Not Big Enough

In Your Church is Too Small, Sam Freney (editor of The Briefing) gives an excellent update on where the Hillsong movement is at, including some really positive and insightful reflections from his experience of attending the 2012 Hillsong Conference. And with a fair-minded and refreshing perspective, he makes the challenging call to a movement that has spread globally: you still need to grow beyond yourself.

Freney acknowledges that the movement's strengths far exceed their pursuit of musical and artistic  excellence and events production:

"Behind the scenes—or at least out of the spotlight—Hillsong seems to contain plenty of faithful, enthusiastic Christians who want to see Jesus glorified in what they do, and who give Scriptural thought to what they do."

But despite the excellent way various individuals or ministries in the church operate, he shows how the church as a whole -- the overall architecture and construction of the church in grand view -- is still disappointingly dwarfed:

"There may have been 20,000 people in the room, gathered as one church under Christ, but the church was too small. It was too small because the gospel being proclaimed was too small: it was just about you and me, and how God makes our lives better."

This is an excellent article for anyone who wants to understand the pros and cons of the Hillsong movement. But it sums up not only the immediate highs and lows of a church excursion to Hillsong; it also explains why in the end, we're left more than sad and grieved, but also dis-unified. Freney gets to the heart of what divides us -- why we can't fellowship and work together as 'evangelicals' with the broader Hillsong movement:

"From everything that I’ve seen and heard, at the conference and visiting Hillsong church on a number of occasions, there’s simply no guarantee that if you go or take someone along to church there that you’re going to hear the gospel. No doubt you will be drawn into enthusiastic fellowship with people who love being part of the church, and (literally) sing Jesus’ praises constantly. There’s no question you will meet many lovely, faithful, committed Christians. Yet I cannot see any reason to believe that if you go regularly that you will be taught God’s word, or be instructed to sit under it and let it change you and form and re-form you. In fact, I have good reason to believe that you will be taught something else altogether. 

You will hear an attractive message about the God of the universe, committed to you, promising you many good things you can receive if you honestly believe in them. You will hear about the blessing God has planned for you, the better job or bigger house or healthier future in store. But you are unlikely to hear much biblical, orthodox Christianity. 

I cannot in good conscience commend fellowship with Hillsong. I can’t recommend that anyone go and make this their church. I can also understand why many churches decide not to sing their songs, given that singing them profiles Hillsong and gives a tacit endorsement to their movement. The fact that there are good things about the movement and good people in the movement is not really the point; the gospel message championed by the church is distorted, and in the end being part of that is not the way that we love or care for people."

Freney's story and own beginnings (as a Pentecostal in NZ and Sydney in the C3 movement) reminded me in part of my own experience as a Hillsong college student back in 1997. That was 15 years ago. Many of my reflections here at Talking Pentecostalism are based on a perspective that dates back to that time. How far has the movement come since then? This article asks the same question. And much to my dismay, the answer is, not far.

It would be nice if my criticisms here at Talking Pentecostalism were now becoming outdated; I have people write to me and reflect on their positive experiences of visiting a Hillsong-derivative church meeting after being pleasantly surprised by the quality of ministry of the individuals leading, or the genuine fellowship, or the richness of recent church song lyrics. I do not doubt the reality of the positive and widespread impact that these accounts demonstrate has and continues to occur through the Hillsong movement. And I praise God for his grace in this.

But Freney's penetrating view of the foundation of this house that is the Hillsong movement is a reminder to keep praying for deep change that gets to the basis of what is evangelicalism. This house may be home to a whole heap of members who are themselves thankfully supported, upheld and nourished by Christ. But if the house itself is standing on anything other than Christ and his Word, it's on sinking sand:

"We have a fairly major disagreement about the nature of church, evangelism, and ministry—that all of these things ought to be built very firmly on the gospel and the word of God. Hearing and speaking God’s word is not a distinguishing feature of a Hillsong church service, which suggests that Hillsong church is not ‘evangelical’ in any meaningful sense."

To read the full article go to http://matthiasmedia.com/briefing/2013/05/your-church-is-too-small/

Filled in Him: The full-gospel of fullness in God

The desire for fullness in God is as basic to spirituality as our daily quest for a full stomach. Pentecostalism is a movement that comes at the end of a long line of charismatic movements stretching back to the early centuries of the church that have all in their own way been united in their quest for ‘more’ in Christian experience than the basics of salvation through Christ:

“Throughout the history of Christianity, there have always been individuals seeking for “something more” in their spiritual pilgrimage, occasionally prompting them to explore the meaning of Spirit baptism and spiritual gifts.” (Horton, 1995, p. 9)

Pentecostals want to move beyond the ‘beginnings’ of the gospel, the saving work of Christ. They see in the New Testament a ‘fuller’ gospel, that following conversion to Jesus Christ and cleansing from sin, involves a second stage of fullness in God through the Holy Spirit. It is this subsequent work of the Spirit, according to Pentecostalism, that “fills” Christians in God.

“The task given to the twentieth-century Church is to preach all the gospel. What is needed is not a different gospel but the fullness of the gospel as it is recorded in the New Testament. We emphasize this because the Holy Spirit has been neglected over the centuries. We have the task of understanding anew the person and work of the Holy Spirit as revealed in the Bible and experience in the life of the Church today. The full-gospel message programs the centrality of the work of the Holy Spirit... (Horton, 1995, p. 379)

How to be filled in God

How can Christians be ‘filled’ in God and be sure that we have all of him who would give all of himself to us? There are many places we could go in the New Testament trying to look for a complete answer to this question. But what may be less commonly known is that there is actually one book in the Bible that addresses this very question specifically, and in detail.

The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians has as its central theme ‘fullness in God’. So what does Colossians say about being filled in God? What does it teach us about the person and work of the Holy Spirit, and Paul’s answer to this question?

What comes as a huge surprise when we look through this letter is that the book actually focuses not on the person and work of the Holy Spirit, but on the person and work of Jesus Christ. In fact, what is staggering is that there is not a single mention of the Spirit whatsoever throughout its teaching. It proclaims a message about Christian fullness, about being ‘filled in him’, but with a gaze fixed on the second person of the trinity alone. How can this be?

It’s a very interesting find, and it begs the question: what is Paul’s understanding of fullness in God? And how does this relate to the person and work of Christ?

If we want to be ‘filled in him’ (Col 2:10) we could do a lot worse than having a very close look at this letter from Paul, the very book in the Bible devoted to our search for the full truth about fullness in God. What will we find and how should this reshape the way we approach this question in the first place?

The person and work of Jesus Christ

Paul writes his letter to the Colossians chiefly outlining the implications of the person and work of Christ for Christians, both doctrinally and practically [1]. He lays down foundational truths about Christ in 1:13-23 that shape the rest of his letter. God speaks to us by his Spirit through the letter the very same truths (for his person and work does not change): who Christ is and what he has done – especially for the Church and for the Christian – and how these truths must shape our theology and action.

Paul begins his teaching in Colossians [2] with an emphasis on the supremacy of Christ (1:18), both in creation (1:15-17) and redemption (1:18-20). Firstly, Christ’s person has supremacy over creation and the Church. Christ is supreme over all Creation because he is not part of it: He is the agent in creation; the one for whom creation was made (1:16); indeed, he is the very image of the invisible God (1:15). He is supreme over all things in the universe, for he is before all things, and in him all things hold together (1:17).

Christ is supreme over the Church because he is beginning of it, since he is the firstborn from among the dead (1:18). Indeed, he is the supreme head of the Church (1:18). He is thus also the very agent in the new-creation, which not only involves the Church but also the entire created order (1:20).

Secondly, the work of Christ in reconciling to God all of creation and the Church is supreme. Christ’s work in Creation is supreme because it is only through Christ’s work on the cross that ‘all things in heaven and on earth’ have been reconciled to God (1:20). His work perfectly achieves God’s will [3]: Through Christ’s blood peace has been re-established between God and all things, in the sense that the proper order of relationships between God and creation is now restored since all things are being brought under the headship of Christ as a result of his resurrection [4].

Christ’s work in the Church is also supreme because it alone brings about perfect forgiveness with God (1:14, 28): The Colossian Christians were enemies alienated from God, but now they are reconciled and before him as holy in his sight. This has been accomplished because of the death of Christ’s physical body (1:21-22).

This central passage of Colossians (1:13-23) must be understood within its wider context in the letter if we are to appreciate how it teaches us.

Paul firstly applies it to combat various heresies that threaten the Colossians (1:24 – 3:4).

Since the mystery of God’s will is now revealed in Christ, in whom alone is found all knowledge of God (2:2-3), then the Colossians, along with us, should not be taken captive by false teaching that glorifies human knowledge (2:4, 8) as the means of reaching God. All the fullness of God dwells in Christ, and because Christians are in Christ, we have complete fullness in God through him alone (2:9).

The Colossian Christians should not let anyone judge them by Judaistic legalism [5]. The old law only foreshadowed Christ’s work (2:17) that has now brought the complete reality of forgiveness (2:13-15). So too, through our unity with his death and resurrection, sin has been completely dealt with for us (2:11-12). Therefore there is no need to add anything to Christ’s work for our salvation or fullness in God.

Since we have also been made pure from sensual indulgence by our unity with Christ’s death (2:20, 23), we should not submit to human teachings like asceticism [6] in order to be removed from the evil of the flesh. In Christ, the created order is restored to goodness (Col 1:20) [7].

Since Christ is the head of the body that grows as God causes (2:19), we should also not worship angels (2:18) (or saints) as if they are closer to God than Christ. Christ is the image of the invisible God and therefore worthy of the only praise that God deserves.

Instead, we should follow Paul’s application of the truth about Christ to our living, obeying the commands he sets out concerning Christian conduct (3:5-4:6). In view of the fact that our lives are now with Christ in God (3:3-5), and Christ is in us (Col 3:9-11) [8], we should live accordingly: putting to death whatever belongs to our earthly natures (3:5), and living as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved (3:12).

Pentecostalism and fullness in God

Today, Pentecostalism is an example of a modern movement that began with a quest to know the full truth about fullness in God. From its origin it still today proclaims the promise of a fuller-gospel involving an experience of God that is not obtained in Christ alone. Pentecostals believe that the extra work of the Spirit after salvation, which is available to all Christians but not common to all, provides a unique fullness in God for those who have been fortunate enough to understand, believe and be blessed with this second stage in spirituality prior to Christ’s coming.  

But what does Colossians teach us about the person and work of Christ? The amazing thing about the Apostle Paul’s letter here is that although his central theme is fullness in God, he does not mention the Holy Spirit at all throughout the letter. But it is not as though the role and work of the Spirit are not important to Paul. Far from it: throughout the New Testament, Paul teaches more about the work of the Spirit than any other author. Clearly, for him and throughout the Bible the Spirit of God plays a vital role in everything God does, including his work in creation since the beginning and his vital role in bringing about the New Creation [9].

But what Paul’s letter to the Colossians should show Pentecostals is that the work of the Spirit is not central and it is not supreme, and it is not even an element that is needed in order to complete the 'full' gospel. Actually, work of the Holy Spirit is not a part of the gospel itself (which is the work of Christ for us). But the work of the Spirit is the fruit of the gospel (which is the work of Christ in us). 

It is because of the gospel -- that Jesus of Nazareth died for our sins (as Christ) and rose for our justification (as Lord) -- that he ascended to now from God's throne in heaven send his Spirit into our hearts in order to now rule over sin from within us (the fruit of the gospel, and the result/response to it).  

But when coming to teach about Christian fullness in God, Paul is perfectly happy to neglect to even mention the Holy Spirit. And he goes as far as declaring that it is in Christ alone that all the fullness of God dwells (1:19), and that all Christians – without exception – have been given “fullness in him”: that is, we have fullness – fullness in God – through our union with Christ in whom all the fullness of God dwells. In other words, Christians are “in Christ” = in “fullness of God”.

The book of Colossians teaches us that Christ Jesus our Lord is supreme over all else, and his finished work on the cross has supremely achieved for us perfect reconciliation to God. We are in need of nothing else to bring us fullness in God. We should look to no one else, nor any other work for filling in him. We have it all in Christ, and in response, we should live a holy life in view of the fact that Christ Jesus himself lives in us, and we “have been filled in him” (Col 2:10).

“For in him, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (1:19)...

“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

 and you have been filled in him...” (Col 2:9-10)

End notes

[1] These doctrinal and practical sections of the letter come between personal comments at the beginning (1:1–12) and end of His letter (4:7-18).

[2] To be sure, Paul begins his letter to the Colossians by thanking God for their faith and love (1: 3-4) and telling them of the substance and reasons for his prayers for them (1:9-12). He prays in order that they might be giving thanks to the Father who has “brought them into the kingdom of the Son” (1:13 – emphasis mine). However, immediately at this point, he begins a section of the letter where he explains the person and work of the Son – Jesus Christ (1:13-23).

[3] Ephesians 1:9-10

[4] This appears to be what is meant when this verse (1:20) is compared to Ephesians 1:10, where it is seen that in Christ “all things in heaven and on earth [will be brought] together under one head, even Christ”: signifying that through the work of the cross all things will be brought under the just rulership of God. This work is complete, though the process is only beginning now through the preaching of the gospel, whereby people come under the headship of Christ. This process will be consummated at the second coming of Christ to judge when everything else will finally be brought under his headship for judgment.

 [5] The Judaistic legalism at the time of Paul’s letter involved circumcision (2:11, 3:11), ordinances (2:14), foods, holidays (2:16) and the like.

 [6] Asceticism in the time of Paul’s letter involved regulations about the abstinence from various elements of God’s created order which were viewed as being essentially evil (2:16, 20-23).

[7] Confer with 1 Timothy 4:1-5.

[8] Also, see Col 1:27.

[9] See Creation and Spirit: The work of the Holy Spirit in our world and God’s - http://talkingpentecostalism.blogspot.com/2010/10/creation-and-spirit-work-of-holy-spirit.html

References

Horton, Stanley M (General Editor), Systematic Theology, Logion Press: Springfield, Missouri, 1995

Bibliography

Bruce, F, F. The New International Commentary on the New Testament – The Epistles to the Colossians to Philemon and to the Ephesians, W M. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Grand Rapids, Michigan: 1984

Jensen, I, L. Jensen’s Survey of the New Testament, Moody Press, Chicago: 1981

The Purpose Driven Life - Part II: A Corrective

What is the centre of the Christian life? What gives us purpose and drive? What message do we have to share with the world around us? These are some of the questions that Rick Warren's incredibly popular The Purpose-Driven Life sets out to answer.

In Part I of this article I reviewed The Purpose-Driven Life and concluded that because Warren identifies our basic need as meaninglessness, his gospel offers at its core the knowledge of God's plans and purposes. The problem with this is that it does not go far enough. Our basic problem, according to God's word is rebellion against God and so our greatest need is forgiveness and transformation, not just information. The failure of The Purpose-Driven Life is that it doesn't recognise that the gospel of Jesus' work of salvation is at the centre of God's purposes for the world.

Part II of this article aims to provide a corrective. I want to convince you that the Christian life should be gospel-driven, because the gospel alone can and should control the Christian life. In order to do this I want to ask two important questions.

A QUESTION OF POWER

What is it that enables a Christian to live as a Christian? It's a question of power. By insisting that the Christian life must be 'purpose-driven', Rick Warren assumes that living according to a set of purposes (derived from Scripture) will give power to drive the Christian life. However simply knowing certain rules and living a certain way will not empower Christians. For God's power is not located within us, as if it depended upon ourselves.

From the very beginning God's purposes were accomplished by his powerful word. Throughout the Bible there is a strong relationship between the purposes of God and the word of God that accomplishes it. A classic example is found in Isaiah 55:11:

"...So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

In the New Testament the same active power attributed to the word of God in the Old Testament is applied to the gospel itself. (Acts 20:32; Rom 1:16; 1Cor 1:18; Col 1:5-6; 1Thes 2:13; Heb 4:6,12; Jas 1:18; 1Pet 1:23). The gospel is living and active by judging the thoughts and attitudes of its hearers. It bears fruit and grows all over the world by powerfully saving unbelievers. And for Christians who are being saved it continues to be the power of God by working in them to building them up and give them an inheritance. So it is actually the word of God in the gospel that enables our participation in the purposes of God. It is the gospel that drives the Christian life, because it alone can.

If Christians try to just run 'purpose-driven' lives, in the sense Warren uses 'purpose', they will inevitably bind themselves up in a powerless straight-jacket and rob themselves of the enabling influence of the Spirit. Without depending solely on the power of God in the gospel, 'purposefulness' will ultimately degrade into 'sinfulness'. For the purpose of every human heart is only sinful all of the time. Only the gospel can drive the Christian life, because it alone is God's power over human sin.

A QUESTION OF CONTROL

There is a second question needing to be raised: What controls the Christian life? If the gospel contains the 'driving-power' behind the Christian life, what turns the 'driving-wheel' in the Christian life? According to Rick Warren there is nothing more fundamental that ought to control you than 'God's purposes for your life' (p. 30).

It is definitely right to teach that Christian activity should be guided, controlled, and directed. But should it be by a list of purposes? One immediate problem with conformity like this is that it tilts the focus towards thinking in terms of 'what' we do. But it's just as important to consider 'how' we do it - even more so is 'why' we do it. The question is what should be controlling how and why we do what we do as Christians.

When Warren uses the word 'purposes', he seems to use it in a very narrow sense. He appears to mean God's end-point goals for our individual lives. This definition is far too narrow. God's purposes for us include his purposes for all things. We cannot talk about his will for our lives individually without referring to his plans to glorify himself in Christ.

It's not 'God's purposes for us' that ought to control Christians. For this is little different to being driven by God's law - which was the expression of his desires for Israel. This is why The Purpose-Driven Life is inescapably emphasising a works-driven lifestyle. But it was God's mercy in saving Israel that was to motivate them to keep God's law (Ex 20:2). Similarly, the New Testament emphasises that the gospel itself should be the controlling agent in our lives. Christian are to:

* Walk worthily of the calling we've received in the gospel (Eph 4:1) * Walk in love just as Christ loved us in the gospel (5:1-2)
* Walk as children of the light because the gospel has taken us from darkness to light (Eph 5:8)
* Work out the salvation we have in the gospel (Php 2:12-13)
* Live up to what we've already obtained in the gospel (Php 3:16)
* Walk with Christ Jesus as Lord, just as we received him as Lord (Col 2:6-7)

We always fix our eyes on God's purposes for all things as we live our lives. We cannot simply focus on a narrow list of God's end-point goals for our lives individually. The gospel must drive our worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and evangelism. If not, it will be all the more likely that someone modeling the purpose-driven life may not even be a Christian! They may be actively involved in 'worship services', attending the 'fellowship', participating in the 'discipleship program', using their gifts in a church 'ministry', and even enthusiastically 'evangelising' others with their story, and yet the gospel may never have taken root below their externals, bringing them to genuine repentance and faith from the heart. That's why only the gospel should drive the Christian life.

THE GOSPEL-DRIVEN LIFE

In answering the question, "What on earth am I hear for?", to a secular audience as well as Christian, The Purpose-Driven Life uses over 1,200 scriptural quotes and references. Yet it fails to even begin outlining the gospel revealed by these Scriptures. Jesus' words to the Jews comes to mind: "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me..." (John 5:39). How is it that a 300-plus page book on the subject of 'God's purpose' forgets to explain God's "eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Eph 3:11)? Could it be that the writting of this book was not gospel-driven?

This book certainly has some good things to teach us. Some of its challenge comes directly within its broader message. But the big lesson to be learnt from The Purpose-Driven Life is indirect. The moral of this story is that anything that displaces the primacy of the gospel in the Christian life is actually sub-Christian. This includes the notion of 'purpose' if it has been separated from its real meaning in the Christian life, which is the gospel of salvation from sin.

The book begins with a challenge to enter a covenant, committing to a 40-day spiritual journey of discovery. Compacts such as this are appealing to those looking for relatively quick and easy change, because they inadvertantly promise greater power: the power of new commitment; of new wisdom; of new experiences. But they fail to realise that the 'pact' of faith in Christ is the only covenant that promises any real life-transforming power. There is nothing new about it. The danger of any gimmick (and the modern Christian world is full of them) is that they take Christians away from the age old power of the gospel of Christ crucified.

CONCLUSION

It should always be clear that the gospel alone provides what is essential for sinful humanity: God's power for salvation. We should never fudge over this, because the whole Christian life is gospel-driven. Christians are still being saved by God and it's the gospel that is doing it. It alone enables us to live for God's glory. It directs us, controlling how and why we do live for God's glory, as well as the activities that this involves. So the Christian life really should be purpose-driven in the truest sense of that word, not at all meaning that we are driven by God's purposes for our own lives, but rather by God's purpose for himself as revealed in the gospel, in which we have been included.

More on this topic

The Purpose Driven Life - Part I: A Review

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