Week 7: Ecclesiology: The Church s Ministry (or Function)

Transcription

1 Christian Theology II ONLINE Week 7: Ecclesiology: The Church s Ministry (or Function) I. Introduction The Church s Function 1. Church's nature forms the context for Christ's mandate to the church. 2. Church as a dynamic reality - designed to live out her nature. II. Purpose of the Church: "to glorify God." (Note: Grenz distinguishes between the purpose of the church and the mandate of the church; see below for the latter. For his part, Donald Bloesch, probably many others, choose to see the church s mandate as the worship of God in the power of his grace (62). 1. Church within God's purpose of creation (1) Praise; nature and special creation (Ps. 19:1; 147:1 (2) Redemption makes glorifying God possible. (John 17:1, 4; Eph. 1;5-6, 11-14; 2:6-7) 2. Church is to be focused to glorify God. III. Mandate of the Church 1. Introduction (1) By humble servitude motivated by love (humility). (2) Designed to mirror the divine essence as a community of love. (1) Definition: obedience to a corporate task in the style of Jesus (John 17:4; Phil. 2: 5-11) (2) Traditional formulation a. Witness - martyria, kerygma b. Fellowship - koinonia c. Service - diakonia

2 2 Problem: omits worship and separates proclamation and ministry (3) Grenz: life of Christian community to manifest corporate worship, mutual edification, and outreach to the world. (4) Two great dangers (H. Berkhof) 2. Corporate Worship a. Sacralism (churchism): the church becomes too introverted and loses God s vision to save others. b. Secularism (worldliness): the church becomes so enculturated and world-like, it loses its spiritual dynamic and loses its real purpose in being God s instrument to win the world. (1) Focus on God - Who He is & what He does. Ps. 29:2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. Note the dissatisfaction of P.T. Forsyth which he felt in his day before contemporary worship spiced things up(!): The poverty of our worship amidst its very refinements, its lack of solemnity, poorly compensated by an excess of tenderness and taste, is the fatal index of the peril. We do need more reverence in our prayer, more beauty in our praise, less dread of tried and consecrated form (cited in Bloesch, 117). (2) Means of worship a. Influenced by temple and synagogue b. Common components (a) Prayers (b) Praise (doxologies, amen, blessings) (c) Psalms, hymns and songs (d) Creed or confession or both (e) Reading of OT text (f) Proclamation of the Word (g) Lord's Supper (h) Occasionally, baptism, agape meal, meetings for prayer, reading of gospels, Paul's letters, offerings for poor, kiss of peace (i) Daily (Acts 2:46) and on Lord's Day (1 Cor 16:2; Rev. 1:10)

3 3 (3) Styles of worship among major Christian groupings (4) Music a. Orthodox: focus on mystery and wonder; more attention to incarnation and resurrection than death of Christ; much silence and little instruction. b. Roman Catholic: centres in death of Christ (mass); strong on liturgy, church year. c. Anglican/Episcopal: uses Book of Common Prayer (since 16th century); attempts to reconcile RC ("the sacrificial offering of corporate prayer and praise to God") & Reformed ("gathered congregation to hear reading & exposition). Set prayers and singing of Psalms. d. Lutheran: real presence in mass is retained; magnifies reading of Scripture and gospel proclamation. e. Reformed, Presbyterian: seeks to restore primitive worship; strong on God's sovereignty, authority of Scripture and focus on hearing the Word. f. Congregational (including Baptists): characterized by nonliturgical worship (no "historic" liturgy anyway); strong on preaching, teaching, edification. g. Pentecostal: distinguished by exercise of spiritual gifts such as tongues, interpretation of tongues; immediacy of Holy Spirit; high degree of congregational participation. h. Quaker: tend to wait on moving of Holy Spirit for speaking; forms are not important; no set sermons or prepared prayers, or even times and places of worship for some; no water baptism or Lord's Supper; God's immanence is assumed; adoration is highest form of worship; much emphasis on silence and waiting on the Spirit. a. Biblical references: Ex. 15:1-18; Ps. 149:1-4; Matt. 26: 30; 1 Cor. 14:26; Eph. 5:19. b. Use of instruments (Ps 150:3-5) c. Cognitive and non-cognitive

4 4 (5) Declaration (speaking and listening) (1 Chron. 16:9, 23) a. Central in OT and NT: reading and exposition of Scriptures b. Basic for contemporary preaching Bemoaning the demise of authentic biblical preaching, Bloesch indicts much that is heard today as problem solving instead of biblical interpretation. We urgently need to overcome our fear of theology if we are to be good expositors of God s Word and thereby agents of God s grace (185). (6) Prayer (speaking and listening to God) (7) Symbolic acts: a. Ordinances b. Handshakes, hugs c. Fellowship circle d. Offerings (8) Contemporary styles of worship of a user-friendly persuasion (See Bloesch, ) a. Church furniture is often seen as barriers to seeking faith. b. Music leans toward the sentimental, the passionate. c. Its consistency is individualism with a preoccupation on worship methodology rather than content. d. Very practical sermons are based loosely on biblical texts used as launching pads. e. Experiencing God s presence more than the story of salvation is the focus. Inward experience is the chief value of worship. Bloesch says worship has shifted from celebration to become a mechanism or means of connection with God. f. Bloesch recommends not going back necessarily to traditional

5 5 forms but leading churches to glorify God (rather than self), preaching the Word, and using music to praise God rather than showcasing talents. 3. Edification 4. Outreach (1) Aspects of edification a. Mutuality: shared values, common mission, meaningful relationships; ministry to material and spiritual needs of people within and outside congregation b. Priesthood of all believers - most Protestant churches have yet to fully appreciate this concept (Robert McAfee Brown) (a) See Rom 12:1; 2 Cor 5:18, 20; Hebs 13:15-16; 1 Pet. 2:9-10; Rev. 1:5-6; 5:9-10; 20:6. (b) Also implicit in many NT references which relate to status and ministry of every believer. (c) Stresses both believer's privilege AND responsibility to/for other believers. (d) Both soteriological (all believers may approach God directly) and ecclesiological (all believers are ministers in the church). (2) Church as a praying people - importance of intercession (3) Church as community for her members - Christian identity development Bloesch has an interesting chapter on The Church in the Plan of Salvation. Just what is the role of the church in this regard? Is it a means or a testimony of God s grace? The typical RC tradition follows the former, the Protestant, Free Church traditions the latter. The church is designed by God to be a redeeming force in the world but it is not the source of redemption, that is in Christ. The church is to proclaim the grace of God in Christ through compassionate word and deed in the power of the Spirt. (1) Evangelism

6 6 (2) Ministry a. Proclamation b. Presence c. Goal: Disciple-making d. Importance of prayer a. How should evangelism and social action relate? b. Grenz insists that social action is crucial for its own significance; an end in itself. (a) Example of Christ (b) "Biblical gospel is explicitly social." 5. Church mission and contemporary issues (Garrett) (1) How can relationship between verbal proclamation and evangelism best be understood? (2) How can relationship between evangelism and diakonal ministries best be utilized? (3) Where should the church place her emphasis in mission: salvation from sin, death, Satan or liberation from politico-economic oppression and injustice? (4) How should inter-religious dialogue be done locally and internationally? (5) What are the risks of variant forms of eschatological universalism upon Christian missions (the idea that God will save all eventually even apart from faith/repentance)? (6) How can Christian churches best find effective means of evangelizing unreached people groups? (7) What is the best financial method of missionary personnel? Local only, denominational boards, agencies, or new configurations? (8) Where is genuine interest in global missions in this historical era?

7 7 IV. Theological Restatement of Church s Function (Ministry) Next Week: 1. As a spiritual organism, the church of Jesus Christ, functions as Christ s body in the world. 2. The church s form and structure, whatever shape it may take in its ministry, is to function out of her nature and purpose in being God s people on mission: (1) Without worship the church will be spiritually powerless. (2) Without spiritual vision the church will not know who or whose she is. (3) Without intentionality and effort she will not experience spiritual unity and cohesion. (4) Without compassion for those who are lost and church-less she will miss her mission and the joy of her being; thus there must be no] arbitrary separation of Christian service and evangelism. We study the church ordinances as instituted by Christ Himself. Christians through the ages have honoured these churchly acts but in a variety of ways and with various meanings. One could safely say that nothing in Christianity is quite as controversial as these two acts Jesus said to do in remembrance of me. In fact, many allege that differences of interpretation about the meaning of Christ s presence in the Lord s Supper is the most divisive element in Christianity. Plus, the meaning of both ranges from some who claim they are only symbols to those who consider them the means of salvation itself. Our goal is to develop a biblical understanding of the meaning and practice of these two.