I recently acquired a copy of Alan Hirsch’s newest book, "The Forgotten Ways". All I can say is "wow". The book is a must read and I hope to write a thorough review of it in an upcoming newsletter. Leonard Sweet ("Post Modern Pilgrims" and "The Gospel According To Starbucks") wrote the forward to the book and entitled it Have you Defragged Recently. "Sometimes our hard drives need defragmenting", he writes. "Data entered on our hard drive isn’t always done neatly. The more files you have, and the more programs you download, the more your hard drive gets scrambled by confusing, scattered, random inputs that get sprayed over lots of space. Computer crashes, power outages, and stalled programs just add to the fragmentation . . . . Christianity has undergone untold crashes and clashes in the past two thousand years. In the last five hundred years its original hard drive has wiped out so many times, especially in the west, that it has almost ground to a halt."

Welcome to house church (or simple church, or organic church, or emerging church, or whatever moniker you want to assign to this recently constituted band of sojourners). To use Leonard Sweet’s analogy, if House Church were a computer hard drive its usefulness would be somewhat minimal except for games of "spiritual spider solitaire". We have become clogged and fragmented with failed & junk programs, many of which need to be "uninstalled" and the rest need to be "defragged". Most of the current participants in the house church movement have come out of traditional churches, and they have brought their jumbled, clogged hard drives with them, seeking some new mother board to plug into, thinking that a new board will solve their problems. It doesn’t occur to them that it’s the internal hard drive they’re carrying around with them that’s the real problem. It needs to be cleaned & defragged; assuming of course that it is even salvageable and not in need of junking in favor of a brand new one.

I wish I knew how to do it. Defragging the house church movement, that is. I confess I really don’t. But why let a little thing like ignorance and incompetence stop us, right?! So let’s pioneer on and see if we can make sense of this whole thing. Over the next several weeks I plan (hope might be a better word) to offer a series of articles under the banner of "Defragging House Church". In this series we will examine several issues facing house church. This week I want to examine "The DNA of the Coming Move of God". Future articles will deal with such things as intimacy versus outreach, the return of Gnosticism (coming to a house church near you!), re-thinking leadership, signs, wonders and other distractions, and more.

So, without further "a do" let’s get started defragging house church.

O.K. We have a challenge at the outset here. In order to fully appreciate the following discussion you need to have read last week’s letter (http://www.parousianetwork.org/Newsletter_Archive/Parousia_Weekly_E-Letter_For_05_02_07.htm ). So, if you haven’t already done so, why not take a moment and do that right now. We’ll wait for you.

O.K. Welcome back (you did read the letter, right?). While you’re processing what you just read (hey, it took me a week!), let me ask you a question. What is it about your house church that is worth duplicating for the next five house church generations? What is it about what you are doing that you would want God to rapidly multiply into the lives of others? Is the spiritual DNA of your present expression of ekklesia (I really wish we could get away from the English word "church") something worth passing on ad infinitum? And what would the ekklesia of Jesus look like if that were to happen?

Let’s start with a definition from our friends at Wikipedia: "Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA is a nucleic acid molecule that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all living organisms. The main role of DNA is the long-term storage of information and it is often compared to a set of blueprints, since DNA contains the instructions needed to construct other components of cells, such as proteins and RNA molecules." Whew! O.K., here’s the point. The ekklesia of Jesus, including your house church expression of it, is a living organism. It, too, has a "spiritual DNA," a "spiritual blueprint" for reproduction and growth that will determine what the end product of that reproduction looks like - just as your own biological DNA determined how tall you would be and whether your hair would be black or your eyes blue. Good DNA produces good outcomes. Bad DNA produces bad outcomes. The lesson is simple: What is the spiritual DNA of your house church and what is it producing that is worth multiplying?

Now, back to last week’s letter (which I hope you’ve worked through by now). The "big lesson" which I took away from that experience was this: We are entering a profound season of divine visitation and spiritual outpouring during which the River of Ezekiel 47, the River of God’s Spirit, is going to flow with great power and blessing. And at the outset God is seeking to sow a basic spiritual DNA into this unfolding move of God’s Spirit which will manifest in and flow through house churches. This DNA consists of three genetic characteristics. Here they are: 1) Repentance, 2) Intimacy and 3) Holiness (& the fear of the Lord). How important are these for this coming move? Important enough for God to communicate them via "special delivery," thereby guaranteeing an indelible impression on those who heard and received. So, let me touch on each of these in its turn.

"If the foundations are destroyed, what shall the righteous do" Psalm 11:3

The ancient Hebrew Psalmist (David) understood something which we have forgotten, namely, that certain things are "foundational". A truth is "foundational" if its removal jeopardizes whatever you are seeking to build. In the Church of God, repentance is a "foundational" truth. Remove it, and the very nature and existence of the Church is threatened. Exactly how foundational is repentance to the biblical message? That’s easy. It IS the biblical message. Don’t take my word for it. Listen to the words of Jesus (and John the Baptist): "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; Mark 1:14-15). The "unsettling" thing about Jesus’ message of repentance is that He directed it at the religious believers of His day, the very people whom the Old Testament Scriptures named as God’s chosen people. If God’s chosen people in Jesus’ day were in need of repentance, what (other than our pride) makes us think that His people today are somehow exempt from that same message? Unfortunately, repentance has become the "lost heart" of God’s people today. One seldom hears messages on the need for personal or corporate repentance from sin. And yet when we look at the New testament there are some 58 references to the need to repent. "Repent" is the most frequent instruction given by the risen Christ to the 7 Churches of Asia in Revelation chapters 2 & 3 (occurring 6 times). Repentance is a matter close to God’s heart.

What exactly is "repentance"? The concept of repentance in the life of God’s Old Testament people was most often expressed by the use of two Hebrew words. The first Hebrew word for repentance, Nacham, describes a "grieving" which produces a change of attitude, heart or disposition, a change of mind, a change of purpose, or a change of one’s conduct. The second Hebrew word for repentance is Shuwb the basic meaning of which is "movement back to the point of departure". Shuwb is the twelfth most frequently used Hebrew verb in the OT. It occurs 1,060 times, with an additional eight times in biblical Aramaic (where it is spelled tuwb). The word is used for simple physical motion about 270 times. Shuwb occurs most often in the book of Jeremiah (111 times) where it serves as Jeremiah’s favorite word for repentance. Shuwb literally means "to turn and go in a different direction." A good example of these two words being used together in a way which highlights their unique meanings is found in Exodus 13:17, "Now it came about when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, ‘Lest the people change their minds when they see war, and they return to Egypt.’"

The plight of Israel coming out of Egypt gives us a practical example of "repentance," namely, people having a "change of heart" (nacham) followed by "turning in a different direction" (shuwb). The context is the Exodus from Egypt. The Hebrew people had been slaves in Egypt for some 400 years. Now they were leaving Egypt on their way to the Promised Land. But they were unprepared for the prospect of battle or war. So, God led them in such a way (basically He took them "the long way around") in order to avoid war. Why? Because God knew that the difficulties of a battle might cause the people to grieve and have a "change of heart" about the whole deal, causing them to abandon their purpose and literally "turn around" and go back to Egypt. This incident gives us a basic practical example and explanation of "repentance": Repentance is a profound change of thinking or attitude that results in a profound change of direction.

Many Christians make the mistake of thinking that "repentance" is all about repenting of sin. While this is an important reason and occasion for repentance, it is not the only reason and occasion for repentance. For example, repentance is one of the dominant themes of the book of Jeremiah, God calling His people to repent of their sin and rebellion and return to Him. But in Chapter 15 God tells Jeremiah, "Therefore, thus says the LORD, ‘If you return, then I will restore you-- Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them.’" (Jeremiah 15:19) The word "return" in this verse is Jeremiah’s word for "repent". God is telling Jeremiah that if he will repent - turn his focus away from what is happening around him and turn towards the Lord as his sole focus - then God will restore Jeremiah (literally, "I will turn to you") and cause Jeremiah to stand before Him. In essence, God is telling Jeremiah that repentance on his part will result in greater intimacy with God. Think of it as Jeremiah turning to God and God responding by turning to Jeremiah, with the result that both get more "face time" together.

In this unfolding season of spiritual outpouring (of which the house church movement will an integral part) God is seeking a repentant people. He wants a people who whose first impulse is to repent by turning their focus away from anything and everything that distracts from intimacy and holiness with God and to focus their attention solely upon Him. What does this mean for your house church? Simple. Are the people in your house church still focused upon murmuring about the failings of the traditional or institutional church? Then it’s time to repent, and to get your focus upon the God Whose church it is in spite of its many failings. It’s time to focus upon what God has called you to be and do, not upon what He has called you to leave. Are people in your house church still carrying around the wounds of past church experiences? Then it is time to repent, and to stop focusing upon your woundedness and to begin focusing upon the LORD our healer Who heals the broken hearted (Psalm 147:3). Are you starting to get the picture here? Repentance is not just about repenting from sin, it is also about getting our focus off of those things which distract us from the Lord and intimacy with Him. It is about restoring the Lord and "the beauty of His holiness" as our focus. Is a spirit of repentance part of the DNA of your house church? If not, now would be a good time to start.

"When Thou didst say, ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to Thee, ‘Thy face, O Lord, I shall seek’" (Psalm 27:8)

Let me shake and bend your paradigm a little with this statement: You cannot have genuine intimacy with God without genuine repentance from those things which distract your focus from Him. Genuine repentance is the doorway to greater intimacy with God. We see this reflected in Psalm 24 when the Psalmist says, "Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, And has not sworn deceitfully." (Psalm 24:3-4) To stand in God’s "holy place" is to have intimate fellowship with him, but to get there one must have "clean hands and a pure heart". How do we get clean hands and a pure heart? Through repentance, the confession of sin and the turning away from those things which fill our hearts and hands and turn our focus away from Him. When the Church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:4 left their first love and lost their intimacy with Jesus, the answer to restoring that love and that intimacy wasn’t better worship music or even a better sermon. Rather, it was repentance. When the tepid believers of Laodicea discovered Jesus on the outside of their church seeking entrance (wow, talk about lost intimacy!), the answer to restored intimacy was simple: ". . . be zealous, therefore, and repent." (Revelation 3:19-20) Much of what passes for "intimacy" in the church today is "cheap intimacy" - "intimacy" without repentance. "Cheap intimacy" is like "cheap worship," an emotionally stimulating experience which costs us little or nothing. No self-examination, no death to self, no repentance from sin or distractions, no discernment. Just more words, more music . . . and more distractions.

Is genuine intimacy with God part of the DNA of your house church? In addition to repentance, genuine intimacy requires significant amounts of "face time" between us and God. Are you as a house church pursuing genuine intimacy with God. Are you spending a significant amount of "face time" with God as a group - praying, worshipping, waiting in silence, and, yes, repenting before the Lord?

"Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Corinthians 7:1)

Do you see the pattern building here? Allow me to ‘splain it. Genuine repentance (DNA Trait #1) leads to genuine intimacy with God. And Genuine intimacy (DNA Trait #2) with God leads to greater holiness (DNA Trait #3) before God. Funny how that works. You’d think God has a plan here!

O.K., we need to take a moment and define "holiness." Here goes: "Holiness is that perfection and attribute of God’s nature whereby He is separated from sin and evil, and is singularly devoted to seeking His own glory." Stephen Charnock, the 17^th century English Puritan divine, summed up God’s holiness best when he observed, "Power is God’s hand or arm, omniscience His eye, mercy His bowels, eternity His duration, but holiness is His beauty." For the believer who shares the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and is commanded to ". . . be holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16), holiness exists in two parts. On the one hand, holiness has to do with our separation and purity from evil and moral sin. On the other hand, holiness has to do with our being devoted to serving and pursuing God’s glory in genuine moral purity. Legalism is not holiness. Rules such as "I don’t drink, dance, smoke or chew, or run around with girls who do" is not holiness. It is the rules of legalism masquerading as holiness. Genuine holiness is us manifesting the very nature of the God Who is holy and Who invites us to the same through repentance and greater intimacy with Himself. And no set of rules can ever produce that.

What interests me in this season is how the third angelic message (see last week’s e-letter) corresponds to the above verse in 2 Corinthians. In the coming spiritual outpouring, God intends to mark His church with the DNA of holiness by returning "the fear of the Lord" to His people. How is He going to do this? I don’t know. What I do know is that the history of spiritual outpourings makes it clear that God is able. If you want a reminder, go back and read my article entitled "House Church Reflections: When The Holy Spirit Comes . . . Via Inter Library Loan". You can access it by clicking on this link: http://www.parousianetwork.org/Newsletter_Archive/Parousia_Weekly_E-Letter_For_03_28_07.htm

I hope this doesn’t come to you as a shock, but most Churches in America are led by teachers, not pastors. Being the good rationalists that we are, we genuinely believe that the key to right thinking and behavior is good teaching. So, the battle cry of the "pastor search committee" of the average church is something like this, "We need someone who is an excellent Bible teacher." And that is, indeed, what they usually get. A teacher. Now, don’t get me wrong. Teaching is a valuable and worthy gift in the Church. But the "blind spot" of a teacher is the belief that all problems in the life of the individual and the church can be solved with better teaching. A gifted teacher has never met a problem that he (or she) couldn’t teach his way out of. Are people in your church having marital problems? Bring in the teachers to teach "biblical marriage." Is giving down and stewardship a problem? Bring in the financial management teachers to teach biblical financial principles. But marriages continue to fail at an alarming and growing rate, and Christian giving as a percentage of income continues to fall (35% in 35 years). Why? Because as valuable as good teaching is, you cannot teach your way to better DNA! Good Bible teaching is the "ordinary" work of the Church, a task given to and performed by gifted 5-Fold teachers as part of the "normal" life of the Church. But changing the DNA of the Church represents the extra-ordinary work of the Holy Spirit.

O.K., you say, "If you can’t teach your way to better DNA, why are you teaching us about this?!" (Hmmm. Good question, grasshopper. And when you can take the pebble from my hand, it will be time for you to go. Oooops, sorry, old Kung Fu rerun just kicked in). I am "teaching" you this so you will understand what God is about to do in and through His church. And if this is what God is about to do, you and I have an opportunity to actively pursue it and to willingly participate. The rest is up to Him. God is about to visit His Church and indelibly imprint new (but old) DNA upon her character. Why? So that in the House Church generations yet to be born we will multiply and reproduce believers and churches where repentance, intimacy and holiness are "the norm," just as Zechariah foresaw: "In that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, ‘HOLY TO THE LORD.’ And the cooking pots in the Lord’s house will be like the bowls before the altar. And every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the Lord of hosts; and all who sacrifice will come and take of them. And there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts in that day." (Zechariah 14:20-21)