__________

THERE IS scarcely anything so dull and meaningless as Bible doctrine taught for its own sake. Truth divorced from life is not truth in its Biblical sense, but something else and something less. Theology is a set of facts concerning God, man and the world. These facts may be, and often are, set forth as values in themselves; and there lies the snare both for the teacher and for the hearer.

The Bible is among other things a book of revealed truth. That is, certain facts are revealed that could not be discovered by the most brilliant mind. These facts are of such a nature as to be past finding out. They were hidden behind a veil, and until certain men who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost took away that veil, no mortal man could know them. This lifting of the veil of unknowing from undiscoverable things we call divine revelation.

The Bible, however, is more than a volume of hitherto unknown facts about God, man and the universe. It is a book of exhortation based upon those facts. By far the greater portion of the book is devoted to an urgent effort to persuade people to alter their ways and bring their lives into harmony with the will of God as set forth in its pages.

No man is better for knowing that God in the beginning created the heavens and the earth. The devil knows that, and so did Ahab and Judas Iscariot. No man is better for knowing that God so loved the world of men that he gave his only begotten Son to die for their redemption. In hell there are millions that know that. Theological truth is useless until it is obeyed. The purpose behind all doctrine is to secure moral action.

What is generally overlooked is that truth as set forth in the Christian Scriptures is a moral thing; it is not addressed to the intellect only, but to the will also. It addresses itself to the total man, and its obligations cannot be discharged by grasping it mentally. Truth engages the citadel of the human heart and is not satisfied until it has conquered everything there. The will must come forth and surrender its sword. It must stand at attention to receive orders, and those orders it must joyfully obey. Short of this any knowledge of Christian truth is inadequate and unavailing.

Bible exposition without moral application raises no opposition. It is only when the hearer is made to understand that truth is in conflict with his heart that resistance sets in. As long as people can hear orthodox truth divorced from life they will attend and support churches and institutions without objection. The truth is a lovely song, become sweet by long and tender association; and since it asks nothing but a few dollars, and offers good music, pleasant friendships and a comfortable sense of well-being, it meets with no resistance from the faithful. Much that passes for New Testament Christianity is little more than objective truth sweetened with song and made palatable by religious entertainment.

Probably no other portion of the Scriptures can compare with the Pauline Epistles when it comes to making artificial saints. Peter warned that the unlearned and unstable would wrest Paul’s writings to their own destruction, and we have only to visit the average Bible Conference and listen to a few lectures to know what he meant. The ominous thing is that the Pauline doctrines may be taught with complete faithfulness to the letter of the text without making the hearers one whit better. The teacher may, and often does, so teach the truth as to leave the hearers without a sense of moral obligation.

One reason for the divorce between truth and life maybe the lack of the Spirit’s illumination. Another surely is the teacher’s unwillingness to get himself into trouble. Any man with fair pulpit gifts can get on with the average congregation if he just “feeds” them and lets them alone. Give them plenty of objective truth and never hint that they are wrong and should be set right, and they will be content.

On the other hand, the man who preaches truth and applies it to the lives of his hearers will feel the nails and the thorns. He will lead a hard life, but a glorious one. May God raise up many such prophets. The church needs them badly.

Many speak from pulpits—but they do not preach the gospel. They suggest that their hearers try to be good. They recommend self-fulfilment and getting rid of inhibitions. They may offer whimsical comments on current events or new-age spirituality with a Christian veneer. Some choose to ridicule the supernatural or attack the absolutes of God’s law. But there is no declaration of what God has done in Christ for the salvation of the lost. There is not a word of grace or of real hope. Their poor people listen in ignorance and die in their sins.

Some do preach the gospel—but not powerfully. These are good men, eager to be faithful. They have trusted Christ for themselves and know that they are commissioned to proclaim him as Saviour to others. But most of their regular listeners are professing Christians and there seems little point in telling them again what they already know. So the gospel tends to be tacked on to sermons which are designed primarily for believers. It becomes the predictable formula with which every message closes. The idea is that, if a casual visitor attends the service, enough information will be provided about salvation to enable him or her to come to faith. But no-one really expects this to happen. Many ministers will admit that they feel more comfortable in teaching Christians than when they are preaching evangelistically. This awkwardness is reflected in their sermons and they communicate the gospel in a hesitant and ineffective way.

Rev. Donnelly’s words have humbled me today. I pray the Holy Spirit works in me and that I fan into flame my gift to preach the gospel and to do so with power. This article has also done what a good article should do: lead me back to Scripture. As I prepared to prepare a sermon today, I meditated upon the words of 1 Corinthians 1:18–2:5 for the umpteenth time. What have I learned again?

I have learned just how amazing our God is! Pause and reflect with me upon the depths of his wisdom. He has chosen a message—the work of our Lord Jesus Christ—he has chosen a method—audible preaching—he has chosen messengers—men like Paul, men like you, men like me, whom Paul calls “fools for Christ” in 4:10—and he has chosen masses—those who are saved through the above—and all of these are admittedly weak, lowly, despised, and powerless as far as human opinion goes.

Because of this I have learned that I need to trust God’s promise to work through me, his messenger here at the Oceanside United Reformed Church, and to be obedient to his calling upon my life to utilize his method and to preach his message. Period. End of story! I need to get out of the way and let God do his work. I need to decrease so that he can increase. I need to become a fool that his wisdom may shine. I need to be humbled that he may be exalted.

I have also learned how to preach and to do so in power. As Paul says in these verses—and as Hywel Jones once preached at the Chapel of Westminster Seminary—the keys are two: close living and plain speaking. We as pastors need to live “among” our people as Paul did, as a shepherd does with his sheep, as our Lord has done with us. We need to be among our people in “weakness and fear,” being humble yet reverent, accessible yet serious. We need to preach Christ in plainness of speech that there is no doubt that what people have heard is not only words about Christ but the word of Christ.

Will you fall down with me in adoring this amazing God? Will you believe with me that our God can and will do amazing things through us when we get out of his way? Will you dedicate yourself alongside of me that we will live among and love our people and that we will preach Christ and the riches of our life in him?

May God grant his Spirit to me, to you, and to a generation of pastors to do so. Amen.

While preparing my final ThM paper on John Owen’s, A Brief Instruction in the Worship of God and Discipline of the Churches of the New Testament (Works 15, 447–530), I came across the following gem (Works 15, 496–499). In this section Owen spoke of what is called today the “multi-campus ministry.” You know what I mean, right? When one pastor “serves” several gatherings/congregations/sites/campuses, most often than nought, by shepherding his flock via a video screen? Isn’t that in the original Greek of John 10:14? “I am the good shepherd. I know my own campuses and my own sites know me by my image on the big screen in front of them.” Alright, back to the point.

The background to Owen’s words here in this section may very well be the medieval phenomenon of jus patronatus, in which among others, bishops and priests were enabled to have “beneficences” in more than one parish, making their living off of several congregations while not really serving any of them. After all, that was what the “site pastor” was for, right? Anyways, what is interesting is how some Reformed churches dealt with this situation. The great Synod of Dort (1618–19) dealt with jus patronatus. While not abolishing it, the Synod sought to curb its abuse (Session 156, 157).

Owen’s lesson for all Reformed and Presbyterian pastors and seminary students is clear: before you listen to some advocates (since some have complained that I am “picking” on one advocate, here is another) of “modern ministry” and start planning your multi-campus, multi-media, church network, listen to Owen—better yet, listen to Jesus who knew his sheep by name and listen to Paul, who spent time in every single home of his parishioners in Ephesus (cf. Acts 20)!  You are called to shepherd souls, not be a rock star, pop idol, or media mogul. Get over yourself and get to pastoring like the Puritans: preach, pray, and visit your people.

__________

Question 26—May a person be called to, or be employed in, a part only of the office or work of the ministry; or may he hold the relation and exercise the duty of an elder or minister unto more churches than one at the same time?

Answer

Neither of these has either warrant or precedent in the Scripture; nor is the first of them consistent with the authority of the ministry, nor the latter with the duty thereof, nor either of them with the nature of that relation which is between the elders and the church. Acts xiv.23; 1 Pet. v.2; Acts xx.28.

Explication

The second part of the question is concerning the relation of the same person to more churches than one at the same time, and his undertaking to discharge the duty of his relation unto them, as elder or minister. And this also is irregular and unwarrantable. Now, a man may hold the relation of an elder, pastor, or minister unto more churches than one, two ways:

1. Formally and directly, by an equal formal interest in them, undertaking the pastoral charge equally and alike of them, being called alike to them, and accepting of such a relation.

2. Virtually, when, by virtue of his relation unto one church, he puts forth his power or authority in ministerial acts in or towards another.

The first way is unlawful, and destructive both of the office and duty of a pastor; for as elders are ordained in and unto the churches respectively that they are to take care of, Acts xiv.23, Titus i.5, and their office-power consists in a relation unto the church that they are set over, so they are commanded to attend unto the service of the churches wherein and whereunto they are so ordained, Acts xx.28, 1 Pet. v.2, and that with all diligence, care, and watchfulness, as those that must give an account, Heb. xiii.17, which no man is able to do towards more churches than one, the same duty being at all times to be performed towards all. And because the whole authority of the elders, pastors, or bishops of churches, is ministerial, 1 Cor. iv.1, consisting in a power of acting upon the command of Christ, they are bound in their own persons to the discharge of their duty and office, without the least pretence of authority to delegate another, or others, to act their part or to do their duty; which would be an effect of autocratical authority, and not of obedience or ministry.

The latter way, also, of relation unto many churches is unwarrantable: for,

1. It hath no warrant in the Scripture; no law or constitution of Christ or his apostles can be produced to give it countenance; but elders were ordained to their own churches, and commanded to attend unto them.

2. No rule is given unto any elders how they should behave themselves in reference unto more churches than one, in the exercise of their ministerial power, as there are rules given unto every one for the discharge of that duty in the church whereunto he is related.

3. There is no example to give it countenance recorded in the Scripture.

4. The authority to be put forth hath no foundation.

(1.) Not in the gifts they have received; for the ministerial power is not an absolute ability or faculty of doing what a man is able, but a right, whereby a man hath power to do that rightly and lawfully which before he could not do. This, gifts will not give to any; for if they did, they would do it to all that have received them.

(2.) Not in their election; for they are chosen in and by that church whereunto they stand in especial relation, whose choice cannot give ministerial power over any but themselves.

(3.) Not in their setting apart by fasting, prayer, and imposition of hands; for this is only unto that office-work and power whereunto they are chosen. They are not chosen for one end, and set apart for another.

(4.) Not from the communion of churches; for that gives no new power, but only a due exercise of that which was before received.