Moravians - Centered in Christ

There was a time when the group of people history has called the “Moravians,” solely lived for Christ. Everything they did was done for the purpose that all would depend upon Christ.  

Before getting into the practicals of this, I want to say that it is what is behind the practicals that matters, much more than what is seen.

Nonetheless, from what was unseen and desired was born a response that for a season of time brought tremendous results.  

So in talking of these things, let’s remember why things were done the way they were, rather than what was done. Again the reason these things were done was for simple devotion to Christ.  

A lot of what is remembered about the Moravians was the well publicized period of 100 years that they unceasingly prayed and went in many places of the world spreading the gospel. What is less well-known is their emphasis upon spiritual growth concerning the body of believers; especially intimacy with Christ.  

One of the ways that they encouraged this to happen was to establish what they called, “choirs.”

Choirs were people of the same gender, age group, and marital status. They would live together communally. This happened as early as 18 months old, all the way to a time when people were widowed.  

All aspects of a person’s life took place within these arrangements. For example, when a child was approximately 18 months old, they were put within a choir of all the children of similar ages, until the age of 4. At that time they were separated until marriage from the opposite sex, as far as living arrangements and work was concerned.  

There was a series of these choirs throughout their lives. At around 12 they would go into another choir of older children of the same gender. Then at around 20 they would go into single brothers and single sisters’ choirs. If and when they married they would be in the choir of those who were married. When one was widowed they would be in the choir of those who were widowed. If they were remarried they would go back into the choir of those who were married.

The major reason this was done was to encourage intimate union with Christ.  
The practical reason was that those in the same age groups, gender, and life circumstances, would be in similar spiritual junctures. Thus they could support and encourage one another in their journey.  

Another very important reason for this was to deemphasize blood ties so that fellowship with Christ was first in their lives. The history of this practical outworking was that when there was counsel sought, the various brethren would direct them to Christ, not to themselves.  

The overall separation of genders was also for the sole purpose that there would be a total dependency upon Christ rather than a soulish dependency upon another human being.  

This doesn’t mean that they didn’t live close together; they did. They simply lived in different lodgings and worked separately, with differing responsibilities.  

The reason I mentioned at the beginning of the article concerning why these things were done is what’s important. Someone could easily copy these things and get terrible results. The point that was made was that they saw the most important thing in life: the simple devotion to Christ. Everything else was to pale in comparison to that. The practical steps they took were in response to that understanding.  

We need to center into the eternal aspect of these things, while looking to see if some of the practical can apply for us today.  

Moravians

The Moravians, because of their having a well-documented history, are a little more complex to write about.  

They, like Jan Hus, centered on the reality that Christ lived within you and started and centered His work there.  

These, like those before them, had the strong desire to return to the simple ways of the early church. They had grown weary of the excesses of the institutional church and clergy.  

One of the unique features and developments of the Moravians was their living together. In a number of different times and places throughout their history they had started Christian communities from scratch.
 
Like many people today that are hearing the call to move into neighborhoods together, they, 100s of years ago, saw and responded to the same things.  
Many times when you read of their history you read about houses for brothers, sisters and families. There was this wonderful, spontaneous way of living and life in Christ that is recorded for us.  

While they are not the only ones to do this, they probably have more records of it than any other group of people from that time and before. Their writings and history survived the attempt at destroying it that had obliterated the history of other groups from earlier times.  

Another unique aspect of their lives that was recorded later on was that of starting to bring the gospel to others in a way that hadn’t been attempted before. They eventually reached out to the world in ways that were amazing for the small numbers that they existed in.  

Many of those who went to share the gospel died from disease. This didn’t deter these tremendous believers. With continuous union with Christ that is reputed to not have stopped for over a hundred years, day and night, they did what nobody before them had done.  

One of the amazing testimonies that they had was that many of those involved with the protestant reformation made the comment that they wished that those they had the experience which could even come close to their depth and devotion to Christ.
 
Those of the reformation, in many areas, would have done much better to follow the example of the lives of these simple believers, than the example of those that followed.

The Image Breakers

Rom. 1:18 -23 – The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.  

This portion of the history of the church deals more with an insight into the nature of God as embraced by many all throughout the church age, rather than a specific people.  

As the mixture of paganism and the church grew together, the making of images representing the Lord while on the earth, His natural mother, certain believers, and even particles of hair and clothing, among other things, began to be worshipped.  
Throughout the centuries voices have risen up in protest against these obvious idolatrous practices. The major thrust of the detractors is that only God is to be worshipped and venerated. There is nothing created that is to be lifted up in the hearts and minds of believers.  

What is the process they took in doing these things? They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal or created things. They worshipped the creation rather than the Creator. This is still going on to this day.

The key to all of this is to remember what it is that faith in its essence is. As the scriptures teach us: Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. Faith deals with the invisible, not the visible. If we are able to see something, then it cannot be called faith.
 
After all, our faith in God is in the invisible God. Jesus Himself told the disciples that those who would come after, who had never seen Him in the flesh, would be most blessed because of the element of faith required.  

While this all may seem very basic and elemental, in truth, the great majority of Christians don’t really think of the unseen realm that Christ is.  

Even when you read the various accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, most don’t understand that Christ isn’t concerned with anything of the outward but on what is within. Even though they talk about when Christ was physically on the earth, they are truly revealing what was happening within Him in fellowship with His Father. If you read the gospels with that thought in mind, you will see and discover things you have never dreamed of before.  

The main point was that Jesus lived by another life that couldn’t be seen with the natural eyes, but had to be seen and believed through eyes of faith.  This is why many throughout the centuries, since the resurrection of Christ, have opposed the physical image-worshippers. They have been called Iconoclasts by the makers and worshippers of these images. This word simply means “image breakers.” This came about because when many saw these truths about images, they went about destroying them.  

The key for us, though, is to see beyond simply destroying physical objects, and look to why they would be accepted and promoted in the first place.  

In one simple understanding of God, we can see all of these things as worthless. God is in direct union with those who believe in Him. Using some type of object as a replacement or some type of contact point between God and man is folly, pagan, and superstitious. Our Father is the living God. He is spirit. He doesn’t dwell in objects or attach Himself to parts of dead human beings and make them sacred in some type of dispensing of magic.  

Our God is real. And His greatest desire is to be in deep, close, spiritual union with His people, His family.

Albigensians

The Albigensians or Cathars as they have been called, were among one of the great people of God in history.  

They were concentrated in southern France in general, although they lived beyond that geographical region.  

As with all of those Christians who live outside the institutional religious system, they challenged the many excesses that existed in their day. Usually they challenged them simply by not participating in their activities and not living life the way they did.  

One of the truly amazing testimonies that existed concerning these Christians was that where they lived was possibly the most flourishing area on the earth at that time. A great many of those that were called 'catholic' freely interacted with these believers and regarded them very favorably. They had them in such high regard that many became part of what God was doing in them. While the average man or woman were deeply touched by their sincere devotion to Christ, the religious leaders hated them. They didn't want Christ to be head of His church, rather they decided that if they weren't over the people of God, then nobody would be.  

They are made to look weird spiritually because they emphasis the indwelling work of the Spirit of God within them first and primarily.  

Some historians have went so far to justify the crusade that Innocent the III promulgated against them because they say that if they had been allowed to continue on in their ways, they would have destroyed civilization as we know it today.  

An interesting, exciting fact about this though is that historians also say that they mingled with all Christians and their was a tremendous unity among the believers in the towns that they lived in. The religious leaders hated this. They hated it so much that they destroyed the civic leaders of that day in order to stomp out this way of life. It was one of the most brutal suppressions of a people in all of history.  

The numbers of deaths of men, women, and children is staggering to say the least. The brutality is beyond comprehension. When Christ reveals Himself in a people, everything hates that image that is being formed in the earth.  

The Albigensians had the typical lie of Manichaeism applied to them. What they really did was to reject the horrors, tyranny, and sin that the corrupt ‘official’ church had entered into.  What is amazing about all of this is that modern-day Europe is paying the price. If you follow the history of persecution by the religious system, you will find that the social order in the centuries following was swallowed up by the enemies of Christ.

The Donatists being eventually overrun by the Muslims and now (2003) in about a 100 –200 years from this date, Europe will probably become Muslim. God is not mocked!  It never ceases to amaze me that a people that simply want to follow Christ outside all of the false pageantry and ritualism are among the most hated people in the world.  

The Albigensians were among these people. For some reason people are afraid of the reality of Christ. They want symbols and shadows rather than experiential, practical truth of Christ.  

The Albigensians showed us in their generation that there will always be a people that will not submit to the tyranny of symbolism.  

The thing that is hated so much is that there is the testimony of another world; one that is greater than this one. For example in Hebrews we are told that we have not come to a mountain like Israel did when they were so afraid that they begged that nothing more would be spoken to them. They couldn’t handle the command that even if an animal were to touch the mountain it would be stoned.  Rather it goes on to tell us that we have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. We have come to the church of the firstborn, those who are part of it have their names written in heaven. We have come to God and Jesus.
 
This is what the testimony of the early church and those outside the religious system have always testified to. The days of types and shadows are over, now we are to enter into what these pointed to. And what they pointed to was the truth and reality that was fulfilled and is fulfilled in Christ.  

The rejection and genocide of the Albigensians was a rejection and genocide of Christ. Today those who are the heirs of those who did it are beginning to pay the price.  

As for us, we must continue on in the great example that these beloved believers have passed on to us.

Paulicians

Those who history has called the Paulicians (pôlish'unz), were among the first significant numbers of Christians that appear on the scene, outside of institutional Christianity, after the time of Constantine.  
 
This in and of itself makes them extremely significant.
 
I do want to point out again that these people, along with the others mentioned in the history section, would never have thought of calling themselves anything other than ‘brethren’ or Christians. There was never a concept of considering themselves some type of denominational group of people that centered on anything but Christ.  
What was truly remarkable about them was that they saw that the practices of the church had gone completely off base. What many are seeing today concerning the practices of present-day Christianity, they saw approximately 1400 years ago.
 
While there were many things that they refused to partake in and exposed as wrong ways of doing things, I am going to mention just a few of them as inspiration to what God is doing among His people today.  
 
No Special Buildings
 
First and foremost they challenged the idea of special buildings having any type of uniqueness or ‘holy’ quality. To them, like us today, the home was much more suitable and scriptural to the ways of God.  
They realized that we are the temple of God. Their insight into this truth was a great step forward into learning how to live our lives together.
 
No Clergy
 
With this they repudiated the pagan concept of the supposed establishment of a ‘clergy’ by God. They knew that this had come from the time of Constantine and was based upon the pagan priests of that time. They seemed to even suggest what many of us are seeing today; that there is really no need for ‘appointed’ special people to run things.
 
No Special Rituals or Relics
 
One of the underlying themes of their lives was the exposing of the veneration of rituals or items as having any type of significance. All of the paganistic application of spirituality to objects, relics, or rituals was rejected by these godly people.
 
They have a revelation of and appreciation for the deep, inner workings of the Spirit of God within our spirits. This practical way of life and understanding put them at great odds with the outwardly religious way of doing things that had escalated for the previous 300 years.
 
Everyone was a saint
 
Lastly, they put no importance upon individuals being considered more important than anyone else. There was no elevating to ‘sainthood’ of the followers of Christ. Everyone that believed was a saint; there was no special class of people that were superior to others.
 
While there were many things like these that were embraced by these followers of Christ, this is meant to be a short introduction into the reality that there has always been a testimony of Christ among a people in the earth.
 
We stand on the shoulders of giants that have lived throughout the generations. While the testimony has been attempted to be silenced, it has never been able to be overcome by its enemies.
 
Let us grab hold of the torch and continue on, without fainting, unto our purpose in the generation we live in, remaining faithful, that we may pass the torch to the next.

The Waldensians

Centuries before the reformation, there was a number of men that saw that all believers had the responsibility to be a priest unto the Lord, not simply some type of ‘official’ priest.  In other words they believed in the priesthood of all believers not of a select few. The astonishing thing about this is that it was approximately 350 years before the "official" reformation began.  

They fought against the idea of a centralized church order and someone other than Christ being its head.  

One of the other things that they refused to accept was the attachment of holiness to objects or images. When believers begin to recognize this, they acknowledge the inner workings of the Holy Spirit in their lives.  

Peter Waldo, a wealthy merchant who eventually sold all of his worldly goods, saw the need of these things and by most is assigned a key role in being inspired to do this work in Christ.  

When he and his colleagues went out in twos preaching the gospel, it was considered an act of rebellion by the religious leaders. People that weren’t priests were forbidden to do any such thing during this period of time. In an act of extreme bravery they defied the order to stop their preaching, eventually they were excommunicated by the ‘pope.’  This is one of the early incursions by God to show the believers again what it means to be a priesthood of believers.  

What these people did also was to translate some of the scriptures into the language of the populace. They spoke not in the ‘official’ language of the religious system, but rather in their own normal way of speaking the general population would understand and relate to.

People that are in power and power-hungry don’t like to see these types of things happen.  Eventually the continuation of their way brought down heavy persecution and martyrdom. It is projected by most that at least tens of thousands died at the hands of the religious system, and possibly many more.  

In an unfortunate development centuries later, they teamed up with some of the reformists that eventually compromised the simplicity and spontaneity of Christ's way of life.  

Yet in spite of this they still held one of the longest testimonies outside of the religious system that there has ever been.  

Interestingly, at first, they really weren’t trying to change anything doctrinally or start some type of rebellion. What they really only wanted to do was to preach the gospel unhindered and unencumbered from centralized authority that they didn’t believe they needed permission to do the work of God from.

Of course, in a pagan/civic/clerical world, this was always only wishful thinking. When that world started to attack and exterminate them, that is when they started to search and seek out a more in depth knowledge of how God was working among them.  
They are truly people, in spite of a number of things that they never changed, that we can take inspiration and learn from. Hundreds of years before the reformation, there already was a reformation, they just didn’t know it.