Regional pastors conference builds on enthusiasm among field ministry
We in Pasadena continue to be inspired by the enthusiasm we see among the field ministry. In January we met with the regional pastors, regional directors and their wives to hear presentations by Godfried Fritz and Earl Grant. Mr. Fritz is an organizational psychologist from South Africa who has helped numerous corporations restructure and renew. Through an interactive discussion, he helped us focus on the needs we have in our own organizational rebirth and the strengths that we bring to the task. Dramatic shifts are never easy, but we are confident that Jesus Christ will guide us throughout.
Whenever organizations change, there is always a loss of the old ways of doing things before the new way can really be implemented. There is a "wilderness" period in between--a time of uncertainty many of us have already experienced with last year's doctrinal changes. The better we keep our eyes on the desired goal, the better we will go through these transition times. Now, our goal as a church is to prepare our members for works of service (Ephesians 4:12). We want to train, to encourage and to trust, so that all the members become more involved in the work Christ has called us to.
Earl Grant, who has done extensive work in church renewal, spoke to us about church goals and involving all the members in ministry (that is, service), each according to his or her gifts. He recommended that we all read The New Reformation, by Greg Ogden, which tells us more about the expanding role of members in the work of the church.
Dr. Grant then spoke about evangelism and the desire to give others the best news that we have ever experienced--the gospel of salvation through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The ministers and wives present were greatly encouraged by Dr. Grant's presentation and are eager to do the work of the gospel.
Following on those presentations were presentations by John Comino, Craig Bacheller and Don Mears, who spoke about how we as a church may build toward more effective evangelism. We need to build our relationship with God, strengthen our love for one another, become more involved in the community and train for evangelism.
They recommended that we read Evangelism Through the Local Church, by Michael Green. I mention these book recommendations because some of you would probably like to begin reading these now.
We are not implementing a formal program in which each church area must do certain steps at certain times or achieve certain results on a specified timetable. Rather, we realize that our discussions and plans are general and conceptual. Each church area will have to put its own flesh on the skeleton, so to speak, according to its own spiritual gift mix and community opportunities.
We in Pasadena will provide encouragement and guidance, but most of the details will be coming from regional pastors and other leaders in the field ministry. They will mentor and support other ministers, encouraging each area to progress at its own pace in responding to the leadership of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.
These conferences invigorate me, and I want to share my enthusiasm with you. In the remainder of this letter, I want to address a few points about the Lord's Supper, which we will celebrate the evening of April 2. I want to address these points now so that most members will be able to read these comments before they participate in the Lord's Supper.
As I mentioned in my previous letter, the early church was zealous for the law and the customs of Moses (Acts 21:20-21). They continued to participate in the temple rites and the traditions of Judaism. It is likely that they also continued to observe the traditional Passover, with roast lambs and bitter herbs. In other words, they did not think that Jesus had done away with the lambs and herbs.
The bread and wine ceremony, on the other hand, commemorated Jesus' death--it did not commemorate the exodus from Egypt. The new ceremony used different symbols, was observed with different rules by a different group of people, conveying a different meaning. It was a different observance.
The early church may have called the new observance by many different names. Paul gives us one of these in 1 Corinthians 10:21: "the Lord's table." Some called it "the Lord's Supper" (1 Corinthians 11:20). Paul also called it a "participation" (koinonia) in the body and blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16). Some translations of koinonia call it communion; others call it sharing. No matter what name we use, it is a memorial of the death of our Savior, and it is an essential tradition in the Christian church.
In the Worldwide Church of God, we partake of the bread and wine on the evening that begins the 14th day of the first Hebrew month. This reminds us that our Lord was a Jew, lived in Jewish culture and died on a Jewish festival.
God chose to give the gospel of salvation in a Jewish culture, and he shaped that culture himself to have concepts of monotheism, sin, sacrifice and atonement. Our Lord chose to institute this observance on the evening before he was killed or, as Paul says, "on the night he was betrayed" (1 Corinthians 11:23). We follow that tradition.
This year, we will meet on Tuesday evening, April 2. Evening meetings are good for most of our members, but a few members (especially older members who live far from the meeting location) find it difficult to travel at night. Some members in such situations have asked if they could participate in the Lord's Supper in a small group in a town closer to their home. Yes, this is permissible. The leaders of such groups may obtain instructions from the pastor.
Some have asked whether it is permissible for nonmembers to participate in our Lord's Supper. If they are Christians, they may. If they accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, then we consider them brothers or sisters in the faith. All Christians share equally in the Lord's table, and we may share it together. (If a member invites a guest, the member should inform the guest about the footwashing service, which is not observed in many fellowships. If possible, the member should also let the pastor know that a guest will be participating.)
All members are expected to attend the Lord's Supper service or else make arrangements to observe it at home.
In the past, our Lord's Supper services were sometimes so sober and formal that they were like a funeral. Of course, the occasion does commemorate our Lord's death, but we must remember that our Lord is now alive and lives in us as we partake of his body and blood (John 6:55-56)!
On the night he was betrayed, Jesus told the disciples, "Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy" (John 16:22).
We can rejoice and be glad, even at a formal ceremony. It is not wrong to smile, greet and talk to one another before and after the Passover service. Nor is it wrong to include worshipful music in the service. Music is an appropriate (and biblical) way to convey thanksgiving and worship to God who sent his Son for our forgiveness and salvation.
Some members have also asked about the Night to Be Much Observed, which has been part of our festival tradition. The tradition was based on a mistaken interpretation of the Scriptures. We had thought that God commanded the Israelites to eat the Passover lambs on the 14th, so when we saw scriptures commanding the night of the 15th to be remembered, we concluded that it was a separate observance.
Actually, as we explained in 1990, the lambs were killed at the close of the 14th and eaten on the 15th. The night of the 15th was the old covenant Passover lamb meal, and there is no requirement for Christians to observe that evening.
Members do not need to feel obligated to keep this tradition going. On the other hand, there is no need to discourage member get-togethers on this night, either. Many members enjoy the special opportunity to eat and fellowship with other families. Mike Feazell's article on page 4 of this issue gives some ideas about how this evening can be used to celebrate Christian redemption.
In many ways, like the Israelites who left Egypt, we have been in a wilderness. We've had a lengthy detour. We had confusion about what we were doing and how to do it. Now, our vision is becoming more clear. We are focusing on the promises of God, and we see an exciting future in the love and power of Christ for the Worldwide Church of God.
We have greater faith and trust in Jesus Christ. We are strengthening our relationship with him and becoming more personal in our friendship with him. We are freer to express our love and adoration for him, freer to express the joy we have in the salvation he is giving us. We have freedom from guilt and guilt feelings; we are gaining the peace of God that surpasses our ability to describe.
We have a community of love and joy, in which men, women and children are working together to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. Each person is valued not just for the work he or she does, but for his or her value as a person. Members are encouraged to participate in whatever way they can, as the Holy Spirit leads them. All these are refreshing trends, and I am glad that we are on this spiritual journey together.
We have not come to Sinai, we are told in Hebrews 12, but "to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant.... Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe" (verses 18-28).
To him be the praise and honor and glory forever.
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Worldwide News February 27, 1996 |
Copyright © Worldwide Church of God,1996