How to pray in a time of upheaval.

The nations of Europe are still reeling from the results of the EU parliamentary elections. It is not only Britain that has produced surprise results; all over Europe people have expressed their frustration with the establishment and looked for alternatives. The battle for power between Macron and Merkel may now be in full swing, but in both their countries voters have expressed their discontent with their rulers and their desire for change.

In Britain the Brexit battle continues relentlessly with more Conservative hopefuls throwing their hats into the ring to be the next Prime Minister – even though the role is a poisoned chalice. No doubt each of them thinks they could do better than Theresa May, who bravely went to Brussels this week to greet other crestfallen leaders facing uncertain futures.

Tory leadership hopefuls. PA/PA Wire/PA ImagesUndoubtedly the Lord is fulfilling his promise to shake all the nations! The prophecy in Haggai 2 includes shaking the physical universe as well as the structures and foundations of the nations. I’ve quoted it many times, but it is so central to contemporary issues that we need to keep it in the forefront of our discussion of what’s happening today:

This is what the Lord Almighty says: in a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord Almighty. (Hag 2:6-7)

I know that our political masters don’t recognise that God has any place in what is happening among the nations, but God actually laughs at their stupidity and blindness. It would do all our leaders good to read Psalm 2 and meditate on it for a few minutes each day before they open their mouths in public.

The plain fact is that God is not only in charge of the climate upheavals that are causing such anxiety to many people (witness the unprecedented 500 tornadoes that have ripped through the USA just in the past 30 days¹), but he is also allowing the incredible levels of uncertainty and anxiety in the social and political lives of the nations.

Undoubtedly the Lord is fulfilling his promise to shake all the nations!

Admitting the Problem

If we share the beliefs of the biblical prophets, who saw the hand of God in everything that happened around them, we have to ask: why is God shaking everything? – from our weather patterns to the major institutions in society: our familiar high street stores, our banks and post offices, our social services and our health services, our political parties and even our churches, where we see ‘For Sale’ notices on great old buildings where our parents were married and their children were blessed.

With all the familiar things in life being shaken, it is small wonder that the levels of mental health problems are overwhelming our health authorities. In Britain we have such a crisis of mental health that even Royalty have joined in to share their stories in an attempt to reassure the public that there is really nothing wrong - that we all have times when our minds are sick, when we are unable to think clearly and give way to our fears and anxieties.

When are we going to wake up to the fact that there is something seriously wrong, and we ought to be concerned? We ought to be asking major questions about what is happening in our lifetime. Why is there such dissatisfaction, such anger, such disagreement and such division in society? The dissatisfaction is not just among the deprived who envy the rich and the powerful. It is also among those who have plenty and who have good jobs and homes and cars and multitudes of gadgets, none of which gives them real satisfaction.

The uncomfortable truth is that there is something in our human nature, put there by the God of Creation, that makes us long for a relationship with the Creator. We are lonely in the universe without any connection with its Maker. But, collectively, Europeans have abandoned that connection. They have chosen to discard their spiritual heritage and to go it alone, so they are at the mercy of the spiritual forces of darkness that roam the universe and plague its occupants.

When are we going to wake up to the fact that there is something seriously wrong, and we ought to be concerned?

Deserving of Judgment

In Britain the European Parliamentary election (that we did not want!) has dramatically highlighted the division in the nation. We may expect to see an increase in conflict during the next five months as those who are determined to prevent Britain leaving the European Union intensify their activities.

As we get nearer to the deadline of 31 October and the parliamentary battle advances, it will be reflected upon the streets. The worst possible outcome would be the revoking of Article 50 and a second referendum, which would undoubtedly inject further hatred and violence into the public sphere.

Let’s face the facts: we are part of a nation richly deserving judgment. Every working day a black bag full of babies is taken out of the back door of our hospitals and thrown into the incinerator. We are just like the Moabites, who threw their babies into the fire - a heinous sin that God roundly condemned.

The latest sin is the grooming of our children, which is a national act of child abuse! Just last month an Education Bill was nodded through our Parliament, too occupied with Brexit to study it carefully, which brainwashes juniors and presents pornography to senior students; even advocating ‘threesomes’ for getting the most exciting sexual experience – with cartoon illustrations.²

We may be near the final point of depravity described by Paul:

Since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity…they invent ways of doing evil… (Rom 1:28-32)

Nevertheless, there is still a powerful remnant of Bible-believing Christians in Britain who could stand in the gap between God and the coming disaster if they were fully aware of the situation and understood how to pray into it.

There is still a powerful remnant of Bible-believing Christians in Britain who could stand in the gap between God and the coming disaster if they were fully aware of the situation and understood how to pray into it.

How to Pray

We must not ask God to stop shaking the nations just because we don’t like what’s happening today. We have to recognise why God is shaking the nations.

It surely has to be to warn the nations that we are heading for self-destruction, and that only repentance and turning that can save humanity from unbelievable disaster. Perhaps it was with this in mind that Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit, saying: “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8).

All Christians in the Western nations can see (if they open their eyes) that our civilisation is crumbling. But we have yet to realise that there are no political solutions to the problems facing humanity! Only God can heal the nations! But the greatest fault lies in the blindness of the Church, whose silent leaders do not declare the word of the Lord with the first call to Christians to repent. The writing is on the wall and judgment is already starting at the household of God.

As we approach the season of Pentecost, we should all be praying for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit of God to open eyes that are blind and bring a fresh spiritual awakening – beginning with ourselves.

References

1 Read more at Sky News.

2 This can be seen online, though I will not give the link here.

How the charismatic movement took on the characteristics of its social surroundings.

Last week we looked at the social and cultural characteristics of pop culture as it developed through the 20^th Century. This week we move on to see how this shaped the Church.

Youth-Dominated

Many of the founding fathers of the charismatic movement in Britain were men of deep spirituality, personal commitment to the Lord Jesus and with a passion to share Christ with others. Many of them, such as Denis Clark, Arthur Wallis, David Lillie, Campbell McAlpine, Michael Harper and Tom Smail - to mention just a few - were steeped in the Word of God and utterly committed to the promotion of New Testament Christianity. This, indeed, was their major objective, namely the restoration of authentic New Testament principles to the life of the Church.

There were many other men from conservative evangelical or Brethren backgrounds whose study of the Word of God led them to believe that the 20^th Century Church had strayed woefully from the New Testament pattern. They longed to see the restoration of the five-fold ministries, of the recognition of baptism in the Holy Spirit and of the exercise of spiritual gifts within the Church. Their witness within their denominational institutions often stirred heated opposition and many were ejected from their fellowships.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s a few house church groups began to be formed, although this was never the intention of those who longed to see the restoration of New Testament teaching and practice in the Church. In the early days there were men in leadership of these new fellowships who were of sound biblical scholarship and considerable spiritual maturity. But, as so often happens in a new movement, it is not the thinkers who prevail but those who are the most convincing 'charismatic' personalities, popular speakers and natural leaders.

Young men rapidly took the initiative, both in forming new fellowships and in taking leadership. This was fully in line with the prevailing mood in Western society. These young men owed no allegiance to traditional Church or denominational institutions. They were untrained for leadership and most of them had no theological education. They rapidly developed new styles of worship using guitars, which were ideal for home groups, and new styles of meetings and leadership.

As so often happens in a new movement, it is not the thinkers who prevail, but those who are the most convincing ‘charismatic’ personalities. 

Anti-Tradition

The new house fellowships soon attracted those who were discontented with their traditional denominational churches. This, of course, is inevitable with any new movement. When David was outlawed by King Saul and took refuge in the hills, it is recorded that, “All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered round him, and he became their leader” (1 Sam 22:2).

Something like this happened in the early days of the house church movement. Many who were dissatisfied with the lifelessness of the denominational churches were attracted by the informality and freshness of the house church fellowships. The early days saw many groups split away from a parent group and form new fellowships. These splits often occurred on the grounds of teaching or practice, but in reality new young leaders were arising to challenge an established leader and form their own fellowships.

The emphasis was upon all things new in response to the new experience of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. This was a new day. God was doing a new thing. Old established practices in the denominational churches were considered stumbling-blocks to what God wanted to do among his people. The Holy Spirit was sweeping away the dead wood in the Church and there were many calls for people to come out of the mainline churches because God had finished with the denominations.

These calls did not come from mature Bible teachers such as Denis Clark and Campbell McAlpine, who never formed new fellowships and whose ministries were trans-denominational. They came from the young men who eagerly seized the opportunities for leadership presented by new teaching and the impatience of many within the traditional churches to move faster than their pastors deemed to be wise.

In Brighton, for example, when Terry Virgo founded the Clarendon Fellowship he was joined by a large proportion of the congregation from St Luke's, Brighton and Hangelton Baptist as well as individual members from churches in the surrounding area.

Young leaders eagerly seized opportunities for leadership presented by new teaching and the impatience of many within traditional churches. 

Similar things happened in many other parts of the country, where house fellowships sprang up and rapidly attracted members of the mainline churches. These congregants were longing to experience new life in the Spirit and felt constricted by the traditions which bound them in the churches they had attended for many years.

It was a time of splits, of fission and fusion, as house fellowships multiplied, outgrew their drawing-room bases and began worshipping in scout huts and school halls. There were many cries of sheep-stealing and counter-charges of being blocks to the Holy Spirit. There were many hurts, but it is now a long time ago and most wounds have healed. The new fellowships are an established part of the Church scene. Their leaders are prominent in the charismatic movement alongside those in the mainline churches.

Most of the new fellowships planted in the 1970s or early 1980s have now aligned themselves with one or other of half a dozen streams such as Pioneer, New Frontiers, New Covenant or Ichthus, each of which is now an independent sect or a mini-denomination.

At the time these new fellowships were being formed, a significant renewal movement was taking place within the mainline churches themselves. Many ordained ministers quite independently experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit and began to lead their congregations into renewal in the Holy Spirit. Many suffered considerably in doing so while others saw quite spectacular results. Colin Urquhart in Luton, Trevor Dearing in Hainault, David Watson in York, David Pawson in Guildford and many others each attracted large congregations and saw the renewing of the spiritual life in the churches they led and the exercise of spiritual gifts among the people.

It is questionable in hindsight whether it was ever right to fragment the Church by the formation of numerous new fellowships, or whether it was God's intention to renew the existing structures. The new eager young leaders reflected the spirit of the age, both in their impatience to get on with the new thing, and with their anti-traditionalism which regarded all things of the past as only being fit for ridicule and rejection.

Certainly the Church was in need of a radical shake-up and spiritual renewal, but was it really necessary to tear apart the Body of Christ so wantonly and create such division? Would a little more love and patience have enabled renewal and a new unity to run right across the denominations? Was this God's intention for his Church?

It is questionable in hindsight whether it was ever right to fragment the Church by the formation of numerous new fellowships, or whether it was God's intention to renew the existing structures. 

We shall never know the answers to these questions, but it is a fact that the decade of the 1970s which saw the greatest fragmentation of the Church was also the decade of the greatest social unrest, the height of the social revolution.

A spirit of rebellion was running right through the nation with numerous strikes in industry and a vast increase in marriage breakdown and sexual promiscuity, with all the accompanying evidence of the rejection of tradition and the eager pursuit of new social and moral values.

It is perhaps a strange quirk that the young rebel leaders who caused great division in the 1970s and who became the leading 'apostles' of the charismatic movement are now the very ones condemning as 'divisive' those who question the biblical validity of their teaching and practices.

Individualism

20^th Century evangelicalism has tended towards individualism due to its emphasis upon the personal nature of salvation. The seeds of individualism have been there since the Reformation, but 20^th Century Western culture has greatly encouraged this. By the time the charismatic movement was born, individualism in Western society was rampant and the new renewal movement embraced it wholeheartedly.

Unlike the corporate experience of the disciples on the Day of Pentecost, the renewal movement was entirely personal. Its emphasis was upon the personal relationship of each believer with the Father. This, of course, is perfectly biblical and in line with the promise of the Lord, but the Hebraic background to Jesus' teaching has been lost over the centuries and with it the understanding of the place of each believer within the corporate community the Body of Christ.

Charismatic renewal is highly 'me-centred'. Each individual is encouraged to discover their spiritual gifting. Indeed, the gifts are regarded as personal possessions rather than together making up the spiritual attributes of the community of believers.

This individualistic concept of the gifts has led to some erroneous teaching, highly dangerous for the health of the Church, such as the 'positive confession' or 'faith movement' which has emphasised physical and materialistic values such as health and wealth. Its proponents have taught that God wants all his people to prosper, to be healthy and wealthy and that through faith or 'positive confession' these things can be obtained.

This teaching is fully in line with the desires and ambitions of Western acquisitive materialistic society which no doubt accounts for its popularity among charismatics, despite it being the very opposite of the teaching of Jesus!

Much of the preoccupation of charismatics with the exercise of spiritual gifts has been me-centred: me and my health, my wealth, my family and my personal relationship with God. The exercise of spiritual gifts thereby tends to meet the personal needs within the fellowship. The servant nature of discipleship - saved to serve - tends to become lost.

Much of the charismatic renewal movement has been me-centred: me and my health, my wealth, my family and my personal relationship with God.

Charismatic worship has both reflected this me-centredness and helped to reinforce it. A very large number of worship songs and choruses use the first person singular rather than plural. One of the great benefits of the renewal movement has been to heighten each believer's awareness of the presence of God and thereby to heighten each individual's active participation in worship and deepen their spiritual apprehension of God. This is wholly good, but the danger of an overemphasis on individualism is a loss of the corporate and thereby a loss of the essential nature of the New Testament Church as the Body of Christ.

Personal Involvement

If you walk into a strange church, you can usually know instantly whether it is charismatic or traditional. If it is traditional, the congregation will fill up the back pews first; if it is charismatic they will fill up from the front. In the traditional church the congregation is passive, the people are there to be ministered to by choir, readers and preacher; in the charismatic church the people are there for active participation. They want to be fully involved in worship with the freedom to wave their arms, clap, dance and give physical expression to their emotions.

This DIY worship is very much in line with the spirit of pop culture. Amateur musicians, worship leaders and singers give a performance at the front which is enthusiastically supplemented by the active participation of the congregation.

In the new sects which arose out of the house church fellowships, the preachers and pastors were also untrained. Hardly any of them had any formal theological training in a theological college or university theology faculty. A few had been to a Bible school although many of the younger leaders had received some sort of training from schools set up within their own sects. These were non-academic and simply pass on the limited teaching of the leadership.

This represents one of the greatest dangers of the charismatic movement, where the emphasis has been increasingly on experience-centred or revelationary-centred leadership with increasingly less emphasis upon biblical scholarship.

One of the greatest dangers of the charismatic movement is its emphasis on experience-centred leadership over and above biblical scholarship.

As the charismatic movement has tended to become increasingly driven by the leaders of new sects in concert with a handful of leaders from the mainline churches, few of whom are men of outstanding scholarship, the gap between biblical truth and current charismatic practice has widened.

The anti-professionalism of pop culture has been present in the charismatic movement from the beginning although leaders have been quick to assert their own authority. The excesses of heavy shepherding, which scarred many people's lives during the 1980s, have largely disappeared, although the authoritarianism of sectarian leadership has left its mark. Individual believers are encouraged to be fully involved in worship and the exercise of spiritual gifts, with the exception of the gift of prophecy, which is permitted as long as it is supportive of the leadership.

Next week: The final three characteristics of pop culture are compared to the Church: sensuousness, lawlessness and power.

First published 1995. Revised and serialised November 2017. You can find previous instalments in this series here.

Top-level turmoil is a biblical sign.

Day after day the news media is filled with reports of confusion in Whitehall, disagreements within the Cabinet and discontent among backbenchers.

Nobody is quite sure what’s going on and the general uncertainty at the top of the political spectrum is rapidly communicated, not only to the nation but also to leaders of the 27 other nations in the European Union with whom we are trying to negotiate an exit treaty.

The Bible tells us that ‘confusion’ is a direct consequence of turning away from God – rejecting his truth. Deuteronomy 28 lays out the great benefits and blessings that flow from being in a right relationship with God and keeping his commands to walk in his ways. It also sets out the consequences of rejecting the word of God.

Of course, these things were specifically written for the guidance of Israel, a nation in a covenant relationship with God. Nevertheless, the spiritual principle here is one that applies to nations such as Britain and the USA. They have publicly declared themselves to be nations that accept the Bible as the revealed word of God, which sets the standard for truth in the public square as well as in personal and corporate morality and ethics.

Having publicly recognised God’s truth, we have to bear the consequences of our rejection which are spelt out in Deuteronomy 28:20: “The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him.”

Departing from the Truth

The Prime Minister’s latest flying visit to Brussels will do nothing to rescue the Brexit negotiations with the EU unless there is public recognition of the way we have departed from the truth and despised the word of God.

However much we may have had sympathy for Theresa May in her ill-fated speech to the Conservative conference, it is hardly surprising that she choked on her words when in the same speech she declared that the greatest recent achievement of the Conservative Government was in changing the definition of marriage, defying the word of God and his created order.

Having publicly recognised God’s truth, we have to bear the consequences of rejecting it.

There is nothing more certain to bring judgment upon the nation than such an action. But God has not acted hastily. Successive governments in Britain have been conspiring to turn truth upside-down for many years. Despite Tony Blair’s personal acknowledgement of the importance of moral and spiritual values in society, the influence of secular humanist ideologies within the New Labour movement were strong.

Blairites and the Battle for the Family

Jack Straw, see Photo Credits.Notably, the rising influence of LGBT interests were seen in the Blair Government, where powerful Cabinet posts were given to homosexual individuals such as Chris Smith,¹ who took control of Culture, Media and Sport. This was exactly the area where LGBT values could be injected subtly into public life and was a notable triumph for the LGBT movement. Women in the Blair Government with strong feminist and secular humanist orientations, such as Clare Short and Harriet Harman, also opened the way for the promotion of ideologies harmful to the family.

Disputes within the Cabinet reflected this ideological battle for the preservation or destruction of the family. Jack Straw’s endeavour to promote measures that would strengthen family life were thwarted within the Cabinet and resulted in his failure to produce the White Paper he promised in his speech on 15 July 1998, when he welcomed the publication of the report ‘Family Matters’.²

All this underlines the reason why Britain is in such dire straits today. Many Conservatives were amazed when David Cameron gave his support to ‘same-sex marriage’ (SSM) in 2013. But this was not his brainchild: he had been present at a meeting of European leaders in 2010 when it was agreed that all EU member states should aim to legalise SSM by 2013.

Cameron knew the pressure would be on and, as an ambitious politician, he simply wanted to be ahead of the game. But in so doing he brought judgment upon himself that ended his political career. When will Western leaders learn that you cannot defy the word of God without incurring inevitable consequences?

Successive governments in Britain have been conspiring to turn truth upside-down for many years.

Understanding Europe’s History

All the confusion surrounding Brexit is a measure of the extent to which we have put ourselves outside the protection and blessing of God and at the mercy of the destructive secular humanist spirits driving the European Union.

There is so much history wrapped up in these Brexit negotiations. Europe has been torn apart by two devastating wars in the past 100 years. Emotions run deep in the national psyche of each of the European nations. Germany has, twice, recovered remarkably from the devastation and destruction of military defeat. Their dream of a united Europe under German domination through the European Union had almost been achieved. But once again Britain is the one nation standing in the way.

Britain has always been the stumbling block – the odd one out – even driving on the other side of the road, not conforming to European standards - a nation of nonconformists! Today, the nations that suffered defeat or the humiliation of five years of enemy occupation (and of having Britain to thank for their liberation) suddenly find themselves in a position of power over Britain. Our Prime Minister has asked for their help in devising a deal that she can sell to her unruly Cabinet and a divided nation.

But mixed into all this are massive spiritual issues, as the whole of Europe has been assailed by a secular humanist onslaught in the past half-century. Britain has been more successful than any other European nation in holding on to its Christian heritage, largely through the influence of our ageing Queen, whose Coronation Oath to uphold the Protestant faith spread a cover of protection over the land.

Brexit is a sign of God’s mercy towards Britain, giving us the opportunity of re-asserting our sovereign independence under the blessing of God. But that can only be achieved through the recognition of how God has blessed us in the past, especially in the lifetime of our parents and grandparents. But we have deeply offended him in our own generation and, sadly, most people in Britain do not understand the nature of the battle and its spiritual dimension.

Bible-believing Christians who do understand the times have a vital role to play in the future of Britain if we are to be successful in getting out of Europe.

We Have Work to Do!

This is where Bible-believing Christians who do understand the times have a vital role to play in the future of Britain if we are to be successful in getting out of Europe. A few months ago, I was told in my times of intercession to stop praying general prayers of blessing and welfare upon the nation, but to engage instead in prayer with a particular focus.

Jeremiah was warned against praying “Peace! Peace!” when God was saying there was no peace (Jer 6:14). We have to learn to pray in line with God’s will. Then our prayers will be a powerful force to bring the nation in line with the purposes of God. That could still happen with the Brexit battle, in which our prayers should be specifically directed by the Holy Spirit. For that to happen, each of us has to learn to listen to the Lord.

References

1 Chris Smith was the first openly homosexual Politician to be appointed to a major Government office in British history.

2 Family Matters, a Report to the Home Secretary, The Rt Hon Jack Straw MP, from The Lords and Commons Family and Child Protection Group. Chairman: Lord Ashbourne, 15 July 1998.

Monica Hill turns from the ‘natural’ gifts (Romans 12) to the ‘ministry’ gifts listed in Ephesians 4. This article is part of a series – click here for previous instalments. 

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph 4:11-13)

We have already noted that there are four lists of the Spiritual Gifts given by the Holy Spirit in different epistles – Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, 1 Peter 4 (which concentrates on methods) and Ephesians 4. Each of them have additional teaching in the surrounding verses on how they should operate within the corporate body of believers – often relevant to that specific understanding of the gifts.

The Five-Fold Ministry

The five ‘ministry gifts’ listed in Ephesians 4 are surrounded by teaching on the place of these quite specific roles within the body. Two things stand out of which we need to take note:

1. First, ideally these gifts are meant to operate together, as a team – the five-fold ministry is an entity in itself, and all its gifts should be visible in the leadership of our churches and fellowships today. If Christian communities do not recognise these gifts in specific individuals, at least the principles and values of each should be adopted. Team ministry is not easy and needs to be embraced and worked upon. If this does not happen, one or other of these roles will inevitably take precedence. For example:
   1. For many centuries in the Western Church, pastors and teachers have been predominant, to the neglect of the other roles.
   2. Evangelists have often set up separate, para-Church organisations, and are often felt only to be needed for overseas work - which means that work among nominal Christians has been neglected.
   3. Apostles and prophets are still very rare, with many believing that apostolic ministry died out at the end of the New Testament era. Although they are now receiving more attention these ministries are often misunderstood and can create problems.
   4. Individual prophets in the style of the Old Testament were also relegated to history as it was anticipated that, with the coming of the Holy Spirit, the whole Church would become the Prophet to the nations. An understanding even of the role of the prophet, within fellowships and wider afield, is often missing.
2. Secondly, these roles are given to serve the Body and to help those to whom they are called, to enable all to grow to maturity and be found worthy of being called followers of Christ. They are not given to give status to individuals.

There is no mention of these gifts operating in this way in a worldly sense (unlike the ‘natural’ gifts of Romans 12). Apart from the role of a teacher they do not have secular counterparts, although the world has at times tried to pick up the same values and take them into secular occupations – but more of that when we look at each of them in detail. Leadership in the world is based on very different principles.

In this introduction we will be looking at the context of the introduction of Ministry gifts in the Body of believers and seeing how these gifts should operate.

The ministry gifts are designed to operate together to serve and build up the Body of Christ.

Lessons from Ephesus

The whole of Ephesians is concerned with building up the body of believers in Ephesus, from which we can learn so much. The epistle starts with an emphasis upon Christ as the Head of the whole Christian community - the Church, or (more accurately) the Body of Believers (Eph 1:22-23) (not the institutions), which is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph 2:20-24) and is without any divisions, comprising one Body and one Spirit (Eph 4:4). Members are encouraged to “live a life worthy of the calling” (Eph 4:1), given various instructions on how to act (Eph 5-6) and finally encouraged to “put on the whole armour of God” (Eph 6:10-18).

It is worth noting that Paul has just given that beautiful prayer to God for his brothers and sisters in Ephesus (Eph 3:14-21) which is still such an encouragement to all who read it today. His next words express not only his own total commitment to the Father but his desire that all should “live a life worthy of the calling you have received”. The way to do this is to “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”.

The Priesthood of All Believers

Here is no definition of a hierarchy, an ‘us and them’ or a ‘pecking order’ as so often seen in our churches, but a recognition that we need each other (which is described more fully in 1 Corinthians 12). The sole purpose of these ministry roles is to serve the body of believers so that they can all become mature and be the front line of mission.

The New Testament Church operated as a ‘priesthood of all believers’ – they had a different vision from that practised in Judaism when the Temple was in operation and priests were in control and acted as mediators with God. But even after the birth of the Church and the early days of taking the mission worldwide, it was not very long before the established denominations re-introduced a priestly leadership into churches.

In the priesthood of all believers, there is no hierarchy or pecking order – just a recognition that we all need each other.

Many new movements have since tried to re-capture this concept of the priesthood of all believers, but far too often institutionalisation pushes them back into the need for strong leadership aligned with worldly principles.

The ministry gifts are essentially serving roles - encouraging and empowering others – so that everyone is encouraged to have that direct relationship with the Father themselves and can discern the truth – so that they are “no longer infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.”

Ingredients for Full Community Life

The ministries described in Ephesians can be seen as leading roles in the community, but they should also encompass vision, strategy and unity - all essential for any community’s survival. It is not a necessary requirement that the leader has to be the one who has the original vision, but he or she must embrace it and make it their own – just as everyone else in the body must; and likewise with the strategy and action that follows – these two aspects must both be embraced to help form a community and give it its raison d’etre. But often the ministry role also provides the glue that makes people stick together in unity.

Truth and love are essential ingredients to any community of believers – so that “we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Eph 4:15-16).

Unity is expressed in “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph 4:4-6).

In the next few weeks we will be looking at each of the specific ministry gifts given to the Body of believers – Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher - and exploring further the reasons for which they are given and the way they should operate and relate to each other.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Custom and Command’ by Stan Firth (Charisma Publications, 1996, reprinted 2007).

This is a remarkable book in which the author sets out to understand and explain why so many Christians today find traditional church structures and activities no longer adequate for their faith and discipleship. These believers are not backslidden or rebellious; they simply no longer ‘go to church’ – instead, they live an ‘unstructured church lifestyle’.

Initially, on coming across such believers, the author didn’t know what to make of this. So, rather than be critical, he decided to investigate from a biblical standpoint. He concludes that not only is such a Christian lifestyle biblically valid and fully in accordance with Scripture, but that in many ways these Christians were ‘being Church’ far more effectively. As a result, he decided to embrace this lifestyle himself.

Loose Associations

The book is carefully put together to help the reader go through the same process of re-evaluation as the author did. How does ‘unstructured church’ work in terms of worship, teaching, leadership, outreach and the general command to meet together regularly?

Each topic is considered via many biblical texts and the result, perhaps surprising to many, is that all these can be fulfilled outside what is usually considered to be a ‘normal’ church-going life, provided (and this is important) that certain conditions are met.

Firth concludes that an unstructured church lifestyle can be biblically valid and practised in full accordance with Scripture.

One such condition is that believers do not isolate themselves. Rather, they become part of several different Christian communities which overlap within their existing lifestyles, for instance at work or in their own neighbourhood. Wherever you meet other Christians, that is where you ‘do Church’. These ‘loose associations’ provide opportunities for a more fulfilling Christian experience than merely taking part in what local churches offer.

Re-thinking Key Aspects of Church

Worship, for instance, should be spontaneous and arise continually out of walking with God, not just restricted to ‘times of worship’ led by someone with a pre-planned song list that you are meant to follow. Such corporate worship can be uplifting but also far less than God deserves. As for teaching, we need far more than pre-prepared lecture-style sermons, where one person speaks and everyone else listens, unquestioningly. Rather there must be ‘comments in the course of life’ instruction, teaching which occurs through meeting other Christians in a variety of situations and sharing, talking and learning together.

What about leadership? This is still important, but Christians will find true leadership in many ways and through many people, not just those ‘put in charge’ of a church and paid to be a career churchman. Leaders will emerge who you can look up to and follow, perhaps low-key but clearly gifted in certain areas. It may be the Christian down the road whose walk with God is stronger than yours or whose evangelistic gift you desire for yourself.

Associating with those to whom God has given leadership gifts may grow you more quickly than attending church services or programmes. You will soon spot who they are - their authority and humility will make them stand out.

One condition for an unstructured church lifestyle to work is that believers do not isolate themselves.

A Church of Living Stones

The author has a section dealing with reservations and objections from those who still maintain that only through standard church practices can we produce strong and mature Christians. He admits that such ‘life support systems’ may still have a role to play, but asserts that true fullness of life requires more.

He does not say church membership or attendance is wrong. Standard church meetings can be embraced as part of this wider approach, but not uncritically followed as though these will provide all you need.

Rather, you should see yourself as part of the ‘Church of living stones’, the house of God that you take with you wherever you go. As you meet other believers and join with other living stones then something wonderful can happen. These ‘loose associations’ become fulfilling times of meeting with God and seeing what he is doing.

Informal does not mean less effective. Unstructured does not mean disorganised. Instead you will uncover something beautifully prepared and integrated by God.

Custom vs Command

As the title suggests, this process is about seeing the difference between our customs and God’s commands. What has God actually commanded in Scripture? Even in the newer church movements, such as the charismatic movement and house churches, customs soon take over. We become accustomed to doing things a certain way. Corks go back in the bottle. Christians become ‘bottled up’ again.

The author drives home his point by stressing another major condition for this unstructured church lifestyle to work: an ‘inner drive of discipleship’. This is the personal engine which should propel you forward. Christians often become ‘church-propelled’, or institutionally dependent, which creates a particular type of Christian rather than a fully mature and motivated disciple of Jesus.

Traditional church structures may still have a role to play, but true fullness of life requires more.

Firth sees the church as often laying down tracks for us to follow, like a train that has to go where it is told. Instead, we need a runway from which to take off and fly. Our engine is a jet engine with potential to go anywhere and everywhere for the Lord.

A Move of God?

The author accepts that the Church has been so organised for centuries that it is difficult for Christians to think of it in any other way. But ‘organising’ Christians is not its real task. All through the book the author argues that the unstructured church approach is well within biblical guidelines, and not just an alternative for dissatisfied Christians.

He believes this may be a stepping stone for the future, a move of God to re-form the Body of Christ for what he has planned next. He wonders if what is happening here is a “logical follow-on from the Charismatic Renewal which, for a season at any rate, seemed to demonstrate that if you ‘keep in step with the Spirit’, rather than follow various human patterns, great things come about” (p87).

This book is small but mighty. If nothing else you will be intrigued by its message and arguments. It is not expensive, and won’t take you long to get its main points whether you agree with them or not. The result should be that you will become less critical of those who have ‘left the structures’ and less likely to dismiss what may be part of a vital move of God.

Custom and Command (88 pages) is available from lulu.com for £2.77. It can be downloaded for free as an e-book from Stan Firth’s website.

'The Way of Wisdom: Facing the issues of Life with the Wisdom of the Bible' by Patrick Whitworth (2013, HK Forwards Printing, 240 pages, available from Amazon for £9.99)

'The Way of Wisdom' stands out in Christian literature – not because Patrick Whitworth's writing is controversial, but because through it he sheds light on the lack of teaching currently available on this vital subject.

Whitworth has been Rector of All Saints Weston (Bath) for over 20 years, and for ten years was the rural dean of Bath. He is also canon of Bauchi diocese in Nigeria, a Prebend of Wells Cathedral and Chair of SOMA UK, an Anglican mission agency. He has written several books including the trilogy of 'Becoming Fully Human', 'Becoming a Spiritual Leader' and 'Becoming a Citizen of Heaven', as well as books about the challenges facing the Western Church ('The Word from the Throne', 'Prepare for Exile'). Many of these are used for study guides and courses.

Extensive Survey of Scripture

The Way of Wisdom works through less familiar portions of Scripture like Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs and Job, as well as the better-known territory of the Psalms and Proverbs. It also surveys the lives of individual Bible characters, drawing lessons from their examples.

A section is devoted to wise leadership, looking at the lives of David, Solomon, Joseph, Daniel, Esther and Nehemiah. Difficult questions about how wisdom works in times of suffering and apparent injustice are dealt with through the story of Job and the poor counsel provided him by his friends. Another delightful chapter is given to the connections between wisdom and love, particularly in the context of intimate love and the family, focusing on Song of Songs and Ruth. The author also devotes some space to a wider survey of Church history.

The Example of Jesus

Of course, no book on biblical wisdom would be complete without a study of the person of Jesus. Whitworth devotes the final 60 pages of 'The Way of Wisdom' to Jesus' life and teaching, discussing the wisdom found in the Parables and the Beatitudes, as well as Jesus' wise responses to characters like Nicodemus, Lazarus and the rich young ruler. Importantly, Whitworth demonstrates that Jesus' wisdom consisted in his understanding of his identity as God, his calling as Messiah and his role as suffering servant.

Though not always an easy read, grounding it as he does in real examples of fallible people and the perfect example of our loving Saviour, Whitworth brings an underappreciated and poorly understood topic down-to-earth. For study purposes, the book includes a 30-page study outline which applies the teaching with many searching questions.

Other Whitworth books available from via Amazon, and some from SPCK.

"If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously": Monica Hill looks at the spiritual gift of leadership as described in Romans 12.

The gift of 'leadership', as such, only appears in Romans 12, although the five ministry roles in Ephesians 4 are often referred to as those necessary for leadership. Both passages tell us about the emphases that good spiritual leadership should have. In Romans, referring to individual ministry: "not conforming to the pattern of the world...not thinking of yourself more highly than you ought but with sober judgement in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you" (12:2-3).

In Ephesians, for team ministry: "to equip God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up" (4:12). So spiritual leadership is not a status symbol, neither does it have worldly values, but it is supporting others who are on the front line.

Misusing Power

The Message version - used in the title quote – gives a warning context, as it equates 'leading' with 'being put in charge', which can often lead to great misuse of power. Leadership is not just a means of doing what you want. There is a great difference between 'ascribed' leadership, which is imposed or inherited, and 'achieved' leadership - which is earned.

There is a great difference between 'ascribed' leadership, which is imposed, and 'achieved' leadership, which is earned.

'Ascribed' leadership can often have disastrous consequences if the leader is not sensitive in the exercise of power; whereas the most effective leadership is that which is 'achieved' and is fully recognised and accepted by the people. But in both cases, the leader must beware of just trying to get their own way, with or without the backing of others.

Many commentaries limit this gift in Romans to that of 'administration'. While this is important, leadership is much more than just management - it should be about nurturing and enhancing. These are the aspects that should be valued and considered relevant in Christian circles and especially in small groups. The Amplified Version expands its definition of leadership to 'he who gives aid and superintends, with zeal and singleness of mind'.

What is Leadership?

Leadership is a 'people skill'. Mahatma Gandhi once said "I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people". John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the USA, rightly understood that "if your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader" (see other quotes in the box).

There are many examples of worldly leadership using wealth, might, power, intellect and privilege; but spiritual leadership needs to have a servant dimension which recognises the importance of empowering others.

The difference between a leader and a boss is that the leader leads while the boss drives. The New Testament shepherd leads his sheep, who follow willingly because they know his voice and trust him, while so many Western shepherds drive their sheep or use a dog to chase them!!

Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of those who follow them. If people believe that God is empowering them, it is amazing what they can accomplish - not to give themselves glory but to give the glory to God.

How should Leadership be Exercised?

Most biblical translations say that leading should be exercised 'diligently' - the opposite of negligently. Leaders should be actively and fully committed, engaged and occupied, exercising caution, and showing care and attention, which is characterised by hard work and perseverance.

Although in English 'diligent' has always meant careful and hard-working, it comes from the Latin diligere, which means 'to value highly, take delight in'. The Voice translation of Scripture says leaders should be 'eager to get started'!

Vision and Strategy

Leaders not only need to know where they are going, with a forward-thinking, biblical vision that is embraced by all; they also need to be able to help define the strategy for achieving that vision.

Proverbs 29:18 says "Without vision the people perish" and The Voice defines this even more clearly: "If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves".

If you think you are leading and no-one is following you, you are just taking a walk!

Affirmation

We all belong to groups of many different sizes and recognise the need for leadership. We may ourselves have, or be exercising, this gift at a variety of levels. But leaders need followers. If you think you are a leader and no-one is following you, you are just taking a walk! Leadership ALWAYS needs to be affirmed by others.

If you have any other comments on 'leadership' as a spiritual gift please do add them.

References

1 Quotes from 75 Inspiring Motivational Quotes on Leadership, Inc.com.