3 Questions for the Brave

A contemporary context for the three questions:

Themes related to common grace have taken on renewed significance among many younger evangelicals. As an example of how this plays out, some Churches speak of inviting people to belong before believing. Obviously this fits with how they see themselves more on a journey or in a conversation. Younger evangelicals are generally reticent toward a Christianity perceived more as a destination one arrives at or a conclusion one reaches. But perhaps their openness to a belonging before believing position is also reactionary to the tight lines drawn by their spiritual predecessors. These lines distinguished those who were in from those who were out and made much of separation from those on the outside of the Church. Often the separatist approach also came with the baggage of legalism–a definite aversion for younger evangelicals.

But I think the belonging before believing position is partly based on an emphasis on shared humanity rather than differences between believers and unbelievers. It’s a desire to seek commonality over separation and isolation from the “world”. We have all (for example) been made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27; 9:6; James 3:9) and therefore share much in common. We all live under God’s common grace as recipients of certain blessings outside of the boundaries of salvation.

“Every human being on the planet is known by God, considered and evaluated by God, called to account by God” “To be human is to be addressable by one’s Creator—with no regard for ethnicity or covenant status. God can speak to an Abimelech or a Balaam or a Nebuchadnezzer as easily as an Abraham, a Moses or a Daniel.” (C. Wright, The Mission of God)

¨To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.” (Deuteronomy 10:14). ¨The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” (Psalm 24:1).  ”Everything under heaven belongs to me” (Job 41:11).

By emphasizing belonging before believing, emerging churches are open to enlisting those who have not yet come to faith to use their gifts in the service needs of the Church. If you’re a gifted violinist or artist, your gifts should be celebrated in the gatherings. I am not sure how much this approach is knowingly validated on a doctrine of common grace but it would give it the best possible read. This is one example raising important questions like the three below.

Most Churches welcome non-believers to use abilities like carpentry or cooking skills in the Church. But are Church work days the only places for non-believers to get involved? Are we uncomfortable with an unbeliever being part of our worship team or in our choir (if we still have one)? I am not limiting my exploration of the questions below to this matter but it facilitates a discussion point. How would you answer these questions? How do texts like Acts 14 and 17 relate (see below)? What about Psalm 19 and Romans 1?

Three questions:

1. In what ways does God care about the actions and achievements of non-elect persons that are not linked directly to issues of individual salvation?

2. Are salvific categories adequate to cover all of God’s dispositions toward human beings, both redeemed and unredeemed?

3. How do we take with utmost seriousness the lines between belief and unbelief, between those who live within the boundaries of saving grace and those who do not, while at the same time maintaining an openness to—even an active appreciation for—all that is good and beautiful and true that takes place outside of those boundaries?

Steve Cornell

Acts 14:15-17

After the miraculous healing of a crippled man, the people rushed Barnabas and Paul to worship them. Listen to their response:

“Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy” (Acts 14:15-17).

These are descriptions of God’s activities—not toward those who believe, but toward unbelievers. “He has not left Himself without testimony” (Verse 17).

Acts 17:24-28

The apostle also addressed these matters to the philosophers of Athens:

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ (Acts 17:24-28).

Helpful works:

1. The Mission of God, by Christopher Wright

2. Consider the Lilies by T. M. Moore

2. He Shines in All That’s Fair by Richard Mouw

Hot Tub Religion

by Steve Cornell

In the summer of 1990, my wife and I had the privilege of attending a conference in southern California at the church led by Dr. John MacArthur. One afternoon on that memorable occasion, we were invited to the home of the Academic Dean of the Master’s Seminary (His brother was a former professor of mine). The dean (the late Dr. Charles Smith) lived in a private neighborhood that had a common pool and hot tub in the middle of it. We wasted no time making our way to the hot tub where we enjoyed some deep theological discussions.

Not too long after that enjoyable visit, I purchased a book that intrigued me with the title, “Hot Tub Religion.” I had been familiar with the author (J. I. Packer) whose writings had deeply enriched my life many times. In “Hot Tub Religion,” Dr. Packer shares a hot tub experience that led him to some deep thoughts about a common approach to religion. He related the following:

“The other day I was one of a crowd who spent much of a wet Saturday afternoon in a hot tub. My student advisees, who formed the crowd, had advised me to try it; you’ll like it, they said. Previously I had thought of hot tubs as reserved for hedonists in Hollywood and sybarites in San Francisco, but now I know that under certain circumstances members of Regent College’s teaching faculty may also use them. Every day, it seems, one learns something new.”

“As I sat there savoring hot tubness, cracking small jokes and adjusting to the feel of being bubble over from all angels, it struck me that the hot tub is the perfect symbol of the modern route in religion. The hot tube experience is sensuous, relaxing, floppy, laid-back: not in any way demanding, whether intellectually or otherwise, but very, very nice, even to the point of being great fun.”

“Many today want Christianity to be like that, and labor to make it so. As I hot tubbed on, slumping deeper into uninhibited floppiness, I saw why the chromium-plated folk-religion of which I am speaking has gained such a hold. Modern life strains us. We get stimulated till we are dizzy. Relationships are brittle; marriages break; families fly apart; business is a cutthroat rat race, and those not at the top feel themselves mere cogs in another’s machine. Automation and computer technology have made life faster and tenser, since we no longer have to do the time-consuming routine jobs over which our grandparents used to relax their minds. We have to run more quickly than any generation before us simply to stay where we are. No wonder, the, that when modern Western man turns to religion what he wants is total tickling relaxation, the sense of being at once soothed, supported and effortlessly invigorated: in short, hot tub religion. He asks for it, and up folk jump to provide it. What hot tub religion illustrates most clearly is the law of demand and supply.”

“What, then, should we say of hot tub religion? Certainly a rhythm of life that includes relaxation is right; the forth commandment shows that. Alternating hard labor with fun times in right too; all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and Jesus so often went to banquets, the fun times of the ancient world, that he got called glutton and drunkard. Enjoying our bodies while we can, as opposed to despising them is part of the discipline of gratitude to our Creator. And uninhibited exuberances like clapping, dancing, shouting praise and crying out in prayer can be approved too, provided we do not hereby stumble others.”

“Without these hot tub factors, as we may call them, our Christianity would be less godly and less lively, for it would be less human. But if there were no more to our Christianity than hot tub factors- if, that is, we embraced a self-absorbed hedonism of relaxation and happy feelings, while dodging tough tasks, unpopular stances and exhausting relationships– we should fall short of biblical God-centeredness and of the cross-bearing life to which Jesus calls us, and advertise to the world nothing better than our own decadence. Please God, however, we shall not settle for that.”

Good points from Dr. Packer! It ’s not at all uncommon for people to approach God, church, and religion in the manner described. They reason that they have so much stress in their lives that when it comes to church and God, they want their experience to be soothing relaxation and support. When they to come Church, they want to sit back in the hot-tub as everything around them effortlessly invigorates their stressed out lives. But the greater mistake comes when they approach God this way— as if He is the convenient on/off switch to the hot tub.

The danger of this hot tub mentality is not only that it loses sight of the place of service and of self-giving love as the true path of joyful Christianity, but in the words of J.I. Packer, it also “loses sight of the place of pain in sanctification, whereby God trains his children to share his holiness.” Packer explains, “The New Testament shows us that in the school of sanctification many modes of pain have their place— physical and mental discomfort and pressure, personal disappointment, restriction, hurt, and distress. God uses these things to activate the supernatural power that is at work in believers (2 Cor. 4:7-11); to replace self-reliance with total trust in the Lord who gives strength (1:8f, 12:9f); and to carry on his holy work of changing us from what we naturally are into Jesus’ moral likeness ‘with ever-increasing glory’ (2 Cor. 3:18). Thus he prepares us for that which he has prepared for us.”

No doubt, we all need to be led by green pastures and still waters from time to time. But the normal Christian life is marked by the sufferings of Jesus. It takes god-given wisdom to trace God’s good hand in the hardships of life. The writer of Hebrews reminded the believers, “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised” (Hebrews 10:36). Perseverance is needed because trials are real and they are also normal to Christianity.

Homeless woman left hungry, lonely and cold

“I was hungry, and you formed a humanities group to discuss my hunger. I was imprisoned, and you crept off quietly to your chapel and prayed for my release. I was naked, and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance. I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health. I was homeless, and you preached to me of the spiritual shelter of the love of God. I was lonely, and you left me alone to pray to God but I am still very hungry and lonely and cold.”

Hope for the world: Renewed Commitment to the visible Church:

God has given three institutions to humanity for the well-being of society: The family, the government and the Church. Considering the instability of marriage and family and the corruption of government, the great need of the hour is for the Church to be all God intends for her to be. One of the primary obstacles to this is the pervasive low view of the Church among professing believers in Christ. The following quotes should become marching orders for the Church if we hope to regain our God-intended role as salt and light in the world.

“….it is scandalous that so many believers today have such a low view of the church. They see their Christian lives as a solitary exercise Jesus and me or they treat the church as a building or a social center. That the church is held in such low esteem reflects no only the depths of our biblical ignorance, but the alarming extent to which we have succumbed to the obsessive individualism of modern culture.”

“…for any Christian who has a choice in the matter, failure to cleave to a particular church is failure to obey Christ. For it is only through a confessing, local body of believers that we carry out the work of the church in the world.” (pp.276-277, The body, Chuck Colson)

“It is the loss of the new testament understanding of the comprehensive character of the church in both its spiritual essence and visible manifestations that is at the heart of modern-day confusion. We need to see this character clearly and appreciate its interrelationship if we hope to recapture God’s vision for His people” (p.68, Ibid). ”It is hard to imagine, therefore, a more urgent or critical task than the recovery and restoration of the biblical view of the church” (p.32, Ibid).

We need to reaffirm the biblical vision of what God intends for the corporate life and witness of the visible Church! “Evangelicals need to affirm aggressively the necessary connection between faith in Christ and commitment to his church. So called solitary or independent Christians need to be incorporated into the life and discipline of some congregation…A growing number of evangelicals are unwilling to commit themselves to any particular congregation. Operating a sovereign ecclesiastical consumers, they hop from church to church looking for the best spiritual “deal” in town.” (p.38, CT, Robert Patterson)

“From the beginning it was clearly God’s plan that the Body would be made manifest to the world by gathering into confessing communities to fulfill His mission– that is, to administer the sacraments, preach the word, and make disciples. Thus, immediately after Pentecost, He established the pattern: Individual believers were to gather into particular communities.” (p.68,The Body, Chuck Colson)

“…membership in a confessing body is fundamental to the faithful Christian life. Failure to do so defies the explicit warning not to forsake “our assembling together” (pp.69-70, Ibid). “When someone is converted and thereby comes into the church universal, the first step of discipleship is membership in the church particular. It is the duty of those who are involved with new coverts to guide them not just into a bible study or fellowship group but into a local church where the word is taught and sacraments administered” (p.71, Ibid).

Steve Cornell

Profile of a true disciple: Eight characteristics (Part 1)

We cannot be effective disciple-makers if we do not understand the characteristics of a true disciple. The eight characteristics in this profile are based on Jesus’ own statements about true discipleship. Each one should help define the task of disciple-making. This is not all that could be said about the identity of true disciples. Another great profile is found in the beatitudes (see: Matthew 5:1-12). A true disciple is:

1. One who suffers for Jesus Christ (Luke 9:23; I Peter 2:21; 4:1; John 15:18-21; Matthew 5:11-12; Mark 8:34-35; 10:29-30).

Jesus could not have said it more plainly “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Following Jesus involves daily readiness for martyrdom.

Jesus said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.” (John 18:18-21)

In 1883, one faithful witness for Christ was suffering for her Lord and wrote the following from her prison cell:  “Jesus was crucified…Ever since that day, men have tried to find an easier way, but the easier ways fail. If you would win thousands who are without God, you must be ready to be crucified: your plans, your ideas, your likes, and you inclinations. Things have changed, you say, there is liberty now. Is there? Go and live Christ’s life, speak as he spoke, teach what he taught, denounce sin wherever you find it, and see if the enemy will not turn on you with all the fury of hell…Christ wasn’t crucified in the drawing room. His was no easy- chair business…Do you shrink from being hated, misrepresented and spoken evil of? It is time you were crucified…”

Jesus said, “Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecute the prophets who were before you.” (Matt. 5:11-12)

The book of Acts records the first wave of persecution that came over the church.  The apostles were beaten for proclaiming Christ and “They went on their way rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41; cf. Phil. 1:29; 3:10).

Many years later, the Apostle Peter wrote to the believers who were undergoing intense persecution from Rome:

“But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God.” (I Peter 4:13-16)

“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you leaving you an example for you to follow in his steps.” (I Peter 2:21)

“Since Christ suffered in the flesh- arm yourselves also with the same purpose.” (I Peter 4:1)

“Are we ready, then to bear the pain of being ridiculed, the loneliness of being ostracized, the hurt of being spoken against and slandered? Indeed, are we willing if necessary to die with Christ to popularity and promotion, to comfort and success, to our ingrained sense of personal and cultural superiority, to our selfish ambition to be rich, famous, or powerful?” (John Stott)

Am  I a Soldier of the Cross?

By Isaac Watts

Are there no foes for me to face?  Must I not stem the flood?

Is this vile world a friend to grace, To help me on to God?

Sure I must fight if I would reign; Increase my courage, Lord;

I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain, supported by Thy Word. Amen.

When you disciple people, be sure that they understand the place of suffering in the Christian life.

2. One who obeys Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19-20; John 8:31; cf. 14:15; 15:14; Luke 6:46; cf. Matthew 7:21 w/12:46-50.

According to Jesus, obedience distinguishes merely professing disciples from true disciples. “Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples” (John 8:31). Discipleship without obedience to Jesus is unthinkable! “If you love me you will keep my commandments” (Jn. 14:15). “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord and do not do what I say?” (Lk. 6:46). “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21; cf. 12:46-50).

The very work of disciple making necessitates some measure of accountable relationship that encourages wholehearted obedience to Jesus Christ.” Mt. 28:20 “…teaching them to obey whatever I commanded you.”

A discipleship program that lacks this concern is surely misguided! (Author of “The Disciple Making Pastor” and “The Disciple Making Church” writes “If we have not taught obedience and encouraged it through accountability, we have not discipled” (Bill Hull). (cf. I Cor. 8:1ff). Disciple-making accountability is: “Helping people keep their commitments to God.” The obedience is to Jesus not to man.

3. One who openly confesses Jesus Christ (Matthew 10:32-33; Mark 8:38; II Timothy 2:12-13).

Jesus said it plainly, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).

A true disciple goes public for Jesus Christ. It’s a contradiction to be a disciple of Jesus incognito. We cannot go under cover for Jesus (Mt. 10:32-33). Of course, Jesus addressed the temptation to hide our testimony (see: Matthew 5:13-16). He did this directly after declaring the persecuted to be blessed.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:10-12).

We must resist the temptation to conceal the light of our testimony and instead occupy strategic places of influence like well-lit cities on a Palestinian hill in the dark of night.

“A community of Jesus which seeks to hide itself has ceased to follow Him.” (Bonhoeffer)

(See: prayer for boldness, Acts 4:29-31).

4. One who loves other believers in Jesus Christ (John 13:34-35; I John 5:1; cf. Matthew 10:34-38; 12:46-50; Ephesians 4:3; Philippians 2:14-15).

Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).

An amazing thing happens to a person at Salvation. The moment one receives Jesus Christ (John 1:12), the Lord transfers him out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s dear son (Colossians 1:13).  And, in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, we become fellow citizens with all other sons and daughters of God. We join the family of God.  And, “Whoever loves the Father, loves the child born of him” (I John 5:1). Love for other believers is a distinguishing mark of a true disciple of Jesus.

We are members of His body (Eph. 5:30). We are members of one another (Ro. 12:5; cf. I Cor. 12:24-27).  Sometimes our union and identification with Jesus Christ even places a strain on earthly family relationships (Mt. 10:34-37). Our wonderful union with other believers is also offset by a sense of alienation from unbelievers (I John 3:13-14; cf. Mark 10:29-30- Giving up/ receiving).

Six Implications:

1. There is no such thing as discipleship in isolation.

2. Discipleship and individualism are mutually exclusive.

3. Part of the evidence of this love is a clear desire for fellowship with other believers.

4. This love will be experienced when in the company of true believers.

5. Sin vandalizes shalom/peace; redemption restores shalom/peace through reconciliation (Ephesians 2).

6. Our love must be more than warm feelings of enjoying the company of Christians. It must be evidenced in serving one another (Galatians 5:13). The love Jesus had in mind in John 13 was sacrificial love. It is an active, measurable, humble service of other followers of Jesus. It is foot washing love.

Note:  There is too much superficiality in Christian relationships. Jesus envisions a community of believers who are deeply dedicated to each other. Their sacrificial love for one another becomes a compelling witness to a watching world (cf. Jn. 17:20-23). Sadly, too few Christians have genuinely known such community. PArt of the problem is that many professing Christians wait for it to come to come to them instead of living it toward others. This kind of community life isn’t easy to sustain and this is, perhaps, another reason why we don’t see much of it. We tend to want things the easy way.  The apostle Paul admonished believers to “make every effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). Maintaining biblical community requires hard work, dedication and deep sacrificial love (Hebrews 3:12-13; 10:23-25). It also takes dedicated leadership (Hebrews 13:17; I Peter 5:1-4). Remember: our witness to the world is inseparably related to our community life (Phil. 2:14-15). Francis Schaeffer called it the final apologetic. And, it is equally true that few things will plant more cynicism and skepticism in the hearts of unbelievers than disunity and unloving relationships among professing followers of Jesus.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and know God.  The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love (I John 4:7-8). 

Restoring Broken Relationships by Steve Cornell

 

 

Relationship problems? Ever wonder why can’t people relate peacefully with each other? Obviously, this is not a new problem but it seems that things have become so bad that the word dysfunctional has become an expected norm for many relationships. Most young people cannot even  imagine healthy relationships because they’ve never  seen them. There is a clear urgency to this matter that is hard to overstate. The study below offers basic guidance for understanding and restoring broken relationships. Special emphasis is placed on forgiveness and reconciliation. Get ready to be equipped for serving others!

 

1. Made for Relationships—in the image of the Triune God: (See: John 17:20-26)

        ”It is not good for the man to be alone” God Said. This was the first indication of  the need for relationships. Since then the pattern has been consistent—male and female then family and community.

 

1. Broken Relationships—Why can’t we get along with each other?!

Where it all began: (Genesis 3; cf. Isaiah 53:6)– sIn

Every area of human existence affected by the first rebellion:

 

1.     Physiological: death, decay, sickness and suffering

2.     Psychological: shame, guilt, fear

3.     Sociological: blame shifting, alienation

4.     Ecological: ground is cursed, thorns and thistles

5.     Spiritual: hiding from God, enmity: seed of woman & seed of Serpent

6.     Epistemological: distorted thinking, spiritual blindness (II Cor. 4:3-4)

7.     Criminal: Genesis 4—Murder!

 

Cain: full membership in the kingdom of Satan:

       I John 3:12, “Cain, who belonged to the evil one”

 He bore the family traits:  self-governing rebellion, envy, anger,                                                                                                                                                                                                contempt toward authority, hatred, bitterness, lying, murder…

 

1. The vandalism of shalom—not at peace with…yourself, others, the environment, and God.

 

Why do relationships fail? From the beginning sin has been a separating force vandalizing shalom. The fault line runs through every human heart. Consider: Adam and Eve; Cain and Abel; Sarah and Hagar; Isaac and Ishmael; Jacob and Esau; Joseph and his brothers; David and Saul; etc… The pattern is unmistakably clear. “All of us like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). (Visit Galatians 5:19-20)

 

1. Restoration of relationships—there is hope in Christ…but….

II Corinthians 5:17-21

 

Ephesians 4:3–It takes work! Nothing good comes (or remains) easily

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans12:18 )

 

 

1. Some relationships should be avoided –dangerous people are out there

Proverbs 22:24: “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man,
          do not associate with one easily angered,” (cf. Proverbs 1-9). See: http://thinkpoint.wordpress.com/2007/03/06/warning-dangerous-people-in-the-church/

Some relationships must be carefully defined—distance might be necessary. Setting relationship boundaries is designed to both protect us and promote conviction in an offender’s life. Sometimes we need to simply commit the situation to the Lord and accept the change of relationship. But distance should never be used as revenge.

 

 

see: http://thinkpoint.wordpress.com/2007/07/17/seven-signs-of-true-repentance/

 

 

 

1. Top priority: Reconciled relationships among God’s people

Matthew 5:23-24 (compared with worship); 18:15-17—in the community of Jesus’ followers.

1. Two principles & two types of grievance: 

1. Covering in love for minor grievances: allowing for an unbroken relationship. (I Peter 4:8 )

2. Confronting in love for serious offenses: a wedge driven between two people requires confrontation in love (Matthew 18:15-17; Ephesians 4:15a).

Note: In cases involving violent crimes, it is often best (and the only safe option) that no contact occur between the victim and the perpetrator.

This confrontation is the beginning of the process of reconciliation.

                                                                                                                 

1. When to apply the two principles:

 

“If you decide to overlook an offense, you should not simply file it away in your memory for later use against the other person.  Instead, you need to forgive the offense in a biblical way: making a commitment not to dwell on it or to use it against the other person in the future. If you cannot overlook the offense this way, or if overlooking it would not be biblically appropriate, talk to the other person about it in a loving and constructive manner.”  (The Peacemaker, Ken Sande, p. 64).

 

 

“People often ask: ‘Wouldn’t it be better just to let a matter die and not raise the question afresh, thereby starting more trouble?’  The issue resolves itself to this: whether or not the offended person really finds it possible to let the problem die.  Plainly every rub and offense cannot be raised and settled.  We must learn, in love, to forgive and pass by many slights, annoyances, and offenses.  Christ is not speaking of these in Mt. 5 & 18.  Rather, he speaks of those offenses that brethren find it difficult to ‘cover.’  If a matter is likely to rattle around inside or carry over till the next day, it should be handled.  To put it another way, if an offense drives a wedge between Christian brothers, the wedge must be removed by reconciliation.  To say it a third say: anything that causes an unreconciled condition to exist between brethren must be dealt with.” (p. 52, The Christian Counselors Manual, Jay Adams). 

 

This is where Matthew 5 and 18 apply. On the one hand, if we feel the necessity of talking to others about an offense instead of our offender, this may indicate a need for loving confrontation. On the other hand, if we are involved in constant confrontation, we need to be more mature in our love. When love is weak or lacking, suspicion, misunderstanding, and conflict increase. Where love is strong, many minor offenses are passed over and forgiven (I Pet. 1:22).

 

 

1.  An important distinction: forgiveness and reconciliation

 

Does forgiveness require an offended person to immediately restore a broken relationship no matter how seriously it was damaged? Or, is possible to forgive an offender without being reconciled to him? When people assume that forgiveness must lead to immediate reconciliation, they often struggle to genuinely forgive those who hurt them.

 

We must explore this distinction by learning the biblical view of forgiveness and reconciliation.

 

see: http://thinkpoint.wordpress.com/2007/07/28/forgiveness-is-one-thing-reconciliation-is-another/ 

 

Where is the Church?

“Our Christian habit is to bewail the world’s deteriorating standards with an air of rather self-righteous dismay. We criticize its violence, dishonesty, immorality, disregard for human life, and materialistic greed. ‘The world is going down the drain,’ we say with a shrug. But whose fault is it? Who is to blame?

Let me put it like this. If the house is dark when night fall comes, there is no sense in blaming the house, for that is what happens when the sun goes down. The question to ask is ‘Where is the light?’ If the meat goes bad and becomes inedible, there is no sense blaming the meat, for that is what happens when bacteria are left alone to breed. The question to ask is ‘Where is the salt?’

Just so, if society deteriorates and its standards decline, till it becomes like a dark night or stinking fish, there is no sense in blaming society, for that is what happens when fallen men and women are left to themselves, and human selfishness is unchecked. The question to ask is ‘Where is the church? Why are the salt and light of Jesus Christ not permeating and changing our society?’

It is sheer hypocrisy on our part to raise our eyebrows, shrug our shoulders or wring our hands. The Lord Jesus told us to be the world’s salt and light. If, therefore, darkness and rottenness abound, it is our fault and we must accept the blame.”

-John R. W. Stott

Frustrated by N. T. Wright

I’ve been reading N. T. Wright’s, Surprised by Hope and I’ve found myself frustrated by N. T. Wright. As one example, in part 13. Building for the Kingdom, Wright engages rhetoric that is overly reactionary and (I think) diminishes the points he wants to make. Under redemption, Jesus’ resurrection and the new creation of salvation, Wright places the work of garden keeping in the world of space, time and matter. Fair enough (as carefully understood), yet, I am not sure how the case for ”garden keeping” can be built on God’s ultimate intention to redeem creation itself (something that God will do in the end).  Because of God’s ultimate intention, he insists that we cannot picture God looking at the fallen world (and we might add, groaning world, Romans eight) and saying, “Oh, well, nice try, good while it lasted but obviously gone bad, so let’s drop it and go for a non-spatiotemporal, nonmaterial world instead.” He then argues that since God intends to redeem rather than reject His created world (would ”rejecting” be the wrong word for what the apostle describes God doing in II Peter 3), we should celebrate that redemption (what he calls healing and transformation) in the present as a means of anticipating what is to come. Along these lines, he pictures the Church as called to “implementing Jesus resurrection and thereby anticipating the final new creation.”

At this point, I am not entirely sure if he’s referring to some brand of Christian care for the earth or something more. He then anticipates what he calls “obvious objections” to his suggestion. 1. Turning mother earth into an idol. 2. Giving up on the earth until the Lord returns (the attitude that says, “Oh well, no sense shining the brass if the ships going under!”). At this point, Wright makes an interesting leap from Jesus’ resurrection as breaking into the present– to work for justice in ongoing campaigns for debt remission (something Wright is passionate about to say the least). All of this work Wright refers to as “implementing” God’s intended future in the here and now.

He also sets up what I would view as a bit of a straw man view of ministry by picturing people who view it as merely saving souls for the future while letting the world go to its corruption. I am sure there are some who irresponsibly hold such extreme views but using these examples to make a point loses me. Similarly, he groans over “rampant belief in the rapture” as a strong support for the attitude that says “who cares what the state of the planet is.” I know lots of people who believe in the rapture (and, I assume Wright also believes I Thessalonians 4:16-17 means something about believers being raptured) but I do not know any who hold to this extreme view of the earth. Certainly, as II Peter 3 notes, “…the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” But, the apostle also wrote, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.”

The narrow visions for God’s work Wright mentions are from an older brand of fundamentalism that has been changing in encouraging ways over the past several decades (see: http://thinkpoint.wordpress.com/2007/05/07/history-fundamentalism-and-holistic-ministry/).

Although Wright pauses to recognize that “the final putting to rights of everything does indeed wait for the last day” and although he rightly rejects the defeatist attitude that puts off the work of doing works of justice in the here and now, I wish he would engage more seriously how the final act of God relates to the present. I firmly believe that redemption sets off powerful horizontal effects in the here and now that are both healing and transforming. But where do those effects primarily demonstrate themselves? In relations to Wright’s call to ministries of justice, I am not sure he is asking for much more than the call to holistic ministry advocated in Scripture (see: http://thinkpoint.wordpress.com/2007/10/27/human-dignity-and-depravity-a-holistic-biblical-understanding/). Yet I believe Wright uses some odd (and potentially misleading) terminology and associations to call for such ministry (like implementing Jesus’ resurrection). I also think that deeper consideration should be given to the already/not yet tension of the kingdom, see: http://thinkpoint.wordpress.com/category/kingdom/

More later, 

Steve Cornell

Human dignity and depravity: A holistic biblical understanding

Viktor Frankl endured three years in the Auschwitz concentration camp. After his rescue, he became professor of Psychiatry and Neurology in the University of Vienna. He also authored a heart wrenching book titled, “Man’s Search for Meaning.” In it he recounts experiences and lessons from his nightmare experience under the Nazis. Among many observations, he noted that inmates at the concentration camp are most likely to survive if they “knew that there was a task waiting for them to fulfill.”

Frankl suggested that “the striving to find a meaning in one’s life is the primary motivational force in man.” Writing in the late 1950’s, he suggested that “The mass neurosis of the present time is the existential vacuum” (i.e. a loss of meaning in life).

What Frankl observed almost five decades ago later became a pervasive philosophy of despair. Some call it nihilism. The word “nihilism” was widely popularized by German Philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche. “Nihilism literally has only one truth to declare, namely, that ultimately nothingness prevails and the world is meaningless” ( Helmut Thielicke, Nihilism: Its Origin and Nature, with a Christian Answer, 1969).

“From the nihilist’s perspective, one can conclude that life is completely amoral, a conclusion, Thielicke believes, that motivates such monstrosities as the Nazi reign of terror. Gloomy predictions of nihilism’s impact are also charted in Eugene Rose’s Nihilism: The Root of the Revolution of the Modern Age (1994). If nihilism proves victorious–and it’s well on its way, he argues–our world will become ‘a cold, inhuman world’ where ‘nothingness, incoherence, and absurdity’ will triumph.” (IEP).

More recently, apologist Ravi Zacharius observed that, “One by one the generation that refused to be bound by the Pope, and refused to be bound by the Church, decided in an ecstasy of freedom that they would not be bound by anything–not by the Bible, not by conscience, not by God himself. From believing too much that never did have to be believed, they took to believing so little that for countless thousands human existence and the world itself no longer seemed to make any sense. Poets began talking about the ‘wasteland’ with ‘ghostly lives’ as Stephen Spender put it, ‘moving from fragmentary ruins which have lost their significance.’ Nothingness became a subject of conversation, nihilism a motive, frustration and despair a theme for novelists and dramatists…yet all is not lost.”

In 1992, John R. W. Stott also wrote about the pervasive affects of nihilism. “Millions of people do not know who they are, nor that they have any significance or worth. Hence the urgent challenge to us to tell them who they are, to enlighten them about their identity, that is, to teach without compromise the full biblical doctrine of our human being–its depravity, yes, but also its dignity.” (The Contemporary Christian).

The basis for Stott’s urgent challenge is that, “Christians believe in the intrinsic worth of human beings, because of our doctrines of creation and redemption. God made man male and female in his own image and gave them a responsible stewardship of the earth and its creatures. He has endowed us with rational, moral, social, creative and spiritual faculties which make us like him and unlike the animals. Human beings are Godlike beings. As a result of the fall our Godlikeness has indeed been distorted, but it has not been destroyed. Further, ‘God so loved the world’ that he gave his only Son for our redemption. The cross is the chief public evidence of the value which God places on us.”

I picked up a copy of Stott’s book in 1993. When I read his balanced treatment of human dignity and depravity it helped me tremendously (He also outlined his understanding of these themes in the early chapters of Decisive Issues Facing Christians Today). In my background and training, emphasis was placed on human depravity and a sort of anti-self image focus. Although thankful for much of my training, this was clearly an area lacking biblical balance. It narrowly focused on certain theological emphases without placing them in a larger framework. No doubt this emphasis was forged in reaction to erroneous thinking in the other directions. Contemporary thinkers began to promote views of humanity that downplayed depravity and almost deified humans. This became a kind of self-esteem movement. When it filtered into the Church, it ignored large and important portions of biblical truth and prompted reactions in the opposite direction. God used the teaching of Stott to help me learn the way of God more clearly on this matter. For more: http://thinkpoint.wordpress.com/2007/05/07/history-fundamentalism-and-holistic-ministry/

Stott believes that “Christian teaching on the dignity and worth of human beings is of utmost importance today… for the welfare of society.” Stott observed that, ”When human beings are devalued, everything in society turns sour. Women are humiliated and children despised. The sick are regarded as a nuisance and the elderly as a burden. Ethnic minorities as discriminated against. The poor are oppressed and denied social justice. Capitalism displays its ugliest face. Labor is exploited in the mines and factories. Criminals are brutalized in the prisons.”

“But when human beings are valued as persons because of their intrinsic worth, everything changes. Men, women and Children are all honored. The sick are cared for, and the elderly enabled to live and die with dignity. Dissidents are listened to, prisoners rehabilitated, minorities protected, and the oppressed set free. Workers are given fair wages, decent working conditions, and a measure of participation in both the management and the profit of the enterprise. And the gospel is taken to the ends of the earth. Why? Because people matter. Because every man, woman and child has worth and significance as a human being made in God’s image and likeness.”

The balance in Stott’s emphasis between the reality of human dignity and human depravity is often missing in ministry emphasis in the Church. We too easily become one dimensional. We focus on the spiritual needs and overlook the physical and social. Or, we reverse this pattern by deemphasizing the spiritual needs. Clearly the priority must be placed on the gospel and the human need to be reconciled to God. But we should not do this at the expense of a biblically holistic view of humanity.

In Auschwitz, Victor Frankl painfully discovered that darkest side of human depravity. He also observed the deepest reserve of human dignity. Sadly, we live in a world where we will continue to face both sides of our humanity. But we must not reduce or minimize the sweep of the gospel. It is God’s power to address the whole reality of human being and human need.

Steve Cornell
Senior pastor
Millersville Bible Church
58 West Frederick Street
Millersville, PA 17551
717-872-4260

History, fundamentalism and holistic ministry

by Steve Cornell 

In the early part of the twentieth century, the movement known today as  fundamentalism began– partially due to the theological shift within mainline denominations. As these denominations moved away from essential doctrines of historic Christianity (e.g. the inspiration of the Bible, the deity of Jesus Christ, salvation through Christ alone, and eternal judgment of all who reject Christ), many of their clergy were conscience bound to remove their associations — some at great loss in terms of retirement benefits. A good number of these men began to unite, finding common fellowship in adherence to the fundamental or essential beliefs of the Christian faith.

Meanwhile, in the denominational churches, the shift in belief led to a change in ministry emphasis. The physical and social needs of people took priority over spiritual needs. In the mainline churches, works of relief and community development took precedence over evangelism. Eternal needs (if they believed in them) took a backseat to the physical and temporal needs.

But among those who withdrew, this change became known as the “social gospel.” In this sense, fundamentalism began as a reactionary response to an abandonment of the spiritual priority of the gospel. Yet the primary goal of the original adherents of this concern was not as much revolutionary as restorative — a desire and effort to get back to the basics of historic Christianity.  

Unfortunately, however, in every reaction there is the temptation to overreact or to add too much to the “concern” list. And, in this case, the reaction didn’t limit itself to erroneous beliefs; it included emphasis of ministry. Out of a desire to avoid all appearances of identification with the so-called social gospel, fundamentalists sometimes embraced an non-biblical view of social action — a view that itself departs from historic Christianity.            

Throughout history, Christians took the lead in helping solve the social problems of their communities: medical care, trade unions, prison reform, abolition of slavery, establishment of orphanages, etc. … This wholesome approach to ministry grew out of the awareness that God made man a physical being with bodily needs, a social being with community needs, and a spiritual being in need of salvation. Therefore, a biblical approach to ministry will involve works of relief, development, and evangelism.           

Yet according to the teaching of Jesus and the Apostles, the primary need of humanity is salvation — the need to be made right with God (Luke 12:4-5). Salvation, as one has said, “bind’s man’s will afresh to the Creator and Lord of life.” According to the biblical model, the gospel changes people, and changed people have a beneficial influence on society (as salt and light, Matthew 5:13-16).  

In this order, it could be said that the regeneration of individuals within society proceeds and gives way to reformation of society. Any ministry that fails to respect this priority departs from historic Christianity. Yet, to ignore the physical and social needs of our neighbors is less than consistent with the love of God. The Apostle John wrote: “If anyone has material possessions, and sees his brother in need, but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?  Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” (I John 3:17-18).

           

 In the later part of the twentieth century and onset of the twenty-first, those who adhere to the fundamental doctrines of Christianity have become much more aggressive in social concern. Works of relief and development are much more emphasized among adherents of the essential teachings of historic Christianity. All of this serves to warn against the dangers of a reactionary posture. Sometimes in our desire for purity, we narrow ourselves more than necessary. We overly separate and we renounce more than required. We need minds and hearts saturated in God’s Word and full of godly wisdom. May God mercifully grant this great need to His people! 

Steve Cornell 

The body–does it matter?

How important is the body to God? Sometimes the focus of ministry in our churches is only on the spiritual. The body is viewed as temporal and perishing. Is it possible that we have missed a major emphasis of Scripture on the importance of the body? In most cultures, diet, exercise and overall physical health are primary concerns. Should the Church tap into this and lead the way? I am not advocating the old liberal approach to the gospel but a more comprehensive, biblically holistic approach to ministry. What do you think? I welcome thoughtful dialogue. I see six major points of biblical history that support the importance of the body.

1. Creation: God fashions the body from the dust of the earth

2. Incarnation: God became man

3. Resurrection (Christ’s and ours)

4. Ascension: Jesus retained bodily existence at the Father’s right hand

5. Salvation: The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit

6. Glorification: Final redemption of the body (Romans 8 )

Should we have a division of ministry focused on bodily needs? For example, in the USA, we have pervasive problems with obesity. People belong to fitness centers, weight watchers, athletic teams… Perhaps the Church should lead the way in this. What do you think?

 

Steve Cornell