21st Century Rule of Life for Christians and The Church
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matt. 10:16, cf 17-22 ESVi)
“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2, KJV)
The most important things about what the Bible teaches are on the cusp of being declared “hate.” In some nations of the earth, they already are! In the West, they are already believed to be so culturally, but the years ahead will see them declared to be so legally. And, what will we do?
To name a few, what are these antagonistic truths?
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There is only one pathway to God, through the God/man Jesus. Though we respect pluralism in our constitution and in our midst, this must be declared. ​
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The value of human life is based upon God’s creation of men and women in His image. Abortion, murder, character assassination, cancel culture, gender confusion, homosexuality, divorce, sexual abuse, immorality, adultery, etc. are all counter to God’s image and creation. ​
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Evil is present in and animates all people. Objective moral and ethical convictions are needed as a standard of community and common good. ​
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Evil has to be disciplined and judged by law. The common moral and ethical good needs to be protected and administered by government. ​
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The closer law conforms to God’s words, the more it will be just and will also discipline evil. Government needs to base itself on objective moral and ethical standards. ​
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The further law wanders from or disregards God’s words, the more evil will be released in a society. Without the discipline of law, it will overwhelm a society. ​
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The promise of salvation from God through Jesus in time, should be the central animation to human existence. We unapologetically defend and declare our commitment to this end.
What kind of lifestyle can we build that continues to champion our personal relationship to God and active service to Him, while also focusing on the declaration of the Gospel, in spite of the context? Taking into consideration that while our message (taken from God in His Bible) is and must be strident, our dealing with people must always be compassionate.
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Prepare your heart and mind to suffer. We should expect no treatment different from our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. The kind of suffering may differ. But the rejection and treatment of us will be based upon their rejection of Him and what He stands for. (John 15:20-25)
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Prepare your lifestyle to thrive in spite of suffering and actively benefit others with all that God has given you to steward. Use the wealth that God gives you to assist other believers who are in the midst of more strident loses that will come from persecution. (Hebrews 10:32-39)
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Choose wisely who you trust. Honor all people, pray for all people, minister to all people without respect, but have caution in who you partner with for the kingdom. We can be friendly acquaintances to all, friends with most, but only partners with a few. (Matthew 13)
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Consider decentralizing nearly every facet of your church life. The real work of evangelism and maturing believers is always labor intensive and relational. Seizing the already decentralized nature of daily living, allow both evangelism and maturing believers to be more consistently accomplished through Christ’s people. (Ephesians 4:11-16)
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Chose wisely what topics you deal with publicly. We are to be wise and gentle in all we do. Wisdom seeks to understand the people and context in which we live, act in integrity, while allowing God the Spirit to do what only the Spirit can and will do. Debate in moments of enflamed historical moments are better had in small private numbers. (Matthew 10:16)
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Focus on evangelism in every dimension of public ministry and private encounters. Allow the people of God to be the primary message bearers of our Gospel mandate. (Ephesians 3:10-11)
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Form young leaders and couples to live a life committed to Christ and the kingdom of God. Make this a primary task of existing leadership. (2 Timothy 2)
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Build a short, simple Biblically focused catechism to continually rehearse and teach the people for whom God has given you responsibility. (See my suggestion below)
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Don’t fight public battles about issues that only the Gospel reception enlightens. (Matthew 7:6)
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10.Pray actively for the revealing and judgement by God on evil. Some acts of our fellow citizens are so horrific that they need to be judged. But, only God has the right to take up the task of holding people accountable for their moral disobedience. Interpersonally, Jesus calls us to pray for our enemies. We stand prepared to suffer the costs of obeying His words. Where government serves its primary purpose, evil will be held accountable. Whether or not government actually completes its task is irrelevant to our call to pray for government. We pray as Paul admonished us in 1 Timothy 2:2, “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”
A short catechism for times of testing
Bible
We believe the Bible to be inspired, God breathed. It is our primary source of daily living and relationship with our Heavenly Father.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17
God
We believe that God is our Heavenly Father and that He created everything in our universe, seen and unseen. He calls us to know Him and serve Him.
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:26
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God. He was born of the will of God His Father, to a virgin. His divine and eternal natures are not compromised by His taking upon Himself flesh. He is perfect and as such is the right and only gift for our sin.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:1-4
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, sent by the Father to accomplish His will. Through Him the world was created, the Son was born of a virgin, we are indwelled for new birth and righteous living and, the final events of earthly events will be accomplished.
“But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:20
Genesis 1:1-5; John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13
The purpose of the church
The Church are people called out of the world to be in relationship with God and serve His salvation purposes for all of the peoples of the earth. Created in His image and recreated in Jesus Christ, they progressively grow in His righteousness and demonstrate this into all of their relationships.
“so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Ephesians 3:10-11
The promise of God birthing the Gospel
In the beginning God the Father made a promise to overcome the disobedience of Adam and Eve, by raising up out of the womb of Eve one who would conquer sin, death and Satan. God preserved and managed that promise down through the corridor of human and biblical history. The good news is that this promise awaits only the complete movement of the message across the whole of the earth.
“I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15
Matthew 28:10-20
Christian living.
New birth brings with it new living. The whole of scripture anticipates that, in spite of the flesh that still lives within us, we can and will be progressively conformed to the image of the Son, Jesus Christ. Paul describes this as the fruit of the Spirit. Jesus describes this in the Sermon on the Mount.
“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.”
Romans 6:5-7
Christ’s return
We believe that Jesus will bodily return to the earth. He will come to redeem His own to Himself. He will judge all those who rejected God’s offer of salvation in the Son, and commit them to an eternal separation from God.
“For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” 1 Corinthians 15:20-22
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The world to come.
We believe that God will ultimately restore all things to the reasons for which He made this world in the first place.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”
Revelations 21:1-3
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Dwight Smith