Programmes- Sterile services and Flamboyant events

By Brett Jacobsen

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)  

I resonate with many of Roger’s points in this article. Many who have come out of “traditional churches” have a hard time not becoming a mini-me of the very thing they thought they'd left behind. (It seems that no-one is exempt from this paradigm struggle). It is not enough to switch venues for church, we must move forward by the Spirit as He teaches us how to be the church rather than going there (even if it is in a house). If we learn, by the Spirit, to live the Kingdom of God all day every day, we don’t need event evangelism, nor do we need exciting meetings (even in homes). We will be living by the Spirit in everyday life, as well as when we gather together to break bread.

by Tom Sparks
                                                                                                                 

Today I’d like to share some things with you, on the subject of Intentional Gatherings.

I love that word - “Intentional.”  It has a ring to it that bears witness with something very deep within my spirit.  It is a term that is moving among the body of those who have come out of the traditional Church, so it’s not unique with me, but it says something very important.  For me there is a “knowing” that it is a God thing, a “deep that calls to deep” formation within me.

by Brett Jacobsen

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

by Tom Sparks

For as far back as I can remember the Lord has been unveiling the competition He experiences with those things that oppose Him, and the story of my life is a journey from one exposure to another exposure of the religious systems that compete for centrality of life focus.

Let me make this as simple as I know how to.  Either Jesus is going to be the focus of our lives or religious systems are, but you are never going to find a religious system that maintains the focus on Jesus He is due.

We have now reduced the price of Heaven's Underground Blueprint to what it costs to print (plus freight and tax) because we feel the Lord would have us do so. Although I wouldn’t condemn people who do make a profit from their book sales, I am not comfortable with doing it myself. So, you can now purchase the book for cost price no mater which country you’re from, but the freight is on you. You can also get the e-book version for free if you like. Of course we are open to donations towards the ministry from people who purchase the book (or get it free), but there is no compulsion. If you would like to read the introduction and back cover of Heaven's Underground Blueprint, and/or obtain a copy, click here- http://www.christisall.org/hub-book

Part 4 of 6

by David Orton

Confusion of terms - Elders, Bishops, and Pastors

Consequently, the Western church’s traditionally inherited structures have confused three important terms: elders, bishops, and pastors. Traditionally, they have been seen as three distinct layers of church office: the bishop originally presiding over one congregation but in time over many, and, therefore the pastor of each congregation, who in turn presided over the elders. It is important to note that Paul in his address to the Ephesian elders used all three terms inter-changeably, for one category of person. In verse 17 of Acts chapter 20 he called the presbuterous or ‘elders’ of the church to meet with him. In verse 28 he also referred to them as episkopos - as ‘overseers’ (NIV, NASV) or ‘bishops’ (NKJV, NRSV), reminding them that it was the Holy Spirit who placed them in this role. And in the same verse he exhorts them to poimainein (to feed and rule) or ‘shepherd’ (NASV, NRSV) the flock, which is the verb form of poimen, translated ‘pastor’ in Ephesians 4:11.

Which Kingdom Do You Inhabit?

by Brett Jacobsen

There are many prophetic shadows in the Bible which display what God has done and will do in the New Covenant season of His Kingdom. One such biblical illustration of the current transition from old wineskins to new, from flesh to faith, from Christendom to Christ, is the relocation from Sinai to Sion. This shift from mountain to mountain: from kingdom to kingdom, is very instructive for all those who wish to live “in Christ”.

Which Mountain?

The writer of Hebrews has done a great service to the Kingdom of Christ in drawing a bold line between the carnal kingdom and Christ’s:

Brett Jacobsen's book Heaven's Underground Blueprint is now available. The book has a twofold thrust: it is a prophetic work that paralells church history with Old Testament Israel, presenting insight into current happenings and great hope for the future. It also is instructive in the current reformation of the church into underground community. Some of the main topics covered are: How the church spiralled down into the Dark Ages (and largely remains there), How God is changing the guard of church leadership, How to do New Testament community, What is New Testament leadership instead of hierarchical humanism, Biblical unity rather than ecumenical compromise, God's proccess of reformation, de-construction or destruction, Promised Land Christianity, Reformation of eschatology, and more.

by Frank Viola

In virtually every city where I’ve spoken, I have been asked the question, “Frank, do you believe in ‘the five-fold ministry?’ And do you believe that God is restoring ‘the five-fold ministry’ mentioned in Ephesians Chapter 4?”

In this article, I would like to answer that question.

My answer is largely hinged on what one means by “the five-fold ministry.” That is, what “five-fold ministry” are we talking about? Are we talking about the 200-year old doctrine of the restoration of “the five-fold ministry?” Or are we talking about the ascension gifts that Paul had in mind when he penned Ephesians 4:9-16?

The Five-Fold Ministry: The History of a Doctrine

by Jeff Gilbertson

If you can stand it, I would like to ask you all one more time to look at the Lord's Supper through the lens of the New Testament and see if you would not agree with me that this may be one of the biggest blind spots for the church around the world in the last 2000 years!

It's a supper, stupid!

First and foremost, if you look at all the texts that describe what we now practice and call "The Lord's Supper", you will notice that it was in the context of Jesus and His disciples sharing the Passover meal together.

Mtt. 26:26  And while they  were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples.

by Jon Zens

Four Tragic Shifts In The Visible Church
180-400 A. D.

Most professing Christians do not realize that the central concepts and practices associated with what we call 'church' are not rooted in the New Testament, but in patterns established in the post-apostolic age. While there are a legion of disagreements among serious students of church history concerning various issues and details during the period of 50 A.D. to 325 A.D., they all speak as one voice in affirming the four undeniable shifts that will be examined in this article. Church historians of all theological and ecclesiastical backgrounds observe in their writings the following four shifts:

by Brett Jacobsen

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

Money in New Testament communities

I should probably write a whole separate book on the use and misuse of money in the church, but due to limited space I will stick to the matter of money amongst a New Testament community.

by Brett Jacobsen

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

The four pillars of Christian life

Unlike most of the modern church-growth books and seminars, we are not concerned with growing churches or producing replicable formulas, nor fancy programs. Our aim is to uncover biblical principles for every day victory in every believer’s life, thus producing victory and growth in God’s kingdom.

Again, the early church provides a clear heavenly ‘blueprint’, not just because they produced great eternal fruit, but because they were working from the kingdom of heaven modeled by Jesus.

by Brett Jacobsen

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

The beginning of the fullness of Christ

Once the church’s leadership is restructured according to the New Testament heavenly blueprint, and Jesus has the reins again, we can begin our journey in the fullness of Christ; this journey is a progressive growth rather than an arrived destination.

I am not referring to a season where everyone is perfectly sinless, but one in which Christ reigns, causing consistent growth and maturation in the body, which will produce a “spotless bride”. This season will need a biblical structure to carry the bigness of the fullness of Christ.

by Brett Jacobsen

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

Stages of structure in the church

We will now take a brief account of past structures, from Jesus’ own methods, through church history to now, a time when Jesus is imparting to His church ‘His methods’ again.

Jesus’ seed example

Jesus modeled the perfect way to live in the Kingdom of God while existing on this planet. He was the example and reference point for the early church and He will be likewise for the end-time church. As multitudes pour out of the man-made wineskins, Jesus is restoring His heavenly-wineskin in order to receive the new wine of the Spirit for this hour. We will look at some key elements in the life and ministry of Christ as He walked the earth, seeking to save “that which was lost”. (Luke 19:10)

by Brett Jacobsen

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

Addressing the current imbalance

Even amongst many who have fled the ranks of the extended Dark-Age church, there is quite a bit of confusion and imbalance; this oftentimes proves to be equally as damaging as the failed system they are fleeing from. Many have swung too far on the proverbial pendulum, from Constantine’s courts of control to independent, Lone-Ranger status; which turns out to be equally imbalanced and unfruitful. Many who have left church institutions still lack clear direction and biblical foundation pertaining to the ‘how to’ of Christian connectedness. Without this biblical foundation, all sorts of humanistic mindsets arise, causing all sorts of false, self-justifiable behavior. It is crucial we refrain from straying beyond the boundaries of the Word of God. It seems that more people would be willing to trade their extra-biblical structures for a biblical one if only they were provided an unambiguous operational example which made apparent the biblical prototype.

by David Orton

The Current Realignment of the Church

Part 2 of 2

But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them,
"Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."

Acts 18:6

Realignment of structure

Returning to the word I received in Canberra, “From now on I am going to the Gentiles!” Dramatically casting out his garments Paul declared this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It was a declaration of the intent of God to move out from the traditional religious boundaries of the synagogue. For our ministry in 2005 this meant some significant realignments of our programme – the cancelling of several events that were focussed on the synagogue leaders – in today’s language the pastors of the institutional church. But why was this? I have had it said to me that I am against pastors and the local church. Unfortunately, I have to plead guilty, but not for the reasons they think!

by Michael Clark

Have you ever thought that the Church is training Christians to be silent?I remember when I was a teen.My dad was a heavy smoker and eventually it killed him.He would be taking a hit off a cigarette and as he exhaled the smoke would say, "Son, I don't want you to smoke!"Well, as many of us have figured from raising our own children, the example speaks louder than words.I was smoking and on my way to a full blown habit before I graduated from high school. I thank God I was able to quit with the help of my loving wife before I got out of the Navy four years later.

by Brett Jacobsen

Blowing ‘our’ trumpet in Zion

A large part of the western church has become a scene of men that desire and perform to be seen of men. Like the flaunting Corinthians and wayward Jews of New Testament times, many ‘Christians’ these days have fallen prey to a public spectacle paradigm that is rooted in “the pride of life”. (1 John 2:16) Jesus sternly warned many to steer clear from a “seen of men” motivation. In the “Sermon on the Mount” He said: