Download The Abraham Project - Covenant Community Church

The Abraham Project
Covenant Community Church
St. Louis, Missouri
September 10, 2006
Allan M. Ellis
Lead Pastor
2
Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your
father’s house to the land that I will show you.’ (Genesis 12:1)
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was
to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was
going. (Hebrews 11:8)
______________________________________________
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner
nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is
preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look
not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen For the things
that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (II
Corinthians 4:16-18)
“Which power is your life and your church living out of—the power of the
invisible or the power of the visible?” (A is for Abductive: The Language of the
Emerging Church by Leonard Sweet, Brian D. McLaren, and Jerry Haselmayer)
______________________________________________
“I would affirm that much of the modern approach to evangelism, with its
techniques and methods, is unnecessary if we really believe in the doctrine of
the Holy Spirit and His application of God’s message…Should we not
concentrate more, as the church has done through the centuries, upon praying
for and laying the basis of Christian instruction for, revival as it is described in
the Bible?” (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
2
3
Introduction: A Devastating Riptide
One of the joys of summer as a boy growing up in Connecticut was
spending time at the beach, Hammonassett State Park to be specific. You
could go for the day or camp out for the whole summer. Well do I recall the
anticipation of a day at the beach as our family car slowed to pay the entry fee
at the tollhouse. Peering over the front seat, gazing intently down the long
double wide road that ended at the shore and with my lungs filling with salt
air, I could already feel the hot sand pushing up between my toes. And the
offshore breeze…well, it was glorious.
But as much fun as the beach became for me, hidden dangers lurked.
The lifeguards would not allow any inner tubes or flotation devices. No flippers
were allowed. They often created a false sense of confidence, an
overestimation of one’s abilities. Sections of the beach would be routinely
closed to swimmers due to strong breezes or heavy wave action.
One of the culprits was riptides. A riptide is a turbulent vortex of water
that results when the wave action is so violent that the water cannot return to
the sea quickly enough. A riptide can be recognized by lots of white foam and
murkiness—like a blender on the bottom of the shore. People who get caught
in riptides are devastated to realize that they are being relentlessly moved
away from safety even though they may have been exhausting themselves
swimming toward the beach with all their might. There were a few occasions
when I saw lifeguards plunge into the surf and rescue people who were
completely spent.
Experts tell us that when we encounter riptides, we must resist the first
impulse to confront this force in a head-on fashion. We are told to turn and
swim parallel to the beach until the riptide releases us and then begin to make
real progress toward the shore by swimming diagonally to it. This feels
counterintuitive. As we turn, we sense that the water is still moving us further
out to sea. If we can marshal enough presence of mind and discipline, the
riptide’s grip weakens and the danger soon subsides.
3
4
In David Well’s thought-provoking new book, Above All Earthly Pow’rs,
he tells us that the popular church in America has “surfed the cultural waves”
and that now “a devastating riptide is encountered.”1 Church work tends to be
exhausting. Many of us are exhausted just trying to tread water, to keep our
head above the surf. How did we get to this place and what can be done?
Evangelicalism is Stagnant
David Bebbington describes evangelicalism as marked by four
distinctives: biblicism, crucicentrism, conversionism and activism.2
Conversions are not increasing.3 “Evangelicalism in America appears not to be
growing.”
Leith Anderson, the author of Dying for Change, is quoted by Wells as
maintaining that upwards of 85% of America’s Protestant churches are either
stagnating or dying.4 Wells disputes this figure. He comments, “A major
survey done on churches in forty-one denominations in 2001 found that 51%
reported growth over the last five years, so 49% did not, rather than the 85%
Anderson claims.”5 In the United States, exactly 50% of churches have 100 or
fewer worshippers.
Lyle Schaller, long time church growth guru, says that “the small church
simply cannot survive” in the face of the “emergence of the new regional
megachurch.”6 A raging secular consumerism fueled by the “mall mentality”
and the endless possibilities of the Internet, has gained entrance into the realm
of the church. “In short, in society and in the Church, the consumer is in the
driver’s seat.”7 Traditional churches developed doctrines, classes and liturgies
that were based on the principle that we were created to meet God’s right to
David Wells, Above All Earthly Pow’rs: Christ in a Postmodern World, Eerdmans, 2005, p. 267
David Bebbington, The Dominance of Evangelicalism, Inter Varsity Press, 2005, p. 23
3
Wells, p. 292
4
Wells, p. 269
5
Wells, p. 270
6
Wells, p. 270
7
Wells, p. 276
1
2
4
5
be worshipped. A prescription for sick souls to properly approach God was
developed and propagated through catechisms, adult instruction and, most
importantly, the sermon. Megachurches, on the other hand, are consumer
oriented and allow the patients to define their own needs. The traditional
church then becomes a “relic, a bit of flotsam from the past.”8 We are told
that if a church does not adjust to this new consumerism, this marketing of a
long line of therapeutic products, we will suffer the same fate as “some little
Alpine village doomed by the slow resistless progress of a grinding glacier.”
The Attrition of Theology
Wells tells us that church in America has become more about
entertainment than information based theology. Neil Postman argued in his
Amusing Ourselves to Death that “all forms of public discourse are now in a
format of entertainment because contemporaries have a need for distraction
which is bottomless and a matching inability to linger too long on anything too
serious. We are haunted by boredom and, beneath all the layers of our
accumulations, we are empty. We need to be amused.”9 Thus, the common
assumption in the 51% of the churches that are growing is that “theological
truth is not what builds churches.”10
Charles Spurgeon said in 1900, “If, for a moment, our improvements
seem to produce a larger result than the old gospel, it will be the growth of
mushrooms, it may even be of toadstools; but it is not the growth of trees of
the Lord.”11
We are told that ecclesiastical architecture (following the generic mall
concept) is offensive, that religious symbols like crosses and pulpits should be
8
Wells, p. 277
Wells, p. 273
10
Wells, p. 281
11
Iain H. Murray, Revival & Revivalism, Banner of Truth, 2002, p. xvi
9
5
6
abandoned. Hymns should be abolished. Seekers, after all, are searching for
spirituality not religion, spirituality without theology.12
“Enormous effort is now being invested in making the Church seem
desirable for reasons that have nothing to do with worship, biblical knowledge,
or service. Investment specialists, entertainers, and inspirational gurus make
the rounds. There are dances and dinner theatres. There are music and voice
lessons, karate, travel excursions.” Wells concludes that buying and selling
have entered into the Church’s inner sanctum.13 The consumer (Laodicea)
demands that church must be “non-threatening, inviting, upbeat.”14
Will He Come?
In my study and observation of all these things both by reading and
mixing with megachurch sorts, I cannot bring myself to adopt these methods,
to walk down this road. In II Corinthians 2:17, Paul says, “Unlike so many, we
do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak
before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.” In II Corinthians 4:1-2 he
strikes a similar note, “Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this
ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful
ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the
contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every
man’s conscience in the sight of God.”15
I believe that it is “in the hands of God to implant new life and not in
our hands at all.”16 “Seekers in this culture cannot come to Christ on their own
terms and cannot have the gospel preached to them as if they could.” Wells
surmises “to play by the rules of this marketplace is to invite disaster.”17
12
Wells, p. 282
Wells, p. 287
14
Wells, p. 290
15
All Scripture taken from the NIV
16
Wells, p. 292
17
Wells, p. 293
13
6
7
52% of evangelicals reject the idea of original sin. “The majority of
evangelicals are deliberately undoctrinal.”18 Do we have sinners or customers
sitting in the pews on Sunday mornings? As consumers seeking spirituality shorn
of theology, the nature and place of the sermon are challenged.
Unfortunately, many have surrendered the right to tell God’s Story on its own
terms.19
“Servicing the customer means negotiating around his or her point of
resistance and discomfort as much as possible.” “Bring on the popcorn,” Wells
advises, “but be careful about the cross.”20
“If they find sin to be a dismal, discouraging matter, then the church
may be loathe to speak of serious repentance. If they want to experience the
sacred, in all likelihood on their own terms, then it would be unfriendly to
stand in their way. And if they come wanting an upbeat, inspirational
experience, then the church will feel considerable pressure to provide music, a
message and, indeed a total program which focuses on the possibilities of
personal conquest and self-improvement. The problem with this, as James
Wall has suggested, is that its criteria for success are secular in nature. They
are the measure of successful marketing and customer relations developed in
the business world and now being applied to the Church. If this is done well,
he says, people will come but then he goes to the heart of the question. The
‘larger question remains: will He come?’”21
If it is true that “we need very little truth in order to have success,” and
if it is true that “marketing the faith works,” then Os Guinness suggests that
“Christians risk living unauthorized lives of faith, exercising unauthorized
ministries, and proclaiming an unauthorized gospel.”22
What Should Not Be Undone?
We must continue to affirm that Christianity cannot be bought and that
it is never God who is owned. “Churches which preserve their cognitive
18
Wells, p. 299
Wells, p. 304
20
Wells, p. 306
21
Wells, p. 306-307
22
Wells, p. 307
19
7
8
identity and distinction from the culture will flourish; those who lose them in
the interests of seeking success will disappear.”23 What is our cognitive
identity that makes us distinct?
First, we must recognize and affirm the divine authority of Scripture.
Secondly, we must declare that there is one God who exists as the Father and
the Son and the Holy Spirit. Thirdly, we must maintain a high view of Christ,
that He was fully God and fully man. Fourthly, we must proclaim the Good
News of the Incarnation, God in Christ means God with us. Fifthly, we must
never compromise or seek to weaken the doctrine of original sin. And finally,
Christ’s death on the cross was necessary for my sins to be covered. 24 Again,
Biblicism, crucicentrism, conversionism and activism are living realities of the
faith as we understand it.
Mark Dever in 9 Marks of a Healthy Church25 suggests more
characteristics of an evangelical cognitive identity. Expositional preaching is
first and foremost. John Calvin in his dogged faithfulness to exposing and
expounding the text founded this type of preaching as a cornerstone in
reformed circles. “Do you have a text?” is a question that needs to be asked in
every church, Sunday after Sunday. And, if we have the pretense of a text,
then the assertion must be stated, “If you missed the message of the text, you
don’t have a message.” Again, we should remember what Os Guinness said
about the dangers of proclaiming an “unauthorized gospel.”
Secondly, churches must have Biblical theology. Theology is faith
seeking understanding. We do not engage in what some would regard as
theological nitpicking just because it is intellectually titillating. John reminds
us that we love him because he first loved us.26 Faith is a gift from God that
compels us to understand the One who loved us and gave Himself for us. We
pursue the things that we love.
23
Wells, p. 308
These six points are used by Bernard Ramm in his book After Fundamentalism to distinguish
evangelicals from their more liberal Protestant cousins. He states that “Liberal Christianity is not
Christianity as historically understood and is therefore not Christianity.”
25
Mark Dever, 9 Marks of a Healthy Church, Crossway Books, 2004
26
I John 4:10
24
8
9
Thirdly, every member of this church needs to truly understand the
Gospel. This necessarily leads into the next distinctive, a Biblical
understanding of conversion which leads again necessarily into the fifth mark, a
biblical understanding of evangelism.
The sixth mark of a healthy church is a Biblical understanding of church
membership which is maintained by the seventh mark, developing a Biblical
Church discipline. The eighth characteristic (note that this is number eight and
not number one!) is a demonstrated concern for discipleship and growth. And
the ninth and final mark of a healthy church is Biblical church leadership. We
need to really talk with one another about these nine marks and ask, “Is our
church a healthy church according to these criteria?”
Is Allan a Puritan?
The words “Puritan” and its close cousin “puritanical” are largely
misunderstood in our culture and have been for a long time. Ernest W. Bacon
reminds us,
“The Puritans were a body of men of God who brought a spiritual light to
England, and stamped a moral greatness upon her that no other group,
religious or secular, has ever done. Yet no people have been more persistently
maligned and misrepresented than they. The very word Puritan has become in
many quarters a term of scorn, implying a gloomy fanaticism, hypocrisy,
narrow-minded and illiterate bigotry, and so on.”27
C. S. Lewis’ Anglicanism didn’t prevent him from correctly assessing the
Puritans’ place in history,
“We must picture these Puritans as the very opposite of those who bear
that name today: as young, fierce, progressive intellectuals, very fashionable
and up-to-date. They were not teetotalers; bishops, not beer, were their
special aversion. And humanists in this context means simply ‘classicists’—men
very interested in Greek, but more interested in Latin, and far more interested
in the ‘correct’ or ‘classical’ style of Latin than in what the Latin authors
said.”28
27
28
Ernest W. Bacon, Spurgeon Heir of the Puritans, Christian Liberty Press, 1996, p. 101
Wayne Martindale and Jerry Root, Editors, The Quotable Lewis, Tyndale House, 1990, p. 503
9
10
In many ways, I think in all the right ways, I tend to be a Puritan. But
Puritans don’t build megachurches, at least not in 2006. Imagine someone
telling John Knox that the crowd he is about to preach to is not interested in
the mistaken notion of original sin which required Christ’s bloody death on the
cross to pay the ransom price so that they would not have to suffer in hell for
all eternity!
Historic Puritans proclaimed a thoroughly Biblical message that still
sustains my interest in 2006. I’m sorry, but it is true. They were interested in
the divine inspiration of the Scripture, the sovereignty of God, predestination
and election, the deity of Christ, the substitutionary atonement of Christ,
justification by faith alone, the work of the Holy Spirit, holiness imparted and
lived out, the final perseverance of the saints and the eventual and inevitable
return of Jesus Christ.29 These teachings continue to fascinate me. I am the
proverbial fish-out-of-water. Unfortunately but realistically, there is very little
resonance in our culture, particularly in our present demographic reality.
Two visions are competing for the soul of our culture. The nihilistic
vision says there is no center whereas we proclaim Christ as the center and
circumference. Our universities insist that we are the chance products of
randomly occurring events. Christianity declares that Christ rules as Sovereign.
The culture concludes that we are alone saying, “No one is there.” The Church
shouts, “No! Never alone!” The popular church, disinterested in theology and
obsessed with a do-it-yourself approach suggests that salvation is humanly
managed. Puritans in every age, betraying an uncompromising and thorough
familiarity with Scripture resolutely repeat, “Salvation is divinely given.” The
popular church with its Pelagian and Arminian self confidence focuses on man’s
upward grasp. Those who delight in “the pure Gospel” relish our downward
reception. Which vision do you want to impart?
29
These are characteristics that Bacon explores in Spurgeon Heir of the Puritans.
10
11
What Are You Suggesting?
I have just a few preliminary suggestions that will hopefully generate an
ongoing discussion over the next few months. We must begin to think
strategically and not just tactically. We have used many different tactics in
our efforts in this church to faithfully discharge our duty before God in
reaching to this community. The results have been rewarding but numerically
meager. I am suggesting that we begin to explore the possibility of relocating.
This will come as a surprise, if not a shock, to some. But the strategic approach
demands it. As stewards, are we utilizing to the maximum potential what God
has entrusted us with? I am also suggesting that as we explore the idea of
relocation, that a two-pronged approach be taken: the continued
establishment of Covenant Community Church coupled with the founding of a
study center.
I believe that God is calling us away from what is familiar, from our kith
and kin, to journey to a place that is not yet fully defined. We must learn to
depend not on what is visible but to draw our strength from that which is
invisible. The visible is temporary and passing, whiles the invisible, the unseen
is eternal and brings a certain weight of glory, God’s Glory!
This is The Abraham Project! Hopefully, a discussion will ensue, a
dialogue that will include the Holy Spirit among us. Let’s pray.
Lord, Your Word abideth still above all earthly pow’rs. Help us to discern
Your will. Give us strength to overcome our reluctance to leave the familiar
to grasp what is foreign to us. Give us patience with each other. Help us to
love one another as You love us. Give us vision, vision to see what might
become if we quiet ourselves in your presence. We do not have to implore You
to speak. You are speaking. We need only grow still to hear Your still, small
voice. Help us to see, help us to hear, help us to speak. Amen.
11
12
12