Fall Kickoff – August 3 at 6p.

A letter from Abby Prichard

Why We Love the Church (by Robert Ward)

“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:18-19                                                                                                

This exchange between Jesus and Peter is one of the most remarkable moments in the gospels. In one statement, Christ established the Church, declared its foundation (Himself), assured its invincibility, and gave its members authority. Decades later, Peter would write, “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, ‘Behold, I lay in Zion, a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.’” (1 Peter 2:4-6)

 The Church is the Body of Christ. “Body” is the most common and precious term for the church. It is a New Testament word that has no Old Testament equivalent because the church was an original creation for New Covenant believers. We are part of the “mystery which for ages has been hidden…” (Ephesians 3:9). Until the end of the age, we have been created to be Christ’s Body on earth – His mouth and arms and feet and hands (see 1 Corinthians 12:14-26). We are the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 1:23). He even said that we would do greater works than He (John 14:12).

 The purpose of the church’s existence is found in Ephesians 3:10-11: “That the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord…” In other words, the church fulfills God’s eternal purpose of glorifying Himself through the Son in this world and even to the angels. That is why Paul prayed that we would be filled with all of God’s fullness (Ephesians 3:19; 1:23) – so that we would bring Him glory as Christ’s fullness on earth.  

Active membership in the local church literally permeates Scripture (Acts 2:38-47; 5:14; 6:5; 8:1; 9:26; 14:23; 15:17; 16:5; 18:27; 20:17; 1 Corinthians 5:4; 14:23; Hebrews 10:25). It is clear that it was not optional to these early believers. In fact, the importance of belonging to other believers is perhaps seen most vividly in their commitment to it even in the midst of increased persecution. 

My heart is simply full of praise to God for His divine plan of redemption carried out by and through the ministry of the local church. I love the church – the worldwide church, yes, but especially the local church. Unfortunately, since the mid-20^th century, each generation has seen a decline in commitment to it. Faithfulness to the church has become viewed as optional – even loathsome (just check statistics by the Barna Group or read books like, “They Like Jesus but Not the Church” and “Unchristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity”). Many who profess faith in Christ today see the Gospel by which they are saved only in personal terms. They view their walk with Christ as an independent venture instead of in connection with other believers through the local church. How unfitting, considering that “Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her…that He might present to Himself a glorious church, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” (Ephesians 5:26-27)

I have been greatly blessed recently by reading and listening to messages by Dr. Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. He also heads up Nine Marks, a ministry seeking “to help local church pastors and leaders in the discovery and application of the biblical priorities that cultivate health and holiness in the local church” (check out his book “Nine Marks of a Healthy Church”). His writings and sermons have helped to clarify some faith-building understandings in my mind about the Biblical authority and sanctity of the local church.  In a recent sermon, Dr. Dever addressed this increasingly popular view that commitment to the local church is unnecessary. He said, “This destroys discipleship and severely limits the Gospel’s effectiveness. This neglect of the church is demonstrated at the expense of Christ’s own command and our own spiritual health. Our participation in the local church normally validates or falsifies our claim to trust in Christ.” We are, after all, “the church of God, which He has purchased with His own blood.” (Acts 20:28) We have been bought with “the precious blood of Christ.” (1 Peter 1:19) The church is that dear and costly to God. 

It is in the church that we demonstrate the unity that Christ prayed for in John 17 and affirm our love for the brethren that John wrote is essential for genuine faith to exist (1 John 4:20-21). Furthermore, it is in the church that our spiritual gifts are intended to be used. It is clear from Ephesians 4:7-16 that the primary purpose of spiritual gifts is to serve the church (see also 1 Peter 4:7-11).

We learn from these and other passages that fundamental commitment to one local church is necessary for spiritual maturity. Again from Dever: “Giving ourselves to the local church means (submitting to) pastoral authority, preaching of the Gospel, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and obedience to the commands and statutes of Christ.” It is our responsibility to Christ and one another to share the Gospel with the world, and that is displayed through the local church.  Nowhere in the Scriptures is there support for the common practice of “church-hopping” or unwillingness to remain consistently invested in one local church. The purpose of the church is not to have inconsistent relationships but deep, intentional ones where we are accountable to one another. The church was created as a Bride for Christ as the Body that would receive His love, grace, and riches lavished upon her. As Dr. Dever put it, we are “not a collection of individual lights, but a furnace that rages against the dark and creates more lights.”

That is all for now, but I know in my heart there are some implications here for the Worship Ministry. We will get into those in the coming weeks. What does this stir in your heart? How zealous is your love for our local church? Does this have added weight for us as worship leaders?

I am looking forward to this weekend’s worship and the remainder of the Christmas season.    

Be blessed!

Thanksgiving by Robert Ward

The preparation for the Thanksgiving holiday next week and the upcoming featured song for Sunday services, “When I Don’t Know What to Do,” have led me to meditate in the last few days on what it means to be thankful. Thanksgiving has been defined as a spirit of gratitude to someone for something they have done. It begins as an attitude but must be expressed in action (paraphrased from a book by Don McMinn, “The Practice of Praise”). Paul wrote that since we have received Christ Jesus, we should also walk in Him and be “overflowing with gratitude.” (Colossians 2:7) Thanksgiving is a prerequisite for worshiping the Lord (Psalm 100:4). It is the key to answered prayer (Philippians 4:6). It is linked to knowing true peace and being filled and renewed by the word of Christ (Colossians 3:15-16). And, it is the will of God (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Thanksgiving is that important to God.

A spirit of thanksgiving is essential because it reflects humility, and a humble heart allows us to draw near to God, for “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6). Ultimately, it is the humble person that pleases God because gratitude is empty of pride. The two cannot coexist.

Thanksgiving is not only an attitude. It is completed in its expression. Our Pastor calls it the hem on a garment. One might wear the most charming apparel, but without hemming, it is incomplete and unsightly. True thanksgiving expresses itself in action. Consider some lessons from Luke 17. You will remember from that chapter the account of the ten lepers who were healed by Jesus. They begged Him for mercy, and upon His word, they went to show themselves to the priest. As they were going, they were healed, but only one, a Samaritan, returned to thank Jesus and glorify God. Our Lord recognized the man’s faith and said, “Your faith has saved you.” All ten experienced the outward miracle, but it was only the grateful man who received a new heart.

We learn from Luke 17 several lessons:

Obedience and answered prayer are completed by thanksgiving/It is more than an attitude – it must be expressed/Gratitude is the prelude to praise and worship/It effects a disposition of humility/Our needs initially bring us to Jesus, but thanksgiving brings us back to Jesus/The intensity of our need determines that of our praise/Jesus anticipates and receives our gratitude/It allows us to savor and enjoy the touch of God on our lives/Gratitude produces a testimony and motivates us for the journey.

These are the lessons on which I am meditating these days. I will be thinking about them as we lead worship Sunday and sing, “When I don’t know what to do, I’ll lift my hands. When I don’t know what to say, I’ll speak Your praise. When I don’t know where to go, I’ll run to Your throne. When I don’t know what to think, I’ll stand on Your truth.” The point of all this is that being obedient and thankful to God puts us in a place of blessing. Humble submission to God leads to blessing leading to more obedience which leads to more blessing and on and on. It builds on itself.

One other thought comes to mind about Thanksgiving, too. We are a people blessed beyond measure. The world has viewed the past year with fear and anxiety, but this is not the case for the people of God. This Thanksgiving, I am thinking about how faithful God has been to me and this church. He has blessed, and it should make us want to be even greater givers. Remember this: Every time we invest in ministry – in eternal things – God makes provision and provides more than enough.

Pastor John Piper recently preached a message on John 6 (Jesus feeding the thousands, walking on water and getting into the boat with the disciples). He made this application:

“As you pour yourself out in ministry at home, in the work place, and at church (and yes, I am calling it all ministry), there will be a basket left over for you. Twelve apostles, twelve baskets full. You give, He supplies. And as you are overtaken by storms in his service, He comes to you and gets in the boat with you, and sees to it that you get to your appointed haven. Because of these promises—to give us what we need, especially Himself—we can be very generous, and we can risk many storms. Generous and risk-taking as a church – generous and risk-taking as givers to the church.”

My conviction is this: I don’t want to keep material possessions for myself. I want to keep giving. I want you to keep giving. I want to stay out of the self-preservation mode. For myself and for you, I want to keep giving away and trust God to meet my, your, our needs.

May it be said of us.

“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.”  2 Corinthians 9:8