And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31).
As the Christian church enters the third millennium of mission to all the world I am reminded of the words of my childhood hero, Captain James T. Kirk, who proclaimed the mission of the starship Enterprise: “… to boldly go where no one has gone before.” Jesus declared, “Go therefore… even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
I doubt that His apostles ever considered the possibility that the mission of the church would extend into a third millennium. But here we are, and it seems that many Christians don’t know how to negotiate “the undiscovered country” (another Star Trek reference).
Many Christian leaders are suffering from a crisis of confidence. The first Christian theologians were called apologists. In the second century, to offer an apology for the faith meant to give a sound defense for the faith. Some of the Christian apologists of the third millennium have redefined the word. Instead of saying “We believe,” they cry out “I’m sorry.” As we look back on the past two millenia we should confess our sins; but we should also boldly go into the third millennium confessing the ancient Faith.
As much as the world has changed, the world really hasn’t changed. The words “postmodern” or “post-Christian” only apply to Western culture. In fact, the world of the first century was just as diverse as the world today. The global village of the third millennium resembles the Roman world of the first century in many ways. The first century believers were challenged by the notion of “empire” and civil religion, as well as many cultures, languages, and religious beliefs. Doesn’t that sound familiar? Relating to the Christian mission, what has significantly changed is that by the end of the first century there were only a few thousand Christians; today Christians are scattered over the face of the earth and number over one billion.
So, why the crisis of confidence?
The crisis of confidence is rooted in our struggle with faith and a lack of divine encounter. It is a crisis that profoundly affects western Protestant Christianity in particular. With the emergence of rationalism we have become hyper critical. We view everything through the rose colored lens of suspicion that borders on unbelief. That is especially true as it concerns our understanding of the inspiration and veracity of the Holy Scriptures, and the doctrines that have their basis within. Is God really “the Almighty, creator of heaven and earth?” Is Jesus really “true God from true God” and “the way, the truth, and the life?” How can we possibly believe in the virginal conception, or the resurrection? Is there really a divinely inspired ethic of human behavior? With the discoveries of the human genome project, can we really teach that “all have sinned?” Isn’t behavior (and sexual preference) encoded in our DNA?
I am not suggesting that we reject reason (or science) in favor of faith. To do so reduces the Faith to a mere superstition. Christians must not sacrifice intellect on the idolatrous altar of willful ignorance. One of the reasons that Christianity prevailed over the paganism of the Roman Empire was due to the powerful, Spirit-formed intellects of the early Christian apologists, theologians, and philosophers. They understood their world and they knew the Faith. They boldly and successfully navigated their “undiscovered country.” If the Faith is to prevail over the challenges of the third millennium, then Christian preachers and teachers must understand our world and know the Faith. That means that we cannot simply reject the claims of scientific discovery that seem to challenge the Faith. Instead we must offer a bold and Spirit-formed explanation for the Faith. Copernicus and Galileo inadvertently challenged the Faith with their celestial discoveries. Charles Darwin has presented a challenge that many Christians prefer to ignore. In fact, these men have challenged biblical hermeneutics more than the Faith. Sometimes we have been forced to admit that our way of reading and understanding the Bible is lacking. Those who profess the Faith of Christ have nothing to fear from the discovery of truth. All truth is God’s truth.
The second reason that some Christians are suffering from a crisis of confidence is the lack of divine encounter. The preaching of the Apostles was informed by the resurrection of Jesus and empowered by the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. As we boldly navigate the troubled days ahead we need more than inspired information. We must encounter once again the Word made flesh and the Holy Spirit who is our Helper. Proclaiming the gospel is more than the transmission of the ancient creed; it is to introduce the living God to an unbelieving world. Unbelievers will not be convinced by “persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Corinthians 2:4). The power of God must be demonstrated in the life of the church – a life that is known by the quality of God’s redemptive love. God’s love is more than affirmation – God’s love is transformation! The worship of the church must transcend liturgy or performance – worship must be an transformative encounter with the Holy Trinity.
The Apostles proclaimed the message of Christ to a world that considered the gospel to be a “stumbling block” and “foolishness” (1 Corinthians 1:23). Early Christians insisted on a sexual morality that seemed rigid and repressive in a Greco-Roman culture that celebrated eroticism. Their preaching and teaching often provoked ridicule and even severe persecution – some were imprisoned and others were killed. In the midst of each tribulation they found the power to speak boldly. At times, some early Christian believers were tempted by fear and timidity. But Paul exhorted, “God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7 NASB).
So, as we navigate the undiscovered country of the new millennium, may God empower us to boldly go and boldly speak. Yes, God is the almighty creator of all that is seen and unseen. Yes, Jesus Christ is “true God of true God” who for our sake assumed human nature. Yes, all have sinned and all will suffer death; but through the resurrection of Jesus Christ death is defeated and we hope in eternal life. Yes, those who confess Christ as Lord must abstain from all sexual immorality. Finally, yes – Jesus Christ will return in glory to judge the living and the dead!
AMEN.
