I Would Leave Your Church
On September 11, 2009 in Minneapolis, MN, the Religious Newswriters Association held a meeting, which featured a Q&A panel for reporters. The topic was: The New Calvinists. The panel consisted of three members: Collin Hansen, John Piper, and Carolyn James. Each panelist made a 15-minute opening statement and then the floor was opened for the various reporters from local and national news entities to pose questions to them about the New Calvinist movement.
Special Annual Issue
This topic has enjoyed a broader interest since Time magazine mentioned it earlier in the year. The special March 23, 2009 issue featured a cover story entitled: 10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now. The New Calvinism ranked third among the ten ideas listed.
- Jobs are the New Assets
- Recycling the Suburbs
- The New Calvinism
- Reinstating the Interstate
- Amortality
- Africa, Business Destination
- The Rent-a-Country
- Biobanks
- Survival Stores
- Ecological Intelligence
Time magazine brought this movement to the attention of a more secular audience and has piqued their interest. 2009 has proven to be a year of intense discussion about religion in America, but it is unclear what fruit will be produced from it. Now, let’s turn our attention back to the meeting in Minneapolis.
A Question of Offense
During the open floor, reporter Cathy Grossman from USA Today addressed a question to John Piper about his opening statement. Piper led his opening statement with how his calvinism deals with the tragedy of 9/11. In summary, the question on September 12th was: Where was God? He responded that God was not helpless nor unable to stop it, but was in charge and in control. He then mentioned what he would say eight years later to children who had lost parents then. He would still tell them God was sovereign over that moment and that same sovereign God, Who is wise and good, will help them in the hard life they have been given. To this Ms. Grossman asked:
If you could please go back to your opening comments about what you would tell the children who lost their parents, because I must have misunderstood you . . . If I lost a spouse and I took my child to your church and I heard you say those things, I would take my child out and never come back. So, clearly I misunderstood.
Though he would go on to say more, Piper immediately responded:
Not necessarily.
Before we go any further, let’s deal with the disclaimers. I am not naive enough to think that I can comprehend everything Ms. Grossman was thinking or feeling from her few brief comments and question. I don’t know all her motivation. This post is not to criticize her and really is not about her. Neither is this post about the theological and practical problem of reconciling the sovereignty of God and the reality of evil and suffering in the world. To that I will simply commend John Piper’s statements as right in a very brief setting.
What is this post about? I want to take the brief exchange quoted above as an opportunity to generalize about very real attitudes and reactions people have to offensive truths.
Offensive Truth
The Bible is a book of absolute truth and absolute truth is a hard rock that busts realities, ideas, thoughts, philosophies, knowledge, teachings, etc. into two categories: true and false, i.e. true and not-true. Absolute truth is always exclusive and therefore offensive to those whose “truth” is excluded.
As long as a church is believing, preaching, teaching, and practicing the Bible, there will be many points where people are offended. The relativism that permeates the worldviews of many demands that offended sensibilities trump truth. In other words, if your truth claim offends me, it is not true, or at the very least you should not speak it. Many come into church services prepared to make for the aft exit as soon as their delicate offense reactors are tripped.
In the face of threatened departure, some trim and soften their message to at least minimize the potential offensiveness. We should speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). We should be gentle and patient while instructing in meekness (2 Timothy 2:24-25). But we should never compromise or hold back the truth to protect the hypersensitive feelings of the crowd.
The truth is: If Jesus Himself were there teaching and preaching, many would take offense and leave. This is no new phenomenon. After Jesus had taught some hard truths, He saw many leave.
From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
~ John 6:66
Did Jesus trim or soften His message? Did He re-think the way He was “doing church”? No. He turned to the twelve and simply asked, “Will ye also go away?” (John 6:67).
We certainly don’t want to offend unnecessarily, but neither can we avoid offending if that means compromising or concealing the truth. When we are faced with, “I would leave your church,” may we remain courageous and faithful and pray for those who so oppose themselves.
The Fruits of Unfaithful Attendance
Excerpt from a message preached in Home Baptist Church Annual Bible Conference in Mt. Morris, MI on April 22, 2009.
A pattern of hit and miss attendance at church over a long period of time will yield unpleasant fruit. A few of those effects are:
- It grieves and discourages the pastor whom God has given you in His grace (Hebrews 13:17)
- It grieves and discourages the body whom God has joined you to in His grace (Colossians 3:16)
- It leads to worldliness and sin in a person’s life because you are neglecting or rejecting an ordained instrument of sanctification in your life (Ephesians 4:11-13)
- It establishes a pattern of unfaithfulness for future generations that gets worse and not better in our descendants (Psalms 145:4)
- It damages your witness and testimony for Christ in the world (Matthew 5:16)
- It leads to unregenerate members in the body who must be purged out (1 Corinthians 5:7)
- It leads to the death of a particular local church (Revelations 2:5)
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
~ Hebrews 10:25
Ecclesiastes 9:18
“Wisdom is better than weapons of war:
but one sinner destroyeth much good.”
~ Ecclesiastes 9:18
Solomon has highly esteemed wisdom in the book of Proverbs as well as in the book of Ecclesiastes. He has deemed it the choicest of treasures, more worthy to be diligently sought after than gold and silver hidden in a field. Solomon states, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7). Of all pursuits to consume our time, wisdom is by far the greatest. We should strive to acquire wisdom above all else.
Wisdom can accomplish much good. It is “an ornament of grace” to them that possess it. The preacher says in our text, “Wisdom is better than weapons of war.” The greatness and safety of a city does not lie only in their machinery of defense. “There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength” (Psalm 33:16-17). He tells us that the race is not always won by the fastest, nor is it always the strongest that prevail in battle. Wisdom far excels all these carnal things. However, in our text, Solomon contrasts the good of wisdom with the destruction of sin for “one sinner destroyeth much good.” Let us consider briefly some of the destructions of sin.
Firstly, a sinner destroys himself. Countless millions live lives of sin, “Whose end is destruction.” They have never repented. They have never believed in Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins,” and “he that believeth not is condemned already.” In some cases, they have gained the whole world and lost their own souls.
A life of sin is a wasted life that ultimately destroys itself. Do you realize the ruinous power of sin? Whatever good may be done is destroyed by the sin in your life. Outside of Christ, you cannot do any good works, no matter what your intentions might be. The Bible says, “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8). The Word tells us “without faith it is impossible to please him” and “whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” You may be kind to your family and neighbors. You may be benevolent toward the downcast. You may volunteer your time to help the sick and needy. You may attend church and even give offerings. With all your good works, you may think that you are building up a good account, but you are going to find that “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds” (Romans 2:5-6). All your works that seemed good are destroyed.
Secondly, a sinner destroys others. There may be much good intended and attempted by many of the righteous, “but one sinner destroyeth much good.” “A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends. A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good” (Proverbs 16:28-29). A sinner in the congregation destroys and hinders the good efforts of all. A sinner in the church will sew discord, tale-bear, and lead many astray. They are an ungodly example with their fleshly lives. They are always causing divisions and thwart the good desires of God’s people. They bring reproach on the body and her head, Christ. They are much like Achan of old who brought wrath on all Israel. “Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity” (Joshua 22:20).
The church is required to cleanse itself of iniquity by purging out the old leaven. “But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person” (I Corinthians 5:13). The Lord’s church must practice discipline and exclusion if necessary. The carnal Christians that are only interested in “nickels and noses” will shy away from such doctrine. Carnal reasoning says, “This one puts much money into the church. This one has the largest family. This one has a lot of influence in the community. Can we not just tolerate them and not rock the boat?” The answer is, “No!”
The truth is, the church cannot afford to keep such a one in the body for “one sinner destroyeth much good.” Do not suffer Jezebel to teach others to sin. Put her out. One sinner in the body will destroy the good name of the Church and erode your good influence by their bad example. The church cannot be just like the world. How much sin is in the world? “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness” (I John 5:19). We cannot run with the world and hope to influence them for good for “one sinner destroyeth much good.” We must follow the Word, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate” (II Corinthians 6:17). The world needs to see a holy church with holy Christians that are dedicated to give Christ glory with their lives. “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:21).
