Why are bible believing Christians so adamant about Jesus being the one and only way to obtain a perfect, permanent relationship with God the Father? In a world torn by religious strife and hatred isn’t it prudent to share Jesus as one of many ways to God? Wouldn’t it be more humble to admit that none of us can really know the mind of God and therefore back up from the proclamation of Jesus and Jesus alone? And wouldn’t it be a whole lot easier to have a faith that respects and accepts the truth claims of others?

 While I admit that it would seem a lot easier to proclaim a Jesus who is just one among equals it would not be either prudent or humble. And aside from all of that, proclaiming a Jesus who merely stands among other religious leaders who shared and modeled a way to God is quite impossible. Why? Because there is no way that we can disconnect the Jesus of the new testament from God’s long promised savior spoken of throughout the old testament. Though they may not realize it those who wish to share a modified Jesus with the world actually participate in the complete undercutting of both the old and new testaments.

Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God and the second Person in the Trinity cannot be understood apart from God’s eternal plan to save a people from Himself through the One who is the seed of Eve, the descendent of Abraham and the fruit of the virgin’s womb. Ripping Jesus from that context and placing Him as just one more in a long line of religious leaders who had a bit more special insight into the divine rips the thread that binds the old and new testaments together with the consequence that the major theme of scripture crumbles into nonsense.

Why does the way of salvation run straight through the person and work of Jesus, Jesus alone, and Jesus always? To put it succinctly Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the point, plot, subject, substance, main theme, focus and culmination of scripture, history, salvation and life. Jesus enforces and reinforces the universal truth that God determines how we approach and relate to Him. And that is a significant yet often overlooked aspect of God’s character and nature. One cannot read through the old testament and come away believing that the living God has a casual or open policy concerning His worship, the forgiveness of sin and who and what pleases Him. Nor can one read through the scriptures without recognizing that God is moving history forward to the point where He will unveil His salvation in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ.

If Jesus is not the one and only way to a right relationship with the Covenant Lord then who is the descendent of the woman spoken of in Gen. 3:15? Remember I’m writing this to those who hold that the scriptures are the word of God and yet question the exclusivity of Jesus Christ. With that in mind is there one who will fully and finally answer Lamech’s lament found in Gen. 5:29? Who is the descendent of Abraham spoken of in Gen. 12:3? And what blessing does he bring to all of the family groups of the world? And if Jesus isn’t the only way to the living God then why did He declare that Abraham rejoiced to see His time, that the men of Sodom would have repented if they had witnessed His miracles, and that He was the actual stairway between heaven and earth? Think about that for a moment. In the book of human beginnings there is reference after reference after reference to the person and work of Jesus Christ and we haven’t the time nor space to detail how all the other old testament scriptures speak of Him.

But there is one more thing about Genesis that we must take into account. Genesis records the fall of man into sin and God’s subsequent response which is to extend grace and enact the plan of salvation that would culminate in the person and work of Christ. And within Genesis we see the beginning of the system of animal sacrifice that would become so prominent throughout the rest of the old testament. It was through this system that God taught mankind how to approach Him as well as how we could continue to live in His world without facing His full judgment. Not only Abel but the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob built altars and sacrificed to their Covenant Lord. What began in the times of Genesis was codified when God brought His people out of Egypt and settled them in their own land. Thus animal sacrifice became an important and integrated aspect of Hebrew life marked each year by the Day of Atonement (see Lev. 16). Now here’s the thing. It was through animal sacrifice and only such sacrifices that God’s people worshiped and remained in a right relationship with Him. Without such sacrifice there is absolutely no assurance that anyone has God’s favor at all, for as the writer of Hebrews declared ‘without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin’. (see Heb. 9:22).

The person and work of Jesus Christ therefore either presents the believing Christian with a tremendous opportunity or an unsolvable dilemma. Either Christ and Christ alone offered an acceptable blood sacrifice to the Covenant Lord thus dealing once and for all with the sin of His people or He did not. The problem is no amount of Christ’s teaching or example could take the place of a sacrifice needed to satisfy God’s anger against sin. For that matter no other religious figure no matter how sincere or pious could remove God’s anger against our sin through his or her teaching or example. Either Christ and Christ alone is the one way to God because His death and blood alone atoned for our sin or there is no way to God. For there is no way that God will accept my good works, desire to follow Christ’s example or adherence to His teaching as full and final payment for my disobedience. Either Christ is the one and only way to a right relationship with the living God or we as a human race are lost and that hopelessly so.

For Christ, His Church and the Truth

Pastor lance

How does God speak today? How should you go about discerning His voice? How should the church decide what to believe, teach, and promote regarding God, His Son and the gospel of Jesus Christ? How should believers seek God’s direction regarding the important issues of their lives? In what ways should we settle disputes that arise about church believe and practice? Are our beliefs and practices based on our experiences plus scripture, the private revelations from people who say they’ve heard directly from God plus the scripture or on scripture alone? This is crucial because churches, families and individuals will pursue their relationship with God based on something. We’ll submit to the guidance of our own experiences, a pastor/guru or the scriptures.

 The reformers faced similar issues in their struggle against the Roman Catholic Church. From Rome’s perspective scripture along with church councils along with the pope when he spoke ‘ex-cathedra’ were all authoritative and binding for God’s people. The reformers replied that scripture and scripture alone was the rule of faith, belief and practice for God’s church and God’s people. To this end we agree with the Cambridge Declaration of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals: We reaffirm the inerrant Scripture to be the sole source of written divine revelation, which alone can bind the conscience. The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured.

Why are we convinced that scripture alone is the only rule for faith, belief and practice for the church and its members? We believe it because the holy scripture is the inerrant, God-breathed word of God. It is the revelation of the living God and thus in and of itself all we need to know, serve, follow, obey, delight in, love and believe in Him. As 2 Tim 3:16 reads ‘All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness’.
It is therefore scripture alone, not our experience or the so-called revelations of others that can bind our conscience with respect to the things of God. No man or woman can dictate or dominate the walk of a believer simply on the basis of his or her position or private revelation.

Following the measure of scripture alone liberates us from depending on charismatic people who claim to ‘speak a word into our lives’ in order to know the will of God. All that we need to know about God’s will, walking before Him in holiness and following our Lord Jesus faithfully is found in His word. Pastors and teachers are charged with preaching and teaching the scriptures. That means that we are responsible to study, explain and apply what scripture says concerning the Covenant Lord and our relation to Him. Our appeal to God’s people regarding the way they think, speak and live to glorify God must be based solely on what scripture says. If we’re wrong and a change must be made, then let that change come about through the prayerful study of scripture.

What is true about individual believers is also true about the Lord’s church. What we teach, preach, believe, preserve and promote regarding God, mankind, sin, salvation, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the church etc. must arise from and be based on our study of scripture. The church never, ever decides to adopt a new belief, practice or doctrine because some man insists he’s got a fresh revelation from God. Belief in scripture alone means that for us God has spoken authoritatively, clearly, sufficiently and finally. Any and everything we need to know in order to serve, witness of, and live before our Covenant Lord in 21st century America has already been revealed, written and preserved in holy scripture.

Do we believe that God still speaks today? Yes we do. Whenever one of His people read, reflect on, think through, hear or study His word our God speaks loud and clear.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Heb. 4:12 (ESV)

For Christ, His Church and the Truth
Lance Lewis

About a year ago I wrote that among other things CRC is a group of churches that stand on an promote the historic five solas of the reformation. I return now to take a little bit more in depth look at each of the solas and why we believe they are still important and relevant for God’s church today.

The five solas were five principles that the reformers stood on concerning what we believe about salvation and why we believe it. These solas were formed against the backdrop of an oppressive Roman Catholic church and is a response to how it viewed God’s salvation in Jesus Christ. For some these solas are as old, worn out and irrelevant as the horse and buggy’s the reformers used to travel around 16th century Europe. Many might question why in the world would a group of educated, 21st century black men want to hold to and promote a group of human assumptions constructed by a bunch of dead European white guys who did not know, care about or even consider our people and situation. And even apart from that isn’t it absurd to believe that the 21st century black church has anything remotely in common with the 16th century European church? Shouldn’t the fact that most 21st century white evangelicals don’t know or care about the ’sacred five solas’ tell us something?

Maybe, maybe not. But since these are good questions let me pose some answers to them before we tackle the solas themselves.

Why should we promote the solas?

We should do so because even though the 16th century European church was different from us in culture, time, context and ethnicity they were still apart of God’s church. Were the reformers or the church that sprung from their efforts perfect? No. But that doesn’t discount the reality that God used them in a unique way to bring about needed reformation in His church. To discount their efforts just because they were European, served about 500 years ago and struggled against a different enemy is shortsighted and unwise. Furthermore it is racist in that it moves us to dismiss an authentic work of God just because the instruments He chose to use were of different from us in color and ethnicity. How do we feel when some whites dismiss the Civil Rights Movement on the grounds that its leaders were black men who themselves weren’t perfect? How many of us would tell people from other cultures that there is nothing they can learn from the Civil Rights Movement because it was a black led movement that focused on issues relevant to 20th century black people?

We should do so because even though times, cultures and technology changes people do not. The leaders of the 16th century Roman Catholic church were very much like the religious leaders of Jesus’ time. Many (not all) were greedy, hypocritical, self-righteous, unjust and oppressive. Like their first century counterparts they were willing to use God to maintain a stranglehold of power they had no intention of giving up. For both the church was a business to be used to enrich their lives at the expense of people created to worship, know and delight in the living God. And lo and behold the situation hasn’t changed much. As the 16th Roman Catholic leaders modeled the first century Jewish leaders so many 21st century leaders style their ‘ministry’ after the Roman Catholic church. We have people in pulpits living immoral lives and daring anyone to challenge them on it. Others see the church as their personal business and the people of God as their own private ATM machines. Like their religious ancestors these people would shut up the kingdom of God from any who wish to enter it and demand  a heavy toll from those who desire to travel the highway of holiness.

Finally, we should promote the five solas because they traffic in the issue of salvation which is something the well fed, healthy, comfortable, prosperous and politically free 21st century American church seems to have forgotten. One wonders if the reason we think these things are out of date and irrelevant is due to our belief that the primary issue and problem for black people is not how to obtain a right relationship with God. As long as we’re convinced that the substance of salvation lies in overcoming racism, becoming free from all forms of pain and living the American dream then the solas and others issues that speak to salvation we be marginalized and viewed as irrelevant nonsense propagated by the dominant culture to keep our eyes off the prize.

CRC is convinced that the most important issue facing any person, people, culture or ethnicity is where we stand before a holy God and the means by which we stand before Him. Consequently we invite you to examine these five principles that speak to the very heart of our common humanity and join the chorus of voices who study, preach, proclaim and live for God’s glory alone.

For Christ, His Church and The Truth
Pastor Lance

Faithfulness to the Reformed distinctives requires us not only to be diligent students of these doctrines but also to continuously strive to implement and incorporate them in every area of ministry in such a way and to such an extent that our local churches are more and more familiar with and grounded in them.  Reformed pastors are in truth and indeed Reformed only as they are seeking to bring the body of Christ into conformity with all that Reformed teaching embraces.  Our times are changing fast: churches are increasingly resembling and imitating secular institutions.  Indeed, the term church is indiscriminately applied to all religious bodies regardless of their beliefs and in despite of their villainous deviations from biblical truth.  The result is that the term church, in accordance with the polluted pattern of our reductionistic and relativistic age, has been shorn of its transcendent character, stripped of its Christological essence, divested of its soteriological dimension, and has become ingloriously bogged down in the shifting quicksand of rank immanentism, that is, the deplorable fixation with satisfying and serving the demands of the hic et nunc, of the here and now.  At best, current evangelicalism portrays, as one writer has said, “a jellyfish kind of Christianity– one without any distinctive bone, muscle, sinew,� one that is a very distant relative to that witnessed in Scripture. Against this dark and desperate backdrop, those of us committed to the Reformed agenda stand out as the primary beacons of hope, as those upon whose shoulders the responsibility of returning “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ..� 2 Cor 4:4, and (consequently) His authority, to the church, lies.

More can be said of the current American biblical theological landscape but at this time it is sufficient for us to remember that the “Black Church� is very much a part of and has always been affected by the larger national trends.  It has never been insulated from or unaffected by national theological patterns.  Our tasks therefore are to seize the time and to apply ourselves to the diligent study of the Word of God so that our Spirit-empowered works become proverbial.  We can ill-afford to move from day to day as run of the mill participants in the chronological flow of events.  Rather, we are to see ourselves as being providentially placed at this kairotic moment, perched on the precipice of restoring the glory of God to His church by recovering the glorious truths of Reformational theology.

Our rallying cry is once more, Ad Fontes! –to the source- back to the Scripture and to its faithful teaching and application to God’s people, of whom He has made us under-shepherds.  If we love Him, we will feed His flock.  I believe that the most important place for us to begin is the doctrine of the Church- to ensure that our churches reflect the attributes and marks that have been bequeathed to us by our wise, holy forebears acting in their communal wisdom.  This need is as profound as it is lofty.

We are painfully aware that some of us have inherited ministries whose members, for the most part, even balk at the need for the institution of the biblical office of elders.  This is a sticky wicket that has to be dealt with wisely, patiently, lovingly and according to the individual makeup of each local body, including the personality and giftedness of the pastor.  Nevertheless, it is a situation that must be corrected.  While we do not possess apostolic plenipotentiary powers whereby we can issue a binding edict declaring it seems  good to the Holy Spirit and to us…, we nevertheless have at least a moral responsibility to keep the great principles and eternal standards before our members so that they will see and know and consider and understand  “.. that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep.  For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.  The night is far gone; the day is at hand…�  Rom 13:11-12.  Our work must similarly be undergirded with a pervasive sense of urgency to return the light of the Reformation to the church of Christ.  Who knows!  (What a marvelous biblical expression of trust in the unfathomable mysteries of a good and sovereign God!)  It may be that the Lord will have mercy upon us and turn and leave behind a blessing, Joel 2:13, and even grant us the undeserving satisfaction of witnessing some of the changes we seek in our lifetime.

My brothers, our hand is already on the plow.  Let us therefore now encourage one another, “as we see the Day drawing near,� to keep holding on with a kind of holy, Reformed superglue, with a tireless faithfulness and with a bold and defiant diligence, to restore the glory of God in His congregations which are His witnesses to His kingdom on earth.  Let us challenge one another to be instruments of change and servants of the Reformation so that by our very word and deed, God’s honor will be restored and His people given a true hope, one that is anchored in the resurrected, reigning and returning Christ and that is affirmed by His Holy Spirit.  Let the winds of the Reformation blow freely once more and fill the sails of our ships and so guide us into that safe harbor which is none other than Jesus Christ Himself.  To Him we give  eternal, immortal praise.  Amen.

The third installment of our current blog series features the marks of a biblical church as spelled out by our brother Michael Leach.

 

The Marks of the Church

The church held to these four attributes throughout the ages but the Reformers later considered them to be  inadequate because they thought that some specious claims could be made to them.  In other words, they feared that it could be possible for individual churches to boast of these attributes in a formal sense while they yet lacked them in an experiential sense.  The Reformers insisted that the true churches of Jesus Christ were to be further delineated by marks or nota which they described as The True Preaching of the Word of God; the Right Administration Of The Sacraments and the Faithful Exercise Of Church Discipline.

Briefly:
The True Preaching Of The Word of God.
As the chief mark of the church, the true preaching of God’s Word identifies the church, enables and maintains it, Jn 8:31-32, 47; 14:23, and undergirds the sacraments but is separate from them.  It requires that, for all preaching to be biblical, it must be Christocentric, Lk 24: 24-27, 44-47.  This means that whether we are preaching from the Old Testament or the New Testament, our preaching is not biblical if it is not grounded in the redemptive-historical context which has its fulfillment in the Person and work of Jesus Christ.  It entails that we are to, in Graeme Goldsworthy’s terms, “preach the whole Bible as Christian Scripture,� being extremely careful to understand and acknowledge the centrality of the gospel throughout Scripture- see the Lucan texts quoted above, for example- and, quoting Goldsworthy again, understanding that “the Christological significance is the highest application of the Old Testament.�

The Right Administration of the Sacraments.
Calvin correctly describes a sacrament as “An outward sign by which the Lord seals on our consciences the promises of his good will toward us in order to sustain the weakness of our faith; and we in turn attest our piety toward him in the presence of the Lord and of his holy angels and before men.�  In part, they are:
signs representing the saving grace of Christ, cf. Gen 9:12-13; 17:11; the forgiveness of sins, Mt 26:28; Mk 1:4; etc.; seals attesting to and confirming the possession of God’s promises to His elect, 2 Cor 1:20; Rom 4:11-17; etc;
and indicators pointing inward to the spiritual reality of God’s saving grace in our lives; upward reminding us of God’s promises to us and of our participation in them; and outward, setting us apart from the world and unto God.

The Faithful Exercise of Church Discipline.
Always redemptive in content and restorative in purpose, its faithful exercise serves to maintain the peace, unity and purity of the church; to protect the holiness of the sacraments; and to guard the church against apostasy, Mt 18:18; 1 Cor 5:1-5, 13; 14:33; Eph 4:11-16.  Discipline is necessary for the spiritual bene esse or well-being of the church.

In the second installment of the blog series 'To God Be Glory In The Church' our brother Michael Leach lays out the attributes of the church of God.

The Church Is One.  Unum.

There are many local churches but yet there is one church.  There is a plurality of local churches but these  are simply many reflections of the one church.  Its unity is already realized, Eph 4:1-6, cf. Jn 17:20-23;

1 Cor 12:4-26; etc., though not yet fully.  Its unity is already created by the Person and work of Jesus Christ and is therefore to be enjoyed, reflected and safeguarded to the glory of God.  Its scriptural representation abounds in a manifold and dynamic richness of imagery: many sheep yet one flock; many branches yet one vine; many members yet one body; many stones yet one temple; many members in the family yet one household; Jews and Gentiles yet one ethnicity- Christian.  This intriguing and vital interplay of plurality and unity reflects the very being of God Who is one in essence but many (three) in person.   The extended passage, Eph 4:4-16, reminds us that this unity depends on our fourfold experience of the Lord Jesus Christ: a unity of doctrine; a unity of worship; a unity of fellowship; and a unity of growth through the word of God

Its unity is also derived from its Head, Jesus Christ and from His redemptive and restorative work of bringing together all things under His Headship, to reverse the cosmic disunity and disintegration introduced by the Fall of Adam.  This process will attain its consummation when He comes the second time to usher in the new heaven and the new earth.

The Church Is Holy.  Sanctum.

The church is holy because it belongs to God Who has separated it from the sinful, depraved world unto Himself for His Own pleasure and purposes, 1 Pe 1:16; Eph 2:21; cf. Jn 17:17.  It is already holy and perfect yet it is full of spots and blemishes.  It is already holy because upon it the fullness of the new age has already come, yet, it still longs for its existential perfection.  It is really holy yet there is a certain anticipatory dimension to its holiness – though free from sin’s dominion, it is not yet free from its presence. The church is holy because the Old Testament epithet that was applied to the nation of Israel in the Exodus event and in Israel’s desert wanderings, is now applied to her, cf. Ex 19:5-6 with 1 Pe 2:5-7.  The church is holy also because it is the assembly, the congregation of the holy Triune God.  The church is holy because its members are sealed with the indwelling Holy Spirit Who also binds them in an eternal union with Christ, into whose image they are being conformed more and more.

The Church Is Catholic.  Catholicum.

Usually translated “universal,� the attribute of catholicity was used by the Church Fathers to distance the church from the isolationist opinions and heretical doctrines of the teachers.

Chronologically.  The church continues and exists in every age.  Its existence is not defined by or affected by time.  It comprises: the saints who have gone on ahead into heaven and whose souls are now being made perfect; the current members of God’s covenant community; and those who are yet to come.  See Heb 12:22-24.  This three-dimensional perspective of a past, present and future membership corresponds to the three tenses of our redemption and affirms the steadfast continuity of the church as God’s Own people whom He assembles coram Deo to worship Him for Whom He is and for His monergistic, gracious work in the redemption of His elect.

Geographically.  This dimension is revealed in such passages that describe the Great Commission, for example, Mt 28:18-20; Mk 16:15.  Here the call to go and make disciples in the power and Presence of Christ, as Dr. Sinclair Ferguson teaches, “is the constitutive element in the gathering of the church.�  The church cannot be restricted by any geographic boundaries.  Its universal presence fulfills the messianic promise, “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession,� Ps 2:8, and it attains its consummate expression in the eschaton as witnessed by the heavenly worship of God’s people who are drawn from “..  every tribe and language and people and nation,� Rev 5:9 and from “..every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages,..� 7:9.

The Church Is Apostolic.  Apostolicum.

By this we mean that the church stands in direct continuity with the apostolic teaching and lifestyle, Acts 2:42-47; etc.   When we confess that the church is apostolic, we confess that it was founded upon the gospel that Jesus gave to His apostles. Jesus founded His church upon the preaching of the gospel, the message that Paul will later define as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ according to the Scriptures, 1 Cor 15:1-8.  Indeed, Paul speaks of the church as being "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit." Eph 2:20-22.

We reject the notion that the church lies in a traceable unbroken line of episcopal succession starting with Peter and continuing to the present day.  We also reject the teaching that the church rests in an unbroken structural unity with the past.  When we confess that the church is apostolic, we are declaring that it stands in direct continuity with the church we see in the book of Acts and in the book of Genesis.  When we say the Apostles’ or the Nicene Creed, we affirm that we are standing on the foundation of and with the fidelity of the apostles who extended the very teaching of Jesus which was nascent in the Old Testament.  It is this teaching that exercises authority over the true church of Christ.

Our brother Michael Leach recently wrote a letter of exhortation to the brothers on the subject of God's church. The next few posts contain excerpts of that letter under the heading 'To God Be Glory In The Church.

Brothers:

A few days ago I was doing a study on the constant need for us to be reminded of the truths of our faith and was prompted to share some insights with you.  I stake no claim, not even the smallest iota of such, to their originality but nevertheless I am imbued with the Petrine conviction  ".. to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have."  2 Pe 1:12 (12-14).

As members of the CRC we have subscribed to the Doctrines Of Grace and to the Five Solas of the Reformation as the basic and binding theological principles by which we will be identified.  This is a necessary and cautious beginning, a firm foundation on which to start our journey together.  These historic doctrines are crucial to the church that is semper reformanda; indeed they are authentic principles recalling our rich theological heritage and are bright landmarks that are keeping and illuminating beacons that are guiding Christ’s church, already troubled on every side by false doctrines and assailed by enemies within and without, into the safe harbor of biblical orthodoxy.

However, as Reformed pastors we cannot rest here.  These foundational principles are also firm footholds on which to build, that is, to further, this highest expression of biblical theology within our congregations.  Perhaps the most pressing need facing us is that of solidifying our congregations in the Reformed distinctives of the church.  These have to do with its Attributes and its Marks.

As you are undoubtedly aware, the doctrine of the church was developed in the context of defending orthodox doctrine against heresies and also in the process of identifying the true church of Jesus Christ apart from those churches that were making false professions.  Today, for example, many still consider  Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists and so on, equally to be churches of Jesus Christ.  Just as the early church had to draw the line and say this is what a bona fide church of Christ looks like, Reformed ministers of our times also bear this heavy burden of necessary differentiation.  So, what then is the true church?  The Reformers began by identifying its attributes.

I've decided to weigh into the clash with a response to the veep's first question. I'm particularly interested in addressing it since CLF is a church plant of Tenth Presbyterian Church. While the answer springs from the the question the response isn't necessarily directed at my brother Eric himself. The answer is more of a reflection on the place of culture in the church at this time. I hope it's somewhat helpful.

I want to know if my corporate worship needs to look like Tenth Presbyterian Church or if it can look like my PNBC (Primitive National Baptist Church) home church with more discernment in the music, Christ-centered preaching, and an absence of an altar call?

While I can’t speak directly for the leadership of Tenth Pres I can say that the issue of worship style never really came up when we decided to partner to plant a church in West Philly. In fact, I’d say that it was a given that Tenth’s leaders did not expect CLF’s worship to resemble theirs. Or did they? Let me think. . . On second thought I take that back. They tricked me! Tenth led me to believe our worship style could be significantly different but secretly expected that in time we would look like them. Like Tenth we begin with a call to worship from scripture. That’s followed by a couple of songs which usually include at least one hymn. True we might sing them a bit differently, (repeat a verse or two, sing the chorus a couple of times and clap our hands in praise once the song is over) but make no mistake; whether it’s Ah Holy Jesus, All Praise To Christ, Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder or Leaning On The Everlasting Arms the songs remain the same. We follow that with a couple of scripture readings, a pastoral prayer, offering and sermon. And we even do a hymn of the month before the message!

Would someone familiar with Tenth’s worship mistake us for them? Probably not. But as my cousin once told me (she of the grand old COGIC) “ya’ll not a black church�. Was I mortified to hear that statement? Should I have run down to the nearest corner and turned my ‘In West Philadelphia born and raised’ black card in? What about all those black people who love and cherish the rich heritage and tradition of the black church? Aren’t we turning our backs on them? I don’t think so. Having grown up not to far from the area where we now serve and worship I can tell you that there wasn’t then nor is there now a shortage of black churches of all stripes. And to top it all off the church we use for worship (an old PCUSA church) was so strapped for cash that after we’d been there about five years sharing the building with them they rented it out to two other black churches. And just so I’d be up close and personal with God’s sovereignty one of the them is your traditional, foot stomping, really nice clothes wearing, sing your lungs out, pastor must hoop each and every Sunday church. The other is the more standard health and wealth variety. There the pastor (since they have no musicians) plays recorded music loud enough to be heard in D.C., and quietly shovels his weekly dose of heresy to those willing to listen. Trust me the good folks of West Philly have plenty to choose from when it comes to traditional or neo-liberal heretical black churches. Furthermore it’s very unlikely that I’ll ever out hoop Rev. Jenkins.

I’ve highlighted these comedies of God’s gracious sovereignty to encourage us to begin moving past viewing ourselves as the forever BLACK church and moving toward being God’s people who first and foremost identify with Christ and His imperative to spread godliness throughout world by making disciples (that is, active followers of Jesus Christ) of people from all (yeah dawg that will include white people too) ethnicities. We must stop viewing the black church as the vehicle by which black people will finally attain the holy grail of social equality so that we can move far into the burbs, enslave ourselves in debt to live the ‘American Dream’ and then watch our kids descend into the debauchery that characterizes the burbs even though it’s not featured on the nightly news.

But what about white people and the white evangelical church? They have a culture and you can bet (in a hypothetical sort of way) your bottom dollar that neither the historic Tenth Presbyterian Church nor the historic Capital Hill Baptist Church has any intention of ever changing their church culture to accommodate black folk. So what? What about white people? Last time I checked (and I have a bible software program with 18 different translations) Jesus declared that He had all authority so that we’re directly accountable to Him and responsible to carry out His mandate, not that of our culture.

Finally, any ineffectiveness we detect within the black church to connect with and disciple black folks today has little or nothing to do with our style of worship. Does that mean we should try and look like somebody else just to be reformed? May it never be!
However neither does it mean that we’re necessarily duty bound to replicate every aspect of ’Down Home Church of God in Christ Baptist AME Zion Temple’.

For Christ, His Church and the Truth
Lance Lewis

Leading off this week's discussion in our Culture Clash subject is Rev. Thabiti Anybwile. Many of you know of our brother and fellow elder from his blog called Pure Church. Among other things he serves as the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman and is the author of two books, The Faithful Preacher and the just released The Decline of African-American Theology. Brother 'T' is also a founding member of The Council of Reforming Churches.

 

I want to know if my corporate worship needs to look like Tenth Presbyterian Church or if it can look like my PNBC (Primitive National Baptist Church) home church with more discernment in the music, Christ-centered preaching, and an absence of an altar call?

One of the main ends of corporate worship is the edification or the “building up� of the saints (1 Cor. 14:3-4, 6, 12, 19, 26).  We should feel the freedom of Christ to do what edifies.  I can’t think of any place in Scripture that tells us what corporate worship “needs to look like,� except those passages that insist on edification, unity and order.  Beyond that, I’d encourage you to embrace the freedom that Christ gives us here—with one qualification.

We should not use our freedom in personal living or the corporate worship setting to make our brothers stumble or to prevent unbelievers from hearing the truth (1 Cor. 14:16).  Maintaining the ability edify and evangelize are critical.  Anything that begins to diminish edification or to obscure the gospel, shouldn’t be thought of as “black� or “white� but as unhelpful and self-defeating.  We should do all to edify and evangelize.  But those are big boxes inside of which there is great liberty in which we should rejoice.

Do my elders need to talk with the business savvy of CHBC's (Capital Hill Baptist Church) elders, or can they talk in (for lack of a better term) "non-white" in words and tones if they still speak in accordance with the truth and the Solas?

I’ve been a CHBC elder, and I can tell you that there isn’t always business savvy displayed around the table J.  Every local church should be careful not to “measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another,� lest we be “without understanding� (2 Cor. 10:12).  The exception to this would be love and generosity (2 Cor. 8:8).  But even then, the true comparison is Christ (v. 9).  So, I’d say dispense with the comparisons to others altogether.

Seems to me the language standard (which I assume you’re using as a proxy for some level of maturity, sophistication, and expertise??) really isn’t a standard that Scripture sets.  The better standard is probably savvy in knowing, describing, diagnosing, and treating the sheep according to the word of God, with the soberness that comes from realizing we will give an account to God.  As you know, that’s entailed in the shepherding and overseeing images of Scripture (for ex, Heb. 13:17).  So, we should be cool with a brother speaking in patois or anything else understandable if they’re faithful shepherds laying down their lives for the sheep.

Do we sort of give up on senior citizen members of the congregation who are entrenched in traditional (secular/syncretistic/milk-not-meat) Black church thought and just run with those younger guns who are ready to take Reform to the next level, or is this inconsiderate of and unloving toward those who are rightly the objects of the very Reformation we desire?

“Running with the young guns� can look so appealing because it appears easier.  But, Titus 2:1-5 indicates that not patiently teaching the older, perhaps more resistant members is indeed unloving.  In Titus 2, Paul explicitly says that young Timothy is to teach older men and older women.  So, we can’t be faithful and loving in our task and leave the older saints unserved.

Having said that, however, if Jesus doesn’t come soon, then a longer-term perspective may require intentionally grooming future leaders (i.e., younger people).  We need investments in both groups, but the investment might look quite different.

Is there anything in the "Black Church tradition" (whatever that is) worth salvaging or should I go the white-is-right route in all things? (I know that's not fair or accurate.)

Yes.  The Black Church tradition boasts a number of historical figures that were committed to the same biblical truth that the Lord has called us to love.  We’d do well to call those folks forward out of the dustbin of history and remind our people where we come from.

That tradition has been consistently stronger in its understanding of the dignity of humanity created in the image of God and the unity of man—not just in sin but in creation.  Acts 17:26 was a rallying cry for AA Christians in the fight for recognition of their humanity.  We may give that to the world and appropriate it afresh.

There is a concern for both the gospel of Jesus Christ and a just society when the Black church tradition is at its best.  That’s not a tension that’s easy to maintain.  Yet, in the States, it’s the Black Church tradition that has at times sustained the priority and tension most effectively.

Even during the early days of the independent African church movement, the Black church tradition held a high view of the church, including emphasis on corrective discipline.  We should salvage that history.

The “white is right� thing is a myth.  Of course, the white man’s ice is not colder.  And the point to be stressed is that we’re not thirsting for his ice or water to begin with.  We’re after the water of life that Christ Jesus offers His people.  It’s not a matter of being black or white at all, but of being biblical and zealous for the name of our God.

 Our discussion continues with the first response to brother Eric's post which was submitted by Rev. Kevin Smith. Rev. Smith has served as the pastor of the Waston Memorial Bapist Church since Feb. 2004. He is a professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where is also a candidate for the Ph.D degree. We welcome this brother to the discussion.

 

 Thanks for the question. This is a constant challenge with students here at the seminary. I struggle regularly to walk between students who can't appreciate the cultural broadness of Christ's people. Either they think if it is not black then it can't be spiritual. OR worse, they think they must adopt white methods to make it right (biblical).

As I represent the seminary in some peculiar places, I find that the suspicions about brothers like us (biblical "doctrines of grace" folks) is that we have culturally "sold out." On a positive note, it is good that Brother Thabiti has written two recent books that consider African American preachers (historically) and theology. His works help address the accusation of disconnect. Obviously, Anthony Carter's book did the same thing. As you think about cultural clothing, consider this:

#1. Does the ministry reflect my African American heritage as my white, Hispanic, and Asian brothers clearly reflect theirs? When I'm at Sproul's or here at SBTS, I clearly feel that God is honored in worship but I also clearly know that it is through white "cultural forms" for the most part. Based upon this, I think your service would look like your PNBC background with more (much more) biblical discernment. The sound of some gospel music isn't the problem, it is the lyrics. As it regards preaching, Robert Smith is a great model of a black preacher "being black" in all venues. A few years ago, he spoke at the National Conference on Expository Preaching which was held here at SBTS. Of course, his exposition was sound and then the brother "closed" his sermon. If I can endure corny Republican jokes and hillbilly stories, them my white brothers can endure some whooping.

#2. I know the Hillcrest area. Do you think that a Tenth Pres' presentation would add another layer of challenge to your evangelistic desires? Colonialism doesn't just happen in Africa. With America's (and Southern Baptist's) history, anything that appears to jettison black culture is highly suspicious. I actually think there is missiological imperative to be culturally "indigenous." (Of course, this is complicated in multicultural churches/communities)

#3. As I critique and affirm cultural forms, I do try to address "white-is-right." I tell brothers around here (SBTS) all the time to stop being "shills" for the Republican Party. (I say it in love) Also, I remind them that the apostles didn't sing hymns with classical arrangements, so stop doggin' black church music. I love to see an article considering the "regulative principle" from our perspective.

#4. Feel free to refer to black cultural items in public speak, just as white brethren feel free to refer to white ones. Somewhere, we have got to find a sanctified "I am black and I'm proud!"

Eric, I hope this discussion continues. By the way, thank you again for your sermon out here at Southern. The Southern Baptist Convention (and more importantly, the Kingdom) are not aided if we are not black on the platforms that the Lord has given us. Plus I never, ever, ever want the guy on the street to look at my church and say, "that ain't no black church." Even though I don't use that terminology, we can't be perceived as culturally irrelevant and be evangelistically effective at the same time.

Occasionally, we will have a black preacher here at Southern and some will ask me why a lot of local black pastors didn't attend. Obviously, this could be a blessing to the local brethren. My reply is usually, look you must invite black preachers that "black people think are black."

Just some thoughts,
Kevin Smith

For the next several days CRC will post the thoughts of several reformed African-American pastors and leaders who are attempting to bring the truths of reform theology into the Black church experience. We welcome your comments and thoughts but ask you to be respectful and stay on the topic. The first post is from our friend and brother Eric Redmond who serves as the Pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Temple Hills MD and also as the 2nd VP of the Southern Baptist Convention. It was he who suggested that we take the time to comment on the issues he’s working through in his present pastoral context.

Brothers I need your wisdom. I want to know if my corporate worship needs to look like Tenth Presbyterian Church or if it can look like my PNBC (Progressive National Baptist Church) home church with more discernment in the music, Christ-centered preaching, and an absence of an altar call? Do my elders need to talk with the business savvy of CHBC's (Capital Hill Baptist Church) elders, or can they talk in (for lack of a better term) "non-white" in words and tones if they still speak in accordance with the truth and the Solas? Do we sort of give up on senior citizen members of the congregation who are entrenched in traditional (secular/syncretistic/milk-not-meat) Black church thought and just run with those younger guns who are ready to take Reform to the next level, or is this inconsiderate of and unloving toward those who are rightly the objects of the very Reformation we desire? Is there anything in the "Black Church tradition" (whatever that is) worth salvaging or should I go the white-is-right route in all things? (I know that's not fair or accurate.)

This is not just a philosophical discussion for me. I am trying to lead a church and working through the cultural trappings - the stuff that is "just us" - and after six years of this I am now more baffled/frustrated than ever. I really need my brothers' help.

Thank you brothers, for listening to me.

Blessings on you all!

Notwithstanding these trifling, disingenuous observations, Thanksgiving still remains an important family, social and national event; it’s integrally interwoven into the fabric of our history and culture, a dimension that is partaken of and enjoyed alike by all, by saint as well a sinner. In this writing, I do not seek to delve into the origins and historicity of Thanksgiving but simply intend to compare this historic event with our lot as Christians. When we do so, an interesting and intriguing set of similarities as well as dissimilarities is soon apparent.

Like The Puritans, We Too Have Fled. Not from the political persecution of another country but from the wrath of God, from His holy burning judgment which continually abides on the sinner. We have fled, not to another country, not from one earthly, man-made institution to another, but to a Person, to Christ, the eternal Son of God, and to His cross, our divinely inscribed arc of safety. Our rushing to Him for salvation was not propelled by external circumstances as with the Puritans, but from an internal work of monergistic regeneration by the Holy Spirit Who gave us new life that we, in faith and repentance, might be justified before God, adopted into His family, live lives of holiness in active dependence on the Holy Spirit., and be glorified together with all the saints, to the glory of God alone.

Like The Puritans, We Too Have Landed On A Rock. It’s not Plymouth Rock, a mere weak, temporary and decaying stone, daily disintegrating through the constant barrage of climactic pressures, and which will one day perish and wear out like a garment, Ps 102:26, but the eternal, immutable, invincible Rock that is Jesus Christ. This Rock is the One on Whom our feet were set when the Lord God rescued us “from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog,� Ps 40:2. He is the Rock of our salvation, Dt 32:15. He is our Rock and Redeemer in Whom we take refuge. He is our shield, the horn of our salvation and our stronghold, Ps 18: 2, our Rock of refuge and a strong fortress that saves us, 31:2. In times of deep distress we cry out to our Rock and we beseech Him to lead us to Himself, the Rock that is higher than we are, 61:2, for in Him we cannot be shaken, 62:6. Indeed, our enemies also have their rock but “.. their rock is not as our Rock; our enemies are by themselves.� Dt 32:31. Jesus is the Rock on Whom we rest and trust for all our needs. Truly our God is the Rock of our salvation, Ps 89:26.

Just As The Puritans Sought and Found A New Life, We Too Have A New Life. However, it is a life whose locus is not in a physical place but is in Christ. He is the locus of our life. We are grounded in Him and we exist in and through His power. We are in union with Him, from eternity past, Eph 1:3 -14, passim; cf. Acts 17:28, to eternity future. All of our life is lived in Him and when we die, we die in Him. Thereafter, we will be raised with Him, be reunited with Him and will live with Him forever and ever, Rom 6:3-4; 1 Ths 4:16-17, in inexplicable covenantal bliss.

We Are Also Seated At A Festive Table. Yes, it is a table that is beautifully decorated with turkey, dressing, vegetables, multiple delicacies, desserts and delights. Yet, more than that, the Christian’s table is laid by the Lord Jesus Christ and is prepared by Him, even in the presence of our enemies, Ps 23:5. Each Sunday when we, God’s covenant people, come together, we partake of this Lord’s Table and in this way we celebrate our union with Him, and derivatively, our communion one another. We are sumptuously fed, effectually sustained and abundantly strengthened by the body and the blood of Christ. Jesus, our Rock, sustains us, 1 Cor 10:4. In Him we have a feast that is far more lavish, satisfying and substantial than the annual festivity for its substance is of an eternal nature. We do not have to indulge ourselves in any frantic shopping expeditions for it is free, Isa 55:1; Rom 6:23; Eph 2:8, and it is authentic, rich and fulfilling, 55:2. It is an all-you-can-eat feast but we need not worry about overeating because we will partake of it in perfect proportions. Further, we do not need an NFL game for postprandial entertainment because the center and crown of our delight is none other than Jesus Himself, the very Lamb of God Who takes away our sin, Jn 1:29.

Our Feast Is Daily. We don’t have to endure the familiar pattern and rhythms of signs and seasons leading up to November in order to partake of this feast. The record is clear: our great and gracious God daily loads us down with benefits, Ps 68:19 KJV; indeed, they are fresh every morning, Lam 3:22-23. [Aren’t you extremely glad that there are no microwave ovens in heaven? Our God’s daily mercies are infinitely fresher than the earliest pristine spring air that gently and sweetly blows in the gilded skies of the quiet dawn]. He richly gives us all things to enjoy, 1 Tin 6:17.

Our Feast Is Weekly. While every day with Jesus is a feast, we also do have a special day, the Lord’s Day, on which we come together to commemorate and celebrate what God has done for us in Christ and to look forward, not only to the next Sunday, but also to the ultimate Lord’s Day when He shall come to gather His elect from the four corners of the earth and bring them unto Himself so that they may partake of that ultimate Thanksgiving feast, the Wedding Supper of the Lamb, Rev 19:7. This is our ultimate, all-consuming goal. Therefore, each day and each week do not take us further away from this grand celebration but, contrarily, they draw us closer to this great Lord’s Day. Our landmark day is before us, not behind us. Our heaven bound day is before us, not behind us. At that time, we will experience the fullness of the meaning of thanksgiving for we will worship our Triune God completely in Spirit and in truth. How will we get to that point? Not by a meager passage on a feeble Mayflower but on the wings of God’s grace and mercy. In the words of that universally known and ever-refreshing hymn, it was God’s grace that brought us safe thus far, and it is His grace alone that will lead us home.


God’s free gift of salvation to sinners is attended with the unmistakable definiteness of Christological sufficiency-- in Christ we have [more than] all things, Rom 8:32. In Christ Jesus the elect have the fullness and the furthest of all possible blessings. Nothing more can be expected for Jesus Christ is our ultimate fulfillment, sufficiency, satisfaction and hope. Jesus Christ, according to the biblical record, is the pleromic representation of all the Father has to offer. After Him there is ne plus ultra; no más nunca (literally, not more beyond; no more never). He is our all in all, cf. 1 Cor 15:28; Eph 1:23. It therefore follows that in Him and in Him alone we have all that is needed, both real and felt, not only for our temporal and temporary designs but also for all eternity. And why should this not be so? For in Him the fullness of God is pleased to dwell, Col 1:19. Further, “.. in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.� Col 2:9-10 (emphasis added). Our salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone is therefore attended by an inherently superlative and terminal dimension. There is no greater and better gift we can receive. In this regard, Jesus Christ is decisive, definitive and declarative. The festive blessings of God to His covenant people have their origin and termination in the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this year let us do so with a fuller, deeper and wider understanding of the meaning of gratitude. Above all, we need to be very clear about that which we are grateful. While we are thanking our great God for His immediate and temporal providences, let us also look past them by clothing our prayers and attitudes with a solemn absorption with the fullness of eternal joy that is in Jesus Christ. Let not the mood of the temporal eclipse the message and magnitude of the eternal, but rather, let the latter determine and define the former. In so doing, we will have a truly happy Thanksgiving.

Have a happy Thanksgiving. Why not? “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life�, Jn 3:16, and “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.� 1 Cor 15:19. Therefore, I say again, have a happy Thanksgiving.

 Brothers:

Praise the Lord!!  What an awesome conference!!  What a joyous time in the Lord and what above all, what a great, glorious and incomprehensible God we serve!!

 

We have returned from the Miami Pastor’s Conference and have already resumed our routines, or more aptly stated, we have already recommenced the daily challenges of our ministerial stewardship.  If our experience at the conference were one of heightened joy and authentic fellowship in the Spirit, then our reoccupation with the testing joys of our divine vocation are firm reminders that the top of the mountain is a momentary elevation for the gathering and reviving of the Lord’s workers.  It was but a summit for the strengthening and sustenance of the saints.  If it were one of immense encouragement  and refreshing respite, then it must be regarded as one of the manifold tokens of our gracious Lord’s evangelical encouragements to His servants in whose mortal bodies He has seen fit to manifest His death and life in, 2 Cor 4:11.  If the conference provoked us to higher levels of adulation and deeper intensity of homage to our sovereign Triune God, then the resumption of our pastoral duties is to be regarded as the setting for the implementation of all that was learned afresh and all that was reinforced there.  It may well be that some of us are encountering unusual difficulty in re-acclimatizing, but this is not difficult to imagine; Miami 2007 abundantly re-awakened our religious affections for our gracious God. Yet, we dared not build tabernacles there in south Florida for it was simply a providential oasis amid the arduous demands of pastoral responsibility.

Now at ground level, I have demurred from my original plan to summarize the conference by examining each presentation – perhaps another brother may see fit to so do.  Instead, I have elected to reflect on the “bigger picture(?)�  For example, the rising number of young(er) African-Americans in attendance, many of whom were accompanied by their wives, was of enormous joy and contentment to me.  They exuded both a profound delight in and a growing hunger for the truth that is Reformed Theology.  The fact that they are at various points along the spectrum of maturing comprehension only testifies to the vast inroad this teaching is making among our people after the flesh.  It is very encouraging to hear younger folks articulate the doctrines of our faith.  It is enormously satisfying to witness the joy in the hearts and on the lips of our brothers and sisters as they contemplated the profundities of the Doctrines Of Grace.  It was exceedingly gratifying to listen to the delightful accounts of some brothers and sisters who were divinely rescued from the throes of stifling legalism, overbearing moralism, uncontrolled subjectivism, prosperity illusionism, and so on, into the freeing richness of authentic Biblical Theology.  We praise our God for His superabundant mercy!

The conference’s topic, “What Is The Gospel?� was very well addressed by the speakers.  “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. .. �  2 Cor 3:5-6.  To my mind, the consistent and continual emphasis on the monergistic, sovereign work of God in the prosecution of His redemptive purposes in history was the single most outstanding characteristic of the presentations.  Over and over and on and on, this sine qua non of catholic Reformed teaching was propounded with invigorating clarity and inspiring cogency.  Oh, how much did we all need to have this teaching resonate in our ears and in our hearts!  Oh, how well do we understand that we, who are God’s instruments responsible for proclaiming these eternal verities, need to have them preached to us again and again!  With what readiness do we cheerfully concede that God’s teachers must also be teachable students!

I count this bold articulation of the sovereign work of God in attaining salvation for His elect to be the hallmark of “Miami 2007.�  It instigates me to recall the words of Princeton divine Dr. B.B. Warfield in his insightful and instructive comment on Calvinism (Reformed Theology):

“Perhaps the simplest statement of it is the best: that it lies in
a profound apprehension of God in His majesty, with the inevitably
accompanying poignant realization of the exact nature of the relation
sustained to Him by the creature as such, and particularly by the sinful
creature..  It begins, it centers, it ends with the vision of God in His
glory: and it sets itself before all things to render to God His rights in
every sphere of life-activity.�
(From “Calvin And Calvinism,� in Benjamin B. Warfield Collection, Vol 6, Copyright, © 2003, By Digital Publications, Dallas, Texas, USA, 186-188, passim.)

When we add to this divine initiative in (creation and) redemption, the prominence of the unity of orthodoxy and worship; the exaltation of God and the self- abnegation of man; the utter dependence of the creature upon Creator and Redeemer, we are compelled to conclude that our conference was God-honoring; Christ-exalting and Spirit-empowered.  We have no choice but to assert that our primary gaze was upwards towards heaven, the dwelling-place of God, and not horizontally along the plane and purview of man.

That these primary principles of biblical religion were systematically sustained was of great comfort to us all.  Their emphasis was a fitting reminder that we cannot and must not consider the concepts and vocabulary we in the Reformed Faith employ, to be commonplace.  [Therefore] It reinforced the need for us to continue in our diligent study of the Word of God and of the history of our faith.  It instilled in us a deeper motivation to share these distinctives, in the spirit of truth and love, with our non-Reformed brothers and sisters who are still being woefully exercised by the persisting perils of Arminianism.  It also called us to use these principles prudently and carefully in the course of evangelism.

The conference’s overall impact may be summed up as:
reinforcing the robust substance of the gospel, which of necessity requires a corresponding robust teaching and preaching. 

strengthening our understanding that all of salvation is of the Lord, Jnh 2:9.
increasing our grasp that Reformed Theology is true religion in its purest and most consistent expression.
reasserting that “before an infinite, holy and omnipotent God, we are to shut our mouths in awe-inspiring silence and to consider ourselves as nothing but helpless, dependent and groveling creatures before Him.� Warfield, Ibid

So overwhelming was the spirit of Miami that Michael Horton publicly wished that “the train� would travel from city to city infecting others with its holy joy stemming from the triumphant declaration of the gospel message, until it reaches its destination in heaven.  Here we have the original, true biblical notion of the soul train….. minus the Coors Light, of course. We thank our great and glorious God therefore, for condescending to choose us, even in the full display of our continuing wickedness, to employ us as His chosen instruments in the continuance of the digging of this stream of theological thought, one which we pray, Deo volente, will not remain in this dimension but one that He will be pleased to enlarge, even as unto a mighty surge of the Atlantic.

All in all, this year’s conference was a refreshing experience not only to serve and to be served in the proclamation of the Word of God, but also to have a deep “grounding with my brothers.�  [Borrowed from the title of a book written by late Guyanese author and scholar, Dr. Walter Rodney, cataloging his experiences with the Rastafarians while studying at the University Of The West Indies in Jamaica].  We were able to strengthen and encourage one another in the faith as we partook of the sobering reality that there are 7,000 others who have not bowed their knees to the spirit of the age.  We were able both to appreciate the great strides the Lord is making in His work through us and to assess the magnitude of the work still needing to be done.  We were filled with that unique fullness of joy and depth of gratitude that only comes from the God of the gospel.  Lastly, we were lavishly treated to an appetizer, an hors d'oeuvre of that grand consummation in glory, far beyond our comprehension of which our eyes have not yet seen neither have our ears heard the half of it.

What the shall we say to these things?  Brothers, let us therefore put our hands to the plough as God’s servants fit to serve in His vineyard.  “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.  So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.�  Gal 6:9-10.  “.. my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.� 1 Cor 15:58

Finally, my brothers, remember that “.. God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.  And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.�  Heb 6:10-12.
Amen.

P.S. Be on the lookout for the next stop of the soul train.  Seems that I can already hear the whistle!

This coming Sunday millions of people will attend a church and engage in worship. What will happen in many of those church’s is the subject of this post. How do we view worship today? I recently read a news story that reported on how evangelical churches are spending billions of dollars on the latest audio-visual equipment. Many houses of worship are pressing to look and feel like the latest high tech concert venues and more and more worship appears to be a well put together variety program.

My last blog, introduced biblically driven worship as one of the chief marks or characteristics of the church of the living God. Such worship must be pointedly directed by what Scripture expressly commands or positively describes regarding worship. There are two main reasons to maintain this stance. Firstly, Scripture is filled with passages that instruct us on how to worship our Lord properly. We'll briefly examine one shortly. Secondly, it is both foolish and dangerous to leave what to do in worship up to our own little whimsical devices. The worship of the Triune, sovereign, holy King of the universe is not something to be tinkered and tampered with.
The ninth chapter of Leviticus is a precious example of a biblically directed worship service. Moreover, it is a prime example of how the order and elements of worship function to highlight God's character and emphasize the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

The service of worship begins as does all true, biblical worship with God calling His people to come before Him to acknowledge His goodness, grace, beauty, sovereignty, holiness, love and presence. It is particularly important to note that God is already present with us in worship. We don't have to call, shout, beg or otherwise entreat Him to join us at the meeting. God is not like some ancient pagan deity that must be awakened by the frantic ranting of its people. He is the sovereign, omnipotent, undisputed King of the universe who creates, redeems and then calls a people to come before His awesome, solemn presence.

God's call to worship leads to the second aspect of Biblically driven worship which is its corporate or public nature. The great texts regarding biblical worship speak of God's people collectively appearing before Him. This is not to say that private or personal worship is unbiblical or unnecessary. However in our ruggedly individualistic society it is crucial that the church stress the corporate aspect of worship. Think through Eph. 1:4. God chose a people to be holy and without blame before Him. What's implied in that passage is that these chosen, holy, blameless people are before the face of the Holy One in worship. Once more, think through that tremendous passage in Hebrews 12, 'But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel'. Now what in the world do you think that all these souls are doing in heaven before the living God? They are gathered together (note that the angels have gathered with the assembly or church of the Lord Jesus) to pour out their corporate praise to the living God and to the lamb, Jesus Christ who sits on the throne. Biblically driven worship is public worship where God's people gather together to answer His summons to worship Him.

The next aspect of Biblically driven worship derived from this passage is that it is orderly worship led by those called and ordained by the Lord. That's right, I went there. Biblically driven worship is not a chaotic, cacophony of confusion, but a simple, beautiful and orderly affair. The God we serve is a God of order. Those who believe that New Testament, Spirit-filled worship is a free for all would do well to read 1 Cor. 14 where the Apostle Paul instructs that saints that everything in worship must be done with decency and order. Biblically driven worship services have a defined order and structure. This is necessary because worship is driving home a point and that point is the grandeur, majesty and perfection of the great King of the universe. Chaotic, disorderly worship calls attention to the ones offering up the 'worship'. While that may be alright for pagan settings it is unthinkable for Christian worship.

Orderly, Spirit-filled worship is worship that acknowledges and highlights God's glory. Moses told the congregation that they were to proceed with a God ordained and ordered worship service because God was to display His glory to them, Lev. 9:6. God's glory refers to His weightiness, significance, splendor and beauty. God's weightiness conveys that His people must take His Person, word and worship seriously. It is unthinkable therefore for anyone who claims to know and serve God to merely blow off public worship as if were an option like tinted windows or cruise control. The sacrificial system showed God’s importance by impressing upon His people the gravity of approaching Him in the way He specified. Additionally, the sacrificial system demonstrates that we must be careful to only utilize elements in worship that are specifically prescribed or positively described in Scripture.

Finally, Spirit-filled, Biblically driven worship is dogmatically Christ-centered. The Person and work of Jesus Christ must be the theme, subject, substance and focus of our worship. That only makes sense since the Person and work of Christ is the theme, subject, substance and focus of Scripture, history, salvation and life itself. Take a look at Lev. 9:8-11 and think about that passage in the light of Christ. Here is blessed, biblically driven, Christ centered worship at its best. Jesus dear ones is our great high priest who unlike Aaron brought His offering to the actual temple in heaven, not the copy Moses had constructed for Aaron to serve in. Jesus unlike Aaron didn’t need to bring an offering for His own sin because He had none. He lived a perfectly sinless life on our behalf and every one of His thoughts, motives, actions and reactions was completely blameless in the eyes of God the Father. Jesus unlike Aaron offered His own blood on the actual altar in heaven to cleanse all of His people from the sin that would doom us into spending an eternity apart from God’s presence and life flourishing worship. Jesus unlike Aaron suffered outside the camp wholly offering Himself to suffer the just penalty of God’s law, the righteous for the unrighteous. Jesus and Jesus alone is the only one worth our time, souls, and worship.

For Christ, His Church and the Truth

LL

 Any old school gospel fans out there? I’m talking the Hawkins Fam, the Winans, (no not B.B. or C.C.) vintage Richard Smallwood, Rev. Milton Brunson and the Thompson Community Choir and of course the original Commissioned? When I got saved back in the early 80’s they began to dominate the gospel scene. Teens and young adults loved to hear gospel music that actually sounded like it was written in and recorded in 1980 rather than 1950. As time wore on these groups changed and faded, but their sound was indelibly impressed on my mind and heart.
A few years ago one of my favorites, Commissioned did a reunion tour which brought them to Philly. I convinced my teen-age son to join me in my journey back to old school and thus with great anticipation we trekked down to Temple U’s campus for an evening of 80’s contemporary gospel. Though I wasn’t disappointed by much of what Commissioned sang, I was saddened and then concerned with the whole atmosphere of the ‘worship’ experience. I expected the usual lineup of opening acts, but was struck by the single minded theme of our ‘worship’. Every group exhorted, demanded, cajoled and otherwise instructed the audience to act on faith, speak those things and jump up and grab our breakthrough. Everyone seemed convinced that if we just jumped high enough, shouted loud enough and claimed repeatedly enough that evening that three things would happen the following morning: 1) We’d get a phone call from our bank informing us that through some ‘strange’ accounting error our overdrawn account now had exceedingly more than enough to pay off all our bills and take that winter vacation we’ve always dreamed of, 2) a second call from our doctor would inform us that whatever disease or illness they found had ‘mysteriously’ disappeared and that we’re now completely healthy, 3) a third call from our children would bring the wonderful news that they finally decided to reject the world, give their lives to Christ and would pick us up for Sunday School this coming Lord’s Day!

Please understand that I’m not making fun of the very real and present trials and difficulties the saints face in our journey from this world to the next. I especially don’t want to minimize or trivialize the added dimension that trouble plays in the lives of minority people groups. All of us struggle with issues of debt, illness, unsaved loved ones and a myriad of other troubles associated with being human in a fallen, broken world. On top of that there is still the persistent reality that Black and Hispanic folks live in a racialized society. That is not to say that we live in an overtly racist society. It simply acknowledges the fact that America as with all societies skews its economic, emotional, physical and social benefits toward the dominant group. Add to that the temptation of every people group to only concentrate on those aspects of God that serve the interests of the group and its easy to see how neo-Black liberal theology has recast Biblical worship into a self-serving blessing fest. Thus we, not God have become the object of worship. Our issues, wants and whims become the reason to gather and offer praise. Such an attitude is captured in the popular song by Fred Hammond entitled ‘Let the Praise Begin’

“Here we are Let's get on one accord
Leave all your problems on the outside
To be consumed with the Holy Ghost fire
Open up your mouth and lift the name of Jesus higher, say
Are you ready for your blessing? (are ya ready)
Are you ready for your miracle?
For the chains that come from the enemy Are utterly destroyed when the praises ring, hey hey(my italics)

Note how the theme of the song (and consequently the theme of much of the ‘worship’ of neo-Black liberal theology) views worship as a way of manipulating God to release His miraculous blessings to those who will demonstrate their faith with exuberant, expressive praise. Fred assures us that the chains the come from the enemy (elsewhere identified as sickness, disease, poverty etc.) are destroyed when we worship with sincere, enthusiastic faith. It should be no wonder why these attitudes have come to dominate the ‘worship’ of neo-Black liberal theology and by extension the contemporary Black church, for worship is an intrinsically theological activity. What one believes about God, salvation, Jesus Christ, mankind and the Person and ministry of the Holy Spirit will be evidently featured in worship.

Consequently, Biblically driven churches must highlight biblically driven worship as one of the genuine marks of the church. The obvious reason for this view of worship is that it grounds and focuses our worship on the character and nature of God while emphasizing the Person and work of Jesus Christ. Biblically driven worship is preoccupied with keeping God, not people as the object and center of worship. Adopting a Biblically driven doxology frees our worship from becoming captive to culturally derived agendas. Since worship is not about pleasing ourselves or primarily affirming our humanity we are free to focus our minds on heartfelt worship that truly brings glory to God. In Biblically driven worship each element of worship is taken directly from what Scripture either directly prescribes or positively describes concerning worship. Keeping worship on track with Scriptural guidelines prevents us from adding extraneous and non-biblical elements into worship just because they move our emotions or excite our culture. This does not mean that Biblically driven worship fits into one particular cultural pattern. Multi-page bulletins, beginning with one hymn, one hour long services and emotional restraint may characterize one expression of Biblically driven worship, but it is not the mandate or the norm for all Biblically driven worship. It would be unbiblical, silly and just plain culturally arrogant for anyone or any group to mandate that people from all ethnic groups express true Biblical worship the exact same way.

Worship is our supreme privilege and sacred responsibility. Gathering before our living God on the Lord's Day is the one time of the week when we get the opportunity to extol, praise, adore, proclaim and stand in utter awe of His grace, beauty, sovereignty, holiness, power, presence, knowledge, love and salvation in and through His eternal Son Jesus Christ. How sacrilegious to turn His prime time into our blab and grab time. Brothers and sisters we just cannot sit back and allow part of the church to commend to our people and our communities that God is merely the means to our own selfish ends. That like some wishy-washy parent He'll finally relent and give us what we really want (which has little or nothing to do with Him) if only we beg hard and ecstatically enough. Worship ought to be the highlight of our week not because when the 'praises go up the blessings come down' but because the ultimate blessing has come in the Person of Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus has freed us from our sins and restored us to the purpose of our creation which is to love, adore and worship Him who lives forever. Worship is the time when the people of God are granted a glimpse into the age to come as together we sing the song of our souls gratefully, humbly and yes Lord willing loudly proclaiming "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.

By the grace of God may our worship reflect the spirit of heaven as our hearts and minds are fixed and focused on declaring the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His wonderful light.

For Christ, the Church and the Truth
LL