HELLO 2022

 In the beginning God created …. (Genesis. 1:1)

In the beginning was the Word … (John 1:1)

In the beginning of 2022 God …

Everything in life and everything in our world has a beginning. How we begin is important. How we end, hopefully is acceptable and desirable. Some things in life began coincidentally and some accidentally. This is the beauty of life, the unpredictability. The good news is, we have (to a good extent) control. In-between the beginning and the end is the process. We have twelve months to make a difference. Do not waste your efforts on superstition.

After having created all things, God placed life and this beautiful blue jewel called earth into the hands and care of man. The outcome of what we are experiencing today is a result of our doings. The things we do, the things we do not do, it all adds up to where we are today. So 2022 is a brand new year. It had begun. Eleven hours and thirty five minutes had passed. Has anything changed? The better question is: Will anything change? Inevitably, it will. Will it be for better? It depends on the process. Starting well is a good head start. Where we land on at the end of 2022 depends entirely on the process.

One of my usual greetings to my friends on birthdays is this: “Happy birthday! As you embark on yet another 365 days round the SUN, keep your eyes on the SON. That way you will remain in orbit of God’s grace and blessings. Have a blast. Enjoy the ride.” Same journey year in and year out but the experience need not be the same mundane routines. If you pay attention to the process and enjoy the ride, you will have a better chance of ending up with a big smile on your face at the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023.

From me to you who is reading this, have a happy new year. The future will keep on turning into the present BUT your present can be pleasant. It is all up to you.

Epilogue:

We do not have the benefit of seasons in our country, but we have the gift of imagination. Imagine waking up one morning to discover your entire outside world blanketed with white, pure snow. The air smells different and fresh. Wouldn’t that be a great experience? The entire landscape look and feel different. But we know underneath the snow is the same old landscape. The journey in 2022 may be the same, but it can still be a whole new experience. Enjoy the ride.

"I CAN'T BREATHE"

 

“I CAN’T BREATHE”

On a July afternoon, the whole world stopped to watch a man named Armstrong walked upon the moon. Regardless of race or religion, people stood in awe that day trying to understand what had just happened. I was twelve years old then. On another July afternoon, the whole world heard the cry of Eric Garner’s repeated cry of “I can’t breathe” just as he passed when he was put in a chokehold by a New York police officer. The same cry was heard globally when George Floyd succumbed too with his last words “I can’t breathe”. We are alive today because we are still breathing.

To stay alive, we need oxygen. Unless there is a special need for it, the good news is, oxygen is aplenty. We do not have need to earn it, permission to use it, but we do know we depend on it. It doesn’t matter if we are black or white, good or bad, religious or not, God made sure it is freely available to all. The problem is, we don’t usually think on these things and we take God and His creation for granted. In fact, many denied even His existence. But God is gracious. Regardless of what we do to this planet, His goodness is still reflected in His creation. Our planet is well.

Oxygen is vital to our living. So is prayer to our spiritual life. We are s spirit being living in a body of flesh. Being “born again” our human spirit is regenerated and our senses towards God are once again connected and heightened resulting is a process of transformation and a changed life. To keep our spirit man alive, well and sensitive to God, we need to commune with God. We need to “breathe”. In short, prayer is oxygen.

 We need to pray. We need to pray not just an hour a day. We need to pray constantly just as we need to breathe all the time. We have this notion: to stay spiritually healthy and connected to God, we need to set aside a time to pray daily. This is where we have the concept of daily devotion. But breathing is not about an hour a day. Breathing is a constant and unconscious effort on our part to stay alive. When we stop breathing, we die. Prayer cannot be compartmentalized. It has got to be a constant and unconscious effort on our part to stay alive in God. You cannot just do devotion for the day and “parked” God throughout the rest of the day. Just like breathing, we need to connect with God constantly.

To me, prayer is not compartmentalized. There are times I will have need to go into my “closet” and seek God but I do not have a fix time to “breathe”. I “breathe” all the time. When I see something, I talk to God about it. When I am watching a movie and something stirred in my mind, I immediately talk to God about it. When a random or spontaneous thought got a hold of me, without missing a beat, I chat with the Holy Spirit about it, seeking to learn from Him. When I am talking to someone about some matters, underneath my breadth, I am asking the Holy Spirit for guidance. No matter where I am or what I do, I always “breathe”. I used to have a constant daily devotion but I don’t do that much. Throughout the day, I think God’s thought, I think God’s word and I talk to God. The first thing I do when I awake in the morning, I think God. My first words: “Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, praise the Lord” and then I talk to God immediately. Even now as I am writing, I am “breathing”.

Prayer is oxygen. I am not designed by God to breathe oxygen an hour a day. If I were to stay alive, I need to breathe every second, every minute, every hour of the day, even when I am sleeping, consciously and unconsciously. Constant breathing to stay alive is not an option. We need to keep God’s presence throughout the day, not compartmentalized or only when needed. We need to take in oxygen always.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

 

God is still in control. Prayer is oxygen. Prayer is to commune with God. Breathe … breathe … breathe. Don’t let the devil put a chokehold on you.

God bless.

GOOD ENOUGH

Gen 1:9; 31

“God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.” …

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”

I love the story of creation. It is an amazing narrative and there is so much to draw from it. I especially enjoyed seeing how things were back then as compared to how things are today. We are so used to this fallen nature of both earth and mankind that it is hard to comprehend how things were like then before the Fall. Do Adam and Eve get the flu? Do they live in a house or shelter themselves from the elements? Do they wear clothes? Do they have toilets? Were there bugs? It will do us good (once a while) to look back to Eden (prior to the Fall) so we don’t lose sight of that which is to come. It will help keep things in perspective. 

Creation, as recorded in Genesis 1, involved six days. God “rested” on the seventh. Throughout the six days, God affirmed “it was good”. And after the grand finale (sixth day – creation of man) it was recorded, “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good”. Take note: good, and very good, but definitely not perfect. And this brings to light many of the issues that supposedly evade our understanding, such as “Why do bad things happen to good people?”

Only God and God alone is perfect. Had God made us perfect, we would have become like Him instead of being in the image of Him. This cosmic world tells us we can be perfect and we need to strive for perfection. It tells us we should never be satisfied and failure is never an option. Where does this ideology come from? Something conceived by man? Certainly not God, for only God alone can be perfect. It came from Lucifer a.k.a. satan. Lucifer wasn’t contented being the archangel. He wanted to become like God. He thought he can be God. It was then proven; the created cannot be the Creator. Together with one third of the angelic hosts, Lucifer was judged and cast out of the heavens. The earth became formless and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; an uninhabitable planet (Gen. 1:2).

God began His work of restoration in Genesis 1. In the midst of the earth, He planted the Garden of Eden. There he placed the first of mankind – Adam and Eve. In the midst of the Garden, God planted the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. One leads to life eternal while the other leads to death. Literally the Tree of Life and the Tree of Death. God commanded man to stay clear of the tree of death. Man did not have to concern themselves with the pursue of the knowledge of what is good and what is evil. Apart from the tree of death, everything else God made was good and very good! All they had to do was to partake of all the good God had created. The tree of death was a visual reminder of the presence of the Deceiver. Satan was in existence, but the evil on earth had not manifested, not until man decided to trust in the devil rather than God. Adam and Eve didn’t fall because of temptations. They knew the word or God. They simply did not trust God at His word. Following the Fall, we see the manifestations of bad and evil.

We need to understand the word “created” in Genesis 1:1. Create can mean one of three things. To make something out of nothing; to make something out of something; to reshape (remodel) something that exists. Only God can make something out of nothing. I can create an art piece with Lego blocks and it can be good. Someone else can improve on it and make it very good. To further improve it to the point of perfection is only but a perception. While God’s word did teach us to strive forward towards the goal; to run with the attitude of winning the race, the reality is, we will not always be the number one in every race because we are not made perfect. The moment a record is broken, someone else will break the record. Biblical teachings are such that in everything we do, do it to the best and to the glory of God. Do it with the attitude of winning the race yet humbly at heart, embrace the reality that God made all things good or very good, short of perfect. This is (I believe) is the perfect plan of God; making all things in such a manner that there is room to grow, to improve and to explore and discover. Had God made us perfect, there will be no need for us to strive forward, to be better. Only the imperfect have room to grow, to expand, to explore. Come to think of it, had God made all things perfect, will we still care about heaven? 

My point today? Good, or very good, is good enough. This is not about being mediocre. It is knowing the game  and thus moving forward one step at a time. Learn to be content where we are as we continue to strive forward toward with the attitude of one who believe good can be better and better can be best. Striving for perfection will be the attitude we must have. God made the earth and the universe for us. Let us enjoy the journey. Life does not  end here on earth. God knows it will take lifetimes to even uncover the mystery of His creation so He created mankind with eternity in mind. His offer of eternal life still stands today. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Kid: “Ma. I got my Math test results.”

Mom: “How did you do?”

Kid: “Sorry ma. I go 40%.”

Mom: “Hmm …. 40% is still better than 30%. Good for now. There is still 60% room for improvement.”

ONLINE CHURCH #04

 

Previously, I suggested Online church is driven by two necessary “engines” – empowering and engaging. Let me expand a little more on empowering from the previous write-up before I start on engaging. Another example of empowering is based on the concept of the “School of Elisha”. Elisha’s students felt the need to enlarge the prophetic school. They came to Elisha and presented him the proposal. Although the idea did not originate with Elisha, nonetheless Elisha gave the go-ahead while he stood behind them. That is empowering.  The church in Acts did the same. Having no “commander”, the followers of Christ initiated house churches and ministries and the apostles were aiding and providing the necessary support. One of the “tentacles” of an Online church is in facilitating Bible study groups. Online church does not create Bible study groups. This is done by its members. The Online church support team (consisting of pastors, Bible teachers) will assist in providing a facilitator and necessary materials. The initiator of the class will be responsible to organize the class and the attendees. Classes can be held from anywhere, anytime. Online church rides on the platform of decentralization. To empower is to allow people and ministries to organically spring up from anywhere, anytime. Online church seeks to create a uniform platform for resources, for working together, and for accountability.

 

ENGAGING.

Engaging is about following instead of attracting. Jesus engaged people wherever they were. He went about preaching and teaching in villages and towns. He could be at the marketplaces, the seashores, synagogues, someone’s home, or wherever He was needed. He was usually out at “sea”. He did not have a home. And if He did, there will be a sign hanging at the door: “Out Fishing”. Jesus could have easily stayed put at one single location and people from near and far would have made the journey to attend His “services”. But that was not the church He had in mind. He raised a movement, not an institution. Perhaps the better way of understanding engaging is to take a snapshot of social media today.

 

Social media is used for just about anything. Individuals used it to keep in touch with friends and families. Others used it for career opportunities, finding people with like interests across the globe, sharing their thoughts, their feelings, their moments. There are plenty of social media apps available on devices and one of the more popular ones is Facebook. In FB people tend to follow others (friend’s requests) and in following, they get “followed back”. (friendship accepted). From here, they get to participate in groups of like interests (engaging). This is how church can be today. Instead of attracting people into our church with the hope they would like it enough to stay, we ought to be following people. And when we are “followed back”, we engage and build relationships.

 

Keeping FB as an example, let us imagine how house churches started in the days of Acts. Say you take evening walks around your neighborhood. You pass by many houses each time, but you took no notice. One day, a particular house caught your attention. After a couple of passes, you decided you would engage the owner because you are interested in how they managed to managed their garden so well. You rang the doorbell and soon the owner and you were chatting at the front gate. Seeing your interests in his garden, the house owner “followed” you back.  He invites you into his living room (that is engaging) for a cuppa and a friendship began. FB pages are like houses you browse through all the time. When something interests you, you follow and make a friend’s request. The host then accepts your request and invite you into his FB group where you will meet others with similar like interests. In the context of the church, this is called discipleship.

 

The way the early Christians behaved caught the attention of the unbelievers. In fact, they were first called Christians in the city of Antioch because they were so Christ-like in their communal living. People began to “follow” just as they did with Jesus, and the Christians “followed” back, engaging them into their homes. That was how churches sprang up throughout entire regions. And the beautiful thing was, house churches were operating daily, not just once a week.

 

I have so far shared with you the basic concept of what I think an Online church is. How it operates is up to one’s imagination and resources. They say, “the sky’s the limit”. Online church is literally a church without walls. You will never know where or how it will lead you. It is like jumping into a river. Unlike a lake, when you enter a river you cannot exit at the same entry point. The river is always flowing. Its currents carry you beyond your point of entry. In the Bible, there was a river in Ezekiel’s vision (Ez. 47). When we are willing to flow with the Holy Spirit, who knows where the “River” will take us, just as it had taken Jesus all over Israel and all over the world.

 

I am sure you have questions. I am not trying to “reinvent the wheel”. I am just trying to rediscover church based on the book of Acts. The world about us is evolving fast. Between “Tent” and “Temple”, I like the idea of the “Tent” (mobile) more than the “Temple” (fixed). Problem is, the “Temple” (big and majestic) had overshadowed the “Tent”. In this digital age we are in today, I think the “Tent” is making a comeback. However things will evolve, going hybrid, for now, is a necessity. We have to flow with the river. God bless.

ONLINE CHURCH #03

Previously I laid some foundations for an online church based on the book of Acts. A quick recap.

Online Church #01 – Church without location (church buildings) nor fixed time (services). They met anywhere, anytime.

Online Church #02 – Church that seeks, not attracts. It was a movement, not an institution.

 

Today I want to lay down some basic blueprints as to what I think an Online church ought to be.

Online church is not a replica of an Offline. Broadcasting Sunday services online do not make it an Online church. Online church is driven by two main thrusts. It is about empowering and engaging. When the church started in the book of Acts, they were without buildings or hierarchy. Like ants without a commander, churches (gatherings of Christians) sprung up everywhere in houses throughout the entire Asia Minor. How did it happen?

EMPOWERING

In an institution, there is always a hierarchy. At the very top is the CEO (head). Everything flows down from there. The empowering of the organization comes from the top and accountability from bottom up. Like a spider, if you thumb the head, the spider (organization) dies. Basically, this is how the church functions today. There is a flow chart with the senior pastor right at the top. Everything else (church board, pastoral team, etc.) flows down from there and all accountability flows upwards. The church in Acts did not have a “head” – command and control centre. It functions like a starfish. A starfish does not possess a head nor brain, yet every tentacle manages to coordinate with each other and move as a singular unit towards a common goal. If you cut a starfish radically (right across the center) into five parts, the five parts will regenerate into five starfish. It does not die. That is how the early church survived and thrived during severe times of persecution. Having no head to thumb, no hierarchy to disrupt, no church buildings to tear down, the church thrives anywhere, in whatever conditions because you cannot stop people from coming together. A church can be as small as a family unit of two or three. Like the starfish, each member can function in any of the five-fold offices and various ministries as the Spirit of God empowers them. The house churches moved as a single movement in a divinely coordinated fashion. There was no stopping the church of Jesus Christ, not even the gates of hell.

As an example of empowering, members of Online church ought to be given the freedom to use their tithes for "fishing". To a “fisher of men”, the tithe is a powerful tool. Like in the book of Acts, it can be used to help people find their way to God. The generosity of the early Christians towards their communities caused many to turn to Christ daily. Having no building to maintain or a big budget for staffing, Online church empowers its members to personally  and effectively fulfil the role of “fishers of men”. "Fishing" will take on a whole new dimension! In contrast to Offline church where everything revolves around the church, tithes and offerings are brought into the church and the church is empowered to manage it as it sees fit. Usually, big portions are set aside for buildings, administrations and staffing.

 

Again, I have need to state my stand. I am not suggesting our current church model is wrong. In any organization, there is a need for hierarchy and management. As long as there is transparency and accountability, it can function well. I am just bringing to your attention the concept of Online church the way I see it. Church in Acts was a powerful movement until it was institutionalized. There is a big difference between a river and a lake. In my personal opinion, I see the need for church today to go hybrid if we are going to be effective and relevant for the future.

Offline church's primary responsibility is towards its congregation. As can be seen in this pandemic, the immediate response of the church was to find ways to reach out and stay in touch with its congregations. It dedicated much of its resources towards its congregations. Online church on the other hand, do not incur much expense. It is simple, duplicable, and not in need for big budgets, either for start-ups or maintenance as it is a church without buildings. Its primary responsibility is the harvest fields. Online church do not gather. It decentralize. That's the power of the internet. It connects people via social media no matter where or when. Most people are engaged in social media. The church needs to hop on board. We need to go to sea in order to fish.

On the side, let me emphasize the fact that although anyone can start a “church” (as in Ecclesia) online, we must not neglect working with others. In the spirit of the Bible, we practice servant hood - the attitude of stewardship and accountability. I do not condone independent spirit. We are designed by God to interact with others. We are stronger when we walk and work together. The smallest unit of accountability must be towards at least two or three. There is safety in numbers. The devil is prowling and looking for the stray aways. Online church is not meant to be an independent entity. As churches sprung up in Jerusalem and other regions, they still move together as a single unit. The apostles formed a council (not an organization) and cultured a spirit of check and balance. The apostles travelled to where Christians had gathered and they preached and taught the Word. The early Christians allowed themselves to come under an umbrella of safety, of check and balance as they yield to the counsel and influence of the apostles. Somehow, by the Holy Spirit, like the starfish, they were able to move as a single unit of hearts and minds. Today, it is hard for us to imagine a church without hierarchy. It is even harder to see the church as a movement because mostly, churches work independently of each other. Perhaps this pandemic has shaken the church a little. we need to rediscover church and fall back to the core of its existence. Try envisioning the church Jesus initiated. To me, it does look different from the church we know today.

I am sure you would have questions popping into your mind. You can post it in the comments section. Next week, I will write about engaging. The Online church seeks to engage, not attract. It practices the “School of Elisha” - a concept I introduced into Vineyard some years back. God bless.

ONLINE CHURCH #02

This is my second write-up with regard my thoughts on ONLINE church. As you read, keep in mind what I wrote previously: that OFFLINE (on-site) church will never fade away. ONLINE church had made its debut and is here to stay even after this pandemic. The church has a need to go hybrid and in these articles, I am helping us understand what it means to go hybrid and what an ONLINE church really is. What we are experiencing today is only a replica of church services online. I am looking beyond. So stay with me on this journey in rediscovering church.

 

Since the beginning of creation, God has reached out to mankind. After the Fall in Eden, God continued reaching out. He established covenants, raised up a people and a nation for Himself for the sake of others. Till this day, through Jesus' incarnation, God continues with His mission - “seek and rescue”. God is always on the move. He is still seeking, not attracting.

 

The difference between “seeking” and “attracting” is the marked difference between the ONLINE and OFFLINE church. For centuries, one of the major tasks of the church is centered on its buildings. This involves real estate (prime locations) and facade (spicing up its buildings). The idea is to convert a property into a “house of God” and the mission, to attract people into its buildings. This represents the OFFLINE church. To understand ONLINE/OFFLINE church further, let us go back to the days of Tent and Temple.

 

The concept of temple ministry started with God. It was God’s idea to build a sanctuary. The reason was clearly stated: “so that I may dwell among them” (Ex. 25:8). In the building of the Tabernacle, God took the effort of going to His people. This sanctuary was built to be simple, mobile, and temporary. It was built a tent. In contrast, Solomon’s Temple was a permanent building, lavishly built at a fixed location. It is important to note the building of Solomon’s Temple was man’s idea, not God. God never asked for it. After a short discourse with David, God allowed the building of the temple through Solomon, David’s son, thus it was called Solomon’s Temple. Whether it was the Tent or the Temple, the emphasis was not so much about the structures. It was about the priesthood ministry.  

 

Since the Tabernacle was a mobile tent, it was not confined to a fixed location, unlike Solomon’s temple where one had to travel to Jerusalem to grace the House of God. The Tabernacle can be moved anywhere, anytime. That is the marked difference between an ONLINE and an OFFLINE church. One is “mobile” while the other is not. One “seeks” while the other needs to “attracts”. For a long time now, churches have invested heavily in their buildings, trying to keep them attractive. We want people to come visit. We hoped they would like it enough to stay and be part of the church. I am not suggesting this is wrong, but if we truly want to be fishers of men like we are called to be, then we need to GO where the fishes are. They are out at sea and we need to go find them. Today, Christians are more comfortable at being keepers of the aquarium (forgive the pun) than being fishers of men. The dynamics of the church in the book of Acts are so different from today. We would rather attract than seek. We have evolved from a movement into an institution. I am speaking generally.

 

Christians are in a dilemma. Sundays are sacred and faithful Christians are expected to be in church on Sundays. For the un-churched, the church does not matter. With only one weekend per week, they had plans to chill, to catch up with family and friends. Many travel during extended weekends or they do  stuff like marketing, breakfasts away from home, cycling, hiking, shopping, lunches, etc.. These “fishes” are out at sea. How do we fish them unless we are willing to go out to sea? Lamps need to be placed on lamp stands and strategically located for it to be useful.Why do we place our “lamps” in places where it is already brightly lit and not out there in darkness where it is much needed? Light is necessary for "fishing". Light attracts fish. If we are to be the light of the world, then we need to be where we are needed. This is where Online church comes in handy. Having no church buildings, its purpose was to seek, not attract. That was how the early church grew into a movement. Being "mobile" like a tent, they met anywhere and anytime. During His earthly ministry, Jesus did not have a fixed location to attract people. He was always on the move seeking out the lost.Jesus was a movement.

 

This pandemic has helped me grasped what I have been trying to figure out for a decade. We are now into a new season. We need to adapt and evolve. I no longer feel institutionalized. On weekends, you will find me in church. And if I am not, then I am probably "out fishing" and I am bringing church with me. Most nonbelievers do not care about church. They do not care about our buildings (except maybe as tourists) or our services. Occasionally they may pop in for functions and invites. Instead of trying to attract them into our church, why not we follow after them? When Jesus came, He did not come to attract. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. Instead of focusing on attracting, we need to focus on following. This is what seeking is all about. ONLINE church seeks to follow.

 

Having laid these foundations, next week I will endeavor to explain my understanding of Online church. For now, understand this. Online church is not here to replace On-site church. Neither is it designed as an alternative church for convenience sake. Church is serious business. In today's digital world, online church has become a necessity. Our world has evolved. Digital platform has been around for quite awhile but the church has not really got on board, not until this pandemic. Things are pretty much online nowadays. From shopping to dating, we are experiencing a new normal. In as much as online shopping has become a norm, shopping complexes will always remain. We need both OFFLINE and ONLINE church. Time for the church to evolve and going hybrid is not only necessary but is the church for the future. My journey in rediscovering church continues. God bless.

ONLINE Church # 01

 

Back in 1980 I had my first experience in pioneering church. Vineyard Church was my second. Today I am pressing on to pioneer yet another, but this will be an ONLINE Church. This pandemic is changing the landscape of this current centuries-old-western-church model. Personally, I think it is a good and welcoming change. With this in mind, in the next couple of write ups, I want to share my thoughts on what I envision as an ONLINE Church. Let me begin with a bit of background.

My journey began some ten years ago. Vineyard Church had grown to be one of the mid-sized church in the AOG circle. At one time, we breached the two hundred and fifty markers in attendance, yet there was this growing dissatisfaction within me. I had always had the impression that something was amiss about the way church is being done today. I am aware there are diversities of workings and of method in ministries, but in this current church model, I felt we were not hitting the spot. A couple of years before this pandemic, I started ACTS 29. I wanted to be able to do church anywhere, anytime, not confined to a fixed location and fixed time services. But there was yet another reason for wanting to “decentralize” church. What IF for some reason, the freedom to worship at fixed locations is taken from us? Rather than being caught unaware, I needed a contingency plan and thus ACTS 29 was introduced to the Vineyard. We know the book of Acts ended at chapter 28. ACTS 29 is to be a replica of the church the way it was back in the days of Acts. From Acts, I came to an understanding of what the church really was and how it ought to be, but the current church model did not give me the freedom to do that which I had wanted to. While I deliberated on this, I passed the leading of the church to one of my pastoral team while I freed myself from church work to further explore ACTS 29. That was 2019. Then came Covid, 2020 and I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Instead of feeling frustrated by the disruptions and interruptions of life due to this pandemic, I got curious. Just short months into it, I saw church evolving. What was supposed to have happened maybe five years or more in the future is been escalated to today. Churches were caught unprepared and went into survival mode. Pastors were trying to figure out ways to reach its congregations. Online services became the obvious solution. The more creative ones took to social media. Change was inevitable and unstoppable. The tide had changed and a new season had unfolded. Churches have to rise to the occasion or miss out on the greatest opportunity of a lifetime We need to evolve. We need to see beyond this pandemic. Our analog world had evolved into a digital world and the church must flow with the tide. Gen X, Y and Z were born into a digital world. With this reality in mind, I want to take us on a journey in rediscovering church. The way I see it, the church in Acts is making a comeback, but in a digital format. So let's walk the road that was once traveled upon. This road may be faintly recognizable but the impressions along the way will still lead us there. We need to rethink church in today’s digital world.

 

ACTS: CHURCH WITHOUT LOCATION OR FIXED TIMES.

Acts 2:46-47

With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Back in Acts, churches were active every single day as suggested by the expression “daily”. The early Christians were not into church buildings nor fixed time services. They congregated at homes, anywhere, anytime. In contrast, believers today attend church on weekends and perhaps occasionally on weekdays. This has been the practice and culture ever since the first half of the second century. The church had evolved from a movement into a religious institution with hierarchy, fixed locations and fixed time services. In my following articles, I will endeavor to paint a picture of what I perceive an online church to be. You will note the similarities with the church in Acts. I am hoping to replicate the early church in context of our digital world today. What we are seeing currently is not what I perceive an online church to be. Live streaming of on-site services is just an extension of on-site church. Video On Demand is just a resource. An online church is a movement. It has no fixed locations nor fixed time services. There are no geographical boundaries. It is driven by different "engines". Online church is church anywhere, anytime as long as we are digitally connected.

To begin our journey, let me be clear up front.

1) I am not saying the way we do church today is wrong.

There are diversities of ministries and of methods. (1 Cor 12:4-7). In one way or another, the gospel is being preached and souls are being saved. That’s the core.

2) I am not reinventing the wheel. Wheels are round no matter. Church is church, whether it’s OFFLINE or ONLINE. So why am I looking into pioneering an ONLINE church? The short answer: "the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few".

OFFLINE church is never going away just as ONLINE service is never going to fade away. ONLINE church is the new kid on the block. It is here to stay. We are no longer just living in an analog world. Today’s kids are born into a digital world which is fast evolving. To remain relevant, on-site church must not just replicate Sunday services online. It has to go hybrid. I have been trying to achieve this hybrid model since ACTS 29. I couldn’t find our sweet spot back then but today, because of this pandemic, I have a better perspective. As I unfold my thoughts in my following articles, keep an open mind. For now, understand this: When church began in Acts, it was never about buildings and fixed time services. It was a movement, not an institution. It has no hierarchy. Movement spreads, institution grows. With the internet, church can once again be a movement. Online church is literally a church without walls. It grows beyond the capacity of buildings. It will reach far and wide across nations and peoples. I suspect this will be the vehicle in which the gospel can and will be made known throughout the whole world. 

We are living in exciting times indeed. Walk with me in this journey in rediscovering church. Just as the letter or the law differs vastly from the spirit of the law, you will be pleasantly surprised when you discern the "spirit" of the church from the institution of the church today. God bless.