Theology of the Church, Mentor's Guide, MG03

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T H E O L O G Y O F T H E C H U R C H

Grace Alone

A pastor is witnessing to a young woman about Jesus and invites her to attend church. The woman replies, “I’m not really good enough right now to be doing that. I’m interested in religion and stuff but I want to get my life together first. Once I clean some things up, then I’ll come to church.” What should the pastor say to this young woman?

Getting Down for the Lord

A new jazz-funk-rock praise band has emerged from the church who call themselves Selah . They are determined to bring praise and worship to a whole new level of intensity and power in the congregation, but are doing it with an “in your face” kind of volume and showmanship that has many members of the church, even some of the staff, concerned about them. Selah is experiencing real popularity in their Saturday evening concerts, and have been used of the Lord greatly in some of the evangelistic outreaches around town. Yet, when you hear them, they sound exactly like secular bands. As a matter of fact, many of their songs use the melody of popular pop music songs set to Christian lyrics. Some people have admitted they come to their concerts to dance! How would you advise Selah as it attempts to give full expression to their love for God in worship, while continuing to, as the drummer says, “get down for the Lord?” There is nothing we can do to desire or obtain salvation that is not given to us as a free gift by the grace of God. This experience of God’s grace causes the Church to become community whose duty and delight is to worship God. We glorify God in our worship because of his perfect character–his solitary holiness, his infinite beauty, his incomparable glory and his matchless works. Through the grace of God in Jesus Christ, we have been set free to worship the true God, the Triune God in the power of the Holy Spirit. In addition, the Church worships God through its praise and thanksgiving, through liturgy, which emphasizes the Word and the sacraments, and through its obedience and lifestyle as a covenant community.

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Restatement of the Lesson’s Thesis