Do Believers Need to Keep Confessing Their Sins?

This is from Currents, a new blog at Alltop which originates with Streams church in Red Deer, Alberta.  (Streams, currents, get it?) You’ll have to read this closely to catch what is and isn’t being said here, and regular readers will notice the nuances of this are somewhat opposite a principle we looked at here not too long ago, where classic authors talked about keeping short accounts with God.  So we present it for your consideration. Feel free to comment on how the two posts coincide. As always, you’re encouraged to read this at source where it appeared as Do We Need To Confess Our Sins to Be Forgiven?.

Do We Need To Confess Our Sins To Be Forgiven?

That depends on who is asking.

Confess means to agree with God (to agree with, concede or acknowledge).

Sinners cannot receive the free gift of salvation if they do not first realize they are sinners and that they need a saviour.  Yes, they need to confess their sins, to come into agreement with God regarding their need for salvation.

Saints, on the other hand, have already accepted the free gift of salvation. Jesus died once and for all, we don’t have to keep going back to the start every time we mess up. All our sin, forgiven and forgotten and destroyed utterly; we do not need to keep confessing.

That’s not entirely true, we do need to confess.  We need to confess, agree with God, that we have been made righteous. We are not ‘sinners saved by grace’ and confessing as much puts us under the law.  You are a saint saved and empowered by grace. Period.

But what about 1 John 1:9?

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

This verse is the only place in the New Testament that ties our confession with forgiveness.  To build a doctrine of forgiveness on one verse would be unwise.

John says earlier, in verse 5, that ‘This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you…” and he then presents the Gospel to sinners. Yes, most of 1 John is written to believers, but in verse 6 John speaks to those who are walking in darkness, those who do not practice the truth. Verse 8 and 10 uses the royal ‘we’ to describe those sinners who do not acknowledge their need for a savior.

So, to sinners, yes you need to confess your sins. Once. Once you’ve been saved we do not need additional forgiveness.

But you saints,  don’t throw out confession all together!

We need to agree with God on many fronts, confessing what the Bible says about us is an exercise in faith and it helps us renew our minds. Saints should be confessing things like “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”” (Romans 8:15)

Hebrews 13:15 exhorts us to “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge(confess) his name.”
When snared in temptation, or condemnation, or when suffering, this type of confession does us good.

Confession within community is also healthy.
James 5:16 says “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed,”

That healing usually is physical, but can be spiritual.  Sin thrives in the dark. A guilty conscience is like a stomach ache, it’s a signal that something is wrong.  Just as it is wise to address physical symptoms, when guilt builds up and shame enters in, it’s a sign that we should deal with the sin issue in our lives.

Our bodies, spirits and minds are so interconnected that a chemical or hormonal imbalance can affect our moods (i.e. depression) and our minds can affect our bodies (i.e. the placebo affect). Things like bitterness or shame can manifest in our body as sickness.

Confessing sins in safe community brings about multi-faceted healing of our body and mind (our spirit is already a new creation!).

Confession is healthy and good. But to link the forgiveness of a saint’s sinful acts to confession is incorrect.  When we accept salvation (certainly through confession and faith) all our sins, past present and future, are wiped out and forgotten.  To maintain righteousness we do not need to confess. We cannot maintain righteousness, our righteousness is dependent on Jesus alone.

The place confession has in the life of a Christian is that of dealing with sin, not getting forgiveness. It is about bringing our thoughts more in line with what God says about us, that we are righteous, holy, loved, pure and powerful.

The confession of our sins for forgiveness is then a one time deal. After that confession remains a tool for saints in conquering their sin and faulty heart beliefs about their identity.

Do we confess to receive forgiveness? Depends who’s asking.

On Ethnic Heritage Churches

Today’s post is from the blog section of Theologyweb. The author’s name is indicated as elysian and it appeared under the title Connected in Community.

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 (NRSV)

Today’s question:
How does remaining connected with Christ, the Head, solidify your fellowship with others in the body, the church?

I have to admit that one of the things that turned me off to being part of a church when I took a hiatus from church involvement several years ago, was the whole socio-political aspect of most churches. I was already playing the status-to-win game professionally, and by the time I got home from work I was tired of people, and weary of office politics. I didn’t want to go to church and end up playing politics there too.

The one organization that should be relatively free of the cut-throat competition and dirty politics that permeates the world is the church. However, the church is made up of sinful people- people who put “me” first, people who don’t hesitate to use others for their own purposes, people who must be “right” at all costs, and people who seek the esteem of others to make themselves look and feel good.

The church where I was confirmed was an example of this. That congregation had once been exclusively a heritage church, which essentially meant you were of German ancestry, your parents belonged to that church and you were baptized in that church. The new pastor who had come to the church when I started going there in high school was trying to evangelize- to invite people to worship, to come to classes, and to participate in the community, but not everyone supported the pastor and his outreach.

The church became divided between the old-school faction who took a dim view of anyone who was not of German ancestry and/or not baptized into that particular church in infancy, against the pastor along with the evangelization faction who welcomed newcomers with open arms.

Since I was one of the newcomers, some of the old-school members weren’t terribly thrilled I was there. Neither of my parents are Lutheran, and most of my ancestors came from either England or Scotland. My English surname didn’t help endear me to the old-schoolers either (though I do have some German ancestry too.)

The battle in that church came down to a sad struggle: keep the community a small, ever-dwindling faction of ethnic Germans, OR open the door to the greater community. I am glad to say that the pastor, and ultimately the community itself, won out. Today it is still a small congregation, but it is comprised of a greater variety of people- people who are ethnic German, people who aren’t German at all, people who came to Christ as adults, and people who grew up in different traditions.

God never meant for the church to be a genealogical preservation society or an exclusive club. He meant the church to be a place for ALL people who are seeking, knocking, asking and striving to follow Christ.

I adhere to a very specific way of interpreting Christian faith. I am a confessional Lutheran. I belong to and participate in a Lutheran church that is a vibrant community that embraces people of all backgrounds and situations. I might not agree with everything my church does, but by and large it is a God-honoring community. The Gospel is proclaimed, the sacraments are given, and the congregation is committed to serving God.

My church is not perfect. I can’t say that I agree 100% with either of our pastors all the time. Just as in any other organization containing sinful humans, we have obnoxious people. I’m one of those obnoxious people. But the grace of God and the love of Christ are central in our church. Slowly I am learning that loving people is more important than being able to agree with them all the time.

The more that I stay focused on Christ, the more I realize I have in common with believers of other traditions. The more I stay focused on Christ and rooted in His word, I realize that I can forgive people who are sinful humans just like I am. I can love people and be gracious toward them even if I don’t particularly like them. I may not agree with all of the other Christian traditions’ doctrines or practices, but I can acknowledge their faithfulness to Christ and join them in loving and serving God. I can embrace other believers not only in my own congregation, but in the greater church as well, because I know that’s what Jesus would do.

I pray that God will keep me aware that there is no such thing as a “lone ranger” Christian, and that I need the greater community to grow in faith and grace.

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Blog Flashback:

From two years ago, here’s a post for worship leaders and songwriters on taking a Biblical passage and “making it sing.”  Click here to read.

A Biblical Understanding of ‘Place’

^{Gen 15:7} He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.”

^{Jer 29:7} Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

^{John 1:14} The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Over the weekend, I have been immersed in the book The Awakening of Hope: Why We Practice a Common Faith by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove (Zondervan). The book deals with life in monastic community as experienced in 2012. In particular, chapters are titled:

1. Why We Eat Together
2. Why We Make Promises
3. Why It Matters Where We Live
4. Why We Live Together
5. Why We Would Rather Die Than Kill
6. Why We Share Good News

The verses quoted above introduce what turns out to be the longest chapter in the book, a study of place or location which was fundamental to Israel. This is but a very brief excerpt:

For so many of today, church is a place we go to on Sunday, just like work or school or home are the places we go every other day of the week. Where we live often has little to do with where we worship. This makes it difficult for us to see how we’re called to make our whole life true worship in a place.

But incarnation interrupts us. To confess that Jesus took on flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood is to see that we are invited to dwell in our places and grow up into “the fullness of him who fills everything in every way (Eph. 1:23). As the letter to the church at Ephesus demonstrates so well, the power of God that raised Jesus from the dead is within us to overcome the “principalities and powers” (6:12) of our present age. A culture of hyper-mobility is not greater than God’s plan to redeem the world through Christ’s body, the church. But Ephesians is equally clear that this power is made manifest in the peculiar way of engagement that we learn from Israel and Jesus: “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but … against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that … you may be able to stand your ground” (6:12-13).

If we pay attention to the conquest stories of Israel, we learn that God’s people did not gain their promised land through cunning or military might. They left Egypt through the Red Sea because God made a way out of now way. When they came to Jericho, it was God who made the walls come tumbling down. Israel’s greatest hero, David, won his monumental battle against the Philistine giant, Goliath, by refusing the royal armor and trusting God to use the simple slingshot he carried as a shepherd boy. Over and again, God makes clear that Israel isn’t in charge of securing its own place in the world. “The Lord will fight for you,” Moses says; “you need only to be still (Ex. 14:14).

This standing in place is the posture that the New Testament exhorts the church to maintain. Jesus told Peter, the rock upon whom he promised to build his church, that he should put away his sword in the garden of Gethsemane. The violence of this world’s kingdoms would not be the means by which God would establish the peaceable kingdom here on earth. Jesus’ refusal of worldly power is not, however, a passive submission to the status quo. Jesus stands before Pilate, just as the martyrs would stand before authorities after him, neither backing down nor succumbing to the ways of an order that is passing away. “Fight the good fight of the faith,” Paul exhorted his young disciple Timothy (6:12), recalling that Timothy had made the same “good confession” Jesus made while testifying before Pontius Pilate. It was confession made not so much with his mouth as with his feet. In the power of the spirit, he stood his ground.

~Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, The Awakening of Hope, pp. 101-103

The Outrage of the Gospel of Light

At the Saturday morning Christmas Eve service today at North Point, Andy Stanley noted that when you attend an afternoon showing at a movie theater, and then walk out into the day light, the brightness hurts.  It offends the senses.  We tend to think of  “seeing the light” as a good thing; but initially it is an affront to one’s body.

At this classic post from the late Michael Spencer at Internet Monk, he begins with a quotation from Sam Harris — who experiences what Andy Stanley is talking about — and suggests this is a barometer of whether or not we’ve got the gospel right.  If you read it here, be sure to click the “more” tag — grab a coffee or hot chocolate, this is a longer one — otherwise read it at Internet Monk.

There is, in fact, no worldview more reprehensible in its arrogance than that of a religious believer: the creator of the universe takes an interest in me, approves of me, loves me, and will reward me after death; my current beliefs, drawn from scripture, will remain the best statement of the truth until the end of the world; everyone who disagrees with me will spend an eternity in hell. An average Christian, in an average church, listening to an average Sunday sermon has achieved a level of arrogance simply unimaginable in scientific discourse and there have been some extraordinarily arrogant scientists

Sam Harris, Letters To A Christian Nation

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The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.
(Isaiah 9:2)

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. …And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. (John 1:9-18)

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me–practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9)

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Christians in America have a preference for people like themselves. In this, we’re not unlike most human beings, but that’s exactly the problem. Most 4th graders would be able to give the correct answer to the question “Who is my neighbor As obvious as the answer would be, most of us would still like to be surrounded with people from our tribe, culture, language group, income level and, of course, worldview.

Christians like to participate in the fantasy that ours is a Christian nation in what is becoming a Christian world. Muslims, atheists, occultists and others occupying the planet get the requisite dose of rhetoric saying we love our neighbors who are unlike us, but if we’re honest, especially about our evangelicalism, we’d have to admit a strong bias toward familiar surroundings and familiar people.

Those radically, fundamentally different from ourselves make us uneasy, as if we were somehow under attack from different cultures and beliefs. The sound of the culture war is the sound of Christians- largely- declaring that they are in some way at war with their neighbors. The rumblings of culture expansion and population shifts in Europe and the American southwest brings out a kind of paranoia in some Christians remarkably similar to what one might have heard from white South Africans in the waning days of apartheid.

I am blessed to live in one of the most diverse communities in America, a place where various races, cultures and religions live and work together in the pursuit of education. For those of us who are part of the Christian mission and identity of our school, the command to love our neighbor takes on flesh and blood every day as students from Muslim, Buddhist, Communist and secularist cultures come into our classrooms and lives.

It is not unusual to watch Christians at our school struggle with the feelings this kind of diversity creates. I might find myself surrounded by Koreans speaking their language, and I am assaulted by a temptation toward resentment that they aren’t speaking English. A table of inner-city African-Americans seem too loud and their hip-hop culture seems alien and disrespectful to me. The hostile questions of an atheistic student cross the invisible boundaries I’ve set up; boundaries that demand he not find my worldview oppressive or ridiculous.

These experiences are common enough that our school might lose a staff family each year primarily to the stress and strain of relating to those different from us. The familiar rhetoric of “I thought this was a Christian school” often comes along with that resignation, insisting that a “real” Christian school would, of course, be populated by Christians in agreement on everything from politics to worship music.

Sam Harris’s description of the arrogance of the Christian faith is the kind of bold atheism that rankles many Christians. Despite the Tom Paines of our history, our belief that we live in a Christian culture inclines us to believe that unbelievers should be, at least, humble. If they want to have their little meetings and make the occasional speech, we can handle it. But when they write confident New York Times bestsellers lecturing all of us as if the nation really belongs to the secularists, it makes us mad.

Harris, however, has a better grasp of the Gospel than most Christians. Evangelicals have almost totally lost the outrage that lies at the heart of the Gospel. We believe that everyone ought to believe what we believe because it’s obvious that its the truth. We have big churches, media stars and books explaining everything so persuasively that it shows just how stubborn and hostile unbelievers really are. If they would just listen to our pastor answer all the questions, it would make sense.

Know Any Revilers?

Usually the search for material to include here runs anywhere from five to fifteen minutes. This time around, I was a full hour looking for something that would satisfy my “depth meter” and I was finally rewarded with the discovery of a blogger who is more Christianity 301 than 201.  Scott Nassau lives in Los Angeles and specializes in Hebrew/Jewish studies.  He doesn’t blog often — this is his third most recent piece and it appeared in February — but the posts are worth waiting for, I guess.  This one was originally titled Why ‘Reviler’ is an Important Word.

I was recently prompted by my friend Joseph Barkley to look up the word reviler when he referenced the word in passing during his challenging sermon. While I like to think of myself as erudite, I was perplexed by my inability to provide a precise definition for the word. In the last few months I spent many hours studying for the GRE and have enjoyed the influx of new words I have added to my repertoire. Reviler was not one of those words. So I looked it up, and discovered that it refers to a person who criticizes with abusive language or in an insulting manner. If this were the extent of my research then this would not provide a very entertaining account.

In English Bibles, this word appears infrequently. The only two instances occur within Paul’s list of various vices (1 Cor 5:11; 6:10). The lists do not provide much context for understanding the meaning of the word; they simply indicate that a reviler does not accurately reflect God’s character and will not inherit God’s Kingdom. In these lists, Paul employs the Greek word loidoros, which simply refers to a verbally abusive person. The word also appears a few times in the Greek translation (LXX) of the Hebrew Bible, all of which refer to a quarrelsome or contentious person (Prov 25:24; 26:21; 27:15; Sirach 23:8). The original Hebrew word madon, the basis for the Greek translation loidoros, refers to strife, quarreling or scolding. The Proverbs teach that a quick-tempered person provokes strife, but the one who is slow to anger calms a quarrel (Prov 15:18; if so inclined, a quick glance at a few of these Proverbs will lead to some very entertaining reading, Prov 16:28; 17:14; 18:19; 21:19; 22:10; 23:29; 25:24; 26:20-21; 27:15; 28:25; 29:22).

By this point I have certainly bored every reader with this overly technical detail for a seemingly insignificant word. Yet the two related Greek words in the New Testament may help elucidate this issue further. First, the noun loidoria refers to speech that is highly insulting or abusive (1 Tim 5:14; 1 Pet 3:9). Peter tells the community of faith not to return evil for evil or insult for insult, but instead bless others (1 Pet 3:9). The Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible uses this word to depict God’s anger with Israel when they complained and grumbled while in the desert (Ex 17:7; Num 20:24). Proverbs describes the person who spreads insults as a fool (Prov 10:18). Second, the verb loidoreo refers to the act of verbally disparaging a person (John 9:28; Acts 23:4; 1 Cor 4:12; 1 Pet 2:23). In the Septuagint, the verb continues to describe contentious or vituperative abuse, but can extend to an altercation, resulting in physical harm (Ex 21:18; see also Gen 49:23; Ex 17:2; Num 20:3, 13; Deut 33:8; 2 Mac. 12:14).

The underlying Hebrew word riv, behind the nominal and verbal Greek words, has a wide range of meaning, including both legal and nonlegal quarrels. The basic meaning of the verb relates to striving. In non-legal applications, the verb can describe either a physical brawl (Gen 26:20-22; Ex 21:18; Judg 11:25) or a verbal quarrel (Gen 31:36; Ex 17:2; Num 20:3). In legal situations, the verb describes the process of bringing a lawsuit against another party (Ex 23:2; Is 3:13; Jer 2:29; Mic 7:9). The nominal form of the word can also describe both non-legal disputes (Gen 13:7; Is 58:4) and legal litigation (Ex 23:3-6).

So why spend so much time discussing the tedious background to a word typically overlooked in modern vernacular? The reason? Obviously, Paul thought it a serious enough offense to mention it along with other vices; therefore, it is an important subject for those who seek to exemplify godly character. Unfortunately, the lack of understanding of this word has caused God’s people to either overlook vituperative speech or, even worse, passively accept such behavior as appropriate.

Sometimes the religious community can be the biggest perpetrators of reviling speech. Some Christian leaders (I will not mention any by name) are notorious for singling out certain sins and verbally assaulting those who struggle with said vices; yet, those who condemn others in an abusive manner are equally guilty of offending God’s righteous standard. At this point, some may take issue with me, thinking that I am advocating an amoral approach. This is entirely not true. When looking at God’s standard for holiness, we cannot simply choose to focus on certain sins that offend us and then decide to ignore the others. We are all broken, which means that we do not have the right to verbally assault others merely because we think their behavior is more offensive to God than our own. One of the reasons Paul includes revilers in his vice list is because it misrepresents God as an emotional demagogue.

A reviler is not only a person who verbally assaults others, but it also includes those with a contentious attitude. God expresses his anger with Israel for their cantankerousness when they grumble against him in the desert, because it illustrated their ingratitude (Ex 17:7; Num 20:24). Incessant complaining dishonors God, because it indicates that we are not thankful for the innumerable blessings God has provided for us. A quarrelsome attitude is equivalent to bringing a lawsuit against God, accusing him of wronging us with some great injustice.

Why is reviler such an important word? It is significant, because it deeply offends God. I know that it is very easy to justify our discontent or overlook our verbal assaults on others, but, if we are serious about reflecting God’s holiness, we cannot treat this behavior as acceptable. On our refrigerator we have a magnet challenging us to remove Lashon Hara, the Evil Tongue, from our midst. In regards to reviling, I think that magnet is appropriate. We can emulate God’s character not only by our actions, but also through our speech.

~Scott Nassau

I’m Behind You

Today’s devotional from Janette Levellie is from CBN.com’s devotional page…

When I made my living as a waitress I quickly learned the value of three words spoken to fellow servers: “I’m behind you.”

No one wants to turn around and cannon into a tray brimming with hot coffee, Denver omelets, and oatmeal with raisins. Fifteen Cub Scouts and their troop leader get impatient when you have to re-scoop their ice cream because you dropped the original bowls on the floor after forgetting to tell the busboy, “I’m behind you.” It’s wise to let people know of a potential mess, so you both can avoid it.

As my husband was getting a pizza out of the oven recently, I walked behind him, carrying our salad bowls. Although 35 years have passed since I served food professionally, I still said, “I’m behind you.” When those three words hit the air, they gripped my heart in a new way. I was not simply telling Kevin to “watch out;” I was helping him succeed at his task of the moment. I was supporting him. And I was saving both of us a trip to the floor to clean up tomato sauce, mozzarella, and Thousand Island dressing.

We all need support, especially in the Church, where we operate as a body, and “should have equal concern for each other (I Corinthians 12:25).” As we serve the Lord and those around us, our individual loads become lighter when we help each other carry them.

The second-wisest man who ever lived said it this way,

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: if one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, NIV)”

The list of ways to get behind a brother or sister is endless:

Are you struggling to make ends meet on a stingy budget? If I slip a ten in your pocket, I’m behind you.

Do you doubt if your marriage can last one more night, or one more fight? If I listen and pray for strength for you, I’m behind you.

Is your kid making choices that break your heart? If I hug you and say “Don’t give up,” I’m behind you.

Are you afraid of what the doctor might find on the next test? If I pray for your healing and tell you “I love you,” I’m behind you.

Do you wonder where your dream got lost? If I encourage you to keep hoping, I’m behind you.

Rebuking and finding fault rarely motivate anyone to succeed. Most of us avoid critical, sour individuals. But we enjoy the company of people who bring out the best in us, helping us believe in ourselves and our dreams. We achieve things we thought impossible by having one or two caring friends say, “I’m behind you.”

You can be that friend to someone today. Instead of turning your back on a need or mocking a dream, be wise enough to say, “I’m behind you. Let me help you succeed.”

For us fellow servers, it will make the difference between messes to clean up or miracles to celebrate.

~Jeanette Levellie

The Most Important Book You’ve Never Heard Of

There are two ways, one of life and one of death, and there is a great difference between the two ways.

~Didache 1:1

While New Testament scholars always knew it existed, it was not until 1873 when a dusty, worn copy was pulled off an Istanbul library shelf by an Archbishop who promptly left it on his desk to attend to other matters, where it sat for months before he finally grasped what it is he had discovered.  In fact, the document whose lost text he had discovered was once considered for inclusion in the Biblical canon.

The Didache (pronounced DID-ah-kay) is only about half the length of the Gospel of Mark, but it provides an intimate view of Christian life and Christian community for the early church in the period following the apostles.  There are many books on the subject, but a simple introduction — along with a copy of the complete text — is Tony Jones’ The Teaching of the 12 (Paraclete Press, 2009).

(Random) Highlights:

• Let your alms sweat in your hands until you know to whom to give them. (1:6)
• Do not be one who opens his hands to receive, or closes them when it is time to give. (4:5)
• Do not give orders to your servants when you are angry, for they hope in the same God…  (4:10)
• Your fasts should not be with the hypocrites, for they fast on Mondays and Thursdays. You should fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. (8:1)
• [Concerning the Eucharist, give thanks this way] “Even as this broken bread was scattered over the hills and was gathered together and became one, so let your church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom…” (9:4)
• Let every apostle who comes to you be received as the Lord. But he must not remain more than one day, or two, if there’s a need.  If he stays three days he is a false prophet. (11:4,5)
• Concerning Baptism, you should baptize this way: After first explaining all things, baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit in flowing water.  (7:1, italics added)
• Hate no one; correct some, pray for others, and some you should love more than your own life. (2:7)

The early Christians were also told to pray the Lord’s Prayer three times daily (8:3) and if they baked bread, to give the first loaf to the prophets (13;5).  The translation above is from Tony Jones’ book, and seems to be closest to one online by Charles Hoole.

So in a post-DaVinci Code climate, where does a document like this fit in?

First of all, we have all we need in the Bible, and no one should feel compelled to read extra-Biblical writings like this, much less those on the periphery such as The Gospel of Thomas.

But for those who want a snapshot of post-New-Testament life, this document has the recommendation of many respected pastors, though don’t expect a movie anytime soon.

DVD: Just minutes after posting this, I discovered that there is now a 6-week curriculum DVD available based on Tony Jones’ book.  Here’s some info — and a 2-minute promo video — from Tony’s blog, Theoblogy.

Gathered In My Name

After attending a service last week just outside of Toronto at The Meeting House, nine campus locations that are part of Canada’s largest church movement; this Sunday we attended a small alternative service at The Third Space, two hours east in Peterborough in which, including all participants, we were part of a group of twenty.

Qualitatively, both weeks hold equal weight.   While there were differences, I am not sure there was a difference.   I see both as equal expressions of the reality of the Body of Christ, that “holy catholic church” spoken of in The Apostles Creed meeting in different places around the world.

^{Hebrews 10 : 24-25 (Message)}Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.

^{Matthew 18 : 20 (Message)} “And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.”