HOME / PROCLAMATION! MAGAZINE / 2009 / FALL / THE LIFE AFTER WITH CHRIS LEE

FALL 2009
VOLUME 10, ISSUE 4

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D E P A R T M E N T S

The life AFTER with Chris Lee

 

Together we live

Chris Lee

 

"Organized Religion." The term has a negative ring to it, doesn't it? I've talked to many people who are turned off by anything with defined leadership structure and corporate worship. Who needs all that stuff anyway? I think there is a pretty decent New Testament case for saying, "We do!" Now, I know that idea probably doesn't go over well if you're a John-Wayne-rugged-individualist or a James-Dean-loner-outsider. After leaving Adventism, that's a pretty natural reaction, but is it a biblical reaction?

This isn't the kind of column where I'm going to give you a bunch of texts to look up. I'm just going to suggest some things you might think about and then check out on your own to see what really lines up with Scripture—you know, kind of like the Bereans did in the book of Acts. Speaking of Acts, that book gives us some idea of what Jesus intended for His church. Jesus trained the apostles to be leaders in His church. They in turn appointed deacons to administer day-to-day needs and left leaders in each new church they founded. It was, dare I say, "Organized". Not only was there organization in leadership, but also in worship. Contrary to what the "home-church" crowd says, the very earliest church did not meet exclusively in small informal groups in homes. In Acts 6 we see that so many Jews and Gentiles had come into the church that organizational problems arose. This situation shows that the early church functioned as a corporate unit with designated leaders, teachers and deacons. The pattern that emerges is of a Church with organized leadership, corporate worship, and small group fellowship.

The structure that was so important for the early Christians coming from Judaism is equally valuable to those of us coming out of Adventism. Walking into a "non-Adventist" church was perhaps the scariest thing I've ever done, but it was also one of the most healing things I've ever experienced. A healthy, well-balanced church provides an environment for us to learn and grow. A healthy church is characterized by leaders who are committed to seeing their flock grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ and life in the Spirit, the perfect prescription for recovering legalists.

In addition, authentic Christian relationships are powerful tools God uses to mold us. He created the Church as the environment where these relationships are lived out. Fellowship with Christians never tainted by Adventist beliefs has helped me reorient, deprogram, and recover. I've been exposed to fresh ideas, solid teaching, and a new outlook on what it means to be a Christ-follower. I've experienced what it means to do life together with imperfect people who are willing to admit their weaknesses. It is amazing how God will use others to edify and encourage us while rubbing off our rough edges. It's something like one of those rock polishing machines where the ugly rocks bounce around together until they come out shining, smooth, and beautiful.

If you are not yet plugged into a local body of believers, I encourage you to start checking some out. If you're anything like me, you'll be a bit overwhelmed by the many options and the differences in non-essential secondary beliefs. That's okay. Unity in the essentials, mostly surrounding the person and work of Jesus, is what binds us all together in Christian fellowship. I encourage you to begin to explore the fullness of life in Christ's body that God wants for you. It's time to experience the adventure of the "life after". †

 

 

 

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Chris Lee lives in Lincoln, Nebraska with his wife, Carmen, and daughters, Ashlyn and Alyssa. They attend the Lincoln Berean Church. Chris is a self-described "theology junkie" whose mission is to proclaim the unfathomable grace of Christ in a clear, understandable, and Biblical way. He leads a Life Group Bible study for former Adventists at Lincoln Berean.