Towards a Gospel-Centred Church

I have been reading D. A. Carson’s A Model of Christian Maturity: An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 10 to 13  for my devotions. Today, I came across this convicting quote. It gives us plenty to think about concerning our views of Christian ministry and, more generally, our perspective on the Christian life between the already and not yet.  

“The triumphalism being espoused by the Corinthians, Paul perceives, is not only dangerous as far as their relationship to him is concerned, but is fundamentally antithetical to the gospel itself. There is the great dilemma and intrinsic weakness of all triumphalism: it removes itself progressively from the gospel and from Christ Jesus himself, and is more at home in an atmosphere of showmanship, one-upmanship, superstars, conquests, victories, and heroes than it is with self-sacrifice lived under the shadow of the cross. Again and again the church must ask itself how much of contemporary pagan triumphalism has been unwittingly absorbed into its life, seriously affecting the way we look at finances, service, leadership, goals, sacrifice, expectations, and even theology itself. ” (p. 106)

At Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Mark Dever just started a two-sermon series on the pastor and the church. The first sermon–on the pastor–was preached today. The shepherd motif/metaphor runs through all of Scripture (see Timothy Laniak’s Shepherds After My Own Heart for a biblical-theological treatment of the subject). This motif culminates in Jesus Christ, the chief shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep. God, in his love and care for his own, appoints undershepherds to watch over his flock. What, then, are the duties of pastors/elders/overseers? (These are all one and the same office in the NT.)

Mark listed six in his sermon:

1) Feed the sheep: Elders are to preach the word faithfully. This is their primary responsibility. Mark said, “I am happy to let all church programs that depend on me fail, if it means being faithful to preach the word to God’s people.”

2) Know the sheep: Elders should cultivate personal relationships with members of the congregation that God has entrusted to their care.

3) Guide the sheep: Elders need to lead and counsel with God’s wisdom. They are to keep a close watch over themselves in order to be godly examples to other believers. Godly elders share their lives with humility.

4) Guard the sheep: Elders protect the sheep from their own sinful tendency to wander. They exhort and rebuke with love and courage. They do not fear man, nor do they seek the approval of man. Rather, they seek to please God. Elders seek out the sheep who are struggling and draw them back with tenderness. 

5) Protect the sheep: Elders are to defend the flock from destructive heresies that harm the sheep. They need to be be discerning and well-versed in God’s word. 

6) Love the sheep, to the point of laying down your life for them: Christ is the model. Elders are to serve self-sacrificially, just as Christ came not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. Elders must not be selfish. They are to use their authority in love, for the purpose of blessing and building up the sheep.

Why should pastors/elders do this? It is because God has bought the church with the precious blood of his one and only Son. Elders/pastors are to care for the sheep because they love the Saviour and want to obey him.

Godly elders are God’s gift to the church. May the Lord raise up more of such men who will care well for his flock. May he also enable Christians to submit cheerfully to their elders, so that their work is a joy and not a burden. 

To listen to the sermon, go to the Capitol Hill Baptist Church website here. Watch this space for notes on the next sermon on the church.

Wondering what to do for your annual vacation? How about visiting DC to attend the 9 Marks Weekender and the Sovereign Grace Ministries’ NEXT Conference in May? Details can be found here and here. Here are the dates:

1) 9 Marks Weekender at Capitol Hill Baptist Church: May 14-18, 2009 [Registration Opens February 18]

2) NEXT Conference: May 23-26 [Registration open]

Collin Hansen, who wrote Young, Restless, and Reformed, has written some thoughtful reflections on his popular book, which examined the resurgence of Calvinistic theology among the younger generation in America. Here are some excerpts from his article, which can be found here.

“I couldn’t agree more with D.A. Carson’s endorsement of my book when he cautioned, “This is not the time for Reformed triumphalism.” This movement has flourished without it, and I would hate to see pride bring it down. I suspect Calvinism will prosper if its leaders will simply continue to go about the business of training pastor-teachers who will lead their churches in evangelism, teach faithfully each week, and care for the weak. Their example will spread within churches and inspire selfless care for one another alongside courageous, costly love for our neighbors.”

“I would hate to see Calvinists fall into the same destructive patterns that weakened them in previous generations. Calvinists are renowned for eating their own, and it will take restraint and patience to refrain from becoming consumed by debates over baptism, ecclesiology, or the Holy Spirit. Nor do I believe there is much to be gained by relentless polemics against evangelicalism. Sadly, we all know by now that the problems are deep–perhaps intractable. But Keller and others show us there is much to be gained by demonstrating faithful alternatives to contemporary church practices. Indeed, there is a time for polemics, a time for practice, and a need for both. Now may be just the time to shift the balance toward practice.”

I found Hansen’s emphasis on the importance of strong local churches encouraging. Indeed, the recovery of sound theology is rooted in churches that faithfully teach and live out God’s truth. Calvinism will flourish “if its leaders will simply continue to go about the business of training pastor-teachers who will lead their churches in evangelism, teach faithfully each week, and care for the weak. Their example will spread within churches and inspire selfless care for one another alongside courageous, costly love for our neighbors.” Amen! May this be true of churches in Singapore, as it is in America.

I think Huai Tze’s friend has raised some good questions. Here are my thoughts:

1) Being gospel-centred does not mean a lowest-common-denominator type unity among churches where doctrinal precision is sacrificed for the sake of “togetherness”. The gospel, while simple, is not simplistic. It has profound theological and practical significance for all of life, both individual and corporate. For example, consider T4G’s Affirmations and Denials. It shows that the gospel has theological significance for our doctrine of Scripture, doctrine of God, Christology, our understanding of God’s grace to be sovereign, our understanding of Christ’s work, our understanding of the Christological unity of the biblical covenants, evangelism, ecclesiology, gender roles, ethnic relations, our eschatological hope, etc. (I would argue that the connections between the gospel and epistemology or covenant theology are clear and strong, rather than “not obvious”.) 

2) An illustration might be helpful here: Being gospel-centred does not mean that the gospel is one (albeit the largest) of many targets that a church is trying to “hit” with its ministry. Such an image is misleading, because it creates an artificial dichotomy between the gospel and other scriptural truths. I think the illustration of a tree is more instructive. The roots of the tree represent the gospel. The trunk and branches represent the other doctrinal truths that are organically related to the gospel. The gospel nourishes all the other doctrinal truths that a faithful church ought to teach. Gospel-centredness means strengthening the roots, so that the tree can flourish. It would be foolish to cultivate the branches while neglecting the health of the roots.

3) This means that a gospel-centred church, by definition, cannot be gospel-only.  Healthy roots will result in a healthy tree. In Scripture, the indicative always grounds the imperative. The gospel of God’s gracious salvation in Jesus Christ is the basis of all of the Bible’s moral exhortations.  For example, the paranetic section of Romans begins with “I appeal to you, therefore, by the mercies of God…” The content of “the mercies of God” is found in the first eleven chapters, where Paul explains the gospel. Another interesting note: Paul was writing to Christians. He realised that the best way to encourage and teach them was to remind them of the gospel. “But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:15-16) As our understanding of the gospel deepens, our lives will grow increasingly in step with the gospel. 

4) In Acts 20:27, when Paul speaks of the “whole counsel of God”, I do not think he meant doctrinal truths that had “little obvious connection” to the gospel. Rather, I think he was referring to the full revelation of the gospel that he had received from God. In v. 20, he says that he did not shrink from declaring anything that was profitable. What is the content of his teaching? V. 21 tells us: “repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ”. Paul’s life ambition was to faithfully carry out the ministry given him by the Lord Jesus “to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (v. 24). He says in v. 25 that he has gone among the Ephesians “proclaiming the kingdom” (cf. Mark 1:14-15). Paul then closes his exhortation (v. 32) by reminding the Ephesian elders of the blessings that flow from the gospel–”the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ” Paul’s final exhortation to the Ephesian elders was saturated with gospel comfort and encouragement. He recognised that the health of the Ephesian church depended on its faithfulness to the gospel. It was vital that the gospel be central.  A gospel-centred church is one in which the gospel nourishes and drives its doctrines and practice.  Gospel-centred, therefore, cannot be gospel-only. A church that is gospel-only has failed to grasp how the centrality of the gospel flows out into all of life–individual and corporate.