Center Church Chapter 1: The Gospel Is Not Everything

Wait. What? The gospel isn’t everything?

Those were my first thoughts when I saw the title. So let’s get into it. First a brief summary, then some important quotes, and then my personal reflections.

SUMMARY

The gospel is good news announcing that we have been saved by Jesus’ death on the cross. The gospel isn’t how we live or something we do, but something that was done for us. It is the message of how we have been saved. And not everything in the Bible is the gospel (but Keller pointed out that it can be argued that biblical knowledge is necessary for understanding the gospel). Understanding the definition of “gospel” is imperative.

The gospel is not the results of the gospel. To say that the gospel is justice or healing or restoration is not accurate. But the gospel will lead to life change that will include those things (among others). Keller noted that doing justice does NOT spread the gospel. That the gospel is good news means that it needs to be proclaimed by mouth, not by actions.

The gospel has two equal and opposite enemies. The gospel is the center of two things: religion (legalism) and irreligion (antinomianism). These could also be defined as moralism and relativism. Both are equally dangerous. Legalism professes that you must live a holy life in order to gain salvation. That is false in that the gospel teaches us that we are saved by grace through faith. Antinomianism professes that you once you have been saved you may live however you wish. That is also false, because once we have been saved, our lives will be changed.

The gospel has chapters. There are two ways to answer the question, “What is the gospel?” The first way is individualistic. It focuses on how someone can be right with God through what Christ has done. The chapters for this answer would be: Who God is, what sin is, who Christ is and what he did, and what faith is. The second way is universal. It focuses on how God will restore the earth to himself. The chapters for this answer would be: Creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. Keller noted that only preaching the first answer has the danger of promoting the Western cultural attitude of God providing spiritual goods for us. But only answering the second question, Keller said, is not to present the gospel at all.

These are the chapters of the gospel that Keller noted (p. 33):

CHAPTERS	GOSPEL NARRATIVE	GOSPEL TRUTHS
Chapter 1	Where did we come from?	From God: the One and the relational
Chapter 2	Why did things go so wrong?	Because of sin: bondage and condemnation
Chapter 3	What will put things right?	Christ: incarnation, substitution, restoration
Chapter 4	How can I be put right?	Through faith: grace and trust

Keller did an excellent job of fleshing out each of these four chapters. To summarize it would not do it justice. I encourage you to read it for yourself.

The right relationship of the gospel to all of ministry. Ministers may believe that the gospel is the minimum standard of doctrine, thus diving in to deeper doctrine, or more specialized areas such as social justice, intentional community, and cultural engagement. This may lead churches to lose sight of how powerful the gospel is. Keller compared it to an orchestra. They must tune to one true source of pitch, not to each other.

QUOTES

The gospel is not primarily a way of life. It is not something we do, but something that has been done for us and something that we must respond to (p. 29).

We must not, then, give the impression that the gospel is simply a divine rehabilitation program for the world, but rather that it is an accomplished substitutionary work. If we make this error, the gospel becomes another kind of a salvation by works instead of a salvation by faith (p. 30-31).

Biblical knowledge is necessary for the gospel and distinct from the gospel, yet it so often stands in when the gospel is not actually present that people have come to mistake its identity (p. 32).

It is not the amount of our faith, but the object of our faith that saves us (p. 36).

Because the gospel is endlessly rich, it can handle the burden of being the one “main thing” of a church (p. 37).

REFLECTIONS

Here are some not-so-random conclusions I had.

• This was a good reminder for me of the gospel, what it truly is, and the power that it has.
• I’ve been in church services before when I thought, “Was I in church or was this a conference session?” It was because the gospel wasn’t presented. I don’t want anyone to ever leave church and have that thought.
• All of the Bible is good and necessary. But just preaching parts of the Bible isn’t good enough. We need to preach the gospel specifically, but in the context of the whole of the Scriptures.

Since I made some application for Free Will Baptists from the introduction, I will make some here as well.

Free Will Baptists are a segmented denomination. Some think it’s doctrinal issues, but I think it’s because of theological vision (as described in the introduction). As it relates to this chapter, I believe that most Free Will Baptists hold a good central view of the gospel, not swaying too far toward legalism or antinomianism.

That being said, many Free Willers think that other Free Willers are too far away from the center. Some pastors wear suits and ties, only use the King James Bible, and sing hymns. Some pastors wear jeans and tees, never use the King James Bible, and sing the most contemporary songs available. It seems that one side thinks the other side is getting close to relativism, and the other side thinks the first side is getting close to moralism.  And maybe, maybe, there are some who truly are getting away from the center of the gospel.

But I think that most Free Will Baptists are much closer to the center of the gospel than other Free Will Baptists think they are. We all believe that you are saved by grace through faith, that it is not of works. That’s why I think it’s so important to understand the idea of theological vision. Once you do, you realize that what the pastor wears, what version of the Bible he uses, and what songs he sings are part of what he believes will help him minister in his time and place. When I understand that, it’s okay how you minister. We still serve the same God and preach the same gospel.

Center Church Review (introduction)

Summary:

Successful, faithful, or fruitful?
Keller (2012) noted that it is only natural for those in ministry to want to know how they are doing. Success is the quantifiable evidence of the church–such as attendance, decisions, baptisms, and giving. At the other end of the spectrum are those that celebrate faithfulness. Numbers don’t matter here, as long as the minister preaches the Word. A balance would be fruitfulness. This is a biblical model, and the gardening metaphor shows that ministers must be faithful and experience harvest. The harvest is dependent on the soil (the hardness of people’s hearts) and the weather patterns (God’s sovereignty through the Holy Spirit).

Theological Vision
Keller has been asked about the “fruitfulness” of Redeemer Church. Books written about fruitful ministries tend to either be biblically foundational (which is good) or practical how-to’s (which are good, but are truly only applicable to a church in a specific place in a specific time). Keller noted that those that wanted him to write a book, wanted him to write the latter type. Instead, he wanted to share not their ministry expressions, but the way they arrived at their ministry expressions. Consider that your biblical theological foundations are the hardware to your church and your forms of ministry are your software. Keller noted that what is lacking in discussion and writing is the middleware. He cited Richard Lints and called this missing piece “theological vision.”

In the same way, between one’s doctrinal beliefs and ministry practices should be a well-conceived vision for how to bring the gospel to bear on the particular cultural setting and historical moment (p. 17).

These are just a few questions that arise from theological vision:

• How do we bring the gospel to bear on the hearts of people today?
• What is this culture like and how can we both connect to it and challenge it in our communication?
• Where are we located–city, suburb, town, rural area–and how does this affect our ministry? (p. 18)

Theological vision, Keller noted, can explain some of the differences that churches have–even when they are within the same denomination.

Why a book on theological vision?
1. Theological vision is hard, but it is what pastors need.
2. It is transferable and adaptable.
3. It goes beyond churches.

Why Center Church?
1. The gospel is at its center.
2. The center is the place of balance.
3. This theological vision is shaped by and for urban and cultural centers.
4. The theological vision is at the center of ministry.

Outline

The book outline is centered on three basic commitments: Gospel, City, and Movement.

Section 1: GOSPEL
Part 1: Gospel Theology
Part 2: Gospel Renewal

Section 2: CITY
Part 3: Gospel Contextualization
Part 4: City Vision
Part 5: Cultural Engagement

Section 3: MOVEMENT
Part 6: Missional Community
Part 7: Integrative Ministry
Part 8: Movement Dynamics

Reflections:

As I read the introduction, the concept of theological vision rang true. Within my denomination of Free Will Baptists, there are giant differences in methodology, yet we basically all hold the same doctrine. We all believe the same (big) things, but we have different stances and philosophies of ministry. And that’s okay. One note that struck me is that we are not only ministering to people in a specific place, but also in a specific time. That means several things:

1. I will not start a church in Chicago that looks like a church in North Carolina. I won’t even start a church in the Lincoln Square neighborhood that looks like one in the Lakeview neighborhood. It’s not that I won’t, as much as I shouldn’t. As I look at failing Free Will Baptist churches in the North, I notice one thing. They were churches started by and for Southerners that had moved North. Once those Southerners moved away or died, the churches struggled. That’s why it’s so important that I soak up the culture of my neighborhood and become, to my best ability, a Chicagoan.

2. A church that is started now will not look like a church that was started 30 years ago, or even 10 years ago. So how church planting worked in the old days, while culturally effective at that time, will probably not be effective today. Fifty years ago (or so), my grandfather started a church in Michigan by holding tent meetings and singings. It worked then, but it won’t work now.

3. We must be continually evaluating and engaging the culture. That’s why there are churches that were effective 10 years ago, but are now struggling.

Understand, in no way am I downplaying biblical theology, sound preaching, and the work of the Holy Spirit. But we can’t expect to reach people until we understand them. Then, and only then, can we challenge them to accept the change that Jesus brings.

What do you think? Is this as convicting to you as it was to me? 

6 FAQ about our Chicago church plant.

Q1. Are you guys still planting a church in Chicago?

A1. Yes. We are adjusting, settling in, and learning our culture right now. I send out frequent, short updates through our Facebook page. I send out personal requests and struggles and victories to our prayer partners. You can sign up to be a prayer partner by filling out this short form.

Q2. Where do you guys live?

A2. Originally, we were planning to live in the Albany Park neighborhood. That didn’t work out. There’s about a 2 hour story wrapped up in that last sentence. Through various circumstances, it became apparent that God wanted us exactly where we are. We are just about on the border of two neighborhoods: West Ridge and Lincoln Square. Specifically, you can Google our small neighborhood called Arcadia Terrace. It’s a neighborhood made of working middle class families, like us.

Q3. When will you start meeting?

A3. Our first Bible study will be on March 3. Pray that we will soon know the exact location. I’ve contacted a local business. The manager thought it would be okay, but I’m waiting on a final answer from his boss. We would love to have a huge number of people attend, but we really just want to have someone there besides us! God’s blessed us with dozens of relationships since we moved here, so we are trusting that the Holy Spirit will do what only he can do and speak to hearts. Connected to that, we will be passing out some info cards in our neighborhood on Saturday, February 23 and Saturday, March 2. If you would like to come help us either day, please feel free to contact me directly.

Q4. What’s the name of your church?

A4. Redemption Church. You can find us online at http://www.redeemchicago.com. We’re also on Facebook and Twitter.

Q5. Is this a Free Will Baptist church?

A5. Yes. We currently do not receive any monthly support, but we have received funding by Illinois Free Will Baptist Home Missions and several individual churches. Northwest Community Church, pastored by David Potete, is our mentor church. We are planning on joining our local association this calendar year.

Q6. How can I help?

A6. There are a few ways you can help:

1) Sign up to be a prayer partner. We want to pray for you just as much as we want your prayers.

2) You can come help us pass out info cards.

3) You can bring a group this summer and help us with a project in the neighborhood.

4) If you would like to give, you may do so by sending a tax-deductible gift, earmarked Redemption Church, to:

Northwest Community Church
5318 W. Diversey Ave.
Chicago, IL 60639