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Sometimes when I hear people in my generation talk about God in general and the church in particular, I am embarrassed.  Kinda like that feeling you get when you watch someone on stage forget their lines.  I don’t know whether to giggle or puke, but I know that I am uncomfortable. 

The conversations are endless in their redundancy…Statements such as these:

·         “Why can’t people just love Jesus?”

·         “I like God, but I don’t like the Church.”

·         “Denominations make me mad.  Why can’t people just agree?”

·         “Let’s just make a difference in the world (end poverty, curb homelessness, etc.).”

·         “Forget the church, house church is the way to go…”

I don’t know if other people get uncomfortable with these statements, but they scare me.  They scare me because they are the fruit of a misunderstanding of the message of the gospel and the purpose of the church.  Or more appropriately, they are evidence of someone who may not have deeply considered the truth claims of Scripture and how best to evidence them in our world.

In great contrast to the classic work of CS Lewis, today’s Mere Christianity is a cultural fad of minimalistic Christianity without any solid foundation or doctrinal elaboration. 

Again, I find Carl Trueman helpful at this point:

“Salvation does not depend upon the individual’s possession of an elaborate doctrinal system or a profound grasp of intricate and complex theology.  Yet this is not my point.  What I am claiming is that mere Christianity, a Christianity which lacks this doctrinal elaboration, is an insufficient basis either for building a church or for guarantying the long-term stability of the tradition of the church.”

Carl Trueman, “Minority Report”

Living next to a college campus, I see this trend often.  The typical rallying cry of parachurch ministries and many so-called non-denominational churches lies in their attempt to transcend natural denominational boundaries to impact people for the cause of the kingdom.  The problem is not in this goal, but in its implications.  By removing doctrine from the formula for a church or ministry, faith in Jesus and association with the church becomes such a broad umbrella that almost anybody can fit under it.

The question is whether or not this is wise or realistic.  Can you remove theology and doctrine from the life of the church and still have a church or ministry?   For example, is there such a thing as non-denominational church?

In one sense, yes.  churches can chose to not associate with a denominational camp and, for multiple purposes, choose to carve their own path.  However, in a more important sense, no.  Denominations exist because people are forced to make theological claims.   All churches must make theological claims.  Therefore, the theological claims to which one holds must serve as the foundation for association with any church or ministry. 

The underlying motive behind most non-denominational, non-doctrinal movements is a desire to just reach people. In order to just reach people you must cater to the American consumerism that makes doctrinal minimalism possible.  It is easier to attract a wide audience to something that lacks theological nuance and complexity, than it is to attract them to a robust doctrine and healthy church.  

Mark Driscoll illustrates this to his church using an open hand and a closed hand.  In the closed hand are all the theological issues that are a non-negotiable for him and those that join Mars Hill.  In the open hand are those issues on which there can be disagreement and debate while still having unity in association.  The question is still:  Who or what determines what theological claims go in what hand?

To this question, my generation has answered by placing almost nothing in the closed hand and leaving everything in the open hand. It is all up for debate:

·         What is man’s condition?

·         How is man reconciled to God?

·         What is the church and how is it to be led?

These are just a few of the questions that many of my peers have placed in the open hand.   And in so doing, they have created a massive umbrella and attempted to rally the troops.  But they have simply rallied the troops to a group gathering that stands for little or nothing. 

In my opinion, this is why social justice issues are so central to younger evangelicals today.  There is no question that social justice causes have been neglected by the church in the past.  However, there is also little doubt that social justice issues are the easiest issues to get most within the church to verbally agree to.  Should we feed the poor? Yes, certainly.  Should we give to disaster relief?  Yes, again.  The only issue here is motivating people to actually do it (something many within the church fail to do).

However, when you get to more central theological issues (who is God, what is man’s problem, how is man reconciled to God, what is the nature of the church, who should lead the church) it is much more difficult to find consistent assent.  Start talking about substitutionary atonement and you are likely to get much fewer amens than preaching on loving hurting people.  Talk about God’s sovereignty and you are likely to get an answer that basically says “that’s above my pay grade,” but homelessness, I can handle that. 

It seems that there is within Christianity a natural gravitational pull to the lowest common denominator and the biggest umbrella.  Does this mean that you must be a part of a certain denomination?  No.  However, does it mean that you must have a Biblically informed doctrinal basis for what you believe about God, man, and sin. 

Find a broad enough umbrella that everyone can agree upon,

and before long you believe nothing.

So, over the next few weeks I am going to attempt to spell out what I believe are the essential core values for a church or ministry.  And, no Rihanna, I will not stand under your umbrella no matter how many times you ask!

I think they are stupid.

“To be honest”                                   Do you typically lie?

“In my opinion”                                  Who else’s opinion do you normally give?

“In the final analysis”                         Then why are you still talking?

“Subject to Availability”                      Is there anything not subject to availability?

“Without Further Delay”                      Aren’t you delaying me further by saying that?

“Willy Nilly”                                        Is that a person’s name or just exposing your ignorance?

“A rose by any other name”                Would no longer be a rose.

I think they are stupid because I have no clue what they mean.

“As beautiful as the day is long”        My days are short, so is it ugly?

“Be there or be square”                      If I don’t show up am I a circle?

“Cat got your tongue”                        No. never.  I hate cats and they would never touch my tongue

“Clean your clock”                             How does a timing devise relate to making a football tackle?

“Even Stevens”                                   Is he related to the stunt man?

“Fly by the Seat of Your Pants”          What about wings? A plane? Or a magic carpet?

“If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times.”  What if you only said it 995 times?

You know what I mean?  Stupid clichés that people use all the time and yet I have no clue what they mean.  This one’s my favorite:

“You are what you eat.”

Well I like Kraft Macaroni and Cheese with a little 2% milk.  I eat it right out of the pot, sometimes with a side of pinto beans.  What does that make me?  Fat? Sloppy? Cheesy?

Clichés are not my thing, so I am surprised to be giving you one for my blog today.  However, I understand this cliché because it is lifted right from the pages of Scripture.  It goes like this:

“You are what you worship.”

Fortunately, I didn’t make this one up.  The Psalmist tells us this one is true.

“Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.  They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.  They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.  They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat.  Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.”  Ps. 115:4-8

Clearly the Psalmist does not think much of the things that you and I worship. In fact his description is that they are impotent to meet any of our expectations.

And, that’s not the bad news.  The bad news is in the last phrase: “Those who make them become like them.”    He says that we become what we worship.  In other words, the things that we worship direct the trajectory of our lives and ultimately determine the type of person that you and I develop into.

Latin scholars had a maxim by which they expressed this concept: lex orandi, lex credenda, lex vivendi.  The statement literally says that the law of prayer (what we worship) leads to the law of belief (what we believe to be true) which leads to the law of life (how we live).  More succinctly we can say that what we worship determines what we believe which shapes how we live.

We take on the qualities and characteristics of what we worship.  As a result, it is important that we think about some of the characteristics of the gospel substitutes that we worship.  Here are a few:

1.      Temporal

Have you ever known one of your gospel substitutes to last?  No.  That is the folly of gospel substitutes.  They always promise something that they can’t provide.  Be it lust, power, pride, anger, or whatever, it never provides the fulfillment that you thought it would.  As Dr. Christopher Wright says, “False gods fail. That is their only truth. For although false gods never fail to fail, it seem humans never fail to forget that this is indeed the case” (Dr. Christopher Wright, The Mission of God, p. 171). And if you worship these gods you will become just like them – you will promise something that you can’t fulfill due to your faulty worship.  Maybe that is the underlying cause of the epidemic divorce rates, absentee fathers, and moral compromise.  We, like them, always fail.

2.      Lifeless

False gods give the appearance of life while lacking the reality.  People become convinced that gospel substitutes actually possess the life they are looking for, but in the end the false gods reveal their true, dead nature. Same with you.  If you worship false gods long enough you will prove the reality of your death by your actions.  While you may give the appearance of life – nice marriage, well adjusted kids, smiles at the right time, you might be just like your gods. We, like them, are lifeless.

3.      Powerless

We think that these gospel substitutes are going to come through for us.  If we only had a happy marriage, a life free of pain, more money, people who respected me, or children who obeyed then I would have the life I desire.  However, like all false gods, these objects of our sinful worship lack the power to provide that which our hearts long for.  We, like them, become powerless.

4.      Fragile

False gods break so easily.  Drop a golden calf on the ground and what happens?  It shatters into a million pieces.  It’s sad when a golden cow shatters, but I have seen much worse.  Our world is littered with people whose lives shattered due to their poor worship.  The storms of life came and because they worshipped at the feet of the god of comfort, fulfillment, happiness, or security their lives crumbled as well.  We, like them, become incredibly fragile.

Maybe this is why the first commandment says that we are not to have any other gods besides the one true God.  Far from an unreasonable command, this command truly has our best interest at heart because it protects our very humanity from being like the things we worship.  If I am going to be like someone, I would much rather be like the One True God than some silly gospel substitute.

Watch out.

“You are what you worship”

In a 2004 session of the Resurgence Conference, Mark Driscoll discuss the theme of gospel substitutes in the book of Genesis.  He clearly points out that false gospels are the natural result of fallen humanities rebellion from God.

http://www.theresurgence.com/reformission_2004-11-10_session_04_audio_driscoll  

My wife is really sick.  Typical symptoms: headache, nausea, vomiting, aches, pains, tiredness…the works.  You name it she’s got it.  For the last three weeks, she has been sick nearly every day: sometimes multiple times a day.  She can only eat a little bit of food at each meal and is going to bed early in order to avoid another round of sickness.  I wanted to ask her for sickness pictures, but I was afraid I would get punched.

But I’m not worried.  In fact, I’m encouraged.

No…I am not some insensitive, ruthless husband.  I am encouraged because I know what is causing the sickness. 

My new little baby is the culprit.  This is our next baby…right now at 10 weeks and 4 days old.

Sarah is struggling with the typical sickness associated with the first trimester of a new pregnancy.  And while she is experiencing all of the above symptoms and is miserable at times, her symptoms are not cause for concern. We are not running out and filling her full of medicine, rushing her to the hospital, or doing multiple medical tests.   We know where the symptoms come from and that gives us great encouragement to know how to deal with the symptoms.

And this is vital knowledge.  In life, in order to properly address any symptoms, you better know what the real problem is or you will find yourself missing the diagnosis. Were we to treat the symptoms, we might believe that Sarah has some type of horrible virus.  But she doesn’t, she is pregnant. 

UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSE EXPLAINS THE SYMPTOMS.

It is the  distinction between the symptoms and the cause that is critical to understanding Paul’s explanation of the human condition in Romans  1 as he writes:

26For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

What a fun passage!  All kinds of juicy sin.  If you are like me, when you read this passage you have a picture of some overweight dude in a tie, behind a pulpit, pointing fingers at a humiliated audience, while further exposing the intense sweat stains that are gathering on his overly starched shirt.  All the while he is pointing out all the things that people typically think of when they discuss sin.

And we must admit that the sin list is impressive:  Homosexuality, unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice, envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness, gossip, slander, hate of God, insolence, haughtiness, boastfulness, inventors of evil, disobedience to parents, foolishness, faithlessness, heartlessness, and ruthlessness.  Horrible sin. The real problem. Avoid these.  Right?

Maybe not.

While this is a clear picture of sinful humanity, I would argue that this list is not the point of the passage.  This list comprises the symptoms of the human condition and not the cause.    Notice two critical phrases in this passage which serve as the foundation for its understanding: 1. “For this reason” and 2. “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God.”  Both of these phrases reveal that the sin list (the symptoms) is the result of something else (the cause).

Clearly, the impetus of these phrases is that the sin list points to something else which undergirds, motivates, and causes these sinful actions.  The main problem is actually much deeper than any individual sins.  The list of items above is rightfully labeled as sinful, but they are not the SIN.  The SIN is the fatal exchange that humanity makes when they exchange worship of God for the worship of gospel substitutes.  Anytime a person elevates himself to the place rightfully belonging to God, SIN has occurred.  This SIN leads to various sinful actions described in the sin list above. 

If we were to diagnosis the human condition, we could rightly say that everyone is guilty before God of SIN, which leads to guilt of sin.  This SIN which leads to sin is a result of a worship disorder inherent to all makind. (Paul David Tripp and Timothy Lane, How People Change, 153).   We are all born with a nature inclined to worship ourselves.  As with our ultrasound, the symptoms (sin) reveal something deeper (SIN).  For my wife, the developing life on the inside motivates and causes symptoms on the outside.  For you and me, the rotting death of SIN on the inside leads to sin on the outside.

With this in mind, I would make a few observations about how we should respond to SIN and sin.

1.      Repent of SIN and sin.

The main problem between each of us and God are not the individual sins that we commit, but the one fatal SIN of worshipping ourselves rather than God.  Therefore, when each of us is convicted of sin, we must acknowledge our guilt before God for SIN and sin.   For example, in times of anger, the response to God should be: “God, I have sinned against you not simply because I got angry, but because I attempted to take a place that rightfully belongs to you.  I have made myself God in my life and that has led to my angry actions.  Would you forgive me for worshipping and serving someone other than you?”  This is the same way to respond to lust, pride, doubt, or any other sinful action mentioned above.  We must address our repentance to the heart of the problem and not simply to the symptom.

2.      Apply the gospel to SIN and sin.

The gospel is not about changing your behavior.  The gospel is about changing your worship.  Due to the sacrificial death of Jesus on one’s behalf, that individual is given the privilege of having someone other than themselves to worship.  And this change in worship should be the focus of our understanding of the gospel. Now certainly behavioral change should result from a rightful understanding of the gospel.  But this behavioral change happens when one begins to rightly worship God and not the other way around.

3.      Teach about SIN and sin.

Whether you are discipling someone else, preaching a sermon, or raising kids, we must begin to teach people that the problem with humanity is SIN.  Rather than endless railing about the ills of video games, movies, music, sex, and drugs, we must understand that those are symptomatic of a deeper issue.  If this was not the case, the hope for humanity would be better schools, a new president, or purging our world from the steady stream of godless media.  While these may be good things, they will do little to change the human heart.  It is only when people are taught that their problem is not their “sin list” but their SIN.

And praise God that Jesus died to pay the price for our SIN.

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”

1 Corinthians 15:3

By the way…this is Corrie, our now 19 month old daughter, at our 8 week ultrasound. 

Amazing!

Baseball’s trading deadline came and went this week with the typical shuffle of overhyped and overpaid players all attempting to make a run for the World Series. Outside of Stuart Scott and Colin Cowherd, I am not sure anyone really noticed or cared. Except me. Yes, I am that sports geek that analyzes ESPN2, listens to The Herd in my truck, and secretly fantasizes about being a basketball commentator after Dicky V hangs it up.

While I love sports, professional sports trades make me angry. As soon as I begin to pull for one team, the star player is shipped out to the West coast to play for a team that I hate, and now I am left with a goofy looking, lanky, overpaid scrub. And the trades don’t make any sense. A great player is traded for four players I have never heard of, the proverbial “player to be named later” and some money. What?

In spite of the stupidity of many trades in American professional sports, trades don’t get any better than one made by a soccer team in Romania. The Romanian second division soccer club, UT Arad, sold a player to another team in exchange for 15 kilograms of meat. And to make matters worse, the player who was traded resigned before ever playing a game for his new team. The coach is quoted as saying: “We are upset because we lost twice – firstly because we lost a good player and secondly because we lost our team’s food for a whole week.”

Stupid trades are commonplace today: both in the sporting arena and in a place you would not think to look – your life. It seems that this concept of a trade forms the central metaphor Paul uses to explain what humanity has done to God. In the first chapter of his treatise on the gospel to the church at Rome he writes:

21For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Romans 1:18-25

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The words are so familiar: 

“Jesus Loves me this I know

For the Bible tells me so..”