Proclaiming the good news
Mark records Jesus proclaiming the “gospel” as follows:
The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. (Mark 1:15 ESV)
As I’ve been thinking about this, I found a way to put it in my own words:
It’s finally time! God is ready to reign in your lives! Turn away from everything else and trust in this good news!
What do you think?
Man-made or (super)Natural Community?
Two years ago, our family took a vacation to the mountains of western North Carolina. While we were there, we stopped by several waterfalls. These waterfalls helped me think about our community in Christ. I wrote about it in a post called “Man-made or (super)Natural Community?”
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Man-made or (super)Natural Community?
Last week, while we were on vacation in the mountains of North Carolina, we had several opportunities to spend some time at a few waterfalls in the area. We enjoyed stopping by the side of the road and walking the trails to the falls. Usually we only had to walk a few yards into the woods to find the waterfall.
We saw small waterfalls that were only a few feet high, and we saw Whitewater Falls which claims to be the highest waterfall in the eastern United States. We saw cascade falls, tiered falls, and plunge falls. We even saw one fall that was called a “sliding rock” with swimming holes at the top and bottom, although Jeremy and Miranda said the water was too cold for swimming.
All of the waterfalls were different and all of them were very beautiful in their own way. We enjoyed the natural beauty of the water, the sound of the water cascading over rocks or falling into a pool below, and the deep green of the woods around the waterfalls.
However, there was one waterfall did we did not enjoy. In fact, once we stopped to look at the waterfall, we only stayed for a few seconds. Why? The waterfall was not natural. It was a man-made fall. Yes, there was water cascading down over rocks, but above there was an earthen dam that controlled the flow of water. We could immediately tell that there was something different about this fall. Even though it had all the proper ingredients – water, rocks, sound, woods – it was not the same. This waterfall was contrived… controlled… man-made. It was not a real waterfall.
As I have been thinking about these waterfalls, especially in relation to the man-made waterfall, I wonder if our churches are similar. Could it be that many of us are not experiencing real Spirit-created community, but instead are we experiencing something that is contrived, controlled, and man-made?
I’m thinking specifically about alot of “small groups” of people who are placed together because of age, interests, etc. Placing people together does not create community, although it could certainly allow God opportunities to create community. The question is, are we trying to create something, or are we allowing God to create the community. If we are allowing God to create the community, are we giving him complete control, or are we setting limits for him. The more we become involved in trying to create community, the more contrived, controlled, and man-made it will become. It will not be a community that finds their identity in Christ and shares fellowship in the Spirit. Instead, it will be a group of people who find their identity in a certain person, location, time, etc.
I’m sure that the people who created the waterfall wanted to make something that was just as beautiful as the natural waterfalls around the area. In the same way, the people who try to create community themselves are trying to create something wonderful, something necessary. Probably, in many cases, they are trying to create a community because they have experienced and lived in a Spirit-created community. But, man cannot create something that only God can create. We can create something close – something that looks right – something that feels right at times – but it remains contrived, controlled, and man-made.
Examples of teaching by example
So, in my previous post, I said that “teaching” in the NT sense includes telling, showing, and helping others do. As a friend pointed out, “teaching” also continues to the point where the one learning is also teaching others.
Note, telling someone how to apply (typically called “application” in a sermon or lesson) is just another form of “telling”.
Now, thinking of “teaching” as telling, showing, and helping others do, how would you teach these things?
- Trust (have faith in) God
- Love God
- Love your neighbor
- Make disciples
If there are other examples you’d like to include, feel free to add them.
Teaching the Church
So, suppose that I want to teach the church about loving God and loving others. I tell everyone that Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God, and that the second (which is like the first) is to love your neighbor. Next, I get everyone to repeat, “Love God and love others. Love God and love others.” Finally, I go from person-to-person and ask them what Jesus said. Each one says, “Love God and love others.”
Everyone now knows and can repeat that Jesus said, “Love God and love others.” I have taught them, right?
No. At least, not in the scriptural sense of teaching. I may have transferred some information (i.e., educated) some people, but I have not taught them – not in the way that Jesus, or Paul, or Peter, or anyone else from that time period would have meant when they used the term “teach.”
In fact, in almost every subject area, we would never think that teaching is getting someone to remember a piece of information or repeat a fact. Not in art. Not in science (labs anyone?). Not in photography. Not in auto mechanics.
Why would we not call this teaching? Because we teach art by showing people how to paint/draw/sculpt/etc. and then leading them to doing it themselves. We teaching science by talking about the various subject matters and then showing them how it works in the lab. The same is true for photography, auto shop, etc. Even a subject like literature, which may begin with reading books, ends with the student writing for themselves.
Thus, in almost every other subject, we teach by telling the student, showing the student, and then helping the student do for herself. But, how do we teach the church? Mostly by telling only.
In fact, I’ve been trying to think of a subject matter that is taught only by telling, and the closest I could come to is history. (I think it is interesting – perhaps ironic – that we teach history like we teach the church.)
As I suggested in an earlier post (see “Teaching them… what?“), Jesus did not tell his followers to teach others what he commanded. No. He told them to teach others TO DO what he commanded. How do you teach someone to do something without doing it with them? Disciples need to be told, to be shown, and then to be helped to obey on their own.
The way we teach the church needs to change. Otherwise, we’re not truly teaching in the way that Jesus meant in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).
Teaching them… what?
So… consider these two phrases:
- … teaching them what I commanded you…
- … teaching them to do what I commanded you…
Which one reflects a portion of the Great Commission?
What is the difference between the two phrases?
What does this say about teaching?
Jesus is the Head of the Church
I’m hoping to generate some discussion related to one of my previous posts: “Our practices show what we truly believe.” Primarily, I want to bring up some theological propositions that are put forth in Scripture and discuss how we as the church demonstrate these truths when we meet together.
For example, consider this statement: “Jesus is the Head of the Church.” We see this statement several times in the New Testament. Here are a few examples:
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ… (Ephesians 4:15 ESV)
And he is the head of the body, the church. (Colossians 1:18a ESV)
Now, scholars argue as to whether “head” here means “source” or “authority.” In fact, we don’t have to argue this point, because other passages of Scripture tell us that Jesus is both the “source” and the “authority” of the church.
Thus, we can rightly claim that Jesus is the head of the church. Now, the question is this: How do we demonstrate that Jesus is our head when we meet together? How do we show that Jesus is our source when we meet together? How demonstrate that Jesus is our authority when we meet together?
Or, perhaps we don’t have to demonstrate this when we meet together. If you don’t think so, then why not?
As another way of looking at this, what practices could communicate to others that Jesus is not our head… that he is not our source or authority?
Some people need to lighten up about the Great Commission
Yeah, it’s true. Some people need to lighten up. Did you read what Dave Black said about the Great Commission? (Sunday, April 18, 2010 at 7:57 a.m.)
The Great Commission is the church’s marching orders. Period. It sums up the mission of every individual follower of Jesus and every believing family and every church and every Christian organization. It even sums up our marriages. The first task of every Christian is to extend the kingdom of Christ among every people group in the world. Everything else must be subordinate to that purpose.
That’s so all-encompassing.
[sarcasm]Is compromise really that bad? I mean, everything in moderation, right? I went to church today, isn’t that enough? I even gave to foreign missions. Sheesh… it’s like he expects me to be a missionary.[/sarcasm]
It’s so much easier being a cultural Christians than it is to really follow Jesus Christ.
Great Commission and Living Examples
This will be my last post concerning our discussion of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) last Sunday. In that passage, neither Jesus nor Matthew tells us exactly what is meant by the command “make disciples”.
So, how can we know? Well, I find it interesting and important that Matthew ends his Gospel at this point. This places the command to “make disciples” in a prominent position, and actually helps us understand Matthew’s purpose in writing his Gospel. If we want to know what Jesus (and Matthew) meant by “make disciples” we only need to look at the rest of the Gospel of Matthew.
In other words, what did Jesus do to “make disciples”? Once we start answering that question, we will understand what we are supposed to do to make disciples. For the most part, Jesus not only proclaimed the gospel, taught, and cared for others by healing the sick, casting out demons, etc., he also shared his life and death with others as a living example of what it means to live in the kingdom of God. In making disciples, we also must share our lives with others as a living example.
Also, I think Paul is helpful here. He reminded Timothy of how he had learned from Paul:
You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings… (2 Timothy 3:10-11a ESV)
We must give people an example to follow, not just with our words, but with the way we live our lives. And, we must share that life with others so that they will have a living example, not just our words.
Great Commission: God and/or us?
As I’ve mentioned several times now, we discussed the Great Commission from Matthew 28:18-20 last Sunday. Here’s another important question concerning the Great Commission? Is the Great Commission (i.e., making disciples) the work of God or is it our responsibility?
The answer is, “Yes!” Only God can change someone’s heart; only God can give someone the grace and strength to grow. There are no two ways about it… “making disciples” is the work of God.
However, since Jesus clearly commands his followers to “make disciples” we must also understand that something of the Great Commission is our responsibility as well. God has chosen to work through is people.
So, what do you think? Can we separate the work of God from our responsibility? Or, is this a both/and?
Great Commission for us?
Last Sunday, when we discussed the Great Commission passage from Matthew 28:18-20, I asked whether this command (“make disciples”) was only intended for the eleven apostles or if it was also intended for us and all other disciples of Jesus Christ? There were two good reasons to see this command as intended for all disciples (including us).
First, Jesus told the elven to make disciples by “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” “All that I have commanded you” would include this command to “make disciples.” Thus, the eleven were supposed to teach their disciples to make disciples.
Second, Jesus promised that he would be with them “all the days” (or always). This promise is related to the command “make disciples.” Thus, it would seem that Jesus would intend for “making disciples” to be carried out until the end of time.
What do you think? Was the Great Commission just for the 11 apostles, for all disciples (including us), or for a subset of disciples? Why?