I read something just recently off of Alan Hirsch’s blog that got my mind buzzing about the way the church is supposed to function. Those in the Endeavor Family know just how much I talk about the church being an organism and not an organization. The church is a living thing, as so illustrated in the New Testament by both Jesus and the Apostolic writers. Each and every part is crucial as defining the whole. The key to faithful church life is to create an environment where everyone is bringing what they have been given for the benefit of the whole. Hospitality, compassion and knowledge are all great examples when it comes to the ways in which Jesus gives gifts to his church for the purpose of edifying the whole.
This concept of swarm theory that Alan points us to is a fascinating view into how God has designed living communities to function as a single group. Here are some of the rules that ant colonies follow in order to function as a united body:
1. No one is in charge.
2. High levels of interaction between all individuals is crucial to unity.
3. Individuals all act on local information.
4. No ant sees the big picture. Even the queen is not “in charge” but only fulfills the function of reproducing more ants.
5. No ant tells any other ant what to do.
6. All ants obey the same general rules of thumb.
It’s amazing when you consider these types of community systems just how similar they are to the way the New Testament portrays the church. None of the Apostles view themselves as solely in charge but come together collectivly when it comes to making big decisions as a group. No one part is viewed as more important than the others and so they all are called to serve in whatever way they can. It would even appear that none of the Apostles are able to see the big picture of what God is doing but they each serve in the capacity that they are called to. In this system, obedience is seen as more important than knowledge. Christ is the head, and it is made clear that he acts as the mind for the body.
What if we were to all approach Kingdom life, like the ant colony? Each of us acting on what information we have, each of us faithful in following through with what we were created and called to do. It’s impossible to imagine what God might be doing in our midst.
Maybe this is the key to each of us “growing up into Christ, who is the head.”
It is interesting that the community of Israel in the Old Testament was called “Edah” which means swarm. I believe that the things you are stating must be the foundation for a life in Christ and not just something we grow into. This was the way the way was when it was first called The Way. Somehow it has been modified till it no longer resembles what the Apostles established as described in Acts 2 and 4. Getting back to the root might mean leaving one house that is crumbling and moving into the house that is on the original foundation.
blonde pamelablog
I couldn have said it better. Maria