Dear Church,
Francis Schaeffer once said that if the church wants to see a true move of God, we must recover two contents and two realities. This has basically been my approach to preaching and ministry as your Pastor.
The first content is sound doctrine. Christianity is not vague spirituality; it is a specific body of truth revealed by God. We must never compromise the central truths of the faith. But we must also be careful not to confuse our personal preferences, traditions, or cultural habits with the unchanging truth of Scripture. Truth must not only be believed; it must be practiced. That is why, week after week, we are exhorted from the pulpit not only to hear the Word of God, but to obey it through humble submission to Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The second content is careful contextualization. Schaeffer called this giving “honest answers to honest questions.” That means listening carefully, understanding the questions people are really asking, and then speaking the truth of the gospel with clarity, compassion, and courage. If Christianity is true, it must speak to every part of life. That is why, in every message, I seek to connect the truth of Scripture to the real struggles, questions, wounds, and daily experiences of ordinary Christian life.
The first reality is true spirituality. It is not enough to have correct doctrine if our hearts are cold toward God. We need the real, moment-by-moment work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in our lives. Dead orthodoxy can become ugly and destructive. But when truth is joined with humility, repentance, prayer, and the fruit of the Spirit, the gospel becomes visible in us. That is why we continually call one another not merely to know about God, but to walk with Him, to depend on Him, to be filled with His Spirit, and to allow His truth to shape our hearts from the inside out.
The second reality is relational beauty. The truth of Christianity must be adorned by the way we treat people. PERIOD. Every person we meet is made in the image of God and must be treated with dignity. And within the church, our love for one another must be so beautiful that the watching world is forced to take notice. If we proclaim truth but treat one another with harshness, pride, suspicion, or lovelessness, we damage the very witness we claim to defend. That is why we continue to pursue a church family marked by humility, forgiveness, patience, gentleness, hospitality, and love not only in what we believe, but in how we speak, serve, disagree, forgive, and care for one another.
So, Schaeffer’s challenge is still timely and continues to define my ministry at Immanuel Church: we must hold tightly to the truth of Scripture, AND we must also display the compassion, humility, and love of Christ. These are not contradictory realities. In fact, true doctrine should lead to true love. The more deeply we understand the grace of God, the more gracious we should become. The more firmly we stand on the truth of Christ, the more beautifully we should reflect Christ’s character.
Sound doctrine, thoughtful witness, true spirituality, and beautiful relationships, may the Lord make these realities alive among us today and in the days to come.
Be encouraged,
Mathews
