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Imagine that Your Church Closed

By Jeremy Myers
4 Comments

Close Your Chruch for Good, Chap. 2, Sec 1.

* * * * *

What would happen to your city if your church shut down? Letโ€™s begin with the people who attend the church. Most would be sad that their church closed, but eventually, the majority would go to another church in town. Some might stop attending church altogether, but itโ€™s safe to say that the lives and schedules of most of the people in your church would change very little. Only the address of where they go to church would be different.

How about the people who may not attend on Sunday mornings, but are involved in some of the church programs? If the church has programs like Youth Group, MOPS, AWANA, AA, or a free meal for the homeless on a the Second Tuesday of the month, all the people who attend these would have to find other churches or social groups who host them. This is generally not too difficult, even in the smallest of towns. I once pastored a church in a small town with a 2000 Census population of 169 people. We were the only church in town, but there were other churches in nearby towns that had nearly identical programs. If our church had shut down, the people who attended our programs simply would have gone to another church or community center that hosted the same programs.

Moving outward from the church a little further, there are the immediate neighbors of the churchโ€”those who live next door and on the same street or block. They would notice if your church shut down, but it wouldnโ€™t affect their lives too much. Most churches have surprisingly little contact with their closest neighbors. If your church closed, the neighbors might wonder what happened, but there would be little noticeable difference in their lives. There is one exception. Some churches, like people with loud dogs, do not make the best neighbors. This is especially true of large churches in residential areas. Police and pastors often receive complaints from the neighbors of large churches about traffic congestion and excessive noise on evenings and weekends. Just as you would probably be annoyed if a large dance club opened up next to your home because of the noise and traffic it would cause, so also, many neighbors get annoyed by large churches on their street. So in these cases, the neighbors might actually rejoice if your church closed.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Close Your Church for Good

Introduction

By Jeremy Myers
6 Comments

Close Your Church for Good. Introduction. Now that I’ve finished chapter 1, I felt like I needed to go back and write an Introduction for the book. So here it is. After this, we will get on with chapter 2.

* * * * *

It is not my desire for any church to close. I grieve whenever I hear of another church having to disband, sell its building, and the pastor has to find a new job, and the members must (hopefully) find new churches. In fact, on the day I began writing this book, I learned that a church I used to pastor had just closed its doors. I knew and loved the people who went there, who poured hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars into the church. With many tears and prayers, they had tried to make that church a vibrant source of light in their community. But they closed. And when I heard, I grieved.

So do not misunderstand. I love your church. I love your pastor and the people who attend there. I love the programs you run, and how you have labored for Christ so faithfully over the years. I know there have been great sacrifices, and many people have been helped as a result of your church. That last thing I want is for your church to disband, for the pastor to lose his job, and the people who attend there to no longer have a place to worship, learn, and be encouraged.

To the contrary, I desire that such things only increase in frequency and effectiveness. I want to see more people in church as greater numbers of people are reached with the gospel. I hope that your church becomes widely known for its love, grace, mercy, and generosity. My wish is that the influence of the church only increases. That is why I wrote this book.

If youโ€™ve scanned the book, or read the chapter titles, you may be under the impression that I want churches to sell their buildings and shut down permanently. Let me emphatically say that this is not the message I intend to give. Rather, my hope is that churches rethink what they do, and more importantly, why they do it. Certainly, some churches may close down if some of the suggestions in this book are followed, but if so, they will close for good reasons. They will close to expand their effectiveness and ministry options, not because they can no longer survive. That is how you should understand the title of this book. If you are going to close your church, close it to accomplish something good. This book is about closing your church with purpose, rather than just fading away for lack of funds and people.

So itโ€™s not just a book for struggling or dying churches. Itโ€™s a book for thriving churches who sense theyโ€™ve lost their direction, or need to revitalize their vision and mission. This book points out several areas and functions of the church that can be closed or modified, and in so doing, better accomplish the mission of Jesus Christ, thereby revealing the Kingdom principles of God. You might be surprised at some of the suggestions that are proposed. But you may also find that in following these suggestions (which initially seem โ€œanti-churchโ€), you and your church is liberated to function as the body of Christ is truly supposed to function. You may find that closing your doors is the best thing your church ever did.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Close Your Church for Good, Theology of the Church

What Now?

By Jeremy Myers
1 Comment

Close Your Church for Good, Chap. 1, Sec. 8. If the church of the past adopted and accepted theย powers offered by Satan butย rejected by Jesus,ย what should our response be today?

* * * * *

Itโ€™s no use arguing that the church should have done something different. We werenโ€™t there, and even if we had been, we probably would have done the same thing as they. Whatโ€™s done is done whether we agree with it or not. The past cannot be changed.

But one thing that can be changed is the present. Whether we agree or not with the decisions of our predecessors, we make our own decisions today. We can choose differently. We can, if we so choose, reject the siren call of power, money, glory, authority, recognition, and control. We can root out the areas in our churches that draw us away from love, service, and sacrifice.

And many believe we have done just that. Though all agree that there have been abuses in the past, most think that in general, the church has improved. We hasten to add, of course, that the church will never be perfect because it is filled with imperfect people. And thatโ€™s probably true. The church, like individual Christians, is always a mixture of faithfulness and failure. But this doesnโ€™t stop all the positive things the church accomplishes. The general consensus among churchgoers is that we are a loving, generous, humble, sacrificial, service-oriented, forgiving, merciful, and friendly organization. The trouble, however, is that this image of the church is generally not shared by non-churchgoing people. They tend to see us as greedy, hypocritical, unforgiving, judgmental, harsh, critical, and selfish.

So where is the disconnect? If the church is as loving and generous as we believe, why do people on the outside see just the opposite? The possible answers are numerous, but the solution is what concerns me. And the solution, I believe, must be based on the fact that in general, people are blind to their own faults, though they are obvious to everyone else. Just take church history as an example. We can all look back and see the abuses and problems of the past. We wonder why they didnโ€™t see their mistakes, and make the necessary corrections. How could they be so blind? But the point is that one hundred years from now, people will look back and ask the same questions about us.

Did the church of the past err? Yes. Are we erring now? Probably. The trick is to find how and where, and then what to do about it. We do not know what future critics will say, so the best we can do is listen to some of the critics of today. And then, with the aid of Scripture and the Holy Spirit, try to discern what is true and how we can change.

That is the goal of this book. With one ear to Scripture and the other to our unchurched critics, we want to see if there is anything in the church today which still reflects the abuses of the past. Where are we falling to the temptations and influences of the devil and his attempt to twist and pervert the church away from the purposes and plans of God? Where might we reflect a desire for self-reliance, riches, authority, recognition, glory, and control? If such desires and influences exist, they must be identified and changed so that we may truly live and function as the body of Christ.

Each of the following chapters will look at one area of concern. After showing why itโ€™s an area of concern, we will attempt to discern the biblical and traditional basis for this practice or program in an attempt to determine its original purpose. Next, we will try to discern any Satanic influence in this area, which has caused it become twisted or perverted away from the original purpose. And finally, suggestions will be made about how that practice or program can be resurrected to reflect Jesus Christ and the life-transforming glory of the gospel.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Close Your Church for Good, Theology of the Church

Fool’s Gold

By Jeremy Myers
2 Comments

Close Your Church for Good, Chap. 1, Sec. 7. In the previous section, we reviewed the history of the church in which it acceptedย riches, fame, glory, authority, and power.

* * * * *

The rationale and justification for why the church did thisย is easy to understand. The conversion of Emperor Constantine caused persecution to cease and brought in tens of thousands of additional converts. Leaders wanted to protect these new believers from heresy or from other religions. Gaining money, power, and buildings made the training and education of the masses more manageable. Also, being the official religion opened the way for the rapid spread of the Gospel.

And so began what many call the โ€œGolden Age of Christianity.โ€ With the money and power it had gained, it had the resources to provide for its own needs. It became powerful as the official religion of the Empire. It gained authority and glory in the eyes of the people. Its clergy became scholars and philosophers, great men of learning and education. Buildings were constructed and great public works were performed. Laws were written, rulings were made, and control was gained. All of this resulted in the spread of Christianity, and with it, better government, improved education, and increased morality.

What could be wrong with all this? Only one thing. Somewhere along the way, the very things that Jesus had rejected to accomplish His missionโ€”self-reliance, power, authority, glory, riches, recognition by men, and controlโ€”these things were adopted in full force by the church. The Golden Age was filled with Foolโ€™s Gold. The very things that Jesus refused, the church accepted.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Books by Jeremy Myers, Close Your Church for Good

Falling to Temptation

By Jeremy Myers
6 Comments

Close Your Church for Good, Chap. 1, Sec. 6.

* * * * *

Followingย His victory over temptation, Jesus began His ministry, gathered and taught disciples, then died on the cross and rose again from the dead. In His resurrection, He gained what Satan had promised, but Jesus gained it according to the will and ways of God, not in selfishness, but in service; not in power, but in humility; not in riches, fame, honor, and glory, but in poverty, weakness, shame, and relative obscurity. Before He ascended to heaven, He instructed His disciples to follow His example, and pass on the training that He had given them.

Over the next few centuries, the followers of Jesus did their best. But it was tough. They faced constant threats from the government and the military. Some of them lost their jobs, their families, and even their lives. They were scorned and ridiculed. And yet, as they served and loved others, gave self-sacrificially of their time and possessions, offered forgiveness and grace when wronged, and lived faithfully to the example of Jesus, the message about Jesus continued to spread and lives were changed.

But then something happened. The temptations came back around. As more and more people became followers of Jesus, the focus of many Christians began to shift. The emphasis began to move away from self-sacrifice, service, generosity, humility, and peace, and toward power, influence, prominence, authority, recognition, and control. This is seen in a variety of ways. Out of pure motives to protect and educate new believers, church leaders began to consolidate power and control. They created a hierarchy of religious leaders who helped develop rules of morality and decide which understandings of Scripture were correct. They tried to increase their influence in society by gaining more followers and defending Christian beliefs against the claims of philosophy and other religions.ย 

One of the greatest shifts came when the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity after he defeated his enemies under the sign of the cross. As a result of this victory, he declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. Mass conversions followed. Thousands of pagan temples were transformed into places of Christian worship. Almost overnight, Christianity became rich, powerful, and prominent. It also became a tool of the Empire, blessing the Empireโ€™s wars, approving the Empireโ€™s laws, and installing the Empireโ€™s rulers. In exchange, the Empire gave the church land, money, and buildings. The church had gained power.

In his book, The Myth of the Christian Religion, Gregory Boyd describes the transition this way:

Once the Church acquired power over others, everything changed. A movement that began by viewing the acquisition of political and military power as a satanic temptation now viewed it as a divine blessing. A movement that was birthed by Christ refusing to conquer his enemies in order to die for them now set out to conquer enemiesโ€”for Christ. The faith that previously motivated people to trust in the power of the cross now inspired them to trust in the power of the sword. Those who had previously understood that their job was to serve the world now aspired to rule it. The community that once pointed to their love for enemies and refusal to engage in violence as proof of Christโ€™s lordship now pointed to their ability to violently defeat enemies as proof of Christโ€™s lordship.

Whereas Jesus has turned down selfish individualism, power, control, riches, fame, recognition, and glory as a means of accomplishing His mission, the church fully embraced such things as a means to spread the Gospel, fulfill the Great Commission, and expand the Kingdom of God on earth.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Books by Jeremy Myers, Close Your Church for Good

A Girl's Guide to Life

By Jeremy Myers
Leave a Comment

Here’s a newsflash: I’m not a girl!

Nevertheless, one book I read this week was A Girl’s Guide to Life by Katie Meier. I now know more about makeup, hairstyles, and clothing selection then ever before. This, of course,ย isย only the beginning of what I will learn.

You see…I have three girls.ย They’re still young (8, 6, and 4), but I figure that I better get a head start right now on learningย about theย issues and problemsย that growing girls face, and how, as a father, I might be able to help.

Fathers, as a tip for Father’s Day, if you have daughters, do yourself a favor and buy and read a copy of this book.ย It was excellent.ย I can’t think of anything Katie missed. She dealt with inner issues like self-esteem and emotions, body issues of clothing, hair, makeup, all the transitions of puberty, and moral issues like dating, sex, and religion. And Katie’s style of writing perfectly matched the content of the book. As I read, I often felt I was eavesdropping on aย pajama party sleepover conversation where a twenty-something woman answered questions from a roomful of teenage girls.

I will definitely be giving a copy of this book to each of my three girls, and using it as a handy “reference guide” for myself as they get older.

——–
Disclosure: This book was sent to me by Thomas Nelson publishers for review through their BookSneeze program.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Books I'm Reading, Discipleship

Three Strikes

By Jeremy Myers
2 Comments

Close Your Church for Good, Chap. 1, Sec. 5.

* * * * *

In the first temptation, turning stone into bread, Satan wanted Jesus to act selfishly. Satan wanted Jesus to become self-reliant, self-centered, and to seek His own self-provision. When Jesus multiplies the loaves and fish later in His ministry, it is not for Himself, but for others. Godโ€™s will is done by putting the needs and interests of others above your own. So the first temptation is about selfish individualism: what I want and getting my needs met.

The second temptation focuses on authority and power. Jesus came to reclaim authority over the nations, but He had to gain it through death and suffering, not through a deal with the devil. And furthermore, the devilโ€™s idea of authority is at odds with that of God. When the devil exerts authority, he does so with money, glory, power, riches, and fame. This is contrary to the quiet and gentle authority of Jesus. This temptation is also about control. Satan wants to control people. He wants to control the world and the universe. He wants to control God. This temptation was a power grab. In offering Jesus power, Satan positioned himself to gain even more power. Jesus is not opposed to power, but knew that it must be gained through sacrifice and service, and used for the benefit and blessing of others.

Finally, Jesus is offered the chance to receive praise and recognition from men. He is taken to the pinnacle of the temple, and told to throw Himself down. God would be forced, Satan suggested, to rescue Jesus by sending angels to catch Him. Since the temple courts were nearly always filled with people, this angelic rescue would take place in the sight of them all. They would be in awe of Jesus. Many would recognize Him as the Messiah. They would praise Him and welcome Him. All would see that God was truly with Jesus, watching over and protecting Him. It was an opportunity to be recognized. It was an opportunity for Jesus to make His name great, and receive His due glory.

So the three temptations were about selfish individualism, power, control, riches, fame, recognition, and glory. These were offered by Satan as a means to accomplish the mission of Jesus. But Jesus turned them all down, knowing that such things would not help, but would only hinder the goals of God on earth.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Books by Jeremy Myers, Close Your Church for Good

Jesus vs. Satan

By Jeremy Myers
3 Comments

Close Your Church for Good, Chap 1. Sec. 4.ย (I concludedย the last section with two key questions about the premise of this book. Iย now begin to defend the premise that there are Satanic influences in the church.)

* * * * *

The place to start is the Garden of Eden. God created the heavens and the earth, and all the celestial and earthly bodies to fill them. At the pinnacle of creation, God created Adam and Eve. They were given authority over the earth, to tend the plants and animals, and multiply upon the earth. But Satan, in the form of a serpent, was also in the garden. How he came to be present in Godโ€™s good creation is a subject for another time. Satan questioned Eve, challenged the instructions and intelligence of God, and ultimately deceived her into eating fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. As a result, they brought death upon themselves, a curse upon creation, and surrendered dominion over the earth to Satan.

For the next several thousand years, the story of Scripture reveals a constant struggle between the plans of God and the perversions of Satan. God sets something in place, and Satan twists and perverts it so that while it still resembles the original plan, it accomplishes the exact opposite of Godโ€™s intent. Eventually, the new Adam, Jesus Christ, enters the story. Among other things, He comes to win back dominion. And so, as in the beginning, Satan sets out to turn Jesus away from the instructions and plans of God.

Satan uses against Jesus the same methods and same tactics he used with Adam and Eve. He questions the word of God and challenges the authority of God. And ultimately, Satan brings three temptations before Jesus. According to Luke 4:1-13, the first temptation was for Jesus to satisfy His hunger by turning stones into bread.ย  In theย second, Satan promised to give authority over the nations to Jesus if Jesus would just worship Satan. Finally, Jesus was tempted to perform a great miracle in the sight of the worshippers in the temple courts by throwing Himself from the pinnacle of the temple so that angels would rescue Him before He struck the ground.

The temptations were not just attempts by Satan to get Jesus to do something contrary to the will of God. On the surface of the temptations, there is nothing overtly โ€œsinfulโ€ about them. Satan was not asking Jesus to murder someone or commit adultery. After all, if Jesus is hungry, and He has the power to make stones into bread, whatโ€™s the harm? Later in the Gospels, Jesus turns water into wine at a party and multiplies five loaves and two fish to feed a hungry crowd. Is this first temptationย so different? If Jesus could multiply fish and loaves of bread to feed hungry people, and turn water into wine to give people more to drink, what’s the harm in transforming a few stones into bread to satisfy his own hunger?

The same dilemmas exist with the next two temptations.ย ย One of the goals of Jesus was to regain authority over the nations of the world. And now it was being offered to Him. Finally, during His ministry, Jesus performed many miracles in the sight of people, and one of the reasons was so that they would recognize Him as the Messiah. Whatโ€™s the problem with one more?

Ultimately, the temptations are not about the action that Satan suggests. They are actually all very good and noble actions. If Jesus were a pragmatist — if the ends justified the means — then there would be nothing to stop Jesus from doing what Satan wanted. But Jesus knew that Godโ€™s will must be done in Godโ€™s way. And He also knew that there are no shortcuts to accomplishing the will of God. The reason Satanโ€™s temptations would lead to sin is not exactly in the outcome, but in the methods and motives required to reach those outcomes.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Books by Jeremy Myers, Close Your Church for Good

Destroy this Church

By Jeremy Myers
3 Comments

Close Your Church for Good, Chap. 1, Sec 3.

* * * * *

Itโ€™s not an issue of motives. I truly believe that the average Christian church does its best to worship the One True God, teach and obey Scriptures, and help people become faithful followers of Jesus Christ. I also believe, however, that over the years, certain practices have been adopted and elements have crept in which are not only contrary to Scripture, but are contrary to Jesus Christ, His life, and His message. These practices and elements have become so normal and accepted within Christianity that we believe they are โ€œfrom Jesusโ€ or โ€œby the Holy Spiritโ€ when they are not. Their source is the Deceiver himself. In some ways, โ€œchurchโ€ has become more like Satan than like Jesus. Nevertheless, these practices have become so ingrained in โ€œchurchโ€ that any attempt to strip them out results in mass anger and resentment. Those who sound the alarm get accused of trying to destroy the church.ย 

But maybe destruction is necessary. It is only through death that resurrection to new life is possible. Thatโ€™s what this book is about: Destroying the church as we know it so that it can be raised to new life. We will challenge some of the long-held assumptions about what the church is, what it does, and how it functions and is organized. This process will feel like the destruction of the church. But as a result, beauty will rise from the ashes, new life from the grave, and light will shine forth in the darkness.ย 

Before any assumptions are challenged, the premise must be defended. Is it really true that the church has been influenced by Satanic elements and values? How can this be when all that the church stands for is opposed to the devil and his works?

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Books by Jeremy Myers, Close Your Church for Good

The Myth of a Christian Religion

By Jeremy Myers
8 Comments

I recently finished reading The Myth of a Christian Religion by Gregory Boyd. Overall, his approach is similar to the one I will take in Close Your Church for Good. He reveals how the church has become seduced by various powers which have kept us from living according to Kingdom principles. After laying the groundwork for this premise, he writes about various subjects that the church must avoid in order to revolt against these powers and return to living like Jesus.ย For example, he calls for a revolution in the areas of judgment (chap. 4), nationalism (chap. 7), racism (chap. 10), and greed (chap 11).

It was a good book, and I really appreciated how he approached each subject with grace and tact. After presenting an area of concern, heย gave suggestions, but always with gentleness and respect, knowing that the Spirit may lead you or I to respond differently.

And thatย brings me to myย only difficulty with the book. I think that he didn’t go far enough. Greg implies that though most churches in the world are enslaved to the Powers, he and his church have found a better way.ย I have never visited his church, but my guess is that if I did, I would not be able to tell that it was muchย different from almostย any other church in town. He’s made some changes which I think are a move in the right direction, but are they enough to reverse the course we are on?

It’s like a Playboy photographerย who doesn’tย look at Playboy magazines, or a Tobacco Company CEO who doesn’t smoke, or a BP Oil Executive who drives a hybrid. If you’re still part of an abusive, exploitive, damagingย system, who cares if you make a few tweaksย with your own involvement?

Maybe what we need is not a revolution, or even another reformation. What we need is a death and resurrection.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Books I'm Reading

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