Brotherhood and Sisterhood of Believers

Dear Believing Friends
It is often said that when God wants a great work done, He chooses one man to pioneer and lead. It is not difficult to find examples in the bible or in history. It is easy to conclude that God’s operating principle is always to appoint a hierarchy and a clear chain of command. Most of our churches operate this way.

But when we read the New Testament, we encounter something new and strange. Jesus selected twelve apostles and He favoured three above the others, Peter, James and John. But there is something about the story which is so weird, that it is like something from another planet.

Jesus did NOT appoint one successor. Abraham appointed Isaac; Moses appointed Joshua; Elijah appointed Elisha and David appointed Solomon but Jesus did not appoint a supreme leader to take over after He returned to Heaven.

The Bible tells us a lot about the sins and faults of the Apostles and preachers love to make sermons about them.

A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest.
And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. Lk 22:24-26 (ESV)

What were the Apostles disputing? Was each of the twelve claiming to be number one? That would be absurdly childish. I have never heard a group of men or boys being so silly.

What most preachers fail to notice is this. Jesus had not conformed to the perfectly reasonable expectation of any group of leaders. Jesus had not appointed a single successor to be supreme leader after His departure. Peter was an obvious candidate but he could be impulsive and make mistakes. John was especially favoured and loved but he was the youngest. James was also a serious candidate. But who was the chosen one? Since Jesus had not told them, they did what any group of men would do. They tried to work it out themselves.

After Jesus returned to heaven, Peter seemed to take the lead in Acts chapters 1 to 3. Nevertheless, the writer of Acts emphasises the collective leadership of “The Apostles.” In Acts 2, Peter preached the first sermon but the main emphasis is on the inspired and inspiring unity of all the disciples.

All this is not because of any neglect or forgetfulness of Jesus or the Father in Heaven.
Jesus declared a whole new approach to leadership in Matthew 23.

But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. Mt 23:8-10 (ESV)

This is so radical, that most Christians and most Christian leaders have not even begun to understand it. I have been a member of Pentecostal churches for 35 years and I have never heard any preacher, any teacher or any pastor seriously attempt to explain this vitally important text.

The mystery does not end here.

The first witness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ was not an Apostle, or a Pastor or even an Elder.

It was Mary Magdalene, a woman with a sinful past and a testimony but not office or position in the church. When she told the Apostles, they did not believe her. Then Jesus came and rebuked the men of God for not receiving her testimony!

Leadership remains important but God’s way is somewhat different from what we normally expect in churches.

The founders of the first mission to the non-Jewish pagans were not Apostles and they were not appointed or sent by the Apostles.

Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. Acts 11:19-21 (ESV)

If all this raises more questions than answers, that is OK. The New Testament text does the same.
I am not preaching Christian anarchy. I really admire great Christian leaders and many inspired preachers. But Christianity is not all about priests and people or shepherds and sheep. Coaches don't win football matches; the players do.
Jesus called a brotherhood of mighty believers who change the world. We must not rely on Pastors or leaders to do everything important and take all the initiative.

Please let me know what you think.
God bless you from
Bill Derham

Darkness to light. What message to preach?

Dear Believing Friends
There are preachers who always concentrate on positive messages. They speak constantly about the love and favour of God, about success and answered prayer and about reaching your potential in life. They present and important aspect of God's truth and I like to listen to some of that preaching.

But if that is all you listen to, you could become complacent about sin. The cross could begin to lose its meaning. After all, Jesus, the Son of God, had to suffer the cruelest possible death to pay the penalty of your sin and my sin. He was demonstrating not only the depth of God’s love for you but also the intensity of God’s hatred of evil.

On the other hand, there are preachers who constantly preach severely about sin, repentance and holiness. We cannot deny that there is always sin for them to preach against but which kind of preaching is more biblically correct?

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:6-7? (ESV)

Yes, we should preach against sin but the main emphasis must always be on the power of the grace of God to save and heal us from ALL sin. The blood of Jesus saves you from your own sin and heals you from the damage caused by the sin of others.

If we preach about sin and repentance, we must also emphasise the amazing glory of God’s purpose for forgiven sinners.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. 1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)

For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17 (ESV)

Once our sins have been forgiven, we are transformed into saints, priests of God, sons and daughters of the Father in Heaven, kings who rule and reign over sin, demons, sickness, poverty and even death.

In preaching about the light, let us not be satisfied with a gospel of positive thinking and successful living. Let us preach the full extent of our glorious destiny in Christ. There is no such thing as an “ordinary Christian”. There are no common citizens in the Kingdom of God. Either you are an alien and an enemy of God or you are a Son or Daughter of the King of Kings. There are simply no ordinary citizens in the Kingdom. They don’t exist.

We honour Apostles and Pastors as special people and that is good. But two of the most highly honoured saints in the New Testament were Mary the Mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Neither of these women was an apostle or a pastor.

But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Matthew 23:8-9 (ESV)

When Paul wrote letters to the early churches, he did not address them to the pastors, elders and then members. He began his letters like this.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Ephesians 1:1 (ESV)

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are a son or daughter of God; you are a saint; you are a holy priest; you are a king; you are an ambassador or official representative of God on earth.

If you are not all of these things, you are not a Christian at all. You are either a citizen of heaven or a citizen of hell and there are no common citizens in God’s kingdom, only royal priests.

Please let me know what you think.

God bless you from
Bill Derham