Commonalities
Let me think out loud for a minute. When people gather together in community around a commonality*, the potential for it to be overtaken by the principalities and powers is immediate. This is what we must constantly wrestle against. There is the temptation for my community identified as Rothesay Vineyard identifying with the principality called “Rothesay Vineyard”, which is the composite of all human and angelic desires, wishes, agendas and expectations for Rothesay Vineyard. There is the even broader danger of us identifying with the principalities called “Vineyard”, “Church” and “Christian”. It is most difficult for a community to simply be a gathering of people without the pressure of ideals being pressed upon it. I consider it injurious to our community to imagine what this community should be. I regard it toxic to communal life to impose upon it my plans or goals. Vision corrupts the community that is. To even talk in passionately imaginative ways about what our community could be feels adulterous to me. It perverts love into fantasy. The principalities and powers, like in every other age, are presently in full swing. These things need to be discerned. Why? Because they appear brilliant and good to the contemporary mind. But they have one purpose, and that is first to oppress, then to possess, then to ultimately deliver death to the person and to the people.
*I realize this isn’t a word, but I invented it to describe something around which a community agrees, whether it be marriage, family, religion, belief, faith, politic, capitalism, etc., etc..
agenda, angels, dreams, goals, nakedpastor, plans, powers, principalities, vineyard, vision Share This
Actually, commonality is indeed a word.
1. a sharing of features or characteristics in common; possession or manifestation of common attributes.
2. a feature or characteristic held in common
- from dictionary.com
I’m a bit less clear on what you mean by principalities.
1. a state ruled by a prince, usually a relatively small state or a state that falls within a larger state such as an empire.
2. the position or authority of a prince or chief ruler; sovereignty; supreme power.
- again from dictionary.com
You’re afraid of some influential person coming in and shaping the community after himself rather than letting the community grow without a particularly influential person influencing it? That didn’t quite make sense to me considering the things you were saying, but that was the closest I could come.
Double talk!
“Vision corrupts the community that is.”
—-My goodness, man, someone had to have a ‘vision’ for you to have a community.
“To even talk in passionately imaginative ways about what our community could be feels adulterous to me.”
—-So the post you just posted, the drawings and paintings are all without passion.
The blog you created–with out passion?
No passion in the pulpit?
fishon
How does “My people perish for lack of Vision” fit into this, do you think? (Not an accusatory question. Just a question.)
Gah. You folks beat me to the punch. I was going to ask the same questions.
It seems that God has given some people specific direction to carry out specific tasks that involve leading the people of God into a specific place.
Perhaps a distinction should be made between God’s particular calling and a person’s/institution’s goals? Although, there are plenty who feel God is calling them in a particular direction, but turn out to be incorrect. I’ve been one of those people.
jonathan: the word “vision” in this passage you speak of literally means “a prophecy”… in other words, a word from the Lord. We perish without hearing from God. Man does not live by bread alone but by every word (vision) that proceeds from the mouth of God.
i looked up “commonality” in several dictionaries but couldn’t find it. thanks.
I don’t get it, David. If your community is a church, then you aren’t just a gathering of people. You are a gathering of people with something in common. And that commonality is, as Paul says, your bonds in Christ. Churches do certain things and these things are what makes them a church.
You can find one online definition of the word “commonality” here:
http://www.websters-online-dictionary.com/definition/commonality
There are other online dictionaries with slightly different definitions of the word.
Unlike, the other commenters here, I’m not going to disagree with your post, David. I think I understand what you mean. When we are consumed with an ideal, it becomes very easy to be discontent with a reality. When we are focused on creating perfection, it becomes easy to overlook or deny imperfection. When we are obsessed with an end-goal, it becomes too easy to disregard or toss aside anything (and more likely, anyone) standing in the way of that goal–even when the circumstances change.
I can’t defend your post with Biblical ammunition, but intuitively it makes sense to me. The modern church seems to have a vision to ensure that its members are kept unaware of or unconcerned about their own oppression, possession, and depression. The church keeps them hopping with more outreach, more classes, more seminars, more small groups, more ministry so that there is never time to assess what is going on internally. There is no time for God to speak because there is no time to be still. So then the church attempts to legislate “quiet time”–always an agenda. Never just a “here we are God, come hang out.”
Speaking only from my journey within Pentecost, I find much wisdom in your words and especially like your phrasing the idea that “vision corrupts the community that is”. I say that only because the Church at large seems to grasp the term “vision” as applying to prophetic, futuristic application. In my own opinion, “understanding” would be a much better translation and, in the sense that you seem to speak, fulfills the need for our attaining it via some valid manifestation presented us by God, Himself, not just an individual trying to convince us he has had a revelation from the Almighty. If God be in anything or anyone, He will verify that fact as we attempt to follow.
TTM: Again, just an old man’s opinion, but you also bring some good food to the table.
So many here have already said how I feel about what you have said.
Bottom line for me is this…If you want to be a part, or leader of a community…join the Elks club. If you want to pastor a church and lead that flock, you ought to have the vision that is set forth in scripture. Proclaim God’s law and proclaim Christ’s forgiveness.
Not easy…but not that complicated either.
- Steve M.
Well, Jim, they say that with age comes wisdom, so I’m doubly honored by a compliment from an “old” man. Thank you.
ttm: Just finished quoting you in a post on my site, but regret finding no link here for you. If you do blog, I’d love to connect.
i like the idea that your keen on defending your community from anything that stops it being what God intended to be, but intentional communities, as in your intentionaly following Jesus together have pressures to it, its spiritual war, don’t give in to the wrong pressures, just submit to the ultimate pressure in Jesus. All else is secondary, though still important. Our agendas can block out Gods, but thats our fight to keep laying down our lives together in finding Jesus in the midst of us.
love from the UK
peace bro
Is this the gist of your post - dont allow corrupting influences to try to place undue expectations on what your community is or should be?
The only question I have is what is our response to change - life is full of change forces, both in all of nature and in human experience, and in relationship with God and others. What are your thoughts on interacting with forces of change?
or I could be missing your point altogether - let me know.
Community is not God. If we are talking/thinking about community all the time, we are unknowingly making it to control our lives. I too long for a community of like-minded believers and I wouldn’t diminish it’s significance in my spiritual journey. But at the same time, we shouldn’t be controlled by anything (E.g: community) other than Jesus.
Jim, thank you for the mention on your blog. Though I’ve considered it many times, I don’t have my own blog; I just continue to happily read and comment on the blogs of others.
I’m a single mom, homeschooling a teen (for about thirteen years now), and I’m doing an online course to jumpstart a career shift. For now, time is limited. Maybe someday I’ll be a blog author…in the meantime, I’m enjoying the dialogue here. David’s art and reflections always stimulate thought and I love, love, love that he lets people be who they are and say what they will.
And now I have a new blog to check out! What a great picture of you and the “half-crew!”