Lesson 9: Chapter 7 Take-Away, Part 2 The Supernatural Body of Christ

We often hear that we would like to RESTORE New Testament Christianity, but unfortunately we rarely understand what that would mean. What we HAVE restored too often is the c of C (church of Constantine) a ruler who took over the church in the late 4th Century. A ruler that had no connection to the Mission of Christ or God's Vision for His church. 

Quick Review of Contantine's Influence

(1) Constantine was never baptized (maybe sprinkled on his death bed) therefore he could not have been led by the Holy Spirit to be a leader of the Lord's Body. He declared himself Vicar of Vicars (bishop of bishops) which of course, (1) there is no such title in the Lord's Body and (2) he could not have been any kind of bishop not having accepted Christ in baptism.

(2) He changed the PLACE of Worship (Isa 17:7-8). Instead of the daily house-to-house worship that spread the Gospel into the known world, he placed Christians in Basillicas patterned after pagan temples with rows facing a podium, diasis, clergy and assigned times so that he could be in control and "manage" Christianity.

(3) He changed the "one another" interactivity of the assembly into an "audience" instead of "participants".

(4) He started the idea of "church", a place. The word "church is not in any Scripture or copy of Scripture until after Constantine. "We are going to church, (Kirke-Teutonic for a secular building meaning "circle" or pagan worship place like Stone Hinge) does not even resemble what first century Christians practiced. "Church", a place substituted for Ekklasia, "the called out" meaning people who were sanctified for the purpose of being sent on the mission of God.

You will notice that Christ and the Apostles did not go to an established place to preach or pray. They went to the mountains, in boats, in homes, and where ever the people were. This is the point....they preached EVERYWHERE.

READ!

Taken from James Nored blog, "Missional Outreach":

Out of 132 contacts that Jesus had w/people, 6 were in temple, 4 were in synagogue, & 122 were in the mainstream of life."  

Also Jesus never invited anyone to the synagogue or the temple - where did he meet them? On the road ... along the lake ... in their homes.  Why not invite them to the temple or synagogue... especially when he was going to be speaking? Because the people he usually hung out with wouldn't have been welcome there anyway.

He was almost never 'one-on-one' with anyone ... possible exceptions: Nicodemus and the woman at the well of Sychar. There were almost always multiple witnesses to what he did and taught.

So? So why have we gotten into this thing of inviting people to 'church?' How long has it been since you were invited to a mosque? Did you go? Probably not. Why not? Because it's a scary thing to do. You don't know anyone there. You don't know what's expected of you or how to act. Its not the place for you.

We invite people to church because we enjoy it and we want the visitor to enjoy what we enjoy. We are comfortable and we think they should be comfortable. Jesus modeled doing the hard thing: going to the 'turf' of the people he was sent to reach ... going where they are comfortable (at the cost of being uncomfortable ... yes, even persecuted).

So, NEVER invite people to your church? If they ask you if they can come, sure. That's a sign you are doing something right and have something they are searching for.

Stop thinking that you ONLY need to "bring folks to church" although it is not evil...it is all too often not what they really need. Ask God to give you wisdom to know what they need. Do they need to know and be convicted that they are broken in need of a remedy for sin? Do they need to know that Jesus is the Son of God? Do they need to know that God loves them and has made the ultimate sacrifce? Do they need to know that you have been transformed through your relationship with God's Spirit? Do they need to know that you love them because of Christ?

The Greek word, "ekklesia", is used 115 times in the New Testament, and in most Bibles it is always translated as "church" (except in Acts 19:32, 39, 41, where it is properly translated as "assembly" of saints.

(4) He changed the ORDER of Worship (Liturgy) by prescribing how worship would be organized.

--Where 2 or 3 taught lessons, he placed an orator to deliver a "one-way" lesson

--He stopped the interactive nature of the communication. There would never again be an interruptive cry in the "audience" of "Men and brethren what shall we do?"

--He set the order of worship so that it was not spontaneous or interactive (James 5:17) 3 songs and a prayer, lesson, sacriments, prayer and dismissal. No more "one another" Scriptures would be practiced in the Basillica.

--He started the vain repetitions

--He took the responsibility of memorizing and learning Scripture away from the laity (common folk) and gave the responsibility of interpreting Scripture to the masses to the clergy.

(5) He changed the "rulers" over Worship:

--He made himself to be Vicar of Christ (bishop of bishops)

--He modeled church leaders after the Roman government and appointed clergy as the official interpreters of Scripture. Regular folk no longer had to worry about studying the Scriptures. They would be told what was written and what it meant.

--He called the Nicene council to set the dogma of the church and to set up hierarchical clergy which mirrored the Roman government

--We no longer confessed our sins one to another but to a singular person or small group of professionals

--He gave the clergy power, funds, status, and property. They were no longer sacrificial servants but high officials with power from Caesar.

(6) He changed some of the fundamental PUPROSES of the Assembly (Acts 2:41, James 2:2 or Acts 13:43, Hebrews 10:25; 2 Thess 2:1)

--To collect all the masses into one place at one time to sit facing a stage or podium instead of seated around tables breaking bread eyeball to eyeball.

--To relinquish any form of “one another” participation or interaction

(7) He changed the MISSION of the common folk

 Well actually, he dismissed the "mission" of the common folk and left the "saving of souls" up to the professional (clergy). 
When all we had to do was show up at a Basillica, pagan temple, once a week and someone else gave the lesson because they were clergy and we weren't...we didnt have to study our Bibles, and we didn't have to visit the sick, because they were paid to do that, and we didn't have to worry about where the funds went because there were committees to do that, and we didn't have to feed the poor because there were clergy whose unique job it was to make bread and pass it out to the orphans and widows, and we didn't have to do anything but "be nice" and do what the clergy said, and we didn't have to pray because the clergy would pray for us and forgive us of our sins so we didn't have to confess it before the congregation...then did we NO LONGER LOOK LIKE the Bride of Christ?  

HOW DO WE LOOK TODAY?

(8) He called the Nicene Council which begin  perversions in Christian Dogma

--named a one-world religion –Holy Roman Catholic Church, views on the Trinity, a creed of belief, and church organization and purpose.

--It began a tradition of accepting men’s views and opinions which arose beyond Scripture as truth. 

--It set up 9 elements for the Liturgy and worked through the acceptance of the canon (Biblical books accepted as inspired).

--It calculated the a table for the exact date of Easter – although it is the First Resurrection Day, it was named by for Heathen Goddess Easter. This practice needs to disappear as it is a stumbling block to Jews and Muslims alike.

--It formally stated that “baptism should be delayed” until the prospect is known to have no serious offense.

Restoration Movement--a Snipit

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You may have been exposed to the American Restoration Movement which many are so proud of because of the efforts of people like Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone. My ties to this movement run fairly deep as my father is actually mentioned in this encyclopedia and I am related to B.W. Stone. I grew up appreciating what these men had done. But now that I am older and have studied much more of the church's history, including works by European fathers such as Dr Hans Grimm, I realize that this movement was only a small part of God's operation among men.





Through a unique perspective Dr Grimm was able to chronical the Lord's Body from the time of persecution in Rome to WWII when European Christians were sent to the concentration camps even before Jews because they refused aliegence to any "state or dictator" save Christ. This summary of his book includes: (1) criteria ancient Christians kept for recognizing membership in the Lord’s Body (2) proof that Dr Grimm was a member of one of the oldest Christian families in Central Europe, (3) the incarceration of Christians (which NOBODY talks about) during WWII (4) Dr Grimm meeting Otis Gatewood (missionary friend of our family and who I went to Germany on a mission trip back in the 60’s) and (5) his AMAZEMENT to hear that the Lord’s church was alive and well!

I am glad to see that we have called this a "movement" and now recognize that this "movement" needs to continue to MOVE! Perhaps we have taken too much "pride" in this movement as if it had come to completion. Let's examine this movement further. Each of these two men, Stone & Campbell (1790-1870) came from eclesiastical traditions of the Presbyterian persuation.  We appreciate their work to unify everyone and to restore New Testament Christianity. However, they too had filters which rendered them blind to some fundamental facts about the Lord's Body.

These filters go all the way back to 312 AD, Constantine's influence on Christianity and not back to the first Century.

IS THIS REALLY CHURCH?

 Resource: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/nicea1.txt

WATCH:

What do we STILL NEED to do to RESTORE First Century Christianity?

Click Here: HANDOUT: ONE ANOTHER VERSES

GO BACK TO THE BIBLE:

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50mqagzxU0c#t=141

PERHAPS FREEDOM is our ENEMY

After Constantine "freed" Christianity, the people became complacent and non-missional. Perhaps we too with all our freedoms have become complacent and non-missional. Perhaps God needs to take those freedoms away from us so that we will, as early Christians did, count the cost of discipleship with our very lives.

I am not sure God even asks us to pray for our freedom. Our riches and freedoms have led to a very crippled and lame Christianity.

Psalm 52:7“Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, But trusted in the abundance of his riches And was strong in his evil desire.”

God never told us to "fight for our rights." As His servants, we have no "rights". Our freedom is given to us by God in order that we might do what? Galatians 5:13

 

Who's rights are we to stand up for according to Scripture? (Isaiah 10:2)

Join us for Part 3: The signs of a Mission-Minded Community