Today marked the end of the line of Church History…well at least in our class!
God will continue to create History, with or without our participation. He has a Plan and He will accomplish that Plan to its fruition. God, simply because He loves us and desires a relationship with us, wants each one of His children to be an active participant (the abundant life) in this plan.
As we have traveled the centuries, we have seen how mere mortal minds have struggled to correctly understand not only God’s Word, but also His plan for all of His creation. From the writings of the Gospels and Epistles (written by eye-witnesses of Jesus) to today’s theologians, they were taught by the Holy Spirit. These men were blessed by God to more thoroughly understand what God desired us to know about Him: His love, His mercy, His wrath, His creative power, His overwhelming redemption for humankind. And these same men (and even women) struggled to make sure that every idea “jived” with each aspect of Scripture. Click here for more about Church History.
It is incredibly important to our Christian walk, our "praxis" (praxis is NOT a Klingon moon) if you will, that we walk, talk, and live with right Doctrine in our minds. Pastor Dave’s sermon today (Sunday, 7 Feb 2010) highlighting Ephesians 4:29 – 32, demonstrated the absolute necessity of understanding the Mind of God. We can’t be the “people of NO;” showing unloving legalism. By the same token, we can’t be the people of absolute “YES.” Although we may have “freedom in Christ,” we are all called to live holy lives. As Christians we must put on the qualities as well as speak the words that both Glorify God as well as attract others to Christ. This is a high calling.
In dealing with the so-called emerging or emergent church, we all have an opportunity to demonstrate why orthodox beliefs are so very important. Understanding God and who He is; understanding Jesus Christ and who He is. Understanding why individual men and women need a Savior and that Savior is Jesus. Reading and understanding the Bible is the key to understanding God. Taking bits and pieces of His Word and applying them to OUR thinking further mucks up our “Holy relationship.” Do we want a good and solid relationship with God or do we want God to remain as our “man upstairs” or “magical genie” who takes care of our every need? Both orthodoxy and orthopraxy are vital to our Christian lives.
As the period of the “Enlightenment” brought much skepticism to religion in general and Christianity in particular, we have lost some of the grandeur and holiness of God himself. When we take away something from our TRUE understanding of God (be it gay “marriage,” abortion or even creation), we diminish Him not only in OUR minds, but also in the hearts and minds of people around us. As Christians, we have allowed God to devolve from a Holy and Perfect God (who demands perfection), to a loving Savior in the person of Jesus Christ who calmed the seas and healed the sick and lead a good moral life, to our friend Jesus. What a terrible thing to do.
Modern day "emergents" seek to make God and His Word more "relevant" to contemporary man and his way of life or living. But here's my question: if God and His Word are immutable or unchanging, how could He have stopped being relevant? If we understand that God created all things and is in fact very active in the "affairs of men" then of course He is relevant. And just as important, His Word and the atoning Work of Jesus is always relevant. Why wouldn't He not be relevant?
The emergent church movement attempts to use "good works" to make up for deficient or even heretical doctrine. Jesus Himself warned us in Matt. 7:15 to "beware of false prophets [teachers], who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." Ravenous wolves want nothing more than to devour the flock.
In the end (the very end) we will stand before God. He will do one of two things: invite us (individually) in to eternal fellowship or cast us aside to eternal damnation. Like it or not, there will be many among us (friends, neighbors, family) to whom He will say, “I never knew you.”
As we rhetorically asked in class today, “what do you do with Jesus?” we see that Jesus, the second person of the Tri-unity of God, is the center of all that is seen and unseen. He is the linchpin of our lives. He is the dividing point of History. It is a question to continually ask ourselves as well as our loved ones.
After all, it is His story.
Looking to continue on? May I suggest this study of the 4 Essential Doctrines of the Christian Faith. After all, you have to understand what you believe and believe what you know. God is looking for you to have a deeper and more meaningful walk with Him.
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Exploring Church History: A Guide to History, World Religions, and Ethics By James P. Eckman / Crossway Books & Bibles Pastors, professors, and students will appreciate this 3-in-1 edition of Eckman's introduction to Christianity's roots, distinctives, and cultural implications. Includes Exploring Church History from the day of Pentecost to the modern age; The Truth About Worldviews such as Buddhism, Islam, and various cults; and Biblical Ethics, reviewing hot-button issues through the lens of Scripture. 352 pages, softcover from Crossway. |
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A Survey of Bible Doctrine By Charles C. Ryrie / Moody Publishers Ryrie's A Survey of Bible Doctrine offers an easy-to-understand overview of the various doctrines of the Bible written especially for the layperson. Ryrie examines a wide range of topics, including: the nature of God, the inspiration of Scripture, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the angelic world, the nature and depravity of humans, salvation, the church, and the last things. Ryrie argues for the contemporary relevance of the Bible in this accessible and engaging survey of its key teachings. |
