Category Archives: Church

Organism or Organization: What is the Church?

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Organized religion isn’t popular in today’s trendy world. The Emerging Church has been defined, in some ways, by a disillusionment with the institutional church and an emphasis upon community. This is also seen in the modern-day “house church movement.” Assemblies gather in homes without any real structure or leadership, and many regard this as the “relational” or “organic” church. This, they imagine, is what the Apostles envisioned the church to be. The question, of course, must be resolved by Scripture. Does Scripture define the church only in terms of community, in terms of institution, or in terms of both? That is to say, is it organism, organization, or both?

That the church is an organism is clear from Scripture. One of Paul’s favorite metaphors for the church is the body. He wrote to the church in Corinth, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13). To the church in Rome he wrote, “so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another” (Romans 12:5). The body metaphor is used elsewhere too in Ephesians 5:23 and Colossians 1:18, 24. Thus, many have rightly concluded that the church is an organism, and this organism spans denominations, culture, and time and is being knit together into one body under the head, Jesus Christ.

But this in no way means that the church is not an institution. To say otherwise simply lacks biblical witness. One cannot help but read the New Testament and see that though the church is a body, it’s also an organization. Scripture doesn’t identify an unorganized group of Christians as a church. Rather, the church has rules (1 Timothy 2:8-15; 1 Corinthians 11-14; Titus 2), the church has appointed officers to enforce these rules and oversee the body (Matthew 16:19; Acts 6:1-7, 14:23; Ephesians 4:11; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5; Hebrews 13:17), the church is called upon to compensate teachers (1 Timothy 5:18), the church has disciplinary actions if someone breaks the rules (Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:1-12; Jude 1:22-23), and the church has a specific mission (Matthew 28:16-20). None of this would be possible if the church were not, in some sense, an organization.

The challenge is, of course, aiming for a balanced view and avoid either extreme. The church is found in the organism and the organization, together. It’s absolutely necessary that we have this balanced view. Not just because we live in a society that is increasingly postmodern and antiauthoritarian, but because it’s this church which Christ died for, it is this church that Christ has promised the gates of hell shall not prevail against (Matthew 16:18).

Dealing With Error

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When I was younger my idea of fun was having firecracker wars with my friends. There was something insanely entertaining about lighting a fuse and throwing a mini bomb hoping the timing was just right that it would detonate on impact. Of course, it was all fun and games until someone…no, wait, it was all fun and games. As I see it, many people—zealous as they may be for the truth—treat theological error much in the same way. It’s an entertaining exchange of relatively harmless firecrackers. The problem is, many theological errors are nothing short of a stick of dynamite ignited by the flames of hell waiting to go BOOM.

I was reminded of the danger of error this week with the news that a well-known PCA pastor in the Pacific Northwest was resigning because of his theological shift on sola scriptura and sola fide—making a break with Protestantism to swim up the Tiber and join Rome. I know many people would applaud such a bold move and disregard its seriousness forgetting that in Trent the Roman Catholic Church excommunicated herself from the true church. Such examples should serve to warn, not only those aspiring for the ministry, but all professing believers of the danger of error.

The inspired authors don’t mince words when it comes to dealing with serious nature of error. Consider the colorful language of Jude when he describes the false teachers as “shepherds feeding themselves, waterless clouds, fruitless trees in late autumn, wandering stars, etc.” Or the Apostle Peter who says they are “irrational animals, creatures of instinct, blaspheming about matters which they are ignorant, insatiable for sin, enticing unsteady souls, etc.” John warns the church in 2 John to not even speak a Christian greeting to those who deny the work of Christ, or to even welcome them into the home. And Paul calls them “enemies of the cross of Christ” and reminds the Galatians that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. All of this, and so much more could be produced, screams the word: BEWARE!

This isn’t to say that the church has no obligation to deal with error. Jude clearly says we must “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (v. 3). Also, it doesn’t mean we need to be like scared sheep who run at every shadow of false doctrine. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power (2 Timothy 1:7). We need a sure confidence in truth’s victory over error. But that doesn’t mean we should play around with error like children toying with fireworks, but as a bomb squad seeking to defuse a dangerous weapon, “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

Let My Son Go

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“Israel belonged to God and God expected that his son would serve him loyally in the years that lie ahead. Israel was the one in whom Yahweh’s (and the world’s) hopes and intentions to bless the world depended. Presently, however, the nation in its current infancy status was vulnerable and easily preyed upon, and in need of rescue and protection. But as one commentator has asked in relation to Yahweh’s responsibility and in regard to this text: ‘what parent would not go to the end of the world to protect his or her child? Especially a child that has been imprisoned, beaten, enslaved or worse?’ Indeed, if Yahweh is to be known by any name it is surely as a protector of the weak, the vulnerable and the ill-treated, and in Old Testament times children (not to mention widows, the poor and the orphan) all fell into that category. But as things are, Pharaoh is standing in the way of Israel as the firstborn son receiving the inheritance to which it is rightly due.

“Pharaoh’s heart was so hardened and encrusted that in order for him to release Yahweh’s son Israel it would be require a judgment commensurate with the action of which Pharaoh himself was guilty, killing the male Israelite babies (Exod. 4:22). Pharaoh was going to pay by losing his firstborn son, as the text makes clear: Let my son go…But if you refuse to let him go I will kill your firstborn son (23). In other words, the punishment will fit the crime, or as one author has rather graphically and succinctly put it: ‘Israel is my family. You mess with my family, I’ll kill your kid.’ Yahweh’s action to remove Pharaoh’s firstborn son was therefore a direct assault on royal succession, for in Egyptian thought the firstborn male stood in the line to the father’s throne and the new Pharaoh would be a god and regarded as an incarnation of Ra. This tit-for-tat sonship, which is essentially a simple principle of Hebrew law, the so-called ‘lex talionis’ (Exod. 21:23), is for real and Yahweh is now ‘playing for keeps, the only way a treasuring, concerned parent can.” (Trevor J. Burke, The Message of Sonship, 46-47).

A Burger King World

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I heard a good sermon yesterday on Matthew 16 and Jesus’ confrontation with Peter, and it’s really gotten me thinking. Despite your individual choice of fast food cuisine, we live in a “Burger King” society. We all know the famous slogan for those flame broiled burgers, “‎Have it your way, right away!” In fact, Burger King’s marketing technique is really genius because it appeals to our natural selves. We want things on our terms, we want to do things our way. Remember that kid’s game, Follow the Leader? What was “more” fun: actually following the leader, or stepping off the path and beating your own trail?

The mission of Jesus was one of suffering. The great temptation of Satan in Matthew 4 was to entice Jesus to get the crown without the cross. Yet our Savior withstood the devil and willingly chose the pathway of suffering—the crown was to be had only by means of the cross. Well, in Matthew 16 Jesus tells his disciples that he must go down to Jerusalem to “suffer many things.” This, of course, went against their expectations. This was Jesus the Christ, the son of the living God. Surely he wouldn’t have to suffer. You see, the disciples were always baffled by this—and the message here in Matthew 16 is, the cross comes before the crown.

But ambitious Peter couldn’t possibly conceive of this, and so we read in verse 22, “Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.” There’s two things to note here that are sometimes lost in English translations:

  1. First, the word “rebuke” really carries with it a certain strength in opposing—almost a violent opposition. This wasn’t a meek and mild suggestion on Peter’s part. This was a forceful opposition.
  2. Secondly, the words “Be it far from three” could better be rendered “May God be merciful to you, Lord! This will not be.” Peter is actually invoking the mercy of God, as if to say, “God is too merciful to let this happen to you.”

In this light we can see the GREAT error of Peter. Jesus is going to Jerusalem to suffer, to win the crown by the cross. This was according to the eternal plan of the Triune God, to work mercy through judgment. And in this moment Peter would step in the way and say, “God forbid!” If he could have in that very moment he would have stopped the predetermined plan of God to save sinners. Jesus is going this way, and Peter is going that way! Is it any wonder then that Jesus turns to him and says, “Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” He grabs the subtle serpent and holds him at bay, commanding Peter to fall in line, “Follow me,” he’s saying.

And so it is with us. We’d like to imagine that we wouldn’t have stood in Peter’s shoes, but let’s be honest, we would have, because we do. There’s an intrinsic principle in fallen humanity to be servant of none and lord of all. How often we think to build by our own plan, or to sail by our own bearing. These are destructive patterns in many of our lives, relationships, and in many of our churches. But Christ doesn’t build according to our blueprints any more than he sails the ship according to our compass. It’s not about doing things and having things “our way, right away.” It’s about doing and having things the way Jesus would have it–in our living and in our dying, in all of life, the gospel calls us to follow the Leader–the leader of our lives and the leader of our church. Get behind him!

Shepherding Seminarians to Preach

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I’m going to go out on a limb here (since I am a seminarian) and write about a topic that I think is sadly ignored by many: the local church’s role in preparing men to preach. Before I do so, let me assure you that it’s not because I have a personal vendetta or am inflamed by some pent up bitterness. Quite the opposite really! In God’s providence I’ve had what I would regard as one of the best “seminary experiences” of anyone I know, and I’m thankful for that. But from my point of view there seems to be in many churches a failure to appropriately shepherd seminarians. To a degree I can understand that. If we think of the pastorate as a full grown man, seminarians are in the awkward phase of “pastoral puberty.” Training for the ministry, but not ordained to the ministry; always thinking about the ministry, but not yet officially ministering; learning, growing, and changing at such a fast rate we sometimes can’t keep up with ourselves! As a result they can be sidelined in a hundred different ways in the very years that are most formative to their future calling. All the sheep in the flock need to be shepherded according to their various needs and situations, and so too seminarians need some particular attention. And one of those areas, peculiar to seminarians, is the need to be shepherded in preaching. I’m thankful to be in a local church and a denomination that affords me this type of shepherding, and I’m even more grateful for the dozen men who have come alongside me at various times to mentor me—some giving invaluable help, others good things to think about, and, truthfully, some things that weren’t helpful at all. So, from a seminarian’s perspective, what’s the most helpful thing the local church can do to help?

The first three steps are the most important:

  1. Pray for your seminarians.
  2. Pray for your seminarians.
  3. Pray for your seminarians.

Now that we have that covered here’s ten helpful suggestions:

  1. Be an example. It’s been said that good preaching is caught, not taught. For better or worse humans are creatures of imitation. The best thing a pastor can do to train a man to preach, is to preach well himself.
  2. Give seminarians the chance to preach. They’ve not given up all earthly callings and pursuits, they’re not subjecting themselves to the torments of Greek and Hebrew, or struggling with biblical and systematic theology to teach Sunday school lessons (as valuable as those opportunities are!), but to learn how to preach God’s Word.
  3. Don’t expect them to preach like you. The church is a place of diversity and this is true of preaching as well. There are as many different styles and methods of preaching as there are preachers in the world—Paul was not like James who was not like Jude. Good preaching consists of the text flowing through the personality of the one who speaks.
  4. Review their sermons with them. I admit, every seminarian thinks they’re the next Spurgeon or Lloyd-Jones (if only God was willing!). They’re not, and so they need help. Help them discern (don’t just tell them) by balanced critiques, what worked or didn’t work; what was effective, and what wasn’t; what is essential to preaching, and what is secondary, etc. This isn’t a time to “bring them down a notch” but a time to let iron sharpen iron.
  5. Be honest, even if it means brutally honest. Pulpit ministry needs to be guarded by the church as fiercely as we guard our own lives. If a man doesn’t belong on the pulpit, tell him sooner rather than later. It’s better to offend a man, than offend the God who calls.
  6. Remember your words. They have great power to build up in the calling, or to tear down. For many, seminary is a time of great internal struggle and you can make or break that. Paul wasn’t kidding when he said our words need to offer grace to those that hear.
  7. Disciple them against a fear of man. There’s the subtle temptation to preach in order to please: to please seminary professors, to please presbyteries, or to please congregants. At some point every seminarian needs to learn to preach only to please God. This is, in many ways, the only criterion of good preaching and the mark of a truly successful ministry.
  8. Guard them from the unwarranted criticisms of congregants. If every pastor has their own idea of what makes for good preaching, it’s also true many congregants thinks they’re homiletical experts. While a few wise saints in the congregation can be of great help (they often see things pastors and elders miss), it shouldn’t be a “free-for-all” on the seminarian.
  9. Note progress when you see it. Paul commanded Timothy that he should conduct himself in such a way that everyone would see his progress (1 Timothy 4:15). This is true of pastors, and it’s true of seminarians. One of the best experiences and relationships I ever had was with a ruling elder who sat down with me and reviewed a summer’s worth of sermons. He assured me he was doing it, not because I was a seminarian, but because that’s what good elders do in helping a pastor/seminarian progress in the work of the ministry.
  10. Love your seminary students. I once had it explained to me that seminarians are “missionaries for future generations.” These are the men, who by the power of the Spirit, will be announcing the gospel to your children, and your children’s children. Those who, in integrity, are undertaking the ministry of the Word are not doing so for fame, fortune, or fun. They’re doing it because the Lamb is worthy to receive the reward of his suffering.

Searching for Optimism

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I remember watching the horrific videos that captured for a worldwide audience the power of the tsunami that hit Japan last year. As the waves broke in on the shore they wiped out everything in their path, tossing things to and fro and unsettling houses from their foundations. It was an amazing display of the destructive power of nature. In much the same way is the power of pessimism.

pes·si·mism [pes-uh-miz-uhm]: 1. the tendency to see, anticipate, or emphasize only bad or undesirable outcomes, results, conditions, problems, etc.

Pessimism is a mighty and powerful thing as it spreads its shroud of gloom and discouragement. How easily it overpowers families, institutions, nations, and even the church! The kind of grumbling and complaining that accompanies an attitude of pessimism is one of the greatest inroads Satan uses to sow seeds of discord in the vineyard of Christ; and this pessimism manifests itself in all of us. The results are devastating! It turns brothers and sisters against each other, congregants against their pastor and elders, and makes mountains (huge mountains!) out of tiny molehills.

So what do we do? Well, as with all sin we need to seek to kill pessimism with the Spirit. As powerful as the waves of the ocean can be, and as powerful as pessimism may be, there is another who is stronger. The Psalmist celebrates this when he sings, “Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them” (Psalm 89:9). We need the power of God to radically transform and renew our minds (see Romans 12:2) that we may be lifted out of pessimism and have a gospel perspective.

What does that mean? Well, it’s true that the church has a lot of imperfections and shortcomings. But it’s also true that God never views his church outside of union with Jesus Christ. So why do we? God views his church, not only as the work of grace she now is, but as she will exist for all eternity, “as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). That’s the gospel perspective we need as Jesus takes each stone, hews it, chisels it away, and fits it into the right place, building up the church to be a habitation of God through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:22).