Where are we Heading?

Wednesday 01/04/17

Message – Where are we Heading?

Series: N/A

Where are we Heading?

Tonight I felt led to read an article from Relevant magazine entitled, “4 Ways the Modern Church Looks Nothing Like the Early Church“. While I am uncertain about any other publicized work from this magazine, I found the article touched on some of the very issues I felt the need to address and so I read it to the congregation as a catapult into an honest discussion on where we are and where we are heading as a church.

The four areas of difference highlighted in the article were:

How we view other Christians
How we spend out money
How we think about power (esp. political/military power)
How we study the bible.

While this would not have been my “short-list” it is a least a very valid one!

In this article it mentions things we’ve addressed in our assembly many times over the past several years. This is true, especially in regard to how Christians should view and interact biblically within North American political landscape. Where is the tendencies of the modern church headed in regard to biblical morality in regard to our nations politics and military presence?

More importantly, or rather…transcendentally, the article touched on the poor attention, study and literal application the modern church places on the Scriptures themselves. In regard to heading in the right direction, the modern local assemblies are actually running in the opposite direction. Quite opposite of searching the scriptures, accepting them at face value and obeying them – the modern church hardly teaches the Word of God at all. WHEN the modern church does actually crack open their bibles, it’s goals are more often to explain away those parts which our culture finds inconvenient and incompatible with their life-styles. In a world bursting at the seams with churches who desire to appear culturally relevant and seeker friendly, what else could one expect?

Finally in regard to the scriptures, the modern church does not take seriously the absolutely necessity in grounding new, baby Christians in the teachings of scripture. And no where is this more clearly witnessed than in the modern church’s near illiteracy in regard to the Old Testament. The “modern church” is heading away from embracing the very things the Apostles spent their lives teaching and instilling in the early church. When Paul, James, John or Peter talk about the scriptures as….

authoritative – 2 Peter 1:20
inspired and the basis for New Testament doctrine – 2 Tim. 3:16
the basis for Christian Character – Titus 2:7
traditions we should live by – 1 Cor. 11:2; 2 Thess. 2:15

…they were talking about the ONLY scriptures they HAD at the time, which was the Old Testament! How then has the modern church begun heading in a direction AWAY from the very scriptures which lent credibility and credence to the teachings of the New Testament?

The ensuing discussion time is also on the recording and reveals an increased desire to be students of the scriptures. To know what they say, be appraised of what they teach and to dedicate our hearts as holy unto the Lord through obedience to them! We have made the decision that we are heading in the direction of the ancient early church, that we might be a modern church heading towards Christ and His kingdom!

…Blessings!

I hope this teaching will challenge you and encourage you to place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

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Blessings!

Pastor Mark

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Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!