I
was recently amused while reading an online article in a popular Christian
Periodical; what amused me were some of the points the writer was making, and
perhaps the shallowness of his generation. With age comes wisdom, not because
as we age something magical happens that makes us wiser, but experiences which
one lives over a long period of time give us greater insight into life. For
perspective’s sake, I am old enough to be the parent of the author of the
online article. I also must apologize to the younger generation on behalf of
all my peers, as it is possible that we older folk did not teach them the
“whys” of what we were doing. We most likely felt explanations were unnecessary
at the time because our children were too young to understand. However, if a 30
something were to ask his or her parents the reasons our church culture evolved
as it did, the answers would be most helpful and insightful. As social media
has created a generation of narcissists, similar in behavior to three year
olds, the self centered idea that the 30 something generation is the center of Christian
culture is childlike immaturity. While some individuals in their 30’s have made
names for themselves in modern culture, mostly in the area of post modern
Christianity, it is clear that the 30-ish Christian has missed some important
points due to short sightedness. While
those 30 year olds may know Christian history, they do not understand Christian
culture. At the very least, recognition of not being the central focus of
Christian culture should cause a younger person to engage an older person for
perspective.
Let’s
look at how culture in the church changed with the Flower Child generation. Flower children of the 60’s and early 70’s
were cultural revolutionaries, not wanting to maintain the status quo as their
elders had. Viet Nam infuriated many in both political parties, and a healthy
distrust of the government motivated people to break away from traditions and
living like sheep. Flower Children wanted to make their voices heard. Our Nation’s
success in World War 2 and the years following created a class of working
people that prospered, but the Flower Children didn’t want to live in that matrix. Where oppressive religion was
concerned, the youth of that era didn’t want to participate in rituals and
traditions that were hollow works of service. As every generation has its hypocrites,
this generation wanted more depth than the spiritual leaders of the day were
offering. Searching out religions became part of popular culture. Innovative
thinkers were not new to this generation. In fact, logically, all through
history, there have been innovators and reformers, fights and contentions, when
things evolve in the church. Some innovative evangelists were inspired by the
Holy Spirit to start a witnessing campaign at Haight and Ashbury in San
Francisco, and there the Jesus movement came alive. http://www.allsavedfreakband.com/jesus_movement.htm The groovy Christians of the day were
bucking a social stigma that young people were all about drugs. These were
Jesus Freaks twenty some odd years prior to DC Talk’s song. The times were
different, as hitchhiking worldwide was an accepted practice, and the new Jesus
followers used that to their evangelizing advantage. In other words, in those
days, pick up a young adult and you may get saved before you dropped them off
at their stop.
Churches
were the enemy to this generation because churches lacked life. Religious
traditions and dogmatic liturgy had become the absolution of Christianity, and
the Jesus Freaks were not having any of that. Sin consciousness dominated
Sunday service. Instead, the Jesus Freaks, those groovy Christians, were
reading the Bible all by themselves. They did not care for watered down
sermons, they were pursuant of the Holy Spirit and the power the first century
Church had. They didn’t cut their hair, shave their beards, or even wear shoes,
because they understood Jesus loved them as they were. Jesus Freak Flower
Children simply walked in love. They recognized something the stuffy old people
forgot; they were called to be ambassadors of the good news. They rejected the
idea that they were worms or dust before God, and embraced their positions of
stewardship of the mystery. Instead of oppressive Church services, or
introspective recognitions of sin, the groovy Christians embraced, with
exuberance, Jesus’ saving grace. That was something to sing joyfully about.
That was something to smile about. Music reflected this joyful movement (there
were no Christian radio stations, so Christian Rock music was played on regular
radio stations). Jesus’ payment in full, for every human, was something to
dedicate one’s life to. And off they went, Jesus Freaks with joyful merriment
brought good news to the world.
2 Cor
5:18-21 And all
things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath
given to us the ministry of reconciliation;19 To wit,
that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their
trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.20 Now then we are ambassadors[4243]
for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead,
be ye reconciled to God.21 For he
hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him.KJV
Armed
with the ministry of reconciliation and the teachings of the power of the Holy
Spirit, Jesus Freaks went out to share the good news with the world. Some
formed groups, some gathered to pray in homes, coffee shops, and places of
business. Taking Jesus outside of the church was essential to the Jesus Freaks,
as they realized Jesus was not confined to the walls of the church, even if
that was the way it had always been. Prayer meetings were going on all over
cities and towns, anywhere 2 or 3 people got together. The Apostle Paul asked
the church at Ephesus to pray for him so that he can make known the mystery. Paul
didn’t confine himself to buildings either. He was a witness, whether fighting
lions, or giving discourse on a hill of idols.
Eph
6:19-20 And for me, that utterance may be
given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of
the gospel,20 For which
I am an ambassador [4243]in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought
to speak.KJV
NT:4243 presbeuo (pres-byoo'-o); from the base
of NT:4245; to be a senior, i.e. (by implication) act
as a representative (figuratively, preacher): KJV - be an
ambassador.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with
Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc.
and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
NT:4245 presbuteros (pres-boo'-ter-os);
comparative of presbus (elderly); older; as noun, a senior; specifically, an
Israelite Sanhedrist (also figuratively, member of the celestial council) or
Christian "presbyter": KJV - elder (-est),
old.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded
Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and
International Bible Translators, Inc.)
NT:4244 presbuterion (pres-boo-ter'-ee-on);
neuter of a presumed derivative of NT:4245; the
order of elders, i.e. (specifically) Israelite Sanhedrin or Christian
"presbytery":KJV - (estate of) elder (-s),
presbytery.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with
Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc.
and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
NT:4242NT:4242
presbei/a pesbeia (pres-bi'-ah);
from NT:4243; seniority (eldership), i.e. (by
implication) an embassy (concretely, ambassadors):KJV - ambassage,
message.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with
Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc.
and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Obviously,
we get our word presbytery or Presbyterian from this word translated “ambassador”.
Let me ask a rhetorical question; is a down cast, hunched forward, nauseous
looking person as well received as a bright, upbeat, happy person? Right, the
Jesus Freaks knew the answer to this one, and they brought a message of
celebration to others. Up to this time, church people had lots of rules to live
by, such as how to dress in church, observing man made traditions, expecting
women to be wives and moms and not career
women. Rules weigh people down, and are used to judge and oppress people,
setting up a hierarchy of domination within a church. Jesus Freaks broke all
the rules, and on closer examination, other traditionalists recognized that
their own enslavement was not from Jesus; and then those people joined the
celebration of Jesus. Celebratory expressions of faith were noticed around the
world, and the culture changed.
Luke
14:31-33 Or what
king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and
consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against
him with twenty thousand?32 Or
else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage [4242], and desireth conditions of peace.33 So
likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot
be my disciple.KJV
In his example, Jesus first asks the question, who starts to build
a tower without figuring out how much it will cost? And likewise, who sends out
armies without thinking through how many troops he will need to win the fight?
If the king determines he can’t win, he sends an ambassador to negotiate a
peace agreement. But the entire context of Jesus’ point is weighing the cost of
discipleship. Many groovy Christians, who resisted the traditional depressive
churches because the cost of service as a minister or priest would be a life of
ritual service, recognized that the cost of preaching the good news was not a
burden by comparison. While no human leaders are perfect, and many fell, the
sold out culture of Jesus Freaks continued.
1 Tim
4:12-16 Let no
man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in
conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.13 Till I come, give attendance to
reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.14 Neglect
not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying
on of the hands of the presbytery[4244].15 Meditate
upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear
to all.16 Take heed
unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou
shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.KJV
As all “good
news preachers” of the day laid hands on young people, (such as Oral Roberts
and Kenneth Hagen) commissioning, ordaining, or sending them out to do the work
of the ministry, the gospel was being heard in remote places that had never
heard about Jesus. Young people in those years took the Bible seriously. They
believed every word.
Their walk was a love walk that attracted many.
1 Peter
5:1-6 The elders [4245]which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and
a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that
shall be revealed:2 Feed the
flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by
constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;3 Neither as being lords over God's
heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.4 And when
the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth
not away.5 Likewise,
ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder[4245]. Yea, all of you be subject
one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and
giveth grace to the humble.6 Humble
yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due
time:KJV
Young
people looked to charismatic elders to work under, and as those groovy Jesus
Freaks grew older and had families, they became the backbone of the
evangelizing movements of the 90’s. Those with the personal tendency towards
statistics recognized there was a lot more work to do to evangelize the world;
the bean counters determined the cost, and the organizers created groups to
push evangelization worldwide. To understand this better, one has to realize
that up until 1990, there were very few personal computers, no cell phones, no
internet, and no digital movies at home. The older the Jesus Freaks became, the
more technological advances helped them further their cause, and their happy passion
to evangelize the world became more sophisticated.
Let’s look at the word for gospel,
it means “good news” or “good message”. There are134 usages of the word gospel, in the New Testament. That is
134 reasons to celebrate; that is 134 reasons to dance, and sing, and do
cartwheels. Seriously, who doesn’t want to be a messenger of good news? http://musingsofawinsomeheart.blogspot.com/2013/11/blood-atonement-teachers-and-itching.html
NT:2097 euaggelizo (yoo-ang-ghel-id'-zo); from NT:2095
and NT:32; to announce good news ("evangelize") especially the
gospel:KJV - declare, bring (declare, show) glad (good)
tidings, preach (the gospel).
NT:2095 eu (yoo); neuter of a primary eus (good); (adverbially) well:KJV - good,
well (done).(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with
Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc.
and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
NT:32 aggelos (ang'-el-os);
from aggello [probably derived from NT:71; compare
NT:34] (to bring tidings); a messenger; especially an
"angel"; by implication, a pastor:KJV - angel, messenger.(Biblesoft's
New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew
Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International
Bible Translators, Inc.)
NT:2098 euaggelion (yoo-ang-ghel'-ee-on);
from the same as NT:2097; a good message, i.e. the gospel:KJV -
gospel.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with
Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc.
and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
The Jesus Freaks were
told to be like Jesus and the first century church, and to not be like the
churches, deacons, elders, boards and committees, ministers and priests who had
little good news to share. Rather than bureaucratic entanglements, the Jesus Freaks
were free to be led by the Holy Spirit. As children, the Jesus Freaks lived
through stuffy oppressive people lording over them, sometimes even abusing
them. Because some served in Viet Nam,
or had relatives who did, the reality of life was precious and volatile to the
groovy Christians, and there was no time to waste in bringing the good news.
They did what Jesus did. They loved sinners.
Matt 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel [2098] of the kingdom,
and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the
people.KJV
When John
wanted to be sure Jesus was really the Messiah, he sent disciples to ask Jesus
that very question.
Matt
11:4-6 Jesus
answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which
ye do hear and see:5 The
blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the
deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel[2097] preached to them.6 And
blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.KJV
Jesus
even said that the good message should be preached in “all the world”. Truly,
this is much easier in our present day than it was 50 years ago.
Matt
24:14 And
this gospel [2098]of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a
witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.KJV
So
mission organizations became more organized, structured, and targeted. Every people
group had to be evangelized, and the usage of computers made this much
easier. Also, funding for such projects had to be obtained, and there sprung up
the marketing campaigns to help fund missions. The more church growth there is,
the more money there is to evangelize. One might think an introspective church
which only serves ten square miles around its building is so much better, but
at some point the boundaries have to grow to gain more people to keep the
building running and the salaries paid. If the power of the Holy Spirit is not
evident in Sunday services, then church growth will diminish. No one wants to
go to a church every week and leave depressed, people want to be edified and
healed. The Jesus Freaks wanted the gifts of the spirit in operation in their
lives and churches; they didn’t want just words, they wanted power and the Holy
Ghost.
1 Thess
1:4-6 Knowing,
brethren beloved, your election of God.5 For our
gospel [2098] came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the
Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among
you for your sake.6 And ye
became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much
affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:KJV
The word
was received with affliction, but it
came in power and in the Holy Ghost. Many people lost their lives spreading the
good news in power. This good news is a matter of life and death to everyone. Even
the prophets and angels wanted to know about this age we live in, this time of
the Holy Spirit, and of this time of grace.
1 Peter
1:10-12 Of which
salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of
the grace that should come unto you:11 Searching
what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did
signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory
that should follow.12 Unto whom
it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the
things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel
[2097]unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the
angels desire to look into.KJV
So there
we have a brief synopsis of church culture evolving into a celebratory
observance, with joy and thankfulness. As children, the “30-somethings” grew up
in that culture, but didn’t understand the evolution that transpired, and
because of this, many “30-somethings” feel that going back to a liturgical
dogma of traditions and religious service is the “new, in thing”. May I say
that some people feel very comforted with routine service and introspective
observance of sin nature, but lest we forget, the previous generation ran from
that and all its oppression. Jesus Freaks evangelized with a love walk, the
very commandment Jesus gave us, not beating into people the recognition of sin.
Now it is true that many church services are intended to manipulate emotions,
either good or bad emotions, and a Pastor eliciting an emotional response gives
people something to remember. As we know, people remember how they feel better than what they heard. But one cannot manipulate the Holy
Spirit working inside a person, nor force the Spirit’s timing. The first
century church counted it all joy to have their faith tried and many failed. Before
becoming perfect in patience; we all fail. Wisdom teaches that. But Jesus
didn’t fail. That again is cause for celebration.
It is
true that Pastors should be concerned with the congregation and people’s needs,
and that this is best done in small groups. The reformist Martin Luther
encouraged Christians to read and study in groups in the home, just as the
first century church did. Martin Luther’s idea was that a large gathering in a
large building be designed for the unsaved and unlearned. Then people were to
get together with others in the home to learn together. His lament was if the
home groups started going in a different theological direction than the church,
doctrinally speaking, they would have to legislate, rule, and order. Maybe
rather than men legislating, we could trust the Holy Spirit to lead and guide
others, which brings me to another musing in the above mentioned article.
The article
I read was somewhat of a “then and now” story of a church that changed
leadership from one leader influenced in the Jesus Freak movement, to one who
did not have that same vision. While the second leader came from a different
culture, church members did not realize this when the Pastor was voted in. The
Jesus Freaks who were members of the church became alienated; remember, they
were the backbone of evangelistic movements all around the world. This culture
was prophetic as well, and whenever the Lord had a warning or a word of
repentance, the previous Jesus Freak Pastor immediately led the congregation in
prayer and repentance, sometimes even changing service plans to be obedient to
the Holy Spirit. The new Pastor did not regard the words of the Holy Spirit as
reverently, and when months of prophetic declarations were made to the new
Pastor for corporate repentance, the warning was not heeded, and tragedy ensued.
Instead of a public apology, which would admit libel at least in a Christian
sense, there was a bit of spinning and twisting to conceal the truth. The plan
became absolution through works. They built a memorial, they comforted those
who needed comfort, and then they looked for new projects in the community to
seek forgiveness from God which amounts to an attempt to manipulate God; doing
good so God forgets about disobedience. We could all get on our knees and
waddle up a flight of stairs, but that won’t fix our hard heart towards
repentance, nor change the fact that the good news is of grace. The disobedient
nations suffered when they didn’t listen to the Lords ambassadors too. Let’s
look at the Old Testament regarding ambassadors.
Jer
49:12-16 For thus saith the Lord ; Behold, they whose judgment was
not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall
altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely
drink of it.13 For I
have sworn by myself, saith the Lord
, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and
all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.14 I have
heard a rumour from the Lord , and
an ambassador [6735] is sent unto the heathen, saying, Gather ye together, and
come against her, and rise up to the battle.15 For, lo,
I will make thee small among the heathen, and despised among men.16 Thy terribleness hath deceived
thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the
rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest
as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the Lord .KJV
Jeremiah
says he heard a rumor from the Lord; the rumor was a vision from Obadiah. Edom
was going to be in trouble because of their pride. God always gives warnings,
but it is our responsibility to heed them. What we have to understand is that
disobedience to the Spirit of the Lord, whether through revelation or an
ambassador, allows demonic attack.
Obad 1-4 The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith
the Lord God concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from
the Lord , and an ambassador[6735]
is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.2 Behold, I have made thee small
among the heathen: thou art greatly despised.3 The pride
of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the
rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me
down to the ground?4 Though
thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars,
thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord
.KJV
OT:6735 OT:6735
ryx! tsiyr (tseer);
from OT:6696; a hinge (as pressed in turning); also a
throe (as a phys. or mental pressure); also a herald or errand-doer (as
constrained by the principal):KJV - ambassador, hinge,
messenger, pain, pang, sorrow. Compare OT:6736.(Biblesoft's
New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew
Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International
Bible Translators, Inc.)
Here an ambassador
is sent to the nation, (goy, as we studied last week) Edom. There was an
ancient feud between Edom (Esau’s descendants) and Israel (Jacob’s descendants).
Edom was snickering over the predicaments of Israel instead of helping Israel,
after all they were brothers. The Edomites even went so far as to raid the
homes of the Israelites, taking advantage of Israel’s predicament. Obadiah
prophesied that God would bring them down. The ambassador was sent to speak
God’s word to the Edomites. The Edomites refused to listen and were destroyed. This
is the key, repentance. When we hear something we don’t like from someone who
believes they are hearing from God, repent, instead of rejecting the message. The
key to avoid tragedy is to respect and regard the Holy Spirit, and not grieve
the Holy Spirit with our hard hearted disobedience.
What
we see is that we are called to be ambassadors of good news. Sometimes we have
to bring warnings and bad news, but essentially if we are evangelizing, we have
a great message of salvation. There is simply a procedural difference between
Evangelists and Pastors in a church; and an age of people from an older
generation, and a younger generation. We seem to have forgotten Paul’s words
regarding ministries. A Pastor is not to be “above” everyone, but should “serve”
everyone. If a church’s leader is an Evangelist, that person will direct
outreach. If a church’s leader is a Prophet, that person will lead from a Spirit
led perspective, and direct intercession. An Apostle will lead people to bring
new light and life into the world; new and deeper understandings of the Bible
and the Holy Spirit. And a Teacher will instruct people in the living word.
Many people call all church leaders Pastors,
but our terminology is simply a title, not a call in ministry.
It
might be that a younger generation does not understand that church culture
changes and morphs, just as the Jesus Freaks have grown older and utilized
current technology for outreach. If a leader falls, and a church member claims
to lose faith, or claims their faith has been shaken, that one never had the
true faith or the true walk of love to begin with. Jesus Freaks by now have
experienced many human failings, but age and wisdom give them a solid base to
continue a joyful love walk. But here is what never changes, everyone responds
to good news. It is not good news to live in sin awareness. If the gospel is
preached in joy, people who are hearing for the first time feel so relieved
that the burden of sin has been atoned for, once and for all. This good news is
worth a happy dance.
Stagnation
is the enemy to the generation of groovy Christians. Jesus Freaks understand
that sin is a consequence of the fall, but the good news hasn’t been heard all
around the world quite yet. The good
news that blood atonement has been made for us through Jesus is the incredible
message that is ours to share. Every time one celebrates Jesus’ victory, the
announcement is made that God is good, he didn’t forsake us. Celebration draws
people who do not have hope in their lives, joy entices questions. An
enthusiastic happy ambassador is a better witness of the good news than one who
is sin conscious. So maybe the old Jesus Freaks weren’t so dumb after all. Hold
your head up high, throw your shoulders back; you are a child of the Most High
God and it is Christ In You the Hope of Glory!
End Notes:
