Watchman Nee, the famous Chinese Christian leader, said that a true church meeting could be described with one word: mutuality. (Think 1 Cor. 14:26)And, where does this way of doing/being church come from?
It flows from the very nature of the Trinity.
Within the triune God we discover mutual love, mutual fellowship, mutual dependence, mutual honor, mutual submission, mutual dwelling, and authentic community. In the Godhead there exists an eternal, complementary, and reciprocal interchange of divine life, divine love, and divine fellowship...the headwater of the church are found in the Godhead. Viola, Reimagining Church, p. 35.
House church is not some superficial, passing fad. It's rooted in foundational theology.
John
I just wanted to mention that our state-wide MRT was discussing this very thing during our last conference call together. Grover mentioned that when we recognize each other by the gifts and calling that each of us are given by God, there will be no head but Him. We all will function and serve each other out of that mutual respect, mutual service, and find that authentic relationship that you mention. Out of that desire to listen to the Lord, and serve each other from underneath to support and encourage one another, is developing a common purpose together in reaching our state. From this we honor each other, male & female, 'young' and 'younger', and see that God is genuinely giving us a heart to labor together and encourage and build up one another. We are thoroughly enjoying our experiences with God and our growth here in New Mexico.
ReplyDeleteHeadwaters perform a function in rivers of water. They are the source from which the water originates. In J. Lee Grady's book, "10 lies the Church Tells Women", he investigates the term "head" used often by many to point to the place they believe is designated for men.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Grady, this terminology is not derived from a word that means "above" but rather the word that means "headwaters" or "source"... now that puts a whole nother slant on the cooperative relationship of man and wife in a family.
Life flows... and is alive. Just as in heaven, so on earth.
If ecclesiology flows out of the nature of God in a given cultural setting, then Trinitarian believers really should experience a deep sense of community. Makes sense. But the really tricky part is that our theological understanding of God is often shaped -- whether we realize it or not -- by our experience in Christian community. Rather than ask whether our experience matches our theology, I might want to ask what one's experience has been, and that will likely reveal what is believed about God.
ReplyDeleteThanks for wriiting
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