A Brief History of the Denominational Church

The Regeneration Gap

Over 2,000 churches planted per week: 150 million (1974) to 650 million (1998). Silent exodus of people slipping out the back doors almost unnoticed: attracted but not contained; interested but not inserted into fellowship; harvested but not gathered; touched but not transformed; they looked in briefly but were disappointed in what they saw…

Exits

• 52,000 defections each week from churchdom: an astounding 94% are leaders! [Charles Crismier, Out of Egypt] “Cattle are driven; sheep are led.”
• 63% believe the Bible: at a time when the public display and discourse about matters of faith have been under attack, a new poll indicates most Americans – 63 % – believe the Bible is literally true and the Word of God. [WorldNetDaily, 4/26/05]

The Way It All Started

• A group of 12 alongside a seashore.
• The birth of the church at Pentecost was in a house (Acts 2:2).
• The early church met in houses (Acts 2:46; 5:42; 8:3; 9:11; 12:12;
• 16:40; 18:7; 20:20; 21:8; Rom 16:5; 1 Cor 16:19; Col 4:15; 1 Tim 5:13-
• 14; and Phile 1:2).
• As a persecuted church, it was the only safe way to meet

Back to Basics

• The Church: the secret and powerful Society of the Redeemed: a place where people can literally see the Body of Christ, not simply briefly touched by an abbreviated gospel of an evangelistic Blitzkrieg of short duration.
• A return to New Testament simplicity and authenticity
• No “models”: let the Spirit lead as He wills…

Eroding Foundations

• Biblical Illiteracy Extant: Allegorical myths, denying the center piece of Israel and her destiny and the imminent return of Christ.
• The Pagan Fallacies: Evolutionary myths and the denial of absolutes: Relativism.

State Churches

A.D.220   Origen introduces infant baptism.

312          Constantine “adopts” Christianity.

325          Edit of Toleration: state endorsed religion. The rags of caves exchanged for silks of the court. Clergy

380          House churches outlawed. Bishops Theodosius and Gratian order that there should be only one state recognized Orthodox church. Every Roman citizen was forced to be a member and should be made to believe “lex fidei,” the law of faith.

431          Council of Ephesus: Mary worshiped as the “Mother of God.” (Infant baptism become compulsory in the western world by 416.

440          Leo the Great: “Bishop of Rome.”

445          Valentian confirmed as “Spiritual leader of Western Empire. 500 Common priestly dress code.

565          Justinian: state-ordained church.

607          Boniface III: 1st “Pope” of Catholic Church.

709          Kissing Pope’s foot begins.

786          Worship of images and relics develops.

850          Use of holy water begins.

995          Canonization of dead Saints.

998          Fasting on Fridays and before Lent.

1070        Celibacy of the priesthood instituted.

1090        Prayer beads adopted from paganism.

1184        Inquisition begins: Jews, witches, etc. Napoleon’s brother Joseph declares it illegal in 1808. Last heretic hanged in Valencia Spain 1826, 18 years later.

1215        Transubstantiation of water & wine

1254        Pope Innocence IV officially establishes sale of indulgences.

1229        Reading the Bible forbidden to laymen.

1414        Communion cup forbidden to lay people.

1439        Doctrine of Purgatory decreed.

1492        Jews outlawed in Spain. Columbus sails

1545        Tradition granted equal authority with Bible (Council of Trent

The Reformation

1517        Luther’s 95 Theses (Zwingli, Melanchton, Calvin, John Knox, and others…

1526        Reversions to traditional forms of services (vs. “Anabaptists” et al.).

1530        “All lay pastors teaching publicly are to be killed.” Schwenckfeld outlawed; disciples jailed.

1600        40 translations from the Latin Bible.

1700        Huguenots (Claude Brousson publicly executed before 10,000).

Persecutions Continue

• 4th century: Canonized by the state.
• Independent fellowships outlawed and persecuted.
• Reformation: Soteriology (Salvation) reformed; other erroneous traditions retained.
• Protestant leadership continues to persecute deviant groups adhering to biblical doctrines.

Luther reformed it; Free churches freed it; The Baptists baptized it; The Quakers dry cleaned it; The Salvation Army put it into uniform; The Pentecostals anointed it; The Charismatics renewed it…but “church” was still largely a spectator sport; adaptations of previous (traditional) synagogue rituals.

Protestant Reactions

• Anabaptists (1535-1546: 30,000 killed).
• Labadie’s Convertible Brotherhoods.
• The Priscillians.
• The Bogomilians.
• Lollards …et al.

Wesley Revival

Directed Growth & Discipleship: John and Charles Wesley, founders of what became the Methodist Church developed from their emphasis and techniques with small groups.

The Trial Band distinguished the sincere seeker from the casually curious. Sincerity the only requirement. Easy to get out; if you missed three meetings in a quarter, you were out. Prayer, worship, and an element of spiritual accountability; after 2-3 months, recommended for membership in the United Society and Class Meeting. Emphasis on “prevenient grace”: the grace that goes before belief.

— Bill Beckham, The Second Reformation The Life Cycle of Churches

Class Meeting explored “convincing grace”: emphasis on the Mind. Having responded to the wooing of the Spirit, one had made a commitment to pursue a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Gestation to experiencing “converting grace,” “justification” or new birth was about two years.

Band Meeting: all born-again: How do I grow in grace, live as a disciple? Level of accountability, and confidentiality, is higher. Separation by gender and marital status. 4-8 people.

Spiritual Maturity. Not separated: living Gal 3:28, Rom 5:5, etc. Spiritual adulthood. — Tom Albin’s article in Christianity Today, August 2003

1768: after 30 years: 40 “circuits”; 27,341 members. By 1800: 1 of 30 Englishmen.

Alternatives

• The Mega-Church
• The Local Congregational Church
• The Small Study Group
  • “Cells” sponsored by the local church
  • Home Fellowships
  • Home Churches

The Congregational-Church

• A Building (“Cathedral,” or “Church”)
• A Special Day (Sunday)
• A Professional Leadership (priest, clergyman, pastor)
• A special service, performed for the people (ceremonies, interpretations, motivation)
• A way to maintain itself (tithes and offerings)

— Bill Beckham, The Second Reformation

The Life Cycle of Churches

• People-oriented Pastor;
• Pulpit-Oriented Pastor;
• Property-oriented Pastorate (Gideon: Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory);
• Power-oriented Pastorate (return of the Nicolaitanes);
• Politically-driven decay (accountability; management by hearsay; lack of an “Objective Function”);

The Rock Church (San Diego, CA)

• Everyone in “Sunday Church” is in a Small Group (6-12 people);
• Small Groups meet weekly with their “Facilitator.” They pray, hold themselves accountable, and discuss sermon notes. When Small Group grows beyond 12, it is forced to split into two.
• In first two years, the Rock Church grew to over 4,000.

Advantages of Small Groups

• Disciplined multiplication (mitosis).
• Free of growth barriers.
• More are “involved” participants.
• Personal transformation & accountability.
• More effective for new Christians.
• Solves the leadership crisis.
• More Biblical.
• Persecution-proof structure.
• More efficient: lower cost.

The True “Church”

• A Supernatural invention.
• Endowed with immortality.
• The means to disciple each other.
• Transfer of Jesus’ life to each other.
• Turns atheists to apostles; terrorists into teachers; plumbers into pastors, and elders into evangelists.

Theses

• A way of life, not a series of meetings (“The Way”; Acts 18:26).
• No such thing as “a house of God” (God does not live in temples made by human hands: “chewing gum in the sanctuary!” vs. “sanctuaries are chewing gum!”
• No bureaucratic clergy in the New Testament: no clerical mediators (1 Tim 2:5); Nicolaitanes were adoptions from pagan religions.
• Line vs. staff: overhead or productive?

Some Issues

• Mission Alternatives: Evangelism; Discipleship; Leadership; Pre- pared Teachers; Discussion Facilitators.

Korean Fellowships

• Organized by profession
• Special Invitation only

Characteristics of Small Groups

• Organic not organized; relational not formal.
• Persecution-proof structure: matures under tears; multiplies under pressure; flourishes in the desert; sees in the dark; thrives on chaos…
• Its only boast is the Lamb

Koinonia

• Fellowship, communication, communion, sharing and participating with someone.
• It cannot be “organized”: it must be led by the Spirit to bear meaningful fruit.
• We can revisit the open, organic styles of the NT, instead of being limited to the structured approach canonized by the state in the 4th century…there are no hard and fast rules …

Finding the Right One

• Neighborhood groups
• Professional groups
• Start Your Own! It’s easy; God will surprise you…
• He always rewards the diligent. “Staying ahead” a week at a time isn’t hard and we’ll help you…

Storm Clouds on the Horizon

• The Biblical Christian is becoming increasingly “politically incorrect.”
• The true church(es) will eventually be forced underground. “The attack against them will be led by the ‘liberal’ denominational churches”. – J Vernon McGee

An Explosion Toward the Past: “Back to the Future”

• A Personal Discovery
• A Modern Trend of Hope

The Persecuted Church: then and now…as an Impact for You!