City on a Hill

1
City on a Hill

• You are the light of the world. A city set on a
  hill cannot be hidden.
  
• -Matthew 514

2
The World is Changing

• Recent Book Titles
• Truth is Stranger Than It Used to Be
• Amusing Ourselves to Death
• Slouching Toward Gomorrah
• The Culture of Disbelief
• No Place for Truth
• The Twilight of American Culture
• No Place for Optimism?!

3
Post-Christian Culture

• Many professing Christians
• Christianitys influence no longer pervasive or
  prevailing
  
• New Barbarians at the gate
• Theres nothing at the center of what we do no
  center. All of uslook at our lives we have an
  acceptable level of affluence. We have
  entertainment. We have relative freedom from
  fear. But there is nothing else.

4
Relativism

• We believe in Marxfreudanddarwin.We believe
  everything is OKas long as you don't hurt
  anyone,to the best of your definition of
  hurt,and to the best of your knowledge.
• We believe in sex before during and after
  marriage.We believe in the therapy of sin.We
  believe that adultery is fun.We believe that
  sodomy's OKWe believe that taboos are taboo.We
  believe that everything's getting betterdespite
  evidence to the contrary.The evidence must be
  investigated.You can prove anything with
  evidence.We believe there's something in
  horoscopes,UFO's and bent spoons

5

• Jesus was a good man just like Buddha Mohammed
  and ourselves.
  
• He was a good moral teacher although we thinkhis
  good morals were bad.
  
• We believe that all religions are basically the
  same,at least the one that we read was.They all
  believe in love and goodness.They only differ on
  matters ofcreation sin heaven hell God and
  salvation.
• We believe that after death comes The
  Nothingbecause when you ask the dead what
  happens they say Nothing.If death is not the
  end, if the dead have lied,then it's compulsory
  heaven for allexcepting perhaps Hitler, Stalin
  and Genghis Khan.We believe in Masters and
  Johnson.What's selected is average.What's
  average is normal.What's normal is good.

6

• We believe in total disarmament.
• We believe there are direct links betweenwarfare
  and bloodshed.Americans should beat their guns
  into tractorsand the Russians would be sure to
  follow.We believe that man is essentially
  good.It's only his behavior that lets him
  down.This is the fault of society.Society is
  the fault of conditions.Conditions are the fault
  of society.We believe that each man must find
  the truththat is right for him.Reality will
  adapt accordingly.The universe will readjust.
  History will alter.We believe that there is no
  absolute truthexcepting the truth that there is
  no absolute truth.We believe in the rejection
  of creeds.

7
Narcissism

• Narcissism infatuation with the self radical
  individualism
  
• Self-love is, or should be, the basic will in
  human life. Robert Schuller
  
• Narcissism has become normal
• Why cant we combat poverty, reform health care,
  improve education, etc.?
  

8
Summary

• Taken together, the relativistic mind and the
  narcissistic heart explain a good deal about what
  is wrong with America today. People who do not
  know what is true (or who wonder if anything is
  true at all) are unable to do what is right and
  just and good. Intellectual skepticism quickly
  leads to moral relativism. And because people who
  live for themselves are unable to establish
  loving communities, many Americans end up feeling
  alienated and abandoned. In the rising generation
  there is a deep pessimism about the possibility
  of love and romance, to say nothing of marriage
  and family.
• 2 Timothy 31-4

9
How Shall We Respond?

• Lobbying try to legislate against relativism and
  narcissism (Moral Majority, Christian Coalition)
  
• Marketing Do whatever it takes to convince
  people to buy it focus on how Christ is good
  for you (Willow Creek seeker-sensitive)
  
• Post-Christianize Christianity Remove hard
  truths focus on authenticity, community, etc.
  (Brian McLaren emergent church)
  
• SEARCH FOR RELEVANCE

10
Whats Wrong with Relevance?

• By itself, nothingwe do not seek irrelevance!
• But employing the worlds methods and adopting
  the worlds agenda leads to accepting the worlds
  wisdom and embracing the worlds theology (e.g.
  mainline liberalism of the 20th century)
• A church that bends over backwards to speak the
  language of post-Christians becomes
  post-Christian itselflosing light and salt
  
• We need a better guiding principle than relevance!

11
The 1st Century Church

• The Scripture shows Gods plan for the church at
  all times and in all places
  
• 1st century culture was similar to ours in its
  corruption and relativism
  
• Pentecost preaching Christs death and
  resurrection Let all the house of Israel
  therefore know for certain that God has made him
  both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you
  crucified. (Acts 236)

12
What did they do?

• Acts 242-47 And they devoted themselves to the
  apostles teaching and fellowship, to the
  breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came
  upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were
  being done through the apostles. And all who
  believed were together and had all things in
  common. And they were selling their possessions
  and belongings and distributing the proceeds to
  all, as any had need. And day by day, attending
  the temple together and breaking bread in their
  homes, they received their food with glad and
  generous hearts, praising God and having favor
  with all the people. And the Lord added to their
  number day by day those who were being saved.

13
A Teaching Church

• Gods Word sets the agenda
• The Word brings people to a saving knowledge of
  Christ, and keeps them in faith
  
• The Word teaches us how to worship and pray, and
  about the sacraments
  
• The Word instructs us to love and care for one
  another
  
• They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching

14
A Worshiping Church

• God is at the center of worship (not we!)
• Public, corporate worship defines the church more
  than anything else
  
• Family and private worship define Christians and
  their families
  
• Christianity is the only major world religion
  that sings corporately!
  
• fellowship, breaking of bread, prayers

15
A caring Church

• 3 attitudes to possessions
• Thief Whats yours is mine Ill take it.
• Selfish Whats mine is mine Ill keep it.
• Christian Whats mine is Gods Ill share it.
• all who believed were together and had all
  things in common

16
What the World needs

• It turns out that this is also what our
  post-Christian culture needs
  
• To combat relativism Devotion to Gods revealed
  truth, and moral law
  
• To combat narcissism Worship of God, resulting
  in love for others
  
• Is it any wonder the church grew?
• the Lord added to their number day by day those
  who were being saved.

17
Summary

• For the honor of Jesus Christ, a twenty-first
  century church needs to develop and maintain
  
• (1) a strong teaching pulpit,
• (2) an effective network of fellowship groups
  aimed at meeting individual needs,
  
• (3) a program of Christian education to promote
  the steady growth of Gods family to spiritual
  maturity,
  
• (4) and an evangelistic outreach to the local
  community and to the world beyond.

18
Covenants Four Pillars

• Worship
• in Spirit and truth
• Proclamation
• good news to a hurting world
• Loving Community
• building one another up in love
• Training and Equipping
• for a more effective ministry