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How Jesus Built the Church

Wooden Doors

When most of us think of Jesus, he is a meek and mild Savior who brings comfort and peace. That’s certainly true of him, but the Gospel of Mark highlight’s Jesus’ authority and power. This is a side of Jesus we easily overlook after years of familiarity with the Bible.

The opening verses (Mark 1:1-13) set the stage for Jesus to walk into the spotlight. Jesus is identified by John the Baptist as the Messiah, the long awaited “chosen one” who was foretold by prophets of centuries past. When Jesus is baptized, God himself speaks and identifies Jesus as “my beloved son.” Immediately after being baptized, Jesus endures temptation in the desert for forty days and nights. These present Jesus as the Messiah who is both God and human. These opening verses highlight that Jesus was always God’s “Plan A.”

Mark 1:15-19 is significant because Jesus’ first words are preserved for us (since Mark was the earliest-written Gospel in the Bible) are these: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” He identifies himself as the Messiah who has come to bring the kingdom of God, and he welcomes sinners to enter into it through repentance and faith in the gospel. This is Jesus’ mission… and immediately after his mission is announced, he starts to build his Church by recruiting the first disciples.

Mark 1:21-45 highlight Jesus’ authority over demons and sickness. When Jesus is teaching in the temple a demon-possessed man literally cried out for mercy. The crowds begin to flock to Jesus, seeking deliverance and healing. In v.38 the disciples say, “Everyone is looking for you.” But Jesus responds, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” He could have stayed and built a huge ministry-platform, but he rejected the ministry opportunity in order to fulfill his mission. His time had not yet come to be recognized as the Messiah. While the Gospel of Mark was written in the generation after Jesus’ ascension, the gospel was spreading and Christians were being persecuted and Jesus’ authority was the foundation of their perseverance. These verses demonstrate the power and authority of Jesus, and encourage believers to live in faith rather than fear.

When we look in Mark 1 we see Jesus built his Church through two ministry priorities:

  1. Preaching the good news and inviting sinners to repent
  2. Training disciples

The Great Commission was not something Jesus thought of near the end of his ministry. It was the driving force behind everything he did… that all peoples of the earth would repent and believe in the gospel and become disciples who are “fishers of men.” He would not allow miracles and social ministry to distract him from these two priorities. Obviously, he healed many and performed miracles, but the miracles always led to preaching or proved his authority to say what he said.

Jesus is the savior of those who are desperate and weary from their labors. He also causes demons to shudder and beg for mercy. Jesus brought the kingdom of God, and sinners are invited to enter through repentance and faith in the gospel. Speak the gospel to people with confidence, not embarrasment. Remember the authority of Jesus Christ and confidently proclaim the kingdom of God and invite others to enter in as new disciples, because Jesus continues to build his church through the gospel.

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The Danger of Deceptive Godliness: Learning From Ananias & Sapphira

As other wealthier Christians were selling their land and donating the money to the church, Ananias and Sapphira saw their opportunity. They wanted to be a power couple in the early life of the church, and this would be how to get there. Perhaps their faith in Christ started off with better motives and they lost their way, but it seems their involvement in the church had become about themselves – not about God, and not about serving others. In the end, they were judged and put to death by God for their deceptive godliness.

question mark on sticky note
This is a Reader Question. You can submit your question by clicking the image above.

I am convinced every church has modern-day Ananias and Sapphiras. Their example reminds us that God cares about motives. It is good to give generously of your time, money, and talents in order to build up the church. However, it is evil to give those things because you want to be seen doing them. The Christian is called to self-forgetfulness, not self-promotion.

in-the-mirror
Continue reading “The Danger of Deceptive Godliness: Learning From Ananias & Sapphira” →

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5 Reasons Why Church History Matters

church

Today is Reformation Day and I’m loving it. I’m also aware that most people think I’m a total dork for knowing what Reformation Day is even about. Because most Christians today don’t care about Church History.

Why should normal Christians who love Jesus care about Church History? Well, I’m glad you asked…

1. You aren’t the first Christian 
I know this sounds ridiculous. And it is. But how often do we live like that? We think things like, “But that was so long ago, I can’t learn anything from them!” or “I hate history. I’m more interested in what’s happening today.” But when we look down on history and believe that newer is always better, then we’re acting like we’re the first Christians who matter.

The truth is, we share a common faith and a common mission. Sure, the world is more technologically advanced, but there have always been controversies, wars, divisions, and other cultural issues that Christians have wrestled against. Keep in mind that since our medicine is better, many families knew greater suffering and loss of family members than we experience today. We can all learn from brothers and sisters of faith who desired to live for the glory of Christ, even if they lived a long time ago.  Continue reading “5 Reasons Why Church History Matters” →

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How You Say It Matters: Thoughts on Form & Function

There was competition for my kids’ attention as we were reading the Bible last night. But I couldn’t get rid of the competition. Instead, I needed to embrace it. Because the competition came from the Bible App for Kids… the very app we were using to read the Bible in the first place!

You see, the Bible App for Kids takes the Bible stories and animates into interactive stories for your kids as the story is read out loud to them. My kids love it. I’m a little torn… because they half listen and half play.

They love the many Bible stories to choose from, the animation is great, and they especially enjoy touching the screen to see what the characters are going to do next. But are they listening to the story? Are they actually learning what the Bible says? To me… that’s not totally clear. There have been moments when the form (making the Bible stories fun and interactive) has overshadowed the function (teaching the Bible stories to children).

 

potters-wheel

Why the Church Must Prioritize Function Over Form 
It raises the question of which matters most: Form or Function?

  • Form is the shape of what you’re doing and how you’re doing it.
  • Function is what you’re trying to accomplish.

Form and Function should never compete. When they do, you lose. Without good For
m, the Function isn’t accomplished. The mission fails. The message was sent, but no one was paying attention. And without prioritizing Function, the Form received more attention than the thing it was trying to accomplish. For this reason, Function needs to have priority while valuing Form enough to give it the skill and attention necessary that the mission is accomplished.

Continue reading “How You Say It Matters: Thoughts on Form & Function” →

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Theology of Christianity & Politics

Here at Living Theologically, I’m excited to offer the invitation for readers to submit questions they’d like to see addressed on the blog. If there’s a question about life, theology, or ministry that you’d like to submit, please do so HERE. Here is today’s question:

With the election approaching can Christians vote for Hillary?

So… obviously that’s a loaded question. And sorry, but I’m not going to give a yes/no answer. Instead, I want to back up and rephrase the question: How Should Christians think about politics and government? When we have a solid theology of politics, we can better discern how we should vote in elections.

Polling Station Continue reading “Theology of Christianity & Politics” →

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What I Learned About Going to Church by Joining the Gym

It’s far more intimidating than “regulars” remember.

Stepping through the front doors, not knowing where to look. Ok, there’s the front desk. How do I ask for information without sounding like a moron? Just play it cool.”

Those were my first thoughts when I walked into Gold’s Gym about two months ago. I went in to get information about joining because there was a sign out front advertising a good promotion. It’s something I’d wanted to do for quite a while. I knew my health is important. I was an athlete in high school (not a very good one, but an athlete nonetheless) and since graduating from college over a decade ago I had pretty much stopped any regular exercise until jumping back into the game a few years ago.

Deadlift GripMy very non-professional observation about exercise is this: you’re a cardio person or you’re a lifting person. Very rarely do you genuinely enjoy both. We all know that both are important, but most people truly enjoy one or the other. I’ve always been a lifting person who puts up with cardio because it’s a necessity.

This is all to say… when I walked into the gym I felt like I needed to carry myself as if I belonged (even though I obviously didn’t). I felt the need to talk a good game. To prove why they should want me. I know what I’m doing in here! Put out a strong vibe and hope they buy it.

Continue reading “What I Learned About Going to Church by Joining the Gym” →

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More Than Authenticity

God desires more than authenticity. God desires worship that is right.

I recently read through Leviticus, and while it isn’t the most exciting reading in Scripture (and certainly isn’t as quotable as Paul’s writing), I was continually humbled by the details God provided for Israel’s worship. The sacrifices were taken very seriously. If the priest offered them in any way other than the prescribed way, the offering would not be acceptable to God. In some cases, the priests themselves were immediately judged by God for their casual approach to the sacrifices (here’s looking at you, Nadab and Abihu).

In a world of phonies, it’s easy to affirm the important of authenticity. The problem isn’t that authenticity is bad, but that we are often authentically wrong.

We must resist the urge to say that worship styles that are different from our own preferences is wrong, but we must equally resist the spirit of the day which affirms every worship style which is authentic.

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Love Enough to Rebuke

“One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.’ This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith…” (Titus 1:12-13)

Rebuke isn’t a word we use often today. It sounds… well… harsh, cold, unloving, and intolerant. While we do not want those above adjectives to describe us as people or as a church, there should be a time and place for rebuke in the church.

What is a “Rebuke?”
The Greek word which is here translated as “rebuke” literally means, “reprove, convict, rebuke.” To rebuke is to correct, to warn, to say clearly and specifically, “No, this is not true or right.”

How Should We Rebuke
And Titus is instructed to do this “sharply” or “strongly.” Not with kid-gloves, not in a wishy-washy kind of way. Rebuke must be clear, firm, and with the goal of sound faith. There must not be harshness on a personal level, but rather, we ought to come as a concerned brother or sister warning another brother or sister that they are in danger because of ________ (insert rebuke here).

If we are not prepared to clearly explain what is wrong, why it is biblically wrong, and what it should be biblically replaced with… then we are not ready to rebuke. Instead, we should do our homework, spend time in prayer over the matter (and especially for the person to receive the rebuke as a firm but loving warning rather than as a judgmental “I’m right, you’re wrong, be more like me!”).

When Should We Rebuke
I suspect that many today are opposed to rebuking because they’ve seen others rebuked (or been rebuked themselves!) over something that they really shouldn’t have been rebuked for. We should not rebuke people for conscience-issues, but only over issues of clear biblical teaching. This includes lifestyle issues that are consistently warned against in Scripture and foundational biblical truths/doctrines.

We should also use wisdom in discerning what is most important: If someone curses on occasion but believes that “good people” who aren’t Christians will still be saved. That person doesn’t need to be rebuked for having a potty-mouth. He needs to be rebuked for believing in an unbiblical Gospel. Keep the main thing the main thing.

The Goal: Soundness in the Faith
The goal is sound faith. What you believe matters. How you live matters. Authenticity matters too, but you can be authentically wrong. The great lie that so many are buying today is that God values sincerity above holiness. That’s just not true. There is nothing God values more highly than holiness. God’s love for holiness and his love for people is what drives the Gospel message.

Think about the difference between a bell that rings loud and clear, and a bell that thuds when it’s struck. Faith that is not firmly grounded in Scripture is a thud.

Love Enough to Rebuke
People today don’t need a soft church, and a cheap Gospel cannot save anyone (and, in fact, is not the Gospel at all!). If the Gospel doesn’t call for your whole life, then it can’t give you new life. Jesus wants your life… heart, soul, mind, and strength (see the Great Commandment).

If we refuse to rebuke people because we want to “love them into the truth” then the chances are… our silence will unlovingly give them over to lies.

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