people’s business.
When Paul writes ‘episkopos’ it’s clear he is referring to particular people he regards as effective at keeping watch to detect – and respond to – error. But this doesn’t mean that the other believers were free to relax. If any of us sees error, or somebody promoting it, we must question it and, if necessary, alert others. Might it be that Paul is simply saying that we need people among us who will be alert and willing to respond? Perhaps he is just saying that some are better at this than others and it’s useful to identify them, recognise them, and pay attention to what they say. Indeed, the work of keeping watch is one of the things shepherds need to do , something they are gifted at. (See The shepherding gift, JDMC page 42)
Jesus himself can be regarded as an ‘episkopos’. In 1 Peter 2:25 we read that Jesus is ‘the shepherd and guardian of your souls’. Some versions translate this as guardian (NASB, TLB), some as overseer (ESV, NIV), and some as bishop (ASV, KJV). Once again, the sense is not of ruling but of taking care, keeping watch (part of what a shepherd does as noted above).
Look up ‘overseer’ in a concordance or search function and draw
your own conclusions about the work of an overseer or lookout. Try to get
a feeling for what these people were expected to do. Did they have
authority over other believers?
Paul made a habit of identifying elders in the churches he planted (Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5). It’s worth mentioning that the word translated ‘appointed’ might equally well mean ‘pointed out’ or ‘identified’. But in English, the idea that Paul ‘pointed out’ elders is very different from the idea that he ‘appointed’ them. In everyday life, people who are appointed to a position are given authority to make decisions and to act in a particular role. But let’s remember that the New Testament and the words of Jesus himself suggest love, humility and submitting to one another as the primary focus.
The word ‘elder’ is from the Greek ‘presbuteros’ and it does literally mean an older person. But it is also used to signify someone who is wise, and this is probably the sense in which Paul uses it. Eldership is not a role involving the giving of instructions or the making of decisions on behalf of others. Rather, elders are those people in the church who have more experience and wisdom. They are people we would naturally turn to when we are confused or anxious or when conflict arises. Pointing such people out in new and inexperienced gatherings of believers was a wise precaution taken by Paul and those he coached.
Bear in mind that the word ‘authority’ has two rather different meanings. The police have authority and you do what they tell you or face the consequences; this is command authority. Plumbers have a different kind of authority and you do what they tell you because you have a problem they know how to fix; this is knowledge and wisdom authority. Which kind of authority do you suppose elders should exercise?
Did Jesus exercise command authority or knowledge and wisdom
authority? (Trick question – you should be able to find examples of both.)
What kind of authority does he want us to exercise over demons? What kind
does he want us to exercise with one another?
PS – I liked this post by Christopher Dryden. It’s very much about the subject of elders, but written as a story from his own experience: Fun to read but gentle, kind and definitely not judgemental. He very clearly explains the difference between elders as often found in church life, and elders as Jesus intended them to be. He says what I wanted to say in the section on elders, but he says it more eloquently.
While you’re on his website, have a look around to see what else might grab your attention.
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 >
This was extracted from Jesus, Disciple, Mission, Church (JDMC), pages 45 to 47. Download the whole thing or read it online – GetJDMC.scilla.org.uk
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!
Journeys of Heart and Mind 
