Understanding “Church” (2):Frog Church vs. Lizard Church

Good News Community ChurchMarch 22, 2009

Timothy Chan

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Frog vs. Lizard

• Frogs sit and wait until their food walks, flies, or swims past

• Lizards go out in search of food

• In the frog world everything comes to those who wait

• In the lizard world everyone would die if they sat and waited

Source: “FaithQuakes” (1995) by Leonard Sweet, p. 27

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Frog Church vs. Lizard Church

“Going to church is less and lessthe defining experience of religion.

The time for getting peopleto come to church is over.

It is time nowto get people to come to Christ.”

~ Leonard Sweet (“FaithQuakes”)

Source: “FaithQuakes” (1995) by Leonard Sweet, p. 27

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Do Fads Work?

• In 2004, Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” was billed as “The Best Outreach Opportunity in 2000 Years”

• The movie has grossed more than $600 million, more than anyone expected

• While it strengthened the faith of some believers, there was little or no impact in drawing the unchurched back to the church

Source: http://www.christianexaminer.com/Articles/Articles%20Nov04/Art_Nov04_08.html

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Do Fads Work?

• What do you think about these recent church fads?• Promise Keepers• WWJD• Prayer of Jabez• 40 Days of Purpose

• “Many ask: ‘How can we make the church more attractive to the lost?’ If we start down this path we unintentionally leave our true path: Letting people see how attractive Jesus is!” ~ Neil Cole

Source: http://cmaresources.org/node/263

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Extreme Measures: Paid Attendance?

• In “Organic Church” (2005), Neil Cole wrote:How far will we go to get people to come … ? I have heard … a church in the Northwest that actually advertised it would pay people money if they came each week for a minimum of a month.

• In 2003, the bishop of a predominantly black church wanted to diversify his congregation, so he offered to pay $5/hour for white people to come; later, citing that the new attendees “were infecting my congregation with their lack of enthusiasm,” he paid them $5/hour to stay home

Sources: http://books.google.com/books?id=u5LGlZCuk4QC&pg=PR25&lpg=PR7&output=htmlhttp://www.holyobserver.com/detail.php?isu=v01i04&art=whites

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Whose Church is it anyway?

• Matthew 16:18-19:18 我告訴你，你是彼得，我要在這磐石上建立我的教

會，死亡的權勢（“死亡的權勢”原文作“陰間的門”）不能勝過他。

19 我要把天國的鑰匙給你，你在地上捆綁的，在天上也被捆綁；你在地上釋放的，在天上也被釋放。

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Where is the “Christian Center”?

• Many churches are called “XYZ Christian Center”, but is this really the “center” of a Christian’s life?• Some Christians live a “compartmentalized” life,

leading a “sacred” life in the church building but a “secular” at home and at work

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Where is the “Christian Center”?

• Deuteronomy 6:6-9:6 我今日吩咐你的這些話，都要記在你的心上；7 你要把這些話不斷地教訓你的兒女，無論你坐在家

裡，或行在路上，或躺下，或起來的時候，都要談論。

8 你也要把這些話繫在手上作記號，戴在額上作頭帶。

9 又要寫在你房屋的門柱上和城門上。

• Where: home, city• When: every day, any time• Who: everyone• Not required: pre-study, Sunday school material

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Where is the “Christian Center”?

• Ephesians 5:18:18 不要醉酒，醉酒能使人放蕩亂性，卻要讓聖靈充

滿。• A paraphrase of “ 讓聖靈充滿” from original text:

“All of you, go on being filled with the Spirit”

• The rest of Ephesians contain examples of continuous Spirit-filled living in the church:• 5:19-20 – Give praise and thanks to God• 5:21 – Submit to one another• 5:22-33 – Submit to your husband/wife• 6:1-4 – Relationship between parent and child• 6:5-9 – Relationship between master and slave

Adapted from: “Cinderella With Amnesia” (1975) by Michael Griffiths, pp. 87-89

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Church & Home

The Christian family and the Christian homeis a basic unit of the Christian congregation.

~ Michael Griffiths (“Cinderella With Amnesia”)

Source: “Cinderella With Amnesia” (1975) by Michael Griffiths, p. 89

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Move the church to your home

• 傳道人歐迪慈 wrote in “ 禮拜堂是僕人還是主人？” :如果我的家不是一個教會，即使我每個禮拜上禮拜堂，也不能把我變成教會；如果我在家裡沒有發揮教會的功能，即使到禮拜堂這個建築物，也不能使我成為教會。

• He went on to say:你要把教會搬到你家裡去 ... 你就是一家的牧師

• 1 Timothy 3:5:5 人若不知道怎樣管理自己的家，怎能照料　神的教

會呢？

Source: “ 禮拜堂是僕人還是主人？” by 歐迪慈 from pp. 35-45 of “ 教會之門為誰開？” (1986) 夏忠堅等著

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The church at the center of your world

• In a similar way, you need to “move” the church to the center of your world, among:• Family members• Relatives• Neighbors• Friends• Co-workers• People in the your region of residence

• You are their “pastor”

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The Deaconess & Her Husband• Story in 歐迪慈‘ s “ 禮拜堂是僕人還是主人？” :

我們教會有個女執事，總是在教會裡幫忙打掃，也去探訪人，可是她在教會裡三十年，丈夫還未得救。她說：「我把所有的道都跟他講了，他熟悉聖經和我一樣，每天為他預備早餐時，下面就放一張單張，可是他實在反抗主。」師母問：「妳一星期參加多少次聚會？」她說：「我所有聚會都參加，並且在教會吃飯，沒有聚會時，我來幫忙打掃，因為我很喜歡禮拜堂。」 「妳幾點到禮拜堂？」「六點到六點半。」「妳先生幾點下班？」「也是六點到六點半。我丈夫很好，我把菜準備好放在爐子上，他自己熱了就吃，當我十點半、十一點從禮拜堂回家時，有時他還未睡，有時已經睡了。」

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The Deaconess & Her Husband師母說：「不要再來禮拜堂了。」「姊妹，啊……」那天晚上她就留在家裡；她丈夫很希奇，以為太太生病了，第二天晚上還在家，丈夫想，不是生病，大概是教會出了問題。第三晚還是，真不可能！太太說了：「我全心愛主，很想去禮拜堂，可是我得承認多年來，我做一個很差勁的太太，我把你忽略了……」他們一個禮拜之內就成為朋友了。師母又教她如何打扮得好一點，如何每天燒不同的菜，把拖鞋擺在門口，等丈夫回家，怎樣在婚姻生活中使丈夫快樂一點。這個姊妹開始成為很好的太太，她留在家裡的第三個月，丈夫受洗加入教會。

• In summary:我們正常生活的中心就是我們屬靈生活的中心

Source: “ 禮拜堂是僕人還是主人？” by 歐迪慈 from pp. 35-45 of “ 教會之門為誰開？” (1986) 夏忠堅等著

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Church on the Offensive

• This calls for a church that’s deliberately going into the world to face the Enemy

• Matthew 16:18:18 我告訴你，你是彼得，我要在這磐石上建立我的教

會，死亡的權勢（“死亡的權勢”原文作“陰間的門”）不能勝過他。• “Gates of hell” – gates are defensive, so this implies the church

is on the offense

• Ephesians 3:10:10 要藉著教會使天上執政的、掌權的，現在得知神百

般的智慧。

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Japanese Christians

• Neil Cole told a story in “Organic Church” (2005):A short time ago, I was in Japan speaking in front of a church made up mostly of young Japanese people ... I mentioned that the number of church members in Japan is less than 1 percent of the population of that country. They all nodded with a sigh that exposed their fatigue in light of this reality. I then mentioned that I had been there a few months earlier, and the percentage of church members was less than 1 percent then too; nothing had changed. Noting this lack of change, I asked, "What's wrong with you?" They laughed at the ridiculous expectation.

(continued…)

Sources: http://books.google.com/books?id=u5LGlZCuk4QC&pg=PR23&lpg=PR7&output=htmlhttp://books.google.com/books?id=u5LGlZCuk4QC&pg=PR24&lpg=PR7&output=html

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Japanese Christians

(continuing…)I went on and told them that I had been in Japan three years earlier and the percentage of Christians in Japan was less than 1 percent then. This time they did not laugh. I announced that ten years ago the percentage of believers in Japan was less than 1 percent. I then asked, "Do you know what the percentage of Christians in the population of Japan was one hundred years ago?" They were now near tears as I answered my own question: "Less than 1 percent." After a pause, I said, "There is something wrong with the way we are doing 'church' here in Japan."

Sources: http://books.google.com/books?id=u5LGlZCuk4QC&pg=PR23&lpg=PR7&output=htmlhttp://books.google.com/books?id=u5LGlZCuk4QC&pg=PR24&lpg=PR7&output=html

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Dreaming God-sized Dreams

Can the church stop its puny, hack dreams oftrying to "make a difference in the world“and start dreaming God-sized dreams of

making the world different?

~ Leonard Sweet (“SoulTsunami”)

Source: “SoulTsunami” (2001) by Leonard Sweet, p. 126

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Church = Christ Embodied

• Ephesians 1:23:23 教會是他的身體，是那充滿萬有者所完全充滿的。

• The church is the body of Christ and the fullness of Christ

• Acts 9:4:4 他仆倒在地，聽見有聲音對他說：“掃羅，掃羅！

你為甚麼迫害我？”• Christ didn’t ask Saul, “Why did you persecute the

church?”, but “Why did you persecute Me?”

• “The Church is, in its essence, nothing other than the presence of Christ” ~ Anders Nygren

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The Primary Mission of the Church

The church’s primary mission, then, is to be itself,which is to be “Christ” for the world.

~ Simon Chan (“Liturgical Theology”)

As Christ makes Himself available to the church in the sacraments,

the church in turn makes itself available to the world as the “embodied Christ.”

~ Simon Chan (“Liturgical Theology”)

Source: “Liturgical Theology” (2006) by Simon Chan, p. 40

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Recommended Resources

• “ 禮拜堂是僕人還是主人？” by 歐迪慈 from pp. 35-45 of “ 教會之門為誰開？” (1986) 夏忠堅等著

• “Organic Church” (2005) by Neil Cole• “Cinderella With Amnesia” (1975) by Michael

Griffiths