Contra Mundum

 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father, but is of the world. The world and its desires are passing away, but the one who does the will of God lives forever. (rf. I Jn. 2:15-17MEV)

 

 

Contra Mundum. This is a Latin phrase that means, “against the world”. It has all kinds of applications, especially for the Christian. As stated above, we are commanded by Scripture, “do not love the world, nor the things of the world” because the world system, the culture, operates contrary to the ways of God. Yet, the Christian church has often chosen to follow the same path as the unbelieving world to God’s dismay. This idea of contra mundum was so prevalent with the Apostles and the early Church that they saw themselves as being outsiders looking in at the culture around them, never fitting in nor ever having a desire to do so. They understood they would be outcasts to their pagan culture (rf. I Jn. 3:13). The Apostles encouraged fellow brethren never to follow the world because it would only lead them away from God (rf. Jas. 4:4). Think of how much stronger our witness would be if we applied this truth today!

For example, God uses the small and insignificant to accomplish His great work. How many times in Scripture is this truth played out in real time? He starts out with only two people, a man and a woman, and populates a planet (rf. Gen. 1:27-28). He chooses one reluctant man from one of the smallest tribes in Israel to lead only 300 soldiers to defeat an overwhelming Midianite army (rf. Judg. 7). God’s Messiah is prophesied to be born in one of the smallest villages in Judah, Bethlehem, a seemingly insignificant dot on the map, though in times past it was known as “the city of David” as it was the birthplace of Israel’s greatest king (rf. Mic. 5:2). Jesus Himself said that if any of His followers possessed faith the size of the smallest of the seeds of that region’s plants, the mustard tree, they could “move mountains” (rf. Mt. 17:20).

Modern Christians have largely neglected this truth. We have forgotten that God Himself established “the day of small things” (rf. Zech. 4:10). We have become thoroughly and totally consumed in the American success model of “bigger is better”. In our pursuit of greater things, jobs, experiences, we overlook that God is not always in stimulating encounters or things that grab our attention. Rather, He is found in the “still small voice” and “not in the wind” nor “in the earthquake” nor “in the fire” (rf. I Kings 19:11-12). God in all of His splendor and majesty should be all the magnificence we should ever require. If we truly trust and believe in Him, He will operate on our behalf in ways that will undoubtedly blow our minds.

So, the challenge is before us. God calls us as followers of Christ to live consistently in complete faith and trust in Him in all things. We are to look for His hands and will in the “small things” of life. In our jobs, work and play, we are to show that Jesus is preeminent, first and foremost, in our priorities. If we do and are obedient to His teachings, we will most assuredly be portraying ourselves as He desires, contra mundum, “against the world”. 

Doing the Work of Christ

“Truly, truly I say to you, he who believes in Me will do the works that I do also. And he will do greater works than these, because I am going to My Father.” (rf. Jn. 14:12 MEV)

 

            Years ago, a movement swept through the Christian community via a very effective marketing strategy using four simple capital letters, WWJD. Of course, those familiar with the movement remember the acronym stood for “What Would Jesus Do?”. It challenged us to ask ourselves what Jesus’ response would be in every given situation. It seemed at the time to be an effective way of keeping us on the right track as based on the classic work by Charles M. Sheldon, entitled In His Steps.

            A few years later, a subsequent book was released from author, Dr. Richard Spillman, calling Christians to Do What Jesus Did (DWJD). Many Christians “talk a good talk”, as the saying goes, even having the best of motivations in what we would like to do or see done. Yet, when it comes to actually doing the work of Christ, that is, making disciples, ministering to the sick and needy, spending time with the outcasts, feeding the poor, binding up the broken-hearted, we fail miserably as we focus our time and energies on things that benefit ourselves. This is highly convicting, especially for theological conservatives. We place high value on the Scriptures and, yet, when it comes to “social justice”, helping the poor, downtrodden, and hurting in society, Christian conservatives can often be seen as more interested in constructing churches and “saving souls” than in restoring lives. We criticize others for being “politically correct” when, in fact, we can easily find ourselves striving for theological correctness rather than being Biblically obedient.

            When Jesus said to “follow Me” (rf. Mt. 4:19; Mk. 1:17; 10:21), He wanted Christians to use His example of knowing truth and displaying love as our standard; this is a both/and, not an either/or concept. Jesus wanted His disciples to be doctrinally sound and socially just in all their dealings people, speaking truth as well as showing love and compassion. After all, the love of Christ was central to everything that Jesus did. He even charged Peter to do the same with the flock under his care after Jesus had departed (rf. Jn. 21:15-17).

            This “follow Me” principle is not time-bound. The key is our willingness to accept the challenge and fulfill our role as His disciples. How we complete our task and the faithfulness with which we execute it will be the measuring stick He uses to judge how well we have served Him when we at last stand before Him (rf. Mt. 24:45-46).

            May this be your call of encouragement to “Do What Jesus Did”, to review what it means to be a servant and disciple of Jesus and how we can by His Spirit be vessels of truth and love to a world that desperately needs both.

A History Lesson on St. John's Reformed Church, Kannapolis NC

 “…the just shall live by his faith.”

(rf. Hab. 2:4 MEV)

 

The above passage was the launching pad for the Reformation period of Church history. Based on this truth and the desire to return to the Scriptures as the foundation of all faith and life, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.  Shortly thereafter, John Calvin was compelled to begin his work of writing a doctrinal and practical application of the Christian faith. His Institutes of the Christian Religion would become the theological textbook of the Reformation. Calvin and Luther communicated with one another on several occasions to try and coalesce the beliefs of this new movement of renewal within Christ’s Church. The results of their efforts would later become the denominations of Lutheranism and Presbyterianism, reflecting their shared beliefs and heritage within the Reformed faith.

 

The German Reformed Church in many ways is a marriage of the worship style of Lutheranism, the doctrinal standards of Calvinism, and the church government as taught within Presbyterianism. When the Evangelical Synod of North America (of German heritage) merged with the Reformed Church in the United States (German) in 1934, the new Evangelical and Reformed Church carried on the Reformed faith (Calvinism as expressed in the Heidelberg Catechism, the statement of faith for the E&R) even as its governmental structure was Presbyterian in origin.

 

St. John’s was born in 1919 as a church plant in Kannapolis for the Reformed Church in the United States (i.e. the German Reformed Church). It became an E&R church with the 1934 merger of the bodies outlined above. In 1957, St. John’s was ushered into the United Church of Christ (UCC) along with every other E&R church, thus bringing an end to the German Reformed or E&R church denominations in America. Though there are still in existence the Reformed Church in America (RCA-liberal) and the Alliance of Reformed Churches (ARC-conservative), these are Dutch Reformed churches, not German, representing a different branch of the Reformed faith altogether. The original group (German Reformed/E&R) that brought our church into being no longer exists.

 

Going forward, our Church Council firmly believes that the Lord wants us to be a part of a larger body, one that closely aligns with our heritage, beliefs and practices. This is the very reason that the Council has promoted and continues to promote our joining with the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians (ECO). Like St. John’s, the ECO is Reformed in their faith and governs itself according to Presbyterian principles. Entering this relationship with the ECO would not diminish our heritage nor change our identity as a Reformed church. In fact, connecting with ECO would enable us to grow stronger in the Reformed faith that we have in common. We would continue to serve the Lord as St. John’s Reformed Church (no change to name or in our owning our own property), only with a greater body behind us to support us and with whom we could work to reach our community with the Gospel of Christ.

 

Our Church Council has worked long and hard in its effort to search for a suitable body to join, secure the good will of contacts within that organization, and to educate our church family in the benefits and blessings of such a new relationship. Our church family can rest assured that the heart, motivation and actions of our church leadership are worthy of our trust and faith. Our Council desires nothing more than to follow the Lord’s direction so that the future of St. John’s will be secure.

 

Their encouragement to us all is that we (1) pray for the Lord to empower us to move positively toward the future He has in store for St. John’s, (2) freely share our concerns, questions, insights and encouragement with them so that the Council has opportunity to answer those questions and allay any fears and doubts that remain, and, (3) commit to be in attendance during worship and, especially, when informational meetings are provided so everyone can be on the same page and a part of what God has for our future as a church. The Lord has promised “a future and a hope”; let us move together as a church family to embrace it with joy and faith.

"A Future and a Hope" (April 2025)

 “For I know the plans that I have for you, says the Lord, plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (rf. Jeremiah 29:11 MEV)

 

            This is the month in which we as Christians celebrate the event that above all shows us the love of God in its fullness. Easter Sunday recognizes the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead after having given His life as payment and propitiation for our sins. Because of what Jesus did on the cross and in His resurrection, those of us who believe and trust in Him for salvation now truly have “a future and a hope”. Through His merits and sacrifice, we have the promise of being with Him for all eternity. This is the blessing that every individual Christian will experience eventually.

            Not only does the Lord give this promise of “a future and a hope” to His individual followers, He also does the same for us corporately. Indeed, Jeremiah spoke to the whole of God’s people in the kingdom of Judah when he shared God’s “plans” for them during difficult times. He does the same for His Church today.

            As a fellowship of believers here at St. John’s, God is unfolding His “plans for peace and not for evil”. He has led us to a group of fellow believers in Christ in the Covenant of Evangelical Presbyterians (ECO) with whom we could join and work to grow in and share the Gospel of Jesus. It was by His leadership that this group has come to our attention and now we are at the threshold of a new chapter in our ministry in Kannapolis. The ECO looks forward to partnering with us and to working together to mutually benefit each other. Through the ECO, we have been offered by the Lord “a future and a hope”.

            On Sunday, April 6th, St. John’s will be tasked to vote to officially join the ECO and become a part of a growing and vibrant denomination that is founded upon the full authority of God’s Holy Word and which has proven itself to be faithful in its service to Christ. Let us together take this opportunity to embrace with exuberance and joy this new path by which we can glorify the Lord and better serve those around us in the love and Spirit of God.

Corporate vs. Individualist Perspective (March 2025)

 “For as the body is one and has many parts, and all the many parts of that one body are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we are Jews or Gentiles, whether we are slaves or free, and we have all been made to drink of one Spirit. The body is not one part, but many.” 

(rf. I Cor. 12:12-14 MEV)

 

            As humans, especially as Americans, we are programmed from birth to believe strongly in our individualism. Though we often laugh at the antics of toddlers and find their behavior cute, when toddlers learn the term and concept of “mine”, they believe it fervently and will act accordingly, especially if someone attempts to take what they believe belongs only to them. Sometimes sibling rivalry begins with the simple clash of each sibling evoking the concept of “mine” (i.e. not being willing to share or play together).

            On the contrary, the Bible teaches us that, though we are important as individuals to God, He is more concerned and centered upon the whole rather than the parts. When He works out His will in the world, though He undoubtedly uses individuals to accomplish tasks, He does so for the benefit of the larger group, not just for the instrument of use. 

            We see this at work in the Bible’s terminology. As in the text quoted above, Paul uses the concept of the “body of Christ” when referring to the Church because the Church and its benefit and blessing are the focus of God in Christ in the New Testament (and to the present day). Even in the Old Testament, God referred to the Israelites as “My people” (ex: II Chron. 7:14). Jesus makes it clear that He as the Good Shepherd “gives His life for the sheep” (rf. Jn. 10:11), speaking in terms of the whole herd of sheep, not just one. Even our individual salvation is shown to be a result of Christ’s mission to “save His people from their sins” (rf. Matt. 1:21), an obvious reference to the whole and not the individual.

            If we are to fulfill all that God wants us to do while here on earth, we need to move our thinking to fit the Scripture’s truth, angling from individual to corporate in focus. We need to be more concerned about God using “us” rather than God using “me”. Such a change in perspective would also cause a change in action as we shifted attention from what benefits or blesses “me” to what will bless His Church as a whole. Once all of us complete this necessary change, we will see God begin using His Church in new and powerful ways to reach a world that desperately needs His truth and love.

"Greater Love" (Feb. 2025 Draft)

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

(rf. Jn. 15:13 MEV)

 

 

            Love is an interesting word, indeed. We often bat it around with little thought as to its real meaning. We say, “I love my team, I love my pet, I love this color, I love my spouse or children”, using the same word to speak of different types of relationships. In time past I have noted that the Greek language uses different words for different types of love, such as phileo for brotherly love, eros for love within an intimate relationship, and agapeo for the unconditional love that God has for us. Greek provides a clearer picture of the love in question.

            In the passage above, Jesus gives His disciples an example of the greatest love imaginable in human understanding—a self-sacrificing love. The object of this type of love in context (“for his friends”), of course, relates directly to the followers of and believers in Christ. As His children, we are also considered “his friends” (rf. Jn. 15:14-15). As such Jesus was willing to give His life in place of ours, sacrificing Himself willingly so that in His death we might have life. We’ve seen this type of love exhibited between human beings before: a parent willing to face a wild animal or criminal with no thought of his or her own life in protection of the children; a soldier who throws himself on a live grenade to keep his buddies from getting hurt or killed. There are many examples of this type of love and these actions throughout history. What makes Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself on the cross even more potent is that He gave His life, not only for those disciples whom He loved without measure that had been with Him for three years of ministry, but also for the myriads of people who had not known Him personally, those who would make up His body, the Church, over centuries of time.

            Since we have been provided this paragon of self-sacrificing virtue by Jesus, we need to recognize that this is the love we should also share with those who are our “friends”, including our families, obviously, but others beyond as well. Only when we are willing to sacrifice ourselves, our wants, dreams, visions and desires, even our own lives so that others will be blessed can we ever approach the love that Christ has for us. This is the calling of God upon each of us as His children. It is by sharing this kind of love with others that they can see clearly the love He has for them. Let us then commit ourselves to displaying this Christ-like love that the world may experience it as we have. 

Newness and Change (Jan 2025)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (rf. II Cor. 5:17 NASB)

 

            As we begin a new year, we are entrenched in the dead of winter. The leaves have fallen from the deciduous trees, leaving behind a carpet of fading color on the ground while bare branches hang overhead. The wind whistles through the tree limbs unheeded and undaunted by the cold. It is a truly a bleak landscape that remains after the official arrival of winter.

            However, there is the promise of newness and life that also floats on the breeze. Though its reality is still months away, just knowing Spring is ahead and waiting in the wings provides us hope for better things in store. We just need to buckle down and endure the harshness of winter’s wrath to get to the gentle compassionate touches of Spring.

            As is happening in the world around us so the same is true within our hearts and our church. The Lord is preparing new paths for us to follow, new truths for us to learn, new experiences for us for us to go through together. The arrival of the new is a blessing to us as He moves us forward, benefiting from the lessons we have learned in the past while not concentrating our energies and focus on the things behind us. Like in a book, the Lord would have us to turn the page and engage a new chapter in our walk with Him, both individually and as a church. Newness brings promise of life as it does in Spring. So, we want to embrace the newness with all of our heart.

            Change for the better is not a bad thing at all. We are actually made for change. The sooner we embrace that truth, the easier is it is for us to manage it. Let us together build on our rich history in Christ, personally and corporately, while awaiting the new things the Lord has in store for us as His people.