COMMUNITIES (Open Letter pages 105-108).
Beloved Lord, I now dare to move into an area of leadership where volumes could be written and where the opportunities for unrighteous judgements are blossoming like weeds in a well-watered spring valley. I pray and trust Your Spirit – the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord – CONSTRAIN ME to declare truth … and keep me from all weeds! Let all that follows be written unto edifying and holiness of Your Church which is Your Body and Your fullness. Amen.
So far, I touched and described a few examples from organized church denominations. Now I want to move and touch communities, publishing, and finally, the “electronic” evangelism and ministry.
From the beginning of Christianity, the churches in houses had been a common fact (Acts 2:46 and 5:42; Philemon 2). I believe that they never ceased and that during the times of severe persecutions and the dark ages of Christianity, they were the sole candlestick of light, the sole vessel of salt, the sole cruse of oil, the sole remnant that You had on earth.
You always had Your remnant like unto a “scarlet thread” that is being unwound through the maze of darkness, corruption and death in this world. Even today, they are Your sole remnant in the countries and places where Your Church is under heavy persecution. In the so-called “free world”, though, the story is quite different.
Many house groups and many communities, small or large, were formed by believers who were frustrated with their “mother ships” and took off in their “dinghies”. Because of their ambitions and the abundance of freedom, many of such Christians followed the voices of their unsatisfied desires, even the noble plans and imaginations of their minds and hearts. Some of those desires, plans and imaginations suggested that true Christianity COULD and SHOULD be practised in a form different from organized religion. It could – and it did!
Many believers found new things, new freedoms, new feelings, new doctrines, new atmosphere, new relationships … even new enthusiasm to “show the world how the true Body of Christ looks, works and lives”.
So, instead of a sixty-five year old bald canon from an abbey in a pitch dark attire, one would have a thirty year old guy in the same jeans and the same T-shirt as one’s pastor or an elder in the “governmental line”. They would be on a first-name basis from the very beginning. They could sit cross-legged under an orchard and have communion with real whole-wheat tasty bread and a glass of real red wine. Instead of quietly warming some hard-wood pew for hours, they could sit on grass and speak with one another, and share and discuss any biblical or any domestic matters. They could pray, sing, worship anywhere, any hour and almost under any circumstances and conditions.
Those in the leadership, devoted to the study of Your Word, have done so spontaneously and they produced a flood of teachings and doctrines in print or on tapes. Communities mushroomed, holy convocations were called and the new teachings were disseminated all over North America and beyond. The teachings were new in content, in style and in palate.
In content – they were adventurous, penetrating into areas previously neglected, shunned or feared; in style – they were more open, more frank, irresistible; and as to the palate – they were usually sprinkled with a biblical humor and a pinch of sarcasm toward those that might not see their value and truth.
I do believe, Lord, that a new freshness and a new form of a more open Christianity had been discovered and new values produced. I believe that much hypocrisy and ritualism had been discarded along with much tradition. I also believe another fact, though, and this is what I would, again, write in red ink: Despite all the above newness, all the above changes – the MAN HAD NOT CHANGED!
The pride, fears, jealousies, doubts, lusts and many other things lodged deeply within the heart of a clean-cut young man in a denominational church REMAINED in his heart even in the midst of his new community!
True, he now had brothers and sisters with whom he could talk more openly, share more openly, sing new songs, pray new prayers and worship with tears rolling down his cheeks … the soul being truly exuberant and ecstatic. Yet, the heart did not yield its dark venomous contents!
Just as the old traditional organized churches, so also the new communities, have NOT SOLVED the problem of the Old Man and the New Man!
The soul could experience a tremendous change – but the spiritual man remained unchanged! Even many of these new fresh leaders have not found out that the way to You Personally, to the living God, is NOT through new doctrines alone, through a lot of new teachings alone, through mind and new emotions … not even through a NEW FORM of Christianity alone; nor is it through the newly found freedoms of the soul! The way to You has been the same from the beginning – it is through the spirit AND cross, through cross AND spirit! There is simply NO OTHER WAY!
Just as there have been very few in the organized church that found and now walk on the narrow road, so also there have been few in the communities that found it and walk on it. Nevertheless, I believe, Lord, that due to the much greater closeness and togetherness of people, the communities are an excellent tool to preserve what Christians already have and hold it fast and not deteriorate as rapidly as the organized church does. Such is my earnest prayer, Lord.
But most of all, I do pray and intercede for the leadership of the communities formed by You that Your Mighty Spirit would RESTRAIN them from straying and erring in spirit – for the consequences are always transmitted to all the followers and are damaging Your Body whatever is It’s form. I pray in faith and I praise You for Your work on earth. Amen.
brother Hanola
…