Yeshua Explored

4th April 2022

If only!

How can the Church move forwards?

(This series of articles was written at the beginning of the first lockdown in March/April 2020)

Previous articles are still available on the Premier Christian radio website – https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Blogs2/Yeshua-Explored  – (until they finally pull the plug!)

If only … ? Or … please no! It’s all down to perspective because these articles are, after all, just my journal of possibilities rather than a thus says the Lord (though I wouldn’t have put pen to paper if I didn’t believe the latter). Watch, pray and wait are our imperatives. That’s all I ask, especially if you feel called to be a watchman on the wall.

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself. (Ezekiel 3:17-19)

These articles are very different to my usual offerings, as it provides a prophetic narrative on which to hang much that I have been writing about for the last twelve years. The sheer, momentous nature of current world events has compelled me to engage with them and, to be honest, when the Lord calls me to tackle a given subject, I would be foolish to ignore That Voice! The book (Flockdown) took under three weeks to write, my fastest ever turnround!

Let’s recap. One effect of COVID-19 has been Flockdown, a compulsory separation of Christians from their places of worship. The thesis of this book is that it has been God’s Plan A all of the time, the possibility of a complete reboot, rather than a temporary time for reflection or awkwardness (or both). The heart of Plan A is not about the virus, or even the virtual world, it is the window of opportunity they have provided for a return to the original model. Plan A is giving us a chance to address over 1800 years of Greek infiltration of the Church and to return to the Hebraic mindset that informed Jesus and his contemporaries. And how was this to happen? The answer can be found in what most people in the Church considered as God’s Plan B, the possibilities provided by the internet, specifically video conferencing.

Although we had evidence from our last conference, Foundations 13, that this is possible, further evidence came from the Bible, specifically the story of the Babylonian exile and observations made by the prophet Haggai in his book. The Exile came about through idolatry and corruption and, in a modern equivalence, so did Flockdown. The Exile may have been a judgement but it also served to concentrate worship in people’s homes, as did Flockdown. But then Haggai reminded us that a time had to come when the People of God had to restore and rebuild, return to the foundations of their faith. This is the challenge offered to Christians today. We can rethink and reevaluate and perhaps a way forward is Hybrid Church, where we can still physically fellowship, but do so while being connected to the wider Body of Christ through the virtual world. And to drive this realization could be through Hebraic principles, providing an alternative to the structures and limitations that have often (but not always) hampered true Christian growth.

Haggai tells us that, until we seriously undertake the rebuilding of God’s House, rather than our own houses, we will never be fully blessed in our endeavours. We need to start thinking of new wineskins rather than patching up the old ones. Haggai reminds us that God will be both pleased and honoured if we undertake this, so what is stopping us? Hybrid Church will not be easy and will be accompanied by further shaking of the Nations. But the endgame is blessings and the glory of the present house will be greater than the glory of the former house.

Hybrid Church. Is it the answer? It depends what the question is. If you have a stirring in your spirit that all is not completely well in the Church as you observe its visible manifestations in our Nation, then it could be. The key thought is not to confuse God’s Plan A with the Church’s Plan B! Don’t plan for the return to “normality”, plan for change … for the better!

As to how Hybrid Church can be achieved, I must confess I don’t have all the answers, but believe that our Foundations project can begin to supply some. Let’s face it, we’re just small fry, just a tiny ripple in the great ocean. But God knows who He can use. Here’s a good starter:

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:1-4)

Humility. Now there’s a good place to start. This is an extract from the book, Flockdown: Is the Church out for the count?, available for £5 at https://www.sppublishing.com/flockdown-263-p.asp