Sunday, August 15, House Church
Mon, 08/16/2010 - 12:21pm — Kyle Douglass
Sorry for the lack of posts, recently! Crazy busy lives, but don't worry, house church rocks on. In late July we started the book of Mark so that we can learn more about the life of Jesus. It should be obvious that if a person calls him or herself a Christian (Christ-one or Christ-follower) that they should know all they can about the dude he or she follows. That's what the gospel accounts are for: to introduce us to the person and work of Jesus.
Last night we hung out in chapter four, which is our first encounter in Mark of the actual teachings of Jesus. The first three chapters were a whirlwind introduction to "the Son of God" (1:1) and the explosive start to his ministry. As one reads the introduction's accounts of healings, demon encounters, conflicts with the religious leadership, and surreal popularity, you can't help but be curious as to what this Jesus guy is really all about. Obviously, supernatural events are going to draw attention, but what's the content of his message? What's the motivation behind all the hoopla? Is this stuff legit or was he a first century magician with a God-complex? So chapter four opens the door to Jesus' teachings about the "kingdom of God", the institution he has come to establish, the result of the "good news" he came to preach.
We spent the majority of our discussion on the first parable found in verses 4:1-20. Seed (the word of God; the truth of the gospel) is sown among four types of soil: 1) the roadside, 2) rocky ground, 3) thorny ground and 4) good soil. These soils represent types of people, or better the condition of their hearts. Roadside folks are people whose hearts are so closed to God that nothing gets in. It just bounces of the surface, available for the birds to come and carry away. The rocky ground represents people who accept the message of Christ, that God loves them and through faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ forgives them, but who only let God in so far. They like the message but they're not so sure about all the obedience stuff. So when the sun comes up and the heat is on, they whither. They don't have the faith fortitude to endure hardships and difficulties. The thorny ground people are those who keep too many distractions around. Maybe all the stuff in their lives aren't bad, but they compete with the work of God. They don't have time for establishing a relationship with the Lord or serving and loving others because they refuse to say no to the lesser things and the result is a plant that produces no fruit. Finally, Jesus describes the good soil, people who let the word in and accept it and produce fruit. These people don't just intellectually assent to the truth of God, they understand its demands, its comprehensiveness, its exclusivity and they get things done for God. Sure, it involves some sacrifice, like the pain of pulling up the thorns and weeds, but they also are partakers of the joy of the harvest.
So we did an exercise meant to help us consider what condition our heart was in (see the attached worksheet): we asked ourselves what soil type described us each best and what fruit was being produced in our lives currently. The we decided to think about what kind of fruit we wanted to see moving forward and what God might be asking us to do to soften our hearts or focus on his work. We then took communion and committed these things to God, intending that all of our "spiritual garden boxes" be full of good soil leading to an even better harvest.
Following communion, we took a look at some of the "to-dos" facing Life Point in the upcoming months. Maybe some of things we can do to be more effective for the kingdom of God, both in our particular church and in the broader community will line up with the "work plan" for the garden box's of our hearts. See the attachment below to see the activities we need some help with.
Washington Post Article on the American House Church Movement
Fri, 07/23/2010 - 10:49am — Kyle Douglass
A recent article in the Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/21/AR201007...) brought attention to the growing popularity of the house-church style of worship. It's an interesting read and though I'm a part of this cultural swing away from formal religious institutionalism, I had to ask the question, "Is this movement part of a national (global?) revival or is it a phase in the devolution of the American church?"
I'd love some feed back on this. What will house churches have to do (or what will they look like) if they are to be a part of a spiritual revival in America and not a pitstop on the way to lazy faith and spiritual apathy?
Life Point Update at Lawton EMC this Sunday
Thu, 07/08/2010 - 10:10am — Kyle DouglassLawton EMC is a "sister" church of Life Point and since we're under the same denominational umbrella (Fellowship of Evangelical Churches), we try and hang out from time-to-time so Life Point can share how things are going. This Sunday, July 11, 2010, is one of those times. We'll be giving just a brief update and I'd love to have everybody who hangs out with us on a regular basis up on stage. The service starts at 10:15 AM. Our portion won't be any longer than five minutes.
Then we're back at Roger and Linda's house in the evening, 6 PM. We're starting a study of the book of Mark, the rock n' roll gospel. Everybody's welcome, as always. More info (like directions) in the calendar.
Sunday, June 20, House Church
Tue, 06/22/2010 - 2:18pm — Kyle DouglassJason led us in a short (right, Roger?) devotional for Father's Day. We read some of Jesus' final words to his disciples from John 15:1-11. Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches. If we abide in Him, we will bear much fruit he promises. So Jason asked, what does it mean to "abide"? Two of the easy "churchy" answers include reading the Word and praying. They are so stereotypical that we often ignore them, looking for more spiritual solutions to the intimacy with God problem. Jason challenged us to renew our commitment to these basic disciplines.
Beyond that, we discussed the the obedience factor that is also brought up in this passage, that more than just reading and praying (words), Christ calls us to do what we've learned (action). If we're approaching the scriptures with the intention to be transformed and inviting God to work in our lives, then we will have that renewing, transformative, fruit-bearing experience of abiding in Him, our very life source.
We'd also invite prayer for Kelli and her relationship situation, for safe delivery of Kyle and Nikki's baby and for the several friends who couldn't make it Sunday night but are on our hearts.
Kyle's back from Africa
Fri, 06/18/2010 - 10:08am — Kyle Douglass
I was glad to get home after two weeks in Africa. My trip to Uganda as Executive Director of Orphan Justice Mission was very successful and I was excited to share last week some of the highlights. Please keep praying for our friends in the village of Ddwaniro, who are charging ahead full-throttle with the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's our privilege as Life Point to be their partners and supporters. We have as much to learn from them as they do from us.
I'm getting back into my routine and looking forward to getting House Church in a summer groove. We'll be starting a walk thru of the book of Mark on June 27th. We'll be studying the life and teaching of Jesus and praying for the Lord's will to be done in our lives as it was in His. We'll take a break on the 4th of July (maybe use the day to connect with some friends who need the love of Christ). We'll be back in action on July 11.
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Sunday, May 23, House Church
Mon, 05/24/2010 - 1:28pm — Kyle DouglassOkay, so we're a little behind here. We've missed a few weeks but plan to get caught up on the lost weeks soon. For last night, we had a smaller group but a big talk about "storytelling" one of the elements on our growth template. Evangelism, if we want to use an old stuffy church word, means sharing the good news, a herald. However, when most of us hear "evangelist" we think of bonnets, 90 degree summer days and sweaty men in suites yelling into microphones about hellfire. Loose that image and replace it with someone who prays to Father God for opportunities to let the people around him or her know about how good God has been to them. Evangelism is simply the willingness to tell others about the work of God in your life. That work looks different for every person, which makes your story unique and interesting. Yet, there is commonality in every Christian's story because it is founded in the work of Jesus on the cross and the grace you received because of it.
The Psalms are filled both theme-wise and literally with bragging about God. Many psalms are simply about telling others of the awesomeness of the Lord. It's the same with your story, but before you can share it (be it in conversation, art, poetry or song), you have to know it. We challenged each other, if we didn't know it already, to learn our stories. We can reflect on our past and identify the times when God was really working in and around us. We can also include our struggles and hopes and explain how God is working in us in the present. Once we have an awareness of all the pieces that make up our story, we can form it and shape it and begin to share it. And it's important that we do that. 1 Peter 3:15 says we are to "sanctify Christ as Lord" in our hearts. I think Paul is identifying the need for us to be obedient to Jesus, who commanded us to make disciples. And how can someone be a disciple if they haven't heard the Good News? And how they hear if someone doesn't share with them? Who will if not you? Be a storyteller.
Sunday, April 11, House Church
Mon, 04/12/2010 - 11:19am — Kyle DouglassGod is our boss. This is one of the most fundamental truths of our existence and is a powerful metaphor that helps us understand our relationship to Him. For those who have bad bosses, don't worry; God isn't one of those. He is extremely kind, loving, personal, and supportive with clear expectations and an awesome benefits package. Working for Him is the most fulfilling use of your brief existence on this planet. Our discussion last night centered around this theme.
First, we spent some time understanding the foundation of this contractual relationship with God: the covenants. The "old covenant" (see Genesis 17) was an agreement made between God and Abraham, that Abraham would obey God, and God would bless Abraham. There's a lot more to this, more than we can handle here, but the point was that Abraham was God's servant, literally, and would be compensated according to performance. Then Jesus introduced a new covenant, one based on His work and blood, a forever covenant based not on the law but by the Spirit (above and beyond the law) (2 Corinthians 3:6).
As His employees, God gives us tasks (Great Commission/Commandment) and tools (the Spirit, prayer, fasting, fellow workers, etc.). And, my main point, He evaluates our performance. Check these out:
- Psalm 26:2
- Jeremiah 12:3
- Lamentations 3:40
- 2 Corinthians 13:5
To apply this to our lives, we asked Are you taking your job seriously? How would God evaluate your current performance? If this question is hard for you to answer, we've designed something called the Growth Template. It's a way for you to quickly assess how you're doing in your job as a servant of the Most High God. It asks specifically what you're doing in basic areas of the faith, so you can 1) have the confidence that you are being obedient and, 2) it helps you clearly see what you need to work on.
Over the next six weeks, we'll be working through the components of the Template, so that we fully understand our job and how to evaluate our own performance. We have a job to do, and we ought to be serious about. It's what Life Point is all about.
Sunday, March 21, House Church
Mon, 03/22/2010 - 11:54am — Kyle Douglass
In anticipation of Easter, we have embarked on a two week exploration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baker Theological Dictionary notes, The resurrection of Jesus is the principal tenet of the New Testament. Without the physical coming-back-to-life of Jesus, we have no Christianity, no messiah, no once-for-all forgiveness of sins. Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 that a living Jesus is the basic creed of our faith: For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. Without Easter, Christmas is idolatry and church is a waste of time (vs. 32).
To feel the full weight and importance of the resurrection, it's important to understand that it wasn't a blip in history, a weird, unexpected one-off event that was mysterious and unusual enough to start a cult. No, it's been the centerpiece of God's plan throughout history, the divine mission to repair the shattered relationship between God and his creation brought about by sin. He has been weaving the theme of resurrection throughout the Gospel story, both through "types" and through prophecy. Jesus himself, before revealing himself to his followers on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24, reminded them that his death and resurrection had been spoken of by the prophets for centuries. We explored just a few of those passages to gain the larger context. They were:
- 2 Kings 13:20-21
- Isaiah 26:19; 53:10-12
- Jonah 2:1-10
Besides a necessary component of our salvation, what does the resurrection represent or tell us about God? A few things were brought up: God is life–he gives life, he celebrates life. His power is most gloriously seen through the creation of life (and resurrection or "re-life-ing") and this power is so great that the contact with a dead prophet's bones can make a dead pagan walk out of a grave (see 2 Kings 13) or the touch of Jesus' (and later the disciples') clothes brings healing. It shows God's bountiful mercy and generosity, in that he didn't stop at death in the sacrifice for our sins. He's not interested in just evening up; he tips the scales way in our favor, giving life in abundance. It also reminds us that we get a fresh start, that no matter how bad we've screwed up, God can make it new.
The resurrection, because it's so miraculous (ridiculous, even), gives us a solid line of faith to cross as Believers. Had Jesus just been a teacher or moralist, we could take him or leave him and our lives would be more or less unaffected. But to claim to be alive, in spite of having been tortured and executed so violently, publicly, definitively, demands that we wrestle with the content of our beliefs and their consequences. Either the resurrection is true or you, Christian, are a lunatic. Authentic Christ Followers don't just believe that Jesus' way is the best way (though I would argue it is) or that it makes one feel good to be religious or that the Bible has some pretty awesome but obviously metaphorical life stories. You believe that Christ has risen and that some day you will, too. If you can't assent to that, then your religion is not Christianity.
My final interjection was to note that wrestling with the resurrection and the truthfulness of the Gospel accounts was what helped me recommit to faith in Christ during a pretty significant period of doubt. After some extensive reading, conversations, and soul-searching, I came to the place where I could in good conscience believe the historical accounts claiming that Christ is truly alive. From there, I could easily move backwards into other "irrational" commitments of faith (that God exists, that he created the world and has miraculous intervened in history). And that was surely a purpose of the resurrection of Christ, to act as a sign to the world of God's existence, nature and redemptive plan for humanity, of which I'm grateful to be a part.
We ended with praying for each other one-on-one, that we would know the reality of Christ's resurrection, that it would inform and transform our faith, and that we would have the courage to proclaim it. Then Jason led us in worship and we ate food. Next week, we'll look into what living like pre-resurrected people is all about.
Sunday, March 7, House Church
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 5:31pm — Kyle DouglassThe last week of the The Tangible Kingdom Primer opens with 100% Organic and ends with 100% Sold. Great wrap up. The Gospel is best lived in the natural, unadulterated, exponentially expanding way that Jesus presented it. It's about incarnation driven by mission. It doesn't take much fanciness; mostly it just takes love (and everybody has a little of that). The opposite is an interesting concept–synthetic church.
This simply organic Holy Spirit life is all-consuming. It takes humility, surrender and being 100% sold. THE Christ wants nothing less from us than all of us.
We all have really appreciated this study. It's been inspiring and informative and we have grown in our desire to live in true community with others and to love those around us. It was even suggested that we go through the book again. We'll give a few weeks.
Sunday, Feb 28, House Church
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 10:44am — Kyle DouglassIt was good to be back with the crew! I missed two weeks due to being in Africa and needed my Jesus Homies fix. It was a super great meeting, too, like surprisingly good, glory be to God.
We were on week 7 in The Tangible Kingdom Primer, which is about Apprenticeship. According to the authors, discipleship has become too weak of a word. Back in the day, disciples of Jesus were follow-you-everywhere, eat-what-you-eat, see-what-you-see, say-what-you-say pupils of the Master. It was a living, practical, all-consuming experience of knowledge, value and behavior transfer. The disciples were confronted, corrected and commissioned as part of a process of replication so that these simple fisherman and tax collectors could carry on the work of Christ after He was gone. So where did we get the idea that "discipleship" could be a summed up in a workbook or five week Sunday school class? Wherever (or whoever) it came from, it wasn't God.
What will it take to return to Jesus-style discipleship, to "apprenticeship"? First, it takes "masters" in the faith, people far enough down the road (not perfect, mind you) who can pass on their knowledge via relationship and life-modeling to the next gen. Then it takes people willing to be apprentices, acknowledging their need for growth and a willingness to "submit" to the tutelage of a spiritual elder (or just a friend who is in a position to help). For the church's part, we need to create environments that encourage these kinds of relationships. I'm happy to say that LP is committed to this. In our Growth Template, we identify the need for discipleship relationships; each person needs a mentor, a peer and protegé. We're committed to helping everyone establish those connections.
We also celebrate with Levi, who gave his life to Jesus earlier that morning at Lawton EMC. You rock, dude! We're excited to have you around and help you with your upcoming apprenticeship. Also, Mike and Haley announced their participation with the youth group at Connections Community Church, which means they won't be around as much. I'll still be harassing Mike at morning Bible studies, but we're going to miss them at group. We bless you guys and are excited you can serve Jesus in this way. Mike, you're a twelve year old stuck in the body of rhino: you are built for youth ministry. You'll be great, man.
Next week, last chapter in the Primer. See you all there.
Comments
Leadership is key
My only concern regarding house church is leadership. I might be wrong, but if most house churches are formed by unhappy attendees of traditional churches or a result of the mitosis of an existing house church, I can't imagine that many will be led by classically-educated leaders. Some might argue that the Bible is all the leadership a church needs, but somehow a development strategy for the church that keeps in line with the church's identity must be formed and maintained. While a committee or some other shared-leadership system might be able to address this need, I wonder whether many house churches can do this effectively. Without strong central leadership, house church develops into a directionless gathering of friends each week, a "feel-good" experience where spiritual growth relies primarily on the individual. If a house church wants to be successful beyond simply persisting, I believe that at least one member has to seriously develop into a primary church leader responsible for the developmental and educational needs of the church.