While preparing for my Reformation Day message I came across a quote by Calvin that could serve as necessary corrective to the narcissism prevalent in the church today. Calvin said:
“It is not very sound theology to confine a man’s thoughts so much to himself, and not to set before him, as the prime motive of his existence, zeal to show forth the glory of God. For we are born first of all for God, and not for ourselves.”
Showing posts with label theology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label theology. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Deacons
Next Sunday morning at Covenant of Grace we will be receiving deacon nominations in anticipation of calling and ordaining our first deacons. This post is in anticipation of that exciting event.
God is a God of order and purpose. This is not a remarkable statement; the evidence for this is clearly revealed in creation (Rom. 1:19, 20). His design and purpose is not limited to the act of creation; it permeates every facet of human life from government to family. As a part of God’s design He has provided order for His church. God’s design for the church, when obeyed, effectively provides for both the spiritual and physical nurture of the body. Today I want to look at the way in which God provides for the physical needs of His people through the office of deacon. Certainly we must all look for opportunities to care for one another but God has also established this particular office to ensure that the practical needs of the body of Christ are being met. Today I will look at the establishment of the office and I will consider the kind of men that are equipped and called to this glorious mission.
The office of deacon rose up out of practical necessity; the church was growing both in number and diversity. The gospel was spreading and people from every tribe, tongue and nation were being united together by faith. As all of this was occurring it became evident that someone needed to ensure that those who had physical needs were being cared for. The particular problem facing the church was that the native Hebrew widows were receiving provisions while the Hellenistic Jews (those who had adopted the Greek language and culture) were not (Acts 6:1). We are not told why this oversight occurred only that it did. We also know that caring for widows ought to be seen as highest priority within the church (1 Timothy 5; James 1:27). The apostles respond to this situation by affirming the responsibility of the church to care for these widows. But they also taught the congregation that they themselves needed to be about the business of preaching and prayer not serving tables (Acts 6:2, 4). The apostles then managed this situation by instituting the office of deacon (Acts 6:3). It is true that the term deacon is not used in this context but the word deacon, “diakonos,” means servant and service is clearly what is being discussed. What kind of man was qualified for and appointed to this duty? What kind of man should we look for today as we seek to appoint deacons?
Members of the body (Acts 6:3) – as the body of Christ, the church needs to care for one another. We should not expect someone else to care for the members of the body in need nor should we farm this responsibility out. It is the body that needs to care for the body.
Men of good reputation (Acts 6:3) – there are a number of ways this could be understood, but lets just consider a few. These are men who are respectable, upright and just. I also think this means that they have to have a good track record of caring for the needs of the body. They need to be men who are clearly interested in serving their fellow believers.
Full of the Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6:3) – obviously this indicates that they need to be Christians. But is goes farther than that, they are not to be novices to the faith nor lacking understanding. They are men of spiritual maturity and discernment.
Men of knowledge and understanding (Acts 6:7-7:53) – one of the deacons highlighted in Acts is Stephen. Stephen demonstrated a tremendous knowledge of the word of God. In fact, Acts 7 is a wonderful Old Testament survey. While the primary responsibility of deacons is to look after the physical needs of the body they must also be men who are accustomed to the word of truth.
Men who are committed to Christ and His kingdom (7:54-60) – ultimately Stephen gave his life for the cause of Christ. Deacons are men who are committed to Christ and commitment to Christ is clearly seen in commitment to His church.
May God grant to His church men of godliness and integrity, willing to serve the needs of the body for the glory of Christ and the good of His kingdom.
God is a God of order and purpose. This is not a remarkable statement; the evidence for this is clearly revealed in creation (Rom. 1:19, 20). His design and purpose is not limited to the act of creation; it permeates every facet of human life from government to family. As a part of God’s design He has provided order for His church. God’s design for the church, when obeyed, effectively provides for both the spiritual and physical nurture of the body. Today I want to look at the way in which God provides for the physical needs of His people through the office of deacon. Certainly we must all look for opportunities to care for one another but God has also established this particular office to ensure that the practical needs of the body of Christ are being met. Today I will look at the establishment of the office and I will consider the kind of men that are equipped and called to this glorious mission.
The office of deacon rose up out of practical necessity; the church was growing both in number and diversity. The gospel was spreading and people from every tribe, tongue and nation were being united together by faith. As all of this was occurring it became evident that someone needed to ensure that those who had physical needs were being cared for. The particular problem facing the church was that the native Hebrew widows were receiving provisions while the Hellenistic Jews (those who had adopted the Greek language and culture) were not (Acts 6:1). We are not told why this oversight occurred only that it did. We also know that caring for widows ought to be seen as highest priority within the church (1 Timothy 5; James 1:27). The apostles respond to this situation by affirming the responsibility of the church to care for these widows. But they also taught the congregation that they themselves needed to be about the business of preaching and prayer not serving tables (Acts 6:2, 4). The apostles then managed this situation by instituting the office of deacon (Acts 6:3). It is true that the term deacon is not used in this context but the word deacon, “diakonos,” means servant and service is clearly what is being discussed. What kind of man was qualified for and appointed to this duty? What kind of man should we look for today as we seek to appoint deacons?
Members of the body (Acts 6:3) – as the body of Christ, the church needs to care for one another. We should not expect someone else to care for the members of the body in need nor should we farm this responsibility out. It is the body that needs to care for the body.
Men of good reputation (Acts 6:3) – there are a number of ways this could be understood, but lets just consider a few. These are men who are respectable, upright and just. I also think this means that they have to have a good track record of caring for the needs of the body. They need to be men who are clearly interested in serving their fellow believers.
Full of the Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6:3) – obviously this indicates that they need to be Christians. But is goes farther than that, they are not to be novices to the faith nor lacking understanding. They are men of spiritual maturity and discernment.
Men of knowledge and understanding (Acts 6:7-7:53) – one of the deacons highlighted in Acts is Stephen. Stephen demonstrated a tremendous knowledge of the word of God. In fact, Acts 7 is a wonderful Old Testament survey. While the primary responsibility of deacons is to look after the physical needs of the body they must also be men who are accustomed to the word of truth.
Men who are committed to Christ and His kingdom (7:54-60) – ultimately Stephen gave his life for the cause of Christ. Deacons are men who are committed to Christ and commitment to Christ is clearly seen in commitment to His church.
May God grant to His church men of godliness and integrity, willing to serve the needs of the body for the glory of Christ and the good of His kingdom.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
A Church Under Age
Recently I’ve had a lot of questions about the Law of God. Questions such as: what is the relationship between the Old and New Testaments; how does the Law apply to us today; what is the relationship between Israel and the church? These questions are theologically essential because our answers to them will determine how we understand God’s providence, His work in history and His plan for the future. These questions are not just theologically significant but how we understand these issues will also motivate how we live as followers of Jesus Christ. In beginning to think about these questions it becomes clear that this is a tree with multiple branches requiring a great deal of thought, discussion and application. In the coming days it is my desire to investigate a number of these branches. I believe the best place to start is with the Westminster Confession of Faith’s description of the nation of Israel as “a church under age.” (XIX:III) This simple statement is exceedingly profound, biblically accurate, theologically significant and practically helpful.
This simple phrase helps us to see the Bible as a unit that reveals God’s plan for His people. It is not two books telling two different stories, but rather it is one story: a biography of God and His people. It tells of birth, growth and maturity. The nation of Israel encompasses the first part of the story – the people of God in their infancy. The infancy of the church is seen in the way God addressed and cared for them. The Old Testament could be said to be childlike (not childish) because in it God speaks to the people in stories, illustrations and pictures. Westminster says:
“God was pleased to give to the people of Israel, as a church under age, ceremonial laws, containing several typical ordinances, partly of worship, prefiguring Christ, His graces, actions, sufferings, and benefits; and partly, holding forth divers instructions of moral duties. All which ceremonial laws are now abrogated, under the New Testament.”
Everything about the ceremony of the Old Testament was to serve as a picture or illustration of what was to be accomplished in Jesus Christ. The theological reality of substitutionary atonement (a truth that is difficult to explain to children) was revealed on the Day of Atonement by the sacrifice made in the holy of holies. The incarnation of Christ was pictured in the tabernacle the place where God came to earth to meet his people. Freedom from the bondage of sin was prefigured in the Egyptian slavery and Exodus. These examples could go on and on. The Old Testament is a picture book intended to teach the children of God (Israel) about his great work in anticipation for the maturity that would be experienced by those who received the Spirit of God and a law written on their heart.
This brings us back to the Law. The Law was intended for the immature (there is more that will need to be said about the Law in future posts so please don’t think this is the final word on the matter). Paul is clear in Galatians when he says:
“But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”
Children, because of their ignorance, need much greater supervision than those who have grown to maturity. One of the benefits of maturity is the understanding of how important it is to do what is right even if there is no law forbidding what is wrong. The same is true for the church under the headship of Christ; it has grown, by the grace of God, to maturity and so its relationship with the pictures and laws of an immature church has changed (Galatians 2:19).
If God’s providence permits we will investigate some of those changes in the days and weeks to come.
This simple phrase helps us to see the Bible as a unit that reveals God’s plan for His people. It is not two books telling two different stories, but rather it is one story: a biography of God and His people. It tells of birth, growth and maturity. The nation of Israel encompasses the first part of the story – the people of God in their infancy. The infancy of the church is seen in the way God addressed and cared for them. The Old Testament could be said to be childlike (not childish) because in it God speaks to the people in stories, illustrations and pictures. Westminster says:
“God was pleased to give to the people of Israel, as a church under age, ceremonial laws, containing several typical ordinances, partly of worship, prefiguring Christ, His graces, actions, sufferings, and benefits; and partly, holding forth divers instructions of moral duties. All which ceremonial laws are now abrogated, under the New Testament.”
Everything about the ceremony of the Old Testament was to serve as a picture or illustration of what was to be accomplished in Jesus Christ. The theological reality of substitutionary atonement (a truth that is difficult to explain to children) was revealed on the Day of Atonement by the sacrifice made in the holy of holies. The incarnation of Christ was pictured in the tabernacle the place where God came to earth to meet his people. Freedom from the bondage of sin was prefigured in the Egyptian slavery and Exodus. These examples could go on and on. The Old Testament is a picture book intended to teach the children of God (Israel) about his great work in anticipation for the maturity that would be experienced by those who received the Spirit of God and a law written on their heart.
This brings us back to the Law. The Law was intended for the immature (there is more that will need to be said about the Law in future posts so please don’t think this is the final word on the matter). Paul is clear in Galatians when he says:
“But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”
Children, because of their ignorance, need much greater supervision than those who have grown to maturity. One of the benefits of maturity is the understanding of how important it is to do what is right even if there is no law forbidding what is wrong. The same is true for the church under the headship of Christ; it has grown, by the grace of God, to maturity and so its relationship with the pictures and laws of an immature church has changed (Galatians 2:19).
If God’s providence permits we will investigate some of those changes in the days and weeks to come.
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