The Platonic Captivity of the Church: thinking biblically about the human body

I often reflect on the things I was taught, whether intentionally or unintentionally, growing up in the local church. I vividly remember pastors, revival speakers, or traveling evangelists, most of whom were significantly overweight, preaching against smoking, drinking, or sexual immorality because after all the body is “the temple of the Holy Spirit.” I’ve always found that a rather odd contradiction. Make no mistake about it, the Scripture does teach that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit because we have been united to the True Temple, the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, what we do with our bodies has everything to do with Christ.

Yet, these same preachers, preaching for the body in this life, were preaching against the body in the life to come. Death was the final end for the human body, at least in how it was described. In preaching the funeral I would hear them dismiss the body and give encouragement that the “true person”, namely the person’s soul, is now in heaven with the Lord. To me, this was a contradiction, namely why preach for the body (“you are the temple of the HS”) in this life, when the body is really not that important when you die (“it is just a container/shell of the true person”)?

My conclusion has led me to see that many in the church do not understand what the Scripture teaches concerning the human body. We view our bodies as an instrument of our own desire, with little regard for what the Creator of our bodies has to say concerning it. We have, unfortunately, viewed the Christian life as though it was only spiritual and that all that really matters is that we go to be with the Lord when we die. I think the Bible rejects both of these statements.

Most of our views on the body are more influenced by Plato, the early Greek philosopher in the 5th century B.C., and Gnosticism, an early church heresy, than the Bible. Plato taught that the human being was made up of two separate parts, the physical (body) and the spiritual (soul). The physical world was viewed as evil, while the spiritual world was viewed as good. (Kind of sounds like most funerals I’ve been to).

Plato adopted this view and argued that the soul of a human being existed in the highest heavens, though currently trapped in a body, which he viewed as a prison. Salvation, according to Plato, was the release of the soul from the evil body. [If you are interested in learning more of the background here, Google the “Orphic myth” for the teachings of Greek mythology]

The early church was influenced by Platonic thought. There arose two major heresies in the early church concerning the body/soul relationship. One was Docetism (the body of Christ was only an illusion) and Gnosticism (the heavenly soul was imprisoned in the sinful body). As a result, the focus on “spiritual” things became a priority. It is clear to see how the earlier Platonic view caused such heresies to arise in the early church and how many of the implications of these teachings still linger in our churches.

Yet, there were many Christians in the early church who rejected such a notion of the body (1 John 4:1-3). They did so for the following reasons…

1) God’s creation of a physical universe, which was pronounced as very good.
2) The physical incarnation of Jesus Christ.
3) The clear interaction of the soul/mind and the body.
4) Sin can take place in the soul, not just body.
5) The necessity of a physically resurrected Christ
6) The promise of a future bodily resurrection of believers.
7) The future restoration of a physical universe.

So how do we know when we are being more Platonic than Biblical concerning the body?

1) When you view the body as something to be disposed of upon death.
2) When you view the body as something meaningless and insignificant.
3) When you view death as a glorious end, rather than the future resurrection of the body.
4) When you do not take care of your body, which is an instrument of worship (Rom 12).
5) When you view the Christian life as primarily “spiritual” in nature.

Let me give you a few general statements concerning what the Bible teaches concerning our bodies.

1) We were created as embodied creatures (body and spirit) as a part of God’s glorious physical creation, of which God, when he had finished His work, described as very good. (Genesis 1:26-31, 2:7, 2:18-3:1, Psalm 139:13-16) We find in these passages that God created us as a gender, as sexual beings, with a vocational purpose, and many other implications (Too many to cover in this article).

2) As a result of the fall, our physical bodies, along with the physical creation are in need of sanctification (1 Thes 5:23, Romans 8) [clothing of the body in Genesis, not letting sin reign in our body in Romans 5-6, etc]. Our bodies are not to be a slave to anything ungodly, which is a part of the sanctification process (1 Cor 6:12-20).

3) As a result of the fall, our physical bodies will die. Though this is a tragic reality, the body is to be honored in view of the complete creation of God (2 Cor 6:19-20).

4) Even though the body will die, our future hope is not our spirit with the Lord in heaven (2 Cor 5:6-10) but a future bodily resurrection (1 Thes 4:13-18, 1 Cor 15) in the restoration of the physical creation (Revelation 21).

This topic may be foreign to may of you, as it was me for many years, mostly because we have been taught that the Christian life is what we do “spiritually.” However, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we need to think biblically about the body. Issues concerning the human body are all around us from cremation vs. burial, how we approach funerals, issues of cloning, transplants, abortion, euthanasia, reproductive technologies, stem cell research, dietary and other health related issues, and much more. How is a Christian to respond to this issues?
When is the last time you’ve stop to think how your body is being used as an instrument of praise, which it was created to be? As the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 12, “I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice.” This is, after all, a “rational” act of worship given God’s overall redemptive work.

May we as Christians take care of our bodies now, honor our bodies upon our death, and look forward to the day when our bodies will come out of the grave, just as One did 2000 years ago.

Pastor Wes

Bible Reading Plans for 2010

Last Sunday I was asked by a church member about thoughts on Bible reading plans. In addition, I will be calling us as a congregation to pursue Christ with all of our passion in the coming year. Therefore, I post these suggestions for those of you who are interested in having a plan in the New Year for digging into the Word of God.

Click on the highlighted link or you can just copy and paste into your web browser.

There are a number of Bible reading plans on the ESV website. Go to http://www.esv.org/biblereadingplans to access these.

Here are some of the advantages…

1. At the above website there are numerous ways to receive the information (print them, have them sent to your mobile devices, receive them through email, and many others.)

2. Pick you genre. You can do reading plans through various genres. You can do Psalms and Wisdom, or Gospels and Epistles, etc. There are about 10 total plans in all.

3. Pick your strategy. You can do reading plans chronologically, each day in OT and NT, etc. Lots of flexibility here.

The ESV site also has the M’Cheyne One-Year Reading Plan. This plan has you read through the NT twice, the Psalms twice, and the rest of the OT once throughout the year. The only concern is that some have found this plan to be too wide because it has you in 4 different places in the Bible on a given day. Others like the variety though. You can decide!

Other Suggestions…

1. The Discipleship Journal Reading Plan (http://www.navpress.com/uploadedFiles/15074%20BRP.dj.pdf) The advantage to this plan is that you can catch up if you fall behind.

2. The Book-at-a-Time Reading plan. (http://www.navpress.com/uploadedFiles/BRP2.pdf)

3. (http://www.amazon.com/Search-Scriptures-Study-Guide-Bible/dp/0830811206/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230711958&sr=8-1) This is more of a study guide than a reading plan, but maybe helpful for those who use an NIV.

4. http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.html

May our passion for Him and His Word ever increase in 2010.

Pastor Wes

According to a recent Yahoo report, famous tennis star Andy Murray and his long-time girlfriend are breaking up. Now why would a pastor write a blog comment over such dramatic event? The answer….because it is the perfect example of delayed manhood.

Evidently his girlfriend decided to dump him because he spends seven hours a day playing video games. Seriously, there is something wrong in a culture when 22 year old men are spending 7 hours a day playing video games, dating a girl for four years without any marriage in sight (or at least there was no evidence of such plans in this case).

I’m seeing this issue over and over again in marital counseling. The responsibilities of early 20-year-olds such as work, pursing a family, and cultivating spiritual maturity have been replaced with living at home with parents, playing video games all night, spending their weekends out with their buddies, and delaying the responsibilities of manhood. If I may be so blunt as to say that the results are 30 year-olds with the maturity level of 16 year-olds. While this is obviously not true in every case, there has most certainly been a shift in the culture on this issue.

One of the tragic affects of delayed adulthood is the conflict it brings into marriage. The longer one lives out their independence the harder the transition to being dependent (marriage) will be. Now this doesn’t mean everyone needs to be married by 18, nor am I suggesting such an arbitrary guideline. What I am suggesting is that if you are 22 and are playing 7 hours of video games, a transition to marriage and taking on the responsibilities of a family will be very challenging.

Genesis 1 is clear that God’s design for manhood is rooted in three main tasks, namely work, marry, and have a family that you protect and provide for to the glory of God. While there are individual circumstances preventing some of these, that is God’s design for being a man and it is a glorious responsibility because it is rooted in the image of God. Maybe Andy Murray needs to work on a different kind of serve?

For His Glory,

Pastor Wes

Preaching and naming names: when is it appropriate to mention the names of other preachers?

In the manuscript below you will notice that I “call out” one of prosperity preachers by the name of Creflo Dollar. My sermon on Philippians 4 dealt with Paul’s contentment both in hunger and in abundance. I mention Creflo Dollar and his comment that you won’t have peace if you don’t have money. I believe that such teaching is a serious offense to the teaching of the Bible and contrary to the heart of the gospel.


This, however, does raise a good question, namely when is it appropriate to mention the name of other preachers in a sermon, particularly when it is a point of disagreement?

This Specific Example

In this particular example, I not only feel it is appropriate but I believe it is important to do so. The reason is that believe that prosperity gospel preachers manipulate the gospel and do serious harm to the body of Christ. The prosperity teaching, namely that God promises His children will be healthy, wealthy, and always abounding, is a serious assault on the biblical text and completely contrary to the teachings of the Bible.

Therefore, as a pastor who takes the protection of his flock very seriously, I will unapologetically continue (when appropriate) to expose those teachings and teachers in the culture who do serious manipulation to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have, and will continue, to address serious theological error that are in the mainstream Christian culture.

The Larger Context

Given what I have stated above, one should not conclude that preaching should be a time of name calling and should only been done when the situation warrants. Here are a few questions I think are important to consider.

1. Is it a gospel issue? Is what you are addressing a minor disagreement or a major theological issue. There is a significant difference between the disagreements preachers have about minor issues as opposed to issues that are leading people away from the integrity of the gospel. If it is a serious gospel issue, then I think it is appropriate, in a Christian spirit, to address it straight on.

2. Is it a character attack or a theological attack? I certainly do not believe that it is appropriate to get into character issues. Theological issues, particularly those that are of serious nature, should be open to public criticism because the integrity of the gospel is at stake. Therefore, so long as personal attacks are avoided, theological critique is appropriate if the theological issue is significant.

3. Is it biblical or a personal agenda? Preaching should never be about personal agendas but faithfully teaching the biblical text. I do not believe that it is appropriate to merely address personal disagreements in a sermon. However, exposing another’s view (when a gospel-centered issue is at stake) in light of the biblical text is appropriate.

At the end of the day it is the pastor’s responsibility to faithful care for the flock of God. In a politically correct culture we are supposed to tolerate all beliefs and never expose error. The gospel of Jesus Christ, however, does not give us such freedom. Though not a common practice, I believe that there are occasions when the integrity of the gospel is at stake and preachers must be willing to graciously address those issues, along those who advocate them, for the protection and edification of the body of Christ.

Pastor Wes

Series: Life at Peace
Title: In all things content
Text: Phil 4:10-13, 1 Tim 6:6-10
Date: November 22, 2009

Introduction

I will never forget several years ago the first mission trip I took to Mexico to build houses. I remember going the entire week without a shower because there was no running water at any of the facilities. A restroom was a bucket and a place to hide. I remember walking inside of what the family was living in and watching a little boy, not much older than my son, as flies consumed his bowl of cereal and followed the spoon as he brought it too his mouth. I remember another little boy who had tied a string to a bug and would watch it fly around as though it was a new toy plane. And I remember the look on the families face as though were overjoyed with simple things like a bar of soap. And I remember how all week long they smiled and seemed far happier than me.

And I remember flying back home reading about a new, high-tech, $5000 toilet that was soon to be introduced in the US featuring a wireless remote to raise and lower the seat, a deodorizer, a warm-air dryer, water temperature controls, why it even had massage options. And I remember returning to a nice bed and nice long hot shower. And I remember thinking to myself… “Would God be enough?” Regardless of the conditions I lived in “Would God be enough?” Could I say, as the Psalmist said…

25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I
desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the
strength of my heart and my portion forever. [Psalm 73]

This issue of godly contentment is at the core of living a life at peace. And we live in a culture that is very discontent.

• We are discontent with what we have so we go into debt to have more.
• We are discontent with where we are so we keep moving hoping that we’ll be happier at the next stop.
• We are discontent with our marriage so we decide to find someone else that might make us happier.

And there is a voice within us that keeps saying I think I should already be here, I should already be able to retire, I should already be having children, I should already be a supervisor, the church should already be doing this or that. And that voice of discontentment destroys the peace in our lives. And while there is nothing wrong with having those desires, sometimes those desires control our ability to be content and live a life at peace.

Illustration: U2 song, “I have climbed the highest mountains. I have run through the fields. I run, I have crawled, I have scaled city walls. But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”

Some of us here this morning are still looking and searching for something bigger, something better, something that we think we fulfill us.

We see here in Philippians 4 a man who had learned to be content.

Teaching

Here is a man who sets in a prison cell because of corrupt officials awaiting a possible execution over false charges. Here is a man who writes a thank you letter to a church that he loves who was dealing with some relational conflict. He wanted to be with so that he could help them work through their issues. But Paul was in prison, He couldn’t be where he wanted to be. He feels confined by the prison cell. And yet Paul was content to remain where he was, in prison, in chains.

The Peace of Contentment

• Paul says, “I have learned in whatever situation to be content.” The word content comes from a Greek word meaning “self-sufficient or independent.”

o Stoics: It was used by the Stoics in those days as a detachment of emotions or an indifference to all things. It was a chief virtue.

o But that is not how Paul is using the word. Paul doesn’t mean don’t care about anything, for Paul content was “an inner peace that comes from knowing that God is in control of his life.”

o In the book Authentic Faith, Gary Thomas says that “Contentment is nothing more than ‘soul rest.’ It is satisfaction, peace, assurance and a sense of well-being that is cultivated by pursuing the right things.

• Though Paul had desires and dreams and goals he was not controlled by them. “By now I should be set free” “by now I should be in Philippi” “by now, by now, by now.” Paul had learned to walk in peace in the present.

I) The example of Paul’s contentment (11, 14-19)

• Notice in 11, 14-19. If one didn’t know of the great relationship Paul had with these people they might think this is offensive. Paul wants to make clear that while he is deeply appreciative of their gift, he wasn’t in want. He was fully confident in God. His joy was not bound to their gifts for it was rooted in the sovereignty of God.

• Paul sets the example for us here. That our peace is not based upon what we get or what we don’t get. It we get something, we’re thankful, if we don’t we trust God.

• “But this is the Paul” “He is a super Christian”. But Paul said, “I have learned to be content.” This is not something he got at Apostle school, this wasn’t some overnight supernatural work of God, it came through continuing to walk with God through all seasons.

II) The extremes of Paul’s contentment (12)

• Notice both extremes that Paul gives.

o Abounding: Those times in my life when my goals are being met, my desires are be fulfilled…we find our we are pregnant, I get the raise, we have lots of food in the refrigerator, the tests come back positive, the surgery went well…I am at peace. And most of us would be content if this were always the case. God bless me and I’ll promise to be content.

o Lacking: Those times in my life when my desires are not being fulfilled, retirement is forced, the job is lost, the economy is failing, a friend hurts you, are you content? Paul is! Because knows that sometimes God brings you low, sometimes God gives a torn in the flesh, sometimes God brings you to a point of hunger to save your soul, He brings you to the point of little so you’ll find much in Him, sometimes God brings you low so you’ll lift Him high, and sometime God will take everything away to show you that he is everything after all!

o Paul was satisfied with little. It didn't matter that he was a prisoner, it didn't matter that he was chained to a Roman soldier, that he ate things we wouldn’t want to smell, that he stayed in a place that was greatly lacking in comfort. As Paul said in 1 Tim 6:8, “ But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” [translation: if you have a t-shirt and a loaf of bread you have enough…and of course a cell phone, computer, and ipod right?]

• Illustration: This is why I get so angry at advocates of the prosperity gospel. As one pastor (Creflo Dollar) stated, “See there are some people that do not believe in prosperity they don‘t want to hear that God is a God who wants to put money in your hand, well you need to hear about money because you aren’t going to have no joy no peace until you have some money.”

o If you have to abound to be content your peace is not in God, it’s in His gifts!

III) The endurance of Paul’s contentment (13)

• Paul says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This if often one of the most misquoted verses in the Bible. We have made it mean, “with Jesus I can do anything!” “I’m going to try and bench press 400pds because…” “I’m going to dunk a basketball ball because…”

• Paul uses this verse in the context of living a life of contentment, namely how am I able to be content when I have nothing and content when I abound…the strength of Jesus Christ.

• "I can endure all things." He uses a Greek verb, ischuros that means to be strong, or to have strength. He is saying, "I am strong enough to go through anything because of Him who infuses His strength into me." Paul says, "I'm content, I've seen the power of God."

Transition: 1 Timothy 6:6-10

So we see in Paul an inner peace that he learned by walking with the Lord that grounded him both in lacking and in abundance through the power of Jesus Christ. By why should we pursue this kind of peace?

1) Godly contentment is great gain

a. You are truly able to enjoy life. You won’t be tossed around by the waves.

b. We should be content so we can invest in what really counts. Three billion people today are outside Jesus Christ. Two-thirds of those without a Christian witness. If we, like Paul, are content with the simple necessities of life, thousands of dollars at TBC and millions of dollars in the SBC and hundreds of millions of dollars in the Protestant church would be released to take the gospel around the world.

2) Godly contentment maintains a right perspective

a. Test 1: what did you have when you came into the world? What will you take with you when you leave? Everything else is bonus!

b. Test 2: If you want contentment and peace, do not compare what you have to what others have. Compare what you have to what you should have which is hell. You and I were a train wreck waiting to happen, we were hell bound because of our sin, and God intervened. God opened our eyes to see His glory and as a result we have so much more that we could ever deserve and yet so many of us remain unsatisfied.

3) Godly contentment protects from temptation
a. If we don’t learn godly contentment we will be tempted to doubt God when we are hungry and ignore God when we abound.

Five Warning Signs of Declining Church Health

The following is an article by Dr. Thom Rainer, CEO of Lifeway Resources. The article is about warning signs that a church is not as healthy as it should be. I post this not because it applies necessary but things to keep in mind as we continue to move forward to what God has for us in the future.

Pastor Wes

......................................................................................

December 17, 2004, should have been a day of celebration. Nellie Jo and I had been married 27 years on that date. We were in Naples, Florida, enjoying the sunshine and each other.
Then the phone call came.

We had been given a great deal of confidence that the biopsy would likely prove negative. Proceed with our anniversary celebration, we were told. In the unlikely event that the report was not good, they would let us know.

The report was not good. Nellie Jo had cancer. The next two years would prove to be some of the most challenging years of our lives and marriage.

When an Unhealthy Body Looks Healthy

Looking back, it is amazing to recall how healthy Nellie Jo looked. She showed no signs of fatigue or sickness. Had she not seen a couple of warning signs, she might have found out too late about her cancer. She might not be alive today.

I’ve seen it countless times. My team would go into a church for a consultation, and we would begin interviewing church members. We would hear from many of the congregants that their church was healthy and thriving. Then we would see the warning signs. And we would begin to fear that the apparently healthy body was not really healthy at all.

The church was sick. Some of the churches were really sick.

Five Warning Signs

What were some of the warning signs my team saw? Though the list is not exhaustive, these five issues were common. Some of the churches had a one or two on the list; some had all five.

1. The church has few outwardly focused ministries. Most of the budget dollars in the church are spent on the desires and comforts of church members. The ministry staff spends most of its time taking care of members, with little time to reach out and minister to the community the church is supposed to serve.

2. The dropout rate is increasing. Members are leaving for other churches in the community, or they are leaving the local church completely. A common exit interview theme we heard was a lack of deep biblical teaching and preaching in the church.

3. The church is experiencing conflict over issues of budgets and building. When the focus of church members becomes how the facilities and money can meet their preferences, church health is clearly on the wane.

4. Corporate prayer is minimized. If the church makes prayer a low priority, it makes God a low priority.

5. The pastor has become a chaplain. The church members view the pastor as their personal chaplain, expecting him to be on call for their needs and preferences. When he doesn’t make a visit at the expected time, or when he doesn’t show up for the Bible class fellowship, he receives criticism. In not a few cases, the pastor has lost his job at that church because he was not omnipresent for the church members.

Where Do We Go from Here?

The bad news is that few churches recover if the patterns above become normative. The church is a church in name only. It is self-gratifying rather than missional. It is more concerned about great comfort than the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.
The good news is that a few churches have moved from sickness to health. The path was not easy. It first required that the congregants be brutally honest with themselves and God. It does no good to speak glowingly of a church that is unhealthy and getting worse.
Many of the turnaround churches we consulted then moved to a time of corporate confession and repentance. They confessed to God their lack of obedience and their selfish desire for their own comfort.

And still other churches made an intentional effort to shift the ministries and the money of the church to a greater outward focus. This step can be particularly painful since a number of church members often protest with vigor that their needs are no longer being met.

To Become a Healthy Church

Indeed we could focus on the reality that the great majority of sick churches do not recover. But that focus provides little value.

We should look at the admittedly few churches that have moved from sickness to health. We should learn how they turned from an inward focus to an outward focus. We should follow their examples of moving from selfish desires to radical obedience to God.

In His power the unhealthy church can become healthy.

Heed the warning signs.

It could be the difference between life and death.