Our Dual Citizenship - Both Tribe and Nation
By Edwin G. Delph, August, 2001, NATIONStrategy

. . . until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
Eph. 4:13

It seems like everybody is talking unity these days. Everywhere I go all over the world the talk is unity . . . but how close are we to real and tangible unity? Pockets of unity in cities, or movements of pastors may spring up for a season, but most seem to die just as quickly. Notice those words . . . "until we all attain to the unity of the faith" . . . what a quest . . . and it is the prayer of Jesus (Jn. 17:23). To many pastors, leaders or denominations today, Eph. 4:13 would realistically mean this - "When everybody believes our way, then we will have unity." Now, I know we wouldn't say it that way, but our actions or lack of actions reveal our values. It's like the license plate cover that says "I'm OK . . . You're So-So!" Could it be our value systems undermine the vision of unity in a real and tangible way? Are we like the man who has a great vision to win the Olympic Marathon, but lacks the self control to practice? His core value of laziness will never allow him to get to the vision! Core values are deeply held beliefs describing the soul of a person or organization that are consistently acted upon without compromise. Core values are the government which either enables or disables us getting to the vision. Core values enable us to get to vision. If that man had the core value of self control, endurance, patience, teachableness, etc., he has a good chance of getting to his vision (assuming he has the innate ability). The interesting thing is, however, we could probably put that man in most any vision and he would be successful. His core values don't undermine the vision . . . they enable the vision.

You might be asking, what does that long distance runner have to do with unity? Everything! If our core value systems undermine the vision of real and tangible unity, the results can only lead us to eventual failure. If our 'vision' is community transformation or revival (outside the church walls), we must have the core value or 'government' of unity. Unity is not a vision, it's a core value that enables us to get to the vision of community transformation. Unity is a pre-requisite to real and tangible community transformation. Without real and tangible unity, the church is like the man who has a vision to win the Olympic Marathon, but never practices. His full potential will never be actualized. Unfortunately, this is the problem in the church world today . . . unfulfilled potential and frustration. Let's explore the issues and solutions together.

The Achievement Paradigm

As I travel the world, the conversation among church leaders revolves around how many people are in your church, how many churches do you have, what's bringing you growth, or even, what books have you written? Of course, there are other subjects being talked about, but by and large the conversation revolves around and reflects western cultural values. Our actions and values support the value of FAME EQUALS IMPACT! I call it . . . "The latest, the greatest, the biggest, the best!" It seems, as indicated by our conversation and actions, we don't consider ourselves as family but as competitors or unrelated institutions. This creates a dualistic paradigm of us/them; right/wrong; win/lose; good/evil; either/or; successful/unsuccessful. Now remember, I'm not talking about what we say or believe. I'm looking at values, or what we do . . . the way we really think reflected by our actions.

This dualistic paradigm comes from western culture and is based on the philosophy of achievement as a higher value than relationship. Much of this has come from seminaries, bible schools or church teaching where the students were taught 'our doctrine is the right doctrine . . . theirs isn't'. Also, the 'our emphasis is God, theirs isn't' (we're OK . . . they're so-so!) is problematic. Like Ford and Toyota, we compete with each other for the best automobiles and highest sales. The students 'after they have been fully trained by their teacher' (Luke 6:40) reproduce in their congregations, denominations or movements this dualistic paradigm. Competition and exclusiveness become core values of the churches and congregations they pastor.

The question is . . . does the achievement over relationship paradigm facilitate Jesus' vision of unity, or impede it? (Jn 17:21,23) The truth is our competitive 'success' oriented culture has moved most churches and church movements away from a very important and necessary core value of the church. In fact, the church can never be what she was designed to be without the core value of real and tangible unity.

Tribes & Nations

" . . . from every tribe, language, people and nation . . . "
Rev. 5:9b

God has always thought of Israel as one big family with twelve sub-families. These sub-families were called 'tribes' and the whole extended tribal families were called a nation - the nation of Israel. When Jacob was near the end of his life, he gathered together his twelve sons and spoke to them of their unique destinies, distinctives and callings . . . whether positive or negative. At that point, the brothers became the head of their own families or tribes, yet they were still all part of the nation of Israel. Like twelve slices of a pie, each is a part of the whole pie. All twelve brothers together formed the 'national' government . . . not one brother or tribe individually. Each brother was part of the 'national' government, but not the whole.

It's interesting to see that Israel's land inheritance (Canaan) was taken by the nation of Israel, yet divided up and settled by tribes. Genesis 49 tells us that each tribes uniqueness, emphasis and size were different yet totally necessary in the formation of the nation. For example, Judah's uniqueness was that he was called to praise the Lord and be a protector of Jerusalem, while Joseph was a 'fruitful bough' that had a blessing to go to the nations. Joseph had the 'crown' (vs. 27) while Judah had the 'scepter' (vs. 10). They needed to work together so the 'crown' and the 'scepter' (authority and power) would be together. Also, some tribes had large populations and land ownership while others had small populations and land ownership, yet each tribe was just as important as the other because of their family status . . . not their size or emphasis. Each tribe had an area of influence, whether it was large or small, and encouraged not to think of itself more highly than they ought. The founding fathers of the United States captured this concept in forming the Senate arm of the government. Each state, no matter what size or emphasis, has two votes. Each state is given equal status because of its 'family' status. Yet each state hopefully realizes that it's part of the United States . . . not the whole nation (even Texas!). The House of Representatives in the United States represents the institutional value of "the bigger you are, the more influence you have." It's interesting to note that the Senate is there to preserve the 'family' aspect of the United States no matter what 'tribe' is dominant at any given time. United we stand . . . divided we fall.

Our Dual Citizenship

The tribes or families of Israel had to think in terms of two citizenships . . . a national citizenship (Israel) and a tribal citizenship (Joseph, Judah, Dan, etc.). Let me illustrate this in Numbers 10:2-4:

2 Make yourself two trumpets of silver, of hammered work you shall make them; and you shall use them for summoning the congregation and for having the camps set out.
3 And when both are blown, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the doorway of the tent of meeting.
4 Yet if only one is blown, then the leaders, the heads of the divisions of Israel, shall assemble before you.

One might say the trumpet symbolizes a prophetic call for a reason and a season! Verse 3 says when both trumpets were blown, all the leaders of the 12 tribes and their families assembled at the doorway of the tent. If only one trumpet was blown, just the heads of the tribes came to the tent of the doorways (verse 4). Verse 3 speaks of a 'general conference' and verse 4 speaks of a 'leadership' conference!

Here's what I want to emphasize. When the trumpet was blown, they were to come together on a national basis with their tribal distinctions becoming secondary in importance. They did not have to give up their tribal identity, but joined together as a nation or extended family in a higher cause for a reason and a season! In effect, God was saying . . . "there's just some things that you can't do alone, you have to do them together".

The four reasons for all the tribes to join together into a nation were:

1. For unity, "summoning the congregation" vs. 2
2. For transition or change, "having the camps set out" vs. 2
3. For war, "when you go to war" vs. 9
4. For feasts and celebrations, "in the day of your gladness and in your appointed feasts." Vs. 10

Please note the order in which these four reasons are listed. First, we get into unity as a family, then move out together, then fight the common enemy together and all celebrated the victories and feasts together. Notice the value of community, family, jointness, togetherness and corporateness. They got into unity as a nation before they went out to make war. They started at the first trumpet, not the third trumpet. How many 'tribes' have tried to reach a city by themselves? How many churches, denominations and church leaders have tried to live by themselves? How many have called themselves independent fundamentalists or independent charismatics? In my opinion, that's not a badge of honor, that is a recipe for failure. You can't live the Christian life independently . . . you live the Christian life corporately . . . especially when there is a big common enemy that's confronting you! The truth is there are just some things in Kingdom living that can't be done independently. They have to be done corporately! It's not good for man, a local church, a leader or a denomination to live alone!

It Takes a 'Spiritual' Government to Transform a 'Natural' Government!

Let me make a statement here, and then I'll explain. Gad cannot drive out the Philistines, but Israel can! You remember Gad was one of the tribes of Israel. God knows that each church or denomination is just part of the family or nations, but not the whole!

When all twelve of the tribes came together, it formed the 'nation' or 'government' of Israel. Twelve is the number of government. The Philistines were a governmental entity or force. Gad alone has a measure of grace, but when Gad is joined together with the other eleven brothers (Israel) they turn into grace without measure, or the government of God. It takes a 'government' to transform a government! It takes a 'nation' to transform a nation! For example, in considering reaching a city or nations for Christ, it's absolutely essential to get the family (churches, leaders, and denominations) together as a nation. 'The' church of Buenos Aires has the potential to reach the city, but 'a' church cannot. We start at the first trumpet, not the third trumpet. When 'a' church goes to war against a malevolent force in its city independently, that's like starting at the third trumpet stage. That church only has a measure of grace and, in most cases, will end up worse than it started! 'A' tribe does not have the potential impact of 'a' nation! Unfortunately, that church is operating under a 'declaration of independence' whereas the nation of Israel or 'the' church operates under the 'declaration of interdependence' principle. They will never get to the fourth trumpet or 'feast stage'. It takes a functional community of churches to reach a community of people . . . even in small communities. Remember what Matt 18:20 says, "For where two or three have gathered together in My Name, there I am in their midst." That verse is referring to dealing with governmental issues. There must be 'two or three to agree' for their community (Matt 18:19). It takes a 'spiritual' government to transform a 'natural' government!

Spiritual Tribalism

Let's get back to our original thought. Does the church function best in the family paradigm, or the achievement over relationship paradigm? Which of these two paradigms enable us to get to a real and tangible unity which is what the whole church emanates from? (Eph. 4). Which paradigm enables us to start at the first trumpet? Which paradigm can bring us to a unity of the faith?

First of all, let me say it's Biblical to be both a 'tribe' and a 'nation'. It's not an 'either/or', it's a 'both/and'. Your church, denomination or network, is really one of many tribes that make up a nation. Pastors, denominational heads and leaders of apostolic networks need to think in terms of both 'tribe' and 'nation.' The leader of a tribe (Southern Baptist, Assembly of God, Calvary Chapels, Vineyards, or Episcopalian, etc.) need to think vertically as does the pastor or leader of a local church. He is like a general or shepherd that is concerned with his company, the condition of his flock or movement, and carrying out the day to day operations of that flock or movement. However, the leader also needs to think horizontally or nationally. He needs to see that he is part of a larger family or nation, and that he is not independent! He needs to be aware that he has limitations and, for his tribe's benefit, as well as the other tribe's benefit, needs to relate to the other tribes as brothers and as a nation! Sometimes the Father calls together a 'family reunion' for a reason and for a season, and he needs to be there!

When a tribal leader does not consider the horizontal aspect of the church and becomes isolationist, the phenomenon of spiritual tribalism takes root. Spiritual tribalism is when a tribe thinks it's the nation! The church is interpreted through tribal eyes and that tribe tries to conform the nation to its calling, its distinctives, its doctrine, its language, etc. That tribe 'sets the standard' for all other tribes. "We're OK, you're so-so!"

Spiritual tribalism has lead to a multitude of doctrine-based denominations as well as 'emphasis' or 'theme' based churches. When spiritual tribalism sets in, eventually isolationism and exclusiveness sets in. The tribe then sets the standards for what is right and wrong, correct or incorrect, important and unimportant, or relevant and not relevant. The end result is spiritual tribalism, the setting of endless standards, and isolation from the 'nation.' They begin to, as Paul says in 2 Cor. 10:12 . . . "measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding." They start thinking of themselves more highly than they ought, even leading to the negative effects of inbreeding. Paul calls it "they are without understanding" or micromanaging themselves and the nation.

Here's what I want us to become aware of . . . spiritual tribalism leads to exclusivism and away from the core value of the extended family or nation. Spiritual tribalism leads us to a measure of grace without the opportunity for the ministry of Jesus or grace without measure. Spiritual tribalism is a 'declaration of independence' rather than a 'declaration of interdependence' rendering Jesus' prayer of unity for the church unlikely if not impossible! As we have said before, unity is not a vision . . . unity is a core value! As Jesus said in Mark 3:25: "And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand."

Incarnating Our Dual Citizenship

As we get ready to go into what I believe will be the best years of Christianity, here are some practicals on issues of 'connecting the clans' that I think are pre-requisites to the community transformation that all of us so desperately long for.

1. We Need to Act Nationally for the Sake of Our Communities.
Do you realize the church has the largest public relations problem in the world? The community sees us a divided rather than diverse, that is to say, they see us in a negative way rather than a positive way. Perhaps it's time for the nation of Christianity to demonstrate unity to the community in a real and tangible way through service to the community. We are here for the community, the community is not here for us. Do we realize the community is watching us? We need good relationships for the sake of the community! We get along together for the sake of the community! We don't have church or denominational splits for the sake of the community! We love one another for the sake of the community! We must be 'non-religious' and 'pro-Jesus' for the sake of the community! Eph. 3:10 says in effect, our job is to demonstrate Christ . . . through 'the' church . . . to the community. We are here to give the church back to the community! We have been called to be a blessing to all the nations (Gen. 12:3). That's what Jesus prayed in Jn 17:21 . . . the ultimate verse on community transformation. It takes a community of churches to reach a community of people!

2. Our Areas of Influence/Areas of Interest.
The United States military has a strategic concept in what they call 'areas of influence' and 'areas of interest'. The top general of the Army has direct influence over the Army, but not over the Navy or Air Force. However, the Navy and Air Force are areas of interest in that they are his partners in the 'nation' of the military. To use tribes and nations vernacular, he's the tribal head of the Army, but not the Navy or Air Force. His brothers (the Navy and Air Force) are areas of interest and part of the family. If he's wise, he'll work with, cooperate and recognize the importance of his extended family. If he's not wise, his army will likely suffer great loss through 'friendly fire' or the Navy and Air Force attacking his troops. That's quite a lesson for denominational heads, network leaders and pastors in a community. We have areas of influence as well as areas of interest. It's called national awareness. Sometimes we get too focused on our tribe and become unaware of the big picture! Healthy living is a blend of focus and awareness! Focus without awareness is problematic to all.

3. Corporate Cooperation is Our Friend, Not Our Enemy.
Do you realize God designed us to be a family? Our family structure is just like Jacob and his twelve sons. God is the head of the nations and we (denominations, networks, and churches) are his 'sons'. No one tribe could ever occupy the land of Israel . . . it's too big for one tribe. We all need each other to occupy the land. We were created to be diverse, but never divided. In my opinion, our 'divisiveness' has lead to the 'collapse of our family' and as a result, unfulfilled potential.

4. Our Relationship by National Core Values First, Tribal Distinctives Second.
Let's become aware of our 'national' core values, as well as our 'tribal' distinctives and callings. The early Christians captured this concept in the writing of the Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed. The core values and beliefs of Christianity are outlined in these creeds. We all realize there are no perfect creeds, but endless additions, subtractions, redefinitions, etc., have led us to many different, long and difficult documents of what Christianity is. Most of these documents are really 'tribal' views, not a 'national' view. In other words, the nation has been defined by a particular tribe or thought paradigm.

I've said many times, the Apostles Creed is a fairly accurate assessment (but not perfect) of our Christian 'constitution'. In my opinion, most anything outside of the Apostles Creed is tribal. My goal here is not a mystical 'ecumenical unity', but the kind of unity that is found when 'brothers dwell together in unity' reflecting the corporateness of Christ and His church. I believe in an attempt to be correct, many have gone way too far in defining a 'brother' and an 'other' leading us down a path of "we're OK, they're so-so." How about concentrating on what unifies us, not what divides us? It's time to connect the clans, not divide them in the name of 'rightly dividing'.

5. The Need for a National Protocol.
In my opinion, our bible schools, seminaries and churches need to have classes on how 'our' tribe relates to our 'nation.' Most pastors and church members have no idea on how to relate to the church down the street from them. Are they the enemy? Is their doctrine right? Are we really related? Why would I want to spend my time meeting them? A good, well thought out class that is mandatory to all participants could be a major step forward in unity and in the understanding of the crucial paradigm of dual citizenship.

One of the biggest challenges I face all over the world is how to get one denomination to relate to another, one pastor to relate to another, or one church to relate to another. We have been trained to act independently, not interdependently. As I've said before, some things we just can't do individually, we have to do them corporately. We need to develop a national protocol and national 'manners' for us all to develop to our full potential.

6. The Need for National Ambassadors.
God is raising up national ambassadors or what Dr. C. Peter Wagner calls 'horizontal apostles' to facilitate in the 'connecting' of the clans or tribes. The church desperately needs these 'big picture' influencers and peacemakers to help the 'tribes' in strategic events, tasks or services that only the 'nation' can do. They are a necessary and strategic component in community transformation. As the United States military found out in World War II, there needs to be coordination and cooperation among the armed forces or the result in chaos. The Army, Navy and Air Force needed joint chiefs of staff, or 'big picture' people to reduce the 'tribalism' of each of these departments and to facilitate the big picture of 'winning the war', not just 'winning the battle'. In the same way, the various tribes in the church need 'joint chiefs of staff', or national ambassadors who lead and coordinate all the tribal leaders by influence, diplomacy and ambassadorial skills in a national effort to reach the community or nation.

Recently, I formed an organization called NATIONStrategy to facilitate unity among denominations and churches for the purpose of reaching communities and nations together. It's discovering what all the churches in a nation can do together for the nation. The same would be true of cities and communities. Our goal is a real and tangible demonstration of unity to the community through an event, task or service. Simply said, it's discovering what all the churches together can do for England, Kenya, Buenos Aires, or wherever. NATIONStrategy is a response to the necessary component of 'national' ambassadorial ministries. Other organizations such as Harvest Evangelism, DAWN, Bridgebuilders, Cities for Christ, and the Sentinel Group, as well as many other city and national coordinations, are also a response to this crucial need for ambassadorial leadership.

Let me conclude by sharing a story. Recently, I rented a 15 person van to take some junior highers on a trip. As we were traveling, I looked in the back seat and all the junior highers had earphones on with their favorite CD blasting in their ears. No one was talking! Each was on the bus and in the family, but listening to their own 'tunes' with eyes glazed over and heads straight forward. Think about it, just like those junior highers, we're all on the journey together, and part of the family, but most of us are listening to our own themes, emphases and doctrines without even a thought for each other. Like the man from Kenya, our living by tribal values without national awareness will never allow us to achieve the vision of community transformation. Think of how much more the Lord could do for each of us together and the potential unrealized until that happens. It would be fair to say that we all could use more revelation, awareness, and maturity in understanding and incarnating these very crucial principles. That's what Paul was talking about in the verse I started this article with . . .

"until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ."
Eph. 4:13

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