This is a great excerpt from Dietrich Bonhoeffer (No Rusty Swords) as quoted in the Treasury of Daily Prayer for October 23:
"It is not we who build. Christ builds the church. No man builds the church but Christ alone. Whoever is minded to build the church is surely well on the way to destroying it; for he will build a temple to idols without wishing or knowing it. We must confess — he builds. We must proclaim — he builds. We must pray to him — that he may build."
"We do not know his plan. We cannot see whether he is building or pulling down. It may be that the times which by human standards are times of collapse are for him the great times of construction. It may be that the times which from a human point of view are great times for the church are times when it is pulled down."
"It is a great comfort which Christ gives to his church: you confess, preach, bear witness to me and I alone will build where it pleases me. Do not meddle in what is my province. Do what is given to you to do well and you have done enough. But do it well. Pay not heed to views and opinions. Don't ask for judgments. Don't always be calculating what will happen. Don't always be on the lookout for another refuge! Church, stay a church! But church: confess, confess, confess! Christ alone is your Lord; from his grace alone can you live as you are. Christ builds."
Posted On: November 02nd, 2009 at 8:18am by Rev. Mark Schroeder
I've read that sermon quote before and it's good to read it again. It's encouraging in the face of so many well-meaning people, pastors and people, who know just how the Lord should build His Church. I, like not a few pastors, have been asked by call committees, "So, Pastor, how are you going to grow our congregation?" Answer: I can't. God gives the growth (also see 1 Cor. 3: 7). And when we mess around the Divine Contractor/Builder of His Church and His blueprint,we've come up with some architectural monstrosities, i.e. ecclesial heresies.
Posted On: January 02nd, 2010 at 9:41am by fw sonnek
This dovetails completely with what Luther says about the earthly kingdom , where the currency is all and only works. faith is excluded. and the heavenly kingdom where the currency is all and only about faith, because all works are included in that earthly kingdom.
even in a church, there are two earthly kingdom , works, law things needing done. They are Godīs will and works of the Holy Spirit. He promises earthly blessings for this outward righteousness, and all this will die along with the earth: mortification of the flesh which is harnessing old adam willpower with the promises and threats of the law so that we can actively love our neighbor.
None of this is christian, even though it happens in church. it is waiting on tables. but it is necessary. even in church outward righteousness, the law , good works are necessary. but this would be a counterfeit currency in the heavenly kingdo.
It is this heavenly kingdom Bonhoffer is talking about. Sanctification. Sanctification is where God puts into man a new man and a new will. Our human will, will power , the old adam is FULLY capable in that earthly kingdom. Here our willpower is the enemy. It must die. It will die. and what will remain is the new man with that new will that looks exactly like the will of Christ, Godīs Will , that we saw in the incarnation. It is identical and it flows from the new man automatically and spontaneously as light from the sun.
So why dont we like what Bonhoffer says? That new will is weak and looks like romans 7. We are tired of who we are and who our neighbors are. We want a transformation. We want to see spiritual progess, yet Luther and Paul and Bonhoffer points us to the messy unspiritual defeatest task of mortifying the flesh that is no more spiritual our christian than what the pagans do because it is identical to what outwardly righteous pagans do.
we want something shiney that shows us to be christian and to thank God that we are not as the pagans.
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