CHURCH FINDER (PART 3) - DOCTRINE VS WORSHIP STYLE

(NOTE: This will be my last blog of the year. Dana, Leah and I are leaving next week for a much deserved and highly anticipated Christmas vacation. From me to you and yours: MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!)

Several years ago one of my seminary professors said, “Jack, it is easier to change the doctrine of your church than it is to change the music.”

I was incredulous. How could such a statement be made and made with conviction by this man that I respected and admired? Surely people care more about what we believe than they do about what hymns or choruses we sing! After all, doctrine is the core of us who we are and what we do as a church. I soon found out that he was right when our church began to make the slow transition from a strictly traditional worship style to one that is blended. I have never seen such unchristian behavior in my life. Finally out of frustration I handed my Bible to one irate church member who was scolding me.

“Show me in the Bible where God specifies what style of music or what instruments should be played when we worship Him. If you do I will change our direction immediately,” I said.

He simply handed me the Bible back as he stormed out of my office and subsequently left the church. There are many good reasons to leave a church. We may talk about them in future articles. Leaving a church because they do not play the music that you want is shallow at best and sinful at worst. Therefore, when you are in the position of looking for a new church home, there are other, more important factors to consider besides music. The doctrine of the church is what really matters. Some may say that a church cannot have proper doctrine if their music isn’t one way or the other. That is a bogus argument. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.

When looking at a potential church ask questions, read their doctrinal statement, and interview the Pastor. This is by no means an exhaustive list but here are some important questions that you should ask about these topics:

GOD THE FATHER: What is His role in the lives of believers? How has He related to people in the past? What are His attributes?

JESUS: What does the church believe about Jesus? Was He really born of a virgin? Did He really do all those miracles? Did He really rise from the dead? Is He a way or the way of salvation? Is He God? What were the purposes of his incarnation, life, teaching, death, and resurrection? Is He coming back? What does He expect of His disciples?

THE HOLY SPIRIT: What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer and the church? Has that role ever changed? When does the Holy Spirit become a part of a believer’s life? Of what importance are the gifts of the Holy Spirit? How can those gifts impact the individual believer or the church?

THE BIBLE: What role does the Bible play in the life of the believer and the church? How did we get the Bible? Where did it come from? Is the Bible the final authority in the church? Does the Bible give instruction on how individuals, families, nations, and churches should conduct themselves? If you had to choose between the Bible and your tradition (denomination), what would you choose? If you had to choose between the Bible and your own personal experience, what would you choose?

THE LOCAL CHURCH: How is the local church different from the universal church? What does the Bible teach about church leadership? What is the purpose of the church? How does one become a member of this church? What are the expectations of church members? How is this church financed? How are decisions made concerning the church? Is church discipline practiced? What does the church believe about the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper? How does this church support missionaries and mission work?

SALVATION: How is a person saved? What does it mean to be saved? What happens when a person is saved? What does God expect of saved people? Can a person lose their salvation? What happens to people when they die?

As I said before, this is by no means an exhaustive list of important doctrinal questions that need to be asked. I did not include anything about creation or the end times, for example. There are lots of areas that are important. I listed those above because I believe they are the most important. That is not to say that all of those questions are deal breakers. If a church does not believe in the deity of Christ, then that is a deal breaker. If the church requires a class for membership, or is unique in their methodology of support for missions, those are not deal breakers; at least for me. You will have to decide for yourself. You will not ever find a church that agrees with you on every minor point of doctrine. Determine those that are major and be unyielding on those. If you find a church that has strong biblical doctrine, then you might have the church that is right for you, regardless of its worship style. Prayer comes next.

GOD BLESS THE WHOLE WORLD. NO EXCEPTIONS.

I want to take a break from the series we are in to examine a bumper sticker that I saw on a car this week.

God Bless the Whole World

No Exceptions

What a beautiful sentiment. But is it really what we want to communicate? I understand the logic but I believe that it is wrong on three levels.

First it is wrong grammatically. When we sing “God bless America” we are not making a command but a request. That wonderful song is a prayer for God’s blessing, which He gives to whomever He chooses. This bumper sticker is almost arrogant in its tone as though we are telling God what to do and how to do it. It should have the word “Please” at the end of the first line, to show that it is not a demand or a command but a humble request. Does that really matter? Yes it does because it has theological and political implications.

Secondly, the bumper sticker is wrong politically. I understand that there are all sorts of political views out there and it is often unacceptable to say that one or the other is “wrong.” However, I believe that this is, at the very least, wrongheaded. It stems from the idea that we cannot just ask God to bless America without also asking Him to bless the whole world. That is utter foolishness. Would we accept that logic if we were living in the time when Hitler was practicing genocide upon six million Jews, or when Stalin was murdering hundreds of thousands of his own people? God bless Hitler. God bless Stalin? See how foolish that is! The belief behind this is that there is a moral equivalence between all nations and all cultures. That sounds nice on paper but it is just not the case. Some forms of government (totalitarian, Nazi, dictatorship, communist) and some cultures (Muslim oppression of women for example) are wrong and in some cases evil. Is it wrong for us as Americans to recognize what we have and to be proud of it? No, because our country and way of life is a gift from God. We should not be ashamed of or apologize for who we are. Are we perfect? Not by a long shot. But I still do not see people flocking to get into Red China or Saudi Arabia. Why do people from all over the world want to come here? I contend it is because God HAS blessed America. I still continue to unashamedly ask for and pray for His blessing.

Finally the bumper sticker is wrong theologically. This bumper sticker makes it sound like we are in control, not God. It sounds like He is little more than a heavenly lap dog waiting for us to tell Him what to do. No! “God bless America” (or anything else for that matter) is the request a servant makes of a master. He is the Lord and we are not. Are we really asking God to bless child molesters, suicide bombers, serial killers, spousal abusers, abortion doctors, and tyrants? No exceptions? While there is no doubt that God loves the world and even loves these evil people, there is also no doubt that God is clear about his blessings. He offers the ultimate blessing of eternal life to whoever will know Him through faith, no matter how bad their past has been, but He will also cast those who reject Him from eternal presence. To ask God, or to demand that God, bless evil doers is to be a Universalist (believing we all will end up in heaven). If that is true then Jesus did not have to come and die because we are all going to heaven anyway. The fact is that Jesus came to do more than just give us a home in heaven. He came to give us abundant life in His Kingdom here on earth. Therefore when God withholds His blessing from someone it is not out of hatred or malice. It is because He desires that person (or nation) to come to Him and find the life that they never could otherwise (in heaven and on earth).

Therefore I proudly and loudly sing “God bless America.” Let us work and pray so that we are not one of those on the outside looking in at the blessings of God. May God bless you and your family this Christmas season and may God bless America.

Church Finder (Part 2) THE CHURCH – WHY JOIN ONE?

THE CHURCH – WHY JOIN ONE?

“So where do you go to church?” I asked the young man. It was a question that I have asked thousands of times over the years. It is a good conversation starter and often opens the door to sharing the Gospel. The young man with whom I was having lunch had come to our Wednesday evening Bible study. He seemed to know his Bible fairly well for a man in his early twenties and seemed motivated to grow in his walk. His answer to my question was enlightening.

“Well I go to “Church A” on Sunday mornings. They have the most awesome praise team and their musical worship is just so Spirit filled. I go to “Church B” on Sunday evenings. The Pastor there is a very good Bible teacher and he is very practical in his application of God’s Word. Let’s see, I go to “Church C” on Thursday evening because they have a huge singles’ ministry. I have a lot of friends that go there and I meet a lot of people each week. The Bible study is poor and the worship is second rate but the fellowship is wonderful. And now I am thinking of attending your Bible study on Wednesday evenings,” he explained.

“Wow! You are really busy but I have a couple of questions. First, where are YOU serving and ministering for the Lord? Second, where is your church membership?” I asked.

The young man looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. He had no clue how to answer my questions. His problem stemmed from a wrong understanding of what the local church is and what its purpose is. Many people in our culture today have the same problem. The local church is one of the most important subjects about which the New Testament teaches.

“All believers are members of the church!” an exasperated lady replied to me as I was teaching on this subject.

“Based upon what teaching in the New Testament?” I asked her. As she stammered and fumbled with the pages of her Bible, I asked everyone to turn to Acts 9:31 (So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.). “Do you realize that this is the ONLY verse in the New Testament that clearly points to the idea or teaching of the universal church?” Needless to say my class was stunned. Most of them thought that the majority of the teaching in the New Testament was about the church being the totality of believers everywhere. Even in Revelation when the word “church” is used it is not in the universal context. In Revelation 19 all believers are brought together for the final feast. There we are referred to as the Bride of Christ rather than the church.

Why then do most people believe that the teaching on the church in the New Testament is mainly about the universal church? I contend that is true because it is easy. In the universal church I have no responsibility or accountability. I am a member by virtue of my faith and that is all that is expected of me. The vast majority of the teaching in the New Testament however, is on the local church. The local church is a body of baptized believers who have committed their live together to fulfill the Great Commission. Therefore, each member of the church is accountable to the body and has responsibilities as well. That means that being a member of a local body is about more than just showing up on Sunday. It begins there but it is about so much more.

The New Testament uses three illustrations to describe the church. The first is the family (Ephesians 3:14-15). Through Him every family in heaven and earth gets its name. That is why we sing “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God.” The second is the body (1 Corinthians 12:12ff, Ephesians 1:22-24, Colossians 1:24). Each of us is a part of the body but Jesus is the head. The third is a building (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). He is not saying that the church is the church building but that the church is like a building. The church is the people of God built together to become something greater than the sum of their parts. In each of these illustrations there are two truths being taught. The first is that church cannot be the church without each of its members. In other words, without the members there is no church. Therefore, the corporate body needs each member. Each member has unique gifts and abilities, given to them by God, that are necessary for the church to fulfill its mission. That is why church attendance is so important. When we are not present for the corporate worship and ministry of the church, the church is a body without one of its parts. It is a building without one of its walls. It is a family without one of its members. Yes it can accomplish some of what it was created to accomplish but not all of it. The second truth is that each member needs the church. “I can get what I need by going to many churches,” one might say. Not true! If church is only about GETTING then that might be the case. The church however is about serving as well as be served. That is a common misunderstanding that we have about the church in our consumer culture today. “What can you do for me? What kinds of ministries do you have for me and my kids? How are you going to meet my needs?” are the usual questions we ask about a new church. While there is nothing wrong with those questions per se, they are incomplete. We should also ask, “How can I serve? Are there opportunities for me to exercise and grow in my own spiritual gifts? To whom can I be a blessing?” It is only in this understanding of a church that we come to realize the biblical picture of the church. It is not and was never intended to be a convenience store that we visit every now and then to stock our spiritual pantry. It was intended to be a family, a body and a building of which we are integral parts. We need the church as much as the church needs us.

The idea of Christian “free agency” is a detrimental one to the Christian culture today. When I was a kid, most ball players spent their whole career with one team. We became attached to those players we saw year after year. Then free agency came into the picture. Now many players change teams every year, often going to the highest bidder. Just when you think you know a player, he moves on to another team that offers him more money. For better or worse, it is the way of things is sports today. We have taken this idea and transferred it to the things of God. Therefore, we can attend three or four churches and not be committed to any. We can use the church to get what we want and never be accountable or responsible to anyone. “Sounds good to me!” you might say. Just remember that there is no example of a growing Christian in the New Testament outside the context of the local church. Even Paul was accountable to the church at Antioch (Acts 13:1-3, 14:26-28) after they had sent him out on his missionary journey. I like to compare church membership to a couple getting married. A couple that is living together without the commitment of marriage may think that they are getting everything out of their relationship with each other. When they get married (even those who have lived together for a long time) they find that they have a different, more fulfilling and intimate relationship with their spouse than they ever could have with their roommate. The same is true of joining a local congregation of believers. You will so come to realize how much you were missing before. The idea of a Christianity that is without accountability and responsibility is not found in the Scriptures.

Why join a church? Because that is the only place you will find what you need to grow as a Christian. It is God’s plan for your personal spiritual growth and for reaching the world. Are churches perfect? Not a one. But God uses those imperfect bodies to accomplish His perfect will. Without church membership, we are merely consumers of a Christian product. But as church members we are part of the family of God and body of Christ. He is the head. He is in charge. That is His plan. Who are we to change it?

Church Finder - Introduction (Part 1)

“Brother Jack. The Lord is leading me to another church,” said the sixteen year old girl as she sat in my office obviously troubled by the decision that she had made. This was especially hard for me as her Youth Pastor to hear for two reasons. The first was the impact this was going to have on the youth group. This young woman was a leader in the youth group and her absence would be sorely missed. She was a talented singer and full of energy and zeal for the Lord. She was committed to spending time in God’s Word on a daily basis and took the disciplines of the Christian walk as seriously as any teenager with whom I had ever worked. As a leader in the group she encouraged others and also set the example for them to follow. She shared her faith with students at her high school regularly. Every Youth Pastor’s dream! And now she was going. I knew this would leave a hole in the youth group that would be difficult to fill.

My second concern was for her as an individual. This was not the first time in the six years that we had known each other, that she had left the church for another. She always came back a few months later, worse for the experience. That is not to say that our church was the only church in area that was doing the Lord’s will. We were in Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex. The buckle of the Bible Belt. There were many good Bible believing and teaching churches within a stone’s throw of the office in which we sat. But, it seemed that just when she was beginning to do really well in her walk, she would sabotage herself by going somewhere else to start again. Maybe there was a boy in another youth group that she like, or maybe someone at our church hurt her feelings, or maybe she just felt restless. There is something powerful about being faithful in the place where God had put you. As a sixteen year old, she could not see that. In trying to explain it to her, I realized that she was just a product of the times in which we live.

I recently had lunch with another Pastor who was telling me about his struggling ministry that was on decline. He told me that most of the new members in his church were transferred in from other churches. “I don’t really like swapping members,” he said. “But right now I am thankful for them coming no matter how they get here.” In America today, churches are viewed as easily changeable as the channels on the TV. Over the years, I have heard some very flimsy reasons given for people leaving a church. This is not a positive development. The purpose of this series of articles is not to perpetuate the cycle of “church shopping” that is so prevalent in our culture, but to look to the Word of God for teaching that will help us faithfully serve in His local body. Many Christians find themselves, for whatever reasons they may have, in the position of looking for a new place of worship. It is my prayer that these articles will help them to take a biblical approach to this problem and may even cause them to return to the place that they have left. In taking this approach they can then find a place, Lord willing, where they can serve for many years.

In order to find a place of faithful service, we must understand the importance of and the need for such a place. The first few articles will be a short course on the importance of the local church. This is a subject that has long been neglected and disparaged in American culture. If the church is unimportant, then why bother? Many people have had negative experiences at church. Regrettably that fact cannot be denied. But, are those negative experiences going to be the basis of our theology of the local church? Let’s hope not. There are sound reasons for leaving a local body and finding another. However, not all reasons are sound reasons. The Bible plays the chief role in helping us determine the difference.

Having a good understanding of the local church, does not mean that we will never be in need of finding a new one. The Lord may lead us away from the church we are presently serving for one reason or another. What then? How do we find a church? What criteria do we use? How do we discern God’s will? These are all good questions that the last few articles will help you answer. The approach is biblical first and practical second. Where would we be if William Carey looked at missions from a practical point of view only? Where would we be if Martin Luther approached the protestant reformation from a strictly practical perspective? Our approach must uphold the authority of the Scriptures. If we truly believe that God’s Word is applicable in our world today, then it is able to lead us with authority as we develop a view of the local church and our role within it.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I am a Southern Baptist Pastor. I understand that I am coming toward this problem from that perspective. I do not believe that there is a “Baptist” solution to help people find and stay in a local church any more than I believe that there is a “Methodist” or “Presbyterian” or (insert denomination here) solution. As Christians, we have to discover what the will of God is and then obey Him. The place we must start is not with our denominational traditions, nor our experiences (good or bad), but with the clear teaching of the Word of God. It is my prayer that through the reading of these articles many individuals and families will find a church home where they can faithfully serve the Lord and His people for years to come.