The church, family and the world has become so individualistic. It has become so splintered that it seems like no one needs anyone else. But is that God’s original design? Was God’s ideal plan for us to live tribally? When I think of early Israel and even the church and the whole concept of koinoneia doesn’t it seem that way? A tribe was an operating community. Everyone needed each other. Everyone contributed something to the tribe. Everyone in a tribe’s needs were met. What do you think? I posed this question to a couple friends of mine whom I respect as students of the Word and Biblical scholars in their own right. It was an interesting conversation and some great insights came forth that I believe is pertinent to the Church as the Body of Christ today. Let us see what we can learn from what has been forgotten and how it pertains to today. I present this article in the form of that actual conversation. And all my readers are also invited to chime in.
RAVEN: So what do you all think? Are we meant to live tribally? More importantly is that the way the church as a whole is meant to live? And is that even possible in the splintered world we live in today?
DALE: I think the short answer is yes. Primarily because it is a better picture or foreshadowing of the Kingdom. In order to fully understand this concept we must also consider the Western distortion of culture including laws concerning inheritance and subdivision of property. Contrast that with God’s approach in Canaan which was a patriarchal community with an attachment to land that was restored to the family every 50 years. Israel also properly kept precise genealogy records and each person identified themselves with their father and his father. I like the picture of Jacob returning to his homeland. He left as an individual fearing for his life and returned as a host.
There certainly are structural issues that would prevent this from being duplicated today such as population density, private property laws, etc. Western culture elevates the right of the individual above the responsibility to the family. We encourage our youth to leave the family and be educated and cultures away from family influence and duty. Day care and nursing homes are two extreme examples of how the family is ravaged by Western individualism.
The interesting side effect of this is, like diaspora, the spread of the Gospel was accelerated by this culture of the individual. Mixing of peoples and nations at this granular level is probably ordained of God. You can easily imagine the Church geographically insulated and self-reliant. The opposite of the Great Commission.
Living Tribally
RAVEN: Very good points, Dale. I too think ideally if humans would have functioned from the beginning as they should have we would have lived tribally. Your point though of the possibility of becoming geographically insulated and the gospel not being spread is a good point. I think the early church faced similar problems. ‘They had all things in common’ (Acts 4:32) tells me they were attempting to live tribally/communally but yet their mission was clear not to be geographically insulated but to spread the gospel. So, I think it is possible to have both.
That being said, what would that look like today? I don’t think we all have to physically live together in the same community. Just as the kingdom of God has no walls or barriers, we as the church can still make sure everyone is taken care of and has what they need. No one in the body of Christ should be without what they need. No doubt some of us are better at making money than others and more in a position to help those in need and should. However, that does not mean we should enable those who would be lazy among us. ‘if a man doesn’t work he doesn’t eat’ (2 Thessalonians 3:10). So I’m not saying that. But if the church as a whole were functioning as it should we would be more proactive in helping people get the education and jobs they need to contribute to the kingdom so all may be provided for.
There was a time that the church was the welfare system, the senior home, the unwed mothers’ home, not the government. We should build a strong body of believers. We should be a force to be reckoned with empowered with the wealth and influence to be a voice in this world to be reckoned with politically or whatever while at the same time focused on our mission that Jesus is the answer.
I think it is possible to have a virtual tribe. The early church went from house to house breaking bread (Acts 2:46). In today’s world that could mean going house to house among believers and making sure needs were met and meeting in some houses including the church building to discuss and raise the funds needed to assess and provide for all believers in our tribe/community. This is ‘kind of’ how the church operates today but the church as a whole could do a better job I think. Mission outreach to unbelievers out of compassion and in hope of spreading the gospel is one thing but too often I see the believer neglected when if we were helping one another as we should we would make stronger, wealthier, more productive believers which would give us more influence and wealth to help other believers as well as help the needy unbelievers.
DALE: Virtual Tribe…Now I believe you are very close to the truth. I do think it is important to remember that unlike the world version, we don’t know who the present and future members of our virtual tribe are. That changes our responsibility and the family dynamic in massive ways.
RAVEN: Explain.
DALE: We have to approach everyone we come in contact with as having a value Christ would lay down His life for.
Finding People’s Gifts
RAVEN: What if we did a better job assessing people’s gifts and we recognized that as a Body and supported them better to achieve those things they potentially would be better at? Say someone had the potential and natural gifts to be a teacher or computer tech or counselor and we supported them to go to school so they would not have to work and built them into what they should be for the kingdom how the Body could benefit.
DALE: I agree with your sentiment wholeheartedly and only add that you and I don’t know who is or soon will be part of the Body and that means that we have that same responsibility to everyone, not just those we know to be in the Church. So, you see my dilemma.
RAVEN: We pay full time pastors and staff. What if we carried that concept a little farther and invested in others that way making sure, they didn’t have to struggle financially and helped them achieve those goals, especially young people. I just think many short circuit what they could be and fall short of what they could be because they have to work themselves to death because they have bills to pay and they have to lay aside their dreams and who they could have become. I’m not so sure we have the same responsibility to everyone, Dale. We have a responsibility to win others to Christ, to spread the gospel, so they can be part of the kingdom and very often our generosity even to those who don’t believe wins them to Christ. I’m not saying neglect compassion and helping people, don’t get me wrong. I’m just saying along with that let’s not neglect those among us who if given the tools and resources may be better able to reach more than we ever could if we empowered them with the tools and resources they needed. I guess you could define it as ‘vocational training’.
DALE: I hear you loud and clear! So now I am forced to send you to Matthew Chapter 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount, for context. We must also consider Luke 12:22-40. (Reader please take time to stop and read these scriptures. It would be too lengthy to copy them here. Just click on the links provided.)
RAVEN: I just read your reference. A passage I am very familiar with. Help me to understand your point in this discussion for bringing that up.
DALE: What is the motivation for vocational training? How are we actually meant to provide food and clothing for our families? This is what I am struggling with.
Take no thought for tomorrow (Matthew 6:34) ?
Seek only the Kingdom (Matthew 6:33)?
RAVEN: I just think if we were better stewards of what we have including shoring up those potentially gifted ones among us we could achieve this commission more effectively and glorify God even more. Give Him more avenues to achieve this through.
DALE: I completely agree.
Does good stewardship also include our talents and gifts?
RAVEN: I don’t think that passage means don’t be proactive. Remember the parable of the talents given out Matthew 25:14-30? I think that parable illustrates we are to be proactive with what God gives us not just wait around for it to fall out of the sky.
DALE: Excellent point!
RAVEN: That requires us seeking God for every blessing He bestows upon us as to how we should spend it for the kingdom. I for one think back to when I got saved at age 19 where I would be and what I could have accomplished had someone mentored me and helped me go to college and such. I was a young person who had potential that wanted to apply myself but had no support, guidance or means to do so. I just wish the church would be more proactive in assessing and supporting potential among us. Are we as a church going to be held accountable for the resource given to us that we did not nurture like the steward in the story that buried his talent in the ground? It saddens me to think of the Godly senators, statesmen, and presidents this country might could have had had we nurtured those among us.
DALE: Yes. We will be judged for the deeds done in our bodies. I will not be able to explain the waste of resources I’ve incurred. Most of my life is in the wood, hay, stubble category (1 Corinthians 3:12-13). Have I thwarted God? Do I believe I keep God from extending grace? His sovereignty in no way excuses me, but He remains sovereign. None of us will achieve our potential while in this body.
RAVEN: Don’t get under personal condemnation. We all could do a better job as stewards of what God has blessed us with. All we can do is go from here. I don’t know what it will take. Maybe this discussion may spark some action among us in the right direction though. Who knows, maybe we can all get together and get this ball rolling in the right direction.
DALE: I really appreciate your effort here. I think it is good to challenge what you believe and give the Bible and Holy Spirit the opportunity to confirm the gold and silver and destroy the wood and hay in our faith (1 Corinthians 3:12-13).
I believe the Holy Spirit would like to challenge the local church to seek what the Father’s perfect will is for their particular group of people and the community we live in. I pray that our desire would be for God Himself, and not for His power. I pray for an intimacy with God like John 15:10-17.
JOHN: Tribal living? I am actually not sure that we see the tribal concept in the New Testament. Perhaps we see a greater norm than tribal living. What I mean is that the Old Testament tribal living was more about individual tribes that identified with a certain ancestry and owned a certain piece of the pie (land). But New Testament living was broader than that. The concept of the Kingdom was something that was carried to multiple people groups and was a communal norm that was discipled into the church. People came from diverse backgrounds with the one thing that was different, a central theme around the Kingdom and King Jesus. That is far beyond a simple tribal system. It is a universal approach to the Way Christians should act toward one another.
RAVEN: John, I get what you are saying and I am in no way trying to bring kingdom living into something smaller that it is. I am also an anthropology student and student of history and my observation of people who thrived were those that recognized they needed one another and depended on one another. Granted, they were surviving and it was a matter of necessity but when I look at society today I see a people who don’t need one another, we work, we make our own money, we go to the store and buy what we want. We have virtual ‘friends’ that we have never met or interacted with and we are becoming isolated and insulated from everyone.
I will never forget one extreme example on a TV news special of a Japanese kid who never left his apartment. He glued newspaper to the panes of the window so no sunlight would get in. He had 2 or 3 computers, and he never left the room. The reporter asked him what about friends, food, money, sex? He replied that he hacked for companies that paid him well. He had lots of friends online. He ordered food from his computer and it was delivered. And his sexual needs were filled with pornography on-line. Is this what it is headed toward?
As the church we are called to interact, touch people, have healthy marriages and sexual relationships within marriage, spread the gospel, provide for one another. I guess my Native American roots and study of anthropology has seen this as a tribe. John, you made Israel’s tribal system sound very self-serving. Maybe I am misunderstanding your reference or maybe I am wrong about Israel in the tribal model I am presenting for sake of discussion. Maybe you need to explain a little farther. Maybe I need to study them a little closer. I guess one of the things I am trying to achieve here is to challenge us as leaders, pastors and teachers to work toward a model where the needs of the church are better identified and addressed, not just reacting when a need arises but form a community that perpetuates itself and people’s physical, mental, social and spiritual needs are met with the purpose of forming a strong community of believers that have what they need to become disciples and disciple makers and in the process glorify God, spread the gospel and present a healthy bride to Christ one day without spot or blemish. And though the ‘without spot or blemish’ part is depending on Christ’s righteousness and not our own still being able to say we have increased that which you have given us, we have done our part and hear Him say ‘Well done’. Read Matthew 25. To me it is all about being ready, doing our part, being good stewards of what He has given us and reaping the rewards of doing so and/or the consequences of not doing so.
Each of us are gifted to effect change in the body of Christ and the world. Maybe not literally worldwide but having a lasting effect on the sphere of influence we have been given. For some that means building koinoneia and achieving a healthy local church that meets people’s needs as a pastor would. For others that means insight on what it means to live in the kingdom and a grasp on human nature and potential. For some that means an understanding of the scriptures and a gift to communicate it. It requires all modern-day disciples of Christ have a true heart and humility and a hunger for God and His Word. I believe we all should view ourselves as one whom God has given gifts to affect those in the kingdom and a desire to see Jesus’ people to reach their full potential. Generally, it is all about what it looks like to plant a seed, a motivation, get you thinking and praying more than ever about what does healthy kingdom living look like? Where do we go from here? There are evil days ahead. I feel a burning and witness in my spirit that God wants to use us all in ways we never dreamed possible.
Tribe, Community, Extended Family
Am I confusing anyone using the term ‘tribe’? Perhaps a more contemporary word would be community. Even that word has been misunderstood in this day and time though to just mean a residential area or something. I just want to invoke a stronger image or concept somehow. I am in no way saying we should all have our own gated community of just ‘us’ and all live together. There may be those that works for. But I want to see the church, as a whole, be a kingdom without walls or boundaries. A true kingdom as Jesus taught and while we are on earth be that community of believers we are supposed to be.
What are some ways we could improve and serve the mental, physical, spiritual and social needs of believers and be an example to the world? To build strong believers developing one another’s gifts with none of us more important than others. Invest in our young people and their future.
One thing I would like to see in churches is to have a scholarship. One for a boy and one for a girl. A scholarship not awarded lightly. Let candidates write a paper why they think they should be awarded the scholarship including their goals and vision for kingdom work and this should not just be for being a preacher or youth minister or music minister or something. The world and the kingdom needs some Godly lawyers, scientists and doctors. And not award it in one big chunk. Just pay as they go and as they furnish us with reports and accountability.
I would also like to see some funding to send more youth on mission trips. Real mission trips apart from their own culture. Third world mission work that would impact them and make them grateful for their country and hopefully draw some to go back and help and spread the gospel to these other countries. Something that will have a lasting impact on their lives.
JAY: I have read on more than occasion from Financial Management groups that if the church gave just 10% of their resources (and it was managed properly) that hospitals could offer care for free and have no debt, schools would be covered, college could be free, and so on. Churches would not have mortgages, budgetary issues, limitations for ministry and missions… All if everyone who claims to be the church simply gave 10%. This is not about personal tithing. We are not under the same commands of the Jews in the Old Testament. The only command regarding giving for the church is to give cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). That said, imagine if there were more men like R.G. LeTourneau, who gave 90% of his wealth to Christian ministry and lived well on 10%.
The Jewish Model
Here’s a little more background on home/tribal community life for Jews ancient and modern: As for the tribal living idea, Jewish life revolves around two institutions: the home and the community. Between these two, education, ritual, and everyday life takes place. The Jewish home is where the core identity of young Jews is formed through concrete experiences of the five senses. The tastes, smells, sounds, and images of Jewish life are first experienced in the home through observance of Shabbat and festivals, living a Jewish life every day, and making the home a meaningful Jewish space. Following the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in the year 70 C.E., the rabbis decided the home would be the mikdash m’at–“small sanctuary”–a holy place responsible for fostering the family’s spiritual life.
The most prevalent symbol of a Jewish home is the mezuzah affixed to the upper portion of the right side of the door. The mezuzah is a small parchment scroll protected by a decorative case. The scroll contains two passages from Deuteronomy, 6:4-9 and 11:13-21, which comprise the first two sections of the Shema prayer. Traditional Jewish law requires every room except the lavatory to have a mezuzah, though many families only put one on their main entranceway.
An important concept in Jewish life is hiddur mitzvah, the beautification or enhancement of religious practice. In that spirit, Jewish homes are filled with ornamental ritual objects such as candlesticks, kiddush cups, hannukiyot (Hanukkah candelabras), and other items. Married couples may prominently hang their ketubah (wedding contract). Learning sacred texts is a core Jewish value, so the Jewish home usually contains a library, which at a minimum includes a prayerbook (for weekdays, Shabbat, and holidays) and a Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). Many libraries also include other classical and modern Jewish texts of law, theology, history, and culture.
Jewish families cannot live in isolation. To live a full Jewish life requires engagement with other Jews in community. The community provides services and experiences that the home cannot, and in addition, fellowship and participation in community have inherent spiritual value in Judaism.
While Jews can pray individually, the presence of a minyan (a quorum of 10 or more men, or adults) is required for certain portions of the service. Thus, the synagogue emerged as the central institution of the community. Historically, the synagogue included a beit midrash (a place for study) and often, a guest room for travelers. Many synagogues contain a mikveh (ritual bath) used for people to immerse in and also for readying new dishes and cooking utensils for use in a kosher kitchen.
As Jewish communities grew larger, some functions of the synagogue were transferred to separate institutions, including yeshivot or day schools, Jewish homes for the sick or elderly, and social service agencies for charity collection and distribution. Today, many of these activities and others are the function of centralized communal organizations called Federations. Federations support Jewish schools, community centers, family and counseling services, vocational services, residential services for disabled or elderly populations, and philanthropy for agencies that provide these same services to Jews in other lands and in Israel. In addition to the Federations, myriad organizations provide programs and services focused on specific issues or specific populations. These include B’nai B’rith, Hadassah, ORT, National Council of Jewish Women, Jewish War Veterans and numerous others.
Other functions of the Jewish community include:
- Providing kosher food requires bakeries, butchers, and other establishments supervised by overseers familiar with the details of both food chemistry and the laws of kashrut.
- Burial of the dead requires cemetery land set aside for this purpose. In most American Jewish communities, a Jewish cemetery preceded the organization of the first synagogue. But, burial is not the only issue. The body must be washed, dressed and attended prior to burial. The chevrah kadisha–burial society–attends to these needs through Jewish funeral homes.
- With the invention of movable type, Jewish booksellers and Jewish bookstores became a feature of the community. Today, these stores sell Jewish ritual items as well.
The diversity of family life today demands that the community be prepared to not only provide those functions inherent to community, but also to fill in the gaps of Jewish home life. Jewish schools, summer camps, youth groups, and community centers all reinforce the home experiences, or in some cases, provide these experiences for the first time. The community is therefore the partner of the home in creating and perpetuating a vibrant Jewish life.
JOHN: Raven, I think you are hitting on a lot of good points here. At the very least we can all agree that we are living nowhere near the Acts 2 community. We, generally speaking, do not devote to apostles’ teaching, fellowship daily, break bread together or pray together. And we definitely do not have all things in common. One concept I have had is that we could have a community tool shed. Instead of spending money on a tool that you use maybe once every two years you would have a community tool shed that you check a tool out of and return it. It wouldn’t have to be a literal shed. It could be a community tool list. So, if you need a saw you look on the list and see who has it. Instead of spending the money you borrow it, and return it in a timely manner. Money could be set aside like 10% toward missions or some other church function and spend the other on your family budget. (That is just an extra thought.) You could also have a list of services that people could do in the church for each other. Instead of paying a stranger you pay a church member, or you do the work for free to save a family money.
JAY: So, you can see that beginning in ancient times, and even through today, Jewish communities still do much, much more than the church even begins to. And John makes a valid point. Breaking bread daily, going house to house, and having all things in common is a wonderful ideal, but something we all fall very short on. Those that have are often cults and, sadly, give the church a bad name all around. How can it be achieved? I believe that it would have to begin in the heart of a few and modeled (and protected) so it could become a movement. Then it would have to be maintained and kept pure. Tall order, but a nice idea.
JOHN: I think Jay is right. Starting on a small scale and modeling it would be great. The local church is perfect for that. We are smaller in numbers and it would be very easy to model in such a small setting. Also, I went to a church in Ohio that had a networking board. People would post things that they could do, give away or needed. Jobs were posted as well for those needing jobs. It was a simple way to “have all things in common”.
RAVEN: Let me see if I can summarize and end this thread but please let’s don’t drop the ball here.
- We all agree that the church as a whole could do a better job modeling a community and meeting the needs of the body and others.
- The Jewish community of old is a good model to strive toward. Not only reacting when a need arises but form a community that perpetuates itself and people’s physical, mental, social and spiritual needs are met with the purpose of forming a strong community of believers that have what they need to become disciples and disciple makers and in the process glorify God, spread the gospel and present a healthy bride to Christ one day while wholeheartedly acknowledging that is not by our power or might this is achieved but the Lord’s (Zechariah 4:6)
- The church as a whole needs to get better at giving generously, not locked into a 10% mentality.
- Some viable things that are possibly doable now are:
- Scholarships for young people.
- More mission opportunities for young people that will have a lifetime effect on them.
- A loan system as in having tools that can be loaned out, etc.
- A ‘needs and seeds’ type of bulletin board on-line all can have access to that should include jobs available and a list of craftsmen in our church and the services they provide so they are supported in their businesses and people in need know where they can get honest reliable service.
- Go house to house more ‘breaking bread’ and finding out needs we can minister to and what those needs are.
So what do you think, readers? Everyone reading this please give your thoughts and maybe you could get together for a think tank with your local church or club and discuss your part in this. Maybe its 50 years too late but we can’t go back and we don’t know how long before Jesus returns so let’s do what we can and model something that will challenge other congregations to invest in the future by supporting our most valuable asset God has given us steward over—People.
Thanks for reading and you are invited to join the conversation by commenting below. Be sure to share this article with your friends and social media.
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