In my reading, I was drawn to books that spoke on the subject; books like, “Authentic Relationships” (Wayne & Clay Jacobsen), “Loving Our Kids On Purpose” (Danny Silk) & “Becoming A True Spiritual Community” (Larry Crabb).

Last Sunday in Exeter I got to share some of what God’s been saying to me about it.  Rather than posting the usual style “Sunday Set List”, I thought I’d put up a recording of what I said…

God With Us – Mike Ellis

While the desire for reality in this sense is perhaps, a noble (though at times, possibly unwise) one; reality (in the sense of what we experience) is, in fact, subjective.  What is real for me my not be real for someone else.  If, for example, someone were to grow up being constantly told that they weren’t good at a particular activity or skill (say: sports, art or music), then they would ultimately believe what they were told; even if it were not actually true – and especially if it were an influential person in their lives that was telling them.  A gifted young artist may never grow to exhibit her creations if, inside she believes that  they aren’t of any worth or value (even though they may be the finest, most exquisite pictures ever painted).  My point is this: our thinking defines our reality.

“What  on earth has this to do with worship?” you may ask.  Well, if our thinking defines our reality, then what we think about God will define the reality of our relationship with Him and will ultimately determine how we experience Him.  If we believe that He is a distant, austere deity then we are unlikely to want to share our deepest, most intimate thoughts and feelings with Him.

Jn 8:32 says, ” You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”; and in Jn 14:6 Jesus says of Himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life”.  Truth is more than mere doctrine or theology.  Many wars have been faught over such things.  Many factions and splits have occurred in the church over differences of opinion about how to interpret both.  Truth is a person.  That person is Jesus; and we have been called into a glorious, vibrant, passionate, vital relationship  with Him.

As with all relationships, our relationship with God is meant to grow, develop, mature… change over time.  As we get to know Him more, our thinking (at a heart level) is changed; and as our thinking changes & grows, so does our experience of God.

Iam not advocating relativism; there are some absolutes (especially where God is concerned).  Mal 3:6 says, “I am the Lord and I do not change”; Heb 13:8 says that Jesus is “…the same yesterday, today and forever”.  For example, we can count on the fact that God is Love (1 Jn 4:8,16), and that He is for us and nothing can separte us from His love (Rom 8:31-39).

So, let’s not look to our reality (our experiences) to define God, but rather let Him define our reality.  Yes, our experience of Him changes & grows as our thinking does in the context of our relationship with Him; this is the transformation process that Paul spoke about in Rom 12:2 – changing the way we think.  We are on a journey; an adventure, a voyage of discovery together with God and each other; a journey that reaches beyond this time and space – into eternity.  We’re in this for the long-haul.  Let’s enjoy it!

Before we get to the questions, here is my take on the book.

“From Eternity…” is to Viola what Star Wars episodes I to III was to George Lucas, or what the “Origins” films are to the “X-Men” series.  To give it a biblical metaphor, you could say it is the Genesis of his writings.

It is a prequel, if you like; the inspiration for and foundation on which his other books are written.  Viola himself says that if you were to read only one of his books, then this would be the one to choose.

The book is a compelling narrative of God’s eternal plan in the church, following 3 distinct threads: the church as the bride of Christ, the house of God and a new species i.e. the body of Christ and the family of God.  The upshot being that the Father wants a house to dwell in and a family to relate to; and the Son wants a bride to marry and a body to express himself through in creation.

I must confess that the first section of the book, (on the bride of Christ) was my personal favourite.  This in no way diminishes the other sections.  I found that reading through the exploration of Jesus’ passion for His bride stirred a heartfelt, passionate response in my heart and reminded me of why it is I do what I do.

That Viola has a passion for the purposes of God is plainly evident.  If you are passionate for God and His purposes, then read this book.

As with his previous writings, this book may (and should) challenge your paradigms concerning church.  Don’t let that put you off.  Whether or not you agree (either wholely, or in part) with his ultimate vision for the practical expression of church, this book is a must read.

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So, here are the questions I posed to Frank and his answers.

1. In chapter 14 of the book, you contrast Moses’ & David’s tabernacles.  There we see a beautiful picture of “God’s people… worshipping freely” and “God’s holy presence… open for all to enjoy”.  Do you see those involved in what is currently referred to as the “worship ministry” (i.e. musicians, singers & worship leaders) playing a part in the restoration of the tabernacle of David?  If so, would that look any different to what we currently see – how?

No, I do not. The whole worship leader/team phenomenon is a throwback to Old Covenant worship. We are in the New Covenant now where all believers are ministering priests, and they should be allowed to function as such. In organic church life, all carry a piece of the ark. Worship is in the hands of everyone together under Christ’s headship. (I describe what this looks like in my book REIMAGINING CHURCH.)

The tabernacle of David is a powerful picture of the ekklesia of God where all of God’s people are functioning, ministering, and beholding the glory of God with unveiled faces. Those who have experienced authentic church life … organic body life … understand this experience. Due to space limitations, I wasn’t able to go into depth on it in the book, but I have done so in a spoken message on the topic.

2. As congregations become more aware of God’s ageless purpose in the Church, what advice can you offer those who would seek to embody the expression of the bride, house, body & family of God in the Earth? Can you offer practical advice drawn from the experiences of other congregations who have made the journey?

Those Christians who are captured by the vision of God’s eternal purpose naturally seek others who have the same vision so they can stand for and display it with them. The eternal purpose is corporate, it’s not individualistic. Displaying and fulfilling it, therefore, requires a body of believers in a locale.

Two practical suggestions. One is to ask the Lord to bring others who have a vision for the eternal purpose into their path. Believe it or not, Facebook (of all things) has been used by the Lord to accomplish this recently. There’s a new Facebook page for the book where people of like mind and heart are connecting.

Secondly, there are special events going on all over the country this year on the Eternal Purpose designed to connect like-minded folks together in person and give them both vision and practical help on how to begin fleshing it out in their cities.  People can find out more about these events at www.ptmin.org/events

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OTHER BLOGS PARTICIPATING IN THE “FROM ETERNITY TO HERE” BLOG CIRCUIT

Today (June 9^th), the following blogs are discussing Frank Viola’s new bestselling book “From Eternity to Here” (David C. Cook, 2009). The book just hit the May CBA Bestseller List. Some are posting Q & A with Frank; others are posting full reviews of the book. To read more reviews and order a copy at a 33% discount, go to Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Eternity-Here-Rediscovering-Ageless-Purpose/dp/1434768708/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233609867&sr=1-4

For more resources, such as downloadable audios, the free Discussion Guide, the Facebook Group page, etc. go to the official website: http://www.FromEternitytoHere.org

Enjoy the reviews and the Q and A:

Out of Ur – http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2009/05/viola.html

Shapevine – www.Shapevine.com (June newsletter)

Brian Eberly – http://www.brianeberly.com

DashHouse.com – http://www.DashHouse.com/

Greg Boyd – http://www.gregboyd.org/blog/

Vision Advance – http://vision2advance.blogspot.com/

David Flowers – http://ddflowers.wordpress.com

Kingdom Grace – http://kingdomgrace.wordpress.com

Captain’s Blog – http://www.captainestes.blogspot.com/

Christine Sine – http://godspace.wordpress.com

Darin Hufford – The Free Believers Network – www.freebelievers.com

Zoecarnate – http://zoecarnate.wordpress.com

Church Planting Novice – www.churchplantingnovice.wordpress.com

Staying Focused – http://kimmartinezstayingfocused.wordpress.com/

Take Your Vitamin Z – www.takeyourvitaminz.blogspot.com

Jeff Goins – http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org

Bunny Trails – http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com

Matt Cleaver – http://mattcleaver.com

Jason T. Berggren – http://blog.jasonberggren.com/

Simple Church – http://www.simplechurchjournal.com/

Emerging from Montana – http://wordofmouthministries.blogspot.com/

Parable Life – http://www.theparablelife.blogspot.com

Oikos Australia – http://www.oikos.org.au/blog/

West Coast Witness – www.WestCoastWitness.com

Keith Giles – http://www.Keith.Giles.com

Consuming Worship — http://www.consumingworship.org

Tasha Via – www.tashavia.blogspot.com

Andrew Courtright – www.andrewcourtright.blogspot.com

ShowMeTheMooneys! – http://www.showmethemooneys.com/

Leaving Salem, Blog of Ronnie McBrayer – http://leavingsalem.wordpress.com/

Jason Coker – pastoralia.missionaltribe.org

From Knowledge to Wisdom – http://isthistheway.typepad.com/

Home Brewed Christianity – http://www.homebrewedchristianity.com

Dispossessed – http://kblog.kevinjbowman.com

Dandelion Seeds – http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Dandelionseeds

David Brodsky’s Blog- “Flip the tape Deck” – http://flipthetapedeck.blogspot.com/

Chaordic Journey – http://jeffrhodes.wordpress.com

Renee Martin – http://www.reneemartinmusic.com/profiles/blog/list

Bob Kuhn – http://organicchurchnola.wordpress.com/

Living with Freaks: www.livingwithfreaks.com

Real Worship – http://therealworshipleader.com

Fervent Worship – http://ferventworship.blogspot.com

Julie Ferwerda Blog – www.JulieFerwerda.com /  www.OneMillionArrows.com

What’s With Christina?! – http://w2christina.blogspot.com

Irreligious Canuck – http://www.irreligiouscanuck.com

This day on the journey – http://guychmieleski.blogspot.com

Live and Move: Thoughts on Authentic Christianity – http://liveandmove.blogspot.com/

Spiritual Journey With God – http://www.elvineve.blogspot.com/

Dries Conje – http://www.echurch.co.za / http://www.thejesusfeed.com / http://www.bookdisciple.com.

Journey with Others – http://journeywithothers.blogspot.com

On Now to the Third Level – www.080808onnowto.blogspot.com

Christine Moers – www.welcometomybrain.net

Breaking Point – http://marybethstockdale.wordpress.com

Hand to the Plough – http://www.handtotheplough.com.au

Jon Reid – http://jonreid.blogs.com/oneanother/welcome-pilgrim.html

Weblight – www.blog.worldwidewebservices.se

D. L. Webster – http://gzmproductions.com/dlwebster

Searching for the Whole-Hearted Life – wholeheartedlife.blogspot.com

"The Shack" by William P Young

Over the last few months, a growing number of friends have been asking, “Have you read The Shack yet?”  Well, now I have!  (Actually I’ve “listened” to the shack – having downloaded the audiobook.)

Without wishing to divulge too much of the plot, the story follows a man called Mack who, after experiencing a tragedy, gets an invite to meet with “Pappa” (his wife’s name for God) at the shack.  Though the setting and storyline are ficticious, the author (Wm Paul Young) has drawn on his own experiences and the questions & conversations that occur are, in his words, “very real”.

It is a beautifully written piece of literature that takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride through a myriad of emotions.  It is an allegory, a modern-day parable that explores and reveals the nature and heart of God.  It isn’t systematic theology (and doesn’t pretend to be), but it isn’t afraid to ask the hard questions like, “Where were You in all of this…?”

There have been few books that have impacted  me like this one has.  I found myself gripped – not wanting to stop listening and excitedly looking forward to each opportunity to listen some more.  It has not only had a profound impact on me, but on every person I’ve spoken to who has read it – spawning hours of conversation and debate.

It has been an uncannily timely “coincidence” that this book should come across my path at this juncture.  As a church, we have spent at least the last year rediscovering God, His love and His grace.  He has been systematically dismantling our preconceptions about the way in which we relate to Him (& others); unearthing and dealing with our religion and revealing His heart for relationship.

You may ask yourself why I would wish to write about this book here;  I mean, it isn’t about worship… is it?  All I can say is that reading The Shack has acted like a catalyst – rekindling a passion long forgotten, renewing a first love experience and causing a growing desire to know, by experience, so much more of God.  After all, worship is expressed in and through relationship, not through rituals and ceremony.

If you have not yet read “The Shack”, I would encourage you to either click here (or the picture above) and read excerpts from the book; then, go out and buy yourself a copy.  For those who have read the book, I would love to hear your thoughts about it.  What has it meant to you?  How did it make you feel?  Do you have any stories to tell as a result?

Please, feel free to comment…

Without taking the analogy too far, the following comparison was made (which I thought was pretty cool -  and accurate):

With some old aerials, you may remember that you would have to bend and move them whilst standing in various positions in order to try and receive the best possible signal.  Well, religion will have you do just that.  It will have you jump through hoops, bending this way and that, performing various rituals in order to hear from God.  It will tie you up in knots!

The truth is this.  God is always broadcasting in digital high definition – there’s nothing wrong with His transmitter.  I believe that part of what God is doing at this time is bringing clarity, understanding and vision to the Church.  He’s opening our eyes to see things from His perspective; to be consumed with His purpose and His kingdom.

As a Church, both in Exeter and Stevenage, we’ve been spending the last few months seeking after God, asking this very thing; as in the words of the song by Paul Baloche, “Open the eyes of my heart Lord…I want to see You“.

It was also interesting that earlier in this meeting, I felt God have me sing “releasing the sound of heaven on the earth”.  I believe that this is part of the Church’s mandate, as ambassadors of His kingdom – to impact this world.

Have Your way God.  Increase our bandwidth.  Awaken Your Church to See You as You really are.  Your kingdom come, Your will be done.  Amen!

In doing so, what I originally started to consider began to “morph” and develop into something else; something bigger & wider (perhaps it’s just the way my mind works; or perhaps that’s just the way it is with God – the more you try to know, the more you discover there is to know).  Anyway, I found myself following a particular train of thought…

• Who is God?
• Where does He live?
• What happens there?
• How do we get there?
• What happens when we do?
• What if we don’t want to?

Over the coming weeks I’ll begin to examine each of these questions in turn and as each post is published I’ll make the link from this post live.  Of course, some of these questions are huge  – we are going to be spending the whole of eternity discovering the answer to questions like, “Who is God?”.  So I’ll just offer a perspective in relation to my train of thought as I was meditating on, “the power of praise”.

There is a whole lot of motivational teaching about these days (both christian & secular). In fact, the majority of it is based on principles which God established that will work for you whether you know God, or you don’t (but that’s a whole other subject). Incidentally, I wholeheartedly agree that Jesus wants His followers to be blessed, whole, healthy, prosperous, victorious; He wants them to reach their full potential and fulfil their destinies – in short, to be “successful”. Jesus himself said, “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10).

There is a danger here though of letting these blessings, or “by-products” of salvation become the focus of our attention. It is easy to see how we could fall into the trap of treating our faith as a lifestyle enhancing add-in. This form of thinking keeps us at the centre of our lives (“What’s in it for me?”) and demeans Jesus’ position as Lord.

Jesus is so much more than that. He is referred to as “the Prince of Life” (Acts 3:15); Psalm 36:9 says, “with You is the fountain of life”; Jesus said of himself, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35 & 48); He is “the Author & Finisher of our faith” (Heb.12:2); John 1:3-4 says, “All things came into being through Him, and without Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Jesus is not a lifestyle – He is Life! We owe everything to Him – all that we have and all that we are. Paul said, when he was in Athens (Acts 17), “The God who made the world and all things in it, …He is Lord of Heaven and earth” (v24); “He gives life and breath and all things to all” (v25); “in Him we live and move and have our being” (v28). Paul also stated (in v26 & v27), “He has made all nations of men …to seek the Lord”. Surely, the truth of all the above should inspire us to want to seek Him and to live a lifestyle of worship.

Worship needs to be more than just an event that occurs on a Sunday morning (though that is part of it). Worship must be a heartfelt expression, filled with love & gratitude, and given in response to a living God who has freely given us “all things” (Rom 8:32); surely, the least we could do is to freely give Him all that we have & all that we are, all that we do & all that we think – every day. This expression of worship should permeate every part of our lives; the outworking of which should naturally cause us to live a life of obedience and submission to the Lord of Life.Let all that Jesus is and all that He has done cause you to live a life “worthy of the calling” (Eph 4:1); a life that glorifies the King of Kings & Lord of Lords; a lifestyle of worship.