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WHAT MAKES CHRIST CHURCH
DIFFERENT? Conclusion: What Makes Christ Church Different? Recommended books and articles As questions such as the definition and purpose
of the Church are answered, they will serve as a foundation for questions
pertaining to the role of the pastor, elders, deacons, congregation and
worship. Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau The Greek word ecclesia is the New Testament designation for the Church.
The word occurs only two times in the Gospels both of which are in key
contexts indicating that the church, not the syagogue, is the heir of the
promises of God (Matthew 16:18; 18:17). What distinguishes the ecclesia from all other groups is the
presence of Christ among those assembled (Revelation 1:20-3:22). The Church
is not a building, but a group of believers (see Phm.2; 1 Cor.16:19;
Rom.16:5; cf. also Col.4:15). John Calvin defined the Church as: the society of all the
saints, a society which, spread over the whole world, and existing in all
ages, yet bound together by the one doctrine and the one Spirit of Christ,
cultivates and observes unity of faith and brotherly concord (The Protestant Reformation p.168). Calvin’s definition beautifully
encapsulates the who, what, when and where of the Church. Douglas Bannerman
gives the why of the Church’s existence: The chief end of the
Church is to be in this world what Christ himself was, to do in it what he
did, to carry on to final success the great work for which he came from
heaven. The basics of the church can be summarized
by five "W’s": WHO IS THE CHURCH -
people of God called from the kingdom of darkness in to the Kingdom of Light.
John Stott writes, "The Church is a people, a community of people, who
owe their existence, their solidarity and their corporate distinctness from
other communities to one thing only - the call of God" (Stott, One People 15). WHAT IS THE CHURCH - the society bound together by one doctrine and
one Spirit of Christ. WHEN IS THE CHURCH - it begins in the Bible at Genesis 3:15 and
continues until the end of the age when Jesus will return and judge all
people. WHERE IS THE CHURCH - throughout the entire world (Psalm 67; Isaiah
11:9; Revelation 7:9). WHY DOES THE CHURCH EXIST - to proclaim Jesus Christ to the ends of the
earth urging all to repent and believe in Him (Matthew 28:18-20); to worship
God in Spirit and truth (John 4:19-24; cf. Psalm 67; Revelation 4-5); and to
build up and edify the people of God (1 Corinthians 12:4-31; Ephesians
4:7-13; Colossians 1:28-29). Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau The above comic strip, which is difficult to read,
opens with Pastor Scot looking out his church office window and saying to
himself, “Ah…A Potential Member!” In the second frame,
Pastor Scot disappointedly says, “No…No. It’s just the
postman.” What needs to be put into clear
perspective is how the Church is to carry out the “why” of the
Church. How am I, as a minister of the Gospel, to proclaim the message of
glad tidings to the world and faithfully represent Jesus Christ at the same
time? How are Christ's sheep to be shepherded in this direction? In asking
these questions I am assuming that Jesus Christ has given us guidelines for
how this task is to be accomplished. R.B. Kuiper, the late Professor of
Practical Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, writes that the
church’s task is: to teach and preach the
Word of God. Whatever else it may properly do is subordinate and subsidiary
to that task. This is its supreme task (Glorious
Body...p.163). Later on in the same chapter Kuiper goes
on to say, Just because the
preaching of the Word is so great a task the church must devote itself to it
alone. For the church to undertake other activities, not indissolubly bound
up with this one, is a colossal blunder, because it inevitably results in
neglect of its proper task. Let not the church degenerate into a social club.
Let not the church go into the entertainment business. Let not the church take
sides on such aspects of economics, politics, or natural science as are not
dealt with in the Word of God. And let the church be content to teach
special, not general revelation. Let the church be the church (R.B. Kuiper, The Glorious Body of Christ, p.169). The Church has God-given authority to
carry out the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. This authority comes
from Jesus Christ when He gave His Church the Great Commission in
Mt.28:18-20: And Jesus came up and
spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven
and on earth.19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,20
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you
always, even to the end of the age. This Commission cannot be altered, except
by the Commissioner Himself. When Jesus rose from the dead He inherited the
nations (Psalm 2:8). He has given the Church the task of bringing the Gospel
to the ends of the earth. Jesus has also prescribed the way in which this is
to be done- through the preaching and teaching ministry of the Church. Absolutely nothing should be allowed to
diminish this great privilege and responsibility. Jesus was not one whose goal was
maintaining a large following. He was never a crowd-pleaser who gave the
people what they wanted but what they needed. This often meant
that He offended people, and others deserted Him because of the difficulty of
His teaching. The Church in the 21st century is going to have to come to
grips with the fact that the Gospel is offensive, "To the one we are the
smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life" (2 Cor.2:15-16). The Gospel message is not neutral. By its
very nature we cannot please all men when we faithfully preach and teach it.
When a Church tries to takes pains to make the Gospel inodorous, that Church
has abandoned the Gospel. James Denny
(1856–1917), said in a sermon on Jesus’ temptation, How
little Jesus had to lean upon that the churches are tempted to trust in now.
How little there is in the gospel about methods and apparatus. We may well
believe that He would look with more than amazement upon the importance which
many of His disciples now attach to such things. He spoke the Word unto them.
That was all. The thrust of the church in other things is really a distrust
of the truth, an unwillingness to believe that its power lies in itself, a
desire to have something more irresistible than truth to plead truth’s
cause. And all these are modes of atheism. It is not only a mistake, but a
sin to trust attractions for the ear and the eyes, and to draw people to the
church by the same methods by which they are drawn to a place of
entertainment. What the evangelist calls “the Word,” the
spiritual truth, the message of the Father and His Kingdom, spoken in the
Spirit and enforced in the Spirit, told by faith and heard by faith, is our
only real resource, and we must not be ashamed of its simplicity. THE ROLE OF THE TEACHING AND RULING ELDERS Jesus Christ has laid down twenty-two qualifications
for the office of elder in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. When parents are looking
for someone to watch their children, they don’t just hire anyone. The
sitter must meet certain qualifications because the parents love their
children and want what is best for them. It would be irresponsible and
foolish to hire someone who was previously convicted of abusing children. How
much more careful should the Church be when choosing men to look after
Christ’s sheep which were purchased with His precious blood! There is
no excuse for negligence. The Pastor (teaching elder) plays a vital
role in giving leadership and direction to the Church. He must be a team
member, and capable of working with his ruling elders. But he must also be a
man of vision and willing to lead the flock. The New Testament calls the
minister a shepherd (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet.5:2-4). All shepherds are answerable
to Jesus Christ who is given the title of "Chief Shepherd" (1
Pet.5:4; cf.Jn.10:11).Jesus Christ has given authority to pastors for the
purpose of tending His flock. The pastor must "not be greedy for money,
but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to him, but being
examples to the flock" (1 Pet.5:2-3). Pastors are given responsibility to watch,
guard, feed and care for Jesus’ flock. These are the people whom Jesus
has purchased with His own precious blood (Acts 20:28). This is such a
tremendous responsibility that it brings fear to me. When I was a young boy
my dad used to restore old cars. I can remember a time when my dad had me
carry an expensive headlight, and as he entrusted it to me he told me to
guard it with my life. At that time I probably would have rather died than
have anything happen to it. When I think of how precious the blood of Christ
is (1 Pet.1:19) and that God’s people are precious to Him (Ps.116:16; 1
Pet.2:4) it makes me tremble to think that He is entrusting me with something
the value of which is inestimable. I pray that God would be merciful and
strike me dead rather than do any damage to His bride the Church (Mark 14:21;
Luke 17:1-3). For Ezra had set his
heart to study the law of the LORD, and to practice it, and to teach His
statutes and ordinances in Israel. (Ezra 7:10) “For the lips of a priest should
preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is
the messenger of the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 2:7) And we proclaim Him,
admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may
present every man complete in Christ.29 And for this purpose also I labor,
striving according to His power, which mightily works within me. (Colossians
1:28-29) My life’s goal is to be like Ezra
and devote myself to the study and observance of God’s Word. My purpose
in ministry is to be like Paul and to work towards presenting my congregation
to God perfect in Christ. I realize that sanctification is the work of the
Holy Spirit, but the pastor plays an important role in leading the flock to
green pastures and feeding them the meat of God’s Word. I thank God,
whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I
constantly remember you in my prayers night and day (2 Timothy 1:3) This verse is just one example of
Paul’s prayer life. It indicates his intense love and concern for
Timothy. The other verses listed above give a taste of Paul’s love for
the Churches that he was involved with. Paul’s prayer life was motivated
by His love of Christ, and his desire to faithfully serve Him. May the Lord
help me to be a man of prayer as Paul so faithfully was.
For many ministers counseling takes up a large
proportion of their time. It is my belief that there is an inverse
relationship between preaching and counseling. The more time that a man
spends in preparation for his preaching the less time he will spend in
counseling others. When ministers cut corners in sermon preparation and do
not make it their priority, there will be a greater need for private
counseling. Having said this, the pastor must not use the pulpit as a
sniper's perch to hide behind and shoot at individuals. As the Word of God is
faithfully exposited the Holy Spirit will apply it to the particular and
specific needs of individuals, “For the word of God is living and
active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing
soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of
the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). THE ROLE OF DEACONS The Diaconate is a
spiritual office responsible for the ministry of mercy and stewardship of the
congregation. It is neither a ruling nor a teaching office. Its exercise,
like the whole life of the church, is under the oversight of the session and
its function administrative (D-23). The office of deacon can easily degenerate
into nothing more than a token position. I was especially impressed with the
deacons in Oswego who worked with Heidi and me before we got married. They
helped us draw up a budget and taught us to be wise stewards of our money.
They also saw to it that our needs were met when we were in seminary. I was
also impressed with the deacons in the Syracuse RP Church. Heidi and I
attended a friends wedding in Syracuse, and one of the deacons there
introduced himself to me and asked how Heidi and I were doing financially. He
made me reassure him that we were doing fine and told me to make sure to tell
him if we had any needs. James nicely summarizes one of the reasons deacons
are so important: What use is it, my
brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith
save him?15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily
food,16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be
filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body,
what use is that?17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by
itself.18 But someone may well say, “You have faith, and I have works;
show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my
works” (James 2:14-18). The Lord will provide for His people the
resources necessary for carrying out the work that He has called them to. If
we believe that the cattle on a thousand hills are the Lord’s
(Ps.50:10) and that He is able to multiply our few loaves and fish (John 6),
then we must be willing as His people to trust that He will always provide.
It is my prayer that the work in New Hartford learn the principle from
Proverbs 11:25 early on, A generous man will
prosper; The majority of people in a Church do not
hold office, but they have an integral part to the work of the Church. The
members are critical to the health of the congregation. They: stand at the very
outposts of the Kingdom of God. They are the missionaries of Christ in every
secular sphere. Theirs is the task to carry the message of the Church into
every area of life, to be informed and courageous witnesses to the will of our Lord in the
world. To this end they will need training and guidance (quoted in
Stott’s One People,
54). • love
one another (Romans 13:8; 1 Pet.1:22; 1 Jn.3:11,23; 4:7,11; 2 Jn.1:5) Every member of a congregation can do all
of these things and each of the "one another’s" serves to
bring us to Christian maturity. 1. Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be
the Word of God, the only infallible rule for faith and life? 2.Do you believe in the one living and true God - Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, as revealed in the Scriptures? 3.Do you repent of your sin; confess your guilt and helplessness as a
sinner against God; profess Jesus Christ, Son of God, as your Saviour and
Lord; and dedicate yourself to His service: Do you promise that you will
endeavor to forsake all sin, and to conform your life to His teaching and
example? 4.Do you promise to submit in the Lord to the teaching and government
of this church as being based upon the Scriptures and described in substance
in the Constitution of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America? Do
you recognize your responsibility to work with others in the church and do
you promise to support and encourage them in their service to the Lord? In
case you should need correction in doctrine or life, do you promise to
respect the authority and discipline of the church? 5.To the end that you may grow in the Christian life, do you promise
that you will diligently read the Bible, engage in private prayer, keep the
Lord’s Day, regularly attend the worship services, observe the
appointed sacraments, and give to the Lord’s work as He shall prosper
you? 6.Do you purpose to seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness in all the relationships of life, faith fully to perform you
whole duty as a true servant of Jesus Christ, and seek to win others to Him? Church membership has its privileges. It
is all for one and one for all. When one becomes a member everyone else in
the Church commits themselves to the welfare of that person. The rest of the
congregation assents to the covenant and agrees to "welcome into their
fellowship those who have professed their faith in Christ, and have been
received by the Session." They "promise to help and encourage new
members in their Christian life" (RP Constitution D-2). Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau As was stated
above, the church exists to worship God and edify His people. Worship, as with all of life, must be
governed by the Word of God. But
God’s Word regulates behavior in our homes differently than when we
assemble in His Home. The question
isn’t whether we like a particular worship style or practice but
whether God likes them.
God’s House is not about our personal
preferences. His preferences are
clearly stated in His Word and this observation will bring peace to the many
“worship wars.” The Scriptures call us to a life of faith
and practically speaking the way we put our faith in Christ is through
God’s Word and commitment to keeping it; prayer; sacraments and
Christian fellowship, They devoted themselves to the
apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and
to prayer. (Acts 2:42 ) These are the things that
the church must focus on every Lord’s Day. You’re either living by faith devoted
to Scripture, fellowship, sacraments and prayer or you aren’t
living by faith. As far as I can tell,
these are the only ways that you can exercise faith in Christ so that
you might be fruitful (John 15:1-11).
The church’s worship must therefore focus upon these things. Apart from Christ, we naturally
rejoice in vanity. As church’s slouch toward vanity their stages become
bigger and bigger for dancing, drama, and musical entertainment. This is only detrimental because it crowds
out the things necessary for bearing the Supernatural fruit of the Holy
Spirit: ü
Sermons
become shorter and shallower ü
The
number of worship services and/or Bible studies decrease ü
Prayer
meetings become non-existent ü
The
Lord’s Supper becomes a mere appendage “Earlier in this century, someone
claimed that we work at our play and play at our work. Today the confusion has deepened: We
worship our work, work at our play, and play at our worship” (Leland
Ryken). At Christ Church you will
find that our life and worship are centered upon the Word of God preached and
sung, prayer, the Lord’s Supper and Christian fellowship. These are the means by which we live by
faith and become fruitful for God’s glory. CONCLUSION: WHAT MAKES CHRIST CHURCH DIFFERENT? In Oneida County there are more than 100
churches representing over 20 non-denominational and denominational
churches. What makes Christ Church
different is our convictions about the Word of God, the definition and
ministry of the church, the leadership of the church and the worship of the
church. Join us in the great
pilgrimage of walking by the Spirit! RECOMMENDED BOOKS &
ARTICLES ABOUT THE CHURCH AND HER PURPOSE IN THE WORLD Arturo G. Azurdia III; Recovering
The Third Mark Of The Church Bannerman, Douglas D. The Scripture Doctrine of the Church. Bannerman, James. The Church of Christ. Berkouwer, G.C. The Church. Calvin, John; Institutes of the Christian Religion. Book IV ____________;"Letter to
Sadoleto". in John C. Olin, A Reformation Debate. New York: Harper
Torchbooks, 1966. *____________; The Necessity of Reforming the Church; Click here
to read online R. Scott Clark; The
Church: The Christ Confessing Covenant Community. L. Coenen, "Church", Dictionary of New Testament Theology,
Vol.1. Ed. by Colin Brown. pp.291-307. Cunningham, William. Historical Theology, Vol.I (Banner of
Truth Trust, London) pp.1-78. Dever, Mark; The Nine Marks of a Healthy Church Elliff, Jim; Why Should I Join
a Church? Guinness, Os; Sounding Out
the Idols of Church Growth Horton, Michael; A Permanent
Address ____________; Selling Jesus: Christian
Consumerism ____________; Finding A Church *Kuiper, R.B. The Glorious Body of Christ. (Eerdmans: Grand Rapids) R. Albert Mohler, Jr.; Church
Discipline: The Missing Mark ____________; The Urgency of Preaching Murray, John. Collected Writings. vol. II
(Banner of Truth Trust, London) pp.321-384. Owen, John. "The True Nature of a
Gospel Church", The Works of John Owen, Vol. XVI. Ridderbos, H. Paul: An Outline of His Theology. Trans. by J.R.
DeWitt.Eerdmans: Grand Rapids. pp.327-486. Robson, E.A. "The Doctrine of the
Church in the ‘Arm-Groups’: A Sympathetic Appraisal" in The
Church and Her Ministry (RPCNA: Pittsburgh) c.1976. pp.37-51. RPCNA, The Church and Her Ministry. Sproul, R.C.; Swimming
Upstream *Stott, John; One People. Vos, Geerhardus; The Kingdom and the Church. Vos, J.G. The Visible Church: Its Nature, Unity and Witness. Wilken, Todd; The Fad Driven Church Witherow Thomas; The Form of the Christian Temple.
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