PART TWO
THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP
-- A Relational Faith -
-Wayne M. Warner-
“We Lutherans” wrote Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “
have gathered like eagles round the
carcass of cheap grace, and there we have drunk of the poison which has killed the life of following Christ”
In California I heard a humorous
story about a Valley Farmer who shingled his roof six feet out into space.
Allegedly, that was before he discovered he was off the roof.
Much teaching about the person
and presence of the Holy Spirit leaves Christians in a fogbank as thick as
those Tulle fogs that regularly rolled into the California valleys and
waterways from the waters of the Pacific. Confusion about the third person of
the Trinity leaves many living in a spiritual fog.
Christians in most quarters of
the Church of God readily define themselves as Trinitarians and that is because
they believe in The Creator God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
If we accept Jesus as part of
the Godhead, we somewhat automatically fall into the camp of those who believe
in the Trinity. Some, however, reject the third person of the Trinity and we
know them as Unitarians.
As Trinitarians, we find that we
face differing viewpoints regarding the work of the Holy Spirit. The reformers
of the Protestant Reformation generally agreed in emphasizing solid scriptural
authority. They believed everything must be measured in strict biblical
terms.
However, preacher-scholars like James Arminius and John
Wesley came to see great value in personal experience that gave a place to the
ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. They believed
in a strong biblical authority, but they also recognized an important
relational aspect in the Christian faith.
They insisted belief and behavior
must maintain a proper balance. Thus, they believed that Christianity is as
much about relationship with God as it is believing the correct creed. Some of
the conflicting ideas between Wesleyan Holiness Christians and Pentecostal
Christians come at the point of properly defining the right balance between
Scriptural authority and the authority of personal experience.
The Church of God has always
taught the ultimate authority of Scripture, while continuing to give an
important place to personal experience (the experiential) and private
interpretation.
Thus Don Neace issued his small
volume he called A Challenge For Clarity, which offers a renewed
emphasis on biblical truth about the Holy Spirit. Urging believers to hold to
basic biblical principles and doctrines, Neace urges avoiding over-emphasis on
the experiential as expressed through personal and private phenomenon such as
speaking in tongues and being slain in the Spirit (Neace/A Challenge For
Clarity/Reformation Publishers/2004).
Going back to one of the first
century‘s strongest churches, we find it came into existence because the
Apostle Paul worked in Ephesus for three years to build a solid foundation.
Here was a church known for its good works, patience, sound doctrine, church
discipline, and its hatred of evil.
The church at Ephesus reflects
the upward beckoning to discipleship that Paul stressed. In reading his or her
story, we discover a need every believer has, a discipleship every believer can
enhance, and devotion every disciple needs to fulfill.
The rest of the story depends on
how we interpret the events at Ephesus and how we personally answer Paul’s
question to the believers in Ephesus, “what baptism did you receive?”
An obvious need
(Acts 10:1-7; 19:1-3).
When he found it was time to
leave Corinth, Paul gathered together the offer-ing he was collecting along the
way for the distressed believers in Jerusalem. He headed for Jerusalem, by way
of Ephesus, with Ephesus a likely objective from early on.
As a result, Paul seeded the
soil of this East-coast center by reasoning daily in the synagogue and
promising to return if and when possible.
Archaeological digs reveal a
great city in Ephesus. Several miles of walls surrounded the shops, colonnades,
and commercial buildings. One outstanding architectural feature of Ephesus was
the Temple of Artemis, which measured 163 by 342 feet, and sat on a slab 234
feet by 418 feet. A Shopping Center surrounded the city’s 360-foot rectangular
market place. Later, Paul made his way into the 24,000 seat theater where
Demetrius incited a riot. (Acts 18:18-21).
Apollos relocated from Ephesus
and further pursued his vision elsewhere, after Priscilla and Aquila more fully
discipled him (18:24-28). In the meantime, Paul recognized an obvious need;
thus, his inquiry: “What baptism did you receive?”
The Ephesians admitted they knew
of the baptism of John but they candidly confessed they knew nothing about this
alleged third person of the Trinity. For Paul, this pointed to an obvious need.
An enhancing discipleship
(Acts 19:4-7). The limited teachings of Apollos left the church
at Ephesus with a partial and incomplete gospel. The spiritually perceptive
Paul diagnosed their need and proclaimed the fullness of the gospel to them. In
giving them the whole gospel, Paul reminds us that we cannot follow Jesus very
far relationally without moving beyond belief to behavior, from proclamation to
practice.
At some point, the gospel always
calls us to move beyond merely repenting, challenging us to go on to spiritual
maturity. It calls us from a creed to an experiential relationship (cf. Hebrews
6:1; John 14:12, 22-23; 15:26-27; 16:7-11).
When we repent but lack
spiritual anointing, it may be because we may lack adequate knowledge of Jesus.
Insufficient knowledge of the indwelling Holy Spirit, who transforms followers
into prescriptions of peace and joy for a troubled world, often fails to
recognize the Jesus who anoints worshippers with joy, and guides the hurting,
while empowering learners with effective witness.
When we fail to
recognize-and-serve the Jesus who transforms takers into givers, we fail to
experience changed lives. Through the Holy Spirit, God reorganizes believers’
lives and converts the passive from a level of non-involvement into a
relationship of responsible accountability.
The enhancement of the Holy
Spirit brings wholeness to the individual believer, complete with consecration
and moral cleansing (cf. Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 5:25-26). Entered experientially
by faith, this enhancement grows progressively as
God
Redeems
Our
Worth
Through
Himself.
A devotion to fulfill
Spiritual enhancement both
allowed and enabled the church at Ephesus to be-come a gospel center for the
province of Asia. The gospel went forth from Ephesus in spite of adversity (I
Corinthians 16:9). When opposition increased, evangelism multiplied (I Corinthians
19:8-9). While the people heard something new, God did something extraordinary
(19:10-11).
False witnesses failed to
disrupt church ministries (19:13-17). Passive believers became practicing
believers and involved participants. The church filled with
“discipled-believers” as converts were taught and learners became doers.
Moreover, false practices were
relinquished, allowing the people to truly become the church, the Body of
Christ (19:18-20).
Eventually, Paul moved on,
compelled by the Holy Spirit. First, however, the church had to first become
the church. No longer was the church simply Paul’s mission and ministry. Now
properly administered by spiritual leaders, the church at Ephesus dieted
properly, fed adequately by God’s word. Moreover, the church exercised
properly, utilizing faithful saints who took the gospel everywhere to
everyone within reach (Ephesians 1:1, 15-19a).
The Holy Spirit transforms and
assimilates groups of disciples into Christ’s Body, without leaving spare limbs
and unusable parts to exist outside the body. As God’s church in Ephesus,
Timothy and John gave spiritual leadership. As a result, the people ab-sorbed
the gospel, and Ephesus became an exemplary stronghold.
Later in his life, John saw
Ephesus still orthodox and persistent in service, and strong in discipline
although somewhat abated in love (Revelation 2:1-7).
As Paul Harvey loves to say,
“Now you know the rest of the story!” But, what will our story reveal? Will the
Church of God be strong because we repented of our shortfalls and pushed
forward in the maturity of The Holy Spirit? Will we be God’s church? Will
non-believers find faith as the Holy Spirit enhances our lives with his
sanctifying presence?
How will your story read? And
mine? Have you confessed your sins and accepted Jesus? Have you placed yourself
on the altar and let The Sanctifier cleanse you of spiritual impurities and
sanctify you for His service?
This is
walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com –
While life launches at Calvary. It
is through the baptizing presence of the Holy Spirit that life deliver its
fullest expression of spiritual abundance.
No comments:
Post a Comment