Evangelism isn’t Everything

I’m fascinated by technology. It has been truly remarkable what man has been able to accomplish in the past 100 years. But as a former design engineer I know that things don’t always go according to plan. The Hubble Space Telescope is a good example of this. After delays and cost over-runs, Hubble was finally sent into space and brought online in 1990. But although the original images were good, they were not as spectacular as astronomers expected. After some investigation it was discovered that the main mirror had been ground to the wrong shape. Thus began an effort to install a “contact lens” or corrective lens for Hubble. Finally, after service mission 1 in 1993, with the COSTAR corrective optics package installed the Hubble truly took our breath away with crystal clear images. You can compare the before and after images here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hubble_Images_of_M100_Before_and_After_Mirror_Repair_-_GPN-2002-000064.jpg

            I’ve been a pastor now for almost eight years. It has taken a while but I have finally realized that the church (at least the evangelical church I’m familiar with) needs a corrective lens. We do not see our main mission as clearly as we should and thus are achieving lack-luster, often temporary results. What is the main mission of the Church? The predominate answer of the evangelical church has been something along the lines of evangelism, missions and outreach, or global missions. Evangelism is certainly critical and a major part of the mission of the church. But the mission Christ gave to the Church was to “make disciples”:

^ESV Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

It is a subtle but significant shift in mission to move from evangelism to making disciples. “Making disciples” is the main verb, the imperative in the Great Commission. “Going”, “baptizing”, and “teaching” all fill out and support the “making of disciples”. Or said another way, evangelism is a part of making disciples but not the whole or even the main thing. My roots are mostly in Baptist style churches. I know we’ve done much better at making converts than making disciples. And based on surveys that show similarities between Christians and non-Christians in terms of lifestyle and worldview in America, the American church in general is not doing well at making disciples.

            Why are we decent at making converts but struggling to make disciples? I think it comes down fundamentally to a misunderstanding of salvation. We’ve limited salvation to only justification or forgiveness of sins. Salvation certainly is to be freed from the guilt of sin. But isn’t the grace of God a double cure? Being freed also from the pollution of sin? I.e. the salvation of sanctification? Salvation begins at our conversion but continues in our sanctification as we are saved from our current foolish ways and beliefs. Thus Peter can say: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18) Grace is not synonymous with forgiveness. You might say forgiveness is a subcategory within grace. Peter is not saying “grow in forgiveness” or “get more forgiveness”. He is saying “get more of the dynamic presence of Christ in your life” or “grow closer to Christ” or “tap into more grace to trust Christ more thoroughly and be in sync with Him daily”. When we settle for making converts instead of disciples, we settle for folks whose “train ticket” to Heaven is punched but who know nothing of the journey with Christ or of Christlikeness.

            We need a corrective lens on the mission of the Church. We must no longer be satisfied with professions of faith or even initial actions of obedience – such as baptism. And we must be cautious not to present a truncated gospel – one that limits salvation to forgiveness of sins. In Christ salvation is far more comprehensive. And being a Christian is also a more comprehensive commitment as well, for Jesus says:

^ESV Luke 9:23 And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

This is genuine conversion: to repent and transfer our trust from self to Christ. In the NT converts were necessarily disciples. In our day we desperately need this corrective lens to clarify our understanding and appropriation of salvation. Lord, teach us how to make disciples!

Playing for Keeps

When I was a kid I used to play checkers with my Grandpa Keller. He was a gentle and patient man. I know this because he would often say, “Are you sure?” after I had made my move. I learned quickly that he was kindly signaling that I had made a very bone-headed move that I should reconsider. I remember vividly one game we played when I was about 12. I thought I had my Grandpa cornered. Then in one jack-rabbit like move, he hopped here and there all over the board and took out 3 of my kings and another piece or two. I lost big time! After that game was over, I was so glad that it all went back in the box. No permanent monument to my failure. This is the hope of every Christian. God’s grace will “reset” the game at our death or Christ’s return and all our failures will be forgotten – erased by the blood of the Lamb.

            But if grace resets the game, so to speak, what is the point of playing the game well? Do both our losses and victories get put back in the box? Is there anything we get to keep? Any progress that matters? Yes!

^ESV 1 Timothy 4:7-10 “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; ⁸ for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. ⁹ The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. ¹⁰ For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”

            We won’t take our material possessions with us to Heaven, nor these current bodies. But we will take “godliness” with us. So we ought not to think of grace as a total reset of the game. The grace of Christ does wash away our sins – zeroing out our losses, but we get to keep our victories! At least those victories that withstand the testing fire (1 Cor 3:10-15).

            As I think about making resolutions for the New Year, I’d like to do something that matters, something that lasts. According to the Apostle Paul training for godliness is what I should pursue. But what is godliness? A study of the term “godliness” in the New Testament will reveal that godliness does not mean “like God” and training for godliness isn’t the pursuit of perfection or an effort to emulate God. “Godliness” is piety, uncommon reverence for God. Jerry Bridges in his book Training for Godliness defines godliness as “devotion to God which results in a life that is pleasing to Him.” So godliness isn’t so much about outward virtues as it is about cultivating love, fear and devotion to God. Or to put it another way, training for godliness is less “skills” training and more “love of the game” training. Bridges helps us: “So often we try to develop Christian character and conduct without taking the time to develop God-centered devotion. We try to please God without taking the time to walk with him and develop a relationship with him. This is impossible to do.”

            I think godliness is sort of like the “raw material” necessary for eternal existence in God’s presence. Maybe that is why the Lord brought Enoch straight up to Heaven, skipping physical death, because Enoch sought to please God so thoroughly in his life as he walked with God that he had the raw material necessary for Heaven. (Ge 5:24; Heb 11:5) Godliness is a good foundation for the future (1 Tim 6:19). Godliness is our thirst for God – our desire for HIM. (Ps 42)

            Sometimes we’re so hyper-allergic to works righteousness that we’re guilty of putting striving and toiling (1 Tim 4:10) in conflict with grace. As if by training for godliness we were undermining grace. This might be true if grace simply related to forgiveness of sins – a “reset” of the game so to speak. But grace is God giving us what we do not have and cannot get on our own. If we’re to toil and strive in training in godliness we will need the grace of God all the way: ”For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” (Col 1:29)

            So grace and hard work aren’t at odds in the Christian life. For we are training ourselves for godliness not to merit Heaven, but in an effort to appreciate Heaven. This year I am resolved to train for godliness in order to increase my capacity and appreciation for Christ. Perhaps this is why whatever progress you and I make in godliness in this age lasts. Because in training for godliness we’re developing a palate that appreciates Christ and we’re developing a capacity to drink more of Him. ‘Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."’ (John 4:10) In Heaven every Christian will drink of the Living Water. But we’ll drink as much as we want. Those trained in godliness will drink MORE! More of Christ! More of the rewards! More of grace! Why? Because the godly are thirsty. So let us train ourselves for godliness!