Equipping the Saints

There are many Christian leaders today who are overcome with burn-out.

Ephesians 4.11f (NIV) says

11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,
12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
13 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.

To me, this passage says that the role of leadership is to equip the saints so that they carry out the "work of the ministry." It is not the primary role of the leadership to do the work of the ministry themselves.

Yet many Christian leaders complain of fatigue and burn out. Could it be that they take too much upon themselves and instead of seeing themselves primarily as coaches, they have joined the ranks of the players?

Over the years, have we developed congregations that have been regressed into a couple of roles, that of financial donors and audiences? And if this is so, have our congregations grown to accept this over many generations, if not centuries, so that these roles are now entrenched? Do our congregations now expect our leaders and other full time workers to do the "work of the ministry?" Isn't that what we pay them for?

If this is so, could it be that we have established a modus that not only creates a steady stream of burnt out leaders but it is a system by which our congregations will never achieve maturity (v13)?

Isn't it conceivable that the congregation no longer wants to do the work of the ministry and is content to leave it to the employed leadership of the church? How can this pattern be stopped?

It is the role of leadership to break the vicious circle. I think courage will be required to break the cycle as many leaders now derive their meaning from the work of the Ministry that they do. To train others to do it, to trust others to do it, could be quite unnerving. This is why faith is required. To trust that God can step in and give sufficient grace to overcome the consequences of mistakes that new learning inevitably brings. In the long run, the risk and investment is worth it. It is the key to fulfilling the promise that "greater things" will be done (John 14.12).

So if you are the leader of a church or member of a leadership team, do you do most of the preaching, teaching, worship leading, praying, giving, studying and talking? For example, in a church that is focused on equipping the saints, the "leaders" only preach to show how it is done, the rest of the church should be doing it most of the time.

School for Christians

Since we started looking for a suitable school for my eldest son (who is now just about to turn 6), it has struck me that in Western society, if we think something is important then we educate for it.

If you want to drive a car, then there is a "road code" that has to be studied, each chapter has its learning objectives and eventually an examination has to be passed before a learner's licence can be obtained. Even then a practical examination is also required to prove one's competency behind the steering wheel.

The principal tools of education seem to me to be:

1. Curriculum
2. Age-appropriate learning objectives
3. Assessment
4. Recognition

Most Christians would believe that the Bible is really important to living our lives under God. Yet few of these four tools are commonly used in a systematic way unless one goes to Seminary. But how many go to Seminary and why should one be typically over 18 before the benefits of education can be applied to Christian learning by a Christian?

In my experience people learn differently when they know that there is going to be a test to sit after a unit of work. Just passively listening to sermons each week doesn't cut it because:

1. Many ministers and pastors don't set out to evenly cover what the Bible has to say, instead preferring to move from topic to topic "as the spirit leads." Unfortunately this can end up leaving the congregation very familiar with that particular leader's soapboxes but their understanding of other issues are neglected.
2. The congregation learns to be an audience rather than taking responsibility for building and maintaining its understanding of the scriptures. Instead of maturing the congregation to carry out the works of the ministry they become dependent on leadership.
3. When the list of soap boxes run out they can fall into the trap that there is little else to learn and they cannot see how there can be a lifetime of inquiry and engagement with God through the Scriptures. Starved of any brain food, they apply their energy into other interests, their careers, hobbies or families.
4. Without a good understanding of the scriptures, the congregation do not know what solutions there are to life's issues and challenges that can be found there. Yet those issue's and challenges must be met, so the scriptures do not seem relevant to a modern society. Christians must then resort to secular common-sense. Non-Christians aware that this is so, do not refer to Christians since they cannot bring a unique perspective to problem solving. The church is therefore perceived as irrelevant.
5. Being brought up to be an audience means that few Christians realize that there is a work ethic that comes with Christian living. Instead a consumer culture can prevail in the Church. In Marketing 101, the needs of the market are paramount. Without moderation such a philosophy can only lead to selfishness.

I propose that Churches should run night schools for its congregation with multiple age-appropriate units of work that can be established for self study or through attendance in classes. A suite of examinations can be written that can mark the end of each module and if they aren't passed then a student can sit another examination until it is. This is the Keller Plan system.

The benefits of such a night school are manifold:

1. By running them at night, church members can attend without being distracted by work.
2. A night school can become a wonderful place for discussion and debate that can fuel interest in the Scriptures as a handbook for modern living.
3. It creates an environment for developing new talent for teaching the scriptures. If a church is almost exclusively limiting its venues for teaching to the pulpit, few individuals can find opportunity to develop their giftings.
4. If a certificate or other age-appropriate qualification was an object of study then students can be further motivated by having something to focus on and work toward.
5. Over time, church members will build their confidence to study, research, discuss and debate the Scriptures so that they find answers to life's challenges. Eventually the church will find its relevance once more.

Not all church members will find night-time courses appropriate. Young children need to sleep earlier, and the elderly may find travelling from their homes at night not only ardous but hazardous. However these methods can be adapted for sunday school teachers and parents to administer to their children; and for the elderly during the day.

By creating a greater emphasis on the Scriptures, we will address a great source of malnourishment in the Church today.

Nicodemus and being "Born Again"

 

Christ crucified between the Virgin and Nicodemus - Michelangelo
(in the Louvre)

I was interested to hear last night at our bible study that there are some distinctly Jewish connotations to the phrase "born again."

Apparently there are six ways one can be born again in Judaism and Jewish culture.  Only the last four were available to Nicodemus:

1. When Gentiles were converted to Judaism, they were said to be "born again."
2. When a man was crowned king, he was said to be "born again."
3. When a Jewish boy becomes bar mitzvah at the age of thirteen, he is said to be "born again."
4. When a Jewish man married, he was said to be "born again."  One of the rules for a member of the Sanhedrin was that he must be married, and Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, so he was "born again" a second time when he married.
5. When a Jew was ordained a rabbi, he was "born again."
6. Nicodemus was "born again" a fourth time when he became the head of a rabbinical school (the term "a teacher of Israel" is the title for the head of a rabbinical school, John 3:10).

Nicodemus had experienced all the rebirths possible to him as a Jew. But in his interview with Jesus, he was being told that something was lacking in his life. (Source:  "Teaching like Jesus" by La Verne Tolbert, quoting Fruchtenbaum's "Nicodemus, a rabbi's quest."

Logos: Judaism and Christianity Collection

I think understanding Jewish perspectives on law would give considerable insight into Jesus' teaching and also on his comments and debates with the Scribes, Lawyers and other religious authorities of the day.  It would also put to rest the misunderstanding that has arisen over time that Jewish law, both written and oral, are somehow mutually exclusive from Grace as we understand it as Christians.

Without understanding this perspective, passages such as Mat 5.17 and his teaching that we should obey the Rabbis because they "sit in the seat of Moses," are problematic.

For me, exploring these Jewish perspectives has really broadened my understanding and given depth to my investigation into such questions as to who is Israel, who is a Jew, what is legalism, and what is the New Covenant.  The answers to which I have found to be quite influential on one's hermeneutical thought.

I'm glad to see that Logos has gradually built up its resources from Jewish writers who can bring this rich perspective to us believers with a Gentile background.  Prominent amongst these authors is David Flusser. 

He was a professor of Early Christianity and Judaism of the Second Temple Period at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 

Flusser was a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities and received the Israel Prize in 1980, for his contributions to the study of Jewish history.  Lawrence Schiffman, chairman of the Skirball department of Hebrew and Judaic studies at New York University, credited him with pioneering "the modern study of Christianity in the state of Israel in a scholarly context".

Flusser was a devout Orthodox Jew who applied his skills in Torah and Talmud to the study of ancient Greek, Roman and Arabic texts, as well as the Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls. He scrutinized the ancient Jewish and Christian texts for evidence of the Jewish roots of Christianity. While critically distinguishing the historical Jesus from the visionary portrayal in the Gospels and other Christian writings, Flusser saw Jesus as an authentic Jew, misunderstood by his followers.

David Satran, a professor of comparative religion at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said, "Dr. Flusser was rather remarkable in his strong insistence that not only was Jesus a Jew from birth to death, but that Jesus did nothing that could be interpreted as a revolt or questioning of the basic principles of the Judaism at the time."  Personally, Flusser viewed Jesus as a tsadik with keen spiritual insight and a "high self-awareness" that near-contemporaries similarly expressed, such as Hillel in the Talmud and the "Teacher of Righteousness" in certain Dead Sea Scrolls.

Flusser pursued his research at a time when many Jews blamed Christianity for Nazism. During the trial, the Gestapo officer Adolf Eichmann refused to take an oath on the New Testament, insisting he would only swear "in the name of God." Flusser commented in an editorial in the Jerusalem Post: "I do not know who is the God in whose name Eichmann swore, but I am certain that it is neither the God of Israel nor the God of the Christian church. It should now become clear to the strongest Jewish opponents of Christianity that Christianity per se imposes limitations, and that the greatest crime against our people was not committed in the name of the Christian faith".

Flusser published over 1,000 articles in Hebrew, German, English, and other languages. The results of his many academic writings can be found in his book, Jesus (1965), whose augmented second edition The Sage from Galilee (1998) was updated to incorporate his later research and views on Jesus.[1]
 
When Logos released the Judaism and Christianity Collection on pre-pub pricing, and I noticed that Flusser's works were a significant proportion of the collection, then I could hardly refuse to put in an order. I've already read Jesus (1965) as a hard copy but look forward to reading the other two titles, "Judaism and the Origins of Christianity" and "Judaism of the Second Temple Period."

I'm unfamiliar with the other authors so it will be interesting to see what they have to say.

[1] Source:  Wikipedia.

The Gospel of Moses

The Gospel of Moses is Athol Dickson's journey of discovery after he attends an interfaith bible study. In the study he discovers a new world of biblical inquiry where every question however irreverent is considered seriously. Nothing seems out of bounds, no subject too sacred for doubt and challenge:  Over time he learns of a biblical basis for questioning God. That far from being prideful or arrogant, a sincere question acknowledges the enquirer's lack of knowledge, God's power. "It honours Him."


As I follow Dickson's journey of enquiry, I find myself intrigued by the questions he seeks to unearth answers for:

• Why does Judaism hold the Shema in such high regard when the bible is replete with passages which on the face of it seem more profound?
• Why do bad things happen to good people? Is God limited in some way, unable to restrain evil or protect His chosen people?
• Israel is told to be holy because God is holy. The holiness they must maintain is compared to God's absolute standard of perfection. But is that really fair?

The Gospel of Moses exposes us to an investigation of God's paradoxes. Dickson shows that far from black holes full of risk and danger, they are portals to light and truth; opportunities to wrestle with God, engaging with Him as one friend to another. It is deep calling unto deep. This is a book that naturally leads to meditation and I highly recommend it.

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Sent from an Apple Newton MP2100

Torah for the Gentiles

Here's an interesting quote:

"The Torah was given in the desert, given with all publicity in a place to which no one had any claim, lest, if it were given in the land of Israel, the Jews might deny to the Gentiles any part of it."

Mekilta on Exodus 19.2

Newman, E I and Spitz, S (eds., 1945).  The Talmudic Anthology.  Berhman House.

New wine and old wineskins

Who hasn't heard of the parable of the cloth and wineskins in Luke 5:36-39?  Usually this parable is distilled like so:  The old wine is the old religious order or Old Covenant and the new wine is the new religious order ushered in by Christ or the New Covenant.

However, most writers ignore the context of the parable set by the question, which elicited the parable in the first place.  In Luke 5:33 Jesus is asked, John the Baptist's disciples and the Pharisees have instituted a new set of fasts over and above the one's required by the Torah, why don't your disciples do the same?

Jesus puts forward two arguments:

1. While the Messiah (Bridegroom) is here, this is a time of celebration, there will be time enough to fast in the days to come when the Messiah is taken away.
2. These new fasts are like new wine.  The old wineskin is the established religious order.  These new fasts will damage the religious framework in place, so it shouldn't be done.  If new fasts are to be instituted then they need a new framework.  Having said that, one wouldn't carry out the new fasts when the established fasts are better.

This is quite a different story then the one traditionally taught.  Usually this parable is used to support the idea of leaving behind the old wineskin, Judaism and the Old Covenant, to embrace the new wineskin, Christianity and the New Covenant.  

Jesus isn't advocating a new religious order, in fact He appears to be endorsing the current one in place.  Thanks to Brad Young for pointing me in the right direction [1].

[1] Young B (1995).  Jesus the Jewish Theologian.  Hendrickson Publishers, MA, USA.  pp 155-160.