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John Stott, The Living Church (Downers Grove: IVP, 2007).

Chapter Five: Fellowship

The next chapter in Stott's reflections on the church is, appropriately enough, the shortest.  For it is impossible to achieve a sense of koinonia without doing it; you can't learn by sitting back and speaking about community, you must develop it.  The question that remains is whether or not our fellowship and *community-building* has reached that which it was supposed to be.  In moving forward on the issue of fellowship among believers, Stott approaches it in threefold manner: biblical, historical, and practical.

Simply enough, Stott begins his comments with Genesis 2:18, where it asserts that it is not good for man to be alone (86).  Yet this cannot be cured by large crowds alone (87), which calls into question the habits of many Christians who seek larger churches without the participation in small group ministry.  Thus, Stott affirms the need for larger congregations to structure themselves in such a way as to facilitate smaller, more intimate group settings.

Historically speaking, there is much to be drawn from the Reformation of gathering together in small groups to fellowship and study the Scriptures (cf. 88).  There is also the Holy Club of Oxford which fostered the growth and explosion of the Methodist movement, among others he mentions.  "It is from such small and unpretentious beginnings that great movements have sprung up and spread" (88).

The third argument is pastoral, in that in every church the clergy cannot reach out to meet the needs of every person/family.  This means that fellowship is not just a way of having a good time, but the proper mode in which our lives are invested into one another's for the nurturing, care and growth of the gospel.  "Moreover, the Bible indicates that each of us is our brother's keeper" (89).  Such an approach reminds me of another good read about discipleship (I have no idea if Stott is familiar with this work): Greg Ogden, Transforming Discipleship (Downers Grove: IVP, 2003).

Stott continues to develop this chapter, emphasizing our common inheritance (91), our common service (92-93), our mutual responsibility (93-94) and drawing out some practical illustrations about fellowship (94-96).  It is a good chapter, but brief and largely presented in bare-bones theology so that the gaps may be easily filled in by each specific and unique community.  Discipleship and fellowship have been lost on many churches, but are making a comeback in many way across the board in Christianity.

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John Stott, The Living Church (Downers Grove: IVP, 2007).

Chapter Four: Ministry (The Twelve and the Seven):

When one reflects on the early church as described in Acts, there are usually many appeals to the modern church 'getting back' the way things were obviously meant to be.  And while there might be some merit in this approach, it is neither practical, possible or desirable.  Still, there seem to be lessons for us to learn by looking at the approach of the early believers and uncover where their heart was in the midst of it all.  John Stott is again good to keep a proper perspective and balance in his reflections on the church (both ancient and modern), and he approaches the topic of ministry in this way.  Indeed, one could probably get more from the highlighted text throughout this chapter than in the entirety of many leadership books.

As he reviews the situation in Acts, he notes that there are the disciples (the twelve) and there arise a need for others to be appointed to ministry (the seven). Great Highlighted Text #1: "Everybody cannot do everything" (73).  Acts 6 shows that the disciples face the risk of being overcome by administration that they would neglect their priority of ministry of the word.  This does not mean that they were 'above' certain tasks, nor that they completely ignored them.  This is to take the scene too far into physical laziness.  But it does demonstrate their proper place in the scheme of things and where they need to be positioned in order to be most effective.  A great lesson for many churches and church leadership today.

This chapter also recognizes the proper balance of everyone's calling to ministry, but also that ministry must be defined broadly. Great Highlighted Text #2: "All Christians are called to ministry" (74).  One of the lessons to be learned from Acts 6 is that the disciples did indeed delegate the needs of the community to those willing and able to take it, a form of servant leadership which does not happen frequently in many churches today (cf. 75).  This requires pastors willing to hand over the reigns of leadership and people who are willing to take them with a humble attitude.  Great Highlighted Text #3: "God calls different people to different ministries" (76).

This also ties into Stott's belief that: Great Highlighted Text #4: "Christian oversight is pastoral oversight" (77).  This is true on every level of ministry.  Further, he points out that Christian oversight is also "plural oversight" (77).  That is, Great Highlighted Text #5: "There is no biblical warrant for the so-called one-man band" (78).  Once he has put these statements forward, Stott then examines the leadership of the local church through the eyes of Paul's development(s) of the pastoral metaphor.  To review it briefly (go read the entirety on your own): there is the example of the apostle (the shepherd) which relies on Acts 20:18-27; there is the invasion of false teachers (the wolves) which reads Acts 20:28-31; 3) there is the value of the people (the sheep) which holds Acts 20:28 in view.  Admittedly, the third statement is one which I need reminded of often.

The whole of ministry and pastoral leadership is built upon Great Highlighted Text #8 (I skipped two of them): "It is not our church; it is God's" (83).  To quote his words more completely: "This is a splendid Trinitarian truth about the church, namely that it belongs to God the Father, has been redeemed by the blood of Christ his Son, and has overseers appointed by God the Holy Spirit.  This fact should humble us" (83).

Indeed.

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John Stott, The Living Church (Downers Grove: IVP, 2007).

Chapter Three: Evangelism

In the third chapter of his book of reflections on the church, John Stott explores the nature of evangelism as an outworking of the body of faith.  He includes both 'mass evangelism' and 'local church evangelism' in his scope (48-49), and rightly asks the question (in my own words): What are we doing?  To answer this, he posits four conditions through which the church must ". . . act out its God-appointed role": the church must understand itself; the church must organize itself; the church must express itself; the church must be itself (50).

The Church Must Understand Itself: Stott begins with the theology of the church, citing as one of his chief reasons, "Many churches are sick because they have a false self-image.  They have grasped neither who they are nor what they are called to be" (50).  Thus, he believes that the church has fallen prey to two basic errors: the religious club or the secular mission. The former is a group of people with a common interest in God but with no real impact for the mission of the kingdom of God.  The latter is so concerned with social change that they have removed the idea of religion from any aspect of their congregations.  In combatting this, Stott suggests understanding a double-identity of the church which summons God's people to be those who have been called out of the world for worship but sent back into the world for service (52).  There are certainly issues to keep in front of us as we seek to do so, but I believe that Stott has the proper perspective on the movement of the Spirit within the body of believers.

The Church Must Organize Itself: The very thought of this line probably sends many people toward the doors (especially if you've been to a church board meeting recently).  But, the idea of structuring the church is vital for its mission and focus - Stott continues to maintain that we cannot simply ignore the existing church for that which is *new*.  Very simply, it is true that unless the church is structured to be intentionally outward-driven then it will not happen.  But what Stott cautions against here is the "overfull program of church-based activities" (56, his list is by no means exaggerated for many).  What happens here is that church members are so engaged with life in and around the church that they've no opportunity to interact with the world; evangelism has been squeezed out by the church!  The solution to the church's organization in this chapter is that the congregation should seek to address the most relevant needs of the particular community in which they are found in order to maximize the work of the church for the kingdom.  It is a sad commentary that many of our churches do not reflect their neighborhood or community at all - they have no connection with the needs of their world.

The Church Must Express Itself: If anyone is going to hear the gospel, the church must be able to articulate it - again, understanding the surrounding community is key.  Here is a telling passage: "There can be no doubt that the essence of the gospel is Jesus Christ himself.  It would be impossible to preach the Christian good news without talking about Jesus" (63).  The fact that Stott would need to say such a thing speaks volumes for the condition of our church (e.g. the secular mission club).  I strongly agree with his overall premise in this section that all of the church's efforts and activities are hallow and useless if we do not share the gospel of Jesus through them.  This doesn't mean we must Bible-thump, but it does require that every thing we do be an accurate and articulate representation of the gospel.

The Church Must Be Itself: "The church is supposed to be God's new society, the living embodiment of the gospel, a sign of the kingdom of God, a demonstration of what human community looks like when it comes under his gracious rule" (66).  Yet, too often we have sacrificed this for the sake of so many other myopic issues.  Stott quotes from John Poulton: "Christians . . . need to look like what they are talking about.  It is people who communicate primarily, not words or ideas . . . What communicates now is basically personal authenticity" (66).  This is a fundamental return to the world knowing that we are his disciples by our love for one another.

the faith (4)

Charles Colson, The Faith (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008).

Chapter Four: The Truth

"The Christian believes that humankind can know truth - that is, the way things really are - through the Bible and. . ." in nature, through reason, and through conscience (57).  In this next chapter of The Faith, Charles Colson examines the nature of truth within the ongoing work of the church in culture.  It is a good chapter, one which will serve as a good primer for laity who have not been introduced to the apologetics surrounding absolutes.  Perhaps the only statement I did not care for was this, "Remember, we accept that the conscience is written on the heart not because the Bible makes it so by saying it, but because the Bible reports that God made humans this way" (57-58).  I understand the sentiment, but the wording makes this very difficult not to read as circular reasoning.

Otherwise, the chapter is well done and exhibits strongly much of Colson's work in the field of apologetics and outreach (i.e. prison ministry).  He reminds/introduces the reader of the alarming rate at which confessing believers do not hold onto absolutes nor engage the Scriptures before challenging the church to reclaim its role of proclaiming truth into the world.

While he might be right at attributing much of the difficulty for the emerging generation to accept truth-claims to an environment of postmodernity (62), it is quite clear as well that much of the failure needs to be found within the church itself.  "This conception of church life and the failure to teach doctrine do nothing less than institutionalize agnosticism - the inability to know the truth - within churches themselves" (62).  Unfortunately, this adequately describes much of what has happened within western Christianity.

But there is also challenge to the emerging believers, many of whom do not wish to pay attention to the ins and outs of doctrine, but who simply want to work for the gospel.  While such drive is admirable and exemplary for the many congregations who have failed to be missional in their focus, Colson's thoughts in this chapter give strong warning to this behavior if left unchecked: "But if the creeds I believe are false, then my efforts have been totally misplaced; I cannot be sure that my deeds, however noble, are really good" (63).

The final section of the chapter provides six reasons 'Why Truth Matters.'

1. truth matters because the heart of what we believe is at stake.

2. without truth the gospel is perverted

3. rejection of truth results in biblical illiteracy

4. rejection of truth leads to ethical confusion

5. the rejection of truth undermines cultural development

6. rejecting truth leads to false gods

In each of these six areas, Colson expounds and provides a discussion which goes to the heart of our culture.  Never one to shy away from topics which many find difficult or embarrassing, Colson cuts to the heart of the matter.  Again, a great primer for newcomers and a solid reading for pastors and church leaders.

the living church (2)

John Stott, The Living Church (Downers Grove: IVP, 2007).

Chapter 2. Worship:

According to John Stott, "Worship is the church's preeminent duty" (34).  This is certainly going to be taken as a challenge to the many churches who think otherwise (esp. those congregations which place evangelism at the forefront - even when they haven't evangelized in years!).  But in this present chapter, Stott outlines four main characteristics of Christian worship.

Biblical Worship: ". . .that it to say, it is a response to the biblical revelation" (35).  This is a very good working definition of worship which not only describes what Scripture envisages, but also serves to explain the failure of so many evangelicals to have a proper attitude/mode of worship.  Stott goes further to state, "The spirit of receptivity is a necessary condition of hearing the word of God.  So much depends on how the readers and preachers approach their task" (36).  What he is getting at here is key: in order to provide proper worship (which is defined as a response to biblical revelation), then we must have an atmosphere which provides opportunity for hearing the word of God in order to achieve a proper response.

Congregational Worship: How many times will I hear someone say that they can worship God just as well in their fishing boat than in church on Sunday morning?  Such sentiments are far from the piety they attempt to espouse and really serve to mask the lack of commitment on the part of the sayer.  In reality, true worship is congregational - it needs a connection with others in the body of Christ.  Ours is a community affair (cf. Grenz's Theology for the Community of God).

Stott makes a good point along with this section, though.  He notes that if we are to worship together (and keeping in mind the parameters for biblical worship), then we need to ensure that it is readily accessible for the community.  In other words, everyone should be able to understand and participate (38).  But also the services should reflect the diversity of those who find unity in the cross (39).

Spiritual Worship:  "No book, not even by Marx and his followers, is more scathing of empty religion than the Bible" (41).  In approaching this particular topic, Stott introduces a few brief comments on the use of music within worship (42-43).  While there are many forms and instruments to serve as a vehicle for worship, Stott rightly points out that it is the biblical content of the music which should be at issue (43).  I agree with his comparison that many church experiences have become New Age approaches to spirituality by emptying the mind and clearing the soul unto nothingness.  The point, therefore, seems to be that if we are to affirm in our creeds that we are spiritual creatures in a spiritual world, then our practice should act as though we are about a spiritual work.

Moral Worship:  Worship cannot exist without a total surrender of our lives, living rightly and justly into the world.  The church is damaged by those who live one way and then worship another.  Stott uses 1 Samuel 15:22 and Romans 12 to get this point across.  In reading Romans, Stott points out that Paul has emphasized the mercies of God throughout the letter, culminating in the response from the believer as a living sacrifice.  This fits well with his reflections on true and proper worship.

the living church (1)

John Stott, The Living Church (Downers Grove: IVP, 2007).

World-renowned theologian and preacher John Stott has long been a welcome read to many pastors and scholars who are invested in the church.  He has for many years been a strong voice within the body who has worked to strengthen the message and ministry of the people of God.  His latest book is a reflection on the the current state of the church and where it is headed.  In doing this, he offers principles and observations which will no doubt serve to clarify and sharpen the ongoing work of the church, and the many who work in it.

Chapter 1. Essentials:

Stott begins by providing the essential marks of a living church - those aspects of a body of believers which serve to demonstrate their commitment.  It has always been interesting to me how many people think of themselves as devoted followers of Christ but who pay little attention to his word or prayer (and the like).  This takes such a sentiment a bit further and considers whether or not our church bodies align with the expectations for spiritual health which are found in Scripture.

A Learning Church:  Building from Acts 2:42, Stott takes note that the earliest Christians devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles (22), a striking statement only when one considers how little of this we do today.  At first blush, it appears that our priorities are not the same as theirs.  His statement exposes many modern evangelical circles, "We note that those new Spirit-filled converts were not enjoying a mystical experience which led them to neglect their intellect, despise theology or stop thinking" (23).  For us today, this means that we must build our congregations upon the teaching of the apostles rather than on various business models or growth seminars - this is true 'apostolic succession,' according to Stott (25).

A Caring Church:  I will admit that whenever I hear of churches and leaders who want to capture the *spirit* of the earliest believers, they undoubtedly consider koinonia as the highest ideal.  But in Acts 2 (and for Stott), it is listed secondly - once again giving strong emphasis on the first point about being built as learning churches as a priority.  Nevertheless, there is an important lesson to be gained by focusing on the fellowship of our churches; we can certainly do better at building people groups who genuinely show love toward one another.

  

At issue in this passage (Acts 2:44-45) is that of an apparent communal life of the believers.  This has led many groups (Stott notes some of them) to turning churches into communes and seeing uneasy correlations between Marxism and Christianity.  But Stott handles this well by keeping in balance the voluntary sharing of property which is found among the early church and the prohibition of personal property which characterizes Marxism and communes.  He rightly identifies this as forcing all believers to participate in certain gifts/callings even though they might not be called to such (27).  Even still, the summons to reach out to the poorest and most needy cannot be ignored as it has been so often in the Western church.

A Worshiping Church:  There are two aspects to the worship patterns of the early church to which Stott draws attention.  The first is that it was both formal and informal (28).  They were meeting regularly in the temple and also in their homes (Acts 2:46).  They did not immediately abandon the institutional church (as have so many others who are overly eager for change, to which Stott handles on p. 29f.).  The second aspect which is noted is that the early church's worship was both joyful and reverent (30).  I agree with Stott that many worship services could easily be confused with funeral services, while others seem so flippant as to have no value at the center whatsoever (cf. 30).

An Evangelizing Church:  In the interest of church leadership, I find it interesting how often we have misread Acts 2, refusing to discover the proper balance of the attitudes and functions of the early church.  There are some churches who readily ignore the outward focus of the church, while others believe this is the only activity in which believers should be engaged.  The former read only 2:42 while the latter only see 2:47, "And the Lord adder to their number daily those who were being saved."  Not surprisingly, it is for us to discover the balance of these two statements in the attitudes of our congregations.

Stott lists three truths regarding the early church's evangelism: 1) Jesus did it - he is the one working through the work of the church, being lifted up to draw all unto himself (31); 2) Jesus added to their number those who were being saved - "He didn't add them to the church without saving them, and he didn't save them without adding them to the church" (32); 3) Jesus did these things daily - the witness was continuous and quite effective.

Having laid out this foundation for the marks of a living church, Stott will examine many of the various aspects found within the life of the church.  I appreciate one of his final statements: "We don't have to wait for the Holy Spirit to come, for he did come on the Day of Pentecost, and he has never left the church" (33).

quotes of the apocalypse

As a literary genre, "apocalyptic" is a way of investing space-time events with their theological significance; it is actually a way of affirming, not denying, the vital importance of the present continuing space-time order, by denying that evil has the last word in it.

N. T. Wright, The New Testament and the People of God (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996).

the faith (3)

Charles Colson, The Faith (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008).

Chapter Three: He Has Spoken

One of the more enjoyable aspects of the book thus far is the number of stories which are drawn from a wide range of church history - from the first centuries of the church to current events.  It is makes for a more interesting read to see these events aligned with various aspects of the basics of Christian belief.  And it is probably a good introduction to younger believers of the rich history of the church as well as reminding a good many others (myself included more often than not) that this heritage does exist and holds great value.  That is to say, the faith is more than the lines of the biblical text (narratively speaking).

This chapter speaks to the historicity and authority of the Bible.  Like every chapter in the book, Colson works through the material quickly and briefly.  He spends very little time (too little, perhaps) on defining inspiration - so little, in fact, that the primary audience will no doubt be scratching their heads over it once they have put the book down.  It is a given that

 such an approach is necessary for the book, but this also requires a stronger approach that is exhibited on this point.

Otherwise, the chapter reads like a quick-fact guide to the canon: its authority, assembly, and a few other surrounding issues (e.g. archeology and textual integrity).  Once again, the chapter moves deliberately to the ability for these foundations of the faith to transform the individual.  Again, he calls upon some famous points in church history to back this up (Augustine, St Anthony, Luther) before adding his own vignette of affirmation.

blame it on the day job

Earlier today I found myself needing to spend some time in between appointments in another town and wandered into the local Christian bookstore. I don't usually get a chance to browse such institutions (and I'm banned from so many of them), but I gave it a shot and decided to practice self-control and not make any verbal comments on the absurdity of it all. And it was, for the most part, a pleasant experience. Until the end. . .

I was looking through some curriculum for one of our classes at the church when I heard a gentlemen come in looking for a Bible. He is obviously new to the church and was needing a text which would connect to him. My head snapped around when I heard him say to the attendant, "I dunno, I suppose something like the King James would be considered the most accurate, right?" He saw my reaction and as I vigorously shook my head he smiled and invited me into the moment with, "No? You don't think the older ones are better?"

So far, so good - and I was more than happy to listen to what he is looking for and explain the plethora of translations and types available to him. But the sales woman was clearly annoyed by my intrusion. Or it could be that the store clearly favors the KJV, giving it an entire wall while all the other versions get about equal space combined! And it doesn't take long to find out what KJVers think of someone trashing the text. Even still, the heresy continued when I supported - not just the N-I-V-L-E but the TNIV! They might have considered calling the police when I said that the RSV is pretty good too!

But in the end I was able to meet a very warm and friendly new Christian (and a very crabby old-fundy) and gave him some parameters which, sadly, most churchgoers have never taken the time (or had opportunity) to learn. But, as I ate lunch with my wife later on, I reminisced and found that everyone in my path that day had been so very friendly and personable except for the one publicized Christian. Hmmm. Spring is definitely breaking through, which puts everyone in a great mood. It would be nice if spring was breaking through a little bit more on the spiritual end of things though.

the faith (2)

Continuing with a review of Charles Colson, The Faith (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008). . .

Chapter Two: God Is

is straight Colson, and what you typically would expect from him.  He briefly presents three *ideas of origin* as an apologetic for the existence of God: 1) a godless material universe; 2) god is an intelligent presence in all things (a universal mind); 3) a personal god.  Each reads as a quick summary statement of each particular position - again reflecting Colson's desire to engage typical laity rather than immersing in intense academic debate.

The meat of this chapter is built upon Alvin Plantiga's rational assertion that God is, a defense of theism by challenging the unscientifically-observable belief that other people have minds

 (this is an attack on solipsism which could not rightly conclude such a hypothesis).  In the end Colson returns to the argument that belief in God is not irrational, which seems to be a fairly standard move for his apologetic technique.  He goes after Dawkins specifically by exposing his absurd notion, "Any God capable of designing a universe, carefully tuned to lead to our evolution, must be a supremely complex and improbable entity that needs an even bigger explanation than the one he is supposed to provide" (39).

Better to take Pascal's wager on that one?. . . ?. . .

While the beginning of the chapter appears as though Colson is going to weigh too heavily on experience and feeling over rational thought regarding the existence of God, he redeems himself by striking a solid balance between what we experience and what we rationalize.  I was genuinely impressed with how both ends come together in this chapter.

. . .given once, for all. . .

Charles Colson, The Faith (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008).

Over the past few decades Charles Colson has established himself as a thinker and advocate for the church, one who is passionate about how the people of God interact with the surrounding world in order for the Gospel to make a difference.  I recognize that many who are familiar with Colson's work strongly disagree with a particular point or approach, but the fruit of his ministry and activity to equip the saints and challenge the church is undeniable and powerful.  With this in mind, I have decided to work through his newest book, The Faith, over the next few weeks and make comments on it here.

What he sets out to do in this book is summarize the basic tenets of Christianity in such a way as to strengthen the body through a deeper engagement with primary theology.  I could not agree with Colson that Western Christianity has lost its identity and calling, as it has largely lost its ability to think about faith.  Thus, although many will quibble with points in this book because of its lack of thoroughness or expertise on every area, I want to approach it on its own merit: that it is a challenge to the church-at-large to renew its vision and presence by reconsidering its identity.

Chapter One: Everywhere, Always, By All

This chapter is largely introductory and almost serves as a continuation of the Preface, where Colson reviews the Amish schoolhouse shootings at Nickel Mines in 2006.  (A side note: I appreciate Colson's reminder of this event as, sadly, not enough consideration of how the Amish community handled the situation was given by the evangelical community.)  What this opening chapter does is set Christianity as "the enduring truth" in which the people of God proclaim the Lordship of Christ in this generation and in all of those to come.  He provides an interesting 'time-travel' of five points of the Christian movement which demonstrate the diversity and unity of the gospel message (24).

What keeps the unity of the church is that which is labelled orthodoxy.  Colson is right to point out how orthodox Christian belief has been increasingly under attack over the last few years by works such as Dawkins and Hitchens (among others), and even more so in the ongoing onslaught within the popular mainstream media.  The influence of culture upon the church is what troubles Colson most, as trends within a postmodern culture have muddied the clear waters of the faith found within the church.  The church, by and large (individual members, especially pastors), has failed in its ability to confront the world with the gospel and have thus allowed for the erosion of orthodox belief.

It is therefore the goal of this book to help reverse such trends by tracing basic Christianity from the beginning (once again).