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ADVANCING THE GOSPEL INTO THE 21ST CENTURY
Part III : Context sensitive
by Tim Keller, Senior Pastor, Redeemer Presbyterian Church

(continued from page 2)
...critiques (as we see in Galatians) both ways of rejecting the gospel--both moralism/traditionalism and relativism/hedonism, while the first approach only critiques moralism.

3. Acts 16:20-40- CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY and The Gospel for the Secular World
Acts 16:25 - Worshipping Community
Paul and Silas worship God before the unbelievers (v.25). Maybe Paul had this in mind when he spoke of the power of worship for the non-believer (1 Cor.14:24-25).

God commanded Israel to invite the nations to join in declaring his glory. Zion is to be the center of world-winning worship (Isaiah 2:2-4; 56:6-8). In Acts 2 and I Cor. 14:23ff we see non-believers attracted and disturbed by worship. We learn 1) nonbelievers are expected in worship, 2) non-believers must find worship challenging and comprehensible, not comfortable. If the Sunday service and sermon aim primarily at evangelism, it will bore the saints. If they aim primarily at education, they will bore and confuse unbelievers. If they aim at praising the God who saves by sheer grace they will both instruct the saints and challenge the sinners. Evangelistic worship is especially important for post-modern people for whom context is everything and who need to see how the gospel 'works' in people's lives. What does it take? 1) General principle--worship as if non-Christians are present before they really are, and they will be brought. 2) Specifics: a) inclusive quality of speaking and music, b) noble simplicity of language (not sentimental, austere, archaic, or colloquial), c) solve people's problems with the gospel.

Acts 16:20-34 - Practicing Community
We verbal, rational Reformed types won't be excited to see that only one of the three representative conversions is done through preaching. The other two happen through a power encounter and through the quality of true virtue--gospel character. The Jailer is shocked by joy apart from circumstances (v.25), attractive character and integrity (v.28)

Jonathan Edwards: For Edwards there is "common virtue" and "true virtue". Virtuous behavior can be inspired by fear ("if you are not honest, God will punish you!") or by pride ("I am not like the kind of people who lie"). But almost always we lie out of fear or pride. So in common virtue, you have restrained the heart, but not changed the heart. The virtuous behavior is very fragile, and it feeds insecurity, self-righteousness, and oppression toward others. You are nurturing the roots of sin within your moral life. Luther says that we only break commandments #2-10 because we first break #1--making some other 'god' our justification and righteousness besides Christ. Therefore, we can not create true virtue unless we use the gospel on the root self-justification underneath the sinful behavior. "True" honesty only grows by a rejoicing sight of the glory of Christ and his salvation. It grows when I see him dying for me, keeping a promise he made despite the infinite suffering it brought him. Now that a) destroys pride on the one hand, because he had to do this for me--I am so lost! But that also b) destroys fear on the other hand, because if he'd do this for me while I'm an enemy, then he values me infinitely, and nothing I can do will wear out his love for me. Then my heart is not just restrained by changed. It's fundamental orientation is transformed. "Common virtue" brings the self-righteousness and exclusionary attitudes that post-modern people hate. "True virtue" is the only kind of new character and it creates the new community that will be the ultimate post-modern apologetic. Also, the way true virtue is produced is an application of the gospel of grace in worship and small groups. This means that both Christians and non-Christians can be included and hear with profit the same basic message. This kind of 'virtue production' is the only way to produce "spiritually inclusive' community.

Acts 16:35-39 - Socially Engaged Community
Paul and Silas are not hesitant to point out a miscarriage of justice. John Stott thinks that this was necessary to 'create space' for the new young church. Christians are to judiciously bring their faith to bear on their lives in the 'public' sector.

We must not form 1) a sub-culture in which we externally dress and talk (dialect) differently avoid certain gross behaviors, but internally we have the same values as the surrounding culture. (E.g. believers may not smoke or drink too much or have sex outside of marriage, yet in their core beings they may be as materialistic and individualistic, and status- or image-conscious as the society around.) We must also not form 2) an anti-culture in which Christians feel highly polluted by the very presence of the unbelieving schools, entertainment, arts, and culture. In this model they feel they cannot really function in the society without getting the cultural power back through legislation and storming institutions directly. We must also not form 3) a para-culture expecting a miraculous, sweeping intervention by God which will convert many or most individuals and explosively transform the culture. Instead of becoming deeply engaged with the society and people around them, working with others as co-citizens to deal with the troubles and problems, believers concentrate completely on evangelism and discipleship building up the church and their own numbers. Rather we should form 4) a counter-culture. This is the reverse of a 'sub-culture'--we are to be externally quite like the surrounding culture (positive toward and conversant with it), without 'jargon' and other Christians trappings--yet in worldview, values, and lifestyle, they demonstrate chastity, simplicity, humility and self-sacrifice. They are quite different in the way they understand money, relationships, human life, sex, and so on. Hananiah is an example of the 'para-culture' in Jer.28; Jeremiah is a proponent of the 'counter-culture' in Jer.29.

Acts 16:40 - The Unifying Power of the Gospel
Think now of the membership in Lydia's house-church. The three converts show that it embraces different races (Lydia was Asian, the slave-girl was likely Greek, the Jailer was Roman), different economic classes (Lydia was white-collar, the slave-girl was poor, the Jailer was working-class), different cognitive styles (Lydia was rational, the slave-girl was intuitive, the Jailer was concrete-relational). The gospel leads them to embrace one another--they are 'brethren' (v.40). The ancient prayer was: "God, I thank you that I am not a woman, a slave, or a Gentile"--but that is the three groups that God shows his grace to!

One of the main problems that post-modern people have with both modern and traditional world-views (and Christianity is seen as falling within one or the other) is the way in which they exclude. If you have 'the truth' or 'the universals', that excludes and divides. But as Newbiggin shows, 'relativism' is as exclusive in its claims, and in the end can be a warrant for worse oppression than the modern and traditional. Christians must communicate and demonstrate that the gospel is different. Jesus says that is a sign of gospel-faith: Matthew 5:47. If you only greet your brothers, what do ye more than others? Since the Jewish greeting was Shalom! and an embrace, Jesus is saying much. We must show our uniqueness by following our Lord who always embraced the moral and spiritual outsider. Matt.21:31-"The prostitutes and the tax collectors are entering the kingdom of God before you." If you understand the gospel of grace you treat the 'other': a) With respect. Grace means the non-believer may be a better person. b) With courage. Grace means the non-believer's possible rejection of us is not so fearsome. c) With hope. Grace means you are a miracle and no one is beyond hope. No other world-view can produce this combination of humility and confidence.

Community Ministry Issues: How will you form a community that is rich and deep in love for one another and exhibits to the world the distinct life, individually and corporately, that we have in Christ?

Think of community content that fits the culture. What will a gospel-renewed human society in your culture look like? Be sure to both honor the culture yet renew it with the gospel. Consider how your community will be shaped with regard to: (1) Leadership structure/decision-making. (How will it be led? How much authority will the leaders have vs. the entire membership? How will decisions be made?) (2) Infra-community structure. (How will your people love and know one another intimately? How will they hold each other accountable? How will they grow spiritually through mutual ministry to one another?) (3) Music/worship. (What will the worshipping community look like? What Biblical/worship tradition will connect you to the historic church? How will your culture shape the way music and the arts are used? What will the worship demeanor and voice of your congregation be?) (4) Being a 'community of character'. What key ethical themes and personal changes will be encouraged? What picture of Christian family life will you hold up? What picture of mature Christian individual will you hold up?

Think of community connections that fit the culture. How will you literally connect and welcome and draw people from the broader community into your Christian community? How will you meet and get to know the people of your neighborhood/region? (1) Remember that where the pastor and the core leaders live is all important. The only organic, natural way to connect to the broader community is to live right in the area of ministry/worship and be co-citizens and face the life-issues of the community with everyone else. (2) Consider 'front-door' events: (a) historical church re-plant (using the building to reach out), (b) 'open forums', concerts, (c) evangelistically attuned Sunday worship 'side-door' events: counseling, house groups etc. Innumerable ideas are possible here. Spend a lot of time in brainstorming and reflecting. (3) Small groups that are well equipped to reach out to their own block, housing division, apartments buildings. Other off-site, weekday meetings that enfold new people well.

End Note: "If you're not in a small group, you're not in the church." How mobile our society has become! Fewer and fewer people live in a region in which they have been born and raised and that is filled with networks of their family, relatives, and long-time friends. But both church leaders and church members often expect that care and nurture will happen through informal, word-of-mouth communication and unplanned relationships between (usually) pastors and parishioners. It took us nearly two years to realize that the traditional approach can't work in a city. It is through a network of 'cells'--small group fellowships--that we can nurture and care for one another. Soon I began to warn people: "If you are a member or regular attender at Redeemer, and you have a spiritual problem, or you get sick, or you have some kind of acute need in your life--we certainly will try to help. But if you are not in a group and we are slow to respond, you don't really have a warrant to complain. It is through small groups that we can provide care and opportunities through learning, and it is through the groups that we know quickly if you have a need the Body can meet. So--practically speaking--if you aren't in a small group, you aren't fully in the church."