The World's Ruined: The Lord's Day Minimum Daily Requirement... Beggars Should Be Choosers (Part 3) -

Sunday, April 2, 2023

The Lord's Day Minimum Daily Requirement... Beggars Should Be Choosers (Part 3) -

In this third and last segment of "Beggars Should Be Choosers" (Part 1 and Part 2) I lay out some thoughts on the importance of what I am calling the Lord's Day Minimum Daily Requirement. There are essentials that make up a kind of necessary nutritional value when choosing a local church. They are gospel-centered and helped this beggar in choosing a church home in an ACNA congregation.

In Part 1 and Part 2 I gave a brief historical tour of my church experience in which I drew out several lines fundamental (IMHO) to the process of choosing a church. If you are to live the Christian life then you are meant to be a Christian in a church. You will choose a church. The thesis of this 3-part post is that when it comes to finding a local church beggars (Christians) should be choosers. It's in the local church where, so to speak, the rubber meets the road.

Some considerations I previously laid out in choosing a local church were Christ-centered worship, a set liturgy with its roots in the Reformation, a liturgy that isn’t pared down to mere outline, a church holding to a Reformed confession, a gospel-centered worship around the Lord’s Supper, and preaching that presents not law as the food for faith but Christ crucified as found in the gospel. Let's take a closer look.

Christ-centered worship: How does one measure that? Without any other qualifiers this descriptor ends up merely being something in the eye of the beholder. Any serious Christian church would claim to have Christ-centered worship. So, the question is how do you define this? Let me ask another question. How did Jesus define what it means to interpret and understand the written word? Two biblical texts come to mind -

"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life." John 5:39-40

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 24:27

The minimum requirement necessary to interpret the Bible is that all of Scripture points to Christ. That is the Bible's purpose. So to understand Scripture is not to ask does a particular passage point to Christ, but rather how does it point to Christ. To read Scripture with a different focus is to miss seeing Jesus. From start to finish the Bible shows sinners the way to God. And again and again it points to Jesus Christ.

Similarly, church worship ought to have ingredients that point to and focus on the crucified, risen, and ascended Lord Jesus Christ. To ignore that focus is to miss what the Church is about. We worship God in Christ, come to God through Christ, are cleansed of our sin by him, and are spiritually fed of him. To minimize this end is to relegate Jesus to the margins of worship or as someone phrased it - assume the gospel. It would be like holding a banquet feast for hungry people but leaving most of the nourishing food off the table, i.e. not served. A feast is all about the food! There may be a menu at each setting listing the delicious delights, but the paucity of nourishment actually provided causes one to remain hungry. The problem may be that those holding the banquet don't realize how hungry people are (analogy alert). Faith needs to be fed and the food is Christ.

A set liturgy with its roots in the Reformation: Why? Well, the Reformation brought forth the clearest understanding of the gospel. And it is in the gospel that Christ Jesus is freely offered as food for saving faith; faith by which sinners lay hold of salvation. Simply put, church worship should point to Christ in the gospel as the power of God for salvation to all who believe (Rom 1:16}. Why a set liturgy? As I wrote before, few pastors are up to the task of developing a worship service that approaches what we already have been given. The temptation to innovate is great. And to innovate is an invitation to likely veer off course.

One finds in the church liturgies of the Reformation such essentials as prayer to God through the mediator Jesus Christ, corporate general confession of sin, declaration of pardon to all who believe in Christ, reading of Scripture, the declaration of God's Law, a confessional creed, praise and song to God extolling salvation in Christ, the unveiled proclamation of the gospel in both the sermon and the administration of the Lord's Supper, and a final gospel blessing declared upon the congregation. Every week... and this never gets old. Rather these gospel elements are crucial for spiritual health and life just as our daily meals are necessary for the health of the body.

And a set Reformed liturgy serves as a kind of regulative principle protecting the believer from the less than edifying experiments or ad-libs (often weekly) that mark much of today's Protestant/Evangelical churches.

In addition, a set Reformed liturgy serves a catechetical purpose as believers rehearse each week through prayer, confession of sin, declaration of pardon, etc. the faith once delivered. The grace and unmerited mercy of God in Christ become more internalized and deeply held through a lather, rinse, and repeat liturgical Christ-centered worship.

A liturgy that isn’t pared down to mere outline: I mention this due to the tendency in some Reformed churches to have many, if not all, of the above essentials but unfortunately in brief bits or morsels that assume too much of what is left unsaid.

A minister of a church might say, "We know everyone here believes in the forgiveness of sins for all who repent and believe in Christ," ...

but did your parishioners hear that affirmation from you every week or did you say to yourself, as I have heard and read confessional Reformed folk say, “We all know what the gospel is. Let us get on to the Christian life?...

There are more “tender reeds” and “dimly burning” wicks than we under shepherds know...” (R. Scott Clark)

In a word, the gospel essentials should be unambiguous, repetitive, and full.

A church holding to a Reformed confession: It's in the confessions and catechisms of the Reformation* where one finds the clearest teaching on what is biblical Christianity. They give shape and direction to the worship of the church.** Simply put, they are essential to the church for staying the biblical course as she navigates the waters of this age.

A gospel-centered worship around the Lord’s Supper: It's unfortunate when the celebration of the Lord's Table is condensed into an all-too brief ceremony at the end of the church service, almost as if it is tacked on. Often it's reduced to little more than reciting Christ's words of institution and the distribution of the bread and cup. Why not a fuller unpacking of the mystery of this visible gospel in the prayers preceding and following the partaking? The value of this can be seen in the communion liturgy found in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.** In other words, a fuller serving of Christ and his finished work of the cross as we eat and drink of him through faith. The remembrance of Jesus Christ in the Supper ought to be a big deal, because it is. As Michael Horton states:

“One of the reasons so many churches have gone to drama and other theatrical arts in worship is because the sermon and larger liturgical setting have failed to provide the sense that something dramatic is happening, as we gather before God.”

If time is taken, the minister's eucharistic prayers and spoken words can accomplish that.

Preaching that presents not law as the food for faith but Christ crucified as found in the gospel: In other words, not mere teachings that are more at home in a seminary class. Not sermons that are mainly admonitions to being more faithful and obedient. Not primarily moral examples from the Bible to imitate. But a clear presentation from Scripture of the sinful plight of fallen man and God's free offer of salvation in Christ to all who believe the gospel. Again, this never gets old. All of scripture points to Jesus Christ. And all the Church needs is Jesus Christ.

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* The ACNA holds to a Reformed confession of faith in the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion - “Continental historians, both Protestant and Catholic, rank the Church of England among the Reformed Churches as distinct from the Lutheran, and her Articles are found in every collection of Reformed Confessions." (Philip Schaff as quoted by J.I. Packer in his book The Thirty-Nine Articles - Their Place and Use Today, p 33) - https://theworldsruined.blogspot.com/2021/08/the-case-for-reformedcalvinist-roots-of.html

**“The Book of Common Prayer liturgy is primarily a theological work, in that it was doctrine that guided Cranmer’s liturgical writings.” G. W. Bromily, Thomas Cranmer: Theologian.

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2 comments:

AnonymousApril 5, 2023 at 9:34 AM
This was an excellent 3-part blog post series, Jack. I find myself on the same path, thank you for all of this!!!
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The Mere Mercy of God

This calling of Abram is a signal instance of the gratuitous mercy of God. Had Abram been beforehand with God by any merit of works? Had Abram come to him, or conciliated his favour? Nay, we must ever recall to mind that he was plunged in the filth of idolatry; and God freely stretches forth his hand to bring back the wanderer. He deigns to open his sacred mouth, that he may show to one, deceived by Satan's wiles, the way of salvation.

But this is done designedly, in order that the manifestation of the grace of God might become the more conspicuous in his person. For he is an example of the vocation of us all; for in him we perceive, that, by the mere mercy of God, those things that are not are raised from nothing, in order that they may begin to be something.

-John Calvin, Genesis, (Banner of Truth), p. 343

"Nor the faith also does not shut out the justice of our good works, necessarily to be done afterwards of duty towards GOD (for we are most bounden to serve GOD, in doing good deeds, commanded by him in his holy Scripture, all the days of our life): But it excludes them, so that we may not do them to this intent, to be made good by doing of them. For all the good works that we can do, be imperfect, and therefore not able to deserve our justification: but our justification doth come freely by the mere mercy of God..." (Thomas Cranmer - Homily of Justification)

Justification-Sanctification/Law-Gospel

In short, I affirm, that not by our own merit but by faith alone, are both our persons and works justified; and that the justification of works depends on the justification of the person, as the effect on the cause. (John Calvin, Acts of the Council of Trent with the Antidote)

The law guides, directs, commands, all things that are against the interest and rule of sin. It judgeth and condemneth both the things that promote it and the persons that do them; it frightens and terrifies the consciences of those who are under its dominion. But if you shall say unto it, “What then shall we do? this tyrant, this enemy, is too hard for us. What aid and assistance against it will you afford unto us? what power will you communicate unto its destruction?” Here the law is utterly silent, or says that nothing of this nature is committed unto it of God: nay, the strength it hath it gives unto sin for the condemnation of the sinner: “The strength of sin is the law.” But the gospel, or the grace of it, is the means and instrument of God for the communication of internal spiritual strength unto believers. By it do they receive supplies of the Spirit or aids of grace for the subduing of sin and the destruction of its dominion… (John Owen, A Treatise of the Dominion of Sin and Grace)