College Students & the Local Church

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Dana Dill

collegeI have had a growing concern for Christian college students that began when I was a young college student. My concern is this: many Christian college students have little to no significant membership with a local church. They may be a part of a campus bible study or go to their school’s weekly chapel or participate in a Cru fellowship, but many are either only superficially connected to a local church by solely attending on Sundays or they neglect it altogether.

This concerns me for various reasons. First, I know that what students practice today is one of the best indicators of how they will live the rest of their lives. Churchless college years easily turns into churchless lives. Churchless Christians tend to be fruitless ones and perpetually live in danger of being hardened by sin (see Hebrews 3:13; 10:25). Second, the church is in need of college aged Christians. Jesus has saved people into His body and the Holy Spirit has gifted all believers (college ones too) with gifts to use for the building up of the body of Christ (see Ephesians 4:12; 1 Corinthians 12:7). When college kids neglect the local church, they are in actuality depriving the church from the gifts Jesus has given them to use. They are refusing to use their gifts for their intended purpose and the church suffers for it. Lastly, college kids need the church. Personal sanctification is a group project that requires the eyes, ears, minds, and hearts of other believers to carry on well. Those are a few reasons why churchless college kids concern me.

College Life Doesn’t Negate Church Membership

At one level, however, I can understand why some college kids struggle to be in a local church. College is a unique season in life and many college students are only around a certain area for a semester at a time. These students think to themselves, “How can I have any kind of meaningful membership in a local church when I know I’ll be moving out at the end of the semester and probably gone for good when I graduate?” Many answer this query by choosing to be loosely connected to a local church or to neglect it altogether. Although I don’t think that’s a good reason to keep oneself from membership in a local church, I understand that college is a unique time with unique circumstances that are sometimes a little more confusing than more normal situations.

However, the uniqueness of college life does not negate the college student’s need for local church fellowship/care or their duty to be a body building member of a local church (Ephesians 4:12). Dave Russell said it well,

Though college years are a unique season of life, college students shouldn’t think of themselves or be encouraged to think of themselves as some kind of special case. Though a student’s time at college is limited, four years is more than long enough to plug into a local church. Living somewhere temporarily doesn’t negate the call to be in the fellowship of the local church. Rather than being viewed as special, college students should be viewed as normal and, thus, should be encouraged to do what Christians “normally” do: join a local church.

Although college is indeed a unique season in one’s life, it provides no exception to live the Christian life abnormally.

Some Practical Counsels

Christians in college have been saved by Jesus Christ into the Church of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). They are members of the church by virtue of being connected to Jesus through faith. Therefore it is imperative that they display their membership in the universal church by being members of a local church; even while they are in college. So, how can a college student seek to have meaningful membership in the local church while school is in session. Here are some practical counsels to help toward that end.

Learn the necessity of joining a local church. Many students simply need to learn that membership in a local church is not an option for Christians, but a necessity. Before the actions change, the heart must change first. To help find some truth and conviction about the necessity of church membership, look no further than this fine list of sermons on the local church (I recommend listening to “The Church and Membership” first and then “The Church and Disappointment” second. Also, I cannot more highly recommend this little beauty by Jonathan Leeman.

Find a good church. Before joining, you must first find one. Here is a simple list of questions to ask and questions not to ask when looking for a church.

Join the church. Don’t simply attend the services. Non-believers or visiting believers attend local churches, local believers join them and submit to them. Obviously, let them know that you are a college student so they understand the possibly temporary nature of your membership.

Introduce yourself to the pastors. Don’t be a face in the crowd, but get to know you pastors and let them get to know you. After all, they are tasked with watching over your soul (1 Peter 5:1-4; Hebrews 13:17) and it should be obvious that they cannot do that if they don’t even know your name.

Talk with one of the pastors and ask how you can best serve the church during the semester. The pastors are most likely well acquainted with ministering to college students (since their church is in proximity to your college campus) and they will have good counsel for how you can build up the body of Christ as a college student.

Make Sunday gatherings a top priority. Don’t treat Sunday gatherings as an option, but as a privilege and responsibility. If you need motivation to go to church, enjoy this.

Try to Get to Know a Few People Well. If the church is bigger than 50 people, you will probably won’t be able to get to know everyone, but that shouldn’t stop you from getting to know a few people well. Pray that God would give you some friendships within the church during your time at school so you can both be blessed and bless. Look for some older Christians to learn from, some peers to befriend, and maybe even a youth or two to pray for and encourage.

My Hope in Writing This

I hope you don’t get the wrong idea about this post. This isn’t written to be a massive guilt trip for the college student, but it is a call toward greater blessing. You have been created for community and saved by Jesus into His family. Joy awaits you within the local church.

I write this as a youth pastor who desperately wants to see my children walk in the truth of the gospel (3 John 4) as members of a local church. The reality is, a neglect of the local church in college often turns into a lifelong habit that continues on well after graduation. Remember, what you do today is the greatest indicator of what you’ll practice tomorrow.

We all must remember that Jesus has saved Christians into the church. Membership in the church is a spiritual reality that must be displayed in the nitty gritty of daily life; even during our college years. Go to your Bible studies. Enjoy your chapels. Drink deeply of your college classes. But never, never, never neglect serving and being served by the Bride of Christ.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Three Necessary Elements of True Faith

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Dana Dill

faithThe age old question was once asked by a simple jailer:

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Acts 16:30

His prisoners (the Apostle Paul and his companion Silas) responded with confidence, clarity, and boldness:

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Acts 16:31

This sums up the message Christians are proclaiming to the world: sinners are saved through faith in Christ alone. But what does the Bible mean when it speaks of trust, belief, or faith? What does it mean to believe in Jesus or put your faith in Christ? Theologian Wayne Grudem sums up the Biblical teaching well in a few short sentences:

When a person comes to trust in Christ, (these) three elements must be present. There must be some basic knowledge or understanding of the facts of the gospel.

There must also be…agreement with these facts. Such agreement includes a conviction that the facts spoken of the gospel are true, especially the fact that I am a sinner in need of salvation and that Christ alone has paid the penalty for my sin and offers salvation to me. It also includes an awareness that I need to trust in Christ for salvation and that He is the Only way to God, and the only means provided for my salvation. This approval of the facts of the gospel will also involve a desire to be saved through Christ.

But all this still does not add up to true saving faith. That comes only when I make a decision of my will to depend on, or put my trust in, Christ as my savior. This personal decision to place my trust in Christ is something done in my heart, the central faculty of my entire being that makes commitments for me as a whole person. (Systematic Theology, p. 712)

There you have the three necessary elements of true saving faith: knowledge, agreement, and trust. Without these, there is no true faith. In order to be saved, one must know the basic truth of the gospel (and the basic truths therein), agree to them, and trust in Christ as their Savior and Lord.

So, do you know the gospel?

Do you agree to the truths of the gospel?

Have you trusted in Jesus alone to save you from your sin?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Saturday Post(s)

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Dana Dill

Saturday Post

No, You Are Not Running Late. You Are Rude & Inconsiderate. Some great thoughts relating to those who are constantly late to things and those who are constantly judging them for it.

Asking Forgiveness from a Prostitute. “It seems obvious, but I have never suggested it: if a man has been with a prostitute, it is right for him to ask her forgiveness. Consider this story.”

How-To on Family Devotions. There is some solid gold stuff in this. If you want to start family devotions, but are having a hard time, let this bless you in your endeavor.

Top 40 Books Every Christian Should Read. I am always up for a good reading list. Stephen Altrogge provides 40 great reads here.

How to Cultivate a Better Movie Watching Discernment. “Christians watching movies” should encompass more than just checking a website to see how many cigarettes are smoked (exactly two in “Snowpiercer”), how many f-bombs are dropped (a few), and how many breasts appear (zero).”

The Habit That Changed My Life. “Early in my Christian life my mother heard a teaching on giving thanks for everything. I was 23, out of work, and had recently moved back home. I was depressed and not very hopeful about my life.”

Are You Mom Enough? Desiring God has just published what seems to be a great book for mommies. The online versions are free for the taking.

Love When’s… Seven times when God’s love shows up.

Dear Mr. Anxious Christian. A letter to the anxious one.

Help! There Are Pagans in My Youth Group! Some thoughts on what not to do when you realize there are pagans in your child’s youth group. ” While I can understand and respect the responsibility to protect our children from bad influences, bullying, or the making of corrupt friendships, I can’t support the abandonment of a church youth ministry.  So, let me offer some random thoughts on this point of disagreement…”

Ferguson Posts. I thought these three posts (from Anyabwile, from Baucham, from Phillips) about the Ferguson events are well worth reading. Two of them disagree with one another, but offer good food for thought nonetheless.

Evidence of My Sister’s Death vs. Evidence for Jesus’ Resurrection. Christian Apologist Michael Patton analyzes the evidence for his sister’s death and the evidence given for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. His conclusion: “While I think that the evidence here is substantial for us to believe that my sister died, I think that it is even more substantial for a belief in the resurrection of Christ.”

Horus Get the OT Law Explained to Him.. This is both very informative and very funny. Well done, Lutheran Satire.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Saturday Post(s)

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Dana Dill

Saturday Post

Battle Plan. An excellent help to the necessary work of killing sin. Don’t miss this.

Why Time Management is More Difficult Today Than Before. “Time Management is so much more difficult in our current knowledge economy era than in the past for four reasons…”

The #1 Reason Teens Keeps the Faith as Young Adults. This is why our youth ministry calls parents the primary youth pastors. “Parents, for better or worse, are actually the most influential pastors … of their children… Parents set a kind of glass ceiling of religious commitment, above which their children rarely rise.”

How Long Was Jesus Actually Dead? It more involved than you think, but still very simple.

A 5 Step Method for Studying the Bible. Helps like these are great, especially if you are dealing with youth or new believers.

What’s the Most Famous Book in Your State? “Here’s a map that will show you one famous story set near you. Do you agree that it’s the most famous?”

The Call of an Under-Shepherd. May God raise up pastors who have this kind of vision for the pastoral ministry.

A Baptist’s Speech About Homosexuality at the Vatican. Sounds like the beginning of a good joke, but it’s not. It’s just an excellent speech about an increasingly important topic. Heartily recommended.

Who Do You Say I Am? “Almost no one is as popular in this country as Jesus. Hardly anyone would dare to say a bad word about him. Just look at what a super-fly friendly dude he is over there. But how many people know the real Jesus?”

What Does it Mean to Be Christ/Gospel/Cross-Centered? At least these three things.

“You Are Cured of MS”. God still heals. “Through an amazing series of providences, Trent was admitted to a revolutionary treatment program that recently resulted in him being told by his doctor, “You are cured of MS!” His father, my friend Gary Timmer, wrote the following testimony to our congregation last Sunday and I wanted to share this God-glorifying witness with you.”

11 Things Men Don’t Know About Their Clothes. There’s more to it than I thought.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Preach to Yourself

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Dana Dill

preachAnd now for one of the most helpful pieces of counsel I have ever received.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones:

The main trouble in this whole matter of spiritual depression in a sense is this, that we allow our self to talk to us instead of talking to our self. Am I just trying to be deliberately paradoxical? Far from it. This is the very essence of wisdom in this matter. Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them, but they start talking to you, they bring back the problem of yesterday, etc. Somebody is talking. Who is talking to you? Your self is talking to you. Now this man’s treatment (in Psalm 42) was this; instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself, ‘Why art thou cast down, O my soul?’ he asks. His soul had been repressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says: ‘Self, listen for a moment, I will speak to you’. Do you know what I mean? If you do not, you have but little experience.

The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself. You have to take yourself in hand, you have to address yourself, preach to yourself, question yourself. You must say to your soul: ‘Why are you cast down’–what business have you to be disquieted? You must turn on yourself, upbraid yourself, condemn yourself, exhort yourself, and say to yourself: ‘Hope in God’–instead of muttering in this depressed, unhappy way. And then you must go on to remind yourself of God, Who God is, and what God is and what God has done, and what God has pledged Himself to do. Then having done that, end on this great note: defy yourself, and defy other people, and defy the devil and the whole world, and say with this man: ‘I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance, who is also the health of my countenance and my God’. (Taken from Spiritual Depression, p. 20-21).

God has laid His truth down in His Word. May we daily strive to preach it into our own hearts.

For more on this, check out the following.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Six Truths About Sickness

Posted on November 20, 2014 by Dana Dill

Sickness_Skull_BGI write this having had many people in my life come under significant sicknesses; some of which led to their death. Even now, as I write, there are people in my church who are stricken with cancer and others terminally dangerous maladies. This isn’t written with naivety or unrealistic idealism.

With that, I offer these six thoughts from Brian Najapfour about sickness were worth reposting.

1. Sickness is a consequence of original sin; and in this sense, sickness is a punishment from God for sin. In Genesis 2:17 God commanded Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that he eats of it he shall surely die. Adam disobeyed God. And the moment he sinned, his body started dying. His body became subject to illness. God punished Adam for his sin. If Adam had not sinned, there would be no death, there would be no sickness.

2. Your sickness may be a consequence of your personal sin; and in this sense, your sickness is a chastisement from the Lord. In James 5:14-15 the author asks, “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him…And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” Here it is possible that the person is sick because of particular sin in his life.

3. Your sickness may not be a consequence of your personal sin; and in this sense, your sickness is a test from the Lord. The word “if” in James 5:15 also allows the possibility that the sick person has not committed sins and in this way his sickness is not a result of his personal sin. Job is an excellent example of this truth (Job 2:4-7). Sickness became an instrument in the hand of God to mold Job into the person that God wanted him to be. Sickness became a blessing for Job, for it brought him closer to God. The wheelchair- bound Joni Eareckson Tada once declared, “Suffering provides the gym equipment on which my faith can be exercised.”

4. Sickness can be a consequence of the personal sin of another person. 2 Samuel 12:15 tells us that “the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and he became sick.” David’s child died as a result of his sin concerning Bathsheba and Uriah. David committed adultery and murder. It is thus possible for a child to suffer the consequence of his parents’ sins. It is possible that your child is sick because of your sin.

5. Sickness can be neither a consequence of our personal sin, nor a consequence of the personal sin of another person. In this sense, sickness is simply a demonstration of God’s absolute sovereignty.  Remember the man born blind in John 9:1-3. In that passage the disciples asked Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus replied, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” No one sinned. God is simply practicing his absolute prerogative to do whatever pleases him. And his purpose in doing this is to display His sovereignty—to remind us that we do not control our health. He does!

6. Sickness comes to us from God ultimately for His glory and for our good. In John 11 when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Whatever kind of sickness you have, pray that through it God may be glorified. While sickness is for God’s glory, it is also for our good. Paul notes in 2 Corinthians 12:7, “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh…to keep me from becoming conceited.” In short, God has given Paul “a thorn in the flesh” in order to keep him from the sin of pride.

Maybe God has given you that illness that you have in order to keep you from pride. And God may not heal you in order that you may learn more to depend on his grace (2 Cor. 12:9). Once you have learned the lesson, you can sing with the psalmist, “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes” (Psalm 119:71).

You can read his whole post here. If you want to hear the sermon these are based on, click here.

Also, for an excellent read on sickness, make sure to check out J.C. Ryle’s beautiful sermon entitled, Jesus in the Sickroom. For a longer read, make sure to grab a copy of Jerry Bridges’ book, Trusting God Even When It Hurts.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Scandal of the Semi-Churched

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Dana Dill

church-door-neil-overyI read this post by Kevin DeYoung a long time ago and thought I would call my readers’ attention to it. It isn’t about the unchurched or the anti-churched, but the semi-churched folks within our local congregations.

Kevin DeYoung writes:

I want to talk about church members who attend their home church with great irregularity. These aren’t unchurched folks, or de-churched, or under-churched. They are semi-churched. They show up some of the time, but not every week. They are on again/off again, in and out, here on Sunday and gone for two. That’s the scandal of the semi-churched…

We’ve had Christmas and Easter Christians for probably as long as we’ve had Christmas and Easter. Some people will always be intermittent with their church attendance. I’m not talking about nominal Christians who wander into church once or twice a year. I’m talking about people who went through the trouble of joining a church, like their church, have no particular beef with the church, and still only darken its doors once or twice a month…

I know we are the church and don’t go to church (blah, blah, blah), but being persnickety about our language doesn’t change the exhortation of Hebrews 10:25. We should not neglect to meet together, as some are in the habit of doing. Gathering every Lord’s Day with our church family is one of the pillars of mature Christianity.

DeYoung then offers five questions for all of us to ask as we examine our practice of gathering with God’s people. I have included the questions but have only included parts of his explanation. To hear each of his points in full, click here to his article.

1. Have you established church going as an inviolable habit in your family? You know how you wake up in the morning and think “maybe I’ll go on a run today” or “maybe I’ll make french toast this morning”? That’s not what church attendance should be like.

2. Do you plan ahead on Saturday so you can make church a priority on Sunday? We are all busy people, so it can be hard to get to church, especially with a house full of kids. We will never make the most of our Sundays unless we prepare for them on Saturday.

3. Do you order your travel plans so as to minimize being gone from your church on Sunday? It’s almost impossible to grow in love for your church and minister effectively in your church if you are regularly not there.

4. Are you willing to make sacrifices to gather with God’s people for worship every Sunday?

5. Have you considered that you may not be a Christian? Does going to church every week make you a Christian? Absolutely not. Does missing church 35 Sundays a year make you a non-Christian? It does beg the question. God’s people love to be with God’s people.

I hope this helps those who have an irregular church attendance to ask the right questions and truly look at themselves with the mirror of God’s Word for the right answers. Read the whole post here.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

More Patient Than I

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Dana Dill

basement_series_sadness-500x332I have often get to hear students confess their sins. In these meetings, there is one thing that always sticks out to me: the sense of fear I can hear behind their words. Sometimes they come right out and say it, “I am afraid of what you’ll do or think when I confess my sin.” They think that, in hearing about their sin…

I will fly off the handle in anger…

I will get up and leave them in disgust…

I will sigh, shake my head in disappointment, and ask how they could be so stupid…

In hearing their fears, I understand. It’s scary to let someone know about the darkness within your soul. However, I also know what I feel as they, in repentance, confess their sins: love and patience. I can honestly say that, although their sin pains and grieves me, I never feel even the slightest desire to shame them, condemn them, or walk away from them. In fact, I experience the exact opposite. When students come to me, broken over their sin, I find myself desiring to encourage, build up, and assure them in the steadfast love of God given in Jesus Christ. Far from running away from them in disgust, I desire to embrace them in love.

And this all leads me to the ultimate point I’d like to make: God is far more patient with our sins and failures than I could ever be with my students. The love, care, and patience I have for my students is not even comparable to the love, care, and patience the Lord has for His beloved and holy children (Colossians 3:12). His steadfast love for us is far greater and more stable than my fickle and failing love for my students. So, if this failing, sin-ridden youth pastor leans into the confessions of his students with love and care, how much more the Father who has redeemed His children through the blood of His Son. Jesus said it perfectly, far from being disgusted by repentant sinners, “there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10).

Sometimes we forget how for us God is in Jesus Christ. Sometimes we forget that He is infinitely greater than the kindest, wisest, most patient, and gentlest Christian we know. My simple patience and love for my repentant students is but a fading fragrance of the patience and love God has for His redeemed and righteous children. Indeed, He is more patient than I.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

How to Make Biblical Application Very Real

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Dana Dill

it-just-got-realThere is a helpful Bible reading practice I have stumbled upon that I thought I’d share with the cyber-nets. It is very simple and goes like this:

Exchange the “one another” commands of the New Testament with specific people in your local church.

It looks like this. Take a verse with a one another command.

 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

Then, insert a name of someone in your own congregation with whom you can obey this command.

Bear (Henry’s) burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 specifically applied.

The reason I think this is helpful is because this was New Testament authors’ intention when writing their various letters to the churches. That is, when they gave commands concerning brothers and sisters and one anothers they did not have a general application in mind, but they meant for their commands to be worked out within the local church. In exhorting them, the New Testament writers wanted their readers to think particularly about the people in their local congregations; those they were committed to and regularly gathered with for fellowship. Therefore, the commands that have to do with brothers, sisters, and one anothers were not meant to be received as general niceties to strive for in the Christian life, but commands that should have concrete application in the life of the local church. Given that, inserting the names of specific people from your local church into the one another exhortations helps to apply the passages as they were originally intended.

So it looks like this…

Love (John the graphic artist) with brotherly affection. Out do (him) in showing honor. Romans 12:10

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count (the high school kids who sit on the right side of the sanctuary) as more significant than yourselves. Philippians 2:3

Do all things without grumbling or disputing (with Frank, even though he is hard to deal with at times). Philippians 2:14

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of (Jane, the woman who recently lost her husband). Philippians 2:4

Live in harmony with (the poor family in your church that barely makes rent each month). Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Romans 12:16

Be kind to (Alex), tenderhearted, forgiving (him even though he gossiped about you), as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Be kind to (Jennifer), tenderhearted, forgiving (her even though she hasn’t been there for you recently), as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Be kind to (Kyle), tenderhearted, forgiving (he insulted you), as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with (Adrian’s annoyances)  in love. Ephesians 4:2

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve (Jason and his family). Galatians 5:13

Consider how to stir up (Charles and Caitlin) to love and good works…Hebrews 10:24

Obey (Pastor Jeff and Pastor Marcus) and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Hebrews 13:17

The Bible is not meant to provide us with abstract adages that we can apply whenever we see convenient, but it is a book filled with exhortations that have everything to do with the real people in our lives. As they tell us in preaching class, general applications are disobeyed applications, but specificity breeds obedience. Don’t apply the Bible generally, but specifically; avoid abstraction and get concrete. Reading it in that way will transform the shape of our Christianity.

For your convenience and blessing, here is a nice list of various one another passages to build off of. Get started!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Jesus Loves Organized Religion

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Dana Dill

william-haefeli-i-don-t-belong-to-an-organized-religion-my-religious-beliefs-are-way-too-new-yorker-cartoon“I love Jesus, but I am not into organized religion.”

Ever hear that before? I am sure you have. It is a common refrain among those who like to hold claim to Jesus in some way, but want to keep their distance from anything that people have their hand in. It is a quick and convenient way to identify yourself with Jesus in some way while maintaining your ability to stay away from those Christians.

The phrase of “organized religion” or the word “institution” make many people queasy. Sometimes because the words are associated with greed, pride, or corruption. For these folks, organized religion equals sinful efforts of Man. But other times, people reject organized religion or institutionalization because they think it is the opposite of what the Bible teaches. For these, man is the maker of organized religion, not God. However, to be frank, that last idea – the Bible is against organized religion – is dead wrong. In fact, the biggest proponent of organized religion is Jesus Himself. After all, He has created an institution, the church, and wants it to be organized.

Don’t believe me? Let’s walk through His Word and see for ourselves.

Jesus Has Given His Church His Word to Build On

Jesus has given His church authoritative writings of the apostles and prophets to obey and be guided, organized, and structured by. The church of Jesus is, “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets…” (Ephesians 2:20). Any church not founded on His Word, as taught by the prophets and apostles, isn’t His church. Any group of people or individuals that are not organized, based on, and obeying His Word are not Jesus’ people. Jesus has given the church a foundation to be built on.

Jesus Has Given His Church Leaders to Respect and Obey

Jesus has given His church certain types of people to care for and lead the church so it grows in maturity and unity. “(Jesus) gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13). Notice that? Jesus is the one who has gifted the church with leaders of various kinds for the purpose of greater unity and maturity. To deny or reject the leaders Christ has entrusted the church is to deny or reject the gift of Christ for His church. Jesus has given the church authorities to obey.

Jesus has established authoritative leaders (called elders) to guide and govern the church. Jesus commands His pastors to, “shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you” (1 Peter 5:2; see also Acts 14:23; 15:2; 20:17; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5). True pastors who minister under the authority of God’s Word are established by Christ to “exercise oversight” over the people of God. They are entrusted His authority (in as much as they obey His Word) over His people. Jesus has given His church pastors to be led by.

Jesus has called exemplary leaders called deacons to serve his church and increase its unity and witness. Jesus has given His church a second office (under the authority of elders) of deacons to help with the organization and ministry of the church.(See Acts 6:1-7; 1 Tim. 3:8-13; Philippians 1:1).

Jesus commands his people to obey and submit to their pastors/elders. “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you” (Hebrews 13:17). Jesus commands His people to obey His pastors.

Jesus Has Established Ordinances for His Church to Regularly Practice

Jesus commands his people to regularly take the Lord’s Supper together. Paul wrote, “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me'” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). This is a tradition passed down from Jesus Himself for His church to practice together. This isn’t something that is to be done alone or spontaneously whenever folks feel like it. Jesus commands the regular practice of communion.

Jesus commands his people to administer baptism to new believers. “Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age’” Matthew 28:18-20. Baptism is the ordinance where people publicly identify themselves as one with Christ and His people. Jesus commands his church to bring new believers through the baptismal waters.

Jesus Wants His Church to Be Organized

Jesus rejoices when local churches are organized. The Apostle Paul, an authoritative apostle of Jesus, revealed the heart of Jesus when he rejoiced at seeing the Colossian church in “good order.” “Though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order…” (Colossians 2:5). Jesus loves organized religion.

There is much more to be said here, but the point comes across clear enough: Far from being against organized religion, Jesus is 100% for it. He has given them a foundation to stand on, leaders to follow, obey, and imitate, offices to fill, and ordinances to regularly practice. He loves His church. He spilled His blood to purchase her freedom (Acts 20:28) and to cleanse her (Titus 2:11-14) and He has given us His Word to organize her too.

Jesus did not die to make a bunch of scattered, divided individuals. He died to build a church and He lives to lead her as they stand “firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27).

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment