When things go well, and life is easy, we tend to develop bad habits based on the false assumption things will continue as they are. We dare not assume in serving Christ this is true. While we may well be facing the End Times, that is not the point. The world is on the verge of dramatic changes. With them may well come both natural cataclysm and social-political upheaval. At the very least, we should expect in the next few years serious economic hardship. This is not about The Great Tribulation, but tribulation in general. What would we do differently in the face of losing all the things on which we now rely? While my basic answer assumes shifting to house church operations, much of this I hope would be considered by mainstream church organizations before tribulation comes.
Were I in agreement with much of the current teaching about such things, there would be no need to write anything. So it is obvious I consider it flawed in one way or another, and would offer what I hope would be a corrective. By no means do I hope to start some movement, for such thinking goes to the core of what I believe is wrong. The churches of today, especially in the West, have become too deeply enamoured with human methods and means, struggling in vain to do the work of God by their hands.
As I am addressing Baptists, much of what follows reflects that background. However, as I seek to recover the best elements of both the Reformation and the Early Church, the material should easily be applicable to most evangelical backgrounds. There are certain assumptions which are not discussed nor debated here, best summed up as the Five Fundamentals:
(To see all this as a single document, click HERE.)
Politics in the Church -- Seeking to correct our understanding of the place of politics.
Christians and Government -- We examine the major Bible passages devoted to a New Testament understanding of how Christians deal with government.
Reformed Eschatology -- Dispensationalism is a recent departure from a long history of something much simpler and easier to understand.
Doctrinal Issues -- A number of other contentious issues are covered.
Church from Scratch -- Considerations on how to approach the work of making church what it should be.
Why a House Church? -- In many situations, the best way to do church is to simply be a church.
What If You Could? -- It may well be the local Christian leader is the only thing resembling community leadership in the coming tribulations. What if you could build your own local government from scratch?
Failed Assumptions: East vs. West -- For those who have no exposure to cultural studies, this will clarify the differences.
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By Ed Hurst
revised 27 February 2007
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