June 14 -- The Purposes of God -- Cremeaux, France

Good Morning,

I am enjoying my first cup of coffee in a rustic rural farm house just outside Cremeaux, France.  Our very gracious hosts, Ray and Margaret, have treated us like royalty.  The bed is so comfortable that I slept extra long this morning.

Last evening after a wonderful supper we sat in the living room and discussed the King and His Kingdom.  One of our most important themes during the evening reminded me of some previous blog entries.  Because this subject is so important in the Church currently I have strung together three related blog entries from July 2013, December 2010, and November 2010.  I know this makes it a bit longer than usual but I hope you will agree it is worth the read.

His, thus Yours,

  Stuart

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18 July 2013

In Acts we are told that David served the purposes of God for his generation then he died. 

What purposes are you serving?

There are of course the few intentionally evil people.  They are serving evil purposes and intentionally so.  But, those are unusual people.  None of us would think of ourselves that way.

There are many people going through life with no concept of having a purpose.  One of the reasons for the great popularity of Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life was that it gave many people their first vision of what it means to have a purpose.  Of course the many institutions of the “church” were delighted to capitalize on that well written book in order to get people to adopt the purposes of the institution as their own purposes.

Virtually all people for part of their lives and many people for essentially all of their lives move only to fulfill their own self-centered purposes.  Some for money and the things it will buy, some for power, some for sensuality, and some for the shear pettiness of being self-centered and never needing to consider any other people.

Sadly, because hearing God, prophecy, and prophetic ministries in the Church have been largely despised and dismissed as irrelevant for our intellectual society, many believers have no greater sense of purpose than the unbelievers who are outside the Church.

But, there are many men and women who have a strong sense of purpose.  Many of them are able to cite multiple Scriptures upon which they base their purposes.  Most of these would tell you in no uncertain terms that their purposes are the purposes of God.

Ah, but David …

David the Book tells us served the purposes of God for his generation.

“For his generation” necessarily implies that for other generations God had different purposes.  Nonetheless, virtually none of us have ever heard a robust discussion among believers concerning what are the purposes of God for this generation.  Indeed for most who have ever considered the purposes of God at all, we have gone along believing that the purposes of God, like the character of God, are the same yesterday, today, and forever.  So, when some leader or another has provided a statement of the purpose of God and given Scripture proof-texts for it we have simply accepted it with little or no real examination as to whether it is the purpose of God for our generation.

Most of the “church” system is based on fulfilling the purposes from past generations that have been adopted for the institution.   When the question has been raised as to whether these are the purposes of God for us, the answer has generally been the equivalent of, “that’s the way we have always done it.”  At times we have even sung songs extolling the virtues.  “It was good enough for grandpa and its good enough for me.”

But, I ask you.  Have you ever seriously sought to learn God’s purposes for your own generation?  Be warned!  This can get you into conflicts with the system.  But, ask yourself whether David would have been satisfied with fulfilling something other than the purposes of God for his generation. 

I can tell you with certainty: The purposes of God for each of the three generations now walking the Earth are quite different from each other and radically different from the purposes of past generations.

What are you going to fulfill before you die?

His, thus Yours,

Stuart

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11 November 2010

I have just encountered a fascinating experience.  I was discussing with Father the question of whether He wants me to add to the Blog tonight.  He said He does.  So I asked, what would you like me to write?  He instructed me to go to the files in my computer.  When I got there He instructed me to open one that shows it was written in early 2008.  The file I opened is a document that I have only vague memories of having read before.  While I know that I could have typed what is in the file, I have no memory whatsoever that I did.  I simply do not know who wrote the document.  If someone knows who wrote it, please, let me know and I will gladly give attribution.  But, as I read the document it is clear to me that the concepts in it originated with the Holy Spirit.  It is clear to me that Father wants me to share this document here on the Blog. As you read, I encourage you to contemplate how the things shared are affecting you and your friends in the Body of Christ.  Here is the document.   sbm 

A New Season in the Church

A new season is upon us. Since 1990 the leaders have been saying that a change in the season of God was coming and that we were in a period of transition. In 1990, the season was still the Charismatic Season. The emphasis of that season was on the gifts of the spirit. The most asked question of that season was “what is your gift?”

With the approaching of the year 2000 or Y2K, as it was famously called, a near panic ensued. The predictions of a global catastrophe caused by computer glitches, exposed the weakness and immaturity of the Church. These facts were dramatically highlighted by the reactions of the church community following the events of September 11, 2001. In the United States, a Christian influenced government retreated to the supposed safety of strict laws and wars on two fronts. And the Church continued to speak about change while yet pursuing a continuing agenda of numerical growth, financial prosperity, and political influence.

During that time, there were some, mainly cosmetic, changes. Post-modernism made its appearance, primarily in the form of the “emergent church” movement. This movement attempted to remedy what it considers the exclusionary and socially reprehensible practices of the modern institutional religious system. Other cosmetic changes were assertions of purpose, defined by the requirements of the local institution; or user-friendly, market sensitive churches. As an example, the 100th anniversary of the Pentecostal movement that began at Azusa Street in Los Angeles, came and went, confirming the ministries of motivational speakers as its current manifestation.

Meanwhile, on the world stage, change has been the order of the day. The Soviet Unioncollapsed, releasing many nations to find their destinies. National policies of Apartheid ended in South Africa. Dictators died or were overthrown. Japan collapsed as an economic power, and both India and China rose in economic prominence. Nations were suddenly adrift and struggling to find their way.

In this environment of global change, a new season in God was ushered in. God has stirred the hearts of leaders in the Body of Christ to move away from the current preoccupations of the institutional systems, to the more serious consideration of representing the nature and character of God himself. This is a shift from the narcissism of management to the maturity of responsible sons of God.

The restoration of community, based in divinely ordained relationships, as opposed to membership in an institution, is the new reality. These relationships have replaced membership.

Discipleship is no longer for the purpose of consolidating church membership. In this new season, those in leadership serve for the benefit of those under their care. The goal of discipleship is to release the disciple into his or her divine purpose and to assist him or her to find and follow a God ordained unique destiny. Loving older brothers are replacing titular pastors, and spiritual children are being released to come to maturity.

Recognition is dawning that our purpose for being on the earth is not to work to leave the earth a better place than when we entered it, but to be conformed to the very image of Christ in our time here. Seeing all things through spiritual lenses is replacing a rationalistic view of reality.  A life of hearing and trusting God is replacing an intellect based decision making process.  Divine wisdom is replacing secularism. The realities of heaven and earth meet in the Body of Christ, and define earthly existence as being to show the glory of Christ in the way the community of the Body of Christ governs itself and demonstrates the compassionate love of the Father.

God’s character, not merely choice of style, has become the substance of the current season. The Holy Spirit has moved our focus from the administration of gifts of ministry to our seeing ourselves as sent sons of God empowered to come to maturity.  The evidence of the changed season is that there is a new level of enablement by the Holy Spirit to match the hunger in the hearts of believers, many of whom are not content with being spectators, but want to engage the reality of being an expression of the character and reality of God himself. They want to walk as mature sons of God, sons who do only what Father is doing and say only what Father is saying.

God himself has prepared this answer for the times that have come upon the Earth. In this season of global uncertainty and growing distress among nations, the sons of God will govern themselves so righteously that the nations of mankind will seek the wisdom and counsel of the Body of Christ.  

 We are being privileged in this generation to experience new depths to the revelation written by the Apostle Peter nearly 2000 years ago:  

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. {1 Peter 2:9-10 NASB}

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03 December 2010

We have talked a couple of previous times about God's purposes.  We have discussed his overarching purposes, the ones that describe the grand scheme of God.  We've also discussed that his purposes change from generation to generation.  From time to time, we have alluded to the individual sons of God finding their personal purposes.

We have also noted from time to time, that some purposes of God have clearly been ignored by the organized church system.  One obvious example in the United States is that the organized church shifted the burden and responsibility for care of the poor from the church to the government.  The Scriptures, however, teach us that true religion and undefiled involves care for orphans and widows and the strangers in our cities.  Therefore, it can only be a government that is our religion, which has the responsibility to care for the poor.

There is an interesting Scripture which points out that “in the fullness of time" God sent his Son.  Have you ever considered what that means?  What was unique about the time when Jesus arrived on the Earth?  Why was the time then full any more than any other time?  Alexander the Great, the Macedonian who extended his empire from Europe to Africa and India, built libraries and insisted that the Greek language be taught throughout his empire.  When his empire was supplanted by the Roman Empire, the Romans built roads throughout the entire empire making travel simple and convenient.  When Jesus arrived on the Earth a very large part of the Earth's population could understand the common language (Greek) and could be reached by convenient means of travel.  The world had been prepared for the spread of the Gospel.

In a similar manner, we can see the events of the 20th century.  The airline industry, educational institutions, and world commerce made English a language readily understood throughout most of the Earth.  Later in the 20th century, the Internet penetrated most of the Earth.  We can see, therefore, a virtual parallel to the results of Alexander and the Romans.  We have a condition in which rapid communication throughout the world is much more readily accomplished than was possible prior to the end of the 20th century.  Have you asked yourself the question, why has God brought about this parallel condition?  What is his purpose?  Is it a similar purpose to that which was intended to occur in the first century?

You may have noticed the similarity between what happened at the Garden of Eden/ the Tower of Babel and what happened at the initial spread of the Gospel.  In both cases, God instructed man to go out from his present location to accomplish a specific task.  Man chose not to go.  God permitted circumstances to compel him to go.  Although circumstances may compel us to leave the place where we become uncomfortable circumstances cannot force us to become obedient to the instructions of the Lord.  The confusion of languages at the tower of Babel caused man to go forth across the Earth.  Nonetheless, there were no circumstances that required us to take loving lordship over the creation that God had entrusted to our care.  In the same manner, persecution caused many believers to depart from Jerusalem toward Samaria and other parts of the World.  The persecution could not compel us to undertake the process of making disciples.  The Father's willingness to let liberty reign, wherever His Spirit is permitted to lead, is an awe-inspiring display of His humility.

For most of 2000 years the church has continued to ignore, denigrate, or misinterpret Jesus' simple instruction to go and make disciples.  We have instead elected to build great organizations, to enlist crowds of members, to make converts with no commitment, and/or to attempt to teach the world concepts which can only be grasped by people who have become alive in Christ.  Except that we recognize the pride of man, our continuing unwillingness to undertake the simple task of making disciples seems beyond comprehension.  But, God has not changed His plan for how the Church is intended to be built and grow.

We are being permitted to watch the development of a generation of people, who for the first time in many generations seem willing and able to apprehend the concepts of making disciples and being disciples.  We are faced with a generation of young men and women who crave and hunger for men and women they can look up to and emulate.  This new generation is different from past generations.  In that it now has access to information from all around the world.  This generation is not looking for more words of teaching.  This generation will only respond to demonstrations of the reality and the power of the Kingdom of God.  This generation accepts without reservation the apostle Paul's statement that the Kingdom of God does not consist of talk but of power.  Tragically, the large organizations that call themselves the church are totally devoid of real spiritual power.  They embody much talk with no power.  The vast majority of the organization's members are completely without relationship to the living God of the universe.  They have only a limited intellectual understanding of things about that God.  But they are totally devoid of intimate familial relationship with Him.  Because these masses of people are without familial relationship with God, they have raised biological children with whom they have very little familial relationship.  Therefore, the children are left with great spiritual and emotional needs.  The children seek all sorts of fulfillment for those needs.  Many choose drugs.  Many choose false religions.  But, among them are some who hunger and thirst after righteousness.  These are the ones who will be filled.

Many of us have chosen to believe that the christian church is a very large and widespread organization.  Unless one accepts that Jesus is a liar, however, this cannot be true.  Jesus said that the way is narrow and only a few will enter.  The Church of Christ is much smaller than we have been led to believe throughout its history.  This is not surprising in light of the pride of man.  Nor is it surprising that man who built organizations rather than people want those organizations to be as large and lucrative as possible.  To be sure, many of the people who have led to the building of these organizations have been men and women of good hearts with good intentions.  But, good hearts and good intentions are no better substitute for the plan of God than wood, hay and stubble are as a substitute for gold, silver and precious stones.  This is not to suggest that buildings made from wood and hay are not adequate temporary shelter.  Rather it is to make clear that such buildings simply will not pass the test of time.  They have no eternal significance.

Jesus told his disciples that the Kingdom of God is among us.  This was not to suggest that the kingdom is like a coffee table, sitting in the middle of a group.  Nor was it to suggest that the kingdom is like a box of chocolates being passed out among us.  Rather it was to suggest that the very fabric and nature of His Kingdom exist in the form of the relationships among us.  Primary, of course, is the relationship that each son of God has with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  But also, the relationships each son of God has with his brothers and sisters throughout the world are an integral part of the fabric and nature of His Kingdom.  Throughout the New Testament these connected relationships among the believers are emphasized over and over again.  We are talked about as the body of Christ.  We are talked about as a Temple made with living stones.  We are told that we are members of the body placed in it as it pleases Christ.  We are told that we are members of the body and belong to every other member.

Envisioning the close-knit nature of these relationships has been made extremely difficult in light of the teachings of modern churchianity.  As we look around the organizations that call themselves the church, we can gain no vision for what it means to be a disciple or a disciple maker.  For most of us, we would not know what a disciple looks like if we met one.  Throughout churchianity, there has been a substitution of better and better programs for any real personal relationships.  One local church pastor whom I know describes himself as being able to invent new programs faster than the old ones can fail.  As an imitation substitute for discipleship, many organizations have started mentoring programs.  Mentoring is the process of pouring good ideas from one man's mind into the mind of another.

Disciple making on the other hand, is the process of one man, pouring his spirit and life into another.  This process is one in which the two become engaged in a very close knit relationships.  And yet, contrary to much teaching that has been spread around, the relationship is not one of authority.  The disciple maker remains the brother of the disciple.  He is not in a superior position.  Indeed he is subservient to his disciple.  Jesus chose the most menial of tasks, the washing of His disciples’ feet, to demonstrate His understanding of their relationship.  In the act of washing those feet, Jesus demonstrated that his leadership in the kingdom of God is not based on his power and authority; rather, it is based on his love and servant hood.  This Man (at the time the only Son of God walking in the flesh on the Earth) had every right to exert His power, His authority, and His will over these men, whom He had created.  Instead, Jesus laid down his life for these men, as one who loves them and made himself a servant to them.

We are faced with a generation of young people who are looking for someone who will love them, set an example for them and serve them by leading them into the presence of the God of the universe.  Over and over again as we look about churchianity.  We see men who are modeling their style of leadership after the great captains of industry that they see around them.  This captain of industry leadership is a leadership that is based on position, power and authority.  But Jesus gave us a very different example of leadership.  The difficulty, of course, lies in this: Jesus’ style of leadership requires that we lay down our lives.  In it, there is no room for pride.  In it there is no room to judge the people whom we lead.  In it, there is no room for men, who will not go to the cross, laying down their lives for their friends.

The Holy Spirit has demonstrated and declared that He is choosing to operate differently among this upcoming generation than He has in past generations of the Church.  Among this new generation the Holy Spirit has been systematically turning away from those who would build groups and large organizations and turning toward those who would build the close-knit personal friendships and relationships.  We are being returned to the Great Commission.  We are being asked to stop building better and better clubs.  We are being asked to build disciples.  And it is those who have become our disciples, not the large crowds and the masses of people, whom we are instructed to baptize and teach.

It is time for all of us to change our focus and align ourselves with the purposes of God for this generation.

His, thus Yours,

Stuart