Why Revolution?

June 23rd, 2009 | 10 Comments Recommended? 2 Yes! No!

The Jesus Revolution

The Church landscape is a wreck today, by some accounts.
Or is it a Revolution in-motion, shattering old structures?

Ready or not, it’s on-the-move, big-time, He said:

He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention…that is, the summing-up of all things. Ephesians 1:9

It's actually a living, breathing, moving Revolution!

We call it “Church” with a big yawn.

But God calls it “the mystery of His will” because it’s a plan so marvelous nobody can imitate it or understand it–unless He explains it, of course. And He explained it, so it’s not so mysterious for anyone interested in His Blueprints for Revolution.

There’s a huge difference between God’s opinion and ours concerning “the Mystery of His Will”. We get preoccupied with establishing our own kingdoms, like mini-kings, and what king wants a Revolution? This is why people go to Sunday Morning Worship at Church not really expecting it to disrupt anything. This is why 70% of Americans consider themselves “Christians” without ever thinking of a Revolution.

Christian Revolution seems strange only because Church is so institutionalized, sterilized and trivialized, there’s no “mystery of His will” remaining! It’s all preplanned in committees and boardrooms, packaged and marketed like everything else in Corporate America: and most of the money goes into the package.

And what about discovering “His kind intention” in Church? Don’t most people find…

Rules, restrictions, and stuffy-politeness?
Where nobody knows how crazy I really am? (And nobody dares to find out?)
The place for guilt, maybe depression, but mostly boredom?

<p>Visit...and you'll find something like this...</p>

Visit...and maybe you'll see this...

Perhaps it isn’t so bad, but let’s agree on this: Church isn’t the best place to bring your friends. If 98% of all Christians attending Church never bring a non-Christian, as researchers say, then people aren’t bragging much about Church. There’s not much to brag about.

Riverfront Festivals

<p>'Make Love, Not War' came straight from God's book...</p>

'Make Love, Not War' came straight from God's book...why not show it off?

It only means God looks at something altogether different than Church. In fact, God doesn’t even call it “Church” — the word doesn’t even make sense!

God calls it “the Assembly” in the Bible, like when people gather in a town square on summer evenings to talk, eat, applaud some speeches, and say “Hear! Hear!” Townsfolk came out like not long-ago to hear cool speeches, like during the Lincoln-Douglass debates… Today we watch it all on TV, so people don’t gather often in communities this way (it’s the price of progress).

The same idea of “assembly” can be seen in “Riverfront Festivals” or Town Squares today: informal, easy, friendly, cool, often entertaining. Townspeople always did this in history, and the early Christians merely borrowed a common word that everyone used for a “Town Gathering” — ekklesia, the Romans and Greeks called it. Certainly nobody ever once called it “Church” — never–until the Dark Ages.

And that’s where Church comes from: the Dark Ages. Literally. And nobody dares change it or they get labeled as a “cult” or something worse. If Christians start enjoying their time together, “There’s something wrong with that group,” people whisper.

Fortunately God’s not so uptight about it. He loves “the Assembly” because it’s alive, unlike fat, Corporate America. When Google and Microsoft put bean-bags in bright-colored rooms, their buildings are still cold icebergs compared to God’s ekklesia.

Google's hip Office Space -- still its a cold-hearted corporation
Google’s hip “Office Space” — but it’s still a cold-hearted institution.

God’s got a marvelous plan. The Ekklesia is where:

the “summing-up of all things” is underway (Eph.1:10).
He pours out “the surpassing greatness of His power toward us” (Eph. 1:19).
Jesus is “head over all things for the benefit of the ekklesia” (Eph. 1:23).

Beat that, Google Office-Space!

In our blockbuster summer issue, the NeoZine surveys the gap between our idea of Church and the mysterious Ekklesia of God. No matter how rich Google gets, it can’t possibly compete with the Ekklesia.

But something’s amiss, and we’re going to talk about it. It’s sure to generate some heat this summer!

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Filed under: Wineskins · Tags: cover-stories, lead-stories

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10 Responses to "Why Revolution?"

Carrie says:

07/27/2009 at 10:42 pm

I think the hardest part is when I invite people to my church. I can see the eyes glaze over and I know what they are thinking. The word “church” comes with so much baggage I don’t even use it anymore. But how to explain my Body of Christ, there in lies a whole different challenge!
Diana says:

07/29/2009 at 10:06 am

Agreed Keith! I’m reading “The Problem of the Wineskins” which I can’t believe I’ve never read before. Even though it was written in the 70′s, it’s so appropriate for the problems of the “church” today. Unfortunatley not much has changed since Howard Snyder wrote this book in the 70′s. The problem of the institution stifling the Holy Spirit’s revolution was there then, and is still here today. Some fellowships have realized it and are trying to make a change, but most have not.
Jim Swearingen says:

08/10/2009 at 9:33 pm

Thanks to all the NEO Xenoids for being part of the Revolution in Buffalo!
You helped demonstrate the Kingdom of God and experienced the excitement of the move of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the children you worked with.
Thanks for being part of the miracle.
It definitely wasn’t boring, was it!!!
Sara says:

08/11/2009 at 5:37 pm

well said Keith!! I love being a part of the ekklesia.
Hacker says:

08/12/2009 at 9:07 am

Hey, I’m Hacker, not “Keith”. Who’s Keith?

What a thrill to see Jim Swearingen joining the revolution — all the way from Buffalo, New York!
Kate says:

09/10/2009 at 9:36 am

its a very sad thing that people cant understand that following God can actually be fun and cool. everyone has this view of church that is so stuffy and not fun and boring and law-filled. most people feel like the church says you have to live by the OT rules of the law instead of by grace, where all the fun and excitement comes from. according to NT rules there are none!! its all about the relationships you have with God and the people. and a lot of the time relationships are fun and exciting! so why should getting together to talk about God or to find out what He says be any less fun if He is into the same thing as us: the relationship?
kalie.b says:

05/18/2010 at 8:26 pm

I grew up in the church and it was definitely boring! It’s funny how people are writing so many books and articles, trying to figure out why 80% of youth leave the church. The answer is simple: it’s boring and irrelevant. Even when it’s a big production designed to entertain, that gets boring week after week, and people know it’s just an expensive show. People get bored when they aren’t doing something significant, like building close friendships and sharing Jesus with non-Christians. I’m surprised 20% of youth are sticking around to sing “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” and counting down the minutes in a 3-point sermond every week. I don’t think I could have endured much more, and I’m so glad I found real Body life.
Indre says:

06/11/2010 at 7:58 am

Speaking of Riverfront Festivals…….hmmm I wonder what kind of response IP would get if they did a “give peace a chance – the Jesus way” down at Rockin’ on the River on one of those streets. I have seen kids playing their guitars there at times and people have stopped to listen to them…..
Indre says:

06/11/2010 at 8:01 am

Oops let me correct what I said : that is if they actually did A TALK on “give peace a chance…. the Jesus way” – not sing it. Unless of course you have some talented singers or musicians that could accompany.
Smooth Jazz says:

06/11/2010 at 7:38 pm

You raise an intriguing point, Indre. I too am looking at how to approach such a setting in a sane and reasonably attractive fashion. Very good suggestion. We don’t have many healthy examples to follow in the modern era, I think.