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Archive for religious obligation

Love Teacher

By Beyond Church Walls · Comments (0)
Saturday, March 16th, 2013

As I was chatting with a couple baby boomer friends the other day it occurred to me that the older I get, the less I have to say. So much I thought I knew when I was younger and viewing “truth” through a religious lens has turned out to be oh so wrong. And the longer I live in Father’s love and grace, the less I need to know. If the origin of any knowledge is other than love, it’s not worth contemplating or talking about.  At best, it would be putting the cart before the horse.

A good thing about getting older in his love is that you become more teachable; more child-like. No, I’m not old enough to be getting senile. It’s just that I’ve had to unlearn so much, that now life always involves anticipation of new things. So every time another shade of his love is revealed, I’m caught by surprise and awe struck like a child encountering a new discovery in an ever expanding world.

But part of this aging process is scary. It forces one to wake up to the reality that is made evident by love. Focusing on theology and other means of “Christian education” keeps us shielded from the truth that may lead us where we’re afraid to go. As Kierkegaard put it:

“We pretend to be unable to understand (the Bible) because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How will I ever get on in the world? Herein lies the real place in Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church’s prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close.”

Yet love displaces fear and moves us to act apart from mere obligation. A sense of obligation may motive us to act, yet leave our heart cold and judgmental of others. The New Testament lays out lifestyle altering choices that open up a whole new world to those moved with compassion.

For much of my life I was taught by the knowledge of right and wrong, good and bad, expected and rejected. It’s like finally coming home to be taught by love, the teacher that never fails.

David Fredrickson

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What is Church?

By Beyond Church Walls · Comments (0)
Saturday, August 11th, 2012

I often become involved in discussions with those who’ve recently, or not so recently left the system of religious obligation and its trappings and are wondering what comes next. Common questions are: “How do I serve God now?” “How do I find the fellowship I long for?” “Do you have regular meetings I can attend?” “What is church outside of the institutional setting?”

Most folks eventually discover that serving God has more to do with being than doing, that “church” life isn’t defined by meetings, that fellowship grows when we pursue God ordained relationships and that we grow into the purposes of God as we grow in understanding of his nature. But what would define church in a given area? How do free believers function together?  Is house church the answer? Can a church be planted?

If church were a thing, it could be planted. That term evolved from a dysfunctional understanding of how God initiates a local expression of the kingdom, as well as from a miss-definition of what that expression is.

What we do see in scripture reveals that the essence of church life is expressed through community. Authentic community is defined by those who are joined together by love motivated relationship that expresses itself in the “one anothers” we read about. They are led by the Spirit, take care of one another and task together as the Spirit directs. Leadership is among them, not over them, and is there to serve rather than rule. Trans- local gifts are sent out from them and sometimes supported by them. All of the above will change as the God ordained seasons change.

Such a community cannot be defined by where or how it meets, or if it meets regularly at all. Nor is it recognized by any unique emphasis or pet doctrine. There is no blue print or model that can be copied, because the Spirit birthed and Spirit led expression of church will be as varied as are the cultures and conditions that exist wherever it grows. It can’t be contained within a structure of rules, programs or schedules because, as Jesus explained, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Bottom line, I can offer no definition with a handle on what church is. Furthermore, we know it’s not ours to build. We can only hold Jesus’ hand and let him build it as he promised.

David Fredrickson

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Unique by Design

By Beyond Church Walls · Comments (0)
Monday, March 26th, 2012

A couple days ago I was pondering the fact that for most of my life there’s been an underlying sense of dissatisfaction. I could never escape the feeling that something was missing, out of order or just not right. Of course it was never difficult to find maybe 30 to 52 areas that needed changing. But success eluded my best efforts, and when transformation in an area occurred it was something Christ did after I gave up and simply yielded to him.

Still, the dissatisfaction remained. At times I concluded it was a godly thing, a longing for more of him and the coming manifestation of the sons of God. Heavy stuff. And yes, we do “groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” And yes, we can easily get distracted by present circumstances from the confident expectation of glory that keeps our emotions from straying.

But I’m still discovering that the religious system was not the only box I had lived in. I had created other boundaries regarding life in Christ. I believed that if one received all their joy from Christ, they would be fully content. After all, he should be more than enough. What I missed was that a key to fullness is being fully free to be all he’s made you to be in him. That would be an obvious conclusion if one didn’t attempt to separate the “spiritual” from the “natural.” But I did.

Since I was an adolescent I loved to act. Creating animated cartoons using flip books was a favorite pass time as well. I also got a kick out of making people laugh. But when I became involved in “the ministry” those talents were minimized or forgotten for the sake of pursuing “spiritual” things.

But after leaving the system of religious obligation, Bob, Loren and I teamed up to form FRM. Humorous video clips and now the movie Jeff’s World have created opportunities to function in those areas that were previously cast aside. A new freedom and boldness to step out of the box in other situations have presented themselves as well, and in so doing, hearts have been opened to receive in a greater measure.

I realize now that I had buried a talent God has given for his glory and my joy. I had actually suppressed a part of who Christ is in and through me. Those gifts will never be the main focus of what he’s called me to do, but what he’s called me to do would never have been complete as long as they remained dormant.

You may not be “called” to what is typically referred to as “ministry.” But you are unique in all of creation. Being who you are and doing what you love to do will reveal an aspect of Christ’s nature to those around you that no one else can. Your freedom acts as a catalyst to draw others to him and will help to release them into the fullness of all he’s created them to be.

David Fredrickson

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Pressed to Rest

By Beyond Church Walls · Comments (0)
Friday, March 9th, 2012

Do you ever find yourself doing things that your heart isn’t really in, but you do them anyway because it’s expected of you? I slip into that routine from time to time. That was a common MO when I was the CEO of a religious institution. But recently I’ve become aware that I still at times get caught up in the same thing in response to pressure from others.

I do a lot of things for my wife that I don’t particularly enjoy doing that she neither asks or expects me to do just because I love her. And love makes a generally unwelcome job a privilege. But operating from a motive of obligation only is a pain.

But it’s not only in relationship to others that we can act from a sense of duty. It’s easy to react to circumstances or needs and make decisions based on our own understanding and the perceived urgency of the situation.

Oswald Chambers wrote: If we do a thing from a sense of duty, we are putting up a standard in competition with Jesus Christ. We become a “superior person,” and say – “Now in this matter I must do this and that.” We have put our sense of duty on the throne instead of the resurrection life of Jesus. We are not told to walk in the light of conscience, or of a sense of duty, but to walk in the light as God is in the light.

I’ve often depended on the God given gifts of logical deduction and common sense to choose a certain course in a matter when his way was only discernable by the light he would have shed if only I had depended on him. The outcome, of course, was not life.

Today I have the choice to strive with tough issues that seem unsolvable or to yield myself and the matters at hand to the Light of life where I can rest.

David Fredrickson

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A History Lesson

By Beyond Church Walls · Comments (5)
Sunday, February 19th, 2012

What shall we …do with this rejected and condemned people, the Jews?

First, to set fire to their synagogues or schools and to bury and cover with dirt whatever will not burn, so that no man will ever again see a stone or cinder of them.

Second, I advise that their houses also be razed and destroyed.

It is to (our) discredit that (we) have not exterminated the Jews.

Who made the above statements?  a) Adolph Hitler b) Mrs. Fields c) Martin Luther

If you guessed Martin Luther, you’re correct. Amazing that the same man many call one of the greatest fathers of the Christian faith would spew forth such poison. And those statements are only the tip of the ice burg.

If you guessed Hitler, you were close. Hitler also called himself a Christian and referred to Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He greatly admired Luther, calling him one of the greatest reformers.

The Nazi, Hans Hinkel gave credit to Luther’s acts and spiritual attitude for beginning the fight that the Nazi’s waged in their day.

So how could such disparity between Luther’s teaching and the heart of God come about? Was it a lack of knowing the scriptures? Hardly. Luther actually translated the Bible into the German language. Was it a lack of passion? He came against the Roman Catholic Church at great risk to his life.

Perhaps it was a sense of failure. What? The great reformer feeling like he failed? When Luther was younger he didn’t have the same animosity toward the Jews. He tried to win them to Christ and was unsuccessful, and through the years his resentment toward them grew. As he grew older he suffered from depression and mental anguish. He complained of being chained to too many responsibilities and sometimes despaired at his lack of spirituality. Most likely he had little success in seeing his follower’s lives changed, because he stated that being transformed was not important. He said the only thing that mattered was doctrine.

It’s not my intention to enrage those who may revere Luther for bringing to light the truth of justification through faith, but to point out some ideological roots of modern day Evangelical Christianity. Religion is built on influential individuals, performance, false expectations, obligation and adherence to an intellectual understanding of doctrine. Life in God is built on Jesus Christ, his finished work, hope that doesn’t disappoint, fruit bearing love and living by his faith.

Here are a couple questions. Do you think what is commonly taught as church history actually deals with the roots of our faith? If not, what does it cover? Do you think the identity of today’s average Christian is based on the beliefs that have been handed down through the centuries by influential historical figures or on their personal relationship with Christ?

David Fredrickson

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A Voice in the Dark

By Beyond Church Walls · Comments (4)
Saturday, August 20th, 2011

I wrote a week ago about walking in the dark. Seasons where I don’t seem to hear much from Father and feel rather unproductive and clueless regarding the future tend to visit on a regular cycle of some kind. But somewhere during every one of these periods of seeming limbo a further revelation of His heart begins to take place.

During the last few days I’ve been reflecting a bit on a part of my journey that I find is parallel to many others on this road. Maybe some of you can relate to this.

 
In the early ‘70s God was moving in an extraordinary way among young people. Surfers, hippies and agnostic yuppies were finding Christ and becoming passionate about following him. Those of us a bit older who had known the Lord for some time were “moved upon” as well and thought nothing of giving up all to serve him in reaching and mentoring those coming into a relationship with him. We were excited about God and what he was doing and were full of anticipation regarding the future.

 
Then we made the mistake of gradually adding our own structure and organization to something that was pure and powerful without it. Eventually what had been a genuine move of God was institutionalized and began slowly to die. But the institution “lived” on. I became a “pastor” and collected the usual assortment of disappointment, boredom, the nagging feeling that something was wrong, and finally the blessing of disillusionment.

 
We stopped everything and cried out to God. He answered. Bottom line, he said to fold up and get out. It seemed natural to give it all up and follow him. Once more the sense of adventure and anticipation for the future beat again in our aging hearts. Father began un- wrapping us from religion layer by layer just as Lazarus was unwound from his long strips of linen grave clothes. New found freedom and fresh revelation of Father’s heart and nature competed with and eventually overcame loss of identity, pain of rejection and end of long time relationships.

 
Now, several years later I find that Father is dealing with areas of my life that still need changing. He’s dealing with expectations I’ve had of him to move in my life and the lives of other people and situations for which I’ve prayed for years. Places I’ve felt abandoned.
Areas where he just isn’t cooperating. He’s wanting to know if I’ll still trust him..if love is enough. And in the midst of all this there’s a hint that he’s ready to move on his people in an extraordinary way once again.

 
In the past he’s allowed many to move in areas of unusual spiritual power, and they’ve misrepresented him. Now he’s calling those who are fully yielded to him and will allow him to make them whole. He wants people who reflect his image, who represent his nature, who live by his grace and walk in his love. People who would rather be conformed to the image of his son than to possess power or influence. People who would be happy to pray in the dark while others perform miracles and harvest thousands in the light. People who would be willing to fall into the ground and die for the next generation.

 
Father’s doing a great internal work in those have answered his call. Soon he will move in the earth to reveal his glory. So if you’re walking in the dark, be encouraged. Take time to wait on him, and when you hear a still, small voice take heed. It may the the turning point of your life.

 

David Fredrickson

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Burying the Dead

By Beyond Church Walls · Comments (2)
Thursday, July 21st, 2011

Leaders Afraid Church of England May be Dead in 20 Years
by Tim Ross, The London Telegraph
YORK, UK – The Church of England will cease to exist in 20 years as the current generation of elderly worshippers dies, Anglican leaders warned yesterday.
The average age of its members is now 61 and by 2020 a “crisis” of “natural wastage” will lead to their numbers falling “through the floor”, the Church’s national assembly was told.
The Church was compared to a company “impeccably” managing itself into failure, during exchanges at the General Synod in York.
The warnings follow an internal report calling for an urgent national recruitment drive to attract more members.
In the past 40 years, the number of adult churchgoers has halved, while the number of children attending regular worship has declined by four fifths. (continued)

When I came across the above article this morning, I was reminded of a breakfast appointment I had with Dr. Robert Ashcroft almost 27 years ago. Ashcroft was an executive in the Assemblies of God and president of two Bible colleges at the time. He was fascinated with Mobile Ministries, a home based group where I served that reached out into juvenile correctional institutions, psychiatric hospitals, general hospitals, etc. and trained church members to do the same. We worked closely with a thriving mega church that was well known around the world and was part of Ashcroft’s oversight responsibilities.

Ashcroft was also one of our advisors, and had just flown in from AOG headquarters in Springfield the day before I received his call requesting that I meet with him immediately. It turned out that he had heard we were planning to plant a church in downtown San Jose. He was furious. Almost glaring at me from across the table where we sat in Little John’s restaurant he made a stunning declaration that went over my head and came back to haunt me years later. “The church is dead!” He added no conditions or qualifications to his statement.

Of course I realized he was speaking of the institutional church. But it was shocking to hear such a declamation from one long considered a church statesman. Working with “successful” churches closely enough to get a good look at what happened behind the scenes tipped me off to the reality that the system had serious problems. Still, I believed that if we could just get the people out of the pews and into the harvest field, the church would be restored.

Only for the past eight years have I realized the truth of Ashcroft’s words. The system of religious obligation built a coffin many years ago, yet its practitioners are still trying to raise the dead with dead methodology or trying to lure others into the coffin that keeps losing its captives. And thank God, it can’t contain true followers of Christ for long anymore than the grave could hold Jesus Christ! Let the dead bury the dead. His sheep hear his voice and follow him into the grace and freedom of his love.

David Fredrickson

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True Disciples

By Beyond Church Walls · Comments (2)
Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

I meet many people who have paid the price of rejection from family and the loss of friends in the process of leaving the system of religious obligation to follow Christ alone. And now they are experiencing some of the most difficult trials of their life. Often they wonder if they’re crazy or have “missed God” somehow, yet deep inside they know they’re on the right track.

For Jesus, doing only what he saw Father doing also resulted in criticism from friends and family and temporary abandonment by all. His journey was often frustrating and discouraging and ended in the greatest trial a human being could ever endure. In fact no mere human could, so the God man suffered it for us.

Still, all who choose to be his disciples will taste what he did. Being disciples of men is much easier, but it touches only the exterior aspects of one’s life and leads to bondage.
Following Jesus involves the painful process of our identity falling into the ground and dying. Not an easy road, yet the fruit is knowing him and the multiplication of life that takes place whether we recognize it or not.

You can’t put yourself to death, it happens as a matter of course as you pursue the way of love. It’s not an event to get to and get over with, either. Paul said he died daily. Daily Christ is formed in those who follow him creating life in those relationally connected to them.

Yet no one carries the load by themselves or travels this road alone. Being yoked to Christ and infused with hope that doesn’t disappoint makes even the most difficult trials “light and momentary troubles (which) are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

I have to admit that I’ve never been able to happily receive even one of my dark nights of the soul as a light and momentary trouble, but still theirs a knowing inside that makes it bearable. And the fact that I’m not alone reaching blindly out to an exterior God makes all the difference.

David Fredrickson

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Beginning the Journey

By Beyond Church Walls · Comments (0)
Tuesday, October 5th, 2010

I often receive emails from people who’ve come to the point of leaving the institution but don’t know how to proceed or what to look for when they leave. I recently wrote the following response to a brother and thought it might be helpful to others in the same situation.

You are certainly right about there being no blueprint. God works with each of us in such an individual way as his relationship with every individual is unique. I think one of the most liberating truths to grasp is that Father is mostly concerned with just one priority for his children; that they would learn to live loved by him and walk in love with one another.

As you’ve already discovered, religion tends to complicate pure and simple devotion to Christ. It obligates us to lesser priorities, routine and other dead works that steal our joy and dull our ability to hear his voice and be guided and empowered by the Spirit. So a good first step would be to discontinue whatever is motivated by religious obligation and to pursue that which leads towards greater intimacy with God and genuine relationship with others.

I agree with you regarding house church. Unfortunately, most folks that leave the institution try to find an alternative way to “do church.” And since they haven’t taken the time to de-tox from religion they take it with them into a different form. The key is to forget trying to find or create church and simply learn to be it in your every day life. Genuine church life will be as diverse in expression as there are individuals, cultures and circumstances. It will be as spontaneous and unpredictable as the Holy Spirit or the wind. It will always be changing, fresh and adventuresome. And it will always be lay-down-your-life community.

Have you seen much of that around lately? If not, there’s no since in searching further than the genuine relationships you have already. If we focus on loving those God places in front of us and doing whatever we sense Father is telling us to do, church life will happen naturally.

You’re among millions of others around the world that God is calling out of religion to begin a journey into his heart. Like yourself, most of them I talk with don’t know what to do and are a bit fearful about what might be around the next bend in the road. Be assurred that God is’nt concerned about whether or not you make all the “right” choices or always do the “right thing.” He’s not concerned about how much you read your Bible, pray or “witness,” but only that whatever you do is motivated by love and led by his Spirit. And he’s pleased that you’re willing to risk the familiar to journey into the unknown with him.

David Fredrickson

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Being Incarnational.

By Beyond Church Walls · Comments (5)
Sunday, June 21st, 2009

This topic has really gripped me recently. It’s one thing to know something and another to live it. There’s no way that you can know what it means to be incarnational without living it. But living the incarnational life means that you’re not living life on your own. Knowing the reality of Christ in you w/o religious obligation sets you free like nothing you’ve ever experienced.

The whole topic of ‘detoxing’ from religion is getting you used to freedom. What a concept. I recently had a couple of opportunities to see this reality take place. I helped a friend out at the last minute the other day that ended up with me being a part of a Gay Pride parade.

Parade

Are you kidding me? Nope.

Not a token part either. I was on a float in the parade! (I’m not the guy with the cowboy hat) It wasn’t until a few hours later that I understood why Father had me there. At a critical moment when the trailer we were towing came off the hitch, Father had me there to be the only one that was able to jump into the situation to get us safely to our destination. Later I realized how much Father was showing his love to the driver by having one of his kids there to help him out at his critical time. Incarnational living isn’t flashy, it’s just being Christ where ever you are.

bob humphrey

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