Simple Church: House Church in China

As I sit here in a little coffee shop in Wilmington, NC and reflecting on the last details to finish today for the Christmas Gathering of our House Church tomorrow evening, I am struck with a humbled sense of gratitude.  In all the business and planning we do for our churches in the West, we can lose sight or maybe never see the essence of what church really is.  We can so easily take the Church for granted when caught up in all that we do to run and maintain our traditional Church Organizations; with all the meetings, boards, committees, programs, classes, politics, and facility needs.   

According to the AP reported on November 26, 2009, “A court in northern China has sentenced five leaders of an unauthorized Protestant church to prison terms of up to seven years on charges including illegal assembly, rights groups reported Thursday.”  Among those arrested were the Pastor, his wife and three other church members.  The AP goes on to say, “The sentences are among the harshest in recent years for members of so-called “house churches” — congregations that refuse to register and accept the authority of the government’s Religious Affairs Bureau.” 

A few weeks ago I was sitting in our church gathering, a group of about 20-30 people circled up in a large room off the back of our home.  Looking around the room I was thinking about this story of a pastor and his wife who met just like we were that morning but knowing they were risking their freedom, maybe their lives and yet this did not deter them.  They were doing exactly what we were that morning; singing, reading, praying, studying, laughing, eating, loving, sharing our stories- our lives with each other, and meeting each other’s needs.  However, we were risking nothing that the death of pride wouldn’t fix.  They were risking everything.  It’s amazing how the thought of that can refocus you on what is really important and not, what the church is and not.  It makes you grateful.

According to a study done by the Barna Group, when a Chinese House Church pastor or leader is arrested or killed, the house church may disband, but out of it will form 5 other House Churches. This may explain the latest statistics reported on an article from the Seattle P-I on October 3, 2008:

Zhao Xiao, a former Communist Party official and convert to Christianity, smiles over a cup of tea and says he thinks there are up to 130 million Christians in China. This is far larger than previous estimates.  The government says there are 21 million (16 million Protestants, 5 million Catholics). Unofficial figures, such as one given by the Center for the Study of Global Christianity in Massachusetts, put the number at about 70 million.  But Zhao is not alone in his reckoning. A study of China by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, an American think tank, says indirect survey evidence suggests many unaffiliated Christians are not in the official figures.  And according to China Aid Association, a Texas-based lobby group, the director of the government body that supervises all religions in China, said privately that the figure was indeed as much as 130 million in early 2008.  If so, it would mean China contains more Christians than Communists (party membership is 74 million) and there may be more active Christians in China than in any other country.  In 1949, when the Communists took power, less than 1 percent of the population had been baptized, most of them Catholics. Now the largest, fastest-growing number of Christians belong to Protestant “house churches.”

It is clear that this incredible growth of disciples is a result of the unauthorized and uncounted House Church Movement under great persecution.  This has also served to keep Christians in House Churches focused on what is important and not hindered by Western consumer necessities.  Without our baggage, the House Churches in China have become relational not religious, flexible not rigid, creative not stagnate, inclusive not exclusive, adaptable not compromising, disciple building not building churches and giving not getting.  They are not worried about getting their church name out there.  The only name they are concerned with promoting is Jesus.  What if our Western  Pastors, Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists and Churches were more concerned with making the name of Jesus famous than the name on the sign out front.

I am not throwing stones.  I’ve been there.  This is not to say that House Churches are where it’s at or what God is doing now.  It’s really not about leaders, traditional churches, buildings, money or programs.  It’s about evaluating what we think and do as the Church and refocus on what is true and really necessary to be the Church.  It’s about shedding unnecessary baggage.  It’s about seeing through God’s eyes, getting His heart and being led by the Holy Spirit no matter what the cost, even if the cost is how we’ve always done it.  It’s about Jesus and people – all else is negotiable and subject to change.

It about being grateful.

Simple Church video…

This is a great video about the Simple Church movement by House2House featuring a number of leaders and Simple Church practitioners.

 

The measure of success…

I just love the awkwardness of conversation.  You know it when you encounter it.  The proverbial “How’s the weather” conversation; the superficial stuff.  We do this when we don’t know someone, don’t know what to talk about or what questions we should really ask.

These kind of conversations are interesting among christians, especially leaders.  This is why pastors, church planters, leaders and those observing them ask superficial questions about success.  How many people do you have coming?  How many groups do you have? 

People want measurable and decisive answers.  I’m always tempted to give such answers, but the truth is these days such answers are not impressive if that is how we perceive success.

Let me leave you with two thoughts:

1. It is much easier to describe to you what I’m doing rather than tell you what I’m becoming.

2. Faith will always lead you down paths where you can’t use your eyes.

Unfortunately these two thing are not impressive to those looking to measure success by superficial things.

He who has an ear, let him hear…

Oh the beauty of diversity.  How different we are in every way, including our ability to communicate.  If you haven’t learned by now then you either don’t realize that people misunderstand what you’ve tried to say or you don’t care if you are misunderstood.   But, if we value relationship with the ones we are trying to communicate with then we will take the time to learn.  To assume you are heard simply because you think you are a clear and precise communicator is a self-delusion and maybe in some cases arrogant.  Either way it does not take into account the beautiful diversity of our hearers.  Communication is an ongoing process that may need to be revisited over and over til what we find is not that we have simply been heard and understood but rather we progressively and more intimately know our hearers as well as we are known.  To truly desire to be heard is to truly desire relationship with our hearer and that is a heart issue not just something wrong with the ears.

My Sentiments Exactly…

As I mentioned in the last post I’m on a most intimate and incredible journey.  In the past two years God has been cleaning my canvas.  What He has begun to paint is an incredible portrait of His Bride.  There is great beauty and freedom to be found in the church Christ builds.  This blog  has reflected many of my thoughts along the way as the fellowship I pastor has changed and continues to.  In reading this morning on Shapevine, which I recently joined to share my thoughts and hear from others on this journey, I came across this post from David Mills  I would encourage you to read it - it’s real short and thought provoking.

What would happen if we relinquished the need to control the church and actually let Jesus build it?  Are we willing to risk years, decades and centuries of man’s tradition to find what Jesus desires?  As I have been finding, we as leaders will need to be willing to lose everything to gain everything God desires.  Our history bears witness to the power of free forms.  God has worked in mighty ways where the focus and pursuit is Jesus (Christology) and the form of Church (Ecclesiology) flows out of Jesus’ mission (missiology).  This requires us to be willing to adjust our forms as needed for our mission.  The problem comes when the form  needs to change and we find we are in bondage to it or worse worship the form rather than the creator.

If you have any thought or comments along these lines, I would appreciate you leaving them.

Persevere…

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”    James 1:2-4 (NIV)

An aspect of character we must master is perseverance.  James tells us that it is the quality of character that will bring us to the mature and complete destination God desires.  It is the character that will not leave us lacking and prepares us for every good work God has for us. 

“So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?”  Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”    John 6:67-69 (ESV)

I have made a decision in my life that has served me well.  I am determined to persevere no matter what.  This is not something I choose in my own strength, but in faith.  I am determined to persevere if it kills me.  I find myself where Jesus’ disciple found themselves after all of Jesus’ followers left Him and the 12 remained.  Their perseverance was based on the fact that Jesus was the Holy One of God and only He had the Words of life.  When we really get to this point, we will persevere.  If we are not convinced of this we will loose heart in the weakness of our flesh.

“praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints”     Ephesians 6:18

Three things we must do where things get tough:

1. Pray – pray in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
2. Keep alert with Perseverance.
3. Pray and think about others instead of dwelling on yourself.

God wants us to endure to the end.   If we do not persevere we will miss the joy of our journey.

I want something Relevant…

 

 I saw this cartoon at mentalreflection, thanks Philippa.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”   2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)

Going Deep Pt. 1

Last week I started a new teaching series at The Dwelling Place entitled “Going Deep.”  It was prompted by something I posted a few days back where I said “Going Deep is our part, going Big is God’s part.”  As I was reflecting on Acts 2 I noticed something that jerked me back like a dog on a leash.

We have a tendency as church pastors and church planter to give in to the pressure to produce.  Much of our insecurities can be manipulated by the pressure of perceived expectation, that we must make it grow.  Since we are the experts, we must do something to make that thing get bigger.  After all it is the consumers measure for success.  If it’s not succeeding then we are not succeeding.  Let me say to all of you in ministry, “What a load of CRAP!”  Success?  I remember what my Father said to His firstborn, “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased.”  This is it.  I am my Daddy’s son and He loves me.

Moving on.  After finishing a previous series where we looked at what our mission was, I was tempted to work up a mission statement, package it well, capture it in a clever statement and then….jerrrrrk.  I saw it.  

“And they devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers……praising God and having favor with all the people.  And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”   Acts 2:42,47

The new believers devoted themselves……it produced favor and the Lord added to their number.

Devoted in the Greek means “to be earnest towards.”  It is a compound word for “forward” indicating a direction and movement towards; and to be strong, steadfast or endure.   In the context of verse 42 it means these new believers were moving forward in a stronger and more earnest relationship with Jesus, their leaders (Apostles) and each other.  In other word they were GOING DEEPER in Scripture and teaching of the Apostles, deeper in fellowship, deeper in the practice of faith and deeper in prayer together.

When we enter into this deeper devotion and a missional, incarnational focus on those around us, it will produce favor.  Going deeper in relationship and love with God and people is an attractive thing.  When you find something you really love, don’t you want to tell someone or share it with someone.  “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”  If you don’t want to share the experience of what you have, you might want to check and see if you had it in the first place. 

“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”      1 John 4:8

God cannot be contained.  When we try to put God in a box and contain Him, it becomes something other than God.  It just becomes religion and not good religion at that.  Life has to have room to grow or you kill it.    “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”  1 John 4:7

Diversity – embrace it, own it, enjoy it…

Me & Dad

 “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them…”   Romans 12:6

I have spent the last 2 years on a personal spiritual journey that has brought me to re-examine everything in my life.  I have read countless books and searched the scriptures.  I have allowed God to search me, correct me, shape me and lead me.

Much of what I hear from our post-modern spiritual and cultural experts, both excites me and concerns me.  Whether its traditional, denominational, emergent, missional, mega church, meta church, house church or something you are afraid of labeling for fear of really defining yourself: One thing is for sure; it misses the point.  Life is not in the “how” but in the “WHO”!

This does not mean we cannot discover or learn from those who are exploring different ways and maybe more effecient ways of doing Church, however, it will never change that we are to “BE” the Church.  The concerning thing is the focus on the newest and best way to do church.  The form.  This has led many such expert who consider themselves out front pioneering the brave new way, to say to all those who have gone before them, “I have found the right way.  God is no longer in the old way.”  Now many have said they are not saying that, while leaving you with no option from their writings to conclude otherwise.  They just don’t say the words.

I am excited that despite the need to write books, do lecture and blog saying “I found the new form of things to come”, these and so many others are wanting a much deeper intimacy with Jesus and a greater impact in the world.  Here in the west we have continued to model a pursuit for intimacy but continue to go around the world trying to establish western christian church forms.  Last I checked various worship music styles were difficult to pull off in the Congo.

Let’s be honest with ourselves and fully embrace the journey we are on.  Just because God begins to move me in a particular direction does not mean that everyone is supposed to jump on board or get left behind.  We all have a tendency when God shows us something and leads us to follow Him , especially as leaders, that we really think we’ve found the newest and best thing and maybe the new move of God.  Care must be taken to keep focused on what’s important.  There will continue to be great diversity in the how’s of our journey but the Who needs to remain the central focus and the aim of our affection.

We all need a place to land where we find the thing God has for us, especially as leaders.  Find it, embrace it and lead.  Do it with all your heart.  Don’t worry so much how others are doing it.  I don’t believe God created so much diversity in His body only for us to discover a new form of how to do things and tell the rest of the body, “You need to do it our way.”  We’d all get pretty tired walking on our hands or make everyone else in the body mad for being an @$$. “Yes I said it. Sue me!”

My brother puts it this way:

“Find the thing you love and do it!”   Scott Hobbs

If you love singing hymns – sing hymns.  If you love small groups – do it.  If you love evangelism, knocking on doors, cold calling – do it. (This however in not my bag. But if yours, do it!)

Folks find your thing and do it to the Praise and Glory of God!

Embrace it and own it and enjoy it with everyone who loves the same thing.  God is Big enough to handle the uniqueness and diversity of His body.  After all He made it that way and places the member where He desires.

My ramblings for the day.

Honor…

“Outdo one another in showing honor.”               Romans 12:10 ESV

In I Corinthians 12:22-27 it tells us that God places the members of the body where He desires and bestows greater honor on those who lack it so that there is no division in the body and that we can have the same care for one another.  If one member is honored we all get to rejoice together as well as if one suffers, we all suffer.  The church, Jesus body is meant to have a shared connection and sense of responsibility, a mutual care one for another.  What happens in the lives of others should provoke a shared loving response instead of jealousy, envy, covetousness, or reveling in loss.  If in the Spirit, it will produce the same care.

I had such a joy this week.  My Grandmother, affectionately known to all as Granny Hobbs turned 90 on February 3rd and we threw her a surprise Birthday party on Sunday to honor her.  We invited all of her family and friends to come and celebrate with us.  This may not seem significant to those who take Birthday parties for granted.  However, this party was more significant than any of us knew.

You see, my Granny Hobbs is the most generous person I’ve ever known, though as a child growing up, I didn’t realize how generous.  I like many children today only know it as love from the one who always gives us stuff.  Everyone who knows her has experienced her generosity.  She shows up every Sunday with candy for all the kids, not just mine, I mean all.  She always honors a new birth with some outfit.  Whenever I go by her house she always loads me up with stuff she thinks I or my family needs.  She gives to everyone.  Growing up she took in every stray dog or cat.  I pray for the owners of her previous home because she and I have buried probably more than 30 animals in her yard over the years.  I know TMI.  I could go on and on with stories of how she has given value and honor to others.

You may wonder where that generosity comes from?  Maybe she was blessed by people always giving to her over the years.  I’m reminded in Mark 12:42 “..but she out of her poverty put in everything shed had.”   My Granny Hobbs was born in 1919, one of nine children, very poor.  She got married to John Whitfield Hobbs who became a captain in the Army and shipped overseas in WWII.  Shortly thereafter she found that she was pregnant with my father.  My Grandfather never came back home.  My father never met his father.  She shared with me one day about standing at the train station waiting for the arrival of the pine box that contained my Grandfather.  My Granny Hobbs raised my father as a single mother til she met another serviceman and became engaged.  He too was sent overseas in the Korean War.  He was killed before they were married.  She never remarried.  My grandmother worked a number of jobs over the years determined to make it.  She went to work for Corning  and worked there till retirement.  I remember when I was young, she would come get me and take me with her on the weekends to shop the yard sales.  She would then take what she bought and resell it at a local flee market and a consignment booth she rented out.  I also, remember the first TV my wife and I had when we got married, it was a Black and White that Granny Hobbs bought for $25 at a yard sale.  Since then she has owned her own business, Granny’s Country Crafts, and even the last two summers worked at a suvournier shop on the boardwalk at the beach.  I think so she can still have extra money to buy stuff for everyone else.

All this really hit me when I went out to walk her into our church where we had told her we were going to have a small gathering with my brother and sister’s family.  She does not like to be the center of attention.  When I walked her in everyone sang Happy Birthday.  I pointed out my father and mother, her brother, sisters, cousins, friends and old coworkers.  They all stood and honored her.  It was hard to hold it together as I saw her tears.  My daughter says I’m a cry baby.  Granny Hobbs would have never asked for anything, though as she leaned over she said I’ve never had a birthday party given for me in my entire life. 

We honored my Granny Hobbs, but I feel I was honored more.  It was more of an honor for us to honor her.  It truly is more blessed to give than receive.  But after all I learned this from my Granny Hobbs who always gave all she had even when it was from her poverty.  This she gave her son, my father who has always modeled it for me and I pray will also be my legacy.  She always sees the needs of other and thinks not only of her own needs but everyone else’s.  The lessons I have learned are endless.

And by the way, I experienced the presence of God and a more profound sense of church than most of the church meetings I’ve been in, including my own.  There are some deep questions we need to ask ourselves after that statement.  But it will have to wait til the next post.

Honor one another!

Going Deep…

If you remember learning about icebergs in Elementary or Middle School you know that what you see sticking out of the water is only a small fraction of the whole thing.

Over the last 2 years I have walked through a major change in ministry.  God began some things in the church I serve that have caused me to take a fresh and new look at my faith, my theology, my walk, and my views of what the church is and does.  This has been an incredible journey of discovery.  However, not everyone around you is ready to take the journey or handle what you discover.  Like Jesus in John 6:66, many of His disciples turned away because they could not handle what He was saying to them, and they quit following Him.

For most, if you asked about or mentioned church, their first thought would picture a building located at some specific address.  You know the question, “where do you go to church?”  If this represents the iceberg above the water, what is below the surface.  If all we experience is what we see on the surface, we miss the beauty of all that is below.  Sadly, many believers will spend their whole life just on the surface and want nothing else or reject the notion that anything under the surface should be explored.

Let me prophecy (throw stones if you want), there is a shift happening – a global shift.  As I have cried, prayed and searched, I am finding there are more people walking the way of Jesus than you will find warming a pew on Sunday.  They are living in intentional communion and community with Jesus and other believers.  They are committed to be the church, not just attend church.

The church as we have known it is in crisis.  Our culture is changing and this current and next generation of spiritual seekers are looking for something more than church attendance.  They are looking for more than religion.  They want more than a life of lip service.  For them, what is on the surface has no meaning without all that’s underneath.

What’s on the surface just doesn’t cut for me anymore.  I’ve got to have what’s underneath.  The truth is, the surface no longer satisfies and looses meaning without the beauty of the depths of Jesus and all that the church should really be.

Time is short, ‘ve got to leave off here.  I will probably revisit this in my next post.  I hope I have stirred something in you.  If so please leave a comment.  I cannot be the only one feeling this.  I know I’m not.

I Heard Behind Me A Loud Voice Like A Trumpet…

“When we take our gaze off the celebrity pastors (practical dramatists) and the ministry pundits (theoretical dramatists) and we fix our eyes once again on Jesus, we’ll discover a spiritual leader with the wisdom to focus on the only drama that really matters. Jesus lived and served from a soul at one with the Father and an identity secure in his love. From this inner place he drew the strength to do might works (drama of the practical) and teach profound truths (drama of the theoretical), but more importantly he found the courage to endure outward failure, ridicule, and abandonment. The drama of the eternal, his inner communion with his Father, defined and determined the outward drama of his life. Unfortunately, too many of us in ministry have it the other way around.” – Skye Jethani, Out of Ur: Three Dramas that Drive Us, 1-30-2009 

In the current growing spiritual debate over form and theory of the church in a post-christian culture, the above quote from an article by Skye Jethani, managing editor of Leadership Journal and Teaching Pastor of Blanchard Alliance Church in Wheaton, Iliinois,  sound a trumpets call from eternity for us to pause and evaluate the source of all our doing and thinking.  If you are involved in ministry or thinking about it, this is a must read.  You can find the entire article <HERE.>

Jesus was so secure in the Father that He only did what He saw the Father doing.  Ask yourself, “Is the Father doing what you are doing?”  We have been entrusted with the work of the Kingdom.  Our primary job is to see the Father and what He’s doing, then do what He’s doing.  We are in such a frenzy doing good and great things for God.  But, I would ask “Do you know you are doing what the Father is doing?”  Many would say, “I’m not sure.”

While many theorist debate over the changing and new forms of how to do church, God is calling all of us back to Him.  He is the only one who can bring peace to the drama that swirls around the challenges we face to be the church.  “In Him we live and move and have our being.”

Do you hear and see  Him or are you too busy doing?  Pause!

Gold Medal Character…

Phelps Apologizes for Marijuana Pipe Photo – NYTimes.com

I have hear it said “Your gifts or talent won’t take you where your character won’t support you.”

In the world we have a tendency to worship the gifts and talent of people like Michael Phelps.  Then we are greatly disappointed when they fail us.  Well, actually we do it in the church too.  We spiritualize it and call it anointing ; giving credit to man what is only due to the Holy Spirit.  How quick we give celebrity status to someone and how quickly it can fall out from under them.

Character has a way of always rising to the surface, good or bad.  We should spend more time on character development and not so dependent on our giftedness.  These two have to be developed side by side if we want to weather the journey.   You may not have your bad character displayed on the NY Time and it may not cost you millions in endorsements or admiring fans but it just might cost you something more precious than can be measured by dollars and cents.

It’s what only God sees that defines your true character.  The stuff that rises to the surface or public begins in the heart.  But the world will judge what they see.  The Bible tells us to guard the heart for it is the wellspring of life.

A few thoughts…

1. Don’t worship people’s gifts… they may not survive it.
2. Don’t spiritualize gift worship.
3. Be gracious and forgiving… your hidden character could surface too.
4. Allow God to develop your character… before you have to issue an apology.
5. Submit to leaders who are more mature than you.  Follow them as they follow Christ.
6. Remember, God promotes based on character… the world promotes based on giftedness.

Have you ever has a character flaw exposed?

How were you treated by others?

The Missional Flow…

In a recent interview by Jamie Aprin-Ricci with missiologist Michael Frost, Michael shared the following thoughts:

“…our christology should lead to our missiology which in turn will lead to our ecclesiology. In other words, the way we understand the gospels and the character of God revealed to us in Jesus will affect our way of thinking about our mission in the world. If we get our christology right, it will lead to a right missiology. If we engage missionally in a godly fashion, issues such as how to ‘do’ church (ecclesiology) will take care of themselves.”   – Michael Frost

“For I have given you an example, that you should also do just as I have done to you.”  John 13:15   – Jesus

Christology (Jesus) - Missiology (Mission) -Ecclesiology (Church)

• How do you arrive at your mission in ministry?
• Is it rooted in Christ’s example?
• Does your relationship with Jesus and His example compel you in any particular way?  How?
• What dictates your understanding of church and the form(s) it should take?
• Is it rooted in God’s missional example?
• What do you think about Michael Frost’s statements above?

Missio Dei

Where did God send you today? 

In our attempt to find out what God wants us to do and in our churches looking to find a unique mission statement to follow, have we missed the simplicity of Missio Dei?

This is an incredible video of Micheal Frost – missiologist at the Prebyterian Global Fellowship Conference in Houston, Texas.  When you have 52 minutes to spare this is a must see.  If you cannot watch the entire thing right now, tease yourself with 3:10 min/sec  worth.  It will challenge you and ignite a new passion in you.