A Call for the Long, Hard & Slow Work

I recently attended a conference for workers in our area of the world. There was some really wonderful teaching, encouraging reports, and thought-provoking break-out sessions. Overall, it was a blessing.

However, one session in particular gave me a new way of framing my own story; and not in a positive way.

In the early 1970s the Charismatic Movement hit Ireland. It had a lot of influences feeding into it, often from overseas. On the one hand, preachers from circles like the Jesus Movement were attracting young, hippie types. On the other hand, the Catholic Church, a strongly entrenched part of Irish society, had experienced some Charismatic revival in the States and this had spread to Ireland too, such that both lay-people and clergy, average Joes and nuns alike, were swept into this spiritual awakening across the island. What resulted were many prayer groups that met together, new professing believers joined with one another, and all looked well.

This extraordinary time surely saw much blessing across the land. There are many things to praise God for. The was so much potential. But unfortunately, the trajectory was altered. Leaders within these movements, particularly from the USA, came across in person or via cassette tapes and books. They rightly rejoiced at a work of God, they rightly even seemed to recognise that all these new groups of believers would need establishing. So they brought their teachings. Let me list some of them:

1. They once belonged to the “institutional church”, but then they had been enlightened as to the lack of the Holy Spirit there, so were very wary of any organised church. This created a disdain for any “organised” church groups that only ever grew. It also gave way to many mantras of the time such as “I am the church” – (note: not we are the church, but I. My parents will quote this phrase to this day).
2. Eldership was a concession by Paul for immature churches. It is not the ideal for a true Spirit-led church where everyone is equal.
3. The Holy Spirit is the only one needed to teach you. Therefore, all you need is yourself and your Bible. While fellowship is enjoyed, it is not necessary for learning, nor are gifted teachers.
4. Seminaries are cemeteries. Any sort of formal training runs in the face of the true Biblical Christianity.

These are just a few of the main teachings that were propagated among these young groups of often first-generation believers. As with many grass-roots movements, those pushing these dogmas believed that this was a return to first-century Christianity, without all the baggage, sin, problems and lack of the Spirit, that had crept in over the years through the “organised church”.

Now, we could spend all day dissecting those points, pointing to the irony that we have the New Testament epistles because of so many problems in the early church, or that Spirit-led teaching is said to be by Spirit-filled men, gifted in teaching by the Spirit, gifted to the church to teach, from the Spirit-inspired Scriptures… but that’s not the point I want to bring out. I want to look at the fruit of this movement.

This movement lasted well into the 80s. It probably falls under the Second Wave of the Pentecostal Movement worldwide (the first beginning at the turn of the century in Azusa Street, the Third Wave toward the end of the century with more established groups like Vineyard, and the beginning of more serious scholarship within the movement). I am not aware if there are studies on the movement in Ireland as a whole, or on its long-term fruitfulness, I can but speak anecdotally as one who grew up with parents in this movement, and as having spoken to many in similar circumstances.

After some time of growth and enthusiasm amongst these house groups, problems entered in, in a variety of ways. Disagreements about the Scriptures, differences of opinion about American influence, and probably many others. And these house groups imploded. They had neither the maturity, stability, nor direction, to survive. The individuals involved generally took one of three paths. Some managed to eventually join established local churches. Some never fellowshipped again, due to the conditioned disdain against the established church, and slowly drifted away from the faith. Others who also disdained local fellowships chose to settle down with themselves, allowing their minds to run wild with ideas of their own, unchecked by other believers, and becoming increasingly erratic in their thinking.

This is the story of my parents, one having taken the second path, and one the final path. It is a sad story, and one that is repeated across Ireland from the same generation. While there is much to praise God for in the movement that happened (and believers who at this point began their journey going on well in subsequent years), the erroneous concepts of “true spirituality”, promoted by certain leaders, bore horrendous fruit in the long run. This explosive movement produced graveyards of potential, disillusioned and handicapped believers, bitterness and unreasonable pride. And, in my opinion, the effects can be traced to the teaching listed above.

Why do I share this?

The session that I attended at the recent conference had a guest speaker who was sharing about Disciple Making Movements (DMM) in a neighbouring country. DMM is a strategy of rapidly planting Bible study groups, that may or may not evolve into churches in the long run. I have studied much about it in the past, and while I am generally sceptical of it, I had never interacted wiht it first-hand, so I determined to go into this session with an open mind and the hope of being surprised.

The speaker shared his story and answered questions from the attendees, and it all told an all-too-familiar story. In less than 4 years, they have apparently seen 395 house groups started, and 70 churches out of those. They do not have leadership in these groups, heresy is supposedly prevented by believers just reading the Bible together in simplicity. There is no formal teaching, they are “taught by the Spirit”. They are discouraged from joining what were referred to as “legacy” churches, and these established churches discouraged from helping the house groups, because legacy churches would just hinder the movement of God’s Spirit. Sound familiar?

DMM has origins that stretch right the way through the 20th century, perhaps reaching its current iterations in the early 21st Century. And it has gained much traction over the last couple of decades. However, reports from some of the pioneering works in our corner of the world in the last decades tell the same tale as that of the Charismatic Movement in 1980s Ireland. That which grew up quickly, without anything to support it, left to its own “Spirit-led” devices, now stands as a graveyard of “what could have been”.

The Preacher wisely said,

“What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.“

– Ecclesiastes 1:9

Both movements have a genuine desire to see growth, to see new believers, to sustain momentum. But they are built on false foundations. Without Spirit-gifted teachers, man is doomed to follow the immature voice in his head. Long-established churches are long-established for a reason. They may have their problems, but the fact is that they have faithfully stood against the turnings of the ages, centuries of antagonistic governments and angry villagers, and steadfastly bear witness to Christ. They are the strong, straight rod that can support the bending and easily damaged sapling. Godly leaders are the shepherds who take care of the sheep even at cost of their own lives. They are not higher than others, but they are needed. Without these, no movement shall survive, and the fall-out is worse than the beginning.

When Jesus told the parable of the soils, he spoke against that which grows up quickly. It is growing on rocky soil, with no depth to it, and the sun can scorch it. And this makes sense. In what area of life would we not heed this advice?

We want a child to take the time to face challenges, to grow, to mature, and then be able to reproduce at a stage of maturity in life.

The farmer does not want a crop tomorrow. A mature fruit tree takes years to grow before it gives abundant fruit. The wait is worth it.

In business we value the fruit of years of learning and expertise that are brought to the table.

In every area of life, we value the good fruit that comes after years of maturing. When children get pregnant, when you taste the meagre fruit of a trees first year, when the inexperienced run a business, you know something is wrong. Why is it that with the most precious thing in the world, God’s church, we have the perpetual desire for speed over maturity that bears fruit in its time?

The Sower of Psalm 126 weeps as he sows. Why? Because the harvest will not be tomorrow. He is laying down that precious seed for fruit, for joy, for sheaves to carry home, which he shall not see for years to come. God is in no hurry, why are we?

Those of you reading this who are involved in ministry in any small way, don’t get sidetracked. If you hear of your brother or sister seeing fruit, praise the Lord for it. But don’t be tempted to rush things to try see the same fruit tomorrow. Do not neglect what God has given you now in your quest for big numbers.

Farming takes time. Maturity takes time. And God has given a toolkit to bring that about. Be patient and willing to face the long hard slog of sowing without reaping, until the day when you see the fruit of your labours, and maturity gives way to abundant fruit. Some plant, some water, and God gives the increase in his time.