AN IRREFUTABLE TRUTH

AN IRREFUTABLE TRUTH

Michael W. Niva

Christians struggle greatly over the erosion of what we call "moral absolutes." While we often focus on the loss of this stabilizing societal principle, it would seem to me that we must begin at home; we must begin with being absolute about what we believe to be absolute before we have any solid ground from which to contend with society at large about their own cultural drift. Further, it is incumbent upon us to see to it that our absolutes are illustrated in absolute action and not merely absolute belief. If our actions are not congruent with our supposed belief system, then it is we who possess no moral absolutes. We merely walk in what some historical theologians have called "mental assent," a certain cerebral agreement with principle, not necessarily followed up with consistent corresponding action.

This is precisely what the Apostle James points to when he states; "Faith without works, (corresponding action) is dead." If believers fail to follow belief with action, we actually expect society at large to be moved to life by a faith that is a religious corpse. This, I believe, is an abysmal injustice. How is it that we expect what is dead in us to produce life in others?

Jesus had an uncanny way of cutting through religious rhetoric to reveal the heart. In the parable of the sheep and the goats (see Matthew 25) He draws an incredibly clear line in the sand. (He did this literally once and metaphorically many times.) He divides mankind into two distinct groups; those who see the plight of the less fortunate and fail to act in redemptive ways and those who see the same plight and are moved by compassion to relieve human suffering. It is clear from the story that the sheep are in no way doing what they do to merely impress God (hypocrisy) but are simply moved to do what is good and right because they are, on the inside, good and right. This is revealed by their inquiry; "When did we see You?" This question illustrates that they possess no ulterior motive at all. They simply see what needs to be done and then they do it. They don't move forward redemptively because they see Jesus in the "least of these," but in spite of the fact that they see nothing but humanity in various states of suffering.

I've come to believe that much of what we do in a church setting is done in an effort to convince God of our deep love and devotion. That is all well and good provided that it is followed up by loving others as we love ourselves. If we fail to act kindly toward others when we have approached God in adoration, then we clearly fall in the goat category, in spite of the outward appearance of our spiritual devotion.

Each one of us will encounter Jesus today, hidden in plain sight, in the guise of some needy man, woman, boy or girl. How will we respond? The way in which we choose to respond, in either compassionate action or passive and unconcerned ambivalence, will point to an irrefutable truth; WE ARE WHAT WE DO, not what we simply mentally accept or verbally confess. Faith without works is dead. Faith which is alive works! Which camp do you find yourself in? For the sheep, we are promised that we will enter into a Kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world. Jesus will see you today. That is absolutely clear. Will you see Him? That truly remains to be seen.

ONLY LOVE FULFILLS THE LAW

ONLY LOVE FULFILLS THE LAW

Michael W. Niva

"Owe no one anything except to love one another, for

he who loves another has fulfilled the law." (Romans 13:8)

The clear teaching of God's Word is that love alone fulfills the intent and requirements of the law. This being said, love alone is the logical pursuit in our attempts to bring pleasure to a God of love. Why is it then that even the Christian world is so divided concerning fine points of law, to the end that we have created 38,000 Christian denominations in the world? Why do we continue to argue over what is right rather than to excel in what is good; especially when scripture has made it clear that it is "the goodness of God that leads men to repentance?"

The passage above makes it clear that we are indebted to all men because of the love that the Father has shown us. The only way that this debt, what we owe to mankind, can be satisfied is through loving all men as we love ourselves. This is the only path to fully loving God.

Law can be forced upon people (enforced). Perhaps this is the main reason we resort to it. Through law, we seek to control the behavior of others. Our over-taxed prisons and correctional facilities testify to the fact that this, in the end, is not very effective. Love cannot be forced. It can only be invited. In order to be invited, it must be modeled or illustrated in powerful and convincing ways.

Jesus told us that the greatest way in which we display love is when we "lay down our lives for our friends." (John 15) It is not that we don't know the correct path, but that we continue to violate the law of love in favor of our constant fixation with lesser issues.

Love, fully demonstrated, speaks for itself and patiently waits for a heart to respond in like kind. Law simply demands a certain observation of or adherence to rules and regulations and constantly monitors and measures the behaviors of others in relation to the rules. This behavior is simply called judgment in the Word of God and, according to Jesus, living in judgment of others is a sure way to bring judgment upon ourselves in the same measure.

A friend of mine says, "The heart cannot be forced." Behaviors may be modified through fear of retribution, but the heart can remain largely untouched, or worse yet, marred by the fear of judgment and rejection.

According to Colossians 2:13-14, Jesus has fulfilled the Law and taken it out of our way, so that it is no longer an obstruction or impediment to love. Yet, like the Galatian believers, we often fall from extravagant love and back to law. Only by focusing on, listening to and following the Spirit's soft promptings in our hearts can we maintain the constant vigil of Christlike love. (Rom. 8:4)

Do you desire to please the Father? I encourage you then to not pick up what Christ has laid aside; the ordinances (laws, requirements) which were against us. This is truly an affront to His grace and mercy.

Of all the things we might pursue in the flurry of our religious and spiritual activities, the love of God to us, in us and through us to a loveless world ought to be our constant goal.

The Law will not lead you to grace, but only further from it. Though it is righteous in its content, its intent (LOVE) can only be achieved by a passionate pursuit of the Father's heart, not only for ourselves, but for our neighbors as well.

My wife has often said that she wants the inscription on her gravestone to simply read, "She loved well." If you love well, you will live well. "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, which has been given to us." Now simply pour out what has already been poured into you.

The law came through Moses, but grace and truth, and yes, LOVE, have come to us through the life and example of Jesus Christ. Follow love and you will find Him. Find Him and the world around you will blossom. Shalom!

THE CRY OF THE POOR

THE CRY OF THE POOR

Michael W. Niva

"If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too

will cry out and not be answered." (Prov. 21:13)

It's sobering to think that ready answers to our most heartfelt prayers for ourselves, our families, friends and churches may in fact be roadblocked by our own reticence to hear the heart cries of the world's poor and to respond in generosity of spirit. Currently, the average American family lives at the top 1% of the world's population economically. Because of this, it is incumbent upon us to make ourselves aware of the plight of the world's poorest and most marginalized people and to reprioritize our lives in a way that will enable us to assist in relief efforts on their behalf at the highest possible level.

The average American church sets aside a mere 2% of 2% of per capita income for welfare relief efforts. This is an abysmal statistic and an indictment upon our current Christian values and lifestyles. Simply put, of the total of church income, about 99% is spent on our own comforts, programs and personal preferences. The Apostle James said, "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." (James 1:27) Does this not make all other aspects of our "religion" at least suspect of being impure and defiled?

I just finished a watershed book by Richard Stearns, President of World Vision. It is entitled The Hole In Our Gospel. I highly recommend it to every person that I know. In his own words, relieving the poor of the world is "the answer that changed my life and might just change the world." I'm going to take the liberty in this post of including a lengthy quote, not by some leading evangelical pastor or spokesperson, but by Bono, lead singer of the band U2.

Fifteen thousand Africans are dying each day of preventable, treatable diseases - AIDS, malaria, TB - for lack of drugs that we take for granted. This statistic alone makes a fool of the idea many of us hold on to very tightly: the idea of equality. What is happening to Africa mocks our pieties, doubts our concern and questions our commitment to the whole concept. Because if we're honest, there's no way we could conclude that such mass death day after day would ever be allowed to happen anywhere else. Certainly not North America or Europe, or Japan. An entire continent bursting into flames? Deep down, if we really accept that their lives - African lives - are equal to ours, we would all be doing more to put the fire out. It's an uncomfortable truth.

Bono goes on to plead with our generation to make our mark on history by answering the call that lies before us, the call that I believe emanates daily from the heart of the Father God.

We can be the generation that no longer accepts that an accident of latitude determines whether a child lives or dies - but will we be that generation? Will we in the West realize our potential or will we sleep in the comfort of our affluence with apathy and indifference murmuring softly in our ears? Fifteen thousand people are dying needlessly every day from AIDS, TB and malaria; mothers, fathers, teachers, farmers, nurses, mechanics, children. This is Africa's crisis. That it's not on the nightly news, that we do not treat this as an emergency - that's our crisis. Future generations flipping through these pages will know whether we answered the key question. The evidence will be the world around them. History will be our judge, but what's written is up to us. We can't say our generation didn't know how to do it. We can't say our generation couldn't afford to do it. And we can't say our generation didn't have reason to do it. It's up to us.

I ask you, dear reader, to deeply consider your ways, the ways of your families, churches, synagogues, private clubs, corporations and organizations. Will you allow your heart to be broken by what breaks the heart of God? Over 5,000,000 die on the African continent needlessly each year. Another 5,000,000, mostly children, die needlessly throughout the rest of the world each year as well. Who will answer the cries of the poor?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which

Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which he is to bless us now.

(Saint Teresa of Avila)

If there was ever a time when people of faith needed to lead the world in a social and cultural revolution, this is that time. Jesus Christ was a revolutionary at heart. He taught us to pray that the Kingdom of God would come and the will of God would be done on Earth. Who will be the cultural change agents of our generation? We are plan A and there is no plan B.

The world can no longer be left to mere diplomats, politicians and business leaders. They have done the best they could, no doubt. But this is an age for spiritual heroes - a time for men and women to be heroic in their faith and in spiritual character and power. The greatest danger to the Christian church today is that of pitching its message too low.

(Dallas Willard - The Spirit Of The Disciplines)

PRAY FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN AUTHORITY

PRAY FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN AUTHORITY

Michael W. Niva

"I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God's mercy upon them, and give thanks. Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth." (1 Timothy 2:1-4 NLT)

"Gazing intently at the high council, Paul began: 'Brothers, I have always lived before God in all good conscience!' Instantly Ananias the high priest commanded those close to Paul to slap him on the mouth. But Paul said to him, 'God will slap you, you whitewashed wall! What kind of judge are you to break the law yourself by ordering me struck like that?' Those standing near Paul said to him, 'Is that the way to talk to God's high priest?' 'I'm sorry, brothers. I didn't realize he was the high priest, ' Paul replied, 'for the Scriptures say, 'Do not speak evil of anyone who rules over you.'" (Acts 23:1-5 NLT)

OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD THOSE WHO RULE

I want to draw your attention in particular to two phrases pulled from the above passages, both spoken by the Apostle Paul: " . . . pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority . . . " and " . . . the Scriptures say, 'Do not speak evil of anyone who rules over you." Paul goes further to make it abundantly clear that praying for (not at or against) the people in authority over our lives " . . . is good and pleases God our Savior . . . " One can safely surmise then that it must be very displeasing to God when His own people; 1.) fail to pray for the authority figures in their lives, or worse yet, pray against them, and 2.) feel they have complete freedom to speak evil about those who rule over their lives in any arena; governmental, judicially, spiritually, in family structures, etc.

SO YOU THINK WE HAVE IT TOUGH?

Christian tradition teaches us that Paul died at Rome, most likely during the early reign of Nero. Nero was then one of those people in authority in Paul's life and the life of the churches to whom Paul wrote at the time. He was one of the leaders whom Paul instructed the church of the day to pray for.

The following account was written by the Roman historian Tacitus in his book Annals, published a few years after the event, the burning of Rome. Tacitus was a young boy living in Rome during the time of the persecution.

"Therefore, to stop the rumor [that he had set Rome on fire], [Emperor Nero] falsely charged with guilt, and punished with the most fearful tortures, the persons commonly called Christians, who were [generally] hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of that name, was put to death as a criminal by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea, in the reign of Tiberius, but the pernicious superstititon - repressed for a time, broke out yet again, not only through Judea, - where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also, whither all things horrible and disgraceful flow from all quarters, as to a common receptacle, and where they are encouraged. Accordingly first those were arrested who confessed they were Christians; next on their information, vast multitudes were convicted, not so much on the charge of burning the city, as of "hating the human race."

In their very deaths they were made the subjects of sport: for they were covered with the hides of wild beasts, and worried to death by dogs, or nailed to crosses, or set fire to, and when the day waned, burned to serve for the evening lights. Nero offered his own garden players for the spectacle, and exhibited a Circensian game, indiscriminately mingling with the common people in the dress of a charioteer, or else standing in his chariot. For this cause a feeling of compassion arose towards the sufferers, though guilty and deserving of exemplary capital punishment, because they seemed not to be cut off for the public good, but were victims of the ferocity of one man."

IF THEY COULD PRAY, CAN WE PRAY?

As we look back in history and see that Paul called the church to pray for the soul of this madman, Nero, could it really be that difficult for us to pray for our President, our Congress, our judges, our pastors, our governors, etc.? Could their political party or standing on certain issues really grant us permission to reject and rebel against God's instructions to the Church through the Apostle Paul? Some historians actually believe that Nero was himself the "Antichrist" of Revelation. Could the church of that day pray for the man who was so anti-Christ and yet we cannot or will not pray for those in authority today? Do we really have permission to speak evil of the leaders in our lives?

A RETURN TO PEACE AND QUIETNESS; GODLINESS AND DIGNITY

Paul said that if we would pray for authorities, we could live lives of peace, quietness, godliness and dignity. Is it worth the effort to experiment as God's people with silencing our criticisms and opening our hearts and then our mouths to cry out for our world's leaders in all areas of life? Only obedience to Paul's instruction will allow us to see the potential we have to change the status quo. Will you join me?

FIXING BLAME OR FIXING WHAT'S BROKEN

FIXING BLAME OR FIXING WHAT'S BROKEN; TAKING RESPONSIBILITY

(Michael W. Niva)

blame/(verb) to hold responsible, find fault with, censure, place responsibility for a fault or error, to blast or damn

(noun) an act of attributing fault, censure, reproof, responsibility for anything deserving of censure

responsibility/the state or fact of being responsible, an instance of being responsible, a particular burden of obligation upon one who is responsible, a person or thing for which one is responsible, reliability or dependability

TWO WORDS; TWO LIFESTYLES

Today, I lay before you two distinctly different lifestyle options:

1.) a life of blaming others and holding them responsible for the world's ills

2.) a life of becoming responsible, reliable and dependable in shouldering responsibility for ourselves and others

We don't have to look far to find something broken or rapidly breaking down in our world today. The recent massive oil spil in the Gulf of Mexico is one major news story among many this month that serves to point to a world continuously being negatively affected by irresponsible and short-sighted actions. Frequently, these actions are fueled simply by human greed and avarice.

The quickest knee-jerk reponse that we all tend to make toward any catastrophe, large or small, is to arrive at a conclusion (well-informed or not) as to whose fault it is or was. Who is to blame? In other words, most of us are quite quick to assess situations and affix culpability to the person or persons whom we feel are at fault. This is one response, usually the quickest, easiest and least costly response on a personal level.

ANOTHER VIEW

The long-term response, the more costly lifestyle choice, is one of assessing problems and ascertaining what, if any responsibility I can personally take in alleviating the pain or consequences inherent to the situation. Granted, at times, fixing blame, holding others responsible in an accountable way, is our responsibility. This is how at least some of us best serve the world, in changing things by helping to "bring people to justice." Many times, however, this journey to justice for others is simply far outside the scope of our personal power, ability, position and control.

TAKING IT AND MAKING IT PERSONAL

Taking personal responsibility, if only in some small measure, is almost always an option. Let's take the current oil spill in the Gulf as a case in point. We are all dependent upon fossil fuels as an energy source to greater or lesser extents. Therefore, we are all in some way partly responsible for the mess that has been created. We have been collectively short-sighted, perhaps not for profit, but at least for personal ease and convenience. Because of this shared responsibility, if we are honest, we also should share in doing what we can do in order to assist the clean up efforts in the south, but beyond this, we can and should examine our lifestyles as well, aiming at a more creative and less destrucitve way of exisiting as citizens on planet Earth. This is just one current, prominent example among many.

WHERE SHOULD PEOPLE OF FAITH STAND?

As Christians, or people of faith in the world, it behooves us to ask which of the above two positions should define our lives. Should we live a life primarily spent scrutinizing problems and pinning the blame on someone or some people group, or should we devote ourselves instead to lives of taking responsibility not only for ourselves, but also for people and situations around us. Which do you think is the solidly Christ-like response? What does the Bible say about placing blame versus taking responsibility? As a popular bracelet queries; "What would Jesus do?"

THE SACRED TEXTS - BLAME AND RESPONSIBILITY

In Genesis 1:26-28, it is abundantly clear that the Father's original intention was that His image and likeness would fill the earth through the expansion of Adam and Eve's family from Eden, stretching ever outward. The fact that the river which had its source in the Garden of Eden then parted into four separate rivers flowing away from the Garden, is a clear indication that God's influence, grace and responsibility for the planet was to extend to the east, west, north and south. In addition, Genesis 2:15 tells us that Adam's job or task was to "tend and to keep" the Garden; in essence to be responsible for keeping it in the condition in which it was created, that condition that the Father blessed and declared to be "very good."

Abraham's blessing by God in Genesis 12, where he is promised to become the father of many nations, also includes the clear mandate to be a blessing because he would be blessed. This blessing would permeate the whole Earth, bringing its liberation and empowerment to "all the families of the earth."

Moses, as a leader, had the distinct and difficult task and privilege of leading God's people out of Egyptian bondage and into the freedom of the Promised Land, a place which was to flow with milk and honey. He continued to be willing, though highly frustrated at times and was able to bring Israel right up to the Jordan, the very boundary of their inheritance. At this point, his protege Joshua is handed the baton and reflects the same willingness to become reponsible for the military conquests which would be necessary on the far side of the Jordan River.

WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? WHAT DID JESUS DO?

Jesus Christ's life provides the most clearly iconic representation of one who took responsibility for the lives of others. How far was He willing to go in taking responsibility rather than wasting His precious and short life fixing blame?

(Isaiah 53:4-6) "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."

Who is clearly to blame for the ills of mankind in the above passage? Quite clearly, we all are. Who took responsibility rather than to affix blame? Quite clearly, Jesus did. Do you follow Him, follow His example? Are you more concerned with who is at fault or how you can aid and abet heaven in the restoration of Earth?

Jesus said, "Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men." Where are you headed? Are you travelling in the same direction as Jesus in our generation? Are you on a crusade to find the culprits, seeing to it that they get what they deserve, or are you on a mission to set the captive culprits free, taking some personal responsibility for their liberation? What would Jesus do? I think we all know the answer to that. What will we do? That is another question.

FATHERING IN MINISTRY - WORKING WITH THE WILLING

WORKING WITH THE WILLING

Michael W. Niva

Discipleship-based or fathering ministries are by nature far more concerned with raising up more mature men and women of faith (individuals) than they are with the relative size of a church or ministry, or merely its external signs of success. We see this clearly portrayed through the life of the Apostle Paul, especially in his relationship with Timothy. The following two passages provide a sort of summary of the essence and substance of fathering ministry and its highly relational methods.

(Phil. 2:19-23 NLT) "If the Lord Jesus is willing, I hope to send Timothy to you soon. Then when he comes back, he can cheer me up by telling me how you are getting along. I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare. All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ. But you know how Timothy has proved himself. Like a son with his father, he has helped me in preaching the Good News. I hope to send him to you just as soon as I find out what is going to happen to me here."

This first passage is written by Paul about Timothy and stresses the deep trust and respect that these two men have developed for one another. In the next passage, written by Paul to Timothy, we see that Paul's trust will prove to extend far beyond his own lifetime, as he exhorts his spiritual son to multiply the principles of spiritual fathering in subsequent generations. It has often been observed that Paul, in this passage, foresees four generations of ministry; 1.) himself, 2.) Timothy, 3.) trustworthy people and 4.) others. This is the reality of how fathering ministries grow, through multiplication that transcends one's own generation.

(2 Timothy 2:2 NLT) "You have heard me teach many things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Teach these great truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others."

After nearly thirty years of working in Christian ministry, I have settled upon this fact; I can only work effectively with those who are truly willing to work with me and, likewise, I cannot be effective with those people who I am simply unwilling to work with. This heartfelt willingness on the part of spiritual parents and potential spiritual sons and daughters is perhaps the most important feature of New Testament church life.

WHO IS WILLING?

We tend to think of willingness as a rather passive attitude, one which simply complies or goes along with the opinions or direction of others. However, the biblical idea of willingness is not merely one of passivity, but also of activity, not one of mere acquiescence, but often one of impassioned cooperation. There is no incident in the Bible more clearly illustrating this point than the crisis of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he ultimately cries out, "Not my will, but Thine be done." He is not simply giving up in some resentful surrender. He is committing His life to passionate actions, ones which will cost Him dearly on a personal level.

In the Old Testament Hebrew, the word abah is often translated as "willing." This word, pronounced a-var', is to be willing, to consent, to yield to and accept, but equally to desire. I key in on this word in the following verse from Isaiah, as it serves to illustrate my point concerning willingness so succinctly.

(Is. 1:19 NKJV) "If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land." As we work with other people, even our our own children, we often tend to focus on mere obedience as the primary or even the only important issue in their training. However, obedience is most often an outward action and, as such, can be performed satisfactorily without the presence of inward willingness. Notice that the promise in the above verse is extended not to those who are merely obedient (outwardly) but those who are doing what they are doing from a willing heart. We often use the phrase his heart was just not in it to describe this scenario. What we mean is that someone was doing a particular task, but they weren't really sold out to it inwardly and their performance probably showed it.

JESUS MOVES US TO LOOK DEEPER - MOTIVES OF THE HEART

The Old Testament may not always illustrate this point quite as clearly as here in Isaiah, but certainly the teachings of Jesus focus on this idea constantly. His words move our religion or spirituality from the outside to the inside of our humanity, leading us to look deeply within ourselves. He moves us from visible actions to often hidden motives. Jesus often stressed this, especially in the Sermon on the Mount. He seems to have come into our world to show us that true spirituality must spring from within the human heart, willingly, in order to be seen as genuine.

As I mentioned earlier, Christ modeled a Son's deep willingness to please His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. In Luke 22:42, He drops to His knees and prays, "Father, if it is your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done." The Greek word for will here is boulomai (bu'-lo-mi) which means to will deliberately, to have a purpose, be minded toward something, to be willing as an affection, to desire. This is the word employed for both the will of the Father and that of the Son. Will is potentially pitted against will in this divine encounter. While Jesus clearly has a will, a purpose, a desire, He relinquishes His claim to His own way as superior to the will of His Father. With His own will, He chooses to will the will of the Father. This is the type of willingness I am referrring to in the context of spiritual parents and spiritual children. If there is merely an outward show of obedience, without the heart's full cooperation, the relationship will simply not weather the storms which arise when two wills clash and conflict with one another.

MEEKNESS, NOT WEAKNESS

In Jesus' teaching in the early chapters of Matthew, that portion which we have come to know as the Sermon on the Mount, He uses His words to bless a particular heart characteristic which is inexorably tied to our ability to will God's will, even when it rubs against our personal desires. This attribute is called meekness.

(Matt. 5:5) "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." The word meek here is the Greek word pra-us'/gentleness, meekness, mildness of disposition. Greek concordances go on to elaborate on this word as follows:

Meekness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting. Gentleness or meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God's goodness and control over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all. This is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of the human will alone.

In the context of spiritually parenting others, we are only able to make strides with the willing. The willing are those who have a heart that is meek, pliable and can readily undergo transformation under the guidance of loving mentors. I encourage you in your efforts to become spiritual parents to those around you. This is at the heart of Kingdom based ministry. This is how the Kingdom grows, expands, multiplies and influences. Before you set out on your journey to spiritually parent another person, here is a short checklist for the heart.

Do I possess the quality of a meek and gentle spirit? Am I truly willing to work with this person? Does this potential son or daughter possess the same meekness and willingness of heart? If you answered yes to all of these questions, you are right on track for a long and fruitful relationship. Blessed are the meek. They are the willing.

THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH - TURNING DISCIPLESHIP RIGHT-SIDE-UP

TURNING DISCIPLESHIP RIGHT-SIDE-UP (Michael W. Niva)

My last post dealt with the necessity of changing the Church's paradigm from one of coming to a fixed location at a fixed time to be ministered to by a fixed group of people into that of going into the world (as Jesus directed) ministering life to anyone at any time and in any place. This is no small feat after centuries of building-based and teaching-driven approaches to ministry. Let's take this concept to the next level; to the place where we could potentially eradicate the problem by focusing on people first, not programs, events, meetings and teaching strategies.

REVIEW - TEACHING, TRAINING, EQUIPPING

I want to refresh your memory for just a moment. Institutional churches have largely focused on teaching (teaching concentrates on content) as their main tool of personal spiritual transformation. While useful and necessary, teaching is often over-stressed to the point of downplaying or totally eliminating the concepts of training (focusing on tasks) and equipping (focusing on the person). Apostolic ministry, that of making disiples of the nations according to Jesus' instructions in Matthew 28, must choose to focus (in this writer's opinion) on the person first, the task next and the teaching last. Our approach has largely been opposite of this and has prevented us (again, my opinion) from successfully reaching to the depth of training and equipping necessary for the multiplication of effective followers of Jesus.

The human family makes a perfect illustration of this principle. Infants (ideally) are first exposed to love, nurture and encouragement, mingled with age-appropriate methods of correction. Secondly, parenting moves on to simple, daily tasks (picking up toys, making beds, clearing dishes from the table, etc.) Only then does heavily structured teaching begin, as children attend schools learning according to their age and personal ability. Each child is also a unique individual. Because of this, while love and nurture tend to be universal and unconditional, training and teaching are more customized to the needs, abilities and interests of each child. Children are more adept at different tasks, and drawn to the study of different subjects, but all crave and need love, nurture and constant encouragement.

ADVICE FROM A WISE MASTER-BUILDER

The Apostle Paul says, in Ephesians 4:11-15, "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ . . "

Before we press ahead to examine the meaning of the word equipping in this passage, it is important to note that Paul places equipping at the top (not the bottom) of the list for the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and yes, even the teacher. In other words, the collective responsibility of this group of Christ's representatives is to first "equip" (the person) before focusing on the "work of the ministry," (the task). The need for unified faith here is placed before knowledge (what is gained through instruction), while doctrine (what is taught) is portrayed as a potentially divisive wind, a tool wielded by crafty and cunning people for their own selfish purposes. The whole idea in the above passage is that of effectively helping the entire Church to mature into the full stature of Christ, no longer being blown off course by deception, no longer bogged down in meaningless and controversial theological arguments, but rather, dealing with one another lovingly and truthfully, endeavoring to help one another to truly grow up into our place within the Body. Later in the passage, Paul places before us all the hope that, should we be able to get our priorities turned right-side-up, the Body will organically multiply itself in love, each person functioning and contributing according to their unique giftedness.

NOT MANY FATHERS - NOT MANY CHILDREN

In 1 Corinthians 4:15, Paul highlights an age-old problem which seems to yet plague the Church today: "For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel."

Teachers, whether in the school system or the Church, are largely responsible for delivering content to their students on a particular subject and subsequently testing their knowledge to ascertain whether or not they have absorbed the material. In contrast, fathers and mothers live with those same students at home on a daily basis, focusing on everything that it takes for a young man or woman to grow into maturity and succeed in life. Why were there "not many fathers" in Paul's day? Was it not because there were "ten thousand instructors," ten thousand willing to teach, but not to father, not to train and equip?

It is much less time intensive to settle for being a teacher in the Body of Christ rather than to become a real father or mother in the faith. Once again, we can clock in at church, teach our material and clock out into the real world. However, the real difficulties that young believers will face will not occur on Sunday morning between 10:00 am and noon, but on Monday through Saturday in the real world. As long as we focus on teaching as our main methodology for making disciples, it is my opinion that this problem will never go away. Teachers will produce students. Fathers and mothers produce mature men and women of faith.

EQUIPPING 101 - RECOVERY AND DISCOVERY

The word equipping in Ephesians 4 is translated from the Greek word katartismos/complete furnishing or equipping. That is the simple definition. At a deeper level, katartismos springs from a medical background and refers to the proper setting of a broken bone. Keep in mind that Paul is going to stress in just a few verses how the Body needs to fit and function together, like the human skeletal system working as one unit. Equipping, properly understood, has two levels of meaning, both of which are left untouched by either teaching or training:

1.) RECOVERED WHOLENESS

2.) DISCOVERED FUNCTION

Teaching (what someone may need to know) and training (what someone may need to do) must logically follow from equipping (what someone may potentially become). You will get little or no classroom participation or work out of someone who is both broken by life's difficulties and insecure as to their real role or place in life. This is as true within the Body of Christ as it is in any other life venue. Until the restoration of human wholeness occurs and a person grasps some personal security as to their part to play, everything else will be largely unsuccessful and in addition, incredibly frustrating to discipler and disciple alike. Let's take an honest look at turning our mandate to make disciples right-side-up. We simply must put people's wholeness and confidence in their roles in the Kingdom first. Until we do, we will continue to produce thousands or millions of instructors, but not many fathers or mothers. Tell me what you think!

THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH AND THE EMERGING KINGDOM

(Michael W. Niva)

We live in an age in which Christianity is struggling to keep pace with the growth of the world's population and that of other religious ideologies. Churches everywhere, especially in the western world, are taxed in every way; praying, seeking, strategizing, fund-raising, outreaching and head scratching their way into a rather uncertain future. Most sincere Christian leaders merely want to see the faith of their own community be effectual in the present world culture. For all of our best efforts, westerners from the ages of 18-24 barely appear on the radar screen of church attendance. Most recent statistics place their involvement between 5-20% depending upon whose figures you consult. Is it merely spiritual indifference, or is there within these troubling statistics a call of sorts for a wide-reaching reformation of the way in which we practice our faith? Is there a way to capture the millenial generation and its vibrant excitement for living life to the fullest?

BACK TO THE FUTURE

I want to propose that it is time for us to reach backward to the very roots of Christianity in order to gain insight that leads us to the greater fruits of our Christianity. I firmly believe that a return to the simplicity and pracitcality of first-century Christianity is the answer for a floundering 21st century faith.

Most institutional churches (my own included in much of the past), have focused largely on teaching. Teaching tends to focus almost entirely on content; i.e. knowing the right answers, understanding basic church doctrines, etc. This applies from kindergarten all the way through to adult Bible studies.

INSTITUTIONAL CHURCH - TEACHING - CONTENT

The ministry of Jesus, early apostles and the first-century church also had a focus on teaching. However, their teaching was only a part of the equation and not necessarily the most important part. In our quest for doctrinal purity or accuracy, we put teaching at the forefront of almost all of our efforts. I'm sure that most of you who have been involved in church for any length of time would admit that this is true. Jesus, His disciples and the early church focused on all of the following:

JESUS, HIS 12, THE EARLY OR APOSTOLIC CHURCH

TEACHING - FOCUSING ON CONTENT

TRAINING - FOCUSING ON TASKS

EQUIPPING - FOCUSING ON THE PERSON

Before proceeding any further, it is important to note that churches centered on buildings create severe limitations upon the training and equipping aspects of raising up mature Christians, if we allow the church's location to define the scope of its ministry. These limitations are easily seen;

SPECIAL LOCATIONS - SPECIAL TIMES - SPECIAL PEOPLE

In sharp contrast, the apostolic or Kingdom-oriented church is either much less concerned with buildings and locations, or does not rely upon them at all. The word apostle literally means "sent one." From this observation alone, we see that apostolic or Kingdom ministry thrives upon going into the world, not upon coming to a fixed location at a certain time. If a church's location ceases to be a place where there is a gathering that has been enlarged upon throughout the week by going, it will probably soon stagnate and more closely resemble a very private organization than a life-giving, world-changing organism. the apostolic or Kingdom church, one which focuses on going before coming will be freed to live in a perspective of:

ANY PLACE - ANY TIME - ANY PERSON

A paradigm of special time, place and people creates a more or less top down approach to ministering life. We have a relatively small team of special people serving the rest of the body in a special place at a special time. A Kingdom perspective frees us to see the world as our church, our mission field, our place of service. In this way, entire bodies of Christains can be freed to serve their world on Monday through Saturday, coming together on Sunday to celebrate the results of a week lived for Christ and for others, if they have a Sunday meeting time and place at all.

WE COME NOT TO BE SERVED BUT TO SERVE

Scripture tells us that the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. Since Christian literally means "little Christ," our mindset ought to be similar. In order to produce mature Christians who serve out of love for Christ, it is imperative to add training and equipping to the teaching that we have become so adept at doing. It is impossible to do this while remaining fixated on a building and a once-a-week service as our platform. We must move into an any time, any place any person mentality.

WHERE WORLDS COLLIDE

The illustration at the beginning of this article will hopefully serve to show that we as Christians really belong, like Jesus, at the intersections of society, not just in the sanctuaries or parking lots of our churches. The power and glory, the love, compassion and mercy of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are made most real and available at the place where Kingdom, world and church meet.

Let's move out from special places, special times and special people in order to lovingly engage the world as servants: any place, any time, any person. By the grace of God, I will meet you there!