An in between devotional...Bible reading week 22, day 3

Today is an in between chapter devotional.  Chapter 3 was so long that it has been a while since having one of these.  We will go onto chapter 4 on Friday.  I have been holding onto this article for awhile titled, "Is Your Church Christian or Christianish?" by Tim Challies.  Here is the link to the full article:  https://www.challies.com/articles/is-your-church-christian-or-christianish/

Let me give you the main points and comment on these distinctions that help us to be on point as a church for God in a world that is desperately trying to pull us into embracing the values and morals of this present culture.

The first distinction is:

A Christian church teaches the Bible.

A Christianish church teaches about the Bible.

Tim says of the Christian church, "It is committed to the inerrancy, sufficiency, clarity, and authority of the Word of God and therefore preaches it week by week with confidence and consistency."

He says about the Christianish church, "It is committed to imparting life lessons and uses the scriptures as a starting point to teach people how to live lives of success and fulfillment."

Do you see the difference?  That word "about" makes a big difference on where we will ultimately stand.  The Bible will address the issues of the day as we present it as the focal point of our teaching rather than an reference point.

The second distinction is:

A Christian church admits the deep depravity of human beings.

A Christianish church proclaims the inherent goodness of humanity.

The first needs a Savior to answer the dilemma of sin and the second promotes a plan to build upon the "so called" goodness that we already have to make it better with Jesus.  Where do we start with our relationship with Jesus?  Are we sinners destined for hell or are we basically good and just needing a tune up from God to be even better?  Do we desperately need Him or are we just lucky that we found Him?

The third distinction is:

A Christian church makes its core declaration the finished work of Christ.

A Christianish church has its core declaration the unfinished work of humanity.

The focus of the Christian church is what Jesus has done and what is coming with His second coming while the Christianish church has a focus on what we can do to make our world a better place.  We want our world to be a better place and those living holy lives make a positive impact on our world but it is not the end goal.  A good guage of which church we are is to determine how much time to be spent talking about salvation in relationship to social issues.

The fourth distinction is:

A Christian church proclaims the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ.

A Christianish church proclaims the wrathless love of God and the exemplary life of Jesus Christ, upholding Christ as the ultimate example of what a human being can and should be.

These next two piggy back on the previous one.  Where is the emphasis of our church on the gospel?  Is it the gospel of Jesus for salvation or is it a gospel we have created that is more comfortable and less offensive to the world?  We point to Christ but not for His death and resurrection as the answer but to Him as just an example to follow to be on God's good side.  It is the old "works" salvation but it is "our" works and not His.

A related fifth distinction is:

A Christian church preaches the gospel of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

A Christianish church preaches a gospel of social justice or personal prosperity.

This is usually the track a church goes if it doesn't hold tightly to the gospel of grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.  A church will zero in on showing compassion to the social wrongs of life or promote a personal gain that leaves Jesus, Paul, and the Apostles as not having enough faith, otherwise they would have had everything materially that they ever wanted.  Again, there is much for the Christian "to do"  because of our salvation in Christ Jesus but those actions are not our salvation.  Our focal point is the second coming of Christ and not what we can accumulate here.

The sixth distinction is:

The Christian church gathers each week to worship the God of the Bible according to the Bible.

The Christianish church gathers each week for empowerment or entertainment.

Tim says of the Christian church, "Knowing their desperate need for divine wisdom, they read the Bible, preach the Bible, pray the Bible, sing the Bible, and fellowship around the Bible."

He says of the Christianish church, "Their services are shaped more by pop culture or personal preference than by holy Scripture."

Do our church worship times have a firm grasp of why we are here?  Do we lean too much at times to what is happening on the world calendar rather than the church calendar?  Does that world calendar shape our services more than the Word of God at times?  Can we have other services that might highlight something of worth in the country we love but reserve our morning worship times for God and God alone?  These are questions I wrestle with over this distinction.

The seventh distinction of the eight is:

A Christian church preaches the exclusivity of Jesus Christ.

A Christianish church insists Jesus Christ may be a way but not the way, and proclaims instead that all roads lead ultimately to the same destination.

So this distinction flies in the face of what Jesus says so it is so easy to see on paper but hard to put into practice in a world that includes everyone in the party.  What we are all included in is that we are all sinners but we are not all saints.  We are only saints because of Christ.  Christ, the giver of salvation, determines how it works, not us.  Enough said.

The eighth and final distinction of this article is:

A Christian church proclaims the existence of heaven and hell.

A Christianish church affirms an afterlife but denies the possibility of eternal punishment for those who have chosen to reject the free offer of the gospel.

When you proclaim a heaven and a hell then you can present a gospel that points to heaven.  When you don't proclaim a heaven and a hell then you are tempted to focus on another message other than salvation.  You spent all your time on current issues rather than eternal ones.  Don't get me wrong, we need to know how to respond in the world that we live and time is well spent searching the Scriptures for guidance on parenting and marriage and a proper response to social justice but these sometimes can dominate our conversations and salvation is rarely brought up.  

Tim ends with this, "There is nothing in all the world as precious as a truly Christian church.  There is nothing in all the world as dangerous as one that is merely Christianish.  Choose your church well.

Can I add on last one of my own?

A Christian church prays a lot together.

A Christianish church plays a lot together.

How would you evaluate us as a church on that last one?  Let us pray.

"Lord, thank You for articles like this one to help us be a Christian church and not merely a Christianish church.  Help us to be here for You and because of You.  May our focus be on Your message and not just a message that sells in the world we live in.  Help us to embrace what You say and live by it.  Amen."

Pastor Adam