Thursday, September 24, 2009
Neither Boomer nor Gen-X, neither Greek nor Jew
The following is my portion of correspondence with a good friend about styles of music, church services, etc. As you will see it scratches the surface of the topic and does not address many practical decisions that have to be decided, nor does it address the role of style and arts in trying to introduce the gospel to our culture. My intent in posting it is for all those reading to humbly consider what we have been given in the knowledge of Christ Jesus and the sufficiency of that knowledge as our source of joy and hope and that knowledge being the root of how we 'do church' and love one another in the local church.
1. You mentioned generational differences in perspectives/values and the gap between boomers and Gen-X. Do you think those generational identifiers or labels can become a source of pride and, for believers, an unnecessary source of division? When I was a pastor in a small rural church, the conflicts were often (though not always) along generational lines. While generational experiences cannot be ignored (wars, depressions, social mores, music styles, political expectations/shifts etc.) I wonder if, in the body of Christ, we make too much out of them and too little of what we have in common in the Gospel. Now, maybe that's a baby boomer throwing his self-centered weight around but I'm bringing it up based on two things:
First, the biblical doctrine that we are all children of Adam and all in the same moral boat before a holy God essentially erases the issue of generational differences. God’s self-glorifying solution is to provide one means of salvation and hope for all people – a faith once for all delivered to the saints in the person and work of His Son, Jesus Christ. That work places all who believe in one body – the church. I think that sinner-humbling, Christ-exalting, God-glorifying truth greatly diminishes our attention to generational differences – believers are now all together in the ‘boat of Christ’ and we should teach that and act it out. I think this is one of the truths Paul is getting at in Galatians 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Second, while I am no expert in the recent development of sociological/psychological self-awareness and understanding, I think it would be safe to argue that since the 1950s the influence of Freudian views of self have shaped our thinking far more than we want to admit. My point here is that whether or not we're Boomers or Gen-X, we're all drinking the same Kool-aid of viewing our inner self as unique (David Wells does a really good job addressing this in his book, 'Above All Earthly Pow'rs - Christ in a Postmodern World). So the very labels and assumption of the importance of those labels and distinctives are, I believe, the worlds ideas squeezing us into its mold (Romans 12:1,2 Phillips) of self-understanding. Sadly, many churches today are trying to synchronize it with the Gospel. The result, I fear, when it comes to the local church, is lots of focus on style based on presumed uniqueness and not on what God has done in Christ for children of Adam.
2. That leads me to my second topic: As I have grown in knowledge of what the Bible teaches, I see very little on style and lots on doctrine/theology and personal virtue or character. Example: when two women in the church at Philippi couldn't get along, Paul pointed them to the high, high doctrine of Christ emptying himself and taking on role of a bond servant, man, to the point of death, etc. In other words, Paul addressed differences and conflict with theology -- deep, serious theology -- not personality tests or excuses.
Another example from John 5 which records Jesus healing one person from a multitude of people needing physical healing, then warns the one healed not to go on sinning lest something worse befall him. Jesus healed the man with the intent of that man's future holiness (i.e., character). The point of everything Jesus did in his earthly ministry had a heavenly purpose for us and for God, not simply an earthly experience. Again, I fear our emphasis on style and relevance as determined by a shifting cultural standard is settling for too little. God's Word is preparing us for something eternal not temporal.
So, those are some scattered thoughts that I hope will stir us on to pray and ponder and talk about together.
Thanking Him for you,
Tedd
1. You mentioned generational differences in perspectives/values and the gap between boomers and Gen-X. Do you think those generational identifiers or labels can become a source of pride and, for believers, an unnecessary source of division? When I was a pastor in a small rural church, the conflicts were often (though not always) along generational lines. While generational experiences cannot be ignored (wars, depressions, social mores, music styles, political expectations/shifts etc.) I wonder if, in the body of Christ, we make too much out of them and too little of what we have in common in the Gospel. Now, maybe that's a baby boomer throwing his self-centered weight around but I'm bringing it up based on two things:
First, the biblical doctrine that we are all children of Adam and all in the same moral boat before a holy God essentially erases the issue of generational differences. God’s self-glorifying solution is to provide one means of salvation and hope for all people – a faith once for all delivered to the saints in the person and work of His Son, Jesus Christ. That work places all who believe in one body – the church. I think that sinner-humbling, Christ-exalting, God-glorifying truth greatly diminishes our attention to generational differences – believers are now all together in the ‘boat of Christ’ and we should teach that and act it out. I think this is one of the truths Paul is getting at in Galatians 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Second, while I am no expert in the recent development of sociological/psychological self-awareness and understanding, I think it would be safe to argue that since the 1950s the influence of Freudian views of self have shaped our thinking far more than we want to admit. My point here is that whether or not we're Boomers or Gen-X, we're all drinking the same Kool-aid of viewing our inner self as unique (David Wells does a really good job addressing this in his book, 'Above All Earthly Pow'rs - Christ in a Postmodern World). So the very labels and assumption of the importance of those labels and distinctives are, I believe, the worlds ideas squeezing us into its mold (Romans 12:1,2 Phillips) of self-understanding. Sadly, many churches today are trying to synchronize it with the Gospel. The result, I fear, when it comes to the local church, is lots of focus on style based on presumed uniqueness and not on what God has done in Christ for children of Adam.
2. That leads me to my second topic: As I have grown in knowledge of what the Bible teaches, I see very little on style and lots on doctrine/theology and personal virtue or character. Example: when two women in the church at Philippi couldn't get along, Paul pointed them to the high, high doctrine of Christ emptying himself and taking on role of a bond servant, man, to the point of death, etc. In other words, Paul addressed differences and conflict with theology -- deep, serious theology -- not personality tests or excuses.
Another example from John 5 which records Jesus healing one person from a multitude of people needing physical healing, then warns the one healed not to go on sinning lest something worse befall him. Jesus healed the man with the intent of that man's future holiness (i.e., character). The point of everything Jesus did in his earthly ministry had a heavenly purpose for us and for God, not simply an earthly experience. Again, I fear our emphasis on style and relevance as determined by a shifting cultural standard is settling for too little. God's Word is preparing us for something eternal not temporal.
So, those are some scattered thoughts that I hope will stir us on to pray and ponder and talk about together.
Thanking Him for you,
Tedd
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Real Church and Happy Endings
Excerpt from Why We Love the Church
This Sunday's sermon is from 2 Corinthians 5:11-15, which begins, "Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men" (NIV).
"Our church doesn't exist to give you ten ways to deal with stress, or to help you become a better person," Pastor Kevin says from the pulpit. "We're here to persuade you. We're here to preach to you."
This, partly, comes from knowing what it is to fear the Lord. Currently, if publishing trends are any indication, we serve a Lord who is our friend, our camping buddy, someone with whom we have intimacy, etc.
As I look around the room this morning, I see a great man with Lou Gehrig's disease, holding hands with his sweet wife. I see another husband just diagnosed with cancer that will probably take his life in six months or so. I see a weird military vet guy who fried his brain on drugs in Iraq, and who we follow out to the lobby when he goes to the bathroom because we're afraid for the safety of our kids. I see my father-in-law who has a degenerative brain disease that has destroyed his intellect and ability to communicate and will take his life before it's all done.
As evangelicals we've become addicted to "happy ending" stories where we go through "x" (hard thing) and then start praying and then -- Shazam! -- God makes everything better and we have a nice, utopian story to tell where we are the hero who ends up with the great job, the great family, the time off, the free plane ticket, the lost purse, or the great healthy kids. The fact of the matter is (often) the happy ending is heaven, and the getting there is a really difficult but formative part of our sanctification. And sometimes, what God wants in the interim is for us to find our happiness, holiness, and identity in Him, rather than our perfect jobs, perfect 2.5 kids (or 6.5 kids in the case of our church), and perfect testimonies.
If I could leave you with one thought, it's this: Go. Go to church. Don't go for the coffee, the presentations, the music, or the amenities. Don't even go for the feelings you may or may not get when you go because, no offense, these feelings may or may not be trustworthy most of the time. Go for the gospel. Go for the preaching. Go to be near to God's Word. . . There are many people leaving the church, and supposedly finding God. But I found Him here, and by His grace, I'll keep finding Him here. I love my church.
From Why We Love The Church, Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck, Moody Publishers, 190-196
This Sunday's sermon is from 2 Corinthians 5:11-15, which begins, "Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men" (NIV).
"Our church doesn't exist to give you ten ways to deal with stress, or to help you become a better person," Pastor Kevin says from the pulpit. "We're here to persuade you. We're here to preach to you."
This, partly, comes from knowing what it is to fear the Lord. Currently, if publishing trends are any indication, we serve a Lord who is our friend, our camping buddy, someone with whom we have intimacy, etc.
As I look around the room this morning, I see a great man with Lou Gehrig's disease, holding hands with his sweet wife. I see another husband just diagnosed with cancer that will probably take his life in six months or so. I see a weird military vet guy who fried his brain on drugs in Iraq, and who we follow out to the lobby when he goes to the bathroom because we're afraid for the safety of our kids. I see my father-in-law who has a degenerative brain disease that has destroyed his intellect and ability to communicate and will take his life before it's all done.
As evangelicals we've become addicted to "happy ending" stories where we go through "x" (hard thing) and then start praying and then -- Shazam! -- God makes everything better and we have a nice, utopian story to tell where we are the hero who ends up with the great job, the great family, the time off, the free plane ticket, the lost purse, or the great healthy kids. The fact of the matter is (often) the happy ending is heaven, and the getting there is a really difficult but formative part of our sanctification. And sometimes, what God wants in the interim is for us to find our happiness, holiness, and identity in Him, rather than our perfect jobs, perfect 2.5 kids (or 6.5 kids in the case of our church), and perfect testimonies.
If I could leave you with one thought, it's this: Go. Go to church. Don't go for the coffee, the presentations, the music, or the amenities. Don't even go for the feelings you may or may not get when you go because, no offense, these feelings may or may not be trustworthy most of the time. Go for the gospel. Go for the preaching. Go to be near to God's Word. . . There are many people leaving the church, and supposedly finding God. But I found Him here, and by His grace, I'll keep finding Him here. I love my church.
From Why We Love The Church, Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck, Moody Publishers, 190-196
Friday, September 11, 2009
What's at stake for God to forgive my sins today.
I John 2:12 - I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake.
The substitutionary punishment of Christ in place of sinners satisfied God -- it met His lawful demands and demonstrated His love for sinners. Thus He could impute (credit) Christ's righteousness to us.
If the offering up of the perfect lamb of God was not enough, or if God changes His mind, then it is His name that is at stake -- it would be His reputation rightfully called into question. He should not be trusted or believed or loved or worshipped. He could be ignored as one of the other gods of our imaginations. But the heavenly Father is satisfied and those who believe are declared righteous; the proof is in the resuurection (Romans 4:25). Christ did rise from the dead (unlike all the other blood sacrifices offered up for the covering of sins - Hebrews 9:11-14) and right now He is seated at the right hand of God.
So, when I sin today (and I will -- at this mountain elevation it's rather common), my response is to confess what I know of my sins. It is the Father's job to consider those sins paid for by His Son and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. That's the righteous thing for Him to do (I John 1:9). Hallowed be His name.
What a gospel.
-- TWMathis
The substitutionary punishment of Christ in place of sinners satisfied God -- it met His lawful demands and demonstrated His love for sinners. Thus He could impute (credit) Christ's righteousness to us.
If the offering up of the perfect lamb of God was not enough, or if God changes His mind, then it is His name that is at stake -- it would be His reputation rightfully called into question. He should not be trusted or believed or loved or worshipped. He could be ignored as one of the other gods of our imaginations. But the heavenly Father is satisfied and those who believe are declared righteous; the proof is in the resuurection (Romans 4:25). Christ did rise from the dead (unlike all the other blood sacrifices offered up for the covering of sins - Hebrews 9:11-14) and right now He is seated at the right hand of God.
So, when I sin today (and I will -- at this mountain elevation it's rather common), my response is to confess what I know of my sins. It is the Father's job to consider those sins paid for by His Son and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. That's the righteous thing for Him to do (I John 1:9). Hallowed be His name.
What a gospel.
-- TWMathis
Monday, September 7, 2009
Control of world leaders -- and our peace and hope
Cyrus was the powerful king of the Medes and Persians. http://www.iranchamber.com/history/cyrus/cyrus.php
Isaiah 44:28-45:12 (excerpts) - It is I who says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.' . . . Thus says the LORD to Cyrus His anointed, Whom I have taken by the right hand to subdue nations before him. . . I am the LORD and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD and there is no other. . . It is I who made the earth and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands, and I ordained their host.
-- TWM
Isaiah 44:28-45:12 (excerpts) - It is I who says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.' . . . Thus says the LORD to Cyrus His anointed, Whom I have taken by the right hand to subdue nations before him. . . I am the LORD and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD and there is no other. . . It is I who made the earth and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands, and I ordained their host.
-- TWM
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