Several years ago when we were in the US on furlough, we visited a small church. During the course of the service there was annoyance and discontent voiced toward the conference that this church was constituent within. I made a comment something to the effect of: “Be thankful you have a conference at all!” After the service I was read the riot act for trying to broaden the discussion into something constructive.
Conference
We were worshiping within a building, a dedicated church building. This church had Sabbath School materials, pastoral support (very good, Godly, pastoral support), access to any number of support systems, evangelism support both financially and with materials and personnel.
Members
Were there problems? When humans are involved there are always problems. As one brother put it, “Our members are our greatest asset and our greatest liability.” We’re all in that boat together.
Our last assignment before retirement kept us fourteen years in a secular Catholic country. There were less than a thousand church members on the Island (As I recall it was closer to five hundred when we arrived) which consisted of two countries separated by hundreds of years of religious and political war, strife and hatred. There were less than 50 Adventists from within the indigenous culture. Any support we needed for our work we had to develop ourselves; the mission was stretched too thin as it was. We started in a dark area, no Adventist presence for many miles in any direction. A few members would have been nice.
That was my perspective as I sat in that very comfortable church pew that Sabbath day. At least they HAD a church, with related problems, that they could work through with extended church family.
Do we need each other?
Once upon a time a friend who had spent several years working within what became a toxic Adventist offshoot coined what he called the “Cascading Remnant” phenomenon: “There are only you and me left who are faithful, and I’m not so sure about you.”
Without writing a book I’d like to examine a few reasons why, even in this technatronic age when we can live completely isolated within an illusionary world created by media and internet, we still need each other within the context of church fellowship.
Let’s go back to Jerusalem, just before and after Pentecost. What were the early believers doing in that Upper Room? Playing video games in separate corners? Talking about their favorite gladiator and the odds on the various drivers in the upcoming chariot race? Gossiping about who wore what to Sabbath worship last week? How did they spend their time together?
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1).
So how did they get to that place within their fellowship? How did James and John repair the riff their ambition had created in the group? How did Peter tame his mouth? How did they rebuild their inculcated “One World Kingdom” theology, where they were the elites? How in the world did they ever work together to start the most comprehensive and influential movement in the history of mankind?
How do we develop that experience among ourselves today?
The apostle Paul gives us a little more information on this,
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love [agape] and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:23-25).
So, you might ask, how do we develop this kind of fellowship, where we can trust each other? It takes an investment of time and relationship building with the Holy Spirit involved at every step. I’m not trying to be dismissive of the very real problems we have within our churches. The short book of Jude sums this up very clearly and gives us a picture of who is causing the problems,
“But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.
“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love [agape] of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
“And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them our of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh” (Jude 1:17-23).
One important and imperative point: In our attempts to fellowship together, as in marriage, we need the Spirit in us and between us. Many of our problems stem from not allowing the Spirit into our lives and relationships. Mrs. White reminds us:
“So frail, so ignorant, so liable to misconception is human nature, that each should be careful in the estimate he places upon another. We little know the bearing of our acts upon the experience of others. What we do or say may seem to us of little moment, when, could our eyes be opened, we should see that upon it depended the most important results for good or for evil” – {GW 473.2}.
I remember working with another Literature Evangelist back in the 1970’s. He had been in Viet Nam in Special Forces. He told us how when they went on patrol they would walk back to back. In the ancient Celtic world it was said a Celtic man and his wife, standing back to back, could hold off an entire Roman legion. We should have that kind of fellowship, watching each other’s backs instead of trying to stab each other in the back. It is possible in the Spirit, as Jude reminds us. Those who would sow discord cannot remain long where the Spirit is indwelling and we are supporting each other in love and fellowship. I know this isn’t simplistic, it wasn’t in the days of the early church either; but they, by the Spirit, kept it together to hand down God’s Word and Church to us today. We know the history of the Church in the Wilderness. The Lord still inhabits the fellowship of even two or three gathered.
Another important point is that the church is a body: If we are to represent the ministry of Jesus in our communities and world we need each other. According to God’s Word we have all been given spiritual gifts, all of which are vital. Jesus needs us united and working together so He can walk in our world today, as He walked when on earth. All of our gifts are needed. None of us are omniscient.
Since we have all sinned, we all need to be involved in the redemptive process we call sanctification. We need each other for that, it’s part of watching each other’s backs in love. No, not by trying to be the Holy Spirit, but by cooperating with Him and intercessory prayer,
“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself” (Galatians 6:1-3).
Keep Studying
I think there also is much to be said for studying, sharing and learning together. Since none of us are omniscient, we need the spiritual gifts God has given us corporately for our edification and spiritual growth.
I’ve been asked before why bother trying to understand prophecy? Won’t we know when it happens? For me, I’d much rather think and talk about these things than watch football, play video games or go shopping. I like learning new things that enhance my understanding of God’s character, will and Word. Just the other day my good wife, while studying to teach the Sabbath School lesson, remarked about a new insight she just had about a symbolic/prophetic parallel between David and Christ. Turned a light on for me, gave me another tile to place in the infinite mosaic of God’s love and plan for our salvation.
To me, studying together is like gathering the family to do a puzzle, but is it that important to us in real life experience?
The Magi got it right and the shepherds did too. Because the Magi followed that star Joseph had the necessary financial means to escape Herod's death decree, not to mention that they got to be with Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus during what was, beside the crucifixion, the most momentous event in history (we could argue one of the two greatest events in the history of the universe). Anna and Simeon got it right and got to see their Saviour before they died the first death. Daniel understood Jeremiah and his prayer of intercession moved heaven at the right time. I wonder about the conversations Daniel had with Cyrus based upon the prophecies of Isaiah?
Just before His death Jesus left some very cryptic words for His disciples and basically told them to go back to study Daniel. I’m thinking they spent some time studying, debating and praying about these words. Because they worked together with the Spirit to correctly understand, not one true believer suffered the fate of torture and death that the thousands experienced when Jerusalem was overrun and destroyed in 70 AD. The Zealots, who also thought they understood the prophecies, ended up committing suicide, trapped in the fortress of Masada.
The last point I want to mention is that we are learning to live in God’s eternal kingdom. I don’t think there will be hermits in the Kingdom, nor a caste system. The question for us is how do we build and maintain functional, redemptive, relationships with each other so we can worship, fellowship and work together in the Spirit filled experience that will prepare us for the Latter Rain outpouring of the Holy Spirit that has been promised?
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Brad Bushey writes from Southwestern New Mexico where he and his wife of fifty years, Sheri, retired five years ago. Their ministry began in 1974 in Literature Evangelism and over the years they have served in a number of areas such as health evangelism, pastoral support, public evangelism and church planting. They, at various times, started and ran businesses as they raised and educated their three daughters, who along with their husbands and grandchildren, all remain within the Seventh-day Adventist church family. Their last assignment before retirement saw them working with Adventist Frontier Missions and located in Ireland for fourteen years church planting, while starting and running an evangelistic charity and operating a center of influence in Waterford City Center. Brad posts on F7 under his middle name, Aaron.
