So Great Salvation

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."2Cor 5:21
1. God made
The Creator who made all things has made a way to redeem all things. And the whole creation groans for that redemption.
2. Him
Who is He? He is Jesus of Nazareth. He is the Word that became flesh. He is the Son of God. He is the King of Kings. He is Lord. "He who had no sin," the sinless one.
3.  God made him...to be sin for us.
The sin is and was ours, not his. It is my sin and your sin. It is the sin that corrupts the whole of creation. It is the sin that we inherited from Adam, that original sin in which we were born. It is the sin that caused the Los Vegas and the church shootings. It is the sin that kills babies, corrupts marriages, starves people, enslaves girls and boys in sex trafficking, breaks up marriages and destroys families. It is that sin which produces collective results in a fallen world, poverty and disease and natural disasters. It is our sin. It became his. He who had no sin became sin...for us!
4. So that
Something good is about to follow... So that...
5. In him
Not in myself and my works nor my goodness.
Not in the Republican nor Democratic Parties.
Not in Buddha, Not in Mohammed, Not in Krishna. In Him. (See #2 above)
6. We might become
Possibilities we have never known in our selves nor in others become reality in Him. We can be something we have not been. We can do something we have not done. We can see and taste and smell and touch and feel something we never knew. What we have not been, can be.
7. The righteousness of God
Glory! The righteous, the Holiness of God. Through Christ God puts us in a right relationship with himself, a justified relationship, so that we become his righteousness, his holiness, we become like him. What does that mean? See all of the above. We become like a Jesus!

The Way of Salvation

The Way of Salvation 

As I continue to study the life and ministry of John Fletcher, Methodist theologian, apologist for John Wesley’s theology, and humble pastor I have been impressed with his exploration and amplification on Wesley’s Way of Salvation. I struggle with the term, “dispensation” in modern English and in the misappropriation of the term in dispensationalist theology. So I am looking for another word, synonym, to communicate this truth. 

Further, i am thinking about a series of sermons and/or lectures on these four dispensations. You thoughts will be helpful. 

Fletcher’s thoughts as I understand them:  

The Way of salvation is revealed in the salvation history of scripture, the work of salvation as experienced in the believer’s life.

Fletcher expanded Wesley’s via salutis (way of salvation) with a concept of four stages (or dispensations - or gifts) of faith which believers pass through in the course of their lives. These personal and progressive stages of faith are abstracted from the public history of salvation as typified 

in the age of Noah (Gentilism), where there is a general awareness of God; 

the dispensation of Moses (Judaism), where there is a awareness of the personal character of God in special revelation; 

the dispensation of John the Baptist (and the disciples of Jesus during his earthly life), where there is God’s self-revelation and the offer of redeeming grace and forgiveness of sins; 

and the dispensation of the risen Lord (culminating on the day of Pentecost which marked the birthday of the church) where believers are enabled to love God with a pure heart through the agency (baptism, infilling, or sealing) of the Holy Spirit. Wesley applauded Fletcher’s concept of dispensation: “Mr. Fletcher has given us a wonderful view of the different dispensations which we are under. I believe that difficult subject was never placed in so clear a light before. It seems God has raised him up for this very thing” ([6:136-137] “Letter to Elizabeth Ritchie,” January 17, 1775).

Further, these four “dispensations” reveal the way most Christians experience salvation. I am looking for personal testimonies reflecting this. 

Terrorizing

Terrorizing the Kingdom of Darkness 

A missionary in the Philippines in constant danger due to the ministry of rescuing young girls and boys from sex trafficking mafia thugs writes: 

“Terrorizing the kingdom of darkness.” 

He is engaged with the enemy in a life and death struggle, and an eternal battle for the souls of the least and the last and the lost. 

Then I received a message from an Indian pastor/evangelist with a D.Min. degree from one of my alma maters saying, “Pray for us, our family and our churches. We are in constant danger from the militant Hindu opposition here.” 

A colleague writes in an encrypted message from Venezuela, “We are making plans to leave. We have been targeted by government gangs because of our stance on the deteriorating situation here.” 

And I sit safe and warm in a multimillion dollar sanctuary where the kingdom of darkness holds no fear of a militant church. Domesticated, demur, self-satisfied and comfortable, we pose no threat to the kingdom of darkness. No battle wages here. No souls in peril of destruction are rescued here. 

God help me…us…the church in the US. Certainly some are a threat to the kingdom of darkness, but most of us are a toothless tiger. 

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (I Peter 5:8-9)

Methodist Poet Laureate, Fanny Crosby, reminds us:

“Rescue the perishing,

  Care for the dying,

Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;

  Weep o’er the erring one,

  Lift up the fallen,

Tell them of Jesus the mighty to save.

Rescue the perishing,

  Care for the dying;

Jesus is merciful,

    Jesus will save.

Though they are slighting Him,

  Still He is waiting,

Waiting the penitent child to receive;

  Plead with them earnestly,

  Plead with them gently;

He will forgive if they only believe.

Down in the human heart,

  Crushed by the tempter,

Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;

  Touched by a loving heart,

  Wakened by kindness,

Chords that are broken will vibrate once more.

Rescue the perishing,

  Duty demands it;

Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide;

  Back to the narrow way,

  Patiently win them;

Tell the poor wand’rer a Savior has died.”

Too often I have recruited to prosperous instead of rescuing the perishing. 

Thoughts on an Early Movement

Thoughts from the Beginning of a Movement 

Laurance Coughlan was an interesting character in our Methodist history. He was the preacher in Ireland who led Robert Strawbridge to Christ. Strawbridge became an itinerant Methodist preacher in Ireland, married a young Methodist girl, and immigrated to America, settled in Maryland where he established he first Methodist congregation in America and had a significant impact on the spread of the Methodist movement.

Coughlan was both ordained by a Greek Orthodox priest and an Anglican Bishop. He served as a missionary in Newfoundland. But he always identified as a Methodist, more of the Calvinist variety such as George Whitfield. 

Both he and Strawbridge were beset with controversy as they pursued their calling rejecting the strict accountability of the Anglican system. For example, Strawbridge was the first Methodist to administer the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper in America. He had no authority to do so, which caused Bishop Asbury some discomfort. However, Asbury endorsed Robert Strawbridge’s ministry and seems to have been a most supportive encourager to his ministry. 

But Strawbridge was most indebted to Coughlan. So many of the early leaders of the movement did not fit into the established image of a clergyman. The Methodist Movement was not always “decent and in order,” but lives were changed. Why? 

The writing of Coughlan (below) will give a hint. The Wesleyan movement was always Christo-centrist. 

LAURENCE COUGHLAN: AN ACCOUNT OF THE WORK OF GOD IN NEWFOUNDLAND

PREFACE.
TO THE
CHRISTIAN READER.

“THERE is nothing more pleasant and comfortable, more animating and enlivening, more ravishing and Soul-contenting, to a true Christian, than the frequent reading the Experiences of dying Saints; this discovers the Communion and Oneness that subsists between the Head and Members; Christ Jesus being the whole of Man's Happiness; the Physician, who heals bhis Soul's Sickness; the Wall of Fire, which defends him in all the Assaults of his Enemies; the Ark, which supports him in the Deluge of all his Diseases; the Rock, which sustains him under the heaviest Pressure; the Enjoyment, which solaceth him in the deepest Sorrows; while the Want of Christ distracteth Souls in the greatest worldly Abundance. Christ is the Pillar, whicH protects and leads his dear Children: He is the Heavenly Manna, which feeds the Lord's People; he is the brazen Serpent, which cures them of thIs sinful Venom, which the fiery Serpent hath infused into them: For Christ is the All in All, in whom Mercy is seated, and through whom, it is revealed and communicated to all that thirst after it.

Nothing can make that Man miserable, who hath Christ for his Portion; Christ being the only Well that is able to refresh and fill us, when all our Vessels, like Hagar's, prove empty Bottles. Christ is the only Conductor, who is able to lead his People through this Wilderness, and Red Sea of manifold Adversities; the only Companion to comfort us, when God calls us to pass through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. From hence it appears, that having Christ, we are secure; but, without Christ, all other Enjoyments are worth Nothing. Stand not therefore upon the Cost, whether Pains, or Tears, or Prayers, Peace or Wealth, Goods or Name, Life or Liberty; sell all for this Pearl: Christ is of that Worth and Use, that thou canst never overbuy him, though thou givest thyself, and all the World for him. The making sure of Christ is the Assurance of all the rest.”

Who will lead the next great Methodist movement in America? Will they fit the image of our current Elders? Will they operate outside the established system? 

Whatever or whoever they are, if their ministry is to be effective, it must be as that of Coughlan, centered on Jesus Christ and the salvation and transformation he brings to the life of the follower of Jesus. 

Post or Pre?

Post-Modern, Post-Christian or Pre-Christian? 

Theologians and Ecclesiologists often refer to our time as Post-Modern. What does that mean?  A search for a clear definition leaves one confused as to a consensus meaning. But here is a simple definition by Terry Eagleton: "the contemporary movement of thought which rejects ... the possibility of objective knowledge" and is therefore "skeptical of truth, unity, and progress" ["After Theory," 2003]. 

The operative word is: “rejects the possibility of objective knowledge.” Therefore, Relativism has become normative in politics, economics, theology, sexuality, ethics, truth, philosophy, etc. There is no doubt this Post-Modernism rules in our universities, mainline theological seminaries, our culture and many of our churches. Since in Post-Modernism there can be no absolute truth, “my” truth becomes absolute for me. So if I self-identify as a rock, who are you to question my truth? 

This attitude toward the nature of truth has produced what many in Europe and North America identify as a Post-Christian age. This is understandable since Orthodox Christianity rests on certain absolute truths as revealed in Scripture and confirmed by the church through the generations. The crisis currently being experienced in the modern mainline denominations is the result of the impact of Post-Modernism on the church. 

Now we can enter a time of mourning for what has been lost. Mourning is most appropriate during times of grief and loss. To avoid mourning is simply to postpone it. We will never move beyond the loss until we experience an appropriate grief process. 

 As we mourn and begin to process through our grief, we then begin to ask, “Now what?” We can never return to the way things were before the loss. We have experienced the death of a child. One marks time, “before our son died and after.” Things will never be the same again. 

So if the age is Post-Christian, and we have adequately dealt with our grief over what is lost, where do we go as a church? What is next? 

I recommend we boldly move to understand or see our world as Pre-Christian, or “Not yet Christian.”  While 75% of Americans say they are Christian, fewer than 35% attended worship last week. And as experienced pastors, we know many who do attend have never had a transforming experience of the grace of Jesus in their lives…or are not Christian. While it's hard to get accurate numbers of practicing Christians, simple observation makes clear most people in our world have no vital relationship with Jesus. 

That is sad. We need to experience godly sorrow over that sad truth. Then we need to get up and do something about it. Our Modern way of doing and being church in a Post-Modern, Pre-Christian world is not working and it never will.

Jesus came to seek and the save the lost. What would it look like if the church of Jesus Christ rediscovered what it means to effectively join Jesus in his mission? 

Call Sinners To Repentance. Is It Possible Today?

My ecclesiastical home, the UMC, once burned with passion to convert sinners. But sometime in the not so recent past, we abandoned this "intolerant" view of people and embraced what a humanist culture lauded as tolerance. And we did so for a lot of good reasons. Bigotry, racism, sexism, economic realities, language differences all demanded a change in the culture - and the church - from intolerance to tolerance. Jesus ate with sinners. Tolerant? Correct?  And so should we demonstrate assertive tolerance. But tolerance of another's view, life choices, religion, etc. is not the same as endorsement. For example, like Jesus, we need to welcome sinners: addicts, fornicators, whoremongers,  thieves, lying preachers, adulterers, even murderers. But we cannot "tolerate" this as an acceptable deviation from the norm. Like the wheel of a car depends on some tolerance to function properly, too much and the wheels run off the car, and possibly someone is severely injured or killed. Our ecclesiastical tolerance has, in my opinion, reached beyond a safe and functional tolerance or variance. The wheels are coming off. But almost no one seems to notice. Our attitude has become, "Live and let live" [J.C.F. Schiller]
However, people are still lost and broken, perversion still enslaves souls, homes are still destroyed, addictions still rob folks of life, the enemy still destroys, children are still enslaved, church folk still contribute to childhood sexual slavery and so much more. 
But we are a tolerant lot. Open Doors, Open Minds, and Open Hearts, our defining core values today.
Who will call sin a sin and sinners to repentance, other than for the PC value of tolerance and the hideous sin of intolerance? I am afraid, "Tolerance is only another name for indifference" [W. Somerset Maugham]
"He breaks the power of cancelled sin, He sets the prisoner free," was once our core value. Now: why can't we all just get alone? The Savior bruised the head of the serpent.  Quite intolerant. John 3:16 exists because of God's love being intolerant of our doomed and damned lives. "Red and Yellow Black and White, they are precious in his sight." We sang it but didn't live it. So we MUST be tolerant. But the Lord who loves us all hates sin so much the only remedy was the cross. Is that the cross Jesus called us to bear. If so, does it call us out of our pretentious vestments, prosperous pulpits, useless committees and boards, archaic and irrelevant worship, endless continuing education, and passionless living to seek and save the lost? No. We will remain content with "Openess," whilemthe church and the world fall into the grip of sin. The church!s sin: passionate tolerant irrelevancy.  But we do have nice vestments and pretty flowers in the altar. Jesus came to call sinners to repentance, to seek and save the lost. But that is so intolerant, to "label" anyone as a sinner or lost. However, I am grateful the Holy Spirit is unfettered by our PC limitations. He still convicts the world of sin and righteousness and judgement. And I get to see the captives being set free!

Not My Church

Not My Church

Almost 40 years ago I preached a sermon, “This is not your church.” It was based on the declaration of Jesus in Matthew 16:18 at Caesarea Philippi, “On this rock I will build my church.” I declared to a congregation which had just celebrated their 175th anniversary, “This is not your church.” I proceeded to attempt to proclaim the Church is of Christ and is not ours to manage, run, control, manipulate, use or even enjoy.  The mission of Christ for the church is clear: “Make Disciples.” The power to do so is also clear, “When the Holy Spirit has come…” 

So if we are going to claim to be a Christian church, our question must always be, “Lord, what do you want from YOUR church?” Not, “what do I want from MY church?” 

This is a totally different perspective than most of us have for the church. Too often it really is about us. 

Recently I was preaching in a medium sized UM Church. As the service was about to begin, i started to sit in my Papa Lathem’s seat - front pew, far right. That was where he sat most of his 90+ years in our little country church. However, in this medium sided church, there was an older woman already sitting on “Papa’s” pew. I knew to ask if it was ok for me to sit there. She graciously informed me her seat was on the left end of the pew, not the right. I was relieved. But what if I had gone to the left? I do not know that lovely woman and suppose her to be a gracious Christian who would have forgiven this ignorant visiting preacher who did not know that was her seat. 

But when I was 8 or 10, I observed my Papa tell the new District Superintendent, “You've got me seat,” and wait until he moved before he introduced himself and welcomed him to our church. Some welcome!

However, Papa was clear, this was his church and that was his seat. His father gave the land and the money to build it and it had been his home for most of his life. His church. 

Now my Papa was a devout follower of Jesus. He lived a holy life, a life of absolute integrity. But somewhere along the way he missed that this was not his church. The church, according to Jesus, did not exist for him. Since he was a part of the church of Jesus Christ, he and the church existed for the sake of others. At least, that is what, I believe, Jesus intended. 

One of the great challenges facing pastors and leaders in our mainline churches is to lead our existing churches to comprehend the mission of making disciples demands we become a church for others, an outwardly focused church. 

However, this is no easy task. I want my church to meet my needs. Jesus calls me to “deny myself, take up the cross and follow me.” Here is the conflict. 

This conflict has been created by two very clearly observable realities: 

1. I do not want to deny myself. 
2. We preachers have not consistently called our people to self-denial, to a cross, to radical discipleship. Because they/we do not want to deny our selves, we have abdicated our prophetic role in both leading them and calling them to the cross of submission to the person and mission of Jesus. 

So today, the task before us is to lead our people to understand what it means to be an outwardly focused church, a church for others. After all, this is not my church.