FULL CIRCLE by Keith Giles
Back in December of 2003 I set out on a journey into full-time ministry. I gladly left my job at Ingram Micro and threw myself into my two part-time ministry jobs. One as a children's pastor and compassion ministries director, the other as a marketing coordinator for Soul Survivor USA.
Over the next four years God would teach me that I can be a pastor without being employed at a local church and that my real place of calling was to be salt and light at a job in the "Real World" where actual people lived and breathed and worked.
About a year ago I left my job at Soul Survivor due to changes within the organization and found myself on the job trail. Mostly I did contract work for a local temporary employment agency. Much of the work was monotonous and painful. God used those jobs to help me put to death my flesh, my pride, and for that I am grateful. A few of my jobs were as a consultant doing logistics and marketing for several local conferences, but those ended after a few months and I was back at the temporary agency again.
I can hardly recount all the interviews I went to and all the jobs I applied for over the last year. So many of them seemed "Just Right" for me. But, for one reason or the other, each of them turned into dead ends for me and I continued to work at various temp jobs around town week after week.
During this same year my family and I have left our traditional church and followed God's calling in our lives to step out and start a House Church in our home. The group has grown into two weekly gatherings, one on Thursday evening and one on Sunday morning.
Through this amazing experience we've discovered what it means to "Be The Church" and how to live out our faith in tangible ways here on our street. We're learning how to love our actual neighbors by building relationships with them and asking God to help us to love them they way He does.
Our "Mission" House Church family has been faithful to pray for us and bless us during this last year of uncertainty. Without their prayers and encouragement we'd never have made it.
So, I continued to work temp jobs and submit resumes and pray for God to open a new door for me and provide a job where I could use my gifts and talents and still pay our bills. By some miracle, God managed to provide for our financial needs month after month. Even though I was only bringing home about half of what I was making before, we always had money for rent and our lifestyle barely had to change all through this time. I honestly don't exactly know how God did it, but He did and I am very grateful.
One day my oldest son, Dylan, who is eleven years old, suggested I find out if my previous employer, Ingram Micro, was hiring. I decided to check it out online and the next day I submitted my resume for a job in their Marketing Department as a Copy Writer.
Last week, after my third interview, they made an offer to me for this same job. After a round of negotiations I finally received a second offer this morning, which I gladly accepted.
Now I am returning to work at Ingram Micro. When I left there in '03 I couldn't wait to become a full-time pastor. Today I have discovered that I can be a pastor in our House Church ("The Mission") without having to take a salary from it. I've also discovered that my ministry is right here on our street where we live. My family has been actively seeking out our neighbors and getting to know them and practicing our faith before them. We're serving them, eating with them, blessing their children and sharing with them. This is all new for us, but we know that this is God's will for our family...and it's good.
Next month I return to Ingram Micro. I can't wait to discover what ministry opportunities await me there. I am excited about working for a living and pastoring on the side. I am thrilled to further explore what it means to "Be The Church" and not just attend one every week.
The Adventure Continues...
I can't wait.
Peace,
Keith
***
THEOOZE.COM ARTICLE UPDATE:
These 3 articles are scheduled to appear on TheOoze.com:
JESUS' FAVORITE QUESTION - September 1
WHAT IF JESUS COULD BE YOU FOR 24 HOURS? - September 15
JUDGE NOT - October 1
***
NON-CON '08
MARCH 14 & 15
AT TRIANGLE SQUARE IN NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA
WITH JACKIE PULLINGER, DAVID RUIS, JOHN THOMAS, CINDY REITHMEIER AND YOU!
ONLINE REGISTRATION OPENS VERY SOON. MORE INFO AT
HTTP://WWW.NON-CON.COM
***
[END TRANSMISSION]
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Number 4 - "Salvation Is a Process, Not a Point In Time"
*Note: The following article is part of a monthly series called "TOP 10 THINGS EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD KNOW (But Probably Doesn’t)"
You can read previous installments at Ginkworld.net, and on the [Subversive Underground] blog archives.
10- The Christian Sub-Culture is NOT Good For You
9- The Kingdom of God is NOT the American Dream
8- Obedience to Jesus is NOT Optional
7- Work is NOT a Bad Word
6 – We ARE the Church
5 - Humility Is Essential
NUMBER 4 – "SALVATION IS A PROCESS, NOT A POINT IN TIME"
by Keith Giles
One thing I find fascinating as I study the New Testament and the practice of the early church is that their concept of salvation was much different than mine. When I think of salvation, I usually think of that one day when, as a nine year old boy, I walked forward and prayed with my pastor to ask Jesus into my heart. However, Peter and Paul seemed to have a different view of salvation. In their minds, salvation was an ongoing experience, not a one-time deal.
"..And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:42-47)
"For you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:9)
When we begin to think of Salvation as a process, and not an event, it changes the way we think of Evangelism.
The early church fathers also had a great saying that has come to inspire my own faith. The statement was "Conversatio Morem!" which can mean either "Death To The Status Quo!" or "Constant Conversion!", depending on the context.
This phrase was indicative of the mindset held by the early church fathers that salvation, or conversion, was something every disciple needed to experience constantly, not just a one-time event.
We could learn a lot from those early Christians, I believe. Our Church today could benefit from a new perspective on salvation as a process rather than as a single point in time. If we kept our focus on leading people to faith in Christ, with the understanding that we would continue, day-by-day, to encourage their ongoing submission to Jesus, the quality of our Churches would improve, our reputation in the community would improve, and the lives of those people would improve.
We need to follow Jesus, not just believe in Him. As it stands today, most Churches are more focused on winning converts, focusing on a one-time profession of faith, rather than aiming for long-term, daily surrender to Christ.
As I've said many times before, our question needs to be, "If you'd be alive tomorrow, who would you follow and how would you live your life?" and not, "If you died tonight, do you know you'd be in heaven tomorrow?” One question is about how you will die, the other is about how you intend to live. Salvation is about life, not death, and following Christ is about the life you're living right now, not the life you hope to live after you die and go to Heaven.
Following Christ, by definition, suggests a daily pattern of life modeled after Jesus and seeking His wisdom and guidance for daily decisions. It does not suggest a single event that took place years ago on a Sunday morning.
THE FINISH LINE OR THE STARTING LINE?
In your own experience, what happens when someone you've been praying for and witnessing to finally accepts Christ as Lord and Savior? Don't you cheer and weep and give high-fives to all your Christian friends? Sure you do. That's an appropriate response. Even the Scriptures tell us that the angels in heaven celebrate when someone is saved. (Luke 15:7-10)
However, our response and attention usually diminishes soon after this event. I believe it's because, for us, our work is done. Our friend has "made it". They are "in". They've crossed the finish line and we can all move on with our lives now.
But, if Salvation is a process, and not an event or a point in time, then our work is not done. Our friend has not come to the end of the journey. Instead, they have only just begun.
In other words, salvation is not the finish line, it is the starting line. If we begin to think of salvation in this way, as an ongoing, daily commitment to following the marvelous person of Jesus, it will have a radical effect on our methods of evangelism and the way we treat those we hope to lead into this way of life.
We will realize that our part of this process of evangelism involves a committment to people that extends long after they've made that first, tentative step towards following Christ, and we'll begin to see our own salvation as something we have to daily work on, in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, as we surrender our lives to Christ every morning and confess our need for Jesus with every breath.
"..Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." - Philipians 2:12-13
kg
**
DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL: This is an automated feed. If you want to email me directly please do so at "elysiansky"(at) "hotmail.com"
***
SOLITON NETWORK- AUGUST 9-12, VENTURA, CA
I'll be there and I hope to meet some of you there too!
More info here:
www.solitonnetwork.org
Conversation: "Dangerous Living"
Guides:
Kester Brewin (UK)
Pete Rollins (N IRE)
Christine Pohl (US)
Ched Myers (US)
Barry Taylor (US/UK)
and many others, including you!
Cost: $100.00 per person (which takes care of evening common meals, and 'gift' to cover guides and hosting)
MORE INFO AND ONLINE REGISTRATION AT:
www.solitonnetwork.org
***
NON-CON DATE AND LOCATION ANNOUNCED!
[Subversive Underground] Presents:
The Non-Con 2008
"A Conference for people who never want to attend another conference again."
WHEN: March 14 & 15, 2008
WHERE: Triangle Square in Newport Beach, California
WHAT: A two day conference in March of 2008
with facilitators: JACKIE PULLINGER (Missionary and author of "Chasing The Dragon") and DAVID RUIS (Songwriter and author of "The Justice God Is Seeking")
WHAT IS THE NON-CON?
*An intentionally small gathering of 100 people who are curious about living out their faith outside their comfort zone.
*A time for serving the poor in the community together.
*A dialog-driven, interactive discussion with front-line practitioners of Justice and Mercy.
*Shared meals.
*Simple worship with one guitar in the center of our circle.
*Time for Artistic expression and interaction.
WHY "Non-Con"?
*The aim is to create something unlike any previous conference experience. We want this to be small, hype-free, intentional and interactive where everyone who attends is free to speak, to minister and to become involved with our leaders, and others.
COST: $99 (Includes meals for both days)
ONLINE REGISTRATION OPENS SOON!
FIND OUT MORE ONLINE
at WWW.NON-CON.COM
***
MY FIRST BOOK: We're on track to release my first book next month. "The Gospel:For Here Or To Go?" is currently undergoing final edits and I should have the introduction by Neil Cole ("Organic Church") in hand in just a few weeks. More info soon.
***
HOUSE CHURCH LEADER'S MEETING: Wendy and I hosted the first House Church Leader's meeting at our home over the weekend. It was seriously fantastic to sit in a room with other house church leaders and pastors, hearing their testimonies and encouraging one another that "we are not alone" in this crazy thing. Our group resolved to meet again next month and to invite others to join us as we continue to build relationship and seek out God's heart for His people here in this region. God is doing some amazing stuff here, I'm not entirely sure just what...but that's part of the excitement! I can't wait to discover what He has in store!
***
[END TRANSMISSION]
You can read previous installments at Ginkworld.net, and on the [Subversive Underground] blog archives.
10- The Christian Sub-Culture is NOT Good For You
9- The Kingdom of God is NOT the American Dream
8- Obedience to Jesus is NOT Optional
7- Work is NOT a Bad Word
6 – We ARE the Church
5 - Humility Is Essential
NUMBER 4 – "SALVATION IS A PROCESS, NOT A POINT IN TIME"
by Keith Giles
One thing I find fascinating as I study the New Testament and the practice of the early church is that their concept of salvation was much different than mine. When I think of salvation, I usually think of that one day when, as a nine year old boy, I walked forward and prayed with my pastor to ask Jesus into my heart. However, Peter and Paul seemed to have a different view of salvation. In their minds, salvation was an ongoing experience, not a one-time deal.
"..And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:42-47)
"For you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:9)
When we begin to think of Salvation as a process, and not an event, it changes the way we think of Evangelism.
The early church fathers also had a great saying that has come to inspire my own faith. The statement was "Conversatio Morem!" which can mean either "Death To The Status Quo!" or "Constant Conversion!", depending on the context.
This phrase was indicative of the mindset held by the early church fathers that salvation, or conversion, was something every disciple needed to experience constantly, not just a one-time event.
We could learn a lot from those early Christians, I believe. Our Church today could benefit from a new perspective on salvation as a process rather than as a single point in time. If we kept our focus on leading people to faith in Christ, with the understanding that we would continue, day-by-day, to encourage their ongoing submission to Jesus, the quality of our Churches would improve, our reputation in the community would improve, and the lives of those people would improve.
We need to follow Jesus, not just believe in Him. As it stands today, most Churches are more focused on winning converts, focusing on a one-time profession of faith, rather than aiming for long-term, daily surrender to Christ.
As I've said many times before, our question needs to be, "If you'd be alive tomorrow, who would you follow and how would you live your life?" and not, "If you died tonight, do you know you'd be in heaven tomorrow?” One question is about how you will die, the other is about how you intend to live. Salvation is about life, not death, and following Christ is about the life you're living right now, not the life you hope to live after you die and go to Heaven.
Following Christ, by definition, suggests a daily pattern of life modeled after Jesus and seeking His wisdom and guidance for daily decisions. It does not suggest a single event that took place years ago on a Sunday morning.
THE FINISH LINE OR THE STARTING LINE?
In your own experience, what happens when someone you've been praying for and witnessing to finally accepts Christ as Lord and Savior? Don't you cheer and weep and give high-fives to all your Christian friends? Sure you do. That's an appropriate response. Even the Scriptures tell us that the angels in heaven celebrate when someone is saved. (Luke 15:7-10)
However, our response and attention usually diminishes soon after this event. I believe it's because, for us, our work is done. Our friend has "made it". They are "in". They've crossed the finish line and we can all move on with our lives now.
But, if Salvation is a process, and not an event or a point in time, then our work is not done. Our friend has not come to the end of the journey. Instead, they have only just begun.
In other words, salvation is not the finish line, it is the starting line. If we begin to think of salvation in this way, as an ongoing, daily commitment to following the marvelous person of Jesus, it will have a radical effect on our methods of evangelism and the way we treat those we hope to lead into this way of life.
We will realize that our part of this process of evangelism involves a committment to people that extends long after they've made that first, tentative step towards following Christ, and we'll begin to see our own salvation as something we have to daily work on, in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, as we surrender our lives to Christ every morning and confess our need for Jesus with every breath.
"..Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." - Philipians 2:12-13
kg
**
DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL: This is an automated feed. If you want to email me directly please do so at "elysiansky"(at) "hotmail.com"
***
SOLITON NETWORK- AUGUST 9-12, VENTURA, CA
I'll be there and I hope to meet some of you there too!
More info here:
www.solitonnetwork.org
Conversation: "Dangerous Living"
Guides:
Kester Brewin (UK)
Pete Rollins (N IRE)
Christine Pohl (US)
Ched Myers (US)
Barry Taylor (US/UK)
and many others, including you!
Cost: $100.00 per person (which takes care of evening common meals, and 'gift' to cover guides and hosting)
MORE INFO AND ONLINE REGISTRATION AT:
www.solitonnetwork.org
***
NON-CON DATE AND LOCATION ANNOUNCED!
[Subversive Underground] Presents:
The Non-Con 2008
"A Conference for people who never want to attend another conference again."
WHEN: March 14 & 15, 2008
WHERE: Triangle Square in Newport Beach, California
WHAT: A two day conference in March of 2008
with facilitators: JACKIE PULLINGER (Missionary and author of "Chasing The Dragon") and DAVID RUIS (Songwriter and author of "The Justice God Is Seeking")
WHAT IS THE NON-CON?
*An intentionally small gathering of 100 people who are curious about living out their faith outside their comfort zone.
*A time for serving the poor in the community together.
*A dialog-driven, interactive discussion with front-line practitioners of Justice and Mercy.
*Shared meals.
*Simple worship with one guitar in the center of our circle.
*Time for Artistic expression and interaction.
WHY "Non-Con"?
*The aim is to create something unlike any previous conference experience. We want this to be small, hype-free, intentional and interactive where everyone who attends is free to speak, to minister and to become involved with our leaders, and others.
COST: $99 (Includes meals for both days)
ONLINE REGISTRATION OPENS SOON!
FIND OUT MORE ONLINE
at WWW.NON-CON.COM
***
MY FIRST BOOK: We're on track to release my first book next month. "The Gospel:For Here Or To Go?" is currently undergoing final edits and I should have the introduction by Neil Cole ("Organic Church") in hand in just a few weeks. More info soon.
***
HOUSE CHURCH LEADER'S MEETING: Wendy and I hosted the first House Church Leader's meeting at our home over the weekend. It was seriously fantastic to sit in a room with other house church leaders and pastors, hearing their testimonies and encouraging one another that "we are not alone" in this crazy thing. Our group resolved to meet again next month and to invite others to join us as we continue to build relationship and seek out God's heart for His people here in this region. God is doing some amazing stuff here, I'm not entirely sure just what...but that's part of the excitement! I can't wait to discover what He has in store!
***
[END TRANSMISSION]
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
DEPRESSED
Depressed by Keith Giles
I am depressed. There's no use hiding it.
Over the last year now I've been struggling to find full-time work to support my family. It's been a difficult time to say the least, although God has been faithful to see us through each and every trial and difficulty. Still, after awhile I get weary.
Yesterday I had a second interview for a Copy Writer job at Ingram Micro, where I used to work as an associate program manager four years ago. The interview went well, actually. They looked at my writing samples, commented on my variety of skills and experience, and we laughed and smiled a lot throughout the meeting. It was a good interview, I think.
But on the way home I started thinking about how long I've been doing this sort of thing. How many interviews like this have I had over the last year? Dozens. How many times did I drive away feeling like I had aced it? All of them. How many of those interviews turned into a job offer? None.
Here's what I think I've learned over the last few months. God doesn't often take us out of our difficulty, but He does walk with us through the pain.
Sometimes we think it's a sin to be depressed. We can get it into our heads that to be sad is to be less than an overcomer or a victorious Christian. I think the Scriptures disagree with that actually.
I don't know about you, but I identify a lot with Joseph, before he was elevated to the Vice Pharaoh of Egypt, when he was in charge of his fellow prisoners, alone and forgotten.
I can identify a lot with David, before he was King, when he was an unwanted, unloved, unimportant kid sitting with the sheep and the goats on the side of the hill all alone. Maybe that's why the Psalms resonate with so many of us? We can understand what it feels like to be on the outside looking in, with no one but God to be our friend.
"Why are you so downcast oh my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my saviour and king." (Psalm 43:5)
David writes like this often. He openly shares his sadness and his grief with God. He doesn't put on a mask or a fake smile to hide what is really going on in his heart. I like that.
God promises to walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death. He promises to hear our groans, deeper than words can express. He promises to never leave us or forsake us.
Jesus was acquainted with grief, and a man of sorrows. He wasn't afraid to experience pain, or sadness. He didn't snap his fingers and erase the hard times when they came. He went to his knees and asked for strength, for rescue, and for hope. Even for Jesus, there were times when that rescue didn't come, and yet he continued forward, walking in faith, enduring the shame.
There is hope for me in this. I mean, I would love it if God would simply wave His hands and make all of my sadness disappear. That would be great, really. But knowing that God is real, that He will take my hand and lead me through this difficult time as my Father, and my friend, is almost more amazing than having having my troubles erased.
So, forgive me, but today I am depressed. Just a little. I hope to keep my eyes on Jesus today, to remember the goodness of God in the midst of my trials. I will cling to Him and not let go.
"Where else can we go, Lord? You have the words of life."
John 6:68
kg
**
DO NOT "REPLY" TO THIS EMAIL. I WILL NOT SEE IT. INSTEAD SEND RESPONSES TO "ELYSIANSKY" (AT) "HOTMAIL.COM"
**
WE HAVE A DATE AND A PLACE! The Non-Con will take place on March 14 & 15, 2008 in Newport Beach, California at Triangle Square. Registration will open soon for this "Non Conference" with Jackie Pullinger and David Ruis. Only 100 seats available. More info at
http://www.non-con.com
**
THEOOZE.COM - My article, "Forgiveness According To Jesus" should be up on their main page by now. Check it out
http://www.theooze.com
**
MY FIRST BOOK! Should be about another two weeks or so now and the book will be all done. "The Gospel: For Here Or To Go?" will feature a forward by author Neil Cole ("Organic Church") and the first five people to purchase a copy will receive a nice little grab-bag of goodies directly from me. Details soon.
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
I am depressed. There's no use hiding it.
Over the last year now I've been struggling to find full-time work to support my family. It's been a difficult time to say the least, although God has been faithful to see us through each and every trial and difficulty. Still, after awhile I get weary.
Yesterday I had a second interview for a Copy Writer job at Ingram Micro, where I used to work as an associate program manager four years ago. The interview went well, actually. They looked at my writing samples, commented on my variety of skills and experience, and we laughed and smiled a lot throughout the meeting. It was a good interview, I think.
But on the way home I started thinking about how long I've been doing this sort of thing. How many interviews like this have I had over the last year? Dozens. How many times did I drive away feeling like I had aced it? All of them. How many of those interviews turned into a job offer? None.
Here's what I think I've learned over the last few months. God doesn't often take us out of our difficulty, but He does walk with us through the pain.
Sometimes we think it's a sin to be depressed. We can get it into our heads that to be sad is to be less than an overcomer or a victorious Christian. I think the Scriptures disagree with that actually.
I don't know about you, but I identify a lot with Joseph, before he was elevated to the Vice Pharaoh of Egypt, when he was in charge of his fellow prisoners, alone and forgotten.
I can identify a lot with David, before he was King, when he was an unwanted, unloved, unimportant kid sitting with the sheep and the goats on the side of the hill all alone. Maybe that's why the Psalms resonate with so many of us? We can understand what it feels like to be on the outside looking in, with no one but God to be our friend.
"Why are you so downcast oh my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my saviour and king." (Psalm 43:5)
David writes like this often. He openly shares his sadness and his grief with God. He doesn't put on a mask or a fake smile to hide what is really going on in his heart. I like that.
God promises to walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death. He promises to hear our groans, deeper than words can express. He promises to never leave us or forsake us.
Jesus was acquainted with grief, and a man of sorrows. He wasn't afraid to experience pain, or sadness. He didn't snap his fingers and erase the hard times when they came. He went to his knees and asked for strength, for rescue, and for hope. Even for Jesus, there were times when that rescue didn't come, and yet he continued forward, walking in faith, enduring the shame.
There is hope for me in this. I mean, I would love it if God would simply wave His hands and make all of my sadness disappear. That would be great, really. But knowing that God is real, that He will take my hand and lead me through this difficult time as my Father, and my friend, is almost more amazing than having having my troubles erased.
So, forgive me, but today I am depressed. Just a little. I hope to keep my eyes on Jesus today, to remember the goodness of God in the midst of my trials. I will cling to Him and not let go.
"Where else can we go, Lord? You have the words of life."
John 6:68
kg
**
DO NOT "REPLY" TO THIS EMAIL. I WILL NOT SEE IT. INSTEAD SEND RESPONSES TO "ELYSIANSKY" (AT) "HOTMAIL.COM"
**
WE HAVE A DATE AND A PLACE! The Non-Con will take place on March 14 & 15, 2008 in Newport Beach, California at Triangle Square. Registration will open soon for this "Non Conference" with Jackie Pullinger and David Ruis. Only 100 seats available. More info at
http://www.non-con.com
**
THEOOZE.COM - My article, "Forgiveness According To Jesus" should be up on their main page by now. Check it out
http://www.theooze.com
**
MY FIRST BOOK! Should be about another two weeks or so now and the book will be all done. "The Gospel: For Here Or To Go?" will feature a forward by author Neil Cole ("Organic Church") and the first five people to purchase a copy will receive a nice little grab-bag of goodies directly from me. Details soon.
**
[END TRANSMISSION]
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
"SPIRITUAL COVERING OR ACCOUNTABILITY?"
"Spiritual Covering Or Accountability?"
by Keith Giles
A few weeks ago I had an interesting conversation with a member of our Mission House Church about our "Spiritual Covering". It was a great discussion about whether such a concept was even really Biblical or not, and if it was, what would that look like for our House Church?
Our House Church is truly an independent endeavor. My wife and I left our previous church to start the House Church without any official "covering" from any other church or organization. I've been a licensed and ordained minister of the Gospel now for about sixteen years or so, through the Southern Baptist Denomination, although the last ten years or so I had been serving at Vineyard Churches in Orange County.
To be honest, I never really felt a need to research the whole question of spiritual covering because God had called me to step out and launch our house church and there had been no hint that we needed to do this with the "blessing" or "covering" of any other leader or organized church. Now that my friend was asking me this question, I wasn't sure how to respond. I had my own, very strong opinions about the subject already in place, but I decided to at least entertain the subject and ask some of the spiritual advisors in my life what their take on the subject might be.
So, I shot off an email to people like author Dallas Willard ("The Divine Conspiracy"), Todd Hunter (former National Director of Vineyard Churches), Paul Martin (Pastor at Soul Survivor USA and St. James Anglican), David Ruis (worship leader, author, songwriter), and also a few of my own personal mentors. They are former pastors, Chaplains, Seminary Graduates, and lay leaders. I asked them each to share with me their thoughts on the subject of "Spiritual Covering".
Quite honestly, I expected a robust series of heated debates on the concept. Of that list, only two of them had any real bias in favor of house churches. All the rest were either full-time pastors of traditional churches or at least former pastors. What I heard back, unanimously I might add, truly surprised me.
They each agreed with my conviction that "Spiritual Covering" was simply not a Biblical concept as most people understand it.
(*NOTE- Not all of those polled responded. Dallas Willard was too busy to weigh in, and David Ruis was in Europe at the time.)
First let me explain the basic idea behind "Covering" here. Whenever someone, like myself for example, decides to start a church (house church or traditional), it is usually expected that the leader will submit his group to a higher organizational authority in order to protect the leader, and the new church, from doctrinal errors (heresy), and to protect against moral failures within the leadership staff.
This sounds like common sense, and I have to admit that if we were starting a traditional church, I might agree that such a system might be prudent. However, the House Church by design is already a highly accountable group of like-minded people. In the House Church model, it's hard to be anonymous for very long. There is a high level of accountability in our small group. Plus, I do not lecture as the resident Biblical expert in our house church. Everyone, even my two sons who are elementary-age, is free to share scripture and discuss the Bible at length. Because of this, it's much more difficult for heretical ideas to flourish very long. In fact, just a few weeks ago my eleven-year-old son Dylan put me in my place by reading a passage out of Exodus that completely contradicted something I was saying. The Word of God won out and I had to concede my point.
In contrast, the traditional church (especially the larger ones) make it much easier for people to remain anonymous and to wear masks that suggest "everything is alright". A recent coffee meeting with a good friend of mine, who pastors a very large denominational church locally, confirmed this idea. He admitted that he usually hears about "secret sin" in His Body when the marriage is already over, or the surprise pregnancy has already taken place, etc. In our House Church, we encounter things on the front end, not the last gasp.
Each person who responded to my question about "Spiritual Covering" agreed that there was no Biblical foundation for such a teaching, although many churches use this as a way to control their leaders and manage their "flock" by fear.
Simply put, "Any church without spiritual covering is not, because of this fact, in error. However, if any church (with or without spiritual covering), believes or teaches or allows heretical ideas or doctrines or immoral activities to flourish, THEN that church is in error."
I think one of the main things that came out of this larger discussion was the idea that "Accountability" IS Biblical, but "Covering" is artifical, fear-based, man-made, and still not effective in preventing doctrinal heresy or avoiding moral failures in the clergy.
Most of us who have been around for while in the Christian Church can testify that our best systems of accountablity do not prevent adultery, heresy, embezzlement, etc. We've probably all seen good, Godly men and women fall hard. Sometimes the ones who fall are the very last ones we would ever expect to fail in such a way. Nevertheless, they do, and often.
As a pastor, I have personally witnessed such failures over the last sixteen years first-hand and it's never a pretty sight. Why do these things happen? Is there really nothing we can do about it? (That's another article).
Basically, there is a misunderstanding of what "Spiritual Covering" is and what Biblical "Accountability" looks like. I am happy to report that our House Church has "Accountability" by the truck-load. I am accountable to every single person in our group. I am accountable to the Men of the Mission who meet for coffee every-other week, and I am accountable to a handful of other Godly Men whom I am in constant relationship and contact with every day. I am accountable to my wife and to my two sons and to my parents, and yes, even to those of you who read these articles every week. (Because if I did something stupid I would be compelled to write about it).
"Spiritual Covering" is not the same as "Accountability". Todd Hunter had a great quote that I thought really expressed how arbitrary this idea of "Covering" is. He said that if Rick Warren or Chuck Smith (or some other Christian Celebrity with a large, succesful ministry, book, radio show, etc.) were to announce today that they were leaving to start a brand-new house church, no one would dare ask them, "Who is your spiritual covering?" But if you or I (or some other "regular guy") were to hear God's call to start simple house church, then suddenly the question of "Spiritual Covering" arises. Suddenly it's just too dangerous to do this without another, higher spiritual authority looking out for things.
The truth is, when Chuck Smith left the Foursquare denomination to start Calvary Chapel, he had no spiritual covering. When John Wimber left Calvary Chapel to launch the Vineyard Movement, he also had no spiritual covering. Does this mean that, to this very day, these large, international church-planting movements are without a spiritual covering? Yes, it does. Is that a problem? Not if you attend Calvary Chapel or a Vineyard church...and not if you reject the idea of "Covering" anyway.
For that matter, when Martin Luther left the Catholic Church of his day and started a Protestant Reformation, he also had no "Spiritual Covering" either. So, I suppose there is no need to go much further than this.
For me, it boils down to whether or not your are convinced that there is such a thing as "The Priesthood of The Believer" and how you define it. Scripturally, I believe, that every follower of Jesus is qualified to use their God-given spiritual gifts without the approval of a denominational leader or an organization. Basically, there is no need for a spiritual "go-between". We might need accountability, or discipling, or encouragement, or sometimes even rebuke from one another, but it is not necessary that we have a man, or an organization, to stand between us and God.
A few years ago, some friends of mine wanted to start a Bible Study in their apartment. Because the lead pastor of the Church they were attending couldn't be there to oversee the study, they were not allowed to have their Bible Study. That is a prime example of the complete denial of the Priesthood of the Believer because "regular Christians" were not allowed to read the Bible on their own and understand it without the direct oversight of an official Church representative.
We might as well trade in our modern English Bibles for Latin ones and apologize for the Reformation if that is how we feel about things.
I realize that there are good people, sincere followers of Jesus who would disagree with me on this issue. I am not trying to argue or sling mud at anyone. However, it is my very strong opinion (and also, surprisingly, that of those distinguished gentlemen I surveyed earlier this week...smarter men than I, let's admit), that all that is needed for a Church to operate properly is to submit to one another, and to Christ, and to let the Word of God (the Bible) be your guide. The Holy Spirit promised (and I really do believe Him) to lead us into all Truth. We do not need an expert or a professional to tell us we are "safe" or "official".
We are The Body of Christ. We are The Church. The Bible is our Statement of Faith. We are accountable to one another and to The Holy Spirit of God. Jesus if our Head and He will build His Church just as He pleases (1 Cor 12).
"A good man will remain faithful, even with a poor structure of accountability, and a degenerate man will frustrate and resist even the most iron-clad system of accountability," my friend Todd Hunter said to me. I must agree.
Even so, I have seen enough pastors fall into sin and self-deception and pride to know that no one is immune from moral or doctrinal failure. Accountability is essential. We must submit ourselves to God, and to our brothers and sisters in Christ, or we will never avoid the sin which so easily entangles.
Peace,
Keith
http://www.KeithGiles.com
***
MARK THE DATE: "Non-Con '08" - March 14 & 15, 2008
Jackie Pullinger, David Ruis, Cindy Reithmeir, John Thomas, 99 others, and YOU! LOCATION ANNOUNCED SOON! ONLINE REGISTRATION OPENS NEXT MONTH!
More here:
http://www.non-con.com
***
"URGENT!" - My article about an alarming new piece of legislation which could threaten the non-profit status of YOUR CHURCH! Check it out here:
http://www.TheOoze.com
***
MY FIRST BOOK! It should be available online at my main website in about a month now. "The Gospel:For Here Or To Go?" will feature a foreward by author Neil Cole ("Organic Church"). For those of you who purchase the book and want to respond with your own stories, I plan to self-publish a second edition of the book later next year which will include some of your testimonies too. More later...
***
[END TRANSMISSION]
by Keith Giles
A few weeks ago I had an interesting conversation with a member of our Mission House Church about our "Spiritual Covering". It was a great discussion about whether such a concept was even really Biblical or not, and if it was, what would that look like for our House Church?
Our House Church is truly an independent endeavor. My wife and I left our previous church to start the House Church without any official "covering" from any other church or organization. I've been a licensed and ordained minister of the Gospel now for about sixteen years or so, through the Southern Baptist Denomination, although the last ten years or so I had been serving at Vineyard Churches in Orange County.
To be honest, I never really felt a need to research the whole question of spiritual covering because God had called me to step out and launch our house church and there had been no hint that we needed to do this with the "blessing" or "covering" of any other leader or organized church. Now that my friend was asking me this question, I wasn't sure how to respond. I had my own, very strong opinions about the subject already in place, but I decided to at least entertain the subject and ask some of the spiritual advisors in my life what their take on the subject might be.
So, I shot off an email to people like author Dallas Willard ("The Divine Conspiracy"), Todd Hunter (former National Director of Vineyard Churches), Paul Martin (Pastor at Soul Survivor USA and St. James Anglican), David Ruis (worship leader, author, songwriter), and also a few of my own personal mentors. They are former pastors, Chaplains, Seminary Graduates, and lay leaders. I asked them each to share with me their thoughts on the subject of "Spiritual Covering".
Quite honestly, I expected a robust series of heated debates on the concept. Of that list, only two of them had any real bias in favor of house churches. All the rest were either full-time pastors of traditional churches or at least former pastors. What I heard back, unanimously I might add, truly surprised me.
They each agreed with my conviction that "Spiritual Covering" was simply not a Biblical concept as most people understand it.
(*NOTE- Not all of those polled responded. Dallas Willard was too busy to weigh in, and David Ruis was in Europe at the time.)
First let me explain the basic idea behind "Covering" here. Whenever someone, like myself for example, decides to start a church (house church or traditional), it is usually expected that the leader will submit his group to a higher organizational authority in order to protect the leader, and the new church, from doctrinal errors (heresy), and to protect against moral failures within the leadership staff.
This sounds like common sense, and I have to admit that if we were starting a traditional church, I might agree that such a system might be prudent. However, the House Church by design is already a highly accountable group of like-minded people. In the House Church model, it's hard to be anonymous for very long. There is a high level of accountability in our small group. Plus, I do not lecture as the resident Biblical expert in our house church. Everyone, even my two sons who are elementary-age, is free to share scripture and discuss the Bible at length. Because of this, it's much more difficult for heretical ideas to flourish very long. In fact, just a few weeks ago my eleven-year-old son Dylan put me in my place by reading a passage out of Exodus that completely contradicted something I was saying. The Word of God won out and I had to concede my point.
In contrast, the traditional church (especially the larger ones) make it much easier for people to remain anonymous and to wear masks that suggest "everything is alright". A recent coffee meeting with a good friend of mine, who pastors a very large denominational church locally, confirmed this idea. He admitted that he usually hears about "secret sin" in His Body when the marriage is already over, or the surprise pregnancy has already taken place, etc. In our House Church, we encounter things on the front end, not the last gasp.
Each person who responded to my question about "Spiritual Covering" agreed that there was no Biblical foundation for such a teaching, although many churches use this as a way to control their leaders and manage their "flock" by fear.
Simply put, "Any church without spiritual covering is not, because of this fact, in error. However, if any church (with or without spiritual covering), believes or teaches or allows heretical ideas or doctrines or immoral activities to flourish, THEN that church is in error."
I think one of the main things that came out of this larger discussion was the idea that "Accountability" IS Biblical, but "Covering" is artifical, fear-based, man-made, and still not effective in preventing doctrinal heresy or avoiding moral failures in the clergy.
Most of us who have been around for while in the Christian Church can testify that our best systems of accountablity do not prevent adultery, heresy, embezzlement, etc. We've probably all seen good, Godly men and women fall hard. Sometimes the ones who fall are the very last ones we would ever expect to fail in such a way. Nevertheless, they do, and often.
As a pastor, I have personally witnessed such failures over the last sixteen years first-hand and it's never a pretty sight. Why do these things happen? Is there really nothing we can do about it? (That's another article).
Basically, there is a misunderstanding of what "Spiritual Covering" is and what Biblical "Accountability" looks like. I am happy to report that our House Church has "Accountability" by the truck-load. I am accountable to every single person in our group. I am accountable to the Men of the Mission who meet for coffee every-other week, and I am accountable to a handful of other Godly Men whom I am in constant relationship and contact with every day. I am accountable to my wife and to my two sons and to my parents, and yes, even to those of you who read these articles every week. (Because if I did something stupid I would be compelled to write about it).
"Spiritual Covering" is not the same as "Accountability". Todd Hunter had a great quote that I thought really expressed how arbitrary this idea of "Covering" is. He said that if Rick Warren or Chuck Smith (or some other Christian Celebrity with a large, succesful ministry, book, radio show, etc.) were to announce today that they were leaving to start a brand-new house church, no one would dare ask them, "Who is your spiritual covering?" But if you or I (or some other "regular guy") were to hear God's call to start simple house church, then suddenly the question of "Spiritual Covering" arises. Suddenly it's just too dangerous to do this without another, higher spiritual authority looking out for things.
The truth is, when Chuck Smith left the Foursquare denomination to start Calvary Chapel, he had no spiritual covering. When John Wimber left Calvary Chapel to launch the Vineyard Movement, he also had no spiritual covering. Does this mean that, to this very day, these large, international church-planting movements are without a spiritual covering? Yes, it does. Is that a problem? Not if you attend Calvary Chapel or a Vineyard church...and not if you reject the idea of "Covering" anyway.
For that matter, when Martin Luther left the Catholic Church of his day and started a Protestant Reformation, he also had no "Spiritual Covering" either. So, I suppose there is no need to go much further than this.
For me, it boils down to whether or not your are convinced that there is such a thing as "The Priesthood of The Believer" and how you define it. Scripturally, I believe, that every follower of Jesus is qualified to use their God-given spiritual gifts without the approval of a denominational leader or an organization. Basically, there is no need for a spiritual "go-between". We might need accountability, or discipling, or encouragement, or sometimes even rebuke from one another, but it is not necessary that we have a man, or an organization, to stand between us and God.
A few years ago, some friends of mine wanted to start a Bible Study in their apartment. Because the lead pastor of the Church they were attending couldn't be there to oversee the study, they were not allowed to have their Bible Study. That is a prime example of the complete denial of the Priesthood of the Believer because "regular Christians" were not allowed to read the Bible on their own and understand it without the direct oversight of an official Church representative.
We might as well trade in our modern English Bibles for Latin ones and apologize for the Reformation if that is how we feel about things.
I realize that there are good people, sincere followers of Jesus who would disagree with me on this issue. I am not trying to argue or sling mud at anyone. However, it is my very strong opinion (and also, surprisingly, that of those distinguished gentlemen I surveyed earlier this week...smarter men than I, let's admit), that all that is needed for a Church to operate properly is to submit to one another, and to Christ, and to let the Word of God (the Bible) be your guide. The Holy Spirit promised (and I really do believe Him) to lead us into all Truth. We do not need an expert or a professional to tell us we are "safe" or "official".
We are The Body of Christ. We are The Church. The Bible is our Statement of Faith. We are accountable to one another and to The Holy Spirit of God. Jesus if our Head and He will build His Church just as He pleases (1 Cor 12).
"A good man will remain faithful, even with a poor structure of accountability, and a degenerate man will frustrate and resist even the most iron-clad system of accountability," my friend Todd Hunter said to me. I must agree.
Even so, I have seen enough pastors fall into sin and self-deception and pride to know that no one is immune from moral or doctrinal failure. Accountability is essential. We must submit ourselves to God, and to our brothers and sisters in Christ, or we will never avoid the sin which so easily entangles.
Peace,
Keith
http://www.KeithGiles.com
***
MARK THE DATE: "Non-Con '08" - March 14 & 15, 2008
Jackie Pullinger, David Ruis, Cindy Reithmeir, John Thomas, 99 others, and YOU! LOCATION ANNOUNCED SOON! ONLINE REGISTRATION OPENS NEXT MONTH!
More here:
http://www.non-con.com
***
"URGENT!" - My article about an alarming new piece of legislation which could threaten the non-profit status of YOUR CHURCH! Check it out here:
http://www.TheOoze.com
***
MY FIRST BOOK! It should be available online at my main website in about a month now. "The Gospel:For Here Or To Go?" will feature a foreward by author Neil Cole ("Organic Church"). For those of you who purchase the book and want to respond with your own stories, I plan to self-publish a second edition of the book later next year which will include some of your testimonies too. More later...
***
[END TRANSMISSION]
Friday, July 06, 2007
VOCATION
VOCATION by Keith Giles
A wise man once told me, "Calling trumps career, every time." When I first heard those words spoken, several years ago, I was deep in the throes of trying to decide the path I should take in my vocation. At the time I was working two part-time jobs, one as a pastor at a brand-new church-plant, and the other as a marketing director for an international non-profit ministry to youth, with a strong value for caring for the poor. (By the way, never let anyone tell you that working two part-time jobs is easy. It's really like working two full-time jobs and trying to squeeze your life in their somewhere between gulps of air).
As much as I knew these words of wisdom rang true, I wasn't quite sure what it actually meant in my particular case. Was my calling to be a pastor? If so, then my choice must be to go full-time at the church-plant. Was my calling to serve the poor? Then perhaps my choice was to go full-time into the non-profit realm, helping others to see God's heart for the poor.
As time progressed, I realized that I was being called to start a new church here in our area. My biggest shock came when I realized it was a house church. No one, other than my wife and a few friends, understood it. It made no sense to anyone that we would do such a thing.
Several years earlier, before I went part-time with these two organizations, I had been working for Ingram Micro as an associate program manager on the Apple Computers account. To be honest, I hated that job because it was very technical and involved weekly data analysis of spreadsheets on carrier performance. The whole time I was there, I daydreamed about leaving the world of Apple Computers to pursue God's calling on my life- To be a pastor.
Even though the day I got hired at Ingram Micro I felt strongly that God was saying to me that this job was His best for me, I continually strategized a way to leave and enter "full-time ministry." When the day eventually came that I could leave Ingram Micro and go part-time with our church-plant, I leapt at the chance. Here, at last, was my chance to discover my calling to be a pastor.
The church-plant didn't have the funds to bring me on full-time, so I worked part-time as a Children's Pastor and Compassion Ministries Director, while serving 3 days a week at the non-profit youth ministry.
At first, I loved it! Between the two jobs I was paid to do all the things I loved. Plus it beat the stuffing out of sitting in front of a computer crunching numbers on a spreadsheet.
Fast-forward about four years and I had already stepped out with my family to launch "The Mission", our house church ministry in Orange, California. My jobs at the church-plant, and at the non-profit are now both in the past.
The most remarkable thing to me is how God has changed me during this journey. I started off yearning to enter "full-time ministry", which to me meant entering a pastoral vocation as part of a paid staff of ministers. Today, I am more of a "full-time minister" than ever before as I pastor the people in our house church and reach out to the various families on our street here.
My job is actually still my greatest challenge. I read about how Paul the Apostle worked with his hands, making tents to pay his way, so that he would not become a burden to the Church and to allow for the offering collected to go towards the poor rather than to himself, the pastor and church-planter.
For a year now, (I left the non-profit ministry last July), I have struggled to find steady, ongoing employment here in Orange County. Yet, still, God has proven to be faithful as He continually, (and creatively I might add), provides for our daily needs.
Last Wednesday, we hosted a July 4th "Breakfast on the Lawn" for our community. We invited every family on our cul-de-sac to join us for scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes on our front lawn. We had been wanting to take this simple step towards living an incarnational life here in this neighborhood for over a year. Last Wednesday we welcomed twenty of our actual neighbors to a feast of fellowship. Our next step is to lead a weekend "Kids Club" for the children in our community, and following that, we hope to invite individual families over for dinner soon, and possibly start an ALPHA group or Truth Project for those who are curious about who Jesus is.
Today, as I reflect on those words of wisdom about how "Calling trumps career", I think I understand them even more than I ever did before. My calling is to be an ambassador of Christ to the people who live on my street and to pastor the people who are part of our house church. My career is incidental. God has made that abundantly clear to me.
About seven years ago, before I ended up at Ingram Micro, I endured a long season of working temporary jobs. During that year and a half in the desert God revealed something powerful to me. It was that God cares more about who I am than He does about what I do for a living.
I think today, as I am once again officially "Unemployed" and back on the job trail, I understand all of this with more clarity than ever before.
Who am I? Who is it that God has called me to be? The only thing, ultimately, that is of concern to God is that I am faithful to His calling on my life. At some level I realize that God may never provide a "perfect job" for me that offers stimulation or comfort or position or prestige. I've resolved that, whether God gives me a job beyond my wildest dreams or not, I will continually serve Him by serving others in the place He has planted me.
Peace,
Keith
http://www.keithgiles.com
***
[END TRANSMISSION]
A wise man once told me, "Calling trumps career, every time." When I first heard those words spoken, several years ago, I was deep in the throes of trying to decide the path I should take in my vocation. At the time I was working two part-time jobs, one as a pastor at a brand-new church-plant, and the other as a marketing director for an international non-profit ministry to youth, with a strong value for caring for the poor. (By the way, never let anyone tell you that working two part-time jobs is easy. It's really like working two full-time jobs and trying to squeeze your life in their somewhere between gulps of air).
As much as I knew these words of wisdom rang true, I wasn't quite sure what it actually meant in my particular case. Was my calling to be a pastor? If so, then my choice must be to go full-time at the church-plant. Was my calling to serve the poor? Then perhaps my choice was to go full-time into the non-profit realm, helping others to see God's heart for the poor.
As time progressed, I realized that I was being called to start a new church here in our area. My biggest shock came when I realized it was a house church. No one, other than my wife and a few friends, understood it. It made no sense to anyone that we would do such a thing.
Several years earlier, before I went part-time with these two organizations, I had been working for Ingram Micro as an associate program manager on the Apple Computers account. To be honest, I hated that job because it was very technical and involved weekly data analysis of spreadsheets on carrier performance. The whole time I was there, I daydreamed about leaving the world of Apple Computers to pursue God's calling on my life- To be a pastor.
Even though the day I got hired at Ingram Micro I felt strongly that God was saying to me that this job was His best for me, I continually strategized a way to leave and enter "full-time ministry." When the day eventually came that I could leave Ingram Micro and go part-time with our church-plant, I leapt at the chance. Here, at last, was my chance to discover my calling to be a pastor.
The church-plant didn't have the funds to bring me on full-time, so I worked part-time as a Children's Pastor and Compassion Ministries Director, while serving 3 days a week at the non-profit youth ministry.
At first, I loved it! Between the two jobs I was paid to do all the things I loved. Plus it beat the stuffing out of sitting in front of a computer crunching numbers on a spreadsheet.
Fast-forward about four years and I had already stepped out with my family to launch "The Mission", our house church ministry in Orange, California. My jobs at the church-plant, and at the non-profit are now both in the past.
The most remarkable thing to me is how God has changed me during this journey. I started off yearning to enter "full-time ministry", which to me meant entering a pastoral vocation as part of a paid staff of ministers. Today, I am more of a "full-time minister" than ever before as I pastor the people in our house church and reach out to the various families on our street here.
My job is actually still my greatest challenge. I read about how Paul the Apostle worked with his hands, making tents to pay his way, so that he would not become a burden to the Church and to allow for the offering collected to go towards the poor rather than to himself, the pastor and church-planter.
For a year now, (I left the non-profit ministry last July), I have struggled to find steady, ongoing employment here in Orange County. Yet, still, God has proven to be faithful as He continually, (and creatively I might add), provides for our daily needs.
Last Wednesday, we hosted a July 4th "Breakfast on the Lawn" for our community. We invited every family on our cul-de-sac to join us for scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes on our front lawn. We had been wanting to take this simple step towards living an incarnational life here in this neighborhood for over a year. Last Wednesday we welcomed twenty of our actual neighbors to a feast of fellowship. Our next step is to lead a weekend "Kids Club" for the children in our community, and following that, we hope to invite individual families over for dinner soon, and possibly start an ALPHA group or Truth Project for those who are curious about who Jesus is.
Today, as I reflect on those words of wisdom about how "Calling trumps career", I think I understand them even more than I ever did before. My calling is to be an ambassador of Christ to the people who live on my street and to pastor the people who are part of our house church. My career is incidental. God has made that abundantly clear to me.
About seven years ago, before I ended up at Ingram Micro, I endured a long season of working temporary jobs. During that year and a half in the desert God revealed something powerful to me. It was that God cares more about who I am than He does about what I do for a living.
I think today, as I am once again officially "Unemployed" and back on the job trail, I understand all of this with more clarity than ever before.
Who am I? Who is it that God has called me to be? The only thing, ultimately, that is of concern to God is that I am faithful to His calling on my life. At some level I realize that God may never provide a "perfect job" for me that offers stimulation or comfort or position or prestige. I've resolved that, whether God gives me a job beyond my wildest dreams or not, I will continually serve Him by serving others in the place He has planted me.
Peace,
Keith
http://www.keithgiles.com
***
[END TRANSMISSION]
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