Maintaining Balance in Practice and Doctrine
Eph 4:14-15[1]
1-8-06
Intro
This morning and next Sunday will be my last two messages as Pastor of this church. Two opportunities to speak—and then I must entrust you to others. That reality weighed heavily upon me as I sought the Lord for this message. What must I leave with you for the future? What will help you most in the days, months, and years ahead? What must not be left unsaid? The message I have settled on is entitled: Maintaining Balance in Practice and Doctrine.[2]
Years of pastoral ministry have taught me this one thing: a congregation can crash on either side of the road. Steering a car is the art of keeping it in the proper lane—not too far to the right and not too far to the left.[3] That has become second nature for those of you who have been driving for years. But do you remember when you first learned to drive? You would sweep to the right to make sure you didn’t hit on-coming traffic. But then when you felt the shoulder you would sweep to the left. The safe zone is in the middle. And you knew the importance of staying there.
There are six areas of balance that are particularly important to remember.
I. Faddism and Traditionalism
Over last few decades we’ve seen a lot of fads hit the church—new, novel things that everybody ran after for awhile—valid truths that were overemphasized. I remember when deliverance was the fad—end time prophesy—dancing—healing of memories—church growth techniques—shepherding— lengthening legs. How many have been around long enough to remember the leg lengthening fad? Every other service people were praying for legs to be lengthened yet nobody got taller. You would have thought someone would suggest checking the height on all these people whose legs were lengthened. But people were just following the momentum. I suspect that that whole thing began with someone actually receiving that kind of healing. But just because God does a good thing doesn’t mean we need to create a movement out of it.
In every fad there is usually an element of truth. But once everybody jumps on the bandwagon and adds their two cents worth, what may have begun even as a correction of past error goes to such an extreme that it becomes error. Most error is a truth taken to an extreme without attendance to the balancing truths in Scripture.
Acts 17 describes some of the people in Athens as those who spent all their time seeking to hear some new thing. Acts 17:21 “(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)”
There is something in our flesh that loves new and curious things. I’ve noticed over the years Charismatics who just live for some new spiritual excitement. If they hear something’s going on across town they run there to get in on it. If it’s in Oklahoma City they run there. If it’s in Kansas City they run there. It’s a bit like people who scan emergency radios and run to watch the fires. They never accomplish much of anything once they get there. But they love to share in the excitement. Could I just suggest that as zealous as that might appear, it’s a very different thing from devotion and service to the Lord? I can pretty well guarantee you that whatever everyone is running after today they won’t be running after it tomorrow. And I can assure you there are new Christian fads right around the corner.
The trick is to discern substance from surface. God does bring fresh emphasis on certain truths at times. But a mature Christian will keep that in perspective and not ignore other truths. Paul wrote in Eph 4:14-15 “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head -- Christ –“ NKJV Don’t be tossed about by every new thing that comes along.
On the other hand, be open to fresh ways God may express Himself in the church. The Foursquare denomination has done a pretty good job on receiving inspiration from fresh operations of the Spirit without getting weird. Many older denominations are dying because they have becomes so bound to past tradition that they aren’t responding to fresh moves of God. In fact, some have even opposed fresh works of God because it was different from their tradition. We don’t want to be gullible and open to any and everything that comes along. But we don’t want to be closed and inflexible either. Don’t reject ways just because they are old. Biblical truths and principles are eternal because they proceed from the character of God Himself. Paul told the church at Thessalonica 2 “Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.” (Thess 2:15 NKJV) Tradition provides stability and context for new things to be built upon. Don’t reject the old just because it’s old. Don’t reject the new just because it’s new. When God told Noah a flood was coming and to build a boat Noah had to embrace some new ideas. When God told Abraham to leave Ur he had to step out into areas of the unknown. The criterion is not whether it is old or new but whether it is consistent with God’s character. With the rise in pluralism in this country we had better know how to distinguish between substance and surface. With the rapid change in the culture we will be challenged to stay relevant while staying true to biblical principles—the balance between faddism and traditionalism.
II. Intellectualism and Emotionalism
True spirituality involves both the head and the heart. When intellectual knowledge is overemphasized religion becomes dry, dusty, and dead. Some denominations are losing members by the thousands because all they have to offer is orthodox doctrine. Others have even lost that. They have filled their Seminaries with intellectual egg-heads who have no experience with God and no faith in the inspiration of Scripture—professing themselves to be wise they have become fools.[4] In the first couple of chapters of 1Corinthinans Paul made it clear that men could not know God through mere human intellect. There has to be a divine encounter with God at a deeper level than that—Spirit to spirit.
There is a level of knowing that comes out of personal experience. John wrote in his first epistle 1 John 1:1-3 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched-this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”
Paul had a personal experience with the Lord on the road to Damascus. The woman at the well had a personal encounter with Christ that changed her life. The man with the legion of demons had a personal deliverance that he shared with others. Intellectual knowledge of Bible and doctrine alone is not adequate. We must have the subjective experiences with God. Most of us Pentecostals understand that.
But subjective experience must be balanced with objective truth. The cultural trend is toward openness to experiences. This can be a positive thing. But the devil tries to counterfeit everything God does. Our knowledge of biblical revelation is the way we distinguish between the real and the counterfeit. Too many people underestimate the devils ability to deceive. When he shows up as an angel of light somebody better be equipped to discern what’s going on. Just because it’s exciting does not mean it’s God.
Acts 17:11 “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” That’s the balance.
There is a time for demonstration of the Spirit and there is a time for reasoning from the Scripture. Most of us believe the first; I’m not sure all of us believe the second. It was an important part of Paul’s ministry. Acts 17:16-17 “While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.” Acts 18:4 “And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.” NKJV Acts 18:19 “And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.” NKJV
In Matt 22:29 Jesus confronted the priests saying, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” Those are the two things we need to know to maintain the balance I’m talking about.
III. Legalism and Antinomianism (lawlessness)
The Pentecostal church that I was saved in years ago was very specific about what a woman should wear. There was to be no make up, long sleeve shirts, and a long dress. Most of the women had their hair in what we teens called a “Pentecostal bun.” If a woman visited the church with make up the sermon suddenly turned toward Jezebel and how that wicked woman caked it on her face.[5]
What were those people trying to do? I think they were sincerely trying to be holy. But somewhere along the way they had veered off the road into the ditch. Straining at gnats they swallowed camels. Holiness begins on the inside and works its way out—not the other way around.
In Matthew 12 Jesus and his disciples were hungry. They were walking through a grain field and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. It happened to be a Sabbath day and the religious rulers had developed some very strict rules about how people should behave on the Sabbath. Those rules were based upon biblical revelation. But instead of understanding God’s purpose behind the rules and comprehending the mind of the Spirit they slavishly followed rules. When those Pharisees saw Jesus and the disciples plucking that grain they went ballistic. Matt 12:2-8 “When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, ‘Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.’ 3 He answered, ‘Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread-which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what these words mean, ’I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.’”
There are plenty of examples in the New Testament of legalistic religion missing the point of God’s precepts. In John 8 religious rules caught a woman in the act of adultery. They brought her to Jesus quoting the command in the Law to have her stoned. Most of you know the story. Jesus’ response to those religious people was this, (John 8:7) "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." NKJV Then he began to write on the ground and the accusers walked away one by one. How many remember what Jesus told the woman? John 8:11 "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."
NKJV When our zeal for holiness forgets the redemptive heart of God legalism takes us off course. But notice that after Jesus showed mercy he told her “go and sin no more.” God’s grace was not a license to continue in sin.[6]
Antinomianism means lawlessness—the idea that grace relieves us of moral responsibility.[7] In Romans Paul came against legalism. But he also emphasized holiness and purity. Rom 6:12-15 “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.”
Then comes the rhetorical question: Verse 15, “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!”
The tide of opinion today is to justify all kinds of behavior on the grounds that I am saved by grace and eternally secure. But listen to what Jude says about people who teach grace as a license for sin. Jude 4 “For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” Now for those who say they had an experience and can live any way they want Jude has a bit more to say. Jude 5 “Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.” God’s show of mercy is not a license to sin but a call to loving obedience.
IV. Societalism and Evangelism – winning the lost and caring for the church.
Two of the most beautiful words in our New Testament are the words “one another.” We are to love one another, forgive one another, pray for one another, encourage one another, serve one another, etc. Being a part of the family of God is a great privilege and responsibility. There is a separation from the spirit of the world that is to characterize the church. Paul wrote to the Galatians—chapter 6:10 “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
Did you notice that last phrase—“especially to those who belong to the family of believers?” There is a certain priority in taking care of our own.
But that can become a problem when we get exclusive and turned inward. The mission of the church goes beyond just taking care of ourselves. We are to be going into the world and making disciples. That means we love and reach stinky sinners. That means we move out of our own comfort zones into their world to bring them the good news. Be careful that church doesn’t just become a great conservative social club where friends who are like-minded meet together to enjoy one another’s company. The world does that. Jesus was without sin. But he was a friend of sinners. We wrestle not against flesh and blood. Our battles is spiritual not political.[8] We are to separate from sin but not from sinners. We are in the world but not of it. We are to care for our own but we are to lovingly reach out to the lost as well.[9]
VI. Service Activity and Spiritual Reflection
The church is first and foremost a spiritual organism. We are to offer unto God spiritual worship.[10] Prayer is to be a priority.[11] And the number one purpose of our lives should be to glorify God and enjoy our relationship with Him. That takes time alone with God. It calls for an emphasis on worship and meditation in the word. When the spiritual is neglected the church begins to operate in the flesh and all kinds of problems occur.
But we are not to spend all our time on the mountain. Jesus prayed sometimes all night. But he also came down and met people’s needs as well.[12] We get full of the Spirit so we are empowered to do the work of the ministry and serve others. There is always this tension between the spiritual and the natural that cannot be ignored. Listen to James’ exhortation on the matter. James 2:14-16 “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?”
Conflict sometimes develops between those who judge others as less spiritual because they do not pray and meditate as much verses those who serve others in more natural ways. Both are necessary and one should not despise the other. We see this balance maintained in Acts 6 when deacons were chosen to serve the natural needs of the widows so that the apostles could continue to focus on the word and prayer. Attending to both the spiritual and the natural yielded positive results. Acts 6:7 “So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.”
VII. Prosperity and Hardship
Forty years ago most Pentecostal churches were on the other side of the tracks and very poor. Doctrinally they equated poverty with godliness. Most of them judged wealthy people as compromisers who probably got their money in some unethical way. It was a warped way of thinking and not scriptural. Some people like Kenneth Hagin confronted the error. At the same time Pentecostals became more socially accepted after the Charismatic movement and we started having more money. Then the doctrine began to change toward an idea that gain is godliness—money and worldly success are a measurement of faith. On the other end of the spectrum this is just as warped and unscriptural. Obedience to God is the measure of godliness—not poverty or wealth.
Paul put this in perspective in Phil 4:11-12 “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
Our perspective on life is not Polly Anna optimism nor gloomy pessimism. We adjust to the reality of this life. We enjoy the earnest of our inheritance here and now.[13] But here and now is not heaven yet.[14] Sometimes God sustains us through the fire and sometimes He delivers us from the fire—blessed by the name of the Lord.[15] In one situation Peter speaks judgment and Ananias and Sapphira drop dead. In another situation Peter is thrown into prison by ungodly men.[16] God opens the doors of the Philippians jail for Paul and Silas but Stephen is allowed to be stoned. Even though God honors the free will of every man He remains sovereign in all that He does.[17] Can you accept that? Can you live with the sovereignty of God or does He always have to do what you expect Him to do?
Some people only understand one side of faith. Part of the church understands faith that says with Job, “Though He slay me yet will I trust Him.”[18] Part of the church understands faith that says to the mountain “Be removed” and it is removed.[19] But faith in God has various expressions. Look at the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11:32-38. “32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated- 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.”
Right in the middle of verse 35 there is the word “Others” that separates two kinds of experience—deliverance from hardship and deliverance through hardship—both are works of God—both are expressions of faith.
I do not know what the current demands are on your faith. But I do know that if you will trust Him He will prove faithful! Perhaps there are challenges going on in your life that now would be a good time to affirm your commitment to trust God with that situation. Do you need God to take care of a financial need? Are you trusting Him for physical health? Is there a problem that needs a solution? If so, would you just lift your heart toward the Lord right there where you are and commit it to Him? Ask Him to intervene and tell Him you will trust Him with it.
Invitation
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, MO
www.gracechapelchurch.org
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[1] All Scripture quotes are from the New International Version unless otherwise indicated. Other verses related to balance: Proverbs 4:27; Ecclesiastes 7:18; Matthew 23:23; Acts 20:27.
[2] Richard L. Dresselhaus, Lecture at The Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri (Homiletics 531 Methods of Biblical Preaching) on November 4, 2002 provided the title and first four headings for this message except he used the word “Novelism” rather than “Faddism.” To enjoy some of Dr. Dresselhaus’ excellent sermons go to http://www.journeyofhope.net/messages.html
[3] Other illustrations of need of balance are paddling on both sides of the canoe and balanced diet.
[4] Romans 1:22
[5] 2Kings 9:30 and of course the message was anything but valid exegesis of the passage.
[6] It’s amazing how many unbelievers will throw this story up when confronted with the Gospel and are quick to quote John 8:7 but leave out the last half of John 8:11.
[7] Alan Richardson, A Dictionary of Christian Theology (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1969) p. 11. “The view that the gospel renders obedience to the law (nomos) unnecessary and even damaging to one’s hope of salvation.”
[8] This is not intended to imply a neglect of civic duty; for Christians should assert their values through voting and participating in the political arena as is well illustrated by the examples of Joseph and Daniel. But our primary realm of influence is in the spiritual realm and in the proclamation of salvation through the death and resurrection of Christ.
[9] In our second service I illustrated the way a pastor supplies balance through his leadership by addressing a measure of imbalance in our current situation. Since the congregation is relating to one another in extremely loving and supportive ways I would affirm that activity but place much more emphasis preaching on evangelism since that side of the balance needs to be strengthened.
[10] 1Peter 2:5, 9
[11] 1Timothy 2:1-2
[12] An example of this principle is in Matthew 17:1-18.
[13] Ephesians 1:13-14
[14] Romans 8:22-25; Acts 14:22
[15] Daniel 3:17-18
[16] The expression of power in these situations was not left to Peter’s discretion but God’s.
[17] The theological balance between free will and sovereignty has been the subject of much debate. But we believe God is big enough and smart enough to honor free will and at the same time maintain His sovereignty. No man nor angel could ever do that. But the omniscient, omnipotent God can.
[18] Job 13:15
[19] Mark 11:21-24
