Chuck Ryor

“¹⁹Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ²⁰To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. ²²To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. ²³I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.  ²⁴Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” – 1 Corinthians 9:19-24

The Apostle Paul’s greatest passion was to introduce people to the good news…the Gospel.  God was no longer counting men’s sins against them.  Jesus had atoned for our sins.  We are now justified in Christ and can know peace with God through Him!  Nothing was more important.  He went to great lengths, suffered great hardships, sacrificed personal freedoms and adapted his own cultural preferences in order to reach people where they are, in the place and time in which they lived.

This passage of Scripture is the “locus classicus” or the most cited passage of Holy Scripture for defining the concept of cultural contextualization.  The message is the same, but the cultural trappings that adorn it will vary from place to place and time to time.  Pastors won’t wear robes sometimes because Scripture doesn’t mandate that they do.  In some contexts I will be asked to wear a robe – for instance, at some weddings.  I do so because it is a formal occasion and it would be a distraction for me to come in jeans and a t-shirt.  On the other hand, wearing a robe at Prism Church would be odd because the people of our culture will more than likely dress casually to come to our worship services.  So I adapt.  I don’t make them adapt.  That’s the key.  I’m supposed to adapt culture to them and not the other way around.

This is a round about way of introducing online community and why we make it such a central part of our future vision of how we’ll “do” and “be” the church community.  People spend hours each day on the Internet, believer and unbeliever alike.  It is the chief way most of our culture communicates with each other and this medium will only grow in influence in the years to come.  If we intend on gathering people to our community, retaining people in our worship community, and serving people in our community-at-large, we had better learn to master the tools at our disposal and adapt a part of our church lifestyle to reach as many as possible.

All this to say, Paul would be spending a lot of time online if he lived today!

Prism Online Community is how those in our metropolitan area will stay connected with others from the larger Prism family.  As well, Prism Church will offer audio and video resources: sermons, announcements, audio and written blogs, and other online resources to assist our community in growing in their faith.  Our hope is that one day soon our multi-media ministry will offer low cost iPods and free training so all of Prism’s people will be able to access our online resources.  We don’t want to just have a website to tell people how to get to our worship services.  Our desire is to use the Internet to attract people from our city into our church and help lonely people in our Worship Community remain connected to each other.  Our online community will be how Mission Communities stay connected and how we will encourage others to go deeper in their faith through learning.

The Prism Sermon Podcast

Starting in October, 2010, we will offer our sermons online.  This is the starting point.  It will be increasingly important for our people to stay connected to our Sunday sermon series because our Mission Community group discussion will each week be based on the previous Sunday’s sermon.  In the event that you’re unable to attend our worship service, before you attend your weekly Mission Community meeting, you’ll want to download the sermon podcast and be ready for the discussion.

Additionally, many people will consider attending our church based on the messages they hear or see (we’ll eventually make video recordings) on our website.  People who wonder whether or not our pastor can communicate clearly have the opportunity to find out in advance of attending.  Finally, if you have questions or need clarification of a particular part of the sermon, you can go to the podcast and hear it again, follow up with a question for the pastors or research the question on your own.

The Prism Radio Podcast

In early 2011, our hope would be to produce a second “podcast” which we’ll label the “Prism Radio” Podcast, to distinguish it from the sermon.  Each week during our sermon time we’ll encourage people to send in questions about the sermon or other issues that may be stirring them while they are at church.  Early in the new week, our staff will gather to record our weekly PRISM RADIO PODCAST:  A 15-minute internet radio show that will answer questions texted in to us.  Also, from time to time we’ll feature interviews with authors and teachers about specific issues facing our congregation or our culture.

You may ask, “Why not just host another event to have a speaker come in?”  The answer:  Because events are expensive and time consuming.  We could never host enough events to cover all of the training needs we’ll have as a community.  Additionally, we want our people to get to know and spend time with their family, neighbors and co-workers so they can influence them with and by the grace of God.  You can’t do that if you’re doing church stuff with every spare moment of your time.

There will be plenty of gatherings for times of worship and service, but one of our primary means of deep “learning” about theology, Scripture and cultural apologetics will be through our Online Community.  When added to our Sunday pre-church Seminars and sermons, we hope to provide many opportunities for people in our church and city to have important questions answered about living for Christ in the 21^st century.

“A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.  And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had.  They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need.  They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity–all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.” – Acts 2:43-47

As we stated in our Prism Overview, you’ll understand the scope of Prism Church’s ministry through the triangle of Worship Community, Mission Community and Online Community.   This edition of Prism Church Training will introduce the idea that “church” as we know it is really what we do together on a mission in our world.

“His mission is nothing short of the redemption of peoples and cultures, the renewal of all creation for his own glory.  God’s great, burdensome, and glorious mission is the renewal of all creation!  God, in his mercy has invited us to participate in his mission.” – Jeff Vandersteldt, SOMA Communities (A29)

What is our Mission Community Plan?

To have “Mission Communities” in various communities around our city – being the church in each area where believers from Prism Church live.

What will Prism Mission Communities Do?

Everything that we’ve come to expect from a centralized church location: Outreach, Fellowship, Discipleship and Service. In essence, Mission Communities will be how we do everything but our Worship Community / Public Sabbath worship (Corporate worship, Pastoral preaching, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper). As we discussed last session, we believe that these particular aspects of the faith are to be under the authority of the Elders and with the entire community present.

Why “Decentralize” Mission?

The “mission” of the church is to go out into the world. “Being” the church means that gatherings of believers will serve together in multiple areas to impact where they live and work.  As well, In large cities like Los Angeles, it is impractical to have a centralized church that meets during the middle of the week.  Freeway traffic alone discourages people from traveling in the middle of the week distances that are not problematic to drive on Sundays for Worship Community.

Additionally, we plan to develop Mission Communities because:

A.     We don’t want to be a “Pastor centered” ministry

B.     We don’t want the individual needs of people to get lost in the Sunday crowd

C.     We will test the gifts of men who wish to be Elders in our church. They must first be gifted and called to be mission leaders in their community. They will be the lead “Gatherer” in their community, as this is the chief characteristic of a shepherd.

D.     Growing and multiplying regional Mission Communities is the most effective way to discern where it is best to plant churches in the future.

“The real value of an elder in a missional church is the equipping of non-vocational leaders to lead and share responsibility for the mission and for the discipling of new believers (Eph. 4:11-12).  Reproducing churches unleash the whole body to exercise their gifts (1 Cor. 12:8-10) and encourage them to lead others on mission to proclaim the gospel in new ways and new places in the community.  New believers are incorporated quickly in the mission and receive on-the-job training through an organic mentorship rather than top-down control.” – Jeff Vandersteldt

What are individual church members responsible for in Mission Community?

Gather – Invite others from Worship Community to be part of your Mission Community.

Worship – Actively pray for others in your Mission, seek to encourage others in their faith and pursue being encouraged and mentored by others. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Serve – Assume a role of leadership in an area where you’ve been given passion and gifts to lead.  Can you lead the effort to reach the poor and needy in your community?  Do you have the gift of hospitality that would enable you to host the weekly meeting or coordinate the meals?  Do you have a heart to coordinate prayer needs and be the leader of this aspect of your mission community?  Do you love to gather people?  Perhaps you’re the one who will ‘man’ the “Mission Community” booth after Sunday Worship Community?

What will we do “Church-wide” in the future?

In addition to our weekly Worship Community Service, Mission Communities will be free to work together on service projects, fellowship gatherings, Children’s activities, men’s and women’s events within the church and church-wide overseas mission trips. Also, as long as Chuck is Prism’s Pastor, the community will be invited to his house to watch college football each fall!

What is the timetable for these Mission Communities to develop?

Our hope would be to have our first two “Mission Communities” in the fall of 2011. Logically, it would be best to have these two in Pasadena and Arcadia. However, the Lord knows where He is working and we’ll follow Him. How large will these communities be? Mission Communities function best with 10-15 adults. When a Mission Community reaches 20 adults, we will encourage that group to multiply into two separately led Mission Communities. If a particular community (for example, Azusa) developed two or three different Mission Communities, at that point our Elders would begin the process of considering if that city needs to plant its own Sunday worship gathering.

What about the kids?

We will have centralized childcare offered in regions where we have Mission Communities. When we have our first two mission communities ready in 2011, we will have free childcare at our offices (presumably in East Pasadena). Until that day, and through the end of this year, we’ll have Mission Community childcare at the church on Sundays at 4:30 p.m.

“What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.” – 1 Corinthians 14:26

As we stated in our Prism Overview, you’ll understand the scope of Prism Church’s ministry through the triangle of Worship Community, Mission Community and Online Community.  This edition of Prism Church Training will spell out in more detail the philosophical and Biblical basis for our Sunday gathering.

In recent years there has been an exciting theological renewal happening amongst a younger generation of pastors and believers.  This renewed expression of God’s grace and the freedom that comes from being secure in Christ has birthed a new passion for missional living.  With this re-thinking of how to “do” church, a mindset has developed that we don’t “do” church we “are” church.

While we couldn’t agree more that “church” isn’t just a meeting you attend but instead a community of Christian people with whom you live your entire life, there has been an unhealthy overreaction to traditional church methodology.  This overreaction has given rise to the erroneous thought that gathering for public Sabbath worship and sacraments isn’t commanded by the Bible; instead, the interpersonal relationship component of church life is clearly taught in Scripture.

“The New Testament is clear that God’s people are to regularly gather for corporate worship. This is apparent by the frequent use of the Greek word ekklesia, which simply means “gathered assembly of God’s people.” Likewise, Hebrews 10:24–25 commands, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.” – Mark Driscoll

To say that a Sabbath day worship gathering isn’t contained in Scripture would be inaccurate.  Part of the Decalogue (the 10 Commandments that comprise the Mosaic Law) is the command to honor the Sabbath and keep it holy.  Gathering with God’s people to worship and celebrate the communal aspects of the faith (communion and baptism) is not only evidenced in the book of Acts when the believers would meet together in the temple courts to pray, but is implied clearly when Paul gives instruction on what to do when gathering for worship (see 1 Corinthians 14:26).

In 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14, the Apostle Paul gives explicit instructions to the Corinthian church about how they should function as they gather for their public worship services.  In these passages, written to the troubled Corinthian church, we’ll highlight what “Worship Community” should entail for the Christian.  We call them the “3 O’s.”

1.  Order not chaos

- We worship God collectively, which requires clarity of mind & heart.
- We wish to worship with our hearts, minds and souls.
- We worship in a fashion that is indicative of the God we serve.

2.  Ordained leadership

- Teaching is done by those whom God has entrusted to be Pastors & Elders.
- Our worship services are overseen by the Pastors & Elders.
- Our sacraments/ordinances are to be led communally by Pastors & Elders.

3.  Outsider attendance

- How we worship must be comprehensible to our non-believing guests.
- How we love each other will be observed by our guests.
- How we love them will impact their comprehension of God’s grace & love.

“God in his great wisdom has given clear principles and practices to guide the corporate worship of his people. However, he has not given his people clear methods or an order of service. There is no clear prescription of an entire worship service anywhere in Scripture, and there is no record of any early church worship service.  Therefore, while God is very clear on the principles and practices to govern corporate worship, he has left it up to church leaders led by the Holy Spirit to determine the methods and service order used to implement them. This means that, for example, what kind of music is sung, in what order the elements are arranged, how Communion is administered, and the like, can and should vary from culture to culture and church to church because God provides just such tethered freedom for his people.” – Mark Driscoll on Worship Community

Prism’s Worship Community will feature our time of corporate worship, communion, baptisms and a message from our ordained Teaching Pastor(s).  As well, Prism will offer learning seminars before and/or after the worship service.  Our children’s nursery and pre-church Kindergarten through 5th grade classes will enable our kids to learn the gospel at an age appropriate level.

One of the driving forces in starting Prism Church is that we would have a worship service that enables Christians to worship in a way that is culturally comprehensible to their friends who aren’t Christians.  If believers are excited about the possibility that their friends will have a positive experience, they are exponentially more likely to invite them to join us for worship.  In the absence of this confidence, believers will not take their relational outreach to the next level of an invitation to join our worship community and experience the grace and love of God in Christ.

Next we’ll take a more comprehensive look at what Mission Community will entail at Prism Church.  For a free download of Chapter 11 (the chapter on Worship) of Mark Driscoll’s book “What Christians Should Believe,”  visit http://relit.org/doctrine.

I wish I could take credit for this blog, and I will do my best to avoid blogging anyone’s stuff.  But C.H. Spurgeon is a stud who never ceases to encourage me at just the right time.  I hope you enjoy today’s devotional from his pen.

“We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.”—Romans 8:28.

PON some points a believer is absolutely sure. He knows, for instance, that God sits in the stern-sheets of the vessel when it rocks most. He believes that an invisible hand is always on the world’s tiller, and that wherever providence may drift, Jehovah steers it. That re-assuring knowledge prepares him for everything. He looks over the raging waters and sees the spirit of Jesus treading the billows, and he hears a voice saying, “It is I, be not afraid.” He knows too that God is always wise, and, knowing this, he is confident that there can be no accidents, no mistakes; that nothing can occur which ought not to arise. He can say, “If I should lose all I have, it is better that I should lose than have, if God so wills: the worst calamity is the wisest and the kindest thing that could befall to me if God ordains it.” “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” The Christian does not merely hold this as a theory, but he knows it as a matter of fact. Everything has worked for good as yet; the poisonous drugs mixed in fit proportions have worked the cure; the sharp cuts of the lancet have cleansed out the proud flesh and facilitated the healing. Every event as yet has worked out the most divinely blessed results; and so, believing that God rules all, that He governs wisely, that He brings good out of evil, the believer’s heart is assured, and he is enabled calmly to meet each trial as it comes. The believer can in the spirit of true resignation pray, “Send me what thou wilt, my God, so long as it comes from Thee; never came there an ill portion from Thy table to any of Thy children.”

“Say not my soul, ‘From whence can God relieve my care?
Remember that Omnipotence has servants everywhere.
His method is sublime, His heart profoundly kind,
God never is before His time, and never is behind.’”