by Frank Chase

Megachurch Association of America, 1950 Slippery Slope Drive,
Bald Tyre, California 92630.

Dear Saints,

We, the leaders of the modern phenomenon known as the church
growth movement or megachurch movement, wish to correspond
with the leaders of the past, namely the Old Testament prophets,
Jesus Christ, the apostles, the reformers and the revivalists, about
some differences between your methods and ours that are becoming
increasingly apparent. We cannot help but acknowledge that you
did a commendable job in advancing our heavenly Father's Kingdom.
We are especially inclined to admire your accomplishments given
that you labored under such difficult circumstances and without
the knowledge of our modern methods. How you built such great
and enduring walls for the King without the contemporary straw
and mortar that we find so helpful is a puzzling mystery to us.

by David Orton

Rev 18:2

Part 2 of 6

This series sounds a warning to the contemporary church. It will show that spiritual Jerusalem, the church of Jesus Christ – the city of God, has been invaded by Babylon, the city of man. We will show how this conflict plays out in the contemporary scene and how Babylon will ultimately fall in this glorious climax of the ages.

Babylon – the Church, seduced by a spirit of pride

Reformation to true New Testament leadership, for ongoing revival

Pt 5 of 5

by Brett Jacobsen

This five part teaching series on reformed New Testament leadership is taken from Brett Jacobsen’s book Heaven's Underground Blueprint which is available here - http://www.christisall.org/hub-book.

Equippers of the saints

Every Christian who is sent, or set in place, functioning as a leader, is also qualified as an elder. It is these ones who are called and gifted to equip and mature the saints so they will do the work of the ministry. We will now take a brief look in Ephesians at their role in readying the believers:

Reformation to true New Testament leadership, for ongoing revival

Pt 4 of 5

by Brett Jacobsen

This five part teaching series on reformed New Testament leadership is taken from Brett Jacobsen’s book Heaven's Underground Blueprint which is available here - http://www.christisall.org/hub-book.

Plural Eldership – the key to hierarchy-free local authority

Reformation to true New Testament leadership, for ongoing revival

Pt 3 of 5

by Brett Jacobsen

This five part teaching series on reformed New Testament leadership is taken from Brett Jacobsen’s book Heaven's Underground Blueprint which is available here - http://www.christisall.org/hub-book.

Scenario of apostolic function

I will now put forth a picture of an apostle to give us a general idea before we ground it in the word.

Apostles are called and commissioned by God but sent from the local community of believers, usually into un-chartered waters. Sometimes this is geographically, other times it is culturally, racially or even religiously. They are often the first on the scene, either laying the foundation of Christ beneath a pre-Christian community, or re-laying it under a straying Christian one. They are both teachers of the Christ foundation and examples of it themselves.

Reformation to true New Testament leadership, for ongoing revival

Pt 2 of 5

by Brett Jacobsen

This five part teaching series on reformed New Testament leadership is taken from Brett Jacobsen’s book Heaven's Underground Blueprint which is available here - http://www.christisall.org/hub-book.

Apostolic naming

If it is not an official position, then why would the apostles call themselves apostles?

I’m glad you asked.

For starters, you may have noticed that when I write the word apostle, except when referring to false hierarchy heads, I do not use a capital A. This is because that would make it the title of a person rather than their simple job description. To call someone Apostle Paul is to don them with a false official title, whereas to say Paul the apostle is biblically correct.

Reformation to true New Testament leadership, for ongoing revival

Pt 1 of 5

by Brett Jacobsen

This five part teaching series on reformed New Testament leadership is taken from Brett Jacobsen’s book Heaven's Underground Blueprint which is available here - http://www.christisall.org/hub-book.

Underground examples of abandoning self

Before we delve into the largely untouched and untapped realm of true Biblical leadership, in contrast to the widely accepted and embraced traditional leadership, we must look to the foundation and heart of Christian usefulness.

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Gal 2:20)

by Kerry M. Denten

I was getting ready yesterday to go out to my Grandmother's 95th
birthday celebrations. While I was in that "autopilot" mode you get
into while showering and dressing, I found my mind wandering to
considering some of the larger organised churches around
Australia and other parts of the world and was surprised by what
the Lord showed me.

I was considering Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas when my
mind then meandered from the huge Minster (or Cathedral) in York,
England to St Andrews Cathedral in Sydney. Then my thinking
wandered to the Crystal Cathedral, then to Paradise Community
Church in Adelaide, South Australia, to Christian City Church and
Hillsong Church in Sydney .. and here is what the Lord said .

by Thomas Hohstadt

We can no longer ignore the hidden facts. Our whole value system is shifting to suit the needs of individuals. Our entire social structure is reshaping to serve the passions of its participants. On a massive magnitude, the global world is reapportioning power from the "somebodies" to the "nobodies."

These facts forecast a transfigured "laity," and Christendom will not escape their transformations.

The Christian "movement" now encompasses more than the "church." Christ's mission now embraces more than "religion." For spiritual leaders are showing up outside the established church, and "unbelievers" are becoming "believers" outside our sacred "systems."

 
A Commentary on 1 Corinthians 9:1-14

by John White

A critical element in the development of the house church movement in the United States will be a change in our financial paradigm. In traditional church, money is given by church members to pay for such things as the building, salaries for the church staff, various programs, missions, etc. The house church movement offers an opportunity to reexamine Biblical values regarding the use of money for ministry.

Probably the most important single passage dealing with this topic is 1 Cor. 9:1-18. The following is a commentary on these verses with a view to discerning principles for financing ministry. This article would be best read with your Bible open to the passage under examination. (Note: Gordon Fee's commentary, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, has been particularly helpful in this study.)

by David Orton

Part 3 of 3

“But he removed Saul and made David their king…”

Acts 13:22

In this three part series we are showing that David typifies the new order of the kingdom, involving revolutionary transitions in six areas: paradigm, heart, purpose, structure, leadership, and principle.

In this final part I will discuss the strategy and timing of the Saul-David transition.

Its Strategy & Timing

by David Orton

 
Part 2 of 3
 
“But he removed Saul and made David their king…”

Act 13:22
 
In this three part series we are showing that David typifies the new order of the kingdom, involving revolutionary transitions in six areas: paradigm, heart, purpose, structure, leadership, and principle.
 
In the final part I will discuss the strategy and timing of the Saul-David transition.
 
Purpose-shift
 
This shift is from gift to agape.
 
Samuel’s response to Saul’s disobedience, “To obey is better than sacrifice”, is instructive (see 1 Sam 15:22). Saul, like the contemporary church, had mistakenly focussed on gift and ministry. He saw ministry success as the main-game – as his purpose. It reminds me of some workers of miracles on the day of judgement,

-Embracing True Biblical Unity

by Brett Jacobsen

This article is an excerpt from the authors book Heaven's Underground Blueprint which is available here - http://www.christisall.org/hub-book.

by David Newby

About 25 years ago, an old concept in church hierarchy was reintroduced to the church under a different label. It was partly built on relationship, which was good, but it was also a cover up for control.

As it developed, the "whose covering are you under?" question became somewhat meaningless to me personally. The reason was this.

I had been associated with some churches which came into relationship for the purpose of being under a "covering". The pastor of a church in Sydney would come under the covering of a pastor in Brisbane. The Brisbane pastor would be under the covering of a pastor in New Zealand who would in turn be under the covering of a pastor in Canada, and so forth.

by David Orton

Part 1 of 3

“But he removed Saul and made David their king…”

Acts 13:22

The transition from Saul to David typically foreshadows a revolution occurring in the church right now.

Many across the western church, including market researchers such as George Barna, are now recognising on empirical grounds (through measuring trends) that a revolution is occurring. Barna forecasts that over the next two decades the 70% of Christians who currently attend traditional church will reduce to 30% – and the 30% currently outside of it will increase to 70%!

by Brett Jacobsen

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matt 11:28-30

 
Choose the Spirit not the struggle
 
Although we are taught to keep smiling and stand in faith, many Christians struggle a lot of the time with every day life. It is painfully obvious why some struggle as they live out blatant ungodliness, while others are sincere about their desire to live in His holiness but find themselves regularly falling short. They, or rather we, sometimes sound like Paul in Romans saying "For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I" Rom 7:15 and "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do" Rom 7:19.

VISION by Wolfgang Simson  (-Nov 2003)

THE THREE BOOTHS

I saw a long line of newly-saved people entering the Kingdom of
God. Everything was new for them, so there were three booths set
up for them to pass through. At the first booth, they would sign up
for God's army and pledge total loyalty to God. From then on, they
were under orders, no longer their own, and were given a uniform
and boots. At the second booth, they were given a sword, and at
the third, a scythe - a harvesting tool. Astonishingly, only around
one in a thousand of the new arrivals even went to the first booth;
almost everyone went to the second stand, and almost everyone
also ignored the third stand. Almost nobody went to all three
stands, as God explicitly intended.

by Brett Jacobsen

The following are two excerpts from chapter two (The Wander Years/The Church’s Extended Dark Age) of the authors book Heaven's Underground Blueprint. The book which brings a prophetic context to the end time underground church is available here - http://www.christisall.org/hub-book.

Man reclaims the reins

For much of the church age men have been leaning on their own understanding and embracing false leadership structure due to this tendency to act out of self when the pressure is on. Although there were early signs of the spirit of man trying to rule in the church there are some key landmarks which sealed the deal and allowed mankind to snatch back the reins from the Lord.

by David Newby

Matthew 9:16 Jesus said "No-one puts a patch of new cloth onto an old garment…."

Luke 5:36 "No-one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn (ruined) the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old."

What Jesus was saying is this - "This new covenant Church that I am building is not just an add-on to the old covenant and ways…… and if you just try to keep the old going by tacking bits of the new onto it, both will be ruined."

In Matthew 9:17, Jesus said that the old wineskin had to be thrown out, otherwise the new wine would be wasted.

by David Newby

For the purpose of illustration, we will use the pyramid to represent organisational hierarchy. In this instance, it refers to the ecclesiastical hierarchy that quickly developed in the first one hundred years of the post-apostolic period, paving the way for what became the catholic church in the fourth and fifth centuries AD.

In spite of the beliefs of the Reformers, changing from the old power-based leadership and organisational structures was too big an idol for them to topple, so these are still part of our “normal” church life and experience.

God had wanted ALL of Israel to be a nation of priests - to serve in His presence. Israel was to be the vehicle of salvation to the nations around them as well.