Considerations and Context for Church Building
1) Understanding the “whole counsel” of God
2) The Issue of Leadership
3) The Issue of Vision
4) Reviewing the Gospel (Part 8D)
Moses and the Proclamation of the Gospel
Hebrews 4:1-2
1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. NIV
What did Moses proclaim to Israel?
Let my people go
We said that the first message of Moses was “let my people go”. This was a proclamation that did not only seek to bring spiritual liberation to people but also political, social and economic liberation. This gives us this sense that the proclamation of the Gospel must not only present a “religious message” to people but a complete kingdom package that allows people not only to depart from “sin” at a personal-behavioural level but also from systemic, ideological and cultural positions of the world system. This is a complete spiritual process of entering the kingdom of God. The kingdom is not religion; the kingdom is a system of life.
So Moses instituted the Passover (Heb 11:28), a system of migration from one position of life to another. He brought people out of deficient life (Egypt) into correctness. God was not calling Israel from simply Egypt to a geographic territory called the “Promised Land” but to a state of life that would be characterised by just laws (Deut 4:5-8). Israel entered the geographic territory but never entered into positions of life God had called them to. Hence Hebrews 3 says that they never entered God’s rest. So we can equally walk in the realm of materialistic blessing and still be void of God’s purpose.
The Commandments
The Gospel was proclaimed to Israel in the form of laws and commands from God that sought to established justice and correct human existence.
Exodus 20:1-17
1 And God spoke all these words:
2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
3 "You shall have no other gods before me.
4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand [ generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
13 "You shall not murder.
14 "You shall not commit adultery.
15 "You shall not steal.
16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." NIV
These laws and commands became a platform upon which the Old Covenant was made between God and Israel. In understanding the nature of the Gospel, we have to look into the basic structure of the laws that were proclaimed. Remember that Jesus said He was the fulfilment of the Law:
Matthew 5:17
17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. NIV
So the proclamation of Law was in fact the proclamation of Christ.
The Law is not opposed to the Promises that would be fulfilled through Christ. However, Law in itself had no power to produce the life of righteousness; Law could only describe this life:
Galatians 3:21
21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. NIV
The requirements and the state of life Law sought to establish would be fulfilled in Christ.
Galatians 3:24-25
24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
NIV
The role of the New Testament is to interpret and unveil what God wanted to produce in the Old Testament (the Law and the Prophets). The New Testament tells us that what Israel tried to produce through the system of sacrifice of goats and bulls is now fulfilled through Christ. We therefore can look at what the Law proclaimed and what it sought to produce and achieve the same through Christ.
Christ is the end of the system of Law:
Romans 10:4
4 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
NIV
However, that Christ is the end of the System of Law does not mean that God no longer wants to achieve the objectives reflected in the Law. In fact the objective of the Law was a system of life called Christ. The word says “the Law and Prophets prophesied until John” (Matt 11:13) and “since the days of John the Baptist till now, the kingdom is advancing” (Matt 11:12). This means that the Law pointed to a superior system of life (Christ). The Law prophesied a system of life called the Kingdom of God. We are the fulfilment of this prophetic intent of God.
The Basic Structure of Law (Ex 20:1-17).
In looking at the basic structure of Law, we are looking at the nature and key components of the Gospel. Remember, Moses proclaimed the Gospel through Law.
The Word “Law”
Deuteronomy 4:44
44 This is the law Moses set before the Israelites… NIV
The word “law” that is used in the Old Testament is the Hebrew word “towrah” and it means: “a precept, a statute”. The root meaning of this word is: “to flow as water, to lay or throw an arrow, to point out as if by aiming a finger, to direct, to teach…”
In the Greek (New Testament), the word is used for example in the following scriptures:
Romans 8:1-2
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. NIV
Romans 7:22-23
22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. NIV
The word “law” is the Greek word “nomos” and it means the following: “to divide among, to parcel out food, a regulation, usage, a custom”.
The word “law” therefore defines a system of regulation of human life. Paul clearly says that we still have a system of law that regulates our inner life (as a New Covenant people). Paul calls this “the law of the Spirit”. We have to be clear therefore that when we talk about movement from Law to Grace we are not talking about being exempted from God’s system of regulation of human life. What we are talking about is the difference in the mechanism of regulation; one is external (i.e. the Old Covenant) and the other one is internal (based on New Covenant). That is, God still expects that we will not kill, steal, commit adultery but the mechanism of regulation producing this purity and behaviour is totally different. So, we still have the law but we no longer sacrifice animals; ours is the law (regulation) of the Spirit which governs our conscience and or our inner being.
The first principle of law: the first principle we want to establish here is that Law is a system of regulation of human life. If the Gospel was proclaimed to Israel in the form of law, this means that the Gospel is the proclamation of God’s system of regulation of human life. The Gospel is not merely a revelation-filled sermon that stirs and excites people without laying platforms that teach people on how to live on this planet earth.
God warned prophet Ezekiel:
Ezekiel 33:30-32
30 "As for you, son of man, your countrymen are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, 'Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD.' 31 My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. 32 Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.
NIV
Ezekiel had become just another great preacher to people. They listened to him for pleasure, hence God said he had become like a singer of love songs. They loved to listen to his messages but this was not for the purpose of constructing life. Many of us get stirred in the church meetings, jump and shout and now we even have a strange culture of laying money at the feet preachers, the question though is, what happens after the church service. We go home and talk about the sermon during lunch until that inspiration fades away during the week. Just when it fades away, then we are getting ready for another church service. Is this how we want to live? Can the kingdom really advance under such circumstances?
Components of the Law (Ex 20:1-17):
Establishing Spiritual Life and Understanding, vv1-7:
1) The first thing that Law did was to define and describe God to the people (vs.2): in the same way, the Gospel must define God for people. The journey to correct living begins with an understanding of who God is. It is for this reason that the anti-Christ spirit seeks to establish erroneous positions of understanding of the nature of God (2 Thes 2:3-4). The definition of God means that there must be a systematic study of God’s nature in the church. We need to sit down and be taught.
2) The second thing that law did was to warn the people about positions of idolatry. In understanding God, people had to understand that He could not be mixed with other gods (vv.3-4): the gospel today must continue to define idolatrous positions so that the purity of the faith can be preserved in the earth.
3) The Law revealed and described God as a Judge who punishes sin (vv.5-6): The Gospel must continue to declare the ways of God and the reality of His judgment to sin and error (Heb 6:2).
4) The Law defined correct platforms of relationship with God; it established a sense of “fear of the Lord” (vs.7): in the same way, people must be taught on how to establish a relationship with God and what are the things to look out for in order not to offend His nature and or how to live in a manner that pleases Him.
Establishing God’s Nature and Ways as a platform of Correct Spiritual-Human life, vv.8-11:
5) The Law declared that correct life on earth was to be based on the understanding of God’s ways and operations (vv.8-11): the principle here was that “you shall rest just as God rested”. This means that correct human practices, behavioural patterns and lifestyle positions are established out of an understanding of how God operates. God’s nature and operations establish principles for correct living. Those preaching the Gospel should ensure that they proclaim life out of an understanding of God’s nature and ways. Jesus said to us: “be perfect therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt 5:48). This is the principle: God sets the standard of life.
Defining the Household and establishing Generational Succession, vs.12:
6) The Law spoke into platforms for correct and sustainable family life (vs.12): God defined the family unit as a place from which life can be developed and sustained. The reality today is that there is little coming from the “pulpit” speaking into family issues like marriage and parenting. This was an important aspect of the law which must remain an important aspect of the Gospel today.
7) The Law defined correct life and responsibilities of successive generations (vs.12): Here God really mobilised successive generations (kids and youth) by warning them to grow and rise through correct platforms like respect etc. In the same way, proclaimers of the Gospel must speak into the process of growth and development of successive generations and not hope that these will somehow grow correctly. How many Christian families have lost their sons and daughters to sin and darkness, not because they wanted to but because they did not know or they were not equipped on how to train their kids in the way they should go (Prov 22:6)?
Establishing Systems of Community as well as Just and Mutual Human Existence, vv.13-17:
8) The Law proclaimed – “you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not covet your neighbour’s house…” (vv.13-17): Here God was defining the nature of existence of His people on earth. God was taking the people beyond the “ceremony” of “worship” to a place of correct existence. If you notice all these commands, they essentially deal with how you interact with those around you. The New Testament actually declares that the Law is founded on the principle of love (Matt 22:37-40, Rom 13:9-10). In the scriptures we are commanded to love one another (John 13:34-35). Issues of not stealing from each other, not giving a false testimony about each other, not craving each other’s resources etc. are all a practical expression of love.
Establishing Just Systems of Life, vs.16:
9) You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour (vs.16): God warned against establishing systems of justice that promote falsehood. God clearly expected that the people would establish systems of justice in order to administrate life. Paul declares the same in Corinthians: “…appoint as judges even men of little account in the church…is it possible there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers…?”
1 Corinthians 6:1-8
1 If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! 4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church! 5 I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? 6 But instead, one brother goes to law against another-and this in front of unbelievers!
7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers.
NIV
…we therefore have to proclaim and build just systems of life. Systems that are able to administrate human life in a way that is filled with justice. In this sense, the church is in fact a system of governance. Paul said this to the Corinthians understanding that there is a perspective of life inside the church that’s different from how the world sees life. It’s important again to note that Paul is talking primarily on disputes between believers and not between believers and unbelievers.
What is this all saying to us?
The proclamation of the Gospel is a lot more comprehensive then we have seen. According to this basic structure of Law, the Gospel can not only deal with “spiritual issues” but it must speak powerfully into issues of correct family household, development of successive generations, establishment of systems of community etc. within the church. If our Gospel does not cover these things then we are still lacking in some of the important aspects of the kingdom of God.
Hebrews 4:1-2
1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. NIV
To be continued…
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