This is part I of a IV part series involving Christians and local church commitment. It has been adapted from Joshua Harris’ book Stop Dating the Church. I find that many young Christians (faithful or even nominal) have a hard time committing to a local body of believers. My prayer and reason for writing this is to help those that have “commitment” issues or are unclear about what the scripture tell us about being involved in a local church family to see clearly.

I also understand that there are those who have been severely hurt by a church and there is a fear that it will happen again. My prayer for them is that they would trust God and that his means to sanctifying (make us pure and holy) others and us, is through the local church family by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Stop Dating the Church Part I

Stop Being a Consumer Part II

Commit! – Part III

Find a Good Church – Part IV

In Joshua Harris’ book, I Kissed Dating Goodbye the main message was that singles should avoid directionless relationship that were romantic and physical but had no intention of moving toward commitment. He writes, “The irony of this was that even though I had a stopped playing the dating game with girls, I was perfectly happy to keep playing it with the church. I liked attending on the weekends, and I enjoyed the social benefits of church, but I didn’t want the responsibility that came with real commitment. So though I gave the appearance of commitment, I mostly just flirted with different churches and kept my options open.”

What does a church dater look like?

1. Me-Centered – We go for what we can get. Whether we like the preaching, worship, programs, people or activities. The question is, “What can church do for me?”

2. Independent – We go to church because that is what Christians are supposed to do. We don’t want to get involved too much because we might get too close to others. We don’t truly want to be part of God’s family.

3. Critical – Short on allegiance and faithfulness and quick to find fault in a church. We never find a church that “fits us.”

4. Consumer mentality – This is somewhat of a shoot off of the previous one but it is a large problem especially in the Western church. We want all the goods and services a church can provide without actually being a producer of anything. More on this in the next post…

When we do this we cheat the church community, the world, and ourselves. When we are faithfully committed to the local church we take part in His eternal plan to rescue men and women from their sin and totally transform their lives (and ours I might add). This is the mission of the church! It’s our duty, our calling, our love, and our privilege.

Intro

1. What is a covenant
   1. Covenant Mediator 
   2. Blessings
   3. Conditions
   4. Sign - how the covenant will be remembered and celebrated
   5. Form - that God’s family take as a result
2. 5 Major Covenants in Scripture
   1. Noahic 
   2. Abrahamic
   3. Mosaic
   4. Davidic
   5. New Covenant
   6. (Marriage)
3. Man Sins / God Judges / God Chooses and Promises
   1. Genesis 9:9-17 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12  And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.” 
      1. Noah was the Covenant mediator
      2. Blessings - Life / Promise not to flood the earth again
      3. Conditions - Don’t drink blood of animals, uphold the sanctity of human life, don’t murder and protect all human life.
      4. Sign - Rainbow
      5. Form - Noah and extended family
   2. Abrhamic Covenant / Calling of Abraham
   3. Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 
   4.  
      
      1. Covenant Mediator - Abraham
      2. Blessings - land, a son, a nation that would bring forth Jesus Christ
      3. Conditions - Obedience to God
      4. Sign - internal faith to walk and trust God / external circumcision
      5. Form -  family and nation
4. Mosaic Covenant
   1. Exodus (all of it)
      1. Covenant Mediator - Moses
      2. Blessings - redemption from slavery/bondage, freedom to worship God
      3. Conditions - obedience to God’s law (10 commandments), rejection of idolatry 
      4. Sign - internal faith/ external passover
      5. Form - Holy nation and priests.  Mission was to be God’s people as an example and invitation to worship the one true God.
5. Davidic Covenant
   1. 2 Samuel 7:8-16
      1. Covenant Mediator - King David
      2. Blessings - the coming of a king and kingdom that was rule and reign forever
      3. Conditions - Worship of God present in the Temple by the people of Israel
      4. Sign - faith in God’s promises to establish a king and kingdom / external the throne 
      5. Form - God’s people (Israel) will bring about a new kingdom/eternal 
   2. New Covenant
      1. Covenant Mediator: Jesus
      2. Blessings: Salvation from Satan, sin and death, Life with God forever
      3. Conditions: Repent, have faith, obey
      4. Sign - Christ’s life, death, resurrection ascension (Second Coming), Restoration
      5. Form - a new Israel (Spiritual) the church saved through Christ and powered by the Spirit.
   3. Jesus is the better Noah, Abraham, Moses and David
   4. Hebrews 8:6 - 9:28

1. Send out on Mission!

Prayer Update 4-8-2011 from Redeemer Hill Church on Vimeo.

Evangelism Training from Mars Hill Church | Ballard on Vimeo.

At the end of my sermon today I mentioned that I would post links to some theological resources that will help you grow in your knowledge of God.
1.  Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology 

2.  Doctrine - Mark Driscoll

3.  Christian Beliefs: 20 Basics Every Christian Should Know - Wayne Grudem

4.  TheResurgence.com

5.  What is the Gospel? - Greg Gilbert

6.  God Who is There, Finding Your Place in God's Story - DA Carson

In a recent interview, singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright surprisingly remarked: "We're so obsessed about debunking Bush in this country that we don't spend time on any other subjects. That's a little depressing." Wainwright's point is that many Americans neglect a whole range of cultural issues, often neglecting political engagement for finger-pointing.

What's more depressing is that many Christians are just as guilty of this charge as non-Christians. As a result, there are few citizens who think through cultural issues critically, and even fewer who think them through redemptively. Here are six ways to promote critical and redemptive engagement with culture.

1. Engage culture prayerfully. I'm not suggesting that we should actually bow our heads and recite a prayer before reading a newspaper or book, watching TV or a movie, or going shopping, though that certainly wouldn't hurt. Instead, we are to live life and engage culture in a spirit of dependence upon God; we are to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). We should approach culture just as we should approach all things: prayerfully. 
   What should we pray? We should thank God for the gift of culture, confessing that all cultures contain truth, beauty, and virtue, asking Him to help us recognize and rejoice in these good gifts, which come down from the Father of lights (James 1:17). Alternatively, all cultures also disdain truth, beauty, and virtue. Thus, we are dependent upon God to enable us to recognize and reject those things that are harmfully false, ugly, and immoral. By asking God to give us the perspective of His Spirit, "the Spirit who searches out all things, even the depths of God" (1 Cor. 2:10), we can begin to discern between the things which are true, beautiful, and good and the things that are false, ugly, and evil.
2. Engage culture carefully. When approaching any given issue, from parenting to politics, we all have our biases. In order to engage culture well, we must strive to avoid the paths of both the sectarian and the secularist, of both blind rejection and uncritical acceptance. This will require careful investigation into the issues we face, taking the opposing view seriously and weighing its merits. Make a habit of hearing both sides of an issue before you baptize your opinions. Be slow to speak and quick to listen (James 1:19).
3. Engage culture biblically-theologically. Why hyphenate biblical and theological? Why not just say "think biblically"? Well, the plain fact is that the Bible does not explicitly address most cultural issues. It does not tell you who to vote for, which school to go to, what movies to watch, whether or not you should date, whether or not to abort your baby, or how to respond to cloning. Instead, the Bible offers theological principles which we can appropriate in order to form opinions and convictions about cultural issues. For instance, there is no verse in the Bible that reads: "Thou shalt not have an abortion." However, the Bible does inform us that God is the author of life and that to take human life is murder, which is prohibited by God. The circumstances surrounding abortion can be complex. A mother's life may be threatened if the life of the baby is not taken. The Bible does not say, "Preserve the mother's life." However, there are principles and practices in Scripture that can help us make wise decisions about cultural and ethical dilemmas.       The problem, however, is that we often start with cultural assumptions about what is right, beautiful, and good and go to the Bible to prove them. Instead, we need to bring cultural questions about what is true, good, and beautiful to the Bible, reflect on them theologically and then prayerfully, and carefully form our opinions. Don't begin with cultural convictions and end with biblical proof-texts; end with cultural wisdom by beginning with biblical-theological reflection. Start with the biblical text and reflect theologically on cultural issues. Move from Text to Theology to Culture, not the other way around.
4. Engage culture redemptively. Strive to connect your theological reflections regarding culture to redemption. We can redemptively engage culture in two ways: practically and positionally. To practically redeem, identify what is broken, what is in need of redemption, and take restorative action. Ask yourself questions like "How can I bring the gospel to bear on this issue?" or "How can I restore, forgive, or reconcile in this situation?" For example, if you come to the conviction that abortion is ugly and immoral, think about how you can help those who are suffering from the devastating effects of abortion. Don't just debate others. Volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center. Learn how to counsel mothers. Don't become self-righteous and inactive; practice your cultural convictions. Live them out redemptively.                                 Our practice should flow from our position in Christ. Our actions ought to reveal our redeemed identity, not form our identity. Consider the danger of mistaking your newly-formed habits for who you are. For instance, do you think of yourself now as an environmentalist or as a citizen of Zion with an environmental conscience? Do you draw significance from being a "pro-lifer" or from being new creation in Christ Jesus? Ask yourself, "Am I confusing my practice with my position?" or "Am I finding my significance in what I do instead of who I am in Christ?" Guard yourself from subtly allowing cultural convictions to take the place of your identity in Christ. Ground your identity in the gospel and your practice will be more redemptive and more honoring to the Lord.
5. Engage culture humbly. Recognize that you have much to learn from a given culture. Read, converse, and reflect on cultural issues with a teachable heart. Ask God to shape your convictions through whomever or whatever He wills. Avoid proud dogmatism and cultivate humble conviction. Don't put others down who believe differently from you. Consider others more important than yourself without surrendering your convictions. Yet, be willing to revise your opinions through a process of Text-Theology-Culture.
6. Engage culture selectively. Realize and embrace the limitations of your own time, experience, and interests. Spend your time wisely. Don't sacrifice time with God, church, or family in order to become more culturally savvy. Everyone has been created differently, to live a unique life. Make the most of your experience by redemptively engaging culture, but try to avoid making the experience of others your own. There are too many issues in the world for you to become an overnight expert on Christ and culture. Be selective about what you engage.

Summarizing the Six Ways

When engaging culture prayerfully, we depend on the wisdom that comes from the Spirit who searches out all cultures, who can enable us to recognize and rejoice in what is true, beautiful, and good, and reject or redeem what is false, ugly, and immoral. As a result, engaging culture can become an act of communion with God. Relying on the wisdom of the Spirit will also mean careful investigation of cultural issues, being critical of our own biases while maintaining an open ear to the arguments of others. However, we're not left to navigate the turbulent waters of our culture with only prayer and reason. God has given us his Word, a divine and authoritative Text from which we can glean wisdom and theological principles to engage culture. When wrestling with issues, we must be careful to bring questions, not assumptions, from our culture to the Word, following a pattern of Text-Theology-Culture. This biblical-theological engagement with culture should always lead to redemptive action, restoring what is ugly and immoral from our position as accepted children of God, citizens of Zion. In turn, we can engage culture humbly and selectively, recognizing our limitations and rejoicing in our unique opportunities to engage the world around us. Finally, try to practice these six ways of engaging culture not just as an individual but in community. To put a spin on Rufus Wainwright's words: Only when the Church in this country becomes obsessed with glorifying God in all things will we critically and redemptively engage our culture on all kinds of subjects.