BEING the Church; Not GOING to Church

Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” ~ Matthew 28:18-20

There is plenty of room for Grace Church to grow and expand.  Let's pray that more and more people come, get connected, and become part of Grace Church's mission + vision.  But we have to remember what kind of church we are called to be.  

We're not looking to simply grow numerically, we want to see more disciples, more Christ-followers.  We want to see people connected to the mission of Grace Church, and then watch them begin to see their life as one who is called to live on mission as one of God's sent people.  And this kind of discipleship is not something that happens immediately.  Discipleship like this happens when people engage the truth of God's Word and enter into Christ-centered community with one another on a regular basis.  Discipleship like this happens when people begin to reach out, build relationships with others, and then personally invite them to be a part of what's happening at Grace Church.

Remember, our goal isn't to simply see the auditorium of DHS filled with people on Sunday (though that would be awesome and let's shoot for that!); more so than that, we want to see people following Christ.  We want the auditorium filled with people who do not simply GO to church rather, we desire that room to be filled with Christ-followers who ARE the church, 7 days a week, and in all spheres of life.

Fathers, You are Vital...

Fathers, You Are Vital (Info-graphic) from Centerline New Media on Vimeo.

What is Justification?

In Galatians 2, "[We] know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified" (Galatians 2:16). 

Justification is a recurring word/theme in the New Testament epistles, especially with Paul.  But what does Justification mean?  Does it simply refer to God declaring us, though we are sinful, to be righteous through faith in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen?  Or is it that wonderful truth plus something else wonderful?  
NT Wright and Ben Witherington offer some insight....

Righteous Sinners - The Good News of "Simul Justus et Peccator"

In this short excerpt from his teaching series, “Luther and the Reformation,” Dr. R.C. Sproul teaches the Reformational view of justification as he explains Martin Luther’s Latin phrase, “Simul Justus et Peccator.”

This beautiful doctrine helps us understand how the Apostle Paul would teach (e.g., Galatians 2:17-21) that sinners, who struggle in their continual, sinful shortcomings, can also be justified through faith in Christ.

Some Resources to Study Galatians

As we journey through the wonderful letter to the Galatians this summer, I would like to encourage you to read through and study Galatians yourself (or, even better, with someone else!).  Here are some helpful resources:

Paul for Everyone by NT Wright

Wright's eye-opening comments on these letters are combined, passage by passage, with his fresh and inviting new translation of the Bible text. Making use of his true scholar's understanding, yet writing in an approachable and anecdotal style, Wright captures the tension and excitement of the time as the letters seek to assert Paul's authority and his teaching against other influences. 

The For Everyone Series was created to provide guides to all the books of the New Testament. Each short passage is followed by a highly readable discussion, with background information, useful explanations and suggestions, and thoughts as to how the text can be relevant to our lives today. A glossary is included at the back of the book. The series is suitable for group study, personal study, or daily devotions.

We have a few copies available at church for $10.

Galatians Study Guide

Here's a helpful study guide for Galatians by Tim Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. This study of Galatians is organized into 13 units. Each unit consists of two sections: 1) a Bible study and 2) a Reflection or Exercise section. The first section studies a portion of the Galatians text, while the second section takes some concept from the Scripture and helps you get a better understanding of it (“Reflection”) and/or to apply it practically to your life (“Exercise”). 

  

"Crucial Questions Series" by RC Sproul for Free!

To further help Christians know what they believe, why they believe it, how to live it, and how to share it, the eBook editions of R.C. Sproul’s Crucial Questions series are free...

Great answers from a trusted source:

Can I Be Sure I'm Saved? 

Can I Have Joy in My Life? 

Can I Know God's Will? 

Can I Trust the Bible? 

Does God Control Everything? 

Does Prayer Change Things? 

How Should I Live in this World? 

What Can I Do with My Guilt? 

What Does It Mean to be Born Again? 

What Is Baptism? 

What Is Faith? 

What Is the Trinity? 

Who Is Jesus? 

Who Is the Holy Spirit?

A Veil Rent + A People Sent

Why do we gather in our churches?  Is it simply to come and think about a sermon?  Or is to encounter something spiritual? Or is to analyze the “pros and cons” of our church’s musical style or the effectiveness of the preacher?  Or do we gather to say hi to our friends?  All of these may very well be a part of our gathering experience, but none of them are to be why we gather.

As we look to answer this question, may I bring our attention to a particular happening that occurred deep within the Hebrew temple the very moment Christ died.  All three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, & Luke) inform us “the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matt 27:51, Mark 15:38, & Luke 23:45).

The temple veil which was rent (torn) into two was undoubtedly THE VEIL between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.  The first time this veil is mentioned is in Exodus chapter 26 when God was informing Moses about the construction of the tabernacle and the tabernacle artifacts.  The Most Holy Place, within the tabernacle, was a to be where God dwelt amongst his people.

Reminiscent of the Garden of Eden, where God originally dwelt with humanity, God was once again making a home here on earth with his newly formed people and various details of the tabernacle suggest it was indeed a “mini-Eden.”

Some of these parallels include the east-facing entrance guarded by cherubim (Gen. 3:24), all the gold (Gen. 2:11-12), the lampstand which was  reminiscent of the tree of life (Gen. 2:9), but mainly, the dwelling and relational presence of God.  Thus God's dwelling in the tabernacle was a step toward the restoration of paradise (of Eden), which is to be completed in the new heaven and earth (Revelation 21–22).

The entire Hebrew camp would circle this tabernacle, but no one was allowed to enter behind the veil, into the Most Holy Place, where God’s special presence resided, except for the High Priest who entered once a year for the Day of Atonement in which he would represent the people and mediate between the people and God (Leviticus 16).  He would, in a sense, bring the people into the holy (God’s special presence) and vicariously through the priest, the people could enjoy the presence of God.

The word used for “holy” in these accounts is “קֹ֫דֶשׁ” (qodesh, pronounced ko'-desh).  All these “holy things” mentioned in Exodus – the temple, the priesthood, the items within the holy place and the most holy place – were beautiful and precious to the people of Israel; but they were precursors of something better. They were wonderful; but they were not perfect.  A brief description about a particular plate (i.e., the consecration plate) which was to be worn on the forehead of the High Priest, as described in Exodus 28:36-38, informs us of “the iniquity of [their] holy things.” 

You see, there was still something missing, something not right between the people and God. 

This is why God’s special presence remained behind the veil and not amongst the people.

The author of Hebrews informs us that Christ came to fulfill the lack due to “the iniquity of [their] holy things” and he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by shedding his own “unblemished” and perfect blood in order to cleanse our consciences and bring us into God’s perfect presence once for all (Hebrews 4:16; 9:11-14).

The veil stood to remind the people that they couldn’t get into the qodesh (the holy) – the veil kept people out.   It also served as a reminder that God’s special or relational presence was behind the veil – the veil kept God in. 

The account of the renting of the veil in the Synoptic Gospels (Mathew, Mark, and Luke) undoubtedly serve to inform us that we are now able to be let in, so to speak, and enjoy God’s relational presence; but it also informs us that God’s relational presence was let out!  No longer was the temple necessary.  No longer was God’s relational presence contained in the Hebrew tabernacle or temple.  Now God’s relational presence has been divinely unleashed into the world – the veil is rent!

God’s presence was once again going to fill the earth as he did when he first made the world (Isaiah 11:9).  And though one day, in the New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21 & 22) God will completely dwell on the earth with humanity forever, the way he fills the earth now is IN US and THROUGH US!

This is why the Apostle Paul refers to Christians as God’s temple (1 Cor. 3:16 & 6:19) and New Testament authors refer to the Christians as Christ’s priests (Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6; 1 Peter 2:9-10).  We now represent Christ and we are to “bring Christ” with us wherever we go as we show + tell his Gospel message.

The role of the priest was to mediate.  They looked/look to take care of the needs of others; they are bold with grace and compassion.  A priestly person is someone who is sympathetic, not judgmental, towards the needs and imperfections of others.  Jesus was the perfect priest for the people and he calls us to follow after him. 

In the Scriptures we often see God identifying with the broken (e.g., Matthew 25:31-46; Prov. 14:31; 19:17).  Why does God identify with the poor?  Answer: because God desires to be there. 

God cares for the hurting, the lost, the underprivileged, the broken, the abandoned, the weak, the sick, the dying, the orphans, the insecure, the emotionally unstable, the greedy, the unfriendly neighbor whose dog poops in your yard….  He cares for your workaholic coworker, your alcoholic friend, your hurtful family member…. 

Where is God when the world seems to be falling apart and the pains of everyday feel overwhelming? God is there caring for the hurting when we are there caring for the hurting.  God is there IN US and THROUGH US when we are acting priestly on his behalf.

So, getting back to original question as to why we gather for church on Sundays and connect in our various Community Groups throughout the week?  The answer: to be reminded that the veil is rent and we have been sent to bring him and his marvelous Gospel to the world.

Excellent Resource for Meeting Jesus at the Feast...

We've been in a teaching series on the Old Testament Feasts entitled, Meeting Jesus at the Feasts.  Oddly enough, I found a great book with the exact title!  Pick up a copy of Meeting Jesus at the Feast by John Sittema.  It's a simple read and very helpful!

Life Anew: Reflections on the Truth and Implications of the Resurrection

In prep for the message this Sunday (4.21.13) at Grace Church,on the truth and implications of the resurrection as we reflect on the Old Testament feast of The Feast of Firstfruits (Leviticus 23:9-14); I have been rereading portions of Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, by N.T. Wright, who is one of my favorite teachers/authors and one of the world’s top biblical scholars.  It is well written, easily understood and worth reading (and rereading!).

Add it to your "MUST READ" list!  As with most of Wright’s books, it’s a little long, but I highly recommend it!

The main message of the book is that most of us have got the emphasis of the resurrection wrong. It’s not meant to assure us of life after death in heaven at some far away, “out of this world” or heavenly place, but to demonstrate the lordship of Christ over the whole world and his coming back to develop the kingdom of God on the new earth. “Jesus of Nazareth ushers in not simply a new religious possibility, not simply a new ethic or a new way of salvation, but a new creation.” (p. 67)

“In Mark’s short, and probably truncated, account there is no sense of ‘Jesus is raised, therefore there really is life after death’…For anyone who has read the whole gospel, the strong implication is, ‘Jesus is raised, just as he told you he would be; in other words, all that he said about the coming of the kingdom through his own work, through his death and resurrection, has come true.’ The resurrection completes the inauguration of God’s kingdom…It is the decisive event demonstrating that God’s kingdom really has been launched on earth as it is in heaven.” (p. 234).  So, “The message of Easter is that God's new world has been unveiled in Jesus Christ and that you're now invited to belong to it.” (p. 352)

“As long as we see salvation in terms of going to heaven when we die, the main work of the church is bound to be seen in terms of saving souls for that future.”  This why many Christians are bent on making converts rather than disciples and holding up “turn or burn” type signs on street corners rather than engaging non-Christians through relationship.   Wright continues, “But when we see salvation, as the New Testament sees it, in terms of God’s promised new heavens and new earth and of our promised resurrection to share in that new and gloriously embodied reality – what I have called life after life after death – then the main work of the church here and now demands to be rethought in consequence…. if what matters is the newly embodied life after life after death, then the presently embodied life before death can at last be seen not as an interesting but ultimately irrelevant present preoccupation, not simply as a ‘vale of tears and soul-making’ through which we have to pass to a blessed and disembodied final state, but as the essential, vital time, place and matter into which God’s future purposes have already broken in the resurrection of Jesus.” (p. 197)  

So… "What you do in the present—by painting, preaching, singing, sewing, praying, teaching, building hospitals, digging wells, campaigning for justice, writing poems, caring for the needy, loving your neighbor as yourself—will last into God’s future [reality and kingdom on the new earth]." (p. 193)

“Salvation, then, is not ‘going to heaven’ but being raised to life in God’s new heaven and new earth….For the first Christians, the ultimate salvation was all about God’s new world, and the point of what Jesus and the apostles were doing when they were healing people….was that this was a proper anticipation of that ultimate salvation, that healing transformation of space, time, and matter. The future rescue that God had planned and promised was starting to come true in the present. We are saved not as souls but as wholes.” (p. 198, 199)

“Resurrection doesn’t mean escaping from the world; it means MISSION to the world based on Jesus’ lordship over the world…. Jesus is now enthroned as the Lord of heaven and earth. His kingdom has been established. And this kingdom is to be put into practice by his followers summoning all nations to obedient allegiance to him, marking them out in baptism.” (p. 235)

“Easter was the beginning of God’s new world, the long-awaited new age, the resurrection of the dead.” (p. 244)

“The message of Easter is that God’s new world has been unveiled in Jesus Christ and that you’re now invited to belong to it….Christian holiness consists not of trying as hard as we can to be good but of learning to live in the new world created by Easter.” (p. 253)

“Jesus is risen, therefore God’s new world has begun. Jesus is risen, therefore his followers have a new job to do. And what is that new job? To bring the life of heaven to birth in actual, physical, earthly reality.” (p. 293)

What a powerful and invigorating the message!  The Easter message of Christ’s resurrection is a call to arms for all who believe in the risen Jesus.  It’s a call to missional activity, reminiscent of Christ’s resurrection to newness and the biblical promise of a renewed heavens and earth (Rev. 21). 

This message is a transformational one that seeks to see all that we do in terms of this victory over sin, death and evil!

Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed!
 
May we live our lives like it’s true!

Easter and the Death of Evil

N.T. Wright on Easter and Resurrection...

The message of the Resurrection is that this present world matters; that the problems and pains of this present world matter; that the living God has made a decisive bridgehead into this present world with his healing and all-conquering love; and that, in the name of this strong love, all the evils, all the injustices, and all the pains of the present world must now be addressed with the news that healing, justice, and love have won the day. That's why we pray: "Thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven." Make no bones about it: Easter Day was the first great answer to that prayer. 

If Easter faith is simply about believing that God has a nice comfortable afterlife for some or all of us, then Christianity becomes a mere pie-in-the-sky religion instead of a kingdom-on-earth-as-it-is-in-heaven religion. If Easter faith is simply about believing that Jesus is risen in some "spiritual" sense, leaving his body in the tomb, then Christianity turns into a let-the-world-stew-in-its-own-juice religion, instead of a kingdom-on-earth-as-it-is-in-heaven religion. If Easter faith is only about me, and perhaps you, finding a new dimension to our own personal spiritual lives in the here and now, then Christianity becomes simply a warmth-in-the-heart religion instead of a kingdom-on-earth-as-it-is-in-heaven religion. It becomes focused on me and my survival, my sense of God, my spirituality, rather than outwards on God and on God's world that still needs the kingdom message so badly. 

But if Jesus Christ is truly risen from the dead, Christianity becomes what the New Testament insists that it is: good news for the whole world, news that warms our hearts precisely because it isn't just about warming hearts. The living God has in principle dealt with evil once and for all, and is now at work, by his own Spirit, to do for us and the whole world what he did for Jesus on that first Easter Day.

Read full article here - Grave Matters.