In our life time, we only have one time! Those of us in the church
restoration, renewal, revival, or reformation (or whatever reword you like)
business have seemed to have lost track of this constant in the world of the
church we are trying to redo. We desire to bring about reformation of the
flocks "sheep time" when the flock only has "imperial time"
with which they have time to deal with. If we were however, to seek to create a
world in which the flock has some sheep time to give to church efforts, our
results would provide the renaissance for which we desire.
This week I would like to deal with these components of what we call
"common time" that time outside of our Sunday morning and other
"Worship times." We can divide common time into a number of
components. But this time we will force them into just three classifications
"good time" which includes sleep, recreational, wasted, and most
importantly family ; "sheep time" which includes all the time we
spend on and in the kingdom of God; and "imperial time" or time we
spend for providing for our material needs by serving the imperial state, or
the kingdom of man.. The question which we will try to answer is would it be
possible for us to redeem some (or all) of that imperial time, while still
providing materially for ourselves and our families? I think that answer is
yes, but to bring that change into real time we will need to rethink where we
came from, where we are, and where we are headed. Let us begin with a quick
look at the continuum of imperial time from a Biblical perspective.
Now the whole earth had one language and one
speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a
plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one
another, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They
had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, "Come
let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us
make a name for ourselves lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the
whole earth."
But the LORD came down to see the city and
the tower which the sons of men had built. And the LORD said, Indeed the people
are one and they have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now
nothing they purpose to do will be withheld from them. Come let Us go down and
there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's
speech." So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the
whole earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called
Babel, because there the LORD, confused the language of all the earth; and from
there the LORD scattered them abroad over all the earth. (Genesis 11:1-9)
And I heard another voice from heaven saying,
"Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you
receive her plagues." (Revelation 18:4)
The kings if the earth who committed
fornication and lived luxuriously with her (Babylon) will weep and lament for
her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of
her torment, saying, "Alas, alas that great city of Babylon, that mighty
city! For in one hour your judgement has come!"
And the merchants of the earth will weep and
mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: merchandise of gold
and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and
scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind
of fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle
and sheep, horses and chariots and the bodies and souls of men. (Revelation
18:9-13)
After the flood, sinful man seeks to build for himself a city rather than
moving to fill the earth as the exhortation pronounced by God in Genesis
Chapter 9 commands. But God has the ability to simply confuse the language of
man and therefore cause man to disperse into different regions, thus forming
the different nations and tribes. But that desire for an imperial city, ruled
by man, still drives forward the emerging national cultures. The imperialism to
be like God is still there but it has become hidden within the complex
interactions of the separate language and people groups. As we look at human
history we can see that this diversity of human culture, instituted by God, has
developed into national states and business enterprises as the economic engines
fueling the growth of material prosperity.
In our present day we see this desire to be one "omni-people"
again being proclaimed by the proponents of our global economy. But that
economic model is based on two finite foundation stone bricks beyond the
ability of man to control. One component brick of this tower of man's
prosperity is cheap energy to move goods produced by exploited workers in one
area to serve the wealthy of another location. The other component brick of
global trade that is even more important is a stable biosphere or natural
environment. This includes not only somewhat benign weather systems, but also a
stable geology. When you think about it, within just one bad hour, the whole
system could come tumbling down, even without an apparent visual sign from God
as Chapter 18 of Revelation suggests.
No matter your particular eschatology or your readings of Revelation
commentaries by proponents of Luther, Calvin or Darby, the great deductive
principle of the Apocalypse of John is that of the Kingdom of God and the
Kingdom of Man are in conflict for ultimate supremacy on this earth. The
admonitions of this book as so succinctly stated in Revelation 18:4 is: "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in
her sins, and lest you receive her plagues." Notice that this is a statement of choice, not a
statement of deliverance, it is a conditional statement. Therefore the only
trouble one should have in its interpretation relates to its application to the
present time. Yes! No! Maybe? Since the no answer denotes no application in the
present, we have no basis to continue, thereforewe are left with a yes and a
maybe. From those two premises let us continue.
As we begin this new century it is amazing to me that all the stuff and the
exploits of Revelation 18:9-13 are available online, either through news
channels, or by dot-com purchases. We in the church are just as hooked on it as
everyone else, but notice the last phrase, "the
bodies and souls of men." If
our decision of choice is to leave Babylon before the end of her imperial time
and to no longer be partakers of the trade of Babylon, could there be a trade
of "sheep time stuff and services?"
I had the opportunity to talk with someone who had a cleaning business last
week. I mentioned that one of the things I was noticing taking place more
rapidly in today's economy, is the eroding of the role of the national state
and its economic power, it being replaced by the corporate state with its money
supply of publicly traded common stock, instead of a regulated and controlled
national currency. He fully agreed and said that this was the opportunity for
normal people to overcome their oppression.
Another thing that occurred last week in the Northwest was the presence of
the remains of St. Therese in Roman Catholic churches. Thousands flocked to see
the remains where ever they were displayed. The priest from St. James, the
cathedral downtown mentioned on the news that he had seating for nine hundred
persons and perhaps a thousand standing. What I found amazing is this is
"the" Roman Catholic Cathedral. Quickly, I was able to think of at
least half a dozen Protestant churches with sanctuaries that would seat more,
in some instances many more, most (if not all) of them without any formal
denominational affiliation. We may live in an world of national or corporate
imperialism, but the imperial church of the middle ages are no longer a power.
One might also state that truth for mainline Protestant denominations also.
A number of years ago, I did some research on churches in the area of
Southeast Seattle where I live. In the approximately 60 blocks of the
residential neighborhood bordering Rainier Avenue there were more than 60
churches within two blocks of the street. Most of those being store front
assemblies. The largest was St. Edwards, the Roman Catholic parish seating
about the same as St. James. This however was an area settled by working or
lower class Irish and Italian immigrants. Most of those other churches are of
Afro-American decent, but again many are not affiliated with any denomination.
Within the area, but not within the two block strip are at least three large
orthodox synagogues serving one of the largest Jewish Orthodox communities in
the United States.
From this we can see that the imperial religious establishment is no longer
a power or a threat to the United States, Microsoft, Amazon.com, or
RealNetworks and a host of other old or new powers of the Kingdom of Babylon.
We can pray for that imperial religious restoration by saying a mantra of
revival rosaries, or we can understand the present and look forward to the
diverse community of congregations that God alone must provide to allow his
people to come out from Babylon.
"The church is not a business?" So I have heard and I have been
told many times. And I agree. "The pastor is not a CEO." Again I
agree, but these are the imperial models that many churches have been
following. What we have failed to see is that Jesus Christ is the head of the
church and also the head of the Kingdom of God, and they are one and the same
organization. In our desire to evangelized the world we have become part of the
world and now our elders, deacons and ministry leaders must serve in the world
as imperial servants to make ends meet. With the 60 hours or more that this
requires, they have no ambition or energy left to devote to God's kingdom.
Let's put this in a historical perspective.
We can trace the roots of revivalism to jolly old England with George
Whitfield and the Wesley Brothers. Early in the industrial revolution, this
form of religious service began to replace the local church as the foundation
of church action and culture. People were too busy in their imperial industrial
jobs to devote as much sheep time to the work of the local parish. With John
Wesley's gift for organization, this combination of Calvinism (Whitfield) and
Arminianism (Wesley) was largely responsible for giving American Evangelicalism
its foundation stones. Until the last 20th century however, this emphasis was
really a revival through poverty. This includes the work through Finney up to
the work of Billy Graham. But without changing the emphasis on the conversion
experience, more recently this work of, and from material, or spiritual poverty
has been replaced with revivalism of, and from affluence. With this follows
seeker sensitive entertainment and a moral righteousness that seeks to replace
old time religion with another more imperialistic model of church growth and
development. To follow this model we really revert to medieval Catholicism or
perhaps eventually into outright heresy.
Those of us not of that affluent persuasion, whether confessional,
fundamentalist or charismatic have the key within that diversity to allow the
redemption of imperial time into sheep time. With that redemption, or
renaissance not of the imperial church, we restore a church of the covenantal
kingdom of God. It must encompass the whole canon of Sola Scriptura. We must
begin to help those within the body create means of support that (for lack of a
better analogy) does not have Bill Gates as Chairman of the Board, but Jesus
Christ. That immediately takes us at least back to a poverty of spirit, while
we work together within that God given diversity to provide a community of
congregations and not cloister country clubs serving the kingdom of man.
In order for the church to function outside the corporate or imperial state
of the Kingdom of Man, the dominate role of the local church as God's true
instrument to reach this world requires a fully functioning church as Paul
expressed to Timothy. That must begin of course with following the exhortation
in 2 Timothy 4:2-5: Preach the word! Be ready in
season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and
teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but
according to their own desires because they have itching ears, they will heap
up for themselves teachers and they will turn their ears away from the truth
and be turned aside to fables, But you be watchful in all things, endure
afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
It all must come through the Pastor, for that is the way God has ordained
it, but at the same time he must be aware of his own limitations and not hinder
God's work through his own desire for understanding (or worse). For that reason
I endeavor to make these weekly essays relevant to the readers and also to
provide some potential church community infrastructure improvements. The
complexity of this in the light of the messages of these first weeks of a new
century as well as other changes that are taking place in my life have
definitely "stretched my ability to share" but this too shall pass.
We serve a living God who has redeemed fallen mankind from sin and has adopted
us as his children. What kind of love that is, we must not feel ashamed to seek
for the redemption of sheep time to serve our Eternal Shepherd.
When I finished this message Monday, I had no means of sending it out. As of
3 PM yesterday I had fifty eight cents to my name (up from 52 on Saturday) no
means to change ISP's (Internet Service Providers) as I felt I should. No money
to renew my old account because the VISA was maxed out and no money to expand
the debit card. But with the mail the LORD provided funds for this new account.
While things are not out of the wilderness, there seems a way ahead, to begin
to try to accomplish some of those time redemption steps, outlined above. More
about that next week. But I have learned again the faithfulness of our God who
delivers us out not only in the situation, but also out of the situation. May
His name ever be praised!
Please note the new email addresses below and make changes as appropriate.
God Bless you abundantly one and all!
Jerry