The Unfinished Church: God's Broken and Redeemed Work-in-Progress

by Rob Bentz

Overview

"I love Jesus but hate the church."

We hear this kind of talk all the time, but what if it's profoundly mistaken? Rob Bentz challenges readers to rethink this popular—yet ultimately harmful—mentality.

Drawing on his experience as a pastor, Bentz helps those disenchanted with the church to rediscover its importance for the Christian life by examining the biblical, theological, and historical reasons why Christ's followers should embrace gospel-centered community—even when it's hard.

Honest yet hopeful, The Unfinished Church provides an encouraging look at God's ultimate building project: his church.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433540097
Publisher:	Crossway
Publication date:	05/31/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	449 KB

About the Author

Rob Bentz (MDiv, Reformed Theological Seminary) is the lead pastor of Woodside Bible Church in White Lake, Michigan, and has written numerous articles for various ministry websites. He and his wife, Bonnie, have two children and live in Highland, Michigan.

Rob Bentz (MDiv, Reformed Theological Seminary) is the lead pastor of Woodside Bible Church in White Lake, Michigan, and has written numerous articles for various ministry websites. He and his wife, Bonnie, have two children and live in Highland, Michigan.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

God's Called-Out Community

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

1 Peter 2:9, NIV

When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

Each spring, the National Football League holds its draft of the best college football talent in the nation. Quarterbacks everyone knows and offensive lineman that only close family members recognize hear their names called by the league's commissioner. Every major sports media outlet captures these larger-than-life moments of the select few who have been chosen.

It's a big deal!

Thousands of talented college football players are eligible to be selected in the draft every year, yet only about 250 hear their names called. So, whether you are the first player selected and will soon be signing your name to a multimillion-dollar contract, or you're Mr. Irrelevant (the last player chosen in the draft) who'll have to kick and scratch and claw your way onto a team — you are significant. You've been called.

I've often wondered what it's like to be chosen in the NFL draft. What it's like to hear your name called as one of the most wanted, sought-after college football players in the country. What it's like to know that an entire city, state, and national fan base celebrates your arrival. What it's like to know that kids and adults alike will soon be wearing jerseys with your name sewn on the back. The magnitude of the experience and the fanfare that lies ahead must be exhilarating — and a bit overwhelming.

After a few moments of NFL dreaming, I realize that in a much more significant way — I am that guy! I have been chosen. I have been selected. I have been called to something new and exciting and much bigger than I can fully grasp.

You see, I have been drafted. I've been called out of darkness into God's wonderful light (1 Pet. 2:9–10). As a believer, I am now part of God's one-of-a-kind community of called-out men and women. I've been chosen, not by a professional football team, but rather by the God of creation. If you're a believer in Christ, you've been called too.

But this calling is different than any professional sports league draft. There are no team representatives for the Christian faith who'll quickly put a hat on your head fashioning an ichthus or a hip-looking Celtic cross. There are no reporters quick to ask how you feel about being called. And there's no large lump-sum signing bonus for the chosen. (Though, I've come to understand the eternal-benefits package is beyond imagination!)

Picture this; a holy, righteous God has called you. He has rescued you from darkness. God has given you his righteousness through the payment of his Son on the cross. He has freely given you his amazing grace. If these realities don't cause you to fall to your knees in humility, praising God, you simply don't understand.

It's a really big deal!

Being called out by God, you have become part of a unique community of people called the church. This call is nothing short of amazing, but it does come with a few significant thoughts to consider, and a few challenges with which we must wrestle. First, we must consider the holier-than-thou issue. Then, we need to take seriously and embrace the weight of responsibility. And, last, we must acknowledge that we are a peculiar people.

Let's examine all three.

THE HOLIER-THAN-THOU ISSUE

So you're called out by God? You're one of his chosen people? You're part of a select club of holiness? Nice thoughts. Try wearing that badge of honor around when you start talking about your faith in Jesus with your nonbelieving friends. Curiously, these conversations tend to end rather abruptly because nobody wants to hear about how much God loves you. What your friends need to hear, see, feel, and experience is how much God loves them!

This, too, is a really big deal! (It's actually a huge part of why God called you, but we'll get to that in a moment.)

Humble recognition and acknowledgment of our called-outness is imperative when we interact with our nonbelieving friends. It's not that you and I were smarter than our friends and therefore saw something they couldn't. No. We didn't do the choosing, God did. This ought to bring us to our knees in gratitude and humility before our holy God. From this position of humility, we must submit everything about ourselves to him. We submit who we feel we should have been, who we truly are, and who we can ultimately become, because God's grace transcends our past failures and overcomes our current disappointments.

Once our heart's posture becomes one of humility, God can love us in ways that go far beyond our comprehension. He can — and will — pour out his amazing grace upon us. And this isn't just a midafternoon sprinkle — it's a downpour! God showers his people with grace. Once we've been drenched in this grace, once we've soaked in it awhile, then God begins to use us for his purposes.

The requirement is a heart of humility — a high view of God's amazing call on your life, and a low view of your role in that calling. He's made you a part of his one-of-a-kind community called the church for a purpose. This calling, this transition into God's community, serves as the foundation from which you worship God, genuinely love his people, and humbly serve others.

THE WEIGHT OF RESPONSIBILITY

As Peter the apostle wrote in his first epistle (1 Pet. 2:9–10), we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation called out to do something significant — to declare the praises of him who did the choosing. We have been chosen to declare the praises of the one who shined light into the darkest areas of our blackened souls and made us new.

How do we declare this? The answer is found in the powerful imagery of the text. The priesthood and our inclusion in God's holy nation are overflowing with Old Testament meaning and significance (Ex. 19:5–6).

Let's begin with the priesthood. Old Testament priests were a called group of men who had a unique, intimate relationship with God. A priest served as the mediator between God and man. Similarly, God's called-out ones — the royal priesthood — now have a special relationship with God and serve as mediators between the Father and nonbelievers.

Consider the weighty words of humanitarian Jean Vanier, who founded L'Arche community of faith for people with developmental disabilities. He writes, "The Church, like Jesus, is called to announce good news to the poor, liberation to prisoners and the oppressed, and sight to the blind. It is called to bring life and to help people grow to greater freedom and wholeness so that all may be one."

Our calling, our being set apart, comes with a huge responsibility — and the tremendous privilege — of being God's priests to an unbelieving and dying world. As the Old Testament priest would offer sacrifices to God, so now the priesthood of believers offers the sacrifice of our very lives. We humbly offer our head, our heart, and our hands as a living sacrifice. We offer our head (our mind, really) as a sacrifice when we study God's Word, theology, and/or apologetic writings to be better equipped to answer the honest questions of our unbelieving friends. We offer our heart when we genuinely enter into the pain of a friend's marital struggle, parenting challenge, or financial difficulty. We offer our hands to whatever social issue is tearing at the fabric of our community — homelessness, underperforming schools, failed marriages, teen pregnancy, to name a few. We are called to enter into the greatest areas of need in our community.

Who needs you to be their priest?

WE ARE A PECULIAR PEOPLE

When Jesus calls you and me, we are invited to a life of sacrifice and service. It's a life of carrying our cross (Luke 14:27) every day with no illusion of earthly success — however "success" is defined in our culture this week (a huge bank account, a prestigious job, thousands of Facebook friends, etc.). Christ followers are not promised financial wealth, physical health, a comfortable life, or any other self-serving reality.

Jesus of Nazareth, the God-man we worship and serve, died in the most despised, humiliating, painful way known at the time — crucifixion! Why would we, Christ's followers, even for a moment believe that our day-to-day existence should be a life of luxury and pleasure? It's not.

This is why the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer — a man who stood up for authentic biblical faith in the face of Nazi Germany and was ultimately martyred because of his stance — are quoted so often: "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." Christ followers who have an honest grasp of the day-today struggle to have one foot firmly in the twenty-first century and their eyes on eternity are those who genuinely live out Bonhoeffer's words.

Let's be honest; this is countercultural thinking. If you strive to live out your faith in this way, you're just plain weird when measured by the consumeristic, narcissistic way of the modern world. And yet, that's exactly why it makes sense for God's called-out community! He's called you and me into relationship for his glory — not ours. God has drawn you and me into a relationship with himself for his purposes — not ours. God invites you and me to a life of serving him, submitting to his agenda, and furthering his kingdom. It has little to do with us and our earthly desires. This isn't fatalistic thinking, either. Rather, it's an appropriate view of a holy God, and a healthy perspective of sinful men and women who are being brought to their knees by the amazing grace that God is showering upon them.

For the nonbeliever, this thinking — much less the entire way of life — makes little sense. Living sacrificially for the betterment of others is rare enough. Then consider that believers do so to follow the teachings of a man who died a brutal and barbaric death more than two thousand years ago. This is just too bizarre and counterintuitive for some of our friends to grasp — much less allow it to change the entire shape of their lives.

And if the personal sacrifice is not enough, let's not forget the most basic of all wants in our culture today — comfort and convenience. Participation with others in God's church really messes up a Sunday morning. Honestly, wouldn't it be easier to sleep in on Sunday, brew a strong pot of coffee, fry up some eggs and bacon, lounge around in your jammies, and get ready for NFL football? Of course it would. But we can't do that! God's called-out ones are compelled to something different. We're moved beyond our own comfort and convenience. We're drawn to something bigger. That's why it's entirely fair for nonbelievers to view us as peculiar people. We get up early, shave, shower, and do all the normal get-ready-for-work activities on our day off. Why? So we can meet with a group of other Christ followers to sing praises, engage with Bible-based teaching, and worship Jesus.

We are different.

God has called us, redeemed us (more on this in chapter 2), changed our hearts, and made us this way. He's pulled us out of a life of darkness and loneliness. He's given us a different view of the world around us. He's given us passion to praise him. He's given his chosen ones a different present reality — and a glorious future.

You're peculiar. I'm peculiar. Let's just go with it!

OLD TESTAMENT IMAGES OF THE CALLED-OUT COMMUNITY

Remember the NFL draft image at the beginning of this chapter? Here's where it breaks down just a bit: The players selected in the NFL draft have shown their value and worth before tens of thousands of screaming college football fans each autumn Saturday for the past four years. The highlight reel from their on-field exploits at a major university, combined with their raw athletic ability and their future potential, make them worthy of selection.

The people of God? Israel? Not so much. In fact, not at all.

Consider Moses's words from Deuteronomy when he explains Israel's special place in God's heart:

For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations. (Deut. 7:6–9)

On the plains of Moab, the people of God have been waiting and waiting and waiting to finally get to the Promised Land. They have been in exile for longer than you and I invest in raising our family or building our career. That's when Moses points the second generation of the exile to the facts — God has chosen the nation of Israel. He's chosen them not because they were special, significant, holy, righteous, wealthy, good-looking, or anything else. God chose them because he loved them. He chose them to show them he was faithful to the covenant that he had made with their forefathers — Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

God chose this group of people from slavery and tyranny under Pharaoh because he wanted to reveal his character. He chose them to show his faithfulness. God chose them to reveal his amazing love. And he chose them for something even larger than they could imagine or comprehend!

One Old Testament scholar writes, "Israel was intended to model the character of God and thus be a witness to surrounding nations. ... As 'priests' in a broad sense, they were to be mediators of the presence of God to the other nations."

In the book of Exodus, Moses serves as the mouthpiece for God to his people. God's message to this group of people with nothing special on their collective résumé is clear and consistent: "Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex. 19:5–6).

God chose a people with whom he desired a covenant relationship, a nation to whom he would freely give his special love and favor. What he asked for in return was faithfulness, devotion, and perhaps most significant of all — a willingness to be a blessing to others. God's people will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

Bruce Waltke writes:

God's election is not a blessing that can be enjoyed in seclusion by communities hiding out in the desert. It is not some private, individual assurance of material prosperity and physical health. It is, rather, a special status given to a people who by their divine calling must live before the eyes of the world, engage with the nations.

God set his affection on Israel for a distinct purpose — that they would be a blessing to all nations. Throughout history, God's people have attempted (with varying degrees of success) to fulfill the high call of this awesome responsibility.

NEW TESTAMENT IMAGES OF THE CALLED-OUT COMMUNITY

When you consider the language of being called out and chosen by God in the New Testament, the apostle Paul serves as the loudest and clearest voice. His letters offer strong images of God's grace showered upon a called-out community. Truth is, it's harder to find a letter where Paul doesn't use called-out language when speaking of God's people than to find one where he does. The apostle's writings to the different stops on his missionary journeys are filled with chosen, called-out language. Here's a sample:

To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints ... (Rom. 1:7)

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints ... (1 Cor. 1:2)

He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. (Eph. 1:4–5)

For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. (1 Thess. 1:4–5)

We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power. (2 Thess. 1:11)

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect ... (Titus 1:1)

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "The Unfinished Church"
by .
Copyright © 2014 Robert R. Bentz.
Excerpted by permission of Good News Publishers.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 11

Introduction 13

Part 1 The Foundation

1 God's Called-Out Community 21

2 God's Redeemed Community 38

Part 2 The Construction

3 God's Eclectic, Intriguing, and Quirky Construction Crew 59

4 Love One Another: It Really Is about Jesus 75

5 Encourage One Another: Giving a Blast of Gospel-Centered Truth 92

6 Serve One Another: Putting Our Hands into Action-and More 110

7 Dwell in Unity: Jesus Loves His Church, So You Should Too 126

Part 3 The Completion

8 Jesus Finishes His Building Project 145

Notes 161

General Index 169

Scripture Index 171

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Reader beware! If you don’t want to be inspired to love quirky, diverse, often unlovable, certainly sinful people—like those in your church—well, put this book down now. Rob Bentz seems to think this is precisely what God had in mind when he redeemed us and planted us in a local church. Personally, I’d rather be entertained in a church full of people like me who are easy to get along with. Bentz says otherwise. Of course, he’s right, which is why this may be one of the most important books on the church you read this year.”
—Mark Galli, Former Editor in Chief, Christianity Today

“No one is fool enough to insult a man’s wife and then expect that man’s companionship. But this is the strange spectacle we witness today: men, women, children loudly denouncing or openly ridiculing the bride of Christ, his church, and thinking that Jesus is happy to hear it. Even a careless reading of Scripture reveals the fierce and tender heart Jesus has toward his bride, and his swift judgment on any who seek to hurt her. The Unfinished Church is a clarion call for Christians to be the church, to love the church, and to serve the church until, as the apostle Paul says, we all ‘attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.’ Convicting, wise, and urgent.”
—Mark Buchanan, author, David: Rise and David: Reign

“If you love the church and are not sure why, you are going to love this book. I’m a cynical old preacher who can’t stay away from the church. Now I know why and I’m a bit less cynical. What a wonderful book! It’s a gift to the church.”
—Steve Brown, Host, Key Life radio program; author, Three Free Sins: God Isn't Mad At You 

“Bentz is right. Church is a group of struggling sinners who must pursue one another in love as God’s community! It is essential for us to embrace this calling with joy if we are to declare the glory of the Lord to all peoples. There is no greener-grass assembly or ideal congregation; each assembly and every church member is in need of greater grace, patience, mercy, humility, and endurance from the Spirit of God. The church for whom our Savior died has a splendor that works in the midst of messiness. The Unfinished Church is a great exhortation to live out the gospel as people being conformed to the image of Christ.”
—Eric C. Redmond, Professor of Bible, Moody Bible Institute; Associate Pastor of Preaching and Teaching, Calvary Memorial Church, Oak Park, Illinois

“In a day when so many Christians doubt the importance of the church, The Unfinished Church is a richly biblical and practical display of what God is doing through his church. The presentation is popular, but not superficial. It is fun to read, but serious business. Every follower of Jesus needs to know what is in this book.”
—Richard L. Pratt Jr., President, Third Millennium Ministries

“Here is a deep yet accessible book that paints a vivid doctrine of the church. Bentz’s wide interaction with theologians and pastoral insights will benefit all readers. Excellent discussion material at the end of each chapter makes it ‘small-group friendly,’ and his warm and hopeful responses may soften hardened critics of the bride of Christ. I highly recommend The Unfinished Church.”
—Chris Brauns, Pastor, The Red Brick Church, Stillman Valley, Illinois; author, Unpacking Forgiveness; Bound Together; and When the Word Leads Your Pastoral Search

“If you truly care about the struggle of integrating your faith into this modern world, please read The Unfinished Church. In this engaging and accessible book, Rob Bentz has woven together rich personal anecdotes, insight from astute thinkers, careful examinations of our ancient Scriptures, and even snippets from contemporary music into a focused, substantive, and tremendously helpful book. Here you’ll find relevant questions, tough answers, and, perhaps most importantly, a pathway to life-affirming conversation about the stuff that really matters.”
—Dan Merchant, author/filmmaker, Lord, Save Us from Your Followers

“The Unfinished Church is a refreshing reminder that God uses our unity in Christ as well as our diversity to reach different people for his kingdom. Rob Bentz helpfully outlines biblical truths about God’s church, his bride, that are sure to bring contemplation, conviction, and a change of heart for those of us willing to be challenged.”
—Leah O'Brien-Amico, three-time Olympic gold medalist, USA softball

“Rich with wisdom and insight, The Unfinished Church is for every believer desiring an enhanced understanding of the call of Jesus regarding the local church. In this transformational book, Rob Bentz takes us on a historical, practical, and enjoyable journey from an unfinished church on the pink sands of Bermuda to the gray corners of a garage in Michigan. Authentic, honest, forgiving, and humble, Rob writes with a deep understanding of gospel grace and the sovereignty of God while standing on the shoulders of giants like Bonhoeffer and Bunyan. The Unfinished Church paints a beautiful picture of God’s long-term plan for the body of believers living counterculturally in a world gone mad!”
—Jimmy Dodd, Founder and CEO, PastorServe

“Rob Bentz has written a clear, responsible, and Scripture-soaked take on the way God interacts with us, and the way we interact with Christ’s bride: the church. Rob’s love for the church is evident on every page.”
—Ted Kluck, author, Robert Griffin III: Athlete, Leader, Believer; coauthor, Why We Love the Church: In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion