Speaker 4: [00:00:01] Have you ever thought about what is your spiritual DNA?
Speaker 4: What are those sort of [00:00:06] formative groups or experiences, theologies that have really impacted your [00:00:11] past? Some of us are first generation believers, and so there's not a lot of that. My [00:00:16] family, came from, a group called the Plymouth Brethren. So [00:00:21] both my parents and all four of my grandparents were, part of the Plymouth Brethren group for most of [00:00:26] their lives.
Speaker 4: I am here at Lakeside Bible Camp, uh, on Whidbey Island. This was a camp that [00:00:31] was started by seven Plymouth Brethren assemblies back in [00:00:36] 1960, 1959. They were looking for a place, and, uh, this is what they found.
Speaker 4: Um, so this [00:00:41] is just a gorgeous place. I spent a lot of my childhood coming up here in the summers, [00:00:46] and then, uh, we have spent a lot of time as a family just contributing to [00:00:51] this group. And even though, we're not a part of a Plymouth Brethren [00:00:56] assembly now where we live, there are a lot of elements to the group that [00:01:01] started as the Plymouth Brethren in the 1820s, that have provided spiritual DNA for [00:01:06] me, and I wanna share a few of those things with you guys.
Speaker 4: And as I do that, I really wanna do this in a way [00:01:11] to help you think about what are those foundational experiences that maybe you have, [00:01:16] that are, making up your DNA. In the same way that there's sort of a nature-nurture to our [00:01:21] whole way of, developing as humans, our spiritual lives al- often [00:01:26] have kind of a nature-nurture experiences.
Speaker 4: our experiences, you know, which is the nurture side, [00:01:31] like what have we experienced in our lives? But the nature side is what's the DNA that make up our [00:01:36] lives, um, that come from the past, that come from groups that have existed, [00:01:41] theologies, um, and what are those things? And oftentimes you have to sift through, [00:01:46] you know, that DNA to figure out, okay, what do I want to embrace?
Speaker 4: Are there things that I want to [00:01:51] overcome or distance myself from? But I wanna really emphasize some of the things that I have found [00:01:56] about this movement that have been really helpful. So I'll take you guys on a real quick journey of [00:02:01] my past and the Plymouth Brethren history so you understand these...
Speaker 4: So there's Some, elements [00:02:06] here, and y- they, they may intersect with your story as well in terms of, um, there are [00:02:11] times or places in the past with the Plymouth Brethren, what they did, what they discovered, what [00:02:16] they believed, and how they practiced their faith that have impacted lots and lots of [00:02:21] people, uh, over the last 150 years.
Speaker 4: within the Protestant tradition, I think the thing that really makes the Plymouth Brethren [00:02:26] unique is that they really take the Bible very seriously, not just with regards to beliefs, but also [00:02:31] practices. I think they were very interested in, okay, um What [00:02:36] we have in the Bible is a lot of both descriptions and prescriptions [00:02:41] about not only why but how to practice our faith.
Speaker 4: And are there elements [00:02:46] there that we can be learning from that, uh, are connected directly to those [00:02:51] beliefs? So, uh, an example that was really big with the Plymouth Brethren is they were, [00:02:56] you know, famously anti-clergy. They came out of the Anglican Church, uh, and in Plymouth, [00:03:01] England, when they began to really form, they were trying to figure out how do you [00:03:06] embrace a expression of the church where [00:03:11] you live out the priesthood of all believers in a more radical way.
Speaker 4: And I have been so impacted by [00:03:16] this idea, um, that thinking about clergy or professional ministry as [00:03:21] a career path creates a certain kind of passivity with kind of the average [00:03:26] believer. And maybe that's something you just overcome. I think that there are traditions that have [00:03:31] tried to find really good ways to activate everybody.
Speaker 4: But you guys have to understand, like, I've never [00:03:36] seen anything like in other churches or other movements, the level of volunteerism that you [00:03:41] see within Plymouth Brethren, uh, groups. And this camp is an incredible example of that. If you kind of [00:03:46] just go through a summer here, the number of people that volunteer [00:03:51] is, like, so many times more than anything I've ever seen.
Speaker 4: There are very few [00:03:56] people that are paid, and so everything from cooks to cabin leaders, to [00:04:01] speakers to staff, I mean, just a lot of people that are here [00:04:06] primarily because of, uh, volunteerism. And I think that directly comes from this part [00:04:11] of the beliefs that the Plymouth Brethren had, which is, like, you just don't see professional ministry, [00:04:16] um, in scripture.
Speaker 4: Um, you know, people use examples, uh, in the [00:04:21] Old Testament, like the Levites. But do you guys know that the Levites and the Aaronic [00:04:26] priesthood, they were not professional full-time ministers. There were certain seasons of [00:04:31] the year and certain times during their lives where they would serve, and they would receive compensation for their [00:04:36] service, but it was not full-time.
Speaker 4: They all had their own lands, their own assets. There really is no [00:04:41] example in scripture of anybody who is being paid professionally as a [00:04:46] career for life. Jesus wasn't that way. Paul wasn't that way. doesn't mean that there aren't seasons where they would [00:04:51] be paid or supported because of, the intense, , ministry [00:04:56] requirements of what they were trying to, to live out.
Speaker 4: But man, it's just not what we have today where somebody [00:05:01] says, "Okay, I'm in my 20s, and I want to spend the rest of my life being paid professionally full-time as [00:05:06] clergy, go to seminary." That was something the Plymouth Brethren were like, "I don't see that in the Bible." The [00:05:11] only ex-- possible example of a full-time person would be John the Baptist, and I think the reason why he was eating [00:05:16] locusts and wild honey and the reason why we even have that preserved is because [00:05:21] that's the lifestyle of somebody who is saying, like, "I'm just gonna go all in.
Speaker 4: Uh, I'm gonna [00:05:26] ignore sort of the physical demands. I'm not gonna have a family." And, um, so I think there might be a, a [00:05:31] precedent for that kind of thing. But man, the idea that this is a career path, um, and I I don't think that [00:05:36] we understand how much that dampens the spirit of volunteerism. How many people are willing to make the [00:05:41] exchange that I'll pay you to be the professional Christian while I can lower [00:05:46] the standard for the amount of volunteerism, the amount that the kingdom really requires for me to be a part of?
Speaker 4: [00:05:51] And so I love that part of my Plymouth Brethren heritage, and I've always been very uncomfortable with the idea of career [00:05:56] ministry. Both my dad and I feel very called to ministry and have for our whole lives [00:06:01] served in various capacities. But it's definitely been on and off in terms of how money has been a part [00:06:06] of that, and we found other ways to, uh, provide for our families because we want [00:06:11] to be as available to the kingdom as possible.
Speaker 4: And th- those are seasons where compensation's been a part [00:06:16] of that, but, but the idea that that would be r- a requirement, that there would be, [00:06:21] um, we wouldn't be pursuing other jobs or other, uh, seasons and other asset, [00:06:26] um, places where we can develop income that doesn't tie us [00:06:31] to the idea that, well, even if I don't feel called, this is kind of my occupation.
Speaker 4: [00:06:36] I, I met so many pastors who sort of in confidence have told me that. Like, "I [00:06:41] don't really feel like I'm supposed to be here right now, but I just don't know how else to provide for my family." I think the Plymouth [00:06:46] Brethren saw the impact that that was having in the Anglican Church in the 1800s, and they said, "We've got to stop this."[00:06:51]
Speaker 4: The Bible says we're all priests we're all full-time ministers. We are all doing this in different [00:06:56] capacities. And, um, and so this radical decision to push back on the clergy, I [00:07:01] think, is something that is a deep part of my spiritual DNA that I really appreciate that I got from, from [00:07:06] this movement.
Speaker 4: Another example is, uh, man, does the Bible talk go, about how we're supposed [00:07:11] to gather? Um, so 1 Corinthians 14 is probably the most, um, detailed [00:07:16] passage we have in all of the New Testament about what they actually did when they would gather. And man, [00:07:21] it's so interesting. Um, it describes how they, [00:07:26] uh, kinda came together, and in 1 Corinthians 14:26 it's, he kinda summarized it and said, [00:07:31] "What shall we say, brothers?"
Speaker 4: Like, when you come together, somebody brings a, a hymn, somebody brings [00:07:36] a teaching, someone brings a tongue, interpretation, a prophecy, describes all these different gifts. [00:07:41] Hey, just make sure that what you bring is done for the building up of the whole body. And so in [00:07:46] Plymouth Brethren churches, they have these, what they call breaking of bread, uh, services, [00:07:51] where they will, uh, really come around the communion table and just let [00:07:56] people share, uh, what they feel led to share, and let the body build itself up [00:08:01] Um, I love that tradition.
Speaker 4: Now, one of the things that, um, the Plymouth Brethren do because they're [00:08:06] dispensationalists, they tend to be very cessationist when it comes to the gifts. In other words, they don't think that gifts of prophecy, a [00:08:11] lot of these things have ceased. Um, a lot of what happens in those gatherings does tend to be more [00:08:16] teaching and sharing oriented.
Speaker 4: It doesn't tend to be, you know, more these spiritual gifts that you [00:08:21] see, um, that Paul's actually talking a lot about in 1 Corinthians 14. And so I'm not a [00:08:26] cessationist, so I really enjoy gathering in the same way that the Plymouth Brethren do around [00:08:31] the communion elements and to really experience what it's like for the body to build itself [00:08:36] up.
Speaker 4: Um, but I, I like to see the gifts active in, in that as well, all the gifts. [00:08:41] And so I'm always wondering, how can you create a gathering where the largest number of gifts [00:08:46] are released, within the context of the body and in a way that [00:08:51] maximally builds up the body? How do you create that kind of freedom without having these canned worship services?
Speaker 4: [00:08:56] So one of the things I love about the Plymouth Brethren is they they really have, and, and in many of their instances have [00:09:01] resisted for a long time, sort of just like planning everything out in advance, having like [00:09:06] slick transitions. They're a real prophetic, um, alternative [00:09:11] to kind of the megachurch culture.
Speaker 4: A lot of people are getting tired of that. and going back to high church traditions, [00:09:16] you know, like that have lots of very defined liturgies. And I would say that Plymouth Brethren almost represent kind of the [00:09:21] opposite direction. It's like, what would it look like for us to, uh, plan less? [00:09:26] Um, some people call the Plymouth Brethren the lowest of the low church.
Speaker 4: In other words, like we're just going to [00:09:31] gather in a very simple way and people can prepare for sure and just [00:09:36] ask the Holy Spirit, is this something that you want me to bring, um, to the gathering that, uh, the assembled [00:09:41] believers? Um, I just think that's a really beautiful, again, one of the things you'll see that [00:09:46] these traditions create is a real alternative to [00:09:51] passivity, um, that you get from the idea that, hey, I show up, I sit, I sit in a [00:09:56] pew or I sit in a seat and I just take it in.
Speaker 4: Man, you can't do that when you're a part of this [00:10:01] movement. You really are, it's designed around relying [00:10:06] on people being active. And so this really helps push back against that kind of passivity that [00:10:11] you see in a lot of church traditions.
Speaker 4: I think one of the things that's been challenging for the Plymouth Brethren is [00:10:16] they, did come up with, what's called a hermeneutic, which is like a way of [00:10:21] interpreting the Bible, that they were really known for and very strict about. And, [00:10:26] that way of interpreting the Bible was dispensationalism, which is that God [00:10:31] is really acting differently in different dispensations.
Speaker 4: This is part of the reason why they don't believe in the gifts. [00:10:36] they believe that was a part of sort of the Apostolic Age, in the church age where we're at [00:10:41] today, the rules are different. this sort of way of interpreting the Bible has really, [00:10:46]
1KH Sept 6 1: um,
Speaker 4: gone out of fashion, so to speak, for good reason, I think.
Speaker 4: [00:10:51] I think that it was way too rigid. the Schofield Study [00:10:56] Bible, the Schofield Reference Bible was really the first study Bible that was popular.
1KH Sept 6 1: [00:11:01] Um,
1KH Sept 6 1: he...
1KH Sept 6 1: Uh,
Speaker 4: when Schofield was making his notes, he was very influenced by the Plymouth [00:11:06] Brethren, and he, just described these different dispensations [00:11:11] in the notes of the study Bible, and it caused lots of people, particularly in the Baptist movement, but in [00:11:16] other traditions as well, to really embrace this kind of strict [00:11:21] dispensationalism That was, at the time, really only believed, formally by the Plymouth [00:11:26] Brethren assemblies.
Speaker 4: and so it just became so popular, and now today [00:11:31] people are like, "That's just way too rigid."
1KH Sept 6 1: Um,
Speaker 4: That interpretive framework [00:11:36] is not in the Bible itself, and it ends up creating such a powerful [00:11:41] lens through which you interpret all the scriptures that, when you think [00:11:46] about the Bible in those ways, you start to come away with some really [00:11:51] unusual,
1KH Sept 6 1: um,
Speaker 4: uh, interpretive decisions about lots of passages.
Speaker 4: [00:11:56] And you start to, uh, really... I think you end up misinterpreting,
Speaker 4: um, [00:12:01] uh, so much of the Bible when you adopt a framework that's that rigid, um, [00:12:06] and that has that deep of influence over the way you think about the Bible. So I would say [00:12:11] that's one of the things that's really held the Plymouth Brethren back, is this deep interpretive framework.
Speaker 4: [00:12:16] But I'm curious for you guys, what, what are some of the things that have really, been influential in your life? [00:12:21] Um, what are the, elements of spiritual DNA? How are you sorting through those things? What do you [00:12:26] wanna hold onto about your spiritual DNA? what are the things that you want [00:12:31] to, leave in the past?
Speaker 4: And, you know, in the same way that when I think about... I think God [00:12:36] loves these sort of, like, cycles of the way that our [00:12:41] stories exist. You know, Abraham started in the Promised Land, went down to Egypt, and then came back. [00:12:46] You know, Israel as a nation started in the Promised Land, went down to Egypt, and then came [00:12:51] back.
Speaker 4: Jesus started in the Promised Land, went down to Egypt with his family, [00:12:56] and then came back. I think that part of the reason why you see these cycles of [00:13:01] Promised Land or starting, you know, starting... the homeland, you know, [00:13:06] exile, wilderness, and then ultimately the return to the Promised Land, [00:13:11] is that there's something really deep about these cycles, um, that [00:13:16] life is not just a linear progression.
Speaker 4: That we need to [00:13:21] revisit things. We need to come back And there might be places in your own past where you're like, man, I, [00:13:26] I need to rethink that. I need to revisit that. And so every year we try to come out here. [00:13:31] And I like to just spend time contemplating this place, the incredible [00:13:36] impact that this camp had on my life spiritually and what it means to both [00:13:41] honor, but also reignite and re-experience the elements from my past [00:13:46] to really make sure that I am drawing from deep roots in my own [00:13:51] spirit, in my own life.
Speaker 4: And I encourage you guys to really do that as well. Really ask the Lord, what are [00:13:56] things that you placed in my path, for a reason? Oftentimes our past is a map [00:14:01] for our future. And I know that this is true in many cases for me, but it requires you to really [00:14:06] contemplate, um, these places and their meaning.
Speaker 4: And so thank you guys for [00:14:11] uh, jumping on this journey with me. As I think through some of my origin story, I wanna [00:14:16] do kind of a series of videos around the things that have had the [00:14:21] deepest impact on me spiritually and in my life. You know, what are those elements as I [00:14:26] revisit those and process those?
Speaker 4: I kinda wanna help you guys think through those things about your life [00:14:31] and how might just interacting with my origin story help you [00:14:36] interact with your origin story. And I also like to have these recorded for my posterity, for [00:14:41] my kids, my grandkids as they come to these places and they might be asking questions, where do [00:14:46] I come from?
Speaker 4: You know, um, that I want to be cataloging, [00:14:51] for my future descendants. Like what, what are the things, where, where [00:14:56] do we come from? What, what are the places and the beliefs and the traditions that have most impacted us [00:15:01] as a family?
