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January 18, 2005
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 In
case there are some who still have not seen it, there is a shift going on in our
Father's house, inside and outside the four walls. Most of us realize there is only
one church and one body of believers of our Lord. There are many diverse personalities,
all wonderfully made, in all different sizes, shapes, colors, cultures, and rule
books of life. I want to talk about two distinctive segments of the church of our
Lord today.
NUCLEAR CHURCH
The term "nuclear" literally means a cluster or nucleus. Many of us have been raised
by a cluster or nucleus of a specific denomination. For the most part, the good,
bad, and ugly denominational structures have brought many of us to where we are
today. We all have been saddened by the liberal shift of some of these structures,
as well as the shift of making the gospel of Jesus Christ palatable and un-offensive
for all. In some cases, repentance is optional and a profession of Christ, without
the true Lordship of Christ, supposedly brings one into the Kingdom.
We also have many churches that have been birthed as non-denominational because
of some of the perceived flaws in the systems of their day or the shifts of today.
It should not be looked on as a negative thing, as all of the denominations themselves
were birthed out of a previous system or older wine skin.
Luther had at least 95 reasons he felt he could
no longer abide with regarding the Roman Catholic Church of his day. My Catholic
friends of today actually are thankful, as some of the positive changes the past
few hundred years, in the Catholic church, were the result of a new wine skin of
belief and visionary leaders that saw things a little bit differently in their interpretation
of God's word.
EXTENDED CHURCH
This is the body of Christ that operates outside of the four walls of the Nuclear
Church, not separate in any way, but in application. The Extended Church is distinctive,
but also supportive of the Nuclear Church. The Nuclear Church, for the most part,
gathers one day a week, and the Extended Church is in operation six days a week.
They are still one church, but are, to a degree, two distinct cultures. They operate
out of two different sets of cultural rule books. Before you cast any heretical
stones, let me explain.
There are many things that we perceive that others may do or think of as wrong,
simply because it is different from the way we may do it, or the way we think. I
have some Chinese friends that do things differently then I do. When they come over,
they always take their shoes off, because that is part of their culture. When they
are conducting a business transaction, there always is an exchange of gifts. In
my business world here in the USA, it would be looked on, many times, as bribery,
perks, or a lack of integrity to try and win in business. The reality is, either
way of thinking is neither right nor wrong.
The same thing goes with the Nuclear Church and the Extended Church. Both operate
for the glory of Christ and His Kingdom, but they do not necessarily function in
the same way, bringing salt and light to the world. The Extended Church is here
to stay, although we are continuing to learn the rules of engagement in the marketplace.
We have apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, evangelists, intercessors, and others
serving in the Nuclear Church. Many of these and others are being raised up and
released to function in the marketplace or Extended Church. Many have been out there
over the years, but have been looked upon as a para-church, or second-tier ministry,
rather than equally viable Kingdom ministries.
WHAT IS MINISTRY?
Ephesians 4:11-13
"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be
prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare
God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until
we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become
mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." (NIV)
The bottom line is this: 100% of the body of Christ is in ministry. Every saint
must continue to seek the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, regardless of
where the Lord places you in society.
The word "ministry" also can be exchanged with
the words "service" or "servant." So, we are to be servants as we provide service
to our families, employers, local churches, governments, etc. This is the new wineskin
attitude and language we must be communicating. The big issue is that much of the
Nuclear Church leadership and counsels are stuck in the mindsets of the systems
that have raised them, supported them, and formed them.
It is hard for them to see or to understand how to support and partner with the
Extended Church. I see the Extended Church as a bridge, as well, to link up the
various denominational cultures as the Holy Spirit leads, to breakthrough the religious
mindsets.
Keep in mind that, as I share this, the religious
mindsets are across the board in denominationalism, non-denominationalism, the Nuclear
Church, and the Extended Church. The denominational, democratic church of today
is more difficult to turn simply because of the many layers of tradition and governing
entities. In all cases, only those that are led by the Holy Spirit of the Lord will
lead the charge towards breakthrough in these areas.
Many Nuclear Church leaders still ask of those in the marketplace, "Are you considering
to go into the ministry?" Of course the answer is, we are already in ministry. Though
all are called to serve the cause of Christ, God calls certain persons to serve
the Church as pastors and other ministers. It is still old wine skin thought and
language to consider only the pastoral staff as having viable ministries.
FOUR
LETHAL MIS-BELIEFS MINIMIZE IMPACT OF BELIEVERS IN THE WORKPLACE
Ed Silvoso identifies four lethal mis-beliefs that minimize the impact of believers
in the workplace:
1. There is a God-ordained division between clergy and laity.
2. The Church is called to operate primarily inside a building, often
referred to as the temple.
3. People involved in business cannot be as spiritual as those serving
traditional Church ministry.
4. The primary role of marketplace Christians is to make money to support
the vision of those "in the ministry."
We need to understand the Kingdom of God!
This is where we affirm that the Kingdom of God is not confined to the four walls
of the local church. Where is the Kingdom of God? Jesus said in Luke 17:21,
"The kingdom of God is within you." With
that in mind, the Kingdom of God is not a kingdom of this world and has no territorial
boundaries. The Kingdom of God is present wherever individual men and women have
agreed that Jesus Christ is their Lord.
So, where is the true ecclesia? One day a week you will find them in local denominations,
and six days a week you will find them scattered all over the workplace and neighborhoods
serving the Kingdom of God. God's people are His people seven days a week, in many
different functions and jurisdictions. This wonderful, engaging, 7-days-a-week,
24-hour-a-day Church with the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ can transform lives,
families, communities, and nations. We can bring the Kingdom of God, His presence,
into every workplace, home, and church. We must continue to illuminate His love
and grace to the world in every jurisdiction of society in Jesus' name, Amen!
CHRIST IS ALL,
Robert & Joyce Ricciardelli
www.vision2advance.com?
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C.
Peter Wagner is widely recognized as a leading authority in the fields of church
growth and spiritual warfare. Wagner is cofounder of the World Prayer Center and
is chancellor of the Wagner Institute in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is the
author or editor of more than 50 books, including Churchquake! and
Acts of the Holy Spirit. Peter Wagner and his wife, Doris, live in Colorado
Springs.
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