"...they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come here also (Acts 17:6)".
After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the band of disciples who followed Him, set out and defied the religious institution and went against society norms, all in the effort to preach that everyone must "save themselves from this corrupt generation". That is the same message we as the body of Christ need to be yelling today. I sometimes sit and think about the current state of things, are we reading the same Bible about the same followers? This isn't some sit in church, clap your hands, sing a song, listen to a message and live a good life type of thing here, this is the call to be radical. Let us always remember the Spirit of the band of disciples who followed Christ, who we call Apostles, as well look to Church history for those who have blazed these trails before us.
The book of Acts is filled with exactly that- Acts of the Apostles. Peter on Pentecost preaching to multitudes, he is warning them and preaching with a passion, that they must realize the Truth. After a great healing, Peter once again preaches about repentance to the onlookers. These two stories alone show a pattern of consistency and passion, so much that Peter and John were brought up for trial to the religious leaders. Read how many believers were added to the Church. I say that not to point out that we need bigger walled churches, but rather to show that in some senses we have lost the passion for the lost. Only the Spirit of God can give us this radical passion, which will provoke us to get out there and be heard.
If today, there was to be a persecution of Christians in our land, would our testimonies and work shine so bright that we would be dragged away? I fear not, because most of us, unlike the Apostles are not being heard, or shaking things up. The Apostles made the world as we know it uncomfortable, unlike Christianity of today (Church-ianity) in which is the normal faith of the day. Everyone says there a Christian!!!
Polycarp, a faithful disciple of the Apostle John, was an example of a follower who during persecution was singled out and was martyred. This was a man who fought heresies in the Church and dedicated his life to the ministry. Or consider the Monks, such as Anthony or Francis. At a time when the Church was beginning to inter-mingle with the affairs of the world, these monks set themselves apart and fled to institutional church. Many of us fail to realize that this upset the "religious world" and Rome had alot of hostility toward them. Imagine that, the same Church that calls these men "Saints" actually disregarded them at the time of their service.
"Constantine adopting the Christian faith, resulted in a decline in Christian commitment. The radical believers who Diocletian killed were replaced by half-converted pagans" -Church History Textbook
Another great believer, Peter Waldo (1140-1218) led a band of believers much like the Apostles and are considered one of the first "back to the Bible movements". The Waldenses preached a return to the simple life of the Apostles, living a voluntary life of poverty and preaching. Once again, this radical move challenged the ideas of the day, so this was declared heretical and by 13th Century were pretty much scattered. Even more, lets look at the challenge of
John Wycliffe and John Hus, both who are considered Reformers of their day. They saw the problems in the Church and rather than complain, they took the initiative to make the changes. Many could question, where would the Church teachings be today if it wasn't for the courage of these two men.
Let's consider the Haystack Prayer Meeting. This is actually new to me. I have studied Church History for a couple years now, but up until I studied my Missiology course, I had never heard of this. Wow, the story of these young men who took another great radicals thoughts (William Carey- Father of Modern Missions) and considered them and prayed for them. These students had a divine moment in which they had to consider whether they were going to back or or give their all. These ordinary students birthed what we call "Foreign Missions" today. We all support that, right? Well, guess what, as widely received and welcomed as missions are today, they weren't always. The book," An Inquiry into the Obligation of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathen", was very controversial, yet this led to what we have today. Wow, radical!
"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage (Matthew 5:13) THE MESSAGE BIBLE."
We cannot end a radical essay without the mention of people like John Wesley who led the Methodist Revival and now what we understand as Evangelical. Or William Booth who created the Salvation Army. Or how about the Azuza Street Revival. All these movements and moments were considered different at that time, but today they are what lead the Church. Have we lost the Spirit of revival?
Allow me to conclude with this honest admission. Church History classes were so boring, even reading the text, I couldn't wait to finish the reading for the night. But, so many times I would come across some of these men that I have mentioned herein, and would get excited, even to the point of "googling" more information. The men of Church History who were ostracized and criticized, persecuted and condemned, are actually men who have led the Church, the bride of Christ, to be what we are today. Have we lost the passion, the zeal, and the life that will make the mission, the Great Commission, complete?
"We have sunk into such a compromising way of dealing with the unconverted as to well nigh lost the spirit of the primitive preachers, and hence it is that sinners of every description can sit quietly as they do, year after year, in our places of worship".- Andrew Fuller
Since, I claim to be a "Jesus Freak", let us remember and prayerfully consider the "Jesus Freak Movement" of the 1960s and early 1970s. This was a mix of the hippie culture and Protestantism. Now, I am now not a hippie, but wow, God is so good, a Jesus Freak is someone who displays Christ in the way God created them. A hippie, a thug, a rock star, a quite mouse type, a goth, a anarchist, a pretty lady,
WE ARE ALL CALLED TO BE "JESUS FREAKS"!!!!
Written by Michael Miano
http://www.freakedoutfellowship.weebly.com
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
What is going on here?
First off let me say I love my Savior Jesus Christ, I love the Truth-Word of God, and I love my fellow believers and followers of the Messiah.
But really, what is going on here?
Yesterday, I had a meeting with a good friend and a pastor at a local church. Both great men of God. Today, I have spent the early morning praying, studying, and thinking about that meeting.
In prayer, I began to think "What is going on here". We, the radical, revolutionary followers of Christ Jesus, are beginning to look and sound more like an organizational entity rather than the band of followers who followed Christ.
I was aiming for a direct quote from the pastor I spoke with but I cant remember word for word, so here is a close summary.
A Ministry needs to plug into a Church, because the Church is the foundational authority, and also to make sure the ministry or its leader doesn't go off the deep end.
Now granted, the word ministry or an entity called a ministry is not in the Word of God. Ministry is understood to be a service to the Church. But the last part is having a hard time resonating with me. I do understand accountability, but which is to God not man or mans' institution.
"Off the deep end", Well aren't we suppose to be off the deep end? I mean in Christ, in Truth of course. Who considers what off the deep end is? A pastor? The Word of God? Off the deep end can mean many things to many people. Some people may think Christian rock and hip-hop is off the deep end in the Christian world, or baggy clothing. Or even contemporary worship. So, we must discern everything by the fruit it bears, but at the same time live in the liberty which is in Christ.
I was reminded of the many stories I have read in Church History, where believers have stepped up with something radical and were persecuted for it. Most of the churches and denominations of today, have come from these radical changes. Some examples would be the Waldenses, Lutherans, Baptists, and so many more. I can guarantee that the "Church" of that day, considered these sects to be "off the deep end".
Today, the church is beginning to look like an organization, where there is permission granted to do certain things the Lord is putting into the followers hearts. Maybe off the deep end means what is considered not normal,maybe not of the this world? Well so be it.
I hate to sound stubborn and conceited about things, but I cannot be a follower of a Messiah who defeated death, who set us free from the captivity of sin, and at the same time, have limited freedom to follow the spirit of God which lives within the Church.
We the Church, are not a religion (which also means to control), we are not religious (stuck by a set rules and guidelines), we are not an organization or business,...
WE ARE THE RADICAL BAND OF FOLLOWERS WHO ARE COMMITTED TO OUR MESSIAH AND HIS TRUTH, AND TOTALLY COMMITTED TO BE NOT OF THIS WORLD, AND TO "TURN THE WORLD UPSIDE-DOWN".
Let us live up to this,
Pastor Mike Miano
http://www.freakedoutfellowship.weebly.com
But really, what is going on here?
Yesterday, I had a meeting with a good friend and a pastor at a local church. Both great men of God. Today, I have spent the early morning praying, studying, and thinking about that meeting.
In prayer, I began to think "What is going on here". We, the radical, revolutionary followers of Christ Jesus, are beginning to look and sound more like an organizational entity rather than the band of followers who followed Christ.
I was aiming for a direct quote from the pastor I spoke with but I cant remember word for word, so here is a close summary.
A Ministry needs to plug into a Church, because the Church is the foundational authority, and also to make sure the ministry or its leader doesn't go off the deep end.
Now granted, the word ministry or an entity called a ministry is not in the Word of God. Ministry is understood to be a service to the Church. But the last part is having a hard time resonating with me. I do understand accountability, but which is to God not man or mans' institution.
"Off the deep end", Well aren't we suppose to be off the deep end? I mean in Christ, in Truth of course. Who considers what off the deep end is? A pastor? The Word of God? Off the deep end can mean many things to many people. Some people may think Christian rock and hip-hop is off the deep end in the Christian world, or baggy clothing. Or even contemporary worship. So, we must discern everything by the fruit it bears, but at the same time live in the liberty which is in Christ.
I was reminded of the many stories I have read in Church History, where believers have stepped up with something radical and were persecuted for it. Most of the churches and denominations of today, have come from these radical changes. Some examples would be the Waldenses, Lutherans, Baptists, and so many more. I can guarantee that the "Church" of that day, considered these sects to be "off the deep end".
Today, the church is beginning to look like an organization, where there is permission granted to do certain things the Lord is putting into the followers hearts. Maybe off the deep end means what is considered not normal,maybe not of the this world? Well so be it.
I hate to sound stubborn and conceited about things, but I cannot be a follower of a Messiah who defeated death, who set us free from the captivity of sin, and at the same time, have limited freedom to follow the spirit of God which lives within the Church.
We the Church, are not a religion (which also means to control), we are not religious (stuck by a set rules and guidelines), we are not an organization or business,...
WE ARE THE RADICAL BAND OF FOLLOWERS WHO ARE COMMITTED TO OUR MESSIAH AND HIS TRUTH, AND TOTALLY COMMITTED TO BE NOT OF THIS WORLD, AND TO "TURN THE WORLD UPSIDE-DOWN".
Let us live up to this,
Pastor Mike Miano
http://www.freakedoutfellowship.weebly.com
Monday, May 11, 2009
Moralistic Christianity- An in depth look at "SIN"
I would like to use this message to speak a bit about sin. Most people who know me, know my attitude concerning sin and the religious mind-set. I HATE IT!
I strongly believe that too many Christians are focused on the wrong thing. So many times do I get into legalistic discussions about what is or isnt sin, so with this blog I would like to clear aware some issues.
What is sin? Sin comes from the root meaning "to miss the mark". I would use the analogy of a dart board. If you throw a dart and miss the bulls-eye, no matter how close you get, if it is not in the little ring, you MISSED the mark! So in matters of sin, no matter how hard we try we still miss the bulls-eye of perfection, so why argue about how far or close we can get. We are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God.
This all comes from a recent discussion with a dear friend concerning what is sin and what isnt. Let me be upfront, I HATE TALKING ABOUT SIN, and that is justified because God hates sin! Why do we focus on what we shouldnt be doing, when half the church isnt doing what they should BE DOING. Here is a couple quotes for you to ponder "I am about my Fathers business" and "seek first the Kingdom of God". SO STRAIGHT FROM JESUS CHRIST: GET FOCUSED ON WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING!
I am in the middle of reading an excellent book which touches on this topic. "A Renegade's Guide to God by David Foster". The book speaks about the difference between religion and Christianity. Religion is about the good and the bad, rules and regulations. Christianity is about following the resurrected, living Messiah, Jesus Christ. "Life, and life more abundantly". Two great questions he posed in the book were : Who decides what is right for who and How good is good enough for God?
Galatians 2:16 says "a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus...". So even if you want to be legalistic and make rules after rules, you still will not be justified, so why not just focus on following the Messiah and letting him prune you off sin (John 15:2).
Let me say, I absolutely love the analogy that David Foster uses. So, lets say you have an excellent driving record, no tickets, never been pulled over, or anything (obviously nothing like me). One night while driving you fall asleep at the wheel and hit a car full of teenagers, all of them die. Do you think anyone will remember or talk about your awesome driving record after that? No, and thats similar to how God views our sins. We know we dont have an excellent driving record with God, but if you did, we all know we will continue to sin until we receive our glorified self, so in Gods' eyes your righteousness doesn't amount to anything besides "filtered language - dirty rags". See, even the Word of the Lord can be quite straight forward. We must remember all sin is equal (James 2:10).
Read Matthew 5:20. That should be a clear cut to those who try to be goody-two-shoes. You can try by all your righteousness, but I will focus on following Jesus the Christ, and let Him alone redeem me.
OK, I would like to conclude this with a study I did a while ago. (yes, this is my famous sin study with the man who wanted to argue tattoos are sin, which is another FUN one.)
Ok, what is sin? I John 3:4 says "Sin is lawlessness"
So the next question would be, whats is the law? James 2:8 says "If you keep the royal law found in scripture, love thy neighbor as thyself, you do right. Or even as Romans 13:10 says "Love is the fulfillment of the law".(c.f.- I John 3:11,Galatians 5:14, 2 John 6).
God is Love- I John 4:8
The message of salvation in Christ is very simple, and in scripture we are warned against those who make it difficult. This is what the Pharisees did. (2 Corinthians 11:3). God never changed the Law but rather He brought our focus back, The leaders at the time of Christ had led so many away from God and focused on sin because the Law is for sinners (Romans 3:19-24). The Law is good IF USED PROPERLY (I Timothy 1:8-11).
The spirit of the Pharisee is still alive today. Many so-called Christians are judgmental, picking others faults, white washed catacombs, making up new laws etc..And this is not meant to bash, but make you aware. Our focus should be living out the image and idea God created in us.
BUT..
Here is more of an argument for freedom by grace.
I Corinthians 6:12 tells us that everything is permissible, might not be good for you though. (c.f.- Titus 1:14-15, All of Romans 14).
When should you limit this freedom? In love! Remember we have the law of love! Romans 14:13-23
A Spiritual man can be judged by no man (I Corinthians chapter 2)
Ok, I hope that was an in depth look at sin, for all those who dwell on that matter.
THE ENDING OF THE DISCUSSION IS THIS...
LET'S SAY, I DO THAT WHICH IS SIN, I FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD, WHAT'S NEXT? CAN YOU SAY THE SAME? IF YOU DOM, THEN YOU ARE IN TRUTH, IF NOT YOU ARE A LIAR! SO THEN, DO YOU SEE HOW FUTILE IT IS TO TALK ON AND ON ABOUT WHAT IS OR ISNT SIN? LET US LEARN FROM THE WORD OF GOD, LIVE LIFE FREE AND IN LOVE, AND LET GOD PRUNE US OF OUR IMPURITIES,
AFTER ALL, ISNT THAT WHAT HE DOES?
THANK YOU, GOD BLESS, IN CHRIST,
PASTOR MIKE MIANO
I strongly believe that too many Christians are focused on the wrong thing. So many times do I get into legalistic discussions about what is or isnt sin, so with this blog I would like to clear aware some issues.
What is sin? Sin comes from the root meaning "to miss the mark". I would use the analogy of a dart board. If you throw a dart and miss the bulls-eye, no matter how close you get, if it is not in the little ring, you MISSED the mark! So in matters of sin, no matter how hard we try we still miss the bulls-eye of perfection, so why argue about how far or close we can get. We are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God.
This all comes from a recent discussion with a dear friend concerning what is sin and what isnt. Let me be upfront, I HATE TALKING ABOUT SIN, and that is justified because God hates sin! Why do we focus on what we shouldnt be doing, when half the church isnt doing what they should BE DOING. Here is a couple quotes for you to ponder "I am about my Fathers business" and "seek first the Kingdom of God". SO STRAIGHT FROM JESUS CHRIST: GET FOCUSED ON WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING!
I am in the middle of reading an excellent book which touches on this topic. "A Renegade's Guide to God by David Foster". The book speaks about the difference between religion and Christianity. Religion is about the good and the bad, rules and regulations. Christianity is about following the resurrected, living Messiah, Jesus Christ. "Life, and life more abundantly". Two great questions he posed in the book were : Who decides what is right for who and How good is good enough for God?
Galatians 2:16 says "a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus...". So even if you want to be legalistic and make rules after rules, you still will not be justified, so why not just focus on following the Messiah and letting him prune you off sin (John 15:2).
Let me say, I absolutely love the analogy that David Foster uses. So, lets say you have an excellent driving record, no tickets, never been pulled over, or anything (obviously nothing like me). One night while driving you fall asleep at the wheel and hit a car full of teenagers, all of them die. Do you think anyone will remember or talk about your awesome driving record after that? No, and thats similar to how God views our sins. We know we dont have an excellent driving record with God, but if you did, we all know we will continue to sin until we receive our glorified self, so in Gods' eyes your righteousness doesn't amount to anything besides "filtered language - dirty rags". See, even the Word of the Lord can be quite straight forward. We must remember all sin is equal (James 2:10).
Read Matthew 5:20. That should be a clear cut to those who try to be goody-two-shoes. You can try by all your righteousness, but I will focus on following Jesus the Christ, and let Him alone redeem me.
OK, I would like to conclude this with a study I did a while ago. (yes, this is my famous sin study with the man who wanted to argue tattoos are sin, which is another FUN one.)
Ok, what is sin? I John 3:4 says "Sin is lawlessness"
So the next question would be, whats is the law? James 2:8 says "If you keep the royal law found in scripture, love thy neighbor as thyself, you do right. Or even as Romans 13:10 says "Love is the fulfillment of the law".(c.f.- I John 3:11,Galatians 5:14, 2 John 6).
God is Love- I John 4:8
The message of salvation in Christ is very simple, and in scripture we are warned against those who make it difficult. This is what the Pharisees did. (2 Corinthians 11:3). God never changed the Law but rather He brought our focus back, The leaders at the time of Christ had led so many away from God and focused on sin because the Law is for sinners (Romans 3:19-24). The Law is good IF USED PROPERLY (I Timothy 1:8-11).
The spirit of the Pharisee is still alive today. Many so-called Christians are judgmental, picking others faults, white washed catacombs, making up new laws etc..And this is not meant to bash, but make you aware. Our focus should be living out the image and idea God created in us.
BUT..
Here is more of an argument for freedom by grace.
I Corinthians 6:12 tells us that everything is permissible, might not be good for you though. (c.f.- Titus 1:14-15, All of Romans 14).
When should you limit this freedom? In love! Remember we have the law of love! Romans 14:13-23
A Spiritual man can be judged by no man (I Corinthians chapter 2)
Ok, I hope that was an in depth look at sin, for all those who dwell on that matter.
THE ENDING OF THE DISCUSSION IS THIS...
LET'S SAY, I DO THAT WHICH IS SIN, I FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD, WHAT'S NEXT? CAN YOU SAY THE SAME? IF YOU DOM, THEN YOU ARE IN TRUTH, IF NOT YOU ARE A LIAR! SO THEN, DO YOU SEE HOW FUTILE IT IS TO TALK ON AND ON ABOUT WHAT IS OR ISNT SIN? LET US LEARN FROM THE WORD OF GOD, LIVE LIFE FREE AND IN LOVE, AND LET GOD PRUNE US OF OUR IMPURITIES,
AFTER ALL, ISNT THAT WHAT HE DOES?
THANK YOU, GOD BLESS, IN CHRIST,
PASTOR MIKE MIANO
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Update Blog - Keep it Simple
First off, let me start with "I'm Sorry". I am such a horrible blogger for those who read and look forward to my blogs. Its been close to two months on this blog since I have made a post.
Well, today's message from pastor Matt at Next Level Church hit the mark. Struck me guilty of "OVERLOAD" and now I am repenting. The past 2 months I have thought about blogging, had some good messages I wanted to share, but always had a busy excuse NY, Gabriella was sick, busy, busy, busy...
So, I will be back on my blogging. I wanted to talk a bit about the message pastor Matt delivered and some things he said and how they impacted me.
Well, here is the link to the message, if you would like to hear it yourself. It's apart of NLC's new series "Overload- disconnect to reconnect".
http://www.nextlevelchurch.com/templates/_nextlevel/details.asp?id=37624&PID=659042
Anyways, the most profound thing pastor Matt said that resonated in my heart was that "the natural human heart/ mind always wanders to make things more complicated". So True, I have seen this in my ways, my life, and the ministry. I had a conversation yesterday where I had confessed to a brother in Christ, that the Lord is re-teaching me "simplicity". It's so true that "the simple things confound the wise".
We, the Tribe of Dan Ministry, have had a minor transition. I am leading up the work in a new ministry called "Freaked-Out Fellowship", in which yours truly in the lead pastor! We are taking it back to simplicity- Creating Jesus Freaks! This had a lot to do with my latest learnings in love for the simple things in every aspect of life. Relationships, evangelism, prayer, etc..
Oh yeah, check out the Freaked-Out Fellowship webpage, we are still doing work but we look to launch in June or July.
http://www.freakedoutfellowship.weebly.com
Well, I'm going to follow my own advice and keep it simple with this blog. I hope you might look into the simplicity that is in Christ today, and you learn in your own walk, following Christ daily!
God bless, in Christ,
Pastor Mike
Well, today's message from pastor Matt at Next Level Church hit the mark. Struck me guilty of "OVERLOAD" and now I am repenting. The past 2 months I have thought about blogging, had some good messages I wanted to share, but always had a busy excuse NY, Gabriella was sick, busy, busy, busy...
So, I will be back on my blogging. I wanted to talk a bit about the message pastor Matt delivered and some things he said and how they impacted me.
Well, here is the link to the message, if you would like to hear it yourself. It's apart of NLC's new series "Overload- disconnect to reconnect".
http://www.nextlevelchurch.com/templates/_nextlevel/details.asp?id=37624&PID=659042
Anyways, the most profound thing pastor Matt said that resonated in my heart was that "the natural human heart/ mind always wanders to make things more complicated". So True, I have seen this in my ways, my life, and the ministry. I had a conversation yesterday where I had confessed to a brother in Christ, that the Lord is re-teaching me "simplicity". It's so true that "the simple things confound the wise".
We, the Tribe of Dan Ministry, have had a minor transition. I am leading up the work in a new ministry called "Freaked-Out Fellowship", in which yours truly in the lead pastor! We are taking it back to simplicity- Creating Jesus Freaks! This had a lot to do with my latest learnings in love for the simple things in every aspect of life. Relationships, evangelism, prayer, etc..
Oh yeah, check out the Freaked-Out Fellowship webpage, we are still doing work but we look to launch in June or July.
http://www.freakedoutfellowship.weebly.com
Well, I'm going to follow my own advice and keep it simple with this blog. I hope you might look into the simplicity that is in Christ today, and you learn in your own walk, following Christ daily!
God bless, in Christ,
Pastor Mike
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)