NewSong Bangkok Blog

Newsong: A Real Church.

When Patricia first started going to Newsong regularly about three years ago, she was so excited. She'd come home and tell me what was going on, and I'd be a wet blanket by my response, "That's weird, how can you build a church doing that?" In a way I didn't think Newsong was a real church. One day they would meet here and the next time they would meet there. Sometimes there would be a message other times nothing but eat and talk. "This is so weird," I thought to myself, "Is Newsong a real church or not?"

That's an honest question that I am sure a lot of older church people may have wondered. But what makes a church a real church?

When Jesus said, "I will build my church..." was he thinking of opulent buildings with red curtains, stages, pulpits, hard chairs and stain-glassed windows? Was he dreaming in excitement of ordained men in robes or neck ties sermonizing for way too long? Was he thinking about long offering pleas, second offerings to pay mortgages? Did he see all these uncreative bulletins and announcements and look forward to the day that we could all sit in these cold structures and listen to choirs singing out-of-date music? Was he thinking about Sunday school buses, TV evangelists, cool programs for kids, junior high and senior high youth and singles and seniors?

I believe Jesus wasn't thinking about any of that at all. I would even venture as far to say that the belief that these are the necessary things that make a church a real church is a case in missing the point. In its simplest form I think when Jesus saw his future church he saw people gathering together to encourage each other to walk close to God, live generously with people and make a difference.

"Where two or three are gathered in my name there am I also..." Matthew 18:20

When I read those words of Jesus I am absolutely convinced that Newsong is the "real deal." The only reason we find ourselves together in Sukhumvit 39 (The Cave) is because of what Jesus did in our lives.  I truly believe that God has brought us together and put Newsong on Bangkok's map to help teach at least one lesson to a new generation of believers, that church is not meant to be a complicated or antiquated religious system that is totally out-of-touch with today's culture..

So this new series called "Real Church" is all about reconnecting to God's purposes and vision for Newsong. In the end I hope you will see and be proud that you belong to a real church! We hope you will better understand our values and our heart and will still want to be a part of what God is doing here through Newsong. In our short history we have endeavored, as we will in this series, to keep it simple.

*Ephesians 1:  "Long before He laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ, (What pleasure he took in planning this.)"

God is an on-purpose God. You and I, too, are part of a bigger story that God is writing in our day. This is pretty basic teaching that you are familiar with.. We have all been put on earth for a purpose. The Old Testament saints all believed that nothing happened by accident. At a young age I found out that God wanted me to be a cross cultural messenger of His good news. And I celebrate that to this day. I feel most fulfilled in life when I am doing what God has made me to do.

*Ephesians 2:10

Just as God has a purpose for our individual lives, I believe he has a purpose for organizations and for ministries. Our church is blessed to have YWAM represented and Nite Lite and other groups that are doing specific things that God has revealed and birthed in their hearts to do.

Newsong Bangkok is still a young growing church: Four years ago God put it in the heart of Dave Gibbons to plant a church here. God brought like-minded people together to join in what God was doing.

There is no better time in the year to remind ourselves of the clear purposes that God has called us to.

Joshua did this. In the 24^th chapter of his book we read that he gathered the people of Israel together and gave them a long sermon of all the promises that God had fulfilled for them and then gave them a challenge. "Who do you want to serve?" I think Joshua saw something amiss in the character of the Israelites and it was this tendency to drift toward something that was not God's best! So he reminds them of God's grace and goodness in their lives and pops the commitment question. What was Joshua looking for by asking this question? He was looking for a corporate commitment to walk together in God's purposes. And then Joshua, as a good leader should, lets everyone know where he stood, "As for me and my house..."

And the people felt the impact of Joshua's words and responded unanimously in agreement with Joshua that they would not serve the gods of all the different cultures surrounding them.

My turn! As for me and the Newsong house that God allowed me to love... Both Patricia and I and our kids will keep, to the best of our ability, walking in the unique destiny God has set for us.

Obviously we don't know everything that God has in mind for us to do. Obviously it is not always going to be easy. And every one of us has the potential to drift from the purposes that God has revealed to us. We can even fall by the wayside, or worse, find ourselves pursuing something that is far from what God had intended.

By way of introduction to this series, I will try to emphasize how important it is to walk corporately together and remain committed to the mission that God has showed us.

A book I recently digested came up with this phrase that none of my Thai friends can translate (Sorry! It is true) "Shadow mission"

If we do not embrace the true mission that God purposed for our lives, we will by default fall into patterns of thought and action based on temptations and our own selfishness that lead us to betray our deepest values. (John Ortberg)

This little book teaches that if you don't embrace your true calling as God meant it: You will... find a substitute to live for. More dangerously, you will center your life around something that is selfish or maybe even dark.

Bible Characters that fell to their shadow mission.

1. Solomon. How does the wisest man in his era succumb to having a harem of beautiful women numbering up to a thousand! Chasing shadows, that's how!
2. King Saul. He started of so well, humble and wanting to lead rightly. Yet because of insecurities he kept on compromising fearing what the people would say. His insecurities got so bad that in mad jealousy he tries to kill David, who could have been a powerful ally.
3. Judas. The shadowy selfishness of his heart caused him to betray the Lord Jesus.

Bible Characters that stood against their shadow mission.

1. Joseph. When his brothers betrayed him and sold him into slavery...the temptation would be to be consumed with revenge and spend every minute on proving himself and getting even.
2. Daniel. There were strong influences that pressured him to compromise his value system. But Daniel chose to keep God's Word before him and continue to pray with the windows open three times a day. It almost cost him his life, but he did not succumb to the compromising spirit in his day.
3. John Baptist. The things they said to John, "Everybody is leaving you and going to Jesus. Pretty soon you won't have a ministry John!" His response was, "This is awesome, it's the way it is supposed to be, He must increase and I must decrease! No shadows.

It is not just temptations to the dark side that cause us to drift; sometimes a good thing too can become our shadow mission. We slowly wander from walking in the light of God's purposes and we get into shadow territory.

Did Jesus have a shadow mission? Hmmm?

Hebrews 4:15

God had called him to be the suffering servant (Isaiah 51). The temptation pounded strong from the very beginning right to the very end for Jesus to leave the path of suffering. The devil-deal of a lifetime, "Jesus, if you bow to me, I will give you all the kingdoms of this world." Say what? No second thoughts at all.

Even Peter, one of the closest friends of Jesus, tried to give Jesus some unsolicited advice, "Stop talking about all this suffering and death, Jesus, that's not positive thinkning!"  Jesus says to him, "Get thee behind me Satan!" I am sure that Peter's ears burned hot at that! As someone said, "One day I want to hear Jesus call me some good things like " friend, servant, faithful one, son, things like that, but Satan is certainly not one of them!" Even on the cross this shadow mission followed him, "Get down off the cross..."

Ortberg's top shadow missions in our personal lives:

1. Just give me a home, health and a great salary. 
2. Busy, busy, busy! I don't care who is in charge - as long as it is me.
3. It's all about me
4. Maintaining hidden addictions.
5. I'll think about it tomorrow.
6. Looking nice by avoiding conflict. Lets give the appearance of doing something great and keep living for applause.
7. Climb up the ladder first, put people second.
8. Shop till you drop.
9. Why walk on water when you can tread? No risks allowed.

So lets get to the question everyone seems to be asking these days: "Peter, what is our vision?"

The temptation for so may churches  is to give some amazing dazzling vision to keep the church following it's leaders. But we don't want to give in o that temptation. Our hope is to keep it simple and short. Jesus did that too, the deeper the message the simpler he kept it.

Are you ready for our vision? Our one word vision: Reconciliation. Agreed, that is pretty short and crisp.

We've added an image for an image-driven generation: Rembrandt's "The Prodigal".

The word reconciliation could be described as the other "R" word, relationships. We are passionate about seeing people reconcile with God and to reconcile with each other.

What was Jesus greatest legacy? Did Jesus leave us with a book a Bible College? I would suggest that His greatest gift to the world was that He left us with a community that learned how to love each other. Jesus saw that the greatest need for all of us is to belong.

That is why at Newsong we put more effort in creating community than we do programs and sermons. This is a place to receive love and give love. We get tested on this very thing. Look at the Father laying his hands on his son. These hands will soon lift the son up in forgiveness and blessing. When was the last time you put your hands on someone in blessing? Its easier to sit there and allow others to love you. It is another thing to get involved in someone's life very different than your own and give love.

It is through relationships that we are changed. I still really need to hear this. Marriage is like a furnace, it purifies or it burns us. We want this place to be a place where people can find God and discover with joy that they belong to His family and then grow to be strong Disciples of Christ through relationships.  

Church is not just to come and hear thoughts about God from someone who seemingly has all the keys and answers and then to figure out on our own what to do with those thoughts at home. It is not to come together and try to fix each other. You won't hear a lot of sermons here about "Don't do this and don't do that!"Maybe the number one criticism we have had as a young church: Don't preach deep enough sermons. We have seen people leave with the national anthem of church hoppers on their lips. "We're not being fed..."

At Newsong we really believe that the best way to get nourished and transformed is in the context of relationships, doing life together.

Will you commit to that?