ReChurch

T. Austin-Sparks was 49 years old when Watchman Nee visited him in England and spent 8 months with him. Nee was 34. This meeting was a turning point in the history of the church, and one of the results was “The Normal Christian Church Life” in English.

(Note: the book was The Normal Christian CHURCH Life that was translated from Chinese to English with the help of Sparks and his friends. The Normal Christian Life is a different book, though it was based on many of the spoken messages that Nee delivered on this same trip.)

As far as I’m concerned, Sparks and Nee had the greatest revelation of Jesus Christ and God’s Eternal Purpose in Him since Paul of Tarsus. Their insight into Christ exceeded that of Augustine, Calvin, Luther, Wesley, etc.

Click here to read the rest of this article.

Watchman Nee

2011-12-18T16:33:00.001-05:00

Shortly after Watchman Nee was saved, he began to love the Lord and was intensely burdened to preach the gospel to his schoolmates and countrymen in season and out of season. Through his preaching nearly all his schoolmates were led to the Lord, and a revival was brought into his school and spread extensively to the people of his hometown in 1923. Hundreds were saved and had their lives changed. Watchman Nee did not attend a theological school or Bible institute. Most of what he learned concerning Christ, the things of the Spirit, and church history was acquired through studying the Bible and reading the books of spiritual men. Watchman Nee was not only an excellent student of the Bible; he was also a studious reader of spiritual books. He was brilliantly gifted in being able to select, comprehend, discern, and memorize appropriate material. He could easily grasp the points of a book at a glance.

Because of overwork and lack of adequate physical care, Watchman Nee became sick with tuberculosis of the lungs in 1924. It became so serious that rumors were spread that he had died. During this time of illness, he was greatly exercised to trust in God for his existence, and God faithfully cared for him. God graciously healed him of tuberculosis, but sovereignly left him with angina pectoris. He could have died at any moment. This spontaneously ushered him into a full trust in the Lord for his existence. Moment by moment he existed by faith in God, and all through the years God sustained him with His gracious care and resurrection life until he died. Through such physical hardship, he experienced and enjoyed God much more than would have been possible if he had not had such an entangling and exhausting disease. The kind of divine healing Watchman Nee experienced was not merely a miraculous act of God; it was the working out of the resurrection life through the procedure of grace by the exercise of living faith in the faithful Word of God for edification and growth of life. It was not merely a miracle of divine power; it was absolutely a matter of grace and of the divine life.

Whenever Watchman Nee was asked a question, his answer was always practical, to the point, clear, full of anointing, and filled with light. His manner was very normal and open, and he was easy to approach. He had a great capacity and a broad heart. In spiritual matters, he climbed to the heights and touched the depths. Concerning God's principle and purpose, he was very rich in understanding and experience. He always left a very sweet impression, yet one did not lose the sense of respect. His attitude was gentle and meek, and his words were full of anointing. In conversation with him, there was no sense of distance but a sense of being watered and supplied. The impression left by his words and manner are unforgettable. Watchman Nee saw that the important thing regarding our work is not its quantity but its quality. The real work is the outflow of life.

In February of 1949 after much prayer and consideration, Watchman Nee made the decision to remain in Shanghai because of his burden for the churches, the co-workers, and the Lord's testimony on the mainland. On the one hand, he fully trusted in the Lord's sovereignty; on the other hand, he realized the risk and was prepared to be sacrificed for the Lord's testimony. In the spring of 1952, he was arrested and imprisoned for his faith; and in the summer of 1956, after a long trial, he was sentenced to fifteen years' imprisonment. He was, however, never released. During his imprisonment, only his wife was allowed an occasional visit; She passed away on November 7, 1971. His wife's death was a great sorrow, and it cut him off from any contact with the outside. Not long after her death, on May 30, 1972, Watchman Nee also came to the end of his pilgrimage on this earth and rested with Christ, whom he served at the cost of his life. He left a piece of paper under his pillow, which had several lines of big words written in a shaking hand:

“Christ is the Son of God who died for the redemption of sinners and resurrected after three days. This is the greatest truth in the universe. I die because of my belief in Christ.”

“It is important to receive God’s arrangement in the circumstances. This arrangement is the discipline of the Holy Spirit. To escape God’s arrangement just one time is to lose an opportunity to have our capacity enlarged. A believer can never be the same after passing through suffering.”

“When I began to serve the Lord, I was somewhat anxious about the question of my livelihood. Since I was to walk in the Lord’s way, I would only rely upon Him to support me. In the years 1921 and 1922, very few preachers in China lived in sole reliance on the Lord. Yet when I looked to the Lord, He said to me, ‘If you cannot live by faith, you cannot work for Me.’ I knew that I needed living work and living faith to serve a living God. God has supplied all my needs and has not failed me once.”

T. Austin-Sparks

2011-12-16T09:38:00.002-05:00

T. Austin-Sparks was born in London, England in 1888 and was educated in both England and Scotland. At the age of 25 he was ordained as a pastor, however, a few years later his "career" took a decidedly different direction when a spiritual crisis brought him to a place of brokenness and he left the denomination with which he was involved and dropped the title of "Reverend".

"From his early years he had believed in the power and significance of the spoken Word of God, and that all developments of its exposition and application should be vitally related to the actual and growing needs of the spiritual life of representative bodies of God's people. Through His Word God would meet His own, but His way of giving to His servants was not merely through bookish, cloistered or studied matter. Rather it was made necessary, drawn out and given meaning by the call and answer of living conditions. Its value - if it was to be anything more than words - lay in its being able to touch the Lord's people at the point of experience and need which had been the occasion of its original calling forth. Such was the special calling of T. Austin-Sparks, a man ploughing a furrow perhaps a little apart from his contemporaries, but always true to Christ Jesus his Saviour and Lord, and committed to a vision of spiritually fruitful harvests throughout the whole field that is God's world." (Written by Angus Kinnear, son-in-law of T. Austin-Sparks and author of "Against the Tide").

Based in Honor Oak, London, T. Austin-Sparks was not lacking in opposition and rejection to himself and his ministry in the denominational circles of the day, but he felt he should neither defend himself nor promote himself. Something which becomes clear when reading the writings of T. Austin-Sparks is that very little information is given about himself or his personal life; instead the focus is consistently upon Christ as his (and our) Life. Your attention is continually directed away from the messenger to the One Who is the Message (2 Cor 4:5).

T. Austin-Sparks published a bi-monthly magazine called "A Witness and A Testimony" from 1923 until his death in 1971. In the July 1966 issue of the magazine, he wrote the following:

It is only occasionally that we write personally. Our desire has always been to avoid drawing attention to persons and things in the ministry, and to occupy our readers with the Lord and the ministry of His Word. But from time to time we have felt it to be both wise and important to remind our readers of the purpose that definitely governs this ministry - and has always done so...
What, then, is this ministry? We must go back. The name of this little paper, which has been the printed expression of the ministry for the past almost forty-four years, embodies the meaning — “Witness and Testimony.” “Witness”: the instrument or vessel used. “Testimony”: the ministry in and through the vessel. The Testimony has ever been - but growing as light has increased - to the greatness and fullness of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of Man. This greatness has been centered and unfolded in:
(1) His Person
(2) The immensity of God's eternal purpose as centered in and exclusively related to Him
(3) The greatness of His Cross as basic and essential to the greatness of His Person and work both for and in believers
(4) The greatness of The Church which is His Body as essential to, and chosen for, His ultimate self-manifestation in fullness and government in the new heavens and the new earth
(5) The necessity that all the people of God should know, not only of salvation, but of the immense purpose of salvation in the eternal council of God, being brought to “full growth” by the supply of Jesus Christ in ample measure.
We feel that the New Testament contains a tremendous urgency in this matter; such urgency is summed up in the words of the Apostle Paul: "Admonishing every man and teaching every man.... that we may present every man perfect (complete) in Christ” (Colossians 1:28). We believe that all the sovereign activities of the Holy Spirit are directed to and dictated by this end and object.
There may be different aspects, but the end is single and one. The great evangelizing and missionary efforts, in so far as they are governed by the Holy Spirit, have this end in view…

The cry which comes through his messages again and again is for believers to grow up into the full knowledge of Christ, to know Him as the One Thing, the All in all, the Head of all. As believers heard and responded to his cry, T. Austin-Sparks was requested to speak at conferences in Europe, Asia and the USA, many of which were tape-recorded. The tapes from these conferences are still available today, as are many of his books and articles which have been republished. He was insistent that his writings and tapes should not be copyrighted and as a result they are still freely available today and can be distributed in whatever way God leads. In spite of not copyrighting his messages, T. Austin-Sparks was particular about them being reproduced word for word as originally spoken or written by him.

Some of the messages on this website have been transcribed from tape messages, others are from his many writings. The books were available at cost from Honor Oak and most of them were first published chapter by chapter in his magazine "A Witness and A Testimony" which T. Austin-Sparks frequently called: "This little paper". There was no subscription charge for this magazine which was sent freely to all who requested it. It was stated in the magazine that "This ministry is maintained by the Lord through the stewardship of those who value it."

On the first page of the magazine was this statement:

"The object of the ministry of this little paper, issued bi-monthly, is to contribute to the Divine end which is presented in the words of Ephesians 4:13 - "...till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge (literally - full knowledge) of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we be no longer children..."
"It is not connected with any 'Movement', 'Organization', 'Mission' or separate body of Christians, but is just a ministry to "all saints". Its going forth is with the prayer and hope that it will so result in a fuller measure of Christ, a richer and higher level of spiritual life, that, while bringing the Church of God into a growing approximation to His revealed will as to its 'attainment', the Church may be better qualified to be used of Him in testimony in the nations, and to the completing of its own number by the salvation of those yet to be added by the Lord."

TAS was the editor of this magazine until his death in 1971. A similar style of magazine named "Toward the Mark" was then published by a colleague, Harry Foster, from 1972 until 1989. After T. Austin-Sparks' death in 1971 Harry Foster wrote:

"Perhaps one of the earliest of his books can best give us a real clue to his whole life and ministry. It is called "The Centrality and Supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ". This was where he began, and this was where he ended, for it became noticeable in his closing years that he lost interest in subjects and concentrated his attention on the person of Christ. Christ is central! None of us will claim always to have been "on centre", and he certainly made no such claim, but it was his life's objective and the aim of all his preaching and teaching to recognize that centrality and bow to that supremacy. At his funeral service there were hundreds who responded wholeheartedly to the suggestion that brother Sparks had helped them to get to know Christ in fuller and more satisfying ways. If anyone can make men realize something more of the worth and wonder of Christ, so that they love Him more and serve Him better, then such a one has not lived in vain. Many worldwide can truthfully say that through the spoken or written words of 'T. A-S.' this is what happened to them and, especially with those who first trusted Christ as Saviour through his ministry, they will be his rejoicing in the day of Jesus Christ. Moreover, some of the truths, which were by no means accepted when he proclaimed them years ago, have now become widely accepted among evangelical Christians, so it is possible that in the long run his ministry may prove to have been more fruitful than at the time appeared to himself or to others. It is the steward's business to be faithful, and that he sought to be: only the Master is competent to judge of his success."

T. Austin-Sparks deliberately made no provision for the continuing of his ministry following his death in 1971 as he believed that what was from God and of God would be taken care of by Him. Time has proven that his trust was not misplaced as God has indeed preserved what is His own. T. Austin-Sparks left behind a treasury of messages filled with the Wisdom, Life and Revelation of Christ.

Click here for paperback books by T. Austin-Sparks on discount.

Watchman Nee Meets T. Austin-Sparks.

For online materials go to http://www.austin-sparks.net

Should the Tail Wag the Dog? by Jon Zens

2011-12-12T09:30:00.005-05:00

Click here to read the post.

Frank Viola's "The Untold Story of the New Testament Church": Press Release

2011-12-12T09:29:00.001-05:00

http://www.scribd.com/doc/75456517/Press-Release-The-Untold-Story-of-the-New-Testament-Church-by-Frank-Viola

The Alpha and the Omega

2011-12-09T10:00:00.001-05:00

Read the article here.

Losing Track of Jesus by Frank Viola

2011-12-07T08:27:00.000-05:00

http://www.scribd.com/doc/75001364/Losing-Track-of-Jesus-by-Frank-Viola

Beyond Evangelical: Frank Viola (Video)

2011-12-05T09:22:00.000-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y74knUPtLjk

Searching Together Resources

2011-12-02T08:44:00.000-05:00

Click here to view the page.

Milt Rodriguez and The Rebuilders

2011-11-30T09:44:00.001-05:00

Click here to view the Rebuilders Site and Resources.

Frank Viola's THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE NEW TESTMENT CHURCH Video

2011-11-30T09:43:00.002-05:00

Click here to view the video.

Frank Viola on Beyond Evangelicals

2011-11-30T09:41:00.001-05:00

Frank Viola explores the four keynotes of Beyond Evangelicals.

Click here to read the essay by Frank Viola.

Does It All Boil Down to Pulpit & Pew by Jon Zens

2011-11-28T08:05:00.000-05:00

My heart is burdened concerning a phenomenon I’ve witnessed over and over again. It goes something like this: I would never pursue anything in my personal life in Christ without seeking the Lord for his will, but when it comes to my life together with others in Christ’s body I pretty much accept church structures as they are in my community, and don’t ask any questions.

Many people exert great diligence about the Lord’s will in how they live Monday through Saturday, but on Sunday they can step into a church building and just assume that what is going on is God’s revealed will. If we have a passion to be led by the revelation of Christ in our personal lives, why don’t we apply that same fervor to our pursuit of Christ in his Body? Why is revelation about our personal lives deemed vital, but revelation concerning Christ’s church viewed as optional?

Some believers are brought to apply the same concern for the Lord’s will in their personal lives to their practice of church. They often come to see — experience a “revelation,” if you will — that a lot of what goes on is human tradition, not the Lord’s revealed will. Such traditions are not neutral. Jesus said that they nullify God’s Word.

Many who have this revelation, however, end up returning to follow a church bulletin. This happens for any number of reasons. But my concern is this: how can a person who has tasted something of what community is really about go back to feeling comfortable putting money in a plate and listening to a sermon?

On the back cover of my book, The Pastor Has No Clothes, it says:

“The pulpit,” suggested Paul Watts in 2000, “stands for the authoritative Word of God, its public reading and preaching. The pew, through long usage, has become a symbol for the hearing and reception of that word.” Is this what church boils down to: pulpit and pew? You would think so by the prevalent ways church is practiced.

If somebody pointed out an area of your life that needed more of Christ, you would be very concerned. But people can go on year after year stuck in a pulpit-and-pew routine and never lift a finger to question thestatus quo. They know this way of doing things is not in the New Testament, but the religious machine is intimidating. Again, why do people have no hesitation in being watchful in their personal lives, but show no concern for what is missing in their body-life with others?

As I’ve driven the roads across America this question has lodged in my mind: Do we really believe that the tangled mess of competing church organizations, costly buildings, church politics and bureaucracy, inordinate focus on the pastor, and endless church splits are what Jesus had in mind when he announced, “I will build my community”? I don’t think so (Jon Zens, A Church Building Every ½ Mile, p.72).

If a friend told you that your life as a believer seemed to be veering away from Christ, your ears would perk up. If that same friend told you that church as pulpit-and-pew was far from Christ’s heart, you might just shrug your shoulders and drive on to the building for the next service. I appeal to you to consider this: that response is an approach to truth that you would never tolerate or condone in the living of your own daily life before Jesus. I suggest that this is a troubling and deadly double standard.

Pulpit-and-pew have become everything in the Christian religion, yet there is nothing about them in the writings we claim to be a revelation of the Lord’s mind. If anything I have imparted resonates within your heart, will you bring that to Father and ask him what implications there may be for you?

When Community Becomes a Cult

2011-11-28T08:04:00.003-05:00

When Community Becomes a Cult: An Interview with Frank Viola

http://www.scribd.com/doc/73330893/When-Community-Becomes-a-Cult-Frank-Viola-Interview-with-Relevant

Frank Viola's Epic Jesus: Press Release

2011-11-25T09:29:00.000-05:00

http://www.scribd.com/doc/73453840/Epic-Jesus-by-Frank-Viola-Press-Release

Jon Zens on the Church

2011-11-22T06:12:00.006-05:00

Here is a list of excellent articles by Jon Zens on the Church and other subjects:

http://www.searchingtogether.org/articles.html

Click the link above and it will activate each button below so you can read the articles.

By Other Authors
Web Articles (Not published in ST)

REVISE US AGAIN by Frank Viola

2011-11-21T14:04:00.002-05:00

Taken from Frank's blog (used with permission).

***

I’m happy to announce that my new book REVISE US AGAIN: Living from a Renewed Christian Script is now available.

This book was born on the anvil of three decades of spiritual experiences, struggles, observations, suffering, failures, questions, reflections, and the insights that are born from each. As such, it contains both light and shade.

The book is unlike anything else I’ve written to date. And it’s the shortest as well (only 176 pages). It is written for all Christians in every denomination, movement, and church structure.

Unlike From Eternity to Here and Jesus Manifesto, it doesn’t contain the element of the sublime. Nor it is written to the right brain.

Unlike Pagan Christianity, Reimagining Church, Finding Organic Church, and The Untold Story of the New Testament Church, it’s not a book about the church or church practice.

Instead, REVISE US AGAIN explores ten vital issues of our faith that work at the unconscious (subterraneal) level. Issues that are rarely addressed today. Some of the chapters include: “Being Captured by the Same Spirit You Oppose” … “Your Christ is Too Small” … “What’s Wrong With Our Gospel?” … “The Felt-Presence of God” … “The God of Unseen Endings” … “Revising the Holy Spirit’s Ministry” … “Let Me Pray About It: Revising Christian Code Language” … “The Lord Told Me: Revising Christianeze.”

The book isn’t written as a story. The chapters don’t build upon one another. The book is a collection of essays written at different times and places. But they are all tied together by the theme of rescripting and revising.

Click here to watch the video trailer

Click here to listen to an interview I did on the book with CBD (Christian Books)

Click here to read a print interview where I discuss the problems and solutions in the book

Click here to read endorsements and reviews

Order the book

I hope this little book draws you closer to our magnificent Lord and acts as a tool for Him to gain more for Himself in all of us.

Excerpts from the book:

A Vanishing God

Legalism, License, Lordship and Liberty

Jesus in a Dilemma

EPIC JESUS by Frank Viola

2011-11-18T16:26:00.005-05:00

Frank Viola's new book Epic Jesus is available now.

This 24-page eBook is on PDF, Kindle, Nook, and Audio. There is also a Video Trailer.

In "Epic Jesus," Frank Viola (author of "From Eternity to Here," "Revise Us Again," "Jesus Manifesto," and "Reimagining Church") delivers a breathtaking and powerful portrait of the greatness of Jesus Christ, one that stands in sharp contrast to the tired and familiar way that He is presented in many Christian circles today.

"Epic Jesus" invites readers to see their Lord with awe-inspiring insight using a right-brained exposition of Paul's majestic discourse about Christ in the first chapter of Colossians. The book touches both head and heart, educating every child of God as to who their Lord really is and inspiring them to love and follow Him like never before.

Click here to see the landing page and order the book.

Click here to read the blog and make a comment.

PAGAN CHRISTIANITY by Frank Viola & George Barna

2011-11-18T14:08:00.004-05:00

Frank Viola and George Barna wrote "Pagan Christianity" in 2008. The book has changed the way Christians view church, driving them back to the New Testament to see what it really says about the subject.

Official Website: http://www.PaganChristianity.org

Click here to view the spoof video

Click here to see responses to critiques

Frank Viola's Most Popular Blog Posts

2011-10-13T16:30:00.004-04:00

Taken from Frank Viola's blog, Beyond Evangelical.

Resource Sites for Frank Viola

2011-10-13T16:28:00.006-04:00

Frank Viola’s Landing Page – http://www.frankviola.net
Frank Viola’s Blog – http://www.frankviola.org
Frank Viola’s Biography - http://ptmin.org/biography
Frank Viola on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/frank.viola
Frank Viola Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/frankviola
Frank Viola on GooglePlus – http://gplus.to/frankviola
Frank Viola LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/in/frankaviola
Frank Viola on MySpace – http://www.myspace.com/frankaviola
Frank Viola on Tumblr – http://frankviola.tumblr.com/
Frank Viola on Scribd – http://www.scribd.com/frankviola
Frank Viola on WordPress – http://violafrank.wordpress.com
Frank Viola on Blogspot – http://frankviola.blogspot.com
Frank Viola’s Podcast – http://ptmin.podbean.com
Frank Viola’s Books – http://www.ptmin.org/books
Pagan Christianity – http://www.PaganChristianity.org
Frank Viola and George Barna Respond: Pagan Christianity – http://www.paganchristianity.org/answers.php
Reimagining Church – http://www.ReimaginingChurch.org
The 100 Best Christian Books Ever Written – http://www.ptmin.org/library
Frank Viola’s Mediography – http://www.ptmin.org/mediography
From Eternity to Here - http://www.FromEternitytoHere.org
Jesus Manifesto - http://www.theJesusManifesto.com
Advice for Authors by Frank Viola

The Call to ReChurch

2010-06-13T22:34:00.019-04:00

Click here to view the ReChurch Series

ReChurch

Christian Smith's "The Bible Made Impossible"

Frank Viola Interviews Scot McKnight

The Missio Dei

The Body With One Part? by Jon Zens

N.T. Wright, Frank Viola, and Jon Zens Weigh-in on Rob Bell and His Book

Frank Viola Interviews N.T. Wright

Frank Viola's Library

Advice for Authors

From Eternity to Here

The Fullness of Christ by J.H. Yoder

Frank Viola is Blogging Again

Subversive Influence Interviews Frank Viola

Frank Viola Answers Questions About "From Eternity to Here"

Watchman Nee Meets T. Austin-Sparks