Your Mission Pt. 4
It’s finally here. West Philly just got a brand new, ice clean Target store. They have everything from ipod’s to ironing boards. I can now get my film developed, while picking up a new crock-pot and sipping a latte from Starbucks. (face it folks they’re like the Borg, resistance is futile) Hopefully the management of this Target will keep the store clean, (I hate shopping in a store with cluttered aisles) feature superlative customer service (no one acting like I’m disrupting their entire life just because I have a simple question) and by all means open additional checkout lines before I’ve waited 20 minutes to pick up a pack of batteries.
A well run organized store, courteous, helpful and competent employees and efficient customer service from the checkout line to the return counter are among the characteristics I look for in the places I shop. For me they are the marks of a good retail store. Others may find different characteristics important. Yet, what are the marks or chief characteristics of the church? Few would question the reality and strength of our diversity. This diversity expresses itself through our worship, the way we apply the truths of Scripture to our particular culture and people and even the way we continue to embrace certain aspects of our heritage while still being very much Christian.
But that doesn’t change the fact that there are and should be certain key characteristics that are normative for all churches regardless of the time or culture in which they exist. In light of the church’s mission to disciple people groups and by extension cultures having a certain amount of key traits is essential. The Council of Reforming Churches is devoted to impacting the black church and community with the biblically reformed theology. In time this mission may move us to work toward the work of church planting and revitalization. We therefore have some definite ideas concerning the mission, beliefs and character of the church. In our view all churches everywhere must have a distinct biblically derived culture and substance that marks them out as Christian churches. While many other traits among churches may differ these simply will not.
These key marks are easily found in Scripture since the Lord has revealed them to us. Though the church (a called out, select and exclusive group of God’s people) has existed since the creation of Adam and Eve I’m going to restrict our focus to those characteristics found in the New Covenant. Of course we’ll find that these same things are also present in the Old Covenant. Acts 2:42 reads They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
These appear to be the first formal set of traits attached to the church. And they are important for a number of reasons. To begin with Luke is detailing these traits because they become the normal pattern for the New Covenant church throughout the book of Acts. While other things may vary (such as holding things in common and heightened use of miracles) they remain the same. These marks are also the ones the church is commended to cultivate in the pastoral letters and other epistles. The letter to the Romans, Corinthians, the pastoral letters and a couple of the general letters highlight the ongoing importance of these marks. Though we won’t spend a lot of time looking at the Old Covenant you can find that these characteristics are present and abundant when the people of God are thriving under His gracious care and rule. For example Nehemiah 8 is one of the most precious accounts of a called worship service that reminded God’s people of their purpose and the weighty importance of God’s word. It’s also one of the best and most clear testimonies for biblical expositional preaching found in Scripture.
Finally we can find all of these marks abundantly in the life of our and savior Jesus Christ. Jesus was devoted to the reading, preaching and teaching of the word of the living God. Whether at the synagogue (where He spent every Sabbath) in front of large crowds or in small groups with His disciples Jesus was devoted to teaching the word of God. Our Lord demonstrated His commitment and devotion to God’s people or the fellowship by carrying forth God’s agenda, serving the needs of the fellowship and ultimately dying for the sin of the fellowship. Jesus was a man who honored the Father in worship and the one whose life fulfilled all of the Old Covenant worship symbols as well as instituting new sacraments that mark the worship of God’s people now. And there is no doubt that our Lord was a man of kingdom focused prayer.
Well, I’m off to Target to pick up a few things. Hopefully the store will be in good order and I’ll have a pleasant shopping experience. Lord willing you’ll participate in a worship service this Sunday that in on way or another features these crucial marks of the church. Hopefully these marks which are featured in the worship service also characterize the substance of that church. And Lord willing through prayer, and God’s gracious power we’ll see a movement of biblically reformed neighborhood churches that feature these distinctive marks for Christ, the Church and the Truth.
Joyfully,
LL