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In our ongoing conversation about “Presbyteries
and Congregations on the Edge of the New Frontier,” Bart Brenner, interim
executive presbyter for the Presbytery of South Dakota, and I have been
thinking of ways to invite pastors to engage one another “across the pages
of Scripture.” One exciting idea that emerged out of a recent Executive
Presbyter’s Forum was the issue of apostolic formation toward the end of the
church of the 21st century becoming a truly "sent out" church. The vehicle
that was proposed for accomplishing this was to introduce John Calvin’s
“Company of Pastors” to pastors and congregations.
The basic concept is to invite presbyters and
congregations to engage the Book of Acts during the year, beginning in
September, 2007. We are being told (and are experiencing) that the setting
of the 21st Century Church is much more like the 1st
Century Church than it is like that of the 20th Century Church.
That being the case, it makes sense for us to engage anew all that Jesus
continues to do through “the apostles whom he had chosen” (see, Acts 1:2).
Below is an initial outline, prepared by Bart and
me, of a year-long engagement (study and preaching) of Acts. Pastors will
be invited to preach once a month using the basic texts that are indicated
for that month. As pastors prepare for their preaching, they are invited to
join together with other pastors (and elders) in their region of the
presbytery once a month to study the progression of texts that relate to the
discipline and practices of the 1st Century Church.
This outline is adapted from materials developed
by the Presbytery of Muskingum Valley. They developed a Lenten discipline
based on “ten behaviors of [church] multipliers” from Rev. Bill Malick,
Director for Mulltiplication Ministries for the Christian and Missionary
Alliance. These behaviors are:
·
becoming aligned with God... wait, trust God,
anticipate, discern;
·
being active while keeping a clear eye on God...
observe & join, stand strong, praise first;
·
fulfilling God's commission... build bridges, empower &
release, relentless focus.
Utilizing these resources,
our reading of the Book of Acts has suggested the following outline:
Part I: A Longing People
(the
Church at rest; wanting more that it is currently experiencing)
September: From Resting to
Waiting (waiting to be empowered by the Holy
Spirit... Acts 1:1-2:1
19:13-16 20:7-12)
Eutychus was 'overcome by sleep' (20:9) during
Paul's preaching in Troas and falls out of the third story window,
plummeting to the ground. While some thought Eutychus to be dead, Paul
'took him in his arms and said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in
him.”' Sometime we rest, as the Church, and sometimes we fall asleep. The
gentle reminder is that the church's life is still in it (still in us!)
Peter's preaching proclaims boldly that “You will receive power when the
Holy Spirit comes upon you. (1:8)
October From Depending
on Ourselves to Depending on God (depend on God... Acts 1:8
– 8:1; 16:6; 19:10; 5:1-11
When Peter and the apostles were called before
the council of the high priests and told to stop preaching and teach about
Jesus, they answered “We must obey God rather than any human authority.”
(5:29)
Part II: The Called Community
(a set-apart people; discipleship training)
November From Groaning (in
the Wilderness) to Delighting in God (praise God
in and out of adversity... Acts 3:6-10; 16:22-30)
After the crippled beggar (3:1-10) was healed, he
“entered the temple with them, walking back and forth, dancing and praising
God.”
December (no texts assigned during December because of Advent and
Christmas)
January From being
Dispirited to being Expectant (expect and look
for divine calls... Acts 2:1-47; 5:16-39; 6:1-7 8:26-40)
After Peter's Pentecost sermon, a significant
part of the crowd asked Peter and the others, “what should we do?” (2:37)
Peter invited them into fellowhship through repentance and baptism. As a
result, “they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship,
to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came over everyone, because
many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles.” (2:42-43)
February From
Marginalized to Anticipating Victories (anticipate
victories that will emerge from God being in control... Acts 8:1-8)
Forced to leave home base, the Christians all
become missionaries. Wherever they scattered they preached the Message
about Jesus. (8:4 The Message)
March (no texts assigned during March because of Holy Week and
Easter)
April From Passive
to Active – the Departure (step outside the
conventional ministry box... Acts 10:1-29; 10:1-48; 11:8)
Peter struggled with a vision suggesting that he eat
food that was consided ritually unclean in Judaism. But is told “What God
has made clean, you must not call profane.” (10:15) As Peter encounters
Cornelius, a Roman centurian, he assures him (and assures himself): “You
know, I'm sure that this is highly irregular, Jews just don't do this –
visit and relax with people of another race. But God has just shown me that
no race is better than any other.” (10:29 The Message)
The movement of the early church was from longing
(Part I) to being called (Part II). After hearing God's call and preparing
for the mission ahead, there comes a time when the community and its members
must take the risk of allowing itself to be drawn by Jesus Christ and pushed
(blown) by the Holy Spirit out into the world to engage in God's mission.
Part III: The Apostolic Church
(a sent-out people; apostles
commissioned and deployed)
May Claim and Use
the Gifts of the Spirit (empower & release the
best gifts of the people Acts 6:1- 7:60; 13:1-5)
A dispute arose in the Jerusalem church. The
Hellenists (Greek-speakers) felt that their widows were being overlooked in
the daily food distribution, unlike the Hebrew-speaking widows. They were
asked to nominate seven men who were “of good standing, full of the Spirit
and of wisdom” who were commissioned to correct the problem. These first
'deacons' were able to 'wait on tables' (that is, deal with the food
distribution among the Hellenists) which enabled the twelve apostles to
continue their attention to the Word of God. (6:1-7)
June Go Where God
Calls and the Spirit Blows (observe & go with what
God is doing... Acts 9:1-31; 17:16-17)
Acts 9 chronicles Paul's conversion experience
along the Damascus Road. Paul is struck blind by his encounter with Jesus
Christ. He is taken by the hand to Damascus, and eventually to Ananias. a
Christian disciple. Ananias is also given a vision in which he hears
something of God's plan through Paul. The bitter enemy has become a brother
in Christ. When God calls and the Spirit blows we have a radical new
opportunity for faithfulness, if only we 'observe and go.' “So Ananias
went...” (9:17)
July Be
Courageous when Encountering Resistance (stand strong
in the face of opposition Acts 5:40 – 6:1; 7:59-60)
The apostles and early disciples faces
periodic persecution. They were regularly called before the council of the
high priests. When Peter and the apostles refused to stop preaching and
teaching about Jesus, the council wanted to put them to death. Gamaliel
suggested to the council to “let them alone; because if this plan or this
undertaking [of Peter and the apostles] is of human origin, it will fail;
but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them – in that case
you may eveb be found fighting against God!” (5:38-39) The council
relented and had the apostles flogged. The response of the apostles was
amazing. “As they left the council, they rejoiced that they were considered
worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.” (5:41)
August Stay Focused on
the Realm of God (relentlessly focus on bringing
people to Christ and his kingdom... read all of Acts, especially Paul's
testimony in 20:24)
“What matters most to me is to finish what God had
started: the job the Master Jesus gave me of letting everyone I meet know
about this incredibly extravagant generosity of God.” (20:24 The
Message)
The above outline is designed to provide a guide
for reading and preaching through the Book of Acts, with an eye to learning
how today's apostles, here on the edge of a new frontier, might learn from
our ancient forebears. It is Bart’s and my hope that many of our pastors
will engage with their colleagues in a thorough study of Acts throughout the
year. These gatherings for prayer and study might also include elders and
become a crucible for discerning new ways for congregations to be responsive
to God's call.
In developing the plan, we were delighted to find
that the liturgical calendar provided a holy cradle for the birthing of this
venture. Part I begins at the end of Ordinary Time and, while Advent is
skipped in the schedule, the Advent theme of waiting is where
we begin. Part II, with its focus on the development of the Christian
Community, spans Christmas and Easter, the high points of the liturgical
year. Part III – the missional work of the apostolic church – takes us
through Pentecost and returns us to Ordinary Time, which is the venue of the
church's primary task (that is, to be the bearer of Good News for the
world).
To broaden the experience, we are exploring the
development of additional resources, prepared by very bright folks with
particular expertise in each area, to enhance each 'lesson.' These friends
are being recruited even as I write this.
·
exegetical notes (Paul Doriani, South
Dakota)
·
spiritual practices (Dan Wolpert, Northern Plains)
·
transformational notes (Gretchen Graf, Northern Plains)
·
young adult perspective (Aaron Cork, South Dakota; Maggie
Traylor, Northern Plains)
·
adult study notes for congregational use (TBA)
Good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise these
friends will agree to the project and will be able to provide us with the
supplemental resources prior to September.
Bart and I have covenanted with one another in
this process to meet regularly around the Word. We see the above as a way
that we can invite pastors and elders in the two presbyteries into a common
practice of gathering together around the Word.
I
encourage each of you to talk to your pastor and/or Session about this
proposal, and, if the decision is made to join Bart and me in this
adventure, to find other pastors and elders in your area with whom to engage
in conversation about what the Word is saying to you through this study. Who
knows? The Lord may just lead us to Pentecost again, and set us free to
truly be Sent-Out Apostles on the Edge of the New Frontier!
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