Church Government

This morning I watched a great video conversation between Thabiti Anyabwile and Ligon Duncan. The conversation was on The Gospel Coalition's blog and billed as a conversation between a Baptist and a Presbyterian about "who governs the church.".

Watch the video here: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/01/24/who-governs-the-church/

Far more striking than their differences are their similarities. Both agreed that it is scripture that governs our understanding of how decisions in a church should be made. With that as their starting premise, even though their church constitutions and bylaws look different, it seems that their churches function similarly.

This goes to one of the beliefs I've had about church government. Healthy churches are going to end up looking pretty similarly. They are going to have leaders who are shepherding the church sacrificially. They are going to have a congregation that is supportive of the leadership and participating in making decisions.

Daniel

A Delightful Book on the Trinity

Last week, a book that I had ordered several weeks ago finally showed up on my doorstep: Delighting inthe Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith, by Michael Reeves.

Though late, its arrival was still timely. As our church works its way through the New City Catechism, this week we arrived at a question dealing with the doctrine of the Trinity, Question #4, which asks: “How many persons are there in God?”

When I asked this question of my kids on Sunday night, they knew an abbreviated form of the answer: “Three!” several exclaimed at once.

But they—like many of us—struggled to explain what that really means.

The answer the New City Catechism provides is both concise and profound: “There are three persons in the one true and living God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are the same in substance, equal in power and glory.”

Sometimes, we think of the Trinity as a mystery that cannot be understood. But Reeves contends this is not the right way to understand (or avoid understanding) the Trinity:

God is a mystery, but not in the alien abductions, things-that-go-bump-in-the-night sense. Certainly not in the “who can know, why bother?” sense. God is a mystery in that who he is and what he is like are secrets, things we would never have worked out by ourselves. But this triune God has revealed himself to us. Thus the Trinity is not some piece of inexplicable apparent nonsense, like a square circle or an interesting theologian. Rather, because the triune God has revealed himself, we can understand the Trinity (12).

The doctrine of the trinity is not only a central tenant to the Christian faith but essential to knowing who it is we worship as God. In his introduction, Reeves says his book is

about growing in our enjoyment of God and seeing how God’s triune being makes all his ways beautiful. It is a chance to taste and see that the Lord is good, to have your heart won and yourself refreshed. For it is only when you grasp what it means for God to be a Trinity that you really sense the beauty, the overflowing kindness, the heart-grabbing loveliness of God (9).

This is an excellent way to approach this doctrine. Tim Challies, in his review of the book, notes the uniqueness of Reeves’ approach:

I have read several books on the Trinity in the past and have always enjoyed reading them. James White’s The Forgotten Trinity and Bruce Ware’s Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are biblical, systematic and powerful. I’ve read them, benefited from them, and often recommended them. I will continue to do so. The unique angle—and unique beauty—of Delighting in the Trinity is that it looks less at a concept and more at a relationship, less at a doctrine and more at the persons of the godhead. It is, at heart, an introduction to the Christian faith and the Christian life that seeks to show that both must be at all times rooted in the triunity of God. All that God is, all that God does, flows out of his triunity.

I highly recommend Reeves’ book. As the subtitle suggests, understanding the triune nature of God isn’t just about knowing some theological jargon. It is about knowing the God we claim to worship.

Quick Post

A very quick blog post this week: a few words about the same-sex “marriage” legislation in Illinois and a link to an article on reading.

First, for those who are interested in contacting their legislatures about the upcoming same-sex “marriage” legislation, please read the words of a friend who emailed me today:

I assume you are aware that the legislation to legalize same sex marriage in Illinois could be introduced to the House/Senate as early as this week for a vote. I know we have all been praying for our leaders and that they would follow God's will in this matter. I felt compelled to write you though and share some information I had used in the past when legislation that I either supported/opposed was pending a vote.

The link below takes an Illinois resident to a site that allows them to view their Senate/House representatives and their contact information by inputting your home address. We can then call and request that they oppose this upcoming legislation. Only by making our voices heard can we expect to influence our states policy makers.

I agree with him. Here’s the link: http://www.capwiz.com/nra/state/main/?state=IL&view=myofficials

Second, here’s an interesting article that addresses the question: is there such a thing as too many books? http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/01/13/you-asked-im-busy-what-should-i-read/

Giving to Parachurch Ministries

Our series in Luke has taken a little bit of a detour as we started a two-week discussion on giving yesterday.

My primary giving is to my local church. Several of you asked about other organizations I give to. All the organizations and missionaries I give to on a monthly basis beyond my giving to Bethany are also supported by the church, but there are some very good organizations I support on a semi-regular basis that are not a part of Bethany. 

I mentioned three criteria I use when considering supporting a parachurch organization. 

1. Doctrinal Alignment. Do the organization and I agree on the major truths of the Christian faith? You can find a copy of BCC's doctrinal statement here.

2. Philosophical Alignment. Do this organization and I agree that the purpose of a parachurch ministry is to strengthen the local church? Philosophically, our goal is not to see parachurch organizations establishing churches or churches establishing parachurch organizations or parachurch organizations establishing parachurch organizations.  All that we do is designed to help the local church work toward the goal of establishing and strengthening the local church.

3. Mission Alignment. Does this organization have the ability to do the ministry it is seeking to do? Are we in agreement that this is a needed ministry?

I also mentioned Randy Alcorn's list of 19 questions to ask before giving to an organization. The entire list along with additional commentary can be found here. 

Here is the list without the commentary:

1. Are there things about this ministry that make it uniquely worth investing in instead of a thousand other good causes?
2. Before giving elsewhere, have I fulfilled my primary giving responsibility to my localchurch?
3. Have I not only studied the literature from this ministry, but talked with others who know it close up but have no vested interests in it?
4. Have I considered a ministry or vision trip to see and participate in what this ministry is actually doing on the field?
5. Does the ministry’s staff demonstrate a servant-hearted concern for those to whom they minister?
6. Do the organization’s workers demonstrate a sense of unity, camaraderie and mutual respect?
7. Have I talked directly with people at the “lower levels” of this ministry, not just executives and PR people?
8. Is this ministry biblically sound and Christ-centered?
9. What kind of character, integrity, purity and humility is demonstrated by the ministry leaders?
10. What kind of accountability structures does the organization have?
11. If this is a secular or semi-Christian organization rather than a distinctively Christian one, what are the compelling reasons for giving to it?
12. How clear are this organization’s goals and objectives, strategies and tactics, and how effective are they in carrying them out?
13. Is this organization teachable and open to improvement to become more strategic in their efforts?
14. Am I certain I’ve gotten an objective view of this ministry, or have they given me the red carpet treatment so I’ve seen the positives without the negatives?
15. What view of God and people is demonstrated in this organization’s fundraising techniques?
16. How much money does the organization spend on overhead expenses and fundraising, and how much in actual ministry to people?
17. Does this ministry show a clear understanding of cross-cultural ministry factors and local conditions and how the flow of money may affect them?
18. Does this organization speak well of others and cooperate with them?
19. Is this ministry pervaded by a distinctly eternal perspective on life, ministry and resources?

May God increase your joy as you give for His glory!

The anatomy of a news story

The anatomy of a news story

1)      Go wall to wall coverage with big bold graphics and ominous music; get it out first, and worry about fact checking later.

2)      The President, in a pastoral role, must say appropriate words to comfort the nation.

3)      Government feels like it must make a response to the crisis.  Doing something by government is always to be preferred over doing nothing;

4)      Pundits evaluate the reasons behind the tragedy and evaluate government proposals;

5)      As the news story goes “old,” the attention shifts to psychologists, particularly on the question, “How do we explain this tragedy to our children?”

6)      As the story begins to fade, the last issue is media people interviewing other media people about how well the media covered the story.

We are currently at stage 4 and just about to enter stage 5 on the Newtown tragedy.  I wish this template were not so standard.  And I wish that seeking the Lord by prayer and fasting was reinserted into our national narrative of tragedy.

Tragedy and Repentance

I’m not sure whether the following will be helpful for you or not. Our needs as we respond to the tragedy in Newtown are varied. But it was helpful for me to think through again.

Early in 2012, we tackled some tough verses that are tragically relevant today as we mourn the victims and grieve for the families in Newton, Connecticut.

1 There were some present at that very time who told him [Jesus] about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” –Luke 13:1-5

As we looked at this passage, we first talked about two wrong responses to tragedy. The first wrong response is to conclude that those to whom tragedy occurs are somehow extra wicked and deserve it more than others. After natural disasters in recent years, or even 9/11, some comments by prominent Evangelical leaders are illustrative of this first wrong response.

Fortunately, such arrogant comments have not been made in connection with the tragedy in Newtown. The thought of young lives cut so short causes a reaction that is painful not just emotionally but physical. The thought of a six-year old child deserving such a fate is abhorrent.

A second wrong response to tragedy is to conclude that there is no relationship between sin and tragedy. Some naively deny the reality of evil or that God’s wrath will someday be poured out on the wicked. Or they speak of wickedness only in terms of a mental illness. Evil therefore seems clinical and physical and our culpability is lessened.

There are many right responses to what happened Friday. Mourning. Grief. Righteous anger. Yearning for justice.

One crucial response for each of us is repentance. What happened Friday is a vivid reminder that we live in a fallen world and need a Savior to deliver us from it. As we encounter tragedy, our response should not be that the “other” sinner deserves tragedy but instead an admission that I deserve God's judgement. Tragedy reminds us that God has graciously delayed our ultimate reckoning and today is a day for repentance and salvation.

Here are some suggestions for rightly responding to tragedy:

Understand that grief is not sin (Lk. 19:41). Don’t deny the hurt or the pain you feel. Don’t judge others for feeling deep, profound grief.

Acknowledge the reality and presence of evil in the world (Eph. 2:1-3). Evil is not an abstract concept but a real and present danger.

Acknowledge the reality and presence of evil in your own heart (Jer. 17:9). To simply see evil only as a force that is without instead of within removes our feeling of culpability and need to change.

Turn from sin and hope in God (Lam 3:19-24). Repentance in response to tragedy manifests itself differently than repentance to personal sin. Our response to tragedy must include a personal commitment to turn away from sin that God brings to our attention as we contemplate the reality of evil within us.

 Weep with those who weep (Rom. 12:14). As we encounter grief our response is empathy. Grief isn’t something you “fix.” It is something you experience with a hurting brother or sister in Christ.

Think biblically about the character of God (Col. 1:15-20). One of the dangers of responding to tragedy is that we say things that we think are helpful but are unbiblical when describing the character of God.

Post-Sunday App: How Can He Be Lord?