Oct 12, 2008
Paradigm Shift
In the past couple of years I have been preaching that God is bringing a "Paradigm Shift." A paradigm shift is defined as "a change from one way of thinking to another. It's a revolution, a transformation, a sort of metamorphosis. It just does not happen, but rather it is driven by agents of change."
Angela and I have come to a few realizations during our time here in Texas. In every season you wonder what God is trying to accomplish. Sometimes we figure it out and are released to move on. Sometimes we go around and around the desert while God tries to get through our hard head!
I know many of you can relate ~~ There has been a great dissatisfaction in both of us with the state of the church. In fact to a degree frustration. We have good friends who feel this same frustration. Some of them have even come to the conclusion it is easier not to go to church at all then deal with constant frustration.
We know God wants to bring revival. We know that the head of the church wants the freedom to move in our services the way HE wants to and not the way it is programmed for Him to move. Whatever happened to desiring
spiritual gifts like I Corinthians told us to? Why do our churches become more and more "seeker sensitive" and less Holy Ghost sensitive? In many full-gospel churches the Holy Spirit is NEVER allowed to change the agenda of the service. Meanwhile the hunger in the people grows, eventually turns to pain and people become disillusioned and dissatisfied.
OK -- So here it is -- Why the constant frustration? Well, Angela and I have tried over and over again to just fit in. We have tried to just enjoy things as they are. The realization came ~~ Our frustration is with the fact that there is a GREAT GREAT pressure in the American church to fit in with Corporate driven American Church System. The problem with that is, the church modeled after Corporate America is not New Testament Christianity. Trying to make our churches comfortable so that everyone fits in, preaching messages without the cross, never allowing the Holy Spirit to move. . . . All in the name of not offending anybody so that our church will "grow." As if numbers mean church health. SIDE THOUGHT -- I wonder if Jesus would have been invited to church growth seminars after everybody but the 12 deserted Him?
Anyway. . . The result. . . According to the Barna research group. . . .America is the only country in the world that Christianity is not growing. In fact most church growth is nothing more than someone leaving one church and attending another.
I just read an article from the Assemblies of God weekly publication about why churches in other country are growing at explosive rates. In fact the A/G church has just reached 60 million people worldwide.
I found interesting the 5 main contributing factors. These are some of the very things I have been preaching need to happen in the Paradigm Shift God wants to bring, so that the church in America can truly reach our generation.
Here are the points. . . . The whole article can be read at
http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vdHBlLmFnLm9yZy9Db3ZlcnBhZ2VzMjAwOC80OTI2X0dyb3d0aF9jdnJwZy5jZm0=
1. They emphasize and practice the priesthood of the believers
In America's Corporate Model. . . Many times the Pastor is the CEO and the congregations are the employees there to help them fulfill thier vision.
According to the article.
"In almost every overseas fellowship, you will find significant numbers of believers active in ministry and church development. Believers do the church planting and start outstations and cell groups. This results in a church that is active and ready to take full ownership of its future growth."
What would happen if churches emphasized the real meaning of Ephesians four and the ministry gifts focused on preparing God's people to do the work of the ministry? Then the ministry gifts would truly be fulfilling their commission, people would be empowered, and the church would grow.
2. They prioritize ministerial training
Again ministry training is nothing more than why Jesus gave gifts unto men.
According to the article.
"Ministry training needs to be a priority among U.S. churches if we want to continue growing as a fellowship". . . . "A minister's task is to "prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up" (Ephesians 4:12, NIV). He or she plays a vital role in equipping the body of Christ to grow in faith and evangelize the lost."
"Many of our schools overseas will not allow students to go on to their second year until they participate in church planting or some other type of church ministry."
3. They focus on growth rather than maintenance
According to the article
"Among U.S. churches, leadership can succumb to a maintenance mentality — finding ways to keep the system operating. In the process, we can develop an infrastructure that is expensive and, in some ways, hinders the church's primary purpose.
Among overseas fellowships, the vision of the leadership is focused much more on growth than on maintenance. Leaders have a vision for reaching the lost and for making the infrastructure serve the main purpose. The infrastructure is smaller, partly because of the lack of funding, but also because the focus is intent on reaching the lost. The perspective that men and women are lost if they don't have Christ compels church leaders to continue the growth process.
One African leader recently said it so well: "We have never forgotten how spiritually lost we were until Christ found us, and we have never forgotten how great a price He paid to redeem us."
We need to remember in America that no matter how large our churches become and how many churches we have, in most of our cities a significant majority of the people are still lost and headed for eternal judgment. He has placed our churches in communities to be life-saving stations. Our task is to enter into our Lord's work of bringing many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10)."
4. They depend on and expect the miraculous
According to the article.
"All of us believe that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. All of us believe in the miracles of the New Testament as well as the Old Testament. These beliefs are part of our faith and core values. However, depending on the miraculous is not practiced as often here as it is overseas. We don't preach it or expect it as much. How often do we preach about the supernatural and about signs and wonders? How often do we actually put our faith for the miraculous into practice?
We often have prayer for the sick at our altars, but we need more than that. We must go back to believing that miracles happen in our
day and in our churches — and not just during a time of revival or a youth camp. Miracles should happen continuously in the life of our churches. People should come with an expectancy that, when they enter our churches, they're entering the realm of the miraculous that can extend to everyday life.
Many people today have a rather cynical approach to the validity of miracles. When they hear stories about miracles happening elsewhere, they exhibit a kind of ho-hum attitude because they haven't seen them personally. Young pastors have even said to me, "John, we enjoy hearing the stories of the miraculous, but we don't see miracles. We have never experienced them firsthand."
It's time for U.S. churches to go back to an emphasis on the miraculous through the extraordinary activity of the Holy Spirit. We need to see the supernatural works of God in our congregations — as well as in our everyday lives."
5. They focus their resources on ministry rather than buildings
According to the article.
"Some might argue that in the U.S. culture we need to have adequate facilities in order to reach people in our communities. That point is well taken, but it may be one of the major differences as it relates to reaching the lost. While storefront buildings and basement churches may no longer be adequate for reaching people in the United States, I believe an undue emphasis is often placed on a church's physical facilities. Many millions of dollars can be spent building beautiful campuses, but there can come a point when so much of a church's resources are tied up with physical structures that little is left for other aspects of ministry.
Overseas, multimillion-dollar facilities aren't required to start another church or to develop outreaches in other areas of communities. In countries such as Burkina Faso, the Fellowship sends hundreds of missionaries to work among the nation's unreached people groups. Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world, but believers are willing to make the sacrifice. This story could be repeated many times over as churches with few resources grow and develop because they are so focused in purpose. Among U.S. churches, we need to honestly evaluate how much of our resources are really focused on reaching the lost.
Our Fellowship came into being as Pentecostal believers were gripped by a vision of lost souls living around the world and across the street. They believed in Christ's imminent return and were passionate about reaching as many people as possible. Everyone took part in the process, and no price was too high.
Christ's return is still imminent, and souls are still without Christ. Everyone's participation is still needed to complete the task. When we as a fellowship recapture that focus, we will see our churches grow and multiply. Are we willing to pay the price?"
If you are reading this, I have know doubt you feel it. Something is missing in the church today. Let's be "AGENTS OF CHANGE." Let's be willing to reevaluate everything. Let's find out what a New Testament Church looks like according to the B.I.B.L.E and lets fight for that pattern with our whole heart.
If you took the time to read this, I would like to end with a suggestion. I HIGHLY recommend the book, "Miracle Workers, Reformers and The New Mystics" by John Crowder. I don't know much about his ministry, but this book has stirred a hunger in Angela and I. It is a book of documented miracles and the people God has used throughout the last 2000 years. It is an encouraging book.
hungry