There are many definitions of 'church'. Many of them are absolutely valid. It has long been one of my contentions that a primary issue in defining church and determining the health of any given assembly is "Life in Community", the body's obedience to the One Another Commands of the NT.
In the past week God provided two real life expressions of this reality in the church I pastor, SEC in Columbia SC. I share them in brief here and I pray that every Pastor enjoys a similar expression of the goodness of God in their Pastoral Pilgrimage.
Example #1 - Jack Jones, AP Writer, husband father. Member of SEC since 1992. His father ended up in the hospital with intestinal distress. In fact, he had a major blockage. This turned out to be Pancreatic Cancer. In less than three (3) weeks Jack's Dad was dead. He and his family attended all the usual events associated with such a crisis. At the same time it was confirmed that his Mother has either severe Dementia or Alzheimers.
Last Thursday we were together in an Intercessory Prayer group, ladies in one room. men in another. The song writer intones "Big boys don't cry!" Not true! In the presence of a room full of men, one of whom is one of Jack's adult sons and a Seminary student, Jack wept openly as he shared how comforting and overwhelmingly affirming it was to just walk into a room filled with people that love him and care about the events that shape his earthly pilgrimage.
THANKS Jack for your unvarnished display of "Life in Community"!
Example #2 - Shirley Smith is a five year breast cancer survivor. They recently discovered a small nodule in one of her breast. She went to the doctor and they did a biopsy. When she returned to her car she burst into to tears and uncontrollable sobbing. For a brief moment she was gripped by fear.
Then the Holy Spirit reminded her of her Christian Family. She had all those ladies numbers in her cell phone. One by one she began to call them and simply share the situation. Each of them prayed with her. Her countenance immediately changed. She shared this morning that 6-8 years ago she would not have had this level of understanding and maturity. Both she and the body have been immersed in the grace of God, growing in grace. Both her doing this and even more sharing it openly and publicly this morning were a blessing to all and most of all Glory to our God who one day will gather us all in His presence. The biopsy was negative - no cancer.
So, I close with this question - "Do you know what real "Life in Community" is and have you ever enjoyed such incredible JOY?
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Psuedo-Evangelical Luminaries (sic)
I posted an entry on face book challenging the use of air-brushed photos. Men seeking to look 30-40 years younger than they actually are. The following is an accurate and substantive response I received. Think on these things!
Eight by ten glossies? This refers to a picture (eight by ten inches) used for promotion. The type budding celebrities produce, sign and give away. Be sure of this: the pose, the lighting - everything is perfect. All blemishes are air brushed away. Nice!
Such picture-perfect pictures makes sense for that type of promotion - first impressions, lasting images and all that. Yet, they remind me of our obsessive and wearisome efforts to make and maintain the right image as good Christians.
Oh the tiresome burden of “being a testimony” by putting on a false front of perfection, people with no struggles and certainly no doubts. Thus my effort at poetry & no pretense of being a poet.
Please know: I am not saying live however you would like – sloppy and sinful. I am pleading for more honesty, integrity and refreshing transparency.
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay
to show that this all-surpassing power is from God
and not from us. "
2 Corinthians 4:7 - NIV
Eight by Ten glossies, slick press reviews
Displaying our glory, and all we can do
Slick beyond words, dressed to the nines
We're competent, versatile, quite a rare find
We hardly look weak, or in need of much aid
We have it all handled, we're clam, cool and stayed
“Just look at who we are, just see what He's done.”
Most certainly we will draw them to God’s only Son
Of course God can use us, of course we're His tool
Just look at our lives, they sparkle like jewels
They'll wish they we're so blessed, and hope they can be
Such bastions of strength, real “witnesses” we
Yet, it's weak ones He uses, the broken ones too
Our cracks and defects, give Him room to shine through
When He uses the least, the ones who are weak
His grace becomes something, hurt others will seek
Perfection - it threatens, creates quite a threat
"I'll never be like you, that's a sure bet"
The damaged but useful, they attract other ones
Who feel they're unworthy, of love from the Son
Resist the temptation, to glaze over cracks
To hide them from view, behind other's backs
Why not share your weaknesses, declare you have needs
Yours is a garden, that still has it weeds
Yet He is at work, He loves and He uses
They very same ones, who usually loses
Is not what we do, or the skills that are ours
That makes us a tool, by HIS mighty power
Shredding 8 X 10 Glossies, refusing image control
Concerned for His glory, solely His virtues extol
We chipped jars of clay, don't hold treasures too well
We're vulnerable vessels, from which treasures can spill
Yet, when treasures are seen, in mere jars of clay
Vulnerable vessels, that serve "everyday"
When gold is deposited, in such basic vases
It shows that God's pleased, with us common-type places
The sweet Rose of Sharon, the raised Son of God
Loves to be shown off, in means that are odd
So bring Him your brokenness, lay bare your scars
Let Him shine forth from us, mere vessels, clay jars
“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corin. 12:7-10 (NIV)
Eight by ten glossies? This refers to a picture (eight by ten inches) used for promotion. The type budding celebrities produce, sign and give away. Be sure of this: the pose, the lighting - everything is perfect. All blemishes are air brushed away. Nice!
Such picture-perfect pictures makes sense for that type of promotion - first impressions, lasting images and all that. Yet, they remind me of our obsessive and wearisome efforts to make and maintain the right image as good Christians.
Oh the tiresome burden of “being a testimony” by putting on a false front of perfection, people with no struggles and certainly no doubts. Thus my effort at poetry & no pretense of being a poet.
Please know: I am not saying live however you would like – sloppy and sinful. I am pleading for more honesty, integrity and refreshing transparency.
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay
to show that this all-surpassing power is from God
and not from us. "
2 Corinthians 4:7 - NIV
Eight by Ten glossies, slick press reviews
Displaying our glory, and all we can do
Slick beyond words, dressed to the nines
We're competent, versatile, quite a rare find
We hardly look weak, or in need of much aid
We have it all handled, we're clam, cool and stayed
“Just look at who we are, just see what He's done.”
Most certainly we will draw them to God’s only Son
Of course God can use us, of course we're His tool
Just look at our lives, they sparkle like jewels
They'll wish they we're so blessed, and hope they can be
Such bastions of strength, real “witnesses” we
Yet, it's weak ones He uses, the broken ones too
Our cracks and defects, give Him room to shine through
When He uses the least, the ones who are weak
His grace becomes something, hurt others will seek
Perfection - it threatens, creates quite a threat
"I'll never be like you, that's a sure bet"
The damaged but useful, they attract other ones
Who feel they're unworthy, of love from the Son
Resist the temptation, to glaze over cracks
To hide them from view, behind other's backs
Why not share your weaknesses, declare you have needs
Yours is a garden, that still has it weeds
Yet He is at work, He loves and He uses
They very same ones, who usually loses
Is not what we do, or the skills that are ours
That makes us a tool, by HIS mighty power
Shredding 8 X 10 Glossies, refusing image control
Concerned for His glory, solely His virtues extol
We chipped jars of clay, don't hold treasures too well
We're vulnerable vessels, from which treasures can spill
Yet, when treasures are seen, in mere jars of clay
Vulnerable vessels, that serve "everyday"
When gold is deposited, in such basic vases
It shows that God's pleased, with us common-type places
The sweet Rose of Sharon, the raised Son of God
Loves to be shown off, in means that are odd
So bring Him your brokenness, lay bare your scars
Let Him shine forth from us, mere vessels, clay jars
“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corin. 12:7-10 (NIV)
Saturday, July 9, 2011
What Is Church?
The brief post that follows has been on my mind for several years. What is church? We have substituted cultural affinities for racial prejudice . We have "Biker Church", "Equestrian Church", "Millenial Church", ad infinitum. We do not display the oneness that our God designed. We have one shepherd seeking to serve multiple thousands that he does not know and never sees. Does this model meet the parameters of the NT norms for church?
Are these assemblies about Jesus Christ, Sin, Salvation and eternal life, or, are they simply another form of self-centered market driven hype?
I for one think these are questions we ought to be asking and investing serious prayer and exegesis to find the answer. Appreciate your thoughts.
Posted: 08 Jul 2011 01:55 PM PDT
There is a fascinating article on multi-campus ministry in the latest Christianity Today. I will not bore readers with too much of my usual shtick about the celebrity/megachurch culture which seems to have engulfed even the Reformed wing of evangelicalism in the last five years. You should read the article for yourselves. I was particularly struck, however, by the comparison of megachurches to Walmart, and the language of branding and entrepreneurialism. All of this seemed most apposite and insightful.
I wonder if we are truly on the verge of an era where smaller churches - where people know each other by name, are known by name by at least one of their elders and have to give sacrificially of their time and money to keep the ship afloat -- is coming to an end? Are we at a time when the form of Willow Creek has triumphed even in the midst of, on paper at least, a more orthodox theology?
These are sad days, when the biblical models of church and pastoring are being swept away by the avalanche of numerical success allied to personality cults and corporate values. The Apostle Peter clearly likens pastoring the church to shepherding, connects this shepherding to Christ as the great shepherd and, by implication, to the kind of quality of relationship Christ has with his sheep (1 Pet. 5: 1-5; cf. Jn. 10:14). Can multi-site, out-of state ministries even approximate in the vaguest and most attenuated way to this? Is there even a debate to be had here? Is there a single one of these megachurch outfits that isn't basically identified with one or maybe two big personalities? Is that not a warning light that something may be amiss? And isn't it about time that somebody who carries real weight in the young, restless and reformed world spoke out about this kind of ecclesiastical madness? Or are we so steeped in the celebrity/corporate/megachuch culture and so mesmerisied by numbers that nobody sees the problems any more?
(From Reformation 21 BLOG, July 8, 2011)
Are these assemblies about Jesus Christ, Sin, Salvation and eternal life, or, are they simply another form of self-centered market driven hype?
I for one think these are questions we ought to be asking and investing serious prayer and exegesis to find the answer. Appreciate your thoughts.
Posted: 08 Jul 2011 01:55 PM PDT
There is a fascinating article on multi-campus ministry in the latest Christianity Today. I will not bore readers with too much of my usual shtick about the celebrity/megachurch culture which seems to have engulfed even the Reformed wing of evangelicalism in the last five years. You should read the article for yourselves. I was particularly struck, however, by the comparison of megachurches to Walmart, and the language of branding and entrepreneurialism. All of this seemed most apposite and insightful.
I wonder if we are truly on the verge of an era where smaller churches - where people know each other by name, are known by name by at least one of their elders and have to give sacrificially of their time and money to keep the ship afloat -- is coming to an end? Are we at a time when the form of Willow Creek has triumphed even in the midst of, on paper at least, a more orthodox theology?
These are sad days, when the biblical models of church and pastoring are being swept away by the avalanche of numerical success allied to personality cults and corporate values. The Apostle Peter clearly likens pastoring the church to shepherding, connects this shepherding to Christ as the great shepherd and, by implication, to the kind of quality of relationship Christ has with his sheep (1 Pet. 5: 1-5; cf. Jn. 10:14). Can multi-site, out-of state ministries even approximate in the vaguest and most attenuated way to this? Is there even a debate to be had here? Is there a single one of these megachurch outfits that isn't basically identified with one or maybe two big personalities? Is that not a warning light that something may be amiss? And isn't it about time that somebody who carries real weight in the young, restless and reformed world spoke out about this kind of ecclesiastical madness? Or are we so steeped in the celebrity/corporate/megachuch culture and so mesmerisied by numbers that nobody sees the problems any more?
(From Reformation 21 BLOG, July 8, 2011)
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Contending for The Faith
Paul’s letter to Titus makes it crystal clear that Elders must embrace sound doctrine and also rebuke those who contradict it. One of the observations I have made over the 42 years invested in acquiring some proficiency in interpreting the text of Scripture is this:
The result of this is engaging issues with outdated and ineffective responses. The church is anachronistic in much of what she attempts to do and is maligned and mocked accordingly. This is true in the realm of rebuke issued for doctrinal error. What would the Apostle Paul have thought of Boyd’s “Open Theism”? What would Luther have said about Dave Hunt's soteriology? To be effective we must be current. Wickedness escalates as we approach 'the end' and our knowledge of error and response to same must be mature, sharp and current.
I was recently the recipient of some 'left-handed sarcasm' because I even mentioned the priority of doctrine over methodology (read David Wells 5 Volumes written between 1993 - 2008). The Pslamist wrote that the word of God is forever settled in heaven (Ps. 119:89). Long after methods have changed repeatedly, the Scripture and Doctrine stands.
The link provided below is an article posted by Phil Johnson. He seeks to define what is and what is not a “primary doctrine”. All doctrine is essential. How we rebuke those who error must be defined by the consequences of any given error. Join me in grappling with this issue and above all may we as pastor/scholars be engaged with the armor and issues that are current and not anachronistic.
He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. (Titus 1:9, ESV)
ἐλέγχω fut. ἐλέγξω; 1aor. ἤλεγξα; 1aor. pass. ἠλέγχθην; (1) in the NT, generally as showing someone that he has done something wrong and summoning him to repent bring to light, expose (JN 3.20); convince, convict (JA 2.9); (2) in the sense of setting right reprove, correct (1T 5.20); in an intensified sense rebuke, discipline, punish (HE 12.5)
http://phillipjohnson.blogspot.com/2005/09/sometimes-fellowship-is-better-than.html
The church is usually 20-25 years behind the cultural changes that relentlessly take place. Change is constant but the church seeks to live in a cocoon and implements change only when it is literally forced upon her.
The result of this is engaging issues with outdated and ineffective responses. The church is anachronistic in much of what she attempts to do and is maligned and mocked accordingly. This is true in the realm of rebuke issued for doctrinal error. What would the Apostle Paul have thought of Boyd’s “Open Theism”? What would Luther have said about Dave Hunt's soteriology? To be effective we must be current. Wickedness escalates as we approach 'the end' and our knowledge of error and response to same must be mature, sharp and current.
I was recently the recipient of some 'left-handed sarcasm' because I even mentioned the priority of doctrine over methodology (read David Wells 5 Volumes written between 1993 - 2008). The Pslamist wrote that the word of God is forever settled in heaven (Ps. 119:89). Long after methods have changed repeatedly, the Scripture and Doctrine stands.
The link provided below is an article posted by Phil Johnson. He seeks to define what is and what is not a “primary doctrine”. All doctrine is essential. How we rebuke those who error must be defined by the consequences of any given error. Join me in grappling with this issue and above all may we as pastor/scholars be engaged with the armor and issues that are current and not anachronistic.
He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. (Titus 1:9, ESV)
ἐλέγχω fut. ἐλέγξω; 1aor. ἤλεγξα; 1aor. pass. ἠλέγχθην; (1) in the NT, generally as showing someone that he has done something wrong and summoning him to repent bring to light, expose (JN 3.20); convince, convict (JA 2.9); (2) in the sense of setting right reprove, correct (1T 5.20); in an intensified sense rebuke, discipline, punish (HE 12.5)
http://phillipjohnson.blogspot.com/2005/09/sometimes-fellowship-is-better-than.html
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