In Regards to Discerning the Working of God in a Person's Life, the Church, or a Movement as a Whole: A Declaration

I went to a Christian College where we were continually reminded that we were attending "The Miracle College".  Of course, there were stories of sacrifice and God's leading, but I always got the feeling that they seemed to have a need to bring this fact up...a lot.  The idea communicated was: "God is blessing us, so watch, listen and learn...we have the answers....we are the miracle college, you know". 

The reality is that God does work and move in and through us, and this should be a source of joy for us.  It is a blessed thing when we see people respond to the gospel message, experience healing in their lives, or be blessed with a financial wind-fall.  However, it is easy to see God's moving because we want to see it, and it takes disciplined hard work to "wait on the Lord" and "be still" after the emotion of a service or "movement of the Spirit" has passed.  If in time the "converted drop away", those healed get worse, or those financially blessed seem unconcerned with their poor stewardship, one must question whether the witnessed occurence was, indeed, the moving of the Spirit.

When the dust settles we will see the lasting fruit of our spiritual labors as God's people.  I submit that a hopeful, discerning, and patient approach to evaluating God's moving in a church or organization should be the norm.

Below is a statement that I have crafted to remind myself what I believe.  I am also hopeful to use it as a tool to explain to others why I may not seem ecstatic or giddy at the declaration of a supposed miracle, conversion or moving of God.  In the end, I want to have joy when I see the Spirit move in his world and among his people, but I also know that I might not gain the Lord's insight instantaneously.  In the end, this might mean that I have to leave the giddiness to others.

In Regards to Discerning the Working of God in a Person's Life, the Church, or a Movement as a Whole: A Declaration

Father Tom Reeves, Summer 2012

Something being reported as the Lord's moving, blessing or judgment should not be fully (spiritually, emotionally, intellectually) supported if it cannot be qualitatively evaluated. Any discernment of God's lasting work in his church requires that we have the time, relationships, and exposure to wisely and accurately discern the work of the Spirit of God as understood by his Word and the historic church. If we are looking to find “what we want to find”, we will find it. The route of wisdom, however, is often a slow, messy, and relational road.

The notion prevalent in some Christian groups at home and abroad that short-term “decisions for Christ” are lasting and real because they occur in a certain place and time, seems short-sighted at best and manipulative at worst. An honest reading of Holy Scripture teaches (as a pattern) that commitment to Christ will be followed by “real depth” (parable of the sower), lasting growth (Jesus as the True Vine), and perseverance (Hebrews and Revelation among other books).

The numerical and monetary success of a certain church or movement (whether, local, regional, or global) should not automatically precipitate a following of similar methods for the discerning, Spirit-led believer. A church that is growing through the direction of the Word and Spirit, the Gospel, and Kingdom of God teaching, will desire to see not only converts but disciples that are constantly growing to be conformed to the image of the Son. It is a neglect of Spirit-led discernment (and the teaching of discernment to Christ's church) that talks of “success” without qualifications, brushing aside the reality of those who fall away and neglecting real problems and failures that often comes with much of “church success”.

It will be a weak church which values the impressive spiritual gifts to the neglect of those more mundane gifts of Spirit-Word discernment. The importance of a long-term, God-centered approach to church which enables it to persevere (Paul thanked God for the Spirit's work in his church plants, while directly confronting their need to address their weaknesses, cultural influences, and outright sin) is easily lost to that which produces quick, exciting, short-term results.

A short-term success oriented approach to evangelism (and the group-think that only talks of the positive), encourages the development of an anemic and weak church that is unable to weather the storms of trial, disagreements, or cultural appropriation. Such a church can survive indefinitely as an “orthodox institution” with a “revolving door” attendance creating the phenomenon of an American Church described by many as being “a mile wide, and an inch deep”. While there has been much discussion among popular Christian leaders, pollsters, and church growth specialists regarding the decline of the American church over the last 20-50 years, the solutions offered by the aforementioned experts have been largely methodological (as opposed to spiritual, theological, or historical). The focus has seemingly been on short-term¹ fixes instead of addressing the characteristics that have led to long-term problems² systemic to the American way of thinking.

In addition, our theology and methodology of evangelism cannot biblically be separated from our ecclesiology,³ and when it is, an unscriptural form of pietism emerges. Thus, evangelism is not our mission alone as if it is the sine qua non of being the church, but is one “mark”⁴ of a Gospel-centered ecclesiology which sees the “marks” of the church as her complete mission. I submit that these marks primarily include:

• The Worship of God (as a way of life, and in disciplined gatherings)
• The Preached Word of God (thoughtful, disciplined and creative preaching and teaching)
• The Centrality of the Sacraments (it is God who initiates, sustains and empowers on his terms)
• Authentic Passionate Prayer (corporately and personally)
• Biblical Community (we are redeemed together, we live together, we submit to God-given authority together, we are an ancient community together)
• Ministry Training and Support (pastors equipping and discipling - not doing all the work)
• Reaching out with the Gospel of Christ (love without reciprocation, evangelism as the first step of discipleship, the way we live, what we proclaim)

1several decades

2multiple decades or centuries

3Our theology of church

4A term borrowed from Cannon George Kovoor in a discussion regarding ecclesiology