| AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE THAT WE ALL NEED TO CONSIDER |
|
by Adrian Varlack |
|
The New Church of God of Prophecy: An Appropriate Vehicle for the Gospel The Church of God of Prophecy is in the midst of the most significant changes in her 94-year history: in leadership and in leadership styles and direction; in polity and practice; in doctrinal perceptions and application; in identity and in kingdom- oriented, technological society, with new and wider challenges to the gospel. Historical moments such as these demand transformational leaders-leaders that are appropriate to changing times and an expanding, growing church. The early church had such leaders-men of vision, of courage, and of clear perception. The twenty-first- century church, if our Lord should tarry, will be, in form and function, different. We need to begin now to prepare our hearts and minds for this eventuality. Our people must be oriented toward the coming age, and leaders must be capable of leading the way. Not only are societal trends at work in terms of change, but God's kingdom is being readied for the return of our blessed Lord. Throughout the world, Christians are forming new associations and relationships (Promise- Keepers, the reorganized Pentecostal Charismatic Churches of North America [PCCNA], the AD 2000 Movement, etc.), moving away from the dominance of a single institutional form toward networking ideas and concepts that bring practical solutions to real problems and challenges. Churches no longer are just looking internally or within their own church traditions for solutions, but are calling on leading Christian men from other Christian traditions to find common answers to common Christian problems and tasks. All this has the welcome effect of putting us all in touch with each other, thus beginning the process of destroying the artificial walls that divide us, and initiating the relational bonds that will eventually reunite us in a visible, observable manner before a sceptical watching world. Hopefully, this is the work of the Holy Spirit in forcing the issue of God's people coming together for effective gospel service. I believe it is! This, of course, leads to another issue. We have been too ready to divide God's kingdom or to allow others to do so without sufficient outrage and resistance. This calls for a change of attitude and outlook on our part, a spirit of true unity even when we personally pay a price for that unity. It is never right to arbitrarily split the kingdom of God. It may be permissible, where parts of a group have become clearly unbiblical and truly apostate in terms of denying Christ, to separate from them in order to be faithful to our Lord; but even this should not be done without serious assessment and a conclusion that warrants such drastic action. Such cases would not be classified as destructive to the kingdom, but rather as a necessity for the preservation of its true integrity. There are five areas addressed in this presentation that I consider important, if not crucial, to the future of our church. 1.Why the Church Has Been and Is Continuing to Change In the late 1970s and 1980s, our Lord began a series of calls to His people all over the world-calls that focused on and led to times of repentance and self-humbling for both Christian institutions and individual leaders. Our call came at the 79th General Assembly, held September 4-10, 1984, Cleveland, Tennessee. The essence of the call was that . . . we had a "drifted in many ways from a vital relationship with the Holy Ghost" and b we had developed " . . . a self- centeredness lacking in deep compassion for a world of people living now under the judgment of God to eternal damnation." These two things in and of themselves had implications for change way beyond what anyone thought at the time although the whole Assembly, some 6,000-8,000 persons (mostly leaders), responded to an invitation " . . . not by a motion and a second to the motion, but by . . . falling down before the Lord, thus setting the pace for a church-wide repentance to follow . . . in our local church conferences around the world, where every local church at that time will likewise confess their failure in sincere repentance." So then, the first and foremost reason for the beginning of change was the Spirit's call. It was accepted by the church in an official Assembly as God's call to us, and so it is in the record. Keeping in focus the two areas in which we were indicted by the Spirit-loss of vital relationship with Him, and a self-centeredness, lacking in deep compassion for condemned humanity-our great failures were in God-dependency and gospel-centeredness. Over the last six years, we have adopted organizational, administrative, and structural changes, which are recreating our need for greater dependency upon the Holy Spirit at all levels and in all affairs of the church. Examples of these changes include a new General Overseer in 1990 and a subsequent restructuring of our International Offices, an adoption of a plural style of church leadership in 1994, a revamping of our financial system, and a change of the top-down directional policy of the past for a more resource-based style, focused on the needs as expressed by the churches. This loosening of the administrative cords has opened the door for new and more biblical relationships between the churches and various church agencies, resulting in operational methods rooted more in spiritual influence and leadership, rather than in administrative control and institutional preservation. The outworking of all this is still in progress, so its full value has not yet been realized. These decisions are a clear reversal of our excessive dependence on organizational efficiency to the detriment of properly depending upon the Holy Spirit. Second, our church's lack of a right relationship with the Holy Spirit and our institutional self-centeredness resulted in the legalistic righteousness and consequent judgmentalism that had come to characterize us and was preventing us from both growing and maturing in Christ. Naturally, this produced pride in whom we were and in what we thought identified us as holiness people. The flagship of this spirit of pride and judgmentalism was our particular application of the teaching, "Against wearing of gold for ornament or decoration." We needed to overcome this spirit, which, at times, made us despise and shun many of God's wonderful children, run others away from our fellowship by harsh words and looks, and even in some instances, by openly and deliberately directing our preaching against those who may have come to our services for the first time. Needless to say, we directed much of this at our own people, also, especially the young. Since this teaching was revised and placed in a more biblical context in 1991, we have learned two great truths about ourselves: a that many of us were chafing under the yoke of the strictly external application of this teaching, and were desirous of total freedom and b how deeply the ugly and miserable spirit of judgmentalism had infected the rest of us. Neither of these two developments, Libertinism (freedom without constraint) and Phariseeism (external righteousness), could be cured while this particular teaching stood in its traditional form. More important, our prideful superior attitude toward other true believers could not be dealt with by the Holy Spirit, while the old application remained. Now all our attitudes and the inner desires and tendencies of our hearts and thoughts have been revealed, and we can, by God's grace, bring these conditions before God for healing and cleansing. This is part of our repentance so that we can view each other, our fellow believers, and all people through the compassionate, nonjudgmental loving eyes of the Lord of the harvest. Now, let me hasten to say that in making the change to a more biblical principle, the church did not and does not say that one should or should not wear any particular items of jewelry. What it does say to those who feel it necessary to wear jewelry as a part of modest dress (modesty is a valid biblical principle for every Christian) is that we should do so with Christian consideration for the feelings of others in order not to cause undue offence, remembering, of course, that we should honor Christ in everything. What it does say to those who would take offence so easily at what others wear is that we must be considerate toward our fellow-believers and that our nonwearing is not evidence of any superior Christianity or holiness. Galatians 5:22-23 teaches, "But the fruit of the Spirit [same Holy Ghost that called us to repentance] is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." To this, I will say where such fruit is in abundance and prevail in one's life, laws, rules, and regulations would be as though they did not exist. The principle of love (upon which all other parts of the fruit are dependent) is superior to any law or teaching ever devised. This is the reason Jesus taught that the two commandments-love of God and love of neighbor-were the basis for all the others (Matthew 22:36-40). The cure for freedom without responsibility is to exercise our freedoms only under the leadership and guidance of the Holy Spirit. The cure for judgmentalism and Phariseeism is the self- humbling that the same Spirit teaches-a self-humbling that forbids us to think less of others and more of ourselves; a self- humbling that prevents us from being so critical of others whether for dress or otherwise. All of us need to grow up in all of these areas. Third, few would deny that we needed to become more gospel-focused as was the Spirit's call. Those who were fully bent on preserving the institution, even in the face of the Spirit's clarion rebuke, have left us and, ironically, were some of the same persons who would not admit that the Spirit did indeed call us to repentance. We had literally made the gospel the church's tool when in biblical fact, the church is the gospel's tool. The church is not the message-Christ is! The church is the message-bearer. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation and is, therefore, the life and power of the church through the Holy Spirit (Romans 1:16). Our church had all but replaced the gospel with institutional and organizational concerns as evidenced by our "Turning to the Harvest" promotion launched in 1994. In this document we committed ourselves, among other things, to turn from "selfishness, self-presentation, and self-ratification to implement policies and practices that are people-oriented and gospel-focused." This new emphasis is causing us to look again at our mission to the world around us rather than at the preservation, past glories, and/or achievements of the church. We are recovering our sense of mission and are becoming more gospel-focused. We are not there yet, but work is continuing to help us make a full turn. The fourth area of our need for change concerns our relationships to and with the rest of the Christian world, or, as l like to say, the larger kingdom of God. In this regard, our Turning to the Harvest brochure says that, "We turn from . . . all that impedes genuine cooperation and fellowship among brethren . . . To act upon the Great Commission in a spirit of cooperation and service, without regard to who gets the credit. We turn from all secondary issues and trivial concerns, which Satan had used to distract us . . . To heartily acknowledge all that our Lord has done and is doing among His people in every nation." This change of attitude has resulted, and is resulting, in a new openness to, and appreciation for, what God is doing through others, and we feel much more at liberty to attend their functions, seminars and schools, and to invite others to help us learn how to be more effective in gospel work (rather than reinvent the wheel). This change of attitude allows us to share those strengths that God has developed in our church and among our leadership- strengths that can contribute significantly to the needs of the larger kingdom of God. We are changing for the better in other areas as well, and, of course, there are numerous other reasons why we needed to change. These will be explored in later writings as we cannot treat them all here. 2. Thinking Positively About Change-Leading The Local Church Into The Right Mindset Since the idea of change is a fact of life and inherent in all we do, we must come to grips with it and adopt a positive attitude. Leaders must accept change as a fact of life for themselves and for their people and begin to develop a friendly attitude toward change. Change, in one sense, is another word for growth. One must not look so much on what the change affects, but on the new potential change creates. This is what we mean by thinking positively about change! Once the leader has a positive attitude toward change, the people will be less disturbed about it. The kinds of changes we are making- organizational, structural, governmental, doctrinal (correctives), in application, and directional-are biblically valid. Philosophically, we are shedding or exchanging the old mantle of hyperlegalism for the new mantle of grace that works by love. I am happy to belong to a church that is willing to correct its wrongs, its misjudgements, and its lack of understanding. It is far better to correct our wrongs than to perpetuate error. So again, l tend to look at the new potential, which change creates, rather than at how it may impact the past. It would help us all to remember that God is the ultimate doer, and positive change means that we are agreeing with the work of His Holy Spirit among us and in the world. Our local churches function as part of the worldwide church, but often General Assembly decisions, national conventions rulings, and other administrative readjustments, do not receive wide attention among the members. Therefore, they are often unaware of the impact and direction of a particular change. Given the way bad news and rumors travel, chances are what people hear is either incomplete, inaccurate, or both. The thing to do, ultimately, is to call the church together without too much delay and set the record straight with a positive attitude. In all that we do, we must be careful with the language we use so that we don't treat as "absolutes" those things that are not. This has already caused us substantial problems, but thank God we are doing better. When approaching serious changes, it is always better to begin with the core leadership and work outward toward the larger congregation. A learning attitude is an essential trait for a growing local church. Much humility is needed for such an atmosphere to prevail. Interpretations of the Word must never be equated with the Word itself. Good traditions must never be married to the truth of God's Word so that we cannot distinguish between the Word of God and our traditions. In fact, it would not hurt if every church group would commission a study of its claims and teachings against the core Christian beliefs of the Bible and see where they are. What we might discover would probably be revealing and humbling to all of us. Having the right mindset for change and growth is important for another reason-new converts and new members must quickly feel at home among us. If our churches are too rigid and set in their forms and in their ways, new converts and new members may feel uncomfortable and could become dropouts or quickly move away. But let us not digress too far. Managing the change process, guiding our people through it, making them comfortable with the whole idea of change is one of the main duties of a leader. It is the leader's job to point the way, to trumpet the Word, and to call for the implementation of the changes that the Holy Spirit advocates. Such prophetic voices have not fared well either in churches or in nations. This is a historical and biblical pattern, and it has not changed. However, we must have courage to lead, and Godfearing people must have courage to follow. In this sense, the leadership of change belongs to all of us, not just to the few. In order to lead the church into the right mindset, leaders must themselves have certain evident characteristics. Leith Anderson, in his timely book, A Church for the 21st Century, discussed qualifications that new leaders must have for the twenty- first-century church. Here is his list with shortened definitions: 1 New leaders must be attuned to the culture. It is not enough to know the Bible. We must also know our culture and our people. We must have incarnational ministries in the pattern of Jesus, who was the eternal Son of God before He came to earth. 2 New leaders must be relational Relationships are more important than ever. Churches want leaders who are real and approachable. . . . The people in the church and community must be attracted to a leader enough to identify, listen, and respond. 3 New leaders must be good communicators. In stable times, communication isn't quite so important. But when society is threatened, and the world is experiencing drastic, political, social, and economic upheavals, we need people . . . who can communicate the vision and move the people. 4 New leaders must be entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship is not just starting something from scratch, it is the ability to make something succeed. 5 New leaders must be risktakers. Those who seek to avoid risk and conserve may end up with nothing. Risktakers are willing to fail in order to succeed. 6 New leaders must be godly. Most of all, we need leaders who are men and women of God-those with Christian integrity, who have suffered enough to be tested and proven, those who have their prayers answered, and those who have died to self and who live for Christ. 3. What The Church Of God Of Prophecy Has To Offer The Christian Community And The Nations Over the centuries, our Lord has employed different methods, forms, and church structures to accomplish His gospel purposes. While it is easy to point out failings in every Christian system or structure, we hasten to say that none of these have frustrated the plan of God. In some senses, our church may not have accomplished as much as some others, but our contributions to the cause of the gospel are as valid as anyone else's, despite our internal weaknesses and failings. Now that we are becoming more relevant to the larger kingdom of God, we must prepare ourselves to be better able to share those strengths that God had graciously developed through us. I have identified eight of these "strengths" that I believe are representative or can be developed in microcosm in our church as a model community-an alternative to the divisiveness of secular society: Internationalization a reasonable, effective blending of different nationalities without the disruptive strains and pressures that usually frustrate international endeavors (Acts 10:34, 35; Matthew 28:19, 20). Racial and Cultural Harmony in Diversity-the capacity for different races and cultures to relate and work well together in an atmosphere of mutual respect and submission for the common cause of the gospel (Acts 17:26-28). Universality And Wholeness-a conscious sense of the completeness and presence of the church that transcends local, national, and international constraints (Colossians 1:1-19). The Principle of Biblical Unity-a real sense of the importance of a functional relational unity among believers, a unity that is observable by the watching world (John 17:20-23; Ephesians 4:1-6). A Commitment to the Bible as the Inerrant, Infallible Word of God-to honor and obey God's Word in practice, government, and discipline. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:16, 17). A Conscious Acknowledgment of the Holy Spirit's Active Presence and Rulership in the Church-evidenced by our willingness to change in response to the Spirit's call. Even though difficult, painful, and sometimes unsettling, we will persevere in obedience (Acts 1:8; John 14:16, 17, 26; John 15:26, 27). Historic, Restorationist Impulse Toward A More Biblical, New Testament Ecclesiology-belief that the church of today is to model itself as far as possible after the patterns found in God's Word (Ephesians 4:1-16). An Evangelical Fervency for Gospel Outreach-a renewed commitment, born of the Spirit, to turn to the harvest through the development of vibrant local churches, and by the deliberate employment of all our agencies, energies, and resources in productive, harvesting efforts (Acts 8:4). From these perspectives, I consider the church an appropriate vehicle for ministering to any society by modeling, witnessing to, and proclaiming the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Some of this capacity is yet to be developed, but I believe we are well on our way. So here are 13 positives for continuing to build the Church of God of Prophecy as a worthy vehicle of the gospel and a model, a true model of Christ's community in a tension-filled, divisive world. The Christian church has yet to make its weight felt in this respect. We have and are changing our attitude toward other believers; and I believe through this change, we will relate much better and more acceptably to the larger kingdom of God. This will enable us to share in good faith and in an acceptable manner what God has done and developed in us, enabling us to graciously receive what God has to share with us through others. In short, we need to be relevant to true, historic Christianity so that we can both give and receive. All nations desperately need real models of true national life and harmony. I believe the Church of God of Prophecy can be that interracial, cross-cultural example, thereby showing what the gospel can do when it is exhibited and practiced in all its kingdom power. Again, I realize that several of these capacities need further development, but enough is evident to make a good start. 4. The Future Church-Flexible, Yet Faithful "No Christian or church has the right to deviate from the Bible, but each has the freedom to respond to the creativity of the Spirit." The church of the next century will need to have a clearly stated mission and purpose, a variety of need-based services and capacities, and the flexibility to adapt to the changing contexts in which ministry must take place. We understand that a fervent commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ is a priority prerequisite for the New Testament church. To live out and affect the gospel, the church must have some understandable, systematic ways and means of bringing itself to focus and to action. This is on the human level (not without the Spirit's guidance of course), and it requires that plans and approaches give FORM to our efforts. This creates the need for structure presence and identity. As Leith Anderson has pointed out, the New Testament is surprisingly silent about many matters that we associate with church structure and life. Those who strive to be New Testament churches must seek to live its principles and absolutes, not reproduce the details. We must be prepared to learn, to grow, to share with others, and to receive from others. God is at work across the worldwide spectrum of his people. We can remain outside that working, or we can enter in where He is. The latter is my preference! 5. Practical Suggestions For Pastors And Leaders Accept the fact of inevitable change and seek to help others become comfortable with it. Avoid extremism, dogmatism, and impatience. Overcome the barriers of resistance to change by honestly facing the facts of our own history and of our present circumstances. Seek to relate to the world on the cultural level without compromising God and His infallible Word. We must be attuned to culture, flexible in demeanor, relational in approach, communicative of the vision of the future, entrepreneurial in seizing opportunities, willing to fail in order to succeed, and men and women of godly integrity and character. Develop a keen awareness and knowledge of what God is doing and be determined to align all we are doing with what God is doing. Learn to differentiate between clear Bible facts and statements (what the Bible actually says in context) and interpretations or perceptions about what the Bible teaches, (dogmas and doctrines which seek to explain the Bible). Be diligent to understand the church's purpose and mission in the broader context of the whole kingdom of God. This is vital to our future. Speak up (vocally and in writing), but speak up with humility, with love, with respect, with conviction, with well-thought out positions, with due reverence and regard for the past, but with a deep commitment to the future. Get involved by committing your life to this cause by sacrifice, by paying a price to serve, by risking your future with Christ and the gospel. Please send questions or comments to [email protected] |