Love Your Local Institutional Church
Originally published October 29, 2014
One of the advantages of having Calvinist friends on my Facebook friend list is that little gems like this one appear in my news feed from time to time. The article is entitled “Do You Love the Church Like Jesus Does?”* It was written by a young man named Mark Perry, former Associate Pastor of Westerville Bible Church in Westerville, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus, and now a missionary candidate to Chile. Mr. Perry could be considered to be of the “young, restless, and reformed” variety.
The opening caption of the article asks the question, is it possible to love Jesus and not love His church? Obviously, a question such as this establishes the premise that such a thing is not possible. We are to assume that these two things are not compatible. If you don’t love the church then you must not love Jesus. The purpose of the article seeks to first define the “church” and then make the argument of why and how we are to love it. I have reproduced the body of the article in this post so that I can offer a review of Mr. Perry’s arguments (in italics) and insert my comments to relevant sections that I want to point out to you.
Do You Love the Church Like Jesus Does?
What is the church?
We use the word “church” in many different ways. How can we pinpoint what that means? In Ephesians we are told that “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph 5:25). We can identify the church by asking for which “church” Jesus died.
The church is not the building in which believers assemble. We often use the word church to refer to the building: “What a lovely church!” or “The church could use a new coat of paint.” But surely this is not the church for which Jesus died. In fact, New Testament congregations met in members’ homes (e.g., Rom 16:5; 1 Cor 16:19; Col 4:15; Philemon 1:2). In many parts of the world today, our brothers and sisters in Christ meet in homes, parks, or public locations. It is not necessary to own property or have a physical building dedicated to the regular assembling of Jesus’ body.
So far so good. All very well stated. These are all things that Paul and I have both stated on regular occasions. I would agree with Mr. Perry on this point. Notice how he establishes that the church is not a building. In fact, he goes to some length to establish what the church is not, thereby framing his argument to follow. Reading on:
The church is not the meetings or ministry programming. Another way we use the word church is to refer to a worship service or ministry program: “Church was great this morning; I really enjoyed the sermon.” “My church has so many ministry opportunities available.” Many people see the church as the sum of services or ministries offered: children’s ministries, fellowship opportunities, teaching and preaching, or other benefits offered to members or adherents. But did Jesus die to secure singles’ ministries, Vacation Bible School, and youth groups? Did Jesus love a certain style of music or preaching so much that he left heaven to give his life? Every generation of believers since the book of Acts has had to work out how to obey Jesus’ command to make disciples in their culture.
Ok, here he starts to drift a little. First of all, we don’t have to “work out” how to obey Jesus’ commands. His commands are clear. We either do them or we don’t. The way we make disciples or “learners” is by teaching them exactly what Jesus said to do. The message of the Gospel of the Kingdom is not culture-specific. It is the same for all men everywhere. We don’t have to “figure it out.”
The other thing I notice in this statement is the implication that evangelism takes place within the confines of the institutional gathering or its ministries. This is patently false. Evangelism is an individual mandate. We don’t bring the unsaved to the church through the means of some “program” or “ministry” in order to get them saved. We as individuals go out to them and preach the gospel to them. When they hear and believe and become saved, we then invite them to fellowship with the assembly for the purpose of edification.
Moving on…
The church is the regular assembly of believers in Jesus. We often say, “The church is the people”
This is correct. Yay! The reason we often say it is because it’s true.
and we are right—almost.
Wait…Huh? What do you mean “almost?”
On one hand, the universal church includes all believers in Jesus from the Day of Pentecost until the Rapture. At the moment of Jesus’ return in the air, the universal church will be assembled for the first time: “those who have fallen asleep” and “we who are alive, who are left” (1 Thess 4:14, 17). But until that time, the church exists on earth in localized assemblies of believers who meet regularly for prayer, Scripture reading, teaching of apostolic doctrine, and fellowship (Acts 2:42). The Greek word translated “church” (ἐκκλησία) means assembly or gathering and sometimes in the New Testament it even refers to groups of unbelievers (e.g., Acts 19:32, 39, 41).
Ok, while I don’t see the NT making any distinction between “universal church” and “local church”, nevertheless his other points here are spot on. And he would have been better served stopping right there, but he didn’t. Read on…
The church is the church when it is assembled.
WHAT? Read that again. He said, “The church is the church when it is assembled”? The logical inverse of that statement would necessarily follow that the church is not the church when it is not assembled. But he just said the word “church” is the word “ekklesia” which means “assembly.” The reality of his statement indicates that the church does not exist when it is not assembled. That would mean the church only has relevance when it is assembled.
At the beginning this author made points about what a church is not. It is not a building, it is not a program. But please notice his emphasis is still on some group entity over the individual. In Reformed and Protestant orthodoxy, there is no relevance or meaning or existence outside of the group! To them, our relevance as believers only matters within the church. So, when we are not assembled, we don’t matter.
It is those believers who regularly gather in Jesus’ name. Therefore, the church that Jesus loves and for whom he died is the gathering of believers. These local assemblies or gatherings of believers are the only church we can know this side of heaven.
I would dare to ask Mr. Perry that if the church is the Body, and we are individual members of that Body, each with our own function, then do we cease to be a part of that Body when we are not assembled? Are we only part of the Body when we meet on Sundays (or Wednesday, or Saturday, or any other required meeting time/place)? I contend that our relevance as believers extends far beyond that which we do when we gather for fellowship. And our not being assembled together in fellowship at any given time does not preclude our identity as a member of the Body of Christ. He continues:
What does it mean to love the church?
We are commanded to “walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us” (Eph 5:2). In other words, we are to love the church just as Jesus does. The command to love Jesus’ church is the same as the oft-repeated New Testament command to “love one another” (e.g., Rom 12:10; 13:8; 1 Thess 3:12; 4:9; 2 Thess 1:3; 1 Pet 1:22; 4:8; 1 John 3:11; 4:7, 11, 12; 2 John 1:5). So we love Jesus’ church when we love the brothers and sisters in our local assembly.
What about other brothers and sisters in other assemblies around the world who are not part of our cult group assembly, who don’t necessarily share all the same beliefs in matters of practice? Are they not a part of the body because they don’t assemble with us? Is our church somehow better/superior to their church because we don’t “worship” the same way they do, because we “do church” the “right way”? Are they any less a part of the body of Christ? Are they part of the assembly because they are born-again believers in Christ or instead because they regularly assemble at our “church”?
And this is where it gets difficult. We may love our church’s beautiful building, we may be enraptured by our favorite preacher’s sermon series, or we may appreciate the array of ministries and opportunities our church offers, but loving these difficult, obnoxious, unkind, and sinful people is a different matter entirely! Jesus’ love for us is our example to love his church. What about the sinful people in my church? Jesus loved me while I was a sinner (Rom 5:6–8). What about the cantankerous or antagonistic people in my church? Jesus loved me while I was his enemy (Rom 5:10). What about the people who have weak consciences or unreasonable standards in my church? Jesus served others, not himself (Rom 15:3; Mark 10:45).
Mr. Perry must not think very much of the members in his church. Look at what he calls them: “difficult, obnoxious, unkind, and sinful people… cantankerous or antagonistic… people who have weak consciences or unreasonable standards”. Wow, I sure want to be a part of that church now that I know what the pastoral staff thinks of me! The view of the continued total depravity of the saints is clearly evident in this paragraph. The Bible does not call believers “sinners”. That is what we were in the past. Let us not forget the rest of 1 Corinthians 6:11, “…but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God…” Believers are righteous, Mr. Perry, because we have the righteousness of God the Father. We have His seed in us that cannot sin! (1 John 3:9)
As I continue to read these last points, the emphasis of the church as an institution (…our church’s beautiful building…preacher’s sermon series…array of ministries and opportunities…) vs. a body of individuals is apparent. The “church” is referred to in terms that place the emphasis on this “entity” that is something other than the body of Christ. It is very subtle, but the implications are there.
How can we love the church?
How then can we “walk in love” and serve one another through love (Gal 5:13)? Here are four practical ways.
Meet regularly with Jesus’ church. Don’t turn your back on Jesus’ church because you don’t like the facilities or prefer a different ministry emphasis. Don’t abandon Jesus’ church for something that is not the church. Jesus has promised his presence with his church until the end of the age (Matt 28:20). Jesus meets with his church—do you?
There is a veiled threat in this point regarding abandoning the church. What happens to the one who abandons the church? What is the “something that is not the church”? Do you not see the equivocation here that if you are not part of the church then you are not a part of the Body, ergo, you are not saved? Whether or not it is stated plainly, reformed orthodoxy functions under the belief that salvation is found within the institution.
Pray for Jesus’ church. If you see problems [sic] When you see problems in your church, pray for your church.
Yes, by all means, we ought to pray for each others’ needs as we fellowship together. We ought to pray that our fellowship time is efficacious. We ought to pray that we would be on our guard for wolves who would do violence to the flock and that we would be discerning regarding false teaching. But that is not what this author has in mind. His concern here is with the actual institution itself. Consider report after report of spiritual abuse and scandals that have rocked the religious word in the last few years. But yet it is these same institutions that must be preserved for the “cause of Christ”, regardless of the problems that exist. Look at this next paragraph:
Are you concerned about your church? Remember Jesus loves his church—he died for her—and he cares for your church more than you ever could (Rev 1:12, 20). We pray with confidence when we pray according to God’s will (1 John 5:14), and we know what God’s will is for the church—that she becomes like Jesus! This is what God is at work doing (Phil 1:6; 2:13). Pray the God-breathed prayers of the New Testament for your church (e.g., Eph 3:14–21; Phil 1:9–11; Rom 15:5–6; 1 Thess 5:23–24). Jesus prayed for his church (John 17:20–26) —do you?
Notice the collectivist emphasis in terms. The individuals are expendable. The “church” must become like Jesus, not individuals. We must pray for God’s will for your “church”, not the individuals. Jesus died for the “church”, not the individuals. Jesus prayed for the “church”, not the individuals. But consider that last reference in John 17 carefully. When Jesus prayed that night in the garden, he wasn’t praying for a church, he was praying for you and me! He was praying for the PEOPLE, the individuals that comprised His Body.
Follow the spiritual leaders Jesus has placed over his church. If you don’t like or don’t “click with” your church leadership, you might be tempted to turn your back on Jesus’ church. In fact, disagreement with the teaching or ministry direction of our leaders is a very spiritual-sounding reason for abandoning the group of brothers and sisters to whom we have committed ourselves
It’s more than just “spiritual-sounding”, it is commanded by Scripture! Come out from among them and be ye separate. Earnestly contend for the faith. Mark and avoid those who cause divisions because of contrary doctrine. But somehow this is abandonment?
But if Jesus was going to show us something new from his Word or to correct a misunderstanding we had about the Bible, how would he do that? Wouldn’t he use the leaders and teachers he has given to his church for that very purpose (Eph 4:11–14)? It seems the Chief Shepherd would use the shepherds he has set up over his church (1 Pet 5:4–5) to “keep watch over your soul” (Heb 13:17). Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, entrusted the church for which he died to your elders (Heb 13:20–21; Acts 20:28)—do you follow them?
First of all, there is nothing “new” in the Bible. We’ve had it for 2000 years or more. Are leaders and teachers giving us new revelation? Do they have some special dispensation or gifting that enables them to speak for God? Has God divinely appointed them (predetermination) to be in a place of authority, and so we must obey them? No because pastors and teachers are gifts given for the purpose of equipping and edifying the assembly, not for the purpose of authority or speaking for God. There is no mediator between God and man other than Jesus. We don’t need men to interpret God’s word for us. God gives discernment to every believer through the Holy Spirit. Each believer is responsible to test EVERYTHING (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21). We don’t passively wait for some authority to do the testing for us. Shepherds guard and protect, they don’t rule. They see to the needs of the flock so that each believer can be effective in his own ministry. They don’t dictate to the flock how to think and act.
Put the spiritual needs of Jesus’ church above your own preferences. Often our opinions about how the building should be decorated or the way in which the meetings or programs should be set up are more important to us than the spiritual needs of our brothers and sisters.
Mr. Perry keeps bringing up these references to the building and ministries after he made it a point early on to emphasize that the church is not either of these. Why do these thoughts constantly preoccupy our thinking? Because it’s been ingrained into our mindset. This beast has created all of its own problems. Matters of preference or décor or carpet color or music choice or programs or how much to tithe all become moot when we simply get back to a Biblical model of fellowship.
If anyone could have lobbied for his own interests instead of giving himself for his church, it was Jesus (Phil 2:3–8). Jesus gave up his rights and reputation for his church—do you?
This is obviously a reference to Philippians 2:7, “But made himself of no reputation…”, but this same passage also states that Jesus gave up nothing, but instead constantly affirmed His equality with the Father.
Next Lord’s Day, as you gather in Jesus’ name with that group of believers you call your brothers and sisters in Christ, look around and ask yourself this question: “Do I love this church like Jesus does?”
Thankfully, that is the end of the article, because there is much more I could add, but I’d be writing forever. The bottom line here is that consistently the emphasis in the NT regarding the church is the assembly, or the individual members of the Body. We are to love the people, not this thing they call the “church”. Reformed and Protestant orthodoxy equivocate whenever it speaks of “church”, and that is by design. Their double-speak confuses and obfuscates the real matter- their belief of salvation being tied to the institution, and not the finished work of Christ. When you love the people you are loving the church because we are all members of it every moment, not just when we gather for fellowship. We are individual members of a Body, and no man ever hated his own body. We have got to be clear what we are talking about when we use the words we use!
Andy
* The link to the cited article is no longer available
Escaping Church and its Culture of Death
Originally published August 19, 2015
Week in, and week out, and days in-between, professing Christians meet at a local institutional church to further indoctrinate their families in the Protestant culture of death. It doesn’t seem like death as families cheerfully socialize together and lift up their hands as the hipster praise bands make a joyful noise to the Lord. In addition, charismatic orators speak of things that are clearly in the Bible.
But let’s talk about good old fashioned theological math found in the Bible. The Bible addresses the only two people groups that exist in the world: the lost and the saved. As professing Christians, we want to be biblically defined as saved people, no? Can a case be made in this post that present-day evangelicals define themselves according to what the Bible defines as “lost.” Yes. All in all I am sure you will agree; any religion that defines itself as unregenerate is a really bad idea.
Here is how the Bible defines the two people groups:
Romans 6:14 – For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
Every person living in the world is under law or under grace; lost or saved. Protestants define themselves as under law with under grace as a covering. Romans 6:14 is defined this way:
We are under grace because the righteousness of Christ continually saves us from being under law.
So, with Protestantism, it’s both. Under grace means we are still under law but progressively saved by grace. Under law is who we are, while we “experience” grace. Under law is what we do, under grace is what we experience. Supposedly, when Paul stated that we are “not” under law, what he really meant to say is under law is the absence of grace. The lost are only under law, but the saved are under both.
Hence, we are still under the “righteous demands of the law,” but if we are under grace, Jesus keeps the law for us. This is achieved by focusing on our sinfulness against the law, and returning to the same gospel that originally saved us out of gratitude. Objections to this idea are met with accusations of indifference to Christ’s sacrifice. Therefore, the “Christian” must live a “lifestyle of repentance” and constantly seek a “greater revelation of self” which is inherently sinful. The goal is to plunge the depths of our supposed total depravity. And if you are paying attention, our sin and the original gospel that saved us are the constant drumbeats we hear in the institutional church week in and week out.
Consequently, our goal is to see more and more of our reality of being under law resulting in an increased joy regarding our original salvation. Mainline evangelical Paul Washer states it this way:
At conversion, a person begins to see God and himself as never before. This greater revelation of God’s holiness and righteousness leads to a greater revelation of self, which, in return, results in a repentance or brokenness over sin. Nevertheless, the believer is not left in despair, for he is also afforded a greater revelation of the grace of God in the face of Christ, which leads to joy unspeakable. This cycle simply repeats itself throughout the Christian life. As the years pass, the Christian sees more of God and more of self, resulting in a greater and deeper brokenness. Yet, all the while, the Christian’s joy grows in equal measure because he is privy to greater and greater revelations of the love, grace, and mercy of God in the person and work of Christ. Not only this, but a greater interchange occurs in that the Christian learns to rest less and less in his own performance and more and more in the perfect work of Christ. Thus, his joy is not only increased, but it also becomes more consistent and stable. He has left off putting confidence in the flesh, which is idolatry, and is resting in the virtue and merits of Christ, which is true Christian piety (Paul Washer: The Gospel Call and True Conversion; Part 1, Chapter 1, heading – The Essential Characteristics Of Genuine Repentance, subheading – Continuing and Deepening Work of Repentance).
This not only turns the Bible completely upside down, but leaves the Christian in a lifestyle of death while rejoicing in it. This is a true celebration of death, and church is the culture thereof. Romans 6 is clear about what it means to remain under law:
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Obviously, if we believe our formal sinful self has been “brought to nothing,” Paul Washer’s sanctification construct is impossible, and his statement speaks to the authentic soteriology of the Protestant Reformation. How do you achieve a greater revelation of your sinful self when your former sinful self has been “brought to nothing”?
You don’t, which leaves the “believer” yet under law and in need of salvation. The “believer” needs to continually return to the same gospel that saved him/her in order to remain saved. Instead of the new birth being a onetime event that brings the former sinner to “nothing,” the new birth is defined as a joy experience resulting from revisiting the gospel afresh for forgiveness of sin that still condemns us.
This cycle simply repeats itself throughout the Christian life. As the years pass, the Christian sees more of God and more of self, resulting in a greater and deeper brokenness. Yet, all the while, the Christian’s joy grows in equal measure because he is privy to greater and greater revelations of the love, grace, and mercy of God in the person and work of Christ (Ibid).
We are asking the question, How does the gospel save believers?, not: How does the gospel get people to be believers?… Believers need to be saved. The gospel is the instrument of God’s power to save us. And we need to know how the gospel saves us believers so that we make proper use of it (John Piper: Part 2 of a series titled, “How Does the Gospel Save Believers”).
Progressive sanctification has two parts: mortification and vivification, ‘both of which happen to us by participation in Christ,’ as Calvin notes….Subjectively experiencing this definitive reality signified and sealed to us in our baptism requires a daily dying and rising. That is what the Reformers meant by sanctification as a living out of our baptism….and this conversion yields lifelong mortification and vivification ‘again and again.’ Yet it is critical to remind ourselves that in this daily human act of turning, we are always turning not only from sin but toward Christ rather than toward our own experience or piety (Michael Horton: The Christian Faith; mortification and vivification, pp. 661-663 [Calvin Inst. 3.3.2-9]).
…by new sins we continually separate ourselves, as far as we can, from the grace of God… Thus it is, that all the saints have need of the daily forgiveness of sins; for this alone keeps us in the family of God (John Calvin: Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles; The Calvin Translation Society 1855. Editor: John Owen, p. 165 ¶4).
Moreover, the message of free reconciliation with God is not promulgated for one or two days, but is declared to be perpetual in the Church (2 Cor. 5:18, 19). Hence believers have not even to the end of life any other righteousness than that which is there described. Christ ever remains a Mediator to reconcile the Father to us, and there is a perpetual efficacy in his death—viz. ablution, satisfaction, expiation; in short, perfect obedience, by which all our iniquities are covered (The Calvin Institutes: 3.14.11).
Where we land on these issues is perhaps the most significant factor in how we approach our own faith and practice and communicate it to the world. If not only the unregenerate but the regenerate are always dependent at every moment on the free grace of God disclosed in the gospel, then nothing can raise those who are spiritually dead or continually give life to Christ’s flock but the Spirit working through the gospel. When this happens (not just once, but every time we encounter the gospel afresh), the Spirit progressively transforms us into Christ’s image. Start with Christ (that is, the gospel) and you get sanctification in the bargain; begin with Christ and move on to something else, and you lose both (Michael Horton: Christless Christianity; p. 62).
Nor by remission of sins does the Lord only once for all elect and admit us into the Church, but by the same means he preserves and defends us in it. For what would it avail us to receive a pardon of which we were afterwards to have no use? That the mercy of the Lord would be vain and delusive if only granted once, all the godly can bear witness; for there is none who is not conscious, during his whole life, of many infirmities which stand in need of divine mercy. And truly it is not without cause that the Lord promises this gift specially to his own household, nor in vain that he orders the same message of reconciliation to be daily delivered to them (The Calvin Institutes: 4.1.21).
Therefore, “under grace” is defined as a mere qualification to return to the same gospel that saved us; in other words, “We must preach the gospel to ourselves every day” in order to keep ourselves saved. How prevalent is this idea in the contemporary church? Consider this laundry list from Peter Lumpkins .com:
“As Pastors we must first preach the gospel to ourselves before we proclaim to the world the necessity of a Savior” Scott Thomas, President of Acts 29 Network.
“Yet even when we understand that our acceptance with God is based on Christ’s work, we still naturally tend to drift back into a performance mindset. Consequently, we must continually return to the gospel. To use an expression of the late Jack Miller, we must “preach the gospel to ourselves every day” Jerry Bridges, Reformed author.
“We must preach the Gospel to ourselves and one another every day” Ashland Avenue Baptist Church Distinctives, Lexington, KY
“The Gospel must be central to our lives and central to our message. Strive to keep the Gospel in the center of your worship ministry. Jerry Bridges tell us that we must preach the Gospel to ourselves everyday. It has been said that we never move on from the Cross, only to a more profound understanding of the Cross”
Dr. Greg Brewton, Associate Dean for Music and Worship Leadership at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
“We must preach the Gospel to ourselves” Francis Chan, Passion 2011
“Yesterday was a powerful moment in the Word of God as we studied Romans 8:1-4. I challenged those present to learn to preach the gospel to ourselves daily. Why? If we do not preach the gospel to ourselves daily, we will return to sin, bondage, guilt, the Law, and legalism…You see, this is why we must preach the gospel to ourselves daily” Ronnie Floyd, former Chairman of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force
“I’ve been re-reading Jerry Bridges’ excellent book The Discipline of Grace…Bridges reminded me of just how important it is to “preach the gospel to ourselves everyday” if we are going to be transformed into the likeness of Christ” Tullian Tchividjian, Senior Pastor, Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church
“…I once assumed…that the gospel was simply what non-Christians must believe in order to be saved… But I’ve come to realize that once God rescues sinners, his plan isn’t to steer them beyond the gospel, but to move them more deeply into it. The gospel, in other words, isn’t just the power of God to save you, it’s the power of God to grow you once you’re saved… . This idea that the gospel is just as much for Christians as it is for non-Christians may seem like a new idea to many but, in fact, it is really a very old idea” Tullian Tchividjian, Senior Pastor, Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church
“We must preach the gospel to ourselves everyday… . As we preach the gospel to ourselves, we should be both encouraged and overwhelmed with gratitude, and both should give us a desire to deal with the sin in our lives” Casey Lewis, student, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
“A Prayer for Preaching the Gospel to Ourselves… . …Most gracious Lord Jesus, even as Paul was eager to preach the gospel to believers in Rome, so I’m eager to preach it to my own heart today…” Scotty Smith, Guest blogger at Justin Taylor’s The Gospel Coalition site and Pastor, Christ Community Church, Franklin, TN
“We must constantly be preaching the gospel to ourselves, filling our hearts with your beauty and bounty, Lord Jesus… . Dear heavenly Father, it’s not about “mind over matter,” or the power of positive thinking, or the pragmatic good of cognitive therapy. It’s all about preaching the gospel to ourselves every opportunity we get…” Scotty Smith, Pastor, Christ Community Church, Franklin, TN (here and here, respectively)
“We must constantly be preaching the gospel to ourselves, filling our hearts with your beauty and bounty, Lord Jesus… . Dear heavenly Father, it’s not about “mind over matter,” or the power of positive thinking, or the pragmatic good of cognitive therapy. It’s all about preaching the gospel to ourselves every opportunity we get…” Scotty Smith, Pastor, Christ Community Church, Franklin, TN (here and here, respectively)
“How can we not shift from the hope of the Gospel? By preaching the Gospel to ourselves daily… . “Preaching the Gospel to yourself” is a phrase I first ran across in The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges, and have observed for years in the life of my good friend, C.J. Mahaney. C.J. has written persuasively, biblically, and practically on this topic in his new book, Living the Cross Centered Life… . Don’t take a day off from preaching the Gospel to yourself” Bob Kaulfin, Director of Worship Development for Sovereign Grace Ministries and worship leader at Covenant Life Church led by Josh Harris.
“Far too many Christians are passive in their fight for joy…. What can I do?’ Well, God does not mean for us to be passive. He means for us to fight the fight of faith t he fight for joy. And the central strategy is to preach the gospel to yourself… . John Piper, When I Don’t Desire God, p.81, as quoted by Bob Kauflin
I am thoroughly engrossed with Joe Thorn’s personal mediations on preaching the gospel to oneself” Tom J. Nettles, Professor of Historical Theology, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, promoting Joe Thorn’s book, Note to Self: the Discipline of Preaching to Oneself
“In the few months prior to Verge God was really working on me. I’ve been doing a lot of repenting of the idols in my heart. I’ve been preaching the gospel to myself” Steve McCoy, SBC Pastor
“This may sound really selfish, but faithfully preaching the gospel to myself is actually what enables me to share it faithfully to others” Timmy Brister, SBC Associate Pastor.
“I chose not to include the response to the gospel…but just tried to focus on what the gospel actually is. I edit it regularly as I try to grasp and preach the gospel to myself” Ed Stetzer, LifeWay
This isn’t a technique for boosting our spiritual growth; this is a means of re-salvation because we are still technically lost and under law. “Under grace” merely qualifies us for perpetual re-salvation. That’s Protestantism…period!
And the culture that will result is defined in the Bible:
Romans 6:15 – What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves,[c] you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Christ said, “You must be born again.” This is clearly a doctrine that redefines the new birth by defining the “believer” as unchanged and yet under law. Along with that is an unavoidable conclusion that this also includes a fruits unto death existence that is part and parcel with being under law.
This will, and does make sin and condemnation the focus and theme of church while the Bible emphasizes ADDING virtue to our faith in contrast to a continual re-visitation of our supposed depravity.
1Peter 4:8 – Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
2Peter 1:3 – His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
Romans 15:14 – I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.
Hebrews 10:24 – And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.
In the past, Protestants were confused enough about their own soteriological traditions that the fruits unto death were minimal, but during this Neo-Reformed resurgence that we are witnessing presently, such is not the case; the institutional church is a blatant culture of death. And those who would expose their children to it are woefully undiscerning. Ask yourself this simple question: do I leave church better equipped to see something that the Bible states isn’t there or better equipped to love God and others? Am I better at seeing my own depravity, or have I learned new ways to love which covers a multitude of sins anyway?
The remedy for this malady is a return to where the gathering of believers belongs: in home fellowships where believers are equipped to love God and others as a lifestyle, NOT a “lifestyle of repentance.” The institutional church was first called “church” when it was founded in the 4th century, and it was founded on the same idea that believers remain under law. Therefore, an authoritative institution was created that supplied official re-salvation for those under law. The institutional church goes hand in glove with the idea that it supplies a place for re-salvation, i.e., those qualified to receive it by being “under grace.”
To impart this blessing to us, the keys have been given to the Church (Mt. 16:19; 18:18). For when Christ gave the command to the apostles, and conferred the power of forgiving sins, he not merely intended that they should loose the sins of those who should be converted from impiety to the faith of Christ; but, moreover, that they should perpetually perform this office among believers” (The Calvin Institutes: 4.1.22).
Secondly, This benefit is so peculiar to the Church, that we cannot enjoy it unless we continue in the communion of the Church. Thirdly, It is dispensed to us by the ministers and pastors of the Church, either in the preaching of the Gospel or the administration of the Sacraments, and herein is especially manifested the power of the keys, which the Lord has bestowed on the company of the faithful. Accordingly, let each of us consider it to be his duty to seek forgiveness of sins only where the Lord has placed it. Of the public reconciliation which relates to discipline, we shall speak at the proper place (Ibid).
Come out from among them and be separate.
Woe Unto You!
“Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”
~ Luke 6:26
The Assumption of Church Authority
Originally published August 15, 2016
The word “assumption” can have at least two meanings. It can mean to take on or take over for oneself as a responsibility. It can also refer to a starting point of an argument; a premise from which a logical conclusion is drawn. In the case of “church authority”, both definitions are applicable.
Protestants must be aware of the assumption, the beginning premise, held by the “church leadership”, the logical conclusions of which produce the resulting behavior observed by so many who come to this ministry seeking answers. Those in so-called “church leadership” have an assumption (self-appointed) of authority based on a faulty assumption (premise).
As a result there are some questions that must be asked:
- Is it reasonable to assume that elders and pastors, being fallible men (because after all doesn’t “total depravity” apply to them as well?), could ever possibly be in error regarding doctrine and Biblical interpretation?
- If the answer is yes, then what mechanism is there in place, either from Scripture itself or a “church’s” own documented governing principles, to be able to determine if the leadership is in error, thereby making their claim to authority void?
- Maybe the same question only stated another way, if a discerning church member were honestly persuaded by his own personal study and illumination of the Holy Spirit that a pastor or elder was in error and promoting false doctrine, and the elder/pastor refuses to hear him, what recourse does that church member have (aside from leaving the church)? (The assumption here being that the member loves his church so much that he is concerned for the spiritual well-being of the church in general and the pastor, elders, and the rest of the laity in particular).
- If, on the off chance that an elder or pastor ever conceded the fact that the possibility exists that he himself could be in error concerning doctrine or Biblical interpretation, how would he know that? How would an elder or pastor know if he was wrong? (Of course that begs the question, would he ever admit to it?)
The answers to these questions should be obvious because this is the assumption: the leadership is assumed to never be wrong because they are the authority! The basis for their self-appointed authority is rooted in the simple notion that they know something that you and I don’t know – the knowledge that man cannot know real truth. If you ever make the “mistake” of presuming that you know something, that only reinforces the reality of your own depravity and disqualifies you from taking action for good. It is what testifies to your need for their authority to compel you to good action (“good” as defined by them of course). Their basis for authority IS authority.
This of course is a logical fallacy. Nevertheless, an elder or pastor will ALWAYS defer to some other authority. His answers regarding doctrine and interpretation are never going to be based on sound reason from his own personal study. He will always make an appeal to the authority that instructed him (i.e. seminary, et al).
The only real difference between you or me and the elder/pastor is the amount of money spent on certification training. The man standing behind the pulpit paid good money for nothing more than a piece of paper that tells him that he knows that man cannot know. But the Bible clearly states that all authority rests with Christ. The elder/pastor gets his authority from a framed document hanging on a wall in his office.
Whenever the basis for truth is an appeal to authority, there is no need for persuasion or reasoned debate. Only force and coercion.
~ Andy
New Finding: Truth the Root Cause of the Isolation Plague
Originally published August 20, 2012
Unfortunately, the Noah thing isn’t just a bedtime story; it really happened. Noah was a victim of the Isolation Plague. He was a righteous man upon the Earth, and if any of his family members had spiritual elevators that went near the top floor, the Holy Spirit makes little mention of it.
We now join the Noah family as they sit down for dinner before the deluge event:
Son: “Mr. Grumpbucket will be in as soon as he finishes fitting the last piece of gopher board on the lower deck. He said we could start without him.”
Other son: “Oh, I’m surprised he found a board that was good enough!”
Daughter-in-law in a sarcastic tone: “Would starting without him be theologically correct?”
Mrs. Noah: “Ask him during the family devotions tonight; surely, as the only righteous man on earth, he would know!”
Whole family: “LOL!”
Truth. It’s such a troublemaker that nobody wants to be its friend. Yet, for some reason, It has such a good reputation that people will readily claim to be its friend, but actually hanging out with Truth is way, way too hard. Everybody “loves” Truth, but if you invite it to any kind of party, everything will be ruined. And it always ruins your credibility with others and wreaks havoc on your life. Examples:
Hi, my name is Noah, I’m the only righteous man on Earth. Ya, that one will endear you to a bunch of folks.
Hi, my name is Mary, I’m pregnant, but have never been with a man. Suuuuure Mary, whatever you say.
Hi, my name is Jesus, I’m God. That went over in Judea like a lead balloon.
Hi, my name is the Apostle Paul, “have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?” Uh, Paul, ya think?
Remember Rodney King’s famous question? “Can’t we all just get along?” NO, not with Truth being around. So, the best thing to do is invite Truth to the party because of his wonderful reputation (“Look, Truth is here, this clearly demonstrates who we are because Truth is willing to fellowship with us”), and proceed to totally ignore him. Engaging Truth in any kind of conversation will ruin everything. Hanging around with Truth leads to being isolated. It’s kind of like a sports team mascot. It symbolizes a desired strength of the team, but if you bring an alligator, bear, leopard, or bird to the party you would most certainly cage it or put it on a leash. “Hey, relationships are important, but you have to set boundaries.” Amen. And not setting boundaries on Truth can wreak havoc on our comfort zone via the Isolation Plague.
Church is just one big party today, and the party is hot. I mean, smokin’! We have the coffee shop in the lobby, the hip décor, hip teachers, hip people, big screen TV, hip music, and a bookstore full of glossy writings from spiritual giants who seem to be in abundance. In our area, mega-churches with awe inspiring buildings and multimedia production are everywhere. And when stinking Truth shows up, and starts running his big mouth, the party might have to be stopped in order to think about something. God forbid!
You hear Truth’s latest complaint? The vast majority of churches in our day have bought into progressive justification. It denies the new birth, and has Gnosticism for its application. And by the way, it’s the exact same thing that the Reformers believed. So what? Well, other than the fact that it is a false gospel, it teaches that we have no righteousness of our own for sanctification, and that Christ’s righteousness is an alien righteousness that remains completely outside of us.
So what? Well, the so what? is the fact that at some point, this doctrine will ruin your marriage, and basically ruin the lives of your children. You do the math—what eventually happens when people buy into the idea that they have NO righteousness in themselves? And per the contention that I received at a Baptist church that Susan and I visited this morning (which is going through a classic New Calvinist takeover):
“Are you saying that as Christians we still don’t need grace, and that the gospel is not the power of our sanctification?” ‘That’s exactly what I am saying. The gospel is not the source of our sanctification—regeneration is. You are teaching progressive justification.’ “No, we are not.” ‘Excuse me, how is The same gospel that saved us also sanctifies us not progressive justification? Not to mention the whole We must preach the gospel to ourselves every day. It is clearly progressive justification.’”
There is only one place you can go with this doctrine; Gnosticism, and hence, the morning worship service message was full of it. For someone like me who has studied Gnosticism, it wasn’t even ambiguous. And here is the crux: the idea that we have no righteousness that is ours will always, and has always, led to spiritual abuse and cultish groups. This present-day party, complete with all of the aforementioned party favors, is the New Calvinist movement. The present zenith it enjoys has a contemporary birth of 1970. Truth, the big mouth, has been asking (as usual) a very troubling question of late: “Where has this gospel been all of our lives.” Here is the answer to Truth’s interpretive question: because of its underlying presupposition of all righteousness being completely outside of us, the ensuing cultism causes the movement to die a social death. When it makes a comeback because of its strong initial appeal, the presupposition eventually yields the deadly results all over again. However, the movement has a lot of staying power because of the following Gnostic tenet: This is the way to “the good,” and the good we experience has been predetermined by the spirit realm. Therefore, practical results cannot pass judgment on the process.
In now what is yesterday, as I resume my work on this article, the guy preaching in the morning service said as much. He strongly insinuated that “worldly wisdom” was a pragmatic endeavor that seeks positive results for selfish reasons. Instead, Christians should seek spiritual wisdom through praise and worship and trust God’s preordained results for whatever they are. Conspicuously missing in the sermon were elements that connect “worldly wisdom” to spiritual wisdom such as, common sense, and the works of the law written on the hearts of every person born into the world. The criteria that separated the two realms in his message was clearly pragmatism verses praise and worship, and he cited James to proof text. However, James’ criteria that separates worldly wisdom from spiritual wisdom is not pragmatism verses trusting preordained results of praise and worship, but rather disobedience to God’s full philosophical statement pertaining to life and godliness contained in the Scriptures. Hear me well, this is the very core of Gnosticism: a strict dualism between the spiritual and the material with the purest form of good connecting directly with the spiritual (in this case, through praise and worship).
And it answers the questions as to why these churches are experiencing the growth that they are:
- It’s easy and fun. Come to the party, enjoy the hip music and fun people. Have your senses stimulated by the high dollar multimedia production, and Jesus will do the rest.
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Bring people here because the power of the gospel is in people seeing God glorified/praised corporately. Then the pastor will share a gospel story about Jesus that will further His fame. Then, we keep doing the gospel until God fully redeems the Earth and us. It is just a big party till he returns.
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CONTROL. Once they get them there, control kicks in. For anybody who is on top of this issue, yesterday’s morning message at said church was the epitome of brainwashing for the purpose of controlling people. This is not rocket science—if we have no goodness within ourselves, we can’t trust our own judgment about anything. We must entrust ourselves to the philosopher kings.
Accordingly, this doctrine is everywhere. They have a formula that works, and works well. And frankly, I am beginning to feel pressure to join a church that is the least of the evil, and just bear up in regard to the rest. It puts me in a position, like many other husbands/fathers, where I have to tell my family that there is nothing out there. Most families don’t want to believe that or hear it which is understandable. Truly, I cannot even imagine what it was like for Noah. Yet, this is exactly how Christ and the Apostles said it would be in the last days. Paul made it clear to Timothy that professing Christians would not “endure” or “tolerate” sound doctrine in the last days. Christ even said, “As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.” This simply does not match up with mega-churches being on every corner. And as far as just getting along and finding the lesser New Calvinist error and tolerating the rest—honorable, but trust me, it can cost you your family. I have a choice: choose isolation or expose my family to an environment where it is constantly drubbed into their minds that they have no righteousness or worth. This is poison to the soul.
This is the temptation, to relieve some of the isolation. Everyone is doing that also. Ministries that understand the issue and stand against it; nevertheless, relieve some of the isolation by fellowshipping and colaboring with New Calvinism Light. But in the book that is God’s full philosophical statement on metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and politics for “life and godliness,” and not simply a gospel narrative, we are told that “a little leaven leavens the whole lump.” And there you have it; we wouldn’t know that truth for wisdom to be applied to life if the Bible is merely a gospel narrative. And this is the New Calvinist ziggurat—to separate us from the mind of Christ that we are to seek with all of OUR heart, mind and soul, and replace it with the New Calvinist temple of gospel contemplationism. To refuse to do that is hard, and we will often be afflicted with the pain of isolation accordingly. So we set boundaries on our relationship with Truth:
“Hey Truth guy! I hear you are really hip—let’s hang. I want you to be my bro.” ‘Fine with me, but a lot of folks don’t think the way I do; therefore, I have no place to live, don’t know where the next paycheck is coming from, and the most powerful men in this country are conspiring to kill me.’ “Wooooooeeeeeee there bro-daddy! My relationships have boundaries—I can’t go for that.”
First, we are wired for fellowship; second, we don’t like to fight alone. Thirdly, standing for truth can, and often does, cause us to be misunderstood. Fellowshipping with Truth while being its true friend, and not a fair-weather friend, is not for the weak hearted. But those who don’t believe that WE can do ALL things through Him who strengthens us on this wise flirt with a denial of the very Lord that bought us. Listen to what the Apostle Paul said on this wise:
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
In regard to your relationship with Truth, how deep is your love? Note in Paul’s statement that salvation is part and parcel with truth; yet, a premium on truth in our day has never been lower while coinciding with massive mega-churches with 500,000 dollar budgets within every square mile of America.
In our efforts to not fight alone, fellowship alone, or just plain be alone, we feed the beast that will destroy our lives and deprive ourselves of “blessedness.” Or, we merely deprive ourselves of the full counsel of God that is so vital to our sanctification; ie., a narrow concept and reductionist gospel as opposed to the full philosophical statement of God for life and godliness. In yesterday’s aforementioned sermon, the pastor offered the beatitudes as a picture of those who gain spiritual wisdom through praise and worship:
- Humble: ie., you constantly endeavor to realize how worthless you are.
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Poor in spirit: ie., the way New Calvinist elders like their mutton; docile, and easy to manage.
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Peacemakers: ie., you don’t ask questions given to you by that troublemaker, Truth, who is not the same as Worship who always accepts God’s sovereign will while having fun to boot. And remember, sometimes it’s God’s will that the elders abuse people make mistakes.
In contrast, the beatitudes are plainly a picture of those who are battered because of their love for the truth, but are exhorted by God to know that this struggle is really the doorway to happiness regardless of how it looks or feels. The whole sermon was a bastardization of God’s truth from start to finish. And in my estimation, though that church’s hostile takeover is not fully consummated, it is already a New Calvinist cult. Per the usual, said teacher pontificated the idea that worship always leads to unity in contrast to biblical truth which plainly states that truth is what leads to unity. In fact, disunity in the Bible is always framed in context of error or false doctrine. This is the biblical articulation of a “cult” or in biblical terminology, “sect, “ or “sectarian.” In the New Testament, the word is synonymous with “fractious.” A “fractious man” in Scripture is one who causes divisions with false teaching. In the false prescript of yesterday’s message, “worship” =’s unity as opposed to the “worldly” concept of objective data that leads to practical goals which are always for selfish gain. And by the way, what we have here is the mind of Christ regarding the reality of disunity and what makes it tick.
You who frequent new Calvinist churches: how often do you hear these principles taught if somebody happens to take a break from teaching about the same gospel that saved us? You don’t. Knowing this kind of “worldly” knowledge (or misuse of the Bible for practical living and thinking) makes it impossible to control you. A church polity (government) goes along with this that proclaims, “If we are in control, there will be peace and unity.” This is the same catcry as New Calvinism’s kissing cousins of spiritual despotism. They are preordained by God to lead the saints in peace and unity through love and corporate worship, but if needed, the gallows slumber not. Restrained by the American government’s worldly wisdom for enlightened selfish purposes, New Calvinist elders substitute with dividing marriages, bogus church discipline, slander, break sessions posing as biblical counsel, false incrimination, bogus excommunication, and Jonathan Edwards’ “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” They are nothing but the embodiment of Freddy Krueger dressed in the demeanor of Mr. Rogers.
All and All on this point, the ability of Christians to think with the mind of Christ is being replaced with gospel contemplationism for all of the aforementioned reasons.
But, living for truth does not have to embrace isolationism. Being successful in our fight against spiritual tyranny does not have to be experienced in isolation. It’s not always the case, but most often, we can have our cake and eat it also. We can grow and experience rich fellowship while not being a fair-weather friend to Truth. So, 2, 600 words into this post, I will now share what prompted it.
On the one hand, among many, I am considered, “toxic.” Among those closest to me, “a bull in a china shop.” And after yesterday, our household is beginning to look a little like the hypothetical Noahian household presented at the beginning of this post. And in the midst of this, a warning from a reader; in essence, you’re compromising. In regard to PPT’s protocol of reposting everything Bangladesh Missionary Kids, I reposted a post that they posted by someone who has taken up their cause. The reader pointed out that the author has strong New Calvinist ties. Rather than to finger me pointblank for compromise, the reader expressed confusion as to why I would do that when she thought I knew that New Calvinists were primarily responsible for the kind of abuse suffered by the MK’s to begin with.
I appreciate the veiled honesty with the nomenclature, “confusion,” but let’s state it as it is:
- The post wasn’t vetted: ie., sloppy journalism.
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It brings back to mind that I have backed off from the G.R.A.C.E. issue.
Regarding number 2, in the ABWE Bangladesh Missionary Kids holocaust case, G.R.A.C.E has been appointed to “investigate” the deplorable cover-up that is barely named among the unwise, worldly, pragmatic American citizenship that is a product of the evil Enlightenment era. Two things are very troublesome here: GARB, the primary abode of ABWE, is presently being overrun with New Calvinism from the top down, and G.R.A.C.E is of the same New Calvinist philosophical mindset—as their very name implies. If you know the facts of this atrocity, the MK’s would be better served by an organization named, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. To the contrary, this is like calling Colonial Sanders to negotiate a contract between the chickens and the food industry. While many evangelicals applaud Penn State’s handling of the same kind of crime, do New Calvinists see that model response as worldly wisdom that seeks a pragmatic solution as opposed to “showing forth the gospel”? If G.R.A.C.E were to learn anything from Penn State would that be sharing God’s glory with another?
Have we not heard New Calvinists, over and over again, say that the concept of justice from the “worldly realm” is extreme because it is a pragmatic revenge that doesn’t consider that we all deserve hell? A judge who thinks he deserves hell just as much as the criminal will certainly swing the gavel lightly. I have written many articles about my concerns on this which caused stress between me and at least one MK. I have since backed off—holding out hope once again that these New Calvinists are New Calvinism Light and there could still be a good outcome. However, I think it is time for me to drive the stake further into the ground—a little leaven leavens the whole lump, or it doesn’t—it’s “A,” or it’s “B.”
It’s time for a full embracing of truth, and doing it in a way that enables us to enjoy all of the benefits that come with the relationship. If Paul meant to say that the issue was loving the “gospel” instead of the whole counsel of God which is many faceted in its full philosophical statement for life and godliness—he would have simply said so. If Christ’s primary mandate to the church was to observe the gospel rather than “all that I have commanded,” why would He not simply say so?
So what to do? First, stop compromising. We don’t need anybody for a friend other than Truth. It won’t always be pretty when we are hanging out with Truth, but He has promised that the outcome will always be good. Second, find a fellowship of those who will not compromise. They are out there—one wrote me. Third, support those who refuse to compromise. If monetarily, it’s not the $1.00 or the $5.00, it’s something that’s worth all of the gold in Fort Knox. It is a message that even Elijah needed. It’s the message that says….
….you are not alone.
paul
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
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