How did early Christians do it?
My favorite author really has me thinking. Alan Hirsch in his recent book, "The Forgotten Ways" gives us a really good question. "How did the early Christians do it?
Alan says,
1. They were an illegal church throughout this period.
2. They didn't have any church buildings as we know them.
3. They didn't even have the scriptures as we know them.
4. They didn't have an institution or the professional form of leadership formally associated with it.
5. They didn't have seeker - sensitive services, youth groups, worship bands, seminaries, commentaries, etc.
6. They actually made it hard to join the church.
"In fact they had none of these the things we would ordinarily employ to solve the problems of the church, yet they grew from 25,000 to 20 million in 200 years. So how did the early church do it?"
What do say in response to this question? How did the early church do it?
posted by Bob Carder @ 9:32 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
I think your post actually answers the question.
They didn't do it.
Then why do we do it?
They didn't do it -- God did.
Why do we do it? It's what we've always done.
But, then again, they couldn't have done it this way because God had to do it His way to get the church started.
I'm a little uncomfortable suggesting that just because something was done one way 2000 years ago, we need to do it the same way. Are you giving up your microwave and TV? What about your printed Bible?
I don't know how valid my argument is, but there's something about what it seems your assumption is that is bothering me. Maybe I don't quite have my finger on it yet.
Mike, We are not suggesting walking dusty trails and sitting at wells waiting for the prostitutes. We are suggesting that we do not "do" church at the expense of Being the Church in the world just like Jesus commands all of us in the Final and "supreme" Great Commission.
Your very struggle is the same struggle the western Church has but doesn't realize, and is what keeps us from being missional, incarnational and connecting with the disengaged.
You can do all the church you want and you can do it with passion and you can enjoy it like you always have. No problem as long as you are reaching people for Christ and not just encouraging the saints. The sad reality is that most, many, or a majority sit and grow deeper spiritually without ever engaging the world so that people can Jesus and so that Jesus through you (others) can redeem hearts for eternity.
I'm never going back to doing church when we can Be the Church to reach more with less.
Tomorrow we meet in our total church gathering to share how God is at work in our lives incarnationally. We'll sing, hear Scripture, take communion and then the body will share what God has given them to share. I don't miss what you enjoy.
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