The Best Church Model, Part 1

Introduction

Live from the Mecca of Mormonism and the Factory here in Salt Lake City, Utah, this is Heart of the MatterTGNN’s original show where Shawn McCraney deconstructed religion and developed fulfilled theology., where Biblical Christianity meets American Evangelicalism Face to Face. Welcome to Show 13: The Best Biblical Model of Doing Church Today, May 28th, 2013. And I’m your host, Shawn McCraneyFounder of TGNN and developer of the fulfilled perspective—calling people to faith outside of religion.. We praise the True and Living God for allowing us to participate in this, His ministry. We pray His Spirit upon you – and us – tonight.

Joining a Church

Hey, if you are in the Salt Lake City area and are seeking to belong to a unique church family, we invite you to visit our website at www.C-A-M-P-U-S.com. We think our approach to doing church has value, and if you are interested, here is the website address where you can get more information like times and location. That’s www.C-A-M-P-U-S.com. Having said this, we recognize that there are a number of other churches in the state (and nation) that are also worth checking out, so this is not a way to do everything right and nobody else does – far from it. We just encourage people to seek out churches that use the biblical model for doing church and not the model set forth by Man.

Okay, listen up, on Sunday evening, June 23rd from 6-8pm, we are having an open house here at our studio in Salt Lake City. We invite any and all to come on over between 6pm and 8pm, enjoy some refreshments, rub shoulders with other Christians from the state, and see what this new studio in Salt Lake City is all about. What is it all about? We are hoping to help produce quality Christian video programming for believers here in Salt Lake City. So set Sunday night, June 23rd aside, grab your pastor or a friend, and we’ll see you here.

Open House Details

Factory Open House
Sunday, June 23rd 2013 6-8pm
All are welcome
(Go to www.campus.com for more information like directions).

Understanding Soteriology

Well, it seems the Roman Catholic Pope gave a speech which caused the Huffpo to headline: “Pope Francis says Atheists who do good are redeemed, not just Catholics.” This headline, and the article that came with it, is misleading but it is also insightful to the nuance orbiting around the topic of soteriology (or the doctrine of salvation). I would like to offer up what I think the Bible says relative to the headline, the article, and where the Pope (according to the Bible) is dead on and dead wrong.

So let me read a statement from Pope Francis and break it down with the Word: “The Lord created us in His image and likeness, and we are the image of the Lord.” Is this true? Yes. It is biblically sound. The Pope continues saying: “and He does good and all of us have this commandment at heart: do good and do not do evil. All of us.” Are all people given the command to do good? Certainly. We are to love God and Neighbor as ourselves. If we comply, we are doing the highest good.

When he says that all of us have this commandment at heart I’m not sure if I understand what this means. See, scripture does admit that we all know what is good and right and are therefore all accountable before God, so if this is what he means, I agree. If he is saying that all people, from their hearts, long to do good, I would wholly disagree with him. I would suggest the exact opposite – all people from the heart are out to serve themselves – not God and not their neighbor.

Then the Pope adds a kind of fictional line some Catholics might say in response to this, saying: ‘But, Father, this is not Catholic! He cannot do good.’ And Pope Francis responds with, “Yes, he can… “ Again, I am confused by the intimation. Is Pope Francis saying all can do good? I would agree from an earthly perspective. It is good to feed the homeless, it is good to forgive, it is good to love, and all people are capable of these extensions of self whether they are believers or not. But if Pope Francis is saying that all people are capable of doing good which will impress God – atheists included – I would strongly resist such a thought. Scripture points out that our good efforts are but filthy rags to God unless done from a motivation of love (which begins with love for Him made possible by and through faith on His Son).

The Pope's View on Redemption and Salvation

The Pope continues saying: “The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone!” This is biblically sound. The Greek word for the English word redeemed is “exagorazo” and it means, “to buy up or pay the ransom.” The Bible says Jesus paid the price for sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace. for the whole world, believer and not, so in this sense the Pope is dead on. But then the Pope adds a rather troubling line which says “We must meet one another doing good.”

Atheist good, from the eternal perspective is essentially meaningless so I have no idea hope to take Pope Francis’s imperative here that we (must all) meet one another doing good. Then, in a really strange second fictional rebuttal, Pope Francis speaks in the voice of someone who does not believe in God and says: ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ And then the Pope says something completely errant to this proposal: “But do good: we will meet one another there.” The Huffpo headline is wrong because the Pope plainly said all are redeemed, a point with which we would agree, Atheists included. So the headline which says Atheists are redeemed if they do good works is wrong.

However, the Pope does seem to suggest very plainly that atheists who do good will go to heaven with others as he says to the fictional unbeliever in God: “But do good: we will meet one another there.” Being redeemed (ransomed) is very different than receiving the gift of salvation offered without price by grace through faith. So while Jesus certainly paid the ransom for all human beings, only those who receive His gift will be saved – no matter how much ‘good’ an unbelieving person does. From the overall tenor of this teaching I would consider Pope Francis extremely liberal in his understanding of salvation relative to redemption.

Understanding American Evangelical Christianity

Okay, since we started our focus on American Evangelical Christianity we have had a number of emails from viewers who believe we have made a mistake in what we are labeling Evangelical Christianity. To them, partly because the term Evangelical is a biblically based – they see American Evangelicalism as good in most ways believing I am NOT speaking about American Evangelicals but other radical fundamentalist groups.

I get what they mean – especially since there are so many GOOD churches out there that would deem themselves evangelical without a second thought. I have no problem with good churches – churches that follow the biblical model to the best of their ability. They are necessary to the growth and shepherding of the flock. The trouble is the modern living definition of Evangelical to the watching world. Living definitions are really the best way to determine how a word ought to be understood even if the living definition is incorrect.

For example, the word gay in no way came about because people of the same sex were attracted to each other. It was applied to them (and/or they applied it to themselves) much later than when it originated. And so today, while the original definition of gay might be “happy, fun-filled, and joyful,” the best definition is the modern one – or how the populous defines the word . . . homosexual.

Perception of Evangelical Christianity

So, ask yourselves. . . what do people generally think when they hear “Evangelical Christianity” today – especially those who hear it who are not believers? A couple of thoughts: First, it is not a biblical term – it is two words that originate from the Bible that someone stuck together. There is really no such thing. Christianity is Christianity – to give it a prefix is a construct of Man who uses it to set itself up and apart from the “rest of plain old Christianity.”

And what has modern American Evangelical Christianity set itself apart to be. Listen carefully now . . . IF modern American Evangelicalism was known and seen to be a gathering of . . . self-effacing, generous, forgiving, kind and loving members of a kingdom created by a King of the very same attributes, I would never use the term as a focus of an attack. But GENERALLY speaking is this what most non-believers think when they hear the term? Or do they think of a group that is Politically minded?

Evangelical Christianity and Reaching the LDS Community

and politically driven (which Jesus was not) Uber conservative or uber-Republican (which Jesus was not) Condemnatory, gay hating, abortion picketing, fighting against everything they distain zealots (which Jesus was not).

Look, I want to belong to a group of people who really, truly follow the New Testament model of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ the king. Nothing less and NOTHING more.

As far as I’m concerned, the title most of the unbelieving world uses to describe people who use Jesus name to enforce and promote their agenda is EVANGELICAL Christianity. So the name sticks . . . unless I can be convinced otherwise.

Finally, before we go to prayer and our message tonight

. . . since being taken off the air here in Utah I have had the opportunity to see various methods employed (on television and off) to reach the LDS with “the truth of their religion” while at the same time trying to bring them to a saving relationship with our Lord.

God’s Calling and Preparation for Ministry

Since this is an online show (which is archived) I am going to take some liberties to say things I would probably not say on live television – especially here in Utah. Why? Because I want to support anyone who believes they are truly called to reach the LDS (or other non-Christian groups feigning to be Christian).

The question, however, that OUGHT to be asked by anyone attempting to establish a ministry to the Mormons is how does God typically call and then prepare people to do certain things? If we look in the Word God will typically t prepare people with years of experience before he ever brings them in to work in specific tasks or fields.

For example, in Moses’ case, the preparation began at birth. First 40 years in Egypt, then forty years in the wilderness, and then when he was eighty, he experienced forty more years in actually leading the COI out of bondage.

King David was just a sheepherding boy who, in the fields learned skills that took courage and fearlessness. And then under the heat of King Saul he learned to suffer. Finally, the Lord made him a shepherd over Israel who through courageous and skillful shepherding made them a great nation.

Look at Joseph sold in Egypt and how he was prepared. Look at John the Baptist and his life and ministry length. And how about the Lord Himself – thirty years (in flesh and as a carpenter) before just three years of ministry in eternity.

Evaluating Effectiveness in Ministry

So while I do appreciate the efforts that people (who have never been LDS) make in reaching to bring souls out of Mormonism and into a saving relationship with Jesus, there may be wisdom if some of them – if not most of them – would maybe focus their efforts on areas where God has personally equipped them.

I’m not saying this as a means to limit so-called “competition.” There is NO competition when we are all aimed at reaching people for Him. But I do say it out of concern for the LDS.

If your child falls overboard is rough seas, who do you want diving in to save them – an untrained ill-prepared do gooder or someone seasoned and trained in saving people from such situations?

Look, it’s just a matter of

• How God Himself typically does things, (and a matter of . . .)
• Damage control, and an attempt to illustrate . . .
• true effectiveness over theoretical effectiveness.

Of late, I have seen some really horrible things going on in Mormon/Christian apologetics. Ineffective methods being employed by individuals who, having never been LDS, have convinced themselves that they are called to not only bring them out of their church but to also dictate how this ought to be done. But from what I’ve seen they typically get their lunch hand-fed to them. And they don’t even know it.

Wouldn’t it be better for “not-former LDS” pastors and people who “feel” called to apologetics or ministry to the Mormons to instead sharpen the skills they have received from the years the experiences God has given them in other areas rather than trying to get into their head and hearts around a people and culture they will never really understand?

This is the reason Doris

Engagement with the LDS and FLDS Communities

Hansen’s abilities to speak to the FLDS (and LDS) are so keen – she came from them. She knows the twists and turns – and can call them on their baloney when challenged?

The reason Earl Erskine is such a good “television Bishop” (now Christian) is because he really was an LDS Bishop in real life. And this is why the Mother of all Mormon apologista (Sandra Tanner) has been so effective for nearly fifty years – she came from BEING a Mormon, has a family that was or is Mormon, and knows the mind and heart of the active LDS.

I mean for (some of the very same reasons) that “the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us,” having actually been LDS (and I mean an active, participating member, not one up until you were a teen or something) makes all the difference in knowing how to reach them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yes, there are exceptions – there are always exceptions to every good rule – but we are really wasting some good time, energy, and resources (not to mention the carnage left in the wake) when men and women who have never been LDS try and take them on.

Just a thought.

And with that, let’s have a word of prayer.

PRAYER PRAYER PRAYER PRAYER PRAYER PRAYER

The Evolution of Christianity in America

Okay, last week we blazed a trail through some of the major developments in Christianity since Constantine made it a state religion. I realize that we are barely skimming the surface of this vast, complex history but we are trying to show the major advances and declines that have led to the ugly practices seen in American Evangelical Christianity today.

Please take note that we readily admit that the Lord’s hand has been upon His true Church since He established it nearly 2000 years ago and that His church (or body of believers) is centralized in the hearts of true believers everywhere. So while these aberrational religious dalliances we’ve described are the rule (that’s right, they are the rule) of this fallen world, there are exceptions out there – and those exceptions are “the few be there that find it,” (and those are Jesus' words, not mine).

A Snapshot of the American Church in the 1950s

So we left off last week with the American church becoming institutionalized up through the 1950s – which is when the first mega-churches started appearing. And again, what did the basic snapshot of “the Church” look like in America in the 1950s?

There were (of course) the Catholics . . . Protestant Denominations 19th Century Cults that had proliferated in spite of them (Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Scientists, LDS and Seventh Day Adventists) but interestingly enough, they all pretty much “looked the same” and generally – generally – operated by similar organizational means and even praxis.

I mean church people were essentially clean looking, clean living people that promoted American ideologies of working hard, paying taxes and tithes, attending church on Sunday, and being a responsible and respectable neighbor. Prior to the mid-1960s, the world hadn’t seen a real zealous Jesus Freak since the revivals of Billy Sunday at the turn of the century.

Cultural Upheaval and the Rise of Charismatic Movements

At the same time, however, the 1950s saw charismatic/Pentecostal/snake handler types working their way out of Bayou backwaters and into mainstream consciousness by distinguishing themselves through a zealous application of publicly expressed tongues, claims of faith healings, and the birth of faith healings ugly sister, prosperity teaching. Enter the mid-1960s.

With the assassination of JFK and his younger brother Bobby, the Vietnam war, and Timothy Leary telling people to “turn on, tune in, and drop out,” the young (and young of heart) that as kids went to Sunday School in little white shirts and calico print dresses, looked around (and perhaps more importantly looked inside their own hearts) and didn’t find God – just how their religious institutions described Him – and He was always an American, always conservative, and always concerned with order.

In that day of cultural upheaval and uncertainty, this American Jesus would not do. But again, and amidst it all, there was (as there always will be) a remnant (who still knew and loved the Lord). As the young masses rebelled, and sought spiritual enlightenment in alternative sources like hallucinogens and free love, the remnant who knew God longed to reach the lost, took up arms.

Enter men like

• Duane Pederson,

The Influence of the Jesus Movement

Jack Sparks (who led the Christian World Liberation Front)

• Chuck Smith and Lonnie Frisbee of Calvary Chapel
• Steve Freeman and the “Kingdom Come Christian Coffee House,” and
• Many, many, more who came alongside then and later.

Generally speaking, these men and women, also frustrated with the rigid business models that ran American Christianity in the 50’s (and before) followed the cultural “flow” of 1960’s and early 70’s counterculture and chose to open their double church doors to a more liberated and free relationship with . . . Jesus. Just Jesus . . . relationship over religion, with a major focus on Being Born-again, on really experiencing Jesus, and coming to church “as you are.”

Changes in Worship and Church Culture

Oddly and interestingly enough, a few of the mainstays of the modern American church today popped straight out of this period of unrestricted Christianity, especially “the current approaches to worship music” (and) “coffee worship” (quite frankly it’s sometimes hard for me to tell the difference since they both are aimed at produce feelings of grand elation. (boy, I am just JUMPIN on some sacred cows, tonight, aren’t I) and the . . . “come worship Jesus and then get out of dodge” Church model. The sway of the Jesus Freak movement was a great success – feverishly lasting about a decade with many truly converted believers coming out of it and serving the Lord today.

But more toward the point and purposes of our program tonight, the elements it introduced to American Christianity, while leaving the denominationalists singing traditional hymns in stuffed suits and doing religion, have today taken on a life of their own – like they always tend to do. It’s NOTHING new.

The Lesson from the Brass Serpent

Remember when Moses was instructed by God to build a brass serpent so believing Children of Israel could “look upon” it (as a type of Christ) and be saved from the stings of poisonous serpents? Then some 700 years or so later a King named Hezekiah, when he was destroying all the idols the Nation of Israel were worshipping instead of the true God, found this same brass serpent – which had become one of their idols – and he smashed it to pieces saying: Nehushtan! (which means, thing of brass)?

See, human beings, especially in things relative to God, are easily moved off course relative to worshiping God in Spirit and in truth . . . and before they know it, find themselves bowing down to a piece of inanimate, hand-crafted metal.

Aside from the influence the “music and coffee consumption” the Jesus movement had on American Christianity, I would suggest the most destructive brass serpent this period of Christian revival that remains as a vestige of this era is what I call the “stop and go” approach to church. Stop in, grab a cup of coffee, stand and sing under a blaze of lights, sit and hear an entertaining and relevant message sort of based on biblical principles, and then get the heck outta dodge.

See, in its reaction against stiff, corporate-culture denominationalism, the Jesus movement (and the remnants that exist in American Evangelicalism today) ignored perhaps the single most important element of doing church . . . true discipleship. And once genuine disciple-shipping was lost from doing church, the door opened for churches to become “seeker friendly,” which in the end is so contrary to the New Testament model of doing church that it mocks – mocks – it.

The Modern Church Model

So before I tell you which church today I firmly believe BEST represents the biblical model of “doing church,” I want to first explain how many churches today approach “doing church” and then we’ll lay out what the Bible teaches about doing church. Again, generally speaking, there is a cycle for “building churches” today.

First, the pastor and the leadership must ignore the Biblical picture of church that is EVERY PRESENT and they embrace the American ideal that Bigger is better.

This leads to

Him having his dream designed in a
“bigger is better” building (or God willing, an entire university of buildings).

This leads to

the need to burden believers with the financial load to get the land bought and the building built.

This leads to

Constant fundraising (that may or may not employ words like “tithing,” “building fund,” and messages taken from the

Understanding the Purpose of the Church

Once the building has finally been erected, there is a need to not only fill the seats but to keep them filled. At this point, a number of reasons the church exists, in the first place, are lost and are instead replaced with bigger shows. See, something has to give when appealing to masses, and you have to appeal to the masses in order to keep the seats filled and in order to keep them coming back – especially with friends. So, in most cases, feeding the flock with the word honestly and urgently will be replaced with entertaining anecdotes, big-production worship, and other presentations that appeal to the needs of the mass (and not the individual). And the biblical model provided by God is lost.

(I am not saying this ALWAYS has to happen. There are churches that are large that teach the word and are able to disciple their congregates through the Biblical model. But they are an exception. So, what is the biblical model and what church represents the very best expression of it? Let me lay it out for you using NOTHING but the Bible as our guide as ALL of the elements it presents build and interact with each other.)

The Vertical and Horizontal Aspects of Christianity

First of all, everything begins and ends with the cross. The first principle is Jesus came from Heaven to earth, lived as man a perfect life, was killed, lay in the tomb three days, rose from the dead, and ascended to sit on the right hand of Majesty, Glory, and Power. We’ll call this the vertical of Christianity and the Jesus Movement, and the Revival’s, and the preachers at the Burned Over District were and are GREAT at preaching and teaching it. The Vertical is the primary focus of most non-denominational Christian churches today – most, but not all. It embraces the Jesus experience over and over and over through heightened worship times, messages of salvation, and are more seeker-friendly in tone.

But I must point out, without equivocation, that the church does NOT – does NOT gather to bring people to belief. That is the result of missional efforts and the Holy Spirit – which can happen in church, but the church is made of believers, not non-believers, and the churches purpose is not to cater to the non-believers but those who are part of it. To think the church ought to be a place especially catering to making believers would be like using a professional baseball team like the Dodgers – their time, their facilities, and their resources – to recruit kids to want to play baseball.

(Remember this, we’re going to get back to it in a minute). That happens through a whole bunch of other means, but the Dodger team cannot alter what it needs to do in order to stop and spend time convincing five-year-olds baseball is the greatest sport on earth.

Discipleship Through the Church

Okay, so with the vertical in place (meaning a person has been saved by grace through faith in Him) the horizontal bar of the cross can be set. This is the earthly gathering place where people who have been born-again are discipled. Remember what Jesus said to His disciples in the last chapter and last verses of Matthew?

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:19-20

When Jesus said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations . . .” the Greek word for teach means make disciples. “Go, make disciples” . . . discipline them in the things I have shown and taught, Jesus says. And the means God has given for such discipleship is His church.

Again, stay with me – the means which God disciples His children is by and through His church because IN His church all the elements, principles, models, and methods OUGHT to be in place for men and women who have come to faith to then produce fruit. Listen carefully – such discipleship does not typically happen in monastic living, and it cannot happen in stop and go churches. It happens among believers, who are (listen) members of churches and are therefore known to the other believers among them, and participate in the Body according to their skills, and are not only known by the Pastor (or sub-shepherd of the flock) but they are fed.

Understanding Water Baptism

of God) and cared for by him too. And where the Jesus Freaks do real well in the vertical of church, the denominations do a far better job at the horizontal. Here is a point where I have repented.

Having come from Mormonism (the consummate corporate structure) to Calvary Chapel (an early Jesus freak church) I graduated detesting all things denominational. I was wrong, blinded, once again, to part of scripture while focusing on others. So anti-denominational was I that I went about performing “open water baptisms” for like-minded people who, coming from Mormonism, hated organized religion but loved the Lord. But I unwittingly did them a disservice – for which I am sorry.

Look at what Jesus said in what we call the Great Commission: “Go ye therefore, make disciples, BAPTIZING them . . . ” Hang with me – this is vital – if and since we KNOW from scripture that salvation comes by grace through faith alone – NOT of works lest ANY man should boast, what purpose does water baptism serve?

God, knowing and viewing the heart, certainly doesn’t demand water baptism to prove the faithful heart unto salvation (thief on the cross) so baptism MUST serve some other very important purpose among those WHO HAVE BEEN SAVED . . . What is it? It serves to identify those saved to each other – just as circumcision identified Jewish males as being Jewish toward each other – but not to God.

Purpose of Baptism

Baptism serves as an earthly identifier for those looking on to witness that the person subjecting themselves to it have come to saving faith and can now be relied upon as a brother or sister. Buried with Christ, risen to new life – and whom do we live this life with? Other believers! Other members of the Body. Other “members” of the church. See, it’s our water birth into a new family, having (in some cases) forsaken “father and mother, brother and sister,” due to our faith in Him. Baptism is the public profession and is a church event, where other members witness you becoming their sibling in Christ and then are in a position to pray for us, mourn with us, support us, and at times, correct us when we go astray.

This is the New Testament model. The churches were all named by their location – the church at Antioch, the church at Ephesus, the Church at Corinth. Many of the letters Paul sent (which became our epistles) included either his recommendations or his condemnation for saints he knew from other church locations.

The Topic of Church Size

How can members (of the Body) know the problems of other members if the body is or inordinate size? What does the Bible also liken the church to? A flock right? And in a flock, a shepherd knows the names of every sheep. Get too big and this is impossible. And how can a shepherd protect the flock if one, he is not familiar with them individually, doesn’t know their names, and because the church is too big, properly disciple them?

I know the modern answer – sub shepherding. But that is usually very ineffective. Why? People want to go to the head guy with their issues. Plus remember what Jesus said about hireling shepherds – He said when a robber or thief comes (meaning danger) they will flee. How does a shepherd or board of Elders call deacons if they don’t know them? How does church discipline work if the flock is too big? If a sheep is lost (to the world) how and when does the shepherd know – when the gatherings are jam packed.

There are those who push “house church,” “house church” in addition to the large packed Sunday gatherings. But is that where the flock ought to be fed? By a bunch of people who get together and sort of fumble their way through real meaning of scripture? Look, the house church of the early church was THE church, not some system senior pastors developed as a means to distance themselves from the responsibility of discipling the flock entrusted to him.

New Testament Discipleship

Finally, the models of New Testament discipleship include: Hearing the Word, Eating together, Prayer, Serving each other (which is where among like-minded people with whom we are familiar) we best learn to love as Christ loves by the application of personal sacrifice of time, resources, prayers, dying to self, forgiving all of everything, and lifting up heavy hands. In this model, the Pastor is responsible for the sheep of his flock. He knows their names because his flock

Church Structure and Leadership

is limited in size, and because of this, the pastor is able to correctly lead, teach, and discipline them. He is able to elect them to places of leadership from knowing them, and he “feels” or senses their pain just as the head feels the pain of a broken ankle. Once a flock gets to a certain size, a new congregation is created, where a new shepherd, from the original flock, is brought forward to disciple the rest.

The Modern Church Comparison

Looking at all of these things, plus many more in terms of detail, what church today best represents the New Testament model for doing church the way God would have us do church . . . .

(beat)

The Mormons.

(long beat)

Let’s open up the phone lines –

(801) 590-8413 While we are clearing your calls, take a minute and consider this message . . . if it applies.

Organizational and Financial Considerations

501(c)3 status Budgets Buildings The Giving Game Temptations to Travel

• sheep and shepherds?
• What about those who can’t? Age Health Jobs Money Biblical Picture of money