The American Church Needs a Fundamental Shift

Yesterday I talked about how the church today needs a fundamental shift in their missional thinking. Over the recent decades it is vividly clear, through the research, that the church in America is on the decline. Across denominational lines the church suffers from the disease of ineffectiveness. In a recent Pew research publication, there are only two to three denominations that saw any growth, and that growth was small. What I attempted yesterday was for our people to see that church is not about a building, an institution, a denomination, a religion, but rather, a church is about a people. This people we form finds its roots all the way back to Abraham in Genesis 12. At the core, it is not about what we do, but who we are.

This is a fundamental shift in the way American evangelicals have perceived the church. Because people view the church more as an institution, religion, and place they 'come to church'. Therefore when they 'come to church' they want something out of it, just as they want something out of their trip to the grocery store. Since this mentality is prevalent, churches build program after program for 'church' people who seek to consume some commodity, whether it be for children, students, addiction, divorce, work out room, sports program, or mother's morning out. Also, since people view the church as something they do, they see Sunday services or (now) Saturday night services as something they can check off their religious checklist. Today with the vacuum of expository, biblical, theological teaching people 'go to church' to get their philosophical blessing from the pastor. They attend so that they would feel good about themselves and about their situation. Attendance to them is like attending a counseling session with Dr. Phil. The teaching pastor will give them five ways to develop a healthy marriage, neglecting to tell the the foundation of a healthy marriage is the gospel and what Christ has done.

When the church, the people who comprise a church, begin to fundamentally shift their idea and thoughts of church from a 'place to go' to a 'people we are', the church will begin to make more of a impact of culture, society, and community. One of the first shifts that will take place once this mentality is embraced is that the church today becomes a global people on a global mission to bless all peoples. This includes those around us, in our communities, neighborhoods, and cities, not just those halfway around the world.

We find this truth in Genesis 12, with the calling of Abraham. Juxtapose to Abraham's calling is the mayhem at Babel. These people, rather than being dispersed over the earth, gathered together to build a great city and name for themselves. As they took the raw materials from the earth and cultivated them, their civilization and culture became rooted in their own purpose and glory. However, when God calls Abraham, he will make Abraham great and into a great nation. The person who would obtain the glory would be God, not man, not Abraham. Therefore, the descendants of Abraham, both biologically and spiritually speaking (Gal 3:8), would be people who would cultivate, build, worship, live, and be a blessing to others for the glory of God.

This is why I said yesterday the church must have two tracks when it comes to building and participating in society and culture making. First, we must corporately pool our resources together for the good of our society, community, and city in order to be a blessing to them. Now the blessing we are does not end with creating jobs, services, and products for the city to by, but becomes a blessing which builds a platform to gospel encounters.

The second track would include a ministry designed to teach people who are already in the culture, the marketplace, and the community (schools, politics, etc.). Here we would teach them how to be intentional and gospel-centered in the environment they work. Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, NY, has a ministry called, The Gotham Project, which is an intensive training for those in the marketplace.

This is beginning to happen throughout America as well as in Britain and Australia. Where the church, the people of God, are taking a missional posture to be a blessing to the city, rather than just a blessing to their own. The church is not called to create and build little compounds and subcultures for their own, which is separated from the world. We are called to be in, but not of the world. The church is called to be around, but distinct from the world. And Abraham gives us the foundation for 'who we are', not 'what we are'. We are the people of God who have been sent on a mission to cultivate for the glory of God and bless those who cultivate and build for themselves. Hebrews 11, the author sheds light on the fact that Abraham lived the way he did because he was looking forward to the heavenly city.

Therefore, Abraham was a man who built, cultivated, and blessed in a way that manifested the heavenly city here on earth. What will the church do? Will the church today in America continue to come together, usually just with their own denomination, and build a great name, denomination, and church for themselves? Or will they stop this ecclesiastical kingdom building project and get back to the missional aspect of 'being' a people, sent in to bless other people? Will the church stop this ecclesiastical institutional dominance and once again embrace the true nature of the church, 'a people' sent on a mission? If the church or many local churches will accept this fundamental (biblical) shift, over the next years and decades I believe we will see a greater impact on the culture, society, cities, and communities. (The caveat is also, we will see greater resistance and push back. Not much really exist in America due to what Spurgeon prophetically stated: "The reason why the church has not had more impact of the world, is because the world has had too much impact on the church.".)

Would Gamaliel Believe Today?

I wonder if Gamaliel ever became a believer? Or, if he were alive today would he believe?

I pose this question given the fact Gamaliel states to those who wanted to kill the apostles for their witness, "Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing....So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!"

Later in the book of Acts, people in Thessalonica claim that this movement of proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior was 'turning the world upside down'. Over 2000 years later the movement still moves forward, not being able to be thwarted by man. Therefore, would Gamaliel, a skeptic, a religious Jewish nonbeliever, claim this Jesus, God, given the fact no one has ever been able to stop it? The religious zealots were not able to stop it. Saul, one of the religious zealots was completely transformed by this movement that he became its biggest proponent. The Roman Empire was not able to stop it. In fact, this movement became so influential it became the religious banner of the Empire. A corrupt church couldn't stop it. Communist governments cannot stop it. Islamic Jihadist cannot stop it. I believe Gamaliel, knowing what he knew then, and seeing what had transpired and what has transpired over the two millennia, would have become a believer. Whether or not he ever received the gospel and surrendered to the Lord, we are not privy too, but others can learn from his statement. Look at what this wise religious leader said and look at what has transpired since then. Either this movement was extremely lucky and had great successful leaders, or this movement has the God of the universe behind it, sovereignly guiding it, and leading it to its final destination, which is the consummation of the kingdom of God.

Thoughts Regarding The Gospel

Acts 2:23 "this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it."

The gospel is not that man killed Jesus, but that God killed his own Son, through the human responsibility of lawless men who crucified and killed Jesus. But, God had definitively planned and plotted it long before it happened. John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave [delivered up, killed, and had crucified] his only son, so that whosoever believes in him will have everlasting life." This is the gospel. Not that we loved God, but that he first loved us. The gospel is not that we were looking for God and found him in Jesus, but he came looking and seeking us through Christ.

Acts 2:24, "God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it."

Acts 2:36, "Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

The gospel is that God loosed the pangs of death and provided a way for salvation for sinful man, not that man can provide his own salvation. Man can try to obtain salvation all day long as well as trying to avoid everlasting death, but he will always come up miserably short. It is impossible for man to avoid death and everlasting destruction. The gospel is that it was impossible for Christ to be held by death; therefore, receiving him, clinging to him, embracing him and his finished work on the cross makes it impossible for us to be held by death.

The gospel is that we have done nothing to deserve God's grace, but God has done it all. God delivered Jesus up (Acts 2:23), God raised him up (Acts 2:24), and God has made him both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). This is the gospel. God has done everything. He has made a way even for what some would consider the most awful and rotten sinners, namely the ones who physically assaulted and crucified Christ. It is this gospel which beckons men, not to work harder, do more, perform more, but to receive what Jesus has purchased for them, as well as what the Father has provided for them. The question is: have you received, repented, embraced, clung to, surrendered, to the gospel?