Gord
Coulson
Last
Saturday 50 or 60 of us met for the entire day in an informal house-church
setting and I still feel I’m there--overjoyed in the Spirit, with lots of new
memories and some new friends. 3 were baptized, so it was an especially wonderful
day. But more on that later.
Some have
suggested that a free Christian fellowship won’t work, that Christians must
have a unifying doctrinal system. Others suggest the bible alone is not
reliable, or that the canon should be revisited, or that the bible on its own
is insufficient information for a Christian; that he or she needs additional
Church writings or traditions. I won’t attempt an academic treatise, but I will
give my own personal experience.
Free,
biblical Christian fellowship, in the spirit of the Anabaptists, does indeed
work, and works quite well—although it is not an easy road. I have been a
member of just such a fellowship for several years now and I would never go
back to an institutional religion. We have people from several backgrounds: JW,
Bible Student,
It
wasn’t always like this. When I first met this group, many were intent on
hammering out the “true” doctrine, in detail, through debate and discourse.
Others believed they already had it and had to convince everyone else. There
were a lot of arguments and hurt feelings, and many left to go back to
denominations, where the doctrine was well-defined, or they left church life
altogether. I began to realize that it simply was not possible to create a
“true” biblical theological system beyond the essentials. Not because the bible
was unreliable, but because the bible simply does not define most doctrine
beyond what is essential for salvation. Also, many of the prophecies and
teachings in the bible will not be clearly understood until Jesus Christ
returns.
Our
fellowship began to realize that the true mark of a Christian was not adherence
to a detailed theological system, but the risen Christ living through an
individual, as evidenced by the fruits of the Spirit, especially Christian
love. Like the Anabaptists, we learned that teachings could not be imposed.
Individual Christians had to learn biblical truth at their own speed, according
to their own experience and conscience. We could help them learn, but “God
would make it grow.” We could lead them to Christ, but they had to walk with
him from there. And then we had to get out of the way. We learned we must never
put ourselves, an organization, a doctrinal system, or any other thing “made
with hands” in between them and the Lord Jesus, the “only mediator between God
and man”. To do so is to create an idol.
But is
not truth important? Of course it is. But we learned that once someone is truly
committed to, and united with, the risen Lord Jesus Christ, and he or she stays
humble and teachable, the Lord will indeed teach them and correct them, for he
“disciplines all those whom he loves.” So if we are true Christians, then we
are on the true path that leads to true understanding, but we certainly have
not yet arrived. We will be in different stages of spiritual development and so
cannot possibly be united under one detailed doctrinal system. As well, we come
from different backgrounds. Many doctrines have been ingrained for much of our
lives, and will not easily be relinquished. And yet the Lord can use this fact
in his service as we witness to those who we understand best, showing them the
superior way of Jesus. We only see through a “dim mirror” now, but in that day
it will be “face to face.” “As to what we will be we do not know, but we know
we will be like him and see him as he is.” The objective is not to understand
all the theological details, but to stay connected to our head, Christ Jesus, and
to do God’s will. For “he who loves me [Jesus] obeys
my commands”, and “this means everlasting life, knowing you, the true God, and
the one you sent forth, Jesus Christ.”
Some
will object that the world cannot be witnessed to by such an informal group of
rag-tag Christians. No? Look at
What
about the bible? Is it full of contradictions? Does the fact that individuals
come up with such varied interpretations prove that it is unreliable?
I
would venture that most of the alleged contradictions have been answered, and
the ones that remain are not important and probably will be addressed in the
future. I believe they are only apparent contradictions at present. In any
event, the bible has remained a true, reliable signpost leading to Christ, and
a perfectly dependable and comprehensive guide for those desiring to please
God. The internal harmony, startling fulfillment of prophecy, divine wisdom,
precise use of language and candidness prove to me and many others, that it is
the work of God.
What
about the canon? I would say simply the fact that it’s been around in its
current form for some 1500 or 1600 years (maybe longer) and is now used in
almost all denominations suggests that Christians are genuinely happy with it.
Although there is no clear evidence that God defined the canon, I think the
collection of books speaks for itself. Under whose authority would we revise
the canon? How about the Jesus Seminar: that group of scholars that vote on
biblical passages with colored beans, stripping out all they deem as faulty,
reducing the bible to a set of nice life principles? God save us from the Jesus
Seminar and those like them! Or is there someone today that has special
canon-defining authority from God? Then let him show himself and deliver his
credentials. Until then, I believe it is the course of wisdom to continue with
what we have. As a friend of mine said: People who criticize the bible need to
spend more time studying it!
What
about varied and contradictory interpretations? Can the bible be made to say
anything we like? Yes, if, in John Stott’s words, we are unscrupulous enough.
But if we are honest, humble and seek God earnestly for direction and
illumination, and use a consistent hermeneutical method, letting the bible
interpret itself, as well as not imposing clarity where the bible is ambiguous,
we will find the bible is a divinely dependable source of Godly truth. I
suggest that in areas that are essential for salvation, the bible is very
clear. For example, the bible clearly teaches, and most if not all Christians
would agree that:
- God
Almighty created the heavens and the earth and all living things.
- Adam and Eve sinned and brought condemnation upon the human race.
- God first dealt with the nation of
- In due time, God sent his son Jesus Christ, a Jew, into the world to teach
people about the Kingdom and to die a sacrificial death for all mankind, once
for all time.
- Jesus Christ rose from the dead, appeared to his disciples and then ascended
to heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father.
- Now all people—Jews and Gentiles—who put their faith in Christ’s sacrifice,
accepting him as Savior and Lord will be forgiven of their sins, be reconciled
to God, and will ultimately merit eternal life.
- Christ will return to judge the world.
- In the future there will be new heavens and a new earth where love and true
worship will reign and evil will be absent. All creation will be reconciled
back to God.
We
could add many more teachings that the bible is crystal clear on, but these should
suffice. The bible does reliably teach
what is necessary to know for salvation: namely, that Jesus Christ is Lord and
Savior, and that we must accept this and commit to following him. There are many more truths we will learn as
we go, but none will save us more than this one truth and our acceptance of it
already has.
So
what is it like in an informal house-church fellowship?
The
experiences are varied. Many house churches are very unstructured and
spirit-led. Ours is more structured, and focused around teaching, probably due
to our particular backgrounds.
We
arrived around
Gerry
gave a talk, “A Liberating View of Divorce and Remarriage”, followed by energetic
discussion. We broke for lunch (house churches love their food)—more
conversation, more people arriving, laughter, discussion, more hugs.
After
lunch, Cliff talked about biblical “Disturbing Facts and Comforting Fiction”,
again followed by animated discussion. Chris led us in a study in the book of
Hosea. We were amazed at all the references to Jesus Christ in Hosea! I sensed
the great intellect of God behind the compilation of his word—weaving together
the intricate and interconnected patterns through history.
Lewis
gave the baptism talk. There were three candidates who announced verbally their
decision to dedicate their lives to Christ. It was very moving for all of us.
Then, like the exodus, we walked across the field to the neighbour’s house to use
their swimming pool which they had warmed up for us. The candidates, as well as
the two baptizers, donned white robes. By this time there were 50-60 people
present, including family members of the candidates. The ceremony was beautiful
and serene. We prayed before the baptisms and sang a song of praise afterwards,
by the poolside. Then we made the exodus back. The weather was wonderful—sunny
and warm, the sky a deep blue against the lush green countryside.
Back
at the farmhouse, we had a discussion about the Christian’s role in the
community, followed by a testimony meeting. Dave, one of the newly baptized
Christians, sang a song he had written about his first coming to Christ. It was
very moving. His wife April testified to her love for the Lord.
We
sang a final song of praise that almost shook the house, and had dinner
together. We stayed late into the evening—no one wanted to leave. The Holy
Spirit was operating powerfully, and joy was overflowing in all hearts. There
was a Moslem man that attended and was very moved. He
wanted to be notified when the next meeting would be. Praise God!
So
is God only working through the house churches now? No, I’m not saying that.
I believe Christianity is wherever there are true Christians. And what is
a true Christian? Simply one through whom Jesus is living. One who is doing
God’s will to the best of his ability. One who demonstrates humility, love,
and kindness. One who considers the bible the word of God, and
who studies it and applies it so as to serve his brothers and neighbours effectively
and to please his Creator. One who, like Christ, disowns himself, picking
up his cross to follow after his Lord wherever he leads.
This is the true path and the good life God has called us to. It is the path
that is not easy, but which brings immeasurable joy and innumerable true friends
in this age, and in the next, everlasting life and indescribable spiritual
treasures.