A VISION FOR GOTH

Introduction

“My son, daughter and I have been involved with an inter-city ministry in Nashville, TN since 1994 and have been following the Goth outpouring for some years.  I believe this is the pivotal year when Goths as a whole will become equipped by Christ and take a strategic place in the Army (of God). Our heart is with the Goth community and the great and unique gifts that are there.” – Valerie Milligan

The call of God on my life is twofold:

1. To pray and work for an outpouring of God’s Spirit on Goth
2. To pray and work for understanding and love, a warm and receptive response to Goth and Gothic people from those in the church

The Outpouring of God’s Spirit on Goth

God chooses the most unlikely cultures to pour His Spirit out on in every generation. This is in fulfillment of prophecy (Joel) and it challenges His church to love people of difference.

God’s Track Record
The Prophesy of Joel

On the day of Pentecost, when faced with the need to explain tongues, Peter said, “this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.” – Acts 2: 16–18

Peter quoted this passage on the day the church was born. From the very beginning it was God’s intention to pour His Spirit out on people of every kind and variety. God does not show favoritism. He favors no one culture or people.

Even though Peter spoke these very words, he still needed convincing.

The Gentile Outpouring

The attitude of the first Christians toward the gentiles is strikingly similar to the attitude of mainstream Christianity toward Goth. They were apprehensive, to say the least. There was real prejudice. They looked at gentiles as unclean pagans that could potentially contaminate the purity of the church and so they were resistant to reaching out to them and skeptical of anyone who did.

Peter’s Vision

Acts 10: 9 – 23
9 “the next day as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the city, Peter went up to the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, 10 and he was hungry. But while lunch was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four-corners. 12 in the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. 13 Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.”

14 “‘Never, Lord,’ Peter declared. ‘I have never in all my life eaten anything forbidden by our Jewish laws.’”

In essence, Peter is refusing the call of God on his life in favor of what amounts to cultural prohibitions. People often confuse their own culture with God’s standard of holiness.

“Often what Christians think of as holiness is nothing more than intolerance. This naïve approach to following God makes the Christian life seemingly simple: just exclude anyone who violates our image of the Christian life.” – from Conspiracy of Kindness by Steve Sjogren

15 “The voice spoke again, ‘If God says something is acceptable, don’t say it isn’t.’”*

We are clean by the blood of Jesus not by our culture or cultural conformity. God declares us clean when we are in Christ. We are called to conform to the image of Christ not to the image of other Christians.

16 “The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was pulled up again to heaven.”

Peter needed a lot of convincing. Those we are in ministry to in the church may also need a lot of convincing. We speak the truth in love. We demonstrate love, patience and understanding to all especially to those that do love or understand us. In so doing we demonstrate that God is at work in us.

17 “Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision mean? Just then the men sent by Cornelius found the house and stood outside at the gate. 18 They asked if this was the place where Simon Peter was staying. 19 Meanwhile, as Peter was puzzling over the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him, ‘Three men have come looking for you. 20 Go down and go with them without hesitation. All is well, for I have sent them.’ 21 So Peter went down and said, ‘I’m the man you are looking for. Why have you come?’ 22 They said, ‘We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout man who fears the God of Israel and is well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to send for you so you can go to his house and give him a message.’ 23 So Peter invited the men to be his guests for the night. The next day he went with them, accompanied by some other believers* from Joppa.”

Note Peter’s reluctance in the above passage. God was calling him to do something that his traditions, his culture forbid. It went against his grain; it went against his culture.

Jesus had a counter cultural ministry. He loved the outcast and the sinner. He dined with them, associated with them and He called them to Himself.

He wants His people to follow His example.

Peter Testifies Before the Council in Jerusalem

Peter obeyed God and he witnessed the outpouring of God’s Spirit on a people he believed to be unworthy of it, the gentiles. Later, he testified before a skeptical, predominantly Jewish church about God’s desire to reach all people of every kind and variety.

Acts 11: 15 – 18
15 “As I began to speak the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit. 17 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?’ 18 When they heard this they were silenced. And they glorified God, saying, ‘Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance unto life.’”

People in the church might reject you because of your culture but they will not be able to resist the hand of God in your life, they will not be able to “withstand God.” Eventually, with love and patience, they will see the fruit of God’s Spirit in your life and though they may never understand, they will stop resisting what God is doing in you.

The Judaizing Heresy

The question was: “Should the gentile converts be made to conform to our standards of righteousness?”

In modern terms: “Is cultural conformity essential for salvation or even as an evidence of sanctification?”

“While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the Christians: ‘Unless you keep the ancient Jewish custom of circumcision taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.’ Paul and Barnabas, disagreeing with them, argued forcefully and at length. Finally, Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem... to talk to the apostles and elders about this question,” Acts 15: 1–3

One of the men Paul was arguing forcefully with in Antioch was Peter. He’d had a vision, he’d seen the outpouring of God’s Spirit on a culture he thought unworthy, he’d even defended it. But when he mixed with legalists that wanted to impose their standards of righteousness on the gentiles, he caved. Paul had the courage to challenge him.

“When Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him publicly, speaking strongly against what he was doing, for it was very wrong... Peter wouldn’t eat with the gentiles anymore because he was afraid of what these legalists would say. Then the other Jewish Christians followed Peter’s hypocrisy. I said to Peter in front of all the others, ‘...why are you trying to make these gentiles obey the Jewish laws you abandoned?’ We Jewish Christians know that we become right with God, not by doing what the law commands, but by faith in Jesus Christ... for no one will ever be saved by obeying the law,” Galatians 2: 11–16

This controversy came to be regarded as the Judaizing heresy. A heresy is any religious belief that is in opposition to the orthodox doctrines of the church.

Paul wrote Galatians to refute the Judaizers. Many believe it was written prior to the council in Jerusalem that took place in or around A.D. 50. If this dating is correct, then Galatians would be one of Paul’s earliest if not his first known writing.

The key passage of Galatians still resonates with Christians today who struggle with contemporary legalists.

“Christ has really set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law,” Galatians 5: 1

By the time Peter reached Jerusalem, he was ready to support Paul’s position. Peter made mistakes and the crowd could intimidate him but he was a broken man that repented readily and when he did he was ready to stand for Jesus.

It was decided at the Jerusalem council that “we should stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God,” Acts 15: 19

Throughout history, God has chosen the most unlikely candidates upon which to pour His Spirit. It began with the prophecy of Joel, it is evidenced in scripture in the Gentile outpouring but it is also evidenced by recent church history.

1. In the 1960’s God poured His Spirit out of the Hippies. At the time they were the most unlikely culture. They were drug-infested and rebellious, not at all your model church people. They called it the “Jesus Movement” and those associated with it were called “Jesus People.” I am a product of this outpouring. I was saved when I was 14. The average age of my youth group was 24. They were hippies. They went to a conservative charismatic Baptist church in bell-bottom jeans, tie-dyed shirts with flowers in their hair and bare feet in the summer. They were counterculture but they loved each other and they loved God.
2. In the 1970’s God poured His Spirit out on the Catholics and Episcopalians. Church people believed, and some still do, that God can’t work in these traditions but He did and He does. They called it the charismatic renewal and out of that renewal many came to know Jesus personally and were filled with His Spirit in the context of a religion they had known their whole life.
3. Today, God is pouring His Spirit out on Goth. Again church people are saying, “That’s impossible. These people are dark and strange and not at all the image of what God wants.” God loves to do the impossible, to challenge the expectations and rigid restrictions of His own people. Today, God is pouring His Spirit out on the darkest of all subcultures. God is redeeming the subculture itself as well as the people in it and we have the privilege of being a part of this great awakening.

The Plan to Reach Goth

I’m a believer in servant evangelism, in acts of kindness, in practical demonstrations of love. I am quiet and reserve by nature, not at all the type to stand in a Goth con and preach. But I can serve and I can demonstrate God’s love and I can cultivate a relationship in which trust is earned.

Loving others is not an option it is a biblical mandate.

The Greatest Commandment

Matthew 22: 36–40
36 “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 †Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Love is the Christian distinctive. Every denomination has a “distinctive.” The Lutherans say we are “saved through faith alone.” The Methodists tell us we need “the method,” the spiritual disciplines, and the Pentecostals tell us that the supernatural gifts of the Spirit are still available to us today. But, none of these things, as biblically sound as they may be, are what Christians should be known for. Our distinctive as Christians, the one thing that sets us apart, distinguishes and identifies us, should be our love. Just as faith without works is dead, so love without acts of kindness is also dead.

John 13: 34–35
34 “I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Our Love for God is Measured by Our Love for People

1st John 4: 19–21
20 “If any one says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should love his brother also.”

Love is the distinctive of God’s people.

“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” Romans 5: 8

If He didn’t wait until we met His standards, should we?

“We love, because he first loved us.” 1st John 4: 19 RSV

Our love should emulate His. His love is the basis of ours.

When we see the cross as the act of love that it was, love is born in us. That love is the purpose for which we were created.

The Evidence of Love is Acts of Service

The word “ministry” means service.

Matthew 25: 31–46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him... he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. 34 Then the King will say to those on the right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’”

37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’ 40 And the King will tell them, ‘I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”

41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his demons! 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me anything to drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me no clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’”

44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ 45 And he will answer, ‘I assure you, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

James 2: 14–17
14 “Dear brothers and sisters, what’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can’t save anyone. 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, 16 and you say, ‘Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well’—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?’ 17 So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all—it is dead and useless.”

I don’t know how the outpouring will happen but I believe we should demonstrate God’s love in practical ways to our lost brothers and sisters in Goth. God has called me to do this by:

• Providing a presence in the greater Goth community. We make ourselves available and accessible to those that are seeking that in seeking they may find. Where Goths gather, we are present.
  Establish a presence.
  Build a relationship.
  Earn trust.
  Demonstrate God’s love through acts of service and kindness.
• Share the Gospel.
  Participation in local club and concert scene with the aim of building relationships.
  Provide a club and concert experience locally.
  Purchase booth/exhibition space at national and international gatherings.
  Advertising in Goth zines.
  Gothic Christians are present with them, available and ready to present the real Jesus to whosoever will.
• Providing a place of belonging for Christian Goths. We cultivate and nurture groups around the world, places where Goths can gather. And we encourage and support people from whom they can receive care.
  Follow up is critical to discipleship and long term spiritual care. For those that respond, we need to cultivate a place in their local community where they can be nurtured and cared for.
  We are cultivating small groups of people all over the world that are dedicated to servicing and supporting gothic Christians.
  Internet contact, phone calls, visits and the annual conference will help us accomplish this goal.
• We sponsor an annual conference where we can gather together to worship, pray, celebrate, learn from and support each other.
  This conference is held every November in Baltimore.
  It is a time to celebrate our culture, to form or build relationships, to love and support one another. It is also a call to prayer and to worship.
• To promote, encourage and preserve Gothic Christian culture in all its varied forms. We offer opportunities for the artist and any Gothic Christian venture to share their God given talent.
  On the web site, at the conference, and someday maybe a magazine.

Prepare the Church for the Influx of Goth

We will start by being true to what God has called us to in our home church. We are Goths; we will not attempt to be other than what we are, not in rebellion but in love. We will answer the questions and take the criticism so that when the newly converted Goth is brought in, God’s people will be accustomed to and ready to love him or her. But we will carry out this call with patience and love for those in our churches that either do not or will not understand in accordance with Romans 14 and 15.

14 “Accept Christians who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. 2 For instance, one person believes it is all right to eat anything. But another believer who has a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables.”

3 “Those who think it is all right to eat anything must not look down on those who won’t. And those who won’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to condemn God’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him tell them whether they are right or wrong. The Lord’s power will help them do as they should.”

5 “In the same way some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. Each person should have a personal conviction about this matter. 6 Those who have a special day for worshiping the Lord are trying to honor him. Those who eat all kinds of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who won’t eat everything also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. 7 For we are not our own masters when we live or when we die. 8 While we live, we live to please the Lord. And when we die, we go to be with the Lord. So in life and in death, we belong to the Lord. 9 Christ died and rose again for this very purpose, so that he might be Lord of those who are alive and of those who have died.”

10 “So why do you condemn another Christian*? Why do you look down on another Christian? Remember that each of us will stand personally before the judgment seat of God. 11 For the Scriptures say, ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘Every knee will bow to me. And every tongue will confess allegiance to God.’”

12 “Yes, each of us will have to give a personal account to God. 13 So don’t condemn each other anymore. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not put an obstacle in another Christian’s path.”

14 “I know and am perfectly sure on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. 15 And if another Christian is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. 16 Then you will not be condemned for doing something you know is all right.”

17 “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God. And other people will approve of you, too. 19 So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.”

20 “Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, there is nothing wrong with these things in themselves. But it is wrong to eat anything if it makes another person stumble. 21 Don’t eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another Christian to stumble. 22 You may have the faith to believe that there is nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who do not condemn themselves by doing something they know is all right. 23 But if people have doubts about whether they should eat something, they shouldn’t eat it. They would be condemned for not acting in faith before God. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.”

Living to Please Others

15 “We may know that these things make no difference, but we cannot just go ahead and do them to please ourselves. We must be considerate of the doubts and fears of those who think these things are wrong. 2 We should please others. If we do what helps them, we will build them up in the Lord. 3 For even Christ didn’t please himself. As the Scriptures say, ‘Those who insult you are also insulting me.’ 4 Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. They give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises.”

5 “May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other—each with the attitude of Christ Jesus toward the other. 6 Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified.”

We don’t need to prove that we are Goth to anyone. Goth isn’t what we wear it is who we are and we will be Goth and remain Goth no matter what. We don’t need to argue with or compel anyone to accept us for who we really are. We do need to take the high road, to demonstrate God’s love by being considerate of our church family.

The outpouring of God’s Spirit on Goth and the preparation of the church to receive the influx of Goth is ultimately God’s work, not ours. He will pave the way, He will change the hearts of people when they need to be changed, He and He alone is sovereign. We only need to be obedient, we only need to be totally given over to His purpose, we only need absolute surrender, and we only need to be conformed to the image or our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Obey God. Let Him worry about putting one up and another down, vindicating one and disciplining another. Humble yourselves and He will lift you up.

When we have warmed the hearts of our home churches to Goth, when we have educated and demonstrated what God is doing in Goth, then we will carry our message to other churches. But our responsibility to our home churches will not be complete until they can embrace people of difference, any difference (this isn’t just about Goth), with the genuine love of God.

“If they have to understand before they embrace, then we are not where we need to be. Do we have to start all over again with every population?” – Jamie Brennan

Love is the message; Christ is the answer.

- David Dellman