Grace...

As I have posted recently, the story of the intertwining of the lives of John Newton and William Wilberforce continues to have a profound impact on my life. Here is a brief introduction to these men:

John Newton - former merchant captain, pastor in the Church of England, composer of over 300 hymns - the most famous of which is Amazing Grace

William Wilberforce - wealthy member of Parliament who upon his conversion experience, led a 40+ year fight against slavery in Britain.

My introduction to the wonderful story of these two men may have been a video, but the more I research and study, the more "amazing" I find the grace of God.

The book Finding God in the Story of Amazing Grace by Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware is a powerful but simple introduction to some vignettes in the lives of these two men and the circle of influence that surrounded them. In a quick succession of brief biographical chapters describing a different kind of grace, the authors give us a wonderfully rich illustration of the grace that only God can give.

Look for signs of God's grace in these brief glimpses of the lives of John Newton and William Wilberforce - and you will find them in your own life.

Maternal Grace - John Newton's mother Elizabeth was a solid Christian lady who made sure her son was brought up in the faith. As a boy, John loved his mother deeply and followed her teachings - until her tragic death when he was only 7 years old. As a young adult, anger at God for his mother's death took him far from God. But God was never far from him; later as an adult he wrote often of the memory of his mother and how her faith guided him even when he wasn't aware of it. That's the power of a mother's love.

In the beginning, there is grace.

Completing the DNA of the Church

Today will wrap up a quick review of Howard Snyder's book Decoding the Church.

The church is both local and universal. The author suggests that "universal" is a better word than little c "catholic", the word used in the original marks. That may be true, but catholic is a word rich in history and meaning. Brian McLaren, in his book a Generous Orthodoxy, has a great chapter on this history that you would find very interesting.

The church exists simultaneously as the worldwide body of Christ and as very diverse, particular local communities, each with its own special flavor, style, and culture. The church both transcends culture and immerses itself in particular culture.

Biblically, the church is both local and universal. The NT use of the word "church" shows this (Matt. 16:18, Acts 8:1, Eph. 1:22). The book of Acts has examples throughout its history of the early Christian communities that also support the concept. The NT puts at least as much stress on the local character of the church as it does on it universality. We miss the richness of the church's DNA if we fail to see this.

The church is just as truly prophetic as it is apostolic. The biblical pairing of "apostles and prophets" throughout the NT signals that the two belong together (Luke 1:76, Heb 3:1, Eph. 2:20). The church is apostolic in the sense that it is sent into the world as the Father send Jesus, sent to continue the works He began (John 14:12). Faithfulness to the words, works, and life of Jesus Christ together define the real meaning of apostolic succession.

But the church is prophetic as well as apostolic. This is true in two ways: First, the church is an actual community that visibly incarnates the prophetic messages of justice, mercy, and truth found throughout the OT prophetic books and in the life of Jesus. Second, the church is prophetic in proclaiming the good news of the reign of God within the present world.

Being "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets" (Eph. 2:20) means the church is an apostolic people, not just a church with apostles; it means being a prophetic people, not just a church with prophets. Churches demonstrate this reality when all the gifts, functioning corporately, constitute the church a prophetic people (1 Cor. 12-14; Eph. 4:7-16; Rom. 12:4-10).

The full range of Scripture reveals that the church is both one and diverse, both holy and charismatic, both universal and local, both apostolic and prophetic. The church becomes powerfully dynamic in any context when these paired marks become its experience. When they don't, Christians are robbed of essential parts of their genetic endowment.

Have you checked the DNA of your church lately?

The Church is Charismatic as Well as Holy

This is the second of four posts reviewing Howard Snyder's Decoding the Church, a book looking at the DNA of the church. Historically, the four marks of the church: one, holy, catholic, and apostolic - have given the church its genetic code. Snyder's contention is that these are only half of the code, and true to the form of DNA, there are four complementary characteristics.

The same Holy Spirit who sanctifies the church invests it with diverse gifts. It is the Holy Spirit who gives gifts. The church functions best with both the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit, incarnating both the character and the charisma of Jesus. Several Scriptures directly link the holy (sacred or set-apart) character of the church with its being a gift-endowed community of the Spirit (Acts 1:8, Heb 2:4, 1 Peter 2:9). The church is also described in Scripture as holy and charismatic (Acts 4:31, 9:31, I Corinthians 3:16).

Historically, the church has found it hard to hold these two characteristics together, both in theology and in practice. Church history offers various examples of the tensions at this point. For example, consider the early twentieth century split in the Holiness Movement that produced modern-Day Pentecostalism. It seems that the church has difficulty holding the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit together in creative balance.

A comment made to me recently in the context of a meeting with a potential client reinforced this. Speaking of the changes that he had observed in his church and the general religious climate, he depicted two churches: a "God church" where worship was proscribed, programs were in place, and you were expected to follow the status quo. There was also a "Jesus church", where you reached out to those different than you, and made intentional efforts to impact people's lives in positive ways that reflected Christ's love. I thought that was a brilliant comment and analysis!

What about your church? Do you experience this tension of holy and charismatic? Just as importantly, what about you? After all, you, individually, are a part of the body of Christ!

The Church is not only One; it is Many

Diving a little deeper into Howard Snyder's Decoding the Church, here is the first of four posts that look at the biblical foundation for his supposition that the church's historical "marks" of one, holy, catholic, and apostolic are only half of a church's DNA.

The New Testament record of the birth of the church at Jerusalem and its spread to Antioch, Ephesus, Corinth and beyond show the rich diversity of the church. They had unity in the worship of a risen Christ, but the churches also celebrated the ethnic, socioeconomic, and class diversity of the people who made up the church.

My thanks to Pastor Sam Vassel of Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene for the following thoughts on the leaders at the church at Antioch. Acts 13 refers by name to the leaders of the church: Barnabas (a Jewish businessman), Simeon called Niger (the black one), Lucius of Cyrene (an African), Manaen - half brother to Herod the Tetrarch (the aristocrat) and Saul (the rabbi). Quite a diverse group of leaders!

This is but one example of the unity we have in Christ but also the diversity that makes this unity so miraculous. Unity in spite of great diversity is one of the most amazing things about the early church.

The "one body, many members" teachings in 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 can be applied to the universal as well as the local church. The church, locally and globally, is both one and many.

Is your church DNA a balance of the two? Or does it slide more one way, or the other?

The "Marks" of the Church

Howard Snyder has written a fascinating book entitled "Decoding the Church". Using the genetic code of DNA as the model, it delves into theological analysis, biblical principles, and practical application for understanding the structure and mission of the church today. This week I'm going to pull some of the key learnings from the book and take a look at the DNA of the church.



Snyder begins by recalling the Nicene Creed and its profound impact on the structure and thought of the church today. The Council of Nicea declared that the church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. Christians of different traditions have accepted these four classic characteristics of the church as fundamental components of its DNA. These four classic characteristics, or "marks" have been accepted throughout the centuries. And yet, is there more?



According to Snyder's thought patterns, the marks only tell half the story. They highlight only one side of the church's DNA. It would be more biblically accurate to say that the church is:

• Diverse as well as One


• Charismatic as well as Holy


• Local as well as Catholic or Universal


• Prophetic as well as Apostolic

The genetic code of DNA helps complete the picture. DNA is always made up of four base pairs of compounds. The components of each pair are not opposites but are complementary. Likewise, the contrasting set of marks listed above are not in opposition to each other but are instead complementary. They are essential truths that are at tension with yet necessary to each other.

If the church operates out of the classic marks of one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, then it in effect is living with only half of its DNA. When churches operate with their full DNA, the become the wonderful organism of the church. The church is simultaneously one and diverse, holy and charismatic, catholic and local, apostolic and prophetic. The two contrasting sets of characteristics together make up the complex reality of the church. Each pair represents complementary facets of the church's life that are essential to its genetic makeup.

If your church began to think more in organic terms, defining the church as the body instead of as an organization or building, what changes might occur?

Snow Day at the Home Office

One of the benefits of working out of my home office is that my commute on a snowy day is not dangerous at all! This is the view I awoke to this morning - about 5-6" of snow on top of some ice.

My day was scheduled for client review and meeting prep for the week, so the weather isn't going to affect that at all. Later today or tonight I plan to begin a series of posts about church DNA - drop back in to view them.

Carolina Snow...at 10 PM

Can't wait till Monday morning!