{"id":478,"date":"2008-07-01T01:01:46","date_gmt":"2008-07-01T01:01:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2008\/07\/the-growing-church-part-4.html"},"modified":"2008-07-01T01:01:46","modified_gmt":"2008-07-01T01:01:46","slug":"the-growing-church-part-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/07\/the-growing-church-part-4.html","title":{"rendered":"The Growing Church: Part 4"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 4 of series: The Growing Church: A Bible Study in Ephesians 4
\n<\/em>Permalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\nThis is the fourth part of my address to the Presbyterians for Renewal breakfast at the General Assembly of the PCUSA. So far I’ve covered the following: preface; overview of Ephesians 1-3; God’s plan for the cosmos and the role of the church in this plan; the call to seek unity; the role of pastors as teachers; the calling of all Christians to be ministers of Christ; the call to the church to grow up in maturity and size; the measure of maturity in terms of how the church reacts to “winds of doctrine” in the culture. Now on to Part 4 . . . .
\nSpeaking the Truth . . .<\/strong>
\nEphesians 4 shows us the way forward in our growth as a church. It comes in verses 15 and 16:<\/p>\n

But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Notice the imperative “we must grow up in every way.” Growth is not an option we can take or leave. It’s God’s command for us. And, once again, growth isn’t limited to one dimension, either quality or quantity. We’re to grow up in every way<\/em>.
\nHow? What’s the key to healthy church growth? Speaking the truth in love<\/em>. In contrast to being blown about by every wind of doctrine, we are to be people who know and speak the truth. One of our Great Ends as a denomination is “the preservation of the truth” (G-1.0200). Moreover, we affirm that “truth is in order to goodness,” that true belief is the essential foundation of right action (G-1.0304).
\nAnd where do we find this truth that leads to goodness? For centuries, we Presbyterians have affirmed that the truth once came to us in the Word of God made flesh, in Jesus the Christ. And now it comes to us in the Word of God written, the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. The written Word, like the incarnate Word, has both human and divine characteristics. But in the mystery of biblical inspiration, God has spoken authoritatively in Scripture, which is therefore worthy of our study, our belief, and our obedience. Thus in the first chapter of the Book of Order<\/em> we read that “[i]nsofar as Christ\u2019s will for the Church is set forth in Scripture, it is to be obeyed” (G-1.0100c). The same is true for our personal lives as Christians.
\nOf course I’m saying nothing new here. The authority of Scripture is the bedrock of the Reformation, upon which Presbyterians have built a house that has stood for centuries. But in recent times, other authorities have vied to replace the Bible as our chief authority. Some folks have argued that we ought to put our trust more in reason than in Scripture. Science will reveal the truth to us, we’re promised. Others have sought to reduce biblical teachings to a few simple, plastic truths, such as the call to love. We assume the freedom to mold love into anything we want it to be in any given situation. Thus Scripture ends up calling us to do whatever we want to do. But the most pervasive competitor to biblical authority today isn’t reason or reductionism. It’s emotion. Today’s credo, “I feel, therefore I am,” offers the ultimate source of truth. I can’t tell you how many times in the last twenty years I’ve heard faithful Presbyterians say, “Yes, I know that’s what the Bible teaches. But that just doesn’t feel right to me.” Personal emotion and subjective experience trump God’s Word. Of course if it turns out that your feelings and my feelings don’t line up, then we have no external arbiter. So truth becomes a matter of power. The one with the most power defines the truth. (Photo: the Reformation Monument in Geneva, Switzerland)
\nI believe the greatest need in our church today isn’t a new Book of Order<\/em>, or a new missional consciousness, or a new outreach to younger people, or whatever else is on the agenda, no matter how valuable these things may be. The greatest need in our denomination is a reaffirmation of the truth of God as revealed in Scripture<\/em>. Only then will we be people who can speak the truth. Only then will we be able to turn the tide of denominational decline so that we might begin once again to grow up in all ways into Christ.
\nI know full well that what I’ve just said is offensive to the majority of Americans. According to the recent Pew survey, it may well be offensive to most Presbyterians. But, while I freely admit my own limitations in discerning the truth, and while I’m quite sure that I sometimes get the truth wrong, I nevertheless believe that God makes his truth known in Scripture, and that the church will never be healthy until we speak this truth among ourselves and to our world.
\nTo be continued . . . .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 4 of series: The Growing Church: A Bible Study in Ephesians 4 Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series This is the fourth part of my address to the Presbyterians for Renewal breakfast at the General Assembly of the PCUSA. So far I’ve covered the following: preface; overview of Ephesians 1-3; God’s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-growing-church"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Growing Church: Part 4 - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/07\/the-growing-church-part-4.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Growing Church: Part 4 - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Part 4 of series: The Growing Church: A Bible Study in Ephesians 4 Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series This is the fourth part of my address to the Presbyterians for Renewal breakfast at the General Assembly of the PCUSA. So far I’ve covered the following: preface; overview of Ephesians 1-3; God’s…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/07\/the-growing-church-part-4.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2008-07-01T01:01:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Growing Church: Part 4 - Mark D. Roberts","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/07\/the-growing-church-part-4.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Growing Church: Part 4 - Mark D. Roberts","og_description":"Part 4 of series: The Growing Church: A Bible Study in Ephesians 4 Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series This is the fourth part of my address to the Presbyterians for Renewal breakfast at the General Assembly of the PCUSA. So far I’ve covered the following: preface; overview of Ephesians 1-3; God’s…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/07\/the-growing-church-part-4.html","og_site_name":"Mark D. Roberts","article_published_time":"2008-07-01T01:01:46+00:00","author":"Mark D. Roberts","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/07\/the-growing-church-part-4.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/07\/the-growing-church-part-4.html","name":"The Growing Church: Part 4 - Mark D. Roberts","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#website"},"datePublished":"2008-07-01T01:01:46+00:00","dateModified":"2008-07-01T01:01:46+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/07\/the-growing-church-part-4.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/07\/the-growing-church-part-4.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/07\/the-growing-church-part-4.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Growing Church: Part 4"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/","name":"Mark D. Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=478"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/478\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}