The local and the trans-local
Welcome to our family camp 2010 – although I’m sure that after last night you either feel very welcome, or you have left the camp-site!
In this first session I would like to lay a foundation on which to practically build after the tea break.
We want to bring about a marriage between vision and values; between the local and the trans-local.
If viewed in isolation, our values may seem inward focussed; yet if we focus exclusively on vision again, it may seem as if we are more concerned about the nations out there, than about our own members.
This is because our vision places a heavy emphasis on the translocal part of our ministry – on that which we are involved in beyond the walls and people of our community.
We would say that we are a local church which is passionate about our King Jesus Christ and about seeing His Kingdom established in all nations, through the church. (Eph.3:8-11).
Therefore our mission statement reads: “We are a multi-cultural group of friends, passionate about our King, impacting our community and the nations.”
This means that we are desperate to reach beyond these walls, impacting our community, our country, our continent and even beyond.
In order to do this effectively, we 1) constantly build towards becoming a base church and we 2) work in team with other churches with similar values and a similar vision, 3) strung together by an apostolic/prophetic team called New Covenant Ministries International.
We want to emphatically state that, as a local church, we relate to NCMI, we are friends of NCMI and we partner with NCMI.
By saying this, we do not exclude ourselves from other flows or movements, we do not see ourselves as superior, nor are we closed to input from beyond NCMI; yet NCMI is our primary relationship!
We, do want to made it very clear though that we absolutely love the local church and what God is doing right here in Liberty and in George.
God has plans for us in George, that is why He has brought us here/there.
This is where God has called us and placed us, but it is also from here that God sends us out and we return back here.
In Acts 13 we find the beautiful example of a local church, Antioch, sending out Paul and Barnabas and at the end of chapter 14 they return to base, they return home and report back on all the wonderful things that God had done through them.
The fact is that without a base to be sent out from, or to return to, we are not being biblical.
This is who you are, our base – Liberty Christian Church.
As a leadership team, we are devoted to the health and growth of this local church, this family.
As a local church, we are much more than a “community of believers” – ons is nie net ‘n gemeente nie – we are family!
During our orientation time with new guys, the Living Stones course, we always ask them which of our values are most evident to them, and “family” is always mentioned.
We have a very definite family-feel, yet we are not a family-church (I will get back to this later).
Family is part of our DNA; it is definitely part of our identity and part of our values.
Eph.2:11-13 + 19 (1031)
Every household should have a father and a mother, brothers and sisters, and this is also true of the nature of the local church family.
The local church should be an expression of the extended spiritual family, something like the big Italian or Greek family getting together.
*It’s big and boisterous and colourful and passionate and noisy and in your face and sometimes irritating and a bit weird – it’s like the carnival, and it makes me smile, because I know that I love it – that’s Liberty!
In “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, Toula Portokalos (the Greek girl) explains family dynamics to her boyfriend Ian Miller (an American), who has two cousins, while she has 27 first cousins!
1 Thes. 2: 6b-12 (1041)
Paul mentions a mother (vs.7), brothers (vs. 9) and a father (vs.11).
a) He mentions the loving, gentle and caring nature of a mother.
This has to be evident in the local church – it does not help to say that we are loving and caring, there has to be evidence of a group of people who love one another, who care for one another, who serve one another, who forgive one another and who bless one another.
At Liberty there is much of this evidence – we are a people who rejoice together over the birth of a new baby, but we also know how to mourn together at the death of a loved one.
We know how to serve one another with meals, how to uplift one another in prayer, how to bless one another and how to honour one another, as we celebrate the different seasons of life together.
b) Liberty is also a place where fellow believers, brothers and sisters, regularly meet together for coffee, for friendship, for advice, for fishing, for business, for root-canal treatment, for meals, for prayer, web-sites, for fun and potjie-kos, and for the sake of just being together!
c) I love Paul’s description of a father as one who encourages, comforts and urges.
This reminds me of his description of prophecy as “everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort” (1 Cor.14:3).
There is a definite prophetic role in fathering and in leadership – fathers and leaders should be able to see the preferred future of their children, both natural and spiritual, prepare and equip them for that future and then release them into that future!
When we get this right, then we will be able to release people into lives “worthy of God, who calls them into His kingdom and glory”.
Not everyone who comes into my home is part of my family, some are merely visitors – to be part of our family, you have to be born into the family, your surname has to be Nel, there is identity, ownership, privilege and responsibility.
Something of that is true for the Liberty-family as well – not everyone coming through our door is a part of the family.
They might be part of the Kingdom, for the word says that “to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (Jn.1:12), but yet not be part of this local family, because “Home is where the heart is”!
*Where is your heart – is it with us? Have you made the transition yet?
Sometimes folks visit us, sit at the back, receiving only; I do not get to know them unless I go up to them and introduce myself – it does not work like that in a family – it does not work like that here; here we belong, we have identity, we take ownership, we share both privilege and responsibility.
Sometimes the place where you sit is an indication of your ownership, of your “membership”, of your “family-ship”, or the lack thereof.
Often, though, people simply sit in the back row, or in a particular spot, because we are creatures of habit, or because there simply is no other place available – the true test of family, of where your heart is, is in the way in which you spend your time, your money and your energy.
This test will show you where your treasure, and therefore your heart is.
I have mentioned that even though all these things are true about us, still, we’re not a family church – what do I mean by this?
A family is only one of many different Biblical images used to describe the local church – it is only a part and not the whole.
We are also a bride, an army, a body, etc. and we need all of these to be complete.
We have been saved by the gospel, into the gospel and for the gospel.
We are not only a family, nor do we “focus on the family”, but we are “a family with a focus” – a community with a mission.
That mission statement reads: “We are a multi-cultural group of friends, passionate about our King, impacting our community and the nations.”
With that we complete the circle – we return to the global heart of this village, this family.
We love this family, but we live for the King, and in living for the King, we live for the Kingdom, for something much greater than ourselves – we live to see the church matured, the nations discipled, the Kingdom come.
Building a Global Village
Back home, we are mid-way through a Value series at the moment.
Looking at the fundamentals of what we believe as individuals and as a local church.
Thus far, our values have been focussed on individual believers, our families and the local church.
As such, our values could seem to be rather inwardly focussed, primarily, because we have not yet dealt with our value of reaching beyond our walls – our community, our city, this nation and even the nations beyond our beautiful continent!
We regularly reach out to our community, our city and nations on and off the African continent.
Why do we do these things?
Why do we spend the time, the money and the energy to travel to different cities, nations and continents to preach the gospel, especially when there are unsaved people right here in George?
Firstly I’d like to say that we will definitely be doing more and more inside of our city in the form of mercy ministry, but also reaching out with the gospel.
But secondly, I’d like to answer that question this morning, by asking another question: “How do you build a puzzle?”
After you’ve cleared the table and put out all the little pieces face up, you have a good long look at the picture on the box, because that’s what you’re building.
You know that if you build correctly, if each puzzle piece goes exactly where it should, where it fits in (without you biting off a little corner), then what you’ll end up with is a finished puzzle that looks like the picture on the box – that’s how it works.
Imagine how hard it will be to build a puzzle without having a clue as to what the big picture looks like – you’ve bought this Jiffy bag full of what you hope to be 1000 pieces that will all come together to form some sort of picture!
*In a sense, building God’s church is a lot like building a puzzle – it has corner pieces and borders and a whole lot of different pieces in the middle – different shapes, sizes and colours, making up the whole.
Eph. 2:19-22: “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”
Paul himself was an avid puzzle builder, just listen to what he had to say in 1 Cor.3:10-13: “ By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.”
If we are building in a way which will last, then we need to build according to the pattern on the box – we need to build according to the big picture.
But what does the big picture look like? Let’s look at some key verses in this regard, because the big picture in building the church is not found on the box, but in the Book:
Mk.16:15-18: “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Rom.15:23-26: “But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to see you,
I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to visit you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the saints there. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.”
1 Thes. 1:4-8a: “ For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia – your faith in God has become known everywhere.”
It is clear that the picture on these boxes is not of a group of inward-looking and focussed people.
If we allow the pages of the New Testament, and especially the history of and the letters to the early church to paint this big picture for us, then we see a picture of local churches strung together by their common relationship with an apostolic team (either Paul and his fellow workers, or Peter and his companions) with whom the local churches worked in partnership. (Phil.1:3-5)
We see these churches sending ministers and financial support wherever it was needed, to advance the Kingdom and to build the Church:
*Acts 8:1 + 4-8 + 14-17 (Philip in Samaria)
*Acts 11:19-23 + 25-30 (Barnabas in Antioch)
Acts 17:1-4 (Paul in Thessalonica)
Acts 19:8-10 (Paul in Ephesus)
*1 Cor. 16:5-11 (Paul writing to the church in Corinth from Ephesus)
*2 Cor.8:1-7 (Financial giving of the Macedonian churches = Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea, Acts 16-17)
*Phil.4:14-19 (Philippians supplying financial aid to Paul while in Thessalonica)
*Col.1:6-8; 4:7-14 (Different fellow workers)
2 Tim 4:9-13 +19-21 (More fellow workers)
*Titus 3:12-14 (Zenas the lawyer!)
This might be an overload of information, but I want to make it very clear that the churches of the New Testament had a very definite outward focus.
One might argue that: this should be obvious, because the gospel was so new and fresh back then that they had to sow some of their resources, but it is different today, we cannot apply this blueprint to the church of today.
Is it different? Has the gospel changed, or become stale – no longer fresh?
Until when should we be going out, sending and sowing our resources of time, people and finances into areas beyond the local?
Mt.28:18-20 – have all the nations of the earth been discipled?
Acts 1:8 – have the ends of the earth been evangelized?
Eph.4:11-13 – have all believers been united in a mature faith?
*Obviously not – therefore we will continue to be faithful to our calling as the church – the gospel has not changed, the Book has not changed, the box has not changed, the big picture has not changed!
Therefore, as a local church we remain as devoted to sending and sowing as the church in Antioch was:
Acts 13:1-3 + 14:21-28
As a local church, the picture on our box is that of a Global Village!
Our mission statement reads: “We are a multi-cultural group of friends, passionate about our King, impacting our community and the nations.”
We are a local church which is passionate about our King Jesus Christ and about seeing His Kingdom established in all nations, through the church. (Eph.3:8-11)
This means that we are desperate to reach beyond these walls, impacting our community, our country, our continent and even beyond.
In order to do this effectively, we need to constantly be building towards becoming a base church, like the Church in Antioch which we have just read about, and also to work in team with other churches with similar values and a similar vision, strung together by an apostolic/prophetic team.
Becoming a base church simply means to have both the desire and the capacity to go beyond the local and to effectively minister beyond our own walls and our own people.
2 Cor.10:15b-16a: “Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you.”
We absolutely love the local church and what God is doing right here.
This is where God has called us and placed us and it is from here that God sends us out and we return back here.
We can only export what we have; we can only export that which is healthy and helpful.
Therefore we are devoted to the health and growth of this local church, yet we simultaneously see this church as being strategic to facilitate the growth and success of the gospel and of churches in regions beyond our borders.
We are a Global Village – both the Globe (the nations) and the village (this local church and everyone that forms a part thereof) is important to God and to us as the leadership and as people.
I am sure that many are wondering how you can get involved – being a part of a vibrant local church is easy, there are many opportunities and roles to play, but how can I get involved in the Big Picture on our box?
