HOME / PROCLAMATION! MAGAZINE / 2015 / SPRING / THE LIFE AFTER WITH CHRIS LEE

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. Chris is the editor of the Proclamation! Blog at ProclamationMagazine.com. You may contact Chris by email at ambulater@gmail.com.

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In the summer of 2002, my wife and I were searching for a place to attend church. We decided to try Lincoln Berean Church (LBC) primarily because it had a Saturday night service. The whole “Sunday thing” was still too alien and a little bit scary. LBC had the added benefit of being large enough that we could anonymously slip in and out undetected. Pastor Bryan Clark was preaching a series in Psalms. I was blown away. Never before had I heard the Scripture exegeted line-by-line. I left feeling like I “owned” that passage and was ravenously hungry for more.

Summer in the Psalms was amazing, but that fall’s series, “Free Indeed”, a study through the book of Galatians, was absolutely life changing. There were times I wept. Everything that the Holy Spirit had been showing me in Scripture, all the revelations that caused me to forsake Adventism, were being confirmed through clear, contextual teaching. This wasn’t proof texting. This was the type of methodical approach that makes it very difficult to hijack a passage with some aberrant interpretation. It was like God was saying to me, “You’re not misled. Grace is real. I want you to see it, believe it, and live it. Trust me.”

Many of us who have left Adventism have experienced the thrill of a biblical truth miraculously coming alive through the illumination of the Spirit. Most of us lived such an isolated life within the Adventist community that personal conviction was the only way to reach us. Maybe that’s why so many formers that I talk to have decided that from here on out it’s, “Me and my Bible and no one else.”

Our desire to go at it alone is understandable. We have all experienced the trauma of realizing that trusted teachers were actually in deep error. But here’s the problem: the Bible knows nothing of a solo Christian experience. Yes, the Spirit teaches us, provides confirmation of truth, and correction of error, but often He chooses to do so through other members of the body.

When it came to Galatians, the Holy Spirit spoke through Pastor Clark confirming and deepening something the Spirit had already taught me. But more often, over the years, the Spirit has spoken through Bryan, and others, to correct some misconception I’ve had or to teach me something totally new. If I were going at it solo, there is little doubt in my mind that I would get off on all kinds of strange tangents and completely miss some key truths.

So why do I trust Bryan? Well, there are many reasons, but to name one, he lives here. I’ve had lunch with Bryan, sat in his office, been to dinner with him and his wife, and heard his daughter tell stories when she cuts my hair. Bryan even finds time to return my e-mails and phone calls. He’s accountable to his congregation because he lives with us.

There is no substitute for the local church with local leaders. TV, radio, books, and the internet might supplement local teaching and community, but none of those things can replace the local church. God intended us to be in community, learning and growing together. God intended leaders to be accountable to their congregations. I’m so happy that my local pastor has an article in this issue of Proclamation!, but this isn’t really about him. It’s about something that has been very much on my heart and mind as of late. It’s about my deep desire for my brothers and sisters to be part of the local body, to be growing and learning, to be guided by men and women of God without the baggage of our past, and to be submitted to church authority. It’s a tough task, given our past, but I thoroughly believe it’s God’s will for us. It’s time to start living the life after.†

D E P A R T M E N T S

The life AFTER with Chris Lee