Advancing the Cause

Transcript

JR 37
01/05/2025
Advancing the Cause
Selected Verses
Jesse Randolph

Well, good morning again, and a happy new year to you all. I trust that you are gradually coming out of that fog that we’ve all experienced between Christmas and New Year’s. That week where we’ve all been eating too much. Probably sleeping too much. And never quite sure what day or hour it is. Hopefully, we’re all coming out of that.

And now, here we are, having completed our December-long series on “The Majesty of Christmas.” And having had Duane Nelson up here last Sunday. And having turned the pages of our calendars. And we’re just about ready to dive back into our study of the Gospel of Luke. We will do that next Sunday, by the way. We’ll pick it up in Luke 2:21, and that account of Jesus being presented at the Temple.

But that’s coming next Sunday. Because today, on this somewhat snowy first day of 2025, I’ve learned to be disappointed, by the way, with the forecast. This somewhat snowy Sunday, I’m going to be preaching this special, one-off message, which is titled “Advancing the Cause.”

And in the message, I’m going to lay out for you all some of the reasons why we, as a team of Elders, have decided that it is time to have our church join an association. Join a fellowship of like-minded churches called IFCA International. That’s right, as of January 1st of this year, meaning four days ago, Indian Hills Community Church is now a member of IFCA International. The group was historically called IFCA, but it now has an international footprint. So, it’s called IFCA International.

But I do know that in churches like ours, where we do affirm what the bible teaches about local church independence, local church autonomy, local church priority, that there might be some questions like: “We are a member of what?” And “We are joining who?” And “Why?” And “Are we still an independent church?”

In the time we have this morning. I’m going to do my best to answer a lot of different questions that might be out there, as I speak on behalf of our entire team of Elders, who after many months of prayer and thought and consideration have decided, not only that this is a way forward, but a great way forward for our church.

I’ve given you the name of this organization that we’re now a part of. It’s IFCA International. For time’s sake, I will call it IFCA from this point forward. And what is IFCA? What is this group, this organization? Well, I’m going to let the organization speak for itself. This is from their website, “IFCA International is a movement of churches and believers from around the world who are committed to biblical ministry in an effort to enhance the strength of the Church by proclaiming biblical truth, equipping individual believers, and defending fundamental doctrine to accomplish the Great Commission.”

So, there are three verbs that undergird that purpose statement. And they really highlight what IFCA is all about. Proclaiming. Equipping. And Defending. And note what each of those three verbs is connected to. Biblical truth, scripture, sound doctrine. IFCA is all about proclaiming sound biblical truth, equipping believers in sound biblical truth, and defending sound biblical truth. Which is very much what we are committed to here as a local church. So, what I’m hoping and have been praying this morning’s message will accomplish is that it will offer everybody here a biblical, practical, and I hope, understandable set of answers, reasons, whatever the case may be, behind our decision to have joined IFCA.

Here's the outline for this morning’s message. We’re going to start with
“The Right Considerations.” If you’re a note taker, that’s our first heading. “The Right Considerations,” meaning the biblical truths which we weigh in considering whether to join a group like IFCA. Then we’re going to look at
“The Right Convictions,” as in, what level of doctrinal unity must we have before we will partner with any other ministry, IFCA or otherwise. Then we’ll look at “The Right Curiosities,” where I’ll address some of the questions that might naturally stem from our decision to join IFCA. And then we’ll take a few moments to explain why this is, “The Right Cause,” why this is the right association for our church to partner with at this time. Why this is the right time in the history of our church to join an association like IFCA.
So, it’s “The Right Considerations,” “The Right Convictions,” “The Right Curiosities,” “The Right Cause.”

Let’s start with “The Right Considerations.” Now, as we get started with this first point, I want to make sure you hear me clearly as I affirm that what the scriptures reveal is that in our current age, the Church Age, the church is to be central in the life of the follower of Jesus Christ. It’s the church, as 1 Timothy 3:15 says, that is the “pillar and support of the truth.” Acts 20:28 says, that Jesus purchased the church “with His own blood.” Ephesians 5:25 says, that Christ “loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” And it is Christ, who is the “Chief Shepherd” of the church, as we learn in 1 Peter 5. And He has appointed under-shepherds, elders and pastors to “shepherd the flock of God among [them].”

And so serious is this task, of protecting Christ’s precious bride, the church, that the Apostle Paul twice, first in 1 Timothy 3 and then also in the book of Titus, lays out the qualifications for the type of men, who the Lord sets apart to shepherd His precious church. Each pastor, each elder of the church, is called according to the scriptures to be: “above reproach”, “not self-willed”, “the husband of one wife”, “not quick-tempered”, “temperate”, “sensible”, “self-controlled”, “righteous”, “holy”, “respectable”, “hospitable”, “not addicted to wine or pugnacious”, “considerate”, “peaceable”, “loving what is good”, “free from the love of money”, “not fond of dishonest gain”, “leading his own household well, having his children in submission with all dignity”, “not a new convert”, “a good reputation with those outside the church”, Oh, and all while “holding fast the faithful word”, and also being “able to teach.”
In other words, there’s no doubt that the church is precious to our Lord. There’s no doubt that the church is of primary importance in the era in which we live. And there’s also no question that what is modeled for us in scripture is a follower of Jesus Christ having a relationship with and a commitment to a local church.

There is, of course, such a thing as a universal church. Which some have referred to as the invisible church. That’s what all of us, who have been born of the Spirit of God have been baptized into when we place our faith in Christ. That’s 1 Corinthians 12:13, “For also by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” So, every Christian, by definition, is a member of the universal church. But every Christian, also by command, by biblical principle, is called to be a part of the local church.

Local church involvement… local church priority… local church primacy… is modeled for us all throughout the New Testament. Going back to the beginning of the church age, in the book of Acts, what we see are these local assemblies of believers, churches gathering in Jerusalem, and Asia Minor, and all the way out to Rome. And then as we work our way through the New Testament, what we see is these early gatherings, these churches… they didn’t have dedicated buildings like this one, but they gathered in their homes. They came together for worship and fellowship and instruction in the scriptures.

All that to say, it’s the local church where the follower of Jesus Christ is to be instructed and taught and equipped. It’s the local church where the follower of Jesus Christ is to serve with whatever spiritual gift or divine enablement the Lord has given him or her. And it’s the local church where the follower of Christ is to have his or her closest bonds of fellowship and friendship. Local church involvement and priority is absolutely vital. Which is why the author of Hebrews says, Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

So, the local church is to be one’s priority as a follower of Christ. And not only is the local church to be a priority, but what the New Testament testifies to repeatedly is that the local church is to be autonomous. Local church autonomy comes through in how Paul addresses each individual church throughout his letters. “To the church of God which is at Corinth.”
“To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi.” “To the saints who are at Ephesus.” It’s local church autonomy that’s modeled there.

Local church autonomy comes through in the lack of any biblical evidence of any ecclesiastical authority that was sitting over individual local churches during the New Testament era. Local church autonomy comes through in how certain functions of the local church would only logically make sense if they took effect in the local context. Like baptism, communion, identifying and raising up church leaders, exercising church discipline. And local church autonomy is hinted at in Revelation 2 and 3, where Jesus addresses each of those seven ancient churches in Asia Minor individually. And holds each of those churches individually responsible and accountable for its actions.

So, there it is. An open and shut case. Right? I mean, the local church is primary. The local church is autonomous. The local church is independent. And that means, I’ve just shot myself in the foot. There is never a situation where it would be ok for a local church to partner with someone outside their local church context. Right? Wrong.

That’d be a classic case of overshooting the mark. That’d we a classic case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. That’d be a classic case, you choose the metaphor. The reason I’ve given this heading the title “The Right Considerations” is that the biblical truths I’ve just laid out for you, about the priority and the primacy of the local church in the life of the follower of Jesus Christ, they have to be held in balance with other scriptures. And considered alongside other scriptures, where we see partnership and affiliation and association both modeled and described.

We can go back and hold these truths loosely to the Old Testament. We think of Moses, for example, who in Exodus 4, needed a partner to help him lead Israel out of Egypt. That partner was his brother, Aaron. We think of Jeremiah the prophet in Jeremiah 34, who had a partner, Baruch, who essentially served as Jeremiah’s secretary, writing on the scroll as the weeping prophet said what he had to say. We think of Daniel, as he held his post in Babylon, who had Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who helped him administer the kingdom.

We think of the prophet Amos, who says in Amos 3:3, “Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment?” The idea there is that two do not walk along together along a road, unless they first met and talked and agreed to continue on together. We think of Solomon who records these words in Ecclesiastes 4:9, “Two are better than one because they have good wages for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not a second one to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can stand against him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.” And those are just a few examples from the Old Testament. Where we see partnership, association broadly speaking, being commended.

We get to the New Testament, and we find this same undercurrent. For instance, during His earthly ministry Jesus didn’t show this aversion to partnership, that I think we sometimes think He had. Not at all. I mean, He did, though He made the whole heaven and earth, and the entire universe, that there were times where He had to withdraw, to be alone, to commune with the living God, with God the Father. But whenever He was engaged actively in public ministry, He was never alone. He sent out 72 followers in Luke 10, because He had 72 followers. He hand-picked twelve of those men, in Luke 6, to be His apostles. He had a trio of men, Peter, James, and John, into whom He poured even more time. In other words, Jesus associated. He partnered.

Paul also rarely did ministry on his own. Just think of the long list of his friends and associates who the Holy Spirit moved him to address in his various letters. Barnabas. Mark. Silas. Timothy. Titus. Luke. Aquila. Epaphroditus. Apollos. Epaphras. Tychicus. Onesimus. Aristarchus. Damas. Silvanus. What did each of those men have in common? Well, first of all, they weren’t part of the same immediate church community at that time with Paul, hence his need to send them letters. And second, that didn’t prevent them -- the fact that they weren’t part of the same church community -- from Paul offering support and care, and prayer for them.

“Ok,” you might be thinking, “well, Jesus is God. And Paul was this specially-appointed apostle. There’s nothing in the New Testament to suggest that churches should partner in any way with each other. Or join forces with each other, the way that you Jesse, are saying we’re now going to do through IFCA.”

Well, that’s not true. Here are some other passages. First is this one,
Romans 15:25, Paul commends the churches there in two different regions for sharing with poorer believers in Jerusalem which was on the far opposite end of the then-known world. He writes, Romans 15:25, “But now I am going to Jerusalem to serve the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to share with the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Yes, they were pleased to do so.” And then in Romans 16:1 Paul commends to the church at Rome “our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea, that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a benefactor of many, and of myself as well.”

Or in 1 Corinthians 16:1 Paul lays out specific, practical instructions for how churches in one locality were to help out churches in other places. This is 1 Corinthians 16:1, he says, “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week each one of you is to set something aside, saving whatever he has prospered, so that no collections be made when I come. And when I arrive, whomever you may approve, I will send them with letters to carry your gracious gift to Jerusalem, and if it is fitting for me to go also, they will go with me.”

And then the entirety of 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 is about how this already poor group of churches in Macedonia sought to help out their even poorer brothers and sisters in Jerusalem. Here’s a sampling from 3 Corinthians 8:1 – “Now brothers, we make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great testing by affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the richness of their generosity. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the grace of sharing in the ministry to the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.”

And then there’s the example of the church at Philippi. Which was not only partnering with Paul “in the gospel”, as it says in Philippians 1:5, but they were sharing in their human resources as Paul sent that church men like Timothy and Epaphroditus in Philippians 2. They were also sharing in their financial resources. Here’s Philippians 4:15, “And you yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church fellowshipped with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone. For even in Thessalonica, you sent a gift more than once for my needs.” So, though Paul had planted this church, he was no longer an active member of this body of believers in Philippi. But that didn’t prevent the Philippians from partnering with him.

So, compiling all of this data. And spitting out a result. On the one hand, we have the clear testimony of scripture concerning local church priority, and independence, and autonomy. But on the other hand, we do also have those other passages of scripture, like some of the ones we’ve just considered. Where partnership, and fellowship, and support is both highlighted and commended.

So, what are we to make of all of this? What’s the bottom-line truth? How is a church like ours to weigh these biblical passages, and arrive at a conclusion which matches with the total testimony of scripture?
Here’s where we land. In fact, here’s where we have landed. A church like ours certainly is to be independent. But that doesn’t mean it needs to be isolated. A church like ours is to be self-governing. But it doesn’t always have to be self-focused. A church like ours is to be focused locally. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t also make an impact globally.

So that’s our first point, “The Right Considerations,” as in, the importance of taking the totality of scripture. Rightly weighing the whole counsel of God. As we consider this matter of church independence. And weigh that against when and with whom and whether we should partner with others.
That leads us to our second point. And that’s where I’ll spend most of the time this morning. And the second point is “The Right Convictions.”
We’ve just looked at “The Right Considerations.” Now we want to consider “The Right Convictions.”

You, as our beloved church family, should know that at the heart of our decision as Elders to join IFCA, is the close biblical and doctrinal unity that we share with this ministry. We are of one accord – theologically speaking. Some of you will recall that about nine months ago, in our evening service I gave a message that was titled “When ‘The Gospel’ Is Not Enough.” It was a message that ruffled a few feathers here in Lincoln. Because it was my articulation of why we, as a church, would not be joining an organization that other bible churches in town were latching onto called “The Gospel Coalition.” I do not intend to revisit any part of that message this morning. But I will say this, that was always intended to be part one of two. Where part one, that message, that identified the wrong types of association. The types of groups we will not get involved with. Groups like “The Gospel Coalition.” And in part two, this message, we would identify which types of association are not only permissible, but wise, and beneficial. So, this is part two of two.

Now, to set the stage let’s take a brief step backward, to go over some very basic principles related to Christian unity. If a person has repented of their sins and put their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, every Christian is this auditorium automatically has built-in unity with that person. Right? By virtue of our common confession of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we each are joined to all who are truly in the family of God. There is a sense in which we have unity with any follower of Jesus Christ. Even if we have certain doctrinal differences. We have a sense of unity with those fellow believers that we don’t have with the atheist. That we don’t have with the person who preaches and believes in a false gospel, like the false gospel preached in Rome or in Utah. So, the gospel unifies us all at one level. We are unified in Christ with those who have trusted in Christ. Even if they have different views on church polity or the ideal age for baptism or the extent of the atonement.

At the same time. While we are ultimately unified through our identity in Christ, that doesn’t mean that our unity in Christ at that level, requires us to minimize the importance of adhering to sound doctrine. And specifically, to minimize the importance of adhering to sound doctrine when we make decisions about who we associate with and who we partner with. We are not going to toss aside any of our doctrinal convictions here at Indian Hills. Convictions which are anchored in scriptural truth. Convictions which are anchored in biblical revelation. Just so that we can say that we have more friends. And we have more partners. And just so that we can say we’ve expanded our footprint nationally and internationally. That’s not the point. No.

Who we decide to affiliate with, who we decide to associate with, is a decision which will always be driven by truth. The truth of God’s word, all of it, every jot and tittle. All of the truth contained in God’s inspired, inerrant, authoritative, infallible word. So, where a church like ours is going to find proper grounds for partnership, and for fellowship, and for association is with like-minded churches and pastors and leaders who not only have the gospel right -- I mean, that’s our lowest common denominator, our lowest threshold of unity -- but who also read the bible consistently and faithfully. And who, based on their reading of God’s word, their faithful reading of God’s word, arrive at the same conclusions that we do on various matters. Not because we’re so great and we’re so special. But because God is so great in giving us the clarity, He’s given us in His word.

That brings us back to IFCA, and our church’s affiliation now with IFCA. How, and why does IFCA ‘fit that bill’ for Indian Hills? What does this fellowship, IFCA have in common with us, that gives us this level of comfort with them, allowing us to join them as this ministry? How can we now hold ourselves out there, confidently as being an IFCA member church?
Well, you’re going to get one of these cards on your way out this morning. I think they are out there now. Maybe they will be out there in a little bit. And what these cards have are seven of IFCA’s doctrinal distinctives. I do not expect you to be able to read this from here. I’m going to go through these. But these really underscore just how doctrinally aligned this organization is with our church. And this card really underscores just how IFCA is a fellowship of like-minded churches, which not only we can join but are happy to join forces with.

Here's what the card says, I’ll take away the mystery. It says, “We Are IFCA.” And then it lists these seven distinctives: Dispensational, Fundamental, Biblical, Evangelistic, Cessationist, Expositional, Complementarian, and then they throw in the words, “Without Apology.”
So, let’s take some time working through every single one of those, as sort of our sub-points, our seven sub-points.

Starting with the fact that IFCA is, as we are, dispensational. What does that mean – dispensational? What is dispensationalism? I’m going to keep this as simple and streamlined as possible, I hope. When a person says they are dispensational as opposed to, say, being more aligned with covenant theology, or covenantalism, they are saying that they embrace a certain method of bible interpretation, hermeneutics.

In the covenantal way of thinking, that’s what you’d find out there in the Presbyterian, Reformed world. They interpret the scriptures through a grid. And that grid would be these three supposed covenants. Found nowhere in scripture, by the way. By which God brought about His plan of salvation for people like you and me. And that’s worth noting. Covenant theology is very salvation oriented. It’s very personal salvation oriented. Individual salvation is deemed to be of primary importance. It’s considered this major theme, central theme of scripture, no matter what book of the bible you are studying. If you’re studying Hosea or if you’re studying the Gospel of John.

But back to these three supposed covenants of covenant theology. They are the covenant of works, the covenant of grace, the covenant of redemption. And basically, the way it’s supposed to work in this system of covenant theology is that God supposedly entered into this covenant with Adam back in the Garden of Eden. And in this covenant, Adam committed to obeying God, and God committed to grant Adam eternal life for being obedient. Well, obviously Adam failed to keep up his end of the bargain. And we see that, the first few chapters of Genesis. Which led to God, then entering into a covenant of grace. By which God promised eternal life through a future Redeemer to all those who would believe. However, in the system of covenant theology, that covenant of grace is limited by preexisting covenant of redemption. By which God the Father apparently entered into an agreement with God the Son in eternity past. Where God the Father gave God the Son to be the Head and the Redeemer of the elect. And God the Son agreed to take the place of those whom the Father had given Him. So, at the heart of this covenantal way of thinking, then is that no matter which bible book you’re reading at any specific point in time, it’s the primacy of one’s personal salvation through Christ that’s the theme of that book and that passage.

To the covenant theologian, Adam’s violation of the covenant of works jeopardized our salvation. It goes back to salvation. God’s covenant of grace offered us salvation. Again, it’s about salvation. And God’s covenant of redemption with Christ secured our salvation. It’s all salvation all the time.

That’s covenant theology in a nutshell. That’s not what we hold to at Indian Hills. It’s not what IFCA holds to. And why? Why do we not hold to covenant theology? The answer is actually really simple. You will find these so-called covenants I’ve just mentioned in documents like the Westminster Confession of Faith of 1647. You’ll find the covenants in the London Baptist Confession of 1689. The one place you won’t find those covenants, is where? The bible. That’s kind of a big deal. And that’s what distinguishes dispensationalism. That’s where we would land from covenant theology.
Our system, if it can be called that, stems not from those extra-biblical covenants, from the plain reading of scripture.

So, what then is dispensationalism? Well, at the core of dispensational theology -- and this gets back to our topic for today, our alignment with IFCA -- are three pillars. There are three pillars to dispensational theology. There’s different ways this is expressed, but the first pillar of dispensationalism is the recognition of the distinction between Israel and the church. That includes the recognition that when God was speaking to Israel in the Old Testament, He really was speaking to Israel. Israel wasn’t some sort of shadowy precursor to the church. Israel wasn’t somehow subsumed within the church. Israel wasn’t replaced by the church. No.

God had real dealings with His real original covenant people, Israel. He issued real laws and real regulations to the people of Israel. And the people of Israel really broke those laws. And the people of Israel were really punished and taken into captivity because of their breach of those laws. And Israel really did experience several hundred years of silence from God, before God eventually sent them, Israel, their promised Messiah. And the people of Israel, we know, eventually rejected their Messiah, who we know to be Jesus. And they even played a direct role in His arrest and murder. It wasn’t’ until after Israel’s Messiah was crucified and that He rose, it wasn’t until after He ascended into heaven, that the Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost, in Acts 2 and this new organism called “the church” was born.

The church has existed from Acts 2 until the present day. But the dispensationalist recognizes that from the plain reading of scripture, reading progressively forward from Old Testament to New -- that though we live in the Church Age today, there are scores of unfulfilled prophecies related to Israel still sitting there in the Old Testament. And because God is faithful, it is absolutely certain that one day He will fulfill those promises to Israel. God is not fickle. God doesn’t change His mind. God doesn’t do Plan Bs, God doesn’t do ‘do-overs.’ He wouldn’t and couldn’t do so, to who He calls the “apple of His eye” in Zechariah 2:8.

But, back to the big picture here. Israel is Israel. The church is the church. That’s pillar number one of dispensationalism -- that distinction between the church and Israel. It’s a distinction that we have held here at Indian Hills for years. And it’s a distinction that our IFCA brethren have held equally dear for just as many years.

The second pillar of dispensationalism is the consistent use of a single hermeneutic, the literal, grammatical, historical method of bible interpretation. And the key word there is consistent. Because the covenantal pastors and scholars will claim that their views are supported by a literal, historical, grammatical reading of scripture. But what they can’t’ say they’re being, is being consistent.

I came across this quote by Wayne House, who I think highlights pointedly, this major divide between dispensational and covenant theology on this matter of how we interpret scripture. This is House, he says,
“When the Scripture speaks of the lion lying down with the lamb, is it speaking of some deeper meaning or higher truth like peace in the world, or does it mean in fact that the lion and the lamb will exist without hostility? . . . When the Text states that the Messiah will actually descend to the Mount of Olives and that it will split into north and south, is this speaking of a higher principle of the Messiah’s majesty or will the real mountain east of Jerusalem be separated? When Zechariah the prophet spoke of a river flowing at the Temple which goes into both the Mediterranean and Dead Seas, complete with descriptions and boundaries, does this refer merely to some spiritual truth? Is Ezekiel’s temple only a weak description of Jesus the temple of God?”

See, that about sums it up. Those who hold to covenant theology will be much more prone to spiritualize and allegorize the texts that Wayne House mentions there. Because to take those texts literally, wouldn’t square up with their presumption that the whole bible is about personal salvation through Christ. While those who hold to dispensationalism will take those passages literally through the consistent application of iteral-grammatical-historical hermeneutics.

And the dispensationalist will do so, by the way, because we see a broader, grander, larger theme of scripture in play. And that takes us to our third pillar of dispensationalism, which is the recognition that the ultimate purpose of history, and the ultimate theme of scripture, is the glory of God. So, for us dispensationalists, the over-arching theme of scripture is not our personal salvation. Though salvation, of course, is important. And it’s a blessing and a benefit to us. No. The over-arching theme of scripture we would say is the glory of God. Scripture isn’t all about me getting saved. Scripture is all about God getting glory.

So that’s a thumbnail sketch of dispensationalism. A core doctrinal conviction that we hold to here at Indian Hills. And one which we share with our brethren in the IFCA.

Here’s our next one: We’re not only dispensational, we are fundamental. I am, we are, IFCA is, committed to fundamentalism.
Now, you want to talk about a loaded term. A person calls themselves a fundamentalist, they are going to get fewer and fewer birthday party invites. And they will probably be put on a watch list somewhere. And that’s because when we hear that word, “fundamentalist,” our minds go in the direction of the wicked acts that are associated with Islamic fundamentalism. Or even that dark, legalistic, cultural fundamentalism which has pervaded and invaded certain pockets of Christianity. But that’s not what we mean when we talk about fundamentalism. We aren’t those “all card players are condemned” type of fundamentalists.
Or those “women who wear long pants are going to hell” type of fundamentalists. No.

The fundamentals which IFCA holds to, the fundamentals which we hold to, are the biblical fundamentals. These are, there’s a historical context to this, these are the fundamentals which were affirmed by groups like IFCA in the early 1900’s in response to the modernism and liberalism which was creeping into the mainline denominations, the Baptists, the Presbyterians, etcetera, back in those days.

And these biblical fundamentals include, number one, the belief that the bible is the Holy Spirit breathed-out word of God, and being of God, is without error. Two, the belief in the virgin birth of Christ. Or as we’ve seen in our study of Luke, a more accurate way of saying that is the virgin conception of Christ. Three, the belief that Christ’s death was offered as a payment for sin. Four, the belief in the bodily resurrection of Christ. Five, the belief in the historical reality of Christ’s miracles.

See, by the early 1900’s, and in large part because of the rise of Darwinian secularistic atheism, each of those beliefs I just rattled off, were being challenged not only in the mainstream culture, but in certain denominations and certain churches. Well, the fundamentalists, who by the way, by and large, were dispensationalists, including some of the founding members of IFCA -- they drew their line in the sand. And they withstood the gusty cultural winds of the day. And they embraced this label of fundamentalism.

So. If you believe that the bible is the word of God. If you believe in the virgin conception of Christ. If you believe that Christ’s death was propitiating and atoning for sin. If you believe that Jesus rose bodily from the grave. If you believe that Jesus performed the miracles that are recorded on the pages of scripture. Guess what? You’re a fundamentalist. So, when your friends tell you, “I hear you go to Indian Hills. And I hear that they’re a bunch of fundamentalists.” You know what you say back to them? “Yes, I do. And yes, we are. Will you please pass the ketchup?” That’s what you do. IFCA is committed to biblical fundamentalism. So are we.

Next up, and we can make short work of this one, because it’s so self-evident. But IFCA, this is the third one listed here, is biblical. Biblical. If you peruse their statement of faith and doctrine, their doctrinal statement, you will see not only a remarkable similarity between theirs and ours as a church -- but more importantly, you’ll see that every statement in their doctrinal belief statement is supported by multiple scriptures. Whether it’s their view on the bible. The person of God the Father. The person of Jesus Christ. The person of the Holy Spirit. The total depravity of man. The salvation offered through Jesus Christ. The eternal security and assurance offered to true believers. Separation from religious apostasy and sinful, worldly pleasures. The definition of marriage. The independence and autonomy of the local church. The ordinances of the church. The person of Satan. The personal, imminent, pre-tribulation and premillennial second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The eternal state. And yes, dispensationalism. Every single one of those beliefs and affirmations in their statement is backed, over and over, by scripture.

By the way, IFCA’s commitment to the inspiration of scripture, the inerrancy of scripture is all throughout their statement. But there are also some important breadcrumbs in their history and their documents of their commitment to the sufficiency of scripture. In fact, here are some words from an IFCA resolution from 1965, which I pulled. This was 13 years before the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, in 1978. But it says,
“we demonstrate our recognition of the authority of the scriptures and our conviction of the inerrancy and infallibility of the word of God by living in obedience to the commands of scripture rightly divided, by diligently studying the bible continually, and by faithfully expounding the scriptures in our pulpit ministry that the Holy Spirit may find us useful in His convicting, regenerating, teaching and sanctifying work as we hold forth the Word of Life that men be made wise unto salvation and men of God be perfected unto all good works.” What that tells us is that IFCA is committed to not only being a fellowship, but a biblical fellowship, committed to doing biblical ministry, and partnering with churches like ours who are committed to doing the same.

Here’s the next one. IFCA is evangelistic. Now, we’re all called to be evangelistic, of course. We’re all called to go and make disciples of all the nations, as our Lord commanded us to do in His Great Commission, in Matthew 28:19-20. We’re all called to proclaim the name of Jesus, knowing that there’s no other name by which men might be saved, Acts 4:12. We’re all called to proclaim to spiritually-dead sinners that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but through Him, as He Himself said in John 14:6. We’re all called to tell the unbeliever that if they confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead, they will be saved, as Paul says in Romans 10:9. Of course, IFCA affirms all of those truths. But the ways in which IFCA uniquely fulfills some of its evangelistic commitments are through its strategic partnership with like-minded missionaries and missionary groups; its commissioning and support of police, fire, military, and hospital chaplains; and its very strong record of standing against ecumenical evangelism. The type of evangelism that was popularized by men like Billy Graham in the 1950’s. You know, Billy Graham, famously was willing to share the stage at his famous evangelistic crusades with members of certain apostate religious groups. IFCA would stand strongly against blowing one’s witness through ungodly partnerships. And so would we at our church.

Here's our next one, cessationist. IFCA is a cessationist fellowship. Meaning, it has consistently articulated the position, grounded in scripture, that the Holy Spirit no longer gives believers the miraculous spiritual gifts which were associated with the apostles. The cessationist position is that gifts like prophecy, tongues, and healings, have ceased. They have ended, in the way that they were functioning in the apostolic era. Those no longer exist today.

And how do we as cessationists arrive at that conclusion? Well, it’s a multi-layered argument. But it goes something like this. To start, there are no apostles today. There is a link in the New Testament between the apostles and the miraculous gifts that we see performed in the New Testament. And those who were once in that office of apostle in the New Testament era, they’ve all died off. No one qualifies as an apostle today. So, no matter if you’re watching a late-night broadcasting, and somebody calls themselves apostle-so-and-so, they are lying. It’s not an office anymore. You can give yourself that title ‘till the cows come home,’ it doesn’t make you an apostle. Further, the apostles and prophets of the New Testament era clearly were serving in a foundational role. The apostolic role was meant for the foundation of the church. And any of you home builders know, once the foundation is laid, it’s laid. It’s laid one time, and then its purpose is fulfilled.

Not only that, the purpose of these miraculous sign gifts that existed in the apostolic era, the purpose has ceased. Specifically, the purpose of those miracles, they were to authenticate the message that was being given from God, as it was being proclaimed by these men at that time; to prove that they were in fact God’s spokesmen. But since the apostles have now died off and since their message to us has now been officially captured in the pages of scripture, there is no longer any need or reason for the miraculous gifts to be exercised.

So, the cessationist position, one that we as a church holds, one that IFCA as an organization holds, is that the miraculous sign gifts of the apostolic era have ceased. The miraculous sign gifts of the apostolic era were unique to their time. And have since become inoperable in the Church Age. That doesn’t mean that God has stopped working. That doesn’t mean that God has stopped doing supernatural things. Or that the Holy Spirit isn’t active in the world today. But it does mean that the Holy Spirit is not supernaturally enabling people to perform the same gifts that He was enabling the apostles to be exercising in their time.

Here's our next one, expositional. That one is pretty straightforward. It means that IFCA, like our church, is committed to the idea that a church’s regular source of sustenance, in terms of what its intake should be when it gathers corporately, is the expositional preaching of God’s Word. In other words, IFCA shares the conviction that we do, that a church grows in depth, in holiness, in maturity, in love, as its members sit under the regular, in-depth, verse-by-verse exposition of God’s Word. The power which comes from preaching does not come from any man and his unique set of gifts or skills or oratorical ability. Rather, the power that comes from preaching comes from the source of his message. So, if the man up front is preaching some, you know, 20-minute little ditties which are full of stories about the size of the fish he caught or how his wife was mad at him this week or focusing on highlighting his irresistible sense of humor, there’s no power there. There’s no authority to what he’s saying. At that point, he’s just a sanctified storyteller. A glorified life coach. A stand-in. A slouch. He’s feeding you junk food, not giving you a nourishing, spiritual meal. No. The power is in God’s Word.

The Word is the sword that pierces; Hebrews 4:12, “the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The Word is a mirror that reveals; James 1:23 , “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he looked at himself and has gone away, he immediately forgot what kind of person he was.” The Word is milk that nourishes; 1 Peter 2:1, “Therefore, laying aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have Tasted The Kindness Of The Lord.”

To be expositional, then, as IFCA is, as we are, is to be committed to having the Word reign supreme over our churches. To have the pulpit elevated to a place of prominence in our churches. To submit our thoughts, our passions, our very lives to every sentence and stroke on its pages.

Here’s our last one, and I’m sure this won’t cause anyone to lose their mind or anything, complementarian. IFCA is, as we are, unapologetically complementarian. Meaning, we affirm that God has created men and women to be of equal dignity and worth. At the same time, we recognize that what God’s word teaches, is that God has assigned different roles in the home, and in the church for both men and women. So, we recognize, as Genesis 1:27 says, that “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” And we also recognize, as Galatians 3:28 teaches, that in terms of our position before God and our salvation through Christ, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

But at the same time, we recognize that there are differences between men and women. For instance, we recognize that only a man can be called to the pastorate. Why? Because of the requirement that he be a husband of one wife. A one-woman type of man. And no matter how crazy the cultural narrative gets, God’s word never changes. And even today, only a man can be a husband. And by definition, then, only a man can be a pastor. We also recognize that women are not permitted to exercise authority over men in the church. Why? Because 1 Timothy 2:11-12 says, “A woman must learn in quietness, in all submission. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.” It’s what the Word says, and we stand by it.

We recognize that a wife is called to submit to her husband. Why? Because of her inherent inferiority to her husband? No. Because of his headship over her, as specifically delineated in God’s word. 1 Corinthians 11:3, “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.” We recognize that men are called to provide for their families. Why? Because we’re so insistent on hanging on to our old hunter-gatherer ways? No. Because it’s delineated for us in God’s word. 1 Timothy 5:8, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” We recognize that wives are to prioritize their homes. Why? Because we want to keep women in check, and keep them under our thumbs, and it to the feminists? No. Because Titus 2:4-5 says that younger women in particular are to “love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be slandered.”

Those are all truths that we hold to here at Indian Hills. I’ve preached them. Before me, Gil Rugh preached them. And IFCA, like us, staunchly holds to them.

So, what this whole exercise has meant, going through these seven items on these postcards, is to show that IFCA holds to “The Right Convictions” as a fellowship, they are aligned with our church theologically and biblically and across the board. So, we’ve looked at “The Right Considerations.” We’ve just looked at “The Right Convictions.” Two more to go. These will be very brief.

Here’s our third one, “The Right Curiosities.” Under this one, I’m going to go through a lightning round of potential questions which might be floating around out there. And provide you with some brief answers. You are always welcome, of course, to reach out to me or any of the other Elders for questions you might have. But I figured I’d get ahead of some of them, from this vantage point.

For instance, here’s a question, who decided this? Answer: our church’s Board of Elders, of which I serve as Chair. And as I mentioned earlier, it was decided after many months of research, prayer, and consideration.
Another potential question, is the IFCA a denomination? Answer: no, it’s not. It’s a fellowship of like-minded churches. And one of the core convictions of all IFCA churches that we all share is our commitment to local church autonomy and local church priority. In fact, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that IFCA would be as anti-denominational as we are.

Here’s another one, how long are we planning to be affiliated with IFCA? Answer: The answer would be as long as IFCA stays true to its doctrinal convictions, and as long as we stay true to ours. Our church is required, as a condition of our membership in IFCA, to annually reaffirm our commitment to their doctrinal statement. And so long as their doctrinal statement stays true to scripture, we plan to do so each year. But if there’s ever a perceived sense of slide in their doctrine, well then, we’re out. That’s when we go.

Here's another potential question, what will change at Indian Hills as a result of joining IFCA? Answer: Not really anything. I’m already a personal member of IFCA. And I have been for years. I’ve spoken at their national conventions. I’ve written articles for them. I don’t see any of that changing now that our church is a member. Pastor Mike is also an individual member. In fact, he just rebooted the IFCA Central Plains Region in this part of the country. And even before the church joined IFCA, you may or may not have known this, but I’ve already invited several IFCA men to fill this pulpit: Richard Bargas. Ryan Day. Cory Marsh. Les Lofquist. There have been other IFCA men who have preached here before: Robert Thomas. Gary Gilley. Mike Matiscik. Duane Nelsen. You even saw in your bulletin this morning, another IFCA man, Dwight Oswald will be filling our pulpit in just a few weeks. So, in terms of day-to-day operations, and where we devote our time, and who we’re going to invite to speak here, it’s going to be business as usual.

Here’s a final potential question that might be floating out there, what benefit will Indian Hills get out of becoming a member of IFCA?
That actually takes us to our fourth and final point this morning, which is
“The Right Cause.”
See, the truth is, as committed as I am, and as committed as our other Elders and Pastors are, to the doctrinal distinctives that we hold here at Indian Hills, it can’t be escaped that the positions we hold today theologically, like being a dispensational, fundamentalist Biblicist -- that is a minority position, to say the least, in our time. That’s not a bad thing, by the way. That’s just the truth. And we’re called to preach the word, whether it’s in season or out of season. But the reality is we are a minority camp. And it’s also the reality that our church is already looked to within IFCA circles as a strong representative voice for our theological positions. You know, we have a longstanding strong pulpit. We have a young and gifted team of pastors. We have an amazing facility sitting right here in the heart of the U.S. We have a clear vision and commitment to tap into that target-rich environment of digital media, to get that message out to more people.

So, in answer to the question, what will Indian Hills get out of this? I mean, surely, there are things that we can draw on from IFCA. It has great written publications. It has a wealth of wisdom in the leadership of that organization, some of the men I just mentioned for you. It does have the ability, as an organization, to put us in quick contact with like-minded believers all over the world. But ultimately, I would argue that the “what can we get out of IFCA question” is the wrong question.

A better question is, how can we take all the good that the Lord has blessed our church with, and in partnership with an organization like IFCA, spread that good far and wide. Building up like-minded believers all over the world in sound doctrine. And advancing the cause of Christ. I mean, the reality is IFCA is a network, fellowship of primarily smaller churches. And discouraged smaller church pastors who might be tempted to sway and go in a different direction for the sake of joining the popular crowd. And we, as a church that is larger, and has some depth in the bench of resources and talent that we have, can be a resource for them, as we advance the cause of Christ. And that’s what we want to do here at Indian Hills. For as long as the Lord has us here, we want to advance the cause of Christ. We want to share His saving Gospel. We want to deepen in our relationship with Him through our preaching and study of His Word. We want to build up other believers in their faith in Him, as we await the day of His return.

And Lord willing, its my prayer that through this new relationship with IFCA, we’ll continue to do so, with the focus right here in Lincoln, with the spillover of benefits of our ministry that we’re privileged to do so here, going out all over the world. That’s what I’m praying. I’m asking that you’ll be praying for that, as we move forward with IFCA.

Let’s pray. Father, thank You for a chance this morning to share a bit of our vision as a church leadership, about our decision to join IFCA International. I do pray that through this partnership we would continue to find joy in serving the Lord here in Lincoln, Nebraska. Shepherding the flock of God among us for those who are Elders and Pastors. Enjoying the practice of the “one-another’s”, with our fellow believers right here in the flesh. At the same time, I pray that we would understand that we are uniquely positioned in our time, in our day, with the doctrine that we hold, and the clarity with which it is proclaimed, and the reach and the scope of the ministry that we have -- to influence, help, assist and encourage, discouraged and perhaps shaky, insecure ministries in other parts of the country, and even in the world. So, God, I pray that we would take this news with joy, knowing that it’s the decision of the Elders. The decision of men who have been set aside for that role, and who have prayed through this and considered it. I pray that we would look ahead to these new days that we have for the church, with anticipation. But I pray that ultimately, our goal in all things, whether it’s in our homes, in this building, or elsewhere, that we might have an impact through the ministry of Indian Hills. That we would seek to honor our Savior and our Lord, Jesus Christ. In all that we say, do, or think. It’s in His name we pray. Amen.