Drippings from the Honeycomb
More to be desired are [the rules of the Lord] than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. (Psalm 19:10)
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Today is Reformation Day, the day when Protestants remember Martin Luther posting his 95 arguments and thus starting a movement to reform the Catholic Church called the Reformation. On the surface the Reformation was about justification by faith. However, at its heart it was about authority. Protestants believe that Scripture alone is authoritative and Catholics believe that Scripture and Tradition are co-equally authoritative.
Fast forward some 500 years. In a culture that is so subjective and post-modern that it is adrift, people are looking for meaning. As such, there is a quiet revival happening in religious life. Whereas in the 90s and early 2000s religion was declining because of secularism, today it is on the rise. There are two areas where statistics, news articles and experience all reveal where growth is happening: in classically evangelical churches and in Catholic/Orthodox churches. In the former it is because eternal truth is proclaimed uncompromisingly, in the latter because of the emphasis on ancient tradition. Truth and tradition are drawing people back to visible Christianity. However, another interesting trend has been happening, a Reformation reversal of sorts. There have been news articles of Protestant pastors ‘swimming the Tiber’ and converting to Catholicism. Likewise, there are personal examples of those raised in Protestant homes and churches converting to Catholicism. This isn’t widespread and there are still many Catholics who convert to Christ. Still, what is driving this phenomenon? I suggest three main reasons:
What is Pentecost? Pentecost means 50, taken from the Greek word pente or fifty. In Hebrew it was the Feast of First-fruits (or a harvest festival) observed 50 days after Passover (Lev 23:9–14). Here, worshippers brought their the first fruits of their harvest to the Lord. Jesus spent 40 days with His disciples after His Resurrection before He ascended to heaven. He commanded them to wait in Jerusalem until they received the promised helper (Ezk 36:26–7; Joel 2:28–32, Acts 2, et al). When He came, the New Covenant people of God began! The Spirit fulfilled the longing for the ability for hard hearts to be soften to keep God’s Law, or to truly live for Him. Without the Spirit we cannot live the Christian life. And so, having been regenerated by the Spirits work to believe and be justified, now adopted we receive Him into our heart as a gift to become new creations. He is given to every believer upon faith (Gal 3:2–3). In grace, this is the first fruit God gives to us of our final salvation (Ro 8:13)! Pentecost was the last step to inaugurate the New Covenant and close the inter-covenantal period between Christ’s conception and the Spirit’s coming. Why Celebrate Pentecost? Most Christians today will observe Christmas and Passover (Easter), even if they aren’t overly liturgical. Yet, we’re only explicitly commanded to observe the Lord’s Day. However, given the weight of narrative in the Gospels and their centrality in coming together to form the basis of the New Covenant, we have warrant to modestly observe these three:
 This is what Pentecost is and why we’re remembering it this year at MBC.
Read here.
What is a church covenant? A covenant is an agreement that forms the basis of a relationship. Throughout the Bible covenants are the spine that hold the Scriptures together. Covenant is how God relates to us by His grace. As believer’s have been brought into a New Covenant (relationship) with God through belief and baptism in Jesus Christ (vertical covenant), so too believers covenant together to form a local church (horizontal covenant). We are the New Covenant community pictured in Acts. A church covenant is a voluntary promissory commitment by which believers unite together in membership to live together, by God’s grace, to fulfill God’s calling upon the local church and our Christian walk. It is a basic thing, committing to walk in the elementary things of Christ. It is solemn because to be part of Christ’s church is an awesome thing. It is joyful because to serve Christ and one another is a wonderful thing. It differentiates one local church from another local church. It is counter-cultural as we value community and commitment in an individualist and non-committal world. It is the structure that creates a place of belonging. We read our covenant every time a new member(s) joins and also regularly in between such times to remind ourselves of what we commit to in Christ as Christians walking together. All of this is why our covenant is headed with these words: "Seeing as God deals with mankind through the New Covenant, we as members of this local church, having professed Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and been baptized by immersion in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit into His body, solemnly and joyfully covenant together before God, angels and one another as one local body in Christ, with the following promises consistent with the Biblical teaching of a New Testament Gospel church." This blog series will explain the different elements of our church covenant block by block.  As a lover of history and art, I’ve always appreciated the biblical wisdom conveyed in a sculpture at McMaster Divinity College titled ‘the unknown Baptist minister.’ While focusing on a solitary model vs. the plurality found in Scripture, it nevertheless conveys some classic essentials of what elders do.
Shape Firstly, one notices that the sculpture is shaped like the Cross. An elder is to have a cross shaped ministry and life. His message should be one of pointing sinners to trust in the finished work of Christ in His death, and because the Cross is empty, the Resurrection. His life should likewise be cruciform and full of life, knowing suffering as a servant of Christ and yet victory, for the sake of God’s glory and kingdom. Secondly, one notices the Cross is leafy, symbolizing the pioneer setting of the minister in question in the artwork. Every elder must be incarnational in his setting of ministry, or in all things not sinful become as his inhabitants and congregants. Bottom to Top While ordination usually only accompanies lead-elders, the recognition of an elders’ ministry by the congregation(s) is an important part of his ministry. We do not only operate by the inward call of God, but the outward call of God expressed through His people (Acts 13:2–3). To enter into God’s service is a humbling act. Preaching rightly crowns the elder’s life. Along with prayer (Acts 6:4), teaching is the primary calling of an elder (Ro 10:17). The authority of the Word informs and gives shape to everything else he does. Moving up from the bottom is an essential component stressed in all of the qualifications for elders, the elder’s family life and devotions. To be able to lead God’s people, he must first be able to lead his own (1 Ti 3:4). Left & Right The left and right branches, like the head, largely deal with the outward or institutional elements of the ministry. Centred are the administration of the ordinance of baptism and the Lord’s supper. However, ministry is more than the ordinances, and involves personal study and heartfelt personal prayer (left) and the affectionate catechism of the people, especially children. Centre While preaching may be the head, at the centre is nevertheless something that is vital for an effective ministry--visitation. The shepherd must know his sheep, both to be trusted but also to know how to effectively minister to their need, questions, etc. Taken together, this sculpture encompasses many key ingredients in an elders ministry. Rooted in Scripture, this is what elders do. For a century and a half ‘altar calls’ (which is an odd Protestant term in itself) have been seen as important in conversion. First popularized by Charles Finney and perhaps immortalized in Billy Graham’s crusades, the altar call is often unquestioningly seen as a crucial element to sections of evangelical Christianity. However, it might be seen as socially and even emotionally manipulative practice; but what is more a substitute for what God has commanded.
God has already given us an ‘altar call,’ a way to express faith in Christ publically and it is called baptism. We don’t need to come to the front, we need to plunge beneath the waters. Matthew’s Gospel places a clear emphasis of baptism in following Jesus, from John’s baptism of repentance (Mt 3:1–12), Jesus’ own baptism (Mt 3:13–17) to the New Covenant sign of Baptism in the process of making disciples (Mt 28:19–20). It is through baptism that we express our faith and discipleship and the Lordship of Christ. It is through baptism that we become visible citizens of the Kingdom, members of the Church. The first command Jesus ever gave was to be baptized. If we have been convicted of sin through a song or a sermon in a worship gathering and are open to or have trusted in the Gospel (Mt 4:17) then we should seek out or tell a leader and begin the process to be baptized. When we create substitutes, we diminish God’s appointed means. For this reason, I don’t offer ‘altar calls’ but willingly, gladly and regularly urge people to believe and be baptized (c.f. Acts 2:38 and Mk 16:16) and offer necessary supports in this fundamental act of discipleship. Over the weekend I was afforded an opportunity to be in a number of different church settings across southern Ontario as I taught and preached. Ranging from Toronto to Windsor, urban and rural, worship and classroom, I was blessed to experience something of what God is doing in Ontario.
Though class sizes at some seminaries remains low because of post-Covid dynamics and demographic trends in education, there are still those who are preparing for ministry via seminary. In Toronto this has a very international feel. One student, from Malaysia, is planning on returning there to minister amongst the predominantly Muslim population. The church is Ontario is connected with the uttermost parts of the earth, both in receiving and sending. God is globalizing His Church. On the Lord’s Day I was able to preach at a church I had previously pastored in rural Ontario. When I transitioned to a new ministry the church was struggling to deal with carnal individuals who had too long persisted in the congregation (c.f. Eph 4). Since those individuals have ceased to be part of that congregation my friend, who now pastors there, has seen what liberty follows such a happy change. I preached beside the church in a large tent to 200+ people as the church building cannot contain the number of people who have come to Christ (largely from a nominally Christian population group in the community). God is building His Church. That evening I was speaking at an induction service in Windsor. It was a medium sized urban congregation that, following a wider trend, is moving away from being seeker sensitive and more liberal, to one that is much more robust, healthy and evangelical—this led primarily by the younger generations. It was a joy to be a part of that by offering a biblically grounded charge to the new pastor, congregation and lost amongst them. God is renewing His Church. On Monday I was back in Toronto speaking to a group of pastors on the “unknown Baptist minister,” Robert Hall Sr. of Arnsby (1728–1791). There was much in his story that was a challenge and encouragement to the brothers (and sisters) gathered there. One of these was to a missionary couple to Asia from Mexico who were visiting Toronto who will now take the lessons from Hall Sr. back to their villages. In spite of the encouragement from the workers from Mexico, one prayer request from the pastors present, i.e. not something unique to our church, is the need for workers. The harvest is plentiful but the labourers in Ontario are few (c.f. Mt 9:37). Not only do we need more young people prepared for ministry in seminary, etc, there is a direct need in the number of older Gospel workers approaching retirement. This is a real and present need; yet God is preparing His Church. There are many things the church faces in Ontario but there are many things that make this an exciting time in which to serve the Lord. Let us go forward into the unknown in a spirit of faith and boldness and Word-centredness as the early Church did (Acts 4:31). [Ref. Sermon-Witness in Jerusalem: The New Covenant Community, Acts 2:43–47, January 22, 2023]
What are principles of a healthy church? This question is different than what is the Church? The universal Church is made up of all those called out from the world and united into the body through faith in Christ. The local church is where this is made visible through the ordinances, public worship, the preaching of the word, regenerate membership and discipline, pastoral care and discipleship, the ‘one anothers,’ evangelism, etc. True churches may be weighed as more pure or less pure depending on their faithfulness to the Scriptures. There are many principles we might ascertain from Scripture as to what a healthy church is (vs. the human intuition and wisdom many church growth specialists rely upon [though this has its place]). However, an excellent near one stop shop is to find the principles of a healthy church is Acts 2:43–47. Luke provides a cameo of life in the early New Covenant Community that provides measurable principles by which later generations of the Church may fairly be tried. So, how does our/your church compare to the early Jerusalem church? After reading this passage take the following test to find out. A DEVOTED COMMUNITY, v. 42 The Church was devoted, committed, to the Lord, each other and the things He had ordained for church life. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 AN APOSTOLIC COMMUNITY, v. 42, 43 The teaching and practice of the church was that of the Apostles and Jesus Himself as we find faithfully recorded in Scripture. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A FELLOWSHIPPING COMMUNITY, v. 42 The Church was committed to the fellowship (membership) and to fellowship (sharing in the bond of the Spirit). 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 GATHERING COMMUNITY, v. 46 Day by day, in formal and in informal ways, the church met together. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A LEARNING COMMUNITY, v. 42 Topping the list the church studied together and grew spiritually. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A WORSHIPPING COMMUNITY, v. 42, 46, 47a The church was marked by gladness and expressed this in personal and public worship. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A PRAYING COMMUNITY, v. 42b They not only prayed, they prayed together (“the prayers”). 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A GENEROUS COMMUNITY, vv. 44–45 Related to fellowship, the church met one another’s needs as the family of God. Living as God would have them live as redeemed humanity. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 AN EVANGELISTIC COMMUNITY, implied in v. 47b Since ‘faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God’ (Ro 10:17) they had to share the Gospel in order to grow. There good works adorned the Gospel (Tit 2:10). 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A GROWING COMMUNITY, v. 47a Just as healthy organisms grow the Church grew as they did what they were supposed to do. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Out of 100, how did you do? What areas must you devote your attention to become a healthier Church/Christian? Christmas of 2022 was unusual for many congregations, we had a blizzard that closed roads and forced many churches to suspend their Christmas Day services. The second thing that was unusual was that Christmas Day and the Lord’s Day coincided, something that only happens every few years. For our culture Christmas (without the Christ) is the high holy day of the year. On Christmas even the shops are closed, family is a focus (which in itself is good), the pagan myths are brought out and of course there is the worship of self through materialism. For our culture Christmas is paramount. For Christians, it is not wrong to remember the Incarnation, but our high holy day, a New Testament ordinance, is the Lord’s Day. It is the day we remember the Resurrection. It is the day we express our dependence upon the Lord, and that our lives revolve around Him. It is His day through which we honour and worship Him in a special way. It is the day on which the church gathers. Every Sunday, including when it is Christmas Day, we do not neglect to meet together (Heb 10:25). This is because Christians believe God’s will for the church is set forth in the New Testament. We do not get to choose how to live and worship, He does.
Throughout history God’s kingdom, that is the restoration of His rule on earth—particularly under the New Covenant—has sometimes surged forward, grown in revival, persevered in faithful labouring, plodded, seemingly retreated, but over-all has been advancing like that mustard seed growing into a tree (Mk 4:30–34).
But like a soldier caught in the thick of the life and missional battle to which we’ve been called, it can be difficult sensing the greater plan and knowing our place in it. What are we to do! This week was St. David’s Day, the patron saint of Wales. Wales is a beautiful country dear to my family’s heart from our many explorations there (we enjoyed some Welsh cakes to celebrate). David was some sort of protégé of the great evangelist Patrick who ministered in Ireland leading to that islands conversion from Paganism. David sought to do the same in Wales. A Welsh maxim says, “do the little things in life” (i.e. when you don’t know exactly what to do, begin by doing what needs to be done). This is from David who said, ‘Be joyful, keep the faith, and do the little things that you have heard and seen me do.’ (an echo of Paul in Phil 4:8–9). As a result of his little things much of Wales became Christian. The Lord uses us to do much when we are faithful in the little things He has commanded His Church to be about (e.g. worship, prayer, Bible study, holy living, evangelism, charity). This sentiment was also shared by James Culross over a century ago. In writing a biography of John Ryland Jr., he said: “unlike those most useless persons in Christian circles who are always waiting for great things to do, and who neglect the opportunities which lie to their hand, young Ryland always did the little which lay to his hand, and found that by doing the ‘next thing’ life became rich in opportunities of usefulness.”[1] This was certainly true of the early Church for while it enjoyed seasons of rapid advance (think the day of Pentecost) its first centuries have been characterized by the phrase, “a long obedience in the same direction.” Regardless of what season we find ourselves in as Ontarian Christians today, the call to readiness (Titus) and to be faithful in little to be made faithful in much apply today (Lk 16:10). What Ontario needs today are not super-Christian who are trying to do great things but ordinary Christians who will faithfully serve Christ in a steady advance—doing the little things today, tomorrow and the day after that in service to their Lord. That is how Christ’s kingdom will come, through a steady advance. Even so we pray, come Lord Jesus come. *For more see listen to the Extraordinary Ordinary that is being encouraged as we approach our post-Covid world. [1] James Culross, The Three Rylands (1897), 73.
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