Faith Outside of the Church Building...

"They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved." Acts 2:46-47

I've been reading through Acts these days and smiling. There's something grounding about remembering. Whether it's hearing stories of the people that came before you in your family, your nation or your faith ~ remembering matters. Rather than the latest, greatest - in humility it is always good to remember the beautiful ways from the past and recalibrate to those ways. 

Lately, I've been remembering the Early Church as the Lawman and I explore what it means to be the Bride outside of the church building in the West. The Early Church were a group of folks that today we wouldn't put much hope in starting or building...anything. They were scared, ordinary, poor and too diverse in every way to fit the modern day ideal church goer our current models seek out. 

But they were in love with a King not of this world. They had watched this perfect man, who empowered them, giving them purpose, die and rise again - in turn giving them life forever. That's the kind of thing - the kind of Sacrifice - that makes ordinary people willingly lay down their own life.

I love how the Jewish Believers met in the Temple and shared a meal everyday. Impossible in our American culture to do outside of the context of family. Worship and eating together ~ it's the stuff that knit hearts together. I love that and it makes me long for Heaven where I can be with all my favorite people every single day

If you keep reading in the book of Acts you'll see extremely messy people do extraordinary things with God. Remembering that makes me long to see extraordinary things happen in my lifetime too. It also gives me freedom to stop trying to be more than a messy, ordinary person. #freedom

One thing that stands out as you read about Jewish Christians is that they didn't lose their Jewishness. I love that too. Unlike their fellow Gentile Believers across Europe, Acts says that the Jews went to the temple every day and still practiced being Kosher and they attended synagogue on Saturdays. They were still very much Jews just like I am very much American. It's made me stop and wonder, "What does it mean to be an American Christian?"

Back to Jewish Believers...:) While worshipping in the Temple together I wonder if they smiled watching the priesthood serve as they remembered that Jesus tore the veil...the real veil and the spiritual one. Later through Peter - the messiest of the twelve, God said: 

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, 

a holy nation, God's special possession, 

that you may declare the praises of him 

who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

But Peter wasn't just talking to the Jews anymore, he was speaking now to everyone who had responded to the Good News...walking out of darkness into the wonderful Light. It feels like that for me too. In more ways than I can imagine, I see how He continues to walk me out of darkness and into wonderful light. #freedom

As an American (gentile), I deeply connect with my early church Gentile brothers and sisters. They gathered around a table and shared their hearts and listened to letters from folks who had risked a lot to bring them the Good News.  It's what the Lawman and I find ourselves doing these days - gathering with other Believers around a table or over coffee. Expressing the Ecclesia this way rather than attending a Sunday morning experience has felt like walking into more and more Light for us. It's changing us as we own our faith and how it's expressed, very invisible; but certainly free. #freedom

Before Constantine franchised the Christian faith there was no temple for a Gentile to worship in. Being a Gentile Believer was so very simple and very hard too when the Early Church was being formed. No longer did they fit in with their peers who worshipped their god of choice...now they had to accept and practice that everyone in Christ shared equal value - they had to let go of power and practice the truth that they were all priest. Slaves, poor and even women...God forbid. :) #freedom

These ordinary people, like Paul, who had to toil at jobs they probably hated like most Americans, simply allowed Jesus to take them into wonderful light.  Every day they prayed, took the money they used to give to the temples of other gods they now gave to each other while making disciples and eating together...light exploded over their lives. Later they would die together too, washed in this Supernatural Light. #love #freedom

Like remembering beautiful family moments, I feel certain that these ragamuffin people thought about these things when they sat chained in prison or were paraded into the Roman amphitheater together for loving a King not of this world. A slave sharing the same table as his master and a woman leading the whole evening while remembering the death/burial/resurrection. It was powerful enough - this simple hard Gospel - to empower mommas to watch their babies be eaten by wild animals and still not bend their knees. I cannot even, ever, imagine. #freedom


When I read about the Early Church and how they died for their faith - for their Love - I wonder, "Could I actually watch my children being killed for this?" Oh, Jesus...for Him I want to do anything, but my flesh is beyond weak.

The times we live in make me wonder if we are doing a disservice to Christians today as we cater to them for 90 minutes every Sunday. The time/budget/energy that church staff is asked (can we say required) to invest into making sure the building is perfect, children's ministry is stellar, youth are hyped up about the next event and please, please, PLEASE make sure that the message is applicable and short and the worship what I like! Jesus, come. We have become spoiled and arrogant. And very complicated. #bondage

Pastors and staff are beyond stressed. Stressed to grow something - to make sure hundreds of people are happy with them and their efforts. They feel bound by a vision to be successful and God forbid it doesn't work. They're lonely, overworked and they begin to resent the people they serve. I know I did. What could be said across a table - where discussion is open and questions welcome - now has to be tailored to hundreds whose only mode of "safe" communication in response to a message or vision is an email to the pastor later that week. If they respond at all. #bondage

Many people on staff at churches around the world are frustrated with the people for being selfish (although they keep catering to them) and the people are frustrated with church staff for...catering to them. Friends - we have complicated our faith in an effort to make it easy for people. Jesus said, "You will have to lose your life..." He said this whole faith wouldn't be easy, but require everything. Everything. 

If this Gospel is something we must be prepared to die for, sweet saints - we have to stop this cycle of madness. Evil is not out to give us a bad day - Evil means to kill all of the sons and daughters of God. All of us. And one of the ways he will do this is by slowly making our faith about our comforts and not our convictions. He will cause us to start hating each other and turning inward to fight. He will make us believe that any means to an end is worthy. And he will slowly make us look just like the world. #abusiness He will complicate the Gospel to make it easy to swallow while all along the Early Church was saying this is very simple and extremely hard.

Talking with friends in Japan, Thailand and here in the states I hear longing in them. They long to see the supernatural and they long to practice a simple, albeit hard, Gospel. They're not afraid, but they're tired of the cycle so they're leaving the church building. They know that what happens in the building isn't anything that will sustain them as persecution comes.

The business of today's church, or "corporation that it's become" as one said this week, and it's strategies to grow are not the things they're willing to sacrifice for anymore. They're being told not to leave the church, but what they're coming to see is how impossible that is if THEY are the church. 

I - along with them -  don't have a lot of answers yet. But what I do know is that the Spirit is blowing across this planet. I can feel it. Listening along with others who love Jesus it seems that He's calling His Bride out of the building and into the streets and homes where they live. One of the most beneficial things churches could do today is lock it's doors. Locking their doors would force us to reckon with our own walk. No one around to blame any longer, we would clearly feel the weight of this Gospel. And can I say - the sheer, absolute joy of our salvation. 

What if we released these precious people who work for near to nothing to serve us? What if we released them to go out and work in the marketplace alongside people who don't know of His great love? We're adults and grown ups and we can eat together and share each others' burdens and give to each other when needs arise and read the Bible and pray and invite others in...I promise. We can do this!! We can free our precious pastors and staff and be free ourselves, as well! 

Maybe persecution is coming? Persecution is truly coming - it's just a matter of time. I want to be strong in my walk - I want that for my children too. As persecution comes they will not find strength reflecting on the last message a pastor preached or how awesome the youth event was or well organized the building or if they got to sit by their friend in children's class; but rather they will draw strength from the Spirit and stories shared around the table. Hearing about how JESUS is transforming their friends' lives. How JESUS invited the one sitting to their left to sell everything and wait on Him. Remembering the things JESUS came and did in their own lives...these are the things they'll dig deep into that keep them saying yes to this faith that requires your life and your living. How Christ died and rose again and offers them the same. 

So today I'm remembering what we came from, what was born out of the death and resurrection of Christ - new life. And it encourages me to keep praying. Praying off fear and praying for boldness in the Saints like they did all huddled together in the room when Jesus came in and said "I'm here...I came back." 

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let the one who hears say, "Come!"