In my last blog post I established the biblical basis for covenant. I did this as a way of reminding us that the only way a church truly sets itself apart and establishes itself as a body is in those things they covenant and purpose to do together. The covenant always establishes relationship. In scripture, the relationship between God and His people was established around the covenant.
In ancient times, the covenant agreement between the Suzerain King and the subservient vassal was called a "Suzerain Treaty". Suffice it to say that the treaty was always favorable to the King. It was typical in the establishement of this covenant that the vassal was required to walk through the broken pieces of animal parts spread out in two sections. The vassal was saying in affect, "May I be like this animal if I don't keep this covenant!" Two points here:
1. The King, for obvious reasons, was not required to walk through the pieces.
2. It was not just symbolism. In these violent primitive times, a vassal was quite literally torn to pieces when he violated the treaty. It was a very effective way of doing business. (I have tried for years to convince brides to utilize this method of covenant agreement during a wedding ceremony- no takers yet).
With this context as a backdrop, go back and read Genesis 15 and notice that God Himself passes through the pieces and does not require Abraham to pass through, as if to say, "I will be torn to pieces if my people do not fulfill the covenant."
Our relationship with God is established by this covenant, fulfilled by Jesus Christ, the lamb of God, who was torn to pieces and became the covenant curse so that we could become the covenant blessing.
Do you see that we could not know relationship with God if it were not for the covenant?
In the same way, every relationship you have is established by some covenant. You came into that relationship because you fulfilled the "obligations" of an unspoken and yet very real covenant. By this I mean that every single relationship is defined by the acceptance and acquiescence of the people in that relationship to certain qualities that are unique and unchangeable. Every married person knows exactly what I am talking about here. There are things about my wife I will not change. There are many things about me my wife cannot change. We have to accept a certain degree of "unchangeableness" in order to stay in relationship and truly love each other. That is our unspoken covenant.
I have found through the years that the better the understanding of the unspoken covenant in a relationship, the better the relationship. I remember watching a video when I was in college which illustrated the importance of non-verbal communication in marriages. Women were asked to observe a video of their husbands as they were being interviewed in a separate room. The women were asked if they could tell what the husbands were thinking by mere observation. The study concluded that the married couples who defined themselves as "happily married" were much more capable of reading each other's body language than those who described themselves as "unhappily married".
The difference between the two groups was that happily married people had a better grasp of the unspoken covenant, while the others did not.
So the more clear the covenant, the better the relationship. In a church body, which is the visible earthly expression of the family of Christ, the need to understand clearly the terms of the relationship are extremely important. In other words, we need to know what it means to be "members of one another" (Ephesians 4:25).
I am convinced the reason we as Southern Baptists are now dealing with the problem of unregenerate membership is that we are reaping the result of a century of emotionalism and attractional evangelism. Could it be that we have so greatly emphasized bigger numbers and have utilized a pragmatic and sometimes manipulative approach to "get people down the aisle" that in our enthusiasm for numerical growth, we have forgotten our mandate for "making disciples". Could it be we have forgotten the end game is growing disciples and the only effective way of establishing a discipling relationship is by understanding and implementing the terms of our covenant agreement? And it could be that the reason so many SBC churches today have no idea who their members are or where they are is that our pragmatism has skewed our understanding of biblical covenant membership?
When we use an emotional manipulative approach to evangelism and then hand a person a card and tell them they are a member, are we not just anesthetizing them to the gospel and the true meaning of membership? A recent study by David Kinnaman of the Barna Research group confirms that somewhere around 70% of people who are registered as "accepting Christ" in revivals or crusades never actually end up committing to the life of the church. He goes on to make this observation:
As Christians, we have to keep in mind that response rates are not the ultimate goal but rather the wise and careful stewardship of the image of God......If you create more barriers with outsiders because of your tactics, you have not been a good steward of the gospel. How we choose to share Christ is as important as our actually doing it.
Consider from a biblical perspective how ridiculous the idea of having members that are not actually committed to the church:
1. Early disciples met together for the purpose of learning from the apostles teaching. (Acts 2:42-47)
2. The early church kept some kind of record of members as "the Lord added to their number" (Acts 2:42-47)
3. The word for "Church" is "Ekklesia", which means "called out ones".
4. The Bible teaches church discipline. One cannot be removed from that which he has not belonged. (1 Corinthians 5, Matthew 18:15-17)
5. Shepherds are required to take care of their flock. It would be impossible for a shepherd to take care of sheep he doesn't know about. (Acts 20:28)
6. Members are required to submit to spiritual leaders. (Hebrews 13:17, 1 Thess. 5:12-13, 1 Timothy 5:17) The only possible way to stay accountable to spiritual leaders is within the context of a body of believers who actually know each other.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
the meaning of covenant
When we think of "covenant" we are tempted to think in terms of a "contract". But a covenant as defined in scripture is much different than a contract. When it comes to God making a covenant with man, only God gets to decide the terms of the covenant, and in the case of God’s covenant with Abraham, He decrees that not only will He be the one to establish the covenant, but that He will be the one to take the blow if the covenant is not fulfilled. The beauty of God’s covenant with us is not only do we have an obligation as we enter into it, but God puts Himself under the obligation of it’s fulfillment. By His grace we are given the means of it’s fulfillent.
He was the one who walked through the pieces in His covenant with Abraham, saying in affect, “If this covenant is not fulfilled I will be torn to pieces”, thus prophesying the death of Christ on the cross. So He comes to us offering relationship with the terms of the covenant already decided.
Psalm 111:9 says, "He has commanded his covenant for ever. Holy and terrible is his name." Judges 2:20 says, "This nation has transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers."
John Piper observes:
So there is mutual obligation, but not mutual determination of what those obligations are. God comes to the covenant knowing what is best for us and we come trusting and obeying or not at all. In a covenant between God and man, God sets the obligations, not man.”
God says to Noah, "I establish my covenant with you . . . and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth" (Gen. 9:11).
And to Abraham God says, "I will make my covenant between me and you and I will multiply you exceedingly . . . you shall be the father of a multitude of nations" (Gen. 17:2,4).
And to Moses God says, "Behold, I make a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been wrought in all the earth" (Exodus 34:10).
And to David God said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, I will establish your descendants for ever, I will build your throne for all generations" (Psalm 89:3-4).
In the sweep of scripture we see that God’s will in human history boils down to two covenants (Testaments). Hebrews 8 contrasts the two. The first is the covenant that God made with Israel when He took them out of Egypt and established them as a faith community; the second was the one God made with the church when Christ died for her and rose from the grave. The first covenant established the nation of Israel; the second established the church as the true spiritual Israel. In the old covenant, man’s obligation is to fulfill the terms of the law, in the second covenant; Christ is the one who completes the terms of true righteousness. So God both sets the terms of His righteousness and simultaneously creates the faith and righteousness that is needed through Christ by His grace as we place our faith in Him.
Notice how Hebrews 8:6b speaks of better promises: "He (Christ) is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises." The reason it is a better promise is that unlike the nation of Israel, who were never able to fulfill their obligations under the old covenant, those of us who are under the new covenant find our fulfillment in Christ alone, thus releasing us from the curse of the law. God causes the elect to fulfill the obligations of the covenant. So what makes the new covenant a better one is that Christ not only seals the terms of the covenant by His blood and His death on the cross thus guaranteeing eternal life for his people, but also the faith and obedience to carry out the terms. It is not by our own righteousness that we are saved, but by His!
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put my laws into their minds, and I will write them upon their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people . . . For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. (Hebrews 8:10-12)
So you can see that the covenant is the central component of our faith. At the last supper Jesus took the cup and said, "This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." The "many" is the universal church- the “elect”, the “spiritual Israel”. So with the death and resurrection of Christ, God’s final decisive and sovereign act to create a people for Himself was realized with the birth of the church and the establishment of the new covenant. A covenant not just to create a people by purchasing their forgiveness, but also by purchasing their faith and obedience in fulfillment of the new covenant promises: "I will put my laws into their minds, and I will write them in their hearts."
You and I exist as Christians because of the dynamic and irrepressible force of the new covenant promises. The Bible teaches that the Church was brought about by the providence of God as a spiritual community to carry out the purposes of God in eternity against which the gates of hell could not prevail. It exists in two forms, the universal or the invisible- and the local or physical. The church is both the physical embodiment of faith community and the spiritual embodiment of God’s elect all through eternity. Every Sunday a physical gathering of saints takes place wherever His people gather, and simultaneously in heaven there is an invisible gathering of the “ecclesia”. The one is what we see the other only Christ sees. So the local, physical church is the physical expression of God’s will being done “on earth as it is in heaven”.
This the primary reason it is appropriate for a local physical church to exist as a “covenant community”. Christ has created us by His blood to be a people, not just individuals, but a gathered people who covenant with one another to be His body, His bride and to carry out His redemptive work for His glory. As his local physical church, we are pointing to and shadowing His universal invisible church. As we have entered into covenant with Him by His grace through faith and thus become a part of the invisible church, so too do we enter into covenant with one another as an expression of our commitment to the local physical body of Christ. When we ask the question, “what sets us apart as a local body of Christ that reflects the true church?” We naturally come to certain conclusions:
1. It is not just that we profess faith in Christ, as this does not set us apart and distinguish us a local body.
2. It is not just that we are baptized, as one is not baptized into a local church, they are baptized into Christ. (Baptism is not seen in scripture as an initiation into a local church as Landmarkist Baptists of the past and some Southern Baptists today seem to believe and teach).
3. It is not just that we are a part of a local community, as there are many in our community who do not believe in Christ.
4. The one distinguishing factor that sets us apart as a local body is that we covenant together for the same purpose and agree together to the same biblical values for life and mission.
The points above were the basic conclusions of the earliest Baptists in America in 1649 in Cambridge Massachussets as they began to organize around established biblical values (John Cotton, Richard Mather and Ralph Patridge “Model of Church Government”). Baptists have long agreed that the one thing that establishes the visible union of believers into a local church is that they covenant together for some purpose. It is what makes us who we are and gives us the basis for our mission, our discipleship and our accountability to one another.
It is a clear understanding therefore of the meaning of covenant in the biblical text that gives us a clearer purpose in our life together as His body. It is our understanding of the meaning of covenant that reflects the gospel that brings joy and strength to our lives and guides us in the spiritual disciplines and instructs and informs our mission and discipleship.
He was the one who walked through the pieces in His covenant with Abraham, saying in affect, “If this covenant is not fulfilled I will be torn to pieces”, thus prophesying the death of Christ on the cross. So He comes to us offering relationship with the terms of the covenant already decided.
Psalm 111:9 says, "He has commanded his covenant for ever. Holy and terrible is his name." Judges 2:20 says, "This nation has transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers."
John Piper observes:
So there is mutual obligation, but not mutual determination of what those obligations are. God comes to the covenant knowing what is best for us and we come trusting and obeying or not at all. In a covenant between God and man, God sets the obligations, not man.”
God says to Noah, "I establish my covenant with you . . . and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth" (Gen. 9:11).
And to Abraham God says, "I will make my covenant between me and you and I will multiply you exceedingly . . . you shall be the father of a multitude of nations" (Gen. 17:2,4).
And to Moses God says, "Behold, I make a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been wrought in all the earth" (Exodus 34:10).
And to David God said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, I will establish your descendants for ever, I will build your throne for all generations" (Psalm 89:3-4).
In the sweep of scripture we see that God’s will in human history boils down to two covenants (Testaments). Hebrews 8 contrasts the two. The first is the covenant that God made with Israel when He took them out of Egypt and established them as a faith community; the second was the one God made with the church when Christ died for her and rose from the grave. The first covenant established the nation of Israel; the second established the church as the true spiritual Israel. In the old covenant, man’s obligation is to fulfill the terms of the law, in the second covenant; Christ is the one who completes the terms of true righteousness. So God both sets the terms of His righteousness and simultaneously creates the faith and righteousness that is needed through Christ by His grace as we place our faith in Him.
Notice how Hebrews 8:6b speaks of better promises: "He (Christ) is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises." The reason it is a better promise is that unlike the nation of Israel, who were never able to fulfill their obligations under the old covenant, those of us who are under the new covenant find our fulfillment in Christ alone, thus releasing us from the curse of the law. God causes the elect to fulfill the obligations of the covenant. So what makes the new covenant a better one is that Christ not only seals the terms of the covenant by His blood and His death on the cross thus guaranteeing eternal life for his people, but also the faith and obedience to carry out the terms. It is not by our own righteousness that we are saved, but by His!
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put my laws into their minds, and I will write them upon their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people . . . For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. (Hebrews 8:10-12)
So you can see that the covenant is the central component of our faith. At the last supper Jesus took the cup and said, "This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." The "many" is the universal church- the “elect”, the “spiritual Israel”. So with the death and resurrection of Christ, God’s final decisive and sovereign act to create a people for Himself was realized with the birth of the church and the establishment of the new covenant. A covenant not just to create a people by purchasing their forgiveness, but also by purchasing their faith and obedience in fulfillment of the new covenant promises: "I will put my laws into their minds, and I will write them in their hearts."
You and I exist as Christians because of the dynamic and irrepressible force of the new covenant promises. The Bible teaches that the Church was brought about by the providence of God as a spiritual community to carry out the purposes of God in eternity against which the gates of hell could not prevail. It exists in two forms, the universal or the invisible- and the local or physical. The church is both the physical embodiment of faith community and the spiritual embodiment of God’s elect all through eternity. Every Sunday a physical gathering of saints takes place wherever His people gather, and simultaneously in heaven there is an invisible gathering of the “ecclesia”. The one is what we see the other only Christ sees. So the local, physical church is the physical expression of God’s will being done “on earth as it is in heaven”.
This the primary reason it is appropriate for a local physical church to exist as a “covenant community”. Christ has created us by His blood to be a people, not just individuals, but a gathered people who covenant with one another to be His body, His bride and to carry out His redemptive work for His glory. As his local physical church, we are pointing to and shadowing His universal invisible church. As we have entered into covenant with Him by His grace through faith and thus become a part of the invisible church, so too do we enter into covenant with one another as an expression of our commitment to the local physical body of Christ. When we ask the question, “what sets us apart as a local body of Christ that reflects the true church?” We naturally come to certain conclusions:
1. It is not just that we profess faith in Christ, as this does not set us apart and distinguish us a local body.
2. It is not just that we are baptized, as one is not baptized into a local church, they are baptized into Christ. (Baptism is not seen in scripture as an initiation into a local church as Landmarkist Baptists of the past and some Southern Baptists today seem to believe and teach).
3. It is not just that we are a part of a local community, as there are many in our community who do not believe in Christ.
4. The one distinguishing factor that sets us apart as a local body is that we covenant together for the same purpose and agree together to the same biblical values for life and mission.
The points above were the basic conclusions of the earliest Baptists in America in 1649 in Cambridge Massachussets as they began to organize around established biblical values (John Cotton, Richard Mather and Ralph Patridge “Model of Church Government”). Baptists have long agreed that the one thing that establishes the visible union of believers into a local church is that they covenant together for some purpose. It is what makes us who we are and gives us the basis for our mission, our discipleship and our accountability to one another.
It is a clear understanding therefore of the meaning of covenant in the biblical text that gives us a clearer purpose in our life together as His body. It is our understanding of the meaning of covenant that reflects the gospel that brings joy and strength to our lives and guides us in the spiritual disciplines and instructs and informs our mission and discipleship.
Friday, July 18, 2008
koinonia
In our final study of the book of Galatians last week we came across a passage that has some very interesting implications for what it means to be a part of a church. The passage is found in Galatians 6:6:
"Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor."
At first glance this seems like a very strange command when read in the English language- almost like the elementary rules of a kindergarten classroom- something like, "good students will always be nice to their teachers..."
But a rudimentary study of the original context helps us clear things up. The word for "instruction" is the word "katacheo" in the Greek, and denotes a serious student. It is where we get the word "catechism" today and has come to mean the memorization of a large body of doctrine. The word "instructor" is a word more closely akin to a "mentor" or a "pedagogue"- someone who is more than just a mere lecturer, but rather a person who is walking with you for the purpose of leading you to a masterful understanding of the material he is teaching. In ancient times, privileged students were given mentors not just for specific study but for instruction in all matters of life. The word "share" is the word "koinonia" in the Greek language, denoting a higher level of community and fellowship than what can be found in casual friendship.
So in this context, the apostle Paul writing to the churches in Galatia has a level of expectation that within the life of the church, these kinds of relationships are normative. He doesn't merely make a command hoping to bring them about, instead his command is predicated on the fact that these relationships are already in place.
Reading passages like this are very challenging to me as pastor. I am forced to ask if these are the kinds of relationships we are promoting in our church? Is this what we are about? Have these kinds of relationship been so infused into the life of our church that they are more the norm or the exception? Of course the answer is that we regularly promote these kinds of relationships and encourage them as a part of our programming. But I wonder how much of this kind of thing is actually happening. I wonder too if this is where we are applying all our energy as a church?
I do think we have these kinds of relationships. I see them everywhere in our faith community. But I believe many of these relationships occur not because we energetically formalize them as such but because they are the dynamic natural work of the Holy Spirit in us. My contention is that if we are His Body, then all that we do in a formal way should reflect what is already going on in us spiritually and is specifically commanded in scripture. I do believe the life and mission of the church hinge upon the effective carrying out of the interchangeable and interconnected biblical concepts of "koinonia" on the one hand and "katecheo" on the other. The health and life of the church is determined by how effectively it lives out community and disciple making.
In my next post I will discuss some ideas of how we can begin to formalize and promote some of these specific commands from scripture.
"Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor."
At first glance this seems like a very strange command when read in the English language- almost like the elementary rules of a kindergarten classroom- something like, "good students will always be nice to their teachers..."
But a rudimentary study of the original context helps us clear things up. The word for "instruction" is the word "katacheo" in the Greek, and denotes a serious student. It is where we get the word "catechism" today and has come to mean the memorization of a large body of doctrine. The word "instructor" is a word more closely akin to a "mentor" or a "pedagogue"- someone who is more than just a mere lecturer, but rather a person who is walking with you for the purpose of leading you to a masterful understanding of the material he is teaching. In ancient times, privileged students were given mentors not just for specific study but for instruction in all matters of life. The word "share" is the word "koinonia" in the Greek language, denoting a higher level of community and fellowship than what can be found in casual friendship.
So in this context, the apostle Paul writing to the churches in Galatia has a level of expectation that within the life of the church, these kinds of relationships are normative. He doesn't merely make a command hoping to bring them about, instead his command is predicated on the fact that these relationships are already in place.
Reading passages like this are very challenging to me as pastor. I am forced to ask if these are the kinds of relationships we are promoting in our church? Is this what we are about? Have these kinds of relationship been so infused into the life of our church that they are more the norm or the exception? Of course the answer is that we regularly promote these kinds of relationships and encourage them as a part of our programming. But I wonder how much of this kind of thing is actually happening. I wonder too if this is where we are applying all our energy as a church?
I do think we have these kinds of relationships. I see them everywhere in our faith community. But I believe many of these relationships occur not because we energetically formalize them as such but because they are the dynamic natural work of the Holy Spirit in us. My contention is that if we are His Body, then all that we do in a formal way should reflect what is already going on in us spiritually and is specifically commanded in scripture. I do believe the life and mission of the church hinge upon the effective carrying out of the interchangeable and interconnected biblical concepts of "koinonia" on the one hand and "katecheo" on the other. The health and life of the church is determined by how effectively it lives out community and disciple making.
In my next post I will discuss some ideas of how we can begin to formalize and promote some of these specific commands from scripture.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
katecheo
Yesterday some of the staff teased me about how "coincidental" it was that our Bible study last week in Galatians just HAPPENED to land on this interesting passage:
"Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor." (Galatians 6:6)
The word "instruction" is the word "katecheo" in the Greek. It is where we get the word "catechism".
This word is also used in 1 Corinthians 14:9:
But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.
As I said on Sunday, someone who receives instruction in this way is a serious student- someone who is not just hearing instruction but is held accountable in some way for that instruction. It is the difference between an auditor who is a passive listener and a student who is taking the tests and held accountable for what he is learning. It seems to me that this kind of discipleship is sorely lacking in most churches today.
I have been telling our staff for months that I believe it is time we dust off one of our Baptist catechisms and make it our own as an approach to teaching children, growing up new generations and holding each other accountable in our discipleship and education ministry. When asked about my timetable on this, I have said that after I have been here five years, I would be ready to tackle it.
Well... exactly one week after my five year anniversary- gee, look at that, right there in the passage we're studying
- whatdayaknow!
Let's call it providence.
There has been a lot of talk lately about the meaning of membership in churches- especially the Southern Baptist variety. The SBC has passed a resolution at this years convention calling for member churches to more correctly and accurately identify their true membership. The convention reports a membership of 16 million nationwide, but the total actual membership is not completely known but believed to be somewhere way south of 6 million.
Of course, the thinking is that not only is this not a good thing for our understanding of where we are, it says something about our integrity- it says something a little disturbing about WHO we are, in other words.
So the resolution did not just call for better numbers- it also called for repentance.
The implication here is that not only do we have a organizational responsibility to make the necessary changes that reflect true membership, we also have a moral and spiritual obligation. We have an obligation in our witness. This issue speaks to the very core of who we are.
In the coming weeks, I will be leading our church to begin the process of better identifying our true membership. This will require us to do some soul searching as well as some scripture searching. We will study together our ecclesiology- what we believe about the church; and we will study our epistemology- why do we believe what we believe. I believe it will be important for us to think through both of these things. One cannot stand on firm ground without the other. There are a lot of churches who feel strongly about WHAT they believe about the church- but they have no clue WHY they believe it. That is a dangerous position to be in.
I do not know where this will lead us- but in my next few blog posts I will explore various topics around what the Bible teaches about church membership, relationships within the church, church ordinances and practices, the meaning of covenant and the need for discipline.
I am excited about the process and believe it will make us stronger as we reflect together about what this means.
"Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor." (Galatians 6:6)
The word "instruction" is the word "katecheo" in the Greek. It is where we get the word "catechism".
This word is also used in 1 Corinthians 14:9:
But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.
As I said on Sunday, someone who receives instruction in this way is a serious student- someone who is not just hearing instruction but is held accountable in some way for that instruction. It is the difference between an auditor who is a passive listener and a student who is taking the tests and held accountable for what he is learning. It seems to me that this kind of discipleship is sorely lacking in most churches today.
I have been telling our staff for months that I believe it is time we dust off one of our Baptist catechisms and make it our own as an approach to teaching children, growing up new generations and holding each other accountable in our discipleship and education ministry. When asked about my timetable on this, I have said that after I have been here five years, I would be ready to tackle it.
Well... exactly one week after my five year anniversary- gee, look at that, right there in the passage we're studying
- whatdayaknow!
Let's call it providence.
There has been a lot of talk lately about the meaning of membership in churches- especially the Southern Baptist variety. The SBC has passed a resolution at this years convention calling for member churches to more correctly and accurately identify their true membership. The convention reports a membership of 16 million nationwide, but the total actual membership is not completely known but believed to be somewhere way south of 6 million.
Of course, the thinking is that not only is this not a good thing for our understanding of where we are, it says something about our integrity- it says something a little disturbing about WHO we are, in other words.
So the resolution did not just call for better numbers- it also called for repentance.
The implication here is that not only do we have a organizational responsibility to make the necessary changes that reflect true membership, we also have a moral and spiritual obligation. We have an obligation in our witness. This issue speaks to the very core of who we are.
In the coming weeks, I will be leading our church to begin the process of better identifying our true membership. This will require us to do some soul searching as well as some scripture searching. We will study together our ecclesiology- what we believe about the church; and we will study our epistemology- why do we believe what we believe. I believe it will be important for us to think through both of these things. One cannot stand on firm ground without the other. There are a lot of churches who feel strongly about WHAT they believe about the church- but they have no clue WHY they believe it. That is a dangerous position to be in.
I do not know where this will lead us- but in my next few blog posts I will explore various topics around what the Bible teaches about church membership, relationships within the church, church ordinances and practices, the meaning of covenant and the need for discipline.
I am excited about the process and believe it will make us stronger as we reflect together about what this means.
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