CHURCH
CHURCH.
CHURCH GOVERNMENT

Didn't change DRAFT to SCHEDULED, LAST WEEK!

Sorry

David

A new church begins. It starts to grow. It soon gets too big for the home or meeting place. So what to do? Where to meet now? Maybe split into two, but then we would miss fellowship with half our friends. Perhaps we can find a hall to hire.

But a hall is never like home, is it? An idea! I know! We will build a church of our own - for the glory of God, of course!

So we build a building. It draws the men of the church together, working on the construction project. For we men love projects! While raising money is never easy, at least raising building funds is less of a problem than fundraising to support a missionary or church in a far distant land. At least, with a building, we can see what we are getting for our money, and we will benefit from its facilities.

The great day comes. The church is finished. We open it, inviting the mayor or chief, and the community, to come. It is a time of celebration.

Surely all will return.

Next week however, only the members turn up. While the doors are open to the community, the community is not rushing in through them. So programmes are instituted to draw others to the church. When a programme proves to be unsuccessful, another replaces it. Why wont the people come in, we cry? We have so much to offer! Gradually, a siege mentality develops. We will do our thing - they can do theirs. They can come and join us when they see the light. And so we run our Christian Club, in our separated 'club premises', which we call the Church. The community lives its life and we live ours. But our building remains, standing solid, for God's glory. Or is it?

We must ask ourselves the question, "What really is the church?" And the answer truly is "Not buildings, but people." A building, no matter how beautiful or functional is not salt and light to the world.

We are not simply to be salt, 'salted away' (excuse the pun) in our church buildings. Nor are we just to be the light, shining in the house! Rather, we are to be lights shining before the men, and women, and children of the community. And we can only do that by moving beyond our safe, protective church walls into the community itself, not restricting our light to our church 'bowl'.

Yes, God is calling His people back into the community, opening up our homes, being Jesus in our workplaces and social institutions, so becoming effective servants and witnesses to our neighbourhoods.

It is true that the early church did minister in the synagogues and other public meeting places, from which they were regularly ejected. But their primary focus was not upon preaching but on relational ministry, one on one or in small groups, following the example Jesus set with His disciples.

Sure, Jesus spoke to the crowds, but most of His time was spent training disciples, both men and women, on a personal, relational basis.

The 'tradition' of creating beautiful buildings for God's glory grew out of the institutionalisation of the church during Roman times. Mankind's kingdom is found in monuments, parliaments, palaces - and churches. But God's kingdom isn't built of bricks and mortar but is living, vibrant, vital linkage of human hearts submitted in discipleship to Jesus. Don't take my word for it though, listen to Jesus.

The major thrust in just about every church, everywhere, is implementing the church's programmes to bring in the lost, build up the body, feed the hungry and serve the community. These are worthy goals. Not only in themselves, but also to help build a sense of teamwork and unity in the body. And also, to be seen to be doing something positive to build God's kingdom, through your particular fellowship.

Yes, programmes are at the heart of our church life, in fact, are the heart of our church life! To be involved in the programmes is seen as the model of an effective member of the church. Our commitment to God is judged by our loyalty to our church's programme.

But do our programmes work? Being really honest and realistic, if 10% of the promises proclaimed about the potential success of each and every programme was achieved, the world would have been 'saved' and 'transformed' many times over. But it hasn't been, has it? Yet we persist with programme after programme in the vain hope that the next one will succeed where the others failed.

PARAGRAPH FOR PASTORS: Pastors, you attend the latest seminar on the greatest programme that has proved to be successful in growing a church or churches somewhere in a spectacular fashion. You get fired up!

You come home and apply the programme, the method, to your own church. The programme fails or meets with limited success. You are deeply disappointed.

You attend another seminar. You apply another programme.

The cycle continues. You end up disillusioned and your people burned out. If you are resolute you continue the cycle. Or you quit, your resilience having reached its limit.

Enough of the negative stuff! But no, not another programme in the making here! What did Jesus do?

While Jesus preached to the multitudes on occasions and fed the 4,000 and 5,000, (ineffectually in human terms, for there were only about 120 dedicated followers left after the disappointment of His death), He spent most of his time ministering to the needs of, and training, individuals. Just one of numerous examples follows.

We are to show the love of Jesus to others, to love our neighbours as ourselves. True agape love, one of self-sacrifice for others, can really only be given and received on a personal basis.

Programmes, no matter how good they are, tend to lose sight of this reality. 'Programmed love' is not possible. For agape love comes from within.

Instead of promoting programmes then, let us encourage one another to develop servant hearts of agape love. Then we will naturally identify with and meet community needs, so becoming as Jesus to its members.

Our relationship with Jesus is an individual, not a corporate, one. Personal love and concern for non-believers physical and spiritual needs is by far the most effective form of building the kingdom. God's kingdom, not ours, that is. Of course we need to co-operate, helping and encouraging one another, but the extension of God's kingdom depends upon you, and upon me, doing the work. This will not happen through reliance upon man generated programmes that have worked somewhere else. Yes, God is calling on you and on me individually, to be the light of Jesus to a lost world.

as we look at two remaining barriers to the progress of the church.

I trust, having got this far, you are still with me.

I understand that the concepts talked about throughout this teaching are hard to accept, for we have done things in a different way for so long.

While you may not agree with all I have written, I simply ask that you seek the Lord for yourself, over the matters raised.

ANCIENT BABYLONIA - HISTORY OF BABYLONIA (Part 1)

The once great city of Babylon, where the Jews were held captive for 70 years, became a symbol of power, materialism, and cruelty.

The city of Babylon was the capital of the ancient land of Babylonia in southern Mesopotamia. It was situated on the Euphrates River about 50 miles south of modern Baghdad, just north of what is now the modern Iraqi town of al-Hillah.

The tremendous wealth and power of this city, along with its monumental size and appearance, were certainly considered a Biblical myth, that is, until its foundations were unearthed and its riches substantiated during the 19th century. Archaeologists stood in awe as their discoveries revealed that certain stories in the Bible were an actual situation that had happened in time.

A quick overview of the writings of the prophet Isaiah in the Bible, especially chapter 13, reveals some predictions concerning Babylon that stagger the imagination.

The Word "Babylon"

Babylon is Akkadian "babilani" which means "the Gate of God(s)" and it became the capital of the land of Babylonia. The etymology of the name Babel in the Bible means "confused" (Gen 11:9) and throughout the Bible, Babylon was a symbol of the confusion caused by godlessness. The name Babylon is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Babel.

The Location of Babylon

Babylon lies in the land of Shinar as revealed in the Bible (Gen 10:10) and its general location has never been disputed.