He is God, but not as “concrete” as a man or even as a “god.” He’s hard to explain. But we see in scripture that He does have a mind, a will, and experience emotions. All traits which strengthen my understanding of the Holy Spirit as a distinct person of the Trinity.

Two of the three times I’ve been to Basileia, I was overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit rushing in me, as well as around the congregation. It feels like a hot, burning rain. Like I should be soaked head to toe. It almost knocks the wind out of me. 

God is surely stirring in the Basileia community. The only other time or place I have ever felt the Spirit like this was on a mission trip with to India with RockHarbor. In this instance, we were praying and saw people healed.

When I felt that in India, I thought “miracles like this, and feelings like this, only happen in the poor places of the world.”  But I want to encourage you - I was so wrong!  God is moving and changing lives everywhere.  The Holy Spirit is amongst us, and what a glorious realization that is. 

The Spirit is always close to us, and some may experience him more strongly than others.  Some experience his presence physically, while others may feel complete peace or joy.  It all depends on the person and the surrounding circumstances. 

Feeling the presence of the Spirit physically and emotionally is Biblical. In Scripture, the word ‘joy' is often associated with the Holy Spirit: “And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”

I point out all of this to encourage anyone who may feel the way I felt - that the Holy Spirit’s presence is not felt as strongly to those who aren’t living on the streets, or having a major life crisis, or experiencing a major illness. The Holy Spirit is with us and in us always.  Praise God.

If you are going to spend your life chasing dreams, it’s important to make certain that these dreams have been given to you by the God who created you. Sometimes we make our dreams our God -  a very futile thing to do. Futile because a dream can never love you the way God can, the way a friend can, or the way your family or your partner can. Dreams in one sense do not exist. They live in an imaginary vapor that lingers right in front of your nose, forever making promises that can never be clasped in the reality of the moment.

On the other hand, dreams can be God-given and inspire us to do incredible things against all odds. The trick, therefore, is in discerning whether or not your dream is God-given. How do you know whether your dream has been given to you by your Designer? Can your dream become an idol- a faux God -promising to complete you? In essence, how do you know that you are doing the right thing with your life?

I have some ideas. What do you think? I would love to hear your comments…

1. If you really love it. Not the idea of it but the substance of it. There is a good chance it is a Godly dream. Do you love acting or do you love fame?

2. You don’t have to be good at it. You can get better? Perhaps passion not excellence is the point of the dream anyway?

3. Is your dream taking you away from relationships or towards them? If you are losing friends because of your dream it cannot be good. If you are becoming isolated chances are you are obsessing.

4. Is the focus of your dream yourself or other people? Be honest it is probably a bit of both? How much of each?

5. Do you have a relationship with God? If you don’t chances are your dream or something else has taken his place.

I am a big dreamer. I want to make films that change and reach my audience in a powerful and entertaining way. It’s a good dream, but sometimes I make an idol out of my dream and lose sight of the wildly creative God who made our dreaming possible in the first place. The good news is this: He is more patient and gracious than you and I could ever imagine. He is fully aware of our obsessive and fickle nature. He is waiting, His arms are open wide, and his eternal dream is more wonderful than anything we can imagine.

The words of Jesus come rushing to mind  (and almost always in the classic and weighty King James version for effect), "Judge not lest ye be so judged!"  Thundering tones from the author of love indeed.  Yet despite this clear mandate, almost all of us are guilty of doing the same to ourselves and to each other at various points along the path of our Christian journeys. 

Recently life has forced me to become very honest with both myself and my friends in deeper and more vulnerable ways than ever before.  Sure enough, the fear of judgment has been my faithful companion along the way, never fully submitting to my steadfast desire for transparency.  However, as I've broken through the fear, an incredible gift has met me on the other side...friendship. 

1 John lays it out pretty clearly in verse 7: "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." And again in verse 9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 

A dear friend of mine and of many who call Basileia their home, Don Williams, once told me a profoundly simple truth.  In short, his point was this: the road to intimacy is self disclosure.  Looking back at my life, I realize now that my dearest friends and closest companions have not been those who admire my achievements, or even those who share my life experience.  Rather, my closest friends have been those with whom I trusted the hardest parts of my life, where I chose transparency instead of fearing judgment. 

The last six months of my life have opened up a number of these new relationships.  In the midst of some very challenging circumstances, I consider myself wealthier in community than ever before.  And as I look around, I realize that Basileia has played an incredibly important role in fostering the foundation for this new trust and intimacy I enjoy.

The community of Basileia represents an authentic stop gap to the "cultural drift" of isolation and pretense - words used as synonyms for the city of Angels.  A powerful counterpoint to judgment can often be heard echoing within the walls of our gatherings: "We come together because we can't make it alone."  Every time I hear these words, I am inspired to give more of myself to my friends and fellowship as I learn to be more real and pretend less.  I, for one, am refreshed and encouraged to continue learning what this means alongside a community that really cares for one another and is committed to making "being real" so much less frightening! 

Liberation movements with their attack on traditional, patriarchal society, have provoked a crisis in Western culture.  This, in turn, has provoked a crisis in the church.  How has the church responded?

First, there are those who are committed to “hold the line.”  For them, the fundamentals of truth and God’s order are at stake in this issue.  Roman Catholic doctrine teaches that the image of Christ, born by the clergy, demands a male priesthood and male government.  Many traditional evangelicals teach that the hierarchical order in the Trinity demands hierarchical order in the church, including male dominance and female submission.  In maintaining traditional gender roles, the church is maintaining the whole ontological order of reality, grounded in God himself.  Surrender here and we will surrender elsewhere, moving from order to chaos.

Second, there are those who are committed to “redraw the line.”  They argue that the Bible allows (or forces) us to reevaluate the traditional views of male headship, female leadership, roles, and authority in the church.  For liberal Protestants it is mandatory to surrender male dominance.  Only in this way will the church survive the cultural shift, and affirm the full value of woman in ministry.  Oppression ends with equal access to ecclesiastical power.  For contemporary evangelicals, the cultural changes force us to reexamine the biblical basis for male dominance.  In doing this, biblical revelation is much less certain than traditionalists hold.  Fresh exegesis opens us to the opportunity for fully embracing women in leadership on an egalitarian (or better, eschatological) model.¹

Back to Basics: Gender Identity and Roles in Creation

What can we learn from Genesis 1?

Genesis 1 teaches us that men and women are equal in the divine image.  We are both created in the Image of God, male and female.  As male or female, we share gender distinction.  As male and female, we are made for heterosexual community.  Moreover, God’s full image is displayed only in male and female together.  To speak humanly: God himself has what we call both male and female characteristics and only displays them fully when we are in community with each other. No monastic life adequately represents God’s image in mankind. As a trinity, God also lives forever in community; our community represents the divine life.  “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)

Genesis 1 also teaches us that men and women are equal in the divine blessing.  Contrary to certain Victorian notions, we are both blessed in our sexuality: “And God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply….’”   We equally share in God’s purpose to extend the generations through procreation. Our creativity reflects the creativity of the Creator (Genesis 1:28).

Finally, Genesis 1 teaches us that men and women are equal in executing the divine rule.  Together we are empowered to have dominion over the created order.  “…fill the earth and subdue it.  Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:28)  Just as an ancient ruler would put up an image of himself to represent his sovereignty over a region, so, made in the Image of God, we are a sign on this planet that this is God’s domain.  We are vice-regents in his kingdom.

In sum, male and female together are equal in nature, blessing and dominion.  Their subordination is only to God himself.

What can we learn from Genesis 2?

First, we are taught man’s nature.  He is made from dust [formation] and receives the breath of God [animation].  Second, we are taught man’s task.  He is made for vocation [stewardship].  At the same time, he lives with limitation.  He may not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In his innocence he lives under the boundary of God’s Word. (Genesis 2:16-17)  Third, we are taught man’s need.  He is incomplete.  It is not good for him to be alone. (Genesis 2:18)  He needs a helper, but not just any kind of helper.  He needs a helper “suitable [or ‘fit’] for him” [literally, ‘as in front of him’].

Victor Hamilton comments:

The last part of verse 18 reads literally, ‘I will make him for him a helper as in front of him (or according to what is in front of him).’  This last phrase, ‘as in front of him (or according to what is in front of him)’ occurs only here and in verse 20.  It suggests that what God creates for Adam will correspond to him.  Thus the new creation will be neither a superior nor an inferior, but an equal.  The creation of this helper will form one-half of a polarity, and will be to man as the south pole is to the north pole.  This new creation which man needs is called a helper (‘ezer), which is masculine in gender, though here it is a term for woman.  Any suggestion that this particular word denotes one who has only an associate or subordinate status to a senior member is refuted by the fact that most frequently this same word describes Yahweh’s relationship to Israel.  He is Israel’s help(er) because he is the stronger one (see, e.g., Exod. 18:4; Deut. 33:7, 26, 29; Ps. 33:20; 115:9-11; 124:8; 146:5; etc.).  The LXX [Greek translation of the Old Testament] of ‘ezer by beothos offers further support for this nuance.  The LXX uses boethos forty-five times to translate several Hebrew words, and except for three occurrences (I Chr. 12:18; Ezek. 12:14; Nah. 3:9) the word refers to help ‘from a stronger one, in no way needing help.’  The word is used frequently for human helpers, and even here, the helper is one appealed to because of superior military strength (Isa. 30:5) or superior size (Ps. 121:1).  The verb behind ‘ezer is ‘azar, which means ‘succor,’ ‘save from danger,’ ‘deliver from death.’  The woman in Gen. 2 delivers or saves man from his solitude.”  The Book of Genesis, Chapters 1-17(Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1990), p.175f.

Fourth, we are taught man’s authority.  He is given dominion over the animals as he names them (2:19-20).  Fifth, we are taught man’s fulfillment.  He is given a helper fit for him: “From him and for him” (Genesis 2:20b-23). Sixth, we are taught man’s relationship with this helper.  It is to be permanent: “A man shall leave…”; heterosexual: “cleave unto his wife…”; and monogamous: “the two shall become one….” (Genesis 2:28)

Is subordination taught here?

The arguments in favor of finding subordination in this chapter are the following.  First, the sequence: man is made before woman.  This, it is held, gives him priority. (Like the priority of the first born).  Second, the task: woman as a helper is read as subordinate (but see Hamilton’s comments above).: Third, her nature is that she is fit for him.  This implies that she is to fit into him, not he into her.  Fourth, man takes the initiative: he leaves his father and mother and is united [cleaves] to his wife. As the actor, his superiority in function is implied.  She is acted upon.

The arguments against finding subordination in this chapter are the following.  Man is created first, not for governance or priority in function, but to establish his loneliness.  “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18a).  His created need for woman does not imply his superiority in any way.  The animals do not complete him.  Without woman, he is less than fully a man.  She alone completes him. Second, in his task to care for the garden, a helper fit for him does not imply subordination.  In fact, as his helper, woman rescues man from his loneliness and complements him in his vocation. Next, man and woman equally share human nature. She alone is taken from him.  She alone is to be united to him.  Subordination must be read into the passage, it cannot be read out from it.  Finally, man’s initiative in leaving and cleaving tells us nothing about his superiority to woman or her subordination.  The next verse tells us that the man and woman are naked and not ashamed.  In their “one flesh” they have complete union and communion: equal standing before God and each other (Genesis 2:25).

Back to Basics: The Confusion of Gender Roles due to the Fall

What can we learn from Genesis 3?

Sin now disrupts the goodness of God’s creation.  Heavenly rebellion, represented by the serpent, stains earth.  Temptation begins when the serpent questions the woman: “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” (Genesis 3:1). She responds that they may eat from all the trees except the tree that is in the middle of the garden.  She adds that God said “… you must not touch it, or you will die.” (Genesis 3:3)

The serpent’s question leads to contradiction: “You will not surely die…”  (Genesis 3:4)  It then makes the ultimate promise: “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5)  This lie sets the woman up to rationalize her decision to rebel: “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.” (Genesis 3:6).  

What is the result of the Fall?  Rather than being like God, knowing the difference between good and evil, Adam and Eve simply now know that they are naked and they are ashamed.  They cover up from each other with aprons of leaves and they cover up from God by hiding in the bushes.  (Genesis 3:7-8)  Sin results in separation from each other and separation from God. But God does not leave them in their shame.  He comes looking for them.  As he interrogates them as to how they have come to this point, Adam blames Eve and Eve blames the serpent (Genesis 3:9).  No one takes responsibility for his or her sin and the judgment of God falls. (Genesis 3:14-19)  As they have rejected him, so he now rejects them.  How is this judgment dispensed?

First, God judges the serpent.  It is cursed and will be crushed.  Second, God judges the woman.  She will have pain in childbirth.  Her desire will be for her husband [seduction] and he will rule over her [domination].  Here the battle of the sexes begins. Hamilton writes:

“…the desire of the woman for her husband is akin to the desire of sin that lies poised ready to leap at Cain [4:7].  It means a desire to break the relationship of equality and turn it into a relationship of servitude and domination.  The sinful husband will try to be a tyrant over his wife.  Far from being a reign of co-equals over the remainder of God’s creation, the relationship now becomes a fierce dispute, with each party trying to rule the other.  The two who once reigned as one attempt to rule each other.”  Ibid., p.202.

Third, God judges the man. Rather than tending the Garden, he will live out his vocation in conflict with the earth and end in physical death: “…for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19).

Consequences and Conclusions

Male and Female, man and woman, were companions in dominion over the earth.  They then became companions in rebellion against God.  As they did so, they surrendered their dominion to the devil and became subject to God’s judgment. Their conflict and competition, dominating each other through seduction (Your desire will be for your husband) and superior power (and he will rule over you) is not a result of the order of God’s creation.  It is a result of the consequence of judgment after the Fall.

Christ, however, has come to reverse the effects of the Fall.  He takes our judgment upon himself, reestablishes God’s kingdom order in creation and takes us ultimately to a new Paradise, heaven itself.  He restores the divine image in us.  He restores the divine blessing upon us.  He restores the divine dominion through us.  All of this is given back to us as both male and female, now conformed to the image of Christ himself.

If we order our ministry based upon Genesis 3:16b: “Your [the woman’s] desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you,” we are ordering our life, based upon judgment rather than on redemption.  We are ordering our life based on the Law rather than on the Gospel.  We are ordering our life based on the consequences of the Fall rather than on the New Creation brought to us in Jesus.

Remember the gifts and callings of God are never given according to gender.  Men don’t get teaching gifts because they are men and women don’t get serving gifts because they are women.  The Spirit gifts whomever and however he wills (I Corinthians 12:7).  And the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable (Romans 11:29).  We do not give the gifts.  We receive the gifts, welcome the gifts and bless them in ministry.

Genesis 1-3 is foundational for the whole of God’s Word.  These chapters prepare us for the gospel.  Genesis 3:15 gives us the first prophetic promise: “He [the Savior] will crush your head and you will strike his heal.”  Satan’s head was crushed at the cross, even as he struck Jesus’ heal. His dominion is broken, God’s dominion is restored and released through the church, male and female, sharing together in the subjection of all things under one Head, one Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 See, for example, Gordon Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1987); Gordon Fee, Gospel and Spirit, Issues in New Testament Hermeneutics (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1991), especially chapter 4, “The Great Watershed – Intentionality and Particularity/Eternality: I Timothy 2:8-15 as a Test Case”; Gordon Fee, Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1996)

http://www.realityla.com/Media/Audio/2010-07-16-hlywd-pt-pt2-history-of-hlywd-128kbps.mp3

This past week, we had a BBQ in the parking lot next to the church. We intentionally held it in a nearby, easily accessible area so that we could invite anyone to join. Because while “community-building” is good and necessary, if we only do it with our friends and people like us, we can easily become inward-focused... and forget about the people around us in need. We’re here to make Christ known, so all that we do should make it easy for “outsiders” to feel welcome.

Which is exactly what happened. The many people who helped put up signs, set up, organize, bring food, playing music, etc, were not specifically instructed to invite everyone to the BBQ. But they did anyway, because they have open eyes and hearts for those around us. Several neighbors and passerbys came to join us after being invited by someone while we were setting up – from scientologists  to "cultural Christians", homeless, friends of the church we rent from, etc. At the end of the night, a girl who was homeless and hungry found us, and people were able to give her leftovers, hear some of her story, and befriend her.

This wasn’t your old-school church potluck. From the entertaining tunes of Ryan Keith, a musician in our midst, to the deeper conversations with non-Christians about Jesus, we tried to do things a bit differently. The event we’d planned to get the focus off of ourselves, engage with the people around us and share Christ accomplished just that.  We may not call ourselves a “missional community”, but it’s good to know that’s what we are…with or without the buzz words.

Depending on which school I choose to attend, I may leave in August and head to the Pacific Northwest, or I may stay here in Southern California. The next step is still unknown to me, and for now, I am simply waiting on the Lord.  Transience and relationship are a tricky pairing for me. I prefer longevity, loyalty, enduring presence, and the experience of process when it comes to relationships. While none of these traits accurately describe my experience here in LA, I felt the pathway to LA was well lit, and so I came.

Now that I’m here, I feel challenged by the Holy Spirit to live as though I am here for a lifetime, even if in reality I am here only one more month. It feels terribly unsafe, but the alternative is walking alone. And even for a short season, that seems so far from God’s heart for me.

I believe the treasures of being in LA for a short time are hidden in the mysteries of community.  God is doing something here in Hollywood through community. I can’t quantify it, however I know that He is inviting me into it here and now. This invitation is confirmed and affirmed with every Basileia gathering.

So how I could I forsake diving in? I do not want to miss unlocking the mysteries of community that occur when we engage one another’s diversity of thought, life, culture, language and experience. I don’t want to miss the unfurling of God’s power and life here. Jesus is here, in Hollywood now, and I simply want to join Him in what He’s doing, if only for right here, right now.

by Athaliah Watkins

We began to worship together, and a few songs in I felt the Lord pressing on my heart to contemplate and really begin to understand what it means to rest and to wait on Him. Isaiah 40:31 came to mind: “Those that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength”. I admit I’ve wrestled with this concept my entire life, especially after I moved to Los Angeles. The craziness, crowdedness, and noisiness of this town can often shred to pieces our ability to understand and live in a place of rest and of waiting.

Over and over again we hear the ancient words reminding us to focus our hearts and to set our minds on “things above”. There was a moment when  the band finished one of their songs, and I thought we were going to move from worship music into the next part of the service. But the band began to play “Jesus, Be The Center”, and I felt the Lord start to break down my fear of the quiet and of the stillness, where I often hear His voice and feel His presence.

At the end of one of the most stressful and busy weeks of recent years for me, there was Jesus. Speaking directly to my heart and calling me to a place of peace and rest. Where He desires to be the center and the source and renewal of my strength, if I would only wait. The band played on for several more minutes, and my heart and mind were comforted in knowing that He offers such respite from the madness that is our lives, careers, and activities in the creative whirlpool of LA. But it is truly in this place of peace, quiet, and reflection that we are able to tune out every noise and distraction, and wait upon Him to renew our strength and keep us living fully alive to seek and to save the dying world in which we live.

-Brian Foster Kane

we’re all just trying to find traction and places to be real in the madness of hollywood, where trust and genuineness are hard to come by. which is why it’s not just a trite saying at Basileia when we repeat, “we come together because we can’t make it alone.”