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 Changing
the Mission of the Church
by Steve Klein
Charles Paul Conn tells of living in Atlanta several years ago. He'd
noticed a listing in the Yellow Pages for a restaurant called Church
of God Grill. Out of curiosity he dialed the number. Conn recalls
the phone conversation as follows:
A man answered with a cheery, "Hello! Church of God Grill!" I asked
how his restaurant had been given such an unusual name, and he told
me: "Well, we had a little mission down here, and we started selling
chicken dinners after church on Sunday to help pay the bills. Well,
people liked the chicken, and we did such a good business, that
eventually we cut back on the church service. After a while we just
closed down the church altogether and kept on serving the chicken
dinners. We kept the name we started with, and that's Church of God
Grill."
While this may be an extreme example, the Church of God Grill is not
much different from what a lot of other churches have done in
drifting away from God's purpose for the church. Examples could be
multiplied of churches that are mainly in the business of providing
day care, or health care, or shelter for the homeless, or recreation
for their members, or civic service for their community. Apparently,
many (if not most) think that it is the mission of the church to
meet every real and perceived human need and desire - that somehow
Christ died so we can have a basketball team, potluck dinners and a
Christian singles dating service.
If we just took the Scriptures and tried to determine what the
purpose and mission of the church is, what conclusion would we
reach? Notice what the church did or was to do in the following
passages:
The church supported the truth. 1 Timothy 3:15 speaks of "the house
of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground
of the truth."
The church spread the gospel. To the church at Thessalonica Paul
wrote, "For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not
only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith
toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything" (1
Thessalonians 1:8).
The church supported preachers to preach the gospel. The apostle
Paul commended the Philippian church in Philippians 4:15-16: "Now
you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when
I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning
giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent
aid once and again for my necessities." Elsewhere he said that he
took "wages" from churches to minister the gospel (2 Corinthians
11:8).
The church edified itself (built itself up) through worship and
teaching. Ephesians 4:15-16 informs us that when members speak the
"truth in love" and do their part in the work, it "causes growth of
the body for the edifying of itself in love." When it comes to the
worship assembly, Paul commands in 1 Corinthians 14:26 "Let all
things be done for edification." Notice that he didn't mention
anything being done for entertainment!
The church helped truly needy saints. Clearly the New Testament
church was not the worldwide relief organization that modern men
have made their churches out to be. The church helped some of its
own needy (cf. Romans 15:26), but it was not charged with the
mission of helping even all of them. In 1 Timothy 5:16, the
Scripture says, "If any believing man or woman has widows, let them
relieve them, and do not let the church be burdened, that it may
relieve those who are really widows."
Can we not see that the church has a mission that is spiritual? Her
purpose has been determined by the One who built her and gave His
life for her! Making money by selling chicken dinners may be a fine
endeavor for an individual to take on, but it is NOT the mission of
the church! May the path of the church...ever be guided by the
question, "Is this what God wants us to do?" ~
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How a Christians Defends
Himself by Mark Larson
Knowing self-defense may not, at first, seem all that important for
Christians to know. After all, Jesus commands: “... Resist not evil:
but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the
other also” (Mat. 5:39). Yet, Jesus is condemning personal
retaliation or revenge, not self-defense in this passage (cf. Luke
22:38).
However, the kind of self-defense that should be most important to
us as Christians is not the physical kind, but the spiritual kind:
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the
flesh” (2 Cor. 10:3, NASB). To “fight the good fight of faith” (1
Tim. 6:12) and face our persecutors victoriously, we must use
spiritual, not carnal means.
Christians who are living godly lives should expect to be persecuted
(2 Tim. 3:12). When, for example, false charges of evil are brought
against us or accusations are made against what we believe and
practice, we should know how to defend ourselves.
Thankfully, the Lord, through the apostle Peter, provides us with
the instructions we need to properly and effectively defend
ourselves from our persecutors: “... And do not fear their
intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in
your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who
asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with
gentleness (meekness – KJV) and reverence; and keep a good
conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those
who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame” (1 Pet.
3:14b-16).
“Sanctify Christ as Lord in Your Hearts”
First of all, Christians must “sanctify Christ as Lord in [their]
hearts.” This is the foundation to our “self-defense” as Christians.
No matter what the world may say about Christ (Note: the actual word
in the Greek text is Christos / Christ, not theos / God), Christ
remains holy and pure within the heart of Christians. Though others
may say Jesus was an imposter, a fraud, or merely a prophet, our
faith in Jesus as Christ the Lord is maintained. Christ is
“sanctified” within our heart, separate from the profane or sinful
comments and criticisms of our persecutors.
Christ is Lord in our hearts and thus the Lord of our lives. In
order to defeat the intimidation of men, total devotion to the Lord
is required (cf. Mat. 22:37). Christians who decide beforehand that
the Lord will determine what they will say or do will face no
uncertainty or confusion about what to do when persecuted.
Christians belong to the Lord and therefore submit to the Lord and
obey Him who is Master. Our loyalty lies first with Jesus Christ the
Lord who has been given all authority (Mat. 28:18).
We Are to Be Ready at All Times to Defend Ourselves.
Today, the need to defend what we believe and what we practice in
Christ is seen as unnecessary and even confrontational by many
religious groups. Instead of standing for the truth, many have given
in to secularism and the false teachings of society in order to get
along with the world. Rather than refute the false charges or debate
their persecutors, compromises are made in order to secure “peace”
and “unity.” Nevertheless, we are commanded to “make a defense” or
“give an answer” for the hope that is in us (1 Pet. 3:15). We have
an obligation to give a verbal defense, a reasoned statement or
argument in response to the charges of our persecutors!
Such readiness to answer our persecutors is not meant to be an
occasional preparation in which we speak up only when we are really
“fired up” or upset about an issue. Instead, we are to be ready at
all times. “... Always being ready to make a defense...” (1 Pet.
3:15). This requires prayer and a steadfast commitment to Bible
study (Eph. 6:17-18; 5:17; 2 Tim. 2:15). Furthermore, we are to be
ready to respond to anyone who may ask for an explanation of our
faith: “... Make a defense to everyone who asks you...” (1 Pet.
3:15). There is a great temptation not to give a defense or answer
to certain people like family members (to keep the “peace”) or
coworkers and employers (to keep our job). However, we are commanded
to make a defense to everyone, not just a few select people.
People Ask Because of Our Hope of Heaven in Christ.
Often, the reason why people will ask for us to give an account,
reason, or explanation of our faith in Christ is because of “the
hope that is in [us]” – the hope of going to Heaven. Unlike the
world who does not have this hope (1 Thess. 4:13b), Christians have
a genuine hope of Heaven because of their faith in the Savior and
Lord Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 1:3-5; Heb. 6:19-20; Titus 2:13). Most
people do not have much confidence or assurance in their salvation.
Many are skeptical of the thought of an “afterlife” and demand an
explanation. These are opportunities to give people the “answer” and
share with them the soul-saving Gospel of Jesus Christ!
In Our Defense, We Must Respond As Christ Would.
The manner in which we defend ourselves is as important as the
answer or explanation we give. In giving our defense, we are to
speak “with meekness and fear” and “keep a good conscience” (1 Pet.
3:15-16). We should speak with boldness or confidence (Acts 13:46),
but also keep our strength or power in check, lest we come across as
harsh or rude. This requires meekness – the gentle, mild, calm, and
kind spirit of Christ (Mat. 11:29; 2 Cor. 10:1). “Fear” or
“reverence” is also important, treating each person with respect,
just like we would want to be treated (Luke 6:31). Finally, a good
conscience is absolutely essential. Let us not only be concerned
with our conscience before God, but also before men, lest we appear
as hypocrites (Acts 24:16). Effectively teaching the truth to others
demands we live the truth ourselves: “But the goal of our
instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a
sincere faith” (1 Tim 1:5). Our manner of speaking and our integrity
is vital to representing true Christianity: “For it is better, if
God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right
rather than for doing what is wrong” (1 Pet. 3:17). ~
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