20.3.10
WHAT DOES UNITY IN THE FAITH LOOK LIKE?
INTRO
'Once upon a time there was a mighty river. It flowed gracefully and elegantly across the landscape. Along its banks it gave life and sustenance to the tribes of Aboriginal Australians who camped by it. For many generations this river was a central focus for life. Then, gradually, the river ceased to flow, becoming a stagnant pool. With the heat of summer it started to dry up. Around the banks of the disappearing symbol of their security, the people watched aghast. What could be happening to them? By the dried-up riverbed many sat, waiting for the river to flow once more.
Yet others thought to look around and discovered that the river was not gone. Still flowing, it had simply changed course upstream, creating a billabong on the curve at which they sat.'
(John Drane) Evangelism for a New Age
POINT
This is how John Drane introduces his book 'Evangelism for a New Age'. And the imagery he uses describes very well the situation of our day in many churches in the land where the landscape of our culture has altered so much that the maps and the methods we once used are either no longer relevant or no longer effective.
NOT SO A BLEAK PICTURE
But we should not view the outlook as being in any way bleak. God is surely a match for the changes. Worldwide, there are more Christians in our generation than in any previous generation -- and the percentage is about 32% of the world population. (In contrast to 21% Muslim)
TAKING STOCK
The big question is, 'Where do we find ourselves in the big picture?
I suggest that at Westwood we are not content to sit around, like the aborigines, waiting for the waters of our fortunes to return.
* We are on a search to understand how the landscape has changed.
* We are in the process of discovering the new maps that will enable us to reach new generations of people with the Gospel effectively.
RECAP
Maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace
BE MERCIFUL Humility Gentleness.Patience and bearing with each other
Love In
BE MISSIONAL But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it
* Apostolic leadership
* Prophetic inspiration
* Evangelism that engages deeply with people
* Pastoring and teaching new Christians
BE MATURE
POINT
I wonder if you noticed in the Bible reading two weeks ago that Ephesians 4 describes not only 'unity in the Spirit' but also 'unity in the faith'.
What does 'unity in the faith' look like?
READING Ephesians 4:11-32
1. SOUND DOCTRINE
Unity in the faith and maturity in Christ mean that we all recognize and follow the same essential truths -- the fundamentals of the faith.
But the OUTWORKING of the same faith that we have will vary depending on our gifts. And this is part of God's design in the body of Christ.
V16 -- the body of Christ grows up and is built up in love as each part does its work
2. TRUTHFULNESS AND COMPASSION IN RELATIONSHIPS
POINT
What would this world look like if the whole world was a clone of you and everyone you met thought exactly the same way as you?
The point is that we are all different.
* Some of us become engineers -- others artists
* Some of us are predominantly thinkers -- others are more intuitive
* And all of us, as the body of Christ, have different functions in the unity of the one body.
* We are predominantly left or right brain developed
* We come from different backgrounds and have different presuppositions.
POINT
Ephesians 4 reminds us that we are different, and God has arranged it this way.
THE DIAGRAMS (These can be viewed on www.wwbc.co.uk and and MP3 download is also available)
In his book on the subject of authentic unity and personal wholeness in Christ 'The Core of Christianity' Neil Anderson has included some helpful diagrams that assist us to see where we are placed in the body of Christ.
What he says is true of particular denominations or churches. But it is also true of people in one of four quadrants of a healthy church.
He describes four quadrants in which we may find ourselves as Christians: [DIAGRAM 1]
Between God and nature, man and nature, man and spirit or God and spirit.
[DIAGRAM 2] -- The zone we find ourselves in
[DIAGRAM 3] - X is the desirable place to be in, otherwise we may run to extremes or be suspicious of other believers who are in different quadrants
[DIAGRAM1 again] -- The extremes -- Legalism etc
DIAGRAM 4 -- How we operate
We may move freely from one quadrant to another, but most of us are at home in a particular quadrant -- and that will be the one in which we have been taught, trained, or have come from.
Depending on our background, including our church background, we will place an emphasis on different values so far as ministry is concerned.
Many of us will place the greatest value on the Bible and on discipleship as the place to begin, but risk becoming too fundamentalistic and increasingly supsicious of other Christians whose ministry emphasis is different to ours.
Others, whilst placing value here, will in practice focus on the value of counselling, but be at risk of becoming liberal in theological terms.
There are those of us who recognise that in some instances people coming to Christ need first of deliverance or inner healing, and through discernment and spiritual gifts needy people receive from the Lord an encouraging prophetic word, or deliverance from demonic oppression or possession, or deep emotional healing which can be followed up with discipling and counselling. Christians who minister in this way may be at risk of drifting into spiritism or false prophecy, or become overly suspicious of Christians in other sectors and consider them as either fundamental cessationists who are limited by their views, or Christians with too liberal an outlook operating only with a psychological model.
I believe that there is a place for all of these aspects of ministry and in the value of training, mentoring, supervision, appraisal and accreditation leading to safety and excellence.
APPLIC
We should be less suspicious of one another and more supportive of one another.
Speaking the truth in love v16 -- transparency
Each part doing its work v16 -- supporting one another
Summary
* Unity is about being together
* Maturity is about growing and serving together
* Purity is about the way we are to relate to one another.
Believers in the body of Christ may have a different outlook and different approaches, but we all need each other and the differences between us to function well as the body of Christ.
And when we all support each other, the Church goes forward in mission.
Summary
The landscape has changed. The maps are out of date. New expressions of doing church and doing evangelism are emerging. The more creative among us are more likely to see the vision; the more adventurous to take the initiative. But there is a place for the strategist to shape the new expressions, and the biblically informed to undergird it - and for training, mentoring, supervision, appraisal and in some cases some form of accreditation.
It's like the launching of a helium balloon. Without faith we will never launch or get off the ground. But without ballast there is no control. And without steering there is no direction. But with all three we soar through the air with controls and direction.
CONCL
Communion -- a reminder of our unity in Christ:
1 Cor 11:23-26 -- Past look: remembrance
Present look: one body
Future look: until he comes
