Questions about restoration of the church

A - The pattern is Jesus Christ, Himself. If we seek Christ until He comes and rains righteousness upon us, only then will we know true church reform and discover the "pattern". To only seek some kind of NT function or form is to seek the wineskin and not the wine. Jesus told the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit of Jesus to come upon them, not for some kind of method, form or pattern to be revealed to them. The pattern formula is, simply: 2 or 3 + Jesus = ekklesia (Matthew 18:20). Christ and His apostles did set forth what the wineskin is to look like, but we can get lost in shapes and sizes of wineskins, and miss the point of restoration. Restoration is revival of the life and spirit of the disciples. This is not to say that NT scriptures do not have something to say about what, when, where and how the two or three are to come together. But we must seek the person, Jesus Christ, not the structure of an organization. For example, some would advocate replacing the modern megachurch with a simple NT housechurch. That may be a good idea, but we could be simply changing one form with another form, one wineskin for another wineskin, and what would that restore or renew? Could this not merely be "having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof?"

A - I really have felt the leading of the Holy Spirit to do this. I'm not the only searcher, there are many more, both contemporary and historical. I believe the Lord is preparing His Bride for His immanent return and He is on record as to what He wants His Bride to look like. I have always been committed to NT patterns for matters of doctrine and personal piety in the life of the believer. I just hadn't paid much attention to the NT for matters of church polity, process and organization. I repent of this sin of neglect. I want not to grieve His Spirit more than I have. I am a slow spiritual learner--downright stubborn at times! I believe most of the contemporary evangelical church, of which I have been a life-long part, is not really very attractive to Him. It is often "pattern challenged".

A - I believe tradition is the biggest obstacle to any kind of change, especially with something so dear and important as our own church home. Each of us interprets everything based on our own experiencial knowledge and personal values. We will all resist the unfamiliar, because it produces anxiety about the unknown. Pride and stubborness are close cousins of tradition. I think this is the primary reason the devil prefers tradition. "What offends the mind, reveals the heart," is a phrase that has helped me see myself better when I get upset. We will usually fight the unknown in order to be safe and comfortable. Religious history is filled with instances, where those who have experienced the last great move of God are the most oppositional to what God is newly doing. We find it hard to step outside the box and even to get out of the way of the Spirit's moving. This certainly brings to mind the statement of Jesus, "You can't put new wine into old wineskins." Let's go outside the camp to meet Him.

A - This question assumes we have to "market" the gospel and the claims of Christ. Jesus said, "If I am lifted up, I will draw all men unto me." I propose we discover THE CONFESSING CHURCH, who seeks to lift the Christ...and Him crucified. The world needs to see our passion for Jesus and our Heavenly Father, through our worship, our holy lives, our compassion for the lost and needy, and our love for one-another. People really need relationships and attachments to something that is surer, stronger, better, holier and more transcendant than are they or their culture. If we are "truth sensitive" and "Spirit sensitive", then the Holy Spirit will draw people to the Father and to His people. We must be careful: If we use the world's ways, then we will usually get the world's results.

A - That may be the second greatest hindrance to radical restoration of the church to a NT Assembly. Many pastors are Godly, humble servants of Jesus Christ and shepherd the flock as a servant elder. They will have no problem adapting to New Testament models. Others may resist. Please realize there simply is no such thing as a senior pastor or elevated clergy in the Scriptures, only elder/shepherds that are "embedded" in the flock. Any elder is to be one among elders with leadership given by plurality rather than singularly. There is no place for super-star personalities in the servant leadership model taught by Christ and the Apostles.

A - First off, we must understand the New Testament does not permit or promote a professional clergy class of ministers. This is a model from classic and modern Roman Catholic priesthood and protestant organizational models. Every member of the Body of Christ is a minister of the Body of Christ. There are not two classes of ministers: clergy ministry and lay ministry. The ekklesia is elder led and not professional led. The elder/shepherd is the model to be followed. They lead by being last, not first, serving not lording (Matthew 20:25-28; I Peter 5:2-3). The pattern for shepherds is "leading by feeding", not leading by elevated clergy status. Jesus said He hated that two-layer Nicolaitons church system (Revelation 2:15).

A - Probably not, in order for the gifts (financial and member labor) to be sanctified for ministry to taking care of the needy, reaching the lost and the disicpling/equipping of the believers. Simplicity, frugality, self-denial and moderation must apply to the gathered assembly as it does to its members. Facilities would only be rented, borrowed or owned to accomplish essential ministry needs. Homes of members make ideal units for about all ministry described in the NT. Programs, promotions and entertainment organizations need large facilities. There seems to be no such thing as real estate holdings or church building programs in the NT church.

A - I don't really know for sure. There were no mention of them in the gospels, Acts or the epistles. Devout men and women have disgreed on this question for centuries. However instruments are in the Old Testament, in Revelation and in Heaven to make praise and to assist the true worshippers. I'm comfortable with instruments that accompany and assist the worshippers, while not attracting attention to the instrumentalists by not having them front-stage and center. The instrumental usages patterned after the world's entertainment models can certainly creep in, dominate and defile worship time. Of course, the same can be said for vocal music, I suppose.

A - I don't want to see any more conflict or division in the church of Jesus Christ. I know I don't have it all figured out and I don't have all the answers. What is important is for brothers and sisters, shepherds included, to live holy and simple lives, free from the marks of this world upon them or their Assembly, who obey God totally, who deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him. The Word of God, the Bible, is the only criterion for judging anything in the Kingdom of God to be "right" or "wrong". Certainly tradition and man's opinion cannot be the criterion. I sometimes tell my students, "Well, I think you are going to have to take that up with Jesus or Paul."

A- Repentance! Asking God for "Godly Sorrow" (sorrow as God feels it) for our ways that are not His ways; for our thoughts that are not his thoughts; for our patterns that are not His patterns. "Dear Father, how does the way we "do church" make YOU feel? Do you weep over things You see in the Church of Jesus Christ? I seek to know Your heart ..so that my heart might be changed. I want to love the things You love and hate the things which You hate. Change my heart to be like yours...for the sake of Jesus Christ, I pray." (See II Corinthians 7:8-11)