Simple Church Glossary
Here’s a simple glossary for simple churches. It is not exhaustive by any means but will be helpful for people less familiar with the concept of simple church.
Simple Church
We use “simple church” instead of “house church.” “House church” can have negative or weird connotations in our culture. “House church” can also communicate a closed mentality, instead of a missional mentality. Our emphasis is also on simple, not house.[1] We believe in an ecclesiological minimum for the sake of replication, full functioning of the church body, and keeping ministry simple to keep Jesus central.
Church
“Church” is the called-out people of God. Church is not a building; it is a body. The church gathers to be built up, and it scatters to bless the broken world. Church is not an event. Church is not something we go to. Church is something the people of God are.
Missional
“Missional,” Ed Stetzer says, “means adopting the posture of a missionary, joining Jesus on mission, learning and adapting to the culture around you while remaining biblically sound.”[2]
We lovingly engage with the people around us. We do not shut ourselves off in “God ghettos,” we do not create Christian castles. Jesus said that we are to be lights in a dark world (Matt. 5:15). Also as the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus has sent us into the world (Jn. 20:21). So, we leave the “bubble,” learn the culture, love our neighbors, listen to others wisely, live in relationship, and look to connect with people who don’t yet know Jesus.
Discovery Bible Study (DBS)
Discovery Bible Study is a helpful tool or methodology. It is a Bible study method used worldwide that is extremely simple, facilitating replication. It is very easy for people to lead the study even after just going through a DBS once (and that’s the point!). By keeping it simple, people can easily replicate it and pass it on. Importantly, each element teaches an aspect of discipleship.
(Many simple churches use DBS in some form or another. For example, we use DBS in some evangelistic and discipleship contexts.)
APEST (apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, teacher)
The traditional Western church thinks in terms of pastor/shepherd and teacher, maybe even evangelist, but the gift of apostles and prophets is often left out, in contradiction to Ephesians 4. We, as simple churches, want to see the full functioning of Christ’s body so that the saints are equipped, and the body of Christ matures (v. 12-13).
(Alan Hirsch has written much that is helpful on this subject. For example, check out his book 5Q: Reactivating the Original Intelligence and Capacity of the Body of Christ.)
Four Fields
The “Four Fields” refers to a diagram-based training framework (based on Mk. 4:26-29) used as a training aid. It outlines the stages of kingdom growth: (1) Entering (praying and finding people of peace), (2) Sharing Jesus (sowing seeds/evangelism), (3) Growing (discipling), and (4) (4) Gathering as a Church (harvesting, equipping, sending on mission).
Person of Peace
A person of peace is a person who is welcoming and hospitable, and the Spirit uses them to help spread the gospel in their community. The term is from the New Testament, where Jesus instructed His disciples to find people of peace when entering a village.
Oikos Map
An Oikos Map is a visual prayer and evangelism tool. Oikos is Greek for “household.” An Oikos Map is used to map a person’s sphere of influence. The people we know where we work, live, and play: our family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. It is a visual reminder and prayer guide for people in our social networks. It emphasizes how reaching one person can impact their own social networks.
Movement
As simple churches, we desire to multiply and make disciples who make more disciples, not grow any one location in numerical size. We understand a movement to be four generations of disciple makers along the lines of what Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:2.[3] Notice Paul’s desire and exhortation were not to amass a crowd but to form disciples who would make disciples. As simple churches, that is the movement we desire, a disciple-making movement.
Notes
[1] Although we do believe meeting in homes is often strategic. We meet in various other venues, including outside at parks when the weather is nice.
[2] Ed Stetzer and Daniel Im, Planting Missional Churches, 1.
[3] Here are the four generations of disciples from 2 Timothy 2: (1) Paul to (2) Timothy to (3) faithful persons who will be able to teach (4) others also.
*Photo by Redd Francisco
The Work of the Spirit | pt. 9
Fallible Apostles
Fallible apostles exist and are gifted men of God. Many church planters, for example, may have the gifts of an apostle but they do not have authority over others even while they may have much influence. This is because whereas the gift of the apostle continues the office does not.[1]
Sometimes cessationists make the argument that all continuationists believe that at least the gift of the apostle has ceased.[2] I disagree with that caricature; I believe the office of Apostle has ceased.[3] There were other apostles in the New Testament, apparently, they were gifted, and that type of apostle is still around. Obviously, no one else fits the requirement of an Apostle and thus no one should hold the office of an Apostle but that does not, therefore, mean that there are none with the grace gift of an apostle.
As we saw above, MacArthur has tried to show that the rule of apostle has ceased and so then that means that the gifts have ceased. MacArthur does not, however, succeed at what he set out to accomplish. After all, Stephan, for example, was not an Apostle and yet he performed great signs and wonders (Acts 6:8 and perhaps Timothy cf. 1 Tim 4:14; 2 Tim 1:6; 1 Thess 5:19-23; cf. Acts 8:6–7; 9:17–19; 10:44–46; 11:27-30; 19:6–7; 21:9-11).[4] So even if there are no more Apostles that does not mean that there are not still miraculous gifts. However, I do believe there are still apostles (I am not referring to the capital “A” Apostles here, I do believe they have ceased. No one today can meet their qualifications[5]).
But, the role of apostle still continues.[6] Ephesians tells us that Jesus “gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:11-13). We have these five types of leaders (i.e. apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers) for how long? Paul says, essentially, until perfection (this sounds similar to 1 Cor 13:10), until “the fullness of Christ.” Further, there is no reason to think that we get to keep three of the five types of leaders and lose two (i.e. the apostles and prophets).
When we take these verses into consideration, there is no reason to think that just because the Apostles were the foundation of the church (Eph 2:20) that that means that there are no longer those today that can at times, according to the will of God, perform miraculous signs. Regarding Ephesians 4, Markus Barth rightly points out that it “does not contain the faintest hint that the charismatic character of all church ministries was restricted to a certain history and was later to die out.”[7] In fact, he says, “Ephesians distinctly presupposes that living apostles and prophets are essential to the church’s life.”[8]
The Gospel Ripple
“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (Ephesians 4:28).
How does the good news of Jesus impact individuals, families, neighborhoods, and cities? Does the gospel make people prideful begets? Does it make people unloving and judgmental?
Ephesians 4:28 gives us a case study of what the impact of the good news of Jesus is supposed to have. It should change individuals. If they steal, it should change them so that they no longer do so. In the same way, the employer who is a jerk and does not treat people well is to change and instead be kind and care for their employees. The employee is also addressed, they are to do honest work and work as unto the Lord Jesus Himself.
So, we see the thief, the employer, the employee, the soldier (Lk. 3:14), and all types of people in all sorts of positions, are exhorted to not take part in wrong and destructive practices. That is the negative command. That is the, “Don’t do…” But there is also a positive command. Something we are told we must do. And that is labor. Whoever we are and whatever we do, there is something we must do. We must engage in labor, we must do the work before us in honesty. So the Christian is to work their best whether someone is watching or no one is watching.
“Be kind to one another”
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31–32).
There is a right way and a wrong way to live. That is not popular to say but it is the undiluted truth. The right way is in accord with “the way [we] learned Christ” (Eph. 4:20). The wrong way to live involves “hardness of heart” (Eph. 4:18), callousness (Eph. 4:19), and corruption through deceitful desires (Eph. 4:22).
So, there are certain things we should not do. There is a wrong way to live and act. It is damaging and even devilish (James 3:15).
Therefore, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” We should not be resentful. Sinful anger should have no place in our lives. Foolish arguments should never be heard to come from our mouths. We should never speak wrong of others. How can we try to tarnish a person made in God’s image (James 3:9)?! Lastly, how can we have ill-will for someone when God the Son paid the ultimate price for us?! How can we not be transformed by our heavenly Father’s sacrificial love so that we extend grace and love even to our enemies?!
Be Eager to Maintain Unity
“Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:2).
I quoted this verse to my daughter today and she looked at me with a confused look and said, “What does that mean?”
That’s always a good question. I explained to her that in the Church we are all one big family and so we need to stay together and get along. We need to make sure that even when we’re mad and hurt by each other we work at still forgiving each other.
It is very necessary that we read this verse and heed its exhortation. It will inevitably be a verse we have to apply in our own lives. So, as my daughter asked, “what does it mean?” And I would add, “how do we do it?” and “what motivation are we given to obey?”
What does this verse mean?
It says to be “eager”? That means to want to do or have something very much. What do you do when you want something really bad? You pursue it. You work to get it. Even if there are obstacles you keep at it. That needs to be us. We need to be zealous in our pursuit of unity.
Notice also that we are to want to “maintain” the unity. Unity is not just important at one point in one situation. We should desire and work towards maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace at all times and through all situations.
in X 