confession of a reforming wesleyan - chapter five

And God placed all things under this feet and
appointed him to be head over everything for the church,
which is his body, the fullness of him
who fills everything in every way (Eph. 1:22-3, TNIV)

Me: What is the church?

God: Before we specifically talk about the church, let’s talk more generally about what it means to be a Christian.

Me: Why not? I’d like know more about what it means to be a Christian. Where do we begin?

God: Simply put, a Christian is a disciple of Jesus.

Me: What is a disciple? What does a disciple do?

God: A disciple in Jesus’ day was called a student or talmid. Talmidim were students who followed their teacher, called a rabbi. Talmidim modeled themselves after their rabbi. They did what their rabbi did, said what their rabbi said, and tried to think like their rabbi. They also submitted themselves to their rabbi’s correction and instruction. There was a saying in Jesus’ day that talmidim were covered in the dust of their rabbi’s feet. Talmidim not only desired to model themselves after their rabbi, ultimately they wanted to be just like the rabbi. Therefore, when Jesus said to his first disciples, “Follow me,” he called them to be involved in relationship with him, to be witnesses who are sent by him to share the good news to the world [1]. Unlike other rabbis of the day, Jesus chose his disciples personally – not the other way around. The implications of this are astounding! It really means that Jesus believes in those he calls to follow him. It really means that he thinks that disciples can and do make a difference in the world.

Me: So just as Christ chose his disciples, we become disciples because you first chose us [2].

God: Exactly. A Christian is a disciple of Jesus. Or you might say that Christians are “the called ones” or my “chosen” ones. These are the elect that I referred to previously.

Me: How is it that Christians are a chosen people? I mean wasn’t Abraham chosen first and he was the father of what would become the Israelites? How are Christians today a part of the chosen people?

God: Holy Scripture explains that salvation through Jesus has come to the Gentiles because of Israel’s unbelief, and when the full number of Gentiles has come into my household, then also Israel will be saved [3]. So, Christians today who confess Jesus as Messiah and are following after him have been grafted into my family tree. Jesus is the trunk from which millions of branches, twigs, and leaves, which are Christian communities and Christian individuals worldwide, spread out to cover the earth.

Me: What’s the purpose of the tree?

God: It is a tree of life with all kinds of fruit, continually producing fruit in season; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations [4]. In other words, the tree of Jesus Christ is capable of providing restoration and healing for all the nations – not only in the distant future, but also today.

Me: I like the imagery of the church as the branches of the tree of Jesus whose leaves
are for the healing of the nations. What other images are helpful for describing the church?

God: There are three other primary images which demonstrate the depth and scope of the church. The first is that of body with Jesus as the Head. The church, then, are the “members” of the body such as: eyes, ears, hands, feet, knees, elbows, and such. All parts make up the whole and every part is needed to make up the entire body. A second image, which I partially alluded to earlier, is that of family. I am the Father and Jesus is my Son. You, along with all other Christians worldwide, are my children. The image of the church as family demonstrates strong covenantal overtones as my servant Paul says in Holy Scripture that since you are my children, you are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ [5].

Me: What’s the third?

God: It’s my favorite…that of sign, foretaste, and instrument of the kingdom. In other words, the church is a called community of my people which points to the promised fulfillment of my coming reign by offering the world a taste of what is to come.

Me: Say more.

God: Well, when I rescue people in this life, by working through the Spirit to bring
them to faith and by leading them to follow Jesus in a life of discipleship, along with participating in the sacraments, such things are designed to be a sign and foretaste of what I want to do for the whole world.

Me: So the church is the instrument of what you want to do for the entire world? That’s kind of scary. Let’s face it, the church has participated in and instigated some serious tragedies in history.

God: I do love the church – warts and all. I know the world is watching the church to see what she’ll do next which is why every act of love, gratitude and every kindness; every work of art or music inspired by my love; every act of creation care; every prayer; all Spirit-led teaching and preaching; every deed that spreads the gospel of Jesus Christ builds up the church and makes the name of Jesus honored in the world. The resurrection of Jesus and the coming of the Spirit mean that Christians are called to bring real, life-changing signs of my renewed creation even in the midst of this seemingly dark and present age [6]. This is, in part, what Jesus meant when he prayed, “Thy Kingdom come.”

Me: You mentioned Jesus’ resurrection. What does the resurrection have to do with the church?

God: The resurrection has everything to do with the church. Without the resurrection, there would be no outpouring of my Spirit. Without the outpouring there would be no witnesses to proclaim the Good News of the resurrection. Without witnesses there would ultimately be no churches. My servant Paul goes even further to say that if there is no resurrection, then humanity has no hope. Don’t you think there’s enough hopelessness in the world today? Humanity needs hope more than anything…something they can count on…someone they can latch on to and trust that they will carry them always. Jesus is that hope. The resurrection is the decisive event in human history demonstrating that the kingdom has really been launched on earth as it is in heaven. The resurrection completes the inauguration of the kingdom with Jesus now enthroned as Lord of heaven and earth! His kingdom is to be embodied by his followers – the church. My mission is unfolded page by page in the Scriptures as I accomplish my cosmic purposes through a few who are chosen to be the bearers of the purpose for the sake of all until the final day. The beginning of new creation has begun and as Christians live into this kingdom, in harmony with my intentions for you, the life of heaven becomes more and more present in your lives.

Me: You said that the church is also a sign and foretaste of the kingdom. Say more about that.

God: The church is a sign because she points to something beyond herself in the future – the day when Christ will return to consummate his kingdom on earth. The church is a foretaste of the kingdom because it embodies – in a particular way – the restoration of the relationship between me and sinful humanity. The ways in which the church embodies this is through celebrating my redemptive activity in worship; discerning my active presence through prayer; by bringing healing and wholeness in the Spirit’s power to creation as a whole; by practicing restorative justice; and by proclaiming my dynamic vision for all creation through the preaching of the word and sacraments. The purpose of these ecclesial practices is to make visible the invisible – to make the natural supernatural. The church then, is actively engaged in my ongoing mission of reconciling all humanity and healing by participating in my “creative power, redeeming love, and transforming presence” [7].

Me: So, your desire is that communities of Jesus’ followers (the church) would live in such a way that they bring heaven to earth.

God: More clearly, the purpose of the church is nothing more or less than the outworking of the Spirit, of Jesus’ bodily resurrection and thus the anticipation of the time when I will fill the earth with my glory, transform the heavens and earth into the new, and raise my children from the dead to populate and rule over the redeemed world I have made [8].

Me: How are you shaping the church to live into the mission?

God: Remember earlier when we talked about the common misconception that the goal of the Christian life is to obtain a one-way ticket to heaven?

Me: Yes, I remember. You said that salvation is not about going to heaven but about being made alive in Christ now and that the whole point of following Jesus is to enjoy creation’s renewal in the present as well as look forward to the day when Christ will return and ultimately set things aright [9]. Paul even went so far as to say that Jesus’ resurrection was the first-fruits, which is a very Jewish way of saying, “It is a small taste of what more to come.”

God: Good. The church is an instrument in the hands of the Spirit as conduit of my grace to rescue the world from the effects of sin and death.

Me: I don’t mean to sound argumentative, but the effects of sin and death are staggering; have you been paying attention to what’s happening down here? Why not just fulfill it all now? Why wait a moment longer to fully rescue and restore creation?

God: I have my reasons – which are not your concern right now. The only thing you need to concern yourself with is figuring out how you are going to participate in this kingdom I am building on earth. You are one of my chosen ones set apart to do my will on earth as it is done in heaven to bring a small taste of healing and restoration, proclamation and demonstration, justice and solidarity. Do you understand?

Me: I understand. You know I’ve often wondered how the “end times” will come about and what the day would be like when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead and to restore the earth. But it’s just so hard to know what to believe about the end times. Some say today that the Bible says we are in some sort of dispensation and one day Christians will be raptured away while Armageddon ensues. Yet there are others who say that Jesus will return like a “thief in the night” and that even he does not know the day or hour in which he will return and it’s not the Christians who are raptured but non-Christians. The dead in Christ will rise from the grave and we will be changed – fully human as God originally intended. The new heavens will come down to the new earth where you will make your dwelling once again with your people. And there are many other options in between. It’s all just so confusing. So what’s the right answer?

God: What do you believe? What are the implications of that belief?

Me: I believe that Scripture is clear that we shouldn’t excessive amounts of time trying to figure out with paper and pen when Christ will return because only you know the time and the day. So, we should live each day as if it is our last. I believe that you created this world and all that is in it and it was very good. You haven’t abandoned your creation so that it’s left to its own destruction. Rather, though creation is marred by sin and evil, you are continually at work to redeem and restore your image in creation; and what began as beautiful in a garden will end in a garden-city and we will worship together with all the saints and will finally see you face to face. We will have no need for light or the sun for you will be our light and will reign for eternity. The implication is that there is hope for today and tomorrow. As long as we continue to place our hope, faith, and trust in you and join you where we see you at work, then we will see your kingdom advanced in this world.

God: I’m glad we’ve had this conversation. I look forward the many more we will have throughout your life.

Copyright Josh Cooper 2010

Footnotes:
1. James V. Brownson. The Promise of Baptism: An Introduction in Scripture and the Reformed Tradition, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007), p.4.
2. Cf. 1 John 4:19
3. Romans 11:11, 25
4. Revelation 22:2
5. Romans 8:17
6. N.T. Wright. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, (New York: Harper Collins, 2008), p.208.
7. Darrell Guder. Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), p.157.
8. Wright, 264-5.
9. Cf. Chapter 3 of Confession of a Reforming Wesleyan.

six simple things i learned...

...from teaching this year:

6. Students appreciate a clear, concise syllabus.

5. New styles of learning raises anxiety levels.

4. Teaching, in general, is hard. Teaching a biblical language, in particular, is even harder (but the time, effort, study, and preparation is worth it when I see students "get it").

3. I've learned more about the language and about myself as a teacher than I did being a student.

2. As a teacher, there's always room for improvement (I'm grateful for our weekly team meetings and for my mentor and co-teacher, Dr. Dawn Boelkins, grammar extraordinaire).

1. I love serving the body of Christ through teaching the next generation of pastors in this way. I'm very much looking forward to next year.

coffee, conversation, and choosing civility

There are three things I really enjoy doing at the same time - drinking a cup of good coffee while having meaningful conversation about thought-provoking books. Okay, so I really do enjoy the first two things, but the conversation doesn't necessarily have to revolve around books.

Over the course of the summer, I will post a series of "conversations" / reflections on P.M. Forni's book, Choosing Civility: The Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct, which can be purchased here. Why this book? Well the honest answer is - because I have to. (This is afterall a book about civility, I'm sure there's a chapter on honesty in there somewhere.) This is an assignment, but this is also an interesting book in which Forni wants to make a case for making civility "a central concern in our lives" (Foreward).

From the back cover: In Choosing Civility, Forni offers 25 rules for connecting effectively with others - at home, at work, in our daily encounters. Forni covers topics that include:

- Think Twice Before Asking Favors
- Refrain from Idle Complaints
- Accept and Give Praise
- Don't Shift Responsibility and Blame
- Give Constructive Criticism
- Care for Your Guests

Forni suggests in the introduction that "we agree on one principle: that a crucial measure of our success in life is the way we treat one another every day of our lives" (4). More simply "good relationships make our lives good, and bad relationships make our lives bad" (6). What I appreciate most about the introduction to this book is that the measuring stick for success is a measure of the quality of our relationships. Forni could have used any number of indicators to objectify the quality of life like happiness or money. Instead Forni wants the quality of relationship to be the measure by which we guage our success in life.

Question to Ponder: What are some of our own measuring sticks that we use to measure success?

The Bible - The Disicpline vs. Heschel

There is a Hebrew blessing that goes like this: "Blessed are you O LORD, our God, King of the universe for you have sanctified us by your commandments and commanded us to engross ourselves in the way of Torah." This is a great prayer! It got me thinking about the "way of Torah." What is Torah? For that matter, "What is the Bible?" I offer two different perspectives. The first comes from my tradition's definition of what the Bible is and the second comes from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. First, from The Discipline:

We believe that the books of the Old and New Testaments constitute the Holy Scriptures. They are the inspired and infallibly written Word of God, fully inerrant in their original manuscripts and superior to all human authority, and have been transmitted to the present without corruption of any essential doctrine. We believe that they contain all things necessary to salvation; so that whatever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man or woman that it should be believed as an article of faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation...

Now from Heschel's book, God in Search of Man:
Irrefutably, indestructibly, never wearied by time, the Bible wanders through the ages, giving itself with ease to all men, as if it belonged to every soul on earth. It speaks in every language and in every age. It benefits all the arts and does not compete with them. We all draw upon it, and it remains pure, inexhaustible and complete. In three thousand years it has not aged a day. It is a book that cannot die. Oblivion shuns its pages. Its power is not subsiding. In fact, it is still at the very beginning of its career, the full meaning of its content having hardly touched the threshold of our minds; like an ocean at the bottom of which countless pearls lie, waiting to be discovered, its spirit is still to be unfolded. Though its words seem plain and its idiom translucent, unnoticed meanings, undreamed-of intimations break forth constantly. More than two thousand years of reading and research have not succeeded in exploring its full meaning. Today it is as if it had never been touched, never been seen, as if we had not even begun to read it. Its spirit is too much for one generation to bear. Its words reveal more than we can absorb. All we usually accomplish is the attempt to appropriate a few single lines so that our spirit becomes synonymous with a passage (242).

I don't know about you but I would like my tradition's understanding of the Bible to reflect the sentiments of Heschel rather than taking a vanilla, "can be found anywhere" kind of position on the reliability and sufficiency of Scripture. Heschel - 1; The Discipline - 0.