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CHAPTER 1

CHRISTIANITY ON THE DOWN-GRADE

Doth that man love his Lord who would be willing to see Jesus wearing a crown of thorns, while for himself he craves a chaplet of laurel? Shall Jesus ascend to his throne by the cross, and do we expect to be carried there on the shoulders of applaudingcrowds? Be not so vain in your imagination. Count you the cost, and if you are not willing to bear Christ's cross, go away to your farm and to your merchandise, and make the most of them; only let me whisper this in your ear, "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?"

CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON

If you're familiar with the life of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, you have probably heard of "the Down-Grade Controversy." Spurgeon spent the final four years of his life at war against the trends of early modernism, which he rightly saw as a threat to biblical Christianity.

The name by which history remembers the controversy comes from the title of a series of articles Spurgeon published in his monthly magazine, The Sword and the Trowel. (See Appendix 1 for an overview of the "Down-Grade" articles and a fuller account of the ensuing controversy.) Spurgeon wanted to admonish his flock about the dangers of moving away from the historic positions of biblical Christianity. Biblical truth is like the pinnacle of a steep, slippery mountain, Spurgeon suggested. One step away, and you find yourself on the down-grade. Once a church or individual Christian starts moving down the precipitous incline, Spurgeon said, momentum takes over. Recovery is unusual and occurs only when Christians get on the "Up-line" through spiritual revival.

In the controversy that transpired, Spurgeon resigned from the Baptist Union. Later he was the subject of an official censure by the Union. Within a few years the Baptist Union was hopelessly lost to the new theology and Spurgeon was dead. In 1900, Spurgeon's wife, Susannah, wrote,

So far as the Baptist Union was concerned, little was accomplished by Mr. Spurgeon's witness-bearing and withdrawal. ... But, in other respects, I have had abundant proofs that the protest was not in vain. Many, who were far gone on the 'Down-grade,' were stopped in their perilous descent, and, by God's grace, were brought back to the 'Up-line'; others, who were unconsciously slipping, were made to stand firmly on the Rock; while, at least for a time, in all the churches, Evangelical doctrines were preached with a clearness and emphasis which had long been lacking.

She believed the Lord would ultimately make clear how right her husband had been in his "protest against false doctrine and worldliness."

To this day, church historians debate whether Spurgeon was right to withdraw from the Union. Many believe he should have stayed and fought to keep it orthodox. He considered that option but concluded it would have been futile. I am inclined to believe Spurgeon was right to withdraw. But whether we agree with his course of action or not, we have no choice but to acknowledge that history has vindicated Spurgeon's warnings about the deadly dangers of the down-grade. In the early part of the twentieth century, the spreading "false doctrine and worldliness" — theological liberalism and modernism — ravaged denominational Christianity. Most of the mainline denominations were violently if not fatally altered by these influences. The result in Spurgeon's own England was particularly devastating. A hundred years after Spurgeon sounded the alarm, most theological education in England is rank liberal. Church attendance is a small fraction of what it was then. Evangelicals are a tiny minority, true biblical preaching is uncommon even in supposedly Bible-believing churches, and the evangelical movement has been dangerously susceptible to almost every theological fad exported from America. In short, evangelicalism in England never recovered from the modernist/liberal assault that began a century ago.

A hundred years later, history is repeating itself. The church has become worldly — and not just worldly, but studiously so. Winds of doctrinal compromise are beginning to stir.

"False doctrine and worldliness" — the same two influences Spurgeon attacked — always go hand in hand, with worldliness leading the way. Christians today tend to forget that modernism did not come on the scene with a theological agenda but a methodological one. Early modernists were not trying to hit at the core of biblical faith; they were simply trying to make Christianity more palatable to a cynical world.

The same spirit is abroad in the church today. I am convinced that most of those behind it would not deliberately undermine biblical Christianity. Nevertheless, they have introduced into the church a philosophy of pragmatism and a spirit of worldliness that if left unchecked will eventually reap the same bitter harvest as the modernism of a hundred years ago.

MARKET-DRIVEN MINISTRY?

The new philosophy is straightforward: The church is in competition against the world, and the world is very good at capturing people's attention and affections. The church, on the other hand, tends to be very poor at "selling" its product. Evangelism should therefore be viewed as a marketing challenge, and the church should market the gospel in the same way all modern businesses sell their products. That calls for some fundamental changes. The goal in all marketing is "to make both the producer and consumer satisfied." So anything that tends to leave the "consumer" unsatisfied must be jettisoned. Preaching — particularly preaching about sin, righteousness, and judgment — is too confrontive to be truly satisfying. The church must learn to couch the truth in ways that amuse and entertain.

One best-selling author has written, "I believe that developing a marketing orientation is precisely what the Church needs to do if we are to make a difference in the spiritual health of this nation for the remainder of this century." He adds, "My contention, based on careful study of data and the activities of American churches, is that the major problem plaguing the Church is its failure to embrace a marketing orientation in what has become a marketing-driven environment."

That all may sound very modern, very shrewd — but it is not biblical. And it has given the church a hard push onto the slippery slope. Marketing principles have become the arbiter of the church's message and agenda. Whatever elements of the biblical message don't fit the promotional plan simply must be omitted. Marketing savvy demands that the offense of the cross must be downplayed. Salesmanship requires that negative subjects like divine wrath be avoided. Consumer satisfaction means that the standard of righteousness cannot be raised too high. The seeds of a watered-down gospel are thus sown in the very philosophy that drives many ministries today. And in some churches, the preaching of the gospel has been throttled completely.

Make no mistake: the new philosophy is profoundly altering the message the church conveys to the world, although many who propound these ideas think of themselves as loyal to biblical doctrine.

Evangelical Christianity is on the down-grade again.

TOWARD A BIBLICAL PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY

How does market-driven ministry compare with the biblical model? How do you think Timothy would have fared under Paul's tutelage if he had followed the advice of twentieth-century marketeers?

We have a thorough answer to that question from the two epistles Paul wrote to Timothy in the New Testament. Paul had personally mentored the young pastor, but Timothy encountered severe trials when he got into a pastorate of his own. He struggled with fear and human weakness. He was evidently tempted to soften his preaching in the face of persecution. At times he seemed ashamed of the gospel. Paul had to remind him to stand up for the faith with boldness, even if it meant suffering: "Do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner; but share in suffering for the gospel" (2 Tim. 1:8). The two rich epistles from Paul to Timothy outline a ministry philosophy that challenges the prevailing wisdom of today.

Paul instructed Timothy that he must:

• Correct those teaching false doctrine and call them to a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith (1 Tim. 1:3–5).

• Fight for divine truth and for God's purposes, keeping his own faith and a good conscience (1:18–19).

• Pray for the lost and lead the men of the church to do the same (2:1–8).

• Call women in the church to fulfill their God-given role of submission and to raise up godly children, setting an example of faith, love, and sanctity with self-restraint (2:9–15).

• Carefully select spiritual leaders for the church on the basis of their giftedness, godliness, and virtue (3:1–13).

• Recognize the source of error and those who teach it, and point these things out to the brethren (4:1–6).

• Constantly be nourished on the words of Scripture and its sound teaching, avoiding all myths and false doctrines (4:6).

• Discipline himself for the purpose of godliness (4:7–11).

• Boldly command and teach the truth of God's Word (4:11).

• Be a model of spiritual virtue that all can follow (4:12).

• Faithfully read, explain, and apply the Scriptures publicly (4:13–14).

• Be progressing toward Christlikeness in his own life (4:15–16).

• Be gracious and gentle in confronting the sin of his people (5:1–2).

• Give special consideration and care to those who are widows (5:3–16).

• Honor faithful pastors who work hard (5:17–21).

• Choose church leaders with great care, seeing to it that they are both mature and proven (5:22).

• Take care of his physical condition so he is strong to serve (5:23).

• Teach and preach principles of true godliness, helping his people discern between true godliness and mere hypocrisy (5:24 — 6:6).

• Flee the love of money (6:7–11).

• Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness (6:11).

• Fight for the faith against all enemies and all attacks (6:12).

• Keep all the Lord's commandments (6:13–16).

• Instruct the rich to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous (6:17–19).

• Guard the Word of God as a sacred trust and a treasure (6:20–21). In his second epistle, Paul reminded Timothy that the pastor's duty is to: • Keep the gift of God in him fresh and useful (2 Tim. 1:6).

• Not be timid but powerful (1:7).

• Never be ashamed of Christ or anyone who serves Christ (1:8–11).

• Hold tightly to the truth and guard it (1:12–14).

• Be strong in character (2:1).

• Be a teacher of apostolic truth so that he may reproduce himself in faithful men (2:2).

• Suffer difficulty and persecution willingly while making the maximum effort for Christ (2:3–7).

• Keep his eyes on Christ at all times (2:8–13).

• Lead with authority (2:14).

• Interpret and apply the Scripture accurately (2:15).

• Avoid useless conversation that leads only to ungodliness (2:16).

• Be an instrument of honor, set apart from sin and useful to the Lord (2:20–21).

• Flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace (2:22).

• Refuse to be drawn into philosophical and theological wrangling (2:23).

• Not be an arguer but kind, teachable, gentle, and patient even when he is wronged (2:24–26).

• Face dangerous times with a deep knowledge of the Word of God (3:1–17).

• Understand that Scripture is the basis and content of all legitimate ministry (3:16–17).

• Preach the Word — in season and out of season — reproving, rebuking, and exhorting with great patience and instruction (4:1–2).

• Be sober in all things (4:5).

• Endure hardship (4:5).

• Do the work of an evangelist (4:5).

Nothing in that list hints at a market-driven philosophy. In fact, some of those commands are impossible to harmonize with the theories that are so popular today. To sum it all up in five categories, Paul commanded Timothy 1) to be faithful in his preaching of biblical truth; 2) to be bold in exposing and refuting error; 3) to be an example of godliness to the flock; 4) to be diligent and work hard in the ministry; and 5) to be willing to suffer hardship and persecution in his service for the Lord.

Of course, the practical significance of this goes beyond those who are pastors. Every Christian is called to a life of ministry, and Paul's instructions to Timothy contain principles that apply to every believer in every form of ministry. When the church is on the down-grade, it means that multitudes of individuals are carried along on the spiritual decline. "False doctrine and worldliness" in the church infects every member of the body. Paul's instructions to Timothy are by no means meant only for the "elite" in Christian leadership or professional ministry. That is to say that ministry philosophy — and the issues we are addressing in this book — should be the concern of every Christian; these matters are by no means the exclusive domain of professional "clergy."

Recently I spent some time reading a dozen or so of the latest books on ministry and church growth. Most of those books had long sections devoted to defining a philosophy of ministry. Not one of them referred to the instructions Paul outlined so carefully for Timothy. In fact, none of them drew any element of their ministry philosophy from the New Testament pastoral epistles! Most drew principles from modern business, marketing techniques, management theory, psychology, and other similar sources. Some tried to illustrate their principles using biblical anecdotes. But not one of them drew their philosophy from Scripture — although much of the New Testament was explicitly written to instruct churches and pastors in these matters!

MINISTERING IN AN AGE OF ITCHING EARS

Unfortunately, the market-driven ministry philosophy appeals to the very worst mood of our age. It caters to people whose first love is themselves and who care not for God — unless they can have Him without disrupting their selfish lifestyles. Promise such people a religion that will allow them to be comfortable in their materialism and self-love, and they will respond in droves.

Paul foresaw such a time. Near the end of his second epistle to Timothy, after outlining the principles we have listed above, Paul abridged his advice to Timothy in this well-known verse: "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching" (2 Tim. 4:2). Then the apostle added this prophetic warning: "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths" (4:3–4). The King James Version translates the passage like this: "After their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth."

Clearly there was no room in Paul's philosophy of ministry for the give-people-what-they-want theory that is so prevalent today. He did not urge Timothy to conduct a survey to find out what his people wanted. He did not suggest that he study demographic data or do research on the "felt needs" of his people. Paul would not have approved in any way if Timothy had catered to the demands of his audience. On the contrary, Paul commanded his protégé to preach the Word — faithfully, reprovingly, patiently — and confront the spirit of the age head-on.

HOW DO WE DEFINE SUCCESS?

Notice that Paul said nothing to Timothy about how people might respond. He did not lecture Timothy on how large his church was, how much money it took in, or how influential it was. He did not suggest that the world was supposed to revere, esteem, or even accept Timothy. In fact, Paul said nothing whatsoever about external success. Paul's emphasis was on commitment, not success.

Contemporary ministry philosophy is infatuated with worldly standards of success. The churches most often judged "successful" are the large, rich, megachurches with multimillion-dollar facilities, spas, handball courts, day-care centers, special-effects systems, and so on. But not one church in a thousand falls into that category. That means one of two things: most churches are pitiful failures, or the gauge of success in ministry must be something besides material prosperity.

The answer is obvious to anyone who knows Scripture. External criteria such as affluence, numbers, money, or positive response have never been the biblical measure of success in ministry. Faithfulness, godliness, and spiritual commitment are the virtues God esteems — and such qualities should be the building blocks of any ministry philosophy. That is true in both small and large churches. Size does not signify God's blessing. And popularity is no barometer of success. In fact, it can be a reason for condemnation. God told Jeremiah, "An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so" (Jer. 5:30–31).

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Excerpted from "Ashamed of the Gospel"
by .
Copyright © 2010 John MacArthur.
Excerpted by permission of Good News Publishers.
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