Individualism- Lone rangers and Scorned saints

This says the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm [zerowa- strength], and whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good comes; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusts in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreads out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat comes, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. (Jer 17:5-8)

 

This one is a little on the flip side of what we’ve been looking at in this series. So far we’ve looked at:

-Programmes- Sterile services and Flamboyant events
-Leadership- Hierarchical and Humanly official
-Church Constructs- Cathedrals and Owned organisations
-Money- Luring with luxury and Mammonistic manipulation
-Ministries- Stage strutting and Went ones
-Traditions Of Men- Set schedules and Patterned practices
-Growth- Seeking statistics and Competing companies
-Legalism- Written rules and Carnal codes

These are all primarily attached to institutional church constructs (even ones that have moved into homes) which tend to lean towards the flesh… almost automatically.

Now, we who have left church systems behind must be wary of an equally as fleshly device which attempts to trip Kingdom seekers up into human reliance. We must be on guard against individualism that causes us to be isolated from the body of Christ.

It is strikingly clear from the New Testament that we the saints are called to have Christ focused community and koinonia [1] relationship with other believers, including equippers and overseers [2]. In fact the two imperatives in New Testament life are that we are in constant love communion with the Lord and consistent love community with the saints who He has called us to relate to:

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like to it, you shall love your neighbour as yourself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matt 22:36-40)

There seems to me to be two symptoms which cause some church construct leavers to fall into individualism. They are having a Lone Ranger spirit or being a saint who has been scorned and wounded.

I would find it all too easy to back away from consistent love fellowship into seclusion with the Lord. Because He is perfect and we humans are… quite frankly, annoying. I could easily choose to just get love from the Lord, but not give it to people, but that would only complete half of the Kingdom equation.

Whether it’s due to me being a loner by nature or because other saints and systems have scorned and used me, I can’t afford to leave off koinonia and community. However, what if no one is being friendly to me? Then choose love and be friendly to them. What if I only like a few of the saints and the rest aren’t my style? Then learn to love the unlovely.

We mustn’t bring reproach against real reformation from the Lord by selfishly dressing up our individualism as us not wanting to be part of another system… unless it truly is another crook system.

The usually misrepresented scripture from Hebrews which has been used to beat many believers back into the passive pews actually provides a great picture of New Testament love community. We will do it justice by quoting more than the regular “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” part:

And let us consider one another [allelon- each other, mutual] to provoke to love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting [parakaleo- to call alongside] one another… (Heb 10:24-25)

First we will examine the statements before and after the usually quoted portion. It says “let us consider one another [allelon- each other, mutual] to provoke to love and to good works”. We are ALL to consider ONE ANOTHER rather than waiting for our pastoral consideration call. We should be provoking one another to love and good works. When should love and good works be happening? Every day. Where should love and good works be happening? Every where. Who should be causing the saints to daily live in love and good works? All of us.

Now, after the often misused statement it says we should be “exhorting [parakaleo- to call alongside] one another”. Who should be exhorting and being exhorted? All of us, hence the “one another” part.

The word for exhorting is parakaleo which comes from two words: para- alongside (like parallel) and kaleo- to call. The verse is urging all the saints to call one another alongside the Christ in all of us.

These statements, among many other scriptures, clearly show our responsibility to pursue and provoke consistent, enduring love relationship and community with other believers around our life. This is a far cry from what has been called church though.

As for the middle statement: if you do a little study into it you will find that it is highly unlikely that it is even talking at all about Christians gathering together for any kind of meeting [3]. (Though gathering for time together in the Lord is biblically sound and can be beneficial).

So, in this current “time of reformation” it is imperative that we who wish to wholeheartedly pursue Christ speak and live a biblically balanced Christian life (Heb 9:10). We must have love which flows to and from God and to and from other brothers and sisters in Christ.

If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loves God love his brother also. (1 John 4:20-21)

[1] Gk: koinonia- is partnership, participation and communion with others.

[2] For a fairly thorough look at true New Testament community see Chapter seven of Heaven’s Underground Blueprint here:

Part 1- http://www.christisall.org/2006/10/27/heavens-underground-community-blueprint-pt-1-of-5-by-brett-jacobsen/

Part 2- http://www.christisall.org/2006/10/31/heavens-underground-community-blueprint-pt-2-of-5-by-brett-jacobsen/

Part 3- http://www.christisall.org/2006/11/07/heavens-underground-community-blueprint-pt-3-of-5-by-brett-jacobsen/

Part 4- http://www.christisall.org/2006/11/10/heavens-underground-community-blueprint-pt-4-of-5-by-brett-jacobsen/

Part 5- http://www.christisall.org/2006/11/20/heavens-underground-community-blueprint-pt-5-of-5-by-brett-jacobsen/

[3] “Not forsaking the assembling [episunagoge] of ourselves together [episunagoge], as the manner of some is…” (Heb 10:25)

See page 841-843 Vol vii of Kittel’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament for a clearer understanding of episunagoge.

Some points to consider about episunagoge:

- Strong’s Concordance says it refers to “a complete collection”
- The word is very rare in secular Greek
- 2 Macc 2:7 uses it in the context of “eschatological gathering and restoration of Israel from dispersion” and seems to shape the NT concept that it is used for.
- Jesus used the verb form in the Olivet discourse when speaking of the gathering together [episunagoge] of his elect- all those called in Christ:

And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather [episunago] together [episunago] his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. (Mark 13:27, also Matt 24:31)

- The only other place in the NT besides Heb 10:25 where episunagoge is used is in 2 Thessalonians chapter two. This is also clearly speaking of an ingathering of all believers rather than a church meeting etc:

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering [episunagoge] together [episunagoge] to him, (2 Thess 2:1)

- When viewed in context of the letter to the Hebrews which contains the statement in question, we see that it is fitting for the writer, towards the end of his exhortation, to continue to encourage them not to forsake being part of the ingathering (episunagoge) of all the elect into Christ. For they were in grave danger of “[drawing] back unto perdition;” into human religion in the form of carnal Judaism (v39).

 

For more reading on New Testament leadership and community as well as other reformational insights, see the author’s book Heaven’s Underground Blueprint here- http://www.christisall.org/hub-book for a copy or a free PDF version.

REPRINT AGREEMENT
Duplication and re-transmission of this writing is permitted provided that complete source and website information for CHRIST IS ALL is included.
Thank you.
www.christisall.org