Glory in the Church

On my desk sits a plaque of the kind that typically contains the name of the person sitting behind the desk. This plaque sat on my grandfather’s desk, and rather than displaying his name, it displays his favorite verse of scripture:

Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. – Ephesians 3:21 (KJV)

My grandfather faithfully pastored Baptist churches for over thirty years. I never had the privilege of knowing him as an adult, as he passed away when I was 17.  But knowing he treasured this verse means a great deal to me, because it means that he treasured the glory of God, and that he treasured Christ’s church.

I remain convinced that so many of the difficulties and challenges we face today can be traced back to a lack of understanding of the true nature and purpose of the church. We live in a society that prizes individualism, and that idea has greatly warped our understanding of what the church is meant to be. We read scripture as though all of it applies to us as individuals, and in the process, we lose our understanding of the church as Christ intends it to be.

The Washington Post published on Monday of this week in its “On Faith” column an outstanding essay by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck that really gets to the heart of this truth. Written to a generation that is buying books about “leaving the church to ‘find God,’” the article points up the importance of valuing the church above our own individual identity or felt needs:

Jesus died for the church, so don’t be bothered by a little dying to self for the church’s sake. If you keep in mind that everyone there is a sinner (including yourself) and that Jesus Christ is the point and not you, your dreams, or your kids, your church experience might not be as lame as you fear.

This, I would argue, is the heart of the problem with our contemporary view of the church. We view everything, including scripture, through individualistic lenses. When Jesus said, “if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven,” he wasn’t talking about me and my friend agreeing that God will provide a new Volkswagen. He was talking about the church, intentionally gathered in his name, and speaking with his authority (specifically, in this case, with regard to the discipline of a member). When he said “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them,” he wasn’t talking about me and my buddies in the woods, he was talking about the church, intentionally gathered in his name, being assured of His presence.

The churches of our convention stand in need of a Great Commission Resurgence. I am grateful for the leadership of Johnny Hunt and Danny Akin in calling our attention to this need. But if it comes, it won’t be because of a convention vote or the work of a convention-wide task force. It will come when the members of our churches recognize their responsibility to the congregations of which they are a part.

Recently, I had opportunity to speak to our association’s executive board, and I began with the intentionally provocative statement, “The Great Commission isn’t for you.” Needless to say, I had their attention. But by the end of my message, I also had their understanding and agreement. The Great Commission wasn’t given to an individual, or even to an undefined group of individuals. It was given to the church, to be carried out by its members within a relationship of accountability to the local church.

Do not misunderstand what I am saying. I am not at all suggesting that individual Christians are not required by the Great Commission to make disciples. But what I am arguing is that all of our Great Commission activity must be carried out by the authority of, and with accountability to, a local church. So not only is baptism only rightly conducted under the authority of the local church, but disciple-making and teaching are also only rightly conducted under that authority and with that accountability. To suggest that these activities can be rightly carried out by individuals has the potential to do great damage, even to the message of the gospel itself.

Not far from my home lives a popular Bible teacher. His teaching is broadcast on cable and satellite television, and his local classes draw many attendees. He is also a heretic, a modern-day Marcion who teaches that there are two distinct ways by which persons are saved. He further teaches that the four gospels, Hebrews, James, and the Petrine and Johannine epistles hold no doctrinal value for Gentile Christians, but are of purely historical interest.

This teacher is fond of saying that, while he appreciates the ministry of local churches, he is a part of none of them. If I were he, I would say the very same thing, because I know that if he were a part of a local church, that church would be able to come alongside him, show him his errors, and call him to repentance for his false teaching. So it is with every command within the Great Commission. We must understand them all to have been given to the local church.

My grandfather’s plaque reminds me of his years of service to God’s people, but the verse inscribed upon it reminds me that the glory of God is most clearly revealed today “in the church by Christ Jesus.” As we seek a Great Commission Resurgence, may we be reminded that it is only within local churches that it is properly carried out. A convention cannot fulfill the Great Commission, and it is entirely possible for the gates of Hell to prevail against a denomination, but the church, built upon the rock of the confession of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, can and will remain until it is united with Him in glory.

An overemphasis on the individual will lead us to existentialism, yet overemphasizing the denomination will lead us to Romanism. I appeal to our GCR task force to think, not in the smallest terms of the individual, nor in the largest terms of the Convention, but in the biblical terms of the local church. Get the Great Commission into the hands of the local church where the glory of Christ resides, and we will see once again a resurgence against which the gates of Hell cannot prevail.