To boldly reach out where no one has gone before

I think there is some fear and concern (I don't want to accuse anyone of worry) about the new church governing structure we are beginning on Sept 1. I am going to address the specifics in a series of sermons beginning Sept 3. But I wanted to take a moment and talk about why this is, in my opinion, a critical step for Bethany.

If we want to know what "church" should be like, we need look no further than the book of Acts (and we find some resolution in the epistles as well). In the Bible, we find that there were no committees. That doesn't sound very Baptist, but the closest thing to a committee I can find in the Bible is the first deacons appointed in Acts 6. They were selected to take care of the needs of widows so the Apostles could devote themselves to prayer and ministry of the word (Acts 6:1-4). There it is, the original (and only) "committee" in the Bible. They were charged with the on-going needs of the Hellenistic Jewish widows. So, from this, we can gather that a committee may need to be formed for an ongoing need.

Instead of getting focused on just the complaints of a few, however, the Apostles wanted to devote themselves to prayer and teaching. Why? That is how God had gifted them. They were passionate and enjoyed working with the Word. They felt the pains of others and were driven to their knees in prayer. God had wired them with specific gifts. If we then look at those first deacons in Acts 6:3, we see they were men of good reputation and full of wisdom. They were also gifted by God for the task they needed to accomplish, namely, feeding the widows.

Now, in the "team" concept of church, the idea is to plug people in to do the tasks that they are gifted to do. And every member of the church is gifted in some way. In Romans 12:6 Paul writes:
Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly...
Beginning in September, we will be exploring every member's spiritual gifts and how those fit into the five functions of church (worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism). We may find that we are short gifted members to perform all the tasks. Then we will know how to pray specifically for the laborers we need to accomplish God's task.

I know it feels like we are plunging ahead without a map. That we have approved and are marching toward something that is undefined. Let me try to reassure you with some observations. There are no nursery, kitchen, building and grounds, or ad hoc committees listed in the Bible. Rather, in Acts 2, we see God's people in His church practicing the 5 functions that I have already mentioned. If the Bible is truly our guide book, then we just need to figure out together how to do "church" in a biblical way. I am much more excited than nervous. Let's take a leap of faith and see what God will do when His people trust Him to handle the outcome.