According to Paul in his letters to the churches, though there is diversity in the body of Christ, the church should be a body of grace-covered, like-minded people who seek to worship God, learn from his word, and encourage each other in every way. Jesus emphasizes the love believers must have for one another and the unity that must characterize their relationships. It doesn’t seem there are many churches quite like this. Yet, it is the expectation of the New Testament. Though it is intended to be the norm, and there are some examples of it in the New Testament, churches are made up of people who do not always value this love (agape) and unity.

Even in the early days, biblical authors spent a lot of time addressing deviations from this norm. The church at Corinth is, of course, the first example we think of, and by the end of the first century, many churches were struggling in various ways. Seven of them were addressed by God through John in the book of Revelation. The goal of growing strong in our trust in God, loyalty to his purposes, grateful humility for his grace, and consideration for one another is not easily attained. But that does not weaken the goal of God for the church. His purpose is that we become motivated, missional people in our lives, showing unity, reaching out to our communities with God’s love, and encouraging others to do the same. Anything we add to this purpose for the church must be scrutinized carefully for its purpose and function. Whatever adds to the institutionalization of the church should be suspect.

The church must be culturally relevant but not a prisoner of cultural norms. An individualist culture presents a number of challenges to relevancy without syncretism. As a system for survival, Western culture teaches its members to seek survival on their own through self-assertion, competition, and achievement. But that is incompatible with God’s will for the body of Christ. It works against the very purpose and work of God’s word in our lives. We must be relevant in our world, but we must live above the demands of our culture in these things. By this and not its buildings, numbers, or denominations, the church must be known.

(John 13:34–35, 17:20–23; Rom 12:9–16, 15:5; 1 Cor 12:24b–27; 2 Cor 12:20–21; Gal 5:13–15; Eph 4:11–13; Phil 1:3–11, 27, 2:1–4 and 12–16a with 3:15; 1 Thess 1:2–7; 1 Tim 1:3–7, especially 5; Jas 3:13–18; Rev 2:1—3:22)

(Finding Freedom and Grace in a Broken World, 146-147.)

Prayer for wisdom is essential for the ongoing challenges of our lives. However, because we have cultural values and personal preferences for God’s response, we may not recognize it when he acts. It may not be what we expect or come when we think it should. I mention elsewhere that “we are generally unaware of his frequent answers to prayer that are not an immediate yes or no to what we asked for in terms of what we expect, but a movement in our favor in ways we do not expect.” His response may come a good deal later than we prefer, perhaps even after we have forgotten that we asked him for help. This is why trust is essential, for his ways are not our ways (Isa 55:8–11; Rom 11:33–36); he does not see time the way we do (Ps 90:4; 2 Pet 3:4 with vv. 8–9). We are told in the Old Testament to “wait on the Lord” (Pss 37:7 with vv. 28, 34; 130:5–6; Isa 40:31; Lam 3:22–26). It doesn’t say how long. With this instruction, we are also warned not to trust ourselves (Prov 3:5–7; 28:26; Jer 9:23–24). Wisdom relies on the faith to trust God for all we need, for all that is ahead, for things we cannot anticipate, for our deepest longings, and then wait for his action in our lives—his good providence that prepares the way for us (Pss 16:11; 23:3b; 25:4–5, 8–9, 12; Prov 3:6; Rom 8:28 with 12:2; 2 Pet 1:3).

It is not that we stop all activity. We go on seeking to honor him in our lives—seeking his kingdom first, being responsible for what we already know we need to do. But we realize that all the right results of our efforts (made possible by the strength and resources he gives us) are in his hands.

(The Ancient Code of Biblical Wisdom, 158.)

Neither is there mysterious power in prayer. All the power for God’s intervention is in himself—our great God of unlimited grace and powerful providence—not in our prayers. We do not get points or advantages from God for praying. Instead, we get closer to God and he to us, whether we cry out to him in need or worship his goodness, grace, and power. Praying on and on when we have already given him our needs, requests, and praise, or to meet some quota, to “get on his good side,” or just because we have to check that off our list is very close to the babbling of pagans Jesus speaks of. We may be close to worshiping the spiritual disciplines themselves instead of letting them shape our hearts and lives.

God is not more inclined to listen if we spend more time praying than another, ask for something many times, or pray at the same time each day. He is not interested in novelty or gimmicks. He hears the honest heart the first time, intently values the shortest plea or groan, and gives little attention to clocks and calendars, for he is always there, anytime, anywhere. Particular positions, special activities, or spiritual language do not incline God to help us more than the simple, often silent, prayer of the humble soul, for he looks at the heart and longs to help us. Power is not in prayer, however extraordinary, but in the God with whom we speak—the God who hears.

(An Intervening Love, 2.)

An emphasis on discovering our spiritual gifts of a miraculous kind works against us in the church. The verses in the Bible that deal with these spiritual gifts were not written to tell us how to discover them but to correct the abuses. The New Testament does not make knowledge of one’s spiritual gifts a qualification for service, even for leadership in the church. In such a case, we must approach the topic with caution and reserve. God’s choice to use miracles and signs is just that, his choice. And his choice to use them seems quite limited to introducing new events of his movement in the world. What we know of these gifts is that they were not typical in the early churches, and they showed up in troubled churches such as Corinth. Instructions to young pastors in other churches emphasize teaching self-control and good works without mentioning spiritual gifts. They are not required for the churches.

The Bible tells us to become loyal to God’s purposes, walk worthy of the gospel, and get busy with ministry using whatever abilities he has given us. Nowhere are we told to seek special revelation or signs from God or recognition of our spiritual maturity from other Christians. Though God used them to affirm his sending of the Holy Spirit, nowhere are we told of their need to prove his acceptance of us or his work in our lives.

It does not apply to all situations, but, as with most good gifts from God, there are often false teachers and terrible abuses. Using Christianity or the local church for personal advancement is the same sin we see in the merchants and the money changers Jesus drove from the temple. Comparing ourselves to other Christians to feel better about ourselves is similar to the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector in the temple. We already know what God wants. In addition to his other counsel, Paul’s instructions to his disciples Timothy and Titus set the stage for churches that honor God and help Christians mature in Christ. The trouble is that we do not always like or choose this model for the church because it does not bring us the social affirmation, recognition, massive expansion, or material benefits we are looking for. We must not seek spiritual gifts to feel special or get what we want from the church but, instead, serve God with whatever talents and abilities we have in humility, to the encouragement and edification of believers, and in helping people to follow Christ in our broken world.

(Mic 6:8; Luke 18:9–14; John 2:12–16; 1 Cor 12:4–11 and 27–31 with 13:1–13; Gal 5:16–26; Phil 2:1–8; 1 Thess 4:11–12, 5:4–8; 1 Tim 1:5–7, 3:2, 4:1–16; 2 Tim 4:5; Titus 1:1—3:15; 1 Pet 4:7–11, 5:6)

(Finding Freedom and Grace in a Broken World, 148-149.)

“God, I thank you that I am not like other men. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” — Luke 18:11–12

We do not usually think about spiritual disciplines as dangerous. There is a strong biblical emphasis on disciplining ourselves, which is extremely valuable for our lives. Through it, we can make the most of our days on earth, apply ourselves to gain wisdom, and serve God with our lives. But there is also potential for grave abuse. Those taken up by self-discipline as an end in itself think of it as a virtue that others lack and are therefore inferior for their weakness. This is a trap of individualist achievement culture bleeding through what we call our faith. Dangerous “virtues” and dark disciplines can lead to deadly arrogance. Are there people who need more self-discipline? Of course. There is one writing this paragraph. But our achievements can never be ends in themselves—especially our spiritual disciplines. The grim legalism and selfish gossip that can accompany this pride are truly dangerous, dark, and deadly.

Our self-control cannot become the master, leading to a dependence on human achievement. It may be a salve on the raw insecurities created by our perception of God as a father like we had, one we can never please, never earn his approval, but it will not do. We must put aside the memories and our need for the missing human affirmation to know God. We cannot and do not have to earn his approval. Jesus has earned it for us. We can only accept his mercy for not giving us what we deserve and his grace for giving us what we do not. No one is exempt. An honest view of our heart is required for personal pride is the very opposite of knowing him in a an intervening love relationship. It is challenging for the Western Christian, but we must realize all our personal “righteousness” is undone in his presence. Only humility will do. It is the ultimate requirement, for we are in need of a righteousness not our own, that of Christ Jesus.

Though how we think about our achievements is important, the Bible also emphasizes our words in the book of Proverbs and the letter of James. Our pride is often revealed in the gestures, facial expressions, and paralinguistic cues that accompany our words. Words of love guarded by the restraint of wisdom and humility bring healing, encouragement, and life. But the words, as well as the thoughts, of the proud, bring death. Not physical death, an unwelcome visitor who comes sometime, calling on us all, but the great enemy, spiritual death, who destroys them even while they live, separates them from the giver of true life, now and forever.

Scripture References: Ps 12:3 with Prov 10:31–32, 12:18, 16:18–19; Pss 15:4; 19:14; 59:12; 90:4 with 10 and 12; 141:3; Prov 10:8–11; 14:12; 16:18; 17:27; 18:4–8, 20–21; 20:9, 27; 21:23; 28:26; Isa 58:6–12; Hos 6:6; Luke 18:9–14; John 10:10, 11:25–26, 17:1–3; Rom 3:21–24, 5:15–19, 8:35–39, 10:1–4, 12:9–19; 2 Cor 5:21; Eph 2:8–9; Phil 1:9–11, 2:1–8; 1 Tim 3:6; Jas 1:26; 3:1–13, 17–18; 1 Pet 5:6–11; 1 John 3:18.

(An Intervening Love, 65-66.)