A Bible-Based Way to Get Started?

Organic church, simple church, house-church—Just Church! How do we get started correctly?

Are there any absolutes for being established as a true, biblical family of believers and an expression of the Body of Christ? And how do we mature and Grow?

Let’s examine two Church Planting Models I believe are significant for the N. American context

1. The “Antioch” Model
2. The “Ephesian” Model

First, let’s look at and discuss The Antioch Model

Read about it: Acts 13:1 – 20:38

Here Paul and co-workers are sent on church planting trips from Antioch, Syria to establish churches in Galatia, Greece, and Asia Minor.

The Christian worker is sent to a town to preach Jesus Christ. He preached a Person — Jesus Christ (Act 2:22-36; 8:5,12,35; 9:17-20; 10:38-43; 11:19-20; 17:2-3; Rom 16:25; Gal 3:1; 1 Cor 2:2; 2 Cor 4:5)

New converts were made as a result of the preaching of Jesus Christ. Some were religious people who already had a relationship with God (the Jews). Others had never encountered God before (the Gentiles).

After leading people into a real encounter with Christ, the worker showed the young church how to live by the indwelling life of the newly found Lord.

The worker disclosed to them the eternal purpose of God — this became their consuming passion and vision!

The worker also passed on to the new church the apostolic tradition that originated with Jesus (1 Cor 11:2; 2 Thes 2:15; 3:6). This included teaching them to be obedient to the teachings and words of Jesus as well as His acts on earth (Mat 28:19-20)

The worker unfolded the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ (Eph 3:8). He unveiled to the hearts of the saints the greatness and all-sufficiency of their Lord Jesus. This is what is meant to build a church on Jesus Christ as the foundation ( Mat 7:24ff; 16:16-18; 1 Cor 3:11; Eph 2:20). Having Christ as foundation means the church learns to wholly depend upon and rest on Him for all things.

The immediate and long-lasting result: God’s people fell in love with their Lord and with one another. And they were grounded upon nothing but Christ!

The worker effectively instructed the believers how to live by the Christ who in-dwelt them. He showed them how to fellowship with Him together and individually. He equipped them to function corporately under the Lord’s direct headship. No one-man officiating or controlling, they learned to mutually submit and yield to the leading of the spirit together. At one time yielding as the Lord is expressed through this sister, at another time yielding as the Lord is expressed through that brother. This took time and some times they made mistakes and even offended each other, yet they kept at it! (see 1 Cor 12 – 14)

The worker also prepared the saints for some of the trials that they would someday face (Act 14:22; 20:31; 1 Thes 3:4)

The worker also taught the believers how to live very practically, touching on everyday issues such as sexuality, money, work-ethics, raising children, obeying the law etc.

After saturating the saints with Christ, the worker made an exit! He gently pushed the saints out of the nest and left them on their own. He did this without hiring a pastor, a clergyman, or board of elders! He would continue to communicate with this church returning only when necessary and at a much later date.

As the believers grew in their life and love, experienced, spiritually mature saints emerged that the brothers and sisters could look to for gentle guidance and support. These brothers were affirmed later. Their main function would be to make sure the preeminence of Christ remained as the central vision and passion of the church by modeling Christ in their everyday lives and interactions.

They lived out servanthood, they mold the spiritual development of younger believers (1 pet 5:1-3). They dealt with sticky situations in the church (Act 15:6). But they never made decisions for the church. (Bible-based New Testament method for decision-making was based on corporate consent — ALL participated and when they ALL agreed they then acted).

I’ll stop here so you can discuss and add comments. I’ll follow with a similar treatment of the Ephesian Model.

Click on this link if you have questions or want more information about starting or being part of a bible-based, Jesus-focused, local church in your neighborhood.

Marc – Ottawa
w: http://just1church.wordpress.com
w: http://livestream.com/just1church

Did Jesus Just Spit Me Out?

Click on this link if you have questions or want more information about starting or being part of a bible-based, Jesus-focused, local church in your neighborhood.

When We Gather

Simple, Bible-based Church—When we gather together

So what does simple, bible-based church-life look like when we gather together?

If you have questions or want more information about starting or being part of a bible-based, Jesus-focused, local church in your neighborhood please click this link.

Biblical Churches Within Walking Distance

At Just-1-Church we particularly encourage biblical churches not just cell groups or bible study groups. Biblical church is all that we see in the book of Acts. Its basis is a shared-life in communities of faith in Jesus as described throughout the New Testament (Covenant) letters.

In today’s biblical churches (as in the first three centuries of church-life) we see: no emphasis on a special, professional priesthood or clergy, no special decorated meeting places, no focus on particular programs or intricate rituals or liturgy. What we do see are real people with real problems that need solutions. This family is totally given over to the indwelling life of Jesus expressed uniquely as they lived out their days together!

Biblical church is first about Christ: Jesus the head and His body! Jesus is the head, the leader, the chief, the master. His Spirit indwells a body or group of people who share lives daily, meet in relational gatherings that function more like families and are relevant to the culture and setting they are in.

These family of believers have as their final authority in all matter the Holy Word of God, the Scripture: both Old and New Covenants! They take very seriously the commission Jesus gave to make disciples of all men and nations, teaching obedience to every command He gave!

These kind of churches are established by mature, God-gifted and experienced workers and are connected by relationships and interactions to other such churches forming networks and larger communities of faith across a geography; sometimes even over several countries.

If you have questions or want more information about starting or being part of a bible-based, Jesus-focused, local church in your neighborhood please click this link.

Jesus? Messiah? How Sure Can We Really Be?

Chuck Missler

“Until we can measure a thing, we really know very little about it” – “William Thompson (Lord Kelvin)

How sure can we be that Jesus is the Messiah?

Can we measure the certainty of the Messiahship of Jesus?

If you have questions or want more information about starting or being part of a bible-based, Jesus-focused, local church in your neighborhood please click this link.

So What Is Simple Church?

But God! – On Race and Manifest Destiny

Today I came across a blog discussing Manifest Destiny and some expression of anger about God’s and the Black race.

“Manifest Destiny is the historical belief that the United States was destined and divinely ordained by The God of Christianity to expand across the North American continent, from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifest_destiny

Here are a few thoughts I seeded into my comments to the author:

• God is racial—God INTENTIONALLY created the lush diversity and nuances of races and called it GOOD!
• God is NOT RACIST! God originated all mankind from one blood! Children from the same radix! None better, none more preferred!
• God is spirit!—Neither black, white, brown, red, yellow, polka-dotted nor pin-striped.
• Ignorance—not God—gives the power that enslaves all mankind, regardless of race! Know the Truth and it makes you free! (That’s one of the best reasons to encourage any child to learn to read, write and think!)
• Manifest means: easily understood or recognized by the mind : obvious
• There is no collective earthly nation that is Christian! This is a perpetuated lie birthed from deception, ignorance and sheer arrogance! God demands that everyone, individually; believe and relate to Him and thus have their personal destiny made manifest—clear, obvious—by him.
• God will judge the unrighteous acts of every individual Native, American, African, European etc..—black, white, brown, yellow, red or bleached!
• Individually, our sin keeps us from allowing God to manifest our destiny! Sin is the breaking of God’s Law!
• The Law of God is like the highway speed limit. Break it, and you will pay the penalty! Exodus 20 tells: 
  1. Don’t worship anything your imagination conjures as a God
  2. Don’t hate anyone, because Hate = Murder
  3. Don’t lust sexually in your heart after anyone you are not married to
  4. Don’t steal
  5. Don’t lie …

You and I both know we have broken one or more of these! The Law says the penalty for breaking one is DEATH! We are guilty and we do not have the price to go free!

BUT GOD…

God prepared a body and lived in it on earth so he could pay that price for everyone. The body was called Jesus Christ! Believe in Jesus and accept his life as payment for your sins and you will be saved from the penalty of the angry Law demanding payment! Jesus payed with his life so we can go, we can have a relationship with God that is free from guilt and condemnation!

This is an adoption into the family of God and brings us into a personal relationship with God. Our own careful reading of ALL the pages of His message to mankind (the Holy Scriptures) will reveal an awesome purpose and destiny for the Sons of the Last Adam!

A quick note: Many of God’s dealings with the nations (including Israel) includes working through and with several Black individuals (both men and women)—

in the New Testament we see the Ethiopian Treasurer sent from Candace! God told a Jewish brother to stop a great tent meeting dead in its tracks and go bring the message of Messiah to this Black brother!

I’ve said enough for now! I welcome your comments.

Learn The Bible in 30 Minutes!

Yours for only 3 easy payments of…

Paul Washer – Are You Truly Saved?

2 Corinthians 13:5 (New King James Version)
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.

If you have questions or want more information about starting or being part of a bible-based, Jesus-focused, local church in your neighborhood please click this link.

A Very Blessed New Year!

Maranatha! Come to Your House Lord!

 
[Note: To use the email addresses here, please replace "(at)" with the @ sign. Addresses are written this way to confuse automated junk-mailers.]

The Church here in Ottawa is taking off to visit with brethren in Gatineau, Quebec on January 3rd. These saints have invited us to serve them by planting, equipping and encouraging them. We are anticipating the beginning of a great relationship of service!

We are making ourselves available to visit with your family, group or church.
If you would like us to visit and serve you, your small group or local church in any way (discussions, answers to your questions or just great fellowship) please send a message and we will get in touch to discuss dates. To confirm a visit contact us via email: info(at)just1church.com

Confirmation of our “Hall of Tyrannus” here in Ottawa!
The Lord is good! We have just confirmed the availability of the Gospel Lounge at 1587 Bank Street, Ottawa at Heron and Bank Street. The plan is to host public, interactive discussion on Biblical, New Testament style of living Christ in Community; reaching out to our city (believers and unbelievers alike) by engaging in open debates, panel discussions and apologetic presentations (multi-media and spoken word). We do intend to be deliberately provocative, hosting topics such as:

• Does God Exist?
• Is the Bible Really The Word of God?
• I’m Gay and Christian?
• Is the law Still in Effect for Today?
• Is Tithing Even Biblical?

We are publicizing via: Christian radio station here in Ottawa, personal invites to the local church congregations, word of mouth, posters, on university bulletin-boards and websites. Contact us via email: info(at)just1church.com

Read through the Bible in 90-Days!
Marc is kicking off a monumental challenge to all the local church congregations in Ottawa over 2009 to read the bible from cover to cover in 90 days. This will consist of many groups possibly starting at different dates but each lasting for 90 days. If you would like your church to participate please contact me for details and the resource kits. For details contact us via email: info(at)just1church.com

Special Prayer Request
Please have the prayer warriors pray regularly for our brother Marc Wright. Marc will be focusing on the following ministry areas and service in 2009:

Generally: To build up, equip and bring encouragement to the Christian Believers across our nation, Canada
Specifically:

1. Making a clear presentation of The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven and the corresponding need for Biblical Church Practices in Contemporary Christian Life and Community
2. Promoting loving dialogue about key topics like: The Gospel of Kingdom of Heaven, The New Wine Skin (biblical church practices), Scriptural Literacy and Biblical Interpretation; The One Body of Jesus Christ; Church Maturity and Growth
3. Networking with other workers and parts of the body across our nation
4. Establishing a schedule for follow-up ministry dates (for equipping as well as church planting)

You can contat Marc via email: marc(at)just1hurch.com or on Twitter.com