h1

Unity and the Former ICOC

September 19, 2006

I long for the unity of God’s people. I pray for it and blog for it. I search the scriptures to find what God wants me to do toward it. I strive to forgive and I appeal to others to forgive and to take down walls. Unity of the believers is a major aim of my service to God. Unity is my passion and my calling.

So why have I not consented to signing the Plan for United Cooperation (also known as the Unity Proposal) submitted by a committee from the former ICOC congregations?

In a nutshell, I believe the proposal is an effort of fallible human wisdom to condense the Word of God into a few pages, specifying the principles that really matter, in the opinion of the writers. It is being used to define a subset of churches that are alike in their views on particular issues. By definition, it forms a faction in the Lord’s church. The first sentence of the document says:

The purpose of the following paper is to affirm and enhance the unity of the family of churches known, since 1992, as the International Churches of Christ.

But biblical unity is not formed by signing documents written by men. The writers acknowledge that the churches they seek to unite are not the only Christian congregations. While they use the term “unity,” the thing they seek to create will unfortunately be a faction. And Gal 5:19-21 warns us that people who create factions in the Lord’s church will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Yesterday the committee published an article outlining the state of their effort to reorganize the former ICOC churches under that proposal. In October the initial meeting will be held of delegates representing the signing congregations. That meeting will be held at this year’s International Leadership Conference in Virginia. At this conference will be signers and non-signers. On the positive side, there will be several speakers from non-signing congregations. But unfortunately the non-signers who attend can expect to be lobbied to sign. Quoting from yesterday’s article:

We will continue to make every effort to reach out to the congregations that have not affirmed the Plan for United Cooperation, and we pray they will cooperate.

For some of us that would amount to pressure to violate our consciences. I hope they will refrain from that.

Also quoting from the same article:

Thank you for your faith in the call to respectful cooperation, your hope in a new and mature unity based on the humble acknowledgement that we need one another, and your ongoing love for the mission to go into all the world with the gospel.

This statement exposes the error in the thinking embodied in the proposal. Our faith is not to be in the call of these men but in the promises of God. Our hope is not to be in their definition of unity but in salvation. And the love that identifies the church is not the love of a mission, but the love for one another as Jesus loved us. When Paul wrote of faith, hope, and love, he had in mind something different.

A few weeks ago, congregations from across the southeast met in Columbia to talk about financial support for missions in Africa and the Carribbean. This meeting was not the result of signing any document. In fact, as it turned out, none of the represented congregations have signed the unity proposal. Instead, this meeting came about naturally based on relationships between believers, their common devotion to the Lord’s work, and their common need to determine the best way to carry out that work.

The Columbia meeting is only the latest in a series of things being done in cooperation between these congregations. Earlier this year a conference was held in Columbia which was attended by many from these same congregations. This summer our children came together from these same congregations to attend a summer camp together, as members from these congregations took time off work to work in the kitchen and in many other ways to make the camp experience a success. Later in the summer, the elders from my congregation spent a weekend visiting with the elders of one of these churches in another state to share experiences and encourage one another. Leaders from several of these churches are attending the Athens Institute of Ministry together to deepen their understanding of God’s Word. We have exchanged speakers from time to time with some of these churches. We have had joint services with some of the nearer congregations. We have had joint teen activities, joint campus activities, joint single activities… All of this took place without the need to sign a document written by men.

It is my deep desire to see our fellowship in the southeast expanded beyond the former ICOC congregations. Everyone whom God has adopted as a son is my brother, and I want complete unity with every such person. To see that come about, we need to take down barriers and to eliminate unnecessary distinctions. This document has the opposite effect.

I certainly want to be united with those who have signed this document. It is my hope and prayer that the distinctions they are now creating will quickly dissolve and the believers in Christ will all come together as one, united by their faith in God and their common Saviour.

Posted in ICOC | 9 Comments »

h1

Thoughts on Silence

September 13, 2006

1 Cor 4:6 Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not take pride in one man over against another.

Back in January I posted an article about the silence of the scriptures. Today I want to make a few more comments on the topic.

What did Paul mean in 1 Cor 4:6 when he referred to the saying “Do not go beyond what is written?” In isolation, that saying could be taken to support the prohibitive nature of silence. In other words, if something is not written in scripture, don’t do it. But from the context of 1 Cor 4, that is not what Paul was saying.

From the first chapter of the letter, Paul was addressing the divisions over different leaders (Paul, Apollos, Peter). These three men were quite different personalities. Paul was a brilliant and well educated Jew, but apparently not a great speaker, nor did he have an impressive presence. Apollos was apparently a powerful speaker and dynamic leader. Peter was a converted fisherman. There were undoubtedly differences in the style and approach each took to the ministry. As a result, factions were forming around these diffferent leadership styles. In chapter 3, Paul explained that there could be differences in how different builders chose to build, and that it would be God who would test the quality of each man’s work. And he admonished them to recognize that they did not know as much as they thought they did about which way was better (or whether all three were equally acceptable).

Then in chapter 4 he said:

1 Cor 4:4-7 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not take pride in one man over against another. For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

The Corinthians had been inappropriately judging Paul, Apollos, Peter, and their followers, and taking pride in one man over against another. They had formed opinions about how things should be, and how they should not be, in areas that were not spelled out by God. And they were forming factions around those opinions. It was in this context that Paul called on them to learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” They needed to stop forming factions over issues that were not written in the scriptures.

Like the Corinthian church, we also need to stop forming factions over subjects on which the scriptures are silent.

1 Cor 3:16-23 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple. Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness” and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

We need to be foolish enough to admit we don’t know everything. We don’t know what God thinks on a subject unless he has told us. We need to focus our attention on obeying what he has told us.

Deut 29:29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

Posted in Restoration Hermeneutics | 2 Comments »

h1

ACU Lectureships Online

September 8, 2006

This morning I received the following email announcement:

Want to attend ACU’s new fall Lectureship but can’t make it to campus?

Listen to LIVE audio streams of the theme lectures on your computer from home at www.totallyacappella.com.

Go to Totally Acappella’s website at each of the scheduled times to listen to the lectures.

Sunday, 9/17 at 7 pm and Monday 9/18 – Wednesday 9/20 at 11 am and 7 pm.

For more information about Lectureship, visit our website at www.acu.edu/events/lectureship.html.

The program has some very compelling topics. I hope to be able to “virtually” attend some of these. If you have a chance to listen to some sessions, I’m sure other readers would appreciate any comments you wish to share here.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

h1

Shepherding

September 6, 2006

Today I am blogging about the question that is on my mind more and more lately: How are shepherds supposed to take care of the Lord’s church?

Without a doubt, all who have been called to be shepherds find this to be a sobering question. God clearly wants a job to be done, and to be done right, diligently, consistently, and persistently. The people he appointed to this work had better be doing it when he returns! The church which he purchased with the blood of his Son is the most important thing in this world. When God appointed men to take care of his church, he gave them a staggering responsibility. Who is up to such a task?

I spend a lot of time thinking, praying, and studying about this question–both in the scriptures and in extra-biblical sources. Many books have been written on the topic, and I have read a stack of them. Reading sometimes opens my eyes to new aspects of the task, or to techniques that others have found useful. It always humbles me as I realize how much I have to grow and learn if I am to properly fill this role.

As I ponder these responsibilities, a few points continually stand out:

1) Be there. Shepherds must be with the sheep, or they cannot do their job. That requires a lot more than being at Sunday and midweek services. It means sharing not only the gospel, but my life as well. It means feeding them publicly and also house to house. It means knowing the sheep. It means knowing the condition of the flock, identifying the needs, and taking steps to address them. Pray for me in this area!

2) Feed them. That means teaching the Bible, and showing them how to apply it to their lives. It is my conviction that the local congregation should teach the whole Bible to the church in a reasonable length of time. They shouldn’t have to go to seminary to hear the whole counsel of God. All scriptures are inspired and useful. When all of the scriptures are taken together, they thoroughly prepare the church for every good work. When parts are left out, the sheep have a deficient diet and will not be healthy.

3) Protect them. Paul charged the Ephesian elders with protecting the flock from the wolves who would arise. In particular, he warned them that some would try to divide the sheep and lead some away. Maintaining unity within the flock is a crucial responsibility of the shepherds.

4) Rescue and restore them. God rebuked the shepherds of Israel in Ezek 34 for not retrieving the lost sheep. He said he himself would seek them, rescue them, bind their wounds and make them safe. That is what the shepherds of Israel should have been doing, but were not.

5) Be examples to the flock. One of the greatest needs in most churches is for examples of spiritual men. Many of the problems in churches can be traced back to men who are not being spiritual. The church cannot be strong without husbands who treat their wives in a godly way, and fathers who train their children in godliness. Those who lead must set the example in these areas, and inspire others to follow.

Without God, nobody would be equal to this task. Certainly I would not be! Pray that God will help me to fulfill the role he has given me.

Posted in Elders | Leave a Comment »

h1

Common Struggles

August 27, 2006

My daughters like to read homeschooling blogs, and from time to time they send me some real gems. A few days ago one of them referred me to an online sermon about a crucially important matter to our churches: reaching our children. To hear the sermon, follow this link and click on sermon #7, Closing the Generation Gap, by Voddie Baucham. The speaker is a Southern Baptist, and he describes the challenges of that group in reaching and retaining their children for Christ. The basic theme is the need for parents to take responsibility for evangelizing their children. It’s well worth 37 minutes.

Coming from my Restoration Movement heritage, I could easily get sidetracked from Baucham’s central message by focusing on areas where I see things differently. I could take issue with his adaptation of the passages about elders to the Baptist preacher / pastor role. I could get distracted by questions about Sunday and the Sabbath. I could quibble about the commands to go forth and multiply, and implications about family size, pointing to distinctions between the old and new covenants. But if I did I think I would be missing a very important message, one that is as true for us as it is for them.

Like the Baptists, the Restoration Movement churches I know best are struggling to convert and retain their children. Often leaders have led the way in failure to bring their children to God. In many churches the blind are leading the blind in this critical area.

From a pragmatic point of view, the church will surely suffer if we cannot consistently pass along our Christian convictions to our children and grandchildren. I am not sure what to think of Baucham’s point that Christians need to “out-breed” those around us. Clearly the combination of low retention rates and low birthrates poses a grim prospect for the future of the church. But beyond numerical effects, there is a degree of spiritual maturity and stability that is lost due to generational attrition. How rare it is to find strong, spiritual men in the church whose fathers were faithful and spirit-filled Christians, along with grandfathers and great-grandfathers! And even rarer, how often do we find multiple generations of men who were qualified and served as elders in the church? How much richer would we all be if more of us came from such a heritage! In those rare instances, the entire church is nourished by their relationships with such families in the fellowship. Those families are a treasure.

Families are central to the Christian culture. We cannot be a strong church without strong families. And our families cannot be what God intended them to be unless fathers are loving God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. We have to teach, rebuke, correct, and train the fathers in our churches to be godly so they can raise godly children. Youth ministers are no substitute. We have a long way to go.

I wonder what kind of world my grandchildren will inherit. More importantly, I wonder what kind of church they will inherit. I spend a lot of time wondering. And then I pray.

One thing that struck me as I listened to this Southern Baptist preacher is that his sermon could very well be preached in any of our churches. The very real issues we face, and the biblical answers to those issues, are the same for us as for them. It was impossible to overlook how much they are like us. Yes, we understand the sequence of events at conversion differently. Yes, we have different theories about predestination and free will and a few other topics. But we are more alike than we are different. We tend to focus on the differences, and therefore miss seeing what we have in common. Sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

h1

Materialism

August 20, 2006

There has been some great conversation recently in this corner of the blogsphere about the battle between money and ministry. I first encountered this discussion at salguod.net, where Doug commented on an article at Cerulean Sanctum. This is definitely recommended reading!

This might be one of the most important topics American Christians could examine. From Luke 12:15:

Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

In this morning’s paper there is an article about the debt problems of recent college graduates, due to college loans and credit card debt. Something is just not right about the notion of pushing credit cards to college students who already have more than enough financial challenges paying for their educations. But the underlying problem is that these students are merely following in the footsteps of their parents. “I can’t be out of money! I still have credit cards!”

The bible is full of warnings about materialism. For example:

1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

It is obviously important to know whether our lives are at odds with this teaching. One obvious indicator is whether or not we are living within our means. Many people habitually buy things they cannot pay for today, with the intention of paying for those things in the future. We are consuming faster than we are earning. That is a strong indicator that we are addicted to consuming. Why not, instead, postpone the consuming until we can pay for it? Why not, instead, consume less than we earn, so we will have something left over so we can help others?

Eph 4:28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

The decisions we make on this issue expose our hearts. What do I really love? It can be a scary question. Let’s not shrink away from this issue.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

h1

CISSP!

August 19, 2006

I am now officially a CISSP! The certificate came in the mail today. Thanks for the prayers!

This was the first significant exam I’ve taken in 25 years. Maybe it will be my last. Or maybe not…

Now I need to order new business cards!

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

h1

The Ephesian Way

August 13, 2006

I recently posted on Paul’s comments about the Purpose of God in the introduction to the book of Ephesians. That purpose was (is) to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth under one head, even Christ. Paul continued to develop that theme throughout the book of Ephesians. Typical of Paul’s letters, there is a logical thread and progression of thought throughout the letter. By following that thread throughout the letter we can gain greater insight into the message God was delivering through Paul. This article will be a quick high-level overview of the theme of the letter as I understand it. If you will follow along in Paul’s letter it will help to get the full picture.

God has had in mind from the beginning a plan to save us through Jesus, bringing all kinds of people together in unity, extending grace through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, and providing us with the gift of his Spirit. As Christians we are the beneficiaries of all this amazing kindness and generosity (Eph 1:1-14).

Therefore Paul prayed for the Ephesians (and indirectly for all the faithful in Christ Jesus). He prayed that we would know God better and understand all that He has done for us. (Eph 1:15-23) He reminded us of the former way of life from which we have been saved. And he pointed out that we were saved with a purpose, that we should do the good works God has prepared for us in advance. (Eph 2:1-10).

He reminds those of us who are Gentiles that we were alienated from God without Christ, but that now he has brought us near through the blood of Christ. As Paul wrote earlier in the introduction, God’s purpose is to unite all things (including Jews and Gentiles) under Christ. Here in chapter 2 Paul further explained this aspect of God’s “eternal unity project.” (Eph 2:11-22)

Because they (we) are blessed to be included in God’s unity project, Paul prayed for us. In Eph 3:1-13 Paul took a short parenthetical detour to explain his role in God’s plan. Then he returned and wrote his prayer for us beginning in verse 14. He prayed that we would be filled with God’s Spirit and that we would understand God’s magnificent love and benevolence toward us.

As is his pattern in all his letters, Paul laid out the truths and principles first, and then applied them practically. Beginning in chapter 4, Paul turned to those practicals. He called us to live lives worthy of this calling, the calling to participate in God’s eternal unity project. He called on us to seek unity and peace diligently. He listed several points on which unity should be self-evident. And then he described how, through the efforts of various roles God placed in the church, we should be brought to complete unity. (Eph 4:1-16).

In the remainder of the book he explained how we should each behave in order to facilitate that work. He sternly warned against indulging in the sensual practices of the Gentiles. He admonished us to practice virtues like kindness,compassion, and forgiveness. He gave instructions for relationships in the family. And he urged us to use all the tools God has placed at our disposal to defeat Satan. The work of the church, to build one another up in love, is to see to it that each member puts off the old life, puts on the new way of life, using all the tools God has placed at our disposal. In this way we will come to complete unity.

In summary, the letter of Ephesians is a letter about God bringing us all to unity. The book of Ephesians gives us all responsibilities in the process to produce this unity. These are good works God prepared in advance for us to do. The church is to be built up in love as each part does its work. The focus is to put off our old selves, to be made new in the attitude of our minds, and to put on our new selves, created in the likeness of God.

In other words, this is the good work prepared in advance for us to do: to put off sin, to put on righteousness, and to help people around us to do the same thing. According to Ephesians, that is the God-ordained route to complete and eternal unity.

At least that is the way I read it.

Posted in Ephesians | Leave a Comment »

h1

My Life

August 10, 2006

Just a quick note to let everyone know I’m still here! My life has been insanely busy for the past couple of weeks (CISSP class, studying, and exam, and then catching up with the resulting neglected responsibilities). I intend to be back to my regular posting habits in a few days.

Meanwhile, check out the discussion about baptism at clarkecomments.com and Phil’s comments on the Christian Courier’s article on conversion. These are obviously important topics, with at least a glimmer of hope for progress.

More later!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

h1

The Purpose of God

August 1, 2006

Eph 1:3-10 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Throughout the ages God has had a great secret, a mystery. This mystery involved a great and wonderful thing which God had decided to do. He determined before the creation of the world that he would do it, at the appropriate time. When Jesus came, God in his wisdom and insight made that plan known to those who believed. The apostle Paul described this mystery as God’s will and God’s purpose. This was not something God had lightly decided, as though he would be subject to change his mind. It was His eternal plan, to be put into effect at just the right time.

God’s great mystery, his will, his purpose, and his plan, is and always has been to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. To the extent a person works toward that goal, he is working in accordance with God’s will, contributing to His plan and promoting His purpose. And to the extent that a person hinders that goal, he is opposing God’s plan and purpose, and is out of step with the will of God.

Of course God is not willing that any should be left out of this unity, but that all come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4) Yet Jesus made it clear that the unity of his followers would be key to the belief of the world. (John 17:23). So our current disunity stands in the way of God’s mysterious plan. But God’s purpose will prevail. There can be no room for doubt about that. Jesus prayed for the unity of the believers, and God will answer His Son’s prayer.

W. Carl Ketcherside commented on the above passage, saying:

Unity will come because it must come. The divine purpose cannot be frustrated, the divine will cannot be a failure, the divine pleasure cannot be mere fancy, the divine design cannot be a fallacy.

Unity is the purpose of our God. He will bring it about. It is our responsibility to act in step with His purpose. Let’s be sure we are doing that!

Posted in Ephesians, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

« Newer Entries
Older Entries »