By Pastor Jon
We started this Expectations series with the intention to begin to fill-in the canvas on what RELOVUTIONARY will live like; if you will, post February 24th.
Every church intersects with a wider tradition based on their reading of Scripture and their history inside the Church. While we have a distinctive DNA combination and philosophy, these ideas are not new. And if they were, that would likely be a problem. You could call our approach “contextual regurgitation.” Or not. I may never use that again. Although, sometimes geeky becomes cool, and you are not always sure why.
If you have been reading and perusing on this web portal, you will have likely ascertained we have certain angles that may read culturally distinctive. However, if you have read enough, you should have perceived we are historically orthodox in the Faith. I do believe we have some creative applications. To use Carson’s line: “It’s easy to churn out Orthodox Theology; it’s not easy to say Old Things in New and Creative Ways.” Each generation, from every place on the globe, should be able to say things-in-certain-ways, which underscore their time and place from say, two hundred years previous. One of our issues in the church is that we don’t always have a nuanced answer from before, and we have no reply on if there should even be a why. The post-Christian West should have made that contention abundantly obvious.
Okay, probably enough said on that line.
Beginning with a wider frame, and then progressively narrowing, we will provide an insight into what you can expect through the process at RELOVUTIONARY Church.
In this singular piece, I want to highlight two broad emphases; made evident through my own journey, and into what I believe is an important combination in not only reflecting the Bible’s teaching, but what best intersects with its flourishing application.
To assist, I will provide some history through my story, which has clarified.
As many will know, I am a Pastor’s Son. Church has been a staple in my diet since birth. While Dad ministered with The Salvation Army through this period, he wasn’t your stereotypical Officer (he was pro-baptism and Lord’s Supper, as weird as that sounds for some other Christian only reading their Bibles), and had been impacted by the wider Body of Christ. In his journey, there was influence through what he described as the renewal movement, which translated into a broadly solid Evangelical foundation, with a Charismatic/Pentecostal flavour.
As I grew, this was all I really knew. Where church happened, Dad was more like the Pastor. It wasn’t until I entered that significant phase into looming adulthood that I started to ask some serious questions. These became motivated because my Faith did not experience substantial enough. I was zeal beyond normative. I was doing things for God. I wanted to lead the pack. But, I soon realised that emotional intensity needed more foundation. I needed to know the Word of God.
And I went large. I will leave the exact details, but suffice-it-to-say, I had a goal and plan. I was on the hunt. It was such a special time as I set aside a period as a younger man, to simply gorge on God’s Word. However, as time grew and I inhaled the theologeek bug, I became more skeptical about my previous way of doing Christianity. Long story short, I studied in a cessationist college, and was not bothered about falling into this line, especially as I remembered my own need at the time; while factoring the excesses of the other. You could say that, theoretically, I was probably more like an in-betweener, but practically acted like God the Holy Spirit was more a bygone, as tragic as that should read.
Of course, I would never have said that because I didn’t believe that. I mean, who would? But, the Holy Spirit was more a historical footnote when analysing how much He didn’t really impact on my daily routine. He was not seen and only heard through Scripture (and He is!!!), but even that became problematic, because I knew it then. As a default, everything slowly became more routine, but in the wrong sense. You have a space for the divine intervention of God, but if each time you can reason away, do you really? I don’t think I really did. Maybe I was still too cynical to either work through what I viewed as wind, or to trust how He would process. This was more a foreign field, and I was practically more befuddled.
It wasn’t really until the period that God destroyed my life that I seriously looked at His question again, because I needed a Person, the Holy Spirit, and His ministry. As I looked with real impetus, I realised my functional position was not exegetically strong. I realised that what it protected; the Special Revelation of the Bible; was not impugned without. I was also positively impacted by those outside New Zealand who seemed to have convergence, to use a Sam Storms title, between the two worlds of Christianity, where I began-to-believe these needed to morph-more-fully, into the one.
While some will use different separation markers for these groups, I viewed it through what had been historically strong in the Reformed or Bible Church movement (Preaching, Scripture, Theology, Character), and the Charismatic or Pentecostal (Music, Evangelism, Application, Giftedness).
You could say my journey has been similar to Matt Chandler’s:
It was around 2003 that I stumbled across my first “Reformed Charismatic.” It was as if I had found a small strand of gold in a dark mine. I have been following that line of gold for the past fifteen years (From his Foreword in: Andrew Wilson, Spirit and Sacrament, Page 12).
One ministry goal, which has followed, has been to better bridge these two worlds through a local church context, and more fruitfully reflect these emphases.
At that time, this intersection in Aotearoa seemed more like Casper the Un-Friendly Ghost. It was like you had to choose, because you couldn’t have both. Now, I am sure there were these combinations. After all, I didn’t survey every local church inside. But, in my circle, it was more difficult to locate.
And, to be sure, these would still need to go through some reformation. It was not simply about a pick-n-mix off their shelf. You still had to work these accordingly. But, I did see two larger trajectories that had important strengths for the life of the Believer and the local Church, which were too often ignored and relegated, because they could not fit within one’s theorised shape, or, because they were more like the other side, and so were rejected a priori.
As mentioned, through this period, I was encouraged by a growing number of names inside the States, who were not bound by this historic division, and were convinced there was a divine working through each. As the journey would have it, I would serve as an Elder in a local church that sought something like the same life-giving-crossover, and now humanly Lead RELOVUTIONARY, where our goal is to work this detail into what Jesus will do as He builds His Church.
Now, if you think, subject sorted; think again. In my opinion, only the easier part of the equation has been answered. The larger is what does this look like into life, and through community. This will take time. I do like Piper’s words that the more “explosive” gifts tend to become more exercised one-on-one, which means corporate worship retains that God-demanding order, for our good and His glory.
For the record, RELOVUTIONARY is still content to work from under the Evangelical banner. New Zealand is a little different to the States, where these arguments have become far more political. We are Reformed-ish, which means we don’t buy the whole system, and we do not hold to Covenant Theology, as we believe a more inductive way of reading Scripture more correctly reflects the storyline of God. And we use the term, Continuationist, not Charismatic (We are not Pentecostal in the sense that we are not convinced Scripture teaches a second experiential Baptism of the Holy Spirit), because everyone has the charismata (Greek=Grace Gifts), and this “Charismatic” term tends to have larger sociological implications, which we probably don’t live or look like. Continuationist more readily intersects with the different interpretations through the text, which then leaves the, “But what does that live like?” for the process.
Simply put, we seek to be strong on worship – in music, Word, sacrament, and application. We believe God should be experienced through the whole person, beginning with the mind, but continuing, through, into the personalised experiential conclusion.
No, we likely won’t have a problem with louder music. After all, I play the drums. Nor, with even what are popularly referenced and categorised as modern worship songs. But, we are also pro righteous hymns. Give me God-glorifying lyrics, but also soul-arresting musicals, and I am yours. Then the deal closes like Mariano Rivera. Stereotypically, one side has had more of the lyrics, while the other, the band just seems to play on. While one should be lyrically leading, surely there can be a happy marriage of both. We want people to positively, let-loose, in worship for the One True God.
And, Yes, we are happy for you to cry. I mean, baby pink, is one of my go-to colours. For real now. That may read a little awkward, but I’m leaving it right there, because I think you know what I mean.
We do believe the Holy Spirit’s ministry is a dynamic reality in the life of the Church and the Christian. We do believe that God can speak through His people, but this is entirely fallible; must be tested; is more likely rarer than popular Christian claims; and is over-rated compared with the sixty-six books of Holy Spirit-breathed, Scripture. I did say, compared. There is a lot of capital placed on that word.
This means, on any given Sunday, our main practical worship emphasis will be the preached Word, which is actually a very good thing. But, as we God-willing-grow, the musical element will likely also grow. In my opinion, this sets the table for the Meal of God’s Word, followed by the Meal of Jesus’s remembered sacrifice.
The Trinitarian God should be positively experienced!
Did all that make sense, or, just make you confused?
I hope in reading, you experienced the place of tension. And I believe this is the proper place demanding that we must work these through. This is the lived-in space that we each tend to over-opinionise from the outside.
My words have now grown an extra body-part. I cadaver you not. I am not a Pundamentalist, but I went there. Okay, maybe sometimes. And I want to be intentional; and in more than just this post. Therefore, I will leave these words there.
In what will follow, I want to talk more about intentionality, as I believe the emphasis and content that fills, positively separates RELOVUTIONARY, and should encourage you to join this Life Movement. I believe this should motivate Christians who have been on the treadmill for far too long, to get-off, as we run this road together.
Remember – Launch Date – February 24th, 2019!
You are personally invited!
For the Fame of His Name