Pastor's Column

This year Pentecost is celebrated in May. For that reason I thought it would be salutary to respond to Quodlibet questions that raised issues relating to the unity of the Church. In Acts 2 we find the Church gathered together (not out of fear as had been the case 50 days earlier on Easter evening) waiting for¼well, those gathered were not certain for what they were waiting. However, they were certain that when it arrived they would know it! You know what happened: the crucified, then dead, then buried, then resurrected, and finally ascended Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ/Messiah of God, poured out the Holy Spirit on those first 120 believers and they began to speak in tongues while the sound of a roaring wind was evident to all even as were the flames of fire that rested on each person's head, though like the fire in Exodus 3 that Moses saw, the flames did not consume anything, but empowered and gave vision. All those folk were speaking at the same time, yet as the crowds gathered, each person–and there were folk there "from every nation under heaven"–heard a testimony "telling the mighty works of God" in their native language! In other words, great confusion to all outward appearances, but very much under the providential ordering of God!

Well, the Church has come a long way since then; some things are quite clarified that were not so clear for a while (think of the identity and work of Jesus, the reality and nature of the Trinity, the addition of the books of the New Testament to those of the Old Testament to form the canon, etc.), but there is still plenty of confusion to go around! Here are some of those question –and my suggested answers:

How can different people who love the Lord, who have the same Bible and the same Holy Spirit, come to so many different views of certain issues–e.g. baptism, communion, eschatology, covenants, etc.? Do they allow the traditions and reasoning of men to influence their understanding of the scriptures?

The short and obvious answer is yes. However, it seems likely a more substantial answer is desired than that, so here we go! It is not just "they" that allow this, it is "me" and "you" who do it also. It is inevitable. This should prompt each of us to walk with greater humility. There is no one who knows it all, who has it all together. The entire complex interweaving of one's life experiences shape what one knows. One result of that truth, is that we are always learning. Consider this, the person who is 15 looks with incredulity at what a 5 or 10 year old may believe about things, but a 25 year old is looking the same way at the 15 year old, while a 35 year old wishes what he knows now he would have known when he was 25! And on it goes.

What the Church does, and must, have true unity on are the essentials of the faith: Who is God, how did we get here, who is Jesus, what did He do, how do we learn of God, what is our task on earth? It is the Triune God who made out of nothing all that exists, who assumed human flesh in Jesus of Nazareth to save His people from their sins, who inspired the writers of the Bible to put into human words His very word, and taught that we are to be His ambassadors in word and deed on this earth.

Once I heard a denominational leader say he believed that Jesus is the only Savior, but then later in the same meeting state that Buddha or Confucius could be "The Christ Event" for some folk! Once my surprise and shock subsided, I concluded he was not part of the true Church, but was a wolf in sheep's clothing. Though he gave lip-service to Jesus, he denied who Jesus was and what He had done. For that man, "Jesus Christ" simply was a term that meant "spiritual experience." When folk deny the Trinity, God's creation, the unique God-in-the-flesh work of Jesus, the faithfulness of the Bible, or the Church's responsibility to bear witness to those truths, then a breach with genuine Christianity takes place.

As I write this, I'm at the T4G (Together for the Gospel) Conference. It's about unity, yet sharing leadership are several Baptists, a couple of Presbyterians, and a Reformed charismatic! Some are premillennial, some are amillennial, and at least one is postmillennial when it comes to eschatology. Some believe the gifts of the Spirit have ceased; others insist that such gifts are still active. They recognize the very different positions they have on some matters, but hold on to the central truths which make them brothers and yokefellows in Christ Jesus. They're walking in humility without denying the essence of the faith. Like all of us, they are awaiting that day when "we shall know fully, even as we have been fully known!" Until we reach that heavenly shore, there will be differences in how Christians understand and work out the faith, even though they are in agreement about the essentials thereof. The issue is not to try and make everyone believe the same thing just exactly as I do, but the make certain each one is on target on the essentials and trust the Holy Spirit to guide us forward as He sees fit.

Along this same line, another person asked:

Since much of the early Church was influenced by Greek and Roman culture, how can we be sure today that what we believe is not a product of or overly influenced by the minds of that time?

Well, I'm sure the early leaders of the Church were influenced by the times in which they lived. However, the Holy Spirit is the One guiding the Church, and He is faithful to bring her to where she needs to be. Much more worrisome to me is this: how can we be sure today that what we believe is not a product of or unduly influenced by the spirit of our age? In each age that has been a problem, and often the dividing line between truth and heresy. This why the essentials mentioned above are so important.

That leads to another question, which helps a bit with this whole matter:

Please clarify Eph. 4:11 where apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are listed. What is their correspondence to the local church today?

My understanding is that the local church primarily experiences the ministry of pastors and teachers. Apostles are those who take the gospel to unreached parts of the world and establishes church, much like what St. Paul did. Prophets, on the other hand, can minister in any place and can be from any walk of life. Their distinctive is to speak an incisive word of God to the present culture, whatever that culture may be. Evangelists, like prophets, can come from any walk of life, but are folk who have a special burden for, and a gifting of God to minister to, non-believers. While each of us is called to be a witness of Jesus in word and deed, there are some whom God has gifted to be used in bringing folk to faith. Some are in full-time ministry (think: Steve Wingfield or John Guest); many are regular folk whom God uses extraordinarily in sharing their faith.

In line with this, another question was:

Why doesn't our church do altar calls?

Well, first of all, we do invite anyone who desires to come to the chancel rails to pray following each service of worship. However, our understanding of Sunday services of worship are that they are just that: services of worship. The primary goal is the corporate worship of God, in all the ways He has called us to worship Him. Evangelism most often takes place outside the church walls. It's what God's people do each day. It seems likely to me that most of us became Christians in some other setting than a Sunday morning service of worship. Not that God cannot regenerate someone then, but that the intent of the local church on Sunday mornings is to render to God the worship that is His due.

OK, then, here's the final question, one that sets us apart from many other congregations:

Why do you wear a robe and not simply a shirt and tie?

The simple answer is because of humility and submission. By wearing a robe one is able to avert all attention from the preacher's garb. I can be wearing a $1,000 suit under the robe, but no one will know it. However, it also serves as a reminder to me–and to the gathered congregation–that I do not speak as your friend John, but rather as a spokesman for God. You are not interested in what I think, but in what God has said and is saying. The preacher must always be a spokesman for God, not a spokesman merely of his own opinions. Just as a judge wears a robe as a sign of office and a reminder that he is under obligation not to render personal judgment, but judgment according to the law, so a preacher must preach faithfully, "accurately handling the word of truth." The robe is a call for submission to the word of God by preacher and by congregation.

So, yes, from our perspective there still is plenty of confusion among the churches. But, that is a reminder of our poor vision, and a reminder to treat with gentleness and respect those who may differ with us on non-essential matters, while we stand together for the great truths of the Christian faith. Pentecost is an ongoing call for Christians to walk in humility, seeking the power and grace of the Holy Spirit.

In the Joy of the Lord,

John H.C. Niederhaus