Joshua has always intrigued me. First, I loved his passion and commitment, not just for himself, but for God’s glory. When the ten were timid, he and Caleb were ready to go, confident and trusting. What has also impressed me, however, is Joshua’s stamina. Here was a man who not only fought the good fight, but who finished the race and finished well.
Genesis recounts for us some rather titanic shifts for humanity. Creation itself, moving from non-being to being is there. The fall, moving from perfection to depravity is there. The deluge, moving from a world of peoples to just one family is there. At the same time, however, there is this change- the shift from life spans measured in the hundreds of years to life spans much more like ours. Moses, of course, had a rather productive old age, leading the nation of Israel from the time he was 80 to his death at 120. Leading a nation through the wilderness for forty years would be tough on anyone, but beginning when you were 80?
Joshua most likely was at least sixty years old when Israel entered into the Promised Land under his leadership. His calling, however, wasn’t merely to lead the people on a long journey. He was called to lead the conquest of the land, to lead them into battle. He wasn’t just a statesman, but an active soldier.
And when the land was essentially conquered, when all that remained was resistance on the frontiers, off he went to the frontier, to fight for the land God had promised him. There was no easing into retirement as a precursor to easing into the afterlife. He went out with his boots on.
In God’s good providence I am not called to wage physical war with the enemies of God. I am, however, called to wage spiritual war with the enemies of God. That calling does not end at my retirement, but when I am called home. And it makes me weary. The fiercest enemy of God that I fight, of course, is the old man yet within me. Him I am to be continually putting to death. He, however, never takes a rest. In addition to mortifying my own flesh, I am likewise called to take on the world and the devil. Neither takes a rest.
Which is one reason we are so apt to grow weary. Our journey is immeasurably long, our enemies immeasurably tenacious. I want to fight as faithfully as Joshua, and for as many years as Joshua. But I have something he could only look forward to, the rest that Christ won. My enemies fight against me 24/7. But because of my Friend, because of my Hero and Champion, I fight 24/6. The rest, however, is for the valiant. Refuse the call to the battle and I miss the invitation to rest.
Our Lord’s Day rest is a foretaste of our eternal rest, eternity piercing our every day. Lord teach me to rest that I might go and fight. And teach me to fight that I might be blessed with rest.
We continue exploring issues dividing the church. Tonight we consider sexual morality. All are welcome at 6:15 for dinner, and for the study at 7:00. We live-stream on Facebook Live, RC-Lisa Sproul. We hope you’ll join us.
There are, at base, three forms of government. The first is rule by one. The second is rule by a few, the third rule by all. In civil government this would essentially be monarchy, republic and democracy, broadly speaking. In church government it would be episcopacy, presbyterianism, and congregationalism, broadly speaking. Rightly understood then the church, whatever denomination, if it is indeed a part of the church, is an episcopacy. Just as Jesus reigns over the nations, so He reigns over the church. His vicar, however, is not the bishop of Rome, but the Holy Spirit.
Men of Good Will Differ
The Holy Spirit has given us the Word of God. That Word, true in all that it teaches, does not come equipped with a Book of Church Order. Good men, good Reformed men, over the course of church history have argued that under Christ’s reign the church should function as an episcopacy. Other good Reformed men argue for presbyterianism, and finally good Reformed men have spoken in defense of congregationalism.
A Plurality of Elders
This Reformed man, while acknowledging that this isn’t the clearest thing in the Bible, sides with the presbyterians. The church should be ruled by a plurality of elders. Even if I am right, however, this doesn’t settle fully the question of whether or not we should vote in church. It does, however, set some boundaries.
“Voting” Allowed
First, if the church is to be ruled by elders it cannot simultaneously be ruled by the congregation. Congregational votes at the very least cannot overrule the will of the session, the body of elders, at least without devolving down to congregationalism. This still, however, doesn’t outlaw all votes by the congregation. One might, for instance, take a poll of the congregation. Insofar as such a poll would be non-binding, it is no denial of presbyterian church government.
Suppose the elders are curious to know how many of its member families would be interested in a mid-week Bible study, or even if Tuesday or Wednesday would be a better evening for such a study. By all means take a poll. The elders, however, would have to decide.
Approving Elders
Second, there is value in having the congregation “vote” on who should be their elders. Here again I would argue we have to be careful not to let the congregation wrest rule from the session. That is, I don’t believe the congregation can impose an elder on the session. I argue that the approval of elders should be two-fold.
Certainly the session needs to approve potential session members. But when the congregation votes on potential elders they are doing something other than ruling in the church. They are acknowledging the rule over them. That is, they are agreeing to have the elders be in authority over them.
No Stockholders
Typically these issues do not become difficult in themselves. That is, it is rare for a church to find itself in trouble, or in battle mode, over competing classes of members. That said, there are often subtle dangers in not thinking through these issues well. To say, for instance, that the elders rule in the church is not to suggest that the members are just spectators, that they are not full members of the body. Much less should it communicate differing levels of spiritual standing.
Elders are sinners saved by grace. Laymen are sinners saved by grace. We are all called to do the work of the ministry. On the other side of the coin, when congregations do vote, or even meet together in discussion, it is important to not import the wrong categories into the meeting. The church is not a business, and the members are not stockholders. And it most certainly is not a democracy.
No Perfect Earthly Government
There is no church government that will eliminate sin. Things go wrong in all kinds of churches. It is tempting in the midst of dealing with sin to think the grass must be greener on the other side. It is especially tempting to believe, “Things would be so much better if only I had more power to bring it to pass.” But we all bring sin with us wherever we go. One man ruling is dangerous. All men ruling is dangerous. A few men ruling is dangerous, but, I would argue, less dangerous than the first two. Which is why God gives us elders and gives elders the authority to rule in the church.
This is the forty-first installment of an ongoing series of pieces here on the nature and calling of the church. Stay tuned for more. Remember also that we at Sovereign Grace Fellowship meet this Sunday April 27 at 10:30 AM at our new location, our beautiful farm at 11281 Garman Road, Spencerville, IN. Please come join us. Also note that tonight we continue our Bible study on issues dividing the church, tonight considering sexual morality.
It goes against my own principles to argue from the perspective of the pragmatic. Pragmatism, after all, is a worldly thing. God calls us to faithfulness. He tells us what to do, and we are to do it. The results we wisely leave in His hands. Strangely, however, from time to time, the two approaches intersect. That is, sometimes doing the principled thing is the same thing as the pragmatic thing.
Consider, for a moment, this command from God: “Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes” (Prov. 26:5). Now I grant that the verse immediately preceding this verse is puzzling: “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.” How can we do both things? The key is this. We ought not ever to adopt the standards of fools. But we ought not to be afraid to use the standards of fools against fools.
If, for instance, the promoter of the church-growth mentality holds out the size and budget of Seeker Church A as evidence of the wisdom of this approach, we would be foolish were we to respond by holding up the size and budget of Non-Seeker Church B as evidence of the folly of this approach. Everyone, no matter where they stand on this issue, if they agree that the standard is size and budget, is already a fool.
On the other hand, if God commands us to answer the pragmatist according to his pragmatism, lest he be wise in his own eyes, we, if we are principled, obey. And so I shall.
I trust that no one would really use the size and budget of a given church as a measure of effectiveness. If we did so, the largest denomination in America would not be the UMC or the SBC, but the NFL. We might, however, be tempted to measure a church’s success by the number of unbelievers it attracts. We would do this only if we were confused over the relationship between evangelism and worship.
Sadly, such confusion is alive and well in the church. We do not jettison worship for the sake of evangelism, but evangelize for the sake of the worship. Nevertheless, if we agree with the fool that what we want on the Lord’s Day morning is a packed house of “seekers” what approach ought we to take? Counter-programming.
The world around us is awash in vacuity. We live in a virtual Inanity Fair. We are empty, suffering the unbearable lightness of being. The world, cutting itself off from the transcendent realm, has nothing of substance, nothing lasting to offer. If there were such a thing as a seeker, what would he be seeking?
The church growth movement seems to believe he would be seeking more of the same. In a world consumed with lighthearted entertainment, we offer up less professional, less entertaining, lighthearted entertainment? Why, I keep wondering, would a “seeker” get up on a Sunday morning, and travel to some giant box to hear a third rate rock band preceding a third rate comic giving a third rate “message” that leaves him in the same state that he arrived in?
If we were to design a worship service for the sake of the seeker (and remembering Proverbs 26:4, we wouldn’t want to), wouldn’t we design one that at least delivered something of what the market lacks? Shouldn’t we be filling gaps, rather than going head to head with the professionals? Wouldn’t it make sense, if you were ABC, to air Love Story while CBS is airing the Super Bowl, rather than airing a John Wayne marathon? Shouldn’t we be zigging while the whole world is zagging?
A service that might attract the lost would be one that does not hide the transcendent, but reveals it. A service that might attract the lost would be one that does not deliver more of the same, but that shows forth the One. A service that might attract the lost would be one heaven bent on giving the map, rather than celebrating being lost. A service that might attract the lost would be one that panders to those who are sick of being pandered to, by refusing to pander. A service that might attract the lost would be one that offers discomfort to those who are sick and tired of being comfortable.
Of course the more we try to be pragmatic, the closer we get to the principle. If anyone is seeking, he is seeking what he has not found in the world. If anyone is seeking, he will never find, unless he seeks first the kingdom of God. We can only help them by being the kingdom of God. Which brings us back to why we must not answer a fool according to his folly.
We do not make decisions based on meeting numbers. We make decisions based on meeting God. Worship isn’t a means to an end, but the end of all means. We do not design it for the lost, nor for the found. We listen to the Seeker of the lost, and do as He commands. We come to worship Him in spirit and in truth. We come to worship Him in the beauty of His holiness. We come to worship Him, for His is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory. We come to worship Him, to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. And then, and only then, will all these things be added to us.
He Came Down
The King without a shadow
The prince that wars for peace
The Love that binds Them both
Revealer revealed the least.
The Mother of all unions
Bucket spilling singing stars
Limping, laughing Lord of the dance
Slaying dragons through His scars.
Tragedy in Eden, hubris’ naked shame
A curse, a curse upon the land
Waiting in age’s darkness
Lightning flashing, now comes the Man.
Death’s grip loosed by innocence
Come see the roaring Lamb
As hell swallows its bitter self
The damned given a damn.
Villainy, rebellion, my ignoble role
Snatched up in His victory won
He stooped to rescue my rotting corpse
Made a son by His beloved Son.
He reigns over and beyond
Every raging sea
And now and forever
By name, loves me.
Join us as Lisa and I continue to talk about praying for one another. Plus, I encourage us to fight fair in the culture wars. And to worship the risen Lord in Spirt and in truth.
There is no calling more fraught with danger and import than leading a family. Certainly bad things can happen if we fall down on our 9-5 jobs. Failures at the local church have deep impact. Every member of every family, however, is a person who will last into eternity. There are only two destinations where that eternity will be spent. No father, no parent, is fully responsible for all those under their care. We are, as husbands and fathers, given the tasks of raising our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6). We are called to wash our wives with the water of the Word (Ephesians 5). Scared yet? If not, you clearly don’t understand.
The purpose of the fear, however, isn’t to make us freeze up, to futilely seek to flee our responsibility. Rather, the fear is there to drive us to our Father. The church is chalk full of tools and helps to carry out these callings. We have seminars and podcasts, conferences and books, whole para-church ministries devoted to equipping us. Many of these, of course, can be quite helpful. None of them, nor all of them put together, however, can hold a candle to the power of prayer.
While it may seem a pedantic distinction, the power isn’t in the prayer, but in the One prayed to. We often rightly chasten ourselves for looking to prayer as the strategy of last resort. “Tried everything else and still stuck? Try prayer!” We’re fools to forget where the power lies. We’re fools as well when we forget the promises of Him to whom we pray. Our Father indeed hears us when we pray, “Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes-Benz?” And He more often than not answers, “No.” When, however, we pray in line with His actual promises, we can be confident in positive responses.
Who, for instance, is more interested in your children being raised in His nurture and admonition, you or Him? Who is more committed to the washing of your wife, you, or Him? Who is more zealous for the growth in grace and wisdom of you and your whole family, you or Him? So let’s pray. Daily storm the throne room of God Himself for those under our care, for those whom we love most of all. Ask for direction, wisdom, power, strength, perseverance, faith from His Spirit. Invest our time in time with our Father.
Let’s in fact, remember that husbands, wives, children, that we are all together both part of the bride of Christ, having the perfect Husband, and are all children of our heavenly Father. We are being washed by our Husband, and nurtured by our Father, all while being led by the Spirit. Reformation comes as we are re-formed into all that He calls us to be, as we are re-committed to doing all that He calls us to do. Pray for yourself. Pray for your wife. Pray for your children. Pray for His grace, and give thanks.
We continue exploring issues dividing the church. Tonight, cessationism and continuationism. All are welcome at 6:15 for dinner, and for the study at 7:00. We live-stream on Facebook Live, RC-Lisa Sproul. We hope you’ll join us.
