what is faith?

If Jesus' sacrifice was a once and for action ... doing anything that seeks to forgive us of our sins with a repeated nature does one of two things

1. States we never had faith

2. States Jesus alone is not enough, thus 1 still

How does this apply to certain church denominations

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holy holy holy

Please first read Colossians 1

Are all people made holy through Christ?  Is he reconciling all creation to Him?  If so, then how are we to understand Ephesians 4?

Apostles. Prophets. Evangelists. Teachers. Pastors.  These are the five roles given for the equipping of the saints.  But pause for a moment ... are these words accurate translations?

Saints ... This is an English word used to translate the Greek word meaning sacred or holy.  It is the same word always used to refer to the Holy Spirit and Holy Scriptures.  As such, it is not surprising to see it in terms of God's holy people or saints.  But is that what has occurred here?  Does the next part of the passage which refers to doing the work of the ministry only refer to believers?

Equipping ...  To provide whatever is needed to make something perfect, mature, full.
Consider for a moment (John 14-15, Rom 2, Heb 8-10, Col 1) ... According to Jesus, truth and spirit influences everything and everywhere, whether or not it recognises it as doing so.  Therefore, what would happen if  this understanding were placed into the Ephesians passage?

The five roles were provided by God so everyone (and everything) God considers holy could be made perfect, mature, full in every way.

This is significant because it suggests that apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers, and pastors were not sent for Christians.  Rather, they were sent for all creation, every part of it, including everyone regardless of their faith, experience of God, or acknowledgement of Him.

Could it be God is prepared to interact directly with people?  Could it be that people are not obligated to go to designated Christian places and spaces?  Could it be that we are to go to them?

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fasting

Have you heard of the 40 hour famine? Does your church encourage you to fast, for whatever reason?

These days, probably to include more people including young children, we are asked to go for a period of time without.  But what are we asked to abstain from?  Food, junk food, alcohol, TV, computer games, etc?  Are you given the freedom to choose what you give up or are the items specifically outlined for you?

Does it make a difference?  If it doesn't matter what we abstain from then the reason must be about the act itself.  However, if what we abstain from matters, then there mist be other associated reasons in addition to the act itself.

What kinds of fasting are mentioned in the Bible?

• Absolute Fast - You are not to consume any food or water over a certain number of days.  Nothing.  This is an extreme fast and should only be done for very short periods of time.
• Normal Fast -  No food of any kind is eaten for a certain number of days. Nothing.  You do drink water and plenty of it. 
• Partial Fast - You may give up particular foods and drinks for a time. (A commonly used example is Daniel 1:11-14, where Daniel and his friends ate only fruits and vegetables and drank only water for 10 days).

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postmodern church

"I'm alright - I don't believe in the law of gravity"

Everyone has a way of thinking, a way of viewing how the world works.  Postmodernism describes one of these. Consequently, people who accept a postmodern mindset tend to behave in certain ways, as others do according to their mindset. And as such, given people inhabit the church, how do the mindsets we bring affect the church? How do they impact you, your family, your friends?

Exploring this begins by understanding where people, generally, tend to gain their views about truth and reality. Assuming they are generational ignores the exceptions within a population and that people can and do change, for various reasons, how they see their world over time.

What are the main differences how each of the three "moderns" relate to truth and reality?

foundations of postmodernism

If the individual, you, is the source of truth and reality, no one else may determine what you believe or do. This includes God. And assuming you do accept his existence, this mindset will help you ignore or downplay his voice.

Please be aware this is necessary because when you decide what is true and real, absolute truths, like the ones God speaks of, become impossible. Why? Because when everyone has the right to their own opinions, every opinion must be considered equally valid, including what is in the bible. Truth is made relative and now it depends on personal preferences and interpretations.

Consequently, no one single faith/religion can claim itself as the only truth. To do so is viewed as arrogant. You may include and exclude whatever suits you, and then mix them together, from a variety of faiths and other areas. This affects both evangelism (new believers) and discipleship (new and existing believers) because accepting God and understanding his ways doesn't necessitate giving anything up or changing anything if it doesn't suit you. For example, reading the bible, praying, hearing sermon messages, and prophecy, are approached in terms of "what does this mean to you?" instead of "what does God mean by this?" In short, considering matters of faith as opinions makes it difficult to see God's truths since each view is given equal importance.

Are you doing this? What are the implications of fully listening to God?

What could happen if a priest/pastor or other church leaders lived this way? How could this affect what is taught? What if you need to ask a question, or reveal that God actually disagrees with their claims?

"That might be true for you, but not for me.” "You are welcome to your opinion, but mine is..."

When confronted, people with a post-modern mindset tend to avoid arguments. Turning issues into opinions is easier than listening, considering the merits of what is being proposed, and then choosing to reject or embrace it. Therefore, if absolute truths about faith/religion cause this type of response, so will morality, ethics, and justice.

Why? Because morality is based upon the absolutes of right and wrong. But, if each person is the source of what is true, then 'what is right' and 'what is wrong' becomes subjective. "What you see as wrong, might not be for me” or "The way I choose to live is my business, who are you to interfere?" Thinking like this only considers how things and situations affect you and ignores any personal responsibility you might have to others.

For example, a man is lying in the gutter, an open bottle of alcohol in his hand. He is very drunk. You walk past him thinking, "He made his choices. This is his journey. Who am I to interfere?" But stop for a moment. What if that was your own son? Could you walk past him? How would you respond to see others walking past him? Stop again. What if that was you drunk in the gutter? Why are you there? Is it right to be left alone in your hopelessness?

Now reexamine this in the following situations. Do you call the police when your home is burgled? If there is no right or wrong, why? What if your sister was raped or your child molested? If there is no right or wrong please don't complain, let alone seek justice. And yes it could be argued, the source of this outrage was you. But then why interfere when it was someone else who was impacted?

exception to the rule

Ultimately, when the line between self, the world, and your beliefs is blurred, the way you seek the acceptance of others is to advocate tolerance of the views of others, in the hope the curtesy will be returned. Accepting, or at least claiming to accept other opinions is seen the same as valuing the people who hold them.

The one exception to this rule is anyone who seeks truths that universally apply to everyone, particularly anyone who dares to criticize the views of others, disagree with them, or suggest they are wrong.

In other words, all views about truth are possible, except if your view about truth disagrees with this stance. As a follower of Christ, you must expect this toward you from people who hold a postmodern mindset.  Why?

• God communicates about and with absolute truths (Jn 18:37)
• The foundations of Jesus' life and mission apply to everyone (e.g. forgiveness, sacrifice, sin, repentance, reconciliation)
• Teachings by Jesus and his disciples did not offer the option based upon a “this is true for me, but may not be true for you” philosophy.  They were simply offered.  People regularly rejected it (e.g. ).

conclusion

If you are postmodern, you must accept all faiths/religions as equally true.  Hence, you must accept God is real and Jesus was sent to earth to free you and restore you with God. To refuse is to reject your pluralistic philosophy.  Sure, you can reject Jesus, but do so honestly.

Similarly, if you are a postmodern christian, you must accept every interpretation someone tells you about God's ways and character as equally true.  Hence, you must, for example, accept the need to let go of everything you love more than him. You must be missional and not merely a Sunday attendee. You must sacrificially love all your enemies. You must stop being sectarian in how you treat the church, Christ's body. To refuse is to reject your pluralistic philosophy.  Sure, you can reject these proposals but do so by first seeking what God's reality is, not how you interpret it.

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either/or … both/and logic

In recent years, people connected with the church, have made active attempts to change how they think and speak.  Specifically, they advocate for the replacement of “either/or” logic (statements and questions) with “both/and” logic.

This need comes from key motivations

1. To prevent contradictory statements of faith
2. To pay attention to parts of God’s word ignored, overlooked, not focused on enough
3. I am passionate about this, therefore I must be right
4. I am angry about this, therefore I must be right

However, there is a problem with this desire:

• To claim only “both/and” statements exist is bad-logic because to do so we must accept that both “both/and” and “either/or” statements are possibly, while
• To claim only “either/or” statements exist is also bad-logic because to do so is to accept either a “both/and” or  “either/or” statement could be appropriate to a situation

The other problem with this desire is once it is put into practice.  For example:

• You are either male or female.  You cannot be both.
• All living creatures are either alive or dead.  They can never be both.
• God either exists or He doesn't.  We cannot claim God both exists and doesn't.
• Salvation is either by by faith or not.  We cannot claim salvation is both by faith and something else.
• And yet, Jesus is both man and God.
• Also, you can be both a parent and a child.

In other words, it is possible to have “both/and” logic and “either/or” logic depending on the situation.

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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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gender specific messages

introduction
The use of terms referring to gender occur throughout the bible (e.g. mother, father, son, daughter, wife, husband).  Some apply to specific people.  Others provide information about a principle.  For instance:

• Characteristics of a wife … (Ps 31)
• How women should behave in church meetings … (1Co 14:34-35)
• Definition of a widow … (1Tim 5)
• How fathers need to treat their children … (Eph 6)

But how does reading Galatians 3:26-28 affect matters?

You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.  There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

In other words, being part of God’s family means the divisions of heritage, social status, and gender are no longer relevant.  Does this mean you stop being a male or female?  No.  You still have the physical parts and the associated functions such as pregnancy and beard growing.  Then there are differences in hormones, emotions, etc.  So what exactly, does it mean for gender to be no longer relevant?

what does the bible say?

The starting point is to consider yourself in just one category: a child of God.  Do a word search of the bible using the keywords child and God.  How many of them refer to a gender?  What is common among them?

• General information (Mt 5:9; Lk 20:36; Heb 12:7-8)
• Connection to Jesus (Jn 1:12; Gal 3:7; Gal 3:26; Heb 2:14; 1Jn 5:1)
• Where they come from (Jn 11:52; Rom 9:8).
• Connection to God’s Spirit (Rom 8:14)
• What God gives them (Rom 8:17-23; Gal 3:29; Eph 3:6)
• How to recognise them (Mt 5:9; Phil 2:15; 1Pe 1:14; 1Jn 2:28; 1Jn 3:9-10; 1Jn 5:18-19)

fathers and their children

Choose one of the passages from the introduction, for example Ephesians 6: Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

If gender is relevant to this passage then it’s request only applies to men who are fathers.  Everyone else, including mothers, could be considered exempt and may therefore provoke children and not be responsible for the discipline of children. Such a world would make the efforts of a father impossible, so why even ask it of him.

If at the very least mothers also need to discipline their children and treat them in such a way that they are not provoked, then we must re-examine how God views things.

widows

Now read 1 Timothy 5: a widow who is put on the list for support must be a woman who is at least sixty years old and was faithful to her husband…continue reading.

Why does God repeatedly associate widows with orphans and strangers in his word?  Could it be they are each a group of vulnerable people in the community?  If gender is relevant to this passage then it’s request only applies to widowed women.  Vulnerable elderly men could be considered exempt and we may therefore ignore their needs.

But read the passage in context.  Why were female widows even brought to attention?  Was there a cultural context? Do we simply transfer the action word for word, or do we need to look at the intent between the lines?

conclusion

Whenever you read something in the bible or are given advice, look at the underlying truths.  If God treats his children equally, then we need to live that way too.  Matters of character, principle, ethics, justice, love apply to everyone.  Equally.

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danger of false teachers

“Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict everyone of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” (Enoch as quoted by Jude)

In the church there are people who will try to convince you that God allows us to live immoral lives.  Their argument is since God is all loving and forgiving, he will not allow anyone to perish.

Yet, according to the writings of Jude 1, these people deny Jesus Christ. How?
On the one hand they claim to know God by the revelations they talk about. While on the other hand, they

• live immorally, defy authority, and scoff at things they don't understand
• grumble and complain
• brag about themselves
• flatter others to get what they want
• live only to satisfy their own desires

It is through this contradictory lifestyle they try to convince you. "I call myself a Christian, a church-goer, but am not prepared to live as a child of God."

remember

• Jesus rescued Israel from Egypt, but later destroyed people who didn't remain faithful
• The angels who didn't stay within the limits of the authority God gave were imprisoned
• Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns were destroyed for their immoral living as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment

beware
When someone claims to know God but lives for themselves they will not only bring destruction upon themselves.  To merely be around them, even at a church worship service could, if you are not vigilant cause you too to stumble.

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my pastor for a horse

If history had developed a different set of tasks for the pastor of our local churches, would the people who seek to be today's pastors be doing those things instead of what they are now doing?

Why do we do the things we do?

Why do we do them the way we do?

Do tasks and jobs, activities, create the role (pastor or otherwise), or does the role determine what we need to do and how we do them?  That is, "I am X because I do Y", a matter of utilitarianism (function), or "I do Y because I am X" a matter of character (heart)?

action

With these options in mind, examine your church.  Why are people, including your pastor, priest, elders, deacons, etc, doing what they are doing?  Is it because it is an outcome of the heart God has instilled into the role?  [To discover this answer you may need to revisit the bible and seek God for his intentions.]  Or is it because there are certain activities that need to be done? (and yes there may be a mix of both).

Indeed, ask these same questions of yourself in terms of being for instance a parent, a brother or sister, a child, a work colleague, a friend, a citizen of your city or nation, etc.

related posts

• ezekiel 34 ... identifying a shepherd

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building funds

background context

The 'head pastor' of a local church in Canberra, Australia, announced in December 2010 that a recognised prophet said God was "forcing Fusion through some doors".  He then explained this as evidence of the "coming to pass" of a building opportunity in Crace (purchase land and build a church building/centre).

discernment

Note: There is often a gap between revelation, interpretation, and application.  As such, there are a few ways to understand the above dynamics:

• the prophecy is true and accurately understood by the hearer
• the prophecy is true but interpreted through the desires of the hearer
• the prophecy is true but 'tailored' in such a way as to be accepted by the hearer
• the prophecy is false

As a third party, someone who did not hear the words directly from God, nor the one sharing, we must discern what is going on.  It is not enough to take things at face value.  We can personally talk with God, and he with us.  Also, both the 'prophet' and hearer, in this case a 'pastor' are both human.  They are capable of misunderstanding or biasing.

In this case, did the pastor have earlier desires to build a church building?  It may not have been publicly announced and even denied.

What if the opportunity doesn't succeed?

Does this make the prophecy inaccurate?  Or was it the interpretation?

• How will the 'prophet' respond?  Seek clarity and discuss how things have been received by themselves and those they spoke with, or will they pass responsibility off onto other?
• How will the hearer respond?  Will they admit their error and seek clarity, or will they justify their position?
• What is your responsibility?

what happened next

In this situation, the land was not offered and thus a building could not be built (Nov 2011).  The 'prophet' has been silent, Matt stated that God still desires this local church to have a building, and the congregation clapped and cheered in agreement.

more discernment

Was the prophecy false?  The answer to this is unclear, but it adds possibility it was simply misinterpreted.  God wanting this local church to "go through doors" may mean go places it had not before, but it does not need to imply buildings and property or even the social and emotional associated changes that go with them.  Did anyone ask God what he meant?  Did they do this before the person in charge (the pastor) finalised the interpretation?

Assuming there will be people who will continue to justify their position, what should you as someone who chooses to discern do?  Do you confront and ask questions, or do you keep silent, for whatever reason?

personal responsibilities

• Seek God's views on the matter, seek peace and an attitude of restoration.
• Speak where possible directly with the people who made or shared the prophetic statements.  Voice the concerns.
• If they listen great.
• If they do not listen, they are now responsible for what happens next.  Yes, it is up to you whether you act in support of the project (e.g. give money). But you cannot force anyone to change.

Should you voice your concerns with others?  Maybe, but if you do, please do it with respect for all concerned.  Remember we all can hear God inaccurately and then, out of love for him, act upon it.

resolutions

How can peace occur among those who disagree?  Does peace mean finding a compromise?  Does peace mean doing what you are asked because the person who asks you is your pastor, boss, parent, etc?  Does peace mean discovering the points of agreement and building upon them?

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ephesians

When Paul wrote to God’s people of Ephesus, he praised God.  Why?

• God blesses us with every spiritual blessing because we are united with Christ. 

God loved us and adopted us into his own family, by making us holy and without fault in his eyes through Christ...

• Who is part of God's family? [LINK]

Paul then explains God’s plan regarding Christ:

1. Everything would be brought together under Christ’s authority
2. We receive an inheritance from God because we are united with Christ
3. United Jews and Gentiles into one people by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations and thus all who hear the truth about Jesus, and believe, bring praise and glory to God

• What is God's plan? 
• What did we receive and who received it?
• How did Jesus do this?
• What are the implications?

God put everything under Christ’s authority.  He is the head of everything for the benefit of the church (his body).

• Who belongs to God’s family?
• Who does the church need to be led by in order for it to benefit?
• What are the implications when we place someone or something as the head of the church?

Therefore Paul begs people to lead lives worthy of being called by God. To always be humble, gentle, patient, make allowances for one other’s faults, and united in peace.  Why?  There is one body (church), one Spirit, one hope for the future, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father.

• What is your calling? A ministry or that Christ calls us to follow him?  Explain
• If we choose to follow then how should we live?  Read also 1Corinthians13
• Why?

However, he gave each one of us a special gift through Christ: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.

• Does this mean each individual receives these things directly.  Or something else?
• What is their responsibility?
• Who are these gifts for?  Why?
• How should the success of these gifts be measured?
• What is the responsibility of God's people?
• How long will this exercise take?  What does that look like?
• How can success be measured?

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

If God’s people do what God asks of them and are equipped by the ‘fivefold ministries’ to do so … what will the church look like

What is Christ’s role in all this?  What are the implications for us?

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who are God's gifts for?

Read Ephesians 4

• Christ gave the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.
• Why?
  › To equip God’s people so they can to do his work and build up the church.
• Why?
  › Because as each does their own special work, it helps others grow, enabling the whole church to be healthy, grow, and full of love.
• How long will this continue?
  › Until we all come to unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son. That is, we are mature, full and complete like Christ.
  › We are no longer influenced by false teachings that sound like the truth. Instead we will speak the truth in love, growing more like Christ.

It is sometimes suggested that God gives people, specifically christians, spiritual gifts. Examples of these are found in the New Testament, with Ephesians 4 (above), Romans 12, and 1 Corinthians 12 being the main ones. This list is probably not an exhaustive one. Please note that each of these three all are introduced by a description of the unity and diversity in the body of Christ.

who are God's gifts for?
A quick definition is that the gifts God gives enable his people to do the things he needs to happen.

• Does this mean they are spiritual or practical gifts?
• Does God only give them to church people or anyone who follows Jesus Christ?
• Are they for the benefit of the person who is given the gift or for someone else?

The purpose of this message is to explore the third question: are the gifts God gives for the person he gives them to or for others.
People who suggest God's gifts, spiritual or otherwise, and whoever they are given to, are for the benefit of the receiver tend to justify this by claiming that having a gift:

• Gives you purpose; gives you a reason to get out of bed in the morning
• Helps you in personal ways (worship, understand people, heal, etc)
• Enables you to feel special or even loved
• Helps improve you intellectually and/or morally
• Proves you are 'saved' or 'filled by God's spirit'
• Helps increase your power and influence or helps draw attention to your importance

What is common between the following passages of the bible (1Co12:7; Eph 4:12; 1Pe 4:10)? Do they recommend seeking gifts from God to benefit yourself or others?

conclusion

So are any of these reasons valid? Yes, all except the last wherein attention needs to be directed to God as they are his gifts, his power, his influence. And yet the yes is a qualified yes. A trumpet does not own the breath given it anymore than we do what is given us. The air does not belong to the trumpet. The gift is not yours. Nor is the input of the air what was intended, rather the sound out the other end. The music.

Moreover, if the music cannot be heard, no matter how gifted the musician, what was the point? So could be said of God's gifts. He invests them in you so others can be affected. And in the case of Ephesians 4, he enables some to equip others, who may then affect even more.

 The question then is who are these other people?

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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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