ADVANCE TOWARD MATURITY

God has never willed the Church to be static. While "the principles of the doctrine of Christ" ("rudiments of Christianity," NEB) remain foundational, they are, as per the apostolic author, to represent that point of initiation from which the believer is then to progress in spiritual life and experience (Heb. 6:1-3).

And while the Gospel does not change, there are aspects and attributes within our present world by which the outworking and propagation of the Gospel are influenced. Societal perceptions, modes of expression, intellectual inclinations, ad infinitum, are not the same at all times and in all places, and are to be taken into account when presenting the truths of the Gospel. With this in mind Paul states, "I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some" (I Cor. 9:22). As has been learned in more current times, foreign mission efforts of the relatively recent past have often missed this point while attempting to create American style congregations singing post-Civil War hymns and songs of a "western" musical orientation - to little mention a commitment to methodologies typically little cognizant of the people's natural mental processes, sense of expression and faculties of perception and response.

Importantly, current realities in our own time and culture can affect our modes of response as well. Religious musicologists and psychologists, for example, are much aware that the endless "heavenly mansions and riches" songs that came out of the Great Depression era were, to large extent, reflective of the pressures and and resultant mindset of that time. (Furthermore, such songs also tended to miss the intent of Jesus' words in John 14 - but that is another subject). Nor need it be added that, in most instances, there is more than a little contradiction in a present day American congregations singing, "Here I wander, like a beggar, in the heat and in the cold." (Ask your genuinely committed 'teenager to identify with either content or musical idiom of such songs...)

The point is this: As times change and the days darken, the foundational truths of the Gospel will remain the same. At the same time, the context in which they are perceived and received will likely become altered in an assortment of ways. To illustrate:

One can little doubt that spiritual reality assumes a considerably deepened - or even to some extent, differing - sense of meaning within those cultures and settings wherein Christian commitment places one's well being, or even life itself, at risk. Within context of this nature, one can little envision attempts to engender enthusiasm or "work up the Spirit" by means of the "hyped" emphases and/or psychological ploys sometimes observable within churches of our present time and setting.

The days to come will bear effect within our communities of faith as maturity and stability become increasingly essential to spiritual survival. Simply put: Change is coming in relation to the valid Body of Christ.

In the words of the apostolic author, "Let us then press on to maturity" (Heb. 6:1). It will prove itself an end time requisite.

Burl Ratzsch

"NEW TESTAMENT" CHURCH

In observing their promotional efforts, it is sometimes interesting to note the images various churches seek to project. Church A, for example, is a "caring church" where love is extended, while Church B is strongly committed to scriptural integrity. Church C, on the other hand, wishes it known that theirs is a place of God's presence and power, etc. One is not always sure as to what extent "truth in advertising" may apply, or whether such tends rather to represent that which the pastor desires his charge to become. Anyway...

Our attention is frequently drawn the more out-of-the-ordinary claims sometimes advanced, as in the ad for one church that declared itself a "fun place," while another declared itself "a rational church" - whatever that may have been intended to convey.

One self-billing that particularly gains our attention, however, is that of a "New Testament Church." While not impugning the congregation's basic intention, one is nonetheless prone to sometimes wonder if such self identification has been thought completely through.

The Corinthian church, for example, was so engulfed in sectarian wrangling, moral scandal, court actions against one another, abuse of the Lord's Table, doctrinal controversy and misunderstanding of spiritual gifts that the apostle Paul wrote them "with many tears" (II Cor. 2:4). Such, one would logically assume, is not the desired objective. Again, the Galatian churches were so into legalism that the apostle expressed his fears of their having become a lost cause (Gal. 4:11). The Colossian church was into gnostically-oriented pursuits to the point of worshipping angels at the expense of Christ's primacy (Col. 2:18) - and who would desire a replication of the Pergamum (Pergamos, KJV) or Thyratira heresies as noted in the second chapter of the Revelation?

Thankfully, of course, there was the Philippian church whose only mentioned difficulty was that of two ladies in need of resolving a personal antagonism. (It might also be noted that Paul's Ephesian epistle was a general letter sent out to the churches - our having retained the copy sent to Ephesus. Hence its lack of reference to any particular problem of a local nature.)

The apostle Paul viewed the New Testament Church, not in terms of ultimate attainment, but rather initiation of that which God wills it to become - a state of being yet to be fully realized (note Eph. 4:11-13: "until we all come to...the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ" etc.)

Given such, "let us press on to [not back to] maturity" (Heb. 6:1).

Burl Ratzsch