GLUE

Live Interview w/ Mark DeYmaz & Efrem Smith

Recently, I received a request to post this link to a live interview Efrem Smith and I gave as part of the festivities as the Exponential Conference in Orlando, FL (April 2009). Efrem is a good friend of mine, the pastor at Sanctuary Covenant Church in Minneapolis, MN and co-author of the book, Hip Hop Church. Together, we are part of a growing leadership seeking to catalyze the movement toward multi-ethnic churches throughout America and beyond. For those interested, I believe you will find this helpful. 

Unity as Confirmation: Jesus Is the Christ!

Literally hundreds of prophecies are recorded in the Old Testament concerning the coming of an “anointed one,” or Messiah. Beginning with Genesis 3:15 and subsequent to the fall of man, they speak of a Messiah, a Savior, who would one day be sent from God to destroy the serpent, abolish evil, and redeem mankind. In so doing, the Savior will restore man to a place of prominence in the divine order and, more than that, to a personal relationship with his Creator. In addition, the prophecies point to a coming Savior who would not only deliver the Jewish people from destruction but grant to people from every nation, tribe, and tongue the gift of eternal life as well.

The question, however, has always been, Who is the Savior and how will we know? According to Christ, the answer to these questions will be plainly manifest in and through the unity of believers: “If they [we] will be one,” he prayed, then “the world [will] know that You sent Me.” Yes, if we unite as one in mind, love, spirit, and purpose, the world will experientially understand that he is truly the Savior of the world. For only the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, can redeem mankind—men and women from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue—and unite them as one before the Father, thereby establishing peace on earth, goodwill toward men. In this sense, his use of the word sent, a translation of the Greek word apostollos is intentional. As we have already seen (John 17:4) and here again (John 17:23), Jesus is referring to himself as the personal, authoritative representative of God in language these men clearly would have understood.

In addition and through the oneness of future followers, Christ foresees that “the world will know that You love them.” Although today we take this for granted, we should remember that at the time of this prayer, the fact of God’s love for all the world was, in general, a radical concept to the Jewish mind. In that day, most Jews believed that YHWH was their God, that he loved their nation exclusively. From their perspective, then, “the Egyptians have their gods, the Hittites have their gods, the Phoenicians have their gods, and we, the Jews, have our God.” In contrast, it was not God’s love but God’s wrath that they believed would one day befall the rest of mankind. So when Christ prays for the world to “know” God’s love, he is speaking directly to the fact that salvation is not just for the Jews. And he says that all mankind will experience his love when men and women of diverse backgrounds are willing to walk together as one in Christ. In so doing, believers manifest the reality that, “He Himself is our peace, who made both groups (Jews and Gentiles) into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall” (Ephesians 2:14). 

On the night before he died then, Jesus Christ delivered to us the most effective means for reaching the world with the Gospel. He did not ask us to write books, bring evangelists to our cities, or put fi sh emblems on our cars. Nor did he instruct us to win the world through large churches built by and for a specifi c segment of society. For that matter, he did not pray that we would be “seeker-sensitive,” “postmodern,” “emergent,” or “purpose-driven.” Rather, he called us to be one; then, he said, the world would know God’s love and believe. 

Yes, in the twenty-first century it will be the unity of diverse believers walking as one in and through the local church that will proclaim the fact of God’s love for all people more profoundly than any one sermon, book, or evangelistic crusade. And I believe the coming integration of the local church will lead to the fulfillment of the Great Commission, to people of every nation, tribe, people, and tongue coming to know him as we do. 

This, then, is the core of our message. This is the prayer of Christ.

This article is reprinted in part from the book, Building a Healthy Multi-ethnic Church (Jossey-Bass/Leadership Network, 2007) by Mark DeYmaz.

What Can Be Learned From John 17 (Part III)

Christ and His Church (John 17:20-26)

In the final section of this prayer, Christ reveals that this same oneness of mind, love, spirit, and purpose will be equally vital for all those coming after the disciples—those who will, likewise, embrace the message and the mission: “I do not ask or pray on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word” (John 17:20). The question is, Just who does he have in mind? You know, no matter how many times I consider the answer, I am always amazed. On the night before Jesus died, he prayed specifically for me, and he prayed specifically for you. Indeed, he prayed not only for his apostles, but for all those, like us, who have or will someday come to know him through their word. For from the oral and written testimonies of the first apostles, the Gospel message has gone forth. On and on it has been extended for two thousand years down to the present day with the result that you and I now believe. Yes, from the Father to the Son, to the eleven men in the room with him that night, to and through the countless hands of untold saints throughout the centuries, the message and the mission of the Gospel has come down to you and me. Indeed, the race is now ours to run; the baton has been passed to us. 

Such understanding, however, leads to a second and equally profound question: Just what did Jesus Christ pray for us on the night before he died? Remarkably, he prayed just one thing and one thing only: three times in three verses (17:21-23), he prayed that we would be one. Now as both scholars and students of the Word know, any time something is repeated in the text, it is done so for emphasis. Stressing the importance of his words, then, Christ prayed first that we would “be one” (John 17:21), then a second time that we would “be one” (John 17:22), and finally, that we would be “perfected in unity” (John 17:23). Let’s break this down for a moment. 

First, Christ prays that “they may all be one.” As mentioned earlier, he is speaking of all those who would come after the disciples who would believe in him through their word. Quite simply, this refers to any and all who would later embrace him by faith and receive eternal life, regardless of who they were, from where they had come, or in what century they lived. All those who believe, then, have been called to be one and, as we are fond of saying at Mosaic, "All means all!" In addition, the word perfected is translated from the Greek word teteleiomenoi (the perfect-passive subjunctive of the word teleo), which, in this context, means “to become mature or, completely one.” According to the Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament, “use of the perfect [tense] indicates a permanent state as the goal and final result.”1 In other words, Christ intends for us (believers) to become mature in our faith, completely united as one and one with the Father (John 17:21). Yet there is something even more profound to be revealed in the exegesis of this passage. Indeed we must ask, Why does Christ pray so fervently for future followers to be completely united as one?  

It is significant to realize that Christ prayed we would be one for two very specific reasons, or “so that” two things will occur. The words so that in verses 21 and 23 are translated from the Greek word, hina. This word, a preposition, is used linguistically to introduce what Greek scholars refer to as an “hina clause.” When used, the word points to the intended result or purpose of something and, in a broader sense, is used to introduce a “purpose clause.” According to H. E. Dana and J. R. Mantey, writing in A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, “The function of a ‘purpose clause’ is to express the aim of the action denoted by the main verb. This aim may be of a deliberate design ... or merely of contemplated results.”2

In other words, an hina clause introduces an “if–then” propositional truth. In essence, the proposition can be stated as follows: If  X occurs (though there’s no guarantee that X will occur), but if X does occur, then Y is the guaranteed result. With this in mind, we can paraphrase John 17:21–23 to read: 

    "I also want to pray for those who, in time, will come to believe in Me through the witness

of My disciples ... I pray that those who come after them will be completely united as one. 

There is no guarantee that they will be one; but if they will, then two things will certainly result. First, men and women throughout the world will recognize that I am the promised Messiah. In addition, Father, men and women throughout the world will recognize that You love them. Consequently, they will respond to Your love

and receive eternal life through faith in Me." 

On the night before he died then, Christ prayed specifically that future generations of believers would be one so that the world would know God’s love and believe. In this way and by this means, Christ stated that his mission would be accomplished through others and, ultimately, his Father glorified. What Jesus intends for us (the local church), then, is clear: we have been called to be one for the sake of the Gospel. It may not be easy, but it is biblical, and it is right. Therefore, we are to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which [we] have been called” (Ephesians 4:1). 

Indeed, when men and women of diverse backgrounds walk together as one in Christ in and through the local church, they uniquely reflect the Father’s love on earth as it is in heaven. More than that, their oneness of mind, love, spirit, and purpose proclaim the Gospel in a most powerful and compelling way. For as his own union with the Father uniquely empowered Christ to proclaim God’s love for the world, our union with fellow believers uniquely empowers us to do the same. Yes, in pursuing the “perfection of unity,” we will see the world saved. 

1.  Fritz Rienecker and Cleon L. Rogers,  Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament  (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1976, 1980), 256. 

2.  H. E. Dana and J. R. Mantey, A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament  (New York: MacMillan, 1927, 1955), 283.

This article is reprinted in part from the book, Building a Healthy Multi-ethnic Church (Jossey-Bass/Leadership Network, 2007) by Mark DeYmaz.

What Can Be Learned From John 17 (Part II)

Christ and His Disciples (John 17:6–19) 

   

In the second section of the prayer, Christ turns his attention to the eleven men who were there with him that night (Judas having left to betray him [John 13:21–30]). These disciples are, in context, the “men whom Thou gavest Me out of the world” (John 17:6). They had received the message of Christ as having come from the Father and had “believed that Thou has sent Me” (John 17:7–8). In other words, they had received eternal life and were, therefore, among the first fruits of Christ’s mission and its success. Furthermore, they were the ones to whom he would now pass the baton. 

So having fi rst prayed for himself, what does Jesus next pray for his disciples? Knowing that he would no longer be with them “in the world” (John 17:11a), he prays that the Father would “keep them in Thy

name . . . [so] that they may be one” (John 17:11b). As John 17:12 makes clear, Christ asks the Father to guard these men, that is, to keep them firm in faith so that not one of them would fall away. In addition, he prays that they would be one or, as Paul later expounds, “of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose” ( Philippians 2:2). In other words, from now on it would be up to them to carry on the work and, as Christ’s ambassadors, to proclaim eternal life throughout the world 

(Matthew 28:19, 20; Acts 1:8). According to his prayer, remaining firm in God by faith and walking together as one would be essential for accomplishing the mission. 

Jesus also asks his Father to “keep them from the evil [one],” knowing that the world (those who reject the message) would hate them and the Word of God, which they would proclaim (John 17:14–15). Thus he 

describes the disciples as “not of this world” (John 17:16), that is, in faith and focus different from the rest. So to the Father he prays, “sanctify them in the truth” (John 17:17). 

Finally, he commissions them to the task: “As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world” (John 17:18). So first (John 17:1–5), Jesus states that he was sent from God to proclaim the message of eternal life throughout the world and to offer salvation for all those who would believe. In next praying for his disciples (John 17:6–19), he commissions them to carry on this mission, and in so doing, he reveals his belief: the success of their efforts will depend on the Father “keeping them in Thy name,” and on their “be[ing] one” (John 17:11). It should go without saying that these men did, in fact, live out their commission. They remained true to the Father in faith and advanced the cause as one. With this in mind, Christ reserves his final words for those whose lives these men would affect throughout history. 

This article is reprinted in part from the book, Building a Healthy Multi-ethnic Church (Jossey-Bass/Leadership Network, 2007) by Mark DeYmaz.

What Can Be Learned From John 17 (Part I)

For centuries, the prayer recorded in John 17 has been widely referred to as the “high priestly prayer” of Jesus Christ. In his book,  Reflections on the Gospel of John , author Leon Morris notes, “In the early fifth century, Clement of Alexandria said that in this prayer, Jesus was a high priest acting on behalf of his people.” 

It is interesting that this is the longest of all the prayers attributed to Jesus and an appropriate conclusion to what’s known as the upper room discourse (John 14–16). With this in mind, some also believe that Jesus intended his words to be overheard by the disciples in order to provide them further hope and comfort. Be that as it may, the prayer marks the passing of the baton to those, both then and now, who are tasked with the responsibility of carrying on the work begun by Christ, namely, of proclaiming eternal life to all men (John 17:2). 

In addition, remember that Jesus had just shared a final meal with His disciples. He had just washed their feet, reinterpreted the Passover, and dismissed Judas, who would betray Him. Therefore, it is an emotional and significant moment, the night before Jesus would die. 

The entire prayer can be divided into three sections. First, Jesus prays to the Father on his own behalf (John 17:1–5). Next, He prays to the Father on behalf of His disciples, that is, the eleven men left in the room with Him in that moment (John 17:6–19). And finally, He prays for “those also who believe in Me through their word” (John 17:20–23). Over the next two weeks, I want to break this down a bit and discuss each section with a view toward readers understanding just how Christ envisioned the multi-ethnic church. and why for Him it was essential for us all to be one.

Christ and His Father (John 17:1–5) 

In the first section of the prayer, again we note that Christ prays for Himself: “The hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as you gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life” (John 17:1–2). Here then, Jesus defines His mission and its scope. He had been given “authority over all mankind” and to all those the Father has given Him, He will, in turn, give eternal life (see also Ephesians 1:3–7). As John 17:3 makes clear, eternal life is to “know You [the Father], the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” And knowing God, in this sense, is a matter of faith. 

The term rendered “know” is a translation of the common Greek word ginosko meaning simply, “to know.”  To know, in the full sense of this term, however, means to learn or acquire knowledge through experience. In other words, Christ does not so much pray that these will come to know God intellectually (the term oida in the Greek) but rather that they will come to know God more fully in and through their own personal experience. In order to know God experientially, we must come to know His Son, by faith, that is, Jesus Christ who has been “sent” by the Father. The term sent  is a translation of the Greek word apostello, which translated means, “one who has been sent as another’s personal [and] authoritative representative.”

  

As He begins to pray, then, Jesus makes it clear that He has been sent to represent God on earth and to proclaim (in person, word, and deed) the message of eternal life to all mankind. Indeed, this was His mission, and it is the theme of this prayer. Yes, Christ desires that people everywhere will come to know the Father’s love, embrace him by faith, and receive the gift of eternal life. This remains today the passion of his heart. 

This article is reprinted in part from the book Building a Healthy Multi-ethnic Church (Jossey-Bass/Leadership Network, 2007) by Mark DeYmaz.

Why Is the Local Church Segregated?

According to research conducted by sociologists Curtiss Paul Deyoung, Michael O. Emerson, GeorgeYancey and Karen Chai Kim at the turn of the century, 92.5% of Catholic and Protestant churches throughout the United States can be classified as “monoracial.” This term describes a church in which 80% or more of the individuals who attend are of the same ethnicity or race. The remaining churches (7.5 percent) can be described as multiracial—churches in which there are a non-majority, collective population of at least 20%. By this definition, approximately 12% of Catholic churches, just less than 5% of Evangelical churches, and about 2.5% of mainline Protestant churches can be described as multi-ethnic. 

Surely, it must break the heart of God to see so many churches throughout this country segregated ethnically and economically from one another and that little has changed since it was first observed that eleven o’clock on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in the land.

In an increasingly connected yet stubbornly sectarian world, it is time to recognize that there is no greater tool for evangelism than the witness of diverse believers walking, working, and worshipping God together as one in and through the local church. More than that, I believe the very progress of the Gospel throughout the twenty-first century will be largely dependent upon this pursuit. 

So let me ask you a question: If the kingdom of heaven is not segregated, why on earth is the Church? Post your thoughts and we'll continue the discussion.

Webinar Resources Now Available Online

The following online resources are now available via Leadership Network for those interested in learning more about the mandate, commitments, practcies and challenges of doing multi-ethnic church ministry in America today.

1.  One-hour webinar featuring Mark DeYmaz on the Biblical mandate and core commitments of a multi-ethnic local church (Summer 2008).

2.  One-hour webinar featuring Mark DeYmaz addressing some 25 questions submitted by webinar participants (Fall 2008).

3.  Bonus list of 10 FAQs from Mark DeYmaz

 4.  For additional reources and connection to the Multi-ethnic Church Movement, visit Mosaix Global Network.

Tips for Building Healthy Multi-ethnic Churches

Join me for a free online webinar hosted by my good friends at Leadership Network on Thursday, November 13, from 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm CST. At that time, I will be responding to questions live as well as others posed to me in a similar forum we conducted this past summer. Due to the overwhelming response to the first webinar, this second session has now been scheduled. I hope you'll tune in and/or spread the word to those you know who might be interested.

The Fermi Project

Last April, I was contacted by Gabe Lyons, co-author of the book, unChristian to address the subject of the multi-ethnic church on a podcast for the Fermi Project. According to their website, "Gabe and Rebekah Lyons founded Fermi Project in 2003, a broad collective of innovators, social entrepreneurs, church and societal leaders working together to make positive contributions to culture." As you may know, the book "reveals exclusive research on pop-culture's negative perception of Christians and convenes 27 of Christianity's most influential voices to address ... the steady erosion of Christianity's reputation in America." Prior to Fermi Project, Gabe co-founded Catalyst, a national gathering of young leaders, while serving as Vice President for John Maxwell's INJOY organization.

Listen to my interview with Gabe.

In addition and by clicking the link above, you can access 23 other podcasts produced by the Fermi Project featuring Shane Claiborne, Brian McClaren, Mark Batterson, Rick McKinley, Jim Wallis and more.

Here's a bit more about the Fermi Project from their website ...

"A Fermi is a metric unit of length equal to one quadrillionth of a meter (10-15 meter). It is named after Enrico Fermi who was an Italian-born American physicist. He won a 1938 Nobel Prize for his work on artificial radioactivity caused by neutron bombardment. In 1942, at the University of Chicago, he produced the first controlled nuclear chain reaction.

In contrast to things that are big, Fermi represents the beginning of a chain reaction. It starts small, but through intentional linking over time creates an exponential effect, a major shift within the church's way of viewing its mission and opportunity within the culture."

Expediting the Vision via Church Mergers

On Sunday, August 31, a new chapter began in the life of Mosaic when we formally enfolded an entire church into our body. On that day, more than 100 Latinos (including two full-time pastors) - formerly, the people of Iglesia Nazareno del Samaritano - committed to walk, work and worship together as one with us in the years ahead to the glory of God and in order to advance His kingdom, on earth as it is in heaven!

Here's a few quick facts ...

1. Iglesia Nazareno del Samaritano was established by Pastor Osmani Silva in the summer of 2001. It is today one of the two most long-standing, respected and effective churches evangelizing and discipling first generation Latinos in Central Arkansas.

2. Together with his worship pastor, Jorge Bazan, Pastor Silva is coming with approximately 100 members to unite as one with the people and passion of Mosaic.

3. In addition, the church has established two mission churches in Mexico, and is currently planting one in Stuttgart. These, too, are now part of the Mosaic family!

4. The church’s worship team, Grupo Samaritano, is well-known in Latino churches throughout the south, and travels with Pastor Silva conducting church services, revivals and seminars. To date they have recorded five CDs.

5. Pastor Silva and his wife, Alison, have been married since 1997. Pastor Bazan and his wife, Diana, have been married since 2002.

Concerning the merger, Pastor Silva recently commented, “I am so excited to now be working together with the brothers and sisters of Mosaic in order to grow the Kingdom of God and to win more souls to Christ.”

So just like that, Mosaic now offers three worship services and one venue on Sundays as follow ...

9 am (1st Service) - English (with music directed by James Wafford III);

10:45 am (2nd Service) - English to Spanish and ASL (with music directed by James Wafford III)

12:30 pm (Venue Samaritano) - Spanish (with music directed by Jorge Bazan)

6:00 pm (3rd Service) - Spanish to English (with music directed by Jorge Bazan)

Now what's the difference between a service and a venue? Services at Mosaic feature the same message whereas the message delivered at the afternoon venue is entirely different. In addition, the venue exists primarily for the purpose of evangelism among the growing 1st generation Latino population within Central Arkansas.

Finally, here's a few thoughts re. what it is and what it's not ...

What It Is

1. It is an official merger between Iglesia Nazareno del Samaritano and the Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas whereby from now on, we will all be known as the Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas.

2. It is an opportunity for expanded, more effective evangelism of first generation Latinos via Mosaic.

3. It is an opportunity for expanded, more effective discipleship of Latino young people, i.e., second and third generation Latinos, via Mosaic.

What It’s Not

1. It is (we are) not two churches under one roof. We are one church with multiple service and venue options.

2. It does not in anyway change our DNA. Rather, it eliminates a barrier we unintentionally established through the years, namely one that made it difficult for many first generation Latinos to find Christ and/or a church home with us at Mosaic.

3. It is not an exclusive or intentional segregation of people by ethnic heritage or language, etc. Anyone and everyone is welcome to attend any of Mosaic’s worship services or venue options! In fact, Mosaic’s unable to attend morning services for one reason or another in the future, will be encouraged to attend at our new 6:00 p.m. service – a service in which, though the music will be different, the morning’s message will be repeated or otherwise generally taught (same passage and principles) by a different teaching pastor. In addition to worship, the 2:00 pm venue and the 6:00 pm service will provide ongoing opportunites for those wishing to learn Spanish to interact with others in an environment of immersion.

Long-term, we believe that a balanced diet of service and venue options will lead to increased understanding, relational development, cross-cultural competency, purposeful interaction, co-laboring within the church for the sake of the Gospel, and seamless interaction among all who call themselves Mosaics!

Dr. Warren Bird recently wrote to ask and address the question, What Have You Learned About Launching an Ethnic or Multi-cultural Site. Re. the coming integration of the local church, here's, in part, what he said:

"What's your sense between multi-ethnic churches and multi-ethnic campuses of multi-site churches? Which is more likely to take the lead, and why?

"My prediction is that it will happen through mergers. Our multi-site survey also asked, 'Have you used your multi-site approach to assist (or take responsibility for) a declining church?' Of 197 churches that replied to this question, 30% said yes, plus 10% more said, 'No, but we plan to in the future.' I think those mergers will open the way to more multi-ethnic congregations."

I agree with Warren; and through our recentl experience at Mosaic, we hope to both inspire and inform other local church pastors interested in merging churches in pursuit of the multi-ethnic vision. If you're interested, just let me know.