January 22, 2014
Addressing the Issues
Many congregations have
annual meetings where they allow members to submit questions to the board of
elders and deacons. More often than not the questions have to do with music,
ambiance, facilities, and the direction of the church. On the bright side, the
lack of any theological questions probably indicates the church teaching and
preaching is on a firm foundation Biblically. I’m sure the church leaders get weary of such
topics as the hymn vs. praise songs controversy, but the reality is that these types
of issues are not new, nor are they going away. Even in the early church, “…the
Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their
widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.” (Acts 6:1 NIV)
Not a very spiritually thought provoking issue, but none the less, an issue
that was important to church members.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Gail;
-----I might be off my rocker, but I see history in Rev 2:4-5, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place, unless you repent.” I would love a nickel for every time I’ve heard that “the love you had at first” was the keetchy-keetchy-koo feelings you first get when accepting the Lord and all the blissful, peaceful emotions and, well, the mystical wonderment felt from not knowing beans about anything else of the new life thing. I would think that if such were the lofty spirituality to which the Ephesian church had risen - keetchy-keetchy-koo-ness - then maybe I Cor 3:1b-2a, “…as babes in Christ, I fed you with milk, not solid food; for you were not ready for it…” and Hebrews 5:12b-14, “You need milk, not solid food; for every one who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil,” are off their rockers with me. I hear somebody telling us to move beyond that newborn experience unto maturity. “…the love you had at first?” I’m not so sure.
-----When I read Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, I certainly get the impression that he is writing to a pretty mature group of folks. He did not cease to give thanks for hearing of their faith and their love for all the saints. And so his prayer was that God give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation in knowledge of Him. And his letter was thereafter packed with wonders about the new life and the Lord of it. I believe the Ephesians had their “faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil,” and were eating some solid meat. I believe "practice" is doing good to all men, especially those of the household of faith, i.e. the real practice of righteousness. The New Testament is more replete in encouragement and instructions for treating people right than it is in theological details.
-----I don’t think that means doctrinal issues are non-issues. Paul, John, Jude, and Peter make strong calls to contend for the faith and hold to the doctrines as they were taught. But as the first century turned into the second, doctrinal insistences had become bizarre. For instance, detailed instructions were being given for baptizing properly in spite of the fact that Philip was in no way corrective of the Ethiopian eunuch shouting, “There’s water! Get me wet!” It seems everything at that time came with instructions, including what to think about the Lord and the Word.
-----The rest of history shows a church never really returning to the works they first did, teaching and training how to treat other folks right. Instead, they wound up burning each other at the freaking stakes! Indeed, the Lord removed their lamp stand from its place (note carefully, He did not remove it from THEM, but from ITS PLACE.) Leaders have ever since been lording it over the congregations, teaching them reclusive, doctrinal greed. If the church had in any way come back to its first works, the leaders would know the styles of music and other esthetics which stir the souls IN THEIR CONGREGATIONS unto godliness and commitment. Thus, those very styles would be tremendously important to the leaders. If there were any arguments about them, they would be about how to deliver them, rather than about what the leaders think “believers” really ought to like, and why, and how. Jesus inspires no elitism, as His letter to Laodicea reveals.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
Post a Comment