Under The Elmtree

In This Edition

* A History of Luther’s 95 Theses

* IUS Purpose – Inform-Encourage-Equip

* Scripture-God’s Word Living & Powerful

* Classic Christian Hymns – Holy Holy Holy

* Book Reviews-Some Pastors & Teachers

* Leadership Lessons – ID Dysfunction

* This Day In History – The Reformation

* Read My Blog – Reformation & Revival

A History of Luther’s 95 Theses

The following material is provided by a pastor friend of many years, Jack Williamson. This is from his book “Luther’s Hammer–a concise history of the Reformation.”. I trust this is challenging, informative, and enjoyable as we celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. Praise God for his Sovereign Providence and his infinite Grace.

It is tradition that the Protestant Reformation began on October 31, 1517 when the obscure Augustinian monk, Martin Luther, nailed a list of 95 theses to the front door of the cathedral at Wittenberg, Germany.  Luther prepared his list that he wanted to discuss and debate with Catholic colleagues who were supportive of the status quo.  On that Wednesday afternoon, he walked down to the Cathedral and nailed his list to the church’s front door.  Such an act sounds very bold, defiant, and rash; but it actually wasn’t.  The front door of the Cathedral was the community bulletin board where common notices were routinely posted.  If a local farmer needed to buy a cow or wanted to sell a used plow, he would post a notice on the church’s door.  But history will demonstrate that Luther’s list was no routine posting.

Luther’s theses presented an invitation for a robust discussion or even a formal debate.  Such public debates and discussions were quite common.  These were the days long before newspapers, radio, television, or any electronic devices.  Watching a debate was one of the more popular forms of entertainment of the day.  Martin wanted to initiate a discussion on one, any, or all of these ninety-five points.  He believed that these were issues where the Catholic Church’s teachings departed from the teaching of the Bible.

The content of his theses was nothing short of startling, defiant, and revolutionary.  Among the points were several that denied a human priest, or his work, was necessary for salvation.  The Church believed and taught that salvation could be obtained through its sacraments, but only properly ordained priests could perform them, therefore, as they saw it, a regularly ordained Catholic priest was essential for salvation.  Luther insisted that repentance should always be accompanied by a visible change in lifestyle and a person’s salvation could be legitimately questioned if there was no visible or tangible evidence of repentance.  He severely criticized the pope for not following the laws, policies, and regulations of his own Church.  He specifically singled out the pope for threatening dying people with centuries of languishing in Purgatory.  He wrote that the forgiveness of sins came only from God, and while the pope may reassure people that God has forgiven them, no pontiff had the authority to forgive sins.  In his list of theses, Luther seemed to equate Purgatory with Hell and stated that Heaven could be assured to an individual, which were both sharp departures from Roman Catholic orthodoxy.  He wrote that the veneration of relics was an evil practice and most of the artifacts were probably phony anyway.  After all, there were thousands of antique, square, and rusty nails that were being venerated as one of the three authentic nails used on the Lord’s cross.  How could dispensations be granted for the veneration of all them when it was obvious that very few, if any, could be authentic?

The theses also presented a much different picture of human nature than did Catholic dogma.  Luther insisted that there was no biblical proof that a person is ever freed from sin while alive.  He took the view of Augustine that human sin had rendered man dead in trespasses and sins totally unable to contribute to his own salvation.

He saved his most caustic remarks for his prime irritation—the sale of indulgences—which he boldly stated deceived people.  He wrote that they cannot save anyone, and they had no effect upon the dead.  Luther even suggested that the price of indulgences purchased for the dead ought to be returned to the purchasers by the pope, and the notion that punishment in Purgatory could be removed or even lessened by giving money to the Church was utter nonsense.  A person who thinks he or she is saved by purchasing an indulgence is damned along with the cleric who sold it.  Martin pointed out that the whole concept of indulgences removed the need for contrition and humility.  It created the impression that salvation can be obtained by earthly riches, which he labeled as a thoroughly absurd and a conspicuously unscriptural teaching.  If one person could afford to purchase an indulgence and have his or her sins forgiven, and another person was too poor to afford such a certificate and could not afford to have his sins forgiven, the whole idea of grace was utterly destroyed.  It wasn’t grace that saved, but gold.  Such a concept, Luther wrote, contradicted real repentance.  Exercising Christian love may make one a better person, but buying an indulgence doesn’t improve a soul.  He flatly said that indulgences were a waste of money, and that money was being sucked out of the hands of people who couldn’t afford such needless expenditures.  Martin went so far as to label Indulgences as ecclesiastical intimidation.  Never one to mince words or hide his opinion, Luther also wrote that if the pope knew how much indulgences actually cost people, he would destroy St. Peter’s that was largely built on funds derived from indulgences.  He even suggested that the pope, instead of using tithes and gifts, should use his own vast wealth to build St. Peter’s and give it to the people as a gift of pontifical grace.  This fiery monk observed that in his day the Gospel of Christ was being preached less and indulgences were being preached more.

This posting became the single act that ultimately pried the Catholic fingers off of the neck of Europe and ushered in freedom of religion throughout the region.  There is no question that this act was responsible for the popularity of America, the New World, as a safe refuge from the religious and civil turmoil of Europe.  It also catapulted religious freedom into the foundational documents of the United States of America, making it an essential value in American society.

* IUS Purpose – Inform-Encourage- Equip

The ministry of IgniteUS was founded for the purpose of equipping pastors and other church leaders to lead with competence and excellence in every aspect of local church ministry. The purpose of every church is to Make Disciples fully formed in the Image of Christ in character and conduct. The persistent decline of the church in America is an undeniable fact. The vast majority of churches fail to measure ministry effectiveness with the proper Metric -Transformation. The evidence of regeneration is continuous transformation. No transformation should alert pastors to the probability that there has been no regeneration. Where you serve the Metric is?????

* Scripture – God’s Word is Living & Powerful

Luther, Calvin, and others greatly used of God in bringing Reformation to the church were unanimous in the conviction that it is the Word of God itself, the Special Revelation of our God to us, and not the messenger that produces Reformation. Each edition will present a portion of God’s Word for meditation and edification.

Daniel 4:34-35 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

* Classic Christian Hymns – Holy Holy Holy

One of the primary teaching resources of the church is Hymnology – what we sing. The following hymn has been a favorite of mine. It was sung many Sundays as the opening hymn in the worship service of the church I attended. It presents a glorious and accurate portrait of the God we worship

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee.
Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!.

Effective Leaders are readers. A recent survey of effective leaders revealed that they read 60 books each year. The only way you will accomplish this important element in your leadership is to establish a plan and faithfully do what you set out to do. You may begin with a modest goal, 12 books a year, and then incrementally increase that number. Note – the issue is NOT the number of books you read. The issue is do you glean valuable insights as you read and apply them in your ministry? We provide a Learning Covenant that facilitates this objective.

Some Pastors and Teachers is a volume for every minister’s study and indeed for the bookshelves and bedside tables of everyone who has a concern for the ministry of the gospel and the well-being of the church in the twenty-first century. In many ways, it reflects the biblical vision of what every minister is called to be: pastor, teacher, counsellor, and example—but also a man who is growing spiritually, both in understanding and in character, before the eyes of his congregation.

In five sections and thirty-nine chapters, Sinclair B Ferguson writes on pastor-teachers whose life and work have left an indelible mark on his own life, and then leads us in a series of chapters on the teaching of John Calvin, John Owen and the seventeenth century Puritans. This is followed by studies of Scripture, the ministry of the Spirit, the nature of Biblical Theology, the work of Christ, adoption, the nature of the Christian life and other important doctrines. The final section discusses various aspects of preaching, including preaching Christ from the Old Testament, the importance of theology, reaching the heart, and concludes with a decalogue for preachers. All this, as the epilogue makes clear, is set within the context and goal of doxology.

Here is a book to return to again and again, for instruction, for challenge, and also for enjoyment. While written particularly with ministers in view its style makes it accessible to all. Dr Ferguson describes Some Pastors and Teachers as a series of small gifts for fellow-ministers and others, written as an expression of the love of Christ. It is calculated to help both ministers of the gospel and entire congregations to realize Paul’s vision of churches growing up into Christ as they are nourished and taught by their pastors and teachers.

https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/some-pastors-and-teachers/

Leadership Lessons – Identify Dysfunctions

Every church has some level of dysfunction. It is crucial that the leadership team identifies and corrects these areas of dysfunction. Failure to do so renders that ministry less capable of maximum effectiveness. If you do not know how to do this, call 803 413 3509. We will be happy to provide resources that produce an objective and accurate profile of the dusfunctions and a means to correct these ministry killers.

This Date in History

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Under The Elmtree

In This Issue:

* Culture – Gospel & Great Commission

*  Leadership Insight – Cultural Awareness

*  Calling a Lead Pastor or Staff

*  Links – Pastoral Resources

*  Scholarships $$ – Transformation for YOU

* This Date in History – Model ‘T’ Ford

* Read My BLOG – Cultural Analysis

Culture – Gospel – & Great Commission

I write this article very early on the Lord’s Day 09/24/17. I listened to the radio this AM as I do frequently on Sunday morning. Putting it mildly, what I hear broadcast in our area that passes as ‘Gospel’ makes my blood boil and my heart weep. The corruption of the Gospel that saturates the air waves of our community is deplorable and exhibits a serious absence of sound doctrine and precise exegesis. My assumption (with reasonable certainty) is this is true across America.

The church in America is not fulfilling the Great Commission. The church is declining – rapidly. It is my purpose in this article to identify some of the causal issues that contribute to this failure and the resulting decline. A Process that God uses to bring Reformation & Renewal to stem the decline is provided by IgniteUS. This is a News Letter and not a Doctoral Dissertation. Therefore, space constraints permit only the citation of these issues. Further research and investigation is required to elaborate on each factor. As you read, engage in an honest assessment of the church where you serve. As these things are present take strategic steps that lead to correction of these dysfunctions.

These issues will be stated in National Cultural Factors and Local Church Factors.

National Cultural Factors

No Fault Fallacy There is now ‘No Fault’ everything; Divorce, Automobile Accident Insurance, etc. No one is held responsible for anything. This mentality has a serious deleterious impact on the church.

Anarchy There is a significant and growing spirit of anarchy in America. The loss of a transcendent authority (God’s Word) has produced a culture in which opinions and feelings are the predominate arbiters of reality. We witness continuous riots and the destruction of entire segments of our cities as a result of this ‘spirit of the age’. (Prov. 29:16).

Entitlement many segments of our society embrace the perspective that they are ‘owed’ certain privileges. This is not merely a generational issue. Rather, it pervades all social and generational elements of the USA.

Cultural & Biblical Literacy In the mid 80’s (1987) Hirsch produced a title, Cultural Literacy. In this treatise he cited 1,000 terms and dates of significant historical events that a person must have knowledge of if they are to be considered ‘culturally literate’. The absence of a functional knowledge of history is nothing short of stunning among the populace of the USA. When preaching, cite events from history and note the blank stares among the gathered assembly.

Antinomianism The USA was founded on the basis of Truth and that Truth being Absolute. The USA is now a nation in which the perspective of Law is similar to the culture which pervaded the book of Judges – - ‘every man doing what is right in his own eyes’! The principle of ‘Case Law’ now dominates our system of Juris Prudence – cases are decided on the basis of previous decisions rendered in similar cases not on the basis of what the Law (Constitution) states. This has produced an atmosphere of creeping (Racing to quote Judge Bork) immorality.

False Teaching I referenced the content of many radio programs. One program speaker in our area recently cited a listing of 25 False Teachers. The list included Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, and Jesse Duplantis. This man’s name appeared as #25 on this list. He was PROUD of that fact. He expressed pride of the designation as a False Teacher. How tragic. Believe me if you listened to his program the designation ‘False Teacher’ is accurate! This is possible because of the pervasive biblical illiteracy. People lack the capacity to discern truth from error and they suffer the consequences. (cf. Jer. 23:15).

Local Church Factors

Purpose One of the tasks I ask people to perform in my Consulting Ministry is to define the purpose of their church in three sentences or less. The responses are all over the map. The majority of churches are dysfunctional because they are focused on activity not on Making Disciples, This means that each and every ministry venues MUST contribute to disciple making. When this fundamental component is absent all other aspects of ministry are inevitably flawed.

Metric When the purpose of a local church is not Making Disciples the inevitable result is the application of a dysfunctional and flawed Metric. Nearly all local churches measure ministry effectiveness by applying one dimensional factors; attendance, offerings, baptisms, etc. The NT Metric is Transformation. Are lost people being redeemed and are regenerate people being transformed into the fullness of the image of Christ? Paul tells us this is a reality for those who are truly regenerate (2Cor. 3:18). A recent quote by Dr. Paige Patterson, President of Southwest Seminary in Fort Worth TX, reveals the inevitable result of this flawed practice:

“In the process of this race for numerical achievement, our church rolls have become gorged with people who “walked the aisle” and were baptized but remained as lost to genuine conversion as Judas”— Paige Patterson

Unregenerate Membership The evangelical church through the ages has practiced the principle of regenerate membership. Many/most congregations apply what they term ‘congregational polity’. This means that all members ‘vote’ on ministry initiatives. When there is a large compliment of unregenerate membership the Holy Spirit and the Word of God is not directing such decisions. This factor alone has contributed to schisms and conflict in a multitude of churches. As a challenge to my readers – can you identify any instance in the NT where a church voted on anything?

The Loss of Awe In my consulting ministry I interview Staff members. I simply ask three questions, one of which is ‘What do you want me to know about this church?’ Recently 3 of 12 staff member told me that ‘we have lost the awe of God’. OS Guinness when speaking at a Lausanne Conference in South Africa said ‘in today’s evangelical church you can start a church, function for 50 years, and never once need or realize the ministry of the Holy Spirit’. The church has become a business pure and simple. I regret to say he is correct. Read the testimony of Isaiah (Isa. 6:1-7) for a description of the awe of God in the Prophet’s life.

Life In Community The church has become a collection of islands that go bump in the night. There is a profound absence of genuine Christ honoring relationships. There is a series of One Another Commands in the NT. Not only do church members not obey them, they for the most part do not even know what they are. The church is God’s Family and we are commanded to care for one another in transparent and vulnerable relationships. Jesus said that it is by this kind of intimacy that the world will know that we are his disciples (Jn. 13:34-35).

Incompetent Leadership Leadership is an issue of Modeling. There is a phrase ‘As in the pulpit, so in the pew.’ The Francis Schaeffer Leadership Institute conducted an extensive survey of pastors. The results of that survey validate the existence of leadership incompetence.

(http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/?articleid=36562).

Application

The Gospel is what it has always been. It has not and will not change. It is the power of God unto salvation. Declare it with the utmost confidence.

The culture in the USA is saturated with immorality and decadence. Leaders MUST recognize this in equipping their people to function effectively in the marketplace.

The atmosphere in which the church exists today is similar in many ways to that of the First Century. The church flourished then and it can flourish now.

As you complain about the barriers you face in a post-Christian era, don’t forget that the gospel once exploded on a pre-Christian era and did unimaginable good. The gospel is yet the power of God and we must not lose it or muffle it or distort it when the world needs it most, whatever the context. (Jim Eliff)

Under The Elmtree

In This Issue:

*  Defining Orthodoxy

*  Leadership Insight – Exegetical Precision

*  Calling a Lead Pastor or Staff

*  The Kraynak Family – Contributions

*  Links – Pastoral Resources

*  Scholarships $$ – Transformation for YOU

* This Date in History – Mayflower sets Sail

* Read My BLOG – Doctrine & Downgrade

Defining Orthodoxy

The term evangelical has lost the distinctiveness it once communicated. Those who love the TRUTH and have full confidence in the Inspiration & Authority of Scripture must declare with compassion and precision this perspective. We must not capitulate or surrender a single centimeter of territory on this issue.

1 Corinthians 16:13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

When you speak with clarity and certainty, you will be charged with all manner of inaccurate terms and false labels. This was true of Spurgeon. It was also true of Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Note the following quote regarding Lloyd-Jones on this issue:

Opponents of Lloyd-Jones accused him of being the opposite of humble. They interpreted the authority with which she spoke as pride; he was, one critic asserted, a pope. Professor F .F. Bruce once heard Dean Matthews of St. Paul’s describe an address the preacher had given as ‘extraordinarily bad’. What Matthews did not understand, said Bruce, was that Lloyd-Jones assurance was based on his confidence in the God whose message he was commissioned to proclaim. And Bruce added: ‘he was a thoroughly humble man. Those who charged him with arrogance were wildly mistaken.’ (Seven Leaders, p. 149)

Here is a quote from the ministry of Lloyd-Jones concerning the true Gospel message. It bears repeating today in our culture dominated by ‘feelings’ rather than sound doctrine drawn from careful and precise exegesis of the text of Scripture.

Let me solemnly remind you of this: the gospel of Jesus Christ does not start even with the love of Jesus Christ. It starts with God. It is no use going to people and saying, ‘Come to Jesus’, or ‘Come to Christ’. They say, ‘We couldn’t care less.’ Why? Because they have never seen any need of him. That is why they do not come to Christ. The only people who truly come to Christ are those who have seen their own condition under the condemnation of the law of God and know that one day they will face God and eternal judgment. (Seven Leaders, pp. 139-140).

The 09/01 News Letter focused on Spurgeon and The Downgrade Controversy. The article that follows, written by Peter Jones of The Truth Xchange validates my concern that the evangelical church in America is in the grips of a monumental downgrade! In the links provided in this letter is one that takes the reader to the Nashville Statement.

This is the oddest time for me to be writing a book that warns the church that the affirmation of homosexuality will lead many Evangelicals into liberalism. The recent Nashville Statement on Sexuality (made public August 25, 2017), has, oddly enough, provoked an embarrassment of riches for my research into the decline of evangelicalism.

The internet is rocking with responses of “Christians” denouncing with righteous anger the Scripture-honoring Nashville Statement. Written and endorsed by leading evangelical theologians (such as J. I. Packer and Al Mohler) this statement is dismissed by “Christian” movements as a hateful attack on people with variant sexual identities. So the Nashville Statement raises two crucial questions: 1. What is God-honoring sexuality? and 2. Who is truly Christian?

A Sojourners Magazine article has the title: “Thousands of Christians Respond to Nashville Statement with Emphatic ‘No.’” Sojourners’ own president, Jim Wallis, declares: Nashville Statement Damaging to People and to the Evangelical Witness.

Pastor and writer Nadia Bolz-Weber and her Colorado congregation offer a point-by-point refutation called the “Denver Statement.”

The Liturgists drafted a statement called “God is Love”, signed by Christian writers Rachel Held Evans and Nish Weiseth, among others. They affirm: “We can no longer project first-century notions of sex and sexuality on people today.” They further state: “We believe that people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are fearfully and wonderfully made, holy before God, beloved and beautiful as they are. We believe all people have full autonomy over their bodies, sexual orientations, and gender identities, and the diversity of identities reflects the creative power of a loving God. We believe that God is love, and that ‘anyone who loves is born of God and knows God’.” (I John 4:7)

The group, Christians United in Support of LGBTQ+ Inclusion in the Church immediately proposed its own statement that begins: “As followers of Jesus Christ, we are compelled to bear witness to the love, grace, and truth of God in every generation…So it is that we, like each generation before us, are called to reflect, repent, and reform our teachings and practices to be ever more closely aligned with the heart and will of God revealed to us in Jesus Christ.”

See http://www.christiansunitedstatement.org/

This group not only claims to be Christian, but claims to be the most Christian expression of what God is now doing. It goes so far as to state that Evangelical orthodoxy is “resist[ing] the Spirit’s leading in various ways and cling[ing] to the dogmas and traditions that God is calling us to rethink and reform.” For these “Christians”, “Evangelical orthodoxy” is a heresy.

One of the signers of the Christians United document, Colby Martin, in his book, UNclobber, tells how he left conservative Evangelical orthodoxy over the issue of homosexuality. Eventually, he founded a welcoming community that was “uniquely Christian” but “not exclusively,” a community that gives space to people “regardless of ethnicity, orientation, age, creed or socioeconomic status.” (UNclobber, Westminster John Knox Press, 2016, 142–3)

One can only wonder what the 16th century Scottish reformer John Knox would have said of a church that was multi-creedal, and thus not exclusively Christian. What does it mean to be Christian in today’s world? In the final pages of his book, Colby Martin. [UnClobber, 178]. acknowledges the important influence on his thinking of the following people:

• Glennon Doyle Melton, a popular “evangelical” author and social media speaker, who divorced her husband in 2016 and, in 2017, married the famous female soccer star, Abby Wambach.
• Rob Bell, who has abandoned orthodoxy and the sufficiency of Scripture.
• Brian McLaren, who champions interfaith spirituality.
• Doug Pagitt, pastor of Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis that sees Christianity as an evolving system and has no doctrinal statement. The church is attended by Tony Jones who was once the national coordinator of Emergent Village.

At the 500th anniversary of Protestantism, some protestant churches reject the “five solas” of the Reformation: Scripture alone, Faith alone, Grace alone, Christ alone, to the Glory of God alone. As in the time of the Reformation, the church today is being asked once more to define orthodoxy.

At the Reformation the question was, “Can I save myself by my good deeds”? Today the issue of sexuality has emerged as a key issue, because it raises three questions: 1. What defines each individual’s deep personal identity? 2. How does sexuality relate to the heart of the Gospel, and 3. Who is faithful to Christianity? Because these questions are so controversial, many pastors, even orthodox pastors, do not want to or do not know how to touch the issue. But silence is deadly. The flames of this current apostasy are raging through our churches.

We must find a discourse that avoids emotionalism, moralism, hatred or bigotry, while reaching to the heart of the issue. Many Millennial Christians need a clear statement of the truth. If we are to understand sexuality, we need to hear all that the Bible says about it. Of paramount importance is a focus on biblical cosmology and the being of God. Sexuality must be seen in the context of the way God structured the cosmos.

In a recent article entitled “Why I, Peter Jones, Signed the Nashville statement,” I stated that “the cosmos is structured on the principle of unity within genuine distinctions. The Bible presents a world of distinctions: a hetero-cosmology not a homo-cosmology. The created universe is based on “otherness,” not “sameness.” This is true for everyone. In that sense, the Bible’s view of sexuality is not small-minded, unloving moralism, discrimination, violence, or bullying, as much criticism claims. It is, rather, a theistic understanding of the universe, deeply founded on the being of God Himself. This is ground zero for everyone. We are made in His image, male and female, to reflect His image of unity in distinctions, as ultimately expressed in the Trinity. Homosexuality is not only immoral but “unnatural,” as Paul says in Romans 1:26. It is out of order with the physical cosmos and thus a rejection of the natural world, and of God, who is both the moral judge and also the intelligent Creator of all things.

This essential aspect of the biblical revelation must be an important element that defines what it means to be an Evangelical Christian who honors the Scripture and Christian orthodoxy. We must pray for courageous theologian-pastors who will take up the challenge of defining orthodoxy in our modern world and of training the next generation in a full understanding of the Christian faith for the difficult days ahead.

https://truthxchange.com/2017/09/defining-orthodoxy-modern-world/

4.  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/30/us/new-churches-focus-on-building-a-community-life.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0&hp