Coffee Community

My new BLOG is at www.charldebeer.info 

This Site will under-go a facelift in 2010

Peace

Charl 

This is an BLOG post by a friend of mine, Tom Smith, hope you enjoy it.  You can visit Toms, site at www.soulgardeners.com

Peace

Charl 

August 25, 2009

All-white churches in the New South Africa?

I’m reading Prof. Jonathan Jansen’s book “Knowledge in the blood” for the second time this week.  I believe it is a critically important book for white Christians in South Africa.  Jansen is the first black rector of the University of Free State. 

The book tracks his experiences at the University of Pretoria in the seven years he worked there as the Dean of Education.  The book explores his experiences with Afrikaner students – the book is subtitled “Confronting race and the apartheid past”. 

I believe this topic is vitally important for the Afrikaner today.  I strongly believe that if we don’t theologize into the issues of race, racism and identity as South Africans – then we will simply continue in our cocooned existences.  

This is from sermon notes taken from the Meeting House it was done by Bruxy Cavey

Jesus Christ is not only the Saviour, the Messiah, the Prophet, the Priest, and the King.  He is also the REVOLUTIONARY.  Yet few Christians know him as such.  It's high time we got reacquainted. Frank Viola 

In Jesus, we have a man who refused to bow to the pressures of religious conformity - man who preached a revolution. - Georgearna

I've always considered Christ to be one of the greatest revolutionaries in the history of humanity. - Fidel Castro

The Pharisees were good, faithful, religious people of their day.  And it is good, faithful, religious people of every era who find themselves in conflict with Jesus. - Beverly Roberts Gavent

A rebel attempts to change the past; a revolutionary attempts to change the future.  It's time for a revolution. Robert Bilmon

Let us take part in the Revolution of Christ. 

 Peace

Charl

Source: Written by Milt Rodriguez

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. And which is smaller than all the seeds; but when it has grown, it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree so that the birds of heaven come and roost in its branches.” Matt. 13: 31, 32

There have been many church growth movements, models, ministries, and mentors over the last fifty years or so. They all have their differences and yet most are remarkably similar.

In my opinion, most of these “systems” have been setup from within the institutional mindset and geared toward helping pastors fill their pews.

I guess you could say that I was technically an institutional pastor for two years. During that time, the pastors of the group I was in would get together monthly for a prayer breakfast. There were only two topics of discussion at that meeting. How many people do you have in your church; and how much money are you bringing in? There was one pastor who had been very “successful” and had a large church. Some of the other guys thought that if they preached his sermons (word for word!) they would have the same kind of success!

This was taken from the book "Jesus has left the Building" by Paul Vieira.

So, how would I define “the building”?  What is it exactly that Jesus is supposedly walking away from?  Well, you might be dealing with an Institutional understanding if you maintain or accept the following ideas about “church:”

Source: Floyd McClung

www.floydandsally.org

Hello, 

I am burdened for those people in the world who have never heard the name of Jesus one time. They are gathered around the globe in their own language/cultural groups, what we call tribes or peoples, or in some instances, nations, as in the "first nations" peoples of North America. 

An unreached people group is different than an unevangelized people group in that: 

- an unreached people group does not have a sufficient number of churches and believers to evangelize the remainder of their own people group; they lack the strength of numbers or resources to be able to share Jesus with all the other members of their people group. Often it is because of persecution, fear, lack of discipleship and terrain (mountains or jungles or deserts separate them from others of their group).

Experiencing Isaiah 61

Our Isaiah 61 House Church began on Sunday, September 4, 2005 with 13 adventuresome folks, previously meeting at Dan & Jody Mayhew’s home, joining with Rich & Kimberly Hagler who were sensing the Father’s call to start a new house church.

Building on “hearing and following the leading of the Spirit” DNA that the Mayhew’s modeled, Isaiah 61 is a gathering of believers who desire to intentionally and experientially submit ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus as He disciples us and to walk together with all others who share that desire. As His Body, we believe our corporate, committed discipleship journey includes living out Jesus’ own Gospel ministry, which He announced in quoting Isaiah 61:1 There He declared,

Source: LK10.com, article by John White While I don’t want to see house church reduced to a “program”, I do believe that there are certain values that are present in healthy churches. These values are often conveyed best in pictures and stories. Here’s one of those stories…

Here’s an email from a church planter in Uganda who is becoming a part of the “revolution”:

Hi john,

I am indeed greatful for your consideration to me as part of this great ministry of dawn. Concerning church planting missions in Uganda and the areas I do opperate my missions we are beginning without delay. We want to raise a healthy and a church of quality not quantity! Please John I have a qoustion,when starting a house church do you need to build a struture or fellowships are done in believers houses? Is there a differance between a cell group fellowships and the house church fellowships? How large should a house fellowship be? God bless you indeed and my the Lord of harvest bring many labourers to His field.

These are great questions and I suspect that there are many others who are just starting on this journey who have similar questions. While I don’t want to see house church reduced to a “program”, I do believe that there are certain values that are present in healthy churches. These values are often conveyed best in pictures and stories.

What is church to you?  Is it the building?  Is it the place of Sunday "worship"?  Is it family?  I am not talking about small groups, do we "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." (Rom. 12:15)  In a mega-church we can't do it.  We can't say that we are family?  Let as re-thing the "thing" we call 'church.'

Peace

charl  

Source: LK10.com, article by John White How do you know if you’ve been to church? Is it when you go to a meeting in a building with a pointy top? When a preacher gives a sermon? When there is a choir/worship team that sings? When you get dressed up in your Sunday clothes? When there is a bulletin and an order of service?

Dear Church,

How do you know if you’ve been to church? Is it when you go to a meeting in a building with a pointy top? When a preacher gives a sermon? When there is a choir/worship team that sings? When you get dressed up in your Sunday clothes? When there is a bulletin and an order of service?

Perhaps it is an indication of how far we have come (or strayed?) when we realize that none of these things is even mentioned in New Testament descriptions of church.

So, how would someone know if they had been to New Testament church?

The longest teaching about actual church gatherings is found in 1 Corinthians 11:2 through 14:40. Seven times in this section (11:17, 11:18, 11:20, 11:33, 11:34, 14:23, 14:26) Paul uses the word “sunerchomai” which means “to come together, to assemble.” “When you come together for church, here’s what it should look like...”

There are a number of behaviors that Paul expected would happen when church occurred. For now, I want to focus on the two that are found in 12:26. “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”

“Every part suffers with it”

The word literally means, “to feel pain with”. 

Source: The Threat of Heresy in the Organic Church Movement by Neil Cole

When teaching about the organic church, a question I am asked more than any other is how we handle the threat of heresy. I understand this concern and want to address it in an intelligent and articulate manner because it is very important. The organic church movement is not going to last if we simply ignore the challenges it faces. But I also believe that the issues that are raised in response to our movement can find solutions that are not only satisfactory but even better alternatives to the way the church has addressed these issues in the past. If the organic church movement is not a move forward toward better health and wholeness, then it is not worth pursuing at all.

The common understanding is something like this: if we rely upon uneducated leaders and teachers, won’t we allow heresy to run rampant in our churches? Of course this is a risk, but I believe there are simple ways to lower the risk of such an infection. A healthy body with a strong immune system fights off infection better than a sick one. It is a natural function of the body inherent in its very makeup. I will suggest in this article that there is a better immune system for the body of Christ than the one we have been comfortable with for so long.