Courtesy: Christian Courier Pastor.Ken Benjamin
Four ways to renew our lukewarm witness to the world.
Commitment
First, we need to put the church back in the centre. Church is the “powerhouse” of the kingdom, the hub of the wheel. If the church does not turn properly, the rest won’t either. We hear it often: “I don’t need to go to church to be a Christian.” Well, yes, you do. Living faith assumes living membership in the body of Christ. Read Article 28 of the Belgic Confession: There is no salvation outside the church.
Along the same lines we require a renewed appreciation for the marks of the church: preaching, sacraments and discipline. We should support our pastors when they announce the full council of God – with its promises, demands and warnings of the covenant. There can be no room for lazy faith. God expects nothing less than committed faith in our Savior Jesus Christ.
Commitment
First, we need to put the church back in the centre. Church is the “powerhouse” of the kingdom, the hub of the wheel. If the church does not turn properly, the rest won’t either. We hear it often: “I don’t need to go to church to be a Christian.” Well, yes, you do. Living faith assumes living membership in the body of Christ. Read Article 28 of the Belgic Confession: There is no salvation outside the church.
Along the same lines we require a renewed appreciation for the marks of the church: preaching, sacraments and discipline. We should support our pastors when they announce the full council of God – with its promises, demands and warnings of the covenant. There can be no room for lazy faith. God expects nothing less than committed faith in our Savior Jesus Christ.
Our true identity
Fourth, we need to develop a proper relationship with the world. This starts with a biblical understanding of our identity. Peter calls us aliens and strangers (1 Pet. 2: 11). Christ’s Kingdom is here, but his rule has not been fully manifested yet, and so we should feel different. If our life is Christ and our standard is the Bible, then we should feel out of sorts with the culture around us. If the opposite is true and we feel right at home in our world, we need to ask ourselves: What is wrong with us
“Everything God created is good,” says Paul in 1 Timothy 4: 4. This includes the pleasures of food, golf, hockey, vacations and even alcohol, with a few caveats. But all things require limits. Without boundaries we turn God’s good gifts into idols. Nothing in our world should threaten the role of church, devotions and family time in our lives.
Living in this world also means we have an urgent calling to promote Christ’s Lordship. Not only in the church, our personal lives and family, but also in politics, labour and education. Christ is King and his Kingdom is coming. To that end, let’s fully support Christian education. We need to ensure that our younger generation is taught to think from a Christian perspective. That’s what this world needs: More Christians who can think “Christianly” so that God’s kingdom may be advanced in our broken world.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m no pessimist. God holds the future firmly in his hands. By way of repentance, faith and prayer, God will build his church. My confidence is that the Lord reigns! If this were not true, I would not be a preacher. God is good! He will preserve his church and he has power to revitalize his church. He is able to do it. May he do so by his grace!
