Review: What is the Mission of the Church by DeYoung and Gilbert

What Is the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission
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 by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert is one of the most recent forays into the missional church conversation. They are also engaging in the "good news, good deeds" conversation within this text.  In general I found the book helpful and a welcome contribution to the conversation. It is not without its flaws but on the whole it provides a snapshot of the conversation that is good to hear. One note, this book is probably one that should be engaged with chapter by chapter.  However, I am simply giving an overview and brief critique. The book is broken up into three parts; Part 1: Understanding our Mission, Part 2: Understanding Our Categories, and Part 3: Understanding What We Do and Why We Do It. In Part 1 the word mission is defined and is followed by a discussion of what Jesus has sent us into the world to do. The main idea that is communicated is, "the church is sent into the world to witness to Jesus by proclaiming the gospel and making disciples of all nations.  This is our task.  This is our unique and central calling (26)." Mission is defined as, "the task we are given to fulfill (29)." Chapter 2 is an argument for the Great Commission to be the controlling text of the mission of the church.  In the midst of this argument is the argument that Jesus' being sent is primary over his sending of the church.  This is critical to their argument. The primary conclusion for the book is drawn on page 62-63 and I quote it at length,
The mission of the church is to go into the world and make disciples by declaring the gospel in the power of the Spirit and gathering these disciples into churches, that they might worship the Lord and obey his commands now and in eternity to the glory of God the Father. We believe this is the mission Jesus gave the disciples prior to his ascension, the mission we see in the New Testament, and the mission of the church today. This mission is a specific set of things Jesus has sent his church into the world to accomplish and is significantly narrower than "everything God commands." That's not to say that our broader obligations aren't important. They are!  Jesus and the apostles command us to parent our children well, to be loving husbands and wives, to do good to all people, and many other things. Jesus even tells us in the Great Commission iteslf (as Matthew records it) to teach people "to observe all that I have commanded you." But that doesn't mean that everything we do in obedience to Christ should be understood as part of the church's mission. The mission Jesus gave the church is more specific than that. And that, in turn, doesn't mean that other commands Jesus gives us are unimportant. It means that the church has been given a specific mission by its Lord, and teaching people to obey Christ's commands is a nonnegotiable part of that mission.  (emphasis original)
Parts 2 and 3 go on to buttress this basic premise.  DeYoung and Gilbert do a nice job of collecting texts and discussing some of the relevant authors. I do however, struggle with some of their line of reasoning. The first, thing I disagree with is the inherent distinction they make between the individual Christian and the body of Christ. In the statement you see above they talk about the necessity of Christians to obey all that Christ teaches, but the church corporate does not. The mission of the church is the proclamation of the gospel, according to DeYoung and Gilbert, therefore the corporate church has no place engaging in the world other than the act of proclamation.  This is problematic. They clearly state that individual Christians ought to care for the poor, needy, etc...however, the corporate church is to only care for itself.  The only blessing the corporate church brings to the world is the message of repentance for the forgiveness of sin. The teaching of the sermon on the mount, Paul's teaching of the application of the gospel, and basically all of James, is useful only for the individual but not for the corporate body. This is a false dichotomy. Second, the authors give lip service to making disciples. They say it is important, yet do not discuss it.  They talk about discipling "die-hard followers of Jesus" but truly regulate the development of the disciple as secondary. Third, the authors do not think that the Kingdom and the gospel have much connection.  They see the gospel in reductionistic terms (though they say they don't, but their line of thinking denies that). They do not take seriously the creation, fall, redemption, consummation biblical narrative that they present.  It's fascinating to watch them systematically move from this position into a subtle dispensational perspective. They see strong discontinuity marked by the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.  The position of one who holds to a creation, fall, redemption, consummation narrative necessariliy needs to hold to continuity of the story line. That the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus allows for the in-breaking of the kingdom of God. It brings about the already but not yet eschaton that we see through out the Scriptures. Finally, the position of this text detracts from the necessarily sent nature of the church into the world.  The model we see of Jesus and the early church is not a collection of a holy huddle.  We see a dramatic engagement of the lost world through proclamation and action. While it is true that Jesus proclamatory message was "The kingdom is at hand, repent and believe" it is no less true that he also healed and cared for the broken. To divorce Jesus' message from his actions is short-sighted at best. It seems that DeYoung and Gilbert are going to great lengths to call the church back to an attractional model. The mission of the church is well summarized in the Westminster Larger Catechism's first question, "What is the chief and highest end of man? Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever."  It is furthered in the 91st question, "What si the duty which God requireth of man? The duty which God requireth of man, is obedience to his revealed will." These questions are helpful.  You see the Westminster does not make the distinction between individual and church. The confession defines the church but does not distinguish between the two. The mission of the church is bring glory to God in obedience to his revealed will. This means then that to summarize the mission of the church as mere proclamation is to fall short. In conclusion, I would encourage you to read the text, but be careful of the sloppy categories and often myopic interpretations of Scripture. 
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Book Review: The Grace of God by Andy Stanley

The The Grace of God
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 by Andy Stanley seeks to make the marvelous and overwhelming concept of God's grace accesible to the every day, average Christian.  Stanley traces the theme of God's grace through out the entirety of Scripture.  He begins with Genesis and ends with the Great Commission.  Stanley writes with a gentle, every man's approach.  There is nothing heady or difficult.  One need not worry about finding themselves in the deep end of the pool in this book. The book broken into 13 chapters all ending in "by Grace".  I think the best chapters are the introduction, Chapter 1: In the Beginning, Grace; and Chapter 13: Commissioned for Grace.  The beginning and end are very well done.  I think that Stanley's approach regarding Genesis 1-3 is very helpful and provides good insight into what is happening in the Garden of Eden.  The final chapter is helpful because the church is called to live out its grace mission. However, I think that in the middle chapters Stanley is filling space.  There is not much being said.  There is nothing very "new", in the sense that, you can find it written elsewhere.  I found myself getting bored and wondering why this book was written when there are other books on the same topic that have been done much better. Please hear me, there is nothing inherently wrong with this text.  It is biblical and orthodox.  It's just that other writers like Stott, Packer, Tozer, Edwards, Keller, and Piper have written books that are more engaging, more insightful, and just as accessible. Would I recommend the book? Sure. But, I won't read it again. Why?  Because it is just too thin. It doesn't grab the imagination or the heart. It doesn't challenge me on every page.  It's ho-hum.

One Story, One People, One Mission

In my opinion, One by U2 is the greatest song of the 20th century. That's a big statement, I know. But seriously, listen to this and tell me it's not awesome: httpv://youtu.be/ftjEcrrf7r0 It strikes me that this could be a theme for the people of God.  There is a distinct theme of oneness in the Scriptures.  Ephesians puts it this way:
"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:1–6 ESV)
This is a great summary of the teaching of "one".  Paul highlights this core teaching because it is central to our identity as Christians and it is central to maintaining the authority of Scripture. I think I would summarize it this way, "One story, one people, one mission." There is one story.  The story of the God of the universe actively pursuing his glory. In the midst of this story we find heartbreak, promises, love, joy, sadness, and redemption. This story is the overarching story.  There are many mini stories that make up the chapters of this larger story. We see a Father pursuing his child. We find stories of exile and redemption. We experience a bridegroom sacrificing for his bride. There is one people. These are the chosen people of God.  They were hand picked by him from before the world began. These people come from every tongue, tribe, and nation.  These people are called the sons of Abraham. They are people who live by faith not by sight.  They are people who have come to the end of themselves and found themselves to be wanting.  They are people who though dead have been made alive. These are the people of God, one people, from the beginning. There is one misson. This one people of God who find themselves in the midst of the one story of God find that they are on a single mission from God. This mission is like nothing that they have experienced before.  It is not about what they should be doing or not doing.  It is not about rules, laws, or legalism.  It is not about going close or going far.  It is about finding in their daily lives that they are to be pursuing the very same thing that their God is pursuing - his glory.  In doing so they live, act, and do things differently. They become a people concerned about what their God is concerned about.  They become a people who press out locally, regionally, and globally joining their God at every turn. Some may argue that God works differently with his people at different times.  They may argue that certain people are more special to God than others.  They may state that there is a great distinction between the first 39 and the last 27 books of the Scriptures.  I would encourage these people to take a step back and consider Ephesians 4:1-6 and then go listen to a little U2.

Review: Radical Together by David Platt

Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God
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 is David Platt's follow up to Radical is well worth the little bit of time that is needed to read it. The best part is the discussion guide in the back. There was nothing new in the text that one didn't find in Radical.

Overview

Overall I think that it is well written. It is accessible for any Christian at any point in their walk with God. I think that it's strength lies in the stories and illustrations. The danger of this text is that of legalism. Platt does a good job of trying to combat this temptation. However, I think that this book in the hands of a young believer could lead to some assumptions about the Christian faith that are not necessarily true. There can also be the temptation to the development of a two-tiered Christianity. Those who live "radical" and those who "don't". Again, I think that Platt tries to hedge this but, as with any writing that calls one to action this is a potential danger.

Detailed Review

The first chapter is worth the price of the book. It is entitled "Tyranny of the Good".  Platt challenges the assumptions of the church by asking what is "best" as opposed to what is "good".  This kind of questioning led his community of faith to abandon many "sacred cows" and focus their time and energy on the taking the gospel to the ends of the earth.  I love the subtitle to this chapter, "One of the worst enemies of Christians can be good things in the church."  This is so very true. Chapter one is the high point of the text and really the only fresh material that wasn't already covered in his previous text, Radical.  Chapter 2 seeks to undo some of the confusion surrounding Radical, that is, whether or not there is a two-tiered Christianity. Platt argues for a "saved from work, saved to work" perspective which is helpful.  Though his argument gets a bit muddled in the middle with too many stories.  He starts strong and finishes strong but gets a bit sideways.  I think that he would would have been left to argue for the position that salvation comes by God's sovereign grace and that this necessarily means that he must be Lord and not simply fire insurance.  It seems that Platt was trying to get to this point without opening the "Lordship Salvation" debate. Chapter 3 highlights the centrality of God's word and is wonderful.  Chapter 4 focuses on how God uses broken people to bring about his mission. Chapter 6 reads like an abridged version of Desiring God and as a result is very encouraging. Yes, I skipped chapter 5 intentionally because it requires a few comments.  This is where Platt argues for a global mission.  I appreciated his call to reach the world.  Reading it, I felt like I was reading Come Help Change the World by Dr. Bill Bright.  However, in the midst of this chapter Platt takes a shot at the missional church movement.  He does so gently, but I think that his understanding of missional is wrong-headed.  He actually goes on to argue for the missional perspective while trying to argue against it.  He sees missional as supremely local.  This is not a proper understanding.  Missional church is one that takes seriously the command to reach Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the world.  This means that the missional church is seeking to take the gospel locally, regionally, and globally.  This is the very thing that Platt argues for!

Conclusion

I would highly recommend this book for a small group or discipleship group discussion. While it is not perfect, it does force us to ask some very difficult questions of ourselves. Note: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

I Want To Announce My Presence With Authority

In one of the greatest scenes in movie history LaLoosh is on the mound and after being shaken off, Crash Davis, comes to the mound.  LaLoosh will only throw his fastball and Davis wants him to throw something off speed.  But LaLoosh demands to throw it to "announce my presence with authority".  Davis tips the batter as to the pitch and here is what happens... httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20NEbFeXU7w LaLoosh didn't have authority. What about our faith? Do we have any authority? Is there any authority over us? "In Christ" and "sovereign grace" two huge topics that we have tried to summarize briefly through their ramifications in our lives.  Hopefully we were able to somewhat answer the "so what" of these issues.  I just realized that another central issue is our view of the Bible.  Is it authoritative? Is perfect? Inerrant? These questions and so many more fly about in conversations in coffee shops all over the place. I want to take a little different angle on this question.  I am more concerned about whether or not the Bible really is the history and narrative of the people of God.  If it is then it truly informs us our past and gives us insight into our present and future. It speaks to us in a way that nothing else can. How we deal with this issue determines much about how we interact with the Bible and how we understand ourselves. To begin with we must ask - Is there continuity in the Bible? Is there one dramatic line of thought from beginning to end? If there is, then we have a text which is timeless and provides us the guideposts and direction we need.  If not, then what we have is a loose collection of interesting writings, but nothing truly authoritative. I tipped my hand.  Authority of the text, in my opinion, comes from its internal consistency.  If it is not internally consistent then it cannot be trusted to be authoritative. The Bible is the means by which we come to an understanding of who God is and what he wants from us. If it's found to be without consistency how do we know anything? If it's found to be consistent then it demands from us something more than an hour or so a week.

Charles Schwab and Sovereign Grace

Sovereign grace we have discovered is what propels out into God's mission.  Now let's continue to explore Ephesians 1:11-14 to see how else it applies to our lives as followers of Jesus,

“11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

We are going to close by looking at the ramifications of verses 12-14. As a result of the sovereign grace of God working out all things according to the purpose of his will we find that we have security.

Security.

It's something that investment companies make millions of dollars off of...

httpv://youtu.be/mFM-m31y5HY

We all desire security and it drives much of what we do and don't do in life.  The perceived lack of security can create fear.  This is what most of the politicians do in their campaigns.  They seek to show that the other party will eliminate security from your life and leave you dangling. When we don't feel secure in our lives we experience fear.

However these verses in Ephesians remove any doubt about security from us. We no longer find our security in the context of finances, power, or relationships with people.  We find them in relationship with the God of the universe. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit of God and in that sealing we find that there is nothing that can separate us from relationship with God.

This kind of security allows us to live freely.  This kind of security actually sends us with confidence into a broken world without fear of being separated from God. We can enter into relationships with people not worried about our identity because it is wrapped up in God.  We can tell people about Jesus and not have to worry about rejection or pain.

It turns out that when we find our security in the midst of God's grace we are able to step out boldly, confidently, full of grace and truth.  We can then love well to the glory of God.

What would your life look like if you never feared insecurity ever again?

It would be amazing.

Book Review - With by Skye Jethani

With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God
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 by Skye Jethani editor of Leadership Journal has provided for the church an accessible vision to what it means to be the body of Christ. The text follows a straightforward format where Jethani evaluates four postures that most people have before God. The first is "Life Under God". This perspective emphasises God's holiness. To please God the believer must follow his rule and regulations and come under his authority. The second posture is that of "Life Over God". This posture is basic unbelief where God is something that is either ignored or used for personal gain. The third posture is "Life From God".  Here the belief is that if we do the right things and live the right way God will bless us. This is the common posture in the "health and wealth" or "word of faith" movements. The fourth posture is "Life For God".  The desire within this system is to give one's life for ultimate meaning and purpose.  People who hold this view elevate the faith of the missionary or pastor who have "given everything" for God. These four postures are all found wanting in some way. So what is the Christian life supposed to look like in its posture? Jethani argues for a fifth way, "Life With God".  In this posture we discover what it means to live life alongside God. We join him in his mission and community.  This posture takes seriously the incarnation of the Holy Spirit within the lives of every believer.  Grace, mercy, and walking with God are the central factors. In this posture it is argued that we find an attractive and passionate relationship with God. I think that this is a very helpful book and strongly recommend it. The weakness is that there is lack of contemporary examples for this posture (which might be because there aren't any!).  I appreciate that there are three chapters of application, however, they are still somewhat ethereal and maybe not as applicable as they could be. I found myself still asking the "so what" question. I think this text is ripe for a follow up "workbook" whereby someone could process through their postures before God and then develop an understanding of what it means to do life "with" God.

Flaming Potatoes and the Sovereignty of God

The previous two posts explored bits and pieces of the Ephesians 1:11-14 and how sovereign grace actually effects the way that we actually live and move and do life.
“11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
We have discussed "in him" and "obtained an inheritance", no we turn our sights to "having been predestined according to the purpose of who works all things according to the counsel if his will." We must not get hung up in theological debate regarding the issues surrounding the doctrine of predestination.  Those discussions are for another time and place.  The point of this series is to discuss the "so what" so as to send us on and expedition of faith. I became a follower of Jesus in the summer of 1995, since then I have sought to follow him into the world where he would be. I have changed and grown.  My following has matured but it is no less passionate.  Early on I struggled to come to terms with the doctrine of predestination.  It bothered be to think that God may not have chosen some to be his people.  I struggled to see what the point of engaging a lost world was if God was sovereign over salvation and if God had to be the one to bring people back to life. I really wanted to believe in a synergistic faith and not a monergistic faith. Then I read, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
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 and God Centered Evangelism
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. These two books transformed my view on doing ministry under the sovereign grace of God.  I discovered that God's sovereign grace actually propelled one to a radical evangelism because there was a confidence in that God would act and make himself known. This is the beauty of the phrase that we are looking at here in Ephesians 1:11.  There is a purpose for all things.  It is not simply an accident that some people trust Christ or don't. It all with purpose and in accordance with the God's good, pleasing, and perfect will. There is nothing that we experience that is without purpose.  With purpose comes meaning and with meaning comes hope. The follower of Jesus runs on sovereign grace. We find hope, meaning, and purpose in its midst.
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In college my floormates had a potato gun.  One night we took the screens out (which was illegal) of our third floor dorm rooms and fired (illegal) potatoes across the quad at another dorm (stupid).  It was exhilarating to watch the small purple balls fly across the night sky and explode as they hit the wall of the other dorm. To fire the gun you needed Aqua Net hairspray, an airtight compartment, and a flint to create a spark. The doctrine of predestination is the flint for the follower of Jesus.  When it rubs against our sensibilities it creates a spark that sets aflame the Spirit of God within us. We are propelled like a flaming potato into God's mission for his glory (even if we don't agree with the doctrine, it still works!).