Christian Joe

Archive for the ‘church’ Category

I was reading the introduction to a book written recently concerning marriage and the family.  The author began with something that you will find in most Christian literature written today.  He began with the premise that we are living in a post-modern era and therefore living in a culture that believes truth is relative.  I used to believe this, but as we look at the spiritual, social, and political landscape around us, I have begun to wonder, “Is our society really post-modern?”  Another way to put it, “Does our culture believe that truth is relative?”  I am not so sure that is the case anymore; and yes, I do believe there is something worse than believing truth is relative.  What is worse than relative truth?  How about a reversal of truth whereby the culture proclaims that there is morality, there is truth, it is just that the truth they are talking about is the polar opposite of what God says is truth. One of the principles of a society where truth is relative is to suggest, “You have your truth, I have my truth-let’s just live and let be.”  But our society no longer thinks that way. As evidenced by the post yesterday, the society is not content to live and let be, but is determined to conform everyone to their standard of morality and truth.  Or the way the Word of God puts it, “Woe to them that call evil good and good evil.” (Is. 5:20).  In the “modern” era, men rejected absolute truth, in the “post-modern” era men ignored absolute truth, but now in the era we are living, men have redefined truth.  Now, it is not just that everyone can do his own thing, but if you insist upon Biblical truth, dogma, or Biblical literalism, you are not just considered wacky (post-modern)-you are considered evil.  If you desire to share the Gospel truth with an unbeliever, you are not just considered rude and intolerant, (post-modern) you are considered the enemy of “truth.”  Christians should do well to heed the reminder of Jesus, “Marvel not if the world hate you.”  I am still trying to think about what we should call this era if it is not post-modern, post-post-modern is just not creative enough, but whatever era we are living in now, we need to be on guard and arm ourselves with the mind of Christ.  Persecution is coming to those who hold to the God’s inspired Word (the Bible) as dogmatic truth.  The world has a gospel, it is just not the gospel of Jesus Christ found in the Bible.  In future posts, I would like to examine what the world’s gospel truly is.  Stay strong Christian.

If, as a Christian, I believe that God is supreme over nations and governments. . .

and if, as a Christian, I live in a nation that allows me freedom to express my belief in God. . .

Then I have a duty to be a patriot by proclaiming the sovereignty of God in America.

If I am to be a patriot for the glory of God . . .

And I believe that God is glorified through the gospel of Jesus Christ . . .

Then I have a duty to declare that gospel and live out its implications boldly and passionately.

I am pondering that the most patriotic thing that a Christian can do is not protest injustice, not run for political office, not campaign against evil-doers, not engage in political rhetoric (although these all might be good and wholesome, but I am speaking of the most patriotic duty), but rather the most patriotic duty is to speak the evangel to my neighbor, my post-man, my barista (I don’t have one but some of you do-I get my coffee from the gas station), my co-workers, etc.

The gospel of grace which promises to redeem sinners, justify the guilty, forgive the fallen, and make new the destitute will be the only thing that can stem the decline of the United States of America.  God make us good citizens by being passionately evangelistic Christians.

Happy Belated Birthday, USA.  And may God truly bless America only through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The Lord has used some people recently in my life to teach me about priorities.  I am not talking about priorities when it comes to human beings, but rather priorities as a minister of the Word of God, a preacher, if you will.  These are not new things, just things that I need to put in remembrance.

1.  My personal walk with God.
It is far too easy for a minister of the Word to become so focused on bringing fresh bread to the people of God’s pasture, that he ceases to feed his own soul with the Word.  Couple the eating with fervent prayer and we have a full meal.  Often I find myself thinking about what the church needs or what my duties are and how to accomplish those duties, meanwhile failing to spend much time in personal reflection and attention to my walk with God.

2.  My family.
This is cliché I know, but it is still true.  The pastor’s family is his walking résumé.  Most other professions do not require a family in submission to God’s teaching both in word and in conduct in order to continue at the job.  But the Bible clearly gives a requirement that the pastor’s family walk with God.  For this to happen I must be real as I live out what it means to be a Christian (notice that I did not say, “what it means to be a pastor”); and I must be really there (there is no substitute for the often presence of a father with his family).

3.  Exposition of Scripture.
My chief responsibility as a minister of God’s Word is to accurately know and proclaim the entirety of God’s Word within its context.  I must spend the bulk of ministry engagement in analytical study and prayer over texts of Scripture.  I must wrestle with original intent, grammatical wording, and logical relationships.  I must deepen my understanding of historical interpretations and original languages.  I must consult other men of God both living and dead who have wrestled with the same texts.  By the grace of God through the Holy Spirit, I must boldly proclaim the intent of a text and provide implications for how this ought to impact all who hear or read.

4.  Systematic teaching of Doctrine.
Along with exposition of Scripture, I must make it my delightful duty to study and prepare systematic teaching of the Word of God.  My job is not to change people, persuade sinners or saints, or to make clones of myself; but my job is to teach all who have ears to hear the manifold wisdom of God unfolded in a systematic, understandable fashion.  If I must part ways with those with whom I have been privileged to minister to, I must depart with the doctrines of God and grace firmly rooted in their hearts so that they might continue to teach others long after I am gone.

5.  Continued Discipleship of other men.
The things that I have learned of God, I must commit to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also.  This means that I must prioritize my time to teach the teachable, to study with those looking for answers, not those who imagine they have all the answers.  Jesus Christ taught multitudes, ordained 70, discipled 12, and devoted much time to only 3.  All were important to the ministry and to our Lord.  Instead of trying to build large congregations where crowds can get only a taste of Christianity, I must devote the bulk of my attention to those so satiated by the Word, that they will be able to feed others.

6.  Give further teaching to saints personally as needed.
Another way this has been expressed is with the word “counsel.”  Counseling is private teaching from the Word of God. Those who don’t desire to find the answers in the Word of God will not generally appreciate the type of counsel I can give.  I am not a therapist or counselor in the modern use of the word, but I can point people to Jesus Christ.  He has the answers to every problem, and he has given us the answer in His Word; ours is to obey.

7.  Facilitate proper worship of God and service to God.
A duty of mine as a minister of God’s Word is to help God’s people understand the true meaning and purpose of corporate worship and to facilitate such.  By facilitate, I mean both by example and principle, provide a God-honoring method and motive for pure worship in public reading, music, giving, serving, and prayers.  This mostly happens when we gather on Sunday to honor the Lord.  This, of course, implies that I would be confident in what God-honoring worship looks like from Scripture and be willing to model and gently urge toward that kind of worship.

8. Faithfully lead the church in spiritual direction.
This includes leading the church in administrative and policy decisions that enable us to more fully do the work of the ministry.  By example and teaching, God can use me to help the church make Biblical decisions that will set the direction for the church.  This is a far cry from a dictatorship, but rather through giving principles and then urging others how to practically follow those principles, God can use me to spiritually guide the course of the ship.

You might notice that some duties that ministers do are not included in my priorities.  I believe that we have confused what it means to be a pastor with a Christian at times.  I did not include my duties and priorities as a Christian in this list, but this does not mean that a pastor is exempt from them.  They are a given no matter what position I would hold in an assembly.  These would include (but not be limited to) evangelism, edification of others, service in the physical needs (the building, etc), visiting the sick, praying for one another, fellowshipping with saints, attendance to church services, Bible studies, discipleship, etc.

Consider this post as a work in progress, as this is my understanding with the Biblical knowledge I have at his time.  I have intentionally put these priorities in what I believe to be order of importance.  Although I did not quote Scripture, I believe that Scripture supports what I have written.  “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enable me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.” -I Timothy 1:12

I have been studying the use of the words “anger, wrath, hatred, fury, indignation” in the New Testament of the Holy Bible.  Although, there are several words used in the original languages (Greek) that correspond to these translations, there are three common Greek words and their derivatives. Orge-noun and orgidzo-verb which are translated wrath, anger, indignation, fury-but most commonly “wrath”; miseo/misos which is translated as hate, hatred, etc.; and thumos  which is translated passion, wrath, or anger (I only referenced the passages referring to “passion that stirs up anger”, not sensual passion).

Although these words are used at times interchangeably, they are not completely synonymous.  I won’t go into the details of the comprehensive word searching and studying of each passage, but I did want to draw a few applications  from my study.

Thirty one of the ninety-three instances (or thereabouts) refer specifically and uniquely to God’s wrath and anger in judgment.  Most if not all of those references refer to ultimate or final judgment upon unbelief. Fifty-one instances reference mankind and anger, wrath, or hatred.  I broke down these instances categorizing them as Command/Principle and Example/Illustration. Read the rest of this entry »

Ever wonder why churches, which are comprised with a majority of Christians, have seemingly insurmountable problems and constant battles with flesh and world?  I was reading a book by F.B. Meyer, Changed by the Master’s Touch, and was challenged with something that I have known before, but was refreshed in today.  Meyer is pretty good with words, so I will just quote what he writes.

“My Church!” From eternity Christ loved her. By His blood He redeemed her.  Through His Spirit and by His Word, He is cleansing her.  One day He will preset to Himself ‘a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing’ (Ephesians 5:27).  The Holy Spirit is completing the Church in these last days and preparing her to be forever with the Lord.

The Church is the special object of hatred to the dark underworld of fallen spirits, which our Lord refers to as ‘the gates of hell.’   Jesus clearly anticipated the long and weary opposition that would be directed against His Church.  The Church can only overcome ‘by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony’ (Revelation 12:11). “

This is very well put.  If a church does not struggle individually and corporately with sin and worldliness, then there is something to be feared.  I am afraid of the day when Satan and his demons no longer hate the church and trouble her.

Responsibilities of Pastors to the Church

God’s organized organism is the local church.  The local church is made up of sinners who have placed their trust in Christ alone for forgiveness and restoration of relational worship with God having become saints.  God has placed leadership over his church to guide her and protect her, not to lord and control the church’s saints (I Pet. 5:1-4).  God gave the church two categories of gifted leaders both to form the structure and to facilitate growth and expansion of the church (Eph. 4:11-13).  God’s ultimate intent is glory in and through the church (Eph. 3:21). God’s glory in building his church is accomplished when God’s leadership and God’s people function in harmony with each other.  There is a Biblical pattern for how this is accomplished.

Formative Gifts (Eph. 4:11)
Originally, God gave Apostles to form the structure of the church, this was the job of the twelve, Paul calls himself one born out of due time, and the least of the Apostles.  In other words, he recognized that the original twelve were apostles, and he was the exception to the rule.  God used the Apostles to give Spirit led structure and teaching to the church.  As the Apostles died off, so did their gift, but their teaching remains in the NT which really is God’s teaching as he led each one specifically in his writing (II Tim. 3:16; II Pet. 1:20-21).  Prophets were other individuals God used along with the Apostles to form doctrine and correct understanding of God’s Word—Mark, James, Jude, Luke, were examples of Prophets.  As the Word of God was completed and the Apostolic age came to a conclusion, the prophetic gifts also ceased to be necessary for the church.   The Apostles and Prophets were used of God to form his church, and God used the next two gifted leaders to expand and lead his church.

Expansive Gifts (Eph. 4:11)
Evangelists or literally, gospelizers, were those individuals who were led by God to expand the ministry of the church by preaching the Gospel and organizing together those who accept the Gospel into local churches.  I believe many have misunderstood the gift of evangelists and have characterized them as itinerate preachers who travel in RV’s doing week long revival meetings.  I hardly believe that is what Paul had in mind when he told Timothy, the young pastor, to do the work of an evangelist.  The fourth tier of leadership God gave is called Pastor/Teacher. Read the rest of this entry »

Last year, our church was privileged to be able to host a pastor’s conference regarding the roots of historical fundamentalism.  The word fundamentalism is thrown about today with a variety of meaning.  Our conference was not about polygamy as in fundamental mormons, nor was it about fundamental muslims who commit murder. Neither was our conference about fundamental Christians who rant and rave and slobber about different preferences with application of Scripture.  I identify with none of that.  Instead, we identify with the measured yet passionate defense of Biblical Truth and dogmatic propositional statements concerning Truth found only in the Word of God, the Bible.  In Europe and America in the early parts of the 20th century, there arose a fight among those who seek to deny the authenticity, inspiration, and authority of the Bible (called modernists or liberals) and those who wanted to defend the Scriptures and the God of the Scriptures (called fundamentalists).  They were called fundamentalists because they held to certain fundamental non-negotiable doctrines where the battle lines were drawn, and they were willing to do battle royal (not in a physical sense, but a spiritual, intellectual, and social sense) for those doctrines.  Historically, these men came from different denominational lines, different perspectives, and different societies.  The united together to do battle against modernism’s attack on God’s word and work.  Our conference goal last year was to set a foundation that would show the strengths and weakness of this historical movement as a whole and learn what we can from it.  Dr. David Doran of DBTS did a masterful job weaving Biblical truth and history together in a series of lectures.  Those lectures both challenged minds and impassioned hearts because it was an emphasis on God’s Holy Word, not man’s exuberance.

We are planning our second annual Foundations Conference at Grace Baptist Church, April 26-27, 2010.  This year, Dr. Kevin Bauder from Central Seminary will be our keynote speaker.  Building upon the foundation of last year’s conference, we are now looking to “Contemporary Issues Facing the NT Church.”  Topics such as church government, views concerning inspiration, fellowship with conservative evangelicals, and politics in the church will be addressed. I am looking forward to another great conference, one that I pray will sharpen my mind, soften my tongue, encourage my soul, and energize my spirit in the work of the Lord.

If you would like a brochure mailed to you just send me a message, or you can go to the Foundations Conference website to get more information and to register.

As the pastor of a wonderful church family, I consider it the highest honor to shepherd God’s flock.  2010 will be a great year regardless of the circumstances because I know that “No good thing will he withhold from them who walk uprightly.”  There are many trials, struggles and sorrows that will accompany 2010, but our God changes not and so we can and will have deep joy and delight in God through those trials, struggles and sorrows.  I am also excited about the growth that God will do in His church this year. I am excited about the mini-series on the church being preached in March.  I am excited about the missionaries who will be ministering to us in the winter and spring.  I am excited about the classes on Sunday nights, I am excited about the series on Romans we will be starting this spring in the morning worship.  I am excited to have the goal of 150 people in attendance to hear God’s Word and that many will be introduced to God’s glory and delight.  I am jubilant about the marriage seminar and “date night” planned for this fall as well as the VBS planned for this summer.  I am overwhelmed with joy that I have the opportunity to serve God in His church in so many ways.

At the same time, I am hoping and praying for two specific things this year regarding our relationships as a church family.

1. I pray that we will truly learn and practice what it means to love one another as Christ loves us.  This means that we must be resolved this year to overlook each other’s faults and failures when possible, and strive for reconciliation and peace when we must confront.  This means we must be resolved not to speak about people, but speak to them with love and compassion.  Nothing will destroy the excitement and growth in a church faster than gossip and wagging tongues.  This also means we will not correct and criticize people when we should allow the Holy Spirit to correct them, while at the same time being God’s instruments of loving correction (this is the most difficult balance in relationships.  It takes mature discernment and absolute trust in the Lord-to know when to shut up and to know when to speak up).

2. I also pray that we will truly learn and practice what it means to forgive one another as Christ forgives us.  This means that we must be resolved to harbor no bitterness or angst toward our brothers and sisters, even if they “deserve it.”  This means that must be resolved to let our minor disagreements go and to not insist upon our tightly held rights.  This means we must be resolved to completely forgive even the most grievous sins committed against us, even if they never ask for forgiveness or make it right.  This means we will be resolved to always respond with grace, seasoned with salt.  We must be resolved to be people of action, not people of reaction.  And when it comes down to a conflict, we will vow never to hold their sin against them, but to allow it to be under the blood as Christ has already done so.

If we will truly learn these two grace-enabled disciplines, the year will be a total success even if we never get past Romans chapter 1 or all of the activities get canceled.  How about it Grace Family, can we be resolved in these two areas?

Over 27,000 Catholics, Protestants, Evangelicals, Mormons, JWs, and a whole host of  other religious people have recently affixed their names to a document called the Manhattan Declaration.  This document is championed by Chuck Colson who was the originator of the Evangelicals and Catholics together in the early nineties.  It is an attempt to foster unity between different groups who call themselves “Christians” to preserve and defend conservative values.  While I am in full support of conservative values, I cannot support this declaration by any means.  Some leading evangelicals have affixed their name to the document, which greatly disappointments me.  I was also delighted to see some names notably absent from the document.   Here is a list of the leading religious leaders who affixed their names.

Manhattan Declaration

Christians, when they have lived up to the highest ideals of their faith, have defended the weak and vulnerable and worked tirelessly to protect and strengthen vital institutions of civil society, beginning with the family.

We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are:

1. the sanctity of human life
2. the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife
3. the rights of conscience and religious liberty.

Inasmuch as these truths are foundational to human dignity and the well-being of society, they are inviolable and non-negotiable. Because they are increasingly under assault from powerful forces in our culture, we are compelled today to speak out forcefully in their defense, and to commit ourselves to honoring them fully no matter what pressures are brought upon us and our institutions to abandon or compromise them. We make this commitment not as partisans of any political group but as followers of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

What is most troubling to me is the continual referring to the signers as Christians, and in essence, describing the signers as Christian.  All of those who sign might call themselves Christians, but being a Christian is more than “following” a historic person named Jesus the Christ.  It is absolute surrender to what Christ came to proclaim-the Gospel, and it is not just some fuzzy idea of what the Gospel might “mean to me.”  The Gospel is the historic account of Jesus being fully God and fully man dieing on behalf of depraved sinners who when they come to him by faith alone because of grace alone, they are completely justified, forgiven, and being sanctified.  Catholics have a different gospel.   Mormons have a different gospel, liberal protestants have a different gospel.  Therefore there is more confusion generated when Evangelicals unite with unbelievers under the banner of the Gospel.  This does not mean that no Catholic or Mormon or Protestant is possibly saved, but rather that the belief systems are in fundamental opposition.  How can those who believe the Gospel is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone think it is okay to blur lines like this.  I know that my position does not make me popular as well as more notable Christian leaders who did not sign the declaration (after all, I really am not an “influential” Christian leader), but I will not contribute to the confusion created by reducing the word “Christian” to a political moniker, or “tradition” marker.

Note, my main problem is not what the declaration is trying to do.  My concern is that we soften Christianity and the demands of the true Gospel when we fudge on what the Gospel means.  Did not Paul tell the Galatians that there would be some who bring another gospel which is not another, but a twisted Gospel?  And did he not tell us that, that person who preaches that perverted Gospel should be accursed?  We have come a long way from Galatians in justifying participation with unbelievers “for the sake of conservative values.”  Let us have a clear voice that resonates with the true Gospel as defined in the pages of Scripture alone.

In our adult Bible study at church we spent last week looking at leadership within a NT church. I am distinctively baptist because I believe the Scriptures most clearly articulate what baptists have historically believed. Therefore it would come as no shock to anyone that I strongly believe in two offices within the local church body. However, I have discovered through studies, that the positions of elders (shepherds) and deacons has a wide variety of applications. Often baptist churches have thought that the pastors and deacons are opposite offices functioning in some sort of balance of power. With the deacons’ job being to “keep the pastors in check” while the pastors’ job is to find some way to get his agenda through the deacon board.

When I study the Scripture, I wonder where that idea ever came from. Nothing could be further from the NT example and instruction regarding these two complementary roles with the local Body. Sadly, many of those in leadership lack to the fundamental quality necessary for these two offices to serve seamlessly–Trust. How often the pastors don’t trust the deacons to get the job done and so they take it upon themselves to do what is the deacons’ God given responsibility. (I suppose pastors might complain that often the deacons don’t do the job and it has to be done, but that is no excuse for crossing over roles on a continual basis). And how often deacons believe they must step in to make up what is “lacking” (at least in their perception) of the pastoral leadership. But if both offices would trust God that he has gifted and enabled His leadership, and not seek to be the “church police” regarding the other, great advances of growth would occur within the local church.

Both offices are servants of God serving his flock, the church. The deacons serve the physical needs of the church, while the pastors/elders serve the spiritual needs of the church (Acts 6:1-4). Right away the tendency can be to suggest then that the pastors are more important than the deacons. While the Bible does give precedents to spiritual food over physical food, in Acts 6, the lack of physical food for the Hellenistic widows was creating a spiritual problem. In other words, the elders (in this instance the Apostles) were having difficulty providing spiritual nourishment because the physical was lacking and disunity was growing. I see here one of the greatest responsibilities of the deacons of a church; they serve by promoting unity and preventing distractions that draw the heart and mind of the people away from the spiritual. What a great spiritual task, to manage the physical needs of the church well enough to hinder division and dispute within the body. Every pastor would take heed to encourage the deacons in this task. Here also, we see that the pastors/elders were responsible to not cease the service with the Word and prayer in favor of meeting physcial needs. Both are spiritual offices because we, as humans are spiritual and physical and the one affects the other more than we probably understand.

Both are servants, the deacons serving in the physical realm to promote unity and growth, and the elders to serve in the spiritual realm to promote unity and growth. But where is the “division of labor” so to speak? I think that these two job descriptions sum up the responsibility of the pastors and deacons. Deacons 1.enable the saints to do the work of the ministry (Acts 6) by providing for the physical needs to do so (promoting unity, managing the financial, supporting the ministry of Word and prayer). In other words, they remove that which would distract the saints from the work of the Gospel ministry, by enabling seamless, cohesive service to God. The elders 2.equip the saints to do the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:12). They teach, preach, guide, care, oversee, and pray for the people and they are equipped to serve Jesus Christ.

When these two offices function in harmony and uni-purpose, God is glorified as his church program “works” and the mission of Christ is moved forward. Praise God for his great wisdom in ordaining these two offices for the benefit of the local church.