Essential Tenet #10: Every member of the Church is called to share in God’s mission to the world.

There are two truths behind this tenet. First, God is a sending God. Jesus reveals as much when he says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17). Our understanding of mission is shaped by the sending nature of God. Leslie Newbiggen writes,

“Mission is not first of all an action of ours. It is an action of God, the triune God – of God the Father who is ceaselessly at work in all creation and in the hearts and minds of all human beings whether they acknowledge him or not, graciously guiding history toward its true end; of God the Son who has become part of this created history in the incarnation; and of God the Holy Spirit who is given as a foretaste of the end to empower and teach the church and to convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment… This is the primal reality in mission; the rest is derivative.” (Leslie Newbiggen, The Gospel in a Pluralistic Society, 134)

The second is God’s sends us. It is clear from Scripture that God has sent us to join in his mission. Several texts highlight this truth. The Matthew 28 text that is often called the Great Commission could also be called the Great Sendoff. He says, “Go!” Similarly, in the opening words of Luke 10, Jesus says, “Go on your way!” The sending God sends us.

The identity question.

Two things may be holding us back from going. First, we have to get our identity right. Are we Safe Christians or are we Sent Christians? Here’s the difference:

Safe Christians.

·      See the world as a danger.

·      Look to the church as a refuge from the world.

·      Prefer the comfort of the church gathering than the awkwardness of gather with unbelievers.

·      Primarily focus on receiving the benefits of faith.

·      Content to build relationship enclaves with only other Christians.

·      Resist changes that intend to open the church to reach the lost.

Sent Christians.

·      See the world as a dangerous place, but see their God as powerful, faithful, and just, and in a sense more dangerous to the world than the world is to us.

·      Do not see the church as the only place through which mission happens.

·      Take the mission of Jesus into whatever realm they go, e.g., work, home, or school.

·      Act as the frontline of God’s mission in the world, and return to the church as the basecamp that refreshes and equips people.

·      Take the initiative to build relationships with non-Christians or those who have fallen away from God.

Which one are you? Safe Christians do not gain the kind of life God intended for his children. Safe Christianity produces an incomplete experience that doesn’t really satisfy us. On other hand, Sent Christians are more likely to be satisfied in their faith because they are pursuing the whole mission of God – to be transformed and to work for the transformation of the world.

A Luke 10 strategy.

Once we get our mind set on our identity, then a strategy is needed. How do we participate in God’s mission? The first part of the strategy is “Go!” If you are like most Christians, your circle of friends is mostly, if not all, Christians. That won’t do. Find a way you can build relationships with people far from God.

Next, in Luke 10, Jesus instructs them to enter a village read to say a blessing, or to say a good word. Who in this world doesn’t want to hear a good word? We are so used to hearing bad or discouraging words that good words, kind words, encouragements are like cool water to a parched traveler. Every time I have asked a question of one of my kids’ schoolteachers, their initial reaction is a quick defensive posture. They do not relax until they understand that I am not critiquing or complaining about them. Do you think they are used to hearing a good word from parents? Go and bring a good word from God. Most people need it.

Lastly, Jesus instructs them to heal. In those days before modern medicine, life was fragile. Physical healing was important. It still is, but there are other ways that healing is now needed. Wherever you going takes you, keep your eye open for ways that you can bring healing. Is there a homeless person you frequently see? Do you see someone crushed by grief? Do you see someone struggling financially? Do you see someone who is lonely? If you do, maybe caring for that person is the way you bring healing.

Levi Dinners.

To get you started on this sent mission from God, we encourage you consider hosting a Levi Dinner. Levi was the tax collector that Jesus invited to follow him. Levi gave up on his tax business, and dedicated his life to Jesus. One of the first things Levi did was to invite Jesus to dinner to meet his friends, who were people far from God.

In the month of April, we are going to have a church-wide emphasis on our members hosting Levi dinners. The plan is simple. Invite someone who is either not Christian, or is a lapsed Christian to join you for a meal. It can be lunch or dinner; it can be casual or formal. Your job is to be a good host, and have a good time. If it goes well, do it again.

Notice what is not in the instructions. You are not asked to assess your gifts and skills to see if you can do this. If you eat, you can do this. You are not asked to give someone a brochure about our church, deliver a presentation, or ask someone to visit our church. If questions of faith come up, then great – talk about faith.

The goal is taking the first step in building a relationship with someone far from God so that they can perhaps meet Jesus for the first time. Ah, you may say, Levi invited Jesus to meet his friends; yet, we don’t have Jesus coming to our dinner. Friends, don’t believe that for a minute. When we are redeemed, Jesus takes up residence in us. Christ dwells within us! We bring Christ with us.

Essential Tenet #9: The Church is the covenant community of God, through which God’s grace is extended.

I've asked our associate pastor, Andrew Dickinson, to share his thoughts on Tenet #9. Remember to use the link on the right side of the page to see the video clips of sermons on each of the tenets. Enjoy!

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There is so much that can be said about the church! In our creedal statements we speak of one holy catholic and apostolic church. We can speak of the church militant, the church triumphant, the suffering church, the visible church, and the invisible church. Much has been said about the marks of the church and church governance. Integral to ninth tenet are three observations about the church that are essential to our understanding of it: the church is chosen, the church is distinctive and the church has a mission.

The church’s nature as a covenant community indicates that God has chosen it for a purpose. In his blog last week, James reminded us that we have been chosen, “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ … (1 Peter 1:2 ESV)” and further, “that we were predestined for “adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.” (Ephesians 1:5 ESV)” Since the beginning, when Adam and Eve rebelled against God, and so experienced separation from God, God has been seeking to be reconciled with his creation. God chose to do this not because we were inherently good or had done anything to deserve his gift of grace, but because God is by nature loving and gracious. God made a covenant with Abraham (Gen 12:1-3) where he promised that he would make him (Abraham) into a great nation and that through him, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. God kept his promise, and the nation of Israel came into being. Through Moses, as we read in the law codes of the Pentateuch, God affirms his covenant with Israel. In Deuteronomy 7 - 9 he reminds them that it is not on account of their goodness that they have been chosen, for they are a “stiff-necked people” (Deut 9:6), but because he is a faithful God. God goes on to tell them that they will be blessed if they keep the stipulations of the covenant, but if they reject them and follow foreign Gods, they will be driven from the land (Deut 28).

            The people are unfaithful and God is true to his word and they are driven from the land. They are conquered by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks and finally the Romans. Throughout their long history of disobedience to God, God raises up judges and then prophets to call them to repentance. God is faithful to his people, even when they are not faithful to him. One of the prophets, Jeremiah speaks of a new covenant that God will make with his people (Jeremiah 31:30-33). Christians understand this to be the new covenant instituted in and through Jesus. Jesus, the one slain before the foundation of the earth (Rev 13:8) is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham. Through him all peoples of the earth are blessed, because forgiveness and grace have been made available to us in the atoning work of Christ Jesus (Rom 3:23-25). The church refers to that covenant community of faith, built upon the foundation of the prophets and apostles; with Jesus Christ himself as the chief cornerstone, “…in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.” (Eph 2:21, ESV)

This covenant community is distinctive. Scripture tells us about some of the distinguishing characteristics of the church, “…they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Acts 2:42, ESV) One of the problems the broader church is wrestling with today is its identity. Even to the casual observer there are some very real tensions evident in the church. How are we going to respond to our cultures call to endorse gay marriage? Is Jesus Lord of just Christians or Lord of All? With all the discoveries of science, shouldn’t we let go of metaphysical / supernatural claims made in Scripture in favor of more reasonable claims? Opinion on issues like these is divided, which, in many ways is having the effect of dividing the church. The church in Acts 2, whilst not uniform was none the less united. One of the reasons that this was the case was because they united around the apostles teaching. The apostles’ teaching was understood to be authoritative for the faith and practice of the church. This is because they were the ones who had lived with Jesus every day for years, they had been immersed in his teaching, had witnessed his ministry, life, death and resurrection. There is a humanizing ideology which is colonizing the church today. It stands in the enlightenment tradition, which is not all bad – we have learnt a great deal from the scientific method, but its primary posture is one of skepticism rather than faith. It is one which elevates human reason, which is necessarily limited, over and above divine agency, intellect and capability. It is a perspective which, for example, doubts the physical resurrection of Jesus[1], one which I would argue is increasingly prevalent in the church today, although reluctantly admitted (in general) or spiritualized. In reducing what God is able to do to current human conceptions of what God should be able to do, we domesticate God, creating God in our own image. Some would claim we do this anyway; but that is precisely the point. Either God truly is God, able to invade our history and our lives as God did in Jesus the Christ; or he is simply a social construction. The call comes to us again and again, “Choose this day whom you shall serve” (Josh 24:15). The church in Acts served a fully resurrected Lord and Savior, whom the apostles attested to, as does our cannon of Scripture (John 20:27, Luke 24:3-7, Mark 16:6-7, Matt 28:6, 1 Cor 15:14). They were united because of it (Acts 2:44), which is something the church now could learn from.

 As well as gaining its distinctiveness from the apostles teaching, the church is also distinguished in its devotion to a life of fellowship together, to prayer and the breaking of bread together. Fellowship was for them a persistent practice, something they were constantly given over to. It had their steadfast attention. It was intimate, it had depth, and it was meaningful. They shared one another’s joys, sorrows, burdens, and rejoicings. They knew each other, and they were known by each other. The challenge for the church today is can we be such a place? The answer to this question is “yes”, but it requires that we be devoted to fellowship. This requires the kind of love Jesus speaks of in John 15. It means a willingness to lay our lives down for each other; by this kind of love, all people truly will know that we are Christ’s disciples. It’s the kind of love that requires risk, the willingness to be vulnerable and to be hurt, which is almost inevitable in a world and in a church affected by sin and brokenness. But, as we increasingly lay our lives down and are devoted to this endeavor, then, in greater measure we will be a people, “built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

They were also distinguished by their prayerfulness. Prayer is more than getting stuff from God. God is not a spiritual vending machine. He is the creator God, who set the sun and moon in their places, made summer and winter, and separated the oceans and the dry land. In prayer, we draw near to the One who welcomes us into his presence like a much loved child. Devoting ourselves to prayer guarantees that we will grow in love for the One Jesus spoke of as Abba Father. Prayer can be transformative. It is something that the church practiced persistently during its infancy and it is a spiritual discipline which we should be encouraging each other to be devoted to now, personally, but also as families, friends and in small groups.

The final distinguishing feature of the church was that it was devoted to the breaking of bread. The significance of the Lords supper is seen in the gospels and Paul’s description of it in 1^st Corinthians 11 indicates that it was a very significant part of the life of the early church, as it is in our worshipping communities today. The words Jesus used “This is my body”, “This is my blood” have been understood in different ways, which sadly has become a point of contention and separation in the visible church.

C.S. Lewis writes this: “... the very last thing I want to do is to unsettle in the mind of any Christian, whatever his denomination, the concepts -- for him traditional -- by which he finds it profitable to represent to himself what is happening when he receives the bread and wine.” In our own tradition we understand that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ our Lord is truly present as we share in our Lord’s Supper. Calvin speaks of this a spiritual presence, where his grace is extended to us uniting us with all believers everywhere. The Lord’s Table is a place of humility, a place for acknowledging we cannot fully comprehend all God has done for us and the depth of the working of his grace, but with thanksgiving we come to receive from the abundance of his goodness.

Consequently, the distinctive church has a mission. Our mission is to join with God’s mission to the world. The members of the church, as recipients of God’s grace, are empowered by the Holy Spirit and sent out into the world to bear witness to the One who truly has given us all we need for life and godliness. As we have received God’s grace, we are called to be a people who proclaim the good news that God’s grace is extended to those who have not yet received it. Our proclamation is expressed in word and deed as we live into our identity as ambassadors for Christ, commissioned with the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:11-21). It is for his glory that we exist at all. Praise be to God. Amen.

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[1] Spivey, Robert A., Smith D. Moody & Black C. Clifton, Anatomy of the New Testament, 6^th Ed. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, (2007), pg 234-5. (New Testament 101 textbook at Princeton Theological Seminary)