Peter Witkowski Discipleship

Whose Slave Are You?

We all serve someone. slave We live, move, and breathe in service to something or someone one. We may live for Sports, home décor, education, good health, financial gain, fame, or a host of other things, but we all live for something. We are all enslaved to something according to the Scriptures. Paul writes in Romans 6:16

Do you not know that if your present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

In the game of life there are no fair-weather fans or bandwagon groupies. We do not casually determine who we will serve according to team color or according to the team’s mascot’s ability to conquer another mascot. We are all either willfully serving sin which leads to death or obedience which leads to righteousness. We either live and move according to the world and our flesh or we live and move according to God of the universe.

We all initially begin the game of life on Adam’s team, the team of sin. But we do not have to stay with him; we do not have to remain on the team destined for loss, disappointment, and death. We can embrace Christ and experience righteousness, victory, and unbroken fellowship with God!

Embrace Christ become his slave!

Admittedly the sentiment of slavery does not resonate with American culture. We are often pridefully independent of all, boldly declaring our opinions, our wants, and our desires to be supreme. The yellow flag that bears the words “Don’t Tread on Me” has become the religious slogan of many Americans. Consequently, slavery to Christ is seen to be the refuge of little, old ladies and weak men who lack the strength to escape their mom’s basement.

But slavery to Christ is not boredom, weakness, or the self-willed surrender of all that is good in life. Slavery to Christ is the very essence of life itself. It is the entrance into joy, meaning, and significance. John Piper writes, “We are most satisfied when God is most glorified.” When we stop serving our selfish desires, when we submit to Christ, and we glorify God through loving obedience, we find the true life!

Slavery Gives us Righteousness

In 2 Peter 2:1-4 the Apostle Peter offers three compelling reasons for embracing Christ as our Lord. First, we gain access to the righteousness of God. Those who repent of their sins and change masters find the righteousness they desperately need. We all come into the world as sinners. When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden by eating the forbidden fruit, he did not doom the whole human race. Romans 5:19 states, “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners.” Some my object and say no, “Adam did not represent me. I am not evil. I am not a spiritual son or daughter of Adam. I can choose a different path. I can be on God’s team.” Yet, your body decays and feels aches and pains signaling your frailty. You will die precisely because you are infected by sin. We all are. Romans 3:10-12 states,

As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.

None of us is righteous. The great attempt of Adam and Eve to improve upon the God the universe did not lead to greater holiness, power, and glory but to evil, brokenness, and death. Even the human psyche cannot imagine a world where the created can improve upon the creator. The only scenario that resonates with our experience is the created destroying the glory of their creator. Sin leads away to evil. And evil separates us from God, the source of life, joy, and truth.

Slavery to Christ through faith in Christ’s death and resurrection gives us the righteousness we long for. When we trust in Christ, we get his righteousness. And we know Christ can make and guarantee this trade because he has risen from the dead. Nothing can conquer him. He offers all who obtain faith in him righteousness. And those who get Christ righteousness can once again walk with God like Adam and Eve did. They can experience the joy of knowing and communing with God.

Come and embrace the slavery of Christ and enjoy the gift of Christ righteousness.

And thankfully there is only one faith. There is only one way to God through Christ. Peter says in verse 1, that all Christians “have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours.” There is not some higher faith than faith in Christ. The apostle Peter, one of the most important men in Christ’s ministry and in the founding of the church, received righteousness just like we do via faith in Christ Jesus. There is no other mystery or program. There is not one salvation for the old and another for the young. There is not one salvation for the introvert and another for the extrovert. There is not one salvation for the scholar and another for the highschool dropout. There is one salvation for all. As Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones said,

Regardless of the individuality or temperament, all can know this same experience, it does not vary from individual to individual, nor does it vary from century to century.” . 

Embrace Christ as your master and Lord!

Slavery Get Us Grace and Peace

We need righteousness and we long for grace and peace. We long to feel the blessing of God. We long to know that God is on our side, giving us good gifts such as health, safety, and family. We long to experience peace. We long to lay our head down at night without feeling guilt, shame, or sorrow. We want relief from the fear that are lies may be found out. We are tired of fearing death which promises to usher us into judgement. We are tired of trying to compensate for our sin with our good deeds. We want our conscience to stand down and to gift us peace.

We can experience the grace and the peace that we long for through Christ. We can rest confidently in Him, knowing that he has paid for all of our sins past, present, and future. We can get off the treadmill of human opinions, knowing that we have been justified by God. We can find true grace and peace in the arms of our savior.

Faith and slavery to Christ is not something for old ladies and weak men. It is the very essence of joyous life and peace with God. It is also the ability to obey God and to live lives characterized by peace.

And such true peace is only found in the, “knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” To find such peace, we must dive into the Word of God. We must read it and then we must do it. We must obey Christ. We must be his slave. He alone offers peace. The counselor’s chair, the latest video game,  and the bottle of drugs on your shelf cannot give you lasting peace. They cannot pay for your sins and deliver you from evil. Christ as revealed through the Word can do all this and much more!

Embrace Christ as your master and Lord!

Slavery Gives Us Everything

CounsellingHardCases-sample-thumbEmbrace Christ because he has “granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” If you want to have a healthy marriage, wonderful friendships, and outstanding relationships embrace Christ. If you want to gain victory of your lying, your anger, your covetousness, your pride, and your biting tongue embrace Christ. If you want to fix your troubled marriage, your poor parenting techniques, and your fractured relationships, embrace Christ. God has given us everything we need to live good, healthy, and godly lives. He has revealed his Word how we should think, talk, and act. He has provided us with the knowledge and the power to escape all evils. If you want to see the how this plays out practically, I encourage you to read Counseling the Hard Cases. The book affirms Peter’s claim that God is enough. We will not find all that we need for life and godliness in the counselor’s chair, on Facebook, or at the gym. No, the ability to live godly lives come through the promises of God.

Embrace Christ as your Lord!

Are you ready to be a slave of Christ?

Peter Witkowski Discipleship

The Power of Biblical Thinking

Reeling from the suicides of Fashion Designer Kate Spade and Chef Anthony Bourdain, the American public is again discussing pain, sorrow, and depression. We all recognize that life is marred by hurt and sadness. Even fame and fortune cannot stave off discouragement, sorrow, and hopelessness.

And sorrow and suffering are not just subjects found in that afflict those outside the church. Both evils regularly afflict Christians. The Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon was frequently attacked by depression as he struggled with gout, rheumatism, and neuritis,  as he was attacked by the media and other pastors, and as he endured a daunting daily schedule. Once after a prankster caused a stampede at his church that result in the deaths of seven people, Spurgeon fell into a deep depression. His wife said, “My beloved’s anguish was so deep and violent, that reason seemed to totter in her throne, and we sometimes feared that he would never preach again.”

As the late preacher R.C. Sproul said,

The presence of faith gives no guarantee of the absence of spiritual depression; however, the dark night of the soul always gives way to the brightness of the noonday light of the presence of God.

Christians suffer all kinds of hardships including, sickness, persecution, hunger, rejection, and even death. And as we bump against the hardships of life and ministry, we can be tempted to lose hope. We can become tempted to stay in bed, to stop going to class and to stop attending church. What do we do when those moments come? What do we do when reason itself seems to be replaced we depression, sadness, and hopelessness? How do we get back to the brightness of the noon day?

We remember! Specifically we:

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David!

Paul tells his mentee in the faith, Timothy, to remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul tells Timothy that the key to the Christian life is found in Biblical thinking. As Timothy constantly and regularly dwells on the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and on Jesus humanity, he will find the power to suffer well.

Paul mentions Jesus resurrection, because it is the crux of our faith, the centerpiece of the gospel. 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 says,

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.  Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

Christ resurrection is a matter of first importance. Because Christ is alive, death is conquered and salvation is possible. We have every reason to hope as Paul writes later in verse 11b-12a, “If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. “

The hope of the Christian life begins and ends with the resurrection. Pastor C.J. Mahaney rightfully notes, “Reminding ourselves of the gospel is the most important daily habit we can establish.”  Because Christ lives, we too will live. We will live in eternity with him. We will once again walk and commune with God like Adam and Eve did, lacking shame and enjoying close, intimate, and unbroken fellowship with our God.

The-Power-of-Biblical-ThinkingAnd we also find our hope for tomorrow. Because Christ lives, we know we can gain victory over our sin. We will find the brightness of the noonday sun. We will be able to overcome lust, pride, depression, anger, and covetousness. Our sin and our failures and our sorrow over our failures are not the end of our story. Christ is alive. And we are alive in Christ. The same power the brought Christ to life is the same power that guarantees our victory over today’s trials and the guarantees the glorious of the next life. When we feel down and sorrowful, we should head Paul’s advice and remember the resurrected Jesus.

And we should remember that Jesus is the offspring of David. Jesus is fully man. He suffered like you and I have suffered. He was tempted just like you and I have been and will be. Jesus understands our frailty. And he is not a demanding father who requires  us to do the impossible in our own strength. He is not the over zealous Little-Coach who expects his kids to lead the team in home runs, failing to notice that his little guy is 3’5″ and weighs only 55 lbs. Our God is a compassionate savior who understands and empathizes with our weakness and struggles. Hebrews 4:15-16 states,

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Often the very shame of having to admit to God that we struggle drives us deeper into despair. After all why would God help someone as messed up as me? Yet He does! He delights in helping us when we are hopeless. God does not demand that we find hope apart from us and then show up to his throne looking all prime an proper. God invites us to come to him when we feel like staying in bed, when we try to avoid every other human being, and when we lock ourselves away in our room. He invites us to come to him when we look more like a homeless person than a doctor, college student, or well-organized mom. He does not expect us to approach Him in strength. Rather he gives grace and help to us in our time of need. He invites the weak to come to him for strength.  Spurgeon rightfully found great hope in the humanity of Christ once saying,

As the mother feels with the weakness of her babe, so does Jesus feel with the poorest, saddest, and weakest of his chosen.

Christ cares deeply about his hurting and suffering children and freely offers to help all.

Remember that Christ is the seed of David. Remember he does not hand us punishment but mercy and grace in our time of need. Stop pretending to be alright and ask God for help. He will give it to us. And we know he can liberate us from our sorrow for he has conquered death. He reigns and will we reign with Him!

If you feel down today, if you feel depressed, and if you feel overcome by sorrow, reflect upon the risen Lord, the seed of David. Daily fight to remember all that Christ did on the cross and remember Christ’s compassion. Think biblically and the light of the noonday will come. Christ, the seed of David, is risen. Do you remember?

Peter Witkowski Discipleship

What is the Mission of the Local Church?

What should our local church be doing? Is it missions? How about kids’ ministry, choir, youth programs? What do the people of God do when they come together? What is the mission of the Church?

With a nail, a hammer, and a document of 95 thesis, Martin Luther turned the world upside down in 1517 seeking in part to answer the question: “What does a local church do?”. He knew that the local churches of his day exported religious vice and wickedness to the medieval world. The gospel seldom appeared in church, the clergy at all levels lacked biblical knowledge, and the sacraments were twisted into graceless works the little resembled the teachings of Scripture. Luther started out to reform the church seeking to answer the question what does the local church do.

The History

Since 325 A.D, the church has defined itself as the one, holy, catholic, apostolic church. The local church was defined as being a church that submitted to the Bishop Rome, which was made holy by Christ through salvation, that was universally recognizable, and that was founded on the teaching of the apostles which was often interpreted and expanded upon by church officials.

jj-jordan-140710-unsplash.jpgLuther and Reformers redefined these historical terms to better reflect the gospel. The Reformers claimed that the church was one under Christ. All who were saved were saved by Christ to be part of the church. They believed that church should be holy; it should be composed of those who had been redeemed by Christ and who were being sanctified. They agreed to the catholic nature of the church. But they did not believe all churches had to look the same and practice the same liturgy. Rather, they claimed the church was catholic in its timelessness. All true churches in all ages were viewed as being part of the universal church. And they believed the church was apostolic. But the Reformers believed that the apostolic nature of the church should be limited to the teaching of the apostles. Solo Scriptura, Scripture Alone.

The Reformers sought to clearly divide themselves from the Catholic Church by adding two more marks to the definition of the local church. The Reformers said the local church should rightly administer the sacraments and preach the Word.

The Answer

Now back to our question. What does the local church do?

The local church comprised of holy believers who have been united to the universal church by salvation in Christ Jesus preach the Word and administer the sacraments correctly. For a group of believers to be a church, they must preach the Word and practice baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

John Calvin plainly said,

Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard, and sacraments administered according to Christ’s institution, there, it is not to be doubted, a church of God exists.

What about kids’ ministry, Super Youth Sundays, the choir, missions, singing, and prayer? All of those things begin and flow from the preaching of the Word and from the sacraments. You can have church without them. But you cannot have a church apart from the preaching of the Word and apart from the Sacraments.

Paul tells Timothy:

 “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers (1 Tm 4:13-16). 

Do we want to have a healthy God glorifying church? Do we want to reach young families, encourage the old, and bless the new converts? Then, we preach the Word. Paul tells us we keep a close watch on our doctrine on the truth of the Bible and teach it to others.

What saves people? What makes our church look attractive to lost world? What breathes new life into the exhausted and crumbling congregation? It is the Word of God. The preaching of the Word of God is central to all that we do. The Holy Spirit works through his Word to redeem the lost and to sanctify the redeemed.

Christ is the Word become flesh.

John 1:1-4 states:

 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

To know Christ, to experience him, revive our hearts through his presence, we must preach the Word. As Jesus says in John 17:17, “Sanctify them in truth; your word is truth.”  The church must be dedicated to the proclamation of the Word.

How is the done? The Word is proclaimed and taught through every element of the service. Pastor Mark Dever rightly notes,

Everything teaches, whether you intend it to or not. The songs teach people doctrine and proper affections for God. Your prayers (or lack of them) teach people how to pray themselves. The kinds of prayers you pray or don’t pray) teach people about the important difference between prayers of adoration confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. The way you administer the ordinances teaches people about their meaning and even the very meaning of the Gospel. You preaching teachers people how to study and use the Bible appropriately. Everything from the call to worship to the benediction counts as teaching. Teaching is everything.

Everything the local church does begins and ends with the Word of God. Singing, prayer, and evangelism are all driven by our understanding of the Word of God. The songs that we sing reflect what we believe about the Bible. The prayers that we pray reflect our understanding of God and ourselves. Our passion and methods for reaching the lost are driven by our understanding of what the Bible says about salvation. All the other functions of the local Church can only exist if the Word is fully, accurately, and faithfully preached.  And all the other functions of the church help with the preaching and dissemination of the Word. In short, if we get Sunday morning preaching wrong, we will work in vain to fix our church. The struggling church does not have a discipleship, outreach, or kids’ ministry problem. It has gospel proclamation problem.

Martin Luther notes,

Outwardly he deals with us through the preached Word, or the gospel, and through the visible signs of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Inwardly, he deals with us through the Holy Spirit and faith. But this is always in such a way and in this order that the outward means must precede the inward means.

If a local church hopes to be filled with the Holy Spirit and wishes the world to be changed by Christ, that assembly of believers must preach the Word.

Any local church that does not preach the Word is not a church. Religious clothing, sacraments, stain glass windows, and the sacraments alone do not make a group of people a local church. Religious minded people can have and do all these things and never preach the gospel. They cease to be a church when they preach a different gospel proclaiming salvation through other names, deeming sins to be acceptable, and demanding good works in the place of grace. Paul writes in Galatians 1:8

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.”

The one true, holy, catholic, apostolic church preaches the one true gospel.

Our Motivation: The Glory of God 

Why do we do this? Why should the church be passionate about preaching the Word?

The local church should be passionate about the Word because Christ is only present where the Word is preached. And we as the people of God can only expand the kingdom of God through the power of Christ. Moses nails this truth on its head in Exodus 33 when he says,

And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”

What makes the people of God distinct? What makes our local church distinct from every other social group? It is the presence of God via the Holy Spirit who works through the words of God as revealed in the Scriptures. The local church desperately needs God.

When the church fails to value the Word’s of God, God will not be present. And when the church ceases to experience the supernatural presence of God decay sets in. When the church cares more about tradition, cultural acceptance, and political power than about glorifying God, God will leave the church. James McDonald rightfully notes,

God will quickly withdraw His favor where sin is ignored or avoided and difficult people are coddled instead of confronted in love.

The local church should be about the preaching of the Word because she desires to experience the presence and power of God. Apart from Him, the local church can do nothing. And with Him the local church can do everything.

What does the local church do?

The local church preaches the word and rightly performs the sacraments (more on that soon!)