Showing posts with label community. Show all posts
Showing posts with label community. Show all posts

Monday 28 December 2020

Not created to be on our own

When God created the earth and placed human beings on this planet His intentions were that they would multiply and live peacefully together.

It was not in God's Plan that we all would live as individuals in our own little cocoon or bubble, isolated from the rest of the world.

2020 was a year where we were forced to go in isolation. Even to honour God and to have religious services we had to find means to have celebrations and Breaking of bread, without being together.

We once were a society that centred around family. Multiple generations often lived together under one roof and when families did live separately, they never moved very far. There always have been events to celebrate with each other. Often people looked for reasons to come together and have fun with each other in group. These days, we have become more of an individualistic culture. Most people today rely on themselves. In previous generations members of a family often came to live not so far away from the other members. Today, work has required many to live far away from where they were raised. Our connections with other people take place most often in the workplace. But those connections are usually shallow, fickle, and short lived.

In the church, we see this sense of individualism and disconnectedness as well. In certain countries people are obliged to move around because their work. They therefore do not have anymore what they would call their "own church". Some may stake a claim on a church but remain distant and on the margins, attending only when something better isn't going on. And then there are those who may indeed have a committed relationship with a church but they are not all in. They aren't fully known by their community. They don't rely on the Body when they are struggling or in need. Instead, they wear masks that cover the pain of their lives, pretending that everything's okay, even though it's not.

This year literally masks had to be covering our face. All over the continent religious people could not come together anymore to have a worship service together. Now the individualism and doing life on our own is not part of God's design. In creating mankind, God desired for us to participate in that community which in this corona period could not be realised in real life, but had to happen in virtual meetings.

Jehovah didn't create man to be in community with him alone. After he created the world and Adam, God said,

 "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him" (Genesis 2:18). 

God created man and woman to be in community together, to create families and live together, bearing the image of God.

Scripture is all about community. God chose the Israelites to be his people.

 "And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people" (Leviticus 26:12). 

They lived and worshipped him together in community. Following the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, God then instituted the church, the Body of Christ as a community of believers.

 "Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it." (1 Corinthians 12:27).

 This year, we as members of our church-community were not able to come together in real life with our brothers and sisters. But thanks to the contemporary electronica we were blessed to be able to meet by all those modern electric tools. Several electronic applications made it possible that we even could meet with more people from all over the world.

Being made to live in a humble, worshipful, and loving dependency upon God and in a loving and humble interdependency with others, we could share our union with Christ.


Not only were we created to be in community but we also need community. When we can come together we can share ideas and strengthen each other in our way of thinking and handling. In a way there is also social control. We need godly brothers and sisters to watch our back. We need to be connected in community where we can all be on alert together for the dangers that are all around us.

The truth is, we need each other. We need to trust, rely on, and depend upon other believers. God gave us each other to walk alongside, encourage, and spur one another one in the faith. The writer to the Hebrews says,

 "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near" (Hebrews 10:24-25).

James 5:16 says,

 "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." 

We are to carry each other's burdens (Galatians 6:2), care for each other's practical needs (Romans 12:13, Hebrews 13:16), warn each other of sin (1 Thessalonians 5:14) and rejoice and mourn with each other (Romans 12:15).

Though society might tell us that we can do life on our own, God's word tells us that we simply can't function without each other (1 Corinthians 12). We need each other and we need community. But we should know that in these times of the coronavirus we need to be careful not to bring others in danger, creating possibilities to infect each other.

At the moment we still do have to keep to the corona measures to keep everybody safe. We should not claim as some other Christians and certain Jews do that we have to have the religious freedom to have our worship and praise services in group. There are the meeting tools like Zoom, Meats, HouseParty, Jitsi, Hangouts, Google Meets, a.o. to join a virtual meeting. Lets make use of them for still some more months. And lets hope that from September onwards we shall be able to have again a normal life with many people, able to go to shops, restaurants, hotels and other places, like going back to a prayer hall or church.

Even when not created to be on our own, for the time being we shall have to be happy to keep it cosy in our small corona bubble.


Wednesday 5 February 2014

No reconciliation possible between CBM and Duncan Heaster from Carelinks

It is really frustrating to have to admit that in the Christadelphian world it is like everywhere else in this world, that we do find people who are more interested in their own position than in the welfare of others.

For months now, several Belgian brethren and the CBM linkman for Belgium Chris Edwards have tried to come to a reconciliation between Duncan Heaster, Carelinks and CBM (The Christadelphian Bible Mission). We where surprised to find Duncan Heaster under the members of Christadelphians for Unity and as such we did hope he had come to other thoughts and intentions for the Christadelphian Community, wiling them to unite. But we got a wrong impression, he even tries to get more division in the Christadelphian community and succeeded in a certain way. (It will make him laugh at us.)

Like in many denominations the Christadelphians have by the years become victim of different opinions between its members and got different groups of which some did not want to work together with the other. Such division in Christian communities we do consider very bad.


English: cover of the Photodrama of Creation
English: cover of the Photodrama of Creation (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In Christianity there are even groups who say that they are the right group because they have no division, but mostly we can see that they themselves are also an offshoot of an other denomination. For example you can find the Jehovah Witnesses who always claim to be the only right denomination because they have unity in their ranks. They forget they themselves came from a schism-group in the Biblestudent world. They even claim that their founder was brother Charles Taze Russell (a pupil of our brother Dr. Thomas), though he never founded that organisation. Several people who left the Jehovah Witnesses also formed other denominations, like the Nazarene Friends and many ex-Jehovah Witnesses groups.

Christendom has many many divisions, but it is not different by other religions as the Muslims and Hindu's. also in those religions you can find many different denominations or groups with different believes. as prophesied in the Bible we have come in to the days where those different groups will come to oppose each other and even will go fighting one against the other.

With much regret we do have to say to interested people in the provinces of West and East Flanders, Antwerp and Limburg that we can not offer them a meeting place, because Carelinks does not want to let us know where they have ecclesiae in those places.

For us it is more important that people could come together, gathering in the name of Christ, studying the Bible together. We are not concerned so much if they do belong to this or that group of the Christadelphian community. but it looked like others are really concerned with whom we do want to have contacts. So certain Christadelphians asked us to take away article from this site or not to show others their name on this site - probably they would not like to be associated with us or with people we would like to associate with.

The whole situation escalated and derailed in such a way that the linkman for Belgium in Great-Britain resigned after a harsh reaction of his fellow brethren at the CBM Great-Britain. a new linkman for Belgium has been installed, but I did not have contact with him. I do hope we shall be able to co-operate nicely in the future.

Because our trials to associate with Carelinks several Christadelphians would not co-operate with us and do not like to have news from their ecclesia on our site. Without much news from Christadelphians it is no use that this site will keep its name "Christadelphian World". Therefore I do invite all readers of this site to give me some advice, either to keep its name and to continue trying to build up a community of lovers of Christ willing to live in the "City of Christ" (Christadelphia) or to be brothers and sisters in Christ (Christadelphian); or changing its name to "Christian World" or "The World we live in" or something else?
All suggestions are welcome.

I do agree I became very frustrated to find also in this denomination such a division. When I was a non-trinitarian Baptist I have seen thousands of Baptists having to change form denomination because the Southern Baptist Union became to strong and imposed the trinitarian teaching on all of its members.

I did already change twice of denomination, being born in an Old Conservative Roman Catholic Family, having been an acolyte, though always having questioned the Trinity, having become a Baptist, where I also encountered a very free unbounded spirit where many ideas were allowed to be said. Now once more confronted with people who want to have their person put in the forefront and be taken as the leader, though Jesus should be our leader and not one other human person.

Jesus (Jeshua) should be the cornerstone of the Church and it are his teachings we should follow, not the commandments of a human worldly organisation. Those who want to accept Jesus as their Saviour and would like to accept what this man has done for them, having really died and not having faked his death as a reincarnated god, should join hands and come together.

I do hope those people who want to take Jesus as their lord and cornerstone of their community, living in Belgium (Flanders, Antwerp, Limburg, Wallonia) shall understand our limits and that it is not our fault we can not bring them in contact with other Christadelphian communities which are not linked with the CBM. We just do not have their addresses and Carelinks does not want to have their members to have contact with members of our community.

Also the contact with other Bible Students do not go so smoothly. Also some of them do not want to meet with other members of our community.
With my Lifestyle magazine Stepping Toes I would love to see more serious Bible Students working together and sharing ideas. But also their I am confronted with not many writers willing to write for the magazine or willing to share their ideas. I am thankful to those who do not mind writing on that platform and not mind meeting with other believing people, trying to edify  each-other and helping each other to grow in faith.

I do hope the magazine shall receive some more contributors in due time, but for now I am already pleased some different ideas may be posed together on one platform. I would love to find readers of this site also coming to look at that platform where many ideas may be put together. Please do find Stepping Toes and enjoy the writings over there.

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2014 February 14: (18.08 hours):

For those who commented on this article and can not see their comment, I do apologise. This website was also some time off public, beyond my own wishes. Because a person and his organisation attacking me, a complaint was made about this site being inappropriate. Therefore it got censored. I did also ask Google to reconsider the complaint and hope all reaction will soon be again available to the general public.

Please see also my open reaction about this dangerous situation of censorship: Certain people trying to stem freedom of speech



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Sunday 23 December 2012

Democratic principles for the church of today

Several Catholic clergymen did find again the way church has to be build.

Marie-Therese van Lunen Chenu
Dr Marie-Thérèse van Lunen Chenu 

"The history of the birth of the 1983 code of church law speaks volumes as regards the collusion between magisterium, theology and law. There was not one woman among the 127 members of the Commission for revision of Canon Law (1982 directory) and if some lay people were consulted, how many of those were women? Who chose them? The Roman hierarchy, it is well known, as regards the issue of women, has never agreed to create a structure which would truly give them a voice. Anyone who knows the already lengthy history of the attempts of feminism and women’s associations to dialogue with the religious authorities, would consider they had the right to doubt the true legitimacy of a jurisdiction and a theological function which remains the monopoly of an exclusively masculine authority. The first Convention on the rights of women, adopted at Seneca Falls in the USA in 1848, declared: 'Man has usurped the prerogatives of Jehovah himself, in assigning the sphere of action to woman, when this belongs to the conscience of the woman herself and to God."
Prof Daniel C. Maguire  says " Most Catholic theologians today are scandalously timid in reimagining the new forms the church should be taking today. For at least a century after Jesus the idea of a monarchical bishop in charge of a diocese was not the norm."

From the beginning Jesus envisaged that important decisions should be taken by the whole group of his disciples, by the 'community'. In the case of a dispute between believers which cannot be resolved amicably, Jesus recommends: "Report it to the community" (Matthew 18,15-17). Such common decisions, Jesus added, will be sanctioned in heaven, i.e. by God (Mattthew 18,18; see also Mt 18,19-20).

“And if your brother sins against you, go and reprove him, between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. “But if he does not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word might be established.’ “And if he refuses to hear them, say it to the assembly. And if he refuses even to hear the assembly, let him be to you like a gentile and a tax collector. “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind {1} on earth shall be having been bound {1} in heaven, and whatever you loosen {1} on earth shall be having been loosened1 in heaven. {Footnote: 1 Binding and loosening is Hebidiom for exercising authority (to prohibit and permit).}
“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning any matter that they ask, it shall be done for them by My Father in the heavens. “For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there I am in their midst.” (Matthew 18:15-20 The Scriptures 1998+)

 The word used for 'community' in Matthew's Greek Gospel is εκκλήσία - ecclesia in Latin - which soon became the common expression for a Christian community [= church]. εκκλήσία stood for 'the whole community', and more specifically: 'the community in full assembly'. In the hellenistic [= Greek] world of the Early Church, decisions made by an εκκλήσία were made democratically - another Greek word. It means that all members of the εκκλήσία had a vote in the assembly.

When we read the Acts of the apostles we can see that a sort of democratic process was the rule in the formation of the meetings and in the working together of those who wanted to follow Jesus. To the community, never was demanded to follow one person in particular.

Torchlit procession to mark the 50th anniversa...
Torchlit procession to mark the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council at the Vatican (Photo credit: Catholic Church (England and Wales))
It is very significant that the apostles addressed their inspired letters to the whole community - εκκλήσία - in a particular town. “For instance: 'I, Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle, sends greetings to the church (εκκλήσία) of God in Corinth, to the holy people of Jesus Christ . . .' ” (1 Corinthians 1,1-2.) Several priests and bishops are now aware that "Church" denoted not the hierarchy, nor an institution but the People of God. They say that the Second Vatican Council stressed this notion again in Vatican Council II, Lumen Gentium § 9-17. And the Council reiterated that all members of the People of God share in responsibility, and therefore in a measure of authority, for the whole community. Every baptised person carries authority as priest, prophet and queen/king with Christ and takes part in Christ's universal mission.

“The faithful who, by baptism are incorporated into Christ, are placed in the people of God, and in their own way share the priestly, prophetic and kingly office of Christ, and to the best of their ability carry on the mission of the whole Christian people in the Church and in the world.”
Vatican Council II, Lumen Gentium § 31.
At last they know that Each member of the People of God shares responsibility for the good of the whole community of faith. In the community it is not just one person who is responsible for all the others or who can lead all the others telling them what to do or what not to do.

"By divine institution Holy Church is ordered and governed with a wonderful diversity. "For just as in one body we have many members, yet all the members have not the same function, so we, the many, are one body in Christ, but severally members one of another"(Romans 12,14-6). Therefore, the chosen People of God is one: "one Lord, one faith, one baptism"(Ephesians 4,5); sharing a common dignity as members from their regeneration in Christ, having the same filial grace and the same vocation to perfection; possessing in common one salvation, one hope and one undivided charity. There is, therefore, in Christ and in the Church no inequality on,the basis of race or nationality, social condition or sex, because "there is neither Jew nor Greek: there is neither bond nor free: there is neither male nor female. For you are all 'one' in Christ Jesus"(Galatians 3,28; cf. Colossians 3,11).
If therefore in the Church everyone does not proceed by the same path, nevertheless all are called to sanctity and have received an equal privilege of faith through the justice of God(cf. 2 Peter 1,1). And if by the will of Christ some are made teachers, pastors and dispensers of mysteries on behalf of others, yet all share a true equality with regard to the dignity and to the activity common to all the faithful for the building up of the Body of Christ. "
Vatican Council II, Lumen Gentium § 32. 
For I say, through the favour which has been given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he should think, but to think soberly, as Elohim has given to each a measure of belief. For as we have many members in one body, but all members do not have the same function, so we, the many, are one body in Messiah, and members each one of one another. Now having different gifts, according to the favour which was given to us, let us use them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of belief; if serving, in the serving; or he who is teaching, in the teaching; or he who encourages, in the encouragement; or he who is sharing, in sincerity; he who is leading, in diligence; he who shows compassion, joyously.
(Romans 12:3-8 The Scriptures 1998+)
Brothers, as a man I say it: a covenant, even though it is man’s, yet if it is confirmed, no one sets it aside, or adds to it.
(Galatians 3:15 The Scriptures 1998+)

But the Scripture has shut up all mankind under sin, that the promise by belief in יהושע  {Jeshua} Messiah might be given to those who believe. But before belief came, we were being guarded under Torah, having been shut up for the belief being about to be revealed. Therefore the Torah became our trainer unto Messiah, in order to be declared right by belief. And after belief has come, we are no longer under a trainer. For you are all sons of Elohim through belief in Messiah יהושע . For as many of you as were immersed into Messiah have put on Messiah. There is not Yehuḏite nor Greek, there is not slave nor free, there is not male and female, for you are all one in Messiah יהושע . And if you are of Messiah, then you are seed of Aḇraham, and heirs according to promise.
(Galatians 3:22-29 The Scriptures 1998+)

When the Messiah, who is our life, is manifested, then you also shall be manifested with Him in esteem. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: whoring, uncleanness, passion, evil desire and greed of gain, which is idolatry. Because of these the wrath of Elohim is coming upon the sons of disobedience,{1 Footnote: 1Eph. 2:2, Eph. 5:6. in which you also once walked when you lived in them.} But now, also put off all these: displeasure, wrath, evil, blasphemy, filthy talk from your mouth. Do not lie to each other, since you have put off the old man {1} with his practices, {Footnote: 1Rom. 6:6, Eph. 4:22.} and have put on the new one who is renewed in knowledge according to the likeness of Him who created him, where there is not Greek and Yehuḏite, circumcised and uncircumcised, foreigner, Scythian, slave, free, but Messiah is all, and in all. Therefore, as chosen ones of Elohim, set-apart and beloved, put on compassion, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, patience, bearing with one another, and forgiving each other if anyone has a complaint against another, indeed, as Messiah forgave you so also should you. But above all these put on love, which is a bond of the perfection. And let the peace of Elohim rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one Body, and be filled with thanks. Let the Word of Messiah {1} dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing with pleasure in your hearts to the Master in psalms and songs of praise and spiritual songs. {Footnote: 1John 12:48, Dt. 18:19, Rev. 19:13.} And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the Name of the Master  יהושע, giving thanks to Elohim the Father through Him.
(Colossians 3:4-17 The Scriptures 1998+)
God distributes the gifts of the Spirit to the faithful of every rank. That is why all rightly share in the decision making processes of and for the community.


Ministry of the Apostles, a complex multi-figu...
Ministry of the Apostles, a complex multi-figure icon with a full-height image of Jesus Christ, surrounded by sectors with scenes of His disciples' calling, ministry and martyrdom. Icon from the Yaroslavl Museum Preserve. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When the Church grew and became more organised, it assimilated government structures first from the Roman Empire, then from the secular kingdoms of the Middle Ages. Soon it was to adapt certain pagan rites and ideas as well as holy days, because other-while they would come in trouble with the local governing committees.To make it easier to get in unison with the civil governing official they introduced the civil ruling system and hierarchy.  The exercise of authority became top-down, hierarchical and feudalistic.

Anno 2012 many bishops and priest of the Roman curia find that "While retaining some of the useful organizational tools acquired in the past, the Church of our own time should re-instal the pattern of true universal co-responsibility envisaged by Christ and the apostles. It can do so by adopting many of the excellent democratic principles of the secular societies in which we live."

God does not want us to follow people or institutions. Also Jesus did not to take him as the wonder-doer  or to honour him. He told people to listen to his words but to recognise them as the message from his Father, to whom we also should pray "Our Father". In many of his parables and preachings Jesus clearly showed others he importance of following the One and Only One True God, his Father in heaven.

As the seed of Abraham we should be one united people. We may not be isolated individuals but should be one family and behave like brothers and sisters in Christ. Jehovah God wants us all to be part of the salvation not as a “me and Jesus” thing. Rather, He desires to save us as His Set -Apart or holy, beloved people. Each individual in the Church of God has to submit himself to the Master Builder's hand. Our sacrifices offered to God must be of ourselves; each in our measure must try to follow Jeshua (Jesus) who set himself apart and kept away from sin, living a life according to the commandments of his Father, the Elohim Jehovah God. This anointed one, who offered himself, is the one we should follow.

Because it is contained in the Scripture, “See, I lay in Tsiyon a chief corner-stone, chosen, precious, and he who believes on Him shall by no means be put to shame.” {1} {Footnote: 1Isa. 28:16.} This preciousness, then, is for you who believe; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner-stone,”{1} {Footnote: 1Ps. 118:22.} and “A stone of stumbling and a rock that makes for falling,”{1} who stumble because they are disobedient {2} to the Word, to which they also were appointed. {Footnotes: 1Isa. 8:14. 2See John 3:36, Heb. 3:18.}
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a set-apart nation, a people for a possession, that you should proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light, who once were not a people, but now the people of Elohim; who had not obtained compassion, but now obtained compassion.
(1 Peter 2:6-10 The Scriptures 1998+)

So do not be ashamed of the witness of our Master, nor of me His prisoner, but suffer hardship with me for the Good News according to the power of Elohim, who has saved us and called us with a set-apart calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and favour which was given to us in Messiah יהושע  before times of old, but now revealed by the appearing of our Saviour יהושע  Messiah, who indeed abolished death and brought life and incorruptibility to light through the Good News,
(2 Timothy 1:8-10 The Scriptures 1998+)
All those who call themselves Christian should be followers of Jesus, keeping to his words and holding his commandments, going out in the world preaching the Good News, evangelizing and bringing as much people back to Jesus his Father, Jehovah God.

God nor Jesus never intended Church to be a bureaucracy. It had to be a means to feel united as children of God and to give live structure under the guidance of the Word of God.
All Christians should have a greater awareness that our faith is necessarily ecclesial. The ecclesia should be the home of the people who want to follow Christ and continue their search to come as close as possible to the Father of Jesus, who is also our Father and should be the only Holy Father.
It is in the ecclesia that faith should be celebrated, lived, and shared in brotherly love, with respect and equality for everybody.



Democratic principles

Leonard Swidler"We can learn tried and tested democratic principles such as the following:
* creating councils through which people's voice can be heard;
* the fair election of leaders;
* accountability for all entrusted with tasks;
* a limited term for office holders;
* transparency;
* ensuring that all groups in the Church are duly represented;
* due process of law;
* and the separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers."
Len Swidler

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Do find the call on all members of the People of God to assess the situation in the Catholic church.: Due democratic process should be used in decision making. > Catholic Scholars' Jubilee Declaration

Please do read:
  1. What and why Ecclesia
  2. Meetings
  3. Not bounded by labels but liberated in Christ
  4. Reasons to come to gether
  5. Look for your Refuge by God
  6. Minimizing the power of God’s Force the Holy Spirit
  7. Position and power
  8. Raising digression
  9. Politics and power first priority #1
  10. Politics and power first priority #2
  11. Politics and power first priority #3 Elevation of Mary and the Holy Spirit
  12. The Ecclesia in the churchsystem
  13. Manifests for believers #5 Christian Union
  14. Philippians 1 – 2

 Also of interest:



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Friday 21 December 2012

What’s church for, anyway?

On WordPress appeared on a blog the question: What’s church for, anyway?

The writer of the article had several questions on his  mind about faith, the way of worshipping, commuting and meeting.

He had been following along with according to him a really interesting conversation on a couple different blogs lately that feeds into some stuff that’s been floating around in my head lately. Namely:
  • What’s church for?
  • Why do people go to church?
  • What role should churches and religious institutions and communities play in the world?
  • Do people of faith live out their spiritual or religious ideas/beliefs/inclinations in the world? Should they? How? Why? Why not?
One of the conversationalists when he grew older his relationship to the church waned, but for him Jesus  seemingly never did.He found his way back to his, probably original, faith. His journey took him through twists and turns of self discovery, listening to some telling him he should never come out if he knew what was good for him. His faith was like shifting sand. The faith of his friend — from his point of view — has been like a rock: weathered, beautiful, solid and still there. Today they would say of themselves that they are both deeply faithful people.
what is important is that faith should move mountains.

One of the debaters is a 'father' in the Old Catholic church who saw himself suddenly confronted with the remark “And pray that they don’t become child molesters” when he had written “Please pray for our Seminarians, as they take the next step in their preparation for the Priesthood. Pray that the Lord will continue to send workers for the vineyard.”

He works with youth, has small siblings that he adores, and he loves little kids. He likes to smile and wave at little kids on the bus, make funny faces and place peek-a-boo with babies in strollers, coo and grin, and he feels now like he can no longer do those things; or he has to be incredibly cautious when he do them lest he be seen as threatening. It makes him angry. And sad.
He is angry at the people who use the abusers to blame and scapegoat queer people. He is angry at all of the people who think that queer people are sexual deviants, sinners, or predators. He is angry that instead of figuring out who the actual abusers are and getting them the help they need that the community instead scapegoat queer people.

To me, he seems to forget that that he has to bear a social function of an example of a child of God. In the Catholic Church it may happen a lot that there are queer priests, who may consider it a normal thing. They even often do not understand why today they will always been seen as a double threat, both for being a priest and also for their queerness. It makes him sad that he has to worry about greeting children, that he can’t be himself.

He wants to reclaim the priesthood. He wants to reclaim the image of the Priest as the person who shows up when you are in need, who helps to craft rituals that bring life meaning, who walks with people in their lives and spiritual journeys. He wants "to take back the collar as a sign of hope and blessing" he says.But is that collar really the sign of hope and blessing, and does it represent the work of the Elohim Most High God?

He would like to reclaim the idea that priests are people who can be trusted, but seemingly forgets what damage that church has done in the past and how many representatives have lied so much the last few years.How can he want to earn the trust of people. He would like people to begin to see the collar as something trustworthy again, as a symbol of something good but forgets that several of his colleagues have damaged the church in general horribly.

In many countries the paedophile priests not only damaged the soul of their victims, they made that people got enough from church and the religious institutions.

 On of the other respondents says: "When a person, organization, or government opposes the full equality of queer people, they create a gulf between themselves and me. If there is division when queers come out or speak up, we do not create it; we simply bring attention to the division which is already there, a division we did not create."
"I am no longer a member of the church I grew up in. Though the process of separating myself from my church was painful at the time, it was inevitable. My church had cut me out of its body long before I came out."

Brian Gerald Murphy, an activist, author, and entrepreneur, asks his readers to leave their churches that exclude queer people and join congregations that affirm them. He asks his readers to cultivate a chosen family that is full of lesbian, gay, transgender, and queer folks.

It looks also like several of those 'different feeling' people want the world to believe all this would have to be accepted as the normal standard and that we should work with them to build solidarity movements that cut across race, class, nationality, immigration status, physical and mental ability, and any other gulf of division which has been created to keep them apart (according to their saying). They ask that believers would leave the places which divide and join the places which empower.

They wonder if God is someone who wants us to ultimately take charge of our own destiny and to make our own decisions, regardless of what those choices are? Or does God demand self-emptying and, ultimately, to recognize that He is Creator and we are all his creatures, not in burdensome slavery but in joyful surrender? Was Adam’s choice a once-and-for-all choice for mankind? Or do we each get to choose anew?

I think we all have to face a personal road where we ourselves have to make our own decisions.  I am afraid, no matter how you turn it, each of us has to take on his or her responsibility in their own choices. In constantly inspecting and examining him or herself. To be courageous and unrelenting. This may be scary stuff but it is what is demanded by the Creator Himself. To question one’s self. One’s foundations. The things one holds dearly.

Each person has to decide if they want to be part of the World or be part of Jehovah God.

Each person has to make the choice what to believe and how to handle this faith. Each person is himself or herself responsible for the attitude they take.

People do like to put labels on everything and to qualify people and everything else in "boxes".

Those bloggers got *shocked*  when they  re-read the gospel of Luke, and when they where to re-remember just how RADICAL Jesus is. According to them he is constantly going against the grain of (Roman, pharisaic) society–standing for the oppressed, etc – and he is 'public' about it. Explicitly so. "I guess he never issued a hard-copy, political statement, but his followers sure did: that’s how we have the Gospels."   wrote. "So what does that mean for contemporary followers of Jesus? Is it enough to support only the queer people who come through the doors of our congregations? But what about those who never find the Porch?" She has her tears confusing her, because as far as she can tell, she is not sad about getting older. She greet her thirties with mostly enthusiasm, knowing many undiscovered things await her in the next decade. But as the dawn of her life breaks to late-morning sunshine, she is left to wonder: as new opportunities open up, which opportunities are closing to her?

Every person in the world would like to know where he or she stands in the universe. Every human being wants to be part of humanity and being appreciated and being recognised. We all want some place in the community.

Being part of the community often brings people also to wanting to find a place in the small community of the city, town or village. Parish life becomes important and one to be part of.

When we walk around in our small world, we shall give impressions to others. No matter how, but the way we dress, the way we look, the way we act, the way we talk, send out political messages to others. Even regardless of our intent. You may question if we can control the way we are perceived, but we should understand and be conscious that all of us enter into the world each day as political actors, whether we like it or not. People will read us a certain way, even if they themselves also have a responsibility to look past the surface. The question at hand is: is that important to you? And if so, what are you going to do about it?

For a person of godly faith this should be very much important. Our attitude should be an example to others and should be a proof of the choices we have made in our life.The way we behave should show to others that we are followers of Christ Jesus and that we do want to follow Christ and God's commandments.

In a way we should show others that we have given ourselves in the hands of Jesus, our master teacher, and are willing not to take ourselves as the king of the universe, but to accept him as the mediator between God and us.

For religious institutions, religious houses or churches, and spiritual communities it should be alike. They should be an example to the world and let it see where they stand for, what they believe, and who they want to follow. The institution has to make it clear if it wants to gain popularity by the masses, the popular crowd of this world, or perhaps to be not in agreement with the majority of people, and not be so popular by every body, but separated a little bit by keeping to the rules dictated in very old scriptures.

Some may think we do not need to reach out our hands to help our neighbours, because we are our neighbours, connected through a common humanity. In this kind of construct, we don’t have the privilege to “struggle” with an “issue”, but in the community we do have to stick out our hand to others, willing to care for the other person and willing to go together on the road in which we do believe that it shall bring us to a better life.

The ecclesia or church, should be the meeting place where everybody is assembling, willing to accept each other with his or her own peculiarity. It should be the place where everybody is not only willing to “walk the walk” in their personal lives, but also to bind themselves together to create a collective power in order to combat systemic injustice.

As the blogger Alison rightly says: "Jesus didn’t live in a vacuum: the parables he taught, the people he embraced, and the illnesses he healed made social commentaries upon the world around him. He upset people in power, and was killed because of it. If we really live in the model that Jesus set, then we are also called to fight the abuses of power in our world. But first we actually need to name what is wrong with the way things are, and envision what a better world might look like, especially if we expect things to change."

Many people are afraid to "name" those things or to say where they stand for or what they really believe. Lots of things in this world go wrong because people do not tell the truth or do not show their real "me", their real own personality, afraid of what other might think. Openness is some thing where we should strive for in a community where brotherly love should come in the first place.

Christians should be followers of Christ Jesus and come together to meet each other as brothers and sister, making a town of Christ or a Christadelphia.

In history sadly enough, churches have sidestepped the toughest questions: slavery, discrimination, homophobia, poverty, political corruption, and the failings of marriage. Today we see the price they pay for being permitted to operate publicly and Music&Meaning thinks it is wise to keep some psychological distance when in church.But in church we should keep an open mind and be willing to discuss all sorts of problems with each other. Yes it may be a debating place, but such one that everything is compared with what is written in the Bible, the Word of God. It is that Word of the Most High which should be our major guide.

Those gathering in a private house, a public hall or church-building, in the name of God, should try to dispose themselves of labelling people. We have to disembarrass our selves and share the best of ourselves with others, freeing ourselves of the burdens of this commercial world.

But it may not be a place where we strip all the values and ethics just to let all sorts of people feel at ease. Never may the group of people elude the teachings of Christ and circumvent the commandments of God to gain popularity. That is what happened in the past so much with many churches.

Even when being in the 21st century, we should go back to the roots of the first century, and learn from the apostles meeting. Though it may look old fashioned and not of this time to still keep up a tradition or wanting to meet like they did two millennia ago. Be sure, in the New testament we do find the example how to make church, and that is still valid today.

Church should be the place where everybody can find comfort and come closer to God.

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Articles spoken about in this writing:

  1. What’s church for, anyway?
  2. the greatest of these is love
  3. Collars and Queers 
  4. A Glimpse Inside 
  5. Division & Solidarity: A letter to straight allies
  6. What boxes are you stuck in?
  7. What’re some of the boxes you’ve escaped from?

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Find also:
  1. What and why Ecclesia

  2. The Ecclesia in the churchsystem

  3. Christadelphians today

  4.  Follower of Jesus part of a cult or a Christian
  5. Not bounded by labels but liberated in Christ
  6. Salvation, trust and action in Jesus #3 as a Christian
  7. Self-development, self-control, meditation, beliefs and spirituality
  8. Answering a fool according to his folly
  9. Following a Compassionate Lord
  10. Feeling-good, search for hapiness and the church
  11. Breathing to teach
  12. Breathing and growing with no heir
  13. Slave for people and God
  14. Worship and worshipping
  15. Judeo-Christian values and liberty
  16. Manifests for believers #1 Sex abuse setting fire to the powder
  17. Manifests for believers #2 Changing celibacy requirement
  18. Manifests for believers #3 Catholic versus Protestant
  19. Manifests for believers #4 Eucharist
  20. Manifests for believers #5 Christian Union

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Find also articles on:
, , , , , , , Being Christian, following Jesus Christ, Churchplanning, , , Ecclesia, , Manners and Association, Meeting, ,


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Saturday 8 October 2011

Obstacles to effective evangelism

Dave Burke his twin brother has compiled a list of obstacles to effective evangelism which currently plague the Christadelphian community:

* Use of the KJV or any Bible translation earlier than the 1970s
* Failure to demonstrate practical positive life benefits to believing and living the gospel
* Failure to demonstrate practical outcomes of doctrinal differences between ourselves and other Christian groups
* Failure to differentiate between the needs of Christians and non-Christians
* Failure to understand what non-Christians are looking for
+ David adds:

 Failure to understand why other Christians go to church
* Use of jargon in our literature
* Lack of literature for non-English speaking people
* Lack of literature for people with English as a second language
* Lack of attention to pressing social issues
* Insistence that visitors adhere to specific in-group rules
* Failure to demonstrate that we actually care about the community in which we live


These problems have been perpetuated for decades, largely because they are not recognised as problems.

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Effective evangelism has wider implications than the conversion of non-Christadelphians. It also improves the health of our community by building up our young people (themselves a prime audience for Christadelphian evangelism) and our 'less comely members' (I Corinthians 12:14-25). For some Christadelphians the internet is seen as a viable alternative to real life community. This is inherently problematic and potentially damaging.

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Luckily there are also ecclesiae which use contemporary versions of the Bible.

Thursday 4 August 2011

Christa-Delphos Welcome


  • Welcome on this Christadelphian Bible students Forum for news about the Christadelphian community, reflections and Bible study.
    We want to offer an open space where Christians of all sorts of denominations can meet each other.
  •  The name 'Christadelphian' is compounded of two Greek words: 'christos' and 'adelphoi' and means 'brethren in Christ'.  The Christadelphians are a group of people associated together by a common belief in 'the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ the Messiah (Acts 8v12).
  • We are a worldwide community whose aim is to follow as closely as possible the teaching and example of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Bible.  We endeavour to read the whole Bible at least once every year.  In a world full of uncertainties we enjoy a simple, direct and logical faith, offering peace and contentment now, and the promise of everlasting joy to come.
  • Everybody is invited to share their thoughts about God, Jehovah, Yahweh, Allah,  His creation, religion and Christianity.
  • Originally this site was mainly in Dutch with some postings in English. [If you want to see only the English texts you can choose the tag "English text" or click on the other one "English texts" (which is for shorter notes, mixed English articles, and links) and/or on the tag "general"]
    Later we got the Dutch postings placed on Bijbelonderzoekers Journal and the English equivalent here. But because trying to reach the Belgian public in particular the tags where kept in Dutch. (The best way if you are looking for a certain subject please do translate the English word to Dutch and find it under the tags.)
  • From the Summer 2011 onwards the main articles are placed on the Wordpress site of the Belgian Christadelphian Ecclesia. Please do find more over there.
  • (From Summer 2011 onwards) This Multiply site with its Blog: the Christadelphians Journal is functioning more as a notice board, Forum and a place were you can find Photos, Videos and Links.
To find recent English additions please scroll down to the English texts tag-box on the Homepage where you can find the most recent English additions and favourite texts.

- republication from Multiply by transfer Multiply articles to Blogger 2012 October

Monday 9 May 2011

Intentions of an Ecclesia

Full Dutch article / Uitvoerig Nederlands artikel: Intenties van de ecclesia

The Greek word for “church” is “ekklesia” which simply refers to those who were "called out" for an assembly or meeting. It was a non-religious word. It just referred to a group of people. In this case, the group of people who were followers of Jesus.

In several of our articles you shall be able to find that Church is not an organization, building, or meeting of any kind. In the real sense of the word it should be simply a group of people who follow Christ.
When Jesus said "I will build my church." it simply meant that he was going to form a called out group, or crowd, or fellowship, or assembly.

Language is something which changes in time, so naturally we do have tot follow it and take the word 'church' in the meanings how people look at it today. But we also have to show them that it means more then just one meaning they want to select.
It’s very helpful to define “church” clearly. We do have to make it clear it does not mean only the sort of building specially made for worship. We can also use the word fellowship, or gathering, or brethren, or saints, or disciples.

At the beginning of our Contemporary Time table (or Common Era = CE) Jesus gathered with his followers in the open nature and in synagogues. In the first century CE ther was no formal membership, just a love-commitment to God and each other that brought people gathering together.
The purpose of those who wanted to follow Jesus and became believers was to find same-minded people and to go with the message of the Hope which was given to them by Jesus Christ the Saviour. Sometimes apostles were present, many times not. Sometimes elders were present, many times not.
The church really is the followers of Jesus who engaged in gathering and going.

The disciples of Christ and their followers came together to experience God in their midst and that is what we still have to do today. They sit not back and wait for a pastor to preach them a sermon or for a music leader to sing them a song, or just for elders to pray. they came together to enjoy the presence of each other and to participate in an assembly to praise the Lord. they knew how Jesus went everywhere proclaiming and demonstrating the reality, love, and power of the Kingdom (healing the broken-hearted, setting captives free, proclaiming God’s acceptance, etc.) and were aware what sort of task their Master Teacher had given them.

Jesus took the Gospel to the streets and told everybody to go out in the world and to spread the Good News.

To be able to spread that news we do not stay 'binnenkamers' (or) inside the room. We have to bring the word outside. This means that church, first of all, needs to transition from being a “come and see” place to a “go and be with the lost” movement. We need to go where people are already hanging out and be prepared to have conversations with them about the great love of our lives.

A meeting for brothers and sisters in Christ can take place everywhere other people are. so you can come together in pubs, shopping malls, restaurants, parks. You could say we need church where people are already hanging out. We need a church in every mall, every Carrefour, Bijkorf, Sainsbury or Tesco. Churches can go where the people are, churches can start quickly anywhere and reproduce rapidly. In this way, the church becomes what it is meant to be: a “going” movement.

The homosapiens is created not to be on his own. People were designed to need each other and rely on each other. People were designed to learn and grow from loving interaction with other people.

That should also be the intention of gathering: being together under the wings of Christ Jesus. Coming with like-minded people together to find ourselves in a loving relationship with other believers enabling each other to begin to live life in a new way, a more freeing way.

Having small groups of people coming together in formations at public or private places you could call them house-churches but we would prefer them to call ecclesiae (the plural form of ecclesia/ekklesia). Coming together they all should have the same intention, showing each other their love for God and their believe in the son who was willing to die for us. Gathering they should share the love for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Ecclesia then can become the place where we have people to encourage us when we need it and  have people to build us up. It should be the place where we have the awesome gift of having a support structure to rely on when things get tough.

The one ecclesia does not have to be an exact copy of the other ecclesia. Everybody is different so every ecclesia may be different as well. Every situation is different so every service may be different.
We do not need a set of Common Prayers or a missal to follow a strict order of service.
Creating community that is safe and that reflects God’s own love does not just happen. Someone has to risk being vulnerable and saying, “This is who I really am.” We are spiritual and human, both.
As a family we should feel life around us and be aware of what is going on in the world but also in the brotherhood. We should recognise the differences of character and the differences of situations. Our humanness should be shared in common with all. Sharing our humanness does not make us weak—it makes us close to other humans. It allows us to fulfil the biblical command to “accept one another as Christ has accepted you.” Someone has to be deliberate about taking the risk to take the masks off. In this environment of acceptance, others will do the same and true community will develop.

We should be making room for people to share. And by creating a nice atmosphere we can help each other to come loose.
There needs to be times during meals, gatherings, get-togethers where people have space to share their lives. Daring to share your live with other is one aspect of accepting the others as your brother or sister.
Good relationships are built on the inevitability of conflicts that are faced and resolved to the point where the relationship is even stronger. Relationships are made to grow us. We must deal with the real issues of hurt, pride, anger, communication, and forgiveness.

Making an ecclesia is opening yourself up to other whatever their position in life or what their interests are. Being interested in what they do, read, watch on television, etc. makes part of the togetherness. In it we do have to accept that we can be close to someone or closer to somebody else. But we also should be aware that not all relationships are going to continue to be close, even when they are good. Being part of a transformational family should be at the heart and soul of what it means to “be” the church.

It are the gatherings of believers who “are” the church and reach out to bless their neighbours and restore neighbourhoods. Each ecclesia should be a little heart of a community. the blood cells of the Parish which supports the oxygen.

Together we do have to try to work together so that we get clean fresh blood every day of the week a whole year through.

Which food, the quality and quantity depends on choices, but in every community the most precious food and main dish should be the Word of God. Everything should be centred around the Bible.

We can encounter many different ecclesiae but for all of them the highest priority should be the Love for the One and Only Elohim God Almighty Jehovah/Yahweh and His Word, plus the spreading of the Gospel, the Good News of the Saviour Jesus/Yeshua, the Messiah, his return and the Kingdom of God.


How and what 'you can eat' to get the best intentions you can read in:
An Organic Church in the line of what God wants
What to expect from a Christadelphian meeting?


Please do find more about the Ecclesia in:


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In Dutch you can find / In het Nederlands:


Lees meer over Ecclesia in de artikelen van de Christadelphian Ecclesia.