Radical Church - Softcover

Jones, Bryn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0768420229 ISBN 13: 9780768420227

Publisher: Destiny Image Publishers, 1999

Synopsis

The world of the apostles and the world of today may look a lot different, but there is one thing that has not changed: the need for a radical Church in a degenerate society. We still need a church, a body of people, who will bring a hard-hitting, totally unfamiliar message: Jesus has come to set us free! Bryn Jones of Ansty, Coventry, United Kingdom, an apostolic leader to numerous churches across the world, will challenge your view of what church is and what it is not. Be prepared to learn afresh of the Church that Jesus Christ is building today!

About this title

About the Author

A minister for more than 40 years and a church planter on 3 continents, Bryn Jones is well-known for his passion to see a radical church prophetically emphasizing righteousness and justice in our world. Today, as the director of Covenant Ministries Today, his apostolic leadership continues to inspire and motivate thousands around the world to pursue the purpose of God in this generation. Bryn and his wife Edna make their home in England, and from there he travels to speak at Christian gatherings across America, Africa, and Asia.

From the Back Cover

The world we live in today is a lot different from the world that the Church of Jesus Christ was born into. But the need for a radical church is still the same, regardless of how centuries have changed our culture. We still need a church, a body of people, who will penetrate our superficial and compromised society to bring hard-hitting, totally unfamiliar message: Jesus has come to set you free!

This book will change your view of what church is and what it is not. It will challenge you to examine what you think about it as opposed to what the Bible says about it. Above all. it will give you a vision of the Church that Jesus is building today.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

As we cross the frontier's into the third millennium, we find ourselves in a very different world than that of the people of the first millennium. The simple world of the farmer, fisherman, carpenter, and tentmaker has given way to the world of the Internet, IT satellites, space probes, and genetically engineered and altered animals and food products. Computerization in every field continues to increase haman knowledge at an incredible speed, which in turn continues to force society into ever quicker and more radical adjustments. Unfortunately, the legitimate dsire for scientific progress is threatening to push the boundries of our exploration beyond what is morally acceptable. The specter of a fully planned society with controlled birth and death now looms on the horizon, and the stress levels associated with our quickly changing times leaves humanity critically threatened with overload.

The challenge to the Church as we approach the third millennium is to demonstrate the life and power of God in this new generation, showing the relevance of the gospel to the highly complex needs of our fast-developing scientific and intellectual generation, in a generation demanding reality and relevance, we Christians must ask ourselves, is the image of Christ we project a true one? Is our understanding of the Church accurate? Are we trapped by its image of the Christ of the icon? Does a vision of the crucifix still dominate our minds? Is our view of the Church still the building on the corner or the ornate cathedral in the center of the city? When we speak of ministry, do we think of professional clergy, vicar, or priest in his vestments, or even an articulate, high profile entrepreneurial TV pastor or evangelist?

Communicating the life of God effectively to our world requires that we look at ourselves and ask ourselves these specific questions: Are we the Church Jesus gave Himself for, or are we some poor twentieth century replica of it? Are we doing things His way or our own? Sadly, the suggestion that we ask these questions is often met with such sharp retorts as: "Let's not argue about Church government or methods; we are all seeking the same goal - the gospel to the whole earth. Let's concentrate on that rather than on any 'form' or 'structure' that is of minor importance. It's the power of God that matters."

On the surface, this statement might appear reasonable, perhaps even magnanimously all-inclusive, but is it biblically accurate? Is God unconcerned with how His Church is built?

When God told Moses to build a tabernacle, He printed its blueprint deep into His servant's mind and soul; Moses was told to build it "according to the pattern shown" (Ex. 25:40). God's requirements concerning materials, measurements, and ministry reveal a divine concern for detail. The fact is, nothing about the tabernacle's construction - or the ministry associated with it - was left to personal opinion or judgment; it was not to be done just any old way.

Consider the temple that Solomon built according to the plans revealed by his father David - plans that were written by "the hand of the Lord" (1 Chron. 28:19). The intricacy involved in constructing the temple required the employment of very skilled craftsmen to get it right. The order of priesthood, the sacrifices, and even the singing associated with the temple were all done according to God's direction. Can we really believe that God would show such concern for a tabernacle or temple - "shadows" of the greater reality (see Heb. 8:5) - and then suspend all requirements concerning His Church, its ministry, and its ordering today?

These biblical records do not sound like form and structure are unimportant to God; in fact, even a cursory survey of the New Testament reveals that we simply cannot afford to think that God will tolerate slapstick efforts to build on top of His costly foundation. The apostle Paul took great care in laying a true foundation of understanding and practice of the life of Christ in the early Church, and he warns those who would follow to "be careful how they build upon it"(see 1 Cor. 3:10 NAS).

Thankfully, we can confidently say that God is infusing His people in this generation with a renewed sense of the divine mind and capturing their hearts with His purpose. As Moses' heart burned with a desire to build what he saw on the mountain, so many of God's people today are aflame with a passion to build according to His plan in their generation. They are the repairers and restorers for our time.

Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in (Isaiah 58:12 NRS).

Such people believe that God will bring His plan to completion in a single generation and release the greatest spiritual awakening ever known. That's what this book is all about.

Edition details

• Publisher: Destiny Image Publishers
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0768420229
• ISBN 13: 9780768420227
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 147