Title: Beyond Rhetoric: Reconciliation as a Way of Life
Authors: Samuel George Hines and Curtiss Paul DeYoung
Publisher: Judson Press, 2000

God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.
       -- 2 Cor. 5:18

With the premise that reconciliation is not a soft and namby-pamby answer, Samuel George Hines, senior pastor for 25 years at Third Street Church of God in Washington, D.C., clearly demonstrates in Beyond Rhetoric: Reconciliation as a Way of Life that reconciliation is a rugged endeavor, capable of changing even a tough and cynical world.

After reading this energetic discourse on the what, why, and how-to of being reconciled, you'll be in no doubt about the need to embrace a radical new way of thinking and behaving. Written with churches, pastors, and leaders in mind, Beyond Rhetoric reaches beyond the ecclesiastical crowd. Individuals struggling with forgiveness or cultural bias, or feeling marginalized on the fringes of Christianity will find fresh perspective here.

Samuel Hines, an international spokesperson for worldwide racial reconciliation, has ministered behind the scenes and away from the media to all levels of society and to varying races. One of the chapters in Beyond Rhetoric was originally presented at the historic South Africa Christian Leadership Assembly in Pretoria, South Africa, 1979, a gathering banned by the then ruling government. Nevertheless, five thousand civic and church leaders were in attendance. It was one of the first times in South Africa's history that people from all the separate groups living in the country met publicly under the same roof. The message by Hines was referred to later as the "defining word," blazing a trail for the more national reconciliation conferences.

With rich language and personable passion, Hines defines the biblical theology of reconciliation, the role of the church and the practice of reconciliation. Curtis Paul DeYoung, a colleague and copresenter in the ministry of reconciliation, brings reflections and nuances to the subject. A workbook section follows with practical activities broken down into goals, easy for small groups to follow. Bible verses and questions suitable for discussion are included.

Says Hines, "People in the world face alienation every day, they do not need to experience the same brokenness in the church. The beauty of Christian churches and groups is not conformity but unity in diversity. We can demonstrate that, as human beings, our similarities greatly outnumber our dissimilarities and we can have unity and plurality at the same time within the same group. We can work together in the essentials, exercise compassionate understanding in the nonessentials, and demonstrate unity in all things."

But the authors go beyond rhetoric. Hines opens his soul sharing, for example, that when he took over leadership of a church that had been led by the same pastor (and founder) for 57 years, it was accompanied by pain in the congregation. He felt his calling was to guide the membership into becoming a mission-oriented rather than a maintenance-orientated church. The change, he says, tore at people's inner sensitivities, pulling them out of their security and comfort. "How do you do that?" he asked.

"I decided to get to know and love the people," he writes, "and therefore busied myself visiting them in their homes, walking around the community, and ministering in the parish."

This book is chock full of such vulnerable sharing, practical guidance, and loving confrontational teaching. Even for those who do not live or work in the inner city, or rub shoulders daily with people of another race, this book is a must-have. As we enter the 21st century, encounter globalization on every front, minister with and to the postmodern generation, we all need the message Hines and DeYoung bring.

"We must allow God to reshape us into proactive ambassadors," say the authors. And reading Beyond Rhetoric is a very start at doing just that.

This book includes a personal inventory based on 1 Cor. 13. Assess your experience and demonstration of Jesus' unconditional love before you read the book, then check your progress afterward and at monthy intervals as you seek to minister reconciliation in every sphere of your life.

For sermons, articles, interviews, advice, and more book reviews on this topic, visit The African American Pulpit.

Most evangelical churches have no significant contact with the Christian year except on the Sunday before Christmas, Easter Sunday, and an occasional Good Friday communion service. Within many parishioners there is a sense of valued propriety in the exclusion of this type of Christian worship expression. There is also a suspicion that those Christians who practice such "nonbiblical" based activities do so as a dry unfulfilling ritual (perceived as a bad word), which seems completely irrelevant in our age of spiritual freedom, freshness, and spontaneity from the Holy Spirit. Denominational publishing houses mirror these positions and provide no instruction—not even historical in nature—of the subject of the Christian year.

A Rare Exception

This author's experience at a particular North American Baptist Church is a rare exception to the above. Our very meaningful but limited exposures to liturgical environments, considerable reading about church history, and study of Christian symbols persuaded us to periodically focus on all the major themes of our Christian faith. After using the Christian year as a primary basis of our worship for five years, our congregation would have it no other way. It gives us a sense of the recurring celebration, calling, anticipation and challenge to all that our Lord has designed us to be. Christmas has now comfortably grown to include Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. The Easter season is now expanded to encompass Lent, Easter, and Pentecost.

The Christian Liturgical Year

Advent is anticipated months before it arrives. We celebrate not only the promises of Jesus' coming as a baby in the manger, but we also rejoice in the anticipation of his second coming. During Advent we primarily sing carols that invite Jesus to come into our midst. Most Christmas carols are not sung before Christmas eve—then continue singing them for several weeks until the Epiphany. As we celebrate the wise men giving gifts to our Lord; we also celebrate the many gifts that God give to each of us, including his spiritual gifts.

We then move into the Lenten season, discovering again the uniqueness of our Christian faith, God's plan of our redemption, and the sacrifice of his son Jesus on the cross. This gives us the opportunity to sing many hymns about the cross and prayerfully examine all that we are doing both in and outside the church. Tradition is widespread that we do not say or sing alleluias during Lent. The last week of the Lenten season is called Holy Week. During this week we recall the events that Jesus experienced during the last week before his crucifixion.

On Palm Sunday Jesus was hailed as the King of the Jews. There is a procession into worship with each worshiper holding a palm branch. We focus on the washing of the disciple's feet, the last supper, and the events at Gethsemane and Calvary. The ending of Holy Week is the beginning of several weeks of celebrating His Resurrection. After that, we move to thankfulness for God's great gift of the Holy Spirit—Pentecost.

Benefits of Following the Liturgical Year

Reading these Scriptures aloud and simply re-enacting some of these events ushers us quickly and dramatically into God's presence. Reliving events in Jesus' ministry each year brings fresh revelation of his great love and sacrifice. It challenges us to enthusiastic obedience to him. It also provides us with an endless list of praise themes and sermon topics and texts. There is no difficulty even connecting the Christian year with many topical series of sermons.

A Welcome Change for All

This change from the previous ritual of three hymns, offering, special music and a sermon to themes from the Christian year did not come about without some resistance. Such resistance was generally from those who resist any change, rather than from those who had previously chosen to leave the liturgical environment. The former Roman Catholics, Lutherans and Episcopalians who have become a part of our congregation have, in many cases, experienced significant new meaning to their worship life because of our observance of the Christian year. Those who are having their first taste of the Christian year are finding a sense of stability and continuity in their Christian faith and worship.

Our structure of prayers, confessions, singing (even chanting) of the Psalms, connected by the focus of the Christian year give just enough structure to our worship to enable each person to offer praise and adoration to our Lord. We find that a little direction goes a long way when one's congregation is prepared and anxious to worship the Lord God of the Universe. God has richly blessed us in our discovery of the Christian year.

(Written during the author's tenure as organist and minister of worship at a North American Baptist Church in the Denver, Colo., area.)

Rev. Larry D. Ellis is the organist and director of music of St. Gabriel the Archangel Episcopal Church, Cherry Hills Village, Colo. Visit Rev. Ellis' Web Site, Worship and Church Music. The goal of Worship and Church Music is to serve the music ministry needs of the liturgical church musician. The site is also a resource for nonliturgical musicians who wish to expand their knowledge and breadth to include some of the historical liturgical expressions of worship in their churches. Copyright Rev. Larry D. Ellis. Used by permission.

Certain emotions tend to surface during the Christmas season: peace, goodwill, a giving heart. As followers of Jesus Christ we also remember God's ultimate act of reconciliation. Two thousand years ago he sent his only Son, born into a poor family under less than favorable conditions, so that we would know God. Jesus' eventual death on the cross reconciled our separation from God that had existed since Creation.

In response to God's generous and unmerited favor, we in turn adopt this ministry of reconciliation. Recognizing Jesus' humble beginnings we see God's compassion for those who have lived on the dark side of privilege. Thus, this season reminds us of the importance of bridging the gap of separation that may exist between us and God -- but also the gap between those who live on the opposite ends of opportunity.

Few people have played a greater role in racial reconciliation than John Perkins. Raised in a poor Mississippi home without a father or mother, this third-grade drop-out has spent his life bringing understanding -- and reconciliation -- to whites and people of color. Noted author, lecturer at more than 150 colleges and universities, and a former member of the President's Task Force on Hunger, Perkins is spending the remaining years of his life infusing his vision of reconciliation and community development into young people. You can learn more about his ministry at his Web site.

In the spirit of the season, ForMinistry.com interviewed Perkins about his thoughts on Christmas, racial reconciliation and bridging the gap between the various people of privilege.

FM: Christmas is really a season of reconciliation. The words from the Christmas hymn, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, come to mind -- "Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled." Of course, this phrase speaks of God reconciling sinners, but in what way does the Christmas story relate to reconciling races?

Perkins: The Bible tells the story about the dignity of humanity, that we are all created in the image of God, that all people have inherited dignity and that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. But also, it communicates to us that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation and called us to justice -- to manage the earth in some kind of equitable way. If you read the Bible from my perspective, as one of those who have been oppressed, yet you still see the need for reconciliation in the church, it seems a little bit foolish and ignorant.

So the message of the Christmas story ought to be the jubilee -- the affirming of reconciliation -- instead of an opportunity for the white people who control the world's resources to do some kind deed for some poor people or black people. But that's the framework we come from and so it's the framework that we have to deal with.

Every week I'm in white churches, but I don't condemn them because you have to love the people you want to change. So I love them. But having to address racial reconciliation at all is a little bit ridiculous, when you consider the message of the gospel.

FM: Realizing that reconciliation isn't a once-a-year thing, it's an every day thing, is there anything churches can do at Christmastime to drive home the importance of racial reconciliation to their parishioners?

Perkins: I think what Prison Fellowship does with their Angel Tree program (providing Christmas gifts to the children of prison inmates) and the Salvation Army raising money for their ministry to the poor, are good examples of how we can create loving relationships with people across racial barriers. There isn't much more we can do unless there is creative follow through. Christmas creates an environment where reconciliation can begin because giving opens us up to relationships. But what we do following that is the big issue.

FM: Reconciliation is a word many Christians throw around quite often. How would you define reconciliation?

Perkins: Reconciliation means bringing back and mending those relationships that are alienated and at odds. Alienation and reconciliation go together. Our alienation from each other and God is based on both Adam's sin and our own sin. And reconciliation -- with God and each other -- has to do with those alienations that we have had. So reconciliation is that process of bringing us back together. And then the outcome of reconciliation, of course, is peace. Ephesians 2:14 says that Jesus is our peace and has made both one and has broken down the barriers that separate us.

FM: In terms of racial reconciliation, do you think that it's beneficial for the oppressors to ask for forgiveness from the oppressed? For example, is it necessary for the white community to apologize to the African-American community for the slavery that occurred 140 years ago?

Perkins: Oh, I think so, since there has been no shift in the power that sustained that damage. Until the late 1960s and early '70s, the poor Mississippi Delta people who came out of slavery were basically no different than the ones who were enslaved.

I do find that educated, middle-class blacks really don't care about white folks apologizing because confession is just saying what people already know. When you confess your sins you are saying to God what God already knows. Reconciliation works the same way: you confess what people already know and have against you. It's a very rational and real way to go about reconciliation. So I think there are some benefits to apologizing.

But those same blacks, on the other hand, would be the first to say that we need some sort of payback. They want more than just words, they want deeds to go with the confession. And the only deeds they can think of would be some kind of reparation.

There needs to be some type of a Marshall Plan to deal with the effects of enslavement and racism upon black people. However, it doesn't need to be an individualistic, monetary payback. If it was, how would we direct it?

FM: So, what would this reparation look like?

Perkins: I see it in terms of a Marshall Plan for urban communities -- restructuring the housing, creating equitable opportunities for the poor, and making scholarships available so that every person can afford an education. And I think they should be integrated into the structure; let's say people at a certain poverty level would be guaranteed four years of college or enrollment at a trade school. We could do it through the state institutions, but there could also be special scholarships set up so people could attend any institution. Of course, we already do that with certain types of scholarships, but these would be guaranteed.

FM: Do you think it's possible for the government to institute something like this?

Perkins: The government has acknowledged that they are unable to implement creative human development programs. That's why faith-based programs have come into being. Churches who follow the parish concept -- like the Catholics -- have done an outstanding job and could show the rest of us how to do it. Organizations like the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, and the various rescue missions are also very effective. The government could contract with those institutions to deliver some of the same human services that we are talking about.

FM: Is this something that requires a unified vision from a person or an organization or is this something that should be worked out through the different faith-based organizations?

Perkins: Naturally, the government would have to set some kind of general criteria regulating how the work is accomplished. But the people within those neighborhoods and communities should be able to participate fully in the broad scope of achieving those goals.

For example, why shouldn't senior citizens be able to use food stamps in restaurants? Restaurants give them discounts and serve them good wholesome food. Senior citizens often don't have the energy to make a decent, wholesome meal. I'm 70 and my wife is 67; it's much easier for us to go to the restaurant to get a wholesome meal than for my wife to go to the effort of trying to put a meal together for just the two of us. But those kinds of decisions should be made at the community level rather than implemented through a cold, one-dimensional government program.

FM: Whose responsibility is it to instigate reconciliation -- the oppressor or the oppressed?

Perkins: We are responsible for the light that God reveals. Sometimes I think that it's the oppressed who have to produce the light, because they see it. I know a very wealthy, well-known family whose maid was the one who brought salvation to them. It was Joseph, down in Egypt, who brought the liberation message to the Pharaoh.

But I think we blacks fall into the trap of expecting white folks to do everything for us. Many of us don't even feel responsible for communicating this gospel -- both to the foreign world but also to the white folks around us. We have a responsibility when we have been enlightened. So the responsibility falls on all of us who know Jesus Christ and love Jesus Christ and know something about his word and want to act in obedience to it.

FM: It's a reflection of the reconciliation that we have received through Christ which enables us to see others through that lens of reconciliation.

Perkins: The mission of outreach in terms of the gospel should come out of our gratitude for what God has done for us. It's gratitude and thanksgiving. The Apostle Paul calls us debtors: "I am a debtor both to the Greeks and the Barbarians, both to the wise and the unwise, both to the rich and the poor." I am a debtor because of God's act of forgiveness towards me.

I feel so grateful for God reaching down and saving a third grade drop-out like me, a black person growing up without a mother or a father and then saving me and giving me this grace of sharing this wonderful gospel to all the people in the world.

FM: The history of churches merging black and white congregations has not had a very good record. Are we best off trying to bring blacks and whites together on Sunday mornings?

Perkins: It's foolishness to think that the white people in suburbia are going to give up their big institutions and family life centers to do something with some black people in the inner city. To consider doing so ignores geographical problems and shows that it is just talk and a little bit of idealism.

Practically we need to talk about planting new congregations. We need to ask ourselves, "How can we plant churches among the most needy?" It's the quality of life among the people from those congregations that will be a witness. So I would say to those suburban churches, "Get involved and plant churches." I would say the same thing to the successful black churches, too. Join with other churches in the inner city and plant new churches. Within 10 years you would make a difference in racial reconciliation because of the quality of life and the peace and joy that these churches bring. The schools would be healthier and the gangs would cease. But we need to plant churches with the intention of reconciliation.

FM: Can you share some success stories of where this is already working?

Perkins: Recently, I spoke at a church in New York City that has 62 different nationalities worshipping together. The Church of the Redeemer in New York City is also planting other congregations. The Church in the City in Denver, Colo., is another example. I'm privileged to preach in these churches and its happening in almost every city in the United States. Most of those churches are pretty successful. And these churches would plant more congregations if they had support and encouragement from suburban churches.

I preached at a church this last Sunday -- it was a big white congregation that wanted to do something in the city -- but they set up their own individualistic mission station. They should have been seeking out ways to plant churches with inner city churches instead of building their own mission compound. Setting up a ministry like that will only take the people so far, but it's not going to be a church. It's just going to be another sophisticated poverty program. People will commute from the suburbs and patronize the people in the inner city, making the people in the inner city more dependent upon them instead of using the resources available to plant congregations in that community.

I don't mind people from suburbia coming in to worship with the people in the inner city churches. But it would be more effective if they would relocate and live in those communities.

FM: What about churches in areas where there aren't many minorities close by? What can they do to work toward racial reconciliation?

Perkins: Send out mission teams. They're powerful. Young folks who I meet as missionaries around the world are young folks who went on mission trips. Young people are as open to multi-cultural involvement as they've ever been. Many of the young white men who are planting cross-cultural churches got their inspiration while they were living in rich suburbia but going out on mission tours.

That's one of the things we are doing here in Jackson at the Spencer Perkins Center for Reconciliation and Youth Development. The Center is named after my son who died a few years ago. We've set up a place where church groups can spend anywhere from three days to two weeks working beside us in the inner city with the whole idea of them going back to their churches and making a difference. I see this as the fastest way of multiplying mission in the world.

Any kind of help that people can give us to achieve this goal is always appreciated. Of course, I think the best way is for the young people to come down here and participate in this center.

FM: How can people reach you?

Perkins: Here's our vital information:
The John M. Perkins Foundation
1831 Robinson St.
Jackson, MS 39209
Email jmpfoffice@aol.com
Phone (601) 354-1563

As a man 70 years old, I've been thinking about how I want to live out the remainder of my life. I think my calling is to reconciliation and Christian community development. And what I see as most effective is working with young people: going out, doing something in these urban communities, working under the leadership of the people already there, and empowering the young people with their energies. As they help to build the infrastructure and institutions, those young people will be motivated to return to those same neighborhoods and go to other impoverished neighborhoods both here and around the world to do mission.

FM: Do you have any parting comments?

Perkins: I think it's so urgent that we proclaim a message of reconciliation and love -- and the Christmas season offers a great platform to do it. My hope is that, of course, we try to carry that out year round. But I'm encouraged by some of the signs that I'm seeing within our nation.

With that in mind, I wish all of our friends, and all of you, a Merry Christmas. God bless you as you participate in this great enterprise of sharing the gospel.

Title: A Peculiar People: The Church as Culture in a Post-Christian Society
Author: Rodney Clapp
Publisher: NavPress, 1996

Called to Holy Madness

review by Marlee Alex

Although A Peculiar People is nearly eight years old, its message provides classic insight. Perhaps if writing today, Rodney Clapp may not disagree with Leonard Sweet (author of Soul Tsunami) that we are in a post-Christian society. He may accept the more optimistic language of Sweet's "pre-Christian" society. The point being: With information and culture changing at break-neck speed, entirely new and surprising opportunities are rising for the church that make evangelism a soaring enterprise.

Clapp launches a convincing reportage of "how Christians became useless," and a thorough overview of church history pre- and post-Constantine. In modern times he says God became the modern God of Gnostic Consumerism, a God who is a reflection of the fantasized self. Clapp's primary message to readers: Without community and public truth -- "without a God who wrestles with a people in time and space -- God and individual dissolve into one another." The radical option, he says, is nothing more or less than for the church to be "a way of life."

But among many baby boomers, says Clapp, "the non-necessity of church involvement is almost an item of faith." Far from patronizing, he claims the attention of post-modern readers with his confession: "Postmodernity brings with it the blurring of borders, the confusion of categories. This reassures me because I often find myself in between categories … and often happy to be cynical."

Clapp emphasizes the church should thank God for culture wars, and this blurring, because they can move us toward new categories and inflame fresh imagination. Originating a stand in sync with Soul Tsunami, Clapp claims we find ourselves in a situation closely more analogous to that of New Testament Christians than to the Christendom for which some nostalgically long. "The Bible, it turns out," says Clapp, "offers abundant resources for living in a wildly diverse and contested world."

Clapp argues that in modernized worship of yesterday, far from being a time of intense engagement with the world, worship was moved to a "sanctuary … decided never to be controversial, always to be comfortable and sentimental." The irony of this, admits Clapp is that "even our children find such worship boring and trivial." He pleads for the church to see culture as a context from which we see, then pleads that we be trained to see rightly, preferring truth above the world's preference for illusion.

Clapp's keen insights into church history lay a necessary groundwork for the prophetic, spirited writing of Leonard Sweet's 1999 book. Elaborating on the church as world itself, a way of life, and a community, he offers postmodern believers greater understanding of themselves as a peculiar people indeed. Luring us beyond ourselves and our plans and efforts, the church must be, he says, the vital performance of Christian culture and its own "wild and wonderful politics." Our source, says he, is "other than the world's poisoned well. … Against great odds and severe resistance we are called to a holy madness."

A Peculiar People should stand alongside Soul Tsunami in every church library.

The Book of Acts is the most frequently used Scripture for church growth. It records the explosive beginnings of the church in Jerusalem at Pentecost (see Acts 1-2), its continuing growth through the witness of Peter and John (see Acts 3-5), the enduring impact of Stephen's martyrdom (see Acts 6-7), the scattering of the church of Jerusalem under Paul's persecution and Philip's consequent impact in Samaria (see Acts 8), and the subsequent spread of the church through Paul and Barnabas (see Acts 9-28).

Luke was the author of both Acts and the Gospel of Luke. The two books actually are one account, stretching from the birth of John the Baptist in Luke 1 to the death of Paul in Acts 28. The Gospel of Luke is less frequently used as a reference for church growth. In Luke, however, the foundational ideas are laid that support the growth found in Acts.

The Gospel of Luke is prescriptive, whereas the Book of Acts is descriptive. The Gospel of Luke focuses on why things happened in the church while the Book of Acts focuses on what things happened in the church while the Book of Acts focuses on what things happened in the church. The Gospel of Luke turns our attention to principles, while Acts turns our attention to practices.

Much literature has been developed on the phenomenon of church growth. Its focus has been to develop positive prescriptions by describing the practices or actions necessary for managing church growth. Its thrust has been on what the church must do to be successful. By contrast, our focus is on the phenomenon of church health—on determining what the church must be to be successful.

Church Growth vs. Church Health

Church growth and church health are related concerns but deal with different agendas. Church growth requires a sensitivity to the organizational dynamics of planning, communicating, motivating, controlling. Church health requires a sensitivity to the spiritual dynamics of service, holiness, outreach, and worship.

The Gospel of Luke provides a number of insights into the spiritual principles of church health. Beginning in Luke 11, Jesus turned his attention to the church of his day—the synagogue—and leveled a variety of charges against that church. So strong was his condemnation that one of the synagogue leaders remarked to Jesus, "Teacher, when you say this, you insult us too," (11:45, NASB).

Jesus' charges all pointed to a sick, unhealthy church. The church was accused of being internally corrupt (see 11:39), being oblivious to its own faults (see 11:40), wasting energy on trivia (see 11:42), getting caught up in ego massaging (see 11:43), being spiritually dead (see 11:44), being rule-bound with excessive bureaucratic baggage (see 11:45), being hypocritical (see 11:47-51), and stifling personal growth (see 11:52).

10 Key Principles of Church Health

Let's direct our attention to ten key principles of church health developed by Jesus in Luke 11-12.

1. The healthy church is characterized more by the quality of its spirit than the quantity of its success (see Luke 11:24-26, 12:4-5).
Here Jesus focused attention on the spiritual battle of the church. Jesus warned of the threat the church faces from the malevolent spirits of Satan. Earlier, in Luke 4:1-13, Jesus was tested by Satan in the wilderness. Satan made three appeals: turning stones to bread, ruling over the world, and protecting him in leaping off the Temple. These appeals speak to the spirit versus the success dilemma facing the church:

• One tendency in seeking success is to reduce everything to "bread"—to the measurable, the immediate, and the short-term. The temptation is to get caught up in the temporal realities of budgets, attendance, and buildings and to forget the more fundamental, spiritual battles that threaten the church.    
• Another tendency in seeking success is to focus on means rather than ends. The temptation is to get caught up in methods and programs of church growth and to forget the more fundamental spiritual issues of why we want to grow, what we are growing toward, and from whom the growth comes.    
• A third tendency in seeking success is to attempt the dramatic and showy. The temptation is to get caught up in marketing and publicizing the church and to forget the more fundamental call of God to ordinary service and quiet holiness.

2. The healthy church is characterized more by what it waits for than by what it works for (see Luke 10:38-42, 11:5-10, 12:35-38).
We live in an era that prizes activity and motion. The assumption is that a healthy church is busy. Yet Jesus' call is to a quiet anticipation, a reaction to God's will rather than an anticipation of it. In Luke 10:38-42, Jesus commented on the busyness of Martha versus the waiting and listening of Mary: "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things:, but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part," (NASB).

In Luke 11:5-10, we read of Jesus' command to ask (and keep on asking), to seek (and keep on seeking), and to knock (and keep on knocking). It is instructive to note that Jesus began with the word "ask" (the Greek word used is aiteo, suggesting the attitude of a humble supplicant) and closed with the phrase "the door shall be opened," (NASB). The implication is that we are first the requestors and recipients of God's action and only secondarily initiators of our own action.

In Matt. 25:1-13, Jesus told the parable of the ten virgins who took their lamps and went to await the coming of the bridegroom. The five foolish virgins had not brought sufficient oil; and while they had gone for more oil, the bridegroom came. The door was shut as the wedding feast began. When they returned, the foolish virgins were not admitted to the feast. Jesus admonished: "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour," (v.13). In a reference to a wedding feast (Luke 12:35-40), Jesus implored, "You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect,"( v.40).

In Luke 12:42-47, Jesus told about the trusted servant who was unprepared for his master's return: "And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, shall receive many lashes," (v. 47). The waiting implied in these verses is from the Greek word prosdechomai, which means "to look for with a view to favorable reception." It is the waiting of one who knows the master will act and waits for clear and specific direction from the master. The healthy church waits for God to reveal his will and exercise his power in his time and in his way.

3. The healthy church is characterized more by what it proclaims than by what it programs (see Luke 11:23; 12:8-9, NASB).
We have a tendency to evaluate a church in terms of how much it is doing—in the numbers and variety of its programs. In Luke 12:8-9, Jesus focused the church's attention on its call to proclaim: "And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man shall confess him also before the angels of God," (v. 8).

The primary role of the church is to proclaim the gospel. That purpose must permeate everything the church does. Each program and activity must clearly and directly contribute to that purpose. The church is not first of all a social or charitable organization; it is the proclaiming body of Christ. While the church does engage in social and charitable programs, it does so as a vehicle through which to reach others with the message of grace and forgiveness through Jesus.

4. The healthy church is characterized more by its compassions than by its passions (see Luke 10:27-37: 11:45; 12:6-7, NASB).
There is a tendency to judge a church by the intensity and favor of its people and programs. Particularly in charismatic circles there is an equating of church effectiveness with the degree of emotion with which worship is carried out.

In the three passages cited above from Luke, we catch a glimpse of the quiet compassion that Jesus taught should characterize the church. In Luke 10:27-37 (NASB), we read the parable of the "good Samaritan" who met the needs of his "neighbor" quietly and compassionately. In Luke 11:45, NASB, Jesus condemned the religious leaders for their lack of compassion: "For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers." And in Luke 12:6-7, Jesus gave some idea of the depth of God's compassion by noting that God cares even for the sparrows sold as temple sacrifices and cares so much more for us that he knows the very hairs on our heads!

The healthy church has at its heart two responses, to love God and to love other human beings (see Luke 10:27, NASB). Neither of these responses need be characterized by loud, emotional displays. God's call is to a caring, sharing ministry—an intimate compassion for others. The depth and breadth of that compassion are the measure of the healthy church.

5. The healthy church is characterized more by what it is confident of than what it is competent in (see Luke 11:11-13; 12:32).
As churches grow in size, they tend to put greater emphasis on training and developing skills. A greater premium is placed on placing "competent" people in the right slots so that the church's performance will be guided by topflight, proven "experts."

Jesus chose as his core leaders men who were not "competent" in the usual sense. Peter, whose sermon on Pentecost so stirred the city of Jerusalem, was chosen as a relatively inarticulate Galilean fisherman. Perhaps as revealing was Jesus' choice of Judas, his eventual betrayer. What led Jesus to select these "incompetents" as his allies? We find in John 2:23-25 this observation: "Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in his name, beholding his signs which he was doing. But Jesus, on his part, was not entrusting himself to them, for he knew all men, … for he himself knew what was in man," (NASB).

Matthew Henry commented on this passage: "He [Jesus] knew all men, not only their names and faces, as is possible for us to know many, but their nature, dispositions, affections, designs, as we do not know any man, scarcely ourselves….We know what is done by men; Christ knows what is in them."

Jesus focused on what he was confident that God could do through his people. In Luke 11:11-13, Jesus spoke of God's readiness to give "good gifts" to his children if they would ask, seek, and knock. And in Luke 12:32, Jesus again affirmed God's desire to give to his children: "Your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom."

The healthy church is fully confident of God's provision. God can and does use talented people. But God's ability to work through a church is dependent not only on available skill or competence but also on faith. We should never forget that God's chief desire is to reveal himself—not to display the talents of his spiritual children.

6. The healthy church is characterized more by prayer than by its performance (see Luke 11:1-4).
A church in prayer is in its most distinctive state. Prayer is both the distinctive act and the distinctive attitude of the church. In Luke 11:1-4, Jesus' disciples made this request, "Lord, teach us to pray," (Luke 11:1, NASB). Jesus' response was short but offers a model of the healthy church at prayer:

"Father."—The healthy church is born of and dependent on the grace and power of God.

"Hallowed be Thy name."—The healthy church exists to glorify God's being and God's activity.

"Thy Kingdom come."—The healthy church is an instrument of God in the world. Its loyalty is to God; its charter is from God.

"Give us each day our daily bread."—The healthy church is in no way self-sufficient. It is totally dependent on God's purposes, on God's provisions.

"And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us."—The healthy church is an instrument of God's power to heal relationships—between God and persons and, therefore, between persons. Forgiveness is the church as peacemaker.

"And lead us not into temptation."—The healthy church is every mindful of its own tendency to err apart from God's grace. It acknowledges its fundamental weakness yet knows that in that weakness God can and will reveal his strength.

We live in an era that prizes performance and achievement. The healthy church understands that its role is to be a channel for God to perform through and for God to achieve his purposes through. Prayer positions the healthy church to be God's instrument.

7. The healthy church is characterized more by its discernment than its decisions (Luke 12:54-57).
Often we find ourselves evaluating a church by how wise or timely its decisions are. The budget committee is praised if its budget projections come close to actual gifts and expenditures. The personnel committee is praised for its insightful handling of a new staff insurance program. We are sensitive to the results of the decisions made in a church.

Less visible is the church's capacity to discern—to spot spiritual challenges, to establish spiritual priorities. In Luke 12:56-67, Jesus clearly articulated the church's primary need to discern: "You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time? And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right?" (NASB).

The word "analyze" in this passage comes from the Greek word dokimazo, which often meant to assay metal, to test or scrutinize so as to ascertain a basis for approval. In particular Jesus seems to be calling for the church to discern those things which are of God's intent and action, and which are not.

8. The healthy church is characterized more by its commitment to openness than by its concern for operational efficiency (see Luke 11:33-36; 12:2-3).
Secular organizations have a driving need for efficiency; communication is used to ensure uniformity and compliance. In the church, communication serves not to force uniformity but to enhance interaction. The church is not a religious mechanism; it is the organic body of Christ. For the church, openness in all it does is to be an essential characteristic. Such openness may well result in what appears to be much useless discussion and much wasted time. But the church exists to do God's will not to be simply a goal-oriented, efficiency-driven organization. God is much more concerned with transparency in our dealings with one another and with the world.

In Luke 11:33-36, Jesus called for the church to "be full of light," (v. 36, NASB). In Luke 12:2-3, He noted that there will be a time when "whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light," (v. 3, NASB). Christ himself was called by John "the light of men," (John 1:4, NASB), perhaps hearkening back to Isaiah's prophecy, "I will also make you a light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth," (Isa. 49:6, NASB). In Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, he called for his disciples to be "the light of the world," (Matt. 5:14, NASB).

The healthy church maintains an openness that maximizes visibility and sharing. It is not willing to sacrifice participation merely for the sake of smooth operations. Its primary concern is not operational efficiency; rather, it is openness. The church is a community not a company, an organism not an organization.

9. The healthy church is characterized more by its godly priorities than by its human popularity (see Luke 11:43; 12:49-53).
A church's success is sometimes gauged by the crowd drawn to its programs. Since the growing church is customarily viewed as an effective church, it is easy to get caught up in the process of developing more and more activities to appeal to the varied congregational segments. The assumption in many churches is that more is better—more space, more people, more budget, more programs.

In Luke 12:49-53, however, Jesus addressed the inherent conflict between God's priorities and human popularity: "I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division," (NASB).

The church today is called upon to place a priority on God's holiness. In a real sense the church stands opposed to the worldly system. Too often the church announces a one-sided message of love and forgiveness while avoiding its calling to confront the world's sinful and hostile rebellion against God. In Romans 1:18-32, Paul spoke of the battle line drawn between the church and the world: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness," (NASB).

Today more than ever the healthy church must be characterized by what it stands against. It must champion causes of holiness, sacrifice, and justice in a world increasingly hostile to such a message. Seeking to be popular and acceptable must inevitably compromise the church and damage its capacity to be used of God.

10. The healthy church is characterized more by the quality of its motives than the quantity of its money.
Many churches show a noticeable concern for money—getting it and spending it. Church programs for the year are often tagged to expected revenues. Wise stewardship, we are told, demands that churches be fiscally conservative. Luke 12 contains a rather long discourse concerning Jesus' view of money. "Be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions," (v. 15, NASB). "But seek for his kingdom, and these things shall be added to you," (v. 31, NASB). "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also," (v. 34, NASB).

The church must be aware of any tendency to spend too much time and energy on issues of financing. While the church needs to handle money responsibly, there is a tendency to elevate, for instance, the finance/budget committee, to the place of the most important committee. In too many churches the finance committee acts de facto as the program committee, making decisions as to what the church's program agenda will be.

The healthy church is sensitive to the spiritual implications of financial matters. Too often budget decisions are made without real spiritual discernment. Budgets should reflect spiritual priorities. Furthermore, when a church is experiencing financial difficulties, it ought to trigger the prayerful search for spiritual as well as fiscal causes.

The healthy church knows that its handling of money sends a message to the world. A church that piles up debt beyond its ability to pay "advertises" that the Christian community is irresponsible and out of control. A church that spends 90 percent of its budget to finance internal operations "advertises" that the Christian community has little vision and limited faith.

Churches are healthy to the extent that they serve God spiritually. Even though numerous organizational measures of church health can be cataloged, it is the spiritual attributes that really matter to God.

Jesus was speaking to churches as well as individual Christians when he entreated us to seek first the kingdom and righteousness of God. In so doing, the local church will thrive spiritually in the body of Christ and will indeed have all things added to it.