The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a Gospel of Unity
In my last few posts, I’ve considered the relationship between the gospel and “togetherness” and the relationship between the gospel and good works. It seems natural (at least to me) to continue looking at the fullness of the gospel.
In the this post, I’m looking at the relationship between the gospel and unity.
From the outset, I recognize that the gospel is a dividing force. But, the good news is a divider between those who are God’s children and those who are not God’s children. The good news of Jesus Christ does NOT separate brothers and sisters in Christ from one another. Instead, it does just the opposite: the gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of unity.
Instead of looking at just one passage, I’m going to point out several passage that connect the good news of Jesus Christ with our unity (that is, with our relational unity to others who are brothers and sisters in Christ).
For example, Jesus’ famous prayer in John 17 touches on this connection:
I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (John 17:20-21 ESV)
Similarly, Paul places our relational unity in the same context of our one Lord, one faith, and even God’s unity:
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:4-6 ESV)
And, of course, that statement follows Paul’s exhortation to “maintain the unity of the Spirit.” (Ephesians 4:3 ESV) (See also Paul’s statement in Ephesians 2:14-16.)
Likewise, when Peter wrote to believers scattered around the Roman empire (1 Peter 1:1), he reminded them of their unity in the gospel:
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9 ESV)
Peter’s descriptions above stand out grammatically. The subject “you” is plural; he talking to multiple people at the same time. But, the descriptors (i.e., “a chosen race,” a royal priesthood,” “a holy nation”, “a people”) are all singular, emphasizing their unity.
Unity is not just a good idea; it is a result of the gospel of Jesus Christ – just as “togetherness” and good works are a result of the good news. We cannot separate these into different categories; they go together. If we are not united with brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, then we are not maintaining the unity of the Spirit, and we are not living according to the gospel.
In fact, as we submit more and more to the lordship of Jesus Christ – yielding ourselves to him daily – we will also grow in unity with one another. A lack of unity is an indication that we are not submitting to Jesus Christ as Lord.
It may sound harsh, but it’s true.
Through whom do we expect God to work?
Eric at “A Pilgrim’s Progress” has written an excellent post called “Where I Differ From Albert Mohler.” In the post, Eric is responding to this statement made by Mohler: “When asked about my hope for the future of the church, I point immediately to the corps of young ministers now entering and preparing for ministry.”
As Eric correctly points out, both he and Mohler are actually placing their hope in God. The question is, “Through whom do we expect God to work?”
After comparing and contrasting his views with Mohler’s, Eric concludes:
Peter makes it clear in his first epistle that God desires and expects his church to be a fully functioning priesthood. We are a body that needs all members functioning in order to be healthy. Our hope for the future of the church is a reformation of the entire body. All parts must embrace this.
This is one of the major disagreements within the church itself. Will the future depend mainly upon the few (the clergy) or everyone (the laity)? How the church in this country answers this question will have a huge impact upon its future.
Now, I’m guessing that Mohler would agree that God works through the entire church, not just certain leaders (i.e., clergy).
However, we must consistently and continuously make sure that we are listening to and paying attention to all of God’s children that he places in our lives, from the youngest to the oldest, from the newest follower to the most mature, from the ones with the least formal education to the ones with the most formal education, etc.
Are we giving different people opportunities to speak and to server, or are we expecting people to always listen to the same person (or group of leaders)? Do we defer to certain people because of office or position? Do we wait for leaders to initiate service opportunities or do we require (or expect) others to serve only within those programs set up by our church organization or leadership?
These kinds of attitudes and practices show whether or not we expect God to work through all of his children or only through certain ones (clergy, for example) – regardless of what we say we believe.
(See my posts “I did NOT expect God to do THAT” and “Why should we let THAT PERSON speak to the church?“)
(FYI, Arthur at “A Voice of One Crying Out in Suburbia” has also written about Eric’s post in “Where is our hope?“)
He saved us, not because of our good works, to do good works
There is a famous passage in Paul’s letter to Titus that is often used to explain that God does not save anyone because of their good works: [H]e (i.e., “God our Savior”) saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy. (Titus 3:5 ESV)
This is a very important statement that Paul writes to Titus, and one that we must always keep in mind. We must never slip into thinking or living as if God saves us or accepts us because of our good works. As Paul says, God saves because of his mercy, not because of our actions.
With that said, let’s look carefully at Paul’s statement in context:
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. (Titus 3:1-8 ESV)
In the passage above, I’ve highlighted the section in which Paul emphasizes that salvation is a work of God according to his mercy, through Jesus Christ, by grace, by the washing and regeneration of the Holy Spirit. Every phrase in the bold section points away from our works as the reason that God saves us.
Now, look at the sentences before and after the bold part of the passage above. In both sections, Paul emphasizes good works. In the first part, he says believers should be ready for “every good work” and lists several different examples. In the last part, he says that those who believed in God should “devote themselves to good works.” In fact, he says good works are “excellent and profitable.”
While we’re thinking about these things, we can’t forget Titus 2:1-15. In that passage (which leads up to the one above), Paul focuses on older men and older women helping younger believers do good things. He even says that God is redeeming a people who will be “zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:14 ESV)
These two passages (Titus 2 and Titus 3) should be a good reminder for us. Yes, in the middle of Paul’s exhortation toward helping other brothers and sisters to do good works, he reminds Titus (and us) that we are not saved by those good works. However, if we stop there, then we will miss that Paul is focusing on good works throughout these two chapters.
For a child of God, are good works important? Absolutely! Are we saved because of those good works? No, of course not. But, they are extremely important.
So, be zealous for good works. Be ready to do every good work. Devote yourself to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people, especially for those of us who are saved by the grace of God.
God composes the church so we can give greater honor to those who lack honor
Steve at “From the Pew” is writing about one of my favorite passages of Scripture in his post “Does Your Church Honor the Less Honorable?”
Of course, the passage in question is 1 Corinthians 12:20-26, especially verse 26 which I paraphrase in the title of this post: “God composes the church so we can give greater honor to those who lack honor.”
Here is part of Steve’s post:
Our natural tendency is to honor the strong, the acceptable, the ones with the bible degrees, the rich, the good looking, the refined, the ones who have the best jobs. And we tend to neglect, ignore or marginalize the weaker. But note what Paul says about the result of bestowing more honor upon the weaker: “…our less presentable members become much more presentable.” Much more presentable? If this is so, why not make it a point? When one is weaker and not presentable, being neglected sure is felt and a pattern of neglect can make weakness permanent. Who wouldn’t want a more presentable body?
The fact is, according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:26, God has already given greater honor to those who lack honor. The only question that remains is this: are we going to follow God’s plan and ALSO give greater honor to those who lack honor.
If the church stopped honoring those who appear to be more “presentable” and started honoring those who appear to be less “presentable,” I think the church would be turned upside down… in a good way. And, in return, the world would be turned upside down… also in a good way.
The Togetherness of the Gospel
The gospel of Jesus Christ results in a new people of the Spirit. I think that most people would agree with that statement. However, sometimes we miss just how much “togetherness” there is associated with the gospel in Scripture.
For example, I was recently reading through a familiar passage in Ephesians, and I came away from that passage with an every greater appreciation for the fellowship, unity, community, and… well… “togetherness” of the gospel.
It all began when I read this short passage:
For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles — assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. (Ephesians 3:1-6 ESV)
I originally turned to this passage to think about the “mystery” that Paul said had been revealed to him and to others in his generation. But, when I got the last sentence, I was struck by something unexpected.
You see, “fellow heirs,” “members of the same body,” and “partakers” are three adjectives in Greek, each of which have been prefixed with the conjunction that means something like “together with.” When you look at the sentence in Greek, those three adjectives stand out like rhyming words or capitalized words in English.
Perhaps it would help if we translated the verse in a way that highlighted these parallels: “This mystery is that the Gentiles are heirs together with us, members of body together with us, and partakers of the promise together with us in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”
If I’m right, then Paul is heavily emphasizing the “togetherness” that he says is “in Christ Jesus” and “through the gospel.”
But, the emphasis is even more apparent when we realize that Paul is talking about Gentiles TOGETHER WITH Jews in the grace of God. As he had written just a few paragraphs earlier:
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. (Ephesians 2:13-16 ESV)
Enemies have now been reconciled to God and to one another, to live TOGETHER WITH God and one another. If enemies have been reconciled to God and to one another through the gospel, how much more should those who are not enemies share their lives TOGETHER WITH one another?
Paul did not know of an individualist gospel. Of course, I think that’s because Jesus did not know an individualistic gospel either. The good news of Jesus Christ includes salvation for people… a salvation that creates a new people who are known for togetherness.
But, if we’re not know for togetherness…
The WD40 Church?
Everyone knows that if something is moving when it should not move, you use duct tape. And, if something does not move but it should, you use WD40.
A post by Ross at “Viral Jesus” called “Sand In the Gears” reminded me of this universal fact. In his post, Ross suggests that the way we meet together as the church, the way we view leadership among the church, the way we serve one another and others, etc. should be “frictionless.”
What does he mean by “frictionless”? He explains:
I was watching a Ted Talk the other day and was struck by Jennifer Pahlka’s use of the word “frictionless.” I thought, that’s it, we need an ecclesiology that is frictionless; one that doesn’t get in the way of Jesus’ agenda, which is the spread of His Kingdom. The way the church functioned and the way they did ministry in the New Testament was frictionless; it did not interfere with Jesus’ agenda, it was built exactly for that purpose. The old saying form follows function holds true in ecclesiology as well as building automobiles.
(There is much more to his post, so I would recommend that you read it.)
This is a good point. When we gather together, when we serve, as we lead one another, there will be a form or structure or organization to what we do. The question that we must ask ourselves is this: Is our form, structure, or organization fixed and rigid, or is it flexible (changeable) enough to allow Jesus to work as he chooses to build his church and expand his kingdom?
The problems are not with form, structure, or organization per se. The problems come about when form, structure, organization, etc. dictate how believers gather, serve, lead, etc. Form, structure, and organization can become rigid and thus a hindrance to the work of Jesus in and through us, much like rust on gears… (even with the best of intentions and motives).
New Interview Published on my Running Blog
One or two of you have expressed interest in the past in my running experiences and my running blog. Yesterday, I published an interview with ultra (> marathon) trail runner Christopher Freet (“Interview with an ultra trail runner“). If his name sounds familiar, it’s because I’ve mentioned Chris several times on this blog, and I’ve often linked to his site “The Amplified Life.”
In the interview, Chris talks about several running issues that relate directly to his life in Christ, including how he keeps running from consuming him and how running often builds bridges and relationships with others.
So, if you are the one or two interested in running, then jump over to my post “Interview with an ultra trail runner.” If you are not interested in running, then stay tuned here for my next post…
Guest Blogger: (Part 2) Working with people who are already in a community for the sake of the gospel
Yesterday, I published the first part of this guest post about working with people who are already in a community without making them dependent on outsiders. The post was written by Jonathan who is currently living in a community and is watching what is happening among the people of that community when outsiders come in. Even the best of intentions can lead to problems of dependence. (See Part 1 at the link above for Jonathan’s description of his work in this community.)
Here is part 2 of our interaction:
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Question (from Alan): Your situation does sound similar to many situations related to “foreign missionaries.” You said that the short termers “pay into the ministry.” What is this money used for? Why do you think “not very much local ministry is being raised up”? What do you think is causing that?
Answer (from Jonathan)
The local church plant cannot afford salaries for church positions. The summer programs and short terms pay for salaries, along with additional fundraising to keep things going. The pastor is pretty clear about what the money is for – no subterfuge at all. I’ve argued, are we ‘creating’ work for short termers to do – just for the money? The last time I brought this up, I was told we need to have a ‘long term’ conversation about that. Originally the church was NOT dependent on short termers, but was not told what changed.
A few non white leaders coordinate the short termers, but all the interns and the majority of short termers are white. The church is half white, poor, and the neighborhood is very poor. At first I didn’t think so, but now I believe there’s a dependence on the outside money; from leaders AND neighborhood members. The financial piece is troubling. Even if all the money and personel were non white, I still feel that 1 Theassalonains 4:11-12 should be followed.
Disturbingly in our city, New Orleans, I know of three other miniseries in poor neighborhoods all run by different organizations and denominations; this is the model. Outsiders come in, lead, fundraising activities, bring short termers in then… Show me how the people of the culture lead, and you’ll be hard pressed to find someone who grew up in that neighborhood or city; leading. Lack of Discipleship. My theory is the material needs in urban areas are so great that the educated folks began the programs and fundraising, but those become the idol.
Question: Do you have any suggestions as to how discipleship would help locals get involved in ministering to their >own neighbors without depending on outside help?
Answer
I think this is a tough one that takes time. IN the spiritual realm it’s a matter of showing someone that Christ is all sufficient but our tendency is to do program based things, which are needed (literacy, food, etc).
Currently my wife and I talk often about this as she’s away on sabbatical. When she returns, we plan reach out hospitality-wise. We’ve invited people to our home, but our perception is this may be a class hurdle (we got the nice house and they’re on subsidies attitude). So we’re trying to find ways to go to their home (i.e., playing with the kids, hanging out on their porch).
Clearly things have to be Holy Spirit led. It’s so hard to wait and hear from God when you see so many physical needs. We do address physical needs: food, (we have to be careful with) money, helping with errands, and medical emergencies.
We see things more relationally then programmatically. I don’t come from a simple gathering background but it seems applicable here. Follow the Holy Spirit, Build Small via relationships. I think it’s key to let myself and new disicples see that it’s God doing it and not a human person, ministry, or aid group.
Is this the connection between love and membership?
I’ve written several posts on the topic of church membership as it is typically practiced today. Unfortunately, I think the concept of church membership tends to separate brothers and sisters in Christ from one another, and it tends to give us a false sense of unity when in fact we are quite divided.
Other authors have taken up this topic with much more eloquence (and often brevity) than me.
For example, Arthur at “The Voice of One Crying Out in Suburbia” recently published a short post called “A quick thought on ‘church membership’ and titles.” Without getting into the “titles” part of his post (which is good in itself), I simply want to point out two very short – but extremely important – sentences that Arthur uses to begin his post:
If you love one another, “membership” is completely unnecessary.
If you don’t love one another, “membership” won’t make a difference anyway.
Arthur said that he was paraphrasing this from something that he had read previously. Those are strong statements… and completely within the concepts of being “members together with one another” as we read in Scripture.
Yes, there is a strong connection between love and membership in the context of Scripture. And, I think Arthur’s statements (or whoever’s statements) above point out that “church membership” will not make up for a deficiency in love.
What do you think?
Guest Blogger: (Part 1) Working with people who are already in a community for the sake of the gospel
A few weeks ago, in response to my post “Why can’t we work together for the gospel?” Jonathan left a very intriguing comment. In the comment, he said that he is currently “living this out” in his neighborhood and has seen how easy it is to “drop money and personnel” into a context. But, it is much harder to live among the people in a community and trust God to work through them.
In response to that comment, I emailed Jonathan asking for more information about his situation. That email started a thread that was very helpful for me. I asked him if I could publish this as a “guest post,” and he agreed. I’ll publish our interaction as two posts, with the second part being published tomorrow…
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Question (from Alan): I’d love to hear more about how you’re working with “locals”…
Answer (from Jonathan)
My wife and I joined a neighborhood church that’s been around for 10 years, but is a plant of an para church organization. We’ve been there five years and since 2009 have chosen, with a few others, to live in a neighborhood that is plagued with crime, drugs, poverty, and some prostitution. BUT we see God at work.
My frustration comes from the short termers. They help run a day camp, provide games to the neighborhood kids in the evening, as well as pay into the ministry. Two issues immediately arose. I’ve asked, “What would happen if these teams didn’t come?” Clearly, there’s the financial aspect, because the Church (sigh) is dependent on the outsider. Second, in my opinion, not very much local ministry is being raised up, as things are coordinated by a few locals, but all the money and personel leave after a time. Honestly, I look at it a little differently now that I LIVE with my neighbors. I’m not driving in or stopping by. Dealing with my neighbors is on the job training in ‘Loving my neighbor’.
Without complaining here’s the challenge: How do you give believers not from our community the cross cultural experience, without all the voyeurism or vertical relationship. I’m seeing these last few years that it’s one thing to organize a program for the poor than to live with and friend the poor. All the isms are very real when the person you’re serving is your friend.
I think to minister in some of these urban environments (ok all) we need more discipleship. One Sun morning I didn’t go to my local service, but walked around and prayed about 10:30AM. I saw what I saw everyday-Life. I counted five church services in session, but I still saw drunks staggering, people loitering, not sure if I saw the dealing that morning, but for everyone not going to a service-life as usual. It tells me, “We need a different approach to engage people physically where they are.” My wife has a vision of living water flowing out of our neighborhood. My vision is that someone will call 911 not because a crime is committed, but because there are too many people assembling praising God.
Question: Your situation does sound similar to many situations related to “foreign missionaries.” You said that the short termers “pay into the ministry.” What is this money used for? Why do you think “not very much local ministry is being raised up”? What do you think is causing that?
Answer: Coming tomorrow…