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Iran, Iraq, Hezballah, & The Kingdom

artman81 — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:58:29 +0000

Many of you know Carl. But for those who don’t, he has his finger on the pulse of what is going on in the Middle East. God has used him to begin a movement of house churches in the several countries. His email today (see immediately below) helped put things into perspective for me.

Jan Cowles

The question I’m most often asked by friends or those who hear me speak are about the politics of the Middle East. They go like this:

“Carl, I know you just talked for an hour about Jesus and how his Kingdom is growing – and that’s very nice – but what we want to know is what do you think about our troops being in Iraq? Should we withdraw them or leave them? And while we’re at it (they say in a soft voice, looking around to be sure no one is listening), who will you vote for – McCain or Obama?”

Second most asked question I get these days is about Iran’s leader – Ahmadinejad. “So….what do you think about HIM? Pretty crazy huh? I think he has nuclear weapons already. Probably going to bomb us, or at least Israel. What do you think we should do?” (As if I know).

Questions then range from Sudan (Darfur and the so-called “Muslim-Christian” war there), to the Hezballah, Hamas and the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

In some ways, I totally understand. I’m the “Middle East expert” dude. I know some of these people. I’ve been in and out of the Arab world since 1983. Lived in Beirut for 12 years. I’ve immersed myself in the lives of these people for a long time. I do understand them.

What I don’t understand is our fascination with the politics of earth. I get several emails a week from friends who know me well,asking what I think about this or that article or email from someother friend that they received. Usually (almost always actually) these emails which they are forwarding to me, are alarmist in nature. “The Muslims are taking over.” “Beware of the REAL agendabehind such and such group.” They are full of fear and suspicion.

And these are the ones I get from believers. Lovers of Jesus. People of another Kingdom. I think the emails are generally innocent, sometimes even well-meaning. They’re not mean or nasty. They’re just not the point.

This may surprise you!

1. Iran probably has the largest and fastest growing church in the Muslim world? Shi’ite Iranians are turning to Christ in huge numbers.

2. Likewise, there is a significant move of God in northern Iraq among the Kurds.

3. Sudan has an incredibly strong and growing church among Muslims– even in Darfur.

4. The Hezballah of south Lebanon and the Shi’ites they represent have always been the most open to the gospel of all the peoples ofLebanon. Remember back in the early 90’s it was they who gave me permission to speak in Mosques about Jesus.

5. The Hamas continuously invite Brother Andrew to speak to them about Jesus – hundreds at a time.

Let’s not lose focus. Ahmadinejad is a puppet in God’s hands. God will raise him up and lower him as he wills. Sadam was nothing to God. The Hezballah have been and are currently being used by God to fulfill his purposes in South Lebanon. And as much as I and many of you think the Iraq war was a bad idea, God has used it to open up a nation to hear his Word!

Jesus is the answer! Not Obama or McCain. Not troops in or troops out. And even the worst of the terrorists can never stops the plans of the King of Heaven!

Let’s stay on track – don’t get sidetracked into idle and silly arguments this election season that don’t really matter. Do vote for the ones who you know and trust – do be involved. But know that politics is only a temporary salve to the great issues of our day. The only solution is living within you and I. The powerful Spirit of the living God.

carl

To dress up or not to dress up? That is the question…

artman81 — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:48:59 +0000

Dressing up for church has been a western tradition in the church for decades. It is interesting to note that the average believer has no idea that it wasn’t always this way. In fact, this tradition is a fairly recent development in Christian history. Not until the mid-1800’s did people start dressing up for church. That’s right - for the first 1800 years of church history worshippers wore street clothes to church. “Dressing up for church became a popular practice in the first half of the nineteenth century, first in England, then northern Europe and America, as a consequence of the industrial revolution and the emergence of the middle class. While care was historically given to cleanliness and solemnity on Sabbath days, dressing up for worship resulted, not from a theological teaching, but from the influence of Victorian culture on worshiping communities.” (1) If there is any simple step a church can make today to please our Lord more and to be in a better position to reach sinners, it is to do away with this man-made tradition of dressing up for church. This practice hinders us from reaching the modern culture we live in, promotes a compartmentalized view of spirituality, and alienates the poorer folks in our culture whom we are especially called to reach.

On an average Sunday, in an average church service in America, the truly committed come dressed up to the hilt. Yet has anyone taken the time to look outside lately? People don’t dress up anymore. Only the business-class dress up in our culture today, and even then they still dress casually when doing anything other than business. The lower and middle classes simply don’t dress up. They used to, decades ago, but not anymore. Just imagine going to your church next Sunday morning dressed in jeans and a t-shirt – would you feel out of place? If you would, then that should be a sign to you that there is a serious problem. Why? Because that is exactly how any “normal” person who walks into the doors of our church feels. The post-modern culture we are among today is extremely casual - imagine how they feel walking into the doors of a church in their normal attire: a t-shirt and shorts... Although it is the least of the reasons I present for condemning this tradition, unless we are willing to move with the culture on this issue, we will fail in reaching the majority of sinners in our modern culture.

The second and even more important reason for ending the “dressing up” tradition is that it helps build a false idea in the minds of many that “God can only move when I am dressed up”, which naturally translates into “God can only move when I’m at church”. These false perceptions of the moving of God’s Spirit and of the house of God (which is actually you and me, not any building) are incredibly dangerous to the functioning of the body of Christ. We have, without realizing it, created a compartmental mindset in the church. This mindset says that church is where I am spiritual, and everywhere else is where I go about my normal life. This is so far from the thought and practice of the early church, it is frightening — and it hinders many saints from acting out their gifts and callings outside the doors of their buildings. The fact is, wearing a suit and tie or a dress doesn’t make you more spiritual, it only makes you feel more spiritual, and thus tends to create a false sense of spirituality. The thing is, God doesn’t care whether we are dressed up or dressed down, as long as we are modest. And trust me on this – Jesus can move just as mightily whether you are in a black suit or in a pair of faded blue jeans, and He fills seekers with the Holy Spirit just as easily when they (and those who are praying with them) are in casual-wear.

Finally, and most importantly in my opinion, this tradition alienates the most important crowd we are on this earth to serve - the poor and the homeless. ”When asked why they don’t go to church, poor people list clothes as the number one reason.”(2) How much more out of place does a homeless or poor person feel in our midst who simply don’t have any dress clothes? The sad irony is, these are the ones that Jesus told us to go and find and bring into his kingdom - the poor, crippled, and homeless, the blind (Lk 14). These are the ones the church is especially called to, and yet these are the very ones whom the church is alienating by their tradition! I can’t tell you how many times a homeless individual walked into the doors of our building of the church I grew up in and sat in the back row trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, as they felt like a sore thumb amidst the formally dressed worshippers. They were stared at, whispered about, given a hollow handshake, and rarely got the help they came for. Yet it is especially for these poor and hurting souls that the heart of our master breaks.

Did you know that over 2 million men, women and children in the U.S. alone sleep on the street, under bridges, in shelters, or on a friend’s couch? 30% of homeless are children. Contrary to popular opinion, only 5% of homeless in the U.S. are really “lazy and shiftless”. One-third of all homeless are mentally ill, and 40% are alcoholics. All this, not to mention the much greater number of poor and “lower class” families in this country (who have a place to call their own) who simply struggle to keep the lights or heat turned on, shoes on their kids’ feet, and jobs that pay more than minimum wage. Poverty is a huge problem around the globe (aren’t we called to “all nations”?) and from what I have witnessed, many churches are ambivolent to the situation. How do we expect someone whose basic needs aren’t being met to accept the good news of Jesus Christ’s love from a people who have way more than enough to go around and yet are not willing to share? (Statistics from (3), below)

One of Jesus most striking parables is recorded in Matthew 25, and is a vision of the judgment, where the King seperates the sheep from the goats. Jesus plainly gives the criteria by which the masses were judged: “I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.” Notice that the He doesnt seperate the sheep from the goats based on how well we taught them our theology, or even how well we preached to them - only on how well we fed and clothed them. Obviously I am not against these things - they are vital - but the simple fact is, according to this passage, it is not the theology or the soteriology of the saints that counted in the end. Many churches are in for a rude awakening on judgment day. In fact, from the law of Moses, to the prophetic utterances throughout Israel’s history, to the teachings and parables of Jesus and the epistles, this seperation of social classes is thoroughly condemned (please take a moment to see “Social Justice in scripture” below) (4). Dressing appropriately for the sake of the poor is only the first step we ought be taking to live out the gospel to the poor, of course.

Now, don’t go and start dressing down as a church in effort to be “cool” in the culture, and don’t start dressing down as a church in effort to keep attendance high, as these are selfish and prideful motives – rather start dressing down in church gatherings out of love — love for the poor and homeless, love for sinners, love for the everyday person who comes through those doors desperately seeking truth and rest and peace for their souls. They need to be among a people with whom they feel safe and accepted — and above all, deeply and truly loved (Without love, even helping the poor is meaningless - 1 Cor 13).

It is the enemy who seeks to alienate, not the spirit of our meek and humble saviour — who by the way, was himself a homeless man, as were his disciples who chose to “leave all” and follow him. I guarantee you Jesus didn’t smell as good as the religious crowd in his culture, nor did he look as nice. It was the way He spoke, the humility in which He operated, and His magnificent touch that drew the hungry to him, not His appearance. Would the lowly Jesus feel welcome in your church? {}

By Sean Hyatt - sean_hyatt@msn.com

—————–

Sources:

1. Carter, Neil, 2002. http://www.christinyall.com/studies/dressing.html

2. Dorrell, Jimmy. Trolls and Truth, 2006. New Hope Publishers

3. Dorrell, Jimmy. Understanding the Homeless, 2002 http://churchunderthebridge.org/articles/homeless.html

4 . Social Justice in Scripture, http://mission.squarespace.com/social-justice-in-scripture/

poor, dumb, and ugly

mickey — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:03:06 +0000

A friend once observed that I knew less of what I was “for” and more of what I was “against” (a criticism). Granted, I have often felt like Don Quixote with a vengeance for spiritual windmills yet I continue to labor over the need to ventilate.

My “stick-in-the-craw” today focuses on whom God chooses. I recently did an article on “The common man/woman”. It apparently hit a nerve in the Christian community as it was reproduced on various blogs around the world. This tells me there is a thirst for truth to be manifest in real life. The commoner wants to be valued and productive yet continues to be restrained by _____________ (you can fill in the blank).

Paul wrote the following to Corinth:

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.

In the worlds system you generally have to be educated, rich, or good looking to gain advantage. (Woe to those of us who are poor, dumb, and ugly!) The unfortunate reality is the church has embraced much of the world’s philosophy. While simple church circles have made great strides away from this mentality, there remains a tainted residue of tilted credential expectation. The educated and eloquent still seem to rise to the surface. There remains a “stage” for those who fit our definitions of success. I have no answers or suggestions. I simply cry out on behalf of all of the “servants in the shadows”. Will their voice be heard at our conferences and retreats, in our books, and on virtual venues? My heart aches to see “the least of these” shine!

poor, dumb, and ugly,

mickey mooney

Looking into the mirror: the power of simple church community

Brian Rants — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:10:36 +0000

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25

Except for perhaps Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, looking in the mirror can be a bit unpleasant. Too many gray hairs or not enough hair, too many pounds or not enough muscles…a mirror is unbiased and unyielding.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have had the…well…privilege of having my simple church be an excellent mirror for the condition of my soul. I cannot say it has been entirely pleasant, as it revealed to me some beliefs and behaviors. However, knowing is…as they say…half the battle. I already feel God’s hand at work within me to heal and redeem these rogue areas of my life.

I do not believe these particular areas would have been so precisely revealed in what 21st century Americans consider “church.” I would venture to say that you are in good standing in most American churches if you are able to hold it together for an hour every Sunday morning and the occasional youth car wash or nursing home visit. This is a far cry from the controversial life alteration Jesus called each of His followers to.

In the past two weeks, our church network has been spending time together in our glorious mountains. People from our different house churches have met up for a picnic, hiking, camping, and just plain being together. It is this extended time together when the defenses come down and we are revealed for who we truly are.

I am blessed to have a community, an ekklesia, a church who helps serve as an incarnation of God’s word. They are God’s mirror to my soul.

meeting mentality!

mickey — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:50:04 +0000

Humor me for a simple thought for the day. This came from a friend (Peg) in New Mexico.

A gathering is a tool where relationships happen.

The Christian church of our culture continues to labor under 1700 years of gravity that is hard to escape. The church has a “meeting mentality” that exaults itself as a end rather than a means. A friend recently said “if your goal is house church, that is all you will produce”. Paul instructed Timothy that our goal was Love (relationships)(1 Tim. 1:5). I know for a fact that the human heart cries out for real relationships centered on Jesus. I’m all for gatherings that serve the function of fostering relationships with both God and fellow believers.

have a blessed day…

mickey

Everyone brings something to share

Brian Rants — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:45:45 +0000

I would love to hear from you.

How is your church practicing the priesthood of believers…allowing each person to bring a song, something they are learning, or whatever else the Spirit might be leading them to contribute?

In our own house church we are in a time of transition, and I’d love to hear some ideas on how others are living this out.

House Church Conference - House2House 2008

Brian Rants — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:46:09 +0000

This is a tremendous conference and an excellent resource opportunity. I have attended this conference, and would highly recommend it to all Colorado House Churches. With speakers like Wolfgang Simpson, Frank Viola, and Paul Young (author of The Shack), you know you will get a lot to chew on.

Below is an email from Tony Dale about the conference, click here for the House2House 2008 Conference Flyer.

I am dropping you this note to enlist your help in getting word out about the H2H National conference, and to bring you up to date information on what we believe will be accomplished by the conference. Through your mailing/emailing lists, if you are open to helping us in this way, many who are likely to be interested in what this conference is about will be able to hear and possibly decide to come because they value your perspective and endorsement.

This year, we are hosting a very special conference in Dallas, Texas. I’ve attached a flyer that explains the details of this conference. The conference is over the Labor Day weekend, which this year is the last weekend in August.

Specifically, I’m asking if you would kindly send a special one-time email blast to the people on your mailing list with your encouragement to people to seriously consider going, with the attached flyer. The subject line of the email could say something along the lines of: “The 2008 National House Church Conference.” We would like to extend our “early bird” registration rate to your contact as our thank you for you doing this email blast for us.

Registrations are already at the highest level we have ever seen for one of these National conferences. In fact they are running more than 2 X’s higher than we have ever seen for this early in the summer. The Holy Spirit is obviously drawing people. The mix of those speaking and the four “tracks” that will make up the bulk of the conference experience are also a factor in drawing people. These four tracks, of which people will be able to choose one primary track to be a part of are:

House2Harvest-Reaching the unreached through world missions

House2Harvest-Maximizing our workplace involvement and impact

House2Harvest-Understanding the basics of House Church life

House2Harvest-Relationship Christianity: Deepening our walk with God and with each other

Those speaking at the main sessions, will also each be involved, but under the facilitating leadership of others within the four tracks that will define the conference experience. We are very blessed to have the following coming as our main speakers within the plenary sessions:

Dennis Balcombe - Missionary extraordinaire to the Chinese House Church movement.

Wolfgang Simson - Author of “Houses That Change The World” and “The Starfish Manifesto”.

Frank Viola - Author (with George Barna) of “Pagan Christianity” and many other books.

Paul Young - Author of “The Shack”, which has taken the Christian world by storm over the past year.

Felicity and I will also be involved in the plenary sessions

Although our official “early bird” registration date is already over, if you contact Paul Byerly at paul@house2house.com he will give you a “Registration Code” which when used by your contact list by June 20th will give them the same early bird registration rate as those who heard about the conference and registered early through the H2H lists. This rate will need to be limited to those who register by June 20th to help our planning processes. Please also note that the pre-conference day for network leaders and others in Christian leadership positions is already 70% full, and so if you have contacts that you think need to be a part of that pre-conference day, please urge them to register now, as we have to limit numbers there to around 100 because of limited space available at the hotel on that day.

Thank you very much for your consideration. If you have any questions, please feel very free to contact me directly.

Tony Dale on behalf of the H2H conference planning team.

Photos From the May Gathering

Rose Starr — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:48:09 +0000

Here are some photos I took of our May Gathering in Cheeseman Park. I really enjoyed being outdoors and was blessed to meet some new people and celebrate all God is doing.

~Rose

United Spiritual Families

Brian Rants — Sat, 17 May 2008 16:30:18 +0000

People of every age, race, and class. Leaders from Virginia, Denver, Chicago, Oregon, Boston, Colorado Springs, Ottowa, L.A., Maryland, San Francisco, and… Southeast India.

“I don’t want to plant churches. Jesus said ‘I will build my church’ and he’s a lot better at it. I would rather build families, because we know the church is not somewhere we go, something we do…it is who we are.”
That is my quote/paraphrase of the opening remarks of the facilitator.

I have long desired one family under our Father, yet have seen divisions along racial, theological, denominational, and class lines.

Father, thank you for work in simple churches, small communities of faith…families which are laying aside the old divisions under the headship of Jesus Christ.

Brian

Poll Results: What is your house church’s greatest challenge?

Brian Rants — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:04:47 +0000

The results are in!

We asked what the greatest challenge is for your house church, and here is what you said!

We want to hear from you…what conclusions do you draw from this?