Powerful words of T. Austin Sparks:
"The Church is not a theme, it is not a doctrine, a teaching, it is not a subject in the Bible. You can have all the teaching and all the doctrine and know all that the Bible says about it, be conversant with all the theories of the church, and there will be no glory or life about it. The church is not a subject to be studied, a doctrine to be taught. The church is a Person to be manifested; it is Christ. And no one really knows anything about the church until they have seen Christ by the revelation of The Holy Spirit. Do not ask to see the church and do not ask others if they have seen the church. There is a lot of that sort of language going on - have you seen the church, the truth of the Body? Oh, the Lord deliver us from that sort of thing! Have you seen Christ? If you have seen Christ, you have seen something more than just a Person. Great, vast and wonderful as the Person is, that Person signifies something more than Himself as an isolated unit. He represents and signifies a vast, elect company to come to His likeness, to be conformed to His Image. It is only as we really see Christ in a spiritual heavenly way that we know anything about the church in truth. So do not begin to study the doctrine of the church, and be very careful how you take hold of any teaching about the church. Always remember that you can never have that in a living way unless you are seeing Christ, and for the expression of the church we have to keep on seeing Christ. It has to be a manifestation of Christ. You may have none of the doctrine, teaching, theory, and yet be in the good of the reality of seeing The Lord. Far better to have it that way than to have all the technique and not to have seen the Lord. ..."
When does a Christ Body experience seeing Christ? The explanation is in 1 Cor. 14:24-25: "When all are prophesying"- then, it is obvious that Christ is being manifested. It is the empowerment of the Son within His present Body that reveals His presence not only to those who are edified but also to the observing unbelievers, who say, "God is among you!"
Is that too hard to grasp? Then why do we not focus on experiencing it?
Comments?
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
THE BUCKET CHURCH
Gentlemen and Ladies, I want to welcome you to your first day in the Bucket Theological Seminary. You will learn much about the Bible that you never knew before, like the multiple authorship of Isaiah and the unknown book we call “Quelle” that has never been uncovered that is a source for the four Gospels.
But the main thing this institution offers you is how to manage Buckets. It is not possible to manage individuals who belong to your congregations by personally taking time to meet all their needs. Through the generations, we have learned that it is more efficient to work with those who are placed in different Buckets. We will show you how to "Love Buckets, Use People."
We always spell this word with a capital “B” because it is a special word for us: a special, almost sacred concept. In fact, most church members and denominational leaders in particular consider the Buckets as inspired by the Holy Spirit. We will teach you all about how to administer religious life through assorted Buckets.
The major Bucket is the Sanctuary you will occupy to present your sermons throughout your career. If you are successful, you will be able to raise millions during your administrations and build ever larger Bucket Rooms with comfortable pews, stained glass windows, and excellent air conditioning systems. This will make you feel significant, having accomplished the distinction of being among the greatest Bucket Building Pastors who leave property (and debt) behind as you move forward to bigger opportunities.
Because of the importance of this major Bucket, we will teach you how to study the theologians so you can quote erudite comments for Bucket audiences who will sit in rows each week while “Sir Oracle” speaks.
There are many other Buckets and as you will learn, you will be able to hire specialists to help you manage the people who are placed in them. You will need an aspiring young zealot who will work with the Youth Bucket, a lovely woman who will manage the Children’s Bucket, a musician to handle the Choir Bucket, an elderly semi-retired person to cater to the Senior’s Bucket, visit hospitals, and so forth. We will show you how to use the latest corporate techniques to manage efficiently. Thus, you will not have to become intimate with the people. Others will take care of them.
Of course, the people who are dumped into these Buckets must be made to feel significant. The Choir and Praise Team Bucket, the Deacon’s Bucket, the Sunday School Bucket, are among those areas where unpaid volunteers will gain personal importance by taking charge of these activities. Feeling significant is a major reason Bucket workers serve. Some will do so out of devotion to God, but beware of them. They often become renegades who sense the Buckets may be unbiblical. Stay distant from these people who often want to be intercessors. They can become “wolves within,” as Paul mentions.
Of course, we will provide you with a few classes in counseling. You need to know about these professional techniques but we recommend that you focus on the Buckets and make referrals to full-time counselors when Bucket people need guidance. Your main work is not with individuals, but with the operation of the Buckets.
Bill Beckham calls this “Program Bucket Design,” often referred to as “P.B.D.” It has been fully developed and much literature is available. Jesus saw the traditions of the Pharisees as religious "buckets." Jesus' "woes" against the Pharisees were "woes" about these "buckets."
Are you happy living in the Buckets?
"Bucket": A self-contained religious container that becomes an end in itself and justifies its existence and goodness by maintaining its organized activities and tradition. The bucket becomes more important than the living water for which the bucket was originally designed to carry. The wineskin becomes more important than the wine. -Bill Beckham
But the main thing this institution offers you is how to manage Buckets. It is not possible to manage individuals who belong to your congregations by personally taking time to meet all their needs. Through the generations, we have learned that it is more efficient to work with those who are placed in different Buckets. We will show you how to "Love Buckets, Use People."
We always spell this word with a capital “B” because it is a special word for us: a special, almost sacred concept. In fact, most church members and denominational leaders in particular consider the Buckets as inspired by the Holy Spirit. We will teach you all about how to administer religious life through assorted Buckets.
The major Bucket is the Sanctuary you will occupy to present your sermons throughout your career. If you are successful, you will be able to raise millions during your administrations and build ever larger Bucket Rooms with comfortable pews, stained glass windows, and excellent air conditioning systems. This will make you feel significant, having accomplished the distinction of being among the greatest Bucket Building Pastors who leave property (and debt) behind as you move forward to bigger opportunities.
Because of the importance of this major Bucket, we will teach you how to study the theologians so you can quote erudite comments for Bucket audiences who will sit in rows each week while “Sir Oracle” speaks.
There are many other Buckets and as you will learn, you will be able to hire specialists to help you manage the people who are placed in them. You will need an aspiring young zealot who will work with the Youth Bucket, a lovely woman who will manage the Children’s Bucket, a musician to handle the Choir Bucket, an elderly semi-retired person to cater to the Senior’s Bucket, visit hospitals, and so forth. We will show you how to use the latest corporate techniques to manage efficiently. Thus, you will not have to become intimate with the people. Others will take care of them.
Of course, the people who are dumped into these Buckets must be made to feel significant. The Choir and Praise Team Bucket, the Deacon’s Bucket, the Sunday School Bucket, are among those areas where unpaid volunteers will gain personal importance by taking charge of these activities. Feeling significant is a major reason Bucket workers serve. Some will do so out of devotion to God, but beware of them. They often become renegades who sense the Buckets may be unbiblical. Stay distant from these people who often want to be intercessors. They can become “wolves within,” as Paul mentions.
Of course, we will provide you with a few classes in counseling. You need to know about these professional techniques but we recommend that you focus on the Buckets and make referrals to full-time counselors when Bucket people need guidance. Your main work is not with individuals, but with the operation of the Buckets.
Bill Beckham calls this “Program Bucket Design,” often referred to as “P.B.D.” It has been fully developed and much literature is available. Jesus saw the traditions of the Pharisees as religious "buckets." Jesus' "woes" against the Pharisees were "woes" about these "buckets."
Are you happy living in the Buckets?
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