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Nov
22
“What do you do with kids at a house church?”
I’ve heard this question many times. As a father of four kids, the question of what you do with kids when you’re part of a house church (or network of house churches) isn’t a theoretical one; it hits at the heart of the responsibility to parent well and equip your children in the faith.
People in the house church movement in North America are developing some creative and meaningful responses. I wanted to share a simple way the kids in our house church have become an important part of our gatherings (rather than a group to be entertained!) and are learning to organize themselves and interact with the adults around the scriptures.
The last few weeks, the kids in our house church have been creating plays to act out Bible stories. The older kids lead the younger ones, and everyone gets to participate.
We’ve ditched the crayons, an adult bouncing around trying to look silly to keep the kids entertained, or even a complicated curriculum. We have the kids pick a story from the Bible (or one we’re reading together already), then the older kids take the younger kids downstairs. They read the story again to the younger kids, then they work together to create roles, parts, and props to act out the story for the adults. After about 20 or 30 minutes, they come back upstairs and present it to the adults.
Afterward, we ask them to teach us what God is showing them from the story and we interact with them about it. Sometimes, it flows well afterward to enter into a time of prayer/worship/communion. (We always try to include the kids in communion, and sometimes ask them to tell us in their own words why we take communion and what it means.) Every time our kids have done a play so far, the first thing I hear from them afterward is, “Can we do another one? Can we do another one?!!”
It’s been really fun and meaningful for the kids and the parents! More importantly, I feel like the kids in our house church are really interacting with the scriptures in a meaningful way.
Here are some other benefits I see:
- The kids are not compartmentalized into different age groups – the older kids lead the younger ones and help coordinate places for them to participate in the play.
- It facilitates leadership among the older kids, and they feel a responsibility to care for the younger kids.
- They learn conflict resolution skills and how to interact and make decisions as a team/group.
- There has been no need for a “staff” to watch the kids. So far, the kids are so excited about working together to present the story to the adults, they just entertain each other and stay focused and excited about the story they are acting out.
- Instead of the adults entertaining the kids, it’s the other way around. THEY feel an important part of the gathering.
- The kids are not just passively learning about a story – they are interacting with it in a meaningful, experiential way that facilitates learning and life application.
- The kids feel important and included in the festivities of the house church meeting.
- It’s FUN!
Here’s a sample of the kids acting out the story of “Daniel and the Lion’s Den.” They’re not exactly ready to take on Broadway, but creative exercises like these are one way God is preparing them to know the scriptures and take on life.
Oct
18
This weekend, I traveled to Austin, TX for a” family reunion” of student churches from UT and a few reps from other Texas campuses. We stayed at a cabin on a beautiful ranch in the hills outside Austin. I took my four year old, Hudson. We had good father-son time and even got to fish a little, too!
Hudson Fishing in Austin, TX
I was so blessed!
The entire weekend, I felt like a dad feels watching his kids growing their own families. It was incredible!
What I saw among the students in Austin:
- They are “healthy, growing, and full of love.” (Ephesians 4:16).
- I met new disciples who had just started following Jesus this year.
- Students are preaching the gospel and are devoted to God’s word.
- Local elders like Lauren, Meghan, Courtney, and Caryn are maturing who are equipping and nurturing the student churches.
- Other Elders, like Aaron and Morgan Snow and other local leaders are serving these student churches – loving them and encouraging them to run with the gospel on their campus – and to grow in the city and to the nations.
- They regularly gather together to seek God, pray, grow with Jesus together, and encourage each other.
- Students are prayerfully considering their post-college careers and how they can impact the world.
- Students are praying for the nations and planning mission trips to unreached people groups together.
- Testimonies of miracles and Holy Spirit activity were joyously celebrated.
The whole weekend, I kept thinking, “They’re doing it!” These Texas students are setting an example for the nation and are starting to send out teams to encourage other young student churches and to start new communities on new campuses.
I heard how students like Michael met Jesus and are now reaching their friends and going to the nations with the gospel. Watch a great video testimony from Michael and his sister Meghan below.
I listened to a student named Martin tell how he was baptized in the Holy Spirit. While praying, he saw a vision of the city of Detroit and felt God calling him to move there after college to start businesses, nurture the creative arts, and make disciples in this city that has been setback so harshly by unemployment and corruption the last several decades. He is continuing to dream with God for how to impact the world with his life and pursue this vision for Detroit.
I listened to students share their vision for seeing movements for the gospel spread throughout the fraternity system at UT.
These students truly love Jesus, love each other, and are loving their campus for Jesus.
It feels more and more like a true student movement for Jesus is growing out of the student churches. These students in Texas are setting an example for all of us!
Pray for these students to continue to grow together to reach UT, Austin and from there to the nations!
Erik
Oct
13
I sent this message out to the Student Church community at StudentChurch.org today.
Are you trusting God for student-led movements for the gospel on your campus? Join the global online community for student churches and mobilizers!
Bear was a freshman at Haskell University. He didn’t know what he was getting into when Priscilla, Lauren, and Kelly befriended him during a Student CPx on his campus. “I see your brother in a wheelchair and your mom taking care of him.” It was a word of knowledge that was spot-on. Three weeks later, Bear would find himself in jail. At rock-bottom, Jesus entered his jail cell. Two years later, salvations, baptisms, healings, and new communities of student churches are beginning to happen around Bear at Haskell University.
Watch the rest of Bear’s Story here.
You will be encouraged!
Below is a picture of Bear praying to begin following Christ with a group of students at Student CPx in 2008.
Bear praying with students at a Student CPx '08
Jesus is walking with students who are seeking for the kingdom to come to their campuses! The StudentChurch.org team is working to highlight these stories to bring encouragement to student churches and mobilizers around the world.
Jesus is doing a mighty work in our day. Be encouraged by these testimonies!
When Jesus walked on earth, He set an example for us to follow by leading His disciples to regularly hang out with and demonstrate His kingdom with sinners. When the religious leaders of His day criticized Him, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor; sick people do!” (Luke 5:31)
God’s power is often shown when you step out to love those who seem farthest from walking with God. This seems to be a theme this year as students are experiencing miracles as they become brave enough to love people like Bear.
Stories of students meeting Jesus after being in jail seems to be a thread this year. Here’s one more!
Michael was bound in a life of drugs, atheism, and addiction since he was 15. During his first semester at the University of Texas, things only seemed to be getting worse.
This is Michael getting baptized. Watch the video of Michael and his sister tell the rest of their incredible story (Click Here). It’s a story of dreams, prophetic words, salvation, healings, and miracles. You will be encouraged!
When ordinary students pick up the baton to spread the gospel, lives are changed!
And it’s not just for students – YOU have the power of the gospel living in you. Who in your life do you know who needs to hear of Jesus’ love for them this week?
Please take a minute and pray for Bear and Michael. Pray also that the gospel would continue to spread at UT, Haskell and universities around the world. This is just one story of many from students across the States who are going on mission with Jesus to their university!
Keep loving Jesus, loving each other, and loving the lost on your campus!
Reach the world for Jesus,
Erik Fish
p.s. Do you have a video testimony of God moving powerfully to change lives on your campus? Upload stories, baptism videos, and other encouragement to the StudentChurch.org homepage and encourage others to seek God’s kingdom to come to their campus!
Oct
02
My most recent song. You will never be alone! He loves us!
Aug
31
“Silly Christians,” Joe says with a smirk.
Joe (name changed) had been mocking Bear for the last week. Bear lives in Joe’s dorm and is attempting to bring the gospel to his fellow Native American students at Haskell University, home to representatives of almost 130 different tribal nations from around the United States. Bear is a student missionary sent from Student CPx this last year. Bear understands the need for students to carry the gospel into his college campus – Bear gave his life to Jesus and was baptized after a Student CPx student befriended him two years ago. To read Bear’s incredible story, click here.
An hour later, we see Joe again on campus. I’m filled with faith for this guy.
“Hey, man,” I say as I point my finger at him. “God’s got a great destiny for your life if you’ll stop running from him.”
He smirks at me and walks away. Yes, I feel powerful and mighty.
Twenty feet later, he suddenly stops in his tracks.
Joe turns around, walks back up the sidewalk, and comes up to Bear and I, with his gaze toward the ground.
Joe lights up a Marlboro Red cigarette and says, “Ok, I guess I’ll talk to you guys for a minute. Tell me more.”
We ask Joe some questions about his experiences with Jesus, the church, and Christianity. We tell Joe the simple story of how we came to believe in Jesus and how He changed our lives.
“Woah! I’ve got goose bumps!” Joe says as he responds to hearing our personal stories about Jesus. (When you tell a personal story of how Jesus has influenced you, it carries power. It’s almost like the Holy Spirit flows in a special way to others when you tell them stories of how you’ve experienced Jesus.)
Joe wasn’t ready to become a follower of Jesus yet, but his hunger was apparent. We prayed for Joe right there on the sidewalk, certain we would encounter him again really soon, especially since Bear is attempting to start simple church community in his residence hall where Joe and he live.
30 minutes later Bear and I walk to the Pow Wow grounds on campus. We’re carrying a large Native drum my good friend Will loaned me. Five of us gather to worship God. 2 of the students aren’t followers of Jesus yet. This is where the different tribes gather for festivals. This is where I first prayed with a student at Haskell to become a follower of Jesus a couple years ago.
I turn to the small group sitting around the drum.
“Have you ever heard the story of why Jesus came to earth?” I say.
“No, not really.”
I tell the gospel story, short and simple. God sent Jesus to call all nations and tribes into right relationship with the Creator and with each other. I tell briefly who He is. What He did. What He wants from us now….Then we invite students to worship God and Jesus on the drum.
We start to play.
We don’t know what we’re doing. I know that every movement among unreached people groups is accompanied by new forms of worship with styles and instruments that fit their culture. It seems as I’ve traveled the United States the last few years I’ve met a lot of pagans (I mean that in a nice way; I like pagans). Why not try something creative and different to reach them? I wonder. But it still feels a little silly to be sitting here playing this drum.
“Eeeeeya ya yaaaaaah!!!!!” Bear lets out a Native warrior cry to heaven at the top of his lungs.
I think I see a residence hall window shatter.
Image via Wikipedia
I’m scared. I think the devil might be, too. I feel like Kevin Costner walking into the Indian camp for the first time. I close my eyes and focus on Jesus, diverting my attention from the fact that it must look funny for a very obviously white guy to be playing a drum in the middle of this Pow Wow circle.
The time on the drum flows into some time of offering up prayers to God. We then take turns praying and prophesying over each other. It was simple. It wasn’t fancy. It’s just five of us. Encountering God on the drum. Singing songs to Jesus. Learning Jesus words. Praying and prophesying over each other.
I go home feeling like it was a semi-victory. I was hoping for more people. But it felt like good was done, friendships were strengthened, the Holy Spirit was present, and the gospel was spreading.
I’m reminded that every big thing God builds starts small. Every tree starts with a seed. Today we must re-learn the power of seeds – and equip people to spread them where they need to be planted the most.
Jesus talked a lot about seeds. He said the kingdom of God is like a man who went out and sowed seeds. I can’t help but think we need a massive restoration of understanding the power of “seed movements” – how the gospel spreads through lots of little seeds. I’m afraid we too often value the big over the small, the famous over the obscure, the flashy over the authentic, the conference over the prayer meeting, the large church over lots of small churches (that might grow into others).
Jesus became a seed, died, and bore much fruit.
Will you allow God to make you a seed to a dark place on your campus or in your city that needs Jesus?
Your work may not be immediately noticed (seeds seldom are). But God just might use you to plant seeds that grow into a movement that brings light to the dark places that need Jesus the most.
– Erik
Connect with others who are seeding movements for the gospel on universities around the globe at StudentChurch.org
Aug
06
When young people pick up the baton to passionately follow Jesus the world is changed!
This weekend, our Student Church national elder team sent out a new team of 7 strong young leaders. They will spend the next year traveling the campuses of America to call students to wholeheartedly follow Jesus.
They’ll make new friends. They’ll tell people about Jesus. They’ll pray for the sick. They’ll model what it means to be a community that follows Jesus together. They’ll make disciples on new campuses. They’ll encourage existing believers. They’ll start new student churches with new disciples.
“The Lord then chose 72 others and sent them ahead to all the towns and villages He would visit…” (Luke 10)
Meet the Team:
Lauren just graduated from UT-Austin. She was a pioneering leader in the simple church movement on campus. She has been a faithful disciple-maker and has a great ability to connect with people from New Age backgrounds and also international students. You can view a cool video of Lauren baptizing a new disciple and starting a Latino house church recently by clicking here.
Myles began following Jesus when he was 17. He was a strong evangelistic leader as part of the Passion Church community at UCLA, a network of student-led house churches on campus. He graduated last month. He has a passion for the nations, for seeing microenterprise and missions work together, and for seeing the lost begin following Jesus and reach their friends. He is a passionate, motivated, and pioneering leader!
Courtney is taking a year off from school at UT to spend a year traveling the campuses of America. She has a passion to call students into intimacy with Jesus as the foundation for a life spent pursuing His mission. She loves the nations and has been a faithful leader in the simple church movement at UT. When you get around Courtney, you can’t help falling more in love with Jesus!
Carl is a powerful Phillipino! He just graduated from Arizona State University. He has a passion to call the different ethnicities of America to discover their God-given identity in His kingdom. He has been planting simple churches at ASU and has been involved in overseas missions trips throughout his college years. He also has a passion to bridge gospel movements on campus into the surrounding urban areas. He is a mighty young spiritual warrior!
Derek is from Florida. I met Derek at the first Student CPx in 2008. He is a gifted worship leader and has a strong passion for discipleship. Derek is the latest to join the traveling team. He read an account from another traveler and was so stirred, he drove from Florida with two weeks notice to join the team! Derek drove up with his puppy dog, Melody, who we adopted. Our kids are very excited!
Yao is from Taiwan and just graduated from UCLA. She has a passion for prayer and has a gentle, but powerful demeanor. She has been involved in student-led simple churches the last four years. She is also a gifted artist.
Jessie is from Pittsburgh, PA. She graduated from college three years ago and has since spent time in Mozambique and on several university campuses, calling students to follow Jesus and go to the nations. Jessie lived with us for six months last year, making disciples and bringing the love of Jesus to students at Haskell University.
Each of these young leaders is changing a generation through their love, faith, and courage to call students across America to follow Jesus. Much of their support is coming directly from other students who are sacrificing to send out their friends.
Would you like to help them financially in their historic journey across the United States? Send a gift to “Student Church” with “Traveling Teams” in the memo. Send to PO Box 4068 Overland Park, KS 66204.
We have great reason to be encouraged by how God is raising up a movement for the gospel to reach campuses and the nations!
Much love,
Erik and Jen
P.S. You can follow stories from the Traveling Teams at StudentChurch.org!
Jun
29
APOSTLES!!!!!
If you want to skip the rest of this article, just read the following three lines:
Jesus was an apostle.
Jesus sent apostles.
We need apostles today.
Now, if you want to keep going …. I would love to have you read further…
A couple years ago I was sitting with a friend, talking about a project we were working on together to send out teams around the U.S. to make disciples and start new churches. I referred to these teams as “apostolic teams”. He said, “Uh, let’s not call it that. The churches will all freak out.”
Why does, “apostle” – a frequently used word in the New Testament — freak us out? What happened to our understanding of “apostles”?
I love Christians. We’re funny. I guess it’s human nature to read the Bible through the lens of our experiences (rather than the other way around.) But still, there are times when we’ve got to do some self-assessment.
A few months ago I was driving through the wilderness of Arizona. It was sweltering hot. Our four kids were packed in the back seats. Our GPS quit working and we didn’t have a map. I had no idea places this remote existed in the continental U.S. Both the air conditioner and my “man-pride meter” were set on high as I resisted the innate survival instinct that was telling me to stop somewhere to ask for directions. Man pride, as history attests, is often stronger than the survival instinct. (There was nothing around anyway, so where would I stop?).
Finally we came upon a gas station in the middle of nowhere… “Did I stop? No. I just rolled by….dun, dun, dun du, du, dun, dun.” Yep. Kept on going. Finally, a mile down the road, visions of vultures haunted me. I imagined them hovering over me, swooping down to take pecks at my dehydrated, shriveling body as I crawled on the side of the road, seeking help for Jen and the kids after getting lost and running out of gas.
I turned around and went back to the gas station to ask for directions. I decided I needed to do some self-assessment about where we were and where we were going.
We need to do some self-assessment in regards to apostolic ministry in the body of Christ in the U.S.
A few years ago, as I was reading the gospels and the book of Acts, I noticed something: traveling apostolic teams were a primary method of both Jesus’ ministry and of the early church throughout the book of Acts. Actually, most of the rest of the New Testament after the books of Acts are letters written to churches that were birthed as a result of traveling apostolic teams.
HOLD ON!??! You might have missed that. No apostolic traveling teams = No New Testament (at least after the gospels). If there weren’t apostolic teams who traveled and birthed churches, that little green Gideon New Testament you hold so dear would only be about 2 centimeters thick. That probably would have saved the Gideons a lot of money in printing costs (and saved a few elderly gentlemen some strained backs from carrying all those boxes of Bibles around), but it wouldn’t have been good for the future of Christianity.
Most of the letters were written to churches that were birthed because apostolic teams traveled and because apostles were ready to send encouragement, correction, and advice to these churches. Today, we need the apostolic.
What happened that would cause us to take an essential ministry Jesus gave to the body of Christ and deny it, bury it, ignore it, and even disdain it?
“He gave some to be apostles…” (Ephesians 4:11)
It seems we have a really, really, really screwed up understanding of “apostles.” If we’re so afraid of the term that we don’t use it, then the apostolic function apostles were created for probably isn’t being implemented very well either. In the case of my friend who refused to use the word in public, the word had become associated with “control, spiritual abuse, arrogance, and greed.” Surely this doesn’t come close to the example of apostles the Bible sets for us. However, it does come very close to the description of “false apostles” Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 11:1-15. We’ll look at that briefly at the end of this article.
So, what do apostles do? What are characteristics of apostolic people? If apostles (or prophets, teachers, evangelists and shepherds, for that matter) are given to build up the body of Christ, it stands to reason the body of Christ doesn’t function like it’s supposed to if we suppress the gifts and offices he gives to serve it.
Here are some characteristics of the apostolic I see modeled from the Apostle Paul in the scriptures. This list isn’t comprehensive – just some things I see as I reflect on Paul this morning and our need for a restoration of the Apostolic in North America. Some of these functions may overlap with other ministries (prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers), but I see these as important ministries of the apostolic.
1. Apostles are sent to travel to new areas where people aren’t following Jesus yet. (Apostle simply and literally means, “Sent one.”) We think this is fine if we send people overseas. But what about North America? What about college campuses? What about ethnic minorities and refugee people groups in the urban core? What about Native America reservations. We need apostles! God send apostles! I’ll go ahead and say this, at the risk of being critical. I know too many apostolic people who have been afraid to plant churches among unreached people groups in the U.S. because of fear or the risk of removal of funding from existing churches in the area. I know an associate pastor who started feeling an urge to plant churches among the lost in his city – a city that was 70% unchurched. His boss told him, “You can’t do it unless you move at least 50 miles away. “Lord help us. Help us to become apostolic in the West again.” (By the way, that boss later repented of his pride and control and sent out that associate pastor with the church’s blessings to go plant new churches for the lost in their city.)
Today, there are sociological classifications regarding the social distance between people. Social distance can be gauged by both geographic distance and cultural distance. If people are geographically distant from a church (they have no church functioning in their people group), we send missionaries to them. If people in North America are culturally distant from current expressions of church, we need to send people to go to these culturally distant people in North America– and start new churches. If there’s an enclave of 200 Somali refugees in government housing 5 miles from my house, let’s send apostolic teams to them! Sure, many people can culturally assimilate into our churches, but let’s stop thinking so small. If there’s a Native American reservation 10 miles away, it’s not going to help the spread of the gospel very much by trying to get them into white Euro-American churches (it hasn’t worked for 450 years anyway). We need apostolic movements that start culturally indigenous churches for pagan (I mean that in a nice way; I like pagans.) people who aren’t part of our church culture.
I invite you to do an experiment. If you’ve been a Christian for a long time, Google “live music” in your city. Then find a local place on a Friday night that’s playing some wacked-out different style of music or spoken word that you’ve never liked. Go sit in. How did you feel? Ok, ignore all your fears of demons issues for a second. The point of the exercise is that pagans feel just as awkward walking into a sanitary church, sitting in a chair, and hearing our latest version of a David Crowder song. It doesn’t matter how cool we think our church is; most pagans feel like they’re stepping into a foreign country.
2. Apostles tend to get sent out when people pray a lot. (Another way to say this is “prayer births apostolic movements.”) The first prayer meeting after Jesus’ resurrection produced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and what most church historians consider the birth of the church (Acts 2). A prayer meeting in Acts 13 produced the first great church planting movement in history as Paul and Barnabus were sent out as apostles from Antioch. “While these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Dedicate Barnabus and Saul for the special work I have for them.” (Acts 13:2) It’s happened throughout history, too. Most great missions movements were birthed out of a prayer movements – and the corresponding willingness to obey the Holy Spirit to get up and go to the lost.
“Lord, we pray for you to send laborers into your harvest fields!”
3. Apostles plant new churches and lay foundations for them to build on. I touched on this in #1. I like to tell some of my parachurch friends (who are often discouraged – or forbidden – to start churches) “church” is not a four-letter word! It’s actually really good and Biblically normal to make disciples who result in new churches. “But don’t you believe in the local church?” I get asked. To which I reply, “Yes! I believe in local churches so much that I believe we should start lots of churches through disciple-making so everyone can have one in our city.”
I believe church is a really, really good thing. I love church. I love the body of Christ. I want to see Jesus’ body grow to fill entire cities, more than entire buildings. Until our entire city is reached for Christ, we shouldn’t have much reason to squabble anyway. Paul said, “According to the grace of God given me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.” (1 Cor. 3:10)
4. Apostles’ build up and minister in existing churches – usually that they helped start or already have a relational connection with.
Apostles thrive off of birthing new movements for the gospel among unreached peoples – and building up young churches that were birthed out of the harvest.
Picture Corinth in the first century, a city with a young church to which Paul wrote a great deal. It was a freaky pagan city. Drugs, temple prostitution, demon worship and idolatry; imagine the red light district of Amsterdam on steroids. You name the sin, it was there. Not exactly your primary market for starting a seeker-sensitive mega-church. Now picture a young Jesus movement in that city. A new church in the city probably with several thousand new believers. Take the weirdest Charismatic church you can imagine and multiply it by a hundred. There’s the church in Corinth. Paul wrote to the Corinthians more than anyone.
5. Apostles plant the gospel and build up the young churches according to their appropriate level of maturity.
The interesting thing Corinth shows is this: you won’t have a lot of movement without a lot of mess. If you’ve got apostolic authority in place, it allows messy movements to grow into established, multiplying churches. Today, we’ve become supposed experts at starting ministries and growing churches – meanwhile the percentage of Christians in America continues to decline.
We sometimes study these Pauline letters and try to fit them into our paradigm for neat and orderly, cookie-cutter churches. We try to mimic the church order that Paul’s letters advocate for, without allowing for the movement-messes that precipitated the need for those letters in the first place! This would be like us reading a really wise book on parenting, but picking it up at the section where it started addressing puberty. A book on puberty isn’t the right place to help you when you’re at a potty-training stage of life. You can’t ignore the unique nurturing and kinds of instruction that’s essential at younger ages. So it is with churches. Young churches need different kinds of instruction than older, more established churches.
We need to return to knowing how to plant the kind of churches Paul planted prior to them needing to have apostolic letters of correction and guidance sent to them.
Letters like Paul sent to the Corinthians are necessary when apostles birth churches among pagans. And when babies are birthed, there are lots of diapers (messes) to clean up. Apostles know how to differentiate the life stages that young churches are in and address their needs accordingly.
6. Apostles makes disciples, not just converts. The many names Paul mentions and the language of love he expresses to the people he’s influenced show that Paul had a rich relational life, full of people in whom he had invested deeply. Paul said, “The things you learned from me, teach these things to faithful men, who will be able to teach others.” (2 Tim. 2:2) Paul pointed out four generations of disciple making. “Timothy, I invested in your life. Now invest in other people who will also invest in other people to make them into mature disciples of Jesus.” This shows Paul’s concern for Timothy’s development and fruitfulness as a leader. He also calls Timothy “my true son in the faith.”
Which brings me to the next characteristic I see in apostles:
7. Apostles lead like good dads do.
When a dad has a five year old, he gives it lots of care. When a child is 20, the way a dad interacts with a child has changed. The glory of dad’s is to see their kids surpass them. Apostolic functions to raise up spiritual children and churches to be self-sustaining and self-governed. We haven’t seen too much of this in North America yet, but we will.
8. Apostolic calling can develop out of people gifted to serve in other areas of ministry (evangelists, shepherds, teachers, prophets, etc.)
“Among the prophets and teachers at Antioch…. The Holy Spirit said, ‘Separate Paul and Barnabus….’” Evidently, Paul, “the apostle” grew into his role as an apostle after getting sent out.
This is quite interesting, actually. Maybe we will see the development of more apostles and movements in North America when churches pray and send more people out.
9. Apostles send teams to build up churches they’ve planted, or visit those churches themselves.
A quick glance through Paul’s letters show him often sending people where they were needed most, or requesting people to travel to a different city … “That’s the very reason I am sending Timothy…” (I Cor. 4:17)
Apostles not only go – they send others to go.
10. Apostles identify and appoint elders in new churches or send apostolic teams to do so.
Paul told Titus, “I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you.” (Titus 1:5)
Apostolic people always push authority to a local level by identifying and establishing local elders. Paul was not wimpy about wielding authority. But he also fought long and hard against a characteristic he saw that would hurt young churches – they tended to rally around hierarchical authority structures where they talked about who their “spiritual authority” was – “You say, “I follow Peter, I follow….’”. Paul knew the temptation of human nature to start structuring their experience of church around hierarchy, human leadership, human personalities, and getting attention off of Christ. Paul even says, “I thank God that I didn’t baptize any of you except… “ He saw that people made baptism an issue to divide over. Paul modeled leadership and spiritual authority, but in a manner where the primary metaphor for his leadership was being a spiritual father (“even if you had ten thousand instructors to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father…” I Cor. 4:15). Paul pushed authority down to a level where local elders in every place had responsibility to keep people focused on following Jesus, the true shepherd of the sheep. Like in Paul’s day, today in North America, it seems we have plenty of instructors, and we really need apostolic, spiritual fathers.
11. Asks for financial and prayer support to expand the gospel to new areas.
Paul often wrote letters asking for support or items he needed to fund his ministry and expand the gospel in new areas. People sometimes say, “But Paul was a tentmaker.” Paul was skilled as a tentmaker. But we see him taking time off to devote to tent making one time in the entire New Testament – and this was only for a short time. On many other occasions, he requested money to fund his apostolic travels and ministry. He bragged that he could serve new areas and plant new churches “for free.” God uses both, but the characteristic of asking for finances from churches to expand the gospel to new areas is a common function of apostles in the New Testament. Heck – even Jesus, our Great Apostle, had a team of financial supporters (see Luke 8:1)
12. Establishes rich networks of relationships– this is one of the primary “building blocks” of the apostolic example of the Apostle Paul.
Paul’s letters mention a multiplicity of friends and co-laborers in different cities. He asks for money when he needs it. He asks his friend Philemon boldly to set a slave free (Onesimus) who Paul had led to Christ. Then he asks Philemon to prepare a guest room for him. Paul wielded apostolic influence through this network of relationships.
13. Creatively adapts the scriptures to apply to current conflicts and challenges in churches.
The letters of the apostle Paul tackle some tough problems. It seems Paul’s life was marked for conflict from his earliest conversion. In Antioch, he and Barnabus are laying foundations in the first church that is massively Gentile (Cornelius preceded this in Acts 10, but Antioch is the first place we hear of massive movements, a new church and miracles among Gentiles). The church in Antioch sparks a controversy because they weren’t worshiping like the church in Jerusalem, practicing circumcision, or following the laws of Moses.
Whenever apostolic movements are birthed, it creates lots of mess where we need wisdom for how to apply the scriptures. Paul in many instances took Old Testament scriptures (Paul hadn’t written most of what would become the New Testament yet, haha), and applied the principles to current situations. Take a look through Paul’s letters and find how many times he writes, “As the scriptures say…”
For example, when a Corinthian Christian is sleeping with his step mom and won’t respond to correction, Paul says, basically, “Kick him out of the group.” Then he refers to the Passover celebration, the new bread of purity Jesus gave us through his sacrifice and points to an scripture from Deuteronomy about removing evil people and applies it to their current church situation. (I Cor. 5)
14. Carries a spiritual burden for the churches and regularly prays for them. Apostles carry a love for churches; similar to the way a father or mother carries a burden to see their kids grow up and fulfill their potential.
15. Demonstrates leadership that looks Christ-like in planting, serving, and leading churches.
Jesus said, “I am among you as one who serves.”
Paul told the Ephesian elders in Acts 20: “I have done the Lord’s work humbly and with tears…I have never coveted anyone’s money or fine clothing…You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus, ‘It is more blessed to give than receive.’”
Paul says his authority is “To build up, not to Lord over.”
This characteristic of apostolic influence can’t be stressed enough. Paul seemed to be pretty choleric and demanding at times. (Barnabus – the big “nice guy encourager” of the New Testament leadership hall of fame even split with Paul over an issue about Mark, Barnabus’ relative. They reconciled the issue some years later). However, Paul also shows a self-sacrificing humility and devotion to churches like Jesus does.
16. Sometimes must wrestle with churches over issues of authority and influence with “false apostles”.
This is an especially tough one. Apostles must act with great authority and great humility. Apostles must set foundations that help people and churches grow and reproduce long after apostles are gone – and people are no longer dependent on them.
In acts 20:18-32, Paul meets with the Ephesian elders for the last time, prior to his trip to Rome where his life would end. He warns them that others will come in to draw a following after themselves (v. 30). I think this one characteristic that distinguishes true and false apostles. There are people who draw a following after themselves. There are people who draw a following after Jesus. How do we know the difference? Honestly I’m not sure there’s any one quick answer. There’s no substitute for seeing the fruit of the Holy Spirit and character in someone’s life, and seeing the fruit of the kinds of disciples that their life produces.
Paul wrestled with this of issue of authority big-time in Corinth. Here was this young church. Paul raised money to go to Corinth and bring the gospel there so he didn’t have to take money from the young churches he planted. Signs, wonders, and miracles had taken place after Paul traveled there. Paul had endured brutal suffering in order to be able to travel to places like Corinth. Shipwreck; snake bites; getting whipped and stoned; being made fun of; being abandoned by people he trusted at times — he’d seen it all. Then, Paul takes the time to write several thousand word letters to these Corinthians and arrange for the letters to be sent by the primitive mail system of the day. He didn’t get any extra pay for doing it. He must have really loved the Corinthian church. Paul knew the birth and building up of new churches among the Gentiles was what Jesus called him to do.
In II Corinthians 11, we see more of the struggle Paul faced with young churches. There were evidently groups of people – full-time ministers, it would seem – who would travel around the Mediterranean world, ministering in these young churches. They were great speakers. They would collect money. They would wow these young Christ- followers. Paul sarcastically referred to them as “super apostles.” (2 Cor. 11:5) The funny thing is, the Corinthians actually seemed to discredit Paul because he didn’t “perform” like these super-apostles. Even in the early church, Paul faced the problem of young Christians being wowed by eloquent speakers. Though they awed people with their speeches, they really weren’t helping the churches.
Paul spends almost three chapters (or what would later be divided into chapters) walking this line between defending his authority, yet declaring that it’s his weaknesses that show God’s strength. He asserts his lifestyle, his example, his burden for the churches, his willingness to suffer for them, and appeals to these young churches to not listen to these “false apostles” who have disguised themselves as “apostles of Christ.”
17. Apostles lay down their life for the church.
A quick look at the Apostle Paul, Peter, and stories from history of the other apostles, seem to demonstrate that apostles often lay down their life like Jesus did. I don’t believe this means every apostle will be called as a martyr, but I do believe they model sacrificial leadership in laying down their life for their flock and trusting the Holy Spirit to work far beyond what they can immediately control. Paul insisted on going to Rome. Jesus laid down his life on a cross. Apostles realize their ministry must go beyond being dependent on their immediate life and leadership. I guess that’s not just something apostolic, that’s a principle for every Christian, regardless of gifting.
Jesus was an Apostle!
Apostle is a Good Word!
I’m certain there are other characteristics of apostles we could lay out. We could probably narrow some of these down as well. But the main point of this article, as I alluded to in the beginning, is that we desperately need a restoration of the Apostolic in North America. We desperately need a spiritual awakening and movements of spirit-empowered, indigenous, culturally-distinct churches across our land. “Apostle” is not a bad word. Every office in scripture (apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, and teacher) was given by Jesus. Jesus gives good things!
Anything that comes from Jesus is gonna look like Jesus. Thus, the true definition of an apostle is someone who looks like Jesus did as He fulfilled His mission in the earth. Whether someone is an apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, or teacher, we find our fullest expression in modeling leadership like Jesus did.
Jesus was an apostle.
Jesus was a prophet.
Jesus was an evangelist.
Jesus was a shepherd.
Jesus was a teacher.
Jesus is the head of the church – and he sends out individuals in His church to serve in each of these functions today. Let’s celebrate all of them!
(Note: I want to make a note about my use of the word “church” here. Church is Jesus’ idea. Church is His body; His people; His ekklesia in the earth. Our concepts and views of the church will either help or hinder the functions of the other offices in scripture (apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd and teacher.)
I’m not going to dive deep into this issue at this time, but when I use the word church, I’m defining a church as “a group of people who follow Jesus together.” Although the churches that the Apostle Paul started were each culturally distinct and had their own individual problems and challenges, there was every indication that most of these churches were led by local, lay people, who were appointed as elders once a young church had matured to the point that good elders could be selected. The growth of a church to the point of selecting local elders happens through apostolic functions. Although there was apostolic authority functioning through Paul’s growing network (including Timothy, Titus, and many others), I cannot find a single example in scripture of one senior pastor being appointed to lead a local church. Thus, without making a valuation statement on the typical structure of North American churches, (God uses a diversity of culturally-distinct structures all through history), I do want to be clear that I believe any massive restoration of apostolic functions in North America will almost inevitably occur simultaneously with the development of very different church structures and models than we’re currently most familiar with.
God uses all forms and models for church that His people have used in different cultures and different periods throughout history. The issue here is not “Which model is right?” I believe one of the biggest issues regarding apostolic movements in North America right now is, “Will we allow new churches to develop from disciple-making movements among pagans that look culturally and structurally distinct than what we currently are familiar with?”
Jun
25
The Pittsburgh University football player took off his sling and began swinging his arm around. “I couldn’t move it like this before!” Tears filled his eyes. “What’s happening?”
“Jesus loves you,” was the reply he heard.
Other football players began lining up, presenting their various injuries; a glint of faith was beginning to spark in their eyes toward Jesus. “Will you pray for me, too?”
The students began praying. As they did, they told them about Jesus and why they were out in the streets meeting people. Whether they experienced healing or not, they each encountered His love.
A woman walks by right then and asks, “What’s going on here?”
“These people are praying for people and healing them,” a football player informed her.
“Will you pray for me? I’m on my way to the hospital. I just recently had brain surgery. I woke up this morning and I can’t move my arm.”
She walked home, no longer in need of a hospital visit.
This was just one story from the Student CPx in Pittsburgh, PA last week.
The story above might sound crazy. Perhaps it’s a bit outside the norm of many of our Christian experiences. But it’s true. These things are happening. Crazy things happened in the Bible. They can happen today. Why do some people get healed when we pray and other times they don’t? I don’t know. Jesus just told us to heal the sick and live by faith. There’s a lot of mystery in following Him.
Students are simply taking Jesus’ commands and trying to follow Him. They lead people to Jesus – six people accepted Christ from the streets of Pittsburgh during Student CPx. New believers were baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. Simple churches are starting on campuses.
This is a student movement we’re witnessing. When students are sent to represent Jesus among the lost and broken, He likes to go with them. That’s the heart of Student CPx: to release the potential in students to change the world.
I can’t say the fruit is just the quality of the SCPx training. It’s not just the hype that a well-implemented advertising and promotion plan produces (ours isn’t that great, anyway). These students love Jesus. They’re bringing that love to lost people everywhere they go. I’m amazed at the students Jesus is raising up.
Here’s what Meghan Strickland from the University of Texas had to say:
Why I Love Student CPx
Last August I went through a 10-day training called SCPx, Student Church Planting Experience. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced, and Jesus completely rocked my life during it. If you are college student, I strongly encourage you to look into this training. It is one the best things I ever did.
Why I love SCPx…
- SCPx is a hands-on training, not a conference.– I have been to many conferences. It seems that most end with a sore butt from sitting for 3 days straight and a headache from the information overload. Consumption, not always followed by action. At SCPx, you experience interactive teaching every morning and then immediately you are “sent out” into the city or campus to apply it that day! Fruit is seen instantly. No better way to learn than to trust the Holy Spirit and get your hands dirty.
- SCPx feels like family– Usually anywhere from 15-40 students go through SCPx. It is not large scale. You can imagine the deep relationships that are formed over 10 days of living, eating, praying, and loving people together. The SCPx I attended last year in Austin birthed a community that has felt more like family as we have continued to live out church over the past year. I have never felt closer to the church in Acts.
- SCPx is not just about the campus, but the nations.– After SCPx, I saw disciples made, new believers, baptisms, simple church lived out, and signs and wonders on the UT campus. But God also broke my heart deeply for the nations. Because of the church planting training I received at SCPx, I felt equipped and empowered to go to South Asia in January of this year. Now, some of the other SCPx “grads” and I will return there to train young people in the same way to reach their country!
- SCPx fosters an atmosphere of freedom.– God showed His power by healing me physically and setting me free of a life-long battle of allergies and asthma during those 10 days. Also, many bondages and sin struggles I had carried for a year were broken off of me at SCPx. This is because, more than church planting curriculum, SCPx is about knowing how much God loves us and our identity in Him. Then we were freed to love people radically. I have heard many SCPx “grads” say it was as if they received “permission” to live in freedom and walk in radical obedience.
- SCPx is a challenge.– This is the disclaimer I give to students interested in SCPx… this training will challenge you. It will challenge you physically. It will stretch you. It will cause you to trust the Holy Spirit in a way you have never done before. It will put you completely out of your comfort zone at times. It will probably challenge your theology at some point. It will confront your ideas of what “church” is. It will wreck you out in all the best ways possible. It will push you closer to Jesus and others. If your experience is anything like mine, it will be the best challenge of your life.
Check out this site for more info, or go to studentcpx.org for info and the registration application!
More stories to come at Student CPx in Phoenix, Austin, San Diego and (Lord willing) Kansas City this Summer!
Yea, Jesus!!!
Erik
May
03
“The smallest family will become a thousand people, and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation. At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen.”
(Isaiah 60:22)
Indigenous American Movements (IAM):
A Native-led church planting movement among the First Nations of North America.
500 years have passed since Europeans set foot in North America. They sometimes brought the gospel. They often brought cultural values and actions that started a legacy of corruption, greed, and ethnocentrism that ravished the First Nations of North America. These results aren’t just historical facts. Today, they affect the day to day living of almost 2 million people in the United States and Canada.
Today, over 500 distinct tribal groups have persevered through centuries of repeated disillusionment, displacement, and dishonesty by descendants of the European peoples who populated here. The result? Today, in North America, one of the most evangelized regions on earth, the tribes of the First Nations remain among the least reached people groups of North America. The life expectancy of a Native American male is 42 years. The teen suicide rate for Native teenagers is five times the national average. They are sometimes called “the forgotten peoples.”
The indigenous peoples of North America are ripe for a God-honoring spiritual movement to restore what was lost and exalt the next generation of First Nations to discover their destiny as distinct people groups and become a blessing to North America and the nations.
The true message of the gospel can never be separated from a corresponding concern for the livelihood and welfare of the people to whom the gospel is presented.
God says, “I, the Lord, love justice. I hate robbery and wrongdoing.” (Isaiah 61:8)
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied…Blessed are those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:6,9)
Three years ago, I began a friendship with a small group of Indian friends at Haskell Indian Nations University. I discovered a people unlike any I’d ever been around in my life. I was an outsider, but I was welcomed into the community. One distinguished woman of God (about five minutes after meeting her) handed me the keys to her building near the campus and said, “We welcome you. God has sent you. Here are the keys to our building. Do whatever God has put in your heart. He has sent you and we honor you.” She took me to meet the University President. I met a school counselor who I befriended. I was welcomed to teach classes to incoming freshmen. I was given a staff ID. I was embraced as part of the community. I was later given the use of an entire residence hall on campus when I started a national church-planting training (Student CPx) for college students.
I have nothing culturally going for me there. I’m white; I’m suburban; I’m the descendant of European immigrants. All I had going for me was the experience of walking on campus one day and beginning to cry. I sensed God’s heart for the blessing of the First Nations of North America.
I’ll never forget one 4th of July, telling a Native friend, “Happy Independence Day!” I noticed a hint of sadness cross his face. I think I understood. The day we celebrate our freedom from tyranny and unjust government carries different meaning for ethnic groups who have had a very different history with government relations than mine. Imagine growing up hearing stories of how your ancestors, in a last ditch effort to save your people, conceded to government demands to march the Trail of Tears, with thousands of your people dying along the way. Not much to celebrate of independence there. I tried to apologize for my cultural insensitivity. My friend gently remarked, “That’s ok. I like watching the fireworks.”
Every Native person I’ve met loves and honors the United States of America. They embrace America as their country they love. There is a strong legacy of Native American veterans who have given their lives defending America’s freedom. Yet, I realize in a small way how difficult their journey has been to honor the nation in which they live, while carrying a deep sadness over the unresolved legacy of disenfranchisement and ill treatment often handed them by the government and culture of the larger nation.
There are 500 years of cultural damage to contend with. I believe with all my being that the power of the gospel and the demonstration of God’s kingdom is powerful enough to restore relationship with the First Nations of North America, to bring forgiveness, and release these tribal groups – nations within the nations of Canada and America – to discover their destiny and dignity as peoples created and loved by God.
A Sioux word for the Father-Creator is “Wakantanka.” I believe this is an appropriate word for God. They are Wakantanka’s people. He cares about them. He created them unique and powerful and special. The children now being raised in Apache land and Navaho land, on Sioux, Lakota, and Dakota land, and on every piece of Native land – they have a destiny to be a blessing to their nation and the nations.
I am praying for a new Indigenous American Movement (IAM). IAM will:
- Discover and restore the dignity and destiny of the First Nations peoples of North America.
- Nurture culturally distinct church planting movements among the First Nations tribal groups. These forms of church must be Native-led, incorporating unique forms for gathering, leadership, and worship that are authentic in devotion to Jesus, yet culturally distinct expressions of the Native heart.
- Call the First Nations to be a prophetic voice and a blessing to America, Canada, and the nations.
- Inspire indigenous peoples around the world affected by injustice to experience restoration of their dignity and destiny as unique people created by God.
“The smallest family will become a thousand people, and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation. At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen.”
(Isaiah 60:22)
“After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb… And they were shouting with a mighty shout, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”
(Revelation 7:9-10)
Yes, Wakantanka, let your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
–Erik Fish
