11Here is a trustworthy saying:
   If we died with him,
      we will also live with him;
 12if we endure,
      we will also reign with him.
   If we disown him,
      he will also disown us;
 13if we are faithless,
      he will remain faithful,
      for he cannot disown himself.  2 Timothy 2:11-13

I like conspiracy theories - at least in the movies.  Often when I hear them in real life, I can't help but think how silly most of them sound.  They are intriguing for sure, but they mostly come off sounding plain weird.  I'm sure some conspiracy theories have more truth to them than we may realize, but taken as a whole they are usually reserved for 45 year old dudes who live in their mom's basement and listen to Def Leppard's Pyromania album on vinyl (especially that part at the very beginning.....Utah Gleeben Glouten Globen.....or whatever that dude is talking about).

As a pastor, I get some of those conspiracy theorists to show up on my computer or voicemail from time to time.  Yesterday I was informed on my voicemail that "God has rejected me" by one of the conspiracy theorists.  At other times, I have been lumped in with the "whore of Babylon" when I didn't buy into the idea that the New Jerusalem would actually be in Niagara Falls (wouldn't be far to travel to the Crystal Sea though would it?).  It generally just gives me a laugh (at myself since I don't take myself too seriously) and a sadness (for the desperation that I hear in the conspiracy theorists voice) all at the same time, and I go on with my day hoping that I don't accidentally vote for the antichrist in the election (that's a joke, but yep, I get that one too).

All this chatter did get me thinking though.  There is a conspiracy that is real.  And it's one that God drummed up.  God has called his people to be co-conspirers in plotting a revolution of revealing the kingdom.  The kingdom of the heavens is in and among us right now.  It is already and not yet at the same time.  And God has allowed us to be a part of revealing this conspiracy of God to overthrow darkness and make all wrong things right.

What's also cool about this conspiracy is that once the kingdom comes in full, at the appearing of Jesus, then we are actually going to be a part of reigning with God.  Right now we are co-conspirators, but someday we will be co-reigners, co-rulers, and co-creators.  We are all of those things right now - except not clearly, or perfectly, or wholly.  But one day, the conspiracy will unveil its full reality.  That will be a good day.

I'm looking forward to being a part of that great day.  But in the meantime, I want to co-conspire with God to demonstrate the kingdom that is coming in the now.  That is a much fuller, more beautiful, and increasingly purposeful way to live.......and it takes my mind off of who I am going to get to try to be my stunt double as the "whore of Babylon."

I get asked alot about this topic, so here is an article I wrote.

Developing Missional Church Structure

It’s no secret.  The North American Church is declining in numbers and impact as every major research agency has endlessly testified.  What are we missing?  Do people not understand the mission of the church?

That doesn’t seem to be the problem.  Ask virtually any congregation what their mission is and they will tell you something that at least moderately resembles the Great Commission.  So if it is not that they don’t understand their mission, then what is the hindrance?  Well, maybe they are actually structured to hinder the mission that they say they want to accomplish.

Far too often the church in North America lets its existing structure dictate the extent of its mission endeavor.  It seems that for many, ecclesiology (the way in which the church is structured) is the starting point in mission.  But for the missionally minded church, ecclesiology doesn’t lead, it follows.  Alan Hirsch summed it up well in The Forgotten Ways when he wrote “Christology determines Missiology, and Missiology determines Ecclesiology.”

Stated simply, what we know and understand about Christ and His Mission tells us, as the church, what our mission is to be.  It is Christ Himself that gives us our marching orders. Based on that mission, we structure ourselves to point in that direction.  The conviction of the Infinity Alliance, based on the revelation of Scripture from its beginning to end, is that the Mission of God is for every man, woman, and child to have repeated opportunities to both hear and see the gospel of Jesus Christ – a gospel that proclaims reconciliation to the Father provided through Jesus Christ.

While no structure is perfect, and while there is no one model for structure, what are some principles for structure that will keep a congregation pointed in the direction of this mission?

I.  Be Intentional about your Geography

            Though there is much that could, and should, be said about the mandate given to the church in Acts 1:8, at its core is a geographical intention.  The Spirit of God forms congregations of believers in various geographies for the purpose of accomplishing the mission of every man, woman, and child in that geography hearing and seeing the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Church in a geography exists for that geography.  The language and strategy for Infinity Alliance churches is to draw Circles of Accountability – geographic areas around the church for which that church will take the responsibility of engaging the mission with all of its energy and assets.

            Understanding this geographical circle, with all of the appropriate research that it requires, will change the way a congregation goes about its ministry in a number of ways.  First, the programmatic aspects of the congregation will be based on what is needed to reach that geography – not just based on trends, fads, or traditions.  Second, the church will see the need in those geographies to plant additional churches if the mission is going to be accomplished.  As well, the vastness of the mission will require more resources than any one congregation possesses, so there will be a need for cooperation (as expressed in the next principle).

II. Partner with Other Congregations

            Ephesians 4 is a stark reminder that not only is there one LORD, one faith, and one baptism, but that there is also one body and one Spirit.  If there is genuinely only one body, and that truth rises out of the Scripture, then it is the responsibility of the missional church to do more than just agree with it – we must act like it is so.

            Within a geography, many congregations of the one Church exist.  Though there is a great diversity among these expressions of the one Church in that geography, the one mission still applies to all.  So, if a congregation wants to be active in the pursuit of the mission of every man, woman, and child hearing and seeing the gospel of Jesus Christ, that congregation will have to live in the reality that the solo congregation cannot, and should not, endeavor to accomplish the mission alone.

            The unity so beautifully expressed in Ephesians 4 was not just for the sake of unity.  Viewed within the larger story of God throughout history and revealed in Scripture, the unity God prescribes for His body, the Church, is for the sake of mission.

III. Lead Interdependently

            The overarching metaphor for the Church in the New Testament is that of a “body.”  There are other metaphors for the Church, but the body seems to loom largest.  The New Testament is also very clear that this “body” already has a head – the Lord of the Church, Jesus Christ.  If the position of the “head” is already taken, then it appears that all followers of Jesus, including leaders, must find a way to fit interdependently in the body.

            The idea of a church, or region, being led by only one person to fulfill the mission is foreign to the New Testament.  The idea of the singular, stand-alone leader is one that has either been mistakenly projected from the Old Testament to the New (such as Moses on the mountain) or is one that has been created by cultural influences.  Ephesians 4 denotes leadership functions (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher) that are designed to work together for the purpose of people empowerment so that the mission can be engaged by all Christ followers.

            This principle for leadership is not only one that will more holistically round out the gifts of a congregation’s leadership, but the reality of this leadership should be employed in a region, or geography, as well.  Shared gifts and gifted leaders should be utilized in the greater body in a particular region so that the mission can be engaged more effectively.

IV. Make Spiritual Formation a Priority

            The Church is a spiritual enterprise.  As a result, it must be led and populated by spiritually maturing people.  If the goal of a congregation is to mobilize people for the mission of every man, woman, and child hearing and seeing the gospel, then it is imperative to remember that these same people need to be maturing in their faith.  Mobilizing spiritually stagnant people will not produce much missional progress.  A congregation should at least be committed to measuring and nurturing some “outcomes” of spiritual maturity so that the heart of people is formed more into the likeness of Christ, and, by default, formed more into the mission of Christ for the world.  Those basic outcomes of spiritual maturing would be:

1. A deepening intimacy with the Father (expressed in Scripture reading and meditation, prayer, and other disciplines that serve as a vehicle to support this).
2. Understanding and telling our personal stories of grace
3. Identifying and using our spiritual gifts
4. Living in all of our relationships in a way that bears the fingerprints of God

When these principles are engaged, it will not make for a perfect church.  It may not result in the rapid growth of a particular congregation.  It won’t be easy to brand.  It may even be hard for people to understand.  But it will, at the very least, have you pointed in the direction of the mission of God to see every man, woman, and child have repeated opportunities to both hear and see the gospel of Jesus Christ.

  "'Do you refuse to speak to me'?  Pilate said.  'Don't you realize I have the power either to free you or to crucify you?'  Jesus answered, 'You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above'."  John 19:10-11a

Sometimes I think we may put way too much faith in the halls of power. 

Ok, maybe not sometimes, maybe most of the time.  Whether those halls are located inside the Beltway, or whether they are much closer to Broadway (like, say, Wall Street) - it seems an undue amount of trust is placed in these locations.  It's as if they are places of worship - shrines to some power religion.

To place that much trust in Presidents and economies is always going to be somewhat of a disappointment.  We need both (Presidents and economies) - but we need our trust in other places.

It seems that through the Bible there have always been people of God who were willing to speak truth to power - even to speak truth when they were on the margins - the underbelly - of power.

Moses did it with Pharoah.  Daniel with King Nebuchadnezzer.  Elijah with King Ahab and Queen Jezebel.  Esther with Xerxes.  All of the (minor) prophets to the Kings of Israel/Judah in the divided kingdom.  Stephen, Peter, and John with the Sanhedrin.  The Apostle Paul with the Romans (or Jews, or Greeks).  In all of these cases, interestingly, those who spoke to power did not want power.  They weren't trying to line up as the next king.  They weren't rounding up votes.  They simply wanted the justice and glory of God to be demonstrated.

And, of course, there is Jesus to add to this list.

Jesus is confronted with power - both in his homeland with some apostate Priests, and with the occupying Romans when he faced Pontius Pilate.  And, as King of both the Jews and the Universe, Jesus spoke truth to power because He knew where the ultimate source of all things resided.  He told Pilate that unless power was granted to him (by a power higher than himself), he would never have the power to do anything to Jesus.  It is amazing to watch the power that comes from Jesus in silence and in humility.

Unfortunately, we sometimes try to gain power the same way power came to be - by force.  We picket, or strike, or boycott.  Or maybe we choose the path of violence or slander or manipulation or bribery to get ourselves into power.  But why?  Is it because we could do such a better job with power?  Is it because we deserve it?  Or might it be that our trust is in power - and the vehicles that give us power - more than in God.  So what did our example, King Jesus, do when confronted with power?

Jesus trusted His Father.

This could be seen from the time He walked into the wilderness for a 40 day grappling match with Satan - to the secret meeting of the Sanhedrin - to the halls of the Roman Praetorium - to the cross where He was nailed.

Jesus trusted His Father unequivocally.

Not in horses or chariots or swords.  Not in guns or Presidential seals or dollar bills.

He trusted His Father.  And so should we.