RSS

Tag Archives: church

A sound church, part 1

01 Mar

What do you look for in a church? Most people, I’ve found, are looking for are specific kinds of programs: children’s ministries, support groups, outreach plans, and so on. And none of these things are necessarily problematic.

That said, have you ever considered what God looks for in a church? If indeed God does expect certain things from his churches, it seems to me that his priorities should trump ours. And the church is indeed a great priority of God; Paul speaks of the church as “the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).

For this reason, churches are not just like other clubs or groups. Most social organizations could, if they wished, simply redefine their purposes, goals, and leadership structure. Of course, radical changes can upset the long-time members, who might be angered if a group departs from its original intent. But even so, such re-direction is entirely within the rights of a group; it owes its allegiance, ultimately, only to itself. If the local stamp collecting club decided, on a whim, to become a chess club, they have done nothing wrong.

Churches are not like this; or, at least, they oughtn’t be. Instead, a church’s charter and direction must be determined by the Bible itself. Think of it this way: if there is anything unique about a church, it is that the church claims to proclaim the will of God. If this isn’t true, the church is truly no different than any other social club; it would merely be a gathering of people who like to talk about God. But if the church is the “pillar and buttress of the truth,” it must confidently declare that truth.

If declaring the truth of God is the mission of the truth, the church must be definitively shaped by the Bible. A church that refuses to submit to the Bible will inevitably take mere human opinion and impose it on others in the name of God. God takes such presumption seriously: “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die” (Deuteronomy 18:20).

So what should you look for in a church? The first priority is that you find a church that is committed to being shaped by what the Bible says. We’ll consider in the coming weeks what that might look like specifically, but a commitment to submit to the Word of God, as a matter of principle, is non-negotiable in a sound church.

Advertisement
 
Comments Off on A sound church, part 1

Posted by on March 1, 2013 in Newspaper Article, Pastoral

 

Tags: ,

The Christian Message, part 1

20 Feb

What is the central message of a Christian church? The correct answer to this question must always be the gospel. This answer, of course, merely suggests the obvious follow-up question: what is the gospel? For this answer, I don’t think we can do better than to look at the explanation given to us by Paul himself in 1 Corinthians 15:1–6:

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

While calling this gospel a message of highest importance, Paul highlights two historical facts that are essential to the gospel: that Jesus Christ died and that he was raised on the third day. Each of these events is supported by evidence. The evidence of his death is that he was buried, and the evidence of his resurrection is that he then appeared to a host of folks who ended up believing the Christian message.

This is to say that, at minimum, the gospel message makes claims about historical reality. There is no reason for a church to exist if it does not believe that Jesus literally died and literally rose from the dead. As Paul continues in 1 Corinthians 15:14–19:

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Give special attention to that last verse: Paul insists that Christianity is less than worthless if it merely provides a measure of comfort in this life. Such a benefit falls far short of the eternal promises that the gospel offers, and these eternal promises are empty if Christ’s resurrection is not historical fact.

But the gospel is not only fact; it is doctrine. And we will see this aspect of the gospel in next week’s essay.

 
Comments Off on The Christian Message, part 1

Posted by on February 20, 2013 in Newspaper Article, Pastoral

 

Tags: ,