The Ekklesia of God

Recently, having had more time to think, I have become aware of assumptions that I had previously made. Many of our views and opinions we borrow from others, assuming their ideas to be correct. When we start to think for ourselves, we may discover that, along with others, we have accepted a myth.

You can't change the world single-handed. And of course even Jesus Christ himself never tried to do that. In fact he warned that, when it has served its purpose, the world will be discarded, which will come as rather a shock to those who are still trying to save it.

But if you cannot change the world, you can develop your understanding of it by reference to the clear information laid out by God in Old and New Testaments.

Recently I turned my attention to the subject of the 'church'. It came as a surprise to me to discover by reference to the 'Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words' by W E Vine, that 'church' translates a number of words that would be better translated individually rather than being mixed together like a stew that no longer tastes of any of its constituent vegetables.

What is 'church'. We all use the word freely, but do you have any idea what it really means? In the New Testament, the Greek word translated 'church' is 'ekklesia' from where we get our word 'ecclesiastical'. 'Ekklesia' means 'called out', so the 'ekklesia' are those who have been 'called out'. So should we read through the New Testament substituting 'those called out' wherever we hit the word 'ekklesia/church'? Try it to see what it reads like!

So if God is speaking of those who have been called out, from what are they called out? Out of the world? What is the world, and how can anyone be called out from it? Because no one has gone anywhere; everyone is still here.

Before I go any further, it is important to note that the whole emphasis in the New Testament is on personal dealings with God. People are called individually by God, and although in some cultures a group decision may be made, if God 'calls' us out of the world, it is something that will affect each person individually because we hear individually (surprise-surprise). It cannot be a shared call, and a person hears and has to respond to the call individually, however it may appear culturally. Therefore I am not happy to jump straight to ekklesia = assembly or congregation. I have to stay with 'ekklesia' = 'called out' and try to think things through from there.

In the bible the 'world', or 'kosmos' in the Greek, refers to the entire framework or arrangement in which we live. It is used to refer to the heavenly bodies, the earth, and all the structures both social and material that exist on the earth and which we inhabit in the process of living our lives from day to day.

Many aspects of the world are very beautiful because they have been made by God, and the stamp of God's workmanship and His abundant love for us are everywhere to be seen. From raspberries that are good to eat, and lakes that are good to swim in on a hot day, to beautiful buildings, music or a good book by a fireside in winter there are countless beautiful things in the world.

But because there is an enemy operating in the world, and because man is fallen, in everything in the world there are also traps for the unwary. So we read the warning in 1 John 2.15 to "love not the world, neither the things in the world" because in becoming absorbed in the creation we will begin to forget the Creator, to forget His love for us, and to neglect the imperative to grow daily in our relationship with, and our dependence upon, Him.

So we understand that, living in this world, at the same time as we continue to fulfil our proper responsibilities to people and to institutions in our society, God calls us out from involvement in sin and the devil's agenda in the world. So we speak of being 'in' the world, but not being 'of' the world.

Now, God made the world originally and expects everyone born into it to live in it until they die, just as He did in the person of Jesus Christ.  But he also calls everyone to live as He did when he was on the earth, denying selfish desire and obeying God.  And he has given his Holy Spirit to make all this possible for us. Without the Holy Spirit living inside us, this is a forlorn hope, because we lack the required internal guidance system which will make us able to live in this way.

It is quite amazing to read John 16 and 17 as Jesus tells his disciples that He is going to shortly leave them and return to the Father. He makes constant references to the world in his high-priestly prayer:

John 16

8.   when the Holy Spirit is come, He will reprove the world

28. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father

33. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world

John 17

6.   Father, you gave me men out of the world

8.   I pray for them; I do not pray for the world

11. and now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world

12. while I was with them in the world, I guarded them

13. these things I speak in the world

14. the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world

15. I pray not that you should take them out of the world, but that you should guard them from the evil

16. they are not of the world even as I am not of the world

18. as you have sent me into the world so have I sent them into the world

21. that they may be one in us that the world may believe that you have sent me

23. that the world may know that you have sent me

25. Father, the world has not known thee, but I have known thee

 

As we all know we enter the world when we are born, and subsequently become one of God's 'called out ones'. We do not become part of any organisation or anything else thing that can be seen.  We are strictly identifiable only by a radical life style of obedience to a pure, holy and loving God. "By their fruits you shall know them".

So what is this 'Church' that we hear about and that even has members in Parliament?  And in what sense can it claim to represent God on the earth?  There may be some difficulty understanding how it fits in. However, if people want to set up an organisation to represent their concerns to government, they are perfectly free to do so. But it is then a political organisation, not God's church, even though many of the people in the organisation may also be members of God's ekklesia.

Likewise the scriptures encourage God's ekklesia to organise themselves for their own welfare, social relief, advance in learning, godliness and general progress, meeting regularly together whenever an opportunity presents itself and people feel that it will be useful. In the process, as they turn their hearts to God, looking to Him for daily direction and feeding, and thanking him for daily provision, how naturally they will open their hearts to him in songs and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody to Him as they love and worship Him.

They will recognise the need for constant adjustment in patterns and situations as they respond to changes in the world around them. They will be sensitive to the ease with which human nature slides towards comfort, habit or protectionism (including monasticism and ghetto mentality). They will be exercised regularly and uncomfortably to meet the needs of people all around them who are either on the same pilgrimage, or perhaps are about to step out on it.

In any town of an size in the UK, in the context of the ekklesia, there is any amount of scope for gatherings that will focus on the needs of, for example:

• middle class people struggling with mid-life crises
• working people who regularly end up with the short economic straw and are least able to cope with it
• doctors and nurses with irregular shifts who need to resolve medical ethical dilemmas
• people who cannot manage their own finances
• students from overseas living in the UK

There is opportunity to arrange:

• counselling sessions for people with more personal needs
• Alpha meetings to lay down Christian basics and to help people to begin to engage with God
• Bible teaching for people ready to understand more of God's plan for their lives
• mission meetings to direct vision more broadly into gospel opportunities in the world
• groups to focus on the challenges of keeping pure in commerce, or coping with the temptations of international travel
• teach-ins about the bringing up children
• social contact and support for those recovering from depression
• lunchtime gatherings for Christians who work in the same company
• business lunches for businessmen to take associates to
• relaxation with others over a coffee while shopping in town
• Friday lunch together with office friends who don't want to go down to the pub with the others
• for students from overseas - coach trips to places of especial interest and hospitality in Christian homes

There are so many different ways to meet the needs of of our ekklesia friends who, frankly, find some of the demands and temptations of their life in the world quite overpowering.

Is there a place therefore for the monolithic bandwagons that we casually call churches? The answer is Yes and No. Where a 'church' has  become so unresponsive to genuine need, hopefully people will gradually desert it, the dinosaur starving to death and it's shell being used to store furniture or to make someone a nice house.

The problem lies more in the middle area where the bandwagon is no longer as relevant as it used to be. It either needs to become more relevant or to be shut down if those responsible for it have become too entrenched to adapt. People easily become traditional, denominational or entrenched, even as they cry "we are not traditional, we are not a denomination, we are not entrenched!" They may continue to bash on about the Holy Spirit being in control, but if the needs of the ekklesia are not being met, the Holy Spirit is not in control, because His will is to meet the needs of people. "'When He is come, He will lead you into all truth." There's no wriggling. "By their works you shall know them." Jesus said so.

Don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing.

Matthew 6.1-4 reads “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”

Some have taken this advice from Jesus to imply that it is best if charitable giving is anonymous. But, as for everything else that Jesus said, it is important to think long and hard about it because it must always be understood in the context of godly human living.

Working in Africa
In the 1990's, we lived for a time in Central Africa and while I spoke at Christian meetings in rural areas, Janet cared for us all, took the children to school and ran the home. We had been what many would regard as somewhat naive about support; we both believed that the Lord would provide, but made no attempt to put anything into position to cooperate with Him in this. Obviously we talked to Him about it (prayed), and felt complete peace in our hearts about what we were doing. And God did provide totally faithfully, but not really as we had anticipated.

God had spoken to me about working in Africa following a visit I had made to English friends who were Bible teaching in Malawi. He said to me “You could also do this.” Independently of this, God also spoke to Janet saying “One day you will live in Africa.” Janet only told me that God had spoken to her, after I had plucked up courage and told her that God had spoken to me!

Friends had suggested that World Outreach might be willing to take us on, and after a number of interviews and consultations they accepted us. The subject of how we were going to fund ourselves came up, and I’m sure we replied that we were selling our house and looking to God to provide. So at that time, following conversation with our church leaders, the mission did not see fit to impose any conditions upon us other than that we should not expect them to bail us out should we get into financial difficulties. Note that, at the present time, they would certainly provide very careful financial counselling to any new candidate.

Our move to Malawi coincided with the middle of a recession in the UK: I was unable to find work as a contract computer programmer and house prices were falling. We had planned to buy a high ground clearance vehicle for work in rural areas but were unable to do when the money ran out and the house in Reading did not sell. Eventually we sold it, loaded a 20 foot container with a small Nissan family car, basic furnishings and supplies and left for Central Africa in January 1993.

Before we left UK, a small number of friends had asked us about our costs and offered to support us financially. We were very grateful and left it to them to make arrangements to do so. I felt that we couldn’t expect someone else to pick up the tab for what we were doing, even if we believed that God was leading us, and I had little concept of ‘raising support’.

Upon our arrival in Malawi, we stayed with our English friends, and, as soon as our effects had arrived in the container moved into a little bungalow that had been rented for us close to Bvumbwe where rents were lower through being well out of Blantyre. To rent a property in Blantyre would have cost at least £1,000 per month. In addition we paid for the children to go to school and we lived simply to keep costs down.

Over the course of the following 25 months, we estimated that we spent about £40,000 in total on airfares, school fees, rent, other travel costs, food and employment costs and received about £4,000 in gifts from generous friends. Near the end of our second year in Malawi, we became aware of instabilities that could undermine the school system, a rising cost of living, the urgent need for an off-road vehicle, and a number of other matters of serious concern which threatened our ability to continue. We decided that the ‘writing was on the wall’ and that we would have to leave. Having reached that decision we booked a container, return flights to the UK, and received clearance from the tax authorities that we were free to leave – all with amazing speed.

Arriving back in the UK in February 1995 we received just enough money from the sale of my mother’s house – she had died while we were away – to enable us to buy a semi-detached house and to fund essential repairs to it. So began the difficult business of adapting again to living in the UK.

We saw God's hand in all our financial dealings despite the fact that we had not made any sensible arrangements for our own support. This became a major reason why we had to return although our work was going well. Through this I began to seriously question what it actually meant to 'believe God' for our needs. I also saw how easily we accept what we are told, and can blithely ‘skate across the surface’ without really understanding much about what we are doing.

Our time in Malawi proved to be utterly life-changing and the experience proved to be invaluable. We were there during the change from one-party rule to multi-party democracy and life was very uncertain. One Saturday morning, while driving to a seminar to be held in Zomba, we had to divert to a back road to avoid becoming involved in a gunfight that we could hear taking place between government troops and the Malawi Young Pioneers, a paramilitary group run as a private army by one of the government.

Trustee of World Outreach
Some while after our return, I was contacted by a friend who asked whether I would like to become a trustee of the World Outreach UK trust. I responded positively to the offer and served as a trustee for several years and in 2003 was invited to take on the responsibility of UK Operations Director. World Outreach has 250 to 300 missionaries around the world, all of whom look to God to supply their needs and none of whom are paid. So gradually I was introduced to the concept of raising one's own support in addition to praying about it.

I began to realise that there were many people who, for a multitude of reasons, were unable to go abroad, but who wanted to become involved in the great commission. And I saw that, just as it says in Romans 10.14 “And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” how can anyone get involved unless someone tells them of the opportunities to become involved.

I saw also that to fail to offer this opportunity to others to become involved is to rob them of the blessing that they could receive. Involvement would mean that they could pray, they could visit and become involved as we had in Malawi, and they could give financially too if they wished.

Let me add, at this point, that there are always plenty of opportunities to serve within the UK, and there is no need to go abroad to become involved in the work of God. Indeed all Christians should be involved, through prayer and other activities.

During my time as Operations Director, the organisation received gifts as small as 27p and as large as £50,000 from people who wanted to partner with us. We thanked each supporter equally, God knowing their hearts, sending them information to encourage their involvement. Where a gift was for a specific missionary or project we would put them into contact with the personnel on the field, encouraging information exchange and involvement at every level to maximize the blessing to the supporter and missionary alike.

There were only one or two supporters who gave anonymously and this was because they were satisfied to receive basic information and did not want deeper involvement perhaps because they were elderly. But as time passed I discovered that many supporters had actually visited the people they were supporting and knew a lot more about what they were doing than I did.

So then, what was the Lord Jesus driving at? If we read the context of his words we learn that he was concerned about people who gave so that they could broadcast their generosity and receive adulation from people. There is no reason to believe that he was advocating giving to people secretly.

Visit to south-east Asia
Following a visit to Thailand to take part in a regional meeting of World Outreach missionaries I travelled on to see a missionary living in extreme circumstances in a nearby country, a land of rivers and mud, primitive, unpleasant and very uncomfortable. I felt that he was a hero and decided to express my warm regard for what he was doing by sending a gift to him through intermediaries who also sent regular gifts from their church.

Over a period of months I did not hear from him to confirm that he had received the money, so I contacted the intermediaries to check that everything was ok. “Oh yes,” they said, “but we always send anonymously.” I realised then that the missionary would assume that the gift was from the church, and possibly that I had no interest in what he was doing because I had not contacted him again after my visit, and that my protestations of interest while I was with him had just been politeness. I must admit that I was very saddened by it and felt that it was too late to try to retrieve the situation. God knew that I cared about him, but he needed to know as well, and he didn’t.

Another aspect
Another aspect of “let not your left hand know what your right hand is doing” is “make your needs known by prayer to God alone”. When I thought about this concept I began to see that it would be highly attractive to God-centred people who desired to love God with all their heart and who wanted only His highest and best for their lives.

However you will not find it stated anywhere in scripture. But how can it be wrong to tell God about everything? You should tell God about everything, though sometimes you should tell God and someone else too.

• If your car breaks down in the UK, would you tell God alone, or would you also call the AA or RAC?
• If you had toothache in the UK, would you tell God alone or would you also visit a dentist?
• If you were sick in the UK, would you tell God alone or would you also contact a doctor?
• If you were facing a financial crisis would you tell God alone, or would you also consider consulting trusted friends?

What is so different about the last example that you suddenly don't want to involve anyone apart from God? What about other members of Christ's body? Are they not part of you? Why this sudden independence?

Have you considered that it may be a very clever attack by the enemy to isolate you and to prevent you involving others who could and should help. The evidence is that many excellent people have had to return from the mission field and to cope with an overwhelming sense of failure because they were unable to meet their financial needs, believing that they had to keep their financial needs secret and to ‘look to God alone to supply’.

Does it not strike you as strange that the God who wants you to tell other people the good news of Jesus Christ apparently does not want you to enlist the financial help of friends to help you to do it? And yet I know a number of truly godly people who apparently will not tell others of their needs even if sensitively asked. “God has always supplied” they reply. But is it possible that God has supplied because he loves them and would always supply what they need?

When a person tells me “God supplies my need through prayer alone”, who am I to question their basis of believing God? Romans 14.4 states “Who are you that judge another man's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Yes, he shall be held up: for God is able to make him stand.” But that doesn’t stop you from thinking about it all.

It is clear that the enemy will always work against a missionary’s advance into his territory, and therefore will do all that he can to restrict his lines of supply.

Book review – Funding the Family Business

Disposal of things we no longer need

We recently bought a new king size mattress (spring interior with memory foam) when our non-allergenic Dunlopillo began to provide less support. The problem was then to dispose of a king size mattress in good condition with plenty of life.

No one wanted a second-hand mattress! We are still coming to terms with a society who are relatively rich and want for nothing. Not even the local charities wanted it.

But increasingly we see our need to clear the house of spare stuff in preparation for an eventual move to a smaller home where we have only what we use every day.

So we drove the mattress, beautiful in it's plastic wrapping, to Smallmead tip, to dump it. Our last view of it was sticking out of one corner of the enormous shovel of a JCB like an item from a doll's house. Just another bit of the detritus of discarded living.

How important it is to be willing to discard things we no longer need even though we think someone could still use them. I find it quite hard to do, but if we don't they will begin to block up our life.

I once took an African friend from Uganda down to the tip. He was distressed to see 'perfectly good' mattresses being dumped. We feel the same way.