The Great Concern for the Church

God's desire is to have a holy church which glorifies Him. He chose each of the members of the church to "be holy and blameless before Him" (Ephesians 1:4). Jesus died for the church so that He would one day be able to present her to Himself as "holy and blameless" (Ephesians 5:26). God has predestined each member of the church to be "conformed to the image of His Son" which is the image of holiness (Romans 8:29).

This means that the church itself must be concerned with the growth in holiness of its members. Not simply with growing the numbers but whether the number that God has sovereignly given it is growing in holiness. (As the book of Acts makes clear for us, it is the Lord who adds to the number of the church through the church’s faithful work of sharing the gospel and praying for conversions.) Each individual believer in the fellowship is called to be holy as God is holy (Leviticus 11:44; 19:2; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:15-16). If a brother or sister in the fellowship continues on in unrepentant sin, they are to be lovingly confronted on it and called to repent (Matthew 18:15-20; Galatians 6:1). Paul chastises the church in Corinth for failing to do anything about the member in open ongoing sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 5:1-2). He actually calls them to kick the man out of the fellowship (1 Corinthians 5:3-5). The reason for this is the concern that his ongoing unrepentant sin will corrupt the holiness of the church. To use his imagery, that the little bit of leaven of the man’s sinful wickedness will cause the whole dough of the congregation to be affected (1 Corinthians 5:6-8). Holiness MUST be a major concern for the church.  

Now does such a concern for growth in holiness distract the church from its mission to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19)? Obviously not because the same One who desires for us and calls us to be holy is the same One who gave the church this commission through His Son. We have to understand that holiness itself is an important and necessary part of the church’s witness. It actually aids and adorns the church’s mission.

It is the holiness of the church that makes the church attractive to the unbelieving world. That shows it to be distinct. Unless unbelievers notice a difference in how the church lives and worships, they will see no reason to take any interest in the gospel the church proclaims to have transformed them. They will not see the reflection of the church's Savior and Lord. They will instead see themselves and no reason to pay the church any attention whatsoever.

As Mark Dever said at a recent conference, “your most important contribution to others is your knowing God in a way that makes you different from others. That's the whole nature of the contribution you have to give them. This is how we will bring other people in. With a compelling holiness.” When people notice our different set of priorities, see us spend time each Sunday morning (and throughout the week) with those we really have nothing in common with other than our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, love those that they find hard to love, or give of ourselves without any immediate reward from it, it will make them question what is different about us. And we can explain to them that it is not because we are any better than anybody else. But in light of the amazing grace that God has shown us in Christ, how else can we respond but to give our own poor version of that love we have experienced to others? That it is only because of Who He is and what He has done for us. He is Who makes that difference. I remember in high school a major act of kindness a college student did for a group of us. When we thanked him, he was quick to point out that he only shared a little bit of what God had done for Him in Christ.

One of the greatest concerns for the church today ought to be its holiness. That they are genuinely set apart by God to glorify Him in both their profession and their practice. That the church’s members are continuing to grow in the holiness of their living. Perhaps one of the greatest tragedies of the visible church in America today is the lack of concern for holiness. Let’s be sure that that is not a tragedy for us here at Mt. Joy but let us strive, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit within us, to be holy as God is holy. May that attract the unbelieving world to wonder what, or better put, Who, serves as responsible for such a distinction.

Love in Christ,

Pastor Lee

Conquering Fear Through Faith

            Have you ever noticed how many times it says in God’s Word to be strong and courageous? Especially in the books of Deuteronomy and Joshua? It really catches your attention if you are reading the Bible straight through. Over and over again we find this command being given to someone in relation to a task that they have been called to. Moses says this to the people in regards to their preparing to go out and conquer the land of Canaan (Deuteronomy 31:6). Then he says it to Joshua who will be taking over to lead them before God to that land (31:7-8). In turn, God Himself commands this to Joshua, not once, or even twice, but actually three times. All of that too just within four verses (Joshua 1:6, 7, 9)! King David says the same words to his son Solomon, twice, when charging him to build the temple for the Lord (1 Chronicles 22:13; 28:20). And the Apostle Paul ends his first letter to the Church in Corinth with a general call for the congregation to act like men, be strong (1 Corinthians 16:13), which are the same words in the Greek translation of what was said to the people of Israel, Joshua, and Solomon.

            Coupled along with such a command is a similar one. Do not fear or be dismayed. Being fearful and distressed keeps one from being strong and courageous. We could go so far as to say that fear destroys courage. If you are very fearful of a lion, you are not going to be able to face the beast. Instead, you will want to run away from it. So not only is the positive command given but the negative as well.

            The repetition of these two phrases tell us a lot about our nature. If the men they were originally addressed to had such strength and courage needed for the task which they were called, there would be no reason to command them to be such, would there? You don’t have to tell someone to do something that they are already doing. Rather, you need to constantly remind them of something they ought to be doing, especially if they struggle with it. The fact that we see such a command repeated on different occasions to various individuals indicate that weakness, discouragement, and fear are universal conditions. Things that are common to all mankind. In and of ourselves, we are weak and cowardly. We are not as strong as we think we are but are frail and fearful. And such fear holds us back from doing what God has called us to do. Whether that would be a fear of serving in a certain capacity in the church or to spark up that conversation about the Lord with our unbelieving friend or neighbor that we know we need to do. 

            Thankfully, God does more than just command His people to be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed. He provides a basis for the command. And that basis is the promise of His presence. In just about every one of the cases where these commands are given, God promises to be with the person or persons in whatever the task may be that He has called them to do. This was true of the people of Israel with the task of conquering their enemies to possess the Promised Land. Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6). As well as with Joshua in leading the people. The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed (Deuteronomy 31:8). Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9).

            The way to conquer your fear and have courage is through faith in God’s promise to be with you. That He will meet your needs and provide you with the necessary strength to fight the enemy. He will never leave you alone with any task that He has called you to or any struggle that He has ordained for your life. He will be with you every step of the way, empowering you by His Spirit to accomplish it or withstand it. Only in knowing that He is with you and has the strength sufficient for you can you face your struggles courageously. So the next time that you find yourself lacking courage and fearful, remind yourself of His promise to be with you through whatever it is. Hold fast to that precious promise. Conquer your fear through faith in it.

Love in Christ,

Pastor Lee

The Real Issue and the Only Solution

We have now witnessed yet another mass shooting in our nation with the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL on February 14, 2018. It wasn’t too long before that we heard the news of the 26 killed in the church in TX. It seems like more and more of these situations are occurring. In addition to these instances, several students in our area have experienced lockdowns of their schools due to threats being made. All of this has ignited a major debate as to what serves as the cause of such tragedies and what can be done to stop any more from occurring. Opinion after opinion is being offered up concerning these matters. Why is this a reality that we need to deal with today?

The Bible itself provides us with the answer. It ultimately isn’t guns, the current laws that we have or do not have, or even the family background these individuals come from (though of course the latter very well might factor in such). The issue actually goes much deeper. The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart. That every single one of us is born with a sinful wicked heart in rebellion to our Creator. As the prophet Jeremiah pointed out, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” We are told that when God looked down at people before the flood that He noticed “the intent of the thoughts of [man’s] heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). And that didn’t change with people after the flood either. The intent of man’s heart is still evil from his youth (Genesis 8:21). Jesus Himself said that it wasn’t what goes into a person’s mouth that makes him or her unclean but what comes out of one’s mouth. “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness” (Mark 7:21-22). Included in his list of the characteristics of man’s sinful nature, Paul says, “their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known” (Romans 3:15-17). Here we find the true reason for our society’s lack of value for life (and that includes for the tiniest of life in their mother’s womb to the elderly). Man’s wicked sinful rebellious heart.

This means that the solution to these issues cannot be found in stricter laws, the president, or a certain political party controlling Congress. None of these changes the heart. To focus all of our attention on these things hoping that they will make the greatest difference would be like giving cough drops to someone suffering with tuberculosis. It doesn’t address what’s causing the cough in the first place. (This isn’t saying that we shouldn’t of course support policies and politicians who promote and protect life. Just that we shouldn’t place all of our hope in such to bring about the change we ultimately desire to see.)

The best thing that we can do in regards to society’s ills is to focus on what God has called us to do as a church. Not to attempt to seek to change society through man-made means but to proclaim the gospel that God uses to change individual hearts to turn from their rebellion towards Him and to embrace His Son as their only Lord and Savior. The gospel is the true change agent, “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). Coupled along with the Holy Spirit’s work through it, it can transform someone deadset on destroying the church and killing it’s members to one of the greatest missionaries in the church’s history. That’s the apostle Paul’s story. If you are a Christian, you know this to be true because you can testify to the difference that Jesus continues to make in your life. How you are no longer what you once were before you had your life-changing encounter with Him.

The only hope for our society today is the Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation that He has accomplished. Our job, commissioned by Jesus Himself, is to tell others about that hope, not just in this society, but in all societies in the world, desiring to see individuals come to faith in Christ and have their lives transformed by His Holy Spirit. While we presently live in this temporal earthly kingdom, we ultimately want to see others become part of the much greater eternal heavenly kingdom. Let’s be careful not to get distracted but be steadfast with this task for the glory of our King. We know the solution. We just need to be sharing it more and praying that others will accept it.

Love in Christ,

Pastor Lee