Which Gospel? The Gospel of Community, Part 2 (Romans 12)

Posted on July 22, 2008 by Jay F Guin

Notice how in Romans 12 Paul speaks of individual transformation, but  this is expressed over and over again in terms of relationships within the Kingdom —

(Rom 12) Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will. 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Continue reading →

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Which Gospel? The Gospel of Community, Part 1 (Introduction)

Posted on July 21, 2008 by Jay F Guin

Here’s the part of the chart that describes what community is all about —

  • the journey from slavery to freedom in the Promised Land was a community journey
  • devote selves to fellowship
  • meet daily
  • all things in common
  • sharing
  • breaking of bread
  • eat together
  • need each other
  • rejoice and mourn with each other
  • love each other
  • commit to serve one another Continue reading →
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Which Gospel? The Gospel of Unity

Posted on July 20, 2008 by Jay F Guin

It’s a little surprising that so many baptism, communion, and “gospel” passages point directly toward unity of the saints. I mean, it’s something everyone gives lip service to, but we really don’t take unity seriously, do we?

And yet … in Ephesians 4, the “one baptism” passage is all about the unity of God’s church. In 1 Corinthians, when Paul talks about the meaning of the Lord’s Supper, he emphasizes the unity it symbolizes. And the gospel is repeatedly expressed in terms of the unity of all people and all nations. Continue reading →

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Surprised by Hope: Beauty

Posted on July 19, 2008 by Jay F Guin

Wright likens the world to a chalice or a violin — beautiful in itself but much more beautiful in anticipation of the wine it will hold or the music it will play. Thus, the world in which we live is beautiful especially because of the even greater beauty it will display when it becomes the dwelling of God.

Therefore, he argues, it is fitting that the church have a well-developed sense of beauty. Indeed, the theology of a new heaven and new earth should open up our artistic sensibilities for new, better art. Continue reading →

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Surprised by Hope: The Resurrection, Mission & Kingdom

Posted on July 19, 2008 by Jay F Guin

Wright cites as a central verse 1 Cor 15:58 —

(1 Cor 15:58 ) Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

“Therefore” means because of what Paul just taught about our resurrection bodies, we should give ourselves to the Lord’s work. We are assured that it’s for a good purpose. Continue reading →

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Surprised by Hope: Justice

Posted on July 19, 2008 by Jay F Guin

Beginning at page 213, Wright argues that one part of the church’s mission is justice. By “justice” he means the realization of God’s plan to set the world right.

Wright warns us against the view of many that the world is such a mess that we’ve been saved to escape it. And he warns us against the “social gospel” view that man (or government) is the cure for man’s ills. Rather, true justice comes only through people, empowered by God through his Spirit, working in God’s mission. Continue reading →

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Which Gospel? The Gospel of the Spirit: On Becoming Truly Human for the First Time, Part 2

Posted on July 18, 2008 by Jay F Guin

Eden

Look at it this way. Back in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve walked with God. They were God’s household. It was no mere metaphor. They enjoyed communion with the Almighty in a very tangible, immediate way.

For a while, they did not sin. With one exception, they didn’t know how to sin. But they fell, and the Creation was cursed. Because sin cannot exist in Eden, Eden had to be taken away.

Today, by means of the Spirit, we enjoy God’s presence. Just as God dwelled with the Israelites in the tabernacle and Solomon’s temple, God dwells in each of us and in his church (especially) through his Spirit. He not only lives, he lives in and with us! Continue reading →

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Managing Missions: Are Short-Term Missions a Good Investment?

Posted on July 17, 2008 by Jay F Guin

chessgame.jpgThanks to Monday Morning Insight, I found this recent article in the Washington Post questioning the benefits of short-term mission trips.

Fairfax Community Church is repositioning its mission trips “to get away from the vacation-with-a-purpose, large groups going somewhere to build something” focus, said Alan MacDonald, the church’s pastor of global engagement.

The church is sending out smaller teams of experts to work on projects with partner churches. For example, it is sending information technology professionals who are fluent in Spanish to a church in the Dominican Republic to train members in computer skills so they can get better jobs, MacDonald said. Continue reading →

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Which Gospel? The Gospel of the Spirit: On Becoming Truly Human for the First Time, Part 1

Posted on July 16, 2008 by Jay F Guin

In the last post on this topic, I mentioned a “gospel of true humanity.” It’s not something we talk about much, but it’s important — nearly central. It is, after all, what the Spirit is all about. And the baptism and the gospel passages frequently speak of the Holy Spirit.

True humanity

In the last post, we considered the paradox of being “freed” to become a slave of righteousness. This theme begins at the beginning of chapter 6, where Paul explains that our baptism frees us from slavery to sin (6:6). Continue reading →

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On Bad Elders: Doing a Better Job of Selecting Elders, Part 1 (Training the Members)

Posted on July 15, 2008 by Jay F Guin

Removing lousy elders can be really ugly. It’s never pleasant for the man being removed or for those confronting him and asking him to step down. It’s far, far better to ordain men who will make into good elders.

Lots of books and articles have been written coming up with ways of picking elders. The usual concern is to make sure that a spiritually weak eldership can’t perpetuate itself by picking other weak men.

And usually the idea is to make sure that the men are “spiritually qualified,” meaning that they meet the standards of 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. However, these are astonishingly low standards. In fact, it’s been often remarked that, except for the supposed requirements to be married and fertile, these are requirements every Christian should meet! Continue reading →

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