The Hundredfold Ecclesia & Solving Problems
October 23, 2006
Dear Friends
In our last consideration of the Hundredfold Ecclesia, we want to look at how they handled problems. How an ecclesia handles its problems is a great insight into that ecclesia’s wellbeing.
Ecclesias are no different than ordinary humans in regard to problem solving. Some people like to ignore problems. They hope they will go away or solve themselves. This is the proverbial “head in the sand†approach to problem solving. Unfortunately, most problems don’t just disappear on their own. They fester and metastasize until little problems become big problems. Eventually, most ecclesias that handle problems in this manner divide, shrink and gradually just disappear. Another approach is the “band-aid†or “treat the symptoms†approach. This is where you dance all around the problem without really getting to the core of things. The end result for this ecclesia may not be too different from the former although it may prolong the suffering a bit more.
The Hundredfold Ecclesia is very different from this. They have problems like every other ecclesia. You can’t have an ecclesia without problems unless you can have an ecclesia without people! The difference is that they will handle problems promptly, Biblically and, to the best of their abilities, righteously. The bottom-line for them is, as it is for them in all things, “what would the Lord have us do?†They have not forsaken doing God’s will for the sake of misapplied mercy nor have they become overzealous to the point of being harsh or judgmental. They carry out God’s commanded discipline with love, humility, and discernment.
First-century Jerusalem was no stranger to problems. The first issue was Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. By the grace of God, God handled this problem for them in dramatic fashion. There is no question as to whether this problem was handled correctly or not. There is still a valuable lesson though. Even problems that are addressed absolutely correctly can have a negative impact on the ecclesia. It did in this case. The communal aspect of the ecclesia was forever changed. We read following this incident that “No one else dared to join them.†(Acts 5:13 NJB) Imagine, if you will, what the consequences would have been if this hadn’t been handled perfectly. The ecclesia couldn’t have taken the life of one of its members as God did with Ananias and his wife. This was well outside the bounds of ecclesial authority. However, those who lean far too much toward the “do nothing†approach need to take heed. God demands that we take action and exercise ecclesial discipline. To do otherwise is to disobey the commands of the Almighty.
The next problem faced was one that perhaps we can all relate to in that the widows of Hellenistic Jews were being neglected (Acts 6). This problem is multifaceted. It involved prejudice, laziness, inequality, and dominance of one group over another. What is very interesting is that all they needed was someone to take over the feeding of the old widows. Is this a complicated or high profile job? No. Is this a job that required the best and the brightest in the ecclesia? Well, apparently it did. The Apostles solved the problem by having the ecclesia select “seven men of good reputation, filled with the Spirit and with wisdom, to whom we can hand over this duty.†They didn’t just get anyone. We see too what the dividend was for handling this problem correctly. “The word of the Lord continued to spread: the number of disciples in Jerusalem was greatly increased, and a large group of priests made their submission to the faith.†(Acts 6:7) When an ecclesia handles its problems well, it thrives. When it doesn’t, it falters and eventually dies.
The last recorded problem the ecclesia in Jerusalem faced was the problem with the Judaizers. Not only did this ecclesia have this problem, they exported it to other ecclesias. Unfortunately, this ecclesia was gone before they could have benefited from the warning given to the brethren in Ephesus. “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.†(Rev. 2:5) As a result, the Jerusalem ecclesia bears to ignominious distinction of being the first ecclesia to have its candlestick (lampstand) removed.
So let us conclude these thoughts on Hundredfold Discipleship and the Hundredfold Ecclesia by remembering where we started. Jesus indicated to us that there are differing levels of discipleship in the parable of the sower. It comes down to “fruit production†or how well we serve our master. We have clearly been told what to do. It is simply a matter of carrying it out. Jesus finished this parable saying “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.†May each of us have ears to hear.
Have a great week,
