January 13, 2019January 12, 2019 Peter Witkowski Book Reviews, Discipleship

Peter’s Favorite Books (2018)

I have been with the opportunity to interact with a several backpacks worth of books every year as I study of PhD. seminars, prepare for sermons, and enjoy the occasional relaxing read Below, I listed short summaries three books I found that profoundly benefited my soul in 2018. If you are in the market for a new book I encourage you to read one or more of the following titles:

The Gospel Blimp: And Other Parables

– Joe Bayley

Have you ever wondered the church is such a mess; why missions projects fail, and why some pastors have the backbone of milk-soaked piece of toast? Joe Bayly takes on these questions with a series of short-stories that strike the reader with parabolic power. If you are open to an easy read that tackles the uneasy problems of the modern church with page-turning humor and heart wrenching conviction, I encourage you to read The Gospel Blimp. This collection of short stories was written in the 1960s; it relevance has seemingly only increased with the passage of time.

Quick Peak:

“What repercussions there would be if he coupled these verses for tomorrow’s sermon! The fire would be kindled at eleven thirty a.m. and spread from church through the whole town shortly after noon.

‘‘A sermon against lynching! Why doesn’t he stick to the gospel?” – p.115

Don’t Fire Your Church Members: The Case For Congregationalism

– Jonathan Leeman

We all love the church. But few of us have spent time reflecting on how creating a working definition of the church and thinking about how the church should be managed. Leeman’s book on church polity provides insightful looks into both these topics. He defines the local church and then lays out the doctrinal case of elder lead congregational polity. Though written at the popular level, Leeman’s short 200 page book contains many dense sections. But if you have a heart to know more about Christ’s bride and a heart to see your church become more like the churches of the NT, you will find Leeman’s book rewarding. I did. Leeman’s profoundly shaped my understanding of the local church. I trust you too will benefit from this book! If you want the cliff notes version, I encourage you to grab Church Membership by Jonathan Leeman.

Quick Peak:

Congregationalism, in other words, is not about voting on the color of the pew cushions or photocopier purchases. It is not a democracy in which members ask leaders to represent their views. It is, instead, the trust that Jesus has given to every Christian to take ownership of the gospel witness wherever they live. He authorizes them to do this through gathered assemblies. – p. 117

Biblical Authority After Babel: Retrieving the Solas in the Spirit of Mere Protestantism Christianity

– Kevin J. Vanhoozer.

The reformation begun in 1517 by Martin Luther has dramatically reshaped Christianity. But change is not always good. Many scholars claim Luther and his fellow reformers undermined the pillars of the Christian faith, preparing the world for secularism and atheism. Kevin J. Vanhoozer devotes his book to answering this charge. He systematically discusses each of the Five Solas – Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Scripture Alone, Christ Alone, and Glory Alone – explaining how the five interrelated doctrines capture the heart of New Testament Christianity. If you desire to know more about the reformation, more about why the doctrines of grace remain essential, or more about why protestants no longer follow the leadership of Rome, grab a copy of Biblical Authority After Babel.

Quick Peak:

Grace is the gift of God’s beneficent presence and activity – that is, the communication of God’s own light, life, and love to those who have neither the right to them or claim on God. Grace is God giving what is not owed. Grace is God in communicative action ad extra. Grace is the economic Trinity, the means by which God extends himself towards others, first in creation and later in redemption. Put simply, grace is the Triune God – God sharing his Fatherly love for creation in the Son through the Spirit. – p.53.

May 20, 2018May 19, 2018 Peter Witkowski Discipleship

What is the Church?

Church. We know what it is right. We have been around, to, and in church. “Here is the steeple; Open the doors and see all the people.” We know how it goes.

Yet despite our great familiarity with the church, few of us can sit down and easily rattle off a definition of the church. We go to church; we may even work for a church, but we do not know what a local church is. We cannot confidently say this is church and that is not. And we need to be able to.

As Jonathan Leeman notes,

To claim interest in Christian fellowship or even in the church while paying little heed to church structures is like claiming to love family while paying no heed to the differences between parent and child or husband and wife.

The answer to the question, “What is a local Church?” is of monumental importance.

The Scriptures teach that,

“Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Eph 5.25b-27).

Christ died for the Church. Christ came to call a people to himself who join together to worship God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. And if we hope to be with Christ in heaven we need to be with his church today.

So what is the true local church?

Does our college student have the freedom to exchange her local church for the solid BCM or Campus Crusade ministry on campus? Both preach the Word and have worship? Can we do church in our small group apart from the larger congregation? Is the ordinance observing church that preaches all roads lead to heaven a church? Does our small group have the right to excommunicate Steve from church if he refuses to stop embezzling money from work? Is church defined by size or by doctrine of by both? What is church?

I will answer this question over the next several weeks. I invite all those who live in the greater Amissville, Warrenton, and Culpeper, Virginia area to join the congregation of Amissville Baptist Church’s first seminar Bible study at 7PM. We will be discussing everything from preaching to baptism, to elders, seeing God’s plan for his people, his bride: the church.

If you cannot join us or if you want to keep studying in between lessons, I encourage you to follow along with us here at witkowskiblog.com.

And now to the definition: What is the local Church:

The local church is the spiritual, physical, and spatial assembling of God’s universal Church which consists of those who have and, will be, redeemed through Christ’s blood by the Holy Spirit according to the will of the Father. Initiated at Pentecost, The local church consists of baptized believers who have covenanted together to regularly assemble for the purpose of preaching and obeying the Word, worshiping God, administering the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, maintaining the purity of the church, and evangelizing the lost (Heb. 10:25; Mt. 28:18). The local church is led by elders, served by deacons, and ruled by the members.

We will spend the next 8 weeks unpacking our definition, by spending a week on each of the following topics:

Physical, regenerate church membership
The content and worship of true churches
Baptism
The Lord’s Supper
Purity and Discipline
Elders
Deacons
Congregational Rule

This-is-church-101

I hope to see you next Wednesday night at 7PM if not before.

May 26, 2016May 26, 2016 Peter Witkowski Children's Ministry, Discipleship

Should We Excommunicate The Kids?

excommunicate blog Church discipline is making a comeback. And it should be! For a church to be a church it must affirm the purity of the gospel and the purity of the the God’s people. God is holy. All those who truly love him, will seek to purify themselves. And when a man or woman continues in sin and refuses to repent after being approach by two or three witness, the sinner should be brought before the church. Hopefully at some point during the discipline process, the man or women will repent. But If no repentance ensues, the sinner must be kicked out of the church and treated as an unbeliever. Such are the commands found in Mathew 18: 15-17.

If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

But should we make our kids walk through church discipline? In the Old Testament, parents could take their unrepentant and disrespectful kids to the elders and have them stoned. Can we and should we take our kids before the church and have them excommunicated? The easy answer is, it depends.

Um…No

In some cases, the answer is a flat out no. If the child is not a member of the church, then we do not discipline them. All children come into the world with a sin nature. All kids are sinners and all act like sinners. If they have not repented and accepted Jesus, we cannot expect them to respond to God’s divine means of repentance and restoration. Expecting church discipline to bring an unbeliever to repentance would be like expecting a soccer team to thrive in the NFL. It’s not going to go well. They play by different rules.

For this reason and others, some churches are very slow to admit children into membership. Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington D.C. will only baptize people who are 18 or older. And while I do not think we have to make 18 a special benchmark age, our churches should be slow and methodical when considering children for baptism and church membership. If a kid is not a believer and not a member of a church, they are not subject to church discipline. Yes, we should pray with them and for them. We should counsel them with the word (evangelize them). But we should not discipline them in front of the church.

Why…Yes

In other cases, the answer is a resounding yes! If a child or a youth has made a credible profession of faith, has been baptized, and has been admitted into the church as a member, then he can be disciplined. If the child refuses to repent of lying, slander, sexual immorality, or any other sin, then their parents should practice church discipline. Their parents should involve the church, bringing a trusted friend or pastor into the situation. Lord willing, the child will respond well and repent. But if he does not, the child should be taken before the church. And if that still does not drive the child to his knees, he should be excommunicated.

Final Thoughts

In short, we should not hastily kick our kids out of the church. But if we are going to have biblical, healthy churches, we must be willing to excommunicate those who refuse to repent even our kids and teenagers. As 1 Corinthians 5:11 says,

But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.

Because church discipline is such a monumental and necessary thing and because following Christ is no easy accomplishment, we must not hastily rush kids down the aisle, baptize them, and admit them into membership. We must make sure our kids understand what they are doing. The church is no country club. And if we do enroll a child, we must be willing to discipline him. Are you ready to excommunicate the kids?