Live a Life...

In Ephesians, Paul encourages Christians to "live a life worthy of the calling you have received (Ephesians. 4:1)." It is interesting to note that he does not say to "live a Christian life" worthy of the calling you have received. His point, I believe, is that all aspects of my life (my entire life) are to be lived with a Christian worldview.

That's obvious, you say? The truth is that we often live two lives: a spiritual life as a Christian - at church or with Christian friends, and a secular life - at work, for example, or in our political and social lives. In other words, there are times when we consciously separate our Christian foundation from the things we may espouse in secular culture; indeed, allowing the world to heavily influence our thoughts rather than allowing the Spirit of God to guide all of our thoughts and actions.

In many ways, this may be the biggest struggle we face as Christians because the world has done a good job of convincing us that our "religion" has no place in the "real" world; that the "separation of church and state" precludes us from placing a Christian worldview on everything in our lives. Which, I believe, misses the point entirely.

One need not be an outspoken activist, creating a stir or distraction, to live a life that reflects the Christ - to be a light on the hill. Ultimately, the influence of the Christ in our individual lives is to see people differently, to treat people differently, to see and react to the world differently because "Christ's love compels us (2 Cor. 5:14)" to do so.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

If the only parts of our lives that are "Christian" are those that are seen by other Christians, what impact can we have?

The Sentencing

They say you might have to die, Oscar.

It won’t be much longer now. Then we’ll know. You seem pretty calm considering the stakes, I’ve got to say. Maintaining such an unruffled demeanor is no small achievement, what with all those eyes, 12 pair to be exact, taking turns zeroing in on you from across the room, trying to read your mind from your manner. But nothing seems to phase you.

There’s something about your eyes, though. They look almost lidless. They stick out like billiard balls, as if maybe your tie is too tight. I guess maybe they’ve seen more than eyes were ever meant to see. And what they saw, no mind was ever meant to replay – but yours has, over and over again.

Conscience bites hard and it doesn’t let go, just like those pit bulls you spent your spare time raising and fighting. What did you say to it after that first time to get it to heel? Did you tell it not to worry, that it wasn’t that big a deal? It wasn’t like she was your real daughter after all. She was your stepdaughter. No flesh, no blood, no relation. Did it help to tell yourself that? But then she said she was going to tell on you and you had to keep that from happening. And you did. So here we are.

They say you might have to die, Oscar. It’ll make for good copy, you know. That’s why I’m here. This is a story people will want to read about.

But it’s not the one I want to tell. Telling your story has been humbling and has reminded me of things; it has reminded me that while the choices I’ve made in life have been different from yours and in most cases better, the net effect has been the same: alienation from God and a sentence of death. That’s what I need to tell: how I’d be sitting right where you are, condemned for crimes too numerous to recount, against Creator and creation alike, if not for a curious fact -- that my judge and my advocate are one and the same. And if not for an even stranger fact -- that my judge, the dignity of his position notwithstanding, gave it all up and took my punishment upon himself -- my eternal prospects would be worth even less than your temporal ones are now.

Watching our justice system at work has a way of reminding me of this story. But unfortunately it’s not the story they pay me to tell. I’ll have to tell it on my time. In the meantime, it looks like they are filing back in. All rise. Their eyes are avoiding you now.

It’s time, Oscar. It’s time.

The Greatest Commands?

It is humbling to know that the entirety of the Law is wrapped up in two commands from God: to love the LORD with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. Later, Jesus would say that we should love our neighbor as He loved us - raising the stakes, if you will.

At the same time, keeping the Father's commands is how we demonstrate our love for Him (John 14). And His commands, you see, are fully wrapped up in loving Him and loving each other.

Sadly, in many cases we are guilty of actually scorning those that God asks us to love - no, not those outside the kingdom, but those IN the kingdom! Often, this scorn is over issues elevated to an importance that does not exist in the Scripture.

Scorn for a brother or sister in Christ...!

Can we really afford to treat each other in ways we KNOW are sinful over issues that remain in constant and irreconcilable debate? Is that the goal of New Testament Christianity?

If we learn absolutely nothing else from our journey through the Old Testament, it should be clear that the only thing that is important to the Creator is the dedication of our hearts to Him - and Him alone. That, of course, is not just a verbal exercise, but is exemplified in a genuine and sincere service to the King and His kingdom.

Remember, even Jesus himself admitted that the hypocritical Pharisees knew the Law (Matthew 23:1). It was the condition of their hearts that earned the Lord's disdain.

Election Blues

I know a lot of good Christians are concerned about the November presidential election and I’m right there with them. I sometimes wonder, though, whether the country would really be the better for it, whether the cause of the Kingdom would be any better served, if everything turns out the way we’d like.

When we have “our people” in power don’t we tend to relax a bit? It’s an unstated assumption, I think, that if we can just get our party in, the group that we think best represents our values and makes policy accordingly, then it can turn our country around and reverse our culture’s moral decline. When this happens, when it goes the way we deem as “ours,” the sense of urgency seems to ebb. It’s a natural tendency. (We show it in our fellowships even. We hire a team of qualified ministers, then kick back in our designated pew, write our weekly check and leave the rest to our professionals.)

This all ties in with something I wrote recently about how political action is truly powerless to bring change in the place where change must occur if it’s going to work its way through the culture – the hearts of individuals.

Make no mistake. I shudder to think that a President of the United States could believe it is morally acceptable to take a premature baby who has survived an unsuccessful abortion, even as it cries for its mother, its tiny lungs filling with new air, and toss it aside to die. For a President to hold this position, invoking the so-called “right” to choose as including its protection, the practical consequences may not be great. We’ve so perfected this cruelest of expedients that it seldom fails the first time. What does this belief say, though, of a candidate’s underlying worldview? It’s frightening. Chilling, really.

But again, God often gave wayward Israel the bad leaders it deserved, men who indulged their own and the people’s lusts for all manner of pagan excess, even child sacrifice. As a nation, we’ve become practised in similar rituals. We sacrifice our children to the god Choice. The altars are built by black-robed men, but to our own specs -- all to ringing chants of “rights” and “freedom.”

The point: If we don’t like our leaders, it may be that we’re getting our just desserts as a nation. As Christians, we should certainly pray for our country. Come November, we should go to the polls and do our duty as good citizens, voting as our consciences guide us. Then, whether we get the outcome we want or otherwise, we should forget about it. Put it out of our minds, for all practical purposes, rejoin our brothers and sisters and get on with the hard task of taking Christ to a country that no longer knows its right hand from its left.

Because it’s in the trenches of everyday life, not the marble halls of power, where souls are won and cultures are changed.

Culture And How To Change It

I notice in today’s paper that one of our Oklahoma state lawmakers has proclaimed herself "a cultural warrior for Judeo-Christian values."

While I have no doubt that she means well, I think her statement springs from a sentiment that has taken deep root among American Christians in recent years -- the idea that the best way to get our morally adrift culture back on the right course is through political action.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be concerned about laws and government and who our elected leaders are; we certainly should be. But if that becomes our central concern, we are focusing on a symptom and missing the real problem, which goes much deeper. Real change for good occurs on an intimate personal level, as individual hearts come to realize their alienation from God through sin and find reconciliation in Jesus Christ. That and only that is how individual souls, and by extension groups of people, will find their bearings.

As long as the individual hearts of our country are turned away from God, it is going to be reflected in their collective whole -- the culture at large, of which our laws and governing institutions are but an emanation. Laws are top-down solutions to problems that originate at the bottom of a society: the individual hearts of its members. Laws are necessary but they are ultimately ineffective at getting at the real source of corruption. Even if you could somehow magically transform all our laws overnight to reflect Judeo-Christian values, it wouldn’t change one single solitary heart and our society’s slow backwards drift into spiritual narcolepsy would continue unabated.

As for this particular lawmaker, whose intentions I’m sure are noble, if she is committed to the cause of Christ, she would serve it much better by spurring her fellow Christians to get out of their church buildings and take their message to the streets, getting involved in their communities through acts of service -- not acts as ends in themselves, but as avenues for reaching individual hearts with the Good News about Jesus.

That, brothers and sisters, is how you change a culture. Anything else is confusing effects for the real cause.

What Is Man?

Twice in the Psalms, King David makes the statement, “What is man?” The context of both statements centers on the greatness of God in His creation of the universe, the planets, the stars, and all of nature – in sharp contrast to the pitiful weakness and immorality of man. David both saw and lived this contrast… and he was amazed that the God of the universe would stoop to pay attention to man, much less orchestrate man’s deliverance from his own self-destruction.

What was true in David’s time is equally true in ours. Some research into the shallowness and frailty of today’s man and woman gives us additional amazement into God’s continuing love and concern for us. Man is patently bent on self-destruction (Gen. 6:5; Rom. 7:24):

1. Man is self-destructive in his relationships.

We do harm to our marriages.The divorce rate in the United States continues to approach 50% of marriages. The divorce rate for those claiming to be Christians is actually higher than that of agnostics and atheists. The divorce rate in the Bible belt is the highest in the nation.

We do harm to our children. There are more than three million reported instances of child abuse in the United States per year, and officials fear that the actual number is much higher. The death rate from child abuse in the U.S. is 11 times higher than that of European countries. I sometimes wonder if enrolling our kids in every sport, hobby, and extra-curricular activity isn't some form of abuse? Is it any wonder that there is less time for church activities as we rush back and forth to drive our kids to the next, scheduled event?

We do harm to our partners. Spousal abuse is rampant. Abuse can take several forms, including physical, mental and emotional. The most commonly reported is physical and the instance is about 12% of women in the U.S. report physical abuse of some sort each year. Interestingly enough, men were as susceptible to abuse from their wives as were wives from their husbands.

These statistics are not unique to the non-Christian. These numbers reflect so-called "Christian" families. Each Sunday, as a minister looks at his congregation, he is looking at people bent on destroying their relationships.

2. Man continues to self-destruct in his spiritual journey.

Americans are worshipping and living in accordance with our own consciences and desires at an alarming rate. As America has become a more pluralistic nation, our recognition of "sacred" books other than the Bible has increased. In a recent Barna survey, the book of Mormon, the Koran, the Torah and a variety of other books were recognized as sacred texts. Thankfully, the Bible is still the overwhelming favorite -- and exclusive -- sacred book in America. We may not know its contents, but it still occupies the dominant spot on America’s bookshelf.

Among those who consider themselves to be strong Christians and hold only the Bible to be the Word of God, the trends are no less alarming. A recent survey indicates that the conditions of an ideal life for these committed Christians included, in priority order: physical health; integrity; one marriage partner for life (although only about 50% are achieving this); a clear purpose for living; a close, personal relationship with God; close friendships; a comfortable lifestyle; a satisfying sex life; having children; close relationships with family; and a committed faith. One interesting observation is that the condition of “having a comfortable lifestyle” has risen in importance by 20% in the last 20 years, and is seemingly more important to Christians than having a committed faith. Note that Americans spend seven times as much on entertainment as they do on spiritual activities. What if the apostles or the restoration movement leaders of the 1800s had held the same priorities as we?

Finally, “Christendom” is undergoing a vast reformation. While some of us are concerned with restoring first century Christianity, many others are focused on re-inventing the church to be relevant to today’s society. Less than half of today’s “protestant” ministers have a Biblical worldview which includes absolute moral truth, the infallibility of Scripture, the virgin birth, the existence of Satan, the omnipotence of God, and the personal responsibility to evangelize. Many see that we must re-make the church to be relevant to our high-tech, pluralistic, politically correct society.

At Open Door, our "experiment" in shrugging off the man-made traditions and institutionalism to be a restoration church is all the more important in this kind of society. We'd better become bold, courageous and determined in being counter-cultural.

3. Man continues to self-destruct in his personal life.

The United States leads the world in substance abuse. 16% of Americans have used cocaine, which is 4 times the percentage of the next highest country. Nearly 50% have tried marijuana.

More than $10 billion a year is spent on cosmetic surgery.

We spend $360 billion each year on entertainment.

Americans are engaged in an expensive, all-out search for the meaning of life. We have focused our attention on every conceivable idea, gadget and fad available in an effort to understand why we are here and how to obtain “happiness”… everything except to consult and follow the handbook to life that is provided by God.

Do you think that comfort is any less important to us? Next time you walk through the parking lot, notice the late model automobiles that we drive. We do not lack for comfort in our vehicles and our homes. How is it that we struggle to pay our ministers and find a permanent place to worship? Hmmm...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Our reading on the divided kingdom of Israel and the succession of evil and good kings experienced by both the northern and southern kingdoms has provided ample illustration of a nation of people that abandoned God and His ways to succumb to their own wiles and “wisdom.” There is nothing in the reading to suggest that the people and their leaders made a conscious decision that they “wanted to go to hell and be eternally separated from God.” Even at their worst, these people worshipped, prayed, encouraged community, maintained their ministers, and celebrated holy days.

Are we any different? Nationally? Congregationally? Individually? I think not.

Why would God continue to care about a wretched, fallen, rebellious bunch of people like YOU AND ME? Should this not motivate us to submit to Him and His ways? Like David of old, let’s first acknowledge our sinfulness and helplessness and seek Him who can save us from ourselves.

At the Open Door Church, we have made a conscious decision to ask and discuss the tough questions, engage in self and congregational examination, and seek in every way to do better and align ourselves with the Christ of the New Testament. We're not perfect, as the statistics and the Scriptures would indicate. But we're determined to make a difference. Care to join us?

Curing Our Edifice Complex

The opinions are still coming in but if I’m any judge, this week’s Backyard Bible Camp was an overwhelming success -- and, I hope, a model for how we do outreach at Open Door. Even when we have our own facility, the goal should be to get out of it as often as possible and into the community. The Bible Camp did just that. Big kudos to everyone involved!

The fact is, many people outside the Church are intimidated by our facilities. They see them only from the outside. What’s going on inside is left largely to their imaginations, which are colored by popular culture and its generally negative, even hostile, attitude toward organized religion of any stripe. The only sure way to show them who we are and what we are about, our Father’s business, is to get outside the walls.

I’m not knocking facilities as such. They’re tools and if they are used to successfully advance the Kingdom, then great. But if we’re not careful, they can encourage over time a kind of mental retreat from the world outside. A circle-the-wagons mentality has become common across our brotherhood today. We raise our physical edifice, retreat behind its comforting walls and then wait for the world, if it’s interested, to come to us. The mindset often goes with -- and reinforces -- this fractious zeal for defending our turf and traditions that for some brothers has come to trump all other considerations, including the Great Commission.

Let’s work hard so that our Open Door serves not only as an invitation to the world, but as an ever-present reminder of our own charge to go forth boldly into it.

The Kings Who Would Be Boys

“I will make boys their officials. Mere children will govern them.” -- Isa. 3:4

I wanted to draw your attention to this easily overlooked passage from this week’s Daily Bible reading. What God, through the prophet Isaiah, describes here is clearly an inversion of the proper order of things. Part of God’s punishment for his people’s continuing disobedience, it seems, was to give them, in essence, the leadership they deserved.

“Mere children will govern them..." Sound familiar?

We live in an age where boys rule. Whether it’s in our adolescent-driven, "gimme-gimme" consumer culture or our appalling lack of mature and principled leadership in the public square, we are a childish people.

It hasn’t been this way throughout our history. I’m reading David McCullough’s stirring biography of second president John Adams. The book and the HBO miniseries based on it are both marvelous on many levels and I wholeheartedly recommend them. As I read, I find myself comparing the leaders of that era with those of more recent ones and the differences are glaring.

One difference -- and it’s perhaps the central difference from which all others spring -- is this: The leaders of Adams’ day had a firm sense of the proper order of things. And at the top of that order was a sovereign God, a supreme judge to whom everyone would ultimately answer for how they used the gifts he’d given them, whether standing up for the true, the good and the just or in pursuing their own selfish ends. Even those, like Thomas Jefferson, who had unorthodox ideas about the creator, still acknowledged Him and ordered their lives accordingly.

Not to romanticize the past. These were flawed men who regularly failed to live up to their principles and often disagreed fiercely with each other. But their principles -- and the fact those principles were grounded in a transcendent moral order -- showed in their leadership.

We live in an age ruled by childish fantasies, one where extending adolescence indefinitely is for many the chief goal in life. Our leaders, with some exceptions, reflect this. Whether that’s God’s direct punishment or the natural byproduct of decades of bad choices or both, I don’t know. But I think we can be sure of one thing. Like the people of Judah and Israel, we are getting the leadership we deserve.

Be Shepherds of God's Flock (Part III)

One can see the Divine wisdom behind the model for church leadership if one steps back and takes in the full picture. Paul addresses the various functions in the early church in Ephesians 4. During this miraculously gifted age, the Lord equipped some to be "...apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up..."

The term "pastor" is synonymous with "overseer" and both terms refer to the office of the plurality of shepherds who are to pastor or oversee the flock (1 Tim. 3; Tit. 1). The evangelist is to "preach the word" (2 Tim. 4:2), and it requires great study, preparation and courage to speak God's oracles to a disobedient world. Both of these offices were created to prepare God's people to serve the community and become a close knit family -- the body of Christ in a broken and corrupt world.

Unfortunately, the most alarming tendency that I've seen in the Lord's church- and it has been exhibited to some degree in nearly every congregation that I've spent time with - is the evolution of the eldership to a man-made model. Many of today's elderships bear little resemblance to the divine pattern for leadership in the kingdom. The model that congregations seem to have adopted has been one more akin to the business world's "corporate" model of governance - a "board of directors" who meet from time to time, review budgets, attend to personnel actions, and issue decrees.

Are these elders "bad" men? Not at all. But they are often bound up in a failed model that is patterned after the business world. Even those men who are qualified and gifted as elders, and desire to shepherd according to God's plan, often find themselves restricted by a "corporate" model that fails to provide servant leadership to the congregation. The results of this leadership model is that our people are NOT prepared for works of service, and do NOT act as a family of God in the community.

I learned more about the elders from an elder's wife than I have from any elders that I've been around. Over a three year period, I watched as she single-handedly continued to serve the congregation with hospitality, love, teaching, sharing and faithfulness after her husband had passed away. I have no doubt that this couple understood exactly the role of an elder. It was apparent in their children, too. Both of their children and their spouses actively served in their congregations and were just as hospitable in serving and teaching.

As a restoration church, we must strive to fix this failed leadership model, but I fear it won't happen within the context of congregations that have become so "institutionalized" that they cannot effectively change. As we consider men for our shepherds, we have much to think about. Are these men exhibiting shepherding behavior right now? Are their wives true, spiritual partners in their hospitality, teaching and example?

At the Open Door Church, we have a wonderful opportunity to restore the Lord's perfect leadership plan for the congregation. That leadership plan includes assigning the right responsibilities and authority to evangelists, shepherds, and deacons as we move this work forward. It means realizing that these offices work as an interdependent team, not as a hierarchical governing structure. Restoring God's plan means recognizing the contributions of our great women and insuring that their roles accurately reflect the New Testament pattern. It means moving away from a "corporate" leadership model that has plagued many of our sister congregations.

Most of all it means being courageous. Join us at the Open Door church of Christ. We have a place for you.

Be Shepherds of God's Flock (Part II)

The shepherd of yesteryear -- almost unknown in industrialized, western nations -- was an important part of a community. Because sheep were valuable for a number of reasons (clothing, food, and even milk & cheese) it was the shepherd's duty to keep the flock healthy and safe. Moreover, the shepherd was a doctor, leader, an encourager, a servant and a guard to his flock.

Shepherds moved the sheep from field to field to ensure that they always had adequate food, water and safety. The shepherd usually worked with other shepherds in teams to oversee large flocks, and some would go ahead of the flock to prepare fields while others moved the flock along, while still others may have cleaned up behind the flock.

The work of the shepherd involved intimate knowledge of each sheep. There was an emotional attachment to each member of the flock because of their innocence and relative defenselessness. The sheep would often want to cuddle with the shepherd in quiet moments or at night while sleeping. Shepherds had to diagnose health problems and work to treat them proactively. They were not well paid for this work, so they had to truly love the animals and care for their well-being more than any compensation that might come from this vocation.

Is it any wonder that Peter and Jesus draw from the work of the shepherds of their day in describing the men who are to oversee the people of God? Peter's admonition to perform the work out of love for God and man rather than money (1 Pet. 3:3) and Jesus' use of terms such as "thieves, robbers...hirelings..." to describe imposters (John 10:8, 12), leaves no doubt that God wants men who are fully committed to the lives of the flock to serve in this capacity.

Truly, understanding the work of a shepherd sheds great light on the work of the men that we call the eldership. I've often wondered why we call these men elders (a term that refers to age), rather than shepherds (which is descriptive of their work). Thankfully, many congregations are moving to a more prominent use of the term "shepherd" in describing these men because of its rich meaning. The intimacy, the frequent communication, and the selfless service that men appointed to these positions are supposed to exhibit is more aptly bound up in the term shepherd. Jesus described himself as the "good shepherd" (John 10:14), and "I know my sheep and my sheep know me..."

Truly, the work of a shepherd/elder is crucial to the congregation.  The question is not whether or not God has structured His church to be successful, but whether or not we are living out the inspired model in our congregations.

Be Shepherds of God's Flock (Part I)

That each congregation of people in the Kingdom of Christ should be overseen by a group of men often referred to as "elders" is readily acknowledged by those with a restoration mindset. According to Paul, Titus was to "appoint" elders in every city (Tit. 1:5) using the Holy Spirit provided guidance given to him. Numerous epistles were written to the "elders and "saints" of the church in a city. While that guidance was miraculous in the first century, it has been set forth on the pages of inspiration by Paul for our benefit today (Tit. 1:6-9; 1 Tim. 3:1-7). When we prayerfully and Scripturally appoint elders today, the Holy Spirit is just as involved in the selection process as He was in the first century.

Having lived from coast to coast and worshiped in dozens of congregations, it is safe to say that our methods of appointing elders to these positions of sobering responsibility needs some work. Nevertheless, in this blog I want to focus on what elders should DO after they have been appointed to their work.

By far the most instructive passages in the New Testament regarding the work of elders are found in John 10, 1 Peter 5 and Acts 20. All refer to the work of elders as that of shepherding the community of God over which they have been placed by having reflected an image of the divine "picture" painted by the Scriptures -- both in qualifications and overall attitude and demeanor. In John 10, Jesus portrays Himself as the ultimate shepherd, and in 1 Pet 5:4, Peter refers to Him as the "Chief Shepherd." What better picture of a shepherd than the living example of Christ could we have?

The picture Paul paints in Acts 20 while in conversation with the Ephesian eldership is one of men who are wholeheartedly devoted to the truth, and who will protect the flock with their lives. Indeed, Jesus said: "...the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11). It is understandable that Paul would focus his attention on this aspect of the shepherd's work, since the biggest threat to his ministry was that of the Judiazing teachers who were perverting the gospel (Gal. 1:7). Protecting the flock from false doctrine is an important function of a congregation's shepherds. Indeed it is saving them from soul-threatening wolves (Acts 20:29). However, defense against false doctrine is not the ONLY function of shepherds. Indeed, to focus on this aspect of shepherding without fulfilling all of the other numerous functions of a shepherd would be like defending a group of people from one threat while neglecting them as they perish from starvation or other maladies.

A more well-rounded picture is painted by Peter in his first general epistle. Peter's description includes servant leadership, humility, being a living example, demonstrating loving care, and having an eagerness for the work itself (1 Pet. 5:1-4).

Make no mistake -- shepherding the flock is work!

A Kingdom of Priests

I went to a Catholic high school, even though I wasn't a member of the Catholic church. I received a quality education and got to be the only "protestant" quarterback in the school's history. In my three years at this school, I met some very fine "Priests" and "Sisters", who served as teachers, administrators and in other capacities that helped shape my educational path.

I didn't know the Bible very well then, but as I grew in my knowledge, I became confused at the difference in the way the term "priest" is used by Catholics in contrast to how it is used by the writers of the New Testament.

For example, the Old Testament is full of references to the priesthood that God set up through Moses for the nation of Israel. This priesthood came from a certain family (the Levites) and the duties and responsibilities were clearly set out for the people to follow.

---

"...you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood,
offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. " 1 Peter 2:5

---

In the gospels and in the book of Acts, we see Christ and his disciples interact with this same priesthood in various discussions and confrontations. I used to wonder about what happened to this priesthood until I read some of the historical accounts of the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. In that catastrophe, the temple was torn down, the genealogical records were destroyed, the city was razed, and surviving Jews were scattered everywhere. Since that destruction nearly 2,000 years ago, there have been no priests, no sacrifices and no temple worship.

The writers of the New Testament explain why. In numerous references throughout the book of Hebrews, in the epistle of 1 Peter and in the Revelation, it becomes clear that the nature and composition of the priesthood has changed under Christ. With the end of the Old Covenant and the fulfillment of the law of Moses, there has been a dramatic change: Christ has assumed the throne of a new kingdom (1 Tim. 6:15); He has become the Law Giver; He is the new high priest (Heb. 4:14). With these changes has also come a change in the composition of the priesthood: All believers are priests (1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Revelation 1:6).

You see, God never intended for the fleshly, Levitical priesthood to go on forever. The intent of Christ is that His followers serve under Him as ministers of the gospel to a lost and misguided world. The ministry of some of us is to teach the gospel. For others it is to share the gospel. For all of us it is to LIVE OUT the gospel.

I have no idea why the Catholic church has retained a specialized priesthood that is separate and apart from the members. But I do know this: restoration congregations (communities intent on restoring first century worship and practices) stand in danger of replicating this flawed model if we insist on distinctions between members and the leadership with regards to our common responsibilities to know, share and live out the gospel message.

An active shepherding program, constant and loving teaching on the responsibilities we inherit when we become members of the New Testament priesthood, and continual accountability to each other on our words and actions will help us avoid this pitfall. It is a liberating thought to understand that God sees me as an important part of His grand plan to save the world. That I could serve others in the gospel of His Son -- sinful man that I am -- is a sobering, but energizing thought. That I could do it with a group of like-minded people who will help me is comforting indeed. We are truly a "kingdom of priests."

At the Open Door church of Christ, there are plenty of opportunities to grow, share and serve. Check us out.

Fish tales

Before I launch into this, one disclaimer:

If you have one of those Ichthys fish on your car, I don’t have a problem in the world with it. There’s not anything inherently wrong with sticking a shiny Ichthys emblem on your bumper. It’s a symbol and conveys something about what you believe, similar in that sense to wearing a cross around your neck. You may fail to live up to your symbols, just don’t bow down to them. Our fellowship is using a symbol of its own, an open door, to send a message about what we believe, who we are and what sets us apart. But Christians, we’d all agree, should be known primarily for their words and actions, not by an insignia.

And that’s just where the fish gives me pause.

While there are more fish emblems and other assorted Christian symbols out there than ever, it doesn’t translate to a rise in Christian influence. Whatever the symbol means, it doesn’t appear to mean we’re changing anything. Starting humbly, from a few fishes and loaves, Christianity converted the Roman Empire from the ground up. Now our civilization is busy converting back.

That’s the irony of the fish. Centuries before some marketing savant foresaw a fast buck in it, it served as an identifying mark for first-century believers, allowing them to find each other when dangerous times demanded secrecy. As such, the symbol was a harbinger of a coming revolution.

With its modern reemergence, however, if there’s a revolution afoot, we’re on the wrong end of it. Christianity is rapidly losing its influence in the West. If it sends us back to our roots, though, the decline may not be an altogether bad thing.

The Spirit-driven early Christians won the west for Christ through words and deeds, one pagan heart at a time. The difference today, I believe, is while our emblems are everywhere, we don’t back them up with the words and deeds. We can pepper the world with symbols, but it’s no substitute for salt — for the purifying, redemptive influence only the Spirit-led sons and daughters of the King can bring.

At Open Door, with our focus on that first-century spirit, I think we have a clear grasp of this and are demonstrating our faith by keeping words and actions central. Let's pray we continue.