NOTE:This was the promised reflection from over a month ago about our service opportunity in downtown Dayton. I dropped the ball on getting it up, but here it is. I will not be posting more than this one. I hope you enjoy it, but moreover that you are challenged by it.
For those of you who know me, know that I like to talk about revolutions and seeing things turned upside in our world with the ridiculous and radical love of Jesus Christ. After all the title of my monthly newsletter/prayer letter is entitled Anastatoo, which means to “turn upside down†in Greek. It’s the beat of my heart to see a radical upheaval that purely flows through the Good News of Jesus coming to redeem all things to Himself.
This is where I felt it was good to begin in reflecting on my time that we, the AIA staff, spent at the Life Enrichment Center (L.E.C.) a couple of weeks ago. The LEC is a holistic ministry that seeks to meet people’s whole needs. So they feed their bellies, feed their minds (in the form of G.E.D. classes, and many other classes), feed their longing for relationship, and ultimately feed their deepest longing – the relationship with the God who created them. It was an inspirational time of serving and also getting served by the staff of the LEC and also two men who came to speak to us.
As I begin these reflections I felt compelled to begin where we, as a group, ended. That was with a talk and a challenge from Pastor Mike Bowie. Before I get into it I want to share the lyrics from a song by Jack Johnson that reflects this well and also could be my theme song in many ways. (In fact, its almost like I sat down with Jack and helped him write it. Except for the verse about “mother nature’s song†part, I didn’t help him with that part.)
Upside Down – Jack Johnson
Who’s to say what’s impossible?
Well they forgot this world keeps spinning
And with each new day
I can feel a change in everything
And as the surface breaks reflections fade
But in some ways they remain the same
And as my mind begins to spread it’s wings
There’s no stopping curiosity
I want to turn the whole thing upside down
I’ll find the things they say just can’t be found
I’ll share this love I find with everyone
We’ll sing and dance to mother nature’s songs
I don’t want this feeling to go away
Who’s to say I can’t do everything?
Well I can try, and as I roll along I begin to find
Things aren’t always just what they seem
I want to turn the whole thing upside down
I’ll find the things they say just can’t be found
I’ll share this love I find with everyone
We’ll sing and dance to mother nature’s songs
This world keeps spinning
And there’s no time to waste
Well it all keeps spinning, spinning
Round and round and upside down
Who’s to say what’s impossible and can’t be found?
I don’t want this feeling to go away
Please don’t go away
Please don’t go away
Is this how it’s supposed to be?
Is this how it’s supposed to be?
What a great song to serve as a launching point to share Pastor Bowie’s thoughts of a counter-cultural movement of Christ followers that won’t settle for the mundane. Pastor Bowie took us to Acts 4:32-35 to serve as a model for our study.
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Acts 4:32-35 (ESV)
This is what the earliest form of a local church looked like, but yet as I have been involved in church to, some capacity, all of my life I have never seen this. I don’t believe we have to have a nostalgic view of the early church, merely thinking that was then and it can’t be possible today. In the words of my British friends, “That’s rubbish!†It is still possible! Pastor Bowie made a few simple observations from this section of Scripture to help us see that we can still be part of a community like this.
Pastor Bowie didn’t beat around the bush, but dived right in and challenged us from the beginning of his time with us! His first observation was that individualism, materialism and privilege wasn’t claimed within the community of Acts. The author of Acts, Luke, made it clear that everyone member of the early church community shared everything. This requires a people who aren’t concerned about accumulating more and more toys to fill their garages but, as Paul exhorted us, to consider others before ourselves. Pastor Bowie asked us the question, “Are you wrapped up in stuff?â€
Yes, I am and I am not proud of it. I take my love for technology too far too often and become wrapped up in it. Or it might be having the newest pair of Nike football cleats or whatever. I too often am concerned about what I got, what I can get, and/or myself.
Isn’t this plan and simple our American individualism and materialistic culture?
We aren’t, at least I am not, concerned of our neighbors before ourselves. I think we are scared of a community like this because we know we will have to change the way we think and live. We will have to challenge the whole system that is called Evangelicalism. But we don’t, again at least I don’t, challenge it because the current system gives me what I want. Pastor Bowie made this observation of Evangelicalism, “Evangelicals rarely challenge the status quo because the status quo benefits the majority of evangelicals because they are white.†Now I know I brought race into that a bit, but if you think about American evangelicalism it is bent to the white, upper middle class, which I am part of.
So how do we challenge this? So how does this status-quo of materialism, individualism and a bent to the privileged get turned upside down? This brings us to Pastor Bowie’s second point. The answer is by getting back to the roots of our Christian faith and following the pattern of the early church. By sharing every bit of ourselves and what God has given us. It takes realizing that what we own isn’t ours but has been given to us on loan to help others have what they need. Within this community of the early church there was no need, or as Pastor Bowie put it, “There was no welfare, but everybody fared well!â€
So the way we challenge the status-quo, or the “isms†(i.e. materialism, individualism, consumerism or whatever “ism†you can think of) of America and the world is by being part of rebuilding an ACTS-like Community. This community, the early Church, wasn’t bound by the four walls of a building and it wasn’t held hostage by any “isms†but mission drove it! This mission, according to Pastor Bowie, needs to be a characterized by commitment, courage, compassion.
A commitment to stand for the Gospel and continue to be committed to this community no matter what type of storms blow in or whatever types of struggles come our way.
This community that we need to rebuild needs a boatload of courage! As I look at my own life and much of the church at large I, and we, are too domesticated. We are too safe! Which shouldn’t be the case, because the power of God that comes through the resurrection should cultivate crazy courage! Pastor Bowie encouraged us to get around people who are crazier than us! I loved this point, because I need to get around guys that are crazier and more courageous than me because it inspires me to live it! When you are connected to group of radical Christians it should infect you!
Lastly, this needs to be a compassionate community, because “love covers a multitude of crap (or sin).†Pastor Bowie defined this compassion as an infusion of empathy and empowerment that seeks to see others made whole! He challenged us to be people that bleed and ooze compassion. Pastor Bowie concluded with, â€Whenever people encounter you, they should come to you one way, but because of the compassion in you they need to leave another way!â€
May the Lord help each of us be part of building communities like these all over the globe and may God use us to continue to build His Revolution!