Whose Church Is It Anyway?

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.            -Matthew 16:18

It seems almost superfluous to ask questions regarding ownership of the church. Shouldn’t the answer be obvious? From its very beginning, Jesus claimed ownership of the church. He did not tell Peter that men like him could build their own churches – it belongs to Him. There are few within Christendom who would argue against this fact.

Yet, in spite of the fact that ownership of the church seems to be a settled issue, we must ask ourselves, “Whose church is it?” If we believe that what we are part of is the church established by Christ, then how should we function as such a church? What responsibilities fall upon us, and what work should be left to God? Are there times when we are taking authority that was never entrusted to us?

Our understanding of the church must begin with the fact that it is not our church. We speak of it in those terms when we refer to “our church”, and the use of that language may betray what some actually believe at times. Though the Bible says that the church was purchased by Christ with His own blood (Acts 20:28), modern Christianity has subjected it to the ever-changing whims of contemporary society. There is a distinct possibility that we have allowed the work and direction of the church to be determined by the culture in which we live. Rather than allowing the church to be counter-cultural, it has been molded and conformed to the image of the society it was intended to change. However, the relevance of the church is always a direct result of its distinction from worldly cultures. If the church cannot be holy, or set apart, from the world, neither can it be relevant to the needs of humanity. So, even though it seems unnecessary, let us consider the implications of Jesus’ ownership of the church.

The Foundation of the Church

Jesus’ statement about the church was in response to Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Son of God (Matt. 16:16). Jesus told Peter that it was not man who had revealed this truth to him, but God Himself. He then asserted that this is the rock upon which the church would be built. What rock is Jesus describing? Peter’s name signifies a stone, or a fragment of rock. Jesus was not referring to a stone, but to a rock that would provide a solid foundation for the church. Peter confessed his faith in Jesus as God’s Son, and it is on this firm foundation that the church was built.

On what foundation is the church built today? Jesus said that those who hear His words and respond to them (Matt. 7:24) are building on a foundation that will support them. The church must be built on Jesus Christ and what He teaches. There is no greater foundation than the Incarnate Word who brings the light of God into this fallen world. All that we do must be built on the work, and character of Jesus Christ. We are not given the authority to choose our foundation, but it is laid for us in all that has been done by Christ.

The Builder of the Church

The Bible is clear that humanity is a necessary part of the church. The Bible says that we are the blocks that make up the temple of God. You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5). It is important for us to understand our place in the church Christ builds. We are a part of His church. It is always built through the saints, but it is never designed by them. It is not our purpose to structure the church according to our desires, or for our own ease. It is always Christ who puts the members in place where He sees fit. And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11, 12). There is no doubt, the body must be built, but it is the work of Christ to erect the structure through the call He places on His people.

 We are stones, but it is not our purpose to be architects. All that is built grows out of the work of Jesus. Every ministry, ever committee, every organization must grow out of the work and purpose of Jesus Christ. He is the master builder, and the church always surrenders to His design.

The Purpose of the Church

We talk a great deal about purpose and vision within the church today. Conferences are offered, and books written, to help us identify our vision and establish goals that will help us pursue them. At times, it seems that we believe it to be our purpose to determine the direction of the church, but what we miss is that He has already provided direction. The gates of hell shall not prevail… The work of the church is to march into battle to conquer that which hell possesses. The imagery used in Matthew 16:18 is not one that requires the church to sit back and hope to endure. In ancient times cities were surrounded by walls. There were gates in those walls to protect the citizens, but no nation every marched into battle with gates. They are always a defensive structure. So the implication of Jesus’ statement is that the church is to be an offensive force against the powers of hell. We must be willing to fight the spiritual battles before us in the name and power of Christ.

The church of our day has become a collection of spiritual pacifists in many cases; unwilling to stand for the truth of God’s Word. Some have abandoned doctrinal principles that have been held orthodox for centuries to gain acceptance with society. How can this be when it is the stated purpose of Christ for the church to stand against the sinful things of the world? Jesus established the church for a purpose: to bring light to the darkness of the world. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). It this is true, then our purpose must be to boldly proclaim that which makes the church different from the fallen world in which we live. The purpose of the church, according to Jesus, is to march against the gates of hell.

Based on the words of Jesus, what do we believe about the church today? If we believe the words of Jesus, do we see the church that He established when we look at our congregations, or the church at large? If we are to be the church today, we must first establish where ownership lies, and that is always with Christ.

The Problems With Premillennialism

One of the greatest divisions in modern Christianity is the understanding of the return of Christ and the things that surround that event. We need go no further than our local Christian bookstore to find countless books and CDs teaching a number of different views and prognostications regarding this topic. It seems that everywhere we turn we hear fanciful tales of people disappearing in a secret rapture and the rise of the Antichrist and his evil regime. The ideas about the return are prevalent, and each one more outlandish than the last. But are all these predictions really true? Can we actually find them in Scripture?

There are many who will claim that the answers to these questions do not really matter. “This is a non-essential doctrine,” we are consistently told by those who promote the pluralism of our day. But Scripture diminishes the idea of non-essential doctrine when the Apostle Paul wrote, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). If God inspired all of the Scripture we find in the Bible, are we really in a position to stand as judges over which portions of Scripture are essential and which ones are not? If we were wise enough to do such a thing we would also be wise enough to know that the responsibility is too great for us. All Scripture is given for the edification of God’s church.

In spite of the Scriptural claims of the importance of doctrine, we still find much debate over the idea of the importance end-times theology. There are many in Christendom who will not recognize its importance. We do not ask pastors what their view of this issue is when they are interviewed by search committees. Sometimes they are even ordained without ever having to articulate a Biblical understanding of the second coming of Jesus. How can this be? Is it really that unimportant? I would suggest that it is not. In fact, it is very important to our theology.

When we study the various teachings of Scripture we find that they fit together as one whole. We cannot separate them into different compartments and assume that one will never affect the others. The beliefs that we claim as truth all affect other beliefs in some way. That is why it is important for us to study systematic theology, so we have the opportunity to think through the consequences and effects of our beliefs. If we study Bible doctrine in a systematic way we will find that today’s popular teaching about Jesus’ return is not consistent with our general understanding of Scripture.

The most commonly expressed view of the second coming is premillennialsism (specifically, dispensational premillennialism). This view promotes that the 20^th chapter of Revelation teaches that Jesus will someday come back to earth and establish a kingdom in Jerusalem. During that time He will reestablish the Old Testament temple worship and sacrifices. It tells us that this kingdom will last for 1,000 years before a battle called Armageddon is fought between Satan, who had been bound by Jesus but is released for one final battle.  Those who endorse this view believe that Revelation sheds light on an elaborate timeline of events that will lead up to the return of Jesus. Chief among them is the rapture, or disappearance of the church. We find stories based on this belief in literature such as The Left Behind Series. The problem with this view is that it is not based on Scripture. It is based on a teaching that was not accepted by the church until the middle 1800’s, and did not become popular until around 1900 when it was promoted by C.I. Scofield in his reference Bible.

But again, we face question as to the importance of what we believe about these things. There are those who maintain that it makes no difference. So what do we do with beliefs about the end of time? Should we make an issue out of such things? If we consider the belief that is being promoted by the “end-times experts” of our day the answer must be, YES! The things we believe and teach about the return of Jesus are important. They affect other beliefs that no serious Christian would consider negotiable. Consider just a few of the things affected by a premillennial belief.

It Is Based On Inconsistency

Those who hold to an amillennial view of the return of Jesus – a view that teaches He comes back on the last day to resurrect the dead and all will be judged at the end – are often accused of “spiritualizing” scripture. We are told that we cannot look at Scripture symbolically, and that it was never intended to be understood that way. The follower of Scofield, Ryrie, or modern day dispensationalists such as John Hagee or Tim Lahaye, will claim that they take the Bible literally as they believe it should be understood. The problem is that the do not.

These teachers claim that the book of Revelation is about Jesus returning to set up a literal kingdom on earth. This kingdom will be composed of the Jews because the church will have been taken away in a secret rapture. But their claim to take the Scriptures literally falls apart on this premise. If the book of Revelation is largely written to the Jews as they claim, they must eliminate the references to the church. They do so by using the 4^th chapter. “After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’ At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne” (Rev. 4:1, 2). To diminish the importance of the church they will claim that these verses represent the rapture of the church. The words “come up here” are used to show the church being taken to heaven before the restoration of the Jews. But aren’t these the same people who want to take the Bible literally? In fact, they take the majority of Revelation literally. The literal understanding of this would be that John was taken into heaven and saw a vision there. Those who claim to take this book literally use highly symbolic language to accomplish their purpose.

I do not dispute that Revelation is symbolic in nature. We read in the first verse, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants – things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John” (Rev. 1:1 NKJV). The word that translates to signify is semiano, which means to show by sign. The very first verse of Revelation teaches us that it is a symbolic book. But if this is the case it must be understood that way. We cannot pick what we want to be symbolic and what we want to be literal but must understand it as God intends. The problem with the premillennial view is that it teaches inconsistency. It promotes the idea that we can mold Scripture to fit our preconceived ideas rather than allowing the Holy Spirit to use it to speak to us. When this happens we have opened the floodgates for any number of abuses. Scriptures from the whole of the Bible are torn from their context and used to prove fanciful tales of unbiblical things. The Bible certainly uses figurative language, and that is impossible to dispute. But we do not get to choose how we want to take it.

We also find inconsistency in the understanding of symbols that are clearly defined for us. Let us revisit the claim that the church disappears after Revelation 4 and the rest of the book is written to the Jews. Can this be true? Consider Revelation 21:1-2: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” John claims that he saw the city Jerusalem, but look at his description: PREPARED AS A BRIDE ADORNED FOR HER HUSBAND! Who is the bride? It is the church. John makes this “new Jerusalem” synonymous with the church. And he does it again in verses 9 and 10: Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem…” Twice John equates the Bride of Christ with the holy city Jerusalem. If the culmination of Revelation is the Bride of Christ then of necessity the book is about the church. But those who hold to the premillennial doctrine will claim that this should be understood literally, and to “spiritualize” it does damage to the text. If that’s the case then we must ask, is it possible to marry a city? What we see is very clearly a symbol of the church. This teaching hinders our ability to consistently understand the Bible.

It Eliminates the Presence of God’s Kingdom

One of the predominant doctrines of the New Testament is the Kingdom of God. “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matt. 3:1, 2). After the temptation of Jesus, we read, “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). The premise of premillennial doctrine is that Jesus came to establish this kingdom but was rejected by the Jews. Its proponents believe that God established the church as an afterthought so reside in this world until Jesus comes back to accomplish what He could not do at His first advent. Can this be true? If it is, what does it say about Jesus?

Even as He prepared to die on Calvary, Jesus maintained that His purpose was to establish God’s Kingdom. “Then Pilate said to him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world – to bear witness to the truth’” (John 18:37). This, along with the previously stated verses, gives us ample evidence that Jesus and John the Baptist believed that Christ came to establish God’s Kingdom.

We read in Revelation 12 about the specific time of the Kingdom’s establishment. “Now a war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon…And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan…And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, ‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God” (Rev. 12:7-10). Many would have us believe that this is a war that was fought during a rebellion of Satan at the beginning of time, but this is simply not true. This event dates itself in verse 10 when it says, “NOW the salvation and the power AND THE KINGDOM OF OUR GOD and the authority of his Christ have come…” We read here that the Kingdom of God came at the same time as salvation. We know without a doubt that salvation was delivered at Calvary! This means that the battle to establish God’s Kingdom must have taken place as Jesus Christ hung upon the Roman cross and gave His life for the sins of man. Matthew’s gospel even makes reference to the gospel message as the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matt. 4:23; Matt. 9:35; Matt. 24:14).

Scripture teaches us the presence of God’s Kingdom. It is not a political kingdom ruled from a worldly throne, but a spiritual kingdom that transcends the political barriers of this world. That is why the Apostle Paul wrote, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17).

The presence of God’s Kingdom places a burden on us. It requires submission to Jesus Christ our King. That is why it is difficult for us to look at the church as a kingdom. In the church people can throw their weight around and get their way, but in a kingdom we submit to our King. There is a great difference between living as part of a social organization and subjects of a kingdom. That is why the premillennial doctrine that diminishes the present reality of God’s Kingdom is dangerous to the church today.

It Necessitates a Defeated Church

Possibly one of the most treacherous aspects of premillennial doctrine is its view of the church. Few would claim that they believe the church is destined for failure, but of necessity that is what this doctrine teaches. It claims that the church will someday be taken away in a secret rapture so that the Jewish nation can be reestablished and do the work of evangelism that the church could not do.

If this is really the case, what should the church be doing today? We preach and teach the great commission, but if we were to hold to a premillennial belief we could easily ignore those aspects of Scripture. This belief treats the Great Commission as nothing more than a naïve dream.

The idea of an escape before tribulation also stands in opposition to the words of Jesus. He told us that in this life we will have trials, and even went so far as to claim that the persecuted are blessed. How do we reconcile such statements with the idea that the church will be taken away before tribulation comes upon the world? Premillennial doctrine discourages the Christian from facing the very trials that build our character and solidify our faith. It does injustice to the promises of God by creating the illusion that we will be delivered from tribulation instead of being sustained through it.  This simply cannot be. Any interpretation of Scripture that does not allow for the maturity of the Christian is not true to the teaching of the Bible.

It Diminishes the Redeeming Work of Jesus

If we examine the premises of premillennialism thoroughly we find that it stands against the presence of God’s Kingdom, and awaits the failure of the church, but this is not the full extent of its dangers. It also diminishes the redeeming work of Jesus Christ. The premillennial teacher believes that Jesus will someday come back to establish a political kingdom in Jerusalem. As part of this kingdom they promote the idea that temple worship – along with animal sacrifices – will be reinstituted. But Scripture teaches us that those sacrifices were not sufficient, so why would they be reestablished? Was the blood of Jesus not enough to provide salvation from sin? Though those who hold to this doctrine claim to believe that there is power in Jesus’ blood, they stand on a belief that leads us to a different logical conclusion.

It seems like everywhere we turn we hear about doctrines that are essential and others that are not. We are told that beliefs about things like the return of Christ just do not matter. But if we consider the premises of premillennialism this simply cannot be true. The Bible tells us that all Scripture is given by God and is profitable. If this is the case we must be sure that we do indeed take all Scripture seriously – even that which relates to the end times.

Walking An Ancient Path

Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.  But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”           -Jeremiah 6:16

 

            Have you ever looked around the places where you store old things?  It could be a basement, an attic, or maybe even a barn or storage shed.  I would imagine that as you look at the things that fill those places you would very likely find a lot of things that are completely obsolete – technology that is no longer in use and things that, while once very useful, have become little more than relics from days gone by. 

For years I refused to buy a digital camera.  My wife used one, but I would not.  I had a number of 35 millimeter cameras, and even a darkroom to develop film.  I was sure that those cameras would not be completely replaced.  To this day the resolution is better than all but the very best (and most expensive) digital cameras, but at some point I had to admit that the technology I was using was obsolete and needed to be replaced.  This is a normal part of life. 

We live in a day when the rate of advancement in society is unmatched in all of human history.  From the cars we drive to the computers we use there is not a year that goes by that something of value to us is not replaced with something more efficient, more powerful, or just better.  Things are happening today that were unthinkable only a few years ago.  Most of us keep track of much of our life with smartphones that have more powerful computers than those on board the Apollo space missions. 

Some of the advancements we see are great, many are helpful in the things we do each day, but in the midst of all the excitement about what our society can do or achieve, it is important that we make sure we are not losing things of great importance in the middle of all the changes that are taking place around us.  I do not mean things like cameras or cars.  It seems that in this modern day we have lost something much more important.  As we use what’s available to us to continually accomplish more – and do it better – with the limited time we have it is easy to forget about the things that go beyond our society that places so much value and emphasis on human ingenuity and achievement. 

We get so caught up in the advancements of the world around us that we forget about the things that exist and go beyond this world.  In our day it is possible to be better and more efficient in our work, our hobbies, our sports and almost every other aspect of our worldly life.  But for all that man has done, he has never – and can never – come up with an invention or device that will bring us closer to God.  He cannot conceive of anything that will forgive sin, or restore the relationship that God wants to have with Him.  It is easy to lose sight of this fact as we immerse ourselves in the society in which we live. 

Many of the things around us serve to turn our attention from the things of God to the things of the world, and as time goes by we forget what it means to walk the “ancient path” that leads us to God.  Our obsession with the modern world has obscured our view of the One who has provided for, and sustained man since ancient times.  We are not much different from the people of Israel during the time of Jeremiah.  We (yes, even Christians) have become so enamored by the world around us that we have forgotten the one who transcends this world.  We believe we have moved beyond the need for Scripture as a rule for the church and have replaced it with marketing strategies and business models – every invention of man that may provide us the modern shortcut we are looking for to entice people to be a part of the church.  While many look to these “sophisticated” methods of “doing church” we must always keep in mind the place to which those things have led us:

• 43% of Americans believe it doesn’t matter what religious faith you follow because they all teach the same lessons.
• 50% of Americans believe God will save all people no matter what they do.
• 41% of Americans are unable to identify an individual who they consider to be a strong Christian example or leader

 

We may have all the technology we could possibly need, but when it comes to knowing the Living God we are completely lost.  We have forgotten that no matter how advanced we become the platform from which we approach Him is still one of holiness.  We no longer seem to remember that the mind of God is still revealed through the Scriptures and that God’s power is still appropriated through our prayers.  Year after year we look in vain for the work of God in His church but see nothing more than the limited results achieved by the weak methods of man.  We have lost our way to God and His power.  The Christians of America today who spend their time and efforts groping hopelessly for something to hold onto and some way to find even a little of God’s power can be described by Rudyard Kipling’s poem, The Way Through the Woods:

 

They shut the road through the woods seventy years ago.

Weather and rain have undone it again,

And now you would never know

There was once a road through the woods.

 

            As the church flounders in this country, and we struggle to see the work of God among us, we have to wonder if we are more like the Israelites than we realize.  God asked through the prophet Jeremiah, Have you not brought this upon yourself by forsaking the Lord your God, when he led you in the way (Jer. 2:17)?  As we have allowed all of our modern conveniences to take over our lives we have decided to use the extra time we have found to pursue more worldly pleasures, and given up our pursuit of the “ancient path” to God.  We become enslaved to our hobbies, our lifestyles, our sports and jobs and forget that God has more for us.  If we were only willing to step back from the busyness of this life and assess the way we live in relation to God we may see that God has set before us and ancient way that leads us – not to stress, and an early death from hypertension – but a “good way” that leads us to His peace.  It provides a rest to our souls and a joy that the world can never offer.

 

The Description of the Path

            Scripture tells us that this is an “ancient path.”  It goes against many of our modern ideas and priorities.  The world tells us to value the materials that are offered here while the path God has set before us is one that leads to righteousness.  It does not always give us the things that are valued by this sinful place, but shows us how to walk in harmony and fellowship with the one who transcends all these things.  The world tells us to pursue human achievement while the “ancient path” shows us that all we may achieve pales in comparison to what God can do through our lives if we will surrender to Him.

            We are not talking about restoring the traditions created by the generation or two that came before us, but restoring something that came long before that, something that was given by God Himself.  Too often we convince ourselves that if we make the church the way it was when we got saved everything would be better, and we would see God move once again.  That is not what the Bible is teaching when it calls us to walk in the ancient way.  We are looking to go beyond all of the things that have become distractions, all of the inventions that man has added to the church throughout its history and get back to a vibrant relationship with our Holy Creator.  Back to the path He created for us when Jesus Christ fulfilled His proclamation that I will build my church.  No modern invention or method that we have devised can ever replace the fact that the church was bought with the blood of Jesus Christ.  It belongs to Him, and if you are to bear the name of His church – the Church of God – then you belong to Him.  He paid the price for your soul and ransomed you from all these modern things to which we are so willing to place ourselves in bondage. 

            Look at the history of the people of God and you will see that the church is at its best when the society around us (and even our modern conveniences) affects fewer of her decisions.  When the desire of God’s people is to seek His will and follow it the church thrives.  On the other hand, when man decides that his modern inventions have become good enough to take the place of the power of God and the guidance of His Word and Spirit we always see the same result: APOSTASY!  Every time we stray from the “ancient path” we see a fallen church, one that is not fit to carry the name, nor the power of God. 

This is why this path that God has provided us is called the “good way.”  It originated with God, completely independent of the flawed, errant reasoning of man.  Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go (Isaiah 48:17).”  In contrast, the Bible teaches that even what seems to be the best of man’s advancement is not necessarily God’s way.  A man’s ways are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit (Proverbs 16:2). 

If we are EVER to see God work in power within the church it will be when we look beyond our modern conveniences to the “ancient path.”  God will move when we put Him before the things that have overtaken our lives, the hobbies, sports, activities and general busyness.  We will see His power when we seek it above all the technology and advancement the ingenuity of man can offer.  The Bible tells us of this path, and then tells us how to get there.

 

The Directions to the Path

            Jeremiah did not simply tell the people of Israel to walk the ancient paths when they found themselves distracted by the idols and culture of the people around them.  He told them to stand by the roads.  The people of God were specifically told to put themselves in a position to find the direction of God.  We sometimes act like God will just strike us with a divine revelation of His Word.  We get the idea that, like John on Patmos, God will show us great miraculous visions of His will.  But if your name is not John and your home is not Patmos it is very likely that you need to put yourself in a position where God will speak to you through His Word, and His Spirit.  We have forgotten how great the Word of God can be in directing us toward His will.  This is His revelation to us, and it shows us the way that He relates to, and works in the lives of man.  It shows us what He has done throughout history, and it reveals what we can expect from God in the circumstances that we face as we journey through this life.  If we take the time to search God’s Word we will find the answers to many of the questions we face in this life.  That’s why Solomon said, Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way (Proverbs 23:19).

            We also hear the Word of God when we are part of Bible studies, Sunday School, and even listening to a sermon.  God will speak through those whom He has called to teach and preach the Word.  By being a part of the gathering of God’s people we are putting ourselves in a position to begin to see the “ancient path” that God has placed before us.  We cannot separate ourselves from the places we know God will speak and expect to see the path. 

            Jeremiah also told the people that they had to look.  Through prayer and meditation on Scripture we discern God’s will.  We have come to the point today that we have almost lost these spiritual disciplines among all the modern gadgets of the world.  Why pray when the answer to every question we could possibly have is on Google?  Do I need to go to God when I have a problem?  I can just ask my iPhone. 

            Jeremiah also told the people to ask.  We seem to convince ourselves at times that God is trying to hide something from us.  We act like He really doesn’t want us to walk with Him, so He is working to obscure Himself.  We struggle to find God’s way while forgetting that James told us, you do not have because you do not ask (James 4:2).  God is revealing Himself all around us, even in nature the Bible tells us.  We just don’t see it because we are caught up in other things.  We have set our sights on a destination that is contrary to that of this “ancient path.”

 

The Destination

            There are people in this country today who are wearing themselves out trying to keep up with the torrid pace of this world.  They are determined to do everything they want to do, anything that might be even a little bit fun or exciting.  They are sure they need to have 25 hobbies and their children need to play every available sport and join every club.  They want to experience everything the world has to offer.  There is nothing wrong with enjoying this life, and enjoying it, but we will someday pay for this attitude that we can never be fulfilled unless we have everything we want.  We try to fulfill this expectation at the expense of the rest that God promises for our soul. 

            When Jesus told us, Take my yoke upon you…for my yoke is easy, and my burden light, He did not mean that He was giving us an excuse to fill our lives with every worldly pleasure we can imagine to the neglect of our relationship with God.   Jesus did promise that He would take our burdens on Himself and help us along this “ancient way.”  But He did not tell us to create unnecessary burdens to place on Him.  Jesus has empowered us and enabled us to carry our cross, and do God’s work in this world.  He has saved and sanctified us for this end.  He has provided us with a better way to walk through this journey; a way that ultimately leads to eternal life.  But we must remember that this “ancient path” leads to a destination where all those worldly things will do no good.  When we arrive at the gate at the end of the path we cannot carry with us our achievements.  Our hobbies and worldly activities will not pass through that way.  That’s why this path is for a specific kind of traveller; one who seeks God’s presence and His goodness above all else.

 

The Travellers

            The “ancient path” about which the prophet spoke seems to be one that goes contrary to all the things the world values today.  It leads in a completely different direction than the paths of man.  But though this road looks difficult – maybe even impossible – we must remember that it is the same path that has been trod by the saints of all the ages.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness (Matthew 21:32)…  He [Apollos] had been instructed in the way of the Lord (Acts 18:21)…  Throughout the ages countless men and women have sought and found this ancient path.  They chose to give up some of their worldly ways and follow an ancient path that rises above all the turmoil and struggles of this world.  It transcends the progress and ingenuity of humanity and rises to the very heavens and presence of the God who inhabits them. 

 

            The way of God is laid out before us.  It continues to wind its way through the lives of men and women.  If we will seek His way out from among all the ways of the world, we will find a good and better way.  We will find rest for our souls.  God calls us today to an ancient path.  Will we follow that path, or will we – as Israel – say, We will not walk on it?

The Church Grows In the Word

And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.                       -Acts 6:7

 

Church growth is a hot topic within the world of Christianity today.  As many congregations decline in size pastors and laity alike continue to search for answers.  Why do we struggle in this postmodern world?  What is keeping people away from the church?  Why have we lost our influence and authority in this nation?  We commission market studies and research to help us find the methods that will attract people and convince them to join our ranks.  Local congregations of our day will seemingly try any method or program that might bring the masses to them. 

 

Sometimes, as I read books about methods and programs, I wonder where we find all this in Scripture.  If the church described in the book of Acts is our model then why do we not follow their example?  Have we considered the fact that with all of our modern innovations, and our life on the “cutting edge” of ministry we are failing miserably while that small band of fishermen so many years ago set the world on fire?  Those men and women of the early church turned a pagan world upside down.  Their influence was so great that the pagan government of the time could not help but stand up and take notice of the work that God was doing among them.  Where is that power today?  Why do we not see such a work?  Even churches that are growing tremendously do not see the power of God at work within them like the apostolic church. 

 

There are many differences we could point out between that church and the church of our day, but we would be better served to look at what drove their ministry, and where their attention was focused.  They were not looking at the most recent sociological studies, but at the Word of God.  Acts 6:7 tells us that the number of disciples grew as the Word of God INCREASED.  With each passing day the doctrines and teaching of Christ became more prominent in their lives and within the church.  “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching [doctrine] and the fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:42).”  These were people who desperately wanted to know Christ through His teaching.  They wanted to make Him, and His work, the object of their being.  The talked about doctrine with one another, and lived it in everything they did.  For the early church, things like sanctification and holiness were more than simply a theory, or an exercise in intellectual gymnastics.  These teachings were a way of life and a part of their very being.  For them, to know Christ was to learn of Him through His work in their lives.  To understand what He taught and did among them.

 

For many among the church in this day, doctrine is not longer a matter of importance.  People are continually telling us that doctrine does not matter as long as people are getting saved.  We allow any number of heresies (and we need to call them what they are) to be spread throughout the church as long as a few more people show up this Sunday than last.  Those who desire to stay true to the Word of God are accused of loving doctrine more than Jesus.  To briefly consider things like this shows the fallacy on which they are founded. 

 

Doctrine simply means teaching.  A doctrine is something that Scripture teaches us.  If Jesus Christ embodied the truth of God (John 14:6) then what He did and taught are doctrine.  Jesus’ work and teaching cannot – and should not – be separated.  To love Jesus is to love His teaching, and therefore, to love doctrine because it is an explanation of His Holy character, and teaches us the truth behind the works that He did.  The apostles looked at the teaching and work of Christ in this way.  In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began TO DO AND TEACH… (Acts 1:1)”  In their minds, to do the work of Christ was to live the doctrine of Christ.  That Is why John wrote, “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the TEACHING OF CHRIST, does not have God.  Whoever abides IN THE TEACHING has both the Father and the Son (2 John 1:9).”  One cannot and does not truly know and love Jesus Christ without continually gaining an understanding of doctrine.

 

While considering the importance of doctrine in our personal lives, we cannot forget its importance in the church.  The church was multiplied only as the Word of God increased.  As it was taught and took a position of prominence.  As Jesus’ teachings were passed on to the disciples who followed the lives around them were touched and even changed.  They were changed because this doctrine, and this Word are not without power.  “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).”  The apostolic church did not simply teach a theory or a method.  They lived in submission to God and allowed His Word and His Truth to live in them.  They did not work to explain it away, or to excuse themselves from its commands, but they taught and understood it so that Jesus Christ (the Truth) would become a part of their innermost being.  So that it was Christ who lived through them. 

 

The power contained in the doctrine of the Word is why they worked so hard to maintain purity in their teaching.  If the doctrine taught by Christ and inspired by the Holy Spirit multiplied the number of disciples, false doctrine – and those who promoted it - would be the greatest threat to the young church.  John wrote to the church, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching [doctrine], do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works (2 John 10, 11).”  Have you ever thought about how much we have changed since those days?  We have gone from not even greeting one who bears false teaching to promoting them to the highest positions of leadership because their “gifts” are more important than their beliefs.  Jesus Christ Himself even rebuked this false teaching in His letter to the Church of Thyatira:  “But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants… (Rev. 2:20)”  The truth is that there is no place in all of Scripture that condones false doctrine.  But beyond that fact is the truth that there is no verse anywhere that teaches us that doctrine is not important.  In fact, most of the epistles give some type of instruction to seek the Truth. 

 

By continuing to look away from God and to things of the world for direction, the church is missing the power that is available to her.  We continue to suffer from our power outage as we seek the ways of the world, and try everything in our power to win souls.  We try in vain because soul winning and discipleship are not in our power.  Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches us that Christianity is “not something that we take up or put down, but something that God does in our lives.”  When His Word moves in our lives discipleship takes place.  When the Word becomes a part of us outreach takes place.  “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself (John 14:32).”  It seems that we are making the commission given to us by Jesus Christ much more difficult than it should be.  We are not called to come up with slick marketing strategies and ingenious ploys.  We are simply called to submit to God and allow His Spirit to work through us. 

 

The need of the world today is not another program.  The need of the church is not more organization and structure.  The need is the power of the Spirit of God working through the Word of God.  As the world closes in all around us, what the church needs – and what the world needs – are preachers and teachers who take doctrine seriously.  We need those who, as the Old Testament prophets, can boldly proclaim, “The Word of the Lord came to me.”  The church needs those who will not compromise this Word for all the wealth of the world or the favor of its people.  A.W. Tozer once wrote, “I do not know what the future holds.  But I know one thing: Rather than betray the sheep of God, rather than lie to them and deceive them and keep them agitated and stirred up with all kinds of popular topics; rather than take my material from Time magazine, I’ll preach the Word to empty seats and sigh and cry for the abomination that is in the earth.” 

 

It is not an easy task to hold true to the doctrine of God’s Word.  It will bring criticism and skepticism, but in the end, it is the truth that will set people free.  The church has been entrusted to teach and proclaim the Word of God.  And we are told that it will not be popular.  “And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake.  But the one who endures to the end will be saved (Matt. 10:22).”  James Earl Massey speaks of the difficulty of holding true to the Word in his book Stewards of the Story, “A trustworthy stewardship as preachers demands courage to preach in these times when religious pluralism influences the public mind and postmodernism has emboldened many to question our message and the necessity of our work.”

 

The call to hold to the doctrines of Scripture is not always easy, and is seldom popular.  But it is our charge nonetheless.  The book of Acts gives us an example of a viable, growing church.  It is a church where doctrine was not only important, but imperative.  If we are to “be the church,” we must hold to the doctrine that has been entrusted to the church.  If we are to experience a renewal of God’s works and power in this day when the world pulls us in a thousand different directions, it will be when doctrine once again becomes a priority in the church.

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A World Without Prophets

The people of Israel waited 400 years for a word from God.  As they looked around their country and watched the Roman soldiers move in and out of their cities they anxiously awaited the day when God would bring judgment on the pagan nation that occupied the land of His people.  With each passing year the discontent with their situation grew and with it their desire to see God’s mighty work.  More than anything in this earthly existence they hoped to see the Messiah come and set up God’s Kingdom in Jerusalem so that they could become the ones who occupied other nations.  The people wanted the nations that had oppressed them for so many years to bow before them and live in subjection to their rule. 

Year by year they waited without so much as a word from God’s prophets until – seemingly from nowhere – the most unlikely man appeared in the desert.  He was clothed in animal skin and ate things that would turn the stomach of most.  But the message he carried was the one that Israel had waited hundreds of years to hear, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt. 3:2).”  People left Jerusalem and flocked to the desert to hear this man proclaim God’s Kingdom.  Many were sure this was what they had been looking for, but was it?

When Jesus came onto the scene, the one who John the Baptist had proclaimed and for whom the people waited, His presence and teaching were met with excitement.  God was finally going to place all the enemies of Israel under their rule.  But Jesus came teaching a different kind of kingdom than the political reign that they expected.  He was not interested in rewarding a nation that had lost sight of God in the midst of all their ritual and tradition, but He came to call that very nation to repentance.  The same people who waited with great anticipation for the Messiah were confronted, not with the message they wanted to hear, but with a call to leave their self-righteous lives behind and return to a God whom they didn’t even realize they had left.

Have you ever been confronted with a time when God’s instruction was not what you hoped it would be?  We all have high hopes and great expectations regarding what we think God should do for us.  We spend countless hours talking about His mercy and compassion (and rightly so), but how often do we consider the judgment of God?  Do we ever consider the words He has for those who may have strayed, or nations that have turned their backs on Him?

God’s judgment is likely to be the least popular topic in all of Christianity – rivaled only by preaching or teaching about Hell.  In a society that is focused on feeling good about yourself and the way you live it is difficult for preachers and teachers of the Bible to proclaim God’s words of judgment against the sinful things of the world.  Some people treat the prophecies and passages of God’s judgment as some type of caricature, or an idle threat made by a God who would never really punish anyone for anything, despite the fact that Jesus said, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline (Rev. 3:19)…”  And the writer of Hebrews reminded us, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him.  For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives (Heb. 12:5, 6).”

That the judgment of God is clearly proclaimed throughout the entirety of Holy Scripture is clear to see.  Many refuse to acknowledge the judgment proclaimed in Old Testament times, but it is quoted and restated in the New Testament.  Some type of warning against straying from God is apparent in almost every book of the New Testament, and it is difficult to read more than two or three chapters of the Bible without seeing reminders that God is jealous for our love and devotion and will not settle for anything less.  But if this is the case, why do we not hear more preaching and teaching about God’s judgment?  If Jesus really “rebukes and reproves” those whom He loves, why is it not clearly proclaimed throughout the church today?  Surely there must be things happening in the world around us – and maybe even in the church – that are not pleasing to God.  In a day when sound doctrine (yes, some of us still consider that important because Scripture teaches that it is) is compromised in the name of numbers, and standards of personal holiness are all but nonexistent there must be a word of reproof from the God who loves us. 

As we consider the fullness of the Word of God and the revelation of His character that comes from the Bible it becomes very clear that God will not simply smile and wink at sin among His people.  In fact, He continues to judge sin when it occurs among them.  “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God (1 Peter 4:17).”  God told the people of Israel in Old Testament times, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities (Amos 3:2).”  Sadly, many Christians today can go a lifetime without hearing a single sermon, or even a lesson in a Bible study or small group on Scriptures like these.  They seem to continually be overlooked.  But why the hesitation to address these verses and others like them?  Why the nervousness about boldly proclaiming the Word of the Lord?

The reason we do not hear the Word of God in its entirety is because we live in a world without prophets.  In Old Testament times God would call people to deliver His message to the masses who had forgotten Him.  When the wealth and comfort of the people began to take their attention from God He would raise up a prophet to proclaim, “Hear the Word of the Lord.”  Men who would carry the message fearlessly to a hostile people; who took their lives in their hands every time they relayed what God had revealed to them.  Amos told the people of his day, “the Lord does nothing without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7).”  When the people seemed beyond hope, and their relationship with God had faded into little more than a distant acquaintance, God sent His prophets to warn the people of His impending judgment – not because He no longer loved them, but because He wanted to discipline them and give them an opportunity for a new beginning and a fresh start.  Even when God flooded the earth it was so that Noah, who was a “righteous in his day,” could begin anew without the corruption of sin in the world around him.  Each time a prophet cried out, each time they uttered God’s judgments and commands the people were given a chance to repent and return to God.

Unfortunately, the prophets were commonly met with receptions of anger and violence.  Many were beaten and killed because the people just refused to heed the Word.  Even Jesus was met with scorn and ridicule when the Word He delivered from God was not the word that the people of His day wanted to hear.   When Amos proclaimed the Word, Amaziah the priest accused him of conspiracy and told him to leave the people and not to continue to prophecy (Amos 7).  Even after thousands of years the reception of God’s messengers has not changed.  People expect to listen to sermons each Sunday and go home feeling good for the week.  Many even expect to feel good about – and at times be commended for – their sinful lives.  If the preacher to whom they listen will not give them what they expect they will go down the street and find another who will.  No matter what community they live in people can always find someone who is willing to proclaim less than the fullness of the Word of God. 

Preachers in our day do not help matters.  There are always preachers who are willing to “tickle the itching ears” of the people.  They have found that if they continually work to please people that they can accumulate great numbers and build large programs and function on vast budgets.  In the process of all this, the prophets who will boldly proclaim the Word of the Lord - His love as well as justice, and His mercy as well as judgment – have essentially disappeared.  The “watchmen” that God has set over His people have failed time and again to sound the alarm and give warning of the impending judgment of God.  Scripture teaches us that God’s wrath will be shown from heaven against those who “by their unrighteousness suppress the truth (Romans 1:18).”  Notice, this is not an Old Testament prophecy that many so easily right off, but a New Testament truth.  That God’s judgment is at hand when we compromise His Word is no secret.  Yet the years go on, and the sin increases and the warnings never come.  There are many who will be accountable for the things they have taught, but also accountable for what they refused to teach.  “But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes ANY ONE of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand (Ezek. 33:6).”

It is difficult to be a watchman, given the charge of proclaiming the Word of God whether it is pleasant or difficult for the people to hear.  But God has called people to do it nonetheless.  Based on what we are taught in the New Testament we have to believe that God is speaking to His teachers today about the sin and depravity that are not only prominent in society, but have become a “normal” part of life within the church.  God is calling people who will preach His Word with fear and trembling (not of the people, but fear of the one who called them).  Though the people may try to suppress this truth it must be proclaimed.  It must be taught and shown to those who are struggling through life in sin.  God has a Word for us in our day just as He had for the people of Israel so many years ago.  Where are those who will fearlessly deliver it?  Where are those who are so consumed by love for God, so committed to His Word, so recklessly faithful that nothing will stop them from telling others what He is revealing to them?  “The lion has roared; who will not fear?  The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy (Amos 3:8).”

Scripture makes no pretense that it is a fearful job to proclaim the Word of God.  People will leave churches, and some will mock and ridicule the prophet.  A.W. Tozer spoke to the current situation when he said, “I do not know what the future holds.  But I know one thing: Rather than betray the sheep of God, rather than lie to them and deceive them and keep them agitated and stirred up with all kinds of popular topics rather than take my material from Time magazine, I’ll preach the Word to empty seats and sigh and cry for the abomination that is in the earth.” 

Though our times may seem difficult and even impossible, and the world speeds on at a torrid pace to Hell, the charge given to preachers remains the same, “preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching (2 Tim. 4:2)…”

Coming Out

"John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were GOING OUT TO HIM and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins." (Mark 1:4, 5)

The people of Israel were supposed to be God's covenant people.  They were the nation that God inhabited.  Jerusalem was the "city of God" and there was a temple in the city that was the very house of God.  Everything about that city within that nation was focused on that temporal dwelling place that had been built for the God that they continually sought. 

But before the time of Christ, God had been silent for 400 years.  People were starved for a word from God.  They wanted to know Him, and see Him move and work in ways that their fathers had experienced.  This desire to know God made them do the unthinkable.  They left the city, the temple, their traditions, and went out to the desert to see God work through one of the roughest figures that many had ever seen.  Have you ever considered what they were leaving behind in order to experience God?

They left behind the traditional places that God had lived.  The Jews believed that the temple in Jerusalem was the exclusive dwelling place of God.  It was the only place that one could go to be anywhere near His presence.  The rituals that were practiced by the priests and pharisees were rituals designed to bring about the presence of God. At one point these rituals had been valid - even commanded by God -  but by this time Israel had come to the point where they were simply going through the motions.  The ritual had become just that, ritual.  They had ceased to be about pleasing God and had become nothing more than a method for man to manipulate God.

I say these things, not to run down tradition, but to point out that sometimes tradition grows cold.  Those who went out into the desert were not leaving behind tradition simply to do something new.  Far too often we change just for the sake of change.  This was not the case.  These people were not leaving behind the commands of God.  They were simply tired of the ineffectiveness of man's interpretation of God's commands.  They wanted explanation, they wanted substance rather than formality and legalism.  These people wanted to experience the holiness of God.  They wanted to see Him work, they wanted to know Him.

This scripture has an interesting parallel in our day.  We go through the motions, and do what we've always done, and we don't experience God, we don't experience holiness, and we seldom experience anything more than those of the world experience.  We are generally pretty ignorant of the commands of God, why God gives them, and what we need to do with them.  We don't experience God because we've become very good at performing ritual and ignoring the substance.  I think this is probably a "form of Christianity that denies the power."  Scripture gives us the information that we need to experience God.  If we earnestly seek Him, He will be found.  The Bible gives us an abundance of proof that if we are seeking God, and not simply a free ticket to heaven, we will experience His presence in our lives.  We will see Him work among us, and within us, and around us.  The question is, how much dead ritual are you willing to give up to experience Him?  Are you willing to come out from among the cold, dead ritual that we practice to experience God through prayer, His Word, and His Holy Spirit?  It had taken the people of Jerusalem and Judea 400 years, but by the time John the Baptist came onto the scene they were finally willing.  Are we? 

Expectations

I have nothing original or new to post this week, but I'd be interested to hear some thoughts on a quote that I've been thinking about for a few days. It is from A.W. Tozer's book, "Reclaiming Christianity."

"As God's people, you have every scriptural right to demand that you hear the Word in power, and if you do not hear the Word in power, you have a right to rise up and ask why. If you are hearing nothing but teaching, nothing but instruction, with no evidence of God in it, and the preacher cannot say, "I appeal to God" to say whether this is true or not; if this cannot be, then you have a right to demand that somebody preach that can. On the other hand, every man who stands in a pulpit to preach has a right to expect that the congregation believe in power and are so close to God, so surrendered, so full of faith and so prayerful that the Word of God can work in power."