One of the problems with many revivals is that they only touch part of life and thus run out of steam, this is because they lack a Biblical Worldview. In this post I want to look at some of the important elements of a Christian worldview.
Christ's Lordship over all things; The Bible shows us that Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords and King of Kings and that there is no area of life exempt from his Lordship. Jesus is Lord not only of the religious areas of our being but of the whole of life. This can be clearly seen in the practical application given both in the Gospels and in the Letters and also and perhaps more clearly in the book of Revelation.
Creation. The doctrine of creation is vital for a Christian understanding of the world for two reasons,firstly it teaches the us the distinction between the creator and the creation, secondly it shows us that creation is good.
Firstly The Creator-creature distinction, it is vital to maintain that God is transcendent above his creation, he is in no way part of creation. He brought the created word in to being and he sustains the world moment by moment. Pantheism denies this by seeing the universe as part of God,while Panentheists assert that creation is God's body neither of which is true to the biblical revelation. it is only as we maintain the Creator-creature distinction that we can see the significant part that each creature has in the plan of God.
Secondly, creation is good when God created the world his verdict was that it was good. Many have tried to teach that the material existence is not good this is the fruit of Greek philosophy and shows a contempt for the physical world. But the scripture affirms both the original creation of matter as good and that the present creation is good but broken,yet it looks forward to a day when all things will be perfected in the new heaven and earth. Our physical bodies are a part of God's creation and must not be despised but rather taken care of.
Fall; Sadly the Fall brought all sorts of damage into God's good creation, the world is under god's curse and man himself is separated from God. Illness,disease, fatigue and pollution are all results of man's rebellion against God. Man is broken and harmed in many ways yet he is created in the image of God. Sometimes theologians talk of humankind being totally depraved, by this they mean that the fall has affected every part of man's being, they do not mean that every man is as bad as possible.
The fall was something that took place in history that disrupted humankind's relationship with God and brought about the consequences that we see around us today.
Redemption: As soon as man fell, God gave a promise of redemption and the whole of the bible shows the outworking of God's redemptive plan which reaches its culmination in Jesus Christ.
Jesus did not come just to save souls but to remove the curse from creation. The New Testament teaches clearly that Jesus came not only to redeem humankind from sin but also to liberate the planet from its bondage to the curse. Jesus came to reclaim the universe for the reign of God. Jesus taught us to pray for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, to pray this prayer is to pray that God will be glorified in the whole of creation and in the whole of our lives.
Consummation: One day Jesus is coming back in glory to complete the work of breaking the curse. I the new heaven and the new earth creation will at last be liberated to its bondage to decay and will enter into what was intended for it from the beginning, creation will fully display the glory of God.
The creation will be beautiful and we will have new bodies and will be made perfect. Sin and all its consequences will have been removed from the whole of creation.
As we wait for that glorious day it is our calling to live for God's glory and to work to see his kingdom come in some small way in our day. For this task we will need to fix our eyes on Jesus, to see the wonder of what he has done upon the cross. We will also need to realize that even now God the Father has adopted us into his family. And we will desire to be filled by the Holy Spirit so we can do the Lord's work in the Lord's way
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Thursday, 15 March 2012
Revival And Theology Part 4- The Church of Jesus Christ
In this post we need to look at some of the most vital aspects of the church for a theology of revival.
We need to start by emphasizing that in the Bible the Church is not primarily an institution but an organism. The church is a living body made up of countless people who have each been born again, God in the church has created a new humanity. If we start with the church as an organism we will perceive that God by his Spirit is active through his people. When we look the church primarily as an institution we tend to look at structures and government rather than seeing how God has designed the Church as the body of people that continue the mission of Christ.
The great commission gives us our guiding principle the major role of the church is to make disciples, we are to not only evangelize but we are also to establish people in their faith and equip them to minister to others. This will mean recognizing that all believers have been gifted by the Holy Spirit and helping them to mature in that gifting. A church experiencing revival will need all the gifts of the Holy Spirit to equip it for it's task. This will also require us to be discerning and test all things by the written word of God, revivals that are not built on the solid foundation of scriptural teaching will soon run out of steam. (see Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 -14)
As the family of God the church has a structure which helps it mature this is why the ministry gifts of the risen Christ are so vital each gift being used to equip the believer. The teacher is important because he can impart the teaching of Scripture with a relevance which will cause believers to grow in their faith. the Prophet brings the word of God for today as he is directed by the Holy Spirit, the scripture is very clear all prophetic utterances must be tested to see whether they accord with the Word of God. Pastors are vital because they provide care for the flock in spiritual matters and bring wise counsel to individual believers. Evangelists equip the church to reach out to the lost with the good news of Jesus, the evangelist normally has a great compassion for the lost and a God given ability to speak to them in a way that draws them towards the kingdom of God. Alongside these ministries we need the work of the Apostle who leads churches into new territory. (see Ephesians 4)
The church of the New Testament is a living vibrant body, the church today should be the same, we must pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy spirit on the Church today
We need to start by emphasizing that in the Bible the Church is not primarily an institution but an organism. The church is a living body made up of countless people who have each been born again, God in the church has created a new humanity. If we start with the church as an organism we will perceive that God by his Spirit is active through his people. When we look the church primarily as an institution we tend to look at structures and government rather than seeing how God has designed the Church as the body of people that continue the mission of Christ.
The great commission gives us our guiding principle the major role of the church is to make disciples, we are to not only evangelize but we are also to establish people in their faith and equip them to minister to others. This will mean recognizing that all believers have been gifted by the Holy Spirit and helping them to mature in that gifting. A church experiencing revival will need all the gifts of the Holy Spirit to equip it for it's task. This will also require us to be discerning and test all things by the written word of God, revivals that are not built on the solid foundation of scriptural teaching will soon run out of steam. (see Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 -14)
As the family of God the church has a structure which helps it mature this is why the ministry gifts of the risen Christ are so vital each gift being used to equip the believer. The teacher is important because he can impart the teaching of Scripture with a relevance which will cause believers to grow in their faith. the Prophet brings the word of God for today as he is directed by the Holy Spirit, the scripture is very clear all prophetic utterances must be tested to see whether they accord with the Word of God. Pastors are vital because they provide care for the flock in spiritual matters and bring wise counsel to individual believers. Evangelists equip the church to reach out to the lost with the good news of Jesus, the evangelist normally has a great compassion for the lost and a God given ability to speak to them in a way that draws them towards the kingdom of God. Alongside these ministries we need the work of the Apostle who leads churches into new territory. (see Ephesians 4)
The church of the New Testament is a living vibrant body, the church today should be the same, we must pray for a fresh outpouring of the Holy spirit on the Church today
Monday, 5 March 2012
Revival and Theology Part 3
In my first two articles I established the importance for theology in revival for the Church both in Scripture and in Church history. I need to address the question of what sort of theology do we need to aid revival in our day.
God centred. It is vital that our theology starts with right views of God, we must see him in all his glory. I remember Bob Gordon used to say that "all true renewal starts with an Isaiah 6 experience" he did not mean that we all need to have an identical experience but rather we see God in all his holy glory and transcendence that causes us to bow in worship.
A God centred Theology will be a thoroughly Trinitarian theology which will acknowledge that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit all have specific roles to play in the story of redemption and the application of that redemption to humankind. At this point we need to be very careful that we also affirm the unity of the Godhead, if we concentrate on the roles of the economic Trinity too much we can be in danger of falling into tritheism.
In Scripture we see a pattern of the Father planning and initiating salvation, The Son being sent by the Father and carrying out the work of redemption and the Holy Spirit applies that work.
We need as Paul teaches in Ephesians to see the glory of the Father's plan for us in Christ Jesus; here we see the glorious certainties of divine election which give a bedrock of faith for the believer. Paul in that same letter shows us what Christ has done for us and all this is linked to the working of the Holy Spirit within our hearts.
Cross Centred. The cross is at the very centre of our thinking because in the cross we see the amazing grace of God. Salvation by grace alone is not just some abstract principle but rather something which honours Christ for what he did upon the cross. As we contemplate the cross we will see that Jesus gained the victory over sin, death and hell, we receive the fruit of this victory as a gift from God. There are so many facets to the work of Christ upon the cross and anyone who wants to understand this better should read John Stott's book "The Cross of Christ".
Honouring the Holy Spirit. We need a real openness to all the Scripture teaches about the work of the Holy Spirit. We need to assert in the strongest terms that nobody becomes a Christian without the internal working of the Holy Spirit drawing that person to Christ. It is also the Holy Spirit who reveals the love of God the Father to us, giving us a deep assurance of faith. He dwells within us and we are commanded to be full of the Spirit at all times. but beyond that we need to be open to all the gifts of the Holy Spirit which he has given for the building of the kingdom of God. We need to be open to all the gifts whether it is prophecy or preaching, speaking in tongues or serving. These gifts are to be used under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and always tested by the word of God in scripture.
The importance of the church. We need to see that the church is not just an institution but also a living organism created by God to be his people's spiritual home. In the book of Acts we are told that when people become believers they are added to the church. The church has a structure but is one that allows the believer to grow in the faith. The church is a place of fellowship where we can look out for one another. It is also the place where God has ordained to carry out his purposes for reaching lost humankind with the gospel. The leadership of the church is there to serve God's people not to dominate them. According to the Scriptures the leaders should lead but is all for the purpose of seeing the church equipped and edified.
In my next post I will consider some more aspects that we need to emphasize in a Church that is being revived.
God centred. It is vital that our theology starts with right views of God, we must see him in all his glory. I remember Bob Gordon used to say that "all true renewal starts with an Isaiah 6 experience" he did not mean that we all need to have an identical experience but rather we see God in all his holy glory and transcendence that causes us to bow in worship.
A God centred Theology will be a thoroughly Trinitarian theology which will acknowledge that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit all have specific roles to play in the story of redemption and the application of that redemption to humankind. At this point we need to be very careful that we also affirm the unity of the Godhead, if we concentrate on the roles of the economic Trinity too much we can be in danger of falling into tritheism.
In Scripture we see a pattern of the Father planning and initiating salvation, The Son being sent by the Father and carrying out the work of redemption and the Holy Spirit applies that work.
We need as Paul teaches in Ephesians to see the glory of the Father's plan for us in Christ Jesus; here we see the glorious certainties of divine election which give a bedrock of faith for the believer. Paul in that same letter shows us what Christ has done for us and all this is linked to the working of the Holy Spirit within our hearts.
Cross Centred. The cross is at the very centre of our thinking because in the cross we see the amazing grace of God. Salvation by grace alone is not just some abstract principle but rather something which honours Christ for what he did upon the cross. As we contemplate the cross we will see that Jesus gained the victory over sin, death and hell, we receive the fruit of this victory as a gift from God. There are so many facets to the work of Christ upon the cross and anyone who wants to understand this better should read John Stott's book "The Cross of Christ".
Honouring the Holy Spirit. We need a real openness to all the Scripture teaches about the work of the Holy Spirit. We need to assert in the strongest terms that nobody becomes a Christian without the internal working of the Holy Spirit drawing that person to Christ. It is also the Holy Spirit who reveals the love of God the Father to us, giving us a deep assurance of faith. He dwells within us and we are commanded to be full of the Spirit at all times. but beyond that we need to be open to all the gifts of the Holy Spirit which he has given for the building of the kingdom of God. We need to be open to all the gifts whether it is prophecy or preaching, speaking in tongues or serving. These gifts are to be used under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and always tested by the word of God in scripture.
The importance of the church. We need to see that the church is not just an institution but also a living organism created by God to be his people's spiritual home. In the book of Acts we are told that when people become believers they are added to the church. The church has a structure but is one that allows the believer to grow in the faith. The church is a place of fellowship where we can look out for one another. It is also the place where God has ordained to carry out his purposes for reaching lost humankind with the gospel. The leadership of the church is there to serve God's people not to dominate them. According to the Scriptures the leaders should lead but is all for the purpose of seeing the church equipped and edified.
In my next post I will consider some more aspects that we need to emphasize in a Church that is being revived.
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