Updated: see "what to take away" counter to the review that says applicability is lacking.
From the book: "To the lovers of Jesus who are feeling discouraged, I pray this book gives you hope for what is possible. To those who knowingly or subconsciously are harming the church, I pray God gives you the grace to repent."
I've felt the conviction over the state of the church--and my own wandering from the ideal pattern--for a while. To the point that four years ago, hubby and I thought maybe we needed to just find a home church or buy a house and have one. It's a vision that got sidetracked (spiritual war, God testing, not sure), but we were completely dissatisfied with spectator-church. And then I started hearing from more and more fellow believers how church has become a ritual, a consumption, an entertainment, a thing you do on Sunday, and not full of power and humble service, with everyone manifesting the gift(s) they have received from the Holy Spirit. I have especially been pained by the lack of prayer. Prayer, so important and essential to Christ and the apostles and the early believers....where is prayer on Sundays? Why is the time given to so little prayer? Communal prayer matters in Scripture, not just solitary prayer. I have been obsessed in my prayers and thoughts with those building blocks of the early church...and Francis expounds on them: apostles teaching, fellowship, prayer, breaking of bread/Lord's supper.
When I saw this book, saw Francis addressing this, I preordered the book and am reading it. It's taking me a while, though I began 1 AM last night, when Amazon sent it to my Kindle. I keep stopping to repent, to pray, to praise, to ask God for help for me and the church, American and global. But especially here, on my continent. He provides many passages of Scripture, and I stop to meditate on familiar words, to see them fresh.
So, while I am not done with the book yet, know that he does talk about what is very wrong with our modern way of doing church. How it doesn't look like the NT church. How we lack the power we should have. How we give in to gimmicks to draw in visitors. How we don't trust God to rely on what God has asked us to do.
One part speaks of an experiment they did just reading Scripture. Not preaching or expounding on it. Just reading it. IN one case the whole thing in 72 hours. In another, all chapters of the book of Revelation, one person reading one chapter until all were done. I can't help but think this is something more churches need to try: just read Scripture. Read it, aloud, to the congregation. Have people come and read it aloud. When was the last time we did just that--not select verses, but just READ it, lots of it, out loud?
I will update this when I finish, as I expect to savor it slowly ,weep more over it, pray over it, praise in moments--and you should read it like that, too. Just stop and address the Lord on the subject. Intercede. Praise him. Weep some more. Ask for His leading on how you (and I) can be agents of change and use our gifts in the Body, as servants.
Please, read this book. It's for such a time as this.
Updated 9/6:
I continue to slowly read this, with prayer and pondering. I woke hubby at 5:30 in the AM today and said, "I want to talk to you about things from the Chan book." We talked for an hour and then wept and then prayed. Things I'd noticed wrong, he's noticed. But anyone reading would immediately see applicability--if you WANT to.
It's like Scripture. It says be filled with the Spirit. Does it give step by step instructions on how to do that? But you know when you are because the fruit follows and you look back and think--oh, I prayed more deeply and longer, and I spent more time in the Word, and I made an effort to keep my minds on things above, and the fruit followed.
Chan speaks many ways to apply changes--to pastors mainly, but to laypeople also. Here are some takeaways:
1. Pray a lot more. It's more important than activity.
2. Be ready to lose everything for Christ: look at your spending, look at what your goals are, look at your home, your savings. Are you hoarding? Are you spending yourself out of concern for the lost, giving away possessions as led and not focusing on a bigger house or a new car or a fancy vacation. Declutter your life of materialism.
3. Read the Scriptures, unvarnised. Just spend time during a worship service doing nothing but reading the Word aloud. No preaching. Just reading and hearing.
4. Allow young children into services. Stop assuming they should be off coloring and seeing talking vegetable cartoons. Childresn can learn, can worship, can pray for adults, can use spiritual gifts if they are saved. They can minister, too. Stop underestimating children who are in the Lord.
5. Stop underestimating the Holy Spirit. Expect miracles.
6. Expect suffering and embrace it. Tell yourself you must change your mindset to expect suffering/persecution and that you look at that joyfully, not fearfully. (I see a lot of fear in myself and in the American church and discomfort at the idea of persecution. That is not the apostolic view.) He gives an example of the Chinese Christians saying, "Lord, send me to a dangerous place. I will give my life for you. I'll die for you" and saying it with joy. He writes of the Iranian church that has those who will be new members understand the cost and sign a document that says they are wlling to lose all possessions, jobs, and lives for the Christ.
7. Simplify worship: get bread, get wine, get a Bible, sit and just worship together with these three. No videos. No fancy displays. No choir. No spectator sport or entertainment mentality. Word and the bread and wine and see what God does in an intimate worship.
8. Stop trying to attract people to churches (this was more for the ministerial staff) with fancy worldly elements. If they don't come to pray, worship praise, and love....they're not coming for the right reasons.
9. And this one is fundamental, I think, and it is also one pastors must focus on: Change the very basic structure of how we do church so tht every spiritual gift can be used to equip the church. We have church where teaching/preaching and music are the gifts utilized. Where is the ability for people to speak words of wisdom, pray for healing to see if a gift of healing is given, prophesy if the Spirit so moves. Have we stopped valuing the other gifts? How do we alter the very structure to allow for gifts to manifest and people to serve, not just observe? It may mean eliminating paid ministers. Shepherds/elders who work to support themselves outside of offerings. This forces everyone to use their gifts, since they can't say, "Well, we pay THEM to do that."
10. Expect to grow believers who will be able to leave your particular church body and start a new church. Believers who stop being babies and children spiritually, and grow up and grow OUT. Maybe expect staff to leave every few years (he names "five years" as one pastor's sign to move on). Move on and grow new flocks. Move on and learn from someone else.
And all that and I'm still not finished with the book. Seems to me anyone who doesn't think there is applicability doesn't understand that CHANGE and REFORM are hard as heck. It can be done, but people must be willing to SEE the fundamental problems and be wiling to REFORM....ditch tradition and follow the Spirit. Be the church, not go to church.
So, yes, there is applicability. We can all start applying it today, and may God move many pastors to undertake the harder work of looking closely at what they have created, upheld, supported, continued that should not be continued, upheld, supported.
And sometimes ,you have the voice that shouts out what is wrong. Then others come in and say, "yes, now, here's what we can do to make that happen." One book doesn't have to be the how-to manual to be effective as the wake-up call.
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A Call to come out of Babylon and leave her daughters too!
Chan is limited in this short book. See more of his work in Crazy Love. The return to the First Century Ekklesia will be each individual's choice. To stay in a corporate or social-political organization called "Church" while the "Least of These" are ignored by those in charge, the faithful are abused by the shepherds, the definition of Sin is changed to meet culture's truth test, is foolish. All are predicted and expected. Come out of Babylon! Reject reverends, titles, rules, and rituals of mixed up covenants. Meet with your neighbors, love them and forgive your enemies. follow Jesus, not religion.
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Top reviews from other countries
N. Collins
A call back to the basics of pure faith
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 27, 2021Shannon
Enjoyed every chapter of this book!
Reviewed in Canada on November 15, 2018
