Living Theologically in the Church

One of the primary criticisms that is directed toward the arena of academia is that it often produces material that converses with the theological elite while leaving behind the common layperson who seeks to understand and encounter God throughout their daily lives, and weekly in a place of worship. An unhealthy division of the Christian faith is seemingly promoted between theory and practice. On the flip side, the evangelical Church of today is often guilty of perpetuating this gap when it focuses primarily on attainting an “experience” with God, devoid of any profound theological reflection, dialogue, or foundation

Reflection upon the doctrine of God, his attributes, names, and nature, as well as the ways in which we acquire that knowledge, may be studied in seminaries and Bible colleges, but at times is often thought to be irrelevant by the Christian on the street. However, on the other hand, John Armstrong asserts that the church for too long has been preoccupied “with everything from revivalism to church growth” and “has almost sterilized our schools and churches to serious doctrinal reflection, especially in written form.”[1]

Today, however, there seems to be a desire from both the academy and the church to come together, to increase dialogue, and to share the glorious reality of connecting the mind, the heart, and the daily walk in a more holistic approach to life and theology within the community of faith.

As Paul wrote to Timothy, God has given divine revelation for many purposes, including ones that necessitate doing theology, but the ultimate reason for giving divine revelation and for theologians doing theology is that the people of God may be fitted for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16-17)[2]

Recent theological discussion has taken special notice of how theology, and the doctrine of God in particular, should be understood as more than a mere assent to cognitive truth claims. At its heart, the truth about God must be seen in the lives of each individual Christian and the practical, corporate life of the Church, especially in its worship and concrete, biblical practices.

This is one of the primary arguments and basic assumptions that serve as the foundation for a recent series of essays edited by James J. Buckley and David S. Yeago, found in Knowing the Triune God: The Work of the Spirit in the Practices of the Church. In these essays the authors aim to bring theology and practice together, arguing that biblically speaking there is no such thing as head knowledge of the truth that is divorced from the “faith, worship, and godly life of all who are incorporated into Christ as members of His body.”[3]

Therefore one of the primary goals of theology should not only be to help build and articulate a deeper understanding of the doctrine of God, but to help incorporate such an understanding and its relevance into the life and ministry of the church. In this way, our theology, daily walk, and church life should inform, interact, and shape one another.[4]

Bernard Ramm has pointed out the significance of theology for the Christian life when he writes,

. . .to the evangelical, theology is a matter of life and death, vindication or judgment, to be in the love of God or under the wrath of God. Theology must then be built on the most absolute foundation possible–the revelation of God in Scripture. And that revelation can only be known by the evangelical's becoming an expert in the exegesis of Scripture and a master of its contents.[5]

So the Biblical text and the theology it conveys serve as the absolute foundation and cornerstone of the Christian life and the practices of the church. As Ramm has stated, it's a matter of "life and death." Similarly, Millard Erickson, in speaking of the critical nature of one's theology, emphatically states that "our theological beliefs affect the nature of our relationship with the Lord,” and so theological reflection cannot be separated from encountering or experiencing God and his purposes for us in our daily lives.[6]

Indeed, we are to think biblically and theologically so that we, by God’s grace, may live faithfully and obediently as the children of God in a foreign world. You can’t have one without the other. Why would anyone want to? If you refuse to believe or reflect on the fact that God is sovereign then you will always question whether he has the power to have control over anything that happens in your life. If you think that Scripture may contain historical or scientific errors in it than this may inevitably cause you to question the trustworthiness of God himself, who was said to inspire every word of it. (2 Tim. 3:16) Do you see how important this is? But as we gain knowledge, the knowledge that changes us, let us also live it out with simplicity and fidelity, so that head and heart can go hand in hand. Let us master the basics and dive deeply into the waters of the Word all at the same time as the Spirit will guide us in both. Then we will be living out a healthy spiritual life.

[1]John H. Armstrong, “The Trinity: What and Why?” Reformation and Revival Journal 10, no. 3 (2001): 9.

[2]John S. Feinberg, No One Like Him: The Doctrine of God (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2001), xxiii.

[3]Thomas F. Torrance, The Trinitarian Faith: The Evangelical Theology of the Ancient Catholic Church (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1988), 33; quoted in James J. Buckley and David S. Yeago, eds., Knowing the Triune God: The Work of the Spirit in the Practices of the Church (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), 9.

[4]Our standard for practice should proceed from a biblical theology, derived from a sound literal, grammatical, historical exegesis of the text.

[5]Bernard Ramm, The Evangelical Heritage: A Study in Historical Theology (Waco, Tex.: Word, 1973; reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000), 154, emphasis mine.

[6]Millard J. Erickson, Where Is Theology Going? (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994), 12, emphasis mine.

A Memorial Tribute to a Dear Brother -- Dave Hahn

At approximately 7:45 AM this morning, our dear friend and brother Dave Hahn stepped into what I like to call, “phase 2 of eternal life.” Our heavenly glory - that future glory that awaits all believers who have trusted in Christ alone for their salvation. It is as real a place as anything ever known – a place where we are more alive than we are today – spiritually alive, spiritually complete, morally perfect and fully aware of being in the Lord’s presence. For Paul said that to be “absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”

Dave had an extensive battle with cancer, much more extensive than we would have liked. The way he died has had an effect on all of us, in more ways than one. First, no one would ever pick to have something that is slow and drawn out. But even though Dave passed this way, it truly gave him a platform to speak to so many people about the love of God in Christ. There is a mountain of people who came across this man who are now changed for life because of his love and testimony. We have no idea how many people have been touched for eternity simply by seeing this man stare at the face of death with confidence and assurance of his eternal destiny because of his Christian faith.

Perhaps one of the most healthy and most powerful expressions of faith amidst the dying process came when Dave spoke in our church several months ago, sitting comfortably in a lounge chair on the stage, telling us what it was like to “get one’s house in order” while trusting in God who heals or carries us to heaven, whichever it may be. Dave’s counsel, advice, experience, and blunt honesty had a huge impact on so many. He talked of things that we don’t normally speak of, things that are often “uncomfortable” for us. He said what we all thought and wondered about, and when the time was done, he played his favorite song over the loudspeakers and sat there with his hands in the air in a spirit of worship. There was not a dry eye in the house.

Truth be known – Dave was a fighter. He was a self-avowed “analytical warrior” when it came to the medical side of his cancer fight. Just the other day, in some of final moments of lucid conversation, he told me that the dying process has been fascinating for him – calling it “Dave Hahn’s Great Scientific Experiment.” He had a real sense of humor and was refreshingly transparent. He always wanted to remain conscious for as long as he could so that he could track what was happening to his body. It wasn’t until the very last weeks that he finally agreed to some pain medication.

Always the picture of health, Dave enjoyed the study of nutrition. This is why his passing is so puzzling for us – Dave wasn’t careless with his health. He wasn’t overweight. He didn’t smoke. He exercised and took care of his body. And yet cancer invaded him anyway. Humanly speaking, we have many questions with little answers. But cancer is no respecter of persons. Our response is to put our trust in God, who numbers our days and holds our lives in His sovereign hands. We consider it a blessing from God that He gave us 49 years with Dave Hahn.

Dave’s life and death has brought us together. It has put things in perspective. We have seen a church family come together to rally around a family in need. We have been drawn into prayer as God’s people. We have seen many use their spiritual gifts to minister to his family. The love that has been expressed in so many ways is a true reflection of Christ’s love spilling out of this wonderful church. What do people do without a church family? I have no idea. This is what it’s all about. God has raised up many who have stepped forward to care for Dave. His small group, his many friends and family, you name it. Oh, how we’ve loved one another.

On Tuesday Dave and I talked about what the final moments would be like. We speculated on the fact that perhaps there will be angels that may come to usher him to glory. What would he see? How would he feel? All these were things we pondered, considering all the Scripture says and more. A glorious thought – seeing the face of Jesus. Joining the “great cloud of witnesses,” to the place where “the souls of righteous men have been made perfect” (Heb. 12:23). It’s a heavenly Jerusalem. It’s not our final place. For there will be a day when the Lord returns to earth with his angels and those like Dave who have gone before us, and there will be a resurrection body granted to Dave that will be immortal. And then glorification will be complete in the fullest sense.

Oh Lord, haste the day! It won’t be long beloved. Mind you, there are “birth pangs” to this world right now, and soon our Lord will come.

I will miss Dave. We all will. It is still for us to care for his beautiful wife and daughter, a privilege we will take seriously, I know. Faith allows us to grieve, but we do not grieve like those who have no hope. Jesus rose from the dead, victorious over death. Therefore, it is a sad day and a day of victory all wrapped into one. Finally, one more story.

The story is told of a young man by the name of William Dyke, who at the age of 10 went blind. Yet even though he was blind, William went on to be a very intelligent, witty, and handsome man. He attended graduate school in England, and he met the daughter of an English Admiral, and he fell in love.

The two were engaged. He had never seen his future wife’s face, but he loved her very much. Right before they were to be married, a new treatment was developed that could possibly reverse William’s blindness.

In a rather unusual request, William decided that he did not want the gauze from the treatment removed from his eyes until the wedding ceremony was in full swing. If the treatment worked, the first thing he wanted to see was his new bride’s face.

As the bride came down the aisle, William’s father began to unwind the gauze from his head and eyes – still not knowing whether the operation was a success. When the last piece of gauze was removed from his eyes, William blinked several times and then looked into the face of his new bride for the first time.

And his first words were, “You are more beautiful than I ever imagined.”

I can imagine that this is what Dave felt the very moment he stepped into his heavenly dwelling and saw the face of his Savior for the very first time. And I can hear him humming his favorite song, “some glad morning when this life is o’er, I’ll fly away. To a home on God’s celestial shore…I’ll fly away.”

Dave, yes indeed, that “glad morning” was this very morning. We’ll see you soon brother. We love you.

PS 27:4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

The Need for Daily Spiritual Sensitivity

Looking back on your life, where have you seen the Holy Spirit at work? Whether it’s over the years or even in the last few months, where have you seen God at work in an obvious way? Can you easily identify God’s hand? In Ephesians 1, Paul prayed this for the church:

“18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” (Ephesians 1:18-19a)

Paul wanted the church to see life through a fresh set of eyes. He wanted them to experience an enlightened heart, to see and experience spiritual realities in a way that changed their whole perspective on life and life’s situations. I have found it a little a little easier to look back in 20/20 hindsight and trace God’s finger or hand on my life from past experiences. But it is quite another thing to cultivate the kind of spiritual sensitivity that is able to trace his guiding hand on a daily moment by moment basis.

When you step foot in a foreign country, you might be stepping foot in a place that is rather unfamiliar to you. The sites will look different, the people will look different. The language will sound different. You have stepped into a new world. You will notice things you’ve never seen before. You will have a heightened sense of awareness. Things will stand out to you. You are much more sensitive to your surroundings.

In the same way, there is also a heightened sense of spiritual awareness and sensitivity that God wants to cultivate in you, even now right where you are. You would do well to ask yourself, where do I see God at work here? Where is there a need that I can help meet? Where is there a situation that is calling me to address it through prayer? Where is the Holy Spirit at work and how and how can I join in on that work so that God might use me as well? What is God doing in my heart and how is he speaking into my life through all of this?

Try not to let unconfessed sin cloud your spiritual vision. Let us be mindful of the potential for spiritual laziness that may make us blind to what’s happening. Let us be careful not to be so focused on our own daily agenda that we miss out on what God wants to show us or do with us. Pray for God to wake you up with a new set of glasses on. May you have eyes to see, because God has much to show you, and He wants to cultivate that kind of sensitivity in you every single day of your life.

Pastor Eric

A Church Celebrating 40 Years

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Clearwater Community Church. It is a church with a rich history centered on the Gospel, the preaching of the Word, and the Great Commission. Throughout our history (see below) God's faithfulness has truly been evident, and it's to His praise and glory that we celebrate this milestone.

A Brief History of Clearwater Community Church

God began His work in what is now known as Clearwater Community Church when five families gathered together to worship and pray in February 1969. Their hearts were committed to the idea of glorifying God through worship, discipleship, and evangelism.

The church soon rented the teaching auditorium at St. Petersburg Junior College (Clearwater campus) and began to hold services there. The needs of the children were met with the purchase of a large empty house trailer, which served as a portable nursery. About 100 worshippers attended the first service where Dr. Haddon Robinson, a former professor of Dallas Theological Seminary, provided the sermon. Guest speakers continued to lead the congregation until Pastor Jim Rose was called to serve as their first full-time pastor/teacher.

By 1980, God continued to bless the church and in the latter part of that year, the congregation moved into its own building on Landmark Drive in the Countryside area of Clearwater. It was during this time that God blessed CCC with remarkable growth and eventually there was a great need for expansion. Then in 1992, after much fervent prayer, the church voted to sell the existing building to a nearby Methodist Church, and services were temporarily held at the Kent Jewish Community Center while the church began the process of building its present facility on Belcher Road.

A spirit of unity and excitement filled the hearts of the congregation as they moved into the new facilities on Belcher Road in November 1994. Now today, as God continues to build His church, the hearts of those who make up Clearwater Community Church are committed to glorifying God by making disciples who will use their gifts to meet the needs of the greater Clearwater community. There is much excitement about what lies ahead, and as the church remains faithful to its original calling, we will, by God’s grace, bear much fruit for the Kingdom of Christ. It is indeed His church, and we are His people, the sheep of His pasture (Psalm 100:3).

Forgiveness...The Nature of the Cross

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Crucifixion was one of the worst ways a man could die. The Romans often killed people this way, and here in Jerusalem their sight of crucifixion was a place called the Skull – an appropriate title since this place came to represent death. The process of dying was drawn out over a period of time. It began with what was called scourging – where a prisoner was bent over, tied to a post, and whipped on his bare back with a lash or a whip that had either pieces of bone or metal tied to the end of it.

It was a cruel punishment. And the punishment continued as the criminal was to carry the cross on his bloody back all the way up the hill, where the even more graphic details of death were to be carried out.

But why this man? Was he a wicked criminal deserving of death? No, in fact, we know him as a man without sin who raised people from the dead, who caused the deaf and the dumb to hear and speak again, who gave sight to the blind, who told the lame to get up and walk, whose gentle touch and words of love could restore hope and joy, and heal the body and soul.

But now, here he was. Jesus, the man who healed, was now himself bruised and battered, spit upon and falsely accused. And he said, “Father forgive them?”

The teachers of the law had claimed that he was a blasphemer, and even said that, “he was of the devil.” Over and over insults and spit were hurled at him, as if beating him wasn’t enough. The soldiers had placed a crown of sharp, skin piercing thorns upon his head. In order to make the pain more treacherous, they jammed the crown down further and further as they struck him on the head with a staff. Some people were ruthless; their blood was burning with hate and filled with anger. But there were also those who were laughing. Some thought it was funny. Scripture tell us that the soldiers would sarcastically fall to their knees and pay homage to him, shouting “Hail, king of the Jews.” And he said, “Father, forgive them?”

Christ was condemned to death like a common criminal -- as if he was nothing more than a thug or a thief! And everywhere there was more shouting, more words were tossed at him. But the words that Jesus returned were very different.

Out of all this injustice, all these lies and all of this pain, when nails were being driven in his feet and hands, Jesus had every right to bring down words of instant judgment upon them. He could have called a legion of angels to strike down each soldier, or to silence each laugh, in order to make right this wrong he was suffering, to end this misery that he was facing.

But he didn’t do that. Instead of words of hate and retaliation or revenge and justice or firing out words of death, he spoke words of life. Words that would have a sudden impact on a Roman centurion and a few who surrounded him. In fact the centurion said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

Jesus’ words were words filled with compassion for these people who did not realize what was actually happening at that very moment –when the enormous weight of sin was placed upon his shoulders. No, they weren’t words of judgment, but words of grace and life, and some of them sounded like this: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” It is the substance of these words that today remind us of one of the most undeserved blessings that God showers on those who believe, and that is the blessing of forgiveness. Forgiveness, resulting in eternal life.

A Different Perspective on the Recession

How do we understand what we are going through? In these times when all of the worldly securities are seemingly so insecure (like jobs, houses, retirement funds, etc.), how are we as believers to understand what God may be doing in the bigger picture? For there is war, genocide, poverty, terrorism, financial chaos, the destruction of families, along with many other areas of crisis that have caused many to panic, fear, and fall into despair.

But for Christians who trust in the sovereignty of God, and who have placed their lives and trust in God alone for their salvation, identity, purpose, and security, this recession serves as a means for our faith to be strengthened and a longing for our true home to be on the forefront of our minds. It also provides us with an opportunity for our values to be tested, our eyes to be opened, and growth in areas we may never have thought about before.

In a recent sermon entitled, “What is the Recession For?,” Dr. John Piper, Pastor/Teacher at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sets forth five purposes that God may have for us during this time of recession. I think they are rather insightful and present a well thought out biblical worldview on the issues of suffering, trials, and money. Piper says that some of God’s purposes might be that:

1) He intends for this recession to expose hidden sin and so bring us to repentance and cleansing.
2) He intends to wake us up to the constant and desperate condition of the developing world where there is always and only recession of the worst kind.
3) He intends to relocate the roots of our joy in his grace rather than in our goods, in his mercy rather than our money, in his worth rather than our wealth.
4) He intends to advance his saving mission in the world—the spread of the gospel and the growth of his church—precisely at a time when human resources are least able to support it. This is how he guards his glory.
5) He intends for the church to care for its hurting members and to grow in the gift of love.

Surely these are not exhaustive or comprehensive in nature, which Piper admits, but they are very “right on the money” if you will pardon the pun. There are two sides to every trial – there is the natural, worldly side where which is how we are often tempted to view it most, and then there is the other spiritual side where seeing things from God’s bird’s eye view gives us a whole new perspective. If we view this as a time when God is further sanctifying us while giving us a hunger for heaven, then our souls will find rest even when the world crumbles down around us. Remember, God is good, all the time, and all the time, God is good.

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” - James 1:12, (NIV)

An Expected but Horrifying Reversal on Stem Cell Research

This coming Monday, Barak Obama, the President of the United States of America, is set to reverse a previous Executive Order issued by former President George W. Bush that prevented federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research. This research involves the harvesting of human stem cells obtained from the destruction of live, viable human embryos. In other words, it allows the medical research community to receive funds (i.e. taxpayer money) from the Federal Government for the purpose of doing research on already conceived children whose lives will be terminated for the purpose of “scientific advancement.”

It is thought that embryonic stem cells hold great potential for developing replacement tissues that can potentially cure diseases and heal neurological disorders. And even though other forms of stem cells, mainly adult stem cells, have shown to have just as much promise as that of embryonic stem cells, researchers are calling the embryonic stems cells the “most flexible” of all cells. It is what they want most.

Yet they already have them. It has never been illegal to do this kind of “research” with private funds, and now we are taking it to the next level, using taxpayer money to fund it. So if you think about this a minute, what is happening is this. We are required by law to pay taxes, and the taxes we pay are being used to provide funding for the destruction of unborn children, all in the name of “science.” Scientists can now start applying for research grants from the National Institute of Health at any time after this.

Obama declared that he would “ensure that all research on stem cells is conducted ethically and with rigorous oversight." But for those of us who come from a biblical worldview, where we believe that life begins at conception, any research of this type that destroys viable embryos has already crossed the line of moral and ethical responsibility. It results in death, death of children who have received a soul from God the moment the sperm and the egg merged and conceived a human life. This is most grievous.

One has to imagine how long the Lord will put up with the blatant immorality that we have fallen into. I still believe that we live in the greatest country in the world, and if called upon would give my life to defend it as many before me have done and are doing now, but ever since the Roe v. Wade decision of the early 70’s, there have been almost 50 million innocent children that have been destroyed in the womb by abortion. And now we are doing it in the lab under the auspices of research. If I’m not mistaken the Nazi’s did the same thing in World War 2, using people for experiments. The only difference is the stage of development of the person being sacrificed. The soul is there. King David ascribed personhood to conception (Psalm 51:5). And further, even if these stem cells taken from the destroyed embryos show signs of “promise,” the end does not justify the means.

The ancient Proverb reads, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint” (Prov. 28:19a). Certainly there is no underlying conviction wrought by God’s revelation (God’s Word) that is being considered, understood or regarded here, and therefore the secular world has no reason to practice ethical restraint on this. There is no conviction about it whatsoever. None of this should surprise us, because it is the Holy Spirit that brings conviction, repentance, and faith, and even the illumination necessary to discern the truths of Scripture, that which is right and wrong.

It is our duty as Christians to hold fast to the sanctity of human life, both at the beginning of life as well as the end. We should oppose any and all legislation or executive orders that disregard the sacredness of human life, at any level. Therefore we should pray that our President may somehow change his mind on this, though I think it is unlikely that he will.

This blog is not so much about politics, rather it is about Christians speaking out about issues of morality, what is right and wrong. We have a duty as Christians to speak out against wickedness wherever we see it and to call all those who will listen to repentance from sin and faith towards God (in keeping with our Great Commission). Further, we have an obligation to pray against unrighteous actions, that the Lord himself will “deliver us from evil” (Matt. 6:13). Yet we should not be surprised if things get worse for those who hold to biblical principles, because the world system is continually and gradually being set up and primed for the return of Christ. And to be honest, I wouldn’t mind it if the Lord came back right now, even before this order reversal takes place on Monday.