Re-thinking the Church
May 2004
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One of the most confusing aspects of any study of Scripture is the misuse of the word church. The English word church comes from the Greek adjective kyriakos “as used in some phrase as kyriakon doma or kyriake oikia, meaning ‘the Lord’s house,’ i.e., a Christian place of worship.”
It is only through faithful preaching and teaching of the Word that churches can fulfill their high calling before God.
We are commanded to teach all that Christ commanded. So, what did Jesus teach? He taught about the validity of God’s law, condemned antinomianism, preached on hell, stressed the doctrines of grace, and touched on the doctrines of the covenant, church discipline, and marriage, etc. To be faithful to the Great Commission, we must disciple the nations with those truths.
If any of the Protestant leaders back in 1849) were alive today they would be horrified at the moral and spiritual state of our public schools, and would wonder why so many church leaders are still allowing their members to patronize that pagan, anti-Christian system.
What is the power of the church, and the source of her authority?
I took my first college economics course 25 years ago during a summer session. The material was boring and the professor was dreadful. The university was situated on a beautiful lake in northern Minnesota, and during the lectures it was easy to envision people swimming and fishing a few yards away on the beach. It was a long summer term.
In looking for a new church home, today’s average evangelical believer bases his choice on a variety of factors. Music quality, facility, children’s programs, and a charismatic leader typically top the list. Knowing that it must compete for “spiritual customers,” many churches frantically endeavor to offer as many amenities as possible. In this business-oriented paradigm, church leaders raise the proverbial finger, determine the direction of the spiritual wind, and set their courses accordingly.
This indicates a fundamental aberration within the church: the Dominion Mandate of Genesis 1:28 no longer functions as the theological rationale to the Great Commission.
What is the current state of the institutional church?
How can we sanctify and enjoy this queen of all days — the Sabbath? The answer is relevant because one-seventh of our time each week is set aside for rest. Sanctifying the Sabbath is a question of supreme practicality.
With what sublime dignity God endowed our first parents! Created in the image of God. Not like any other creature.
Ask the average Christian of the 21 st century what the future holds and you will most likely get a bleak picture of misery.
God has given us a rich Christian heritage in America and one that is full of exemplary men, to whom we can look for examples and encouragement in wicked times like these. One worthy example, well worth studying, was the Lutheran Pastor, John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg.
Books have a transforming quality. This is intentional. God created the written word as the primary instrument in renewing the human mind.If we are to succeed in building Christian civilization Christians must recover rigorous reading habits.