Holier Than Thou?

Ray Ortlund:

I was asked recently, "How come a stereotype of the church today is one of a 'holier than thou' mentality?"

Great question. It's a real problem. Three thoughts.

One, the problem is not sin in the church. The problem is concealed sin in the church. That problem is intensified by Christian aloofness: "You people over there have cooties. We Christians are better." Are we?

Two, when church people put others down, there are two possibilities. One, their faith isn't in Jesus' superiority. Their faith is in their own superiority. There is no awe, gratitude, humility, because they aren't really Christians. Two, they're new Christians, they're coming in with some baggage, and they're learning. And can any of us say, "I'd never do that"?

Three, if you accuse Christians of being judgmental, are you being judgmental? Do you feel that Christians are beneath you? Why are you so comfortable with your non-Christian friends? Does their company help you feel safe from Jesus? Is that what really bugs you about Christians -- you feel another Presence, and he scares you?

I know this. We Christians will see more repentance in our city when our city sees more repentance in us. And we can be honest about our failings, because it isn't our performance that makes us okay. It's Christ's performance for us. That's the gospel. It's so freeing.

Discovery Carries a Piece of Missionary History

From WORLD:

The shuttle Discovery carries a piece of important missionary history into space, thanks to mission (and mission-minded) astronaut Patrick Forrester. The shuttle launch is set for Thursday morning, after being scrubbed repeatedly since Tuesday for weather and for mechanical issues involving a drain valve.

When Discovery does take off, on board and headed for the International Space Station is a battery box from the Piper AP-14 flown by Nate Saint, the missionary pilot murdered along with Jim Elliot and four others by Waodani Indians on a sandbar in Ecuador in 1956.

*****

“Bringing attention to and renewing interest in missions would be a great result of this experience,” said Forrester, who was born in El Paso, Texas, the year after the martyrdoms. “My deepest intent is to honor Nate Saint, the Saint family, and all missionaries around the world.”

A Twofold Turn

John Stott:

Repentance and faith are in fact the constituent elements of conversion, when viewed from the standpoint of man's experience. For what is conversion but "turning," and what is "to be converted" but to turn? The Greek verb is often used in the New Testament in secular, non-theological contexts to describe someone's action in turning round from one direction to another or turning from one place to another. When used in more technical, theological passages the verb has the same meaning. "You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God." "You were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls" (1 Thes. 1:9, 1 Pet. 2:25).

Conversion involves a twofold turn, a turn from idols and from sin on the one hand, and a turn to the living God and to the Savior of Shepherd of souls on the other. The "turn away" the New Testament calls repentance; the "turn toward" the New Testament calls faith. So repentance plus faith equals conversion, and no man dare say he is converted who has not repented as well as believed.

From a fifty-year old article, "Must Christ Be Lord and Savior?" ETERNITY, September, 1959
Source

Common Grace and Common Curse

I have been a happy subscriber to the Mars Hill Audio Journal for several years. It's basically one guy named Ken Myers interviewing various scholars and authors from a variety of fields for about 90 minutes in bi-monthly issues. The guests are not all Christian, but the goal of the journal is to inform Christians of a bigger understanding of Christian worldview as he engages these thinkers in conversation about their work.

This is how they put it on their website:

MARS HILL AUDIO is committed to assisting Christians who desire to move from thoughtless consumption of contemporary culture to a vantage point of thoughtful engagement. We believe that fulfilling the commands to love God and neighbor requires that we pay careful attention to the neighborhood: that is, every sphere of human life where God is either glorified or despised, where neighbors are either edified or undermined.

Here's an excerpt that caught my eye from a recent interview with Ken Myers.

Interviewer: Christians often defend certain cultural resources and practices based on the logic that if God is using them, they must be good.

Ken Myers: Well, I don’t think everything that happens is evidence of common grace. I have a high view of the common curse, too. The fact that God can use something doesn’t make it intrinsically valuable. God uses us all the time, and we know how flawed we are. God used Judas to accomplish His purposes. God used Balaam’s ass. So cultural criticism should not be about whether something is potentially useable by God, because of course everything is useable by God. The question is whether the thing is inherently problematic.

Because evangelism drives so much of Christian cultural engagement right now, I think Christian critics are nervous about saying anything critical. Whereas secular critics, they’re not worried about being winsome. I’ve seen that skittishness increase remarkably in the last 30 years, and I think it’s a function of the fact that as our culture gets more post-Christian, the church is just going to look more and more out of sync. I think a lot of Christians are afraid that if we look like we’re too critical of things, then people aren’t going to be attracted to us. The worst thing that can happen to an evangelical scholar is to be mistaken for a fundamentalist.


Here’s the thing I come back to over and over again: Most American evangelical Christians just don’t believe that culture matters. They’re not as knee-jerk suspicious as they were 50 years ago, when cultural things were regarded as important in a bad way. But they don’t believe cultural things can matter in a really good way. The best reason to be critical about cultural phenomena is because they’re bad as culture—not because they’re bad as evangelism, or they’re bad morally—but because they don’t do justice to the kind of thing a cultural artifact can do. Culture isn’t everything, but it’s a valuable thing.

Source

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

It's Saturday! This means that, after many hours of study this week, I need a good sermon today so that you get a good sermon tomorrow. Pray that I'll preach like Martin Luther.

Martin Luther

I preach as though Christ was crucified yesterday,
rose from the dead today,
and is coming back tomorrow.

Source

Why Do You Fight?

David Powlison:

I have yet to meet a couple locked in hostility (and the accompanying fear, self-pity, hurt, self-righteousness) who really understood and reckoned with their motives. James 4:1–3 teaches that cravings underlie conflicts. Why do you fight? It’s not “because of my wife/husband…”—it’s because of something about you. Couples who see what rules them—cravings for affection, attention, power, vindication, control, comfort, a hassle-free life—can repent and find God’s grace made real to them, and then learn how to make peace.

From Seeing with New Eyes
Source (click through for an audio elaboration by the author)

The Gospel: Exclusive or Inclusive?

Here's Tim Keller on Preaching Hell in a Tolerant Age. Unfortunately, the ideas he ascribes to "the modern mindset" are often just as true of those who claim to be Christian these days, so believers need to hear this, not just the skeptics.

Hell is less exclusive than so-called tolerance.

Nothing is more characteristic of the modern mindset than the statement: "I think Christ is fine, but I believe a devout Muslim or Buddhist or even a good atheist will certainly find God." A slightly different version is: "I don't think God would send a person who lives a good life to hell just for holding the wrong belief." This approach is seen as more inclusive.

In preaching about hell, then, I need to counter this argument:

"The universal religion of humankind is: We develop a good record and give it to God, and then he owes us. The gospel is: God develops a good record and gives it to us, then we owe him (Rom. 1:17). In short, to say a good person, not just Christians, can find God is to say good works are enough to find God.

"You can believe that faith in Christ is not necessary or you can believe that we are saved by grace, but you cannot believe in both at once.

"So the apparently inclusive approach is really quite exclusive. It says, 'The good people can find God, and the bad people do not.'

"But what about us moral failures? We are excluded.

"The gospel says, 'The people who know they aren't good can find God, and the people who think they are good do not.'

"Then what about non-Christians, all of whom must, by definition, believe their moral efforts help them reach God? They are excluded.

"So both approaches are exclusive, but the gospel's is the more inclusive exclusivity. It says joyfully, 'It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done. It doesn't matter if you've been at the gates of hell. You can be welcomed and embraced fully and instantly through Christ.' "

Psalm 1, Differently

Psalm 1, turned inside out by Ray Ortlund:

Blessed is the man
who doesn't stick his neck out,
doesn't think for himself,
doesn't revere anything.
But he laughs on cue
while watching TV day and night.
He is like everybody else.
In all that he does, he gets by.
The believers are not so,
they don't move with the times.
Therefore, the believers will not stand
in the court of human approval,
nor Christians at the best parties in town.
For who's to say what is right,
and doesn't everybody go to heaven?

You may remember the original Psalm 1:

1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Next Sermon - Matthew 15:1-20 on 08/23/09

Here's the text for this Sunday's sermon.

Matthew 15:1-20

1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat." 3 He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Who ever reviles father or mother must surely die.' 5 But you say, 'If anyone tells his father or his mother, What you would have gained from me is given to God, 6 he need not honor his father.' So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. 7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
8 " 'This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' "

10 And he called the people to him and said to them, "Hear and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person." 12 Then the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?" 13 He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit." 15 But Peter said to him, "Explain the parable to us." 16 And he said, "Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone."

Too Easily Pleased

Bunch o' Links on Marriage

I could have pasted some great quotations from each of these in their own post, but time escapes me, and so I commend to you several articles I have read over the past couple of weeks, all related to marriage in one way or another.

A Girl's Guide to Marrying Well from Boundless.org
I had linked to the Guy's Guide some time ago, so this rounds out the collection.

Questions to Ask When Preparing for Marriage from DesiringGod.org
This will give you plenty to talk about.

The Case for Early Marriage from ChristianityToday.com
This writer says that we've emphasized sexual abstinence so much that we've failed to acknowledge that 20-somethings weren't meant to be abstainers, they (most of them at least) were meant to be husbands and wives.

Every Older Single's Battle from ChristianityToday.com
A companion to the piece above, the author being interviewed says that the church needs to renew its vision of celibacy, not as a special means of holiness (e.g., nuns), but as a positive calling (serving Christ and his kingdom), as opposed to mere abstinence, which is a negative stance (mere sin avoidance).

Is the Gay Marriage Debate Over? from ChristianityToday.com
This excellent article talks about how radical individualism is the real culprit, and how this individualism has been accepted by evangelicals as much as any other Americans.

Polyamory: The Next Sexual Revolution? from Newsweek.com
I guess those who said the acceptance of gay marriage would begin a slide down the slippery slope may have been on to something.


Sources (Link 1, link 6)

God Is Great, God Is Good

R. C. Sproul:

As a child, the first prayer I ever learned was a simple table grace. It went like this: "God is great, God is good. And we thank Him for this food." At the time, I did not realize that a single biblical word captured the twin ideas of God's greatness and His goodness. The single word is holy.

The earliest traceable form of the Semitic root of the word holy, reaching to a Canaanite source, carried the meaning "to divide." Anything that was holy was divided or separated from all other things. This meaning pointed to the difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary, the common and uncommon, the average and the great.

In religious terms, the word holy divides God from all other things to put Him in a category that is sui generis (in a class by Himself). The Holy One is the One who possesses the supreme perfection of being. He transcends or is divided from all things creaturely. He is the most majestic, most exalted, most awe-provoking being. Since He is both marvelous and wonderful in His very essence, the creature--when contemplating the Holy God--responds in marvel and wonder because of His greatness.

Coram Deo: Take time in prayer today to thank God specifically for His goodness to you.

Psalm 31:19: "Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!"

Psalm 86:10: "For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God."

Psalm 92:5: "O Lord, how great are Your works!"

The Problem of Goodness

Have you ever heard somebody talk about "The Problem of Evil"? It's the old conundrum: If God made everything that exists, where does evil come from? Some believe that this shows that God does not exist, but in fact, the Christian faith better explains the existence of evil and good in the world than does atheism or naturalism. Listen to Randy Alcorn talk about "The Problem of Goodness":



Source

Next Sermon - Matthew 14:1-36 on 08/16/09

Here is the text for this coming Sunday's sermon. It is the whole of Matthew, chapter 14, though we'll be focusing on the second and third paragraphs.

Matthew 14:1-36

1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus, 2 and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 3 For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, 4 because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet. 6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, 7 so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” 9 And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. 10 He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.

13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and
children.

22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying,
“Truly you are the Son of God.”

34 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick 36 and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

Pray Before You Preach or Teach

Though I do sermon prep throughout the week, Saturday is the day for final writing, refining, and soaking in it. This quotation is about preaching most specifically, but it would apply to all kinds of teaching of God's Word.

Augustine:

And so our Christian orator, while he says what is just, and holy, and good (and he ought never to say anything else), does all he can to be heard with intelligence, with pleasure, and with obedience; and he need not doubt that if he succeed in this object, and so far as he succeeds, he will succeed more by piety in prayer than by gifts of oratory; and so he ought to pray for himself, and for those he is about to address, before he attempts to speak. And when the hour is come that he must speak, he ought, before he opens his mouth, to lift up his thirsty soul to God, to drink in what he is about to pour forth, and to be himself filled with what he is about to distribute.

From On Christian Doctrine

Source

Have I Got News for You

Since that last post quoted Andrew Peterson, I thought you should listen to a song "I've Got News."

Only Christ Can

I have mixed feelings about Facebook, the social media juggernaut. On one hand, I just can't bring myself to sign up and dive into the chit-chat. However, I do enjoy reading my wife's account just about every day, so what does that tell you?

So, while I'm a sucker for a good Facebook/Twitter skewering, I can't stay away entirely. That's why I liked these comments from Andrew Peterson, an excellent Christian musician. He gives social media some credit, but shows the limitations and points to something bigger and better in a Christ-centered way.

Interviewer: You’ve said that you hope that people would come away from your concerts “feeling less alone.” In a world in which people have more access to others than perhaps ever before—and with mediums like email, instant messaging, and social networking (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.)—why do you think that people might still feel so alone? What hope do you wish to communicate to such men and women?

Andrew Peterson: I think Facebook is our culture’s answer to the disappearance of the close-knit, small town community. Finding out on Facebook that so-and-so has a cold, or stubbed their toe, or is reading a certain book is the 21st Century equivalent of strolling the town square or having pancakes in the diner. It’s small talk. And small talk is okay. You wouldn’t necessarily call your friend to find out if his toe got stubbed; it’s just nice to know. The thing is, even small towns have secrets. I know because I grew up in one. There were murders. Suicides. There was bigotry and alcoholism and despair. Beneath the surface is the same darkness you see on the news in big cities and war-torn countries. Small talk doesn’t address that secret loneliness. Neither does marriage, for that matter. Only Christ can. Only he has the power to step in and throw back the curtains.

"There Is Nothing You Can Do to Harm Me"

The New York Times on recent violence in Pakistan:

The blistered black walls of the Hameed family’s bedroom tell of an unspeakable crime. Seven family members died here on Saturday, six of them burned to death by a mob that had broken into their house and shot the grandfather dead, just because they were Christian.

John Chrysostom (ca. 347-407), facing banishment for his preaching:

"You cannot banish me, for this world is my Father's house."

"But I will kill you," said the empress Eudoxia.

"No, you cannot, for my life is hid with Christ in God," said John.

"I will take away your treasures."

"No, you cannot, for my treasure is in heaven and my heart is there."

"But I will drive you away from your friends and you will have no one left."

"No, you cannot, for I have a Friend in heaven from whom you cannot separate me. I defy you, for there is nothing you can do to harm me."

Source 1, 2

Lesser Treasures

I'm posting this because it connects to part of our text for this week-- Matthew 13:44-45. We're even going to close the service with the song he mentions-- "You Are My All in All." Sadly, this post is all too true of pastors like Greg Dutcher-- and me.

Greg Dutcher, from his book You Are the Treasure That I Seek-- But There's a Lot of Cool Stuff Out There, Lord:

Laying his Bible on the dashboard, the pastor starts the ignition and pulls out of the church parking lot. "Your sermon was treat today, honey. Did you get any feedback?" asks his wife.

The minister cocks his head slightly, as if retrieving the answer takes a good deal of effort. After a few moments of "searching" (after all, people's comments were the furthest thing from his mind), he responds, "Yes, I think one or two people said they thought it was helpful. Praise the Lord."

And with that the conversation changes. The pastor looks fully engaged when his wife talks about the new children's coordinator: "She's wonderful." But if she could see what's playing out in his mind, wouldn't she be surprised! The fact is that he received many comments about today's sermon: "funny," "inspiring," "solid," "transforming." And every one of those comments is running through his mind in full Technicolor splendor! He's been in a rut lately, and today he was determined to break free. Looks like he did....

He is a man who knows that Christ is the pearl of great price. He invests his life proclaiming that true contentment and satisfaction are found in no one other than Jesus himself. But why does he seem like a vain woman craving compliments on the drive home from church? Doesn't he know better?

Or ask yourself: Do you know better? Let me answer that while you're giving it some thought. After all, I am the pastor in the story. On another Sunday not too long ago, I preached a message where I boldly stated, "Jesus Christ is our everything, or he isn't anything." I meant every word of it. And even when we finished our service by singing that Christ is our strength in weakness, the treasure that we seek, our all in all, I meant every word of that, too.

And then I found myself a few hours later browsing through a catalog upcoming Macintosh products. It was a calm, casual way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. And then--rising like Poseidon out of the glossy-page sea--I saw it: the new iPhone. Wow! A phone, an iPod, and a pocket computer! How could I live another day without one of those? Without realizing it, I lost myself for another hour on the Internet reading any article I could find for more information about this life-changing device. I should have just been honest and prayed, "Lord, you are the treasure that I seek... but there's some really cool stuff out there, too." But the disparity between the place Christ should hold in our lives and the place He does hold should give us hope. It tells us that there is a battle to be fought, a battle that God can fight in and through us.

Source

Next Sermon - Matthew 13:31-35, 44-46, 51-58 on 08/09/09

Two weeks ago, we looked at the Parable of the Sower. Last week, we studied the Parable of the Weeds and the Parable of the Net. This week, we cover all the bits left over, including the shortest parables from this chapter.

Matthew 13:31-35, 44-46, 51-58

31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”

34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:
“I will open my mouth in parables;
I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”

*****

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

*****

51 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

Wesley's Questions

How's this for accountability? John Wesley (1703-1791), an early Methodist leader, used these for their small groups:

1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
3. Do I confidentially pass onto another what was told me in confidence?
4. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work , or habits?
5. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
6. Did the Bible live in me today?
7. Do I give it time to speak to me everyday?
8. Am I enjoying prayer?
9. When did I last speak to someone about my faith?
10. Do I pray about the money I spend?
11. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
12. Do I disobey God in anything?
13. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
14. Am I defeated in any part of my life?
15. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?
16. How do I spend my spare time?
17. Am I proud?
18. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisee who despised the publican?
19. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I going to do about it?
20. Do I grumble and complain constantly?
21. Is Christ real to me?

Source, originally referenced from John Wesley's Class Meetings: a Model for Making Disciples, by D. Michael Henderson, Evangel Publishing House, 1997, pp. 118-9

Is Church Membership Biblical?

Thabiti Anyabwile makes the case for formal church membership:

There's a new debate among today's Christians. Does the New Testament require, suggest, even hint at local church membership? Are Christians required to belong to a local church, or is it an option? And what does such belonging entail?

The New Testament knows nothing of a creature reborn through faith in Christ, baptized in identification with Christ, communing with Christ at His table, and not a member of a visible, local, identifiable congregation of other born-again baptized believers.

By "membership" I mean the way in which the individual is known to be intentionally committed to every other member of the congregation, and the congregation known to be committed to the individual. On nearly every page of the New Testament, local church membership is assumed.

Read the rest here.

EFCA Statement of Faith, Point 10

I think we just might finish up our tour through our church (and denomination's) Statement of Faith tomorrow in our Welcome to the Family class. It's important for new and prospective members of our church to know what unites us.

I have included these so that you can easily look at the supporting Scripture references, and you can scroll down to see earlier entries in this series.

The Evangelical Free Church of America is an association of autonomous churches united around these theological convictions:

Response and Eternal Destiny
10. We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.

Response and Eternal Destiny
10. We believe that God commands everyone everywhere (Acts 17:30; 20:20) to believe the gospel (Mk. 1:15; Jn. 6:29; 8:24; 11:26; 14:1; 20:31; Acts 16:31; Rom. 3:22; 10:14; Gal. 3:22; 1 Tim. 1:16; 1 Pet. 1:8; 1 Jn. 3:23) by turning to Him in repentance (Isa. 55:6-7; Lk. 24:47; Acts 2:37-38; 3:19; 14:15; 17:30; 20:21; 26:17,18; Rom. 2:4; 2 Cor. 7:9-10) and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:12). We believe that God will raise the dead bodily (Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:2; 1 Cor. 15; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Rev. 20:13) and judge the world (Ecc. 12:14; Matt. 12:36; 26:31-32; Acts 17:31; Rom. 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Tim. 4:1; Rev. 20:12), assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment (Matt. 25:46; Lk. 16:26; 2 Thess. 1:9; Rev. 14:11; 21:6,8; 22:14,15), and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord (Matt. 25:34, 46; Jn. 14:2; Rev. 21:1-3), in the new heaven and the new earth (Isa. 65:17; 66:22; Rom. 8:19-21; Heb. 12:26;27; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1;
22:3), to the praise of His glorious grace (Eph. 1:6, 12). Amen.

EFCA Statement of Faith, Point 9

Continuing with our Statement of Faith, point by point...

The Evangelical Free Church of America is an association of autonomous churches united around these theological convictions:

Christ’s Return
9. We believe in the personal, bodily and premillennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.

Christ's Return
9. We believe in the personal, bodily (Matt. 24:30; 26:64; Acts 1:11; Rev. 1:7) and premillennial (Rev. 20:1-10) return of our Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 25:31; Tit. 2:13; 2 Thess. 1:6-8; Rev. 19:11-21). The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God (Matt. 24:36; Mk. 13:32), requires constant expectancy (Matt. 24:42-51; Rom. 13:11-14; 1 Thess. 5:1-11; Js. 5:8,9; 2 Pet. 3:10-14; Rev. 3:3) and, as our blessed hope (Tit. 2:13), motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission (2 Thess. 1:6-8; 2 Tim. 4:8; Tit. 2:14; Heb. 9:28; 1 Jn. 3:2-3; 2 Pet. 3:10-14).

EFCA Statement of Faith, Point 8

In our Welcome to the Family class, we are continuing to work through our Statement of Faith. I am including the points here to allow you to see the supporting Scriptures by hovering your mouse over the links or clicking through.

The Evangelical Free Church of America is an association of autonomous churches united around these theological convictions:

Christian Living
8. We believe that God's justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.

Christian Living
8. We believe that God's justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose (Matt. 7:17-18; 12:33, 35; Heb. 11:6; Eph. 2:10; 1 Cor. 10:31; Col. 3:17, 23; 2 Thess. 2:13; 5:23; 2 Cor. 5:17; 1 Jn. 2:29; 3:9; 5:18; 2 Cor. 3:18; Tit. 3:5; 1 Cor. 6:11; Rom. 6:11, 14; 1 Pet. 1:15; Phil. 2:12-13; Heb. 12:1, 14; Rom. 6; 2 Tim. 1:9; Js. 2:17; 1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Pet. 1:3-11). God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially (Dt. 6:5; Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:37-39; Mk. 12:30; Lk. 10:27) and to live out our faith with care for one another (Rom. 12:10; 14:13; 15:7, 14; Gal. 5:26; Eph. 4:32; 1 Thess. 3:12; 5:11, 15; Heb. 10:24-25; 1 Pet. 4:9), compassion toward the poor (Dt. 15:11; Psa. 82:3,4; Psa. 140:12; Prov. 14:21,31; 19:17; 22:9,16,22,23; 28:8; 29:7; 31:8,9; Jer. 22:16; Gal. 2:10; Js. 1:27) and justice for the oppressed (Ex. 23:6; Lev. 19:15; Psa. 82:3,4; 140:12; Prov. 29:7; 31:9; Isa. 1:17; Jer. 9:24; Mic. 6:8; Zech. 7:9,10; Matt. 23:23; Luke 4:18). With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name (Eph. 6:10-18), we (Heb. 3:13; 10:25), are to combat the spiritual forces of evil (2 Cor. 10:3-5; Eph. 6:11, 12; 2 Tim. 4:7; 1 Jn. 5:3-4). In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people (Matt. 28:19; Jn. 20:21; Rev. 7:9), always bearing witness to the gospel (Acts 1:8) in word and deed (Matt. 5:13-16).