Archive for the 'Religion' Category

The Importance of Fellowship: Unconditional Love

Published by Colin June 29, 2009 in Religion and Theology. 0 Comments

This will be the final article in this series on the importance of fellowship. It also serves as a summary of the nature and motivation of fellowship. Read the other parts here:

Part 8: Unconditional Love
Part 7: Honesty
Part 6: Fighting Superficiality
Part 5: Sanctification
Part 4: Why You Need It (Yes You)
Part 3: Dealing With A Dead or Dying Church
Part 2: Accountability
Part 1: Introduction

Unconditional Love
I need not list here the incredible plethora of biblical passages dealing with the primacy and importance of love. But I want to talk a little bit about biblical love in fellowship versus other kinds of “love” between people which often gets erroneously classified with biblical love.

Briefly, in order to quickly define biblical love, we need only look at the gospel. God loved us so much, despite our deliberate and aggressive rebellion against him, that he chose to provide his own son for our salvation. The key for this topic of love is this - that we were at enmity with God when he saved us. We didn’t become righteous enough and then God forgave us. We did not make the first move, God did (1 John 4:19).

This is unconditional love. If the gospel were conditional, we would all blow it (again, and again, and again). Fortunately, God has made a unilateral contract with us that we cannot break. The very nature of this contract is one-sided - if God has chosen to save us, then we cannot thwart God. There is nothing we can do to nullify the contract, and we had no requirement to first initiate the contract. The only thing God pounced on was our need for forgiveness.

Contractual “Love”
In human society, and also in some biblical cases, there is also contractual love. This is most simply defined as an “if/then” kind of love. If party A does X, then party B will do Y. If my friend John will listen to me complain about my job, then I will buy John’s beers tonight.

Sometimes unconditional love is confused with contractual love. For example, Christians might acknowledge that God has provided salvation by his grace, but then also believe that we can “lose” our salvation or otherwise nullify it by our actions. Somewhere in their mind, a unilateral contract has been turned into an if/then contract. It should be noted that, ironically, I have never seen someone make this statement about themselves - it is always made about someone else: a friend, a neighbour, even a celebrity. In other words, it is a shift that conveniently allows one to claim they prefer grace, whilst allowing them to simultaneously practice god-like judgement.

It is also a way to make sense of grace - which is a difficult concept to grapple with - especially with our eye-for-an-eye sense of justice. Unmerited favour is tough to get one’s head around. Sometimes importing more understandable concepts can help us get our bearings. Unfortunately, it can also be heresy.

The Love in Fellowship
As you may have guessed, fellowship requires unconditional love, not contractual love. We are to love other believers in the same way that God has loved us. We are to forgive other believers in the same way God has forgiven us. Between Christians, we are not to have if/then love.

I was listening to a teaching online where a pastor was going through Luke 17. This pastor used verse four to justify not forgiving other believers. Here’s the passage (Luke12:3-4):

3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

This pastor took the passage to mean that if believers do not repent of their sin, we don’t have to forgive them. I thank God that he doesn’t have the same philosophy as this pastor!

Jesus forgave those murdering him, despite their lack of repentance. Whilst Stephen was being stoned to death by men full of anger and hatred, he cried out that God would forgive them. The fact is that all God requires of us is our sin. Repentance is our acknowledgement of that sin - “to say the same thing” in the Greek. Repentance is simply realising that we have sinned.

But even still, the Luke 17 passage is not saying if/then in the contractual sense. The “if” in Luke 17 is used the same way we would use “if” in order to tell a hypothetical story or share an anecdote. It is like saying, “If a man walks into a cafe and pays $2, you should give him a coffee.” The “if” denotes that we are dealing with a hypothetical scenario. For Jesus to have meant “if” as an exclusive conditional, then he would have said “only if he repents, forgive him.”But Christ was sharing a scenario reminding us to forgive, not making excuses for petty keeping of grudges (which God himself doesn’t follow).

Consider marriage. A marriage is made up of two sets of unilateral contracts. The vows do not go, “if you bear with me in sickness and in health, I will will bear with you until death do us part.” Rather, the husband and wife issue vows to one another unilaterally. My loving my wife is not conditional on her submission to me. My wife’s submission to me is not conditional on me loving her. I am to forgive my wife whenever she wrongs me regardless of whether she’s sorry or repents because I have made a vow that I will.

Fellowship And Individualism
Individualism actually plays a critical role in fellowship then. Because our fellowship-love is unilateral and unconditional, then conflicts, problems and barriers to fellowship always start with one’s self. We have to ask ourselves what we can change, repent of or do in order to break down barriers to fellowship. It is not our place to begin judging and condemning others first.

If I am angry at my wife, then rather than deal with her problems and sins against me, I am to first deal with my own sin. And, I need to forgive. The process of looking at our own hearts should reveal our own sin-nature, reminding us of the gospel. This should then remind us to forgive others who have wronged us - because Christ forgave us when we have wronged him so much greater.

Individual responsibility is critical here. Forgiveness is all about my attitudes and my sin - it has nothing to do with the actions, motives, statements or personality of others. The repentance of others does not enable me to forgive - it makes it easier - no question, but repentance is not a barrier to forgiveness.

The calling of Christ, and the burden of unconditional love, is to forgive even when it is most difficult - where others are outright at enmity with us. God has forgiven us, despite the gravity of our sin.

The Importance of Fellowship: Honesty

Published by Colin June 25, 2009 in Religion and Theology. 2 Comments

This is part of an eight part series on the importance of fellowship. Read the other parts here:

Part 8: Unconditional Love
Part 7: Honesty
Part 6: Fighting Superficiality
Part 5: Sanctification
Part 4: Why You Need It (Yes You)
Part 3: Dealing With A Dead or Dying Church
Part 2: Accountability
Part 1: Introduction

I’d like to qualify a term that I am going to throw around in this peice:

anti-fellowship: the building up of barriers and walls between believers that discourage biblical fellowship; often through - but not exclusively limited to - traits, traditions, attitudes and outright lies that that Christians tell themselves and one another to avoid and thwart fellowship and it’s fruit in their lives.

One of the most significant contributions to anti-fellowship is dishonesty. It is a major problem with the church, and I will qualify “in the church” as meaning - individual bible-believing, born again Christians. We lie. We lie to ourselves of course - convincing ourselves that we are good people, that we’re smart, that we’re popular (etc…). But I am specifically speaking about the lies we project - the deliberate misrepresentation of who we are and what were about to other Christians.

Lia, Liar - But Your Pants Aren’t On Fire (Because You’re Saved)
John talks about this dishonesty (John 1:8-10):

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

The language in John’s epistles always struck me as awkward, even harsh at times - is he really calling some Christians liars? Is really saying things like - “his word is not in us” and meaning actual Christians? I used to chalk John’s harsh words up to those “obviously” fake Christians and never even began to think that they could apply to me or people like me, who are saved, perhaps even in ministry, believe in the bible and go to decent churches.

But John is just articulating the obvious - we don’t want to admit we’re sinners, that we have needs or that we’re immature. John also is reminding us of the severity of our sin problems. But lastly, John is also telling us that we have indwelling sin and a propensity to hide, ignore and deny our sin nature.

This is a reason we avoid fellowship. The lies we have told to ourselves and to others will be exposed by fellowship. For example, even though someone may never say “I never gossip and am generally trustworthy” they might have this view of themself. They might go to great lengths both deliberately and out of habit to appear to be righteous and good. At some point in this process, they convince themself that they really have “conquered gossip” and are somehow without sin in the area.

A person who has become this deluded is going to have a crashing revelation when either they realise themself, or someone points out to them, that actually they are sinning and have not, in fact, conquered anything. Obviously this “crashing” can be made worse by judgemental friends and leadership, or by confrontational/angry rebukes. But these are separate sins, and while important, ultimately have no linked, causal or excusable relationship to the first sin(s). And this original sense of exposure and judgement is completely fabricated - John tells us so. The cure to sin is not our righteousness, but confessing our sins.

Examples of Lies
Some other examples of self deception and “saying we have no sin” are easy to identify in ourselves. Here are some common lies we tell ourselves:

I am righteous - Some like to pretend they are more moral and righteous than other people. These are usually the first ones to condemn others: homosexuals, adulterers, politicians and other easy targets. It is the same tactic governments use to propagandise a war - take the focus away from the crimes you are committing and focus on the otherness of someone else - effectively demonising them. It has been fashionable in the last decade or so to also include academics and theologians in this group of disconnected and “elitist” others. Someone with a PhD or a seminary education is classified into categories such as “liberal”, “postmodern” or “progressive” just because they have a formal education.

I am popular - Some like to pretend they are popular and well-liked. These are the first to gossip. Oh, not things like “John is such a jerk and I don’t like him” - but rather - “you know, we should really pray for John. He’s been having family trouble lately. And after being put on disciplinary probation at work, he’s sure to need our help.” The fact that someone compulsively gossips shows that they take a lot of stock in the opinions of others and could be a point of revelation about this lie. Confession is tremendously important here - specifically, confessing idolising men’s opinions above God’s. These people need to focus on their own sin, their own hearts and the grace that God has given them through the cross.

I am gifted - Some like to pretend their gifts are greater than others. These are the first to shirk those “lesser responsibilities” such as feeding the poor, comforting the weak and even prayer. Oftentimes an overzealousness for doing ministry is a way to distract ourselves from getting the ministry we need. It’s easy to subdivide Christianity into a) those who minister and b) those who need ministry. But there is no such division in the bible - we all have needs and we all have gifts. We should be simultaneously ministering and being ministered to. And we also need to stop idolising ministry as a “position” or a title - as though we can only minister in some official capacity in a church.

In the process of changing churches, I had an opportunity to take four months off of any worship leading. I felt overwhelmed with all of the ministry I was getting, and my relationship with God grew by leaps and bounds. I wonder if I had been so focussed on “giving ministry” that I was missing opportunities to be ministered to by others.  Moreover, I got to expand my ministry in ways I never thought possible - helping people with manual labour, praying for them, providing counsel and giving financially.

Dealing with dishonesty is not complicated - it simply requires confession: to “say the same thing” - as the Greek declares. But part of this is an understanding from all Christians that instead of trying to appear perfect, it is much more important we recognise and embrace our imperfections, focussing on the God who is perfecting us (Philippians 3:12), and not attempt to muster up the initiative and power to change ourselves.

Onto the final entry: Part 8: Unconditional Love.

Personal Musings on Finding a Local Church

Published by Thainamu June 23, 2009 in Religion. 16 Comments

I’ve been in church nearly every Sunday of my life. I was taken there as a baby and I attended the morning my baby was born, squirming during every contraction. Church attendance is just part of who I am.

Six months ago I left the local church which I’d faithfully attended for several years. Why I left is not the topic of this post.  What I want to talk about is the thinking I went through to find a new church. I’ve now found a new church and have decided that, at least for now, that church is going to be my local church which I will support and become involved in.

First, a little background. I live in the southern half of the United States, in the Bible belt. In fact, I live in the Buckle of the Bible belt—there is a huge number of churches nearby in a variety of denominations, sizes, styles, color. Therefore, I had a lot of choices. The other thing I want to mention about my search for a church is that I wasn’t doing this alone. Quite probably the place I ended up would have been different if I had been church shopping only for my own needs and desires.

For me, there were Big Things, Medium-sized Things, and Little things that I considered while looking for a new local church. My list likely wouldn’t be the same as your list. Some things on my list aren’t very “spiritual,” I admit that. I’m just honestly telling what was important to me.

The Big Things

  • Are they actually Christians? And is the church not so liberal as to deny the veracity of the Bible and the basic core Christian beliefs? I can tolerate a variety of doctrines. I feel quite free to worship and fellowship with believers with whom I don’t actually agree on all doctrinal points. I allow a generous amount of latitude in both Christian belief and practice. On the other hand, I really do believe the playing field does have real boundaries, and I won’t attend a church outside of the line.
  • The place of scripture. I know that not all Christians interpret all scripture passages the same, but if a church uses anything but the message of scripture as its starting point, then what is the point?
  • Location. This was a big one for me for some very specific personal reasons.  For me, the church needed to be less than 10 miles away, and preferably less than 5 miles away.  Due to my location, there were many choices within 5 miles.
  • Does it work for my family? Because I’m not in this alone, I had to take the considerations of others into account. If I had an infant, I’d be very sure that my church had a decent and safe nursery. If I had school aged children, I’d be sure that my church had decent Sunday School and children’s education. If my husband were deaf, I’d be sure the church offered hearing aids. Etc.  In other words, it isn’t just about me. I needed to take careful consideration of those I’m connected to.

 The Middle-Sized Things

  • Style of music. Churches have fits over music styles. Churches have two services to accommodate contemporary vs. traditional church music. Or they split over the issue. In my case, music style was a factor, but not a huge factor. It turns out that the church we’ve settled on uses a mix of contemporary and traditional music, but done only with piano, no guitars or drums (both of which are fine with me).
  • Quality of music.  I have to confess that this became more important to me as we visited different places.  I found myself distracted and annoyed with mediocre musicians leading the corporate singing.  I know not every church has the native talent to be of top quality.  Even so, I personally found less than excellent musical quality to be a big downer.
  • Programs that I want/need/am interested in. Not every church can be everything to every person. Churches do tend to specialize in the programs they choose to offer, and for good reason. For instance, one church may have lots of young families and they specialize in Christian education. Another church may be located in an economically depressed area and they may specialize in a soup kitchen and after-school programs. At the risk of sounding too much like a consumer, I personally see no problem with shopping for a church that has programs that fit the needs of me and my family as long as the Big Things come first.
  • Quality of the preaching. I’m of the opinion that if a preacher is well-prepared, his or her preaching will not put me to sleep. I may or may not agree entirely with what is being said, but I can tell if a preacher has done their homework. (Preaching from the seat of one’s pants is not the same thing as spirit-filled preaching.) Also, a preacher’s education is important to me. I can hear the word of the Lord from a child or an uneducated bum, no doubt—but I want to be in a church where the pastor’s level of education is at least the same as mine, preferably higher.

 The Little Things

  • The building. For many, this would be entirely a non-issue. For me, I wanted a church with windows and a ceiling that didn’t give me claustrophobia. I appreciate religious art and religious symbols, too.
  • Size. Does size matter? Size certainly makes a difference as far as what programs are offered, and it might make a difference as to the quality of the music. But mainly, size has to do with how much one wants to be visible—it is hard to hide in a small church, but quite easy to hide in a big one.  I think size is pretty much a personal preference, but choosing a small church might combat a natural tendency to hang on the fringes.
  • Racial mix. I admire churches that can pull off a mix of ethnic groups. The church I attended before did fairly well with this, but the church I’ve recently chosen doesn’t do so well. I hope they improve.
  • Age mix. Some churches can pull off being multigenerational and actually offer meaningful programs for all ages. I don’t think most small churches can do this. And any church which keeps the age 18-34 (esp. unmarried or childless) demographic strong, must have something going for it.
  • Denomination. For many people, this item would be a Big Thing. For me, it isn’t. I truly wish the Body of Christ were not splintered into denominations, but it certainly is. I’ve happily worshiped (and worked) with believers of many denominational stripes. I feel little need to declare myself a member of any denomination. In fact, I haven’t been a full church member of any denomination ever, in spite of faithfully attending and being involved with many. My reasoning is that I would find becoming a full member to be intellectually dishonest.  To me, church membership means I agreed wholeheartedly with everything the denomination stands for; so far, I’ve not found a denomination in that category. Because of that, I’ve opted for associate membership or just no membership, in spite of being fully involved.

Some of you might say, “Well, what about the people and the fellowship?” My reply:  that takes a little time. I wouldn’t be able to choose a church based on people and fellowship because those things aren’t evident until I’ve been there a while and some time has passed.

The Importance of Fellowship: Fighting Superficiality

Published by Colin June 15, 2009 in Theology. 5 Comments

This is part of an eight part series on the importance of fellowship. Read the other parts here:

Part 8: Unconditional Love
Part 7: Honesty
Part 6: Fighting Superficiality
Part 5: Sanctification
Part 4: Why You Need It (Yes You)
Part 3: Dealing With A Dead or Dying Church
Part 2: Accountability
Part 1: Introduction

I realise it has been over a month and a half since I have written anything even remotely political. Over the past couple years of this blog, I have found it much harder to articulate thoughts on my faith - and instead relied heavily on politics, economics and philosophy.

I am not sure what’s wrong with me.

Experiencing biblical fellowship over the past nine months has had a radical impact on my life. But more than that, these last nine months have been cataclysmic opening of things that I have been convinced about for most of my Christian life, but I had been simply bereft of the language (both externally and internally) for articulating them. I hope the writing from this past month has provided a clear idea of some of my thoughts on the matter.

This subject - superficiality - is one I probably could have written before this transition took place, albeit, without the doctrine and theology that I have now amalgamated into my thinking. This doctrinal ally, I hope, will enable to me to write this blog without the personal feelings and experiences that had coloured my thoughts of superficiality (and erroneously defined “fellowship”) in the past. None of us should ever presume to be unbiased or unaffected by past events, situations and relationships - reading this guys blog (and keeping grace in perspective) reminds me that my own past mistakes aren’t that bad, and that those who have annoyed, angered or offended me didn’t do anything so severe.

In a lot of ways, this series has been a detox and I will write it as long as it serves a benefit for me and hopefully encourages others to seek out reliable, biblical and sanctifying fellowship.

Superficiality: The Enemy of Sanctification
That is the main problem with superficiality in fellowship - there is no way sanctification can take place. As I mentioned last time, sanctification is critical in fellowship - it’s part of God’s design for it. We have to be allowing God to use us to make each other holy. We have to be open to the Holy Spirit making us more like Christ, and we have to admit that we aren’t going to get all the answers by flipping through our bible alone, casually attending church or waiting for an angelic visitor to reveal hidden mysteries to us.

But we are doing ourselves a great disservice by holding superficial relationships up as fellowship. I was in a discussion with a friend of mine in leadership some time ago about this subject, and I noticed how his conversation about fellowship slipped seamlessly in and out of sanctification and superficiality. On the one hand, he was speaking about being accountable and offering encouragement to one another as fellowship but then he would speak about having a church barbeque and movie-night as ways to stimulate fellowship.

I’ll post more from Why Small Groups - it’s just articulated too well not to use:

You may think fellowship with God is all you need. After all, doesn’t the Bible teach that God and his Word are sufficient for all our needs pertaining to life and godliness? Yes, it does. But the error comes in limiting the means God uses to help us apply truth to our lives. Only the Spirit can illuminate Scripture to our minds and give us the power to obey it.

Yet the Spirit often chooses to employ other people as a means of communicating his truth to our ears and heart. Who are we to argue with him? He will of course use teachers of the word through sermons, books, and tapes. But he will also use the regular guy in your small group—and there’s the rub. We can ignore teachers, close books, and turn off tapes. When we do pay attention, we can conveniently misapply teachings. But the people closest to us, if they’re doing their job in fellowship, are not likely to let us ignore God’s urgings so easily.

The chief reason we love superficiality is because it removes the danger of being confronted with truth that we don’t want to hear. That’s right - not only are you harbouring pride and dishonesty in your heart about who you are, but you are actively protecting it, keeping it from being exposed by talking about the weather, sports, celebrity gossip, your new couches, music or anything else that blocks God’s truth from working in your life.

This applies to all of us to some degree. Remember, we aren’t yet sanctified - so sin still pollutes us and affects us. Our natural man wants to survive. We all have to take this word as for us - we need to systematically set up fellowship because there are going to be times when we don’t want to deal with our sin.

Case in point. I meet with a guy regularly to keep me accountable, encourage me and regularly point out my own blind spots to sin in my life. How often to I want to meet with this guy? Almost never. It isn’t because he’s not a swell guy - on the contrary, we share common interests and passions, and our personalities seem to mesh well. It’s not because I think he’s going to point out something to me that’s way off, judgemental or wrong. It’s because I am terrified that he is going to share truth with me that tears down my pride and exposes my weakness.

If I did fellowship simply “as I felt led” then I would never do it. Who feels led to be humbled? Good luck finding someone like that! No, it is important to set up relationships where you share some trust, and to put in a framework that enables you to benefit from fellowship.

Think about church. Sometimes Sunday morning church is annoying. Can’t we just all meet together whenever we feel like it? Yes we can - but if we didn’t institutionalise one day a week or so to meet - we’d probably neglect it sooner or later.

Dumbing it Down
Superficiality is the dumbing down of fellowship - where the forms of fellowship still exist (communication, relationships, emotions, passions, connections) but the substance has been completely removed. I believe this is a direct consequence of abandoning deliberate, systematic fellowship. When the zeal for change and reform fade, and we begin to want to plateau, then fellowship is slowly replaced with superficiality.

Solve this slide by setting up a devotion with your spouse. Meet with another believer to pray for one another. Join (or create) a small group at your church which deals with application. Ask another believer to watch your behaviour and to feel free to point out areas where you are blind to your own sin. Worship God with passion corporately, singing and proclaiming how great He is.

Most importantly, know that God’s truth is only going to improve things. The initial discomfort is just your natural man resisting. If you are with even remotely mature Christians, then no one is going to judge you, and in fact, you are likely going to be a means of grace for others - encouraging them by your own exampl to seek fellowship themselves.

On to Part 7: Honesty.

Securing Our Foundation, Part III: Introduction to the Foundational Doctrines

Published by Chris A June 11, 2009 in General, Religion and Theology. 0 Comments

As has already been established in part 1 of this series, Christ is the basis of our faith, and the grounding upon which the church is built. There can be no foundation laid without Christ being established as the cornerstone. Here are some facts from the gospel accounts about Christ that must be established before anyone can attempt to rightly build on this foundation:

  1. Christ is the sinless Son of God born of a virgin.
  2. Christ performed miracles and forgave sins during his earthly ministry.
  3. Christ willingly died in consecration to his Father’s will.
  4. Christ rose bodily from the dead.
  5. Christ ascended to heaven after his resurrection.
  6. Christ will return to the earth and establish a literal and unending kingdom of which he will be the head.

We must now address the question of how the church is to build upon the foundation that has been established. In other words, which teachings apart from the revelation of Jesus as the Son of God are to be emphasized in order to secure a doctrinal foundation in those who already believe in Christ?

Many churches today disagree about which teachings are essentials. In fact, some teachings which are identified as essential are not even emphasized in the New Testament. The doctrine of the Trinity, while certainly important in my opinion, is not essential considering the New Testament record of doctrinal emphases; yet it is regarded as such in many churches. Again, I am not saying it is unimportant, because I believe it is. But it is not listed among the foundational doctrines of Christ listed in Hebrews 6, and there little if any evidence that teaching about the triune nature of God was a major emphasis of the early church. I comment on this only to communicate that what church tradition has prioritized in the way of teaching, in many instances, is not the express priority of God as outlined in the Scriptures.

The First Principles of the Oracles of God
In Hebrews 6, the author outlines the foundational teachings of Christ:

1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

Here we see that these teachings are the basis from which one may progress toward spiritual maturity. Believers who lack this foundation are not in a position to lead successful Christian lives.

The Sincere Milk of the Word
Jesus, quoting from Deuteronomy, said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4). By this he illustrated that God’s word is a source of spiritual sustenance, just like natural food is a source of physical sustenance. This same principle is emphasized in the epistles.

Just as there are stages of physical development, there are stages of spiritual development for believers. The stage of spiritual development one is in determines the proper diet he should partake of. Naturally speaking, infants need a steady diet of milk before they are capable of digesting solid food. The same is true for spiritual babies. Notice what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:

1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able.

Here Paul explained his responsibility to “feed” the Corinthians. He determined their spiritual condition and taught them accordingly.

In Hebrews 5, the chapter preceding the one where the foundational teachings are presented, the author indicates that this audience was maturing at a much slower rate than they should have been. Although they should have grown considerably more, they had not graduated beyond babyhood.

12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

From this point, the author transitions into his statement about the foundational teachings of Christ in the very next verse in chapter 6, making it clear that the milk he was referring to were these basic doctrines. These are synonymous with the “first principles of the oracles of God” listed in Hebrews 5:12.

The Importance of Fellowship: Sanctification

Published by Colin June 9, 2009 in Religion and Theology. 5 Comments

This is part of an eight part series on the importance of fellowship. Read the other parts here:

Part 8: Unconditional Love
Part 7: Honesty
Part 6: Fighting Superficiality
Part 5: Sanctification
Part 4: Why You Need It (Yes You)
Part 3: Dealing With A Dead or Dying Church
Part 2: Accountability
Part 1: Introduction

One of the greatest purposes of fellowship is the work of sanctification. This term eludes many, both theologically, in that people don’t understand what it means; but also practically, in that sanctification, for all intents and purposes, requires fellowship.

A believer is marked by three important markers on their path towards eternity.

  • Regeneration - that is, the moment when sin’s dominion over a person is broken and they are no longer a slave to sin, but have been freed in Christ.
  • Justification - the consequences of sin are no longer applicable to the person. The wrath of God is no longer upon them and Christ becomes their righteousness.
  • Sanctification - sanctification is the removal of the lingering effects of sin and a sin nature. It is when a person becomes holy in Christ. They are no longer polluted in any way by sin.

Sanctification is radically different than justification, and is a process that cannot be completed in this life. If we were holy, then we ourselves would not be able to bear any sin around us and in us. It would be completely gone - like the purging of logic from a Vulcan.

But sanctification is still a goal for Christians, we just have to realise that it is a progressive goal which we gradually move towards, despite its unachievability. While we live and breathe on earth, sanctification is not so much about the ends, but the means. As God continues to sanctify us, the life of a believer becomes progressively aligned with and conformed to our legal status before God. That is, sanctification moves us towards a material articulation of our justification.

Sanctification is an outgrowth of our love for God and our gratitude for what he has done for us. It is not:

  •  Keeping rules and guidelines to “pay God back” or in any other way earn our salvation
  • A means by which we can judge each other’s spiritual maturity and effectively rank each other
  • A way to separate leaders from “normal” Christians or otherwise assign ministry positions or responsibilities
  • A way to shame and guilt believers into an artificial dependence on leaders, pastors or other men

Sanctification is motivated by love and enabled by grace. That is, the power to change comes from God as a gift and we embrace it not because we have to, but because God is worthy of our lives.

Because sanctification has not yet occurred for anyone reading this (or writing it!) it means that we still have to deal with our sin nature and indwelling sin. Sin may not have dominion over us, but its influence and its very presence is still within us. Again, if this were not true - we would be sanctified and holy, able to approach God. Anyone who feels qualified to approach God - please raise your hand. Didn’t think so…

Paul talks about this process often, speaking of it plainly in Romans 7:8 and 21. Sin is our responsibility and our burden - which God, in his grace, is removing from us. Sin is not caused by Satan, demonic influence, other people, events in our lives or other boogy-men - sin is within us (James 4:1). Sinfulness is the natural pursuit of our hearts - which desires to seek out completion and fulfilment apart from God.

Fortunately God gives us the grace to pursue sanctification. We have an active part in cooperating with the Holy Spirit in receiving God’s sanctifying grace and responding to it by putting sin to death - effectively “working out our salvation with fear and trembling…” (Philippians 2:12)

Fellowship comes into play because we need each other to help us with our own areas of spiritual blindness. Our sin masks and clouds our ability to be 100% accurate it identifying and combating sin in our lives. Other Christians can be a valuable help in pointing out sin and providing accountability in order to see it put to death. The Holy Spirit uses believers to minister to one another often. As I had said before - of course God may give you visions, dreams and even speak audibly to you about areas of sin you need to combat - but more than likely, he chooses to use quite simple and obvious means such as your spouse, your family, Christian friends and your leadership.

We like to think that we are special, and that God is going to do BIG THINGS with us, and his wonderful plan for my life is going to be all about telling me where to go (Mission to Africa, Big Christian Event, This Church Where The Girl I like Goes!) and what to do (Lead Worship, Teach, Be A Pastor, Write A Book, Be Famous [For God’s glory of course…]). But, quite honestly, God probably wants you to be sanctified and made holy by having enough humility to listen to what others are telling you about your sin. He also wants you to get off the sidelines of ministry and actually start caring for people by offering observations, engaging in fellowship and putting yourself in a position to serve others.

The point is that sanctification might be less grandiose, but it is far more important than all of the dreams and visions we have for ourselves as the great purpose of our lives. If God wants glory, he can achieve it easily - he doesn’t need our help. What would glorify God, is if we devoted less time to our ambitions and more time towards “working out our salvation with fear and trembling.”

On to Part 6: Fighting Superficiality.

Securing Our Foundation, Part II: Foundational Apostles and Prophets

Published by Chris A June 4, 2009 in Religion and Theology. 17 Comments

As was discussed in the previous article, it is clear that Jesus himself is the foundation of the Christian faith. Yet there were others that were with him, and some that even came after his earthly ministry, that helped to fortify a foundation upon which the Church could be built.

‘This Rock’
Among Catholics there is a teaching that many Protestants reject. This teaching basically states that Jesus built his church on the Apostle Peter, and that Peter was the first pope. While I do not believe this is necessarily correct in the way some espouse this teaching, there is a very real truth about the Apostles of the Lamb that I fear has been overlooked by non-Catholics. In an effort to refute what Protestants view as Catholic error, they have – perhaps unwittingly – neglected a very real biblical truth. Let us review the exchange from which the debate originates, found in Matthew 16:

13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

Here we see that, upon Peter’s identification of Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God, Jesus responded by saying that his church would be built upon “this rock”. The question is: What is “this rock”? Some believe that it is Peter, although I think an amateur examination of the original Greek would disprove this idea very quickly. Yes, Cephas was nicknamed “Peter”, meaning a stone, but when Jesus said “this rock” the word translated rock here is not the same word as the one he used in reference to Cephas; this word denotes a much larger boulder. I believe the rock Jesus was referring to is the revelation that Jesus is both Christ and the Son of God. This is confirmed by 1 Corinthians 3:10, which says,

“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

However, this should not be taken to mean that Peter was not vitally important to the foundation of the Church; nor should this be interpreted such that Peter is being depicted as insignificant in the establishment of the Church. In fact, Jesus’ use of language in the passage seems to indicate that Peter, this smaller stone as it were, would be a part of the foundation. Ephesians 2:19, 20 speaks to this:

19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

It is clear both from the book of Acts and some of the New Testament epistles that Peter was one of the primary church fathers. It was Peter who preached the Gospel on the day of Pentecost after being empowered by the Holy Spirit. Three thousand believers were added to the church as a result (Acts 2:14-40). It was Peter who initially brought the Gospel to the gentiles, even though those in the Jewish church were apprehensive about it (Acts 10:34-43; Acts 11:1-3).

John, a fellow Apostle of Jesus received the Revelation of Jesus Christ in which he witnessed the following in his vision of New Jerusalem:

And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (Revelation 21:14).

Eyewitnesses of His Majesty
One of the functions served by the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb was the dictation of first-hand accounts of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Jesus, speaking to members of the Judaic religious hierarchy in Matthew 23:34 said, “Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city.” Matthew, Mark, and John all recorded their accounts of Jesus’ ministry, fulfilling what Jesus said concerning the commission to send forth wise men and scribes; and at least one of these, John, could rightly be considered a prophet.

John began his first epistle by writing,

“   1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:1-3).

In his second epistle Peter wrote,

“16We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 18We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain” (2 Peter 1:16-18).

James, the Lord’s Brother
James, the brother of Jesus, is also named among the foundational apostles (Acts 12:17; Acts 15:13; Acts 21:18; 1 Corinthians 15:7; Galatians 1:19; Galatians 2:9; Galatians 2:12). Even though he and Jesus shared the same mother, James identified himself as a servant of Jesus Christ (James 1:1). 1 Corinthians 15:7 indicates that Jesus actually appeared to James after the resurrection before appearing to the twelve. Most likely James was not a follower of Christ until after his resurrection; nevertheless Paul names him as one of the “pillars” of the Church (Galatians 2:9). It is widely believed that James was the Bishop of the church in Jerusalem. In addition to his apostolic role in the church, he also penned one of the great epistles that help comprise the New Testament scriptures.

The Wise Masterbuilder
Despite the fact that the twelve Apostles of the Lamb and James have a special place in the establishment of the church, they are not the only apostles or prophets that are significant to the church’s foundation. To a great extent, Paul also played a very important role as well. Not only was Paul recognized as an apostle by the church fathers, Peter gave even greater weight to his authority, attesting to his epistles as scripture.

15Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:15, 16).

Paul’s key role in the church, as is illustrated in the book of Acts and the theology he penned in the epistles also qualifies Paul as a foundational apostle and prophet. When we review the broader context of the passage quoted earlier in 1 Corinthians 3, we can see exactly how Paul described his apostolic work:

10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Specifically Paul was writing about his work in the establishment of the church at Corinth, but I think it is safe to say that Paul made a very significant effort towards constructing a doctrinal foundation for the entire Church. Paul is credited with writing at least 13 New Testament epistles. A potential 14th epistle is the book of Hebrews, which many scholars believe he also authored. One theory is that Hebrews was initially bound together with the epistle to the Galatians, and was later divided and distributed as an entirely separate epistle.

The Importance of Fellowship: Why You Need it (Yes, You)

Published by Colin June 2, 2009 in Religion and Theology. 36 Comments

This is part of an eight part series on the importance of fellowship. Read the other parts here:

Part 8: Unconditional Love
Part 7: Honesty
Part 6: Fighting Superficiality
Part 5: Sanctification
Part 4: Why You Need It (Yes You)
Part 3: Dealing With A Dead or Dying Church
Part 2: Accountability
Part 1: Introduction

On the opposite side of the spectrum from those who desperately want fellowship but are struggling to get it going, there are also those of us who, for one reason or another, aren’t interested in it whatsoever.

Some of this goes back to what I said in part I, namely that we think because God has a personal, individual relationship with us, that His use of other people to speak to us will be severely limited, or is perhaps some kind of “lesser” intervention than direct revelation of some kind. But I suspect that much of it also is a desire to avoid the consequences of fellowship - change, humility, challenge and accountability among other things.

Risks and Rewards?
For others, we simply don’t like the risk that is opened up with fellowship. Giving someone a challenge means that they might not take it well, and may not like you anymore. We can see the whole world exploding from one single, “I noticed that you tend to call other drivers idiots and make unkind gestures to them regularly.” In response to this observation, we see our friends standing over us, turning bright red and screaming at us - “HOW DARE YOU!” Soon, it gets out and everyone then thinks we’re a self-righteous jerk for saying this. By the time it gets around the church you swore at them, told them off for an hour and punched them in the face. You are excommunicated by the pope himself and when you all go to heaven no one likes you and you sit around your golden mansion all day, alone and miserable while everyone else glories God among the nations.

Maybe that’s not your nightmare, but I would be lying if I told you that I didn’t get tremendously worried and fearful when offering challenge to someone. I’ve botched up some challenges in my life and done everything from making close friends mad for a few days to infuriating leaders and half their family for months. Sometimes it happens because you say and do dumb things when you offer a challenge (by “dumb” I mean “sinful” - there is no nice way to say it), but often it happens because (big surprise) people are proud and don’t like to be challenged.

It is possibly the case that the larger your fear of challenging others, the more problem you yourself may have with the gentle correction of others. I know that I imagine people getting upset with me because I myself don’t really like to be challenged. And while I might not yell at them or threaten them, some part of me is often thinking - “How dare they say this to me! And by what right?”

Look to Your Own Heart
A church leader and friend of mine has an excellent saying that he repeats at times (it may not even be his point originally). He says that when we find ourselves offended or angry at the criticisms or rebukes of others, we need to ask ourselves what kind of idol within us is being challenged. It’s one thing to acknowledge that someone has brought an inaccurate criticism, or that they have brought an accurate criticism inappropriately or with sin themselves. But if you find yourself responding in bitterness or feeling “wounded” by a legitimate point, then you need to ask yourself what kind of idol is being attacked.

For myself, I know that if I am having trouble dealing with a gentle correction from a friend or mentor, its usually for any number of reasons:

  • My sense of my own righteousness has been challenged: I think I am generally moral person and shouldn’t have to put up with someone correcting me.
  • My vanity or image has been challenged: I want to appear moral or knowledgeable because I feel it gives me status or makes me worthy of respect.
  •  My discomfort with rejection: I want others to like me and to think well of me.

I’m sure there are others, but these are some things that I have to watch out for. You might recognize these in yourself as well.

The point is that a negative reaction to critique - even if justified - probably still carries with it some sin on your part. Indwelling sin tells us this - that we are all sinners in need of a saviour. We have to look to our own sin first and look for truth in the rebukes of others.
Continue reading ‘The Importance of Fellowship: Why You Need it (Yes, You)’

The Importance of Fellowship: Dealing with a Dead or Dying Church

Published by Colin May 28, 2009 in Religion and Theology. 14 Comments

This is part of an eight part series on the importance of fellowship. Read the other parts here:

Part 8: Unconditional Love
Part 7: Honesty
Part 6: Fighting Superficiality
Part 5: Sanctification
Part 4: Why You Need It (Yes You)
Part 3: Dealing With A Dead or Dying Church
Part 2: Accountability
Part 1: Introduction

I have also had people ask me about cultivating fellowship in churches where leadership or members are ignorant of what fellowship actually is. There is no easy answer for this.

I spoke with one pastor about this recently who believed that it simply requires a couple or two to begin to affect a change in a church without biblical fellowship. I think that this is possible, of course, but I don’t think this is always going to be the case. I have seen churches where the leadership is not just ignorant of fellowship, but where their actions and words are actively (not maliciously, but through application in ignorance) thwarting fellowship in the church.

Obviously there are greater problems at work if the leadership is promoting a kind of “anti-fellowship”- where they themselves are gossiping, judging, shaming, being self-righteous or promoting their own image or pride. Where this is the case, I think the pastor(s) need to be approached humbly with some ideas on ways that the church can be improved in this area.  A teachable pastor is going to look critically and carefully at these suggestions and hopefully will seek to implement them in ways that he sees fit.

Unfortunately, it may be likely that the pastor will reject these things - after all, it attacks his pride and his own view of his own authority, wisdom and importance. Some pastors are thoroughly convinced that they are actually performing a biblical function by engaging in and encouraging anti-fellowship. I have seen pastors stand on nothing but their own pride and authority before - even when scripture and reason have completely been abandoned. At this point, it may be best to shake the dust off your feet and move on - forgiving the pastor for being a human being, with the same kind of failings that you yourself have.

Aside from that scenario, reading a bible-based book together with a friend, another couple, or a small group is a good way to start. Most people won’t say no to this, and it enables you to begin to work together, sharing your thoughts about what you are reading and how you might apply this. I think this simple, no frills act can do amazing work in everything from a marriage to a small church.

Before we went to a church that taught and discipled us specifically in biblical fellowship - this is how we learned about it. My wife and I read books together, and also with our friends. Again, as long as the leadership is at least indifferent to this (most, I think, would be supportive) then this may very well start a positive move towards establishing fellowship.

On to Part 4: Why You Need It (Yes You).

Securing Our Foundation, Part I: Christ our Rock

Published by Chris A May 26, 2009 in Religion, Emerging Church and Theology. 0 Comments

It has occurred to me that much of the extremism and false doctrine that is being propagated within the American church is partly the result of the lack of doctrinal foundation many Christians have today. These excesses are neither unique to America, nor are they new, but I am speaking particularly from my own perspective and experience as an American Christian. My perspective is influenced by my personal conversations with other believers, what I have witnessed within the local church as a minister, and observations of the American Christian media.

Notwithstanding the fact that there are always insincere people with ulterior motives, there are also a good number of well-meaning believers who, in their search for truth, have become distorted in their concept of what it means to be a follower of Christ. In many cases, they are led astray by ministers who were deceived themselves.

This is particularly true among newer Christian movements who seem to be susceptible to “cutting edge” error. Perhaps in their effort to remain “relevant” they unwittingly purge aspects of truth wrongly perceived to be non-essential. Before long the momentum behind their newly formed culture begets a faulty standard replicated by others. Until and unless these movements become adequately reformed on the basis of truth, they may well become full-blown cultic and/or fizzle out completely.

Error is not only damaging in the sense that it can lead people away from Christ; it also has the tendency to indirectly discredit legitimate teachings that have been taken to extremes. Those seeking to distance themselves from extreme teaching often disregard biblical revelation in the process. Therefore, it is incumbent upon all believers to take responsibility for our own beliefs in order to ensure that we are not spiritually adrift, and be able to distinguish between genuine teachings stretched beyond their intended applications and outright deception.

The lines are not always as clearly drawn as we would like them to be, but if we are followers of Jesus Christ we must purpose to receive anything that is genuinely from him. The possibility that others have erred in teaching on a certain subject should not dissuade us from seeking after the truth. We are called to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, not just the ones that fit neatly within the framework of our particular church’s teaching.

Christ Our Rock
There are numerous scriptures that point us to the fact that Christ himself is the basis of our faith. As much as this will seem like common sense to many of us, there is something implicit in this fact that has been neglected among many professing Christians – that Christ is not only the object of our unwavering trust, but his following the will of the Father was marked by suffering at the hands of the ungodly. Psalm 118, a prophetic and messianic psalm that is referred to six times in the New Testament, explains a key characteristic of our foundation.

21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone;
23 the LORD has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.

Jesus was a reject. Why was he rejected? Because he is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his very personality. Those who loved darkness rather than light preferred a religion with a semblance of godliness apart from the tangible manifestation of God in the flesh, and the same is true today. People would rather sift through the Bible so that they may pick and choose what they want to believe, and when something does not agree with their preconceived ideas about who they think God is (or should be), they may even change the truth of God into a lie to satisfy their own prejudices.

Jesus’ words and actions were the actual expressions of divinity, and because men are by nature rebellious against God, men rebelled against him.

During his earthly ministry Jesus’ life was exemplified by complete selflessness, deferring always to the one who sent him. He completely consecrated himself to the will of his Father, even to the point of denying his own human will to escape the death of the cross, to the end that he was willing to lay down his life for the sins of all mankind.

Likewise Christians must be willing to suffer for their faith. All who live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. If we intend to live a life free of persecution, then we do not intend to live our lives as Christians. If Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith was persecuted at the hands of the ungodly, why do Christians assume they can follow him and not suffer reproach? In fact, if we are never spoken of in a negative light, we should ponder this statement from the one we call “Lord”:

“Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.” (Luke 6:26)

If a minister writes books about spiritual matters and has a popular following among unbelievers, a large number of which never feel the need to repent and receive the gift of grace found only in Jesus Christ, the fruit of such a ministry is obvious. Thank God for the material blessings he gives us in this transient life, but we must never forget that they are temporal.  Giving comfort to those destined to spend eternity separated from God is a work of the devil!
Continue reading ‘Securing Our Foundation, Part I: Christ our Rock’

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