The Church's Identity Crisis

 
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In many ways, the church in our age is suffering from an identity crisis. She does not know who she is, and she does not know why she is. As a result, she is often living like someone she was never called to be and concerning herself with a mission that her Husband has never given to her.

What is the mission Jesus has given to his Bride? Popular “Christian” authors are passionately striving to convince us of any number of answers. Each one claims to be the enlightened truth that the others are missing. It is tempting to want to add our own voice to the noise. But, instead of searching for the answers in the words of well-meaning but fallen men, why don't we listen to our Savior’s own words? After all, isn’t it his church?

What if we simply let a handful of relevant passages speak for themselves? I for one am weary of the marketing departments of this world trying to “rebrand” my Lord and his people. The voice I long to hear and be led by is the one which has already spoken in the Scriptures; the singular voice of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit uniformly declaring their holy and unchanging will for the world that is upheld by their sovereign power alone.

Let the world resign itself to silence and let the Word of God himself be heard.

Matthew 4:17

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 28:18-20

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Mark 3:14

14 And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach…

Luke 24:45-47

45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Acts 26:16-18

16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose…so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Romans 1:16

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…

I Corinthians 2:1-5

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

I Corinthians 9:19-23

19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them… 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

II Corinthians 4:1-7

Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

II Corinthians 5:18-21

8 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

This Is Only the Tip of the Iceberg

Many more verses could be added to this list. Yet, thoughtful consideration of even these few passages brings into sharp clarity the misguided focus bombarding God’s people. Not all who tout the term “gospel” are following King Jesus’ focus and mission. Not all who speak with conviction and passion are also speaking with truth. Not all who write books and blogs and land speaking deals at conferences are necessarily leading God’s people in God’s way. There is only one Lord whom we have been called to follow (Matt. 4:19; Ex. 20:3); all others are to be followed only insomuch as they “follow Christ,” (I Cor. 11:1).

Let us turn down the noise. Let us stop placing our stock in the sandy speaches of popular speakers and rather build our lives upon the solid rock of Christ’s Word, (Matt. 7:24-27). My earnest prayer is that God will bring us, his beloved church, to once again consciously and resolutely echo the Spirit of God speaking through our martyred brother Paul when he championed the central focus of the mission of God’s people:

Colossians 1:28-29

28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

Soli deo gloria!

 
1-30Rev. Tom Brown