Infrastructure: Building upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets

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Since the beginning of this year, most of these e-letters have focused on exploring the who question of infrastructure.  Infrastructure is something that society depends on for ease of communication and travel and use of utilities, etc., but which has usually been in place for so long that we hardly even think about it.  When we first moved over from England, I was a classic city dweller.  I assumed that all homes were hooked up to a central sewage system.  This is until the day one of our kids was riding their bike around our new home in the States, and all of a sudden his front wheel sunk into a very wet, boggy area, and the resulting fall brought him into the house smelling to high heaven.

You’re right, our septic system was leaking, and I didn’t even know that we had a septic system.  I don’t think that I even knew what a septic system was.  I guess I was like the kids recently shown on Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution who didn’t know that French Fries came from potatoes!

Much of the church is like this when it comes to understanding Kingdom infrastructure.  Ephesians 2 teaches us that the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.  But few have stopped to ask themselves what does this mean.  What does it look like when the church is built on the foundation of the pastors and teachers rather than on the foundation of the apostles and prophets?  Well, maybe we should just look around us!

God’s intended infrastructure includes apostles as master builders, who are not showing off their wares from the roof-tops, but rather as described in 1 Corinthians 4: 8-13, as being trampled underfoot, which is exactly where foundations belong.  Prophets similarly, as not there to show off their gift, but rather to show off their Savior, because it is “the testimony of Jesus which is the spirit of Prophesy.”  (Rev. 19:10)  We desperately need to see these gifts of the ascended Lord to His church (see Eph 4: 8-11) functioning in their fullness within the modern church.  As house church movements, we need the unifying impact of opening up our gatherings to the input of the apostolic and prophetic people that God will raise up.  These people help to keep us on course, listening to God and doing what He says.  They don’t try to control us or manipulate us, but rather release us into our God given callings.

Much more needs to be said about this subject, but in the short space that I allot myself in this e-letter, I will just focus on a few things that strike me about our Biblical responsibility to the apostles and prophets among us.

• First, we should honor them, including helping in their support, because of all they are sacrificing to bring Jesus to us.  As churches we should look for opportunities to identify and bless those who are apostolic who have gone out from our gatherings, or who the Lord has used to bless us.  For example, nearly all of us have been blessed by someone like Wolfgang Simson, who blazed a trail for us through both his work in India, and then the book, “Houses That Change The World.”  Have you ever seriously considered that someone as well known as Wolfgang may be praying “give us this day our daily bread” with great passion because if God does not provide he and his family are going to go hungry!  Now last time I saw Wolfgang he did not look to me as if he was hungry, but I will guarantee you that his bank account is a lot slimmer than he is.  When we see good people serving the Lord we should actively look for ways to support them.  This is a Biblical mandate.
• Secondly, you may want to learn more about these missional resource teams (MRTs) that are represented through the leadership gifts of the apostles and prophets.  I suggest that you look at what John White and Kent Smith and the www.LK10.com site are exploring at this link as to the role of catalytic leadership to help rapidly growing church planting movements.
• Finally, we should pray for the apostles and prophets because they are on the front lines of the spiritual warfare that is constantly going on around us.  Repeatedly Paul urged people to pray for him.  (See Eph 6:19-20 for one example.)  Any of us involved in regular mission commitments that expose us to spiritual warfare as a living and challenging reality know that we desperately need people praying for us.  In last week’s e-letter I let you know that Felicity and I greatly value prayer for the mission trip that we are now on.  Take prayer seriously.  Prayer can become like breathing.  It can be  always going on in the background of our ordinary, daily living (see I Thess. 5: 17).  If you want to pray for us, we value it highly, and send out more detailed occasional prayer letters to those who commit to pray for us.  (Click on this link for more info.)
  1. We are not the only one’s needing prayer.  I want to mention a specific prayer request from a group who have been a huge help to House2House over the years.  The Maclellan Foundation initially helped to underwrite some of the costs of the early paper editions of House2House Magazine, and have since then worked with us on a number of projects.  Most recently they helped to underwrite some of the costs of the mega/micro initiative that have helped very large church movements take seriously what is going on with the very small house/organic church movements.  The foundation is currently focused on church planting, leadership development and discipleship and scripture translation, including orality. The foundation is in the process of building a prayer base to under-gird all they and their partner ministries do. If you’re interested in praying just 15 minutes a week for the foundation, merely send an e-mail to Doug@Maclellan.net and say “I want to pray”. You will begin to receive a weekly update of the foundation’s and its partner’s needs.
  2. There is much more that needs to be shared about Spiritual Warfare.  I plan to let this be the focus of the next newsletter that will come out in another week or so.

This had better be all for now, or I will have people writing to me to say that my e-letter is taking way over my promised 60 seconds to read.

Tony and Felicity and the H2H team.

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Recent Stories:

Each week H2H publishes a story/article about simple church and/or living out our life in the Kingdom. Recent stories include:

• The Great Commission and Great Leadership by Dmitriy Demidov
• Simplifying Discipleship By Roger Thoman, with comments from Ken Eastburn
• Movement or Spiritual Family? Erik and Jen Fish
• THE god oF HISToRy (Part 2 of 2) by Rad Zdero

House2House is a donation supported ministry.

By Tony & Felicity Dale and George Barna

Today’s Western culture is indifferent to church and Christians. Yet the early church existed in far harsher conditions—and it thrived. Much like a new litter of rabbits, the infant faith quickly grew and spread. And the result was a world transformed.

In The Rabbit and the Elephant, Tony and Felicity Dale (Simply Church) and George Barna (Revolution) say that the same thing is happening today. As Christians, we are the church – whether we meet in office buildings, college dorm rooms, coffee shops, factories, or homes – and the Holy Spirit uses us to expand that church to the far reaches of the globe. By practicing “simple church,” we’ll find that a small gathering of friends loving Jesus together and reaching out to the community around them can help us to be the church, the way God intended.

The rabbit and the elephant. Something small and something big. Find out what lessons they hold for you, for the body of Christ, and for the future of church as we know it.

From Eternity to Here: Rediscovering the Ageless Purpose of God

By Frank Viola

Deep within God’s Word lies a wondrous story like no other. A drama that originated before time began. An epic saga that resonates with the heartbeat of God. A story that reveals nothing less than the meaning of life and God’s great mission in the earth. From Eternity to Here presents three remarkable stories spanning Genesis to Revelation. Each story traces a divine theme that is woven throughout Scripture. Seen together, they offer an extraordinary glimpse into God’s highest passion and grand mission. What you discover will forever change your view of life, the church, and our magnificent God.

Organic Leadership

by Neil Cole

What are the weeds that hinder the natural growth of godly leadership? Are programs, people, and money truly the signs of a successful church? Where can you find an unlimited source of leaders? How do you mentor others so that they multiply? In Organic Leadership, Neil Cole asks these questions and more, boldly challenging many of the ideas about leadership and church life that we all take for granted.

 

 

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Clayton, WA 99110-0229