Three Day Church ...

OK let’s run a little mental imagination test.  I want you to imagine one of the better experiences you may have ever had going to a church (any church) in your past.  For this test, it does not matter how old you were, why you were going, or what you did there – only that you remember the experience more fondly than harshly.  For most of us, church is a window of 2-3 hours, when that general time frame is over – so is church.  Now there may be a few old-timers like me, that remember an event we used to camp-meeting.  Camp-meeting was a kind of church that was generally held for a week, usually at a site where the outdoors was in close proximity.  Believers would bring the trailers, RV’s, or arrange lodging in nearby camp sites with tents provided in abundance for just this kind of occasion.  Camp-meeting however, was far from regular church.  There were a number of different speakers, themes, and activities.  The farther back you go in time, the more activities would leverage the outdoor aspect of the get together.  The more recent you go in time, the practice has nearly disappeared, in favor of internet broadcasts, and limited socialization.  But whether you fall into the 2-3 hour category (most of us do), or even if you can remember back to outdoor events like camp-meetings that lasted a week.  Nobody, and I mean Nobody, attempted a 72 hour back-to-back single solitary three-day church with the same speaker, no real music, and zero planning.  That is, nobody but Jesus.

This would be heresy in our time.  Imagine if you walked into your regular church you attend, and were told you were going to stay there for three days straight.  Oh, and first thing, we are going to get you into a bus and drive to the closest desert mountain we can find, climb to the top of it, and then is when the three-day clock starts.  Same clothes.  No showers.  No bathrooms close by unless you can find a semi-private place to squat.  But hey, don’t worry yet about the bathroom situation, you won’t be eating, and likely not drinking much (unless it is your regular practice to carry food and water with you when you go to church).  This experience is quickly dropping from possibly entertaining, to borderline kidnapping and torture at this point.  With desert climate, little clothing that makes sense in outdoor desert air.  And no one prepared for any of this.  It has all the makings of a disaster worthy of coverage by CNN to criticize whoever would dare to suggest this ever occur.  Someone would need to teach a lesson about this so we never do something so stupid again.

But now let’s sweeten the deal.  Imagine if the speaker you were going to hear and see was Jesus … the Jesus.  Does it matter what band He brought with Him to this anymore?  Or the lack of one?  If music is really your thing, couldn’t you just bring a guitar (ancient harp) or just sing acapella if needs be?  Imagine the thought of getting to hear and see Jesus preach.  Is Jesus worth three days of your time?  Could you take time out of work for this?  Call in sick?  Move whatever you have in your schedule that might conflict with it so you could do it.  It might be a one time only event after all.  You never know where He might go next, He may not be back in your region for quite a while.  Is there anything else in your life that could possibly be more important that this?  If so … you may have bigger problems than three days in a desert mountaintop.

Now let’s sweeten the deal again, and this time, big time.  When you get there, Jesus is going to heal you.  Jesus will heal you completely of everything you may have wrong.  Potential cancer – gone.  Heart problems – gone.  Missing an arm or leg – take off the prosthetic, and get ready for a brand new created one from Jesus that works like you were born with it, cause it will be yours after all.  If you have bad vision, toss the glasses.  If you cannot hear or speak, get ready to hear and shout for joy.  The miracles of healing will be given to every single attendee from grandpa to baby junior.  If sermons are not your thing, then would 100% pure health do it for you?  If clearing up every mystery you have never been able to understand about scripture does not grab you, would a renewed energy level and tossing the allergies do it?

Is three-day-impromptu church sounding like a dream come true about now?  It should.  And it did, for about four thousand men (plus their wives, children, parents, and servants if they had any).  Matthew tells the story in his gospel to the Hebrews.  This event was similar to one that happened before, but more intense.  This was Lola-palooza, Woodstock, campmeeting, and church with a target squarely painted on The Truth for a highly limited engagement.   Matthew picks up in chapter fifteen of his gospel to the Hebrews starting in verse 29 saying … “And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there.”  This was NOT the temple in Jerusalem.  This was not even a local synagogue in the area.  This was on the top of a mountainside where Jesus often went to pray.  There was no comfortable seating nearby.  There were rocks.  This was outdoors, where it is hot, no air-conditioning even conceived of in these days – you were going sweat.  If you thought about it for a few minutes before dashing out the door before this opportunity passed you by, you might have thought to take food, but that is a maybe.

Matthew continues in verse 30 saying … “And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them: [verse 31] Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.”  Ahh, what the people did remember, were their family members in need.  And need was plentiful in Israel.  Romans were forever creating need.  The lame and maimed were probably a hefty percentage of that crowd.  Roman swords are unforgiving.  The blind were not all genetically predisposed, a good many lost eyes on the end of Roman fire brands and heated steal.  A good many lost tongues as part of Roman torture.  There was a reason why the people so desperately wanted a Messiah who would throw off the yoke of Roman rule.

But the people waited patiently to be healed and healed they were … every single one of them.  And the passion began to take hold, as this impromptu crowd began to shout and praise the God of Israel.  Not since … well not since ever, had these kinds of miracles been seen in Israel, for that matter, not seen anywhere on planet earth.  A crowd healed in their entirety.  And they sat.  And they listened to the words of love as The Truth, spoke them.  They were listening to the God of the Universe speak to them, telling them of His love for them all through the stories of the Old Testament they were vaguely familiar with.  This was not a crowd of the Pharisees and the upper educated echelon.  These were common folk.  These were wounded folk.  Likely more than few bound by demons, until then.  Likely more than a few carrying leprosy, until then.  And what they must have heard on the hillside.  Oh, that we could have gotten the transcript of that.  What a loss for us.  And this went on for three days straight.

Nobody left.  Nobody even contemplated it.  Its possible the crowd continued to grow over the three days, but not a soul left it.  Would you?  Completely regenerated by the God of the Universe, and then able to listen to The Truth He speaks – could you ever pull yourself away from that in order to resume the mundane structure of your life?  They couldn’t either.  Matthew finally reveals the span of time almost casually picking up in verse 32 saying … “Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.”  After 3 days, Jesus is ready to send this eager crowd home, even if they are not.  But like Jesus, He perceives their needs, again even if they do not.  And like Jesus, He is ahead of meeting their needs.  Jesus knows the human body can only take so much fasting, especially if this included not only food but water.  Regardless, Jesus plans to make sure everyone gets a solid meal before they leave.

Matthew continues in verse 33 saying … “And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?”  Arrgg.  It is like the disciples channel nearly every church board meeting in the last hundred years, in every church denomination that exists today.  We only have “this” much money, how could we possibly expand our ministries to meet the needs of so many people.  There will always be poor.  We need to take care of our own first, before we can look to meet so great a need.  The disciples, when they did plan, or carry provisions, carried only enough to feed themselves and Jesus.  They could have never anticipated needing to feed 4000 men plus all the other entourage that came.  And they are in the desert.  Not like you could just go glean local farmers fields and pick up more food.  From the disciples point of view, this was an unreasonable demand Jesus was making.  Unreasonable – despite everything they had seen and bore witness to.  Unreasonable – despite having encountered this exact situation before and witnessing the power of God to provide to those who step out in faith and realize God has no limitations.

I’m sure inwardly Jesus was trying to figure out how better He could say it, so they finally understand it.  How does God teach ones who seem so reluctant to learn? (them and us) Matthew continues in verse 34 saying … “And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. [verse 35] And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. [verse 36] And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. [verse 37] And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. [verse 38] And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children. [verse 39] And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.”  Much to digest here (pardon the pun).

First, Jesus takes whatever is offered.  He does not complain about it, or how little it is.  He can use anything, for any purpose, and still accomplish what He wants to do with it.  Even when we cannot see how.  Second, He takes action, commanding the multitude to sit down.  He blesses His food.  And then instead of handing to the people directly, He instructs His disciples to serve.  Even after ALL the lack of faith they have shown, He STILL includes His disciples in the miracle of ministry.  Third, this hands-on involvement accomplishes more than one thing.  It burns the imagery into the minds of the disciples that it is real.  Jesus can do anything.  And it teaches them what the place of the leaders of ministry are supposed to do.  They did not lead.  They followed.  They did not command, Jesus did that.  They took what Jesus offered as gifts, and gave that to the people.  Leaders are servants most of all.

At the end of this, everyone eats, and 7 baskets of fish are gathered to send out to the poor.  He sends away the crowd after this glorious meal.  And he takes a ship to the far coasts of Magdala.  In this section of the story Jesus has moved from the far northern coasts of Tyre and Sidon back down to Galilee and now across the sea to Magdala.  None of this travel happens in an instant.  It is likely uncomfortable.  But Jesus moves wherever his Father sends Him.  Jesus is not driving per se, His Father is.  And someone needs Him where He is going.  Mind you, we do not read about Jesus resting anywhere in these texts, and we know He loves to climb the mountains at night to pray.  Three-day church did not slow Jesus down one iota.  Even the thought cripples us.  But someday, we will have more than three days to sit at the feet of Truth.  Someday we will have forever, that will be a “church” experience that bests our current memories by quite a long ways.

Opportunity Knocks ...

In our modern age, door-to-door sales teams have all but disappeared.  Gone are the days of milk man deliveries and vacuum cleaner salesmen.  What remains are the occasional missionaries, and student laborers attempting to “earn money for their schools” and themselves.  It always was a difficult job, and with so many families requiring the income from 2 wage earners just to survive, there are few people at home even able to take in a sales call, let alone willing to listen.  In the age of social media, we prefer less physical contact, and more electronic.  Mobility allows us to communicate at our leisure, no longer tethered to long spiraling phone cords attached to handsets of touch tone phones.  We are free to interact with significantly more people, across significantly higher distances, for significantly less time.  Personal relationships now occur mostly at home with our families, and at work where physical proximity is still something that cannot be escaped.  So in this climate, how does Christ appear at the door of our hearts and knock?  How do we introduce to others what we have learned, as His disciples were commissioned to do so long ago?

Like any good sales pitch, it all begins in what it is you are trying to sell.  What is it you have to offer?  Would you buy what you’re selling?  Why?  A product based on distant fears, avoiding some future calamity that no one can prove is even real seems like it would have a very low target audience.  Likewise, a product based on the promise of some utopian rewards that no one has ever seen, or can ever prove even exists seems like yet another slim market share to seek out.  Yet this is how traditional evangelism has presented the gospel … but wait … there’s more.   In addition to either an insurance policy against tragedy, or a swamp land deal for the Brooklyn Bridge; you cannot have either UNLESS you are willing to follow the fine print of a specific denomination of Christians doing the presentation.  Even the slightest deviation, from the presenter’s specific set of rules (i.e. doctrines) will result in complete forfeiture of the rewards offered, and immediate adoption of all punishments listed.  AND now that you have taken the time to listen to this sales pitch, you have formally been educated on the “truth”, therefore any rejection or delay in accepting this limited time offer will afford you no excuses when it is time to experience the punishment you will get for not having accepted the offer when you had the chance.  Welcome to the gospel.  Not.

Our ideas of evangelism and ministry have degenerated a long way from the original model Christ Himself set up.  If we are ever to see real success in ourselves, and in our ministry, perhaps we should return and examine what we have lost.  Peter took the time to discuss “the first church”, as he recalled the plans of Jesus for John Mark to record.  Mark recorded these ideas and plans in his gospel in chapter six beginning in verse 7 saying … “And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;”  In this initial description is buried a whole host of truths that have traditionally escaped our grasp.  First, consider who was chosen to begin to share in the ministry of Christ, the twelve earliest followers.  This event is happening VERY early in the ministry of Christ.  It is NOT happening AFTER the ascension, or even the crucifixion.  At this point in His ministry (and we are only 6 chapters into the book), the disciples have only ONE doctrine they are fairly certain about … the identity of Jesus Christ.

Think about it.  These first 12 followers are decidedly NOT scriptural scholars, and in point of fact, are not being called to go out and read scripture to those who would listen.  There are not a set of standard doctrines to go share, not even about the mission of the Messiah, as nearly ALL of the disciples are still WRONG about what they think that mission is.  These men are NOT perfect.  They are still sinners, not freed from every wrong doing as yet.  These events are occurring before the day of Pentecost, and language may still be a barrier.  In point of fact, if this is the first great commission for mission into the fields, a formal set of doctrines seems to be completely absent … as is a solid scriptural explanation and interpretation for what they are doing.  The only thing they are fairly certain about is the identity of Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

Second, consider that despite their deep spiritual misunderstandings of the true mission of the Messiah, and their continued interest (greed), in being the “number two” in His Kingdom, they are STILL given power by Jesus Christ over “unclean spirits”.  The enemy of souls, the true enemy of redemption and salvation for the children of God, are NOT the Children themselves, they are the devil and his compatriots.  The power granted to the 12, is not the power to condemn mankind, but to free mankind from the influence of its true enemy.  Mankind is the target audience.  Mankind’s redemption through Jesus Christ the only Son of God is the product.  You cannot condemn the audience of this message, and expect it to see the wisdom and love in salvation.  The power over unclean spirits, was meant to free the bondage of mankind to demonic influences and addiction to sin.  Our enemy was and remains Satan.  Our enemy was and remains self.  The first power offered in the ministry and service of Christ, was to free mankind from the undue influence of the supernatural.

Third, consider the method in which the 12 were to be sent out to the surrounding world.  To cover the broadest area and reach the most people possible, they should have been sent out alone in 12 different directions.  Instead, Christ cuts down the opportunity by half, in order to pair disciples 2-by-2 and send them out.  Why?.  Could it be, that our picture of the identity of Christ is incomplete when we view Him only through our own eyes?  Could it be, that to truly present a better truth about Jesus, we need more than our own opinion, we need to see Him through the eyes of another?  Perhaps the only way to avoid the temptation of ego, even when serving Christ, is to have a partner with whom we must share the credit.  Perhaps the only way to make an enlightened decision of where to go next, and what to do next, is to value the opinions and prayers of someone other than ourselves.  When 2 form a consensus, and in unity reach out, miracles occur.  When we attempt to go solo … we often fail.  Protection from non-believers was not the primary consideration for pairing disciples, for God alone can take care of our security and other needs, as Peter was about to recall.

John Mark continues transcribing in verse 8 saying … “And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: [verse 9] But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats.”  This “command” is a departure from everything we know.  It lacks all common sense, and reveals a complete lack of sensible preparation.  The disciples were to carry literally nothing with them that could help their efforts except the single set of clothes that they were wearing, a pair of sandals, and a staff.  They could not even take an extra coat in case it got cold.  No money at all.  No sack lunch or canteen.  Why on earth, would Jesus effectively disarm the disciples to the point where it is impossible to sustain themselves and then ask them to go out and do ministry works?  Parents, even today, insure their children have lunch in school before they send them out the door.  We put coats on our children if we suspect rain or snow is coming.  And when going on a trip ourselves, we “pack” everything we think we are going to need, or want, in order to enjoy where we are going.  Not so, with Jesus, and the first church.  They were to take nothing … but the power Christ had put within them, and the knowledge of His true identity.

Sending disciples into a hostile world with nothing that could help them sustain themselves … has the direct impact of focusing your need.  It brings into acute focus that you MUST depend upon God in order to be sustained, because you have no other choice.  The biggest danger within the gospel ministry is the idea that we can somehow sustain ourselves.  The biggest danger to our redemption and reclamation is the idea that we can somehow take care of ourselves and our sins.  The cancer-of-thought that allows us to believe we bring something of our own of value into the ministry, is the corrosive corruption of self entering into the gospel, and disabling it.  We bring nothing of value.  We have nothing of value to offer except the power Christ imparts, and our certainty about His identity.  The Disciples of Christ will by necessity demonstrate a dependence on God that none around them have to do.  The people they will encounter are workers, providing for themselves and their families.  Those people think they are sustaining themselves, but the living example of the disciples runs counter to that notion.  The disciples have nothing but their faith in the identity of Jesus Christ, and His assurance He will take care of them, because He loves them.  They need nothing else.

So many Adventists, and Christians of other faiths, believe they must prepare for the end of the world, by purchasing homes in the country, and burying food in the caves.  These believers have mistaken the ideas of preparedness (like an intimate proximity to Christ), with instead a hoarder philosophy to empty the supermarket.  In short, they deny God the opportunity to provide for their needs, presuming they can take care of these needs themselves.  They further presume they can predict where they will be when the end comes, and will have access to the food, shelter, and supplies they have prepared for just this occasion.  What they omit, is that the mission of ministry is to save that which is lost, not to run and hide from it.  A deep abiding love for others, such as Christ has, does not forsake that which is in need, in order to preserve self.  Instead self is sacrificed in order to spread love to those who need it most.  Our efforts to prepare and hoard, do not testify of our dependence upon God, they blaspheme it.

The admonition from Christ continues in verse 10 saying … “And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.”  The disciples were to be humble above all things.  The disciples would have to swallow all notions of pride and accept the charity of anyone willing to house them, and feed them during their time of ministry, wherever they found themselves.  This would accomplish two goals.  It would serve to constantly remind the disciples of their dependence upon God, while at the same time, showing them (and us) that the love of God is reflected in our world through the love of one family to another.  Manna did not descend from heaven to feed the disciples, instead the charity of working families filled that role.  The love of God for His servants was to be found in those who barely knew His name.  The family who provided this charity, would in turn find the blessings of our God upon them.  It is in giving we come to know God.  It is in providing for those in need that we begin to see who Jesus Christ truly is.  This charity was not demanded of the audience, it was an opportunity to be blessed by those who offered it.

But in the world of sin, where Satan is bent on our destruction, there is not always a family willing to listen and love.  Sometimes, no matter the power over unclean spirits, the hearts of man remain stone, and refuse to even want to be something different.  Christ offers council on what to do if that occurs as John Mark continues His admonitions in verse 11 saying … “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.”  You will notice the disciples are not to curse those who will not listen, or in fact, say ANYTHING that would be insulting, condemning, or judgmental.  The issue is not one of proving you are right.  The issue is not one of being empowered to condemn and seal the fate of those who would refuse to listen.  The issue is one to make a statement in the silent actions of shaking the dust off of your feet.  The disciples were to symbolically distance themselves from those who “refuse to hear”.

This symbolic action was NOT reserved for those with different doctrines.  It was not meant as a gesture between one Christian and another over disputes over matters of faith.  It was meant for those who will not accept the identity of Jesus Christ.  NONE of the disciples had their doctrines straight yet anyway, it would be pointless to argue them with each other.  They were unified in only the matter of the identity of Jesus Christ as the Son of God.  Even the symbolic gesture of distancing one’s self from those who refuse to accept the identity of Jesus was meant to be a “warning” against them, not a final declaration that they had no hope.  If they repented, or if they changed their mind, they could still find the same redemption you and I do.  But we should be equally on guard.  It is a warning to us, that other religions that espouse “spiritualty” and “good works for others” but do so absent Jesus Christ, are a danger to us as well.  It is not the doctrines of Christianity that are absolute, or all supreme, it is the savior found in Jesus Christ that is.  There is only one Son of God, not many.  There is only one path to God, not many.  The warning functions in two ways.

Finally, John Mark records what the results of listening to Jesus Christ were in these first evangelistic efforts beginning in verse 12 saying … “And they went out, and preached that men should repent. [verse 13] And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.”  The disciples went out preaching a message of repentance.  They asked their listeners to repent of self-styled salvation, and have faith in the name of Jesus Christ to save them.  In the name and power of Jesus Christ, they anointed the sick and healed them, just like their Savior.  This was not an extension of the temple services.  This was not the Jewish faith experiencing some sort of Renaissance and revival, where general Rabbi’s started performing miraculous works based on their deep understanding of scriptures and the Torah.  It was instead, 12 simple laborers, who through espousing the name of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, were performing the same acts of love that Christ did.

12 imperfect followers, who did not understand scriptures well, and did not have doctrinal perfection, preached only repentance, humility, and belief in Jesus Christ as the Messiah … and that was more than enough for success.  They could not provide for themselves, because Christ specifically commanded that they should not even attempt to do so.  They were wholly reliant on the charity of others.  They were not professional speakers, or teachers.  They were simple men.  They had only one sure fact, the identity of the Savior of our world.  But fully dependent on God, they were successful in emulating the deeds of their Lord and Master through His Name and His power.  If we are to experience the opportunity Christ offers to share in His ministry, perhaps we should rethink entirely what our message is, and how we should deliver it.  Perhaps we should rethink where our sustenance comes from, and how wholly dependent we truly are, rather than falsely assume it comes from our own efforts.  Perhaps we should engage in ministry in partnerships with another person, in order to better present the picture of Christ, the world is in need to see.  Could that person be our spouse, or our children, or our co-worker?

Opportunity can knock again at the door of the world, in the hearts of those who have not heard, or do not understand.  But the sales team, needs to re-examine how it will attempt to present these ideas, and focus on the singular most important one … the identity of Jesus Christ as the only Son of God.  We are not in need of human intercessors, Papal Pontiffs, or a reliance on the clergy for spiritual enlightenment.  We are simply in need of repentance, humility, dependence, and charity.  If we can offer these things to the world, perhaps we can find a new era of opportunity that can penetrate social media boundaries, overcome electronic distances, and enter straight into the hearts of those who need it the most.