Shepherds’ Conference Impressions

Justin and I attended the Shepherds’ Conference in Sun Valley, California on March 7-9th. The ‘conference high’ is long gone. I’m left with pages and pages of notes, a giant stack of books, some pictures and a lingering jet lag. But I will continue to relish the fellowship and worship we had with 3,000 pastors and elders who came from all over to be encouraged and challenged by world-class Bible expositors. We met many godly men with a common desire – to see Christ exalted, His church strengthened, and His people better equipped.

Although there is no theme for the Shepherds’ Conference, one overarching issue came back to me again and again – worldliness. Worldliness is NOT watching Hollywood movies, listening to certain styles of music, or shopping at the mall. Worldliness is accepting and participating in what the world finds permissible – and eventually, it finds everything permissible. Worldliness has always been a problem in the church, but in recent times it is redefining what the church is and how we ‘do’ church. This was driven home by Phil Johnson in his seminar on “The Theory of Relativity”. The emerging church movement seeks to blend Christianity and postmodern thought. Their “generous orthodoxy,” which seeks to embrace diversity within the church, becomes a fear of doctrine and a rejection of absolutes. Scripture is less an authority than a “senior partner in the conversation”.

Worldliness also affects evangelism. In order to be relevant, many in the emerging church dress like the world, watch what the world watches, listen to what the world listens to, and then attempt to “contextualize” the gospel to this world in its own terms. In theory, this sounds like a noble venture: like missionaries do in foreign lands, they study and participate in that culture in order to reach that culture. But in America, this becomes an excuse to indulge in popular culture. Instead of making us a missionary to a culture, this method of evangelism tends to simply conform us to the world, something that Paul commanded us NOT to do.

Justin and I also had the chance to meet with Jesse Johnson, Outreach Pastor at Grace Community Church, to discuss evangelism in the local church. How do we minister to suburbia? Instead of methods or different types of community outreach, the most effective evangelism is done by people who have been well-equipped with the Gospel. This goes back to how we ‘do’ church. The church has to teach theology from the authority of scripture. One of the central themes of biblical theology is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is most effective when it’s in action; being shared with others. And in order to share the Gospel, the church must be trained and equipped.

Something else I brought home from the Conference was a personal rebuke. Worldliness has a way of seeping into church life and how we do it, but it begins in individuals. The Shepherds’ Conference allowed me some time of personal reflection to see how worldliness had crept into my own thinking.

So how do we fight worldliness? We personally fight worldliness in ourselves by pursuing holiness. Do we live the way we do to please ourselves, others, or God? When we attempt to reflect the Holiness of God, we will find no place for worldly ways of thinking. We will be transformed (Rom 12:1), equipped (2 Tim. 3:17), and prepared (1 Peter 3:15). We fight worldliness in the church by proclaiming the authority of scripture (Heb. 4:12; 2 Tim 3:16) and teaching God’s revealed truth (John 17:17). We fight worldliness in evangelism when we emphasize, not methods or ‘decisions’, but the Gospel (Romans 1:16; 1 Cor. 9:16) and making disciples (Matt. 28:18; Phil 1:27).

Van Edwards

Heart Corruptions

(from Valley of Vision, A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions)

O GOD,
May thy Spirit speak in me that I may speak to thee.
I have no merit, let the merit of Jesus stand for me.
I am undeserving, but I look to thy tender mercy.
I am full of infirmities, wants, sin; thou art full of grace.
I confess my sin, my frequent sin, my wilful sin;
All my powers of body and soul are defiled :
A fountain of pollution is deep within my nature.
There are chambers of foul images within my being;
I have gone from one odious room to another,
walked in a no-man's-land of dangerous imaginations,
pried into the secrets of my fallen nature.
I am utterly ashamed that I am what I am in myself;
I have no green shoot in me nor fruit, but thorns and thistles;
I am a fading leaf that the wind drives away;
I live bare and barren as a winter tree,
unprofitable, fit to be hewn down and burnt. Lord, dost thou have mercy on me?
Thou hast struck a heavy blow at my pride,
at the false god of self,
and I lie in pieces before thee.
But thou hast given me another master and lord, thy Son, Jesus,
and now my heart is turned towards holiness,
my life speeds as an arrow from a bow
towards complete obedience to thee.
Help me in all my doings to put down sin and to humble pride. Save me from the love of the world and the pride of life,
from everything that is natural to fallen man,
and let Christ's nature be seen in me day by day.
Grant me grace to bear thy will without repining, and delight to be
not only chiselled, squared, or fashioned,
but separated from the old rock where I have been embedded so
long,
and lifted from the quarry to the upper air, where I may be built in Christ for ever.

The View from Romania

On Thursday, February 15, after a one day delay due to a winter storm, Beth and I flew to Iasi, Romania by way of Vienna. When we arrived in Iasi Karl, Justin, Annie, Lydia, and Ellie Kosobucki were there to meet us. This always makes for a soft landing. Happy faces helping us with our luggage in a foreign land made us feel right at home. Karl and Jo Ann Kosobucki have served with CrossWorld in Romania since 1992. On Saturday Beth spoke to thirty ladies from different churches on “How to Conduct Women’s Bible Study.” Later she met with a small group of about ten leaders on the same subject, and on Wednesday she spoke to ladies from the Gypsy community. It was a rewarding time seeing Christian women eager to enter into a serious study of God’s Word. On Sunday morning we attended the Filiocalia church where I spoke on the Book of Job through our translator, Marcela. It was a delight to look into faces intent upon hearing the eternal Word of Truth. That has always been one of the fringe benefits of preaching the Bible. Only God knows the degree to which the implanted Word is being received with humility.

On Sunday afternoon I began teaching the Peacemaker course. On Monday through Wednesday from 1:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. the biblical truths regarding unity, conflict, forgiveness, confession, and repentance were opened up to the students. This is all at the very heart of the gospel and vital to relationships that glorify God. Questions were asked, issues were discussed, and time was spent with students who wanted to experience reconciled relationships. Thank you, our Berachah family, for your generous support of world missions which makes ministry like this possible.

Going into another culture, moving among fellow believers, and listening to their concerns is like taking an elevator to the twentieth floor of a building. One can gain a better view of a city. Here are some observations from the view of things in Romania. They are not new perspectives but needed reminders. The world is smaller than it was in 1950. The nations and cultures that cover this planet all seem to exist more closely to one another. The influence of one culture upon another can happen so quickly. Western culture spilling out through movies and the entertainment media is noticeable everywhere. The hedonism and materialism of Europe and America is everywhere to be found. It is somewhat embarrassing to see how Hollywood has packaged and promoted its worldview and spread it over the world. Lust, violence, and cynicism is an evil kind of cross-cultural “evangelism.” The virtues of the America that you appreciate are not necessarily those that are disseminated by the entertainment world.

Our missionaries need encouragement, our presence, our prayers, and our financial support. Pressures upon missionaries abound. Not only are they dealing with all the day to day demands of family life, but they also have to contend with the many adjustments that come with adapting to life in another culture. Learning a new language only represents the different ways other people think and live. Customs, food, social expectations, politics, and religious convictions present a labyrinth of living patterns that must be learned. Jo Ann Kosobucki home schools their four children and is also vitally involved in the lives of Romanian believers. The next generation of Christian workers in Romania is being equipped in the Bethlehem Bible Institute which Karl oversees. Pray for the Kosobuckis as they labor faithfully seven time zones away.

The sins of the culture become the sins of the church. This well known proverb aptly captures the trap into which we can so easily fall. In America Christians become oblivious to the pursuit of pleasure and wealth that fuels much of our economy. A very mild form of culture shock awaits those who leave the U.S.A. cultural bubble. Upon returning you notice the ubiquitous T.V. advertisements charmingly calling for the enjoyment of the good life. Romania was ruled by communist ideology for half a century and authoritarianism and corruption in government remain along with a poor economy. Many churches are afflicted with leaders who feel they must control everything and legalism rules in the place of vibrant body-life. This is a recipe for the death of a church. Wherever the church of Jesus Christ is found it has a fight on its hands. Will it succumb to the world’s values or live by the all-sufficient Word of God?

The influence of American Christianity is a mixed blessing. Because of our wealth and freedom we have contributions we can make to our brothers and sisters in Christ in less prosperous countries. We must see ourselves as helpers, potential givers, and encouragers alongside of the church in Romania. We don’t necessarily know how to do things because we are Americans. Instead we should see ourselves as servants. In this role we help serve the body of Christ wherever it is found. But at the same time there are lamentable features of American evangelicalism which have infiltrated the church in Romania. We transfer our weaknesses. The “health and wealth” gospel is preached in the homes of Romanians through satellite television. A psychologized Christianity has made its way into the thinking of Romanian Christians. After one of Beth’s teaching sessions in which was stressed the effectiveness of Scripture clearly taught, one of the ladies asked what she considered to be an important question, namely, “what is the most important need of a woman. We are studying needs tonight.” There is more to this question than this present writing can explore, but it reflects a common theme in churches in America, i.e., that there are certain psychological needs that each of us have and these needs must be identified and met. This kind of thinking is not the product of biblical thought and invites a self-focus that is pernicious in its effects.

A final view from Romania has to do with the unity of the church. There are some details I am not at liberty to discuss (names, etc.), but there have been some challenges to the unity of the missionary team in Iasi. False teaching undermines the unity of the Spirit. Thankfully, the doctrinal error that was being taught by a missionary was identified and dealt with. There were also relational tensions that developed between some of the missionaries and the national church. These circumstances entered into my acceptance of the invitation to go and teach the Peacemaker course. May God protect Berachah from the evil one who is always looking for an opportunity to get his foot in the door of our body-life. Sin, whether in the form of false teaching or bad behavior, is an infection that compromises the health of the church in any culture.

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church