Deep Creek Anglican Church Blog

Chapter Eleven: Thinking Rightly about the Church

How do we meet the challenge of disunity?  The challenge is real and important if we are to accomplish the church’s mission.

Our author, John Armstrong, briefly surveys the ecumenical movement of the 20th and current centuries.  The former was adversely impacted by “embracing aspects of theological diversity that were not always faithful to Christ’s mission” and the absence of Roman Catholics and evangelicals.  John sees more hope in 21st C initiatives, such as:

www.globalchristianforum.org

www.christianchurchestogether.org

John rightly suggests that Christians need to firstly “cultivate a love for catholicity and then prayerfully reach out across our divisions, challenging each other to embrace the mission of Christ together.”  John emphasises the need to be clear about the nature of the church.

At the most basic definitional level, the church is the people of God – and it belongs to Jesus Christ.  In church history, so-called ‘marks’ have been developed to describe what is a church – John adds two:

• where Word of God preached
• sacraments administered
• discipline exercised
• mission, and
• deep commitment to justice and the poor.

In summary, “the church is the people of God hearing, believing, and obeying the Word of God.”

Our author rounds out this foundational chapter with a succinct presentation of how ‘church’ is applied in the New Testament:

1. It is the local congregation in a particular place.  Importantly, one local congregation is as much the church as any other church.
2. It is all the congregations in one particular community.  This aspect I believe would have major practical impact if each of our congregations thought of themselves as part of a larger whole.  In our area of Melbourne there are many encouraging developments of congregations coming to together in shared mission – but there is so much more we can do.
3. The church is universal.  It is invisible, reminding us that the unity of the church is ultimately God’s work.  And it is visible – this must be our primary concern “since we are members together, and this church belongs to Jesus Christ.”

As I reflect on these foundational truths, the challenge that is raised for me is holding together the local and broad – not just intellectually but in practical mission.

In John’s next chapter he looks at “The Servant Church and the Kingdom.”

Chapter Four: The Jesus Prayer for our Unity

Chapter Five: Our Greatest Apologetic

Chapter Six: Christ the Center

John Armstrong in these next three chapters of your church is too small starts to explore what is meant by ‘unity.’  And his attention turns to the longest recorded prayer of Jesus: John 17:20-23.

As John states, Jesus is praying for the entire church.  And He is praying for something more than the “invisible unity” of the church (which is already true).  Jesus is praying for relational unity – a unity that is rooted in Christians relationships with one another.  As we share in the divine life of the Trinity; as we live daily with our lives centred on Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, then “the church will be a visible example of the relational and spiritual unity of the triune God.”

Our author then explores the role of love.  Jesus’ prayer for unity is “really a prayer about God’s love in action” (John 17:23; 1 Pt 4:19-21; 1 John 4:19-21).  Francis Schaeffer believed that the truest identifying mark of Christians was love.  The challenge for all followers of the Lord Jesus is to accept those who are accepted by God and belong to Him.

So how can we work together in Christ’s mission?  John briefly explores models of unanimity, uniformity and union (one visible, united church) and concludes that none of these understandings of unity “truly fit the context of the New Testament.”  The early church was focussed on evangelism in which they cooperated.  What is the means for our cooperation?  Keeping Christ centre.

Our unity is in Christ alone – not in visible structures or particular practices of individual churches.  Our author presents a helpful image: think of the world wide church as a large circle with Christ at the centre.  As we move inward we grow closer to one another.  Excellent!

For John Armstrong, he is seeking to practically live this out by:

• being willing to work with all Christians, including those he does not know well;
• engaging in relational and cooperational unity with Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox churches.

Chapter Seventeen: Our Mission from the Risen Jesus

Mission should always be at the forefront of our prayers and activity as followers of the Lord Jesus.  It is particularly so as I read chapter seventeen of Raised with Christ, having just completed our Sunday series on the Acts of the Apostles.

Our Mission from the Risen Jesus is Adrian Warnock writing at his best.  His obvious love for the Lord and joy of being part of God’s saving mission shines forth in paragraph after paragraph.  Here are some highlights (but make sure you read the chapter for yourself!):

• the church (“Jesus now lives on earth through His Body”) has been formed and empowered by the resurrection – so let’s declare and demonstrate it!
• the church is the only Jesus the world will see until He returns
• the Spirit gives us an infectious hope and joy – so share it!
• Jesus should thrill us more than anything or anyone else
• Jesus will accomplish the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) – He sends us out as a “direct command  of the ruler of the universe.”  It is not simply a suggestion
• “Jesus leads us to plunder the enemy’s kingdom, pushing forward in eager anticipation of what God will do through us”
• making disciples?  We need to train other Christians to love Jesus.  When we love Him, His commandments will not be burdensome
• Jesus is with His people to accomplish a specific goal – “if you want Jesus to go with you, than go and make disciples”

What’s the bottom line?  ”If we love, honour, and glory in Christ, we will find that we want to talk about Him with others.”

We commence a three-week series, this Sunday night, 25th April, on sharing our faith in Jesus with our friends.

Thom Rainer of Lifeway Christian Resources identifies Seven Characteristics of Highly Evangelistic Christians, namely:

1. Prayerful
2. Driven by theological conviction on necessity of salvation in Jesus Christ
3. Knowledge of God’s love for the lost through His Word
4. Compassionate
5. Culturally connected
6. Intentional
7. Accountable