Ecclesiology #10

What’s the difference between encouragement and flattery? Encouragement rejoices in the truth. Flattery has ulterior motive and is out of proportion.

Encouragement is the response to God’s grace seen in other people. Look at the examples of Paul and God and you’ll see the main point in affirming someone is affirming God (Matthew 3:17, 1 Corinthians 15:58, 2 Timothy 1:16-18). Therefore, encouragement prompts the receiver to look to God and his salvation with thankfulness.

On the other hand, flattery prompts the receiver to look at himself and thus cosign him to self righteousness, a hardened heart, and hell (Psalm 5:9, Proverbs 27:6, James 3:6). Oo scary |_.

Let’s fill our churches with the warmth of our encouraging God. How do we know when the smiles are fictitious though? Avoid covering a slander by prefacing it with a compliment: “he’s a nice guy and good friend but..”. This is fake.

Ecclesiology #9

Succinctly in one chapter, Jesus in Matthew 18 prescribes relational norms and behavioral practices expected within the church. It’s so awesome, church leaders please read it.. church members please read it.. it encapsulates the whole sum of this mini ecclesiology series.

Far from moralistic principles, the conduct of church members seen through these parables can only be fueled in light of grace. I think I’ll be camping out in this chapter for awhile.

Shout-out to B.Han for relaying dat knowledge from CCC fam.

Ecclesiology #8

I see Matthew 4 and Matthew 9 giving insight into the correct priority and emphases in church dealings. Our supreme minister Jesus demonstrates his knowledge of the greatness and sufficiency of God by having intense self-control while being tempted in the wilderness. He could have attained glory “the easy way” but on terms that were contrary to the Father’s; he was, however, sensitive to the Father’s timing.

Christian minister, are you in a rush to attain ministry glory? Have you sought counsel from those further along that can speak to your readiness to engage in greater responsibilities? Btdubs, what I write in the second-person is usually a rebuke aimed towards myself and my former ways. This section was an aside hehehe.

Movinggg onnn, priority and emphases! Before doing any miracles, Jesus goes and preaches the good news in the local synagogues. The first priority of the church is the preaching and teaching of God’s word to God’s people. Any other priority, e.g., community or outreach, points to a church that is not centered on God but man’s sinful purposes. But no worries, good teaching necessitates the manifestation of good community and good outreach, etc. We see this when Jesus proclaims forgiveness of sin, and then proceeds to heal them physically. He is much more concerned about the spiritual matters over the physical.

So where do we typically see the resulting miracles of good preaching in this day and age?

Healing occurs much more profoundly in the ministry of forgiveness among congregants because a life claimed by God’s love changes a community and generations after. A physical healing is a cool topic of discussion for maybe like a day.

Therefore, when people make false dichotomies in the form of “preaching is meh but the community’s good at this church” etcetc, they are mistaken in either one of two ways:

1. They’re simply not giving their pastor enough credit, or
2. Their perception of a good community is not based on the Bible, but rather it is infected by the world’s standards of fun and friendship.

Be alarmed, then, if you find that the teaching at a church is not preaching Christ from the scriptures. Or just not preaching the scriptures but primarily basing the content off human anecdotes, huhuhu how sad. Do not take too much stock in how much a community seems to be doing well.

How about the situation where you have good preaching but subpar community? Again, the preaching could actually be more entertaining than compelling, that is, compelling one to full submission to obedience to the gospel. My using imperatives on the free gift of the gospel is not incorrect (1 Peter 4:17).

Therefore, the only appropriate dichotomy are Christ-centered churches and, well, fake churches.

Ecclesiology #7

If you do not have immediate access to (older) people in your life to guide you with the knowledge of God, nor have people you can pour this knowledge into, you are not living a complete Christian life. If you do not have these resources and are not being proactive about finding them, you are on the devil’s side because he doesn’t like guidance either (Genesis 3:1). And it sucks to be on his side (Revelation 20:10).

Flipside: if you have sought and found such provision, God’s blessed you because some people aren’t so lucky :)

Feel free to share. Who are your mentors? Who are you mentoring?

Ecclesiology #6

Spiritual growth only occurs in the context of community. Doesn’t that make sense? How can I apply the worship I supposedly gave to God without practicing it on the body? Post-Pentecost Peter needed it because he was still a cowardly sinner even after his life-changing call to be an apostle and “feed my sheep” (Galatians 2:11-14).

What you do after service matters a lot more than how you felt during. I can have all the warm feelings, but if right after I’m thinking about my kingdom and my agendas then something is seriously wrong! Am I in a rush to go home right after benediction instead of desiring to fellowship? I thus count my worship Cain-like in its fake self-seekingness. What a waste of a morning. The proof of worship is thus the application after service versus the reflection time during.

Ecclesiology #5

You can tell how someone’s doing in their relationship to Jesus from how they’re relating to people in the community. Don’t make an excuse for them, such as a propensity towards an awkward disposition or not finding much common interest with particular people. If Jesus would only come to me based on common interests, I’d be so screwed.

Therefore, not having an outreaching attitude speaks clearly to one’s priority in preserving the self instead of allowing oneself to be vulnerable. We can afford to be vulnerable because of Christ’s vulnerability shown towards us. So what do we do about this awkward individual? You allow them into your life and watch the spirit break down the walls (1 Thessalonians 2:8).

My working definition of accountability takes into account how people interact with others more than their spiritual disciplines. Accountability groups can unfortunately degenerate to pride festering in the form of “oh, look how open I can be about my sin” or “oh, look how diligent I am.” I don’t need to know how diligent your devotional life has been when I can see it in your interactions with people and myself. The main question in accountability is, “Is there something affecting our relationship? If so, what are we going to do about it?”

Oh, you’re struggling with lust. With pride. With anxiety. Great, let’s restore you in Christ and restore our relationship. Contrast this with how a judging pharisee does accountability and their priority in identifying the root sin. Don’t we do this a lot in the name of godly accountability? This objectifies and distances the person. Instead, you humanize him by making the restored the relationship the main priority.

Pharisees keep people at a distance. We come into the mire with people because that is what Jesus did for us.

Ecclesiology #4

We’re called to be peacemakers, not nicemakers.

The world simply shows tolerance. Christians show forgiveness. Call sin sin. Without truth, there can be no love.

Ecclesiology #3

Surveying the work of Jesus’ ministry, in performing his miracles through the Holy Spirit, we see him never using any of this miraculous power for his own sake but for others and the Father. This is especially clear in his temptation in the wilderness. I wouldn’t count the sneaky ninja disappearances (John 8:59). Indeed, how meek is our savior! (Philippians 2:5-8)

Those of you with gifts, and that is any sincere believer, how are you using them? Or are you using them? Failing to perform your miracles means failing to see a regenerated community, and perhaps proof for a lack of any regeneration within oneself (Mark 16:17, 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Ecclesiology #2

This is the test of true meditation and true Christian community. Has the fellowship served to make the individual free, strong, and mature, or has it made him weak and dependent?

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Ecclesiology #1

Has it never struck you that, in the New Testament, almost nowhere does it tell you how to do evangelism? Why? Because it understood that being the church was to do evangelism. We do evangelism because we are not convinced that our Christian community is radically and supernaturally different.

- Sinclair Ferguson