faith for faith

Having been exposed to Southern Baptist “life” far more than I have ever desired by attending a Southern Baptist seminary for near countless years, I have become well-acquainted with the controversies that have plagued churches throughout the country. In that, the one controversy that seems to creep upon the stoop of every church at one time or another is the “contemporary” music controversy. To put it briefly for those who are fortunate enough to be unaware of it, it is the struggle between generations in a church over the type of music that is played in Sunday morning services, whether it be the type that is labeled “traditional” or that which is labeled “contemporary,” i.e. that which is more in tune with the types of music popular in the secular world.

And having attended a school and through it becoming familiar with it, I have to say that the presentation of the controversy has been typically one-sided, namely coming from those who are younger who have a general animosity toward those who are older. And though this is not always the case, it is typically the case. Those who are in the seminaries are usually those who are younger, and therefore they reside in a different generation and in a different understanding of the world around them. Therefore, when they hear that the “old folks” in the church do not like the new music, they immediately conclude that they are old fogies who are set in their ways and who are not as “spiritual” and spiritually discerning as they are.

Read more…

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit–just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call–one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift (Eph. 4:1-7).

When we think upon the writings of Paul compared to our own context, it is interesting to think about those whom he is addressing. He is not writing to the First Baptist Church of Ephesus or to the Ephesus Presbyterian Church or to the Reformed Church of Ephesus, but he is writing to the church at Ephesus. And what exactly does the apostle mean when he says that he is writing to the church at Ephesus? He explains this at the beginning of his letter: “To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus” (v. 1:1). Therefore, his letter (shockingly) is intended for all who are in Christ in Ephesus–who have been bought with his blood and who share in the Blessing of his Spirit.

Read more…

For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me” (Rm. 15:3).

When it comes to those to whom Christians are to look for guidance and inspiration to live their lives, their focus should be Singular. For there is only one Man who lived perfectly for the sake of God and his glory, and that man is Jesus Christ. And though there are others to whom we can look to as a godly examples, their example is only good insofar as it accords with the example of Jesus Christ. For while there have always been, by God’s grace, godly men on this earth, those men, at the end of day, were still men and being such were still sinners till the day they died.

Read more…

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment (1Cor. 1:10).

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? (1Cor. 3:1-3).

For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized (1Cor. 11:18,19).

But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit (Jude 17-19).

The question was posed to me in response to my post yesterday on the unity of the Church, on how divisions that exist within the Church reflect upon the trueness of one church over another. From the writings of the apostles, it is clear that divisions within the Church are not the revealed desire of God and that divisions arise because fleshly people gather where only the spiritual should. For the fleshly put their minds on the things of the flesh and, rather than striving for Christ’s glory manifested in his Church, they strive for personal gain and discord. These, as opposed to the spiritual, do not seek after the Kingdom and its righteousness, but they seek for worldly pleasures and esteem and thereby invest in the kingdom of hell.

Read more…

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness (Rm. 12:4-8).

The language that is used to describe the elect of God is that of single person, viz. a bride, though, by his grace, the elect of God are far more in number than one, single person. The purpose is multi-faceted. One facet is the picture of God’s love for his elect, demonstrated most clearly in shadow of healthy human marriage where one man and one woman are joined in a life-long intimacy that transcends any other relationship in human experience. Another facet, which is the that of the apostle presently, is the creation of the image of the Church as one body, who though comprised of many members are one single body performing distinct and vital functions. Each one in the Body might, pictorially, fulfill the function of a heart, another a hand, and another a foot, but each member is dependent upon the whole of the others to function properly.

Read more…

I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me (John 17:20-23).

In being a part of a good ol’ Southern Baptist church and having outlasted several professors at Southeastern Baptist Seminary, I have heard a great deal said on the Great Commission and foreign missions. And before you hear me incorrectly, I believe that that is a good thing. The Southern Baptist Convention sends out more missionaries than any other denomination in the world (even though it is well below our means as Americans), and for that I praise God. However, as is often the case, emphasis on one front often leads to neglect on another, which is one reason why I believe the American Church is in such dire straits as it is.

Our problem is that we do not see the American Church’s state as dire, and even if we do, we do not see it as our fault. We are much more likely to place the blame on the wickedness in the country and on evil politicians than on ourselves. Yet it is not the world’s fault that Baptists are more likely to get divorced than atheists and agnostics (Source), and it is not their fault that we tolerate immorality in our congregations and say nothing against popular antichrists (e.g. Joel Osteen, T. D. Jakes). And it is not the world’s fault that ninety-nine percent of the American Church is in love with the world and money, and go to “church” on Sunday for a show rather than to worship the Almighty.

In spite of all this, we send out missionaries all the same. But what we do not realize is that our neglect of the American Church is stifling our global missions. Christ, in his prayer in John 17, prays twice for the unity of the Church, and each time that he prays for its unity it is so that the world will know that God sent Jesus Christ into the world. Earlier in John 13, Christ makes a similar statement: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Therefore, according to Christ, our effectiveness in evangelizing the world flows directly from our demonstration of love and like-mindedness within the Church.

I know what you are thinking: “How does the moral state of the American Church have anything to do with its unity?” Much indeed, for all of our problems in the American Church come from our disunity. As Christ demonstrated in his prayer to the Father that they were united by his perfect submission to the Father’s will, so we would be united if we submitted perfectly to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Head. Yet we do nothing of the sort. Our disobedience to the Word proves it; our denominations prove it; our divorce rate proves it; our total lack of Church discipline proves it; our new cars and big houses prove it; and our lack of love for the Church proves it.

Therefore, our greatest commission as Christians is the unity of Church, for the Great Commission is dependent upon it. If we as a Church do not submit to Jesus Christ in everything and do not love one another as we ought, why should we expect anyone in our country or in the world to submit to the Gospel that we ignore?