I am back East so I am far removed from all this conversation on the Emergent Church. There is no such thing in my neck o' the woods. Its just plain ol' church - "basement style," as my friend Matt calls it.
Insofar as the Emergent Church assumes its qualities and characteristics from the very definition* of the word "emergent", we would garner that the Emergent Church is something that has arisen quite unexpectedly and calls for prompt action. It has emerged or risen up out of its surroundings and is certainly newly formed and prominent. In this case, "surroundings" should probably be considered Tradition and not Culture.
I thought (and I am not alone), why not have a Convergent Church as well as an Emerging one? "Converging" might be that appropriate step towards unity with a distinct movement toward one particular point. A Convergent Church could be that godly Ecumenism with a Spirit-led convergence and congruency in form, function and development.
With all this Emerging and Converging, we are bound to spring forth with a Resurgent Church - rising again into Life, activity and prominence.
Of course, as the Evangelical community begins to re-emphasize Baptism we might be called the Submergent Church.
Or with all of our aspirations to clean up society and the world through Morals and Ethics, we could be called the Detergent Church.
But in this day and age, I am looking for an Insurgent Church. Not a revolt against authority and government per se, but against the Prince of the Air, against God-less culture, against wickedness, injustice and impurity; a revolt against the status quo, pew-packing and stagnation. Insurgent!
In this case, we would be neither Emergent or Convergent but rather a Divergent Church - with a distinct movement away from the Ways of the World and growing different in both form and practice.
Alas, we are not overly Insurgent nor Divergent. And... gone are the days when we were the Urgent Church - calling people to Christ and immediate action and loudly proclaiming that "Today is the day of repentance!"
So my contribution to the Gent Church conversation will be this: whether we be Urgent, Submergent, Resurgent, Detergent, Divergent, Convergent or Emergent, let us at least be Church.
-----------------------------
* All definitions taken from Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Save Us From Our Sins
Bible Class Teacher: Why did Jesus die on the cross, class?
Kids: To save us from our sins!
Bible Class Teacher: And what does that mean, class?
Kids: We don't know!
What do we mean when we say, "save us from our sins"?
If you ask this question in your respective fellowships, you might be surprised to hear the answers. I wonder if some believers even really want to theologically "unpack" salvation from sin. Afterall, when you take the wrapper off the box, you find a few dirty things inside - like a God of Justice with bloody hands and that ugly talk of the sin nature and being born under condemnation.
On one hand when we say "save us from our sins," we are admitting that our "sins have made a separation between us and God" and our "transgressions have hidden His face." So salvation is, to some, a removal of the sin barrier that separates us from God. But the reality is, sin has not been the power separating us from a loving God. It has always been the long arm of a loving and holy God that has made the separation. Even from the Garden, after Adam and his Honey ate the Bad Fruit, they were not magically transported from the Garden. (Bite! Blip! Hey! Where are we?) Rather, God came and investigated. After which He removed them from the Garden. It has always been Jehovah who has maintained the separation between God and man. He said, "let us force them from the Garden that they may not eat from the Tree of Life." It was His angels who guarded the way to the Tree.
This is not in contradiction to what Isaiah said, because what the Prophet meant was that sin is the reason for our separation - not the separating power. Even Peter said, "God has the power to hold the unrighteous for judgment." This is an important point, because the Legalist falsely assumes that a ceasing of sin will remove the "sin barrier." Little do we know, sin is not the barrier. God is. A little obedience will not remove the sin. We must turn to God. As David says in Psalms 51, "For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it."
So what do we mean when we say, "save us from our sins"?
For those under the Gospel it must mean a salvation from judgment. Jesus Christ died on the cross not really "for sins" but for God's people. He died to become an atonement for believers and a propitiation of the wrath of God. "For our sins" means that God judges sinners. It means that the unrighteous man is held in judgment by a holy and just God. "Save us from our sins" means that without the grace of Christ, we would be held accountable for every perversity before God. This is why Jesus died, because those under sin cannot be with God. They cannot eat of the Eternal Life-giving Fruit. "Save us from our sins" means salvation from God Himself.
That is a fearful proposition.
So what do we mean when we say, "save us from our sins"?
Some may ask, "What exactly has sin done to warrant us being saved from it?"
Sin is a nasty business. It has entered into the race from the starting gates. David said, "in sin my mother conceived me. In iniquity, I came forth." From the beginning of a man's life to the end, sins wraps its tentacles around us and entraps and smothers and ruins. It is impossible to root out. It certainly can't be pruned back. So when we say, "save us from our sins" are we admitting that our sin has corrupted us? Our nature is beyond the hope of a self-salvation? We are powerless?
For those under the Gospel, "save us from our sins" must mean that we need salvation from our sin. We are unrighteous. In our very natures, we do not want God nor his Righteousness. We are enemies of the Cross. Within ourselves we have no ability to be made righteous. Within our own sinful natures, there is no ability to turn to the Lord, call on His name and follow Jesus apart from the Gospel of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. "Save us from our sins" means both "we can't," and "we won't." It means God must rescue us in His grace. "Save us from our sins" means God is the Savior and we cannot rescue ourselves. When we say "save us from our sins", there is not the hint of legalism, because we know that no repentance, confession, faith or obedience comes without the help and grace of God. "Save us from our sins" means that we are eternally, utterly and unalterably dependent on God.
And that too is a fearful proposition.
Let's make sure our children grow up knowing that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins. But let's make sure that there is no mistaking what that means.
Kids: To save us from our sins!
Bible Class Teacher: And what does that mean, class?
Kids: We don't know!
What do we mean when we say, "save us from our sins"?
If you ask this question in your respective fellowships, you might be surprised to hear the answers. I wonder if some believers even really want to theologically "unpack" salvation from sin. Afterall, when you take the wrapper off the box, you find a few dirty things inside - like a God of Justice with bloody hands and that ugly talk of the sin nature and being born under condemnation.
On one hand when we say "save us from our sins," we are admitting that our "sins have made a separation between us and God" and our "transgressions have hidden His face." So salvation is, to some, a removal of the sin barrier that separates us from God. But the reality is, sin has not been the power separating us from a loving God. It has always been the long arm of a loving and holy God that has made the separation. Even from the Garden, after Adam and his Honey ate the Bad Fruit, they were not magically transported from the Garden. (Bite! Blip! Hey! Where are we?) Rather, God came and investigated. After which He removed them from the Garden. It has always been Jehovah who has maintained the separation between God and man. He said, "let us force them from the Garden that they may not eat from the Tree of Life." It was His angels who guarded the way to the Tree.
This is not in contradiction to what Isaiah said, because what the Prophet meant was that sin is the reason for our separation - not the separating power. Even Peter said, "God has the power to hold the unrighteous for judgment." This is an important point, because the Legalist falsely assumes that a ceasing of sin will remove the "sin barrier." Little do we know, sin is not the barrier. God is. A little obedience will not remove the sin. We must turn to God. As David says in Psalms 51, "For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it."
So what do we mean when we say, "save us from our sins"?
For those under the Gospel it must mean a salvation from judgment. Jesus Christ died on the cross not really "for sins" but for God's people. He died to become an atonement for believers and a propitiation of the wrath of God. "For our sins" means that God judges sinners. It means that the unrighteous man is held in judgment by a holy and just God. "Save us from our sins" means that without the grace of Christ, we would be held accountable for every perversity before God. This is why Jesus died, because those under sin cannot be with God. They cannot eat of the Eternal Life-giving Fruit. "Save us from our sins" means salvation from God Himself.
That is a fearful proposition.
So what do we mean when we say, "save us from our sins"?
Some may ask, "What exactly has sin done to warrant us being saved from it?"
Sin is a nasty business. It has entered into the race from the starting gates. David said, "in sin my mother conceived me. In iniquity, I came forth." From the beginning of a man's life to the end, sins wraps its tentacles around us and entraps and smothers and ruins. It is impossible to root out. It certainly can't be pruned back. So when we say, "save us from our sins" are we admitting that our sin has corrupted us? Our nature is beyond the hope of a self-salvation? We are powerless?
For those under the Gospel, "save us from our sins" must mean that we need salvation from our sin. We are unrighteous. In our very natures, we do not want God nor his Righteousness. We are enemies of the Cross. Within ourselves we have no ability to be made righteous. Within our own sinful natures, there is no ability to turn to the Lord, call on His name and follow Jesus apart from the Gospel of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. "Save us from our sins" means both "we can't," and "we won't." It means God must rescue us in His grace. "Save us from our sins" means God is the Savior and we cannot rescue ourselves. When we say "save us from our sins", there is not the hint of legalism, because we know that no repentance, confession, faith or obedience comes without the help and grace of God. "Save us from our sins" means that we are eternally, utterly and unalterably dependent on God.
And that too is a fearful proposition.
Let's make sure our children grow up knowing that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins. But let's make sure that there is no mistaking what that means.
End of An Era
Yesterday evening a man came to my house to say goodbye. He brought with him a new young co-worker in the faith, some flowers for Lisa and some books for me. After 12 years of kingdom work in China, he was returning to Korea. His wife had already preceded him. He was packing up the rest of his possessions and saying goodbye to the believers.
Unfortunately, this is a time of travel in China - the Chinese New Year. Virtually everyone returns to their hometowns and to family during this season. Shanghai is a ghost town. So as Mr. Lee was saying his goodbyes, there was no one thank him, no one to see him off at the airport and no one to pray and wish God's blessing on his coming days. So he came to our house last night (we just learned he was leaving) in hopes of a good meal and some prayer.
He sat in our living room and he talked not of all his success but of his failures. His heart was broken. He spoke of his failed vision for China, his failed relationships, his loneliness through the years and the struggle that he has had with the authorities and government. He spoke of his disagreements with other workers and how his heart hurt when man after man refused his counsel - to their detriment.
After 12 years, Mr. Lee is returning to Seoul. He has no home, no car, no furniture. And while he is returning to serve in another capacity in Korea, he returns with nothing. And despite the hardships, the failures and the loneliness in China, he broke down and cried last night and he said, "I don't want to leave. I love China."
I only met with Mr. Lee a few times a year but last night will leave a lasting impression on me. Here was an older Asian man brought to tears through God's humbling hand and his own heart-felt love for China.
Here's to Mr. Lee: a good man, a good teacher and last of all...a lover of people.
Unfortunately, this is a time of travel in China - the Chinese New Year. Virtually everyone returns to their hometowns and to family during this season. Shanghai is a ghost town. So as Mr. Lee was saying his goodbyes, there was no one thank him, no one to see him off at the airport and no one to pray and wish God's blessing on his coming days. So he came to our house last night (we just learned he was leaving) in hopes of a good meal and some prayer.
He sat in our living room and he talked not of all his success but of his failures. His heart was broken. He spoke of his failed vision for China, his failed relationships, his loneliness through the years and the struggle that he has had with the authorities and government. He spoke of his disagreements with other workers and how his heart hurt when man after man refused his counsel - to their detriment.
After 12 years, Mr. Lee is returning to Seoul. He has no home, no car, no furniture. And while he is returning to serve in another capacity in Korea, he returns with nothing. And despite the hardships, the failures and the loneliness in China, he broke down and cried last night and he said, "I don't want to leave. I love China."
I only met with Mr. Lee a few times a year but last night will leave a lasting impression on me. Here was an older Asian man brought to tears through God's humbling hand and his own heart-felt love for China.
Here's to Mr. Lee: a good man, a good teacher and last of all...a lover of people.
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