As I sat in my office this morning, reflecting upon what transpired this weekend, a few things ruminating in my fried brain resurfaced as I already start to plan for this Sunday, as well as our Christmas Eve service.
This Friday, Christina (my wife) & I took our neighbors out for dinner (the bait), and then went to Lethbridge's annual Christmas drama/musical at the largest church in the city. To say the least, the production was excellent. Their choir alone has more members than the church I pastor! Great musicians, great soloists, great lighting, great directing. I watched as our guests were delightfully tapping their feet to the beat of the songs, obviously enjoying themselves.
Now I confess, as a believer, I absolutely loved the play. There was a ton of Scripture referenced, along with much, much praise & glory given to God for His wise plan in sending His Son to the earth to 'make things right.' I was constantly dropping amens (even vocally) as Christ was adored for His rescue mission of humanity.
However, by the end of the play, I couldn't help but feel uneasy that one major aspect of the gospel was completely neglected. Now I am in no way insinuating that this was intentional, as if the director said, "let's leave the sin part out this time." However, I believe that the majority of modern, contemporary preaching has so omitted the truths of sin & repentance that such sin-less, law-less, & repentance-less "preaching" has become the norm. I can only hope that there were more dissatisfied Christians who likewise noted (and were troubled by) this gaping hole in this 'gospel' presentation. Unfortunately, I am quite positive many Christians left satisfied that their unbelieving acquaintances left having heard "the old, old story." Perhaps this is because they themselves have become accustomed to a form of preaching that seeks more to tickle ears than convict hearts.
Now I know that the Bible says that I must preach the gospel to our unbelieving friends & neighbors; I can't simply hand my duty off to others, nor relegate the great commission of Jesus to professionals, something which most North American Christians are content to do.
However, I must confess my disappointment in knowing that somewhere around 5000 people will have attended this Christmas program without having heard the true gospel message.
A few Scriptures that come to mind are:
"And when He [the Holy Spirit] comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment" (John 16:8). As offensive as these three words are, they are essential to a faithful, accurate presentation of the gospel. For the Spirit to work effectually, He needs the full gospel to accomplish His ministry fully.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). I know no one loves to hear the "H" word, but faithful preachers throughout redemptive history have always warned their hearers of "the wrath to come" (Matthew 3:7; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2:16). Though it doesn't tickle ears, the reality of Hell doesn't change if we don't preach it.
Those who are unbelievers are "dead in [their] trespasses and sins", under the sway "of this world", who "follow the prince of the power of the air", since they are "by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind" (Ephesians 2:1-3).
That all those who are not "in Christ" by faith do so because they actively "suppress the truth [of God] in their unrighteousness", and consequently "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against them" (Romans 1:18).
That "the whole world is accountable to God" for their lawless living (Romans 3:19). Thus, the law is preached since, "through the law comes a knowledge of sin" (3:20).
Why so dire? Because for sinners to actually be saved we need to hear the message of repentance. But sinners will never repent if they believe that they are "OK" with God, even though they are "condemned already" (John 3:18) for rejecting His only Son. This is the pattern of preaching we see in the Book of Acts, and it is unfortunate to see how the church has deviated from this Spirit-inspired model of what faithful preaching & ministry is to look like. It's simple: Peter preached to his hearers that they were guilty, helpless & vile. Their response, under Holy-Spirit-inspired conviction of sin, righteousness & judgment: "What shall we do?" Peter's solution is the 2nd half of the gospel: "Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the Name of the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).
I know that one will try to defend the production by saying that it's only an hour long, and the purpose is to show people why Christ's coming is good news. But my retort is this: why is Christ's coming good news if I'm already "OK" with God - I'm trying my best, am a decent guy, and am definitely not as bad as the guy down the street. We must always remember that Romans 1:16 is in the context of verses 17 & 18-32.
My final "gleaning" from last Friday night was what Paul enunciated in Romans 10, namely the necessity of "preaching" for sinners to be converted. The play was 45 minutes, and I confess I don't believe the gospel was fully presented (even if it was, the words were hard to make out as the music simply overpowered whatever 'message' there was). However, when the pastor came up to speak, it seemed like the audience's awareness became more acute, as if they sensed something special was going to take place. Unfortunately, something special did not take place. With 1000 captive listeners, "good news" was alluded to, but in my opinion, the Good News was not preached (see verses above).
My prayer: God give me humility to not be critical in a proud way; at the same time, give me the same humility to not worry if I offend my brothers & sisters in Christ for calling them out on what I believe was a lost opportunity. My prayer is that this church would endeavor to make the necessary changes for next year's production. However, let us remember that Jesus Christ is coming like a thief in the night; we may not see next year's production.
Jesus, give me the grace to preach the whole council of God & to not shy away from the message that got You crucified. You have not called me to be popular, or to entertain the masses, but to join You in Your journey to the cross, begging sinners to likewise "deny self, take up cross, and follow You to glory."
For Christ, and His glory to the end of the earth (Lethbridge included),
Pastor Ryan
Ryan Case,
ReplyDeleteThought-provoking post, yes indeed. I have but a few questions for you and hope that you will take the time to answer in a comment.
1 – What was you prime motive for being at our musical?
A Was it to, in some way minister to other congregants?
B Was it to be ministered to?
C Was it to see how you were able to grade the work of another church.
2 – Are you fully aware as to why our dramas / musicals were put forth?
A Do you know what our motive is in putting on such an event?
B Do you know what our goals were?
C Are you supposing that all the people there had never heard about God’s impeding judgment on them while remaining in a sinful and lawless state?
3 – Are you (and I strongly sense this) suggesting that unless every congregant (or individual coming) has been regenerated you cannot move on from preaching sin & the law?
Hi Randy,
ReplyDeleteI was afraid I came across as some kind of self-righteous know-it-all who came to critique the play. I attended last year's production, and had nothing but praise for every part of it. Ian's talk after was excellent, and the I enjoyed the song's as well as their content. So to answer your first question, I definitely did not come to "grade" or judge the performance. I came to be blessed, which I was. However, I as I mentioned, I was somewhat disappointed with the lack of gospel clarity, as non-Christians who attended may have left feeling "OK" with God, and that somehow God was "OK" with them, despite the fact they are in a state of unrepentant rejection of Him.
2. I am not fully aware of the precise purposes of putting on the play. However, I would assume that the two main reasons are to edify believers, as well as to reach out to unbelievers (this is perhaps the main reason, since the displays set up conveyed this). A third reason may be to attract other Christians who are dissatisfied with their church to begin attending E-free.
3. We never move on from preaching the gospel of Christ, which is composed of preaching against sin. I would never suggest that we "move on" from the gospel. Tim Keller says that the gospel is not merely the "ABC's of the Christian's walk, but the A-to-Z". Paul preached to both believers & unbelievers in Corinth, and yet he could resolutely declare that he "decided to know [i.e. preach] nothing among them except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." I was greatly encouraged that the production took us to the cross. But we need to remember that to the unbeliever, or even false believer, they just assume that because Jesus died on the cross that they're OK. As most evangelicals note, preaching the gospel also calls forth for a decision. Facts don't save us; repentance towards God & faith in Jesus Christ do.
I hope this has clarified some of my sentiments & statements. Please know that we prayed MUCH for this production, and that we as a church pray much for E-Free, as we know the huge influence you have on Lethbridge. I'm just saying that, as a believer who loves the gospel, I was somewhat disappointed, and hope that next year this essential component of the good news will not be left out, minimized, or trivialized. I long for people to be saved. But I also know that they cannot be saved unless they hear the true gospel.
Your co-worker & co-laborer for the gospel,
Ryan Case
One thing we always stress at Grace Community is that the gospel is just as much for believers as unbelievers.
ReplyDeleteAs regarding omitting the offense of the cross, Alistair Begg says, "A half gospel produces a half Christian, which is really no Christian at all." This is a serious problem w/in North American "Christianity". We have a ton of goats assuming they're sheep. I honestly fear that many will hear the dreaded words of our Lord in Matthew 7:21.
If Hell is real (and the Bible makes it clear that it is), then not telling people about it is akin to hating them. Our Lord tells us to love others as we love ourselves. Augustine says that the most loving thing we can do for people is preach to them the true gospel. May the Spirit empower us with love as Christ loves!
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned in your comment that, “I definitely did not come to "grade" or judge the performance. I came to be blessed, which I was.”
How could you have been blessed if what was missed at the drama / musical was the ‘true’ gospel as you put it? Could you elaborate on the blessings you received a little more?
You also mentioned, “We never move on from preaching the gospel of Christ, which is composed of preaching against sin. I would never suggest that we "move on" from the gospel.” I agree with you 100%. However, I am not sure if you understood my question correctly. My question to you was, “are you suggesting that unless every congregant or individual coming has been regenerated you cannot move on from preaching sin & the law?” One has to understand that the grace and mercy of God and the disciplines thereof are just as much gospel if not more so then sin and the law, - which is really not a gospel/good news at all! Sin and law are in a sense, ‘bad news’ and the gospel of Salvation through the finished and redemptive work for all mankind through the will of God is the good news!
Ryan, I sense that you need to come to terms and understand that people come to church not so much because they have not or do not understand their sinful state, everyone voluntarily coming into the four walls of any church has heard somewhere about their sinfulness and the law. If you don’t agree with me on this, start asking people who dare to step into church buildings. In saying this I am not saying that sin and the law should not be preached on, off course it should be! But what people come to church for is for a message of hope, forgiveness, and peace. Something they have found out their ‘sinful world’ could not possibly offer them.
Till next time,
Randy
(Part 1)
ReplyDeleteHi Randy,
I was blessed in as much as components of the gospel were touched on, such as God's love shown to us in sending us His Son. However, I would have been even more blessed if ALL the components of the gospel were touched on, what you would call the "bad news" of the Good News. Moreover, unbelievers need to hear the whole gospel, not just half of it. Unless a man realizes he is drowning, he will never reach for the life preserver that has been thrown out to him. If a man is not told that he has cancer, he will never seek the remedy or treatments that will cure him. So it is with the gospel. One will not truly come to Jesus unless they have come to an understanding of their true need of Him. Jesus ultimately came to die as a propitiation in place of sinners! This means that He became the atoning sacrifice that absorbed the wrath of God for MY sins, for MY transgressions. But until I repent of my sins, believing that in MY place He stood condemned, all the "good news" of joy & love & 'peace' that a church offers me is a counterfeit defined more by our feel-good culture than the Word of God.
Randy, I am not implying that the entire message needs to be a treatise on what you call "law & sin." However, I am saying that in EVERY faithful presentation of the gospel, it MUST be clearly articulated & understood by the hearer for them to truly be converted. When I read Paul's letters, which are written primarily for Christians, he ALWAYS touches upon things like sin & what Christ has done for them, and then correspondingly how they are to live in light of God's grace. In fact, I can't think of a single NT letter that does not clearly deal with sin, whether of our sins as unbelievers before we came to Christ, or our sins that we need to put to death by the Spirit. So my answer is: irrespective of whether everyone is regenerated or not, ALL people need to be continually reminded of the devastating effects of OUR sin, how God sees it, what God has done to take care of it, and finally how we are to respond in turn. Unbelievers are called to repent of their sin & be justified by faith. Believers are likewise called to repent of their sin & be sanctified by faith. By the way, when the true Christian hears the 'bad news', he is refreshed & reminded of God's mercy upon him personally as a dead sinner. The result, praising God for the glory of His grace! I have no problem being "reminded" of who I was & what I had done before I was saved. Paul does this very thing in Ephesians 2, which in light of Ephesians 1, is reminder of God's sovereign grace to save an undeserving, dead-in-sins, God-hating transgressor. The whole gospel is to be preached EVERY time, regardless of whether the audience is composed of believers, unbelievers, or both....
(Part 2)
ReplyDeleteRandy, to be honest, I'm not really concerned about why people come to church as much as what God calls us to preach to all sinners. The reason the North American church is in the state it is is b/c we are more concerned about the "felt needs" of sinners rather than their true need, that is to believe the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Most churches are seeker sensitive, and seek to merely fill their auditoriums with goats rather than sheep. God says their is one seeker, namely Christ. If we are going to be seeker sensitive, let's make sure we are seeking to pleasing in His sight alone. Remember that many came seeking Jesus, but when they heard the demands of the gospel, they left b/c His message was not palatable. Jesus came not merely to bring peace, but division. He let the rich young ruler go his way when he refused to come to Jesus on His terms. He let the masses go away in John 6 when His message was composed of some 'bad news'. Jesus promised that the world is going to hate us the same way it hated Him. Why in the world would the world ever hate us for coddling them in their sin & giving them the kind of "jesus" they can fashion in their own image. No, the kind of preaching that gets apostles stoned & our early church fathers martyred is the preaching that says Jesus ALONE saves SINNERS from their sins, WHEN they repent of the idols that captivate them, believing that Jesus died a horrible death which they deserved, absorbing the wrath of God for THEIR sins.
The Mormons offer seekers all kinds of things that the world can't. Ultimately, people don't need better families, a message of "hope" (they actually promise us a plantet & god-hood), & even "peace". But let us remember that even the false prophets under the old covenant offered their listeners "peace." Unfortunately, it was cheap peace that let them live in their unrepentant state while claiming all the 'benefits' of YHWH. Jeremiah says that such false prophets have "healed the people's wound lightly" (6:14). Jeremiah says something that we need to hear: there is no peace for such people (8:11). Or, as Isaiah so warmly puts it, "there is NO peace for the wicked says YHWH" (48:22; cf. 57:21; 59:8; Jer. 8:15; 12:12; 14:19; 30:5; Eze. 13:10,16). There is nothing new under the sun.
Randy, the sinful world offers all kinds of things that the "natural person" (1 Cor. 2) naturally prefers to the things of God. The things of God are foolishness to them (1 Cor. 1 & 2). Unless the Holy Spirit regenerates them & gives them eyes to see & ears to hear & a new heart to prefer what the true Christ really offers, they will 10 out of 10 times reject it, because the Bible says they hate God & His Christ (Rom. 8:7). So we preach the full gospel, believing that THIS is what the Spirit uses to grant the new birth, bringing with it true faith & repentance, and thus true salvation (including true peace, hope, love, etc.).
I know it sounds like such a message is harsh. But when I read the entire Bible, it seems consistent with what God has written.
Joel Osteen fills his building b/c he too offers his congregants all kinds of secrets that the world cannot give them in full.
But the true Jesus makes His abode only in the repenting-of-sin heart.
I hope this helps, Randy. Please forgive if the tone comes across harsh. No matter how one deals with the concepts of sin & wrath & repentance, it always comes across as unloving, which is why so many churches & Christians avoid such talk.
In Christ, & for His supreme glory alone,
Ryan Case
Randy,
ReplyDeleteTo clarify something that may have been overlooked: I am in no ways trashing E-Free as a whole. I am just saying that on the Friday night we went to the production, I believe the true gospel was not preached.
I am not inferring this is the norm. I have listened to sermons online by Pastor Ian, and he is solid, and the true & full gospel was preached by him, as he accurately handled the text in context of the entire Bible. I have heard pastor Steve preach 'live', and was truly blessed as he preached through Noah's flood, dealing with uncomfortable words like wrath & Hell.
I have many, many solid Christian friends that attend E-Free, and know they love Christ & His gospel.
In fact, I have no problem encouraging people to attend E-Free, as I believe that they will hear the gospel presented faithfully from the pulpit on a regular basis.
As I said, this time I attended, it was not faithfully presented at what I believe was primarily an outreach event. And for this I was disappointed with E-Free (this one time).
Hope this reveals my heart in the matter a little better.
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your comments. I strongly sense that you are on fire for the King and that is awesome!
You mentioned saying, “I’m not really concerned about why people come to church as much as what God calls us to preach to all sinners.”
I don’t agree with you on this point, as a matter of fact, I strongly disagree with you. I personally believe that one must show care and concern for the people that come into our lives (church service for example) just as much as one intends to carry out God’s call of our lives.
I choose to model my life after Christ, not Paul, not Peter, or any one of the disciples or apostles, church fathers or any theologian past or present.
In Jesus Christ we see love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, righteousness, etc. displayed when people came to him HAVING recognized their spiritual need. Now, these people recognized their spiritual needs… BEFORE they came to him. We have many people coming to our churches in America, people who have recognized their spiritual needs and are not getting their spiritual “fill” due to preachers being overly occupied doing only what they believe God calls them to preach. I believe that North American Preachers including you Ryan, need to get themselves in sync with God and preach not only what they feel God calls them to preach, but actually “PREACH THE HEART OF GOD”, sin, law, justice, righteousness, truth, mercy, grace, forgiveness, EVERYTHING in its timing.
When I read the scriptures I see Jesus Christ being just as concerned & sensitive to the needs of the people (whatever they were, including pointing out sin) as he was to the divine will of God. I can certainly learn from his example. So when you say that “…you are not really concerned about why people come to church as much as what God calls you to preach to all sinners”, I am questioning you on how synced you are with God, his plan for your life personally, his plan for your family, ministry & church.
Part 1
ReplyDeleteRandy,
The danger of carrying out a "conversion" via blogs, Facebook, or YouTube is that often the both sides get caricatured, as often we pick apart one aspect of the other party, and often are guilty of reducing our argument to one major point.
In focusing on the absence of the preaching of sin & repentance, I believe you have pigeon-holed me as a Hellfire/brimstone preacher that is imbalanced on the other side of the fence, namely preaching exclusively on the wrath & holiness of God while neglecting His other perfect attributes, such as steadfast love, mercy, grace & compassion.
I can assure you that I agree 100% that we are to "show concern for the people that come into our lives". We are to be friendly, caring, loving, gracious, and accepting of those whom God brings into our lives & churches.
However, as I have heard quoted by both Christians & even atheists, "how much do we have to hate somebody to not tell them about Hell, when Christ has made possible for sinners to be saved & forgiven?" I believe that truly showing care & concern for people is by telling the WHOLE truth, that is, that God both loves sinners and hates sinners. The two are balanced throughout the Scriptures, and so I believe that we need to preach both. The beauty is that the gospel, especially as articulated by Paul in Romans brings despair to the sinner, but also hope to the same sinner. That's what Paul does; for example, read the balance as he works through Romans 1-3, climaxing at 3:21-26, where we see that those who are guilty can justly be forgiven by a holy God. Paul preaches both God's wrath on sinners (1:18ff.), as well as His tender grace (e.g. 3:24). Why is a "propitiation" (NIV mistranslates as "an atoning sacrifice") needed in 3:25? Because in God's holiness sin must be punished. And all sin will one day be punished: either on Christ when He as the divine sin-bearing, wrath-of-God-absorbing (definition of "propitiation") became sin for His people (Isa. 53; 2 Cor. 5:21), OR, sin will be punished upon the unrepentant sinner in Hell for ever. How much does a doctor have to hate his cancer-inflicted patient to beat around the bush & not tell him his deathly diagnosis? Will that patient ask for cancer-treatment unless he is told he has cancer? As much as the doctor coddled the patient, to not tell him of his plight would be tantamount to hatred of the worst kind.
Randy, you are right when you say that people will only come to Jesus when they recognize their need. I also agree with you that we have a different view as to HOW they come to realize this need, which ultimately is b/c we have a differing definition of what their need is. Above all, they need their sins forgiven to be reconciled to a holy God. THIS is why Jesus came. Sin separates us from God. We were made for fellowship w/ Him. Sin is our greatest dilemma, & to not preach what the Bible clearly teaches is selling a false bill of goods....
Part 2
ReplyDelete...Jesus did not come ultimately to make us feel better about ourselves or to give us an example of how to live a good life (though of course the gospel does touch on these things). Jesus ultimately came into the world to die for the sins of His people.
Also, Randy, I don't think you've ever heard me preach. I preach expositionally, which means I preach verse by verse through books of the Bible, which prevents me from focusing on hobby horses (as is often common on blogs, facebook, etc.). I assure you that I preach about God's love as much as His holiness. To preach the whole counsel of God is to preach "the heart of God." Again, by reducing my one blog post to portraying my entire ministry is not fair. I believe that by preaching from the OT, the gospels, the epistles prevents unhealthy imbalances.
Finally, if I had a dollar for every time someone responded to a quote I used from a theologian of the past with, "I follow Jesus not men", I'd be rich. Unfortunately, Randy, what you don't realize is that even you have learned presuppositions from influences such as the church you grew up in, the parents who raised you, or friends you've been acquainted with. When I read your posts, you sound like 90% of North American Christians. I can assure you, that along with my quotes of faithful men of the past, I have quoted much Scripture, something you have neglected to do. I can assure you that I follow Christ, the Christ who preached both lovingly & harshly (see for e.g. John 6; Luke 14; Matt. 23). As to imitating Paul, read 1 Cor. 11:1; Phil. 3:17.
In closing, I do not deny that Jesus was "concerned & sensitive to the needs of people". To do so would contradict Scripture. However, we need to understand that His acts of mercy were ultimately to show Himself as the longed-for Messiah (e.g. His miracles prove He had inaugurated the Kingdom of God, thus confirming that the One who heals the sick & blind (Isa.35) is ultimately the One who does so soteriologically (Isa. 53). Our disagreement ultimately is on the definition of need. Most churches pander after "felt" needs, when ultimately, there is one: reconciliation w/ God Most High. This is the Good News Jesus gives us in the Gospel.
In Christ, and for His glory alone,
Pastor Ryan