The Gospel First

Why I continue to evangelize other “Christians”

‘Christian’ is a broad term that includes millions who have various understandings of the person and work of Jesus Christ, who identify with a myriad of Christian institutions, and who do many good works in Jesus name.   Yet, despite vast theological differences that exist among Christians, there is a persistent call for unity. The rise of Islam throughout the world, the deterioration of Christian values in the west, and the design to remove all vestiges of Christianity from the public sphere contribute to the growing rapprochement among those who call themselves Christians.

If Christianity is divided, so it is argued, then God’s love is misrepresented to the world and, if divided, it will be unable to withstand the social and political attacks it suffers in the 21^st century. Consequently, there is a rising cry for Christians to not proselytize from other Christian groups.   This move to ‘Christian unity’ is represented by both ECT (Evangelicals and Catholics Together) and the WCC (World Council of Churches) who call for an end to proselytizing, as well as others.  Listen to the voice of those involved with ECT:

 Three observations are in order in connection with proselytizing. First, as much as we might believe one community is more fully in accord with the Gospel than another, we as Evangelicals and Catholics affirm that opportunity and means for growth in Christian discipleship are available in our several communities. Second, the decision of the committed Christian with respect to his communal allegiance and participation must be assiduously respected. Third, in view of the large number of non-Christians in the world and the enormous challenge of our common evangelistic task, it is neither theologically legitimate nor a prudent use of resources for one Christian community to proselytize among active adherents of another Christian community [underline is mine] (http://tinyurl.com/ye5jntg).

Similarly, the WCC says:

Despite all efforts to combat it, the problem of proselytism is still with us, causing painful tensions in church relationships and undermining the credibility of the Church’s witness to God’s universal love. Ultimately, proselytism is a sign of the real scandal which is division. [underline is mine] By placing the issue of proselytism in the context of church unity and of common witness we suggest a perspective which makes it possible to approach the problem within an adequate theological framework (http://tinyurl.com/6qajmf4).

On the one hand, I agree that Christian churches should not proselytize from other Christian churches when churches agree on the essential promise of the gospel, i.e. through faith alone in the finished work of Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, sinners are brought into immediate and complete reconciliation with and justification before God; thereby rejecting any notion of saving grace mediated through the church or through the addition of any human work. The gospel asserts the sufficiency and completeness of the work of Christ in redemption removing any suggestion that our acceptance before a holy God is an unfinished process.

Wherever the gospel is blurred, diluted, or rejected I will continue to evangelize. I will evangelize ‘Christians’ who depend upon the church and its sacraments to gradually infuse God’s saving grace into them; I will evangelize those whose clearest understanding of being a Christian is “I was baptized’ or ‘I go to Church’ or ‘I receive Jesus every week in communion’ or ‘I try to live by the ten commandments or the golden rule.’

I will evangelize ‘Christians’ who actually believe in a Christ who is not the Christ of the Bible. He is simply a good teacher, a prophet, or one who opens a path of salvation for some but is equally gracious to those who come another way.

Because the gospel of Jesus Christ is of ultimate and eternal importance, I will forego the temporal protection of a wider, visible Christian unity for the present and eternal security in having spiritual unity with Christ and others believers.

True Christian unity is unity with those who through the gospel have been brought into union with Christ. The gospel creates a union with Christ that is not a gradual, unfinished process but a perfect, finished reality.  There is no middle ground in the gospel. You either are in union with Christ or not. You are either sealed with the Holy Spirit or not. You are either passed from death unto life or not. You are either ‘born anew’ or not. You have been adopted in God’s family or not. You either have been justified before God or not. You are either transferred out of the kingdom of darkness into his marvelous light, or not. The gospel brings about a perfect union with Christ not a possible union.

This is how I understand the offer of the gospel and this is why I evangelize other ‘Christians’ who are hoping to be saved, who are doing their best, who love Jesus in some romanticized way, who follow one of the various ‘Christian’ traditions hoping for eternal life, etc.

What a tragic diminution of the work of Christ to think that my salvation can be achieved or completed through my own religious effort in life or some purgatorial purification at the end.

Sadly, the call for visible Christian unity too often dilutes the clarity of the gospel. Contrary to what Evangelicals and Catholics Together say about proselytizing, it is a prudent use of resources to evangelize those who are adherents of another Christian community, when that Christian community has blurred, diluted, or rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ. And, contrary to the World Council of Churches, the real scandal is not division within ‘Christianity’, but the scandal of seeking a unity that is willing to sacrifice the gospel which alone offers eternal union with Christ.

Clarifying the “Means of Grace”

The term ‘means of grace’ is used by Roman Catholics and Protestants, and many evangelicals. Historically, the term comes out of the Roman Catholic Church which teaches that the sacraments (7 of them) are means by which the saving grace of God is communicated. The Reformers retained the terminology but nuanced the understanding of the sacraments (2 of them) as ‘the means by which saving grace is applied and confirmed.’[1]

Both Roman Catholicism and Reformed Protestants institutionalize the means of grace, i.e. the sacramental means are neither available apart from institutions nor apart from the administration of ordained clergy. Read the rest of this entry »

REFLECTIONS ON PREACHING

I write as one who loves preaching – both as a preacher and a listener – and who believes that preaching the Word is central in corporate worship.  I appreciate the diversity of styles, personalities, and approaches to preaching. I have learned through the years to glean something from most preachers, though admittedly I cannot help evaluating when others preach. When I sit and listen, which probably is not often enough, I have some reasonable (at least in my mind) expectations in preaching. Here are a few of my aspirations for preaching:

1. I hope that a preacher will come to the pulpit having studied and prayed over a biblical text, having grasped its central meaning, having seized its relevance, having been moved by its message, and having seen how it points to Christ.
2. I hope that the preacher will lead me to the worship of a holy and merciful God and not distract me by either his slovenly or flamboyant manner or appearance.
3. I hope that he will not think too much about being cool or funny, or Avant-garde with his theology, though he may be naturally cool or funny without trying.
4. I hope that when he stands before the people of God that he will speak as one who speaks for God.  He will speak boldly (standing erect with feet square and shoulders back – not leaning on the pulpit, not crossing his legs, no hands in the pocket, not nervously shuffling back and forth), clearly (projecting his voice beyond a conversational level, with diction that is precise, and with words that are well chosen), passionately (being personally moved by the implications of this message from God), and humbly (knowing he performs a sacred task which depends upon the Spirit’s power).
5. I hope that the introduction will draw me into the message and that the body of the sermon will logically argue the main point while reflecting the biblical text, and that the conclusion will tell me what to do with what I just heard.
6. Overall, I hope for an outworking of 2 Timothy 4:1-2 “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:  ² preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”

May we all be encouraged by those who have proven to be faithful in the task of preaching:

• “We need to pray until our text comes freshly alive to us, the glory shines forth from it, the fire burns in our heart, and we begin to experience the explosive power of God’s Word within us” (John Stott).

• “I preached as never sure to preach again and as a dying man to dying men” (Richard Baxter).

• “Our ministry must be emphatic, or it will never affect these thoughtless times; and to this end our hearts must be habitually fervent, and our whole nature must be fired with an all-consuming passion for the glory of God and the good of men” (C.H. Spurgeon)

• “All Christian preaching should be the exposition and application of biblical texts. Our authority as preachers sent by God rises and falls with our manifest allegiance to the text of Scripture” (John Piper).

• “Lack of intensity in preaching can only communicate that the preacher has never been seriously gripped by the reality of which he speaks – or that the subject matter is insignificant” (John Piper).

Ordinary Pastors

I have in hand another invitation to a big name conference with a big name speaker. I could go and hang out around the coffee pot with ordinary pastors, but I am told that the important stuff comes from the important people.

My brother Steve and I have spoken from time to time on how glad we are to be part of the Evangelical Free Church of America. One of the reasons is that there is no single awe-inspiring individual with whom the Free Church is identified. It is not a movement of personalities. We had looked at other church planting groups who were led by powerful, ‘successful,’ personalities, yet we chose the Free Church as a movement of ordinary pastors led by ordinary men who are seeking to be faithful to the work and Word of God.

Some time ago I read Don Carson’s book Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: the Life and Reflections of Tom Carson in which he told the story of the faithful work of his father laboring in small churches in Quebec. The Reformed Reader summarizes the book aptly:

This book is not exciting.  Rev. Tom Carson’s life was pretty normal – though perhaps a little more difficult than average because he labored in such hard soil (the Quebec area in the ’40s and beyond).  He is not very quotable, and his journals aren’t full of moving and inspiring writing.  Rev. Carson even suffered through periods of melancholy because he didn’t have a high view of himself; he sometimes questioned his abilities and calling.  So if you want a book about self-motivation, conquering the world for Christ, starting a thriving ministry, or building a multi-campus church, don’t get this book.  You’ll be sorely disappointed.

However, if you want to see what the life of an ordinary pastor is like, this book belongs on your shelf.  I’m guessing that most of our readers are in the context of a smaller church whose pastor is not known by more than a few hundred people.  This book is for those pastors!  And I’d encourage parishioners to read it as well, just to get an idea of what it’s like to simply be a Christian pastor, father, and husband who does his best to follow the Lord in faith and obedience (http://tinyurl.com/7rh6n6s).

I enjoy the company of ordinary pastors. They have not written a book that has cast them into such prominence that they have left their church to talk about the book. They have not experienced such phenomenal church growth that they have become itinerant evangelists of church success. They do not tweet often and are rarely, if ever, re-tweeted. They have no unique and engaging story to tell that sets them apart from other ordinary pastors – at least not one that many want to listen to. They are ordinary.

They seek to be 1 Timothy 3 kind of men; they are faithful in preparation and preaching; they are involved in evangelism, discipleship, shepherding, and community involvement.  They are ordinary.

Because they are ordinary, they have no need of being the center of attention. They actually care about other ordinary pastors and are interested in what is going on in the lives and ministries of ordinary pastors. I have one such valued friend who over the course of our friendship has never sought to impress me with his successes but who, unintentionally, has impressed me with his faithfulness. He is an ordinary pastor who one day will hear the words, “Well done, ordinary pastor (good and faithful servant). Enter into the joy of the Lord.”

May God give us more ordinary pastors and maybe even more conferences for ordinary pastors led by ordinary leaders.

Personal Beliefs/Opinions

Denominational Distinctives

Theological Systems

Doctrine Essential to the Gospel

Personal Convictions

Debatable issues

Cultural applications of biblical morality

Perspicuous Biblical Morality