Why have Reformed churches been so weak and impotent over the last hundred years or so? With some striking exceptions, the Reformed and Presbyterian churches have repeatedly capitulated to the cultural winds, from feminism to no-fault divorce to the sexual revolution, how do Reformed churches so often end up ordaining women and flying rainbow flags?
One of the central reasons has been a failure to apply God’s Word to specific issues in our churches and in our culture. Reformed pastors and teachers have failed to do this out of fear and cowardice: once you start applying God’s Word, you run the risk of offending people and getting in trouble, like in the book of Acts. But that kind of fear demonstrates a failure of nerve, or a failure of faith. And so the question is: what is it about our faith that has been lacking?
It’s striking that Jesus repeatedly points to young children as the models for the kind of faith His people need. Unless you become like a little child, Jesus said, you cannot enter the Kingdom. While it is certainly not true for all, many in the Reformed churches have effectively said the exact opposite: unless you become grown up and mature, you cannot come to the Lord’s Table.
And the defense for this reluctance to welcome young children is fear that they might not believe, fear that they might not really understand, but Jesus says that they understand better than many adults. I suspect that this same fear and doubt is why many Reformed types are reluctant to apply God’s Word to all of life. What if it doesn’t work out? What if we’re wrong?
But God promises to be our God and the God of our children after us. And faith means simply saying, “thank you.” In Colossians 2:7, Paul warns against being tricked by enticing words (think of feminism or Marxism), and says that instead we must be rooted and built up in Christ, established in the faith, abounding in thanksgiving.
And so this is the charge, come with believing faith: which is to say, come with faith abounding with thanksgiving for the way God promises to work in the details of your life: your kids, your family, this world. And so come and welcome to Jesus Christ.
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Elizabeth says
But God promises to be our God and the God of our children after us. And faith means simply saying, “thank you.” In Colossians 2:7, Paul warns against being tricked by enticing words (think of feminism or Marxism), and says that instead we must be rooted and built up in Christ, established in the faith, abounding in thanksgiving.
And so this is the charge, come with believing faith: which is to say, come with faith abounding with thanksgiving for the way God promises to work in the details of your life: your kids, your family, this world. And so come and welcome to Jesus Christ.
Thankful for your encouraging words!