Always Reforming

For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers, and deceivers... (Titus 1:10a) Speaking in the 1st Century, Paul was warning Titus about the challenges that the soon-to-be ordained overseers in Crete would face, but he could just as easily have been speaking to the modern pastor about navigating the Internet in the 21st Century. There is nothing new under the sun.  Technology changes, but human nature remains the same (unless changed by Almighty God).  The Internet is full of insubordination .  Submission has never been easy, and it never will be.  It should be said that this is as true of disgruntled parishioners in a local congregation as it is of keyboard warriors.  This vice lies in the heart of man, not merely in his fingers.  However, social media and other online spaces provide a voice for those who are probably better left voiceless.  Christians need to be on guard for this tendency.  Those of us who fancy ourselves writers shoul...

What is the name of your church?  Why was that name chosen?  Have you ever thought about it? Much has been made about the way people choose baby names these days.  We try to sound intellectual or original, modern or old-fashioned.  We want people to say, "Oh, what a [fill in the blank] name!"  As expressive individualists , we name our children so as to communicate something about ourselves.   This is unavoidable, to a certain extent.  Naming things is inherently expressive.  What we choose to call something (animate or inanimate) will communicate something about ourselves and how we experience that thing, the world, etc., whether we like it or not.  This is good and has always been true.  Nevertheless, children's names today certainly seem to reinforce the expressive individualism that dominates our modern society. Well, it turns out churches can be expressive individualists, too.  A quick Google search reveals an interesting ...

Forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Eph 4:32) To forgive as you have been forgiven is one of the foundational principles of the Gospel life.  If you do not forgive, you will not be forgiven (Matt 6:15).  How can we who have been forgiven much not forgive what little our brethren have done to us (Matt 18:21-35)? We are to forgive others as God forgave us.  How did God forgive us? He forgave us completely.   No debt is left unpaid.  No sin is left unsatisfied.  The saving work of Christ requires no supplementation, from ourselves or from any other mediator.  As far as the east is from the west, so far have our sins been removed from us (Psalm 103:12).   He forgave us freely.   Our salvation is a gift (Rom 3:24).  We have not earned it, deserved it, or warranted it in any way.  We are forgiven, in fact, despite ourselves.  While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:24).   He forgives us,...

For he himself is our peace... (Eph 2:14a) Jesus is our peace.   He is our peace with God (Rom 5:1).  Jesus Christ, God in human flesh, has reunited God and man.  We who were rebels--children of wrath (Eph 2:3)--have been restored to communion with our Creator through the Person and Work of the Incarnate One.   He is our peace with our fellow man.  Jesus Christ is the new Adam (1 Cor 15:45); those united to Him are a new humanity.  He has broken down the dividing wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles (Eph 2:14b).  He has made one Body from many members (1 Cor 12)--united to Him, we are united to one another.  He is our peace with and within ourselves.  In Christ we rest.  We find meaning and purpose--telos.  We find identity.  Dying to self and living to Christ, we find that His yoke is easy and His burden light (Matt 11:30). He is our peace.  He is peace. And the peace of God, which surpasses all underst...

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain (Psalm 127:1a). Christian, whatever you do--whatever you build--is futile without the Master Builder.  Your blood, sweat, and tears are lost in the dirt without the plans, materials, and empowering of the Arch Architect.  Without the grace and wisdom of God making your efforts effectual, they are shallow and vain.   Did we in our own strength confide , says Luther, our striving would be losing . You can build a business, a family, or even a church, but it means nothing without the Father.  You can create a following, but it is transient without the Great Guide.  You can build a life, but it will soon be forgotten without the Creator's gaze.  Human ambitions can only build human institutions.  Carnal methods and strategies can only grant carnal success.   If you want to build something eternally meaningful--a truly Godly legacy--you must consult the LORD every step of the ...

Church polity has been a divisive issue, to say the least, throughout Church history.  Should individual congregations govern themselves independently?  Should regional groups of elders oversee the Church?  Is the Episcopate a divinely ordained and indispensable means of unity for the Church of Jesus Christ?  How should clergy be selected, trained, etc.?  How do we determine jurisdiction?  Wars have been fought and heads lost over over these and similar questions. I myself am a bit of an ecclesiastical mut.  Having attended a presbyterian church, a quasi-presbyterian church, and an elder-led, non-denominational church, I am currently serving as a deacon in an Anglican church, which features an Episcopal form of church government.  I am no expert, but over the years I have learned a few things about how church government actually works out in real life.  I won't attempt a thorough treatment of this subject, but here are a few thoughts on churc...