TV Program CURRENT EPISODE Lone Ranger Christianity 2006-11-05 PRODUCTION #: 1060 SPEAKER: Shawn Boonstra There is a popular movement today that says, on the one hand, that Jesus is very important, but on the other hand, doctrine and church aren't that important. Now, is there any truth to this? If I've heard it once, I have heard it a thousand times: "Pastor, I don't want to be a party of any organized religion. I just want you to baptize me into Jesus and not into some church.? Well, if I'm really honest, I can identify with that kind of frustration, because organized religion means you've got a bunch of people together under one roof. And any time you get a bunch of people together from all different walks of life, you are bound to have some trouble, because we are all just a little bit shortsighted and we all have personal agendas that clash with other peoples' personal agendas. When you consider the problems that sometimes come with organized religion and some of the damage that has been done in the name of organized Christianity, does it all mean that the organized church was never God's idea at all? Does it mean that we should be a loose association of believers rather than a carefully organized, tight-knit group? One of the greatest minds of the last century struggled with the idea of organized religion. It has been said by a number of his biographers, both formal and informal, that Albert Einstein found the organized church, well, a little distasteful. Now, you might be surprised to learn that Einstein ever thought about religion at all, but it's true. In fact, a Saturday Evening Post interview from 1929 confirms it. They asked Mr. Einstein this question: "To what extent are you influenced by Christianity?" He replied, "As a child, I was instructed in both the Bible and the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I was always enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene." Well, the Nazarene, of course, was Jesus Christ, which means that Einstein not only thought about God, but he also spent time studying the life of Christ, and he found the subject irresistible. The interview continued with this question: "Have you read Emil Ludwig's book on Jesus?" Now, let me push the pause button for a moment, so that I can explain this question just a little bit. Emil Ludwig was a famous biographer, and in 1928, he put out a book on the life of Christ called, "The Son of Man." A lot of people were reading and talking about it, and when Einstein was asked what he thought about the book, here is what he said: "Emil Ludwig's book on Jesus is shallow. Jesus is too colossal for the pen of the phrase-mongers, however artful. No man can dispose of Christianity with a "bon mot" or "good word." "You accept the historical Jesus?" "Unquestionably! No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such a life." Over the years, there has been a lot of debate about what Einstein meant by his belief in God, but one thing is clear, he believed in something, and his belief was strong. When he looked into the cosmos, he was absolutely awe-struck by what he saw. "The deeper one penetrates into nature's secrets, the greater becomes one's respect for God." So, with his deep interest in the person of Jesus Christ and his profound sense of respect for God, you would think Albert Einstein would have been a shoo-in for the Christian church, right?
Well wrong! Although there is some room for debate about what Einstein actually believed, a fellow scientist by the name of Charles Misner has recorded for us what the issue was that actually kept Einstein out of the organized church: "The design of the universe," wrote Misner, "is very magnificent and shouldn't be taken for granted. In fact, I believe that is why Einstein had so little use for organized religion, although he strikes me as a basically very religious man. He must have looked at what the preachers said about God and felt that they were blaspheming. He had seen much more majesty than they had ever imagined, and they were just not talking about the real thing. My guess is that he simply felt that religions he'd run across did not have proper respect for the author of the universe." So basically, Einstein may have rejected organized religion because the people he found there didn't resemble the God he read about in the Bible, or the God he saw through his telescope. Another bright luminary who rejected organized religion was Mahatma Gandhi. As the story goes, Gandhi actually liked the story of Jesus and often quoted the Sermon on the Mount. So a missionary by the name of E. Stanley Jones became curious and asked Gandhi why he rejected Christ and hadn't become a Christian. Gandhi's answer, "I don't reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It is just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ." Now, when you dig a little deeper into the story, you find out that Gandhi had actually been hurt by the Christian church, much to our shame as Christians. When he was practicing law in South Africa, he started reading the Bible, and decided to attend a church service. When he got there, however, a man who didn't like his ethnicity kicked him out; and from that moment on, Gandhi decided he would accept some of Jesus' teachings, but he would have nothing to do with the Christian church. And the sad part is that thousands, maybe millions of people feel exactly the same way. They love the words of Jesus, and they sense a desire to become His follower, but when they look at the Christian church, sometimes they can't reconcile what they see with the things they read in the Bible. So, much to our shame as Christians, we really do have to accept responsibility for the way some people feel about the church. But I have discovered that not everybody who is hesitant to become a part of an organized church has been hurt or offended. Sometimes it's just a matter of not wanting to become entwined with commitments. Sometimes it's just a case of lone ranger Christianity. What do I mean by lone ranger Christianity? I'm referring that sense of self-sufficiency and independence that leads some people to believe they can be good Christians all by themselves. And that is what I'd really like to talk about today. I will never forget a guy by the name of Steven who came to see me one afternoon with the very problem we've been talking about. "Pastor, I like what I'm hearing about Jesus. I just don't want to be baptized into some church, or have to live under a bunch of doctrines. I just want to be baptized into Jesus," he said. Well, to start with, there is kind of a problem with that whole concept, because even though it is popular to think that you can follow Jesus without doctrine, that is not what the Bible says. In fact, in the book of Mark, chapter one, there is a story where Jesus is teaching in the synagogue, and He heals a man who was possessed by an unclean spirit. The people who were listening to Jesus, the Bible says, were amazed by His "doctrine." Now, I realize that in some circles, "doctrine" has become something of a negative word, but it's not a negative word in the Bible. It simply means "teachings," and if there is one thing Jesus did a lot of, it was teaching. So to suggest that you love Jesus, but you hate doctrine, is actually a very strange thing to say. It's a little like me saying that I love my wife, but I can't stand anything she believes in or says to me. If you love Jesus and you are His follower it automatically implies that you accept His teachings. As a matter of fact, that is why His followers are called "disciples" in the Bible, because they're being "disciplined," or taught by Jesus. When you are baptized into Christ, that tells the world that you believe in the things that Jesus stands for, and those things are His teachings, or His doctrines. But that's really the secondary point today. When Steven came to me and asked to be baptized into Christ without being baptized into the church, it also raised another question: Is that even possible?
Christ without being baptized into the church, it also raised another question: Is that even possible? For the answer, let's take a look at what the Bible actually says. In Acts, chapter two, Peter is preaching on the Day of Pentecost and 3,000 people made a decision for Christ. And when their hearts were soft, and they wanted to know what to do, here's what the Bible says happened (Acts 2:37, 38): "Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Men and brethren, what shall we do?' Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."' According to the Bible, there is no question that God asks us to be baptized. If you've accepted Christ, and repented of your sins, the next important step is to declare your allegiance to Christ publicly through the ceremony of baptism. And what is really interesting in this story is what happened to the 3,000 people who were being baptized back in Peter's day. Listen carefully (Acts 2:46, 47): "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." The normal order of events for the early church is laid out clearly in the New Testament. First, people repented of their sins and accepted the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Then they were baptized as a public declaration of that fact, and they were "added to the church" as they made that decision. You just can't get around the fact that the New Testament church was an organized church. Those who were baptized became a part of it, and they all had a role to play. Now, I have heard some people argue that those who were added to the church were simply counted by God as people who had become His followers, and that the church was just a big, nebulous concept that didn't really involve human organization. Now, I'll be the first to admit that many churches today have gotten too bogged down in administration and red tape. But the New Testament doesn't support the idea that the early church was casual to the point of having no organized structure whatsoever. Let's be honest and consider the facts. In Acts, chapter six, the Bible says that the apostles were getting too busy to give full attention to preaching, which tells me that the church had a number of activities going on. When the problem became too big, the church appointed seven deacons to pick up some of the load for the apostles. The whole idea was a clear-cut division of labor that enabled the work of the church to move forward more efficiently. And then, in Acts chapter 15, we read that the church had an organized church council, with James as the chairman, where the disciples submitted to the authority of the whole council. That sounds a lot like organized religion. And in the letters that Paul wrote to Timothy, he lays out the responsibilities that elders and deacons had in the church, which is even more evidence that the church was quite well organized. When you stack up all the evidence in the Bible, you soon run out of arguments for not organizing the church. So, this is what I said to Steven: "Steve, I think the problem isn't that you don't see any evidence for organization in the Bible, I think the problem is that you like to freeload a little bit." Now, to be fair, Steven was a hard-working guy who carried his own weight and provided for his family. And I knew that would bother him a little bit. "What do you mean?" "Well," I said, "you like to come to my evening meetings, don't you?" "Yes." "And you like to go to church once in awhile, don't you, Steve?" He nodded his head.
"Steve," I said, "all that stuff is organized religion, and what I think is happening is that you like to reap the benefits of organization, but you don't like to participate, and that's a biblical problem." Now, why is it a biblical problem? It is because of the picture Paul gives us in the book of First Corinthians. In First Corinthians, chapter 12, he tells us that God has given all of us, as Christians, special gifts to get the work of sharing the gospel finished, and here is what he writes in First Corinthians, chapter 12 (1 Corinthians 12:18-21): "But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you;' nor again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you."' Here's what Paul is saying: All of us are members of Christ's body, the church. And all of us fill a different role within the church. Some of us, you discover, if you read the Bible carefully, have the gift of wisdom. Others have the gift of prayer. Others have the gift of teaching, or preaching, and so on. And together, we are supposed to carry the gospel to the whole world. Not one of us can say that we don't need other people, because nobody I know has a perfect set of gifts that qualifies them for lone ranger Christianity. Let's face it, the world is a very big place, and Jesus has only given the church one job to do. "Go and make disciples of all nations," He said. And I don't know of anyone who can get that done all by themselves. And you see, that is why Jesus built a church. The body of Christ is supposed to act in perfect harmony, like the different parts of the body working together to make something very special happen. Of course that doesn't mean that there aren't some dysfunctional Christians in the church. All of us, according to the Bible, have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So we have to expect, in an organization full of sinners, that there are going to be some mistakes. In fact, from time to time, there will be some pretty unsavory things happening. If you read Bible prophecy carefully, you will discover that Paul predicted a "great falling away" within the Christian church. In his letters, you discover that he spent a lot of his time combating troublemakers and evildoers within the church. And even Jesus Himself had one of His own disciples betray Him into the hands of the Sanhedrin. That is why Jesus warned us to be on the lookout for false prophets. He didn't warn us to stay away from church or to keep our noses clean from so-called organized religion. He just warned us that there would be wolves in sheep's clothing, and that means wolves inside the church. Furthermore, Jesus told us that the wheat and the tares were going to grow together inside the church until the Second Coming. So we shouldn't be surprised that organized religion comes with some real challenges. But that doesn't mean that God doesn't want you there. In fact, in spite of all the problems, it is still the safest place for you to be. In the book of Hebrews, chapter 10, God gives us this instruction (Hebrews 10:24, 25): "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." Now, what day is this talking about? It is talking about the Second Coming, and until that day happens, the Bible says that the best place for you to be is with other Christians. You need them to keep you honest. You might feel like a lone ranger, but you make mistakes, too. And you need other Christians to let you know when that happens. The wisest man who ever lived said this in Proverbs 27, verse 17 (Proverbs 27:17): "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."
You see, you need other Christians to pray for you when you are discouraged. You need them so you can band together and pray. Because Jesus said, in Matthew 18 (Matthew 18:20): "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." There really is no place for a lone ranger mentality in the Christian church. It's actually when you have the most confidence in yourself that you are the most prone to an attack by the enemy. Like a lion going after the easy gazelle that has been separated from the herd, the devil likes to pick off easy people who go it alone. I don't know if you have noticed it, but the Apostle Peter had quite a bit of independent flair. When Jesus told him the devil was after him, it hurt his pride that he even had to be warned. And he said, "Lord, I'm ready to go with you wherever they take you. I'll go to prison, and I'll even go to my death for you." But just hours later, as he slinked in the shadows outside the judgment hall, he denied Jesus three times. And when he did that, you will notice that he did it alone. The Bible says in Luke 22 that he followed Jesus a long way. And he made his boast on the strength of his own willpower. And that is a recipe for certain disaster. I am convinced that when Peter failed, he did it alone. But then just a few weeks later, Peter had his most triumphant moment as a follower of Jesus Christ, on the Day of Pentecost, where 3,000 people accepted Christ. And you will notice something really interesting in Acts, chapter two. It says this (Acts 2:14): "But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice " Now, did you catch that? On the Day of Pentecost, Peter wasn't alone. The Bible says that he "stood up with the other disciples." The Day of Pentecost was not a solo effort even though Peter did the preaching. They were all in one accord that day, the Bible says. They stood together, and when you stand with your fellow believers for the cause of Christ, that's when you will see the most amazing miracles take place. There is a famous story about the great evangelist, Dwight Moody, where a man told him that he didn't need to belong to a church. Moody thought about it for a moment, and then, without saying a word, got up out of his chair and went across to the fireplace. He took the poker and pulled one coal out of the fireplace and separated it from the rest. In just a few minutes, its bright light and heat had died down to almost nothing. The man saw it and got the message. Moody never had to say a word. When you choose to separate yourself from Christ's church, you put yourself in real danger of having your fire die out. But in harmony with other believers, we will soon get the gospel work finished and Jesus can return. Let me ask you a question: Why is it that you really avoid church? Maybe you have been hurt by someone who claims to be a Christian. Or maybe you are a little afraid of commitment. But you know what's really interesting? In the end, according to the Bible, Jesus isn't just coming for a collection of individuals, He is coming for His bride, the church. And as flawed as she might be, she's still the bride of Christ, and my question for you today is this: Why shouldn't you be a part of something that Jesus loves? Listen, I know firsthand that it can be very frustrating to be a part of a church family. But then I have to remind myself that I am just as frustrating to everybody else as they are to me sometimes. And I have to remind myself, this really is the bride of Christ and He loves her, as imperfect as we are. We all really need to be a part of the body of Christ. Why don't we pray together? PRAYER: Father in heaven, we have to admit that sometimes that we stray away from your church. We don't like the sense of commitment. But today, we humbly repent of that attitude and we ask that you help us to see what you see in the church, the bride of Christ, waiting to meet Him in glory. We are thankful for the opportunity of being a part of the body of Christ. And we pray it in Jesus' name, amen. Scriptures Used in Lone Ranger Christianity
"Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Men and brethren, what shall we do?' Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."' Acts 2:37, 38 "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." Acts 2:46, 47 "But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you;' nor again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you."' 1 Corinthians 12:18-21 "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:24, 25 "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." Proverbs 27:17 "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20 "But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice " Acts 2:14 Keywords: church leaving church organized religion Shawn Boonstra worship It Is Written Box O Thousand Oaks, CA 91359 USA Tel: (805) 433-0210 Fax: (805) 433-0218 Copyright 2010, It Is Written International Television. All rights reserved. Webmaster