Church Family,
Since we’ve just finished the Gospel Discernment series I wanted to leave a few encouragements and understandings that I hope will equip you as you continue to be spiritually discerning.
Gospel Discernment Matters.
In this most recent series, we looked at a portion of that understanding via being more spiritually discerning, ensuring we know what the Gospel is, and by being aware of false teaching in our county so that we can reach people with the Gospel.
Why Did We Address this Topic?
~ The topics addressed came up in conversations, and meetings were had, from various people from within the church.
As an under-shepherd, it’s served me and the church well to address things that people from within the church are dealing with. And if one person is dealing with an issue, it's likely that others are dealing with it or are affected by it as well. This is why we’re looking at the topic of Grace on Wednesday Nights. We’re the Body of Christ, what affects one of us affects us all.
~ To Follow the Biblical Pattern.
We take our cue from the Bible: The New Testament has 27 books and out of those 27 books, with the exception of Philemon, 26 of them address false teaching/teachers. In some of those letters, false teachers are addressed by name and publicly. From God’s vantage point it’s a high priority to address this topic from time to time because His message of salvation, the Gospel, must be defended when attacked. We must get the Gospel right. It is God’s most important message.
~ We care about our community.
Our community is composed of people– people we love and know. And each one of those people have an eternal destiny. Some of the people you know may be involved in systems within our county that get the Gospel wrong via misunderstandings on baptism and Who God is. As was mentioned in the series, “If we get the Gospel wrong, what god are we worshipping?”, and, “If we get God wrong as to Who He is, then what god are we worshipping?”. We want our loved ones experiencing God and His love for eternity. Continue to ask God for tender heart, a Scripture filled mind, and opportunities to build relationships that lead to Gospel conversations.
Was it Right for Us to Address This Topic?
Yes, it was right for us to address this topic. Why? So that lies that have eternal consequences can be exposed and so truth can be revealed to, as the Bible communicates, ‘snatch people from the fire’.
Sometimes we’re tempted to judge right or wrong based on the response we’ll get. Ex.: If the outcome feels good, it must be right. Or, if the outcome seems bad, it must be wrong. What’s most helpful in discerning truth is answering the question, “What does the Bible say?”. Answering that question gives us the answer as to if something is right or wrong, true or false. Even if a topic is difficult to address, when we address it we’re being faithful to God and we’re serving ourselves and others well.
Use This Series As Part of Your Evangelism Tool Box.
This series, as difficult as some of the content may have been to hear, can be used to help us discern between truth and error and it can help us to know the signs of a false Gospel when compared to the Biblical Gospel. And in doing so, the Scripture mentioned in the series can help you to communicate truth. Be a critical thinker without being negatively critical in your approach. Love and truth are necessities in evangelism.
A Church Needs to Be Known for Teaching and Living the Whole Counsel of God.
Sometimes a church is only known for what they’re against; and that’s not good because that perverts holiness, makes the church devoid of love, and vacuums the life out of ministry and people. Sometimes a church is only known for what they’re for; and that’s not good because a church like that perverts the love of God and makes His love appear as a sappy unChrist-like love, lacks holiness, it can slowly pull people away from the Biblical God. However, when a church teaches, learns, and practices the whole counsel of God we have a balance. A Biblical life is a balanced life.
Don’t Fear Going Into the Unknown.
If a leader or pastor that you trust (or any other leader for that matter) brings up a point or position that maybe you’ve not heard before, you owe it to yourself to investigate and ask questions. We may be tempted not to go in the direction of the unknown, but when we do- we learn. The Bible shows several examples of people learning something they hadn’t known before. When we do the same, we get to be led by God and get to know Him in a way we may not have before.
Some of you may not have been able to hear the series, Gospel Discernment, yet. If that was you, be encouraged to listen via our website, Facebook page, or our YouTube page as a great portion of this series deals with false teaching with dire consequences in and around our county. For those who were able to be present and listen, I sincerely appreciate you being present. And if you need to re-listen to it, feel free. For all… I’m thankful for your desire to get to know Christ more and for the desire you have for your community to know Christ. As always, if you have questions, let the elders and/or me know and we’ll get together.
Christ’s Blessings to you,
Scott Welch
pastor Christ Community Church