Simple.
Defined by Merriam-Webster as an adjective
: not hard to
understand or do
: having few parts;
not complex or fancy
: not special or
unusual
Sounds easy
enough. Yet we live in a society where bigger is usually considered better,
where you “get what you pay for” and there are always upgrades available. And
yet God, in His infinite wisdom, has often chosen the simple to confound the
wise. From Ten Commandments, the Pharisees extrapolated 248 additional
commandments and 365 prohibitions. From meeting in houses in the early days of
the church, we went on to build some of the most beautiful structures ever seen. Oh, we can make things complex, can’t we? But
bigger is not always better and sometimes, more expensive just means it costs
more.
Ileen and I
have been called to a path less travelled. We hear Father directing us towards
simple church. Also referred to as house church and organic church, the idea is
to distill the church experience down to the basics. While I am of the opinion
that there are some fundamental issues with today’s church in America, please, please don’t misunderstand me; I am not
making a case for the simple church at the expense of the institutional church.
I just happen to think that perhaps
going back to the beginning, as best we can, may result in the church life that
I read of in the New Testament. Of course, since a lot of Paul’s writings were
directed towards churches with issues, I may need to be careful what I wish
for.
So, what are
we wishing for? First and foremost, God. Engaging with Him and being discipled like never
before. Community. Being engaged with believers in loving community like never
before. Obedience. Carrying out the primary commands to love God and love
others like never before.
Sounds great,
right? But why simple church? Can’t we do all those things in an institutional
church setting? Certainly, the answer has to be yes, it can be done…but is it
the best way? Maybe “yes” for some and “not so much” for others.
I grew up a
skinny kid…Six feet five inches tall before my sophomore year of high school
was complete. I could eat anything I wanted and not put on weight. And did I
eat! My poor parents…literally! I did my best to eat them out of the house. But
then around 26 or 27 years old, my metabolism changed and I joined the ranks of
the dieters and I’ve been a member ever since. Now that I’ve been dieting off
and on for 25+ years, I know a few things about how to succeed at dieting.
Things like keeping junk food out of the house, like committing to meet someone
at the gym…you get the idea…little hacks that keep you accountable and
committed. But that’s just me. I have
some friend’s that won’t waver a bit even if there’s ice cream in the house
(Mmm, ice cream…but I digress) and would never miss a workout, no matter the
weather.
So, what’s
my point? For Ileen and I, the point is to position ourselves in the best
possible place to hear “well done”. Simple church seems to be that place. There is
no preacher or Sunday school teacher to do our studying for us. There is no women’s
ministry to handle benevolence. There is no financial committee to determine
where the giving should go or how much. Instead, there’s just a small gathering
of believers that desire to engage with Father, fellow believers and our
community. And kind of like dieting, We want to remove any options that allow
for inertia or the option to be part of the “80” in the “80/20” rule. Simple church, at its very core, offers
reliance on Father, demands accountability to each other, provides opportunity
to truly know and love your brothers and sisters in Christ as well as exchange
some of the time spent serving in the institutional church with getting to know
those that you come in contact with in your daily life.
Certainly,
there will be bumps in the road and maybe even some detours...but we are
excited to know that Father has a purpose and a plan and is revealing it to us
even now. So pray for us...that we won't run ahead of Him, that we'll follow
closely behind, that we won't take our eyes off of our incomparable Jesus (I
love describing Jesus as incomparable! Don't know why that is...but I do).
Your Brother
and Sister in Christ, Jeff and Ileen