What is an Organic Church? A Plea for Clarity

Confusion over the term “organic church” continues.

As I’ve pointed out numerous times in the recent past, I’ve been using the term “organic church” since 1993. In my book “Reimagining Church,” I point out that T. Austin-Sparks is the man who deserves credit for coining this term. Austin-Sparks ministered in the 1920s until his passing in 1971.

When I began using the term “organic church” some 16 years ago, very few people were using it. (The exception would be those who were familiar with the work of T. Austin-Sparks.)

Today, the phrase has become a fad. It’s become a clay word, molded and shaped to mean very different things by many different people.

Consequently, one must now carefully define what they mean by “organic church” when they use the term.

I’ve often said that an organic expression of the church is one in which the members are learning to live by Divine LIFE together. They are learning how to live by the indwelling Christ. And out of that living emerges a particular expression. That expression, because it’s derived from LIFE, is “organic.” When the church is living true to herself … as an organism … her expression is organic. The means and end: Jesus Christ is known deeply by a group of people who are discovering His infinite riches together and are making Him visible on the planet again.

The New Testament knows no other kind of church. This is what ekklesia is.

Some, wrongly, have used the term “organic church” as a synonym for Christians who meet in a house (a “home church”) or a “simple church.” I’ve spent a lot of time discussing the differences between an authentic organic expression of the church and a house church/simple church (see “Reimagining Church,” “A Sober Word to the Simple Church Movement”, “Challenging the Simple Church Movement” – Series of 16 messages – and even my recent interview with Alex McManus.

Several statements:

  1. I wouldn’t give 2 cents for most “house churches” today. Most of them are far from organic. For that reason, I don’t endorse “house church” as a model. And I never have. The living room is not my passion. Most house churches, in my experience, have no concept of how to live by an indwelling Lord, nor are they consumed with Jesus Christ. He’s but a footnote to some other “thing” or “it,” as is the case with much of contemporary Christianity (just count how many times He’s mentioned in the typical sermon or gathering). Few know what it means to pursue the Lord Jesus with one another. I’ve maintained this observation for the last 13 years. Thankfully, more and more Christians outside the institutional church today are beginning to understand that ekklesia is all about discovering and displaying Christ together and that the engine, drive, and motive is to fulfill God’s eternal purpose – which is not centered on human needs.
  2. The impulse to start a “movement” is something I’ve never endorsed. As a student of church history, “movement mentality” is very common. Paul of Tarsus didn’t try to start a movement. He planted between 13 and 14 churches in his entire lifetime. (Read that again, folks.) Paul was interested in quality far more than quantity. (Building with gold, silver and precious stone was his concern – see 1 Cor. 3). I have a lot to say about “movements” and the fruit they produce. I’ve discussed it a good bit in my latest book “Finding Organic Church.” But I plan to address it more extensively in an online article at another time with my friend Milt Rodriguez.
  3. The goal of experiencing organic church life should never be the transformation of the world. Nor should it be world evangelization or church multiplication. The goal is the fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose in Christ – a purpose that is by Him, through Him, and to Him. A purpose where “the fullness of Christ” is the warp and woof. God’s purpose is something very different from the above (see “From Eternity to Here” for an unveiling of the eternal purpose of God). Those who would stress the former as goals have adopted the mindset of D.L. Moody and J.R. Mott. I took dead aim at this mindset in my talk at George Fox Seminary last year.
  4. While some are trying to build movements (as many men have in the past), the movements surrounding house church/simple church today by and large are profondly shallow and posses little depth or stability. There is, however, a genuine move of God happening right now containing 8 characteristics. This “move” or “current” is centered on restoring God’s eternal purpose, His grand mission from forever to forever. That which has beat in His own heart from before time.
  5. There is a lot of confusion within the missional church movement right now on the subjects of church, mission, and discipleship as well. As I see it, there are two major streams for each that do not map to each other. This has also has added further confusion to the Body of Christ.

What follows is an article I wrote some time ago answering the question: What is an Organic Church? I hope it adds some clarity in an area where massive confusion abounds. My hope is that this blog post would spread to those who would benefit from hearing it . . .  especially those who are using these terms without understanding the history behind them . . . and that it would produce further examination into these matters.

—

Since I left institutional Christianity twenty years ago, I have groped for language to communicate the kind of church experience I have lived in since that time. About fifteen years ago, I began using the term “organic church.” Interesting, this word has recently become somewhat of a clay word, being molded and shaped to mean a variety of different things by a variety of different people.

T. Austin-Sparks is the man who deserves credit for this term. Here’s his definition:

God’s way and law of fullness is that of organic life. In the Divine order, life produces its own organism, whether it be a vegetable, animal, human or spiritual. This means that everything comes from the inside. Function, order and fruit issue from this law of life within. It was solely on this principle that what we have in the New Testament came into being. Organized Christianity has entirely reversed this order.

The phrase, “the organic expression of the church” was a favorite of Sparks’. I’ve yet to find a better phrase to improve upon it.

By “organic church,” I mean a non-traditional church that is born out of spiritual life instead of constructed by human institutions and held together by religious programs. Organic church life is a grass roots experience that is marked by face-to-face community, every-member functioning, open-participatory meetings (opposed to pastor-to-pew services), non-hierarchical leadership, and the centrality and supremacy of Jesus Christ as the functional Leader and Head of the gathering.

Put another way, organic church life is the “experience” of the Body of Christ. In its purest form, it’s the fellowship of the Triune God brought to earth and experienced by human beings.

To use an illustration, if I try to create an orange in a laboratory by employing human ingenuity and organizational skills, the lab-created orange would not be organic. But if I plant an orange seed into the ground and it produces an orange tree, the tree is organic.

In the same way, whenever we sin-scarred mortals try to create a church the same way we would start a business corporation, we are defying the organic principle of church life. An organic church is one that is naturally produced when a group of people have encountered Jesus Christ in reality (external ecclesiastical props being unnecessary) and the DNA of the church is free to work without hindrance. In short, “organic church” describes a kind of church life that embodies the biblical teaching that the church is a spiritual organism and not an institutional organization.

To put it in sentence, organic church is not a theater with a script. It’s a lifestyle-a spontaneous journey with the Lord Jesus and His disciples in close-knit community.

An organic church can be contrasted with “institutional church.” By “institutional church,” I mean a church that is created by human organization, chain-of-command styled leadership, and institutional programs. It’s marked by a weekly order of worship (or mass) officiated by a pastor or priest. It’s controlled by a top-down hierarchical organization and human social conventions (called “offices”) that people fill. The institutional church has often been called “the traditional church,” “the organized church,” and “the audience church.” Congregants watch a religious performance once or twice a week, and then retreat home to live their individual Christian lives.

Leadership is hierarchical in the institutional church, and Christians are divided into “clergy” and “laity” (or their equivalent-”pastors” and “laymen”). Granted, some institutional churches have small group meetings outside of weekly church services where members get a taste of community life. But this community life is not the driving force of the church. And a hierarchical leadership structure is in place in the small group gatherings. Someone is always “in charge,” and the group is ultimately under the authority and restrictions of the pastor or priest.

We can think of the difference between organic churches and institutional churches this way. When God’s people assemble together on the basis of the organizational principles that run General Motors and Microsoft, we call it an institutional church. But when God’s people assemble together on the basis of the life of God, we call it an organic church.

One of the common mistakes that is made today is to confuse all house churches with organic churches. The reason is simple. Not all house churches are organic. Some are quite institutional.

I have often been asked: “How does a house church operate?” That’s impossible to answer because the term “house church” is about as wide an umbrella as the word “plant.” To my mind, asking how a house church operates is like asking, “What does a plant look like?” There are countless kinds of plants — weeds, shrubs, trees, bushes, vines, etc. In the same way, there are countless kinds of house churches. I’ve seen so many types and varieties over the years that it seems that the only thing they all have in common is that they meet in a home.

“Organic church,” therefore, best describes the kinds of churches that I and many other Christians around the world have experienced, lived in, and enjoyed. And it’s the kind of church that I believe the Lord is raising up in this hour. Add to that, the church that we find in the New Testament was above all things . . . organic. So it seems to me anyway.

Related:

Organic Church Described Part 1: Testimonies

Organic Church Described Part 2: Testimonies

Reframing Discipleship

ReChurch Series

January 11th,2010 Uncategorized | No Comments

McManus Interview on ReChurch & New Jesus Manifesto Facebook Page

Right before 2009 ended, Alex McManus (brother of Erwin McManus) interviewed me on his program. A few live questions came in at the end.

The interview is 27 minutes total. You can listen to it here.

Feel free to pass it along if you find it of help.

Also: There’s a new “Jesus Manifesto” Facebook page. This one replaces the old Facebook group page.

So whether or not you joined the old page, please consider joining the new one as we have some exciting plans for it for 2010.

Click here to join.

January 6th,2010 Uncategorized | tags: , , , | No Comments

The Top Blog Posts for Reimagining Church 2009

These are in no particular order and imply no particular priority.

A Review of Michael Spencer’s “The Coming Evangelical Collapse”

A Lighter Side Post: Gotta Love This Story

The Eternal Purpose of God – Delivered at George Fox Seminary

Interacting with the PostChurch Perspective

Reframing Discipleship

Steve Brown Interview Clip

Kingdom Confusion: Part 1

Kingdom Confusion: Part 2

Deep Ecclesiology

New Podcast

A Jesus Manifesto

Christian Artists = Music Artists

—

Complete List of Twitter “Tweets” for 2009


January 2nd,2010 Uncategorized | No Comments

Discography

Click here to view the Discography

December 18th,2009 Uncategorized | No Comments

The Three Gospels

The following chapter was removed from the final edit of From Eternity to Here because there wasn’t enough room to include it.

The Three Gospels

Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ . . . (Romans 16:25, NIV)

Ever since I’ve been a Christian, I’ve observed that most believers can be divided up into two camps: the libertines and the legalists.

In my experience, libertines are those who go to church, own a Bible, and profess to believe in Jesus. However, they appear to have no vital relationship with the Lord. And they hold to the same values as do non-Christians.



If you were to examine their lifestyle, you would discover that libertines behave scantly different from non-Christians. Their attitude is that God only wants us to be nice to others and try our best to be good. Beyond that, the Almighty doesn’t particularly care how we live. So long as a person mentally assents that God exists and Jesus is Savior, they are worthy to bear the name “Christian.”

The libertine is a product of a certain kind of gospel. Note that I am using the word “gospel” in a very specific sense to describe one’s message about Christ and the Christian life (Rom. 2:16; 16:25; 2 Tim. 2:8). I am not using it in the more general sense to describe the gospel story as it is presented in the New Testament (Mark 1:1).

The gospel of libertinism can be described as follows: Believing in Jesus is intellectual assent to certain faith propositions. God has little interest in the way people live their lives. He simply expects us to do the best we can. Believing in Jesus has little impact on a person’s lifestyle or values. It’s more a privatized intellectual belief system. Here are some statements a libertine may say:

“We are all sinners, and we all sin. God understands my sin.”
“The Bible isn’t completely relevant for us today. We can’t expect to hold to the same values as the people did in Biblical times. We live in a different world with different values.”
“I live the way I want. God loves me, and I am saved, so I can do anything I please.”
“Yes, I’m a Christian. But regarding my sin, that’s just the way I was made. I don’t want to change, I can’t change, and I won’t change.”

The gospel of libertinism is aimed primarily at the flesh. Its message gives the fallen nature free reign to do as it pleases. At the same time, this gospel suppresses the voice of one’s conscience.

Standing contrary to the libertine is the legalist. Like the libertines, legalists are the product of a certain kind of gospel. Legalists have a desire to please God. Their conversion to Christ has produced a change of values and lifestyle. They take God seriously, they take His Word seriously, and they try to honor Him in their conduct.

However, they have added a bundle of man-made rules to the Scriptures and they tend to be judgmental toward those who fail to keep those rules. They also believe that they can fulfill the Christian standard, and they do their best in trying to keep it.

The gospel of legalism can be described as follows: God is holy, and He has made clear demands on the human race. We must warn, exhort, rebuke, and admonish ourselves and others to fulfill those demands. What follows is the language of the legalist.

“You must . . .”
“You need to . . .”
“You have to . . .”
“You had better . . .”
“If you do . . . then God will be happy with you.”
“If you don’t . . . then God will be angry with you.”

The implication of such vocabulary is that if we fail to obey God’s laws, then He will be angry with us. Embedded in the gospel of legalism is the tacit threat that the Lord’s love and acceptance of His children is tied to their conduct. This is rarely stated explicitly, but it comes through loud and clear.

The gospel of legalism is aimed directly at the will. It gives human volition the illusion that it can keep the standards of God. At the same time, it weakens the conscience, causing it to believe that certain practices are sinful when they are not (1 Corinthians 8; 1 Corinthians 10; Romans 14-15.) Theologian Alister McGrath rightly calls legalism “the dark side of evangelicalism.”

There are degrees of legalism, from mild to extreme. And there are degrees of libertinism as well. But the overwhelming majority of Christians can be put into one of these two camps.


Thankfully, there is a third gospel. Unfortunately, however, it’s rarely preached today. This gospel is the one we find dominating the letters of Paul. It is the gospel of the new creation, if you will. It is neither libertine nor legalistic.

Instead of focusing on the demands of God, Paul’s gospel focuses on the spiritual reality of what actually happens to those who have trusted in Christ when He died and rose again. It takes its view—not from the earth, but from the heavenlies—behind the eyes of God.

Paul’s gospel confidently proclaims that Jesus of Nazareth is the earth’s true Lord. It declares the glories of Jesus and unflinchingly proclaims what God has done for all who submit to His Lordship.


In Paul’s gospel, the standards of God are neither ignored nor rationalized into irrelevant oblivion (as in the gospel of the libertine). On the other hand, the standards of God are never presented as demands by which our acceptance by God is tied (as in the gospel of the legalist).

Contrary to the gospel of libertinism, Paul’s gospel doesn’t reduce faith to intellectual assent. (If you affirm the right propositions, you have “faith.”)

Contrary to the gospel of legalism, Paul’s gospel doesn’t reduce good works to legalistic compliance. (If you perform these prescribed actions, you have “good works.”)


Instead, Paul’s gospel is rooted in the unconditional acceptance, security, and wealth that those who have trusted in Christ as Lord and Savior enjoy. For this reason, whenever Paul presents a standard of God, he always presents it from this vantage point: It is the conduct that those who are in Christ naturally exhibit.

In his epistles, Paul never teaches the standards of God as universal rules or laws to be obeyed. Rather, he only mentions the Christian standard when he is addressing a highly specific problem wherein God’s people are not living according to who they are in Christ.

Paul’s gospel is aimed directly at the renewed spirit of humans. Its message strengthens the spirit to take charge of the mind, the will, and the emotions. At the same time, it strengthens the conscience, causing it to be responsive to the Holy Spirit.

A crucial, but little accepted fact is that the New Testament is not a book of rules to regulate human behavior. Instead, the New Testament is a spiritual narrative made up of the following: history books that narrate the life of Jesus and the life of His church (the Gospels and Acts); personal letters to churches and individuals that are in crisis (the Epistles); and a majestic vision of Jesus Christ’s triumphant victory over the world (Revelation).

Virtually all of Paul’s letters were written in response to a particular crisis that God’s people were experiencing. Remarkably, Paul’s custom was to address the crisis in this order:

First, he reminds God’s people of their true identity in Christ. He also reminds them of the all-sufficiency of Christ who has come to dwell inside of them.

Second, he describes the behavior of those who are new creatures in Christ.

Third, he exhorts the believers to live according to their true identity rather than according to their false identity. That is, he exhorts them to walk in line with who they are in Christ rather than who they used to be.

Paul takes this approach in virtually all of his epistles. It’s his custom for addressing problems in the Christian communities within his care. The following statement out of Ephesians is a perfect example of how Paul exhorts God’s people to walk in a way that matches their high and holy calling:

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. (Ephesians 5:8, NIV)

In other words, you are light in Christ. Now live that way.

The gospel of libertinism, the gospel of legalism, and Paul’s gospel represent three very different postures when it comes to matters of sin and morality. For the sake of illustration, let’s take the issue of lying, which the New Testament condemns. (Feel free to insert any other sin that the Scriptures clearly address.)

Concerning the practice of lying, the libertine gospel essentially says, “This issue is irrelevant. We live in a different world than the people of the Bible did. Our values are different and more advanced. God loves us all and understands our needs. We all sin. Everybody lies. God loves everyone, so you are judging others if you tell them that they are wrong or immoral for lying.”

The legalistic gospel says, “God will judge those who violate His commandments. Christians must not lie or else God will punish them.”

In contrast, Paul’s gospel exhorts, “Let me remind you that you are part of a new creation. Jesus Christ lives in you, and you are in Christ. As such, your old fallen nature is dead. Christ exterminated it by His cross. Therefore, put off the old lifestyle of lying. Such is the conduct of a fallen creation. It’s not your conduct. Live according to who you really are and by the higher life that dwells within you. Jesus Christ is truth and honesty. Live out of what the Lord says you are . . . for that alone is truth and reality.”

Paul’s gospel is built on the understanding that the key to spiritual transformation is not found in trying to improve oneself. It’s found in believing who we Christians are in Christ and who Christ is in us.

For Paul, the Christian life is becoming what you are. Consequently, the common approach he takes in his letters is to remind God’s people of who they have become as new creatures in Christ. All of his exhortations flow out of that reminder.

The church of Jesus Christ is called to embody and proclaim the gospel that Paul preached—which is the gospel of Jesus Christ. That gospel is the good news that God is becoming ruler of the world He created, and that Jesus, who God the Father raised from the dead, is the world’s true Lord. Jesus Christ has defeated the powers of evil, sin, and death and has brought forth a new creation of which we are now a part. And one day, that new creation will fill the whole earth.

This is the full gospel, if you please. Paul’s gospel is one of liberty and Lordship—the Lordship of Christ and the liberty of the Spirit. It provides freedom from the fruitless attempt to keep a moral standard. It also provides freedom from the mastering power of the fallen nature.

The Christian life is rooted in liberty . . . the liberty that is in Christ Jesus (Gal. 5:1). This is a liberty that sets us free from trying to be good. It is also a liberty that sets us free from practicing evil. It is a liberty that brings us into a living knowledge of the One who indwells us . . . who happens to be the greatest liberator in the universe as well as the Savior and Lord of the world.

So the next time you hear someone preach, ask yourself, “What gospel am I hearing? Am I being exhorted to feel comfortable in my sin and justify it (libertinism)? Am I being exhorted to try harder and be a better Christian (legalism)? Or am I being presented with Jesus Christ and reminded of the high place that He has caused me to stand in Him (the gospel)?”

Embracing the gospel of libertinism or the gospel of legalism will put you in the flesh. The fruit of libertinism is the defiling acts of the flesh. The fruit of legalism is the self righteousness of the flesh.

Both gospels produce carnal activity and generate death rather than life. As a result, both clash with the new creation.

Only Paul’s gospel . . . the glorious gospel of grace . . . the gospel of Jesus Christ . . . has the capacity to bring you and me into the full liberty that is ours in Christ. And the end of that gospel is the ageless purpose for which our Lord burns.

Appendix

THE PATTERN IN GALATIANS

The facts . . .

He has rescued you from this present evil age (1:4).

You have been justified by faith apart from the works of the Law (2:16).

You have died to the Law so that you may live to God. You have been crucified with Christ. You no longer live, but Christ lives in you. He loved you and gave Himself for you (2:19-20).

You received the Holy Spirit by believing (3:2).

You are children of Abraham (3:7).

Christ redeemed you from the curse of the Law (3:13).

Since faith has come, you are no longer under the supervision of the Law (3:25).

You are sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ. You were baptized in Christ and you are clothed with Christ. You belong to Christ and you are heirs to God’s promise (3:26-29).

You are sons of God, and you have the full rights of sonship. Because you are sons, God has given you His Spirit. And that Spirit testifies that God is your Father. You are not slaves, but sons and heirs of God (4:4-7).

The heavenly Jerusalem is your mother (4:26).

You are children of promise (4:28).

You are called to be free (5:13).

You belong to Jesus Christ and you have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires (5:24).

What counts is a new creation, of which you are a part (6:15).

Because of these facts . . .

Stand fast in the liberty that Christ has given you and don’t be burdened by the yoke of slavery to the Law (5:1).

Do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, but rather, serve one another in love (5:13).

Live by the Spirit and you will not fulfill the desires of the sinful nature (5:16).

Since you live by the Spirit, keep in step with the Spirit. Do not be conceited, provoking and envying one another (5:25-26).

Carry one another’s burdens (6:2).

Do not become weary in well doing. Do good to all people, especially your fellow brethren in Christ (6:9-10).

THE PATTERN IN 1 CORINTHIANS

The facts . . .

You are holy in Christ and you are called “holy ones” (1:2).

God’s grace has been given to you in Christ. In Him, you have been enriched in every way. You do not lack any spiritual gift. He will keep you strong until the end so that you will be blameless on the day of Jesus Christ (1:4-8).

Because of God, you are in Christ Jesus who has become your wisdom, your righteousness, your holiness, and your redemption (1:30).

You have received the Spirit of God, not the spirit of the world, that you might know what God has freely given you (2:12).

You are God’s temple and God’s Spirit lives in you (3:16).

Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you. You are not your own. You were bought with a price (6:19-20).

Because of these facts . . .

Be of the same mind and have no divisions among you (1:10).

Since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like “natural men,” contrary to who you really are? (3:3-4).

Do not deceive yourselves (3:18).

Judge nothing before the appointed time (4:5).

I urge you to imitate me (4:16).

Get rid of the old yeast among you . . . expel the wicked man from among you (5:7, 12).

Flee from sexual immorality . . . honor God with your body (6:18, 20).

THE PATTERN IN COLOSSIANS

The facts . . .

You are holy and faithful in Christ (1:2).

The Father has qualified you to share in His inheritance. He has rescued you from the dominion of darkness. He has transferred you into the Kingdom of Christ. In Christ, you have redemption and the forgiveness of sins (1:12-14).

He is the Head of His Body, the church, of which you are a part (1:18).

Once you were enemies alienated from God. Now He has reconciled you by Christ’s death to present you holy and blameless in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation (1:21-22).

Christ is in you, the hope of glory (1:27).

You have received Christ Jesus as your Lord (2:6).

You have been given fullness in Christ. In Him, you were spiritually circumcised and have put off the sinful nature. You were buried with Christ by baptism and have been raised with Him through faith in the power of God who raised Him from the dead (2:10-12).

God made you alive with Christ. He forgave you of your sins. He canceled the written code that was against you and opposed you. He nailed that code to His cross (2:13-14).

You have died with Christ to the basic elements of this world (2:20).

You have been raised with Christ (3:1).

You died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Christ is your life. When He appears, you will appear with Him (3:3-4).

You used to walk in the sinful nature. You have taken off the old self with its practices and put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of your Creator (3:7-10).

You are God’s chosen people, holy, and dearly loved (3:12).

You are members of one Body and are called to peace (3:15).

Because of these facts . . .

Continue to walk in Christ, just as you received Him (2:6).

See to it that no one takes you captive by deceptive philosophy that is not according to Christ (2:8).

Do not let anyone judge you in what you eat or drink, or in regard to keeping a religious festival, a new moon celebration, or a Sabbath day (2:16).

Set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things (3:1-2).

Put to death whatever belongs to your earthly nature (3:5).

Rid yourselves of such things as anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language. Do not lie to each other (3:8-9).

Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Put on love. Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart. Be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Whatever you do, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God (3:12-17).

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful (4:2).

Let your conversation be always full of grace (4:6).

THE PATTERN IN EPHESIANS

The facts . . .

God has blessed you with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. He chose you in Christ before the creation of the world so that you would be holy and blameless in His sight. In love, He predestined you to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ. He has freely given you His grace and you are accepted in His Beloved Son. In Him you have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He has lavished the riches of His grace upon you with all wisdom and understanding (1:3-8).

In Christ, you were chosen and predestined according to His eternal plan. You have been given an inheritance in Him (1:11).

You were included in Christ. You were marked in Him with a seal of the promised Holy Spirit. The Spirit is a deposit guaranteeing your inheritance. You are God’s possession (1:13-14).

You used to be dead in your trespasses and sins. You used to follow the way of the world and the ruler of the kingdom of darkness (2:1-2).

God who has a great love for you and who is rich in mercy, made you alive in Christ, even when you were dead in transgressions. You have been saved by grace. God raised you up with Christ and seated you with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to you in Christ Jesus. You have been saved by grace, through faith. It is not of yourselves, but it is the gift of God. Not by works, lest any person should boast. You are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for you to do (2:4-10).

You are now in Christ Jesus. You were once far away, but you have been brought near by the blood of Christ (2:13).

He Himself is your peace (2:14).

Through Christ you have access to the Father by one Spirit (2:18).

You are fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household (2:19).

You are being built together to become a dwelling place in which God lives by His Spirit (2:20).

You are members of one Body (4:25).

You are dearly loved children (5:1).

Christ loved you and gave Himself up for you as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (5:2).

You are God’s holy people (5:3).

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord (5:8).

Because of these facts . . .

I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (4:1-3).

You must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking . . . you didn’t come to learn Christ that way. You were taught to put away your old self . . . to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor. In your anger do not sin. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work. Do not let any unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for the building up of others according to their needs. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ has forgiven you (4:17, 20-32).

Be imitators of God and live a life of love (5:1-2).

There must not be sexual immorality, impurity, greed, obscenity, foolish talk, or coarse jesting among you which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving (5:3-4).

Do not be partners with those who practice these things (5:7).

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them (5:11).

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. Always giving thanks to God. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (5:17-21).

December 14th,2009 Uncategorized | No Comments

My Top 5 Best Book Picks for 2009

http://frankviola.wordpress.com/2009/12/09/reimagining-churchs-best-books-of-the-year-2009/

December 9th,2009 Uncategorized | No Comments

Dan Kimball Gets Interviewed

Today on the blog, I interview my friend Dan Kimball. Kimball and I first met in person at George Fox Seminary, where we both spoke together. We had a great time. Before that, we got to know each other online and he graciously interviewed me on the book “Pagan Christianity.”

Here’s my interview with Dan (“the man”). I recommend his book They Like Jesus, But Not the Church.

1. How and when did you come to Christ?

I was approached by a Christian who was witnessing to people in a shopping mall when I was in junior high school.  He wasn’t street preaching, but he was walking up to strangers and he came up to me and my friend Ralph and began asking us questions. I don’t remember too much of what he said but it rang true and I prayed with him to trust in Jesus as Savior. After I prayed with this guy, he gave me a “I’m Saved” button or sticker and then went off to evangelize others. I don’t know if I was saved at that moment, but it was the first time I ever heard that Jesus was Savior and He died on the cross for sin. I had no church I was part of, so not too much changed in my life after that. I did find that I became sensitive to Christian things after that. Watching Billy Graham on television. Reading Christian tracts when I would be given one. But it wasn’t until I met Stuart Allen, a pastor in England after I graduated from college when I began to understand what it means to follow Jesus more. So it was more like when I was in my 20’s when I began realizing Jesus is Lord and what that meant for my life to follow Him.

2. Your book, THEY LOVE JESUS, BUT NOT THE CHURCH, has done really well. Why did you write it, what’s the main point, and what has been the most common response to it from readers?

Click here to read the rest of the interview:http://frankviola.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/dan-kimball-gets-interviewed/

November 30th,2009 Uncategorized | tags: , , , | No Comments

Missional Organic Church Training/Connecting Events 2010

If you’re interested in being invited to a national or regional MISSIONAL ORGANIC CHURCH training/connecting event in 2010, fill out this form: http://ptmin.org/events.htm - be sure to put your email address in accurately. Details will be forthcoming.

November 25th,2009 Uncategorized | No Comments

Ed Stetzer Interview: Mission, Church, and God’s Timeless Purpose

Author-speaker and LifeWay Researcher, Ed Stetzer, graciously invited me to do an interview on his blog recently. Stetzer is one of the best known Christian leaders today, especially among the Southern Baptists. Here is his endorsement for my book From Eternity to Here,

Too often we see people react to what they don’t like about the church. In From Eternity to Here, Frank Viola offers up the doctrine that causes him to act on behalf of the church. Make no doubt about it—Frank is a provocateur and an artist—and both come through in this book. Frank continues to challenge the church-at-large with a powerful mind, an impassioned voice, and a love for the bride of Christ. You need to get this book and wrestle with Frank through the biblical passages regarding our identity in Christ as His body and the mission our God has entrusted to us.

-Ed Stetzer

What follows is the full interview.

—

From Ed Stetzer:

Today, Frank Viola comes by the blog and interacts for the day.
As I have written before, I like Frank. He is not a subtle man. He is calling for big changes. And, he loves Jesus. Those are some good qualities.
Now, if you have read my books and my blog, you also know that Frank and I have some pretty significant differences about an important subject–ecclesiology. And, I believe that ecclesiology will be one of the defining issues in the evangelical conversation in the years to come.
I am so passionate about the subject, my next scholarly book will be on ecclesiology, probably out in 2012 (my missiology textbook comes out in 2010), so I am pretty concerned about this subject and have some important convictions.
And, it is no secret to Frank that I found his last two books to be lacking in ecclesiology (as I see it in scripture), but I appreciated his passion for the church and God’s mission in his From Eternity to Here. His passion for the church and its mission comes through in From Eternity to Here. Whereas his other books seemed to want to deconstruct the church (in a way I found destructive), this one provides the reader with reasons to love the church.


I also see this when Frank writes against “churchless Christianity,” something I was very encouraged to see. He did so in two parts at Out of Ur.

The postchurch brand of Christianity is built on the premise that institutional forms of church are ineffective, unbiblical, unworkable, and in some cases, dangerous. Institutionalization is not compatible with ekklesia. So say postchurch advocates.

But the postchurch view goes further saying, “any semblance of organization whatsoever . . . any semblance of leadership…is wrong and oppressive. Church is simply when two or three believers gather together in any format. Whenever this happens, church occurs.”
Post Church Perspective, Pt 1

Frank continues in the second article explaining,

The ekklesia as used in New Testament literature is visible, touchable, locatable, and tangible. You can visit it. You can observe it. And you can live in it. Biblically speaking, you could not call anything an ekklesia unless it assembled regularly together.

…

The postchurch paradigm is rooted in the attempt to practice Christianity without belonging to an identifiable community that regularly meets for worship, prayer, fellowship, mutual edification, and mutual care.

Again, there’s nothing wrong with fellowshipping with Christians on the Internet, over the phone, or meeting with friends at Starbucks. I personally love doing these things. But calling these activities “church” or substituting them for ekklesia is misguided. Postchurch Perspective, Pt 2

As I read these I found them helpful when consider that many are advocating “abandoning the church” for their own spiritual health and to join some sort of churchless revolution.

So, I invited Frank to the blog today to talk about his new book and any other subjects upon which he wants to opine. Let’s start with his answers to a few questions and then you can jump in below.

1. What motivated you to write this book?

The message of the eternal purpose of God changed my life. It gave me a glorious vision to live by, a high and overwhelming purpose to walk in, and a growing love and passion for the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, it provided me with a framework for understanding God‘s grand mission and the entire Biblical story. All of this profoundly changed my view of the Lord, my view of the church, my view of my brothers and sisters in Christ, and my view of myself. So I wrote “From Eternity to Here” because I wanted others to have that same experience.

In addition, I feel that the eternal purpose is a message that‘s not often preached or written about today, so I felt the time was right to release the book to the Body of Christ.

2. What do you believe is the most critical problem in the church that this book addresses?

Three come to mind:

First, many Christians are living from a performance-based relationship with God that’s marked by religious duty and obligation. The guilt that lurks deep within the hearts of scores of God’s people is very heavy, and there’s great insecurity of what the Lord really thinks about them. The message that is so often communicated today is: “God’s holy. You’re not. Do more and try harder.” Many Christians sincerely want to serve God, but they aren’t passionately in love with Jesus Christ because they haven’t seen, accepted, nor been riveted by how He views them. When we stand on a different mountain and look behind His eyes, it changes everything. This leads us on a journey where we discover the secret of living BY Christ rather than simply doing things FOR Christ.

Second, the gospel that’s often presented today is very much centered on the meeting of human needs, whether that be the saving of lost souls, healing the sick, or making the world a better place. That God wants these things is correct, but it’s not complete. The Biblical story is consumed with a high and glorious purpose in God that is by Christ, through Christ, to Christ, and for Christ. And as we receive a vision of that purpose (Paul called it “the heavenly vision”) and embrace it, human benefits become a by-product not the prime product.

Thirdly, it’s been my observation that many Christians look at and relate to Jesus Christ as merely Savior, Lord, and King. They feel that they know Jesus already, “got the tee-shirt,” and so they must go on to “other things.” But as Paul pointed out rather strikingly in the book of Colossians, a proper apprehension of who the Lord Jesus Christ really is causes one to live the rest of their lives exploring His fullness. And His fullness is inexhaustible (Paul referred to His fullness as the “unsearchable riches of Christ” in Ephesians.) If we get to know this glorious and incomparable Christ beyond the surface, we quickly discover that it’s impossible to get beyond Him. He, in all of His fullness, becomes our life pursuit. We discover Him not simply as Savior, Lord, and King, but as All in All. Leonard Sweet and I have recently tried to introduce this idea in our Jesus Manifesto.

3. What are you getting at with the title, “From Eternity to Here?”

Good question. From eternity past, before the creation of the world, God has had a purpose in His heart that provoked Him to create. He shrouded that purpose in a mystery and He hid it in His Son (see Colossians and Ephesians regarding “the mystery.”) That purpose (Paul calls it ―”the eternal purpose” in Ephesians 3) is what governs all of what God does. According to Ephesians 1, the eternal purpose controls all of His actions. That purpose … being conceived in eternity past and slated to continue on through eternity future … is meant to be fulfilled here, on this earth, for that‘s why He created the physical universe. The book unveils and unfolds the above paragraph, hence the title “from eternity to here.”

4. The subtitle is “Rediscovering God’s Ageless Purpose.” You talk a lot about purpose in this book. What is God’s ageless purpose?

Trying to define it in a few paragraphs in a way that does it justice and doesn’t dilute its incredible impact is like putting the Mississippi River in a tea cup. It took me 300 pages to unveil it, and still it’s beyond my measure to adequately explain. Paul of Tarsus nearly exhausted human language in his attempt to uncork it in the first three chapters of Ephesians.

For those who haven’t yet read the book, I’ll describe it this way.

Traditionally, we have begun the Biblical story with the fall of humans in Genesis 3. The result is that the entire story places the salvation of humans and the redemption of the earth as being God‘s goal. But those two elements, while part of the story, are not the beginning point nor the ultimate goal.

Thus when we begin the Biblical story in Genesis 1 and 2 (which occurs before the fall) and in Ephesians 1 and Colossians 1 (which occurs before creation), the Biblical story is reframed from the standpoint of God‘s ultimate desire rather than with the needs of fallen human beings.

This changes the perspective dramatically, and it makes the story much larger and more God-centered. It moves us from a human-centered gospel to one that‘s rooted in God‘s relentless, eternal, and ultimate desire.

Remember, Adam and Eve were NOT created in need of salvation. So there was a purpose that God had for them that was different from saving lost souls.

Genesis 1 and 2 are mirrored in Revelation 21 and 22. Those four chapters are unique in all the Bible. There is no sin or corruption in them. The events in Genesis 1 and 2 take place before the fall; the events in Revelation 21 and 22 take place after the fall is erased.

There are a number of key themes in those 4 chapters. And they can be traced from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22 like a golden thread. The themes in those four chapters give us a glimpse into the eternal purpose of God. In the book, I trace those themes from the beginning of the Bible to the end.

In short, God has many purposes in time, but He only has one “eternal purpose” which drives Him and governs everything He does.

5. How does this book compare and contrast with your other books, namely Pagan Christianity and Reimagining Church?

“Pagan Christianity” (co-authored George Barna) deconstructed the traditional practices of the modern institutional church on the basis of church history and New Testament principles. The unique contribution of “Pagan” is that it doesn‘t just call for the typical tweaks that many church reform books call for, i.e., better pastoring skills, more outreach, better methods to make disciples, more cost effective church buildings, stronger strategies for making converts, etc.

Instead, it goes to what we feel are the roots. It deals with the systemic problems. It raises the brutally challenging question: ”Is it possible that the very way we do church is the problem?” I believe we are living in a time when it’s critical for us to go back to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles to examine anew and afresh what the church is and how she expresses herself in the earth rather than taking our cues from the business models of secular culture. This is the call to action that “Pagan Christianity” gives.

“Reimagining Church” is the positive follow-up to “Pagan Christianity.” “Pagan” deconstructs on the basis of church history and the New Testament.  “Reimagining” constructs on the basis of the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. It also explores spiritual leadership from the vantagepoint of what Jesus taught His disciples in contrast to the forms that are taken in the Gentile world and in the Jewish world (both of which are very common today). The Lord’s way of leadership is neither Gentile nor Jewish. Therefore, everyone who has read “Pagan Christianity” should read also “Reimagining Church,” else they are only getting one half the argument. Both books strongly endorse Christ-centered, organic community with Jesus as the functional Head (opposed to the clergy-led institutional form of church on the one hand and the postchurch view on the other. The two books offer a third path that’s neither left nor right.)

My new book “Finding Organic Church” is the practical sequel to all of my books, including “From Eternity to Here.” It answers the question: “How does one go about finding, planting, and sustaining churches that make Jesus Christ their practical, functional Head and which stand for God’s eternal purpose?” It examines mission and church planting for the 21st century. One that’s based on the timeless principles of the New Testament rather than secular leadership models.

“From Eternity to Here” takes the reader back a few steps and seeks to bring them into the big picture behind it all. It’s a presentation of the big, sweeping epic of God‘s grand mission. It seeks to explore the grand narrative of the entire Bible as an unbroken story rather than as a systematic theology.

“From Eternity to Here” is like a big river; “Pagan Christianity” and “Reimagining Church” are like tributaries.

“From Eternity” focuses on the church from the heavenly and eternal viewpoint. “Pagan,” “Reimagining,” and “Finding Organic Church” examine it on the ground. Finally, “From Eternity” is for all believers. My other books are for those who are not afraid to seriously rethink church in the light of Scripture and even rechurch. They aren’t written for those who want to simply rearrange the chairs on the Titanic J

6. In the book you explain that From Eternity to Here is a primer for your other writings? Can you unpack that a little?

Yes, it’s because “From Eternity” presents the motivation and controlling vision behind all the other books. I’ve made this statement many times in conferences, but it answers your question, I think: The only reason why any church should exist is to stand for and fulfill God’s eternal purpose. That’s where “From Eternity to Here” comes in.

7. Do you believe God was/is somehow unsatisfied outside created and restored humanity?

I don’t think I’d put it that way. Consider this analogy. When an individual gets restored to God, a dead rock has been transformed into a living stone. Recall Jacob’s dream. After He saw the stairway connecting heaven and earth, Jacob poured oil on a stone and called the place “Bethel”, the house of God. The oil represents the Spirit of life. The rock represents you and me. Oil upon a stone makes that stone “a living stone.”

For many years, I was taught that God’s goal is for us Christians to go out and make as many dead rocks into living stones. That is, He wants us to get lost people saved.

But there is an intention in God’s heart that goes beyond making dead stones living stones. He wants all of those living stones in every city to be built together to form a house for Him and His pleasure.

Paul in Ephesians 2 says that the church is formed when we are “being built together” with others to form God’s dwelling place.

Peter makes the same point in 1 Peter 2. The goal is not the making of many living stones. The goal is that those living stones be “built together” to form a house that is by God, through God, and for God. (Peter uses the term “living stones” in fact.)

This shifts the paradigm in at least three ways.

First, salvation (the making of living stones) is not the end. It’s the beginning.

Second, God is after something that’s corporate and collective, not individualistic. It’s a house that He’s after, not a bunch of living stones scattered all over the earth.

Third, the end in view is not for man, but for God. He wants a house to dwell in. “Heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?”

God’s quest for a house is one of the things that provoked creation. In Genesis 1 and 2, we have the building materials for God’s house in the garden of Eden. In Revelation 21 and 22, we see those building materials put together to form the Lord’s dwelling place. The entire Bible is the unfolding drama of how this “building work” takes place. In Genesis 1, man (humanity) is made from clay. In Revelation 21 and 22, clay is transformed into precious stone for the building of God’s house.

It’s an amazing vision.

8. For the record, I believe God does experience emotions, but unpacking God’s experience of emotions is difficult as it connects to many other key doctrines regarding theology proper. Do you believe God knows precisely what will happen before it takes place in history, and if he does how are his emotions authentic, or real?

I’m not an open theist, so yes, I believe Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega at the same time, and as Colossians puts it, creation is in Him. Which means time is in Him also.

That said, I don’t know the answer to your question because we’re dealing with trying to fathom God’s interpersonal senses with finite human thinking. But my guess (and it’s merely a guess) is that the analogy of a dream may help us to grasp a piece of it.

Consider having a dream that later comes to pass. When you had the dream, you felt it was of God and were confident it would come to pass. During the dream, you experienced the full gamut of emotions that you would feel if the dream were real (I feel deep emotion in many of my dreams). You even felt these emotions in the afterglow of having the dream, upon waking up.

Six months later, the dream comes to pass and you watch in living color the events take place that you saw in your dream. And you again experience those same emotions even though you foreknew what was going to happen six months earlier. Perhaps it’s the same way with God (?). He feels when He foreknows and He feels when we experience what He foreknew. He is in fact touched with the feeling of our own infirmities, very closely.

9. Are there others books that hit on the same subjects/ideas that you would recommend?

Yes, though not in quite the same way. There are three that come to mind, all amazing books:

Ultimate Intention by DeVern Fromke

The Stewardship of the Mystery by T. Austin-Sparks

The School of Christ by T. Austin-Sparks

Thanks Ed, for having me on your blog. It’s an honor.

Keep up the good work!

November 23rd,2009 Uncategorized | tags: , , , , , , | No Comments

About Facebook

I’ve been using Facebook for over a  year now, and I like it better than any of the other social networks out there, including Twitter (micro-blog) and the Ning sites. I especially like it over MySpace.

What I don’t like about it, however, is that the site seems to be ultra sensitive. I’ve had friends deactivated from it for that reason. See Mike Morrell’s recent post about this. It’s quite informative. (By the way, if you don’t know who Mike is, he’s a marketing genius. You’ll find his endorsement on the well-known book, The Shack).

Facebook only allows 5,000 friends.

When I hit 5,000 earlier this year, I made the decision that I would NOT create a fan page. (This is what many people do when they surpass the 5,000 friend mark.)

As Jerry Seinfeld once said, “I choose not to run!” Well, I choose not to create a fan page (in Seinfeld voice).

I’m not moving from that decision. So if you want to add me as a friend or suggest a friend to me (I have 132 such requests at the moment), you can join the FROM ETERNITY TO HERE group page that a reader created and connect with me that way. Updates and reports go out to each member of that page about once every two months.

Also, if you’re recommending friends to me, please refer them to the group page as there is no limit to the members that can join. Here’s the group page:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=76903743708&ref=mf

Just join the group and invite your friends by clicking the “Invite People to Join” link at the left-hand top.

Thanks,
Frank

November 16th,2009 Uncategorized | No Comments
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