Jagged Mind

Imagine This!

2005-11-14T14:05:00.000+08:00

Here's Acts 2:42-47 as rendered in The Message...Try to imagine our
simple churches experiencing this!

42They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life
together, the common meal, and the prayers. 43Everyone around was in
awe--all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! 44And all
the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in
common. 45They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so
that each person's need was met.

46They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple
followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and
joyful, 47as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw.
Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.

1. Imagine simple churches with simple instructions from apostolic
leadership to live holy lives and all of them committed to working
that out together.

2. Imagine simple churches doing life together because they are
connected in real life situations.

3. Imagine simple churches meeting to share meals together regularly
weekly or more.

4. Imagine simple churches devoted to prayer both personal and corporate.

5. Imagine simple churches keeping a treasure chest of clothing, toys,
food etc. to give away to anyone who has needs.

6. Imagine simple churches keeping a collection of offerings to use to
help others within the simple church or to use as capital funds for
compassionate mission.

Check this out from 1 Corinthians 14:26 also from The Message...

26So here's what I want you to do. When you gather for worship, each
one of you be prepared with something that will be useful for all:
Sing a hymn, teach a lesson, tell a story, lead a prayer, provide an
insight.

Good Reminders

2005-10-14T13:08:00.000+08:00

Thought that this post from House Church Blog was very good. Check it out by clicking the title of this post.

An Apostolic Church?

2005-10-09T22:30:00.000+08:00

I've been thinking...

I don't think the ancient church grew the way we think it grew; in the way we reinterpret their growth through cell mutiplication etc. It seems to me that the church expanded as apostles were sent out from the church to other cities and regions.

I think of passages like Acts 10 (Cornelius's House), Acts 20 (Ephesian Church) etc., where Peter and Paul both go from house to house proclaiming Christ and making disciples.

I think of John Wesely's circuit preachers. His classes didn't multiply themselves as much as his preachers started new ones all the time.

The "local" church focused mostly on building Spirit-directed, agape-filled community and serving the local needs of the city. They did this because they were fulfilling their calling to love God with all their hearts and love one another as Christ loved them. They wanted to share the Gospel in deed and word. From within these same communities, apostles were called to be sent out to other cities and regions to spread the word and build more communities.

I truly wish that I could do this.

The Ancients?

2005-10-09T22:19:00.000+08:00

I've really been desiring to get in touch with a more ancient, authetically structured spirituality. Been thinking of experimenting a lot more with creating sacred space through silence, candles, scents, meditation and structured prayer. I'm thinking of developing a set of core Truths and Patterns with Jesus as the organizing principle. What does a heart hungry for Jesus look like?

A Place to Discuss Spirituality

2005-10-09T22:17:00.000+08:00

I've decided to return to this blog and revive it. This will be the forum where I discuss thoughts on spirituality, church, ministry, apostolics etc.

Hope a few people will pick up on this and dialogue with me.

I'm moving!

2004-12-02T16:10:00.000+08:00

Hey guys.....started a new blog at www.markjuane.blogspot.com

I wont be posting on this site anymore. See you at the new address.

Re-Imagine! 2004

2004-11-23T09:27:00.000+08:00

This is the week that the staff and I will be re-imagineering everything about NuComm. It's a huge challenge we're undertaking. I fear that the time we allotted may not be enough. 9am-12pm Wednesday to Friday this week! I foresee several OS!Ms during this time. NuComm will not be the same this time next year.

Overall goal...re-imagine NuComm to be as fluid and fanatical as Al-Quaeda! Whoa.

Distinct or Extinct

2004-10-28T08:16:00.000+08:00

A time of tumultuous change is an opportunity to redefine yourself.

More and more I am sensing the absolute need for us to redefine who we are in as a distinct a way as possible. Stand out and stand up! If not, we are on the path to extinction. I like Wired's Michael Goldhaber's thoughtful insight:

If there is nothing very special about your work, no matter how hard you apply yourself you won't get noticed, and that increasingly means you won't get paid much either. -Michael Goldhaber

Ask yourself:

1. What do you really want to be?
2. What are you passionate about?
3. What difference does what you do make?
4. Whose life are you really impacting?
5. What kind of legacy will you leave?

Live in such a way that people absolutely love you (or at least, what you do for them!), are loyal to you, and are passionate about what you do.

But remember, no one is as excited about what you are doing as much as you are. So take your destiny in your hands and don't go blaming anyone or anything else. Just do it!

Show It Off!

2004-10-09T06:24:00.000+08:00

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be
brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others."

-Nelson Mandela, 1994 Inaugural Speech

Vibes

2004-10-06T21:29:00.000+08:00

I've been sensing a vibe for the past several months that I have only recently been able to describe. I think there are some socio-spiritual tectonic shifts occuring. These shifts will change everything. These shifts will force us to re-imagine and re-invent everything....EVERYTHING.

I think that these shifts are as significant as when the balance of power shifted to Rome establishing the PAX ROMANA as the environment where the Gospel-virus could rapidly spread. These shifts are also as significant as the context which forced Martin Luther to catalyze the REFORMATION.

Business. Politics. Economics. Education. Spirituality. All of these will undergo drastic change. And the old addage will become true: Change or die.

Destroy Your Church!

2004-09-25T06:04:00.000+08:00

Destroy your church or it will die.

There's just no way that we can keep doing what we're doing and say that we're doing our best. Renovation is not enough. Renewal is not enough. Revival is not enough. It will take a radical upheaval of the way we think about church and ministry to be the Church of the 21st century.

We must tear down...

...the constructs of current spirituality.
...the inherited mindset of an obsolete paradigm.
...the altars upon which we idolize our sacred cows.
...the comfort of past successes.
...the box in which we live.

DYC!

Re-Imagine

2004-09-15T17:34:00.000+08:00

It is the foremost task---and responsibility---of this generation to re-imagine all of our institutions, private and public. -Tom Peters

Way to go, Tom! I think this is so true. With the condition of the church and the nation, there is no way we can be convinced that the way we have been running the country and the church has been effective. More of the same stuff but expecting different results is insanity! We have to question everything we do --- EVERYTHING!

DYC - Destroy Your Church

DYB - Destroy Your Business

DYG - Destroy Your Government

We're gonna have to come up with brand new ways to be the church...to run our businesses....to run government.

We'd have to be idiots to keep on doing what we have been doing all along. This only brought us into a P3 trillion debt. And 7% reach factor in 100 years of evangelical Christianity. And dysfunctional politics.

Where are the rising youngbloods? Where are the mavericks? The freaks that are willing to lay it on the line and forge a new path?

More Thoughts from the Purple Cow

2004-09-09T06:18:00.000+08:00

No one is going to eagerly adapt to your product. The vast majority of consumers are happy. Stuck. Sold on what they’ve got. They’re not looking for a replacement, and they don’t like adapting to anything new. You don’t have the power to force them to.
- Seth Godin, Purple Cow

Doesn't Seth sound like he is describing the attitude that most of the world has towards Christianity? How do we deal with that? Here's more of Seth...

The only chance you have is to sell to people who like change, who like new stuff, who are actively looking for what it is you sell. Then you hope that the idea spreads, moving from early adopters to the rest of the curve. After the early adopters embrace what you’re selling, they are the ones who will sell it to the early majority – not you. (SG)

What implications does this reality present to the way we are trying to reach the world? How does this impact the way we influence people for Christ? I think that for most of the post-consumption world, mass evangelism is dead.

Purple Cow

2004-09-09T05:36:00.000+08:00

Something remarkable is worth talking about. Worth noticing. Exceptional. New. Interesting. It’s a Purple Cow. Boring stuff is invisible. It’s a brown cow.

-Seth Godin, Purple Cow

There was a time when the Gospel and the community it formed (church) was a purple cow; a time when it was remarkable. Maybe we've been getting it wrong. Maybe instead of trying to produce Christians who know how to do all the religious and spiritual things we think good Christians do, we need to be discipling people in how to live remarkable lives.

The Gospel was an ideavirus that spread exponentially throughout the entire Roman Empire in the first century. It was a remarkable thing that a dead, Jewish, rabbi would come back to life and then offer that life to others. Today, it's an unremarkable holiday that simply means that we get an extra day or two off from work.

The Gospel community known as the church was just as remarkable. The way they lived their lives together was "worth noticing. Exceptional. New. Interesting." It was a remarkable thing to watch the church in action. Living. Loving. Serving. Sacrificng.

A new day is breaking. The Old ways of packaging Christian spirituality is dying a slow and painful death. It's time for some of us to hear the vibe that resonates in our hearts. It's time to make the Gospel and the Church a Purple Cow.

That was a long vacation!

2004-09-08T05:10:00.000+08:00

Sorry to all you guys out there that have been bored out of your skulls waiting for something new on here. Been away for the past 4 months and I just got plain lazy to blog. Hay! But I'm back....(drum roll)

Dont know exactly where this blogging is taking me. I need to do some revisions on the site. I want to make it more intersting for you guys and add pictures and thoughts from stuff I'm reading. I'd love to hear from you especially if anything I'm writing resonates with your own thoughts. Let's riff!

The Gospel of the Kingdom

2004-04-07T23:24:00.000+08:00

It's back to kindergarten. A while back Robert Fulghum wrote a little book entitled, "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten." Funny title. But very telling. It's true. You learn a lot of fundamental things about life in kindergarten. Share everything. Play fair. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say sorry when you hurt somebody. Flush. Those are life skills! You carry them with you way after kindergarten.

For some time I have been furstrated with the seeming impotence of the church in society. After 105 years of evangelical Christianity in the Philippines, the cause of Christ is losing 94% to 6%. That is, after over a century of witness, 94 per cent of the Philippine population still has no meaningful relationship to Christ. AND instead of society becoming better, it has become worse.

This has caused me to return to kindergarten...spiritually that is. The changing socio-spiritual climate and the lack of tangible, positive change in our society forces me to go back to the fundamentals. Maybe we have an impotent church because we are preaching an impotent message? So, what is the Gospel? What is salvation?

In Mark 1:15, Jesus said, "The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" So what is the good news? Modern evangelicalism has reduced the gospel to only a few of its benefits rather than what it really is. We think the gospel is about forgiveness of sin, peace, blessing, healing, properity etc. All these are benefits and by-products of the good news but they are NOT the good news that Jesus proclaimed. Some say that the good news is that God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives. But that sounds more like the motive for the gospel but not the good news itself. The modern gospel is a man-centered message. And as such, it is impotent.

The good news is not man-centered but God centered. The good news is that God's rule and reign is breaking in upon human history and that that divinely ordered and empowered "way of life" is available to all. This is the gospel of the kingdom. And since it is a "way of life," it requires a total life response and not just a 'sinner's prayer.'

The kingdom is not something that you can boil down into 4 Spiritual Laws, two diagnostic quesions, or Steps to Peace with God. The kingdom message is so awesome that you cannot wrap your mind around it. This way of life by nature is in essence Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. You may be able to convey truth with words but you can never communicate goodness and beauty with words alone. We need to abandon this reduced message and return to the ancient, authentic and awesome message of Christ: The Kingdom way of life is available to all.

This "way of life" message must be preached because 1) it is the only counter-agent against the religious spirit that has ensnared so many millions of people and 2) it is the only thing that brings the potentcy back into the salt of the earth and the light of the world. It brings true transformation because it is not primarily concerned with doctrine but with a whole new way of life that is upside down from the way of life of society. This way of life is the wineskin for the new wine.

Artificial Harmony

2004-03-25T01:36:00.000+08:00

Yes, this is gonna sound like a rant. I can't help it. I am totally frustrated to the point of disillusionment at the condition of the Church in the Phillippines.

I have been involved in ministering to the Body of Christ and her leaders for just more than 12 years now. Wow. That just shocked me. I've been at this for 12 years?!?! I CAN'T BE THAT OLD!!!!! My entry level experience was national level ministry with World MAP (Missionary Assitance Plan), the ministry of Ralph Mahoney. My local involvement was with UFCTC, a training center for pastors. Some where in between was involvement with Celebrate Jesus, a national worship ministry. And after all of this time, I do not see any significant results that can be measured in terms of societal transformation for the kingdom of God. I have seen ministries rise and fall...still no real and lasting fruit.

The Philippine Church has gone through some terrible times, largely due to the mistakes and mishandling of national level Church leadership. Politics (1998's JDV debacle) and witchhunts (S.O.A.R) have fragmented the Church and exposed it's false foundation.

What I am talking about is a fundamental absence of trust amongst the leaders of the national and local expressions of the Church in the Philippines. In this particular historical context (2004), I cannot meet up with any church leaders without someone asking me who I am voting for as President. It is election year, and this has become the foremost agenda of the Church. And this has exacerbated the problem, a lack of trust and security amongst Church leaders.

The Church has rallied behind a particular candidate and has labeled this as God's will. Now the fear begins. If I dont share their views, does that mean that I am not for the will of God? Why do I feel afraid to share openly and honestly when I am asked the President question? Why is it that I see people whom I have never seen as passionate for getting the Gospel out more passionate now than ever about campaigning for this candidate? I'm certain that if the Church could be even 50% as passionate as they are about the dissemination of the Gospel as they are about this election, we would have abated the kingdom of darkness tagibly and significantly more than we have in the past century.

We have had many events come and go, ministries come and go, national transformation initiatives come and go but to no lasting effect. Why? Because we (church leaders) lack a fundamental trust. We are not secure enough with one another to obtain authentic unity through debate and argument. Rather, we avoid conflict all together and settle for superficial harmony based on consensus rather than conviction. As one leader of a national transformation initiative once told me, "The unity that I have in this [movement] is fragile." True unity is not fragile but rather forged like steel in the furnace of healthy conflict and debate. Think about it, the most important and significant relationships to you are the ones you've had the most conflict and resolution, right?

Church leaders avoid this like the plague because we tend to see the presence of conflict as the absence of unity. Little have we realized that healthy conflict is the pathway to adamantium-like unity. And so, on goes the superficial harmony.

We will never see significant results as long as the Church is built on the quicksand of fear and distrust.

Eat Like a Bird and Poop Like an Elephant

2004-02-13T19:14:00.000+08:00

Took me a few months to finally track down and purchase Guy Kawasaki's book, "Rules for Revolutionaries." Awesome that it only cost me P155 (pesos) at National Bookstore. Way too expensive in Canada and I still have to order it. Been hearing about this book for quite some time.

Leonard Sweet's "AquaChurch" had a great quote from it that inspired me to get the book. The quote was from sculptor Brancusi's epigram: Create like a God. Command like a king. Work like a slave. Huhaaa!

I love the chapter title that became the title of this blog: Eat like a bird and poop like an elephant. Whoa. Did you know that some birds like the hummingbird eats half of its weight everday? I can't imagine eating 100lbs. of food a day!!! On the other hand, elephants poop 165lbs every day. Actually, I wouldn't want it on one hand or the other hand! Of course, this is a reference to how we consume infomation and how we share it. This allows for a wonderful flow of information wealth and wisdom.

So go on. Get outta here. And go eat like a bird and poop like an elephant!

The world you go to bed in tonight will not be the world you will wake up to tomorrow.

Awaken!

Built to Last

2003-12-21T09:48:00.000+08:00

I’ve been reading the book “Built to Last” by Jim Collins which is a study of visionary business corporations who have stood the test of time and have thrived in spite of sometimes overwhelming conditions that threaten their existence. Some of the organizations studied are IBM, Disney, Sony, Hewlett-Packard, Marriott Hotels, Johnson & Johnson, Nordstrom and 3M.

I know that I have said in the past that the church doesn't need a CEO in the pastor's office. Rather, we need fathers. My view hasn't really changed all that much. So why am I reading a book on business leadership? I think it's because as i read about the companies that Collins has studied over a period of 6 years, there is a certian spiritual quality about those organizations that truly last. At one point the culture within these extraordinarily visionary companies is described as "religious" or spiritual. Yeah, its really there! Read it for yourself.

According to the author, the main point of the book is that lasting visionary companies preserve the core (their ideology) and stimulate progress (constantly changing methods) at the same time. Then it follows that the most important task a visionary leaders must do is to “create tangible mechanisms aligned to preserve the core and stimulate progress.”

This is a take on what has become the common rhetoric in emerging churches when we say, “The message never changes but our methods always do.” What makes this book of great value is the way Collins offers concrete examples of how these visionary companies are putting this into practice in the real world of the marketplace. These examples have helped me think more clearly and more practically about how we do things in the church.

One overarching theme that has challenged me is what Collins calls the difference between telling time and building a clock. Imagine someone who could tell you, at your request, what time it was exactly down to the seconds. This person would be come famous and well known. He would be invited to tell time in front of large crowds. People would flock to see him do his stuff. But when he dies, that will be the end of him. But imagine instead, if that person had built a clock. Even after they were gone, the clock would still be useful to those who come after you. The time-tellers die. But the clock lives on.

This kind of thinking challenges me in my leadership of NuComm. Am I telling time or am I building a clock? A “time-telling” leader has people who are dependent on him. Without the time teller, the church stops and ceases to function. It cannot progress or move forward. But a clock building leader focuses on building a strong visionary organization; one that will last even beyond his own tenure. THe question then is, "What kind of church are we building?"

I think we Christian leaders need to think more about building a lasting ministry rather than flaunting our anointings. We need to move from telling time to building clocks; from blessing people to building a community. That will happen when we develop mechanisms that will preserve the core AND stimulate growth and change.

The first step is to develop a clearly defined ideology. This goes beyond wordsmithing a nice sounding vision or purpose statement. Rather, this is the uncompromiseable core. The dream or the DNA of the organization. It is made up of our core values, core purpose, BHAGs, and our envisioned future. This is something that I have been developing in NuComm and must solidify when I return to the Philippines.

Without His Grace

2003-11-16T15:33:00.000+08:00

I came across a great definition of what grace is in Gordon MacDonald's 1988 book, "Rebuilding Your Broken World." Grace is treating someone not as he deserves to be treated but as he needs to be treated in order for his broken world to be rebuilt. This is the most practical definition of grace I have ever read. And I think it helps me along the way to discovering the earthy spirituality I am pursuing.

I've been in Canada away from the daily demands of ministry in Manila for the past 5 days. In these moments of quiet reflection and solitude (which I have not had in months, maybe even, years?!), I am coming to realize how broken and needy I am for the grace of God. I long to be treated not as I deserve but as I need so that the brokenness within can be healed. Stress fractures in relationships and in my personal health have all been symptoms of a grace-needy soul. And I soberingly admit that I have been denying that need for grace. Oh! How I see this much clearer now as I look back on the condition of my soul for at least the past 2 years!!!

This is the danger of feeling strong and victorious. You may wind up thinking that you don't need God's grace to make it. You feel that you can survive without it. And you know what? You can...for a time. But that's all you get to do, survive. But we were meant to thrive, not just survive. To thrive in a humble and God-dependent manner.

Without Your grace my soul cannot breathe.
Without Your grace my mind is not at ease.
Without Your grace who am I to please?
Without Your grace, without Your grace.

I am prone to wander
And lose my way
I try just to make it
Each and everyday
I long for affirmation
Coz my heart is starved for love
And until I admit it
I can barely survive
Without Your grace...

Since grace and truth are core values at NuComm (my church), I wonder if we are a community that has the ability to treat someone not as they deserve but as they need to be treated so their world can be rebuilt? Can I be that kind of person to those who are grace-needy?

Oh! How I long to experience the riches of His grace in the deepest part of my soul! How I long to breathe again.

I Love Being a Daddy

2003-10-29T17:07:00.001+08:00

Beth and the kids are in Canada for the next 8 months. Actually they've been there for almost a month so it's only another 7 months. I'll be joining them in a couple of weeks. But I sure miss them.

Talked to Beth last night. She told me how Ariel really misses me. They talk about me almost everyday. Then she said something that just melted something inside. She said that they pray for me everyday. That's not a surprise since we do teach our kids to pray by praying with them. What got me was that Ariel prays with such passion. She begs God, "Please God, please! Let my daddy come be with us soon." Beth said she cries every night when she hears Ariel pray that. It's as if Ariel really knows that she's in God's presence. My 10 year Princess knows how to intercede. And she does it for....ME!

Every time...and I mean EVERY time...I think about that I cry. My heart misses my babygirl. I can feel her cry. I can hear her plea. I love being her daddy. I miss being her daddy.

I had a thought on my way back from the gym this morning. I was thinking of Ariel again and was overwhelmed by my love and longing for her. Through the tears, I could hear a whisper in my heart. My Father in heaven misses me like that. Where is the simplicity I once had? When all that mattered was being with DADDY? Being in His presence. Playing at His feet.

Take me back/To my first love
To the place/Where I once was
Where my passion was just obeying
Where prayer was sweet/The sweetest thing I knew
Everything was/Possible with You
Take me to/The place of my first love with you

I think God loves being a Daddy too...

Cornerstone

2003-07-27T22:27:00.000+08:00

Almost 3 years ago, I was praying in my office when God moved me to act out a "prophetic gesture." I walked about in the confines of my study as if I had a shovel in my hand. Prompted by the Spirit, I began to gesture a digging kind of action with the invisible shovel. As I was doing this I asked the Lord, "What is this Lord? Why am I doing this?" He spoke clearly to my heart as if it was an actual voice I could hear except that there was no sound. I don't remember the exact words but this pretty well sums up what He said, "I want you to expose the foundations of the church. The church has not been founded upon apostolic and prophetic foundations with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone."

For some time, I thought this word from God was a directive to share this to the Body of Christ in the Philippines. So I began speaking about it. During those days I was doing a lot of conferences and revival meetings. There was a ring of truth to this revelation. I could see how churches and even church networks were missing that apostolic and prophetic flavor. I could see that many churches were founded upon evangelistic foundations. More common were churches that were founded on pastoral foundations. Or even on teacher foundations. Churches with an evangelistic foundation prioritized reaching the lost and proclaiming the gospel. One movement I know influenced thousands to be born again. Yet these churches were characterized by shallowness in their discipleship. Churches built on pastoral foundations tended to exhibit nurture and care but also lacked depth. They also tended to be smaller in size and not so concerned for reaching lost people. Although they never would admit it. Churches founded on the teaching ministry drew a lot of people who learned to love the Word of God. Members would take copious notes. But they tended to be dry emotionally and relationally.

It's been almost 3 years now and I still see few if any churches built on apostolic and prophetic foundations. I'm sure they're there somewhere. Most likely, these churches aren't megachurches or prominent churches. They're probably just quietly doing what God has revealed to them building the kingdom. Recent events have led me down a path of applying this to our own church, NuComm.

As I think about apostolic and prophetic foundations, I can't help but wonder if we missed it. I'm especially considering the chief cornerstone. Do we really have that in place? I think we're mistaken if we think that Christ is the cornerstone of our local church simply because we believe in the gospel or that we subscribe to a sound doctrinal statement or theology. Is that what Paul really meant in Ephesians 2 about Jesus Christ HIMSELF being the chief cornerstone? Is that what the apostle meant when he references the life of the church as "in Him?" I think not.

The chief cornerstone isn't a doctrine or theological position. The chief cornerstone is a Person. The real question then is, "How do we make a Person the chief cornerstone to the foundation of the church?"

This is my preoccupation now. And the Lord has been revealing some awesome things. Picture a cube shaped with 6 sides. This is the cornerstone. On each face is imprinted a revelation truth of Christ: Christ in you, Christ with you, Christ through you. I think the other 3 sides will answer the question of who is Christ? I haven't got anything solidified but I am thinking along the lines of Christ foretold and Christ fulfilled. The final panel is yet to be revealed.

If anyone is reading this out there, I would love any kind of feedback you may have. Ciao!

On the Other Side

2003-07-22T19:11:00.000+08:00

Brian McLaren has some great thoughts on the emerging church. I just started reading his book "The Church on the Other Side" yesterday and I'm about 2/3rds through it already. His chapter about missions has really stimulated some great thinking about the role of the church in the community.

We have the vision of developing a community hub known as The Dream Center where we would offer a medical clinic, a food distribution system for the homeless, an infant development center, a computer school, community activity center, cafe, and school of the arts. The church could gather in small groups (cells) and large groups (congregations) in the cafe and/or activity center.

The Dream Center could also become the tactical center for local and cross-cultural community development (missions). It's here that I'm getting some fresh ideas! How can we get business people involved in mission while leveraging their marketplace acumen? Why not start small businesses with them as a missionary project? This can be part of a larger strategy of taking Christ's transforming power into needy communities.

A city is composed of 3 distinct and necessary sectors: Government. Business. Education. According to Ed Silvoso, for a city to be reached for Christ, the message must touch these 3 sectors. This can be applied on a smaller scale (microeconomics?). What if the apostolic/missionary agenda for a community would be to develop these three areas in that community. Under government, a church could focus on leadership development, training local people in basic leadership skills. Under business, a church could focus on starting and developing a small business (start up capital would come from kingdom financiers- businessmen from other local or international churches) which would be managed by Christians but staffed by non-Christians from that community. Primary target for discipleship would be the employees. Another goal would be to develop a co-op banking system. Then under education, a church could offer skills training classes in computers, budget management etc. Or even offer classes for children etc. This would all have the underlying activity of building the relationships necessary for disciplemaking.

I wonder if this has ever been attempted before? Sounds like a very ambitious undertaking. Feasability studies need to be done first. Would love to make Muntinlupa a prototype of this kind of missions.

It's All About Christ

2003-07-10T20:02:00.000+08:00

Recently, I was impressed with how Christ centered the epistles are. Sometimes it's hard for us who have enjoyed the convenience and luxury of e-zines, weblogs and even the printed page to imagine that the early church didn't possess personal copies of Scripture and that they basically functioned with a few copies of half the Bible that we enjoy today. They didn't have much to build a grand system of theology. They didn't have an overflow of popular Christian books to wade through. All they had was the memory of Christ and their own experiences of His Spirit in their midst.

I'm blown away when I read passages like Ephesians 1:23, 2:22, 3:17,19, 4:13 and Colossians 1:15-18, 27, 2:9-10. Everything Paul taught was based on, centered in, and founded on Christ! I sense that modern theology has been built on systematic thought rather than on Christ. What we think is Christ centered is really Bible centered. And I think there's a big difference between the two!

I know that I am in danger of being labeled a heretic for this kind of thought. We love our Bibles so much. I wonder if we love Christ half as much as we do the Scriptures? The evangelical tradition I was trained in would tell us that they're pretty much one and the same. But I don't have a personal relationship with a book. I wasn’t saved by 1,941 pages of truth. I was saved by a Person who is Truth.

The Christian life isn’t about a better way to live. It isn’t about making life work. It isn’t about doing what I need to do so that I could get what I want in life. The Christian life is about a living, pulsating, varying, changing, unpredictable relationship with One who is totally reliable, whose character never changes and whose love never fails. It’s all about Christ.

I received a revelation last Sunday at the Leadership Summit that Christ manifests himself in 3 ways. In Galatians 2:20, Christ is in us. Every single individual who loves Jesus is a living stone indwelt by a living God. Christ manifests himself in a personal way. Matthew 18:20 reveals that not only is Christ in us but Christ is amongst us. When we gather as church in his name, he is with us in a special way. Christ manifests himself amongst us in a mystical way. Then in 1 Corinthians 14:3, 24-25, we have the church building itself up through manifestations of the Spirit known as spiritual gifts. Christ manifests himself through us. We become God’s love with skin on it. In these ways, we experience the fullness of Christ in the midst of us.

When the fullness of Christ is manifest in us, amongst us, and through us, principles are not as attractive as the real Person. In this way the church can become more organic.

Principles and a Prayer or a Person?

2003-07-02T19:44:00.000+08:00

Last Tuesday, it hit me. The modern church has been offering the world the wrong thing! When you listen to most pulpits and to most evangelistic presentations, what we've been offering the world have been a few principles and then a prayer. Can that really change the world? Is the salvation of the world really about a few principles or "spiritual laws" and a prayer?

Don't get me wrong. I know that millions of people have been blessed with this offering from the modern church. Principles and a prayer have helped a lot of people. Some have even experienced God from time to time. I've been preaching principles and a prayer for 20 years now. But is that really what we have to offer the world? Is that the best that we can do?

I think we've missed it. I think we've been telling people a lot about God but we haven't really introduced them to God. What was it that enabled the early church to turn the world upside down? What made them dangerous and appealing at the same time? What did they offer to the world that they would be recognized as having been with Jesus? When was the last time the modern church turned a city upside down more so the world? When was the last time a local church was considered both dangerous and appealing? I don't remember the last time someone actually accused me of being with Jesus!

Seems to me that what the early church offered and what the modern church offers is totally different. If we were in business, we'd say that someone changed the product! The early church offered a Person. The modern church offers principles and a prayer. The early church spoke out of a living and dynamic experience of Christ. The modern church speaks out of an empty tomb but has no memory of touching his hands and his side. The early church knew where Christ was. The modern church can't give us directions to where He is now.

I know that this sounds like I'm ranting. I'm not that down on the modern church. I'm a child of the modern church. In fact, I've been a spokesman for the modern church. I've really preached my fill of principles and prayers. But I want something real. I want something alive.

We need to speak out of a living relationship and experience of Christ. We need to speak about Christ like he was our close friend (He can be!) and that we just had coffee with him this morning. We need to share Christ (not principles about Him) out of the richness of our encounters with him. And when we've spoken in such a way that people would want to meet him...bring them before Him. Don't just pray for them. Bring them before Him. Allow Christ to reveal himself to them.

We need to believe that He wants to reveal himself so much more than we think. When we bring someone to Him just as the early church did, he will not disappoint you. He will reveal himself. He will make himself known.

I think that's why he formed the ecclesia. Christ in us becomes Christ through us as we relate in community with one another. When 2 or 3 gather in his name, he is there in their midst. There is the mystical and manifest presence of Christ. I think we take the veil off of our eyes through worship and prayer. But then there is the incarnational presence of Christ as we manifest Christ through us. We become his hands and feet and eyes and ears and mouth and heart to each other.

If we're gonna be organic it needs to begin with a Person not just principles.

Something is Alive!

2003-06-27T22:15:00.000+08:00

We've been experimenting with a more organic way of gathering as church in our cell groups. I get a little confused in what to call these things. Housechurches. Cell Groups. Journey Groups. Whatever we end up calling these things, it's exciting! We follow a simple pattern: We pray together. Eat together. Worship together. Share together. And learn together. God has been showing up!!! It's been different everytime. Unpredictable. Exciting.

Last night, my men's group met in our place. I made chili with the fiinancial aid of Clarence and Alex. A couple of the other guys brought more stuff to eat. Bread. Drinks. We prayed first before eating. Ogie prayed for the city of Muntinlupa since he works so closely with the Mayor's Office and as a consultant to the youth sector of the city. Clarence prayed for the church both local and in the city. Micah prayed for our church, NuComm, that a fresh revelation of God would break through. Icko closed the prayer time. Then we ate. Boy, they really enjoyed my chili. Next time though, I want to make it really spicy!!! It was too mild for me. We talked while we ate. Just hanging out and enjoying the company. After a while, we gathered around for worship. Man, God just showed up! We only sang around 4 songs but we lingered in His presence for quite a while. Clarence couldn't stop laughing even when he tried. Misha was going wild. They kinda had their own party going. Of course, it was contagious for the rest of us. I was surprised that Mark really opened up in worship. Never saw him raise his hands before last night. He began crying out how much he loved God. Whew! That was a shocker considering it's only his 3rd time with us. After the worship time, some of the guys began to share where they were at in the spiritual lives. It started with me just asking Clarence what happened to him during the worship. Then Mark shared. Then Micah. It was really great. We closed with me sharing a short teaching from a couple verses. Matthew 18:20 and Hebrews 10:24-25. We're learning how to be the church. It's been awesome!

I can't imagine a city remaining the same if these kinds of gatherings proliferated all over the place. The spiritual climate would really be changed.

I'm planning to do the same things with the Quezon City group. Met with the QC core group last Wednesday. Had to tell them that I felt they were so focused on producing a service they let the cells slide. I need to expose the false foundations we've built on in QC and lay down apostolic and prophetic foundations again.

Balance or Creative Tension?

2003-06-21T08:46:00.000+08:00

I hate the word balance. I'm trying to delete it from my vocabulary. It's just that I happen to associate the word with lukewarm, dispassionate, plain...boring! I know...I know! People are on the constant search for balance. Ever since Mr. Miyagi told Daniel Larruso about balance in Karate Kid 1, my generation has been searching for it with mild success. Those who succeed look...bored.

I think I prefer the concept of creative tension. Like in my previous entry, will it be production or spirit? Can I have His presence while being a stickler (please don't read it as Stifler, Stifmesiter whatever!) for excellence and an advocate for the unchurched/overchurched bias? Now that's creative tension!

Don't go for a balanced life. Those of you who think Jesus led a balanced life have been deceived by those who think that life is a ladder with our priorities neatly resting in order upon each rung. That's a bunch of modernistic crap! Look at his life again and you'll see the extreme. Jesus lived hard. Played hard. Partied hard. Served hard. Laughed hard. Wept hard. Died hard. And lived hard...again!

He was the extreme of man and God...grace and truth...justice and mercy. That's not balance. That's creative tension.

Search for a New Community

2003-06-20T11:29:00.000+08:00

Since 1987, one thought has burned deeply in my heart, "There's got to be a better way to do church!" Since then, I have embarked on a journey seeking to go where no one has gone before. The journey has been filled with great triumphs, terrible tragedies, seemingly endless frustration, and sometimes hopeless confusion. I haven't yet reached my destination but as one great adventurer put it, "Forgetting what is behind, I strain forward to what is ahead." And in the background, Bono's voice echoes, "And I still haven't found what I'm looking for."

Almost 5 years ago, I forged into new territory to establish a community that would potentially embrace and incarnate the life I have so deeply longed for. My DNA has strands of an entrepreneurial spirit. So launching out on my own with no people, no money, no building was exhilirating for me.

Spending 4 years in Chiacgo made a tremendous impact. I was once a Bill Hybels wanna-be. "Hello, my name is Mark. I'm a seeker-targeted-mega-church-aholic." That may sound like I have a disdain for Willowcreekers. On the contrary, I really admire what they're doing over there. Willow awakened a dormant creative gene in me. Hybels also taught me to be more sensitive to where people are coming from. He taught me to explain the why behind the what of the Bible. Explain God's wisdom.

But almost 5 years into this church plant that we call NuComm (that's short for New Community Global Ministry), it's like I'm starting all over again. I'm still wrestling with issues regarding the nature of the church. I've come to the most recent heretical conclusion that the Sunday congregational worship services is a necessary evil. And I still feel like I'm spinning plates inspite of the fact that we're a cell-based church with over 250 people meeting in cells, 19% of our people coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus through us over the past 12 months, and that we have 71 existing and emerging cell leaders just waiting to be unleashed. So why do I feel like there's something missing?

The words of a subversive by the name of Wolfgang Simson keep coming back to haunt me.

"The nature of Church is not reflected in a constant series of religious meetings led by professional clergy in holy rooms specially reserved to experience Jesus, but in the prophetic way followers of Christ live their everyday life in spiritual extended families as a vivid answer to the questions society faces, at the place where it counts most: in their homes."

After almost 5 years of forging a non-religious way of doing church at NuComm, I still haven't found what I'm looking for. We've become so busy with our productions that we've lost our organics. And it's so easy to do that when you slip into the production paradigm of church life. Organics always falls prey to the mechanic. Just take a look at the Terminator movies. Though we've rejected the religious spirit, life is still missing in NuComm. And I only recently figured out why.

Well, at least I think part of the reason is that we're very good at what we do. Our band is hot. Our production team is both creative and efficient. But everything we do is something that we can do. I can see eyebrows raising. What I mean is that we're not doing anything that really requires God to supoernaturally intervene. We've got things under control. We can handle almost any surprise that might come our way during the worship service. But we're not putting ourselves in a place where God has to move or else.

Correction, our Encounter Advances are places where God really shows up. But that's about it. An earlier version of our church's tag line reads, "Experiencing the Fullness of Christ in the Midst of Us." Now it's "Connecting People, Changing Lives." Have we refined our vision to exclude the necessity of His presence?

Changes are imminent with NuComm. Resistance is futile.

Wild at Heart

2003-06-19T15:47:00.000+08:00

Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.