equipping the church

These are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
(Ephesians 4:12-13)

It was Saturday (daytime). I was standing out front of a facility that combined the Australian Institute of Sport (A) and Canberra University (B) (see figure below). Though Sunday church services were still held here, albeit with smaller attendances, already half the seats were full with couples, singles, groups, kids, and older people. Many others continued to arrive, and some by bus. The region people walked through was similar to walking from College Road through the Canberra University car parks onto the campus.

 

Now, while the pastor was preaching, it was unclear as to whether a guest speaker was present or not. In the crowd someone spoke of how many were from the Christian City Church Belconnen; led by Nick at a Pub.  A red haired lady inquired where I was from, to which I responded: “I started at CCC Dickson PM, then CCC Kaleen (night and day), and now this is my home.”

details

• This was indeed the history of my church attendances at the time, but I had never spent time at this location
• There is  a man named Nick who heads the CCC Belconnen group.  It's location is next to door a pub
• Plan is to go speak with this group (date 28 April 2012)

application

Be confident! Being part of the Church of Canberra is a destiny of greatness. God intends that we integrate into a complete body: equipping people in both mind, body and soul, to be mature disciples who can discern and apply the abilities they are given.

• Encourage people to pursue the work God calls them to do
• Release apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers so they would, together, equip people to achieve such work (this is why they exist)
• Persist until there is oneness in faith and knowledge in Jesus
• Persevere until God’s people has attained maturity as measured by Christ

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winds of change

"I still hold out hope that one day the wind will change back."

adapted from an article written by Ron McGatlin 

"I still hold out hope that one day the wind will change back."

what is church ministry?

• Grow in numbers?
• Improve its activities and services?
• Perform benevolent acts?
• Have greater prosperity?
• Do more and better evangelism?
• To heal people physically, emotionally, and spiritually?

These are a few examples of the results of the ecclesia (church), but they are not the goal. The goal is Christ dwelling among his people, who as a result mature with his character and nature, in the world, producing God’s kingdom and righteousness.

• This is the work of his Spirit and not a work of our efforts (Romans 8:11; Galatians 5:22)
• The love of Christ flowing from a pure heart is the most powerful world changing force.  Fear, pride, lust, greed, envy, and every evil work can be overpowered by love from a pure hearted people touching and changing our household and those who abide within then spilling out to the world (1 Timothy 1:5).

embracing the original goals

The love and gifts flowing through relationship are becoming the primary structure replacing institutional structure (e.g. intimacy with God, Father's love, "Christ in you", transformation, reformation, church without walls, etc).

We are learning that we do not "go to church" nor "join a church", but we are "added to the church". We are the church. In a way christians are taught about the church being a 'priesthood of the believer'.  However, we have not fully acted upon this understanding. The gap between the officials (pastor, priest, elders, bishop, etc) and the ordinary person continues to prevent us from fully enabling the priesthood of all believers.

 

systems, not the church will end

In the confusion of transition some think anarchy and rebellion are coming against the church and attempting to throw off leadership (e.g pastors and elders). If there are, they are wrong. The new paradigm will bring forth many times more gifted men and women who have in the passing systems been relegated to pew sitting, or limited jobs.

leadership and headship differences

There is one human head of the ecclesia (church). No one man stands as head over the church, local, regionally, or universally. No priest, pastor, or pope.  Nor does anyone represent the head to the mature believers.  The head is Christ Jesus.

Leadership simply means those further down the road on which we all are walking. The mature lead the immature until they are matured, then they lead other immature people, in turn.  How? By helping people to clearly hear God and live as he asks.

The term the bible uses is elder.  An elder has nothing to do with an office or official role. Elders lead by example, training and assisting the immature.  Elders:

• shepherd and oversee
• allow people to observe them and their lives, then
  
• release the maturing disciples to do the work while they watch, then
• leave them to do the work, themself now considered mature, an elder

don't to be mislead

• by reactions of people who fear losing the systems that have served them for so long, or
• by those who attempt to repackage the passing system practices with new labels
• by worring about where people gather, for our man-made traditions work whatever the venue (e.g. traditional church, a house, at work).

The move is about Christ truly becoming the head in a practical real way and not just in word only.

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community

God is birthing a community, uniting the Body of Christ and installing the Church into its intended position within the world.

No longer will there be a distinction between us (Church) and them (Community)

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