Monday, September 12, 2016

Cultivating a Culture of Evangelism Part 12

1.     Send Hand-Written Notes of Encouragement. There is nothing which makes a person feel more special than to know that you care enough about them to sit down and take time to send a personal, hand-written note. It just feels good. It shows that you care enough to spend the valuable commodity of time on them. They are that important to you. Real ministry is loving people and loving people requires work. One of the best things you can do after having lunch with a friend for whom you have been praying is to send them a letter to follow up. Send them often and keep it personal. No need to flatter, just be honest about the things you appreciate about their friendship. We are bound to thank God for the wonderful people he has placed into our lives. Why not let them know it in a real and tangible way? It’s old-fashioned I know but sometimes we need some old-fashioned. A typed letter is not the same. It’s too modern and fast and impersonal. Be genuine, be caring, be friendly. Express it on paper with a pen. Share your love for those whom Christ died to save.

2.     Don't be Distracted There is no limit to potential pointless preacher squabbles. They will drain your emotional energy and keep you engaged in all the wrong warfare. The devil schemes against you by getting you to obsess about thoughts that do not belong to you. The disgruntled critic comes in many forms and the “they” always have unfettered “concerns” for the preacher. Don’t go there! There are too many souls that need to be saved! There are so many disciples that need to be made! So many prayers that need to offered in intercession! Deal with conflicts lovingly and decisively but stay focused on the evangelistic work at hand. Don’t major on the minors and don’t give too much thought to criticism nor praise. “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” (1 Cor. 4:2) Paul considered it a “small thing” to be judged by others. Why? He had one pursuit which kept him focused on the most important task of making Christ known. Pastor, there are a trillion things that can divert your attention from the calling God has placed on your life. Always remember, no matter what, to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mk. 16:15)

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

CONFESSIONAL CHRISTIANITY

Confessional Christianity

The struggle was real. Not only was there physical pain and economic struggle to consider but the gospel itself was at stake. Should Gentile Christians be required to be circumcised to be saved? The church settled the matter by living out confessional faith. Acts 15 tells us “the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.” (v. 6) They received the question from Paul and Barnabas who had been dealing with this among the churches beyond Jerusalem. Peter takes a stand and appeals to the sovereign grace of God (v. 7), the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation (v. 8), the removal of Jew/Gentile distinction in Christ (v. 9-11), and the authority of Scripture (Amos 9:11-12) as the basis for any decision to be made. The decision is made and an official letter (writing, statement, confession) is sent out with men chosen which “pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church.” (v. 22) The letter served authoritatively for the order of doctrine and practice. While this letter is distinct (it is Scripture) from subsequent doctrinal confessions the church has offered through the ages, it nonetheless established the pattern for ecclesiological determination of orthodoxy and orthopraxy. The church, with the leadership of the apostles and elders is:

1.     Authoritative to resolve matters of ecclesiological conflict.
The church’s authority to solve conflict was already recognized by the other believers. That is the very reason that “Paul and Barnabas and certain others” determined to approach the leadership at Jerusalem. The confession issued by the church definitively stated the position of the true church and it was accepted as such by Paul. He continued to battle the false teachings of “Judaizers” throughout his ministry but his statement of faith was always clear and so was orthodoxy. The conflict was definitively answered by the Jerusalem Council and continued in Paul’s ministry. “As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” (Gal. 1:9)
2.     Required to address contemporary challenges.
The church in every age is forced to answer the challenges before her. In the first century, one such problem was the issue of circumcision as it related especially to salvation. In 325 A.D. the Arian controversy was answered with the Nicene Creed and the deity of Christ was elucidated. The Council at Chalcedon clarified the dual nature of Christ in 451 A.D. to those who offered various other views. Modernistic challenges have been answered in recent times by the Chicago Statement on Inerrancy in 1978 and the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. Obviously, there are many other statements of faith and each church (as well as cooperating relationships) must decide which they will affirm or deny. However, the point here is that the church bears the responsibility of stating her faith and message as she “holds fast the pattern of sound words” (2 Tim. 1:14) and “contends earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 3)
3.     Defines parameters at which we must not divide.
By refusing to require circumcision the Jerusalem Council allowed it. Just a few verses later Paul circumcised his new young protégé Timothy “because of the Jews who were in that region.” (Acts 16:3) This was evidently part of a missional strategy that removed a potential hindrance for effective gospel preaching. It was not to placate false teachers who wished to add human works to God’s saving grace but rather an exercise of missionary wisdom. The practice of circumcision was not a point of division. By allowing circumcision to those who preferred it for reasons that did not negatively affect the purity of the gospel, the early Christians exemplify acceptable parameters within which we do not divide. There is still full affirmation of the Jerusalem decree and yet personal liberty in the application of preferred practices which are secondary or tertiary issues. Sometimes what is not stated is just as important as what is stated. There is no good reason to divide over things which are allowed in the Jerusalem confession. “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” (Acts 15:28-29)
4.     Defines parameters at which we must divide.
By refusing to require circumcision, the Jerusalem Council infers those who do require it are not allowed. This delineates what is true and what is not true. It sufficiently articulates what is genuine Christianity and what is counterfeit. This declaration of belief defines what is acceptable among the community of faith and sets historical precedent for future generations of Christians to do the same. We are to be a confessional people just as we always have been. As our own Baptist Faith and Message states these confessions are a “witness to our beliefs and a pledge of our faithfulness to the doctrines revealed in Holy Scripture.” Our commitment to one another is a commitment to shared beliefs and these beliefs should rightly be stated. If one claims to be something without definition, then that claim is meaningless and it serves to deceive. A confession-less shadow of Christianity is no more than a “cloud without water.” In the end, claims without truth are nothing more than a lie. Substance is required for words to build convictions. This sin-sick world needs Christians with convictions. Convictions expressed, agreed, and acted upon in clear articulations of what they mean. If one, or a group steps beyond those parameters we must call them to repent and come back. The call must be filled with conviction and compassion but we can do no less. To go outside of our agreed upon parameters is to divide oneself apart from the body. There will be those “who cause divisions, not having the Spirit…But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.” (Jude 19-23)
5.     Constitutes orthodoxy and orthopraxy.  

The letter from Jerusalem stated right doctrine and right practice. If anyone wanted to know what the followers of Jesus believed about the possibility of adding circumcision as a requirement for salvation, then they needed to look no further than this confessional statement. Paul not only became the messenger of this council to Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia but it was in many ways the focal point of his teaching ministry. He presents his theological argument on the issue in Romans 4 and concludes, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness…Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.” (Rom. 4:3, 10) He continues in Galatians 3:6-8 and Philippians 3:9 and throughout his letters. Every place he goes he delivers the message that salvation is justification from the Just One and comes only through faith in Christ. His entire practice proceeded from this doctrine that was settled in Jerusalem. Right doctrine articulated in a letter builds the expectation of doing right and encourages the accountability we need to keep it right. A church, or any other cooperative ministry relationship, without clear expressions and expectations of orthodoxy and orthopraxy is a farce. Christians are to stand together, appealing to the sovereign grace of God, the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation, and the authority of Scripture as we express our faith and deliver our message.