A Faithful Remnant

By Robin G. Jordan

Yet will I leave me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. 1 Kings 19:18 ASV

The future may not look bright for Classical Anglican Evangelicalism in North America. But we only see things dimly as through a glass. What the future holds is hidden from us. There are also forces at work that would cloud our vision and make things appear to us grimmer than they actually are. They seek to cause us to feel discouraged and disillusioned and even to lose hope.

If Classical Anglican Evangelicalism and for what it has historically stood are of God, then God will preserve them. If the Bible and history is an accurate guide, they are indeed of God. God inspired men to rediscover the Bible and the gospel of grace, to translate the Bible into a language the people understood, and to reform the Church in the sixteenth century. When fiery persecution swept England in reaction to the Reformation, God protected John Jewel from capture in his flight to the continent and enabled Matthew Parker after the deprivation of his deanery of Lincoln, his mastership of Corpus Christi College and his other preferments to remain in England in quiet seclusion without further molestation. God left for Himself a remnant that had not bowed to Baal and whose lips had not kissed Baal’s image. He then used that remnant to continue the reformation of the English Church. If we look at the Bible and history, we see God doing the same thing over and over again. Whatever happens, He leaves for Himself a remnant that is faithful to Him.

What God is calling us to do is to be true to Him, true to His Son, and true to His Word. Each of us needs to figure out how God wants us to do that where He has placed us and within the circumstances of our lives. Like Queen Esther in the court of the king of Medes God has put us in this place in this time for a purpose. Our task is to discover this purpose and to fulfill it.

God is not asking us to undertake something that we may not be equipped or gifted to do. But He is asking us to stretch ourselves beyond our comfort zone. If we look at our life experiences, our education, the work we have done, our passions and our interests, and our present circumstances, they should provide us with valuable clues as to what purpose God has in mind for us.

Some things we all are called to do—trust God in all things, pray, read and study the Bible and apply what we learn to our lives, lead holy lives and set an example of holy living for others, to listen to others and to encourage them, to talk with others about Jesus, to build up both new believers and mature followers of Jesus in the Christian faith and life, and to do as much good as we can. Some of us may feel led to disciple and mentor one particular individual, sharing with that person what we have learned. Some of us may feel led to open our homes to a small group of seekers and believers to study what the Bible says about how we should live our lives and serve God and to support each other’s efforts to do so. This are just two of the purposes God may have in mind for us. As well as being willing to stretch our comfort zones, we must also be willing to stretch our imaginations. The purpose that God has for us may be something that we never thought of doing. Each of us in our own unique way will be witnessing to Jesus and his place in our lives.

Some of us may feel led to start a home fellowship or house church, meeting around God’s Word once or twice a week. For those who believe that God has this purpose in mind for them let me offer a few words of advice and encouragement.

• Put away all preconceived notions of “being church” or “doing church.” Jesus promised that where two or three are gathered in his name, he would be there among them (Matthew 18:20). Where Jesus is, his church is also.

• Work to create an environment that is friendly, welcoming, and hospitable. Serve hot drinks or cold beverages suitable to the season of the year and provide cookies, chips, raw veggies, dips, fruit, nuts, olives, cheese cubes, and other finger food for snacking. Some participants may not have time to eat before they come. No alcohol is a good rule. Some people have drinking problems; others may become voluble or argumentative after a drink or two and monopolize the discussion.

• Encourage people to listen to each other and especially newcomers. This helps them to feel accepted. Resist the temptation to put them straight when they express views that are idiosyncratic or unorthodox. Let the Holy Spirit do the teaching through God’s Word.

• Welcome children. Hire a babysitter rather than expecting parents to provide their own childcare. Even better, purchase a copy of Lorna Jenkins, Feed My Lambs: A Handbook for Intergenerational Cell Groups, and plan and implement a “Kids’ Slot.” Involve the children in the praise and worship time and the prayer time of the meetings. Teens may want to form their own home fellowship or house church. Support them.

• Begin with a study of the Gospels and other New Testament writings related to what it means to be a believer and to be a follower of Jesus. Focus upon application. Continue with a study of Acts and the Epistles related to what it means to be the church. Likewise, focus upon application. Aim to be doers of the Word, not just hearers, to live the teaching of the Bible as well as believe it. Talk about what each participant is going to do to apply what he or she has learned and what the entire group can do. Encourage participants to report back to the group on how their efforts to apply what they learned went.

• Acts 2:42 identifies four important functions of a home fellowship or house church: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” The breaking of the bread refer to the fellowship meals like Jesus shared with his disciples as well as the Lord’s Supper that he instituted as a remembrance and proclamation of his death. Eating together helps to cement relationships. Other functions of a home fellowship or house church are to encourage each other and to build up each other in the Christian faith and life, to engage in community service projects, evangelistic outreach and other forms of ministry and mission as individuals and as a group.

• Get together for a meal or some kind of recreational or social activity. Go on a picnic or a weekend campout together, go to an outdoor concert, do something that everyone would enjoy, both adults and kids. Invite folks who are not participants in the home fellowship or house church meetings to these gatherings. It is a non-threatening way for them to come to know you better and also to discover that Christians like to have fun too. And do that, have fun. Save spiritual conversations for another time. In fact, when inviting them, tell them that it is a group of friends having a get together.

DON’T pounce on them and try to convert them on the spot. You will be fulfilling one of the common stereotypes of Christians, that is, they are not really interested in people, only “decisions for Jesus” and another scalp to hang on their belts. Such high-pressure tactics are a good way to scare unchurched folks off!

• Make friends with unchurched folks. Invest in the friendships. Be a listener, not a talker. Give folks your time and your ear. God will open the way for spiritual conversations. Not only make friends with them but also stay friends with them even if they do not accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Not only share God’s message of grace but also be God’s message of grace. Remember the words of the apostle Paul, “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building” (1 Corinthians 3:5-9 ESV) Some are meant to plant, some to water, and some to harvest. God alone gives the growth. To Him belongs the glory.

For many who come from a traditional church, this experience will be a whole new way of being a Christian. It will help them to realize that a church is not a building but a group of people. It will also make a real difference in their lives.

An absolute must in discerning God’s purpose for us is prayer. In talking with God and fellowship with Him He is likely to place upon our hearts what he wants us to do.

May each of us bear fruit to the glory of God, and may we bear it in great abundance.

Recommended Reading: Lorna Jenkins, Feed My Lambs: A Handbook for Intergenerational Cell Groups,(Singapore: TOUCH Ministries International Pte Ltd., 1996). Available from Touch Outreach Ministries, Inc., Houston, Texas, on the Internet at: http://www.touchusa.org/