Being Church: Redefining Church

CHURCH: Christ In You

Church is where He lives not where we meet. It is Christ empowered people, a kingdom of priests for a purpose of winning against the works of the devil and establishes God’s Kingdom [1 Cor. 3:17; Matt. 18:19; Ex. 19:6]. But somehow Churches today have not shown faithfulness and perseverance of her mandate and have missed its power to live an authentic life. Here is a need of a revolution in Christianity and Churches. We must be given a clear definition and meaning of it for how you understand Christianity is how you definitely express them in your daily life. Christianity is not about doing church but being one. And church is not some place to go to participate in to experience one but it is about being who you are in Christ and so experience His real life in you. Your Christianity was never defined ‘attending’ a particular church. But it is ‘Christ in you.’ In other words, you are a Christian 24/7 not because you participate in a 2-hour Worship Service but because Christ lives in you every minute of the day. The real test of a each believers is that let him not go to church for six months and see if he still believes he is one. And the real test of a church is let the pastor leave for three months and see then if his church will still be there when he comes back. It is here then Christ can say, “and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it [church]” if you’re still standing on the Rock and solid ground!

Shallow Christianity

If we define Christianity today by what we see in our churches then not only it is dangerous to its member’s lives but also we will be the most pitiful people in this planet! Dangerous because it only produces churchgoers instead of disciple makers and its pitiful because if we will literally stop everything we do as church then nothing is left with Christianity! Jesus never goes to church and never tell anyone to do so, so what are you doing during Sunday’s then? Do you know that it can add your life two more months a year or 7 years in your whole lifetime if you stop going to church and start living with Christ? Christ is living in you twenty-four hours a day, 7 days week; can’t you live with that? Being a Christian is not going to a 2-hour Church Service [service to who?] and a 2-hour mid-week service or what we call a ‘Sunday-goer,’ a ‘part-time,’ and a ‘full-time’ Christian [I wonder where we get these interesting Christian themes?].

The Samaritan woman’s encounter with Jesus about church doesn’t demean other religions today including our Christianity. She is not questioning the object of our worship that is God, [reminding you here of other religious groups saying, “We serve the same God, we just serve Him differently. We still see each other up there.”] But questioning not only ‘where is the valid place’ but also ‘who are doing it right’ in terms of worshipping God. The woman then got a blunt answer, “Nobodies getting the point. It is not that we do church differently, it is how we live life differently.” Jesus gets in to the woman’s inner life situation. Living with five husbands and attends church makes no difference.

Think about this: Do you know how many years it would take for us to become like Jesus 12 disciples compared with just a 12-hour that He spend with them in three years to our 4-hour-a-week Christianity? Thirty-six! Imagine spending 4-hour a week in Church and calls it ‘Christianity’ over 168 hours in a week? [Coz what you basically do in church is spiritual [sacred] and other than that are natural [secular]. No wonder your pastor would make you guilty saying, “Hey, you’re out of your priority.” Just because you are working on Sundays!].

You’re a backslider? No Way!

What I will share to you in this series of BEING CHURCH articles is those life [‘methamorpha’ -transformed into His image] principles of living Christ life in your daily life. That if you get it, even if you try your best shot to backslide it can’t! Start morphing now.

• You can be like Shadrach, Meshach; and Abed-Nego, that ‘even if God would not save them we will still serve Him’ [I wonder how could they say such daring words of trust!],
• You can be like David saying, “Even in the depths of hell I will praise You, Oh Lord.” Or, “I will bless the Lord at all times.” Surely he’s not singing all the time!
• Or be like Job in his tribulation saying, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” [Job 13:15] [Do you know a God who would kill a person who trusts Him?] And he said, “even if you send me to hell I will believe in you.” [Wonder what kind of God would send someone to hell who believes in Him?]
• Or be like the discples who got beheaded, stoned to death like Stephen, like Paul who received scorges and other martyrs.

This is not something religious. This is something about the life they received from Jesus, a ‘way of life’ – ‘the old life passed away, the new has come.’ [2Cpr.5:17]. “Religiosity will prevent you to get the real thing,” as Billy Graham said. It reduces Christ life into ‘set of rules’ and become legalistic. It produces self-righteousness, hypocrisy, and ultimate immaturity or stagnation. But Christ life is about the freedom that entangles us from the yoke of slavery.

By What Name Are You called?

So much we see in our churches today that are out of touch. If they are running on straight paths there could be no divisions in the body. Christ’s only builds one church, His body on earth. He didn’t even name it and registered to get some license. We are called by His Name and not by any names [By what name [denomination] are you called?]. We must rethink and scrutinize every areas we call ‘church’ to see that maybe we have received ‘another’ gospel that Paul was talking about in Galatians. We might say we received them from an ‘angel of light’ or from an ‘apostle’ whose name was Paul too yet why there is so much undeniable facts of wickedness [even inside the church] that we hear and even saw it with our own eyes?! The church indeed is not perfect but does the apostle Paul can present us ‘perfect’ in God? [Col. 1:28; 4:12]

Different Kind of Churches?

Have you heard about different kinds of churches? I don’t know if its Jesus Church, all I know is that it’s a church somewhere down the road. Let’s start with the most common one, a Confused Church, Church must not be confused you know, coz they know the truth! But this church doesn’t know what to do after years of operation. First, the pastor who believes he is ‘called by God’ [take note] start a Bible study in couple of houses in the neighborhood and finally rented a building for ‘Worship Services’ meetings. Trusting other collegues in the ministry he simply followed their advice on how to run them like a business. An ‘Order of Worship’ was made and found trusted members as his ‘Board of Trustees.’ Soon problems starting to arise so he appointed a secretary, a music director and an appointed youth leader – just like other church’s systems and structure. After 3 months the church splits in two coz the youth leader that was appointed by the pastor feels that he’s called by God to pastor! So to solve the dilemma the pastor decided to let the youth leader became his assistant pastor and he became now a Senior Pastor. Of course, someone takes the place of the youth leader and no church splits happen. Five years passed, the church grows from 18 people to 35 [which is the average church attendance in the Philippine Evangelical Churches!] and real so-called Scriptural church growth happens, the church split in a half! The Bread of Life Church has now become ‘Sliced Bread Christian Fellowship’ [ I am making up this name to laugh at but it was truly torn in two]. The pastor now was forced to rethink his structure. He said, “Now what? I just followed this pattern from my friend who has a mega-church, why is this happening to my little church?” Not a week he found out that the church where he copied his structure have experience church split a year ago. Now, doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different result is called insanity. Either that big church has good structure [that is why they’re big] or a small church has bad structure [that is why they’re small] both experience the same fate. For Church to be strong and healthy is not about making or developing structures because Jesus has already built it with His Holy Spirit’s gifted priests. Who am I, am I better than the Holy Spirit? How pathetic! The church is Christ’s body; simply put it this way, our body alone already has a structure. The moment we are born, we are born with a bone structure, you didn’t create that nor your obygyne. “The body builds itself up…” [Eph. 4:16].

The young energetic ‘called by God’ pastor now was still very persistent. He starts back all over again without thinking that he’s like a wheel rolling and rolling and rolling bumping on rough roads of worrinies! For him it is not, “Come unto Me all you who have heavy burden,…and I will you rest,” but “Come unto Me,…and I will give you stress!” But at least this time he changed a bit of his scheme. He now reads a book on The Purpose Driven Church, and this is just what he’s been waiting for. After a year of intense study and application – nothing happens, very expensive programs. The members must go through Classes? Until when? Then what, are they mature then after taking Class 201? Brilliant but never happened! And where have all these subjects gone? The book is not complete. Do I have to make my own teachings? I have never been to a Bible School, only a one-year training! Then comes the Cell Concepts. “Brilliant!” The young blood pastor blurt out. “This is what I have been waiting for!” Following Christ pattern of making disciples and then the disciples will make up the church is not something to wait on but it is simply obeying what He commands! The model was there already, why do something else?

Again, the once ‘called by God to get in to ministry’ minister now after seven long years believes he’s ‘called by God to get out’ in the ministry! [There are many indeed who are cold by God but few are frozen!]

The pastor was confused and so his church! He doesn’t know what to do and so does the others. Actually, that pastor was I, seven years ago!

Monster Church

And here is the scariest church, A Monster Church! Have you ever seen one? Actually, you’ve already seen a lot of them out there and frankly you maybe even been there for years! [Sorry…]

In Mega Shift book, the man who has been in the house church movement for 50 years, James Rutz wrote an event ‘that leave no basis for debate’ about a beautiful girl named Esther. Quoting the entire chapter please read this documented happenings.

On the night of September 1, 1999, in the remote tribal village of Sukropath, Madhya Pradesh, a Christian woman of 25 named Sukhwari Bai gave birth to a baby girl. Her husband was Dashru, and the delivery was assisted by three local woman: Nanhi, Dashri, and Sumatra.

It was not a happy event. It was a tragedy.

The baby had two heads. It was not even a Siamese-twin type of problem, but a case where a second head was growing out of the top of the first. Also, it had only one real eye; the other three places that ought to have been eyes were just lumps of flesh.

Sukhwari, Dashru, and the midwives were of course horrified. The said the baby looked like “the devil incarnate,” and they felt they should just put the thing in a clay pot and throw it out into the jungle for the animals to eat.

But finally they decided, No, we’re Christians now, so we shouldn’t do that. We should pray for this baby.

In pure faith they went ahead.

At that time there were just 15 or 16 Christians in Sukropath. Four men – Dashru, Adru, Shadru, and Labhu – joined the women to pray. They prayed fervently for healing, unaware of the standard Western postulate that God just doesn’t do such things.

As they poured their hearts out in intercessory prayer, the Lord was moved, and the girl’s face began to change. They prayed all night, and by morning, she was a very beautiful infant girl, normal in every way, with oen head and two normal eyes! A new day dawned in Sukropath – and the rest of the world.

Two evangelists came into the house including James Rutz and named the baby Esther. [In Jewish tradition, Queen Esther was the most beautiful woman in the Hebrew Scriptures. She appeared at a crucial moment in Israel’s history, and by her bravery was able to save the nation from annihilation. To encourage her, her uncle spoke the now-famous words of advice, “Who knows but you were born for such a time as this?”]

Word of Esther’s healing quickly reached Erich Reber, perhaps the most respected prophet in Switzerland. Even before he received the final poof of the case, he said, “God spoke to me very clearly” about it.

What God told Reber reveals that Esther’s healing is the most significant healing event of our time, an object lesson that no Christian can afford to ignore. In brief:

For too long the church has been a two-headed monster. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only rightful head, but men have set themselves up as heads above Christ, “No, we will run the church.”

This is quite confusing to the world. People look at the church and say, “Sure, we understand the system. The guy on tops calls the shots. It’s just like our governments.” The world will not see Christ clearly in the church until we restore Him as the supreme and only head. [Mega Shift, James Rutz, p.108-109]

Many kinds of churches to name. If you’re like one of whom I know he’s been to the “We will build our church,” a church where they can just do what is right in their own eyes. Or the, “We will build His church,” a church that thinks they are the only one’s who are called by God solely to plant churches, and others are cults! And the “He will build our church,” one’s that believes that they are the only church that Christ builds and none other. We are right and those who will not want to be a part of our church are wrong! And not only that, imagine that there are now already 33,099 denominations in the whole world and know what? They despised one another!

But Christ alone builds His Church and is already been built a long time. He didn’t give that job to any man. Our job is to make disciples and the disciples will build up the church. And actually, the job of building is already done. He said on the cross, “It is finished.” He didn’t say, “To be continued.”

How pathetic am I to build churches. He didn’t hand me that job and say, “Finish it Molong.” He owns that job. Am I better than Jesus Christ who is the Master Builder? My job however is to plant the tree or water it but God only makes them grow and build it strong [1 Co.3:6]

Church is About Relationship

Christianity is about relationship. First, Jesus came to restore relationship between God and us and the result of that is a restoration of relationship to our brethren [Lk. 10:27]. That is ‘loving God’ and ‘loving one another.’ But sad to say what we did is start some ‘meetings’ and make ‘programs’ and say, “Let us love one another.” Are having ‘Christian Worship Services’ really can fulfill the ‘loving one another’ commands? Is it not Jesus clearly shows the practical way of doing it? [Matt.25:40; Lk 10:33-37; 18:22] Jesus never asked His disciples to start a church and do some ‘specialized’ ministries to the poor, widows, children, women and so on and on different kinds of ministry projections. Being a church is building relationships that last until Jesus comes. Not start some groups and make some rules to play and tell others to play together and if they cannot play by their games and play by their rules anymore then you are out of the game! Do you know that there are a lot of Christians around this planet that have lost some good and healthy relationships with their brethren just because they’re not going to their church anymore? Their friends are saying to them, “Sorry, you’re not going to our church anymore so I better quit being a friend with you.” You know what, I’ll tell all my friends I have that even if my ministry will be gone our friendship will remain forever. Even if they transferred to any church denominations or house church, be it a Christian or even if a cult group my friendship with them will remain wherever they go. Why? My friendship to them is the only reason that I can meet up with them, encourage and witness Christ through my life. You might go and worked in someone else denomination or church but that does not guarantee that you will never be discourage there. Time will come that no one will ever talk with you there, but you can always count on a friend that is outside your church denomination. The proof of this is the ‘church hopping’ of members from church to church.

There are a lot of Christians and even leaders today in churches that they value their ministry or position more than relationship. But know this, you can never have a ministry without relationship. You can never disciple someone unless you’re being a friend with him. Jesus values relationship than ministry. And this is one of the reasons that everything He touches is ministry! One time as Jesus and His disciples continues preaching and teaching around, the beloved John noticed that there are others beside them that do the same thing like they did but was not with their team. Does Jesus rebuke them saying, “Hey, you’re not a part of ‘my ministry,’ stop it!” But John got the rebuked instead! [Mk 9:40; Lk 9:50].

Just put it simply this way: Our ministries just come and go without even a noticed! Thirteen people felt God calls them in the ministry, after a year all of them felt they are called by God to get out in their ministry! You might be in the sort of ‘healing ministry’ this year and in the second year you’ll be in the ‘children’s ministry.’ But has your relationship to other people change then? Maybe not on you but to others only ‘regrets’ can tell. I’ll encourage you to stop ‘specializing’ ministries, but instead start ‘specializing’ relationships. It can win you a lot of souls for Christ by focusing on the person’s need than creating some magical programs that only attracts them to your show but hardly touch their hearts. We’re not in a Hi-technology when it comes to winning people using digital stuffs but we’re in Hi-touch ministry like in the days of old serving the poor, the orphans and the widows with our own hands. Use a hand to touch lives; it is still the best tool to prepare their hearts for God.

If Jesus…

If Jesus would only build His church building He would have:

· the holiest place [Matt 17:1, mountain of transfiguration],

· nicest Cathedral [Mark 6:3, a carpenter],

· certainly the best pastor [Jn 10],

· probably the largest church in town [He gathers multitudes and feeds them],

· the best and the only right theology ever made!

Or if Jesus would apply for church credentials in our denominations He would probably be rejected and possibly be gossip about in town for…

· he doesn’t have a father

· his brothers and sisters doesn’t believe in Him

· he’s a friend of sinners and tax collectors

· he’s been with the prostitute women

· he drinks wine… and worst

· he makes wine!

Would the chairman of your board would like having this kind of pastor?

We say that Church is not an organization but an organism, yet we build organizations. We say that Church is not about meetings but that’s what we do. Then we are setting up a rotten trail to follow for the next generations to come. Think about your children and your children’s children, they are the front liners after you. If you want to see Christianity change in 5 years then it must start with you. Do you want to see a difference? Then be different!

Revolutionaries faith and expression will substantially altered. They will not have an institution such as the local church to use as a crutch or excuse for wimpy faith. Each revolutionary consents to be personally responsible for his or her spiritual state - whether that's growth or stagnation. Complaints about the pastor, church staff, programs, or other obstacles disappear from the conversation: the onus is now on the believer to put up or shut up. The failure to develop a robust spiritual life becomes the responsibility of the person God intends: YOU

This shifting of responsibility will affect all dimensions of spirituality. Besides personal growth, believers will bear the obligation for performing acts of community service, promoting the gospel, growing their family in faith maturity,worshiping God regularly, developing intimacy with God, understanding and applying contents of the Scriptures, representing the Kingdom in all walks of life, investing every resource they manage for holy outcomes, and being connected to a community of God-loving people. No more waiting for others to do the job; every revolutionary must handle the duty to BE the church with dedication and excellence.

- George Barna [Revolution]