What if Hell was right outside of Columbus, Indiana? What if people went there before they died and not after? What if people could get into a car and drive to Indiana to witness the suffering of the lost firsthand? What if everyone who hadn’t believed in Jesus by the age of thirty was cast into the Lake of Fire and there was no second chance after three decades on earth? If this fictional scenario was factual reality then convincing every person on the planet under the age of thirty to follow Jesus would become the greatest social justice movement in the history of the world. Local churches would line up to throw resources behind this urgent and immediate cause. Christians would share the gospel to the younger generation with boldness, passion and urgency.
Well, the Lake of Fire is not outside of Columbus, but it is just on the other side of the border to this life. Hell is not the immediate consequence for every thirty year old, but it is the wages for everyone who has ever sinned no matter what their age (Romans 6:23). Every person on this planet is just one breath away from heaven or hell at every second of every day. In light of this brutal reality we must use our every breath to convince every one within our reach to believe in Jesus before it’s too late. We must embrace sharing the gospel with everyone as the greatest cause in human history.
So with that said, no single act in the Christian life is as dangerous as evangelism. Bible study, prayer and attending church aren't dangerous, they are disciplines. But when you actually open your mouth to proclaim the gospel to someone, you risk some kind of loss. In some countries that could be your life. But in America it is most likely your reputation, a relationship, or maybe even a pending promotion. When you share the gospel, even in a loving way, you could be subjecting yourself to mockery or, at the very minimum, alienation by co-workers, classmates, family or friends. When you proclaim Christ’s controversial message to those you know, you are picking up your cross in a visceral and vocal way. You are proving that you are willing to die to that relationship, if need be, so that that person can hear and have the opportunity of being transformed by the gospel. Now that is dangerous and that is evangelism.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Truth or Tradition Pt 3: The Sunday Service
Usually every Sunday, most Christians gather the family together, go to a church, sing, pray, and listen to a sermon by a pastor. And about an hour or so later, they go home. Like the other topics I've blogged about for the past couple of weeks, a number of things that are done in our modern churches, including the church building itself, has no basis in the Bible. Little that is observed today in modern Christianity maps to anything found in the first-century Church. Obviously, I can't go into major depth about every topic. I would be writing a book if I wanted to do that. So first, let's look at the church building.
The Church Building
The New Testament records the early Christians meeting in homes. Neither Jesus nor the apostles encouraged Christians to build church buildings. It wasn't until Constantine and his succeeding Roman Emperors made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire that Christians began to build temples. In some instances, Christians, with the aid of Roman soldiers, took over pagan temples and “Christianized” them into churches.
Christians building church buildings resulted in multiple problems. First, have you ever heard of the term "God's house?" People began to think of a church building as sacred space. This resulted in a separation between what goes on inside a church building, and what takes place outside of a church building. Among some, blatant evil and immorality was tolerated outside of the church as long as behavior inside the church was proper. Second, The biblical fact that fellowship with God could be had anywhere was lost, and replaced with the idea that a church building and/or the altar inside a church building was the only place one could connect with God. Third, some people lost sight of the fact that brothers and sisters in Christ were the Church, and instead began to think of the Church as the building.
Service Structure
Then there's the structure of the "Sunday service." In many churches today, there is a “set in stone” structure for how a service will proceed. The structure changes somewhat from church to church, but the core items remain the same: announcements, corporate worship, meeting and greeting, prayer, the sermon, a closing song. The idea of a church meeting having such a rigid structure is not presented in the New Testament. When a church has such a rigid structure, it can stifle, rather than promote, true worship and fellowship. It is unbiblical for a church service to be so structured that it prevents any participation, freedom, or moving of the Spirit.
Church Leadership
The Bible undeniably teaches that the Church is to have godly leadership. Over time, the concept of Church leadership molded into a priesthood. While most Protestant and Evangelical churches do not refer to its leadership as priests, in some instances, the pastor/preacher serves in much the same role as a priest. Pastors are expected to do all, or nearly all, of the ministry work. In some churches, the re-introduction of the idea of a priest into Christianity resulted in the biblical identity of all believers being saints, ministers, and priests, being lost. In church leadership, the result can be burnt-out pastors or overly authoritative pastors. The result in the congregation can be passivity and inactivity.
The idea that a Christian can sing a few songs, shake a few hands, inattentively listen to a sermon, and reluctantly give an offering – and thereby fulfill his/her role in the Church – is completely unbiblical. The church is intended to be a place of healthy fellowship, active participation, and mutual edification. First Corinthians chapter 12 compares the Church to a human body. All of the parts of the body must be functioning for the body to do what it is intended to do. In some churches today, only the “head” is functioning. And as physiology teaches us, a head cannot survive on its own.
Conclusion
It is undeniable that unbiblical ideas and practices have crept their way into the Church throughout history. But as I stated in part 1 of this blog series, if you are going to read these blog posts and use the truths that are in them as an invitation to rebel against your church, stop. If you're thinking like that, you've completely missed the point. Either leave your church quietly or be at peace with it. There is a huge gap between rebellion and standing up for what is true. As for me, I fall into the second option. Although I disagree with the contemporary church, I'm still at peace with it. But it's so refreshing that the Lord has revealed these truths to me! And like all truths, they needed to be shared. I hope you all were and continue to be challenged with these truths, or even better, changed. So with that said, I want to conclude with one of my favorite quotes that I feel fits in this post.
“Peace if possible, truth at all costs.” - Martin Luther
The Church Building
The New Testament records the early Christians meeting in homes. Neither Jesus nor the apostles encouraged Christians to build church buildings. It wasn't until Constantine and his succeeding Roman Emperors made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire that Christians began to build temples. In some instances, Christians, with the aid of Roman soldiers, took over pagan temples and “Christianized” them into churches.
Christians building church buildings resulted in multiple problems. First, have you ever heard of the term "God's house?" People began to think of a church building as sacred space. This resulted in a separation between what goes on inside a church building, and what takes place outside of a church building. Among some, blatant evil and immorality was tolerated outside of the church as long as behavior inside the church was proper. Second, The biblical fact that fellowship with God could be had anywhere was lost, and replaced with the idea that a church building and/or the altar inside a church building was the only place one could connect with God. Third, some people lost sight of the fact that brothers and sisters in Christ were the Church, and instead began to think of the Church as the building.
Service Structure
Then there's the structure of the "Sunday service." In many churches today, there is a “set in stone” structure for how a service will proceed. The structure changes somewhat from church to church, but the core items remain the same: announcements, corporate worship, meeting and greeting, prayer, the sermon, a closing song. The idea of a church meeting having such a rigid structure is not presented in the New Testament. When a church has such a rigid structure, it can stifle, rather than promote, true worship and fellowship. It is unbiblical for a church service to be so structured that it prevents any participation, freedom, or moving of the Spirit.
Church Leadership
The Bible undeniably teaches that the Church is to have godly leadership. Over time, the concept of Church leadership molded into a priesthood. While most Protestant and Evangelical churches do not refer to its leadership as priests, in some instances, the pastor/preacher serves in much the same role as a priest. Pastors are expected to do all, or nearly all, of the ministry work. In some churches, the re-introduction of the idea of a priest into Christianity resulted in the biblical identity of all believers being saints, ministers, and priests, being lost. In church leadership, the result can be burnt-out pastors or overly authoritative pastors. The result in the congregation can be passivity and inactivity.
The idea that a Christian can sing a few songs, shake a few hands, inattentively listen to a sermon, and reluctantly give an offering – and thereby fulfill his/her role in the Church – is completely unbiblical. The church is intended to be a place of healthy fellowship, active participation, and mutual edification. First Corinthians chapter 12 compares the Church to a human body. All of the parts of the body must be functioning for the body to do what it is intended to do. In some churches today, only the “head” is functioning. And as physiology teaches us, a head cannot survive on its own.
Conclusion
It is undeniable that unbiblical ideas and practices have crept their way into the Church throughout history. But as I stated in part 1 of this blog series, if you are going to read these blog posts and use the truths that are in them as an invitation to rebel against your church, stop. If you're thinking like that, you've completely missed the point. Either leave your church quietly or be at peace with it. There is a huge gap between rebellion and standing up for what is true. As for me, I fall into the second option. Although I disagree with the contemporary church, I'm still at peace with it. But it's so refreshing that the Lord has revealed these truths to me! And like all truths, they needed to be shared. I hope you all were and continue to be challenged with these truths, or even better, changed. So with that said, I want to conclude with one of my favorite quotes that I feel fits in this post.
“Peace if possible, truth at all costs.” - Martin Luther
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Truth or Tradition? Pt 2: Tithing
Tithing
Most churches today teach that Christians should tithe, that is, give 10% of their income to their church. Must you give a tenth (10%) to the Church? What does the Bible say about financial giving? Applying a 10% "church tax" on an individual is no small matter, especially when the usual commandment is that the tithe must be given on a person’s gross income before all living expenses are paid (often referred to as the first fruits). So is this tithing principle valid? Is it reasonable to expect all members of the Church to give up 10% of their income regardless of salary? Or is this nothing more than a fraudulent fleecing of the flock? With those questions in mind, I did a little research.
Is It Biblical?
Yes, tithing is biblical. However, it is not Christian. It belonged to ancient Israel and you won't find the early Church doing it.
You may say, “Well, what about Malachi 3:6-10? That says that people who do not tithe are ‘robbing God.’” Those verses have been used countless times to prod Christians into giving, but wait a moment—to whom is Malachi written? Well, in verse 9 of chapter 3 it says “the whole nation” is under a curse. What nation? The USA? No, the book of Malachi is specifically addressed to the nation of Israel, and more specifically to the priests (see 1:6,10-13; 2:1,7 and 8) who were badly mistreating God’s people.
So where does the 10 percent come from? Some Christians point to Genesis 14 and/or 28 in a misguided attempt to prove that tithing was instituted prior to the Mosaic Law and is therefore relevant to Christians today. Their rationale is that because Abram gave ten percent of the spoils of war to Melchizedek, and because Jacob chose ten percent as the amount to give to God for watching over him on his journey, this is the prescribed amount God would have all people give.
The tithe we see today is much different than the tithe presented in the Old Testament. Here are a few examples below:
• The OT tithe was for produce of the land only. The church tithe is money.
• The OT tithe was levied on landowner farmers only (not fishermen for example). The church tithe is levied on everyone.
• The OT tithe could be collected by Levites only and there are none left today. The church tithe can be collected by any church startup.
• The OT tithe was for a celebration of the Lord's goodness. The church tithe is to prop up a ministry.
• The OT tithe was consumed by the tither, the Levites, the poor, the widows, the stranger. The church tithe is consumed by the ministry.
• The OT tithe was ordained by God. The church tithe was ordained by man.
So, the Truth Is...
With Christ's death, all ceremonial codes that belonged to the Jews were nailed to the cross, never to be used again to condemn us. This is why we never see Christians tithing in the New Testament, just as we don't see them sacrificing animals to cover their sins. Tithing belonged solely to Israel under the Law. The early Christians gave cheerfully according to their ability, not out of command. It was completely voluntary to benefit the poor, orphans, widows, prisoners, strangers, and the sick.
The early Christians did not tithe. Instead, they used their funds to support those poor among them, along with the poor in the world. They also gave funds to traveling church planters so that the gospel could be spread and churches could be raised in other lands. They didn't give out of compulsion or guilt but rather according to their ability. Today, many in the Church are weighed down by feelings of guilt because they can’t or won’t tithe. Others are puffed up with pride because they do tithe their 10 percent. Still others go along with it because they never hear a dissenting voice raise a challenge. To insist that the Church tithes its 10% is to take a law of Moses, twist its meaning into something else, enforce it upon a people for whom it was never intended, then promise that they will be cursed if they disobey. If we really want God to bless our finances, we need to be obedient to His direction. Generous joyful giving, that is freely given out of love is God’s desire. It is this that He will bless.
A More Excellent Way To Give
So to conclude this post, I just want to say: give. With a cheerful heart, without guilt or obligation, to generously help those in need. If you wish to tithe out of a personal conviction or decision, go for it. It's when it's shown as God's command that it becomes a problem. The New Testament teachings on giving simply involve the heart and not some law.
“Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8b)
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)
“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” (Acts 20:35)
Most churches today teach that Christians should tithe, that is, give 10% of their income to their church. Must you give a tenth (10%) to the Church? What does the Bible say about financial giving? Applying a 10% "church tax" on an individual is no small matter, especially when the usual commandment is that the tithe must be given on a person’s gross income before all living expenses are paid (often referred to as the first fruits). So is this tithing principle valid? Is it reasonable to expect all members of the Church to give up 10% of their income regardless of salary? Or is this nothing more than a fraudulent fleecing of the flock? With those questions in mind, I did a little research.
Is It Biblical?
Yes, tithing is biblical. However, it is not Christian. It belonged to ancient Israel and you won't find the early Church doing it.
You may say, “Well, what about Malachi 3:6-10? That says that people who do not tithe are ‘robbing God.’” Those verses have been used countless times to prod Christians into giving, but wait a moment—to whom is Malachi written? Well, in verse 9 of chapter 3 it says “the whole nation” is under a curse. What nation? The USA? No, the book of Malachi is specifically addressed to the nation of Israel, and more specifically to the priests (see 1:6,10-13; 2:1,7 and 8) who were badly mistreating God’s people.
So where does the 10 percent come from? Some Christians point to Genesis 14 and/or 28 in a misguided attempt to prove that tithing was instituted prior to the Mosaic Law and is therefore relevant to Christians today. Their rationale is that because Abram gave ten percent of the spoils of war to Melchizedek, and because Jacob chose ten percent as the amount to give to God for watching over him on his journey, this is the prescribed amount God would have all people give.
The tithe we see today is much different than the tithe presented in the Old Testament. Here are a few examples below:
• The OT tithe was for produce of the land only. The church tithe is money.
• The OT tithe was levied on landowner farmers only (not fishermen for example). The church tithe is levied on everyone.
• The OT tithe could be collected by Levites only and there are none left today. The church tithe can be collected by any church startup.
• The OT tithe was for a celebration of the Lord's goodness. The church tithe is to prop up a ministry.
• The OT tithe was consumed by the tither, the Levites, the poor, the widows, the stranger. The church tithe is consumed by the ministry.
• The OT tithe was ordained by God. The church tithe was ordained by man.
So, the Truth Is...
With Christ's death, all ceremonial codes that belonged to the Jews were nailed to the cross, never to be used again to condemn us. This is why we never see Christians tithing in the New Testament, just as we don't see them sacrificing animals to cover their sins. Tithing belonged solely to Israel under the Law. The early Christians gave cheerfully according to their ability, not out of command. It was completely voluntary to benefit the poor, orphans, widows, prisoners, strangers, and the sick.
The early Christians did not tithe. Instead, they used their funds to support those poor among them, along with the poor in the world. They also gave funds to traveling church planters so that the gospel could be spread and churches could be raised in other lands. They didn't give out of compulsion or guilt but rather according to their ability. Today, many in the Church are weighed down by feelings of guilt because they can’t or won’t tithe. Others are puffed up with pride because they do tithe their 10 percent. Still others go along with it because they never hear a dissenting voice raise a challenge. To insist that the Church tithes its 10% is to take a law of Moses, twist its meaning into something else, enforce it upon a people for whom it was never intended, then promise that they will be cursed if they disobey. If we really want God to bless our finances, we need to be obedient to His direction. Generous joyful giving, that is freely given out of love is God’s desire. It is this that He will bless.
A More Excellent Way To Give
So to conclude this post, I just want to say: give. With a cheerful heart, without guilt or obligation, to generously help those in need. If you wish to tithe out of a personal conviction or decision, go for it. It's when it's shown as God's command that it becomes a problem. The New Testament teachings on giving simply involve the heart and not some law.
“Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8b)
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)
“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” (Acts 20:35)
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