Narrow Terms
“I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.” I Timothy 3:14-15
Bruce Shelley in his excellent work, Church history, begins by telling a story. At the Seminary where he taught he posted a comic strip of Peanuts on the door of his study for many years. It brought many an uncomfortable chuckle from those who passed by.
In it Charlie’s little sister Sally is writing a school paper called “Church History.” Her introduction reads: “When writing about church history we have to go back to the very beginning. Our pastor was born in 1930.” In the next frame Charlie is shown rolling his eyes to heaven.
Sadly that is the way we often view the church. We see the church in terms of the present and seldom think of the past or even the future. We think in narrow terms- American evangelicalism or even worse in terms of only our local congregation.
Although the local church is tremendously important as the context in which we worship and the structure in which we submit our spiritual care; we must always see it as a part of the whole- not just the present whole- but the eternal whole- the Body of Christ composed of believers from the past as well as the future.
Why do I stress this? Because when we view things through the narrow lens we become guilty of spiritual pride and intellectual amnesia. As we talk about “How to conduct oneself in the church of God” the discussion does not focus merely on current trends- it focuses on timeless truth. Principles and practice that adapt to every time and every culture, that transcend our petty American consumerism and embrace a Kingdom mentality and a global reach.
So many times current church growth seminars and conferences only deal with superficial trends. This causes weakness and compromise. We need the bigger picture.
I am excited to study I Timothy with you. I pray that we grow deeper and broader and more committed to Christ our Head.
Because of grace,
Tim
