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On August 4, 2021 By In Church, Worship

Ecclesiology 101: The assembly must share gifts with one another

In this series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

The fourth duty that assembly-members have toward one another is the giving and receiving of gifts.

All members of the assembly have gifts that God has given them, and those gifts are to be shared with others. Whatever skills, expertise, or knowledge you have is for the benefit of all. Each person is a unique image of God with unique traits and perspectives. Each person has interests and abilities that are not identical to anyone else. You are to share your gifts with others, and they are to share their gifts with you.

Consider the following passages:

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit…given to each one for the profit of all…the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you” (1 Corinthians 12:4, 7, 21)

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God (1 Peter 4:10)

Peter says that we are to “minister” our gifts to one another. That’s a profound command that should not be dismissed easily. It’s a ministry of yours to share your gifts. Maybe you’re a musician, a mechanic, a doctor, a math genius, or a babysitter. Maybe you’ve learned wisdom from life experiences. Whatever the case may be, the Bible views your gift as a benefit to the whole assembly. Don’t think that you have nothing valuable to offer! You do. Each member — clergy and layperson alike — plays a vital role in the life of the assembly.

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On March 16, 2021 By In Church, Music, Worship

Ecclesiology 101: The assembly must edify one another

In this series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

The third duty that assembly-members have is to edify one another. You have the obligation to edify, uplift, and encourage your brothers and sisters.

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers (Ephesians 4:29)

Therefore comfort each other and edify one another…pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all (1 Thessalonians 5:11, 15)

These verses teach that we are to build each other up. The Greek word for edify (oikodomé) means “to build.” It’s the same word for building a house. We build up the house – the assembly – through mutual edification.

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On January 5, 2021 By In Church, Worship

Ecclesiology 101: The assembly must submit to one another

In this series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

The second obligation that assembly-members have toward each other is submission. We must submit to one another.

For many people, the word “submission” triggers unpleasant thoughts. Evil people have used the concept of submission to justify tyranny and oppression. That is a worldly, perverse form of submission.

In the Bible, however, submission is a good thing. It is not tyrannical, it is not oppressive, and most importantly – it is not one-sided. Biblical submission is mutual. This single caveat makes Christian submission entirely unique. As we’ll see, it mirrors the life of the Trinity and it is only possible given a trinitarian worldview.

Paul tells the entire assembly to “submit to one another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5:21). That is the general command given to all. Paul then applies that command to various relationships within the assembly: husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants.

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On December 30, 2020 By In Church, Worship

Ecclesiology 101: The assembly must love one another

In this series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

My previous article established that the church is an assembly, and that assembling is therefore the church’s most basic duty. We assemble primarily for worship, though many things flow out of worship.

What are some of those things? What are our duties toward our fellow assembly-members? The Bible’s instructions to the assembly can be outlined in five categories. Each of these categories connect to one another and overlap – you can’t have some without the others! – but it is important to consider them individually.

First up: Love one another.

This should be an obvious one. The scriptures frequently command Christians to love one another. This command forms the foundation for all subsequent commands. To be clear, I’m not speaking of love for God, though that is necessary as well. This series deals with how Christians relate to Christians. We are commanded to love the assembly. We are commanded to love our fellow-assembly members. Loving God comes easy for Christians; loving other Christians takes work.

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On December 24, 2020 By In Church, Worship

Ecclesiology 101: The assembly must assemble

In this series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

Ecclesiology is the study of the church. Various aspects of the church and church governance are covered in ecclesiology, usually in abstract terms. This is good and necessary, but I want to take a more practical approach. I want to talk about ecclesiology from a layperson’s perspective: What does it mean to be the church? How do we function together? What are our duties toward one another? In this series, I hope to lay forth an outline of how the church is to be the church. I will not be focusing on outward-facing ministries of the church (e.g. evangelism), but on inward-facing ministries.

Defining terms

First things first: What does it mean to be a part of the church? To answer this question, we must first determine what the word “church” means. Most Christians know that the church isn’t a building, though we sometimes speak that way. “The church is people!” we rightly proclaim (Matthew 18:17, Acts 11:26).

From there, we might say that the church consists of anyone saved by the atoning work of Jesus (Ephesians 5:25, 1 Corinthians 1:2). In this usage, any self-professed Christian – anyone who believes in Jesus – is a part of the church.

But more fundamentally, the church is an “assembly” or a “congregation.” The word translated as “church” in our Bibles is the Greek ekklesia, which literally means “to call together” or “to assemble.”

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On September 21, 2020 By In Culture, Film

The victory of Jesus in ‘Fargo’ Season 3

After watching Fargo Season 3 when it first aired (2017), I remarked that Fargo was “the most Christian show on TV.” If the Christian themes in Seasons 1 and 2 weren’t obvious enough, they are undeniable in Season 3. This doesn’t mean it’s a family-friendly show, mind you (viewer discretion is advised). Nor does it mean it is perfectly orthodox. But as we’ll see, this season displays an overtly biblical worldview.

Warning: Spoilers ahead

Set in Minnesota, during Christmas of 2010, Fargo Season 3 follows the feud between identical-twin-brothers Emmit and Ray Stussy. The brothers are contrasted in almost every respect; ironic for identical twins. Emmit is the older twin, a rich businessman. Ray is the younger twin, a poor parole officer. Emmit owns a luxurious home, Ray rents a dingy apartment. Emmit is clean-shaven and well-dressed, Ray is scruffy and unkempt. Emmit is happily married with children, Ray is romantic with one of his parolees.

The feud centers around the inheritance left to them by their deceased father. Ray claims that Emmit tricked Ray out of an expensive stamp collection. Emmit disputes this, maintaining that Ray preferred to have their father’s Corvette. Readers of the Bible will immediately notice a Jacob and Esau theme in this premise. Jacob and Esau were twin brothers who became enemies over the inheritance given by their father Isaac. Similarities and references to Jacob and Esau will continue throughout the season.

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On December 31, 2019 By In Culture, History

Yes, Jesus was born on (or near) December 25

OK, maybe the title of my article is a little too bold. The Bible doesn’t give us the date of Jesus’s birth, so we can’t claim a particular date with certainty. But is it the case that Jesus was actually born in late summer? Is it the case that the church chose December 25 to co-opt pagan festivals? Enough people — Christians and non-Christians alike — believe these theories that they are repeated every Christmas season. Yet given the historical data we have, there’s no reason to believe them.

Let me state up front that it doesn’t really matter when Jesus was born; what matters is that he was born. Remarkably, a New Testament author never recorded the date for us, even though they could have. Surely Mary and Joseph and the shepherds remembered the date, and this date would have been known by Jesus and passed on to the apostles. Yet the Holy Spirit didn’t deem it necessary to put into writing.

If it doesn’t matter, then why defend a December 25 date? Defenders of December 25 primarily do so in response to the naysayers. It’s a matter of defending the decisions and intentions of the church, and of historical accuracy. Given the information we have, there’s no indication that the church wanted to co-opt pagan festivals. In fact, the opposite was generally true: The church wanted nothing to do with pagan practices. Christians, of all people, should want to be charitable to our ancestors and not impugn their motives.

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On November 28, 2019 By In Culture, Music, Theology

Kanye gets Adam and Eve right

If you follow pop culture at all, you know who Kanye West is, and you know that he is now a professing Christian. His recent album, Jesus Is King, is a Christian album filled with surprisingly orthodox lyrics. No blatant heresies or misuses of scripture are detected. In fact, they are quite good insofar as they reveal where Kanye is in his faith.

As I listened to the album, the following lyrics – from the song “Everything We Need” – stuck out to me in particular:

What if Eve made apple juice?
You gon’ do what Adam do?
Or say, “Baby, let’s put this back on the tree,
‘Cause we have everything we need”

These four short lines are immensely profound, for they correct a common misunderstanding about the fall of man (i.e. the doctrine of original sin).

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On July 23, 2019 By In Art, Interviews, Music

Interview with musician Smith Leithart of Iron Effigy

Iron Effigy is the musical alias of Smith Leithart, based in Birmingham, Alabama. His 6-song EP, Pieces of Me, was released in March 2019. I corresponded with Smith and asked some questions about his music. Read the exchange below and check out Iron Effigy on Spotify and all streaming platforms.

McIntosh: Explain your musical background. When did you discover your love of music and when did you start writing your own music?

Leithart: I grew up listening to film scores. As a kid, I’d mow the lawn listening to music from Star Wars, Gladiator, Blood Diamond, etc. My mom said I wasn’t allowed to listen to music with words, so film scores and classical music were pretty much my only options.

Images and design by Chris Williams
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On July 26, 2018 By In Theology

Walking on Water as Proof of Jesus’ Kingship (Mark 6:45-52)

In Mark 6:45-52, Jesus appears to his disciples by walking on water. This is a famous miracle of Jesus, but why did he do it? What was its purpose? Such questions aren’t irrelevant. Presumably, Jesus could have appeared to the disciples in a number of ways – but he chose to walk on water. What was the significance of this miracle?

For context, the disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee traveling to Bethsaida. This was at the command of Jesus, but he stayed behind to pray on a mountain (6:45-46). When evening came, Jesus could see that the disciples were having a hard time. Verse 48 says, “They were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them.”

The disciples are caught in a storm, and this is when Jesus appears to them on the water. When they see him, they think he’s a ghost! They cry out in fear; they are terrified (6:48-49). But Jesus immediately speaks words of comfort: “Take heart. It is I, do not be afraid” (6:50). When he enters the boat, the wind ceases and the disciples are greatly amazed (6:51). By this miracle, Jesus comes to the disciples’ rescue and he displays his divine power. But its placement in Mark 6 gives us an even deeper meaning. (more…)

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