Scripture Interprets Scripture

Acts 16:4 As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem.

We are preaching through the Book of Acts this year at SEC. Acts 15 is the Jerusalem Council. The verse quoted above is commentary on what took place at this assembly.

Scripture interprets Scripture. There are many who vigorously oppose the role of Elders in the NT Church. This passage is clear testimony about what took place at that gathering. The people were most certainly involved, informed and granted the dignity that each Image Bearer deserves. However, the decision was made by the Apostles and Elders. Unless you deny the Inspiration and Authority of the text this is the inescapable conclusion.

Therefore, since this polity applied then, there is nothing to say that this polity does not apply today in the NT church. I rest my case.

Deep Roots = Much Fruit

Our Child Development Center had an end-of-summer program this past Thursday. I went over to the auditorium to watch the children sing in Spanish, recite Scripture that they had learned over the summer, etc.

I noticed a dime sized hole in the side walk. Out of that hole there was a small plant growing. I reached down to pull it out. What a lesson in spiritual vitality!

The above ground portion measured 3 inches. The root was 13 inches long!!! There is a very clear lesson in this. We are commanded to bear much fruit. Deep roots, vital connection to the vine makes that possible.

John 15:1-6 John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

How deep are your roots? What is your connection to the Vine? Are you bearing fruit?

Church As "Life in Community"

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?

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)

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)

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 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

Response to Satanic Attacks on Congregationalism

This exchange has provided a most beneficial snap shot of this issue. I have encountered multiple 'battles' in churches over this issue. McDonald has done a great service to pastors by capturing this issue in such a brief format. His exegesis and logic are virtually irrefutable. (tcf)

Responding to Satanic Attacks on My Post about Satanic Congregationalism
June 13, 2011

I got a lot of comments disagreeing with my post last week on congregational government. Most were gracious and kind, attacking my position and not me. Some comments had to be deleted, being so eerily harsh they seemed to come from the back pew of a congregational stronghold or an outtake from the original Thriller video.

For more than 15 years I have joked with our Elders that “I am going to write a book called, ‘Congregational Government is From Satan,’ but no one will read it because the lines are so clearly drawn—people will end up either burning the book or making the cover into a poster to hang in the board room.” My blog on Thursday with that long-contemplated title confirmed my suspicions. Many commented demanding I refute the biblical passages used to defend congregational government, as though I had failed to do so because I was not able. Oh please, it was a rant, not an air-tight argument (as many rightly observed). Ranting is okay on a blog, isn’t it? (Crazy how even some blogs that pride themselves on their hyperbole and sarcasm can’t see it in others.)

Refuting the biblical evidence for congregational government kind of feels like refuting the Scriptures in favor of infant baptism (there’s a great blog idea, “Infant Baptism is from . . . ). Let’s admit our traditions rather than trying to prove them biblical. I believe Elder rule is biblical, but boards, and budget approvals, and bands to play music are all things we made up on our own. Communion in rows with silver trays, committees, and Christmas pageantry are also inventions of man. I believe congregational government is worse than a tradition of man. Satan is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10), the devourer of Christians (1 Peter 5:8), and the one seeking a ‘foothold’ through relational conflict (Ephesians 4:26-27). I see only a satanic strategy in a system that promotes democracy above God-ordained authority structure and grants to the church membership (another tradition) the capacity to control the church’s future. Yes, all systems are flawed when sinful people manipulate them, but the absence of a full model of church government in Scripture is not permission to invent our own. Let us begin at the place Scripture does, with a plurality of Elders (not one pastor) making consensus decisions and lovingly shepherding the flock of God with gentleness (1 Peter 5:1-5). Here are the three main Scriptures given in defense of congregational government, and then (rant aside) I want to add some needed qualifiers to what I have asserted.

Does Acts 6:1-7 teach congregation government?
In Acts 6 we have Elders delegating deacon nomination to people within the church. Still, the decision to have deacons, what their qualifications would be and the final appointing (v.3) of those nominated by the congregation all rested with the Elders, NOT the congregation. Further there was no voting, no motions, no individuals standing to voice their objections to the Elders plan. We are told that their decision “pleased the whole gathering” (v.5), but isn’t that confirmation that the Holy Spirit was leading the elders, rather than evidence of ratification by a congregation? We understand that Acts 6 describes the action of apostles who were foundational for the church and not normative (Ephesians 2:20). However, surely the establishment of the office of deacon by the apostles, who were more than mere elders, provides insight on how elders should function in the church today and reveals the congregational role as participating, not ruling.

Does Matthew 18 teach congregational government?
Matthew 18 details the process of confronting a professing believer who sins against you. It describes an escalating influence upon refusal which adds first one or two participants, then the final stage of ‘telling it to the church.’ Though we are not told, it makes sense that the ‘one or two’ added as a first step would be Elders or every private offense would create discord as it is distributed to innocent third parties (more like gossip) and then to everyone. If the one who offended ‘refuses’ then the offense is told “to the church.” Who is telling? Maybe the offended brother, maybe the Elders brought in, but clearly not the congregation who are in the role of listening. The goal of this is to increase the pressure on the offender to ‘hear you.’ Clearly the congregation has a role in church life. Those who believe in Elder rule should recognize this participation by the congregation and the need to bring them into important church actions. However, a role of participation is a long way from final authority, voting, and Robert’s Rules of Order. Congregational participation under Eldership is not congregational government and the conversation would be advanced if proponents would stop using this passage to defend the most common configurations of congregationalism today.

Does 2 Corinthians 2:6 teach congregational government?
Paul was wounded by the actions of some in the Corinthian church. He wrote to correct these issues so that he might not be injured again by those who “should have made me rejoice” (1 Corinthians 2:3). The key phrase for those who defend congregational government is in verse 6, “for such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough.” Paul is saying that the pain caused by a member’s criticism was actually worse for ‘all of you’ (congregation) than it was for him, because it resulted in Paul delaying his visit. Paul’s “anyone” of verse 1 was actually injuring the congregation through his action—a frequent result of congregational rule, where a fleshly person ends up negating the blessing that could have come to the whole. The verse is not teaching congregational government, it is describing the “punishment” a congregation might inflict on one who put himself before the whole.

“No!” to Congregational Government “YES!” to Congregational Confirmation

A few other passages which observe congregational participation in the life of the church are used to defend congregational authority—but in what ways should these passages inform our governance? At Harvest we frequently speak of congregational confirmation. We invite the church to submit names of those they believe are biblically-qualified and would serve well as Elders. As Elders we frequently seek, through an insert in the bulletin, the concerns and counsel of the church membership. Every member of the congregation is given opportunity to express their thoughts on any matter of the church’s direction, and receives a prayerful contact from one of the Elders to answer their questions and resolve any issues of disagreement or misunderstanding. We believe that no Elder has a corner on God’s direction for the church and that the Elders together are wise, in significant issues, to seek the confirmation of God’s Spirit through the church membership. However, we would not seek congregational wisdom in a public meeting for obvious reasons, and nothing is ever put to a vote which only polarizes people called to unity.

SUMMARY:
Solicit wisdom from the congregation? Yes, Elders should do that.
Prayerfully consider the counsel of the congregation? Yes, Elders should do that!
Subject the congregation to a public forum where any member can speak and decisions are made by voting and Elders must follow a mandated percentage of voters? No, Elders should not do that!

I appreciated one of the comments to the previous post which said, “there are only two instances of a purely congregational vote in the entire Bible. The first was when the Israelites decided to go against Joshua and Caleb’s spy report, and the second was when the crowd chose to have Barabbas released instead of Jesus. So the first congregational vote caused the people of God to wander in the wilderness for 40 additional years, and the second one led to the crucifixion of the Son of God—we shouldn’t have a third.”

While I disagree with the 9Marks post’s rationale for congregational government, even in the moderated form they describe, I do deeply appreciate the exhortations for updated church membership roles, active church discipline by elders, and men who fear God more than man. Further, I think their “congregational government” under elders is not very far from our “congregational confirmation” at Harvest. What I am repudiating is not that, but as stated above, the Robert’s Rules of Order, “every man does that which is right in his own eyes” form of congregationalism that destroys pastors and divides churches.

Internationally we have many wonderful Harvest church plants that are seeking to lead people away from the unbiblical excesses of congregationalism without going to an alternately unbiblical form where Elders lord their authority over the people with no pattern of shepherding or even listening to the burdens and concerns of the church. Elders acting unilaterally and not hearing the hearts of the people they lead is not only unbiblical, it is unloving and not servant leadership as modeled by Jesus Christ. I deeply respect our brothers and sisters, e.g. in Romania, who are taking a fresh look at what the Bible describes as biblical governance and seeking a model which respects biblical Eldership and the voice of God’s Spirit to members of the church.

Congregational government was developed to protect a church from bad Elders, but in reality there is no protection from that. As with Eli (1 Samuel 2-4), if the leaders are bad the church is headed toward Ichabod. Creating an unbiblical system to guard against that danger may comfort the fears of the laity, but it departs from the Word of God.

Scripture provides no antidote for the blessing of God upon prideful selfish shepherds. If the leaders are bad the church is going down, but if the congregation has control, often even good leaders are crushed and quit. I agree that any model of church government is exposed to the carnality of its participants and the attacks of the enemy. But surely we can expect the Lord’s protection and provision most plentifully when we move away from traditions and practices which are rooted in democracy and tradition, not the Word of God.

Source of this data - June 13, 2011 James McDonald Harvest Church Chicago IL Vertical Church BLOG Post.