INTRODUCTION
"Let us turn from the stuffy atmosphere of traditional Christianity . . . Let us visit the church as it was meant to be." (Arthur Wallis: The Radical Christian)1
Early Saturday morning .....
You've been planning it all week: after a hard week at work, to have a nice long lie-in - you are cosily cocooned in your duvet, your bedside radio is gently playing soothing music & next to the radio sits a cup of tea that your youngest has brought you.
The untouched cup of tea is gradually cooling as you can't quite summon up enough strength to break out of your doze to drink it - welcome as it is.
Bliss!
Far off in the distance you hear your door bell faintly ringing. Your children call up the stairs to you, jarring you suddenly awake, "Dad it's for you!"
Cringingly you crawl out of bed you just know that it's two irritatingly well dressed Americans, with dazzlingly white smiles & gold rimmed spectacles from the new cult in town.
And you know they're wrong!
You are absolutely convinced that they're wrong!
After all you are an evangelical! The church you and all your family are fully committed members of prides itself on being one hundred per cent biblical in doctrine & practice.
You are convinced that all that your fellowship stands for what is solely based upon God's revealed Word . . . you are absolutely sure of that (your Pastor's told you.)
Or are you?
Perhaps you've never asked the question . . . for yourself.
This is what this book is about 'asking the question.' Not about doctrine, for others better equipped than I, have written about the central core truths to which we must assuredly hold - but rather asking the question 'How does God want His Church to function?'
D
Over the years there have been many controversies debated within the evangelical church & undoubtedly continue to emerge until the Lord returns (at which point we'll probably discover we were all wrong in one way or another!)
What I find interesting is that many, on both sides of these debates, whilst standing quite firm for what they believe Scripture reveals for their own particular pet theological stance seem not to ask the questions 'What is God's revealed will for His Church?' or 'How did God mean His Church to function?'.
In the Book of Acts Dr. Luke recalling Paul's visit to Berea writes "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness & examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true" (Acts 17:11).
The Bereans eagerly received Paul's message & checked it, for themselves, against Scripture.
For this they were commended.
How refreshing! When in today's church there is many a preacher who would cry "Don't touch the Lord's anointed!" or "Don't judge - this is revelational knowledge!"
The Bereans were commended for checking out the teaching of the Apostle Paul himself.
I must confess I don't write as a studied theologian but rather as a simple 'Berean' myself. I have a passion for God's Church, more than anything else I have a desire to see the Church truly functioning as God meant it to, & I'm simple enough to have looked at Scripture & said "Perhaps this is how God meant us to function?"
I like to believe that there is a lost episode of 'Star Trek' in which the Away Team visit the Early Church & Scotty whispers to the Captain . . .
"It's Kirk2 Jim . . . but not as you known it."
D
WARNING: This book will cause you to be 'Bereans' holding up your church life & practice to be checked against Scripture - it may not always be a comfortable journey so buckle up your seat belts . . . & be prepared to boldly go where few have dared to go before, or perhaps you prefer to Klingon to your traditions (?)
"We are living in an age hopelessly below the New Testament pattern - content with a neat little religion" (Martyn Lloyd-Jones)3
For as long as I can remember I have had a burden to see the Church restored to God's pattern.
I became a Christian in the early (post hippie) seventies - during the idealistic years of the Jesus Freaks (Okay hands up those who remember Arthur Blessitt & Jesus stickers) - & at that time I was a member of a fairly staid Anglican church.
The particular church I was a member of had a drama group for which I had written a number of plays. The late Tom Savins4, the then vicar, asked me to write a new play set around the story of Pentecost - the birth of the Church.
In preparation I read through the Book of Acts something I had never done before (in fact I had not read the Bible much at all up until that point).
As I read the story of the early Church5 I was gripped by the picture that Dr. Luke paints of a vibrant dynamic Church - this vision burnt into my mind (& imagination) & is still strongly with me today & is a constant challenge.
Jack Deere wrote (concerning spiritual gifts): " If you were to lock a brand-new Christian in a room with a Bible & tell him to study what Scripture has to say about healing & miracles, he would never come out of the room a cessationist6."7
I found myself in somewhat of a similar situation as I read the Bible for the first real time with the imaginative eyes of an actor/writer.
What I read did not match up to my Church experience up to that time.
And I was strangely stirred within.
Even as I write I am once again stirred.
Some years later (having left the Anglican Church) I joined a newly formed house church (as they were then called) - where we sought to model the type of church that the New Testament had told me about ....."Church as God meant it to be".
The picture was beginning to come together.
In the summer of '81 newly married, & still a member of that house church, we attended the Downs Bible Week at Plumpton Race Course.
Arthur Wallis was one of that year's speakers & his book 'The Radical Christian' had just been published. He used the theme of that book for the basis of his messages that year.
Later, as I sat in my tent reading Arthur's book, I was once again gripped by the radical simplicity of the Church as God meant it to be.
Arthur wrote: "Let us turn from the stuffy atmosphere of traditional Christianity to where 'the fresh air from heaven is plainly blowing', & see if we can find out what we have lost. Using inspired glimpses the Holy Spirit gives us in the pages of the New Testament, a pinch of sanctified imagination plus a little oriental flavouring, let us visit 'the church as it was meant to be'.
"We find ourselves in a city in a Roman province of Asia. We enquire of a passing stranger if he can tell us 'where the Christians meet'. To our great joy we are speaking to a deacon of the church, Timotheus by name. Discovering we too are believers he greets us with a holy kiss & then conducts us to the place of meeting.
"'Our congregation has only two hundred believers, but the church in the city is nearer two thousand,' he explains as we walk along. 'It began when our brother Paul visited this province five years ago. That was when 1 was converted. At first we were only a handful of believers, but now the work has grown rapidly'.
"We ask about the leadership, & about his own role as a deacon. The congregation has five elders. Two of these are men who give themselves wholly to the ministry, while the others have secular employment . . . one among them, Artemas, is not only a shepherd & teacher, but sometimes travels with brother Paul. Yes, there are several deacons beside himself who serve the church in a great variety of ways. His own role is caring for the poor & the widows in the community."At last we have arrived at the place of meeting, to find people converging from all directions. The believers all place their tithes & offerings in a large receptacle near the door. We notice a little woman with wizened face lay some home-made cheese beside the offering box for the poor. 'She is a widow,' explains Timotheus. 'We do not know how she is able to give so generously.' We hardly notice the buzz of conversation as the saints greet one another, or the noise of people finding their places in the assembly. There is an awareness of God in this place which produces a right kind of reverence & a holy expectation in the people.
"We look around. What a cross-section! There are Jews & Gentiles, slaves & free, young & old, rich & poor, all mingling freely & without distinction. We have only to see the way they greet each other to know that these Christians really do love each other. An elder at the front with a strong melodious voice commences to sing a psalm. Instantly the buzz of conversation ceases, & the congregation takes up the singing. 'One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To behold the beauty of the Lord & to enquire in his temple.' They sing those last words over & over, like a refrain - 'to behold the beauty of the Lord & to enquire in his temple' - until they seem to be burned into everyone's spirit.
"As the psalm ends a man at the front playing a lyre commences a hymn which is sung through several times. Other songs follow. Then two sing to one another responsively. 'The Lord is a man of war, the Lord of Hosts is his name,' comes from someone standing near us. Then from the other side comes an answering voice, 'Let God arise & let his enemies be scattered.' Then the first singer again, '& we will go forth with him, to share the spoils of victory' - & so on. This inspired singing seems to ignite the worship & the whole company is then caught up in spiritual singing, some in their native tongue, some in their unknown tongue, & despite ourselves we are caught up too. We have never heard anything like this before - harmony without melody - swelling to a glorious crescendo, with the people breaking out in spontaneous applause & then dying away to a whisper, as though controlled by some unseen conductor.
"We look about us. As well as great joy & exuberant praise there is an awe of God here. A middle-aged woman not far from us, eyes shut, hands raised, is lost in the worship of her God. Then our eyes are riveted by the face of a young man. 'Only last week he was an idolater,' whispers Timotheus. His face is ecstatic with joy. This must be what Peter meant by 'joy unspeakable & full of glory'.
"There is a pause in the continuous flow of worship. An elderly man with the unmistakable features of a Jew rises to pray. His hands & eyes are lifted heavenward. His speech is simple, but he knows how to touch the throne of God. He prays for the Emperor, for local rulers, for the nation, & for the word of God to prosper. Hardly is he through when a young man is on his feet, praying fervently for the progress of the gospel in the city, that every believer will witness boldly, that God will stretch out his hand to heal, & that signs & wonders may be done in Jesus' name.
"At this a man breaks in with a testimony. For some time he had been trying to share the good news with his parents, apparently without success, but this past week his father was seized with a raging fever, & fearing he was going to die he had rebuked the sickness in Jesus' name & his father had been healed. 'My parents are here,' he continues, pointing to the elderly couple beside him; 'they now want to hear about the Way.' Spontaneous applause & shouts of 'Hallelujah' greet the news, followed by another wave of praise. There are further prayers, for imprisoned saints, for those suffering persecution, & for the testimony in other parts. There are utterances in tongues, each followed by interpretation in the form of inspired prayer or praise. There are visions, revelations & prophecies bringing simple words of exhortation & encouragement.
"It seems that 'everyone has a hymn, or a word instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation'. All are evidently free to participate as the Spirit leads, the men with heads bared, the women with heads (but not faces) veiled. We are just thinking that a company so spiritual hardly needs leaders when a man stands up to speak of a grievance he has with another brother. A voice from the front interrupts him: 'We have not come to hear about your grievances, brother.' 'I was only trying to explain,' persists the brother. Now there is a ring of authority about the voice from the front: 'Brother Hermas, I command you to sit down.' Meekly brother Hermas complies. 'That was Artemas, the brother that works with Paul,' whispers the deacon.
"The rebuke has subdued the meeting. We turn again to Timotheus, 'Are your meetings always like this?' 'No,' he whispers, 'they are never like this, they are always different. You never quite know-' He lapses into silence as a clear strong voice comes from the front: 'I am calling my people to a time of great enlargement-enlargement of heart, of faith & of vision. I have still very many in this city that sit in darkness. The fields are waiting to be harvested. Go & bring in the sheaves. There will be opposition & persecution, but do not fear the roaring of the lion. I will be with you to give you success.' This is the gist of an utterance that lasts some few minutes.
"Artemas is on his feet. 'Let us weigh carefully the words of the prophet,' he says quietly. 'Let it sink into our hearts. I am confident this is God's word to us now. It is wholly in keeping with what God has given me to say ..... He looks down at a scroll in his hand. 'These are words written by brother Paul to the believers in Philippi.' He reads the whole epistle, pausing here & there to explain words or phrases that the uneducated believers would find difficult to understand. He then takes up the theme of joy in the midst of tribulation. This joy would be their strength. It would prove irresistible. Through faith & prayer they would triumph & reap the promised harvest. The people wait on his words, as a starving man reaches out his hand for bread. It is a powerful & practical message, & each telling point draws responses of approval from the eager listeners.
"The teaching ends, but before dismissing the assembly Artemas calls for 'brother Cassius'. A Roman in his mid thirties makes his way somewhat nervously to the front to face the congregation. Sadly the leader tells the church that this brother has fallen into sin with a woman outside the church. One can feel the shock waves hitting the people, & leaving behind the sound of a deep sigh. 'This is a grievous sin, which wounds us all,' continues the leader with tears in his eyes. 'Though we thank God the relationship has been broken, until the elders are satisfied that there has been genuine repentance our brother will attend the meetings but not participate in them, nor will he share in the Supper of the Lord.' Many are in tears as Cassius returns, white & shaken, to his place.
"Artemas continues. 'I have been asked by the presbytery to announce that brother Rufus from the Patrias congregation is under discipline for being a troublemaker in several congregations. We shall not receive him here, & you are not to receive him into your homes. If he comes to you, tell him to return to the elders of his congregation & put things right. That is all. Grace, mercy & peace be with you.' The meeting is over. We can hardly believe that over three hours have passed. They have gone like a dream.
"'What did Artemas mean by "the presbytery"?' we ask Timotheus.
"'That is the body of elders that rule the whole church in the city,' he replies. 'Artemas is the only elder in our congregation who belongs to the city presbytery. They deal with any difficulties between congregations, & decide when the whole church should come together. These are the leaders brother Paul always meets with when he comes to the city.'
"'We noticed that the congregation prayed for churches in other cities. There must be many in this province alone. Governing & administering these must be an enormous task. Where is your-er-denominational headquarters?' 'I beg your pardon.' 'Do you not have some central governing body?' 'If there is 1 haven't heard about it. We are linked with the other churches in the region through the travelling ministers, our brother Paul, & those in the apostolic team that he leads. They move round the churches & bring teaching & apostolic direction as may be needed.'
"'Before we go, please tell us, when is the next meeting?'
"Timotheus smiles. 'In a way we are meeting all the time. What you have seen this morning is only one aspect of our community life. We like to share our lives as much as possible, & serve each other in practical ways. That's what we understand by 'fellowship'. Most of our meetings are in homes, where we share meals as well as break bread together.'
"We thank our brother warmly & bid him farewell with some feeling of sadness. Then we slip out into the noise & bustle of this oriental city with a lot to think about.
"To say that we have 'lost something' would be an understatement. Not only variety, simplicity & flexibility, but even more important, a certain quality of faith & spirituality."8
Arthur's son Jonathan wrote in his late father's biography: "In Arthur's mind, 'The Radical Christian was the most important & significant book he had ever written. It was a message that he passionately believed in & stood for . . . "9
A similar vision had gripped my mind, & as I read Arthur's book a strong desire was rekindled in my heart to see a church that truly reflects as it was meant to be - a vital dynamic body.
This is what this book is about - church as it was meant to be (as God meant it to be).
At heart I am a restorationist but my vision isn't to see the church restored as a living museum piece.
At its core restoration goes beyond the superficial 'copycatting' of an assumed lifestyle of the Early Church.
Bryn Jones: "It is a mistake to charge true 'restorers' with being historical primitivists. We do not seek to return to an original condition; rather, we seek to advance to the fullness of God's original intention. Ours is not the backward look of nostalgia, hoping to find a dubious mythological perfection in the early Church. The Acts of the Apostles & the Epistles reveal that the primitive Church was hampered by schism, legalism, & licentious living, & it was infiltrated by the empty philosophies of the day. We have no desire for the future to be a repeat of such a past. Nevertheless, implicit in the letters of the apostles to the churches were strong moral & spiritual principles that are the life foundations of every authentic Christian community. It is these elements that modern-day restorers seek to recover as part of the process of advancing the Church to its fullness & maturity."10
I have no new truth or revelation to impart.
Martin Luther: "We teach no new thing, but we repeat & establish old things, which the apostles & godly teachers taught before us."
All I believe I have been called to do is communicate 'old truths' to my generation. Truths that seem to have been lost over the years. Truths that have been buried under tradition - traditions born out of the need to function but tradition nevertheless.
J.I.Packer: "Nobody can claim to be detached from traditions. In fact, one sure way to be swallowed up by traditionalism is to think that one is immune to it . . . The question, then, is not whether we have traditions, but whether our traditions conflict with the only absolute standard in these matters: Holy Scripture . . . All Christians are at once beneficiaries & victims of tradition - beneficiaries, who receive nurturing truth & wisdom from God's faithfulness in past generations; victims, who now take for granted things that need to be questioned, thus treating as divine absolutes patterns of belief & behaviour that should be seen as human, provisional, & relative. We are all beneficiaries of good, wise, & sound tradition & victims of poor, unwise, & unsound traditions . . . (we must) acknowledge that we are full of tradition, good or bad, to a much greater extent than we realise, & must learn to ask by the light of Scripture critical questions about what we have thus far taken for granted."11
D
In some ways I feel totally inadequate yet peculiarly equipped to write the things I am about to set before you.
Our Christian journey has been such that we have seen: the good & bad of denominational Christianity & we have seen House Churches birthed & die - & we have seen the results of House Churches growing into something I don't think they ever intended to become.
During the summer of '82 Viv & I helped bring Richard Haydon-Knowell's excellent book 'How to Join the Church'12 into print (latterly renamed 'Joining The Church' & republished by Word Books13). Richard adopted a 'read & write' format - that is key scripture verses/words were left blank, in the body of the text, for the reader to fill in. I have also adopted this format - as I believe it avoids this book becoming a presentation of my ideas & I pray that this approach will allow you from God's Word to sense His burden for His own Church . . .Okay pen in hand ! . . . let's BOLDLY go!
2
'Kirk' being the Scottish word for church. 3
Quoted in 'Rethinking the Wineskin' Frank A Viola (Present Testimony Ministry, 1998) p.21. 4
My comments in these studies should not be taken as an attack on anyone in particular as there are many very good men within all the Institutional Church Systems faithfully serving God. Rather if it is an attack it is upon these systems - without which these good men, such as Tom, might be released from good to being better servants of God & the churches that they serve be in due turn released into a greater expression of God's purposes for His Church. 5
I must admit I'm a little reluctant to use this term "early Church" as it seems to suggest a time gone by but I would tend to view us still as the early Church. In the sense that nothing should have changed only the passage of time. So when I use the phrase "early Church" this refers to our spiritual forebears in whose line we stand & not a different style of church. 6
A cessationist is one who holds to the position that spiritual gifts have no validity in today's Church - although many would vary as to which, if not all, of the gifts have ceased. 7
Dr Jack Deere 'Surprised by the Power of the Spirit' (Kingsway Publications, 1993) p.54 8
Arthur Wallis "The Radical Christian" (Kingsway Publications, 1991) pp.113-119. 9
Jonathan Wallis "Radical Christian" (Kingsway Publications, 1991) p.254. 10
Bryn Jones, "The Radical Church" (Destiny Image, 1999), pp. 14-15 (emphasis in original). 11
J.I.Packer, "The Comfort of Conservatism" in "Power Religion", ed. Michael Horton (Chicago Moody Press, 1992), pp. 286-87, 289 & 290. 12
This book was originally published by Coastlands (in 1981) which ultimately was to become New Frontiers International then subsequently newfrontiers. 13
Richard Haydon-Knowell, "Joining the Church" (Word Publishing,1988)
1
Arthur Wallis "The Radical Christian" (Kingsway Publications, 1981), p.113.
