Behold! A graced new world has come upon us. We are in it.  We are also clothed with it. Those in Christ are now clothed with the Spirit from heaven.  Jesus promised us that he would not leave us alone, but that the Spirit would be with us. And so now we are wearing the raiment of a new world — a world soaked through with the presence and character of God.

We live simultaneously in a “brave new world” as well. It is the world of Adam, a world still deeply and profoundly shaped and scarred by the militant occupation of sin and death. This brave new world is that place where the humans and their societies are caving in on themselves.

Oppression , tyranny, poverty, racism, environmental degradation, conspicuous consumption, and many other ailments are disturbing expressions of the world of Adam.  Scripture testifies that sin and death entered into the world through one man’s disobedience.  Scripture also testifies that one man’s faithfulness, that of Jesus of Nazareth, has led to the emergence of a new world.

The Spirit clothes us with the power to live faithful and sacrificial lives that sing of a coming new world. It is a world that reflects the love, mercy, and justice of God. In the book of Acts we are given a snapshot of a community of friends clothed with the power of heaven.  What happens is quite startling. They share their lives, food, shelter, songs, and the different worlds they inhabit.

In our world, what does it mean to be clothed with the raiment of heaven? We still live in the world of Adam, a world characterized by violent and oppressive relations between people representing different worldviews.  In such a world, the hope of Easter and the promise of the Spirit bring us to a stance of resistance to these things.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit we are adorned with the raiment of a graced new world.  ANTHONY SMITH, page 157, The Mosaic Bible

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These were originated and posted by David Watson as Screwtape’s 4 Easy Ways to Kill a Church Plant, also posted by Leadership Journal online magazine and again on facebook.  They are definitely worthy of mention.

Ok, they are not from Screwtape, but they sure sound like they are.

1. Establish a “Come To” environment, instead of a “Go To” environment.

Many church-starts begin by going to a new community, but then set up a building for people “come to” in order to find God or Community or … you fill in the blank. Going doesn’t stop until we are staying in homes, transforming individuals, families and communities. See Matthew 10, Luke 9, and Luke 10.

2. Make Converts, instead of Disciples.

Most churches are concerned with convincing people to believe like they do and adopt the church’s peculiar doctrine – making converts. A disciple is one who believes like Jesus does and gives his or her life to be like Jesus and help others to find Jesus and become like Him. Converts are about a brand of church or denomination. Disciples are about obediently following the Master regardless of consequences.

No one wants our religion, or our style of worship, or our doctrines. Almost everyone wants to be a follower of God, a disciple of Jesus without the crud we have added in the modern church. Yes, there are some who will come to our churches. What about the 80-90% who will never darken the door of a traditional church? They will refuse to become converts. They may respond to the becoming disciples of the Creator of the Universe.

3. Grow Churches, instead of establishing new churches.

I am frequently asked to consult with churches who are interested in starting new work. The first question I ask is, “Are you interested in growing your church, or in reaching your community for Christ?” Many people see these as the same. They are not. Growing a church is about getting more people to come to the church. The reality is that no single church appeals to even a miniscule part of society. Churches have personalities, and these personalities click with only a few. So, if you start out to simply grow a church, there is a limit to how many people can be reached, simply because most people will have zero interest in the church.

On the other hand, if you start out to reach a community, regardless of whether or not the new believers will come to any particular church, numerous churches with just the right personalities for new believers will be initiated. In the course of all these new groups being starting, the catalytic church or churches will grow.

One can’t reach a community by trying to grow a church. But, if one reaches the community by all means available, the church that does this will grow.

4. Teach stuff, instead of obedience to all the commands of Christ.

One of the most misquoted and misunderstood passages of the Bible is Matthew 28:18-20. Ask people, sometime, what this passage tells us to teach.  I think you will be surprised by the number of people who will not say, “to obey.” Most of our churches, and most of our doctrines, are about teaching facts or knowledge about the Bible or theology or doctrine, or our own particular brand of church.

Will will not see significant church planting until and unless we are willing to teach everyone to obey all the commands of Christ, our Creator and God.  How does one tach obedience? by being consistently obedient in public and in private, in word and in thought.  Obedience is taught by an obedient life that supports daily life decisions from principles of God’s Word regardless of consequences. A faithful life is an obedient life in all situations and circumstances regardless of the consequences of being obedient.

The Great Commission is one commission with four parts or commands.  If any one of these commands is not obeyed, then the commission is broken and will not produce the fruit that God intended – obedient Disciples and Churches

Matthew 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (NIV)

By David L. Watson

From my limited perspective, imperfect as it is I find much of the current conversations critical, judgmental and disparaging within evangelical streams of the church.  It seems few of us have the ability or desire to enter the discussion without voicing speech that is less than Christlike.  This is certainly not the majority, but its definitely more than a minority.  Present within some conversations is a bent to devalue and dismiss brothers and sisters holding differing doctrinal views, which falls in the category  of character assassination or biblical words like slander and malice. I find myself on occasion wanting to mix it up in this fray and frenzy of conversation. With those in my sphere I’ve been known to let loose a few verbal blows against those who see Scriptural doctrines differently.

A case in point.  In a resent conversation with some brothers, Brian McLaren’s name surfaced.  From a non-judgmental perspective he has emerged as the current evangelical verbal punching bag.  Granted there are times that our brother seems to invite the blows, but generally speaking most of what is inflicted upon him, is unwarranted and undeserved.

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“YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH UNTIL YOU TRY.”

You know the expression, ‘it’s easier to get forgiveness than permission.”

Well it’s true. Good leaders don’t wait for official blessing to try things out. They’re prudent, not reckless.  But they also realize a fact of life in most organizations; if you ask enough people for permission, you’ll inevitably come up against someone who believes his job is to say “no.”  So the moral is, don’t ask.  Less effective middle managers endorsed the sentiment.  ”if I haven’t explicitly been told ‘yes,’ I can’t do it,” whereas the good ones believed, “if I haven’t explicitly been
told ‘no’ I can.”

There is a world of difference between these two points of view.

General Colin Powell

In Untamed: Reactivating a Missional Form of Discipleship, Alan and Debra Hirsch reference British philosopher and student of Soren Kierkegaard, Peter Vardy who states,

All too often the domains of society and conformity, the social expectations that come from raising children, setting up home and the like, become a substitute for individuality in the God relationship.  This sees as a travesty of the Christian demand.  He blames this on priests and the general wish for mediocrity.  There is a demand by “the crowd,” the mass of people, to live an ordinary, unexamined and passionless life in which God is essentially irrelevant, and yet they want this life to be regarded as Christian.     An Introduction to Kierkegaard, p.33