The What’s in a Name post (January 2011) has attracted quite a bit of traffic and some thought-provoking discussion, and so I was inspired to dedicate my weekly newspaper column to the topic:

Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus … to the church of God that is in Corinth. 1 Corinthians 1:1-2

In the city of Toronto there is a church with the name The St. Francis National Evangelical Spiritual Baptist Faith Archdiocese of Canada. And no, it is not the longest church name in the world. Ever heard of The House of God which is the Church of the Living God the Pillar and Ground of the Truth without Controversy, Inc? It’s in Ansonia, Connecticut, in case you want to pop in for a morning service.

If you don’t feel comfortable going to a church where the sign outside takes more space than the parking lot, you can always go to one of the trendy “emergent churches”. They have short hip names like Apex, Liquid, Quest and so on. Or, if you want something really unpretentious, you can pay a visit to the Scum of the Earth church in Denver, Colorado. These guys are not only humble; they want everyone to know it.

Can you imagine if Paul had to write Colossians 4:15-16 in our day and age? “Give my greetings to The True Holiness Divine Revelation Church of the Apostolic Succession and to Nympha and The Church of Our Lady Of Perpetual Succour. And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in Touch Not My Anointed; and see that you also read the letter from Touch Not My Anointed” (No disrespect intended; these are all actual church names!)

Perhaps we can learn something from the churches of the New Testament. They had no names but were named according to locality, loudly proclaiming that their only identity was to be found in Christ and Christ alone.

(Bloemnuus 4 February 2011)

Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. John 17:11

Years ago I had the privilege of asking Dr John MacArthur (pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and one of the world’s most eminent Bible teachers) about the verse above. If Jesus Christ prayed for unity, I inquired, why is the church divided into so many factions? His response was simple and to the point: Jesus’ prayer was answered. Christians are united in Christ, regardless of the absence of any visible evidence to the fact.

I have always held a deep respect for John MacArthur, but his answer really did not satisfy me. Like many others, I simply could not believe that the unity that Christ had in mind was merely the mystical union of Christ’s body in “heavenly places”. Surely this unity was an obvious conclusion after Pentecost and did not need to be prayed into existence by Jesus? No, I was convinced that Jesus prayed for a practical, visible expression of the spiritual unity between Christians.

The main problem with my understanding of this issue has to with the seeming practical impossibility of it ever happening, which explains why many scholars are reluctant to accept it. Reformed Christians frown at Charismatics and call them happy-clappies, only to be called the frozen chosen in return. Catholic nuns have no desire to become fundamentalists, and so on. Denominations, it seems, are here to stay.

Yet it cannot be denied that millions of Christians worldwide are finding one another outside denominational boundaries on an unprecedented scale. Some prefer to remain in their churches, others are leaving in droves. Whilst European cathedrals are becoming museums, non-denominational house churches are mushrooming worldwide. This revolutionary new Christianity, it seems, is also here to stay.

So, instead of being critical, why don’t we rather ask: Is Jesus’ prayer being answered?

(Bloemnuus 9 January 2010)

What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation… 1 Corinthians 1:30

When one studies the works of the great devotional Christian authors a common theme emerges: The centrality and sufficiency of Jesus Christ. Writers like Andrew Murray, Oswald Chambers, A.W. Tozer and Watchman Nee did not become famous because of great literary skills but because of their unswerving commitment to Jesus Christ. The title of one Nee book summarises it well: “Christ, the Sum of All Spiritual Things”.

Countless Christians have drawn the same conclusions as these writers without ever having read their books. The reason? They read the Bible, and the focal point of the Bible is Jesus Christ. The New Testament paints a much more comprehensive picture of Jesus Christ than the traditional ones that many of us have grown up with. For instance, millions of Christians have been taught that Christ died for us, but only a fraction of them realise that he also lives for us. As Paul wrote: “I live no longer but Christ lives his life in me” (Gal.2:20). Living by the life of Christ is what Christianity is all about. In Col. 3:4 we read that “Christ is our life” and in 2 Cor.4:10 that the life of Jesus must be manifested in our bodies.

This glorious truth does not only apply to our personal faith but also to its corporate expression. When Christians gather together they do so to manifest the life of Christ. The body of Christ under the headship of Christ must be made evident for Christ to be revealed, and this can only happen when all members are encouraged to share Christ.

Worldwide Christians are beginning to do this, with remarkable results, proving that the priesthood of all believers is not just a theological idea but a practical possibility.

(Bloemnuus  26 November 2010)

The body does not consist of one member but of many. 1 Corinthians 12:14

An elder in a small congregation once told me that they had had only two pastors since the founding of their church. “In between the two tenures”, he said,” we had no one to lead us. And so, for quite some time, we did everything ourselves: The preaching, the visitation, everything.” He then paused and muttered: “That was the only time that this church did well.”

At the time I thought that the congregation must have had some bad luck with their two ministers and experienced some exceptional grace from God during the period that they were without one. This, of course, is quite possible. But I am more inclined to think nowadays that the little church had inadvertently stumbled upon one of the greatest and most neglected truths of the Bible, namely that the ministry of Jesus Christ takes place through a body and not through one extraordinary individual.

In one of Jesus’ most ignored statements Christian leaders are expressly forbidden to let people address them by using titles. The reason? Jesus alone is our Rabbi and Master (Matthew 23:8-10). Bestowing a special title on a Christian leader is a case of mistaken authority. The result is that we open ourselves to be led by the teachings of humans instead of the teachings of Christ. Furthermore, Christian ministry then looks like a profession instead of a lifestyle.

This does not mean that your hardworking minister is insignificant or not worthy of support. On the contrary. What it does mean, according to Jesus, is that he is but one of many brothers. And so all the other brothers and sisters are called to unite with him, under Christ, to express the will of their one Master.

(Bloemnuus 29 May 2010)