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Category: Under Christ’s Archy

  • Matthew 28:16-28 and Titus 2:11: Christ's Archy and Jesus' Teachings

    You should not call anybody Rabbi, for one is your instructor, namely the Messiah, and you are all brothers. (Matthew 23:8 Author’s Translation)*
    For, the grace of God (the salvation of all men) has appeared, training us, so that, renouncing ungodliness and worldly desires, we would live wise, righteous, and godly lives in this present age. (Titus 2:11 Author’s Translation)
    Jesus and Paul agree. Jesus came to instruct people in God’s ways. He came to do more, but he never intended to do less. I have no intention of dealing with the tension of Scripture concerning God assigning some to be teachers in the church, but I do want to show that Jesus came to teach God’s ways to man.
    For anybody to live under Christ’s rule, they must, absolutely must see him as their Teacher.
    This means that learning from Jesus Christ matters. He is our instructor and teacher, he desires to train his people, but not merely with information or facts, but with the daily practice of living under his rule. This requires these things (among others):

    1. To believe Jesus Christ, not merely about him, not merely in him.
    2. To learn from Jesus Christ, not merely about him, but what he said and modeled for us.
    3. To be trained by Jesus Christ, not merely in knowledge, but in the experience of obeying him in the mundane details of our lives.
    4. To realize when we fail, or worse sin against him, that though we want him away from us for we are sinners, he still says, “Follow me. (Luke 5:8-10)” In other words, he not only trains us in righteous, but that he is our righteousness.

    To learn from Jesus is the project of the whole church, but it is also the project of the individual. No rule or authority in life is absolute except that of Jesus Christ, we would do well to be his students.
     
    *I am aware of the text variant, but I cannot think of a good reason to add, “the Christ” there, the context makes it too evident for somebody to gloss it. But an omission because it seems redundant with the next sentence makes sense. Either way, the meaning is preserved.

  • Living Under Christ’s Archy Is Easier Said Than Done!

    This initial post is intended as a marker, a flag of sorts marking out where I am coming from. Living as a Christian, the “how do we live now?” question is a complex question and is so all-encompassing that any effort to address it as a whole is borderline foolishness. My intent is to break down the issues we face into “bite size” pieces and look at the barriers between the theory of how we should live and the practice of how that is actually lived out in “real life”, seeking practical ways to bridge the gap and in doing so hopefully grow into a more faithful follower of Jesus Christ.
    Living as a Christian under the Kingship of Christ is difficult under the best of circumstances. Every Christian was at one time an unregenerate enemy of God, children of wrath who followed the rule of another (Eph 2: 1-3). Going from that state to a state of joyful submission to Christ is a difficult transaction for any person. Loving others more than we love ourselves? Submitting as bondservants to a King we have never set eyes on? Counting our success, our wealth, our “rights” as worthless compared to our membership in the Kingdom of God? That is hard stuff! Moving from a self-centered life to a Christ-centered life is a lifelong and temporally incomplete process even for the most righteous of us. That is true for believers in every land but as an American I think it is vastly more problematic.
    Living under Christ’s Archy is especially troublesome for Christians who live in America. I have not lived anywhere other than America but there certainly seems to be a heightened sense in which our American identity and all that comes with that is almost inextricably linked to our Christian identity. For many Christians it is difficult to distinguish where one ends and the other begins. The culture of America and the culture of the church in America create a sense of American Christians being special, of America being a peculiarly special and blessed land, of an assumption of faith based on the most superficial of standards. Because of this American Christianity is often associated with some characteristics that are absent from the New Testament or even anathema to the values we are to reflect as followers of Christ: militarism, wealth accumulation, prestige and power seeking, patriotism, etc.
    As I explore what it means to live under Christ’s Archy here and elsewhere, many of my writings will have a decidedly American flavor to them. I am sure that in other countries Christians face similar issue or completely different issues that create barriers and I am very interested in hearing from people outside of America, both to hear what uniquely cultural barriers they face and how they perceive American style of Christianity.
    I am very excited about this project and where the conversations will take us. I can tell from past experience and the intro posts that there is a pretty diverse group so I expect some spirited discussions. Whatever our differences, we are united in one common cause: following Christ as ambassadors of the King to the world.

  • Excerpts from The Subversion of Christianity – The Contradictions

    According to Henry, this project had its impetus in a comment made by Geoff on his blog while discussing the book Christian Archy by David Alan Black.
    In the first chapter of Christian Archy, Black credits Jacques Ellul and Vernard Eller for their contributions to the topic of “Christian Anarchy” and for influencing his own thoughts and writings on the subject. I thought it would be good for us to start this project with a discussion of some of the comments of one of those two influential authors.
    The first chapter of Ellul’s book The Subversion of Christianity is called “The Contradictions.” In this chapter, Ellul outlines some the basic problems that he found among the church. For example, he writes:

    How has it come about that the development of Christianity and the church has given birth to a society, a civilization, a culture that are completely opposite to what we read in the Bible, to what is indisputably the text of the law, the prophets, Jesus and Paul? (p 3)
    What Jesus says is that those who hear his words and do them are like the one who builds on the rock. In other words, the rock is hearing and doing. The second part, however, is more restrictive. Those who hear the words he speaks and do not do them are like the one who builds on the sand. Here undoubtedly practice alone is the issue. We can thus say that it is the decisive criterion of life and truth. (p 5)
    If Christians are not conformed in their lives to their truth, there is no truth. This is why the accusers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were right to infer the falsity of revelation itself from the practice of the church. This makes us see that in not being what Christ demands we render all revelation false, illusory, ideological, imaginary, and nonsalvific. We are thus forced to be Christians or to recognize the falsity of what we believe. (p 7)
    In fabricating Christianity, therefore, Christians have known what they were doing. They have freely chosen this course. They have voluntarily forsaken revelation and the Lord. They have opted for new bondage. They have not aspired to the full gift of the Holy Spirit that would have enabled them to take the new way that he opened up. They have made a different choice and left the Holy Spirit unemployed, idle, present only on sufferance. This is why the burning question is a purely human one: Why have Christians taken this contrary course? What forces, mechanisms, stakes, strategies, or structures have induced this subversion? For human aggrandizement and nothing else. (p 13)
    quoted from Jacques Ellul, The Subversion of Christianity (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986)

    What are your thoughts on Ellul’s indictment against modern Christianity?

  • If The Lord Can Use An *ss!

    My name is Shauna Hyde and I have issues with obedience and allegiance. You see it’s been my experience that power is abused and authority is used to control, subject, and in general irritate other folks just it’s possible. It is difficult for me to place myself under anyone’s archy……but then I met Christ….as a person not as a religious idea. I quickly learned that Christ does not subject or control. Christ empowers us. He is the Master that leads, guides, protects, and teaches his students to be the best they can be. When I finally chose to be in Christ’s archy my life changed. I found myself doing things and being a person that I never believed I could do or be. My first Sunday in my first appointment as a minister, I found myself having to answer the question of how I could be a woman and a minster. The discussion went on for some time when a woman stood up and told us,”We need to think about this differently because if the Lord can use an *ss, He can surely use a woman!” What a way to describe an archy! I remember that day every time I believe there is something I cannot do because she is right-in Christ’s archy, there are infinite possibilities and hope for what seems impossible or not the way it should be. Christ empowers not subjects!
    So I join this project in the hope that folks can understand that allegiance to Christ is not a horrific ordeal. It is not betraying spouse or country. It is not a prison term or a death sentence. It IS life changing and one commitment in life worth doing.
    As we change and grow we can start to be more grace-filled and temper our actions, thoughts, and words with love. We will get to the point where we stop yelling at the politicians on TV calling them *ss’s (of course we good Christians would never do that…….) to saying, “Well, if the Lord can use an *ss……

  • Sticking my toes in the waters of "Christian Archy"

    Hello… my name is Alan. It’s been less than one hour since I usurped the rule of Jesus Christ in my life…
    When I was first asked to take part in this project, I thought to myself, “What do I know about Christ’s archy?” My second thought was similar: “I need to learn about Christ’s archy, not write about it!”
    But, what better way to learn about the rule of Christ in my life, in the life of the church, and in the world than to study, write, learn, discuss, etc.? So, I’ve jumped in… perhaps not with both feet, but at least I’m ready to stick my toes into the water.
    I began blogging just over five years ago at “The Assembling of the Church.” I began the blog to parallel my PhD studies. As the name of the blog  implies, I primarily write about the church gathering together as described and instructed by the authors of the New Testament.
    After writing a few posts about church gatherings, I quickly found that it is impossible to only write about the gathering of the church. So many other issues affect the way we understand the church and our times of assembling together with other brothers and sisters in Christ. For example, the way we understand leadership among the church (elders/pastors/etc.), the way we understand teaching, the way we understand the Lord’s Supper and baptism, the way we understand our responsibilities toward one another, and many, many other things affect how we meet together.
    On top of all of these, as God’s children and brothers and sisters in Christ, our response to the rule of Christ in our lives, in the life of the church, and in the world (Christ’s archy) certainly affects how we meet together.
    So, I look forward to thinking about, studying, writing, discussing, and learning with the other collaborators to this project. I hope that you will decide to take part by commenting on the posts published here.

  • Here We Go…

    Liking jumping into a swimming pool on a hot summer’s day (you know it’s going to be cold), you take a deep breath and in you go. That’s my sentiments as I embark with you on a journey to sincerely try to grasp living under Christ’s “archy.” I really believe it’s only been in the last 6 or 7 years of my 43 on this earth that I’m even beginning to catch a glimpse of the life God calls his own to live.
    My life began to turn when the Word of God was applied in my life. Literally reading the Bible changed my life (as it will anyone’s) because it is a supernatural book. I realized I had been climbing the ladder to success and when I reached the top and a six-figure salary, I realized the ladder was leaning against the wrong wall! I had an attitude that compartmentalized Jesus Christ to a corner of my life. I had him kind of life “Hell insurance.” I thought he was the boss of my life, but truthfully, he wasn’t. I was. I had him in the passenger seat and I’d lean over when I needed him from time to time and ask him to take the wheel. Truth is…I needed to get out of the car of my life and get into the trunk. Truth is…that’s where Jesus was the majority of the time…in the trunk.
    Making Jesus Lord is the essence of this site in my estimation. Barna Research tells us 84% of Americans profess to be Christians. If you believe that, I’ve got some real nice swamp land in Florida I’d like to sell you. Interestingly, only 31% of Americans attend church regularly. That’s a 53% disconnect. That’s the issue! The problem is that most American Christians are living under the “archy” of the prince and power of the air and the god of this age (2 Cor. 4:4), Satan.
    I don’t have all the answers. In fact, I have almost none, except for the Word of God. If we ever get serious about Jesus Christ, then we’ll get serious about living under the guidance and direction of Scripture. To say that we love Jesus and yet neglect His Word and fill our lives with garbage from TV, movies and music that are filled with all that is the antithesis of Christianity is to be living a lie. How do I know? Because, I lived that lie for many years. I chronicle this struggle on my blog.
    In fact, I taught a Sunday School class and watched Rated-R movies. I sung in a Christian singing group and yet, I put it ahead of my on family because of my ego. Yet, I became captivated by Ephesians 5. Paul through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit told the church at Ephesus not to allow even a hint of sexual immorality in their lives. That passage teaches us not to pander around the pool of coarse joking and foolish talk and foul things, but instead to be holy. That’s right…HOLY. Wow! Holy? Yes. Jesus said, those that had a hunger and thirst for righteousness would be filled.
    I changed. Why? Because the Word of God flipped the switch in my life. I realized I must be a “living-dead man.” That’s what Paul told the church at Rome to be in Romans 12:1-2. A “living sacrifice” is what we are to be in Christ. That’s what’s acceptable as my act of worship as a believer. That’s living under Christ’s “archy.” I must be willing to die to myself. Jesus bought me “at a price” and so my life is no longer mine…it’s his. I am to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. The only way the human mind can be transformed is via the Word of God. Then and only then will I be able to live and know the will of God.
    Simple. Yes and no. Simple to grasp, but hard to live. Want to join me in this struggle…in this daily battle of taking up our cross? It’s hard…but, oh…it’s so exciting! Come along for the ride… Living under Christ’s “archy,” well now…that’s really living!

  • Jumping In: Eric Carpenter

    I’m jumping into this project with both feet, and I hope you are looking forward to it as well.  I believe there is great potential in challenging one another to live in a very practical manner under the absolute authority of Jesus Christ.
    God has granted me a wide range of experiences that have shaped what I believe about life in general and the church in particular.  I was raised in a Christian home in New York State, but now live in Savannah, Georgia.  I’ve worked in the public school system, at UPS, as a Southern Baptist pastor, and now at JCB.  God even sustained me through an M.Div. at SEBTS.
    In 2006, God granted our family four months of living in South Asia.  We were in the midst of culture shock when we received another shock: we would immediately be coming home to the USA because our son had been diagnosed with a form of Lymphoma.  We praise the Lord for healing our son!
    In the midst of all of this, God has been the one constant.  He is perfectly faithful.  He is also perfectly sovereign.  He has created a world and has told His followers how to live in it.  This is the part I’m still trying to figure out on a daily basis.  The older I get, the more I realize that there are areas of my own life that do not fall under Christ’s archy.  It is because of this that I’m looking forward to the discussions on this site.
    For the past few years I’ve been talking through issues of theology, church, missions, family, and culture on my personal blog A Pilgrim’s Progress.  In the end, God has all the answers.  It is our duty to seek Him out and discover how He desires that we live for the betterment of the church and society.
    My hope is that we can all sharpen each other through these discussions and that they will lead to real change in our lives.

  • A brief intro: Arthur Sido

    Welcome to Christ’s Archy!
    My name is Arthur Sido and I am excited to be part of this project. First a little bio for those who don’t know me and perhaps for some who do. I am rapidly charging toward my 40th birthday and I have been a Christian for about the last quarter of my life. Right after I turn 40 I will also celebrate my 20th wedding anniversary with my wife Eva. She has been the perfect helpmeet for me and we have largely grown up into adulthood (an ongoing process!) together over the last twenty years. We also have done our part to be fruitful and multiply, raising eight children who range in age from an 18 year old who just started college to a precocious four year old. A few years ago we elected to educate our children at home and that has been an intensely humbling experience but one that we embrace.
    In order to sort of figure me out, it would be beneficial to read my testimony and my document of basic beliefs. My path to this point is far from typical. I did not grow up in a Christian home and came to faith rather late in life around ten years ago. Most of the last ten years have been times of intense spiritual growth. Without a foundational understanding of what we understand as Christianity in America I have been sort of figuring it out as I go. I have found this to be beneficial in many ways to my development as a follower of Christ. Not having certain cultural assumptions deeply ingrained has, I hope, allowed me to examine issues from a “blank slate” approach and as I have done so I have been finding more and more that there are many things that we assume about living as Christians under the rule of Christ as King, especially in the West and particularly in America, that are hard to reconcile with Scripture and the reality of a world-wide faith. While I would consider myself to by quite conservative, both doctrinally and politically, I have also been asking some hard questions regarding what I assumed Christ was calling me to do and be. I hope to share some of that thought process here.
    I was pretty pumped about being part of this project. Asking the question of how we are to live as Christians, kind of a “OK I am saved, what now?” puzzle, has preoccupied my thoughts for some time. I love writing and blogging and that is expressed at The Voice of One Crying Out In Suburbia, my “main” blog. At that site I  often think about and write about what it means to live as Christians,  both as the church as an adoptive family and as the church as ambassadors of Christ to the world. I tend to expend a lot of cyber ink and have not mastered the art of brevity but I will try to keep my posts here to a manageable and readable size while also linking to lengthier posts at my main blog that I think you will find profitable.
    I look forward to exploring the glorious world of living under Christ’s Archy with you and my fellow contributors to this project!

  • New to the Project: Geoff Smith

    My name is Geoff Smith.
    I accidentally helped start the Under Christ’s Archy project.
    I’m currently a teacher of math, rhetoric, and Bible at a small Christian high school.
    As you can see in my profile, I am scheduled to be married on October 15, 2011.
    I hope to contribute a to this project in a few ways, especially a biblical appropriation of the spiritual disciplines while living under Christ. I also want to encourage those in traditional or non-traditional church services to live as disciples of Jesus outside of the church service. This is incredibly important to me because Jesus spends much more time teaching people how to live than teaching people how to have a church service (a though I’ll expand on in future posts).
     

  • Welcome!

    I’m Henry Neufeld, owner of Energion Publications, and I want to welcome you to Under Christ’s Archy.
    To find out more about what will be happening on this site, please read the home page. Writers will be gathering here and introducing themselves over the next few days.
    I won’t be writing here except for this introduction, but I’m excited about the folks who have said ‘yes’ to the call to provide practical suggestions and resources for those who want to put the rule of Christ first—above all other archys!

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