Friday, February 18, 2011

Why Small Groups?

I watched this clip recently concerning a possible soon coming world-wide food shortage. The thought that immediately came to my mind was to share this with our Christian small group fellowship. We had talked in the past concerning the efficacy of storing food goods, etc. in the light of a possible inflationary period that would run up prices for food and other goods due to an excess in the printing of money to counter the ever-rising international debt that seems to loom as an elephant in our collective living rooms. See what you think. However, the thought also came to my mind that it would be productive to attach an article that I had written in the past concerning the value of Christians gathering in settings such as our living rooms as we see hard times approaching in general. Here it is:

Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near. (Heb. 10:24,5).

The question may better be phrased: What value is uniquely gained when one conducts small groups in the days in which we live? If one can postulate that we are living in the days that are approaching the close of the age, then a sense of sobriety and a sense of commitment to the church family is not only suggested, but is required. Two values immediately come to mind:

I. To stimulate one another to love and good deeds is not easily accomplished. One can not intellectually desire for koinania-like love and cause it to be realized within. Such internal fruit-bearing is a function of time and the working of the Holy Spirit Himself. Christian intimacy and love is not easily nourished during the exercise of the formal Sunday church service. Neither is it nourished during a formalized Bible study. As valuable as these two functions are, they do not encourage the formation of the internal fruit-bearing demanded by the Gospel message. Such a transformation is best realized in the intimacy of one’s home. In such a setting, small groups are able to interface with one another in an atmosphere removed from any formalized condition that tends to paralyze Christian camaraderie.

II. The maturing up of the Body is best realized in such a setting. Again, this is a process. Its realization is a function of time. When Christians fellowship in a venue such as one’s living room, weekly sharing the joys and the pain resident in each persons life, Christian love and commitment becomes self-generating. It is here that long-term learning is best attained, whether through Bible teaching, observation of current events as they pertain to the Church, the studying of topics that may be pertinent, or any other topic worth pursuing as the moment demands. It is under these conditions that our unity is forged. As the months and years pass by, our faithfulness to one another will have been tested, and the chords that bind us will be less easily broken.

It may be apparent that this position has been motivated by an eschatological mind-set. If indeed this position is adopted, then the implications become not only intellectually, but experientially critical. If we indeed are approaching the very close of the age, it must then be assumed that our faith will be severely tested (Mt 10:22; 24:13), apostasy will surround us (Mt. 24:10; 2 Thes. 2:3; 3:13) and the temptation towards a humanistic-like religiosity will woo us. One cannot be isolated at such a time. One needs to be surrounded by a community that is encouraging one another, nourishing upon the Word of God, observing the current events generated by the godless international community, remaining faithful to Christ and remaining faithful to His church community under conditions of severity. Such a womb-like atmosphere is best found in a home environment, is overseen by a church eldership, and will birth fruit only through a period of time.

We are a called-out people. Under the current, dynamic and godless world conditions, it seems to me that the essence of a small group home fellowship resides in its gathering together. Further as a tactical means of accomplishment, it seems wise that such fellowships observe the ever-changing world conditions and be strengthened by mutual Christian support so that faithlessness and apostasy may be avoided. The home fellowship may be the instrument by which the Lord physically, as well as spiritually, separates us out of a religious world-view that is more akin to worldliness than it is to Spiritual separation. The greater is the world’s hostility; the greater will be our physical and spiritual separation. The greater is the world’s hostility; the more pure and intense will be that separation. We are a called-out people. It is not subject to our approval.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

The End of the World

Here is some big news: Namely that the "the end of the world" will occur on May 21, 2011. This sobering fact has been declared by Harold Camping recently and needs some sort of comment, wouldn't you think? Now, it will not be the intent of this site to disprove Mr. Camping, although I firmly believe him to be wrong. Rather, it will be my intent to plead for a little more sobriety before making such claims by various members of the body of Christ and further to demand a little more discipline when "exegeting" various texts from the Bible.

Mr. Camping uses the utterance of Gen. 7:4 to be symbolic of 7000 years as a prediction of the final judgement of mankind when the end of the age is upon us. The LORD speaks thus unto Noah: For after seven more days, I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land every thing that I have made. The reasoning goes thus: Seven days of grace was given to Noah before the flood; one day is as a thousand years to God (Ps. 90; 2 Peter 3); the flood occurred in the year 4990 BC (? - Campings number), thus 7000 years after 4990 BC, God will again destroy the earth - May 21, 2011 is upon us!

Now, I have no problem believing that,at times, in Scripture one could speculate that one day might prophetically equal one year, or even one millennium; but to emphatically predict the end of the age and even to word it such, namely that it will be "the end of the World", is not justified. How much harm will be done to some Christians with fragile faith when hopes arise, or serious acts of response are exercised and the event does not take place? It is lazy exegesis, or even non exegesis, to use the passage in the Psalm, or the one in 2 Peter to use the day-equals- millennium as a formula to predict the very end of the age. Peter is screaming to his readers "stop mocking believers who think that the end of the age is here; God is patient - one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as one day. Don't mock; He will return and will deal with all rebellion. Be sobered and don't mock." The Psalmist would agree. This is not a formula.

Noah Hutchings has an excellent and succinct article in the Prophetic Observer (Jan. 2011). He concludes that Camping is as much as 2552 years off. He words it this way:

HOWEVER...the most recognized biblical chronologist, Ussher, states that Noah entered the Ark on Sunday, December 7, 2438 B.C. Scofield and a vast majority of other biblical chronologists agree within ten years of Bishop Ussher's date. IN OTHER WORDS, CAMPING IS 2,552 YEARS OFF. (His bold)

BTW, if Camping is correct, believe me, I will be with him when it happens. Let's just be a little more careful. Eschatology is not to be handled as a toy to extol the "brilliance" of Christian commentators.