On Jul 11, 2012, at 11:29 AM, Jan wrote:

I went to our summer women’s study at Hope Ev. Free church last night. We are studying The Magnificent Obsession by Anne Graham Lotz who is coming for a seminar in 2 weeks at Calvary Chapel. I asked to give out my flyers at the meeting, and the leader was not comfortable. Maybe she was thinking more work for me. I was told “we’ll talk about it at our leaders meeting tomorrow.” The seminar is 24 days away.

Calvary is the largest church in New Mexico and has a sanctuary which seats 2000 and the seminar now 1000 registered, plenty of room, cost of $20 includes lunch and a notebook.

Am I out of line for thinking out of the box?

Jan Matthews

Jan, you are far, far too pure!

Americans live in a curse called "Consumer Christianity." Fords do not advertise where to buy Chevrolets. Hope Ev Free is Ford and Calvary Chapel is Chevrolet. You are advertising for the enemy…advertising another consumer church could attract Hope Ev Free members to attend there, and they might decide to start attending there. 

You see, we have to hold on to our own and not expose them to the competition. 

We need their noses and nickles to support our separate castles.

Your problem is that you think all churches share the same goal--drawing all men to Christ.

No. The curse of religion is every church in town has built its little castle-building with little regard for the Kingdom of God and we must keep our populations separated. Never endorse what the "enemy" may offer.

If you want to feel what Jesus feels about all this, read John 17 and join Him in weeping over how far the organized church has fallen.

Sorry about that…

Ralph

LIFE BASIC TRAINING

Many years ago I realized that "sit and soak" Christians got that way because churchianity made them to be that way. Christian values are shaped by repeating the same old, same old, year after year. Join a building called "church" and sit in it to hear preaching or have Bible study, etc. Maybe play in the gymnasium if one was created for the Private Club. Consequently, our values shape cultural Christianity that never focuses on the truth that the "church" is formed by humans baptized into intimacy by the Holy Spirit.

So I developed LIFE BASIC TRAINING.  My mentor Avery Willis coached me to develop an approach that mingled cognitive, psychomotor and affective domain content. Let me explain.

The equipping requires FIVE people to form a small group for 11 weeks. Same people stay together. "Person Number Five" is rehearsed by the Facilitator to chair the group.

First, it had to be 11 weeks long because anything any shorter would not allow concepts to be sneaked in a total of six times, and "it takes six to stick."

Second, it had to begin with a "brain teaser," a questionaire to set the focus for what would follow. So this is always the first page of each session.

Third, the presentation is planned in 5 parts, so each of the 5 members will take one part of the lecture and summarize it after the presentation has been given. This wraps attentiveness into the group as they listen to the content, about 15 minutes in length.

Fourth, following the presentation there is a small group discussion led by Person Number Five. This is designed to stir up controversy within the group. Disagreement is healthy; it stimulates thinking!

Fifth, there are FIVE DAYS of private Daily Growth Guides to be done at home. These reinforce the core value of the week. Important that they not be "crammed," but done each day so soaking of thought takes place.

Sixth, (this is so powerful!) the member is given an "Observation Assignment" for the week...something to observe in the lives of others that trigger the reality of the core value (usually a negative example of it.)

Seventh, the group reconvenes the next week and the Observations are discussed....following, comes the Brain Teaser and etc.

But one tricky thing is built into the series. The first weeks are shaping the core values. Midway through the series the subtle confrontation occurs: "Are you going to commit to this or not?" Many times those who are like the Rich Young Ruler will drop out. In one church with about 10 small groups going through the material together, some rose up and said, "I will not be returning!"

Yes...this is intentional. (Who is really ready for the next step?) Let the rest depart!

The last sessions reinforce the principle that all spiritual life begins with our death to self.

After these 11 weeks, it's possible to take those who have experienced the series and form Christ Basic Bodies with them.

Now...if you want a FREE download of all that you need to present LIFE BASIC TRAINING, email me at ralph@touchusa.org.

I will try to upload my video presentations for you and post them on the right column during July, 2012. But I am including the script for all 11 sessions so you can personally present the content in your ZIP download. It's too large for email so I will give you a YOUSENDIT link to download it after you write.

Praying this material will challenge many in the sit and soak church world.....

A CELL CHURCH STRATEGY CALENDAR

THE CELL IS THE LITERAL BODY OF CHRIST IN THE EARTH!

The Father sent the Son on mission to the world. His first assignments were to:

1. Declare the Kingdom of God has come to supercede the kingdoms of this world.

2. Atone for the sin of man.

This was all accomplished as the Son was incarnated in Jesus.

In John 17 as he completed these tasks, He cried out from the cross, "It is Finished!"

But the Son had an unfinished mission. He referred to it when He said, "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to Me." This additional task began as Christ occupied His new body.

The Resurrected Christ needed a new body to fulfill His next task! His next ministry was to reveal His Presence and Power through all centuries to all mankind, demonstrating the Kingdom by healing the sick, raising the dead, curing the leper, setting the prisoners free.

At Pentecost He inhabited his new body, composed first of the 120. When they were all in "one accord," the Holy Spirit delivered His Spirit to inhabit those human bodies as Shekina fire fell in the upper room. 

The first thing they did under His empowerment was to declare in the streets of Jerusalem to the various visiting nations that Christ had returned. Each person was empowered with the supernatural ability for their spoken Jewish language to be changed into the various languages of the tourists. This was a sign of the Kingdom.

From the start, the purpose of Christ inhabiting His new body had a single purpose: to draw all men to Himself by revealing His Presence in the activity of the house groups who became His new body members. In 1 Corinthians 14:24-25, we see "body life evangelism" functioning. 

Christ Himself was the evangelist who would draw all men by empowering body members with observable supernatural manifestations. Then the work of the body would continue as assigned in Matthew 28:18-20: those He drew were tobe baptized into the new body and "discipled." The pattern for body life was to so equip each new believer to grow from being "Little Children" to "Young Men" to "Fathers" (i John 2:12-14).

The calendar shown above is a schedule to lead cell groups through stages that develop new believers to become Fathers and then to penetrate households (oikoses) influenced by the new believer in their midst - cycling into a significant "Harvest Event" to draw family members and friends to follow Christ.

This intentional strategy has significantly increased the harvest where churches have applied it. If you are interested, please email me at ralph@touchusa.org and I will send you further aids to understand it and apply it to your congregation.

Fantastic Cell Video!

Please view these videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioWUjYteKwg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1nqMPZlSoc&feature=related

I have been so blessed by the way the Regeneration Church in Dnepropretskov, Ukraine has absorbed the entire Equipping Track! They are now completing the final Daily Growth Guide that shows how to reach responsive (TYPE A) unbelievers. In the seminar, attended by 1,800 cell members seated by Triads (Little Child>Young Man>Father) they identified over 5,300 "men of peace" they knew. At the close, each Triad team was anointed with oil to set them apart to harvest among the group and then to focus until March 10 on developing relationships with the families of the new converts. Then they will have a Harvest Event to finish the first cycle of the Equipping Strategy.

Vladimir Matveyev and his new bride, who also speaks English, labored to do a voiceover in English for the Russian video the church prepared to promote cell life on their web site (http://vo.org.ua/). I have provided links to them here. This is a wonderfully insightful presentation explaining why equipping the new believer is so crucial.

Please pray for this dear congregation. They will have to go to two services now because the auditorium is so stuffed with chairs that when the invitation is given for people to come forward to accept Christ there is no room between the front row and the platform...so the music team backs off the platform so the harvest, often exceeding 125 souls, can stand on the platform where they are then led in a prayer and counselors come to get their information for follow up!

Truly this is an expression of the "Last Days" church! The sacrificial giving of the congregation that averages $360/month income is astonishing. When they faced a need to purchase their first "Temple" many of the leadership team sold their wedding rings to contribute to the funds required.

I am so blessed to be a part of this dear family of Christ followers!

Pictures of Spiritual Formation Weekend, Regeneration Church

Dnepropretskov, Ukraine: wonderful community of cell groups!
Watch here

Paradigms: Our Prison Cells

Imagine you are born in a huge room. There are lots of other people in the room. You grow up thinking that room is all the reality there is. All the other people feel the same way and teach you how to act in the room. As long as you "act right" you are accepted as "normal."

But you are curious. There is a skylight that sometimes lets a lot of light in and sometimes it does not. You are aware there is a light source "out there" that gets turned off in some magic way on a regular basis. You wonder about it but you are told, "That is just the way it works. Don't ask questions!"

Strangely, the people in the room seem afraid of the two windows and the door leading out of the room. No one ventures near the door: who knows what danger lurks outside? It's safer to stay in the middle area of the room.

But you have a deep curiosity and so you drift over to the windows. They are too high to look out of but occasionally you notice there are blue or white or gray colors on the other side and you wonder why? You ask about it but you are told, "That is just the way it is. Don't ask questions!"

You try to climb up on a table to look out the window, but several people rush over and quickly pull you down, saying, "You must not do that. In this room, we have agreed no one should try to look out the windows!

You saunter over to the door, thinking you might look out. A big heavy woman who looks like she could be a wrestler is standing there. "What do you think you are doing? Don't you know it is forbidden to look out of the door? Get back in the middle where you belong!"

You begin to question why everyone is so fearful of "what's outside" when no one has been there. You begin to think about "what's inside the room" and you get disillusioned with the system that seems  to make the room a kind of prison cell. You decide you will take the risk and sneak out of the room when the light from above has gone dark and everyone is sleeping. You carefully make your plan. Finally the moment comes.

Your heart is beating big time! What if there are steep cliffs all around the room and going out the door would cause you to fall and fall and die? What if there are the dragons you have seen in your nightmares that have never existed in the room but might really exist "out there?"

Finally, with great courage you tiptoe to the door when the room is black. You gingerly step through the door and find there is a solid mass under your feet. In the dark it seems a bit spongy as you walk on it. You feel it and it seems to be about 4 inches deep and made of small, soft blades. It's nothing like the carpet in the room!

Then you look up and you see thousands of little lights glowing all over, but very far away. As you circle around looking at them, you see a very large dim light that seems closer than the rest! You are amazed. You think, "Wow! Why don't the people in the room want to see this?"

You are getting sleepy, so you lay down on these soft blades that have an interesting smell and soon you are fast asleep. When you awake, you see the blades are green and there are beautiful red and blue plants sticking up between them. Your eyes look to the horizon  and you see many beautiful tall objects that stick way up and have green ovals hanging all over them. Amazed, you watch a little object with multicolored wings flitting by, going from plant to plant.

This is all too much! It is so beautiful! You must tell the people in the room what's "outside," that it is not only perfectly safe but amazingly beautiful here. Surely they will want to know what you have discovered . . .

You run back to the door. As you enter, the Lady Wrestler grabs you by the collar and throws you down on the floor: "You cannot enter here! You may have a disease that will kill us all!"

"No, no!" you cry; "I am perfectly healthy." To the watching crowd, he shouts, "There is a beautiful world out there. You are trapped in a dull room. Please come and see what I have seen!"

Sadly, the people shake their head in dismay. As they walk away they are saying, "He is no longer one of us. He does not belong here. We must ostracize him."

++++++++++++

Two years after I left the "room" of the Southern Baptist Convention to "see" the Kingdom of God in all its beauty as I discovered the Basic Christian Communities, I spoke to a very high official in a denominational meeting. I told him I had been "outside" and had seen the precious Body of Christ living in true community instead of meeting in packaged denominational "programs," that there was a prototype that could bring new life to the deadness of the room he/we were living in. His terse comment:
"Ralph, we didn't ask you to do that and we don't want what you offer!"

++++++++++++

If you are a "traditional" Christian, and if you have the courage to step out the door, please read the most important book I have ever written. It is called Christ's Basic Bodies (Available on Amazon). If you do read it, you may decide you do not ever again want to live in the room . . . be careful!

"Cell Groups" or "Small Groups" - Contrasts?

Let me preface this by thanking all the hundreds of staffers in American churches retained to lead the "small groups" in local churches. You are devoted to the work of the Lord and I honor you! The other day I eavesdropped on a webinar for small group leaders and was shocked to discover that many of the pastors were asking the moderator, "What is the difference between a cell group and a small group?"

I am shocked! It revealed to me that the Cell Church movement is virtually unknown to pastors, even though it is the most mature of all contemporary church structures. One fellow said, "Do cell churches have Sunday services?" Another said, "Do they use buildings?" I was unaware that this modern small group movement leadership has been sheltered from experiencing the sacred "Basic Christian Community" theology.

You see, the radical distinction between a "Small Group" and a "Cell Group" is a contrast between traditional and biblical. Here's what I mean, illustrated by Jesus' discussion with Nicodemus:

Nicodemus was a traditionalist, a scholar, a man of the Temple. He was disturbed because Jesus had called that sacred building a "den of thieves." Dr. Nicodemus was a "hired holy man" who saw himself as superior to those who came to worship.

Jesus, on the other hand, was a man who gathered commoners and trained them to do the work of God. His radical ideas threatened the Pharisee's way of life. He taught that all believers were priests, even smelly fishermen.

So it was that a night visit, undetected, was made to the Galilean - not to get spiritual help, but rather to gather evidence to have him arrested!

Jesus was an "Upstairs" man. Nicodemus was a "Downstairs" man. The contrasts became evident as Jesus pointed out that with all his formal religion he could not "see" what was Upstairs without having new eyes, and to have those eyes he would have to have a spiritual birth. Further contrasts were made: "Downstairs" there is a wind in the trees; "Upstairs" there is a Spirit whose activity is observed; "Downstairs" there is the serpent on the pole; "Upstairs" there is a greater reality: Christ on the cross.

"Downstairs," there is a world of shadows. "Upstairs," there is the Shekinah glory.
"Downstairs," there are human activities performed in the flesh. "Upstairs," there is Power and Presence and supernatural lifestyles.

This will introduce us to the contrast between the Upstairs "Basic Christian Community" and the Downstairs "Small Group."

The great contrast is the work of the Holy Spirit who calls men to come Upstairs and baptizes them into intimate communities that exist as the literal Body of Christ in our era.

The Small Group is a program sponsored by a traditional church to create "holding tanks" for church members, never revealing to them that they should not just be a group for fellowship and prayer and Bible study.

The Cell is described in 1 Corinthians 14:24-25 as a community where all prophesy (see 14:3 for the definition) and where God is so powerfully revealed that unbelievers fall on their face!

I could go on and on. But let me just say there is an Upstairs and Downstairs difference between a Cell and a Small Group. I am wondering why we settle for what's Downstairs, when even a cursory reading of Paul's letters will reveal how important it is for us to know we are NOT a "small group." We are the literal Body of Christ! Every "small group" robs the members of their true positions in Christ: to be baptized into an intimate community and become the body Christ occupies to draw all men to the Cross.

If you really care about this, Small Groups pro, take the time to download my Christ's Basic Bodies from www.touchusa.org and educate yourself! Why settle for "Downstairs?"

Comments?

Permítanme prologar esto agradeciendo a todos los cientos de miembros de equipos pastorales de las iglesias estadounidenses contratados para liderar los «grupos pequeños» en las iglesias locales. ¡Ustedes están consagrados a la obra del Señor y los honro! El otro día yo estuve espiando un seminario por Internet para líderes de grupos pequeños y quedé conmocionado al descubrir que muchos de los pastores estaban preguntando al moderador: «¿Cuál es la diferencia entre un grupo celular y un grupo pequeño?»

¡Quedé sorprendido! Eso me reveló que el movimiento de iglesia celular es prácticamente desconocido para los pastores, aún cuando es la más madura de las estructuras eclesiásticas contemporáneas. Un participante dijo: «¿Tienen las iglesias celulares servicios dominicales?» Otro preguntó: «¿Usan edificios?» Yo no era consciente que este liderazgo del movimiento moderno de grupos pequeños había sido privado de experimentar la teología sagrada de la «comunidad cristiana básica».

Ya puede usted ver, la distinción radical entre un «grupo pequeño» y un «grupo celular» es un contraste entre lo tradicional y lo bíblico. Esto es lo que quiero decir, ilustrado por la discusión entre Jesús y Nicodemo:

Nicodemo era un tradicionalista, un erudito, un hombre del Templo. Estaba turbado porque Jesús había dicho de este edificio sagrado que era una «cueva de ladrones». El Dr. Nicodemo era un «hombre santo contratado» que se veía a sí mismo como alguien superior a aquellos que venían a adorar.

Jesús, por otro lado, era un hombre que reunía a gente común y los entrenaba para hacer le obra de Dios. Sus ideas radicales eran una amenaza para la manera de vivir fariseaica. Él enseñaba que todos los creyentes son sacerdotes, aún los malolientes pescadores.

Así que aquella era una visita nocturna, sin ser detectado, hecha al galileo, pero no para lograr ayuda espiritual, ¡sino que para obtener eviden-cia para arrestarlo!

Jesús era un hombre «del piso superior». Nicodemo era un hombre «del piso inferior». El contraste se hizo evidente cuando Jesús señaló que aún con toda su religión formal él no podía «ver» lo que sucedía «en el piso de arriba» sin tener nuevos ojos, y para tener esos ojos él tendría que tener un nacimiento espiritual. Se hicieron mayores contrastes: «en el piso inferior» hay un viento sobre los árboles; «en el piso superior» hay un Espíritu cuya actividad es observada; «en el piso inferior» hay una serpiente sobre un asta; «en el piso superior» hay un realidad mayor: Cristo sobre la cruz.

«En el piso inferior» un mundo de sombras. «En el piso superior» hay una gloria Shekiná. «En el piso inferior» hay actividades humanas llevadas a cabo en la carne. «En el piso superior» hay Poder, Presencia y estilos de vida sobrenaturales.

Esto nos introducirá al contraste entre las «comunidades cristianas básicas del piso superior» y los «pequeños grupos del piso inferior».

El contraste mayor es la obra del Espíritu Santo que llama a los hombres a venir al piso superior y ser bautizados dentro de comunidades de intimidad que existen en nuestra era como literales Cuerpos de Cristo.

El grupo pequeño es un programa patrocinado por la iglesia tradicio-nal para crear «tanques de almacenamiento» para los miembros de la iglesia, nunca revelándoles que podrían ser no solamente un grupo de compañeris-mo, oración y estudio bíblico.

La célula es descripta en 1 Corintios 14:24 – 25 como una comunidad donde todos profetizan (ver 14:3 para la definición) y donde Dios es tan poderosamente revelado ¡que los incrédulos caen de bruces!

Yo pudiera seguir y seguir. Pero sólo déjenme decir que hay una diferencia «piso superior» y «piso inferior» entre una célula y un grupo pequeño. Me pregunto por qué nos conformamos con lo que hay «en el piso de abajo», aún cuando una lectura superficial de las cartas paulinas nos reve-larán cuán importante es que nosotros sepamos que no somos «un grupo pequeño». ¡Somos literalmente el Cuerpo de Cristo! Cada «grupo pequeño» le roba a los miembros sus verdaderas posiciones en Cristo: ser bautizado dentro de una comunidad íntima y llegar a ser el cuerpo de Cristo incluye atraer a todos los hombres a la Cruz.

Si a usted realmente le interesa esto, le invito a conseguir mi libro «Los Cuerpos Básicos de Cristo», publicado por Touch-Oikoslatino. ¿Por qué conformarse con «el piso inferior»?

¿Comentarios?