No, Really ... part 2

What are we doing with the spirit of the message? Are we proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ for all the world to hear or are we proclaiming a different gospel? What are we doing with our witness to the world? A friend pointed out the posters in the church basement that explained where offerings were going to "missions" outside the local church. Probably half of the groups that were given funds were not even Christian groups. The picture is a bulletin board showing what PW is doing. While service has its place in the church and in the life of the believer (James 2:14-26), we should make the most of every opportunity to share the Gospel. Also, the works most often talked about in Scripture refer to helping brothers - fellow believers in Christ. Why should we squander our resources for social justice or service or anti-poverty by choosing to withhold the most precious gift of all - salvation in Christ Jesus? We are the light of the world. Let your light shine before others. What are we telling people if we preach the gospel of social justice or of prosperity rather than preach the good news of Christ's life, death and resurrection for all humanity? My qualm isn't with social justice or social services or doing good works. The problem is when we seek justice or service above our call to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them all that the Lord commands. Are we providing service without speaking the Gospel? If so, we may be making their time here less miserable, but their souls remain condemned to Hell.

By supporting service groups that are not Christian-based, especially as a church, we are saying that meeting physical/mental/emotional needs is more important than Christ meeting spiritual needs. If we are not proclaiming the truth and salvation that are found in Christ alone, we are like salt that has lost its saltiness (Matt. 5:13). Look again to the Great Commission; if the Church is using its resources to do something apart from making disciples, baptizing them and teaching them, why? We must proclaim Christ's gospel, not our own. It seems that the purpose of mission committees should be to support the work of advancing the Gospel. Why then are they supporting completely secular humanitarian programs? Why do they support social concerns more than they support evangelistic efforts?

It's our fault that the world doesn't know the truth and can't hear it. By our actions we're saying that however you choose to live your life is fine by us. We're happy with what we have, and we want you to be happy with what you have. Let's try not to offend anyone by proselytizing. We just need peace and understanding. Poverty is a terrible injustice from which we must save our fellow human. That is not the truth for which God incarnate suffered, died and rose again! Sin separates us from God, and salvation from the eternal consequence of that sin is found in Christ Jesus alone. It's time to stop promoting our own agendas. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!

Really, What Are We Preaching?

Do you ever have those days when you're trying to listen to what is being preached, but it seems like you must not be hearing it? The Scripture doesn't seem to have anything to do with what the person is saying and the story they're telling to illustrate a point seems completely irrelevant. Sometimes after the service, someone will ask you what the sermon was about and you can barely even remember the topic. There are times I experience this and then shamefully realize that I really wasn't listening at all. But what about the other times? Is there always substance to the sermon?

Coming up with effective messages to speak or write isn't always easy. Ideas can be difficult to bring to fruition (especially if we're not seeking God with a pure heart). We can pray that our words align with the Truth, that the Lord would use what we write and say and do. But ideas often aren't expressed exactly as we envision them. I've written things (blog entries, for instance) and prepared devotions that, looking back, appear to have missed the point that was intended. It gets messy when we try to see how God uses us, even when it looks like we fail. God can and does use what we do for His glory. I have had instances when I tried to speak the Gospel and immediately afterward felt like a failure; and more than once God reassured me that He used it to touch someone's heart. It's not about how hard we try. It's about obedience to the Lord. Back to the topic of substance - what's being preached?

The message conveyed by preaching can be two-fold: what is literally being preached and everything else, which I'll collectively call the spirit of the message. The spirit of the message is much broader not only for what affects it but also for whom it reaches. The former message largely affects the church while the latter message has a greater effect on non-believers. Let's look at the problem that I discussed in the first paragraph, the literal message.

Some weeks it seems like the pastor is preaching from his own strength and own knowledge rather than relying on God. Since the pastor is a sinful person like the rest of us (though hopefully also being actively sanctified), this shouldn't surprise us from time to time. Hopefully the preacher is made aware of this sin and repents so that the body would be edified and led by God through His chosen leaders.

The Great Commission as recorded in Matthew 28 has three parts to the command: i) Go and make disciples of all nations, ii) baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, iii) and teaching them to obey all that Christ has commanded. As the Church, are we accomplishing these things? To generalize these commands, we are to care for every part of a person's life - unbelief (evangelism), salvation experience (signified by baptism), and belief (sanctification).

How then do we care for those who believe? The ongoing focus of the local church for maturing believers should be teaching them to obey Christ's commands. We must not focus solely on ourselves, lest we forget the first two parts of Christ's command in the Great Commission. It is also vital to our own growth that we are instructed in the ways of our Lord in order to become mature in faith. Care must be taken for the body of believers to grow and mature in Christ (1 Cor. 3:1-3, Heb. 5:11-14, 1 Pet. 2:1-3).

When I was visiting my family on Christmas, I noticed a sheet of paper to follow along with the sermon from a recent service. The paper was fill-in-the-blank, and the answer to the first blank was "the Bible." No, this wasn't a preschool lesson; this was the head pastor's sermon outline. No wonder such people don't know what they claim to believe! No wonder that they are so easily led astray by false teachings and false doctrines. Nobody's ever really taught them the commands of Christ.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, "I have come not to overthrow the Law but to fulfill it." On this claim alone we should ask why there is not more teaching of (and adherence to) the Law in our churches. Matthew 22:37-40 states, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." We need to ask ourselves if we understand these commands and if we are following them. We need to be teaching and preaching as the Lord commands both within the church and outside it. We need to look honestly at what we're saying and doing; perhaps it is time to repent and truly edify the church body and be lights in this dark world.

Up next: Taking on the spirit of the message