Book Review: The Trellis and the Vine

Synopsis

Collin Marshall and Tony Payne address current trends in evangelical churches that have given up gospel growth for church growth in The Trellis and the Vine. Marshall and Payne use the metaphor of a trellis to indicate Church infrastructure and program growth, and the vine to indicate gospel growth through people. The authors assume their readers believe that “The basic work of any Christian ministry is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of God’s Spirit, and to see people converted, changed and grow to maturity in that gospel” (Marshall and Payne 8). So the admonitions of the text are set in light of an evangelical audience.

In chapters 1-3, the authors give us a definition for true gospel growth. They believe the modern evangelical church has given into pseudo growth models which sound appealing and might even look successful. The problem with most church growth models is that they fail to grow the part of the church that actually makes it the church. For the evangelical church, the focus can easily become management growth, infrastructure growth, and program growth and certainly many programs bring in some people who hear the gospel. But the authors call us to a radical ministry mind shift away from programs and towards gospel growth in people. They want us to be worried about advancing the kingdom by making our focus be on the gospel manifested in people.

In Chapters 4-6, the authors have two primary purposes: to dismember the popular notion that Christian ministry is primarily the work of pastor/elders, and to show that discipleship (along with sound preaching) is the primary means of gospel growth. The distinction between clergy and laity has become far greater than Paul ever intended. Obviously, if true gospel growth happens through disciple making, than the pastor or even elders cannot personally disciple every member in a large congregation. The congregation has the responsibility of discipleship just as the church leadership does. This is not to say that there exists no distinction between congregation and leadership. The authors take us here by way of Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians and Corinthians, where he calls them to be imitators of him (1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1). Paul pleads for ever member to find gospel partnership with him. This means that every person shares the gospel by contributing to gospel growth in the church, and this happens through disciple-making discipleship. The authors exhort every believer to take responsibility for entrusting the good deposit given to them in the gospel. This happens through prayerful community in the gospel at individual, small group, and large group levels.

In Chapters 7-12, the authors teach us practical ways to make disciple-making discipleship growth possible. They start with the premise that “the gospel by its very nature produces growth” (82). The authors give three profound principles when considering how to practice vine work instead of trellis work. (1) Growth of the gospel happens in the lives of people, not in the structures of my church (82). (2) We must be willing to lose people from our own congregation if that is better for the growth of the gospel (83). (3) [Our] understanding of ‘gospel growth’ lies in the way we think about people. We see people not as cogs in our wheel or as resources for our projects, but as individuals each at their own stage of gospel growth (83). These principles lay the foundation for the remaining chapters. Marshall and Payne give warnings to the pastor who sees himself as a “CEO” or a “service-provider.” The pastor exhibits discipleship by becoming a gospel trainer. Training gives responsibility of gospel growth to more than just the pastor, and thus training happens by more than the Sunday morning sermon. The finals chapters answer the true meaning of what “the call” to the ministry truly is. They reconfigure many false perceptions of the call to ministry and give practical resources for the ministry of the gospel.

Reflection

The Trellis and the Vine served me as a member of the body of Christ. Though this book might be addressed to pastors or church leaders, it contains incite and exhortation for those in the pew. I am thankful for the appreciation the authors gave to certain church growth models without following the church growth trends that so easily miss the gospel. My understanding of true gospel growth has morphed. I often fall into thinking that success must be tangible, meaning growth must mean numbers, and structures, and programs. This view of success is no where seen in the New Testament. True success is gospel growth in people. Gospel growth can mean a number of things in different people. Gospel growth means new life, growing in godliness, growing in discipleship, and growing in shepherding. So, no matter “where we are” in the faith, we are in need of gospel growth.

Marshall and Payne gave some needed support for the idea that all believers are ministers of the gospel in a sense. They brought us to Philippians 1 where Paul thanks them for being with them in partnership of the gospel. This was not a passive partnership but an active one, a partnership that included sharing their faith, and thus being ridiculed or beaten for their faith. So often church leaders are seen as first class citizens in Christendom, but no such distinction occurs in the New Testament. Leaders and laity alike are full time ministers of the gospel. We are all called to be ministers, but minister in different venues. Also, the authors gave a profound section on the meaning of “calling” in the Scriptures.

In the final chapters, the authors gave scriptural warrant for their call to disciple-making discipleship. They showed that this can only happen through training in godliness as Paul himself exemplified. Being a trainer is far more exhaustive then simply being a preacher (proclaimer). The authors say in Chapter 6, “It was not only the good deposit of the gospel that Paul passed on to Timothy, but a way of life” (72). They are getting this directly from Paul in 2 Timothy 3:10-11 when he says, “You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured, yet from them all the Lord rescued me”. Paul is showing us through his words what true discipleship is, gospel imitation. Paul uses this idea of imitation as the means for discipleship in numerous passages including Philippians 3:17, 1 Corinthians 4:14-17, 1 Corinthians 10, and 1 Thessalonians 1:4-7. We can conclude that gospel growth cannot happen without discipleship, which is training in the gospel, and discipleship cannot happen without relationships with people (not programs) because biblical discipleship means imitation. This book has encouraged me to make my fellowship with people, fellowship in the gospel. This has increased my realization that I am in need of discipleship and I am called to be a disciple.

Theology for Life

I recently walked through the biblical passages supporting the doctrines of grace for my spiritual edification. I was able to stand in awe of God because of his grace and glory in the gospel. At the conclusion of my study, Pastor Sinclair Ferguson appropriately reminded me of the purpose of theology:

"The goal of theology is the worship of God. The posture of theology is one's knees. The mode of theology is repentance."

Soli deo Gloria

Book Review: Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church

Synopsis

Michael Lawrence, in Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church, desires for every pastor, teacher, or Christian disciple to think biblically. He exhorts one’s theology to be both biblical in the sense that it is fully rooted in Scripture and biblical in the sense that it considers the entire metanarrative of Scripture. He acknowledges the tendency for every theologian (which includes every Christian) is to grasp onto either biblical theology or systematic theology and reject usefulness of the other. Lawrence tells his readers that “Biblical theology is how we read the Bible. Systematic Theology is how the story of the Bible is shown to be normative in our lives. To say you want one but not the other simply shows that you understand neither” (92). Michael Lawrence divides this book into three sections. In the first five chapters he gives his readers the tools for proper exegesis in light of biblical theology. In chapters six through ten, he demonstrates biblical theology at work as he takes his readers through the story of Scripture considering five different themes. In the final two chapters, he presents pastors and teachers with application and various “case studies” for preaching while using biblical theology.
In the first section Lawrence gives various tools that every Christian must use to understand the meaning of Scripture. He applies the grammatical historical method to the seven literary genres found in Scripture: narrative, parable, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, epistles, and apocalyptic. He continues by giving the teacher three “horizons” of scriptural meaning: the textual horizon, the epochal horizon, and the canonical horizon (55). In order for his readers to understand these horizons, he explains the covenantal structure of the Bible, epochal structure, and canonical structure. He continues to show how prophecy, typology, and continuity function in the Old Testament.

After giving a method and structure for biblical theology, Lawrence demonstrates biblical theology in light of five different themes. In the story of creation, he shows how God always “creates from nothing” (122), “creates by his word” (123), and “creates for His glory” (124). Ultimately, God will recreate everything when His Church will display the unhindered glory of God in the new heavens and new earth. In the story of the fall, Lawrence gives divine patterns of promise and fulfillment, and cause and effects. The causes are twofold. The fall “was instigated by Satan” and “freely chosen by [man]” (133). The effects are [banishment] from divine presence, total corruption of man’s nature, and sinful progression (133). In the story of love, God always demonstrates his love toward a rebellious people whether it is Adam and Eve in the garden, Noah and his family, the idolater Abram, the nation of Israel, or all Jews and Gentiles who would believe in Son of God. In the story of Sacrifice, Lawrence demonstrates the progression of sacrifices in the Old Testament which would point to the ultimate sacrifice, the lamb of God, who would effectually take away the sins of the world. And finally Lawrence guides his readers through the story of promise. In this story God is always seen as a promise making and promise keeping God. He made a promise with Adam and Eve, and fulfilled it through the cross. He made a promise with Abraham, and fulfilled it in the nation of Israel, and ultimately in the Church. He made a promise with David, and fulfilled it with Jesus as he stands at the right hand of God as King over the world.

In the final section, Lawrence reaches the purpose of his book. He desires for men and woman to know biblical theology so that it will impact preaching, teaching, counseling, and discipling. The relevance of systematic theology is for people who want to know how the biblical story relates to their life now. Therefore, Lawrence takes several case studies including the Levitical laws in Leviticus 11, the book of Joshua, Psalms 1-2, and Mark 1:14-15, and demonstrates how proper use of biblical theology and systematic theology builds theologically rich and applicatory sermons. He demonstrates how biblical theology gives a Christian framework for counseling, missions, caring for the poor, and church/state relations.

Reflections

Biblical Theology in the life of the Church is a treasured possession on my bookshelf. As a young Christian who has never had extensive seminary training, this book gave me many tools interpreting scripture that will aid me in teaching and personal Bible study. This book enlivened the stories of Scripture by putting them in the context of the grand narrative of God’s redeeming work throughout history. It gave theological weight to stories that I have considered merely moralistic. It helped me understand the continuity and discontinuity between the Old Testament and New Testament. It gave me reason to love both biblical theology and systematic theology. It helped me use the story of Scripture to discern practical issues in my life that are not explicitly addressed in Scripture.

Michael Lawrence has given a precious tool to anyone who desires to know and love God through the pages of Scripture. Throughout the pages of this book, I sensed his pastoral heart and his vision for practical theology. This work is not primarily academic, though you will need to put your brain into gear. It is primarily for our sanctification and joy. You must prepare your heart to fall in love with God in Christ through the story of Scripture.

Pursuing Joy at 5 Points!

This summer I have been given the opportunity minister at Five Points Community Church in Auburn Hills, Mi. I am the summer intern, which means I read and write a lot, teach the college class on Sunday mornings, and simply observe the lives of pastors ministering the gospel every day. The pastors at Five Points contribute to a church blog, Pursuing Joy, and being the intern, they let me contribute as well. So here is a link to my first post on Pursuing Joy, "True Fellowship in the Gospel."

The Church: A Dangerous Place?

A Christian mentor often reminds me not come to scripture with the attitude, "This is not talking about me," but instead constantly asking, "Is this passage, even though it may be describing an unbeliever, talking about me?" I realize far to often that I come to a passage and begin taking out the hammer and chisel of pious exegesis and sculpting a passage to fit perfectly within my lifestyle. I believe this attitude affects preachers and teachers which, in turn, shapes preaching and then ultimately has a callousing affect on the hearts of Church members. Finally, the attitude leaves people in the pews every week never challenged with the gospel. I am thankful for the attitude among preachers who say, "We need the gospel every day and thus, we need the gospel every Sunday in our Pulpit". This did not originate recently. Martyn Loyd-Jones told us this many years ago and he gives a stark warning to comfy church goers.

"The difficulty with the man who follows Christ for a wrong or false reason is that he not only deludes himself, but he also deludes the church. When you are confronted by one who says he does not believe in Christ, then you know exactly what to say and what to do with him. When a man presents himself as a religious person, the church tends to take him for granted. To question him would be considered an insult. The church assumes that because he acknowledges himself to be a religious man, therefore, he is a Christian. One of the most dangerous places for such a man to be in is the church of the living God.

I am not at all sure but that one explanation for the present state of the church is to be found at just that point: she has been far too ready to associate church membership with true discipleship, and to assume that all who join the church are really following Christ. I know the church may have a very good motive for doing so. She has felt it a very good thing for people to be within the home of the church so that she may protect them from the temptations of the world. Taking it for granted that these people are truly Christians. The church addresses to them messages that are not of much value to those lacking the essence of the faith.

Thus I say that the church can be a very dangerous place. Because these people are in the church it may be that they will never be directly addressed by some of the fundamental questions that all true Christians must be able to answer. There is a real danger of assuming that we are Christians for wrong reasons.

Following Christ means ostracism; it means giving up the things that you may value most in life. Make certain you know exactly what Christian discipleship means. As you read the Gospels you will find that our Lord is constantly careful to warn people of the possibility of going after him for the wrong reasons. Those who wrote the epistles reiterated the same message in their instructions to the early Christians".

-M. Loyd-Jones

These staggering words remind me of the "Many" referred to by Jesus in Matthew 7 and incite me to ask, "Am I one described in the many?" Then I can turn my gaze on the finished work of Christ, and find complete dependence outside of my self. We need the gospel every day, especially every Sunday.

Luke

Thoughts at 21. . . I have a long way to go.

Today I turned 21 years old. I like to joke around with my friends about how "counter-cultural" our 21st birthdays are. The majority of 21 year olds are having a long sought after legal drinking bash for the first time in their life. And if you are really a freakishly obedient child, it might be your first drinking bash. Nonetheless, I quickly begin to feel very saintly and spiritual because God has brought me from the foolishness of my sin and showed me the deep satisfaction I can have in him without some worldly pleasure. And don't get me wrong, I am very thankful for that. Only God could have done it. But I want to share with you the thoughts of a man who was a plodder, sinner, and saint on his last birthday here on earth. As I read this I realized I am celebrating my birthday much different than he. He shares a humble, sincere, Christ-like dependence in his heart that comes only from sweet communion with God and many bruising experiences that allowed him to savor Jesus above all. So at 21, and feeling extra spiritual because I'm having root beer and not "a cold one", I humbly sit and read the musings of Dan Cummings, plodder, sinner, and saint, who contemplates life in Jesus Christ at his 48th and final birthday on earth. Needless to say, I have a long way to go. But by the grace of God at 48 I won't be as prideful and selfish as I am at 21. Read this for your Joy, it is worth the five minutes. Trust me.

Where Is Our Citizenship?

My college group leader shared this article with us in church a while back. I picked it up and reread it this morning. This article "Our Citizenship in Heaven", by Rev. Carl Haak is insightful and shows how our desires for the glory of Christ should be at war with the fleeting desires of the world.

Where is your citizenship? According to the Bible, there are only two citizenships: that of the world, and that of heaven; the kingdom of darkness, and the kingdom of light. In which of these do you hold citizenship? To which one of these do you belong?

If you are of the world, the Bible says that you mind earthly things. That is, your life revolves around, and your heart seeks the things, the pleasures, the riches, the honors of this present world. Maybe there is an outward show of religious belief and confession. Yet your heart seeks the earthly. The goals of the world are yours. How much money? What kind of pleasures? The amount of honor and power? You live, then, to gratify your own lusts. You speak your own language. You worry about losing what you have. Your god really is your belly, your own appetites. That is what you serve. Life to you, then is how much money you have, the good times you experience, the things you possess, the satisfying of your cravings: that is your life.

But if, by the living and powerful grace of God, your are a citizen of heaven, then although you live in this world, your heart revolves around and your love centers in Jesus Christ. You feel out of place here below. As you grow and as you move about in this world you feel that this world cannot satisfy you, cannot be your home. You speak a different, spiritual language. And there is a tension in your life to be with the Lord. Behind all of your planning, all of your building of a home, your working, your training for a job, behind all of your life is the eager expectation of the coming of Jesus Christ, the day of glory, the day when you will be with Him. You feel as if you are an alien on the earth. You do not fit spiritually. A different spirit dwells in you. Where is your citizenship? Here below? Or in Heaven?

THE REFORMED WITNESS HOUR

Our Citizenship in Heaven

Rev. Carl Haak