Kingdom or Church?

"'My passion isn't to build up my church. My passion is for God's Kingdom.' Ever heard someone say that? I have. It sounds large-hearted, but it's wrong. It can even be destructive. Suppose I said, 'My passion isn't to build up my marriage. My passion is for Marriage. I want the institution of Marriage to be revered again. I'll work for that. I'll pray for that. I'll sacrifice for that. But don't expect me to hunker down in the humble daily realities of building a great marriage with my wife Jani. I'm aiming at something grander.' If I said that, would you think, 'Wow, Ray is so committed'? Or would you wonder if I had lost my mind? If you care about the Kingdom, be the kind of person who can be counted on in your own church. Join your church, pray for your church, tithe to your church, participate in your church every Sunday with wholehearted passion.We build great churches the same way we build great marriages -- real commitment that makes a positive difference every day."

Ray Ortlund

Christian Christianity

Recently I have been thinking a lot about the role of Christians (as individuals and united as the church) in society – this is a difficult and multifaceted issue that certainly cannot be adequately addressed in this format; but as I was catching up on the news this morning a couple of things struck me. To clarify, let me begin by saying that I am not thinking of one particular news story or incident; I am looking at the big picture. Next, in referring to the news I am talking specifically about the news that relates to the government and politics. My basic premise (which is not at all unique or insightful) is that our government as a whole is criminal, immoral and lacks civility. I don’t deny that there are a few that do not fit this generalization but I believe they are the exception not the rule. By the way, this is not limited to one party or ideology; it is true of every party and branch of government and can be found in every sector. I think it is also important to state that I am not arguing for or advocating a “Christian” America (Christian nations are unobtainable and unbiblical – the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent will always be in conflict). In fact this is not even a political discussion. What I am concerned about is the church. I don’t want a Christian America, what I hope for is a Christian Christianity. The decline of our nation was certainly foreseeable – I am sure that most of us are familiar with this quote by John Adams:

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

— John Adams, October 11, 1798

Those things that Adams claimed would break the strongest cords of the Constitution, avarice, ambition, revenge and gallantry, are certainly the rule of the day and they continue unchecked. Why? I believe that it is time for the church to take some responsibility for the decline. Moral people are not produced by a government agency – they are sinners remade by the justifying grace of God. But the gospel proclaimed by the church today is one that deals lightly with sin – it is even increasingly difficult to find morality in our churches. No longer are we told of the wrath of God against sinners. In fact our rebellion against God and His anger at our rebellion is generally not even put forth as our greatest problem, producing our greatest need. Churches have replaced the message of the gospel (man’s sin, God’s wrath, Christ’s death) with messages that are “relevant.” People listening to these sermons believe that their greatest needs are practical needs – the need to learn how to be better parents, a better spouse or better employees – some churches have even preached that what they needed was really a better sex life. In trying to be practical churches have made themselves irrelevant. What is needed is a Christian Christianity, where Christ and His gospel once again take their rightful place. John Piper says it well – “I do not aim to be immediately practical but eternally helpful.” We will do the greatest good in society when we stop taking the world’s concerns and wrapping them in Christian garb and start telling the world about its greatest problem – God is angry with sinners and He sent His Son as Savior. I know that I have not even begun to address the specific questions about Christians and their role in society – but this is a start; we must begin by recovering and proclaiming the gospel of Christ.

Good Works

"In all ages this irreligious affection of religion, because it is rooted in man's nature, has manifested itself and still manifests itself; for men always delight in contriving some way of acquiring righteousness apart from God's Word. Hence, among what are commonly considered good works the commandments of the law are accorded too narrow a place, while that innumerable throng of human precepts occupies almost the whole space."

John Calvin

Covenant and Eschatology

"The biblical story does not simply illumine our existence: it throws our whole existence into turmoil. It does not merely answer our questions: it reveals the banality of our questions and gives us new questions that set us on a path to profound discovery. It is not supplemental, but subversive. Thus, the goal is not to relate the Bible to our experience (which is really to say, judge the Bible by our experience), but vice versa. We must set out to make our lives relevant to the biblical story, not the biblical story to our lives." Michael Horton

Relevance

“The purpose of too many evangelical churches has fallen from one of glorifying God simply to growing larger, assuming that that goal, however achieved, must glorify God. One problem, theologically and even practically, with such a lowering of our vision is the self-defeating pragmatism that results:

‘If the aim of the church is to grow, the way to do it is to make people feel good. And when people discover that there are other ways to feel good, they leave the church they no longer need. The relevant church is sowing the seeds of its own irrelevance, and losing its identity to boot.’”

Mark Dever - Nine Marks of a Healthy Church

Currently Reading

God Bless Barak Obama

In 1 Timothy 2:1-4 we are told to pray for all men, and in particular we are told to pray for those who are in authority over us (this would include kings, presidents, senators, etc).

“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

These verses are always relevant, but given the results of last nights election, results that will disappoint many within the evangelical community, these verses are particularly pertinent for us today. Before looking at the message of these verses it is important to begin by reflecting on another biblical truth that will help us understand the application of this particular passage; this truth is summed up in 2 Timothy 3:12:

“Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

This is an absolute. The desire to live a godly life will result in persecution. There is nothing in Scripture that leads us to believe that this will change until the return of Jesus Christ. Christians ought to expect the world to reject God’s Word and His people. So how does that apply to 1 Timothy 2:1-4?

It would be easy to read the first part of verse 2, (pray) “for kings and all who are in authority,” and assume that the remainder of the verse, “so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity,” is conditioned upon how God answers the prayers we make on behalf of those in authority. The reasoning is as follows: if God favorably answers the prayer I am offering for my leader and that leader legislates in a way that encourages godliness, then I will be able to lead a quite and tranquil life. On the one hand I don’t believe that is the message Paul is trying to convey, and on the other hand I don’t believe that reasoning is consistent with the fact that we are aliens and strangers who ought to expect persecution for the sake of righteousness. So what is Paul teaching?

We must intercede on behalf of all men, even kings and those who are in authority. We must thank God for them as well as petition God on their behalf. These are not prayers that are offered in the hopes of receiving something, but rather they are made with the hope that God will save those for whom we are praying (2:4). We as the people of God must intercede on behalf of the world for the sake of the world. Remember, this is the same world that will persecute us for our desire to live a godly life. So Paul is not saying that we are to pray because of the benefit we will receive, a tranquil and quiet life, but rather that we are to pray for the world because they stand condemned before the judgment seat of a holy God.

When we pray for the world and those who are in authority, God will grant to us a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. The outcome promised is not conditioned upon the action of those we are praying for; God may not grant them repentance and they may continue persecuting the people of God. But as we pray for them God will be at work in us, transforming us in the image of Christ. God causes us to grow in godliness despite the conditions in the world that might war against us. Our living in tranquility and growth in godliness are the outcome of our obedience to Christ. Our obedience is the result of the grace of God, it is not based upon our own fortitude and desire.

Let me conclude by applying this to our current situation. We must pray for president elect Barak Obama. We must thank God for him and petition God on his behalf. We must pray that he comes to a knowledge of the Truth. He may govern well or he may enact policies that are antithetical to God’s truth. What he does as the President of the United States does not determine our lot in life, the progress of the gospel or the growth of the church. As people of prayer, God will grant us peace and tranquility, even if it is achieved in the midst of persecution. In praying for Barak Obama, God will grant us godliness and dignity. This is not conditioned on his policies but upon God’s grace who gives to His church every good and perfect gift. Presidents come and go but the Word of God and His church will endure forever.