Simple Church Spectacles
Long ago, Paul wrote:
I personally know some of you to have become a spectacle; throwing yourself upon mercy, grace, faith & trust in Almighty God, while the world has been watching, and, they're seeing God save you out of trouble -- and they marvel. The question: Is there a genuine witness without a "spectacle"?
for relevant background: the following is a digest from an article in the December 2nd Parousia newsletter:
[http://www.parousianetwork.org/Cyber_Cafe/Newsletter_Archive.htm]
"For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men."
I personally know some of you to have become a spectacle; throwing yourself upon mercy, grace, faith & trust in Almighty God, while the world has been watching, and, they're seeing God save you out of trouble -- and they marvel. The question: Is there a genuine witness without a "spectacle"?
for relevant background: the following is a digest from an article in the December 2nd Parousia newsletter:
| Back in October I shared how Gale & I have been struggling with second-hand smoke & fumes from the apartment above us. After making attempts to "smoke seal" both apartments (by taping or caulking holes, etc.) to no positive effect, the management company informed us today that they would do nothing more, that they weren't responsible for the air quality in our (or anyone else's) apartment, that the problem was ours and that we must move. Wahoo. We must be out by the end of the week, and we do not have the financial resources for this move. So, what's all this got to do with house church and living by faith? I've come to the conclusion that, for the most part, contemporary Christians all want to be "witnesses" but none (including moi) want to be spectacles. We all want to "live by faith" so long as we define that as some form of having a job so that in the event God's provision doesn't work out we have a safety net. After all, we wouldn't want God to be humiliated by His inability to take care of us, or by our own inability to take care of ourselves. It's always a good idea to leave the Almighty a way out of a jam so He looks good in front of the troops (sic).
Those of you who are long-time long-sufferers of these newsletters are well aware of how God seems to use financial matters as faith opportunities in our lives. It seems to occur most often when we are on our way to conferences we can't really afford to attend! It is at such times that the Holy Spirit tends to speak to me and say such things as, "Son, I will call you to live foolishly for me where your obedience to me touches your greatest fear." Living "foolishly" means we are willing to be "spectacles" for God in the eyes of others, and that's where most of us draw the line: "Sorry, God, but I KNOW you don't want me doing THAT. What will my Christian friends and family think?" But in 1 Corinthians 4 this is precisely how the Apostle Paul describes himself and his apostolic calling. My friend, Wolfgang Simson, once remarked that he believed this passage was a description of the "meridian gladiators" (meridiani gladitorii) of the Roman arena. The various gladiators of the Roman arena were broken into groups or classes. The gladiators fighting wild beasts appeared in the morning. The meridian gladiators were the "afternoon entertainment," intended to wake up the after-lunch crowd. They were inexperienced, lightly armed, and no match for their opponents. According to some descriptions, their "fights" resembled executions more than gladiatorial competitions. They were "spectacles" before the crowd. And so are we. It is humbling to come to the realization that God has called you to be a spectacle, and that people are watching you to see what you will do next, or how God will meet your needs. This was brought home to us this past weekend when we dropped in to see our friends, Ivonne and Jaime. A couple of weeks ago I arranged to help them move, as they had little or no help and both are technically disabled. I had given Jaime a book by Mark Bubeck to read on the demonic, and the purpose of this "house call" was to check up on her and her mom. Jaime is doing MUCH better and is getting the "upper hand" in dealing with the demonic. On this visit I brought her a couple of pages of bible verses about victory over the demonic. I told her, "The next time you are confronted by a demon who doesn't want to leave you alone, I want you to turn the tables on him. Tell him that since he doesn't want to leave, you want to spend the time having a bible study and sharing from God's word... Do that and they probably won't hang around much longer. They hate hearing the word of God, especially the part about how they are going to perish in the lake of fire." Jaime laughed and thought that was a great idea. While I was tutoring Jaime regarding the demonic, her mom pulled my wife aside and had a question. In addition to seeing her daughter spiritually transform and change in front of her eyes, she is also watching our situation with the apartment and having to move with no place to go or financial resources to move with. In the midst of all this turmoil and the threat of having to move, she couldn't understand how we could 1) live by faith, not knowing how our needs would be met, and 2) still have peace with God in the midst of such circumstances. Our "life of faith" had become a "spectacle" to them and her to ask some penetrating questions. In her own words and way, Ivonne was admitting to having a "crisis of faith," coming to the realization that genuine faith in God and personal peace with him are things she does not yet know. The "spectacle" of our lives had become a genuine "witness" concerning God's faithfulness and provision for those who trust him. To summarize, without the spectacle, there would have been no witness. As believers, most of us want God to do great things in us and through us, as long as there is no significant price to pay on our part. We want the witness, just without the spectacle. And then we wonder why we're so ineffective. As Gale and I drove away and reflected on these events we came to a simple conclusion. If everything we are currently experiencing has the effect of drawing Ivonne into a relationship with Jesus, then it is certainly worthwhile. Mind you, I don't enjoy being a meridiani gladiatorii, nor do I relish the immediate prospect of being homeless, but I am coming to understanding my calling and God's purpose behind it. See you in the arena... right after lunch. Bring a friend. Organic house church isn't about meeting in homes (or anywhere else, for that matter). Organic house church is about the authentic living out in small communities of watching eyes what it means for believers to be spectacles of God's dealings and witnesses of His faithfulness and provision. It is the authentic walk of faith and the pursuit of God in the company of friends who see what God does in our lives and who are both challenged and encouraged to take greater steps of faith themselves. |
[http://www.parousianetwork.org/Cyber_Cafe/Newsletter_Archive.htm]
Tags: faithfulness, provision, testimony, trust, witness, world
Views: 3
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Lindy Sherwood on -
Marshall, I read that you were counseling someone on how to deal with the demonic. Have you read Tim Mather's books, "Prophetic Deliverance" and "Out of Bondage"? These deal with deliverance from demons in a very in-depth manner. I would urge caution in dealing with the demonic until you have read those books.
-
Permalink Reply by Lindy Sherwood on
-
Oh, I see you were just quoting an article. Never mind!
-
Permalink Reply by Dena Brehm on -
Ahhhhh, this is from my friend Maurice Smith...! I just love him and Gale!
His humor is delightful, and thought-provoking.
He and I don't agree on everything ... but we love each other, and focus on that.
We're each spectacles, in our own way...!
Shalom, Dena
Our Partners
Badge
© 2012 Created by Dale Interactive.
