iCrucified

Posts Tagged ‘Christian’

Please die.

“What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation…” [Galatians 6:15]

I wonder why we so often push back against the Holy Spirit? Here we are, heirs and inheritors of all the promises of God, every one, and so many times we are want to push back against Him and follow our own inclinations and desires. This summer has been a roller coaster ride for me in every facet of my being; emotionally, physically, and spiritually… and while I continue to implement the tools God has given me through the gifts of spiritual discipline I continue to wrestle and war against the nature of self within me. The flesh of “me” pushes back against the “perfecting nature of God” within me. I despise that. I give thanks and glory to God that I can choose to submit to His Spirit, but I don’t like for one minute that I have to choose in the first place.

“…and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.” [Galatians 3:28] “And because we are His children, God sent the Spirit of His Son (Jesus) into our hearts, prompting us to call out ‘Abba, Father.’” [Galatians 4:6]

God has sent the Spirit of Jesus into our hearts… therefore; it would seem to me, that we can follow Him. We can truly, literally, and successfully live a life, walk a life, and exhibit the grace and presence of the life that Jesus lived [1 John 2:6]. So, back to my question, I wonder why such a battle rages within me. I wonder why I consider my wants first; I wonder why I filter things through my perspectives first? I wonder why I seek out my comforts first.  I generally will choose to make these thoughts subservient to the concerns and needs of others, but I wonder why, so often, I have to make the choice to choose their needs and thoughts over mine in the first place. It would seem to me that my old nature has not been completely crucified. [sigh]

“I have been crucified. With Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now love in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered himself up for me.” [Galatians 2:20].

And this is my cry… This is my prayer; that one day I will be able to say these words, as did the Apostle Paul, with conviction and authority. One day I will know that the war of my flesh and the raging “me” of self will be complete. I live by faith today that all the promises of God are yes and amen, but I live with hope looking forward to the culmination of all things Christ… including Him within me. May it be so, for the glory of  You, Christ Jesus, my Savior. Amen.

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I’m Special – You’re Special

I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father who raised Jesus from the dead.  [Galatians 1:1]

How freeing and affirming is the consolation that comes from this passage. While every child of God may not be “appointed” to do the work of a “Paul,” it does not diminish the reality that each child of God has been “appointed” or chosen specifically, individually, and particularly by the mind and hand of God. He chose us. He chose me. Jesus reached out for me from beyond eternity for His unique purposes and no “group of people” or “human authority” can alter that truth. This is a great reminder when life feels lonely or the pressures of our circumstance begin to rob us of our joy… Jesus chose me. Amen.

But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by His marvelous grace. Then it pleased Him to reveal His Son to me so that I would proclaim the good news about Jesus… [Galatians 1:15-16] …God shows no partiality.  [Galatians 2:6]

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Distraction or Incarnation …the choice is ours

For the majority of this month (August) I have been reading and meditating on the letter from Paul to the Galatians. As reflected in some of my other blog posts, one of the prominent thoughts I have had during this time of meditation has been the apostle’s concern for the Galatians and how easily they have been distracted from the path of Christ Jesus [Galatians 3:1]. In my opinion, we have not made much progress since the letter was written… We too are easily distracted, or “bewitched,” to borrow the word most commonly used and translated from Paul’s letter. Let me share with you a personal example…

Among other things, my new job has been weighing on me; there are several factors that contribute to this weight, but they are not really the point of this posting. What is important is that I recognize how easily I can be distracted if I allow myself to be “bewitched” by the weight of my job or any other of the myriad of things taking place in the machine works of my daily life. As I’ve paralleled this Letter to the Galatians alongside “my world” I’ve realized how quickly my love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) can be tested and jeopardized by my choice to remove my focus from the illuminated and guiding voice of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

This morning while on my way to work, with all of this weighing on me, I turned to my wife and said to her; “I don’t like being distracted… I don’t like being bewitched. I don’t want to have my focus removed from the Presence of God even for a minute. I don’t want to be lured into a chase that does not lead to embodiment of the fruit of God’s Spirit.” We continued our conversation during the short ride to my job and I resolved to be a living representation of Jesus to the people I encountered… it is, after all, what we are called to be, incarnations of the Christ. I am pretty sure that some people I spoke to may not have been aware that they encountered Jesus, but I know that they did. As I prayed before entering work and as I prayed again before speaking to my first customer, and as I prayed again before interacting with my fellow trainees and peers I asked God to help me live Him. It is my most humble and heartfelt prayer:

“Dear Jesus, through Your grace and by Your Spirit, help me to allow others to encounter You through me and likewise, help me to remain focused upon Your Presence that I do not miss You living through the life of others I encounter. May Your Presence be in me and in my view through every moment of every day. Amen.”

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Agitated, Distracted, and Bewitched – Part 2

“What is bewitching you?”

I extend apologies if my words that follow sound somewhat random in my opening remarks. I don’t know if you are following along or not, but you can catch up here if you’re interested in where this is coming from… I’m still following reflections on the Letter from Paul to the Galatians.

Regardless of our understanding with issues of spiritual depression or those “dark nights of the soul,” Jesus said He would never forsake us… “Lo, I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:20). So then, what happens when we feel removed from, or distant from, the Presence of God? Consider emotions like anxiety, stress, anxiousness, aggravation, and agitation (to name a few). Where do these feelings come from; how do those feelings invade our being when we may have been (just moments before) experiencing sweet peace and fellowship with God’s indwelling Holy Spirit?

I realize my commentary may seem to have deviated from the original intent of the Letter to Galatians, but I think my thoughts remain true to the uber-arche that is the human and “that” is part of the narrative that is this letter. The writer, Paul, asks his listeners what has “bewitched” them… what has distracted them to the point they would leave the greatest liberating force of their lives in order to follow a paradigm that is no force at all and whose destination is sure despair, destruction, and ultimate defeat.

¹⁶So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. ¹⁷For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

¹⁹The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. ²⁵Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. [Galatians 5:16-26]

Distractions

The blessing of new creation (which is what we become) through the redeeming, reconciling, and restoring work of Jesus Christ provides believers the means and empowerment to live daily and always in the Presence of the Triune God. The formerly broken relationship between man and God is reconciled and restored… on this side of Eternity, in this present and physical world, we are permitted to walk in whole and holy relationship with the God of the universe. We are capable of and invited to experience the blessed guidance and counsel of the same Spirit of God that inhabited and empowered the risen Savior-God, Jesus Christ.

Reality Check

Personally, I can’t help but examine and ponder my own experience compared to the “new creation life” that I read about in the Bible (especially the New Testament). I fully believe the Bible and its entire claim to be true; otherwise I would not be striving to follow it. Therefore, I believe my experience should be more closely aligned with, and reflective of, the thoughts I share in the paradigm of the aforementioned paragraph. Is it? Is my experience fully submitted to the Spirit’s leading? Do I live in complete harmony with Jesus?

I want to answer yes, but find myself becoming distracted or “bewitched” by the smoke and mirror trickery of powers and principalities of this world. Don’t misunderstand my words; I do not believe there is demonic influence or oppression behind every distraction or trial of man. I do believe our present world is still in a fallen state and subject to that “fallenness.” However, as I have also expressed in other blog posts, I  believe that we are in a state of redemption and being redeemed… meaning there is still yet to come a whole and ultimate redemption, but we are still permitted and invited into participation of redemption-reconciliation-restoration through the work of Jesus Christ today… now.

What about distractions and being “bewitched” though?

Ok. So, (1) we are permitted to live in reconciled relationship with God, (2) we are able to take control of oppressive thoughts and bring them into submission to the Lordship of Christ, (3) we are capable of living in peace, joy, and godly love, and (4) we are given the choice to follow the unfailing guidance of the Holy Spirit of God Almighty who indwells the heart, mind, and soul of the transformed believer. We believe, according to Jesus, the kingdom of redemption, reconciliation, and restoration of God is here today and still yet to come, but we are capable of experiencing the fruit of the ultimate kingdom today… on this side of eternity. Why do we still choose to pursue distractions and allow ourselves to become “bewitched?”

Speaking out loud from my own experience and observation, I think the problem of our “bewitching” (the distractions of life that remove our focus and sight from God) is twofold. The first is our failure to truly accept the forgiveness and freedom of His grace to us. I think this stems from a continued lack of trust in the God we profess to trust. This problem goes back to the first sin of man (Adam) and we continue to suffer from it. In most cases with man and sin, we can find that pride and trust intermix to overthrow God as the Sovereign in our lives. Ultimately, since we do not trust God, we seek to find bastions of our present reality to cement our trust and place our faith (work-career, social status, participation or non-participation in certain activities, affiliations with groups and organizations, and etc) …and this, removes our focus and relationship with God to something else which ultimately deceives and fails us.

The second problem is systemic to our Greek influenced Western world. Our general approach to the essence of life is dualistic and also suffers from various forms of Gnosticism (follow the links to learn more on those terms). In very simple language, we separate our relationship and compartmentalize most facets of worshiping God and following the ways of Jesus Christ in our lives. We toss around terms like “spiritual life” and “secular world” as if this is the normal way of viewing our relationship with God… the inner life and the outer life. We have been bewitched by thinking this way. The Hebrew mind (and the teaching God gives to us) does not separate the essence of man or the life he lives. We are commanded to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” There is so much more that can be said about this, but I’ll save that for another time.

A recent reading from a piece from Joan Chittister expressed much more eloquently than I could, a clear image of this duality. She writes as follows:

The private preserves of the spiritual life are far from dead, however. It is so much easier to go to daily Mass and feel good about it than it is to serve soup at a soup kitchen. It is so much more comfortable to say bedtime prayers than it is to speak peace in a warring world. It is so much more satisfying to contribute to the building of a new church than it is to advocate welfare legislation. It is so much more heroic to fast than it is to be patient with a noisy neighbor. It is so much easier to give the handshake of peace in church than it is to speak gently in the family. And yet one without the other is surely fraud if life with God in community is truly of the essence of real spiritual growth.

The messages of the Prologue (The Rule of Benedict) are clear: Life is very short. To get the most out of it, we must begin to attend to its spiritual dimensions without which life is only half lived. Holiness is in the Now but we go through life only half conscious of it, asleep or intent on being someplace other than where we are. We need to open our eyes and see things as they exist around us: what is valuable and what is not, what enriches and what does not, what is of God and what is not. It may be the neighborhood we live in rather than the neighborhood we want that will really make human beings out of us. It may be the job we have rather than the position we are selling our souls to get that will finally liberate us from ourselves.  It may be what we do rather than the prayers we pray that will finally be the measure of our sanctity.

God is calling us to more than the material level of life and God is waiting to bring us to it. All we have to do is to live well with others and live totally in God. All we have to do is to learn to listen to the voice of God in life. And we have to do it heart, soul, and body. The spiritual life demands all of us.  ~~Joan Chittister; The Rule of Benedict – Insights For the Ages [pp.31-32]

Why are we so easily bewitched? Why are we so quick to follow a way that is not The Way?

I caught glimpse of another parallel this weekend. Paul writes with direct reference in his letter to the Galatians concerning the old covenants (Abrahamic and Mosaic) and the new covenant of Jesus Christ. This past weekend I was in a worship gathering and heard a teaching from Hebrews 12:18-29. In this letter the writer recalls the first meeting of the Israelites with God at Sinai following the exodus from Egypt. I don’t recall the entire point of the teaching, but my mind was drawn to the similarities I noticed from my own study and reflection on this Galatians letter and this text from Hebrews. The writer is sharing his words in a very forthright manner or so it seems. There appears to be an urgency in his words for his readers to understand what he is saying… it’s as if they too have lost their way. Sinai still exists today for so many Christians who decide that living in the shadow of fear, the unknown, and an angry, unpredictable god (lower case intended) is better than living in wholly continuous fellowship with the God of Zion. The problem, in my opinion, is that many people consider “living in Zion” to be more work and more costly in personal sacrifice than the cost of living in the shadow of Sinai. Truthfully, it is…more costly to live in Zion. Zion cost Christ his life, the cost for us is nothing less than the same. The cost of Sinai is occasional sacrifice, but Sinai brings with it the covenant reward of death. The consequence of choosing Sinai over Zion is eternally catastrophic…and the ripples of that forward-reaching catastrophe reverberate with every tick of the second hand during our present-world existence. We follow our own truth and our improperly lit paths, because we have rejected the illuminated path of whole-hearted surrender that is the price of the Christ Journey.

Can we live in harmony with God; experiencing the sweetness of His Presence in every moment regardless of circumstance? The Scriptures tell us yes. If we disagree, the logical conclusion is that Scripture is a lie or we are a lie. If we follow Scripture according to our own interpretation and selection, we do not follow the God who has chosen to speak to us through His Scripture. The writer of Hebrews emphatically reminds us; “Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking.” (Hebrews 12:25)

How is God speaking to you? What is He saying…? What is your answer? Are you tired of being deceived?

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Like a Punch in the Faith…

So… is it more like a “punch in the face” or a “punch in the faith”??? Right now the jury is still out as I work through the latest in a string of transitions for our life in Olympia, WA. What am I talking about? Actually, I’m talking about “punching a clock face on faith…” meh. Or, something like that… All kidding aside, I started a new job today. Laurie started hers last week. With both of us in our (whispers…) “forties,” it feels a little odd starting over again. I think it was especially odd feeling for me when I was clearly one of the oldest people in the room; there was definitely a generational divide. Much to my joy, there didn’t seem to be any notice of this from the other “newbies” in my training class.

What does this have to do with faith? Everything… I think. Can I take a minute to explain? Okay, bear with me a minute.

Me = first day at work. I’m a growing (ever so gracefully) older man entering a young-adult-entry-level customer service job. My first inclination is to say; “Self, what in the world are you doing here?” I look around and begin to feel scared and/or sorry for myself. I begin to fantasize about doing anything but what I’m doing at the moment. I start to project forward in time to when I am no longer doing the work I’m doing, but something more gratifying and satisfying. Then I remember why I am where I am… Faith. Faith brought me to where I am. Following Jesus brought me to Olympia. Part of Olympia is my willingness to say “yes” to God and trust His leading and His provision. Part of His provision is through my new employer. My obedience to God translates to my becoming a blessing to my employer; all of the sudden the paradigm of my predicament flip-flops and turns from destination depression to divine direction. And that’s how it happens; being led by the Spirit.

It is all too easy to follow the path of self. We do it all the time; protecting self, defending self, boasting self, exalting self, feeding self…self, self, self. However, the journey of following Jesus is about self denial and that presupposes that one scenario will exclude the other. Self cannot follow Jesus; He said so (Luke 14:25-27 and Matthew 16:24). So anyway, pushing self aside and listening instead to the Spirit we find our way to purpose and living in harmony with God. We find our way to unity with the Spirit and advancement of God’s Kingdom and His divine Purpose. And, this is where my day ended… Joyfully exuberant that God would see me feeling as though I were “punched in the face” and reminding me that I was practicing a punch in my faith. So, when I “punch my clock” each morning at my God given new job… I’ll delightfully remember that He brought me to where I am and He’ll teach me, guide me, and use me in the purposes of His choosing all for His glory. I’ll remember to leave self at home.

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I determined (going on ten years now) when I chose to follow Jesus, that I would do so the way  He commanded: with complete abandonment of self…loving Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Jesus said the expectation is to love Him more than anything in this world; more than even our own families. Radical. Intense. I get it….and I am ridiculed, criticized, misunderstood, alienated, and not taken seriously because of it. Don’t mistake my words for sympathy fishing; I’m not…fishing for sympathy…or understanding. Jesus said this would happen to those who follow Him. It’s all good. In fact, it’s great.

Middle Road, Broad Road, or Narrow Road? Which one do you follow?

Jesus, all or nothing…half-hearted is idolatry.

I get what Francis Chan is talking about… (check the video below).

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Your Church Is Too Small: Why Unity in Christ’s Mission is Vital to the Future of the Church

By: John H. Armstrong; ISBN – 978-0-310-32114-9   Zondervan Publishing

FUTURE (Part 3) “The Missional-Ecumenical Movement”

John Armstrong begins this concluding section of Your Church is Too Small by discussing the nature and definition of the “True Church.” He also poses the question whether the “True Church” exists at all. The answer, he says, is “yes;” the True Church does exist… it is God’s community of people on earth. Quoting Paul, he writes: “This ideal church is made up of all people everywhere ‘who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.’”

Personally, I agree with Armstrong that we need an objective starting point if we are to work toward a believable, Biblical, and sustainable unity in the Church. He says the great problem with the famous dictum: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, freedom; and in all things charity” there still remains that one Christian’s non-essential is another’s essential. How true, but we must still find a grounding point or points to proceed on the path toward Biblical (Love) unity. He cites Lesslie Newbigin’s convicting remarks below:

“The world will always, consciously or unconsciously, judge what the church says by what it is. They will interpret the printed epistle by the living epistle.” (p.139)

I continue to wrestle with and process the thinking in this final section, especially chapter fifteen. I’m not sure I fully understand the subtle nuances and intricacies of what Dr. Armstrong purports with regard to “fruit inspection” and determining “who is a real Christian.” As I said, I’m still processing this chapter (and likely, will be doing so for some time), so I don’t have a lot to speak on it at this juncture. I will say that some of the questions I am sorting through regard church discipline, “wolves in sheep’s clothing,” “wheat and tares,” and whether or not (and how) “judgment and/or fruit inspection” precludes discipline…there are more questions, but these are dominating my thoughts rather prominently at the moment. Suffice it to say, this is a very thought-provoking chapter; at least it is for me.

Chapters sixteen through eighteen discuss the missional-ecumenical paradigm that Armstrong hints at throughout the book. It is here that he really spends some time and focus developing the heart of his passion; additionally, he shares his mentors and some of the more significant influences that have helped him formulate this missional-ecumenical paradigm.

I mentioned that I first became aware of Your Church is Too Small from a review by Michael Bird on the euangelion blog site. He brings to light a repeated point and call by Armstrong to return to paleo-orthodoxy as a springboard toward unity. I think Michael Bird captured this call very well, so rather than repeat it myself I will share his thoughts here. Michael writes the following:

A recurring theme is that unity is important for our mission and also the necessity of returning to our ancient roots. Armstrong’s recipe for trying to achieve that is sevenfold: (1) Cultivating a commitment to restore the sacraments; (2) increasing our appetite to know more about the ancient church; (3) express love for the whole church and desire to see the church become one; (4) blend practices of worship, devotion, and prayer from all three streams of the Church (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant); (5) increase interest in integrating more liturgical depth and structure with spontaneity and freedom in the Holy Spirit; (6) provide greater involvement in signs and symbols of worship such as crosses, banners, and clerical vestments; and (7) continue a commitment to personal salvation, solid biblical teaching, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

I was greatly inspired by the examples and resultant fruit that was shared by communities that are practicing this spirit of missional-ecumenism. Personally, I long for this type of community. I stand in the camp with those who agree that One Church is what the Lord has intended for His people.

The final chapter is Armstrong’s concluding thoughts and prayer for the Church. I not only agree with his thesis, but have been refreshed and inspired to press on in pursuit of the vision. As I said in my opening statement, I believe this is a very important book. It raises many questions (some of which I am still working through myself), and prompts us to do some serious examination of our own hearts and ambition. I am reminded of something I read from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book Life Together where he proposes that many of us (Christians) are in love with our own version of God’s Church…we fight tooth and nail for it, but our version is not the Vision of God for His Church (my paraphrase). We build idols from our beliefs and destroy each other in the process of worshiping those beliefs over the God whom we claim to be serving. I am thankful for this book. I am sure I will be referring to it and the well-documented resources and bibliography. I think it should be read by pastors and lay leaders alike. Armstrong includes a few discussion questions at the end of each chapter that are helpful to kick-off  conversations if a group or leadership team wanted to read the book together.

Disturb us, Lord… disturb us from our idols and disturb us from being idle. Disturb us, O Lord, indeed.

A Link to many more reviews of Your Church is Too Small

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Your Church Is Too Small: Why Unity in Christ’s Mission is Vital to the Future of the Church

By: John H. Armstrong; ISBN – 978-0-310-32114-9 Zondervan Publishing

PRESENT (Part 2)

Restoring unity in the church today is the premise and discussion of part two in Your Church is Too Small and Armstrong almost immediately asserts that the Apostle’s Creed is a tool to help us reestablish unity. He goes on to cite Augustine, Luther, and Calvin as strong supporters of the Creed being a unifying bond and teaching tool for all Christians. Dr. Armstrong claims; “We find no other document in early church history, apart from the Bible, that served a greater purpose in uniting Christians in their common faith.”

In this age of questioning everything and the penchant for deconstruction of most orthodox beliefs, I found John’s points addressing the need for a confessional basis very appropriate and timely. He proposes that we need a way of grasping the basic intent and message of the Holy Scriptures. I think the questions he poses make excellent starting points to answer that bigger question. He asks; “What did the first Christians believe and why did they believe it?” And, another very good question; “Before there was a completed Bible, how did the church understand and confess the living message of Christ?” Great questions I think, and I agree with Armstrong’s assessment and confession as he concludes these thoughts; he writes:

“We never stand alone when we read and interpret the Bible. With a grasp of history and tradition, we are able to read the sacred Scriptures in communion with the ‘one holy catholic and apostolic church.’”

“Studying how the historical church understood the Scriptures greatly helped me, but it wasn’t easy. I had to learn to humble myself and truly listen to other voices outside of my cultural and generational context. My teachers included Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Christians.”

Beginning with the final paragraphs of chapter eight, the first chapter of section two, Armstrong begins to point the finger at the destroyer of unity, sectarianism. He asserts that sectarianism is a work of pride and creates an attitude of exclusivity. Personally, and from my observation, I think his assertion is right on the mark. Chapter nine is used to flesh out the argument for sectarian attitudes being the chief cause for disunity in the Church with chapter ten being a wonderfully detailed presentation of data, observation, history, and thesis to support his case. I loved the humility and earnestness that Dr. Armstrong displays as he shared his thoughts regarding the text from Hebrews 12:14; he confesses, “Another text helped me discover fresh grace: ‘Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.’ I had to ask, ‘Was my effort to live in peace truly serious?’” This is a question we should all be sincere enough to ask ourselves and bold enough to answer honestly…that is, if we really believe that it was Jesus’ prayer and intent that we be “one” body.

Following the discourse on sectarianism, the flavor of section two in Your Church turns much more palatable and positive with chapter eleven and “thinking rightly about the church.” It is here that Dr. Armstrong begins to answer the question: “What is the church?” After carefully walking the reader through a number of negatives (what the church is not), we arrive at the following conclusion:

“The congregation is the church. One local congregation is as much the church as any other church. But the church is also the whole of all such congregations throughout the whole earth. So the church is both the local congregation and whole people of God.” (p.107)

Now, that will make some of us squirm. But, as Armstrong points out, what else are we supposed to do with Paul’s commentary to the Ephesians (Eph. 4:4-6)? I appreciated the diagrams and illustrations from Rex Koivisto’s work in One Lord, One Faith which helped me to see a visual representation of what it looks like to be the church working in unison with The Church. I think Dr. Armstrong puts words to Koivisto’s illustrations when he aptly states: “We are to be the church for them, not for us. We do this best when we begin to recognize the one church in our city. This concept would radically alter the ministry of almost every congregation I know if it were put into practice by the leaders.” I believe this. I really do. I cannot help but wonder what would happen in our society (and the global community) if we really started to live as the people of God, followers of Jesus Christ, choosing to deny ourselves and respond to our world as ministers of the reconciliation working with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength to restore the kingdom of God…what if… (2 Corinthians 5:19-21).

Chapters twelve and thirteen round out part two, The Present, with thought-provoking dialogue concerning the church and the kingdom of God and what role our history and tradition have in the convergence of the two. Although God’s kingdom and providential decree that “it will come” (His Kingdom) is sovereignly ordained, we (the church) are often quick to dismiss and/or neglect our partnership and role (which is also sovereignly ordained) in its work. This is a shame and I was deeply saddened as I was reminded how far we (the modern church) miss the mark of displaying the glory of our God before the world. Sadly, we spend way too much time, energy, and resources “straining at gnats and swallowing camels” when we have the ability and the mandate to be salt and light to the world. Sigh…I am reminded of Jesus’ remarks to his disciples (Matthew 17:17). I cannot help but think that we are missing an enormous opportunity to partner in blessing the whole world through the Body that is Christ’s, His glorious Church.

Tradition is the tie that binds the body; it is the objectivity of tradition that keeps us rooted and grounded in the story of God. Our pride and individualism show their bright colors (and ignorance) when we denounce tradition and refuse to acknowledge it as the gift that it truly is. Armstrong presents a wonderful case as he examines four components of Christian tradition: Biblical tradition, tradition in classical Christianity, the role of Scripture in tradition, and the wisdom of the church fathers. The sum of the evidence and examination of tradition’s role is best captured in these closing comments by Armstrong:

“The result of this schism is a small view of the church and a big view of our own importance. We have exalted our interpretations of the Scripture by boldly proclaiming: ‘My authority comes only from the Bible.’ Thankfully, many are waking up to the tragedy of this false individualism and are wisely looking for help from the three great classical Christian traditions and the scores of ancient writers who feed their hunger. This is paleo-orthodoxy, and it drives a growing number of us to embrace a much bigger view of the Church.” (p.130)

Part 3 - Future concludes our review tomorrow…

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Your Church Is Too Small: Why Unity in Christ’s Mission is Vital to the Future of the Church

By: John H. Armstrong; ISBN – 978-0-310-32114-9   Zondervan Publishing

PAST (Part 1)

Armstrong begins the presentation of his proposal in support of classical Christianity and starts the first chapter with quotations from Robert Webber; “You can best think about the future of the faith after you have gone back to the classical tradition” and Karl Barth; “No one dare do contemporary theology until they have mastered classical Christian thought.” The essence of these quotes is captured in Armstrong’s own thesis statement:

“New patterns of Christian faith and life are emerging in the church. I welcome these patterns, but I believe they desperately need to be rooted in the past – the creeds, the Word of God understood as the story of grace, life as a sacramental mystery, and deeply rooted spiritual formation. My thesis is simple: The road to the future must run through the past…”

I refer to the above quote as the thesis statement, but I believe the thesis is more appropriately defined as “presenting a case for the Christian Church; one holy catholic Church: unified in the person and expression of Jesus Christ.” Armstrong sets out to prove this united expression of Christ’s church is the desire and will of God using the Prayer of Jesus (John 17) as the primary text and basis for his argument.

The first seven chapters of Your Church is Too Small comprise part one of the book. In this section, Dr. Armstrong connects quite a few dots to lay a complete foundation for why he believes “unity in Christ’s mission is vital to the future of the church.” Considering the fragmentation of the present example of Christ’s church, this explanation and establishment of a complete foundation for his argument is no small task.

I am not an academic, nor do I have extensive seminary training in ecclesiology, but the example and effort given to “The Biblical and Historical Basis for Christian Unity” (Part 1) was thorough, understandable, and readable in the sense that it flowed with a logical progression and the building of ideas to form a very cohesive proposal (at least in my limited understanding and opinion).

As I have already stated, the prayer of Jesus (John 17) is the basis for Armstrong’s call for Christian unity. This study in Scripture is one of the main pillars of his presentation. The second pillar is the record and history of the ancient church. The evidence and practice of the historical church provides us with the examples necessary to benchmark our (the modern American church) own progress regarding the mission of God. The result of this “benchmarking” of the modern church serves as the third pillar and provides the critical assessment of our failure to act as the unified and universal Church as it was prayed for by Jesus in the Gospel of John (chapter 17).

I think the analysis and diagnosis, as well as the prognosis and prescription, by John Armstrong are accurate and worth listening to. My opinion might be subjective, but my experience (supported by data from surveys and polls from organizations like the Barna Group) agrees with Armstrong’s statement:

“Christians in America have lost a deep sense of their past, of their collective spiritual roots. As a result, we now suffer from a kind of spiritual amnesia that hinders our ability to faithfully move into the future with hope.”

Coincidentally, at the time of this writing, there is a very lively discussion on the Jesus Creed Blog of Scot McKnight that lends support to Armstrong’s assertion of the (universal) Church’s inability to find agreement on some of the most core and longstanding beliefs in Christendom.

John’s Journey

I appreciated hearing the author’s personal testimony and the detailed progression of his belief system being challenged and changed through his study, meditation, and willingness to be open to “universal” truth. Dr. Armstrong identifies a couple of these pivotal moments coming through his reading of John 17 (the prayer of Jesus) and his recitation of the Apostle’s Creed. Continuing his journey and conversion (emphasis mine) he found a common footing in the study of classical Christianity and the traditions of the church. Although my own path has been different, I was able to identify closely to John’s testimony as there were several commonalities we shared.

The Mark of a Christian

Chapters five through seven mark the most important points of part one in Your Church is Too Small. They might arguably be some of the most important chapters in the book in my opinion. It is here that Dr. Armstrong puts forth the evidence that supports the greatest common denominator for all Christians; the mark of true Christian love. Scripture references are long and deep to support the premise of “relational-unity” that Armstrong purports as the functional oneness that should characterize the body of Christ and all true believers. Other citations include writings from Francis Schaeffer, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Hans Kung, Jurgen Moltmann, and Timothy Luke Johnson who help to build a case for relational unity within the sphere of Christian diversity. I continue to process the points addressed in these last three chapters of section one, especially chapter five, “Our Greatest Apologetic.” In this particular chapter, Armstrong discusses the detail and differences of unanimity, uniformity, and union; his final assessment is to declare (and rightly I believe) that “the aim of the early church was the evangelization of the world. The purpose of their oneness was to be a visible representation of God’s love.”

Finally, closing out part one “Past,” the following thoughts are shared concerning tension and conflict:

“Over time, I have noticed that people tend to stay in relationships and work through their differences when they love each other deeply and are committed to finding solutions… I’ve noticed that most divisions in the church are not because of a major doctrinal disagreement; they are the result of a breakdown in our love for one another…” (pp.72-73)

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” ~Jesus (John 13:34-45)

Lord, help us.

Part 2 – Present continues tomorrow…

Check out this review and commentary from Crosswalk.com

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