Earlier I blogged about some exciting and fascinating ways in which we were seeing evidence of God at work through the start of Renew. I wrote about it here, here and here.
He continues to show up.
But there has been a slightly different turn of events.
It seems now that the church planter needs to walk out of the bar.
We have thoroughly enjoyed our time renting the facilities at Third and Walnut.
However, a new state law, which takes full effect on Thursday, has made things difficult for us.
On September 11 the Pennsylvania Clean Indoor Air Act officially begins. The Act itself is a good law intended to protect the citizens of the commonwealth of PA. The Clean Indoor Air Act prohibits all smoking in public buildings in the entire state. (Several other states have enacted this law.)
However, certain establishments - especially drinking establishments - can qualify for and receive an exception and allow smoking in their facility. Third and Walnut Bar has received an exception and will allow smoking. However, in order to receive the exception Third and Walnut, and other establishments receiving the exception, must agree to never allow anyone under the age of 18 into the building at any time. Seeing that we have almost twenty children under the age of 18 on our launch team this has posed a problem for us.
For the past several days we've been on the phone with state senators, employees of the Tobacco Prevention Council and directors of the Department of Health attempting to explain our unique situation and to see if there is any way the law is interpreted in our favor due to our situation. They looked at our case, asked questions, spent time discussing the implications and interpretation of the law and were sympathetic to our situation. But when all was said and done, we received an official "no" from lawmakers.
I've wondered this week: How could such a good law actually be so bad? It seemed like the perfect place for us to meet in...why did this happen?
On Sunday I explained this to the Renew Launch Team, saying that we had done everything we could do to stay in our current location. Even the bar owner told us that he wished we could stay. But as great as the location is and as much as we loved it, we needed to look elsewhere. (We did say that we didn't want our identity to be wrapped up in being "the bar church" so maybe this is a good thing in the long run anyway, I don't know...)
Sure, we're disappointed, but we also know how God has been showing himself faithful, how he has been guiding us and directing us through this entire process - and He's not done with us yet.
There are some positives from this experience:
I told our launch team this is a teachable moment for us, a chance to allow the Holy Spirit to teach us, remind us and reinforce in that church is not a place, but a gathering of God's people with the promise of God's presence (wow, that's a lot of P's in that last sentence).
I taught this weekend on the idea of the Tabernacle mindset of church versus the Temple mindset of church.
We began by looking at Exodus 13-14 - how God's people were given a gift of a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud that guided them through the wilderness and across the Red Sea. God's presence was guiding and directing them day and night, despite their lack of a place of permanence.
His presence among them was enough.
We then looked at Exodus 25 and 26 - God's specific instructions given to the Israelites for the tabernacle's construction. The tabernacle (simply meaning "dwelling place") was a temporary tent where God's presence would rest. God's people experienced God among them in the midst of a temporary tent as they traveled around the desert. No matter where they went, God was among them.
Then we looked at Leviticus 23:33-44 - the festival that God commanded the Israelites to celebrate: Sukkoth (or the Festival of Tabernacles, or booths). An experiential God had his people reenact this wandering experience of their ancestors for one week every year to be reminded that God was with them in the midst of the uncertainty and the transition. Location changed, but God and His character never did. What a great thing to do: a once a year spiritual camp out that lasted one week to remind them of God's provision!
Then we looked at the Temple and its construction in 1 Kings 6 under King Solomon. It took him seven years to build a permanent, centralized location for people to come worship God.
Several years later Jesus shows up on the scene. John 1 says "The word became flesh and dwelt among us." The word "dwelt" is best translated "tabernacled among us." I love how the Message says it: "The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood."
In John 14 Jesus promises a friend, a comforter, that will be with them always: the Holy Spirit.
And then the book of Acts, the start of the church of Jesus.
In chapter 1 they are told not to leave Jerusalem, but to stay there and wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2 we read about Pentecost - the Holy Spirit shows up in a dramatic way.
How does it show up? With fire over their heads.
What would the Jews be thinking of when they saw fire above their heads?
That their ancestors had been given guidance be fire of their heads in Exodus. That this mobile, experiential, compassionate God desired to guide them with certainty by his presence into the uncertain future.
The Church stays in Jerusalem until in Acts 7 Stephen is killed. Acts 8:1 says, "On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria..."
It was hardship that drove them out to other places around the country and the spread of the gospel was enhanced.
Ch 8: Philip goes to Samaria
Saul converts.
Ch 9: Peter travels to Lydda and then Joppa.
Ch 11: the church starts in Antioch.
Barnabas goes to Tarsus to look for Saul and brings him to Antioch.
The mobile Holy Spirit guided them to new and exciting places without permanent locations but with permanent presence - and the gospel spread.
All this happened because God's spirit decideed that the movement of His people and the spread of the great Story of God and Man would be a movement of mobility. And the spark that allowed the spread of the gospel was hardship - the death of one of their own brothers for the sake of the gospel! Without that they would have stayed in their little Jerusalem club, content as they saw God do some amazing things.
It has been said before on this blog that ekklesia, the Greek word in our Bible used for "church" was never used to describe a physical edifice. It was always in reference to the gathering of the redeemed, renewed, called-out people of God who attempt to pay attention to God and His character and then respond appropriately. (This reminds me of a picture my South African pastor-friend Tom Smith took of a church meeting in Mozambique...I love this picture of church).
We can teach until we are blue in the face that we don't go to church. We are the Church. But until we experience a lack of permanence in our location as a church - like we are right now - I am not sure we can ever truly understand it and let it get into our bloodstream. This is where we learn that we are the people of God with fire above our heads, having the Spirit guide us on Sundays...and every day throughout the week. And the good news is that our launch team is learning a lot! I am really proud of our launch team: committed, flexible, understanding, prayerful and faithful to the vision God has called us to.
The challenge for us right now (in addition to attempting to find a place to meet this Sunday!) is that we have a choice to make: are we going to be a Temple mindset faith community, believing that we "go" to church and have the unspoken mindset that we "do church" only in a building or are we going to have a Tabernacle mentality where we realize that we as God's people have the promise of His presence wherever we go?
In the meantime, we are making a lot of calls to different locations for availability to meet in a short notice. (Pray for us this week, if you think about it!) In fact, if you have any ideas or know of a place that allow us to meet regularly in the Lansdale area email me.
Despite the disappointment - and the stress of being without a location for this weekend - we feel a strange sense of anticipation (excitement?) about what God has in store for Renew in the future. Originally, when we had agreed to rent a facility (a school where I am still enrolled as a student) we were informed a few days before we started renting that we could no longer meet there. As a result, God provided a storefront room for us to meet in the first week for our team. Then, He provided a bar for us to meet in for the past five weeks.
What will he provide for us next? We wait in anticipation to see what will happen and its exciting.
I can almost see a visible flame above my head right now as I type this...
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