Biblical Theology, Pt. 1

Introduction

Last week we introduced new series…looking at what makes a church healthy

· I remember going to get a physical at the beginning of every school year. The doctor would evaluate the whole body…looking for normalcy

· There are certain values that mark health in a body

· Likewise, healthy churches are marked by certain qualities, attitudes, and activities

Last week we looked at one of the most important marks: expository preaching

· Since the church is founded on the truth

· Since the church is pillar and support of the truth

· Since the church is sanctified by the truth

· Then the church must preach and teach the truth

This morning we’re looking at a corollary idea

· One that both undergirds preaching

· Flows out of preaching

Prop: A healthy church is one that is marked by biblical theology

· A heathy church recognizes that…

o the Bible presents one cohesive message…

o that the parts of Scripture make up a larger whole…

o that there is an overarching unity within Scripture’s diversity

o In other words…the Bible has a point!

I trust you can recognize why this would be a central mark of health in a church

Historically, the idea of biblical theology has been contentious within broader theological discussion:

· Liberal Christianity says biblical theology is impossible

o The bible is fundamentally a human work

o It’s the product of centuries of development

o It’s written by men and thus is marked by the limitations of man

o If there’s one characteristic of man, it’s the tendency to err

o So it’s not humanly possible for a book like the Bible to contain a comprehensive, cohesive narrative…biblical theology is impossible

· Postmodern Christianity says biblical theology is oppressive and destructive

o Absolute truth claims are man’s attempt at grasping for authority and power

o Truth is not something that transcends time and culture…it ebbs and flows, changing with context

o In short, truth is subjective

o It is shaped and adopted by culture and community and individual

o So claiming that there is some comprehensive, overarching narrative or cohesion to history is viewed as nothing more than a grasp for authority over other individuals

o Postmoderns use the word “totalizing”…they oppress us by forcing us to view the world and history according to their point of view

· However, the Bible attests the exact opposite

2 Timothy 3:16 aAll Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, (2 Tim. 3:16 ESV)

2 Peter 1:20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21For ano prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God bas they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Pet. 1:20 ESV)

As you can imagine, biblical theology directly impacts a church’s the preaching and teaching

· If the Bible lacks cohesion and unity, then we can treat it like…

o A list of rulesto follow (legalism)

o Stories of heroes to emulate (moralism)

o Encouraging truths to get us through the week (pragmatism)

o Promises of wealth, and success, and happiness (prosperity)

o Strategies for meeting people’s physical and psychological needs (social)

· It’s not that any of these things is completely wrong

· But none of these things represent the point of the Bible

· In fact, all of these types of perspectives underscore what happens when we read the Bible but fail to grasp the overarching purpose and message of the Bible.

So what is the point of the Bible?

John 5:39 aYou search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and bit is they that bear witness about me

· Jesus is the point of the Bible

· Perhaps the clearest passage of Scripture that makes this point is Luke 24:13-49

Luke 24:25 And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 aWas it not necessary that bthe Christ should suffer these things and enter into chis glory?" 27And abeginning with bMoses and call the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. (Lk. 24:25 ESV)

Luke 24:44 Then he said to them, a"These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, bthat everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." 45 Then ahe opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, (Lk. 24:44 ESV)

Acts 17:2 And Paul went in, aas was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them bfrom the Scriptures, 3 aexplaining and proving that it was necessary for bthe Christ to suffer and cto rise from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ."

· Summarized by Paul when he boils down his preaching to one simple point:

1 Corinthians 1:22 For aJews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ acrucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, (1 Cor. 1:22 ESV)

The Bible is God’s revelation of who he is and how he has acted in human history to rescue and restorea people for himself through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ.

1. The King Creates (Gen 1-2)

The Bible begins with the absolute power and sovereignty of God

· God creates everything (sovereignty)

· God creates simply by speaking (power)

· God is the ultimate ruler/king

Psalm 103:19 The LORD has aestablished his throne in the heavens, and his bkingdom rules over all. (Ps. 103:19 ESV)

Man is the pinnacle of God’s creation

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, a"Let us make man1 in our image, bafter our likeness. And clet them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; amale and female he created them. 28And God blessed them. And God said to them, a"Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Gen. 1:26 ESV)

· He is…

o created as God’s image

o placed in a position of authority to represent God and rule in his place

o charged with “ruling” and “subduing” creation (kingly terms)

o mandated to fill the earth—spread God’s rule and glory over all the earth

· Man placed in paradise to work the ground (Gen 2)

· Man living in intimate fellowship with God

· Entirety of creation identified as “very good” by God (Gen 1:31)

2. The King Curses (Gen 3)

In chapter 3, we’re introduced to the Bible’s arch-villain – Serpent (Satan, Devil, accuser)

· The serpent tempts Adam and Eve to distrust God’s goodness and rebel against God’s sovereignty

· They rebel—they listen to serpent’s words rather than God’s words

Catastrophic consequences

· They are exiled from paradise

· They are dis-fellowship with God

· They are curses – there is frustration in carrying out their mandate

o For the man, work will be toilsome and brutal

o For the woman, procreation will be painful

· Creation is no longer “very good”

But there is a glimmer of hope weaved in among all this:

Genesis 3:15 And I will put aenmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; bHe shall 1bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel." (Gen. 3:15 NAU)

· There will be a perpetual war between Satan and his descendent and the woman and her descendants

· But ultimate victory belongs to God through a future descendent of the woman who will defeat the serpent and bring restoration and reconciliation

· This “seed promise” is a perpetual question which drives the biblical narrative…who is this seed?

Acts 26:6 And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in athe promise made by God to our fathers, 7 ato which bour twelve tribes hope to cattain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope dI am accused by Jews, O king! (Acts 26:6 ESV)

3. The King Judges (Gen 6-9)

Despite this hope, sin spread quickly and feverishly…it didn’t take a long time. It was immediate and accute

· Murder occurred within the first generation from Adam and Eve (Gen 4)

· By Genesis 6, wickedness filled the earth

Genesis 6:5 aThe LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every bintention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Gen. 6:5 ESV)

So God purposed to destroy the world by flood

· But he purposes to spare one man—Noah

· Could Noah be the seed? His parents seemed to think so:

Genesis 5:28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son 29and called his name Noah, saying, "Out of the ground athat the LORD has cursed, this one shall bring us relief1 from our work and from the painful toil of our hands." (Gen. 5:28 ESV)

· So God spares Noah and his family – humanity rescued from judgment through one man

God makes a covenant with Noah and all creation

Genesis 8:21 And the LORD smelled the soothing aroma31 and said32 to himself,33 "I will never again curse34 the ground because of humankind, even though35 the inclination of their minds36 is evil from childhood on.37 I will never again destroy everything that lives, as I have just done. (Gen. 8:21 NET)

Noahic covenant = God’s ultimate intention to bless rather than to curse

· But Noah turns out not to be the promised seed

4. The King Scatters (Gen 11)

It was quickly apparent that the flood didn’t eradicate sin

· Mankind collaborates together to rebel

· Instead of filling the earth and spreading God’s name around the world, they stay in one place and build a great tower in order to make a name for themselves

So God confuses their language, forcing them to scatter

God wants to make His name known…and he will accomplish this through one man—Abraham

5. The King Blesses (Gen 12)

God calls Abraham out of his homeland—Ur of the Chaldeans

· He has a sovereign purpose for Abraham—to use him to bring blessing to all peoples

Genesis 12:1 Now athe LORD said1 to Abram, "Go from your country2 and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 aAnd I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 aI will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and bin you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."1 (Gen. 12:1 ESV)

· Not only that, but out of Abraham’s line would come kings and a kingdom

Genesis 17:6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make ayou into nations, and bkings shall come from you. (Gen. 17:6 ESV)

By the end of Genesis, these promises had been passed down to Abraham’s son Isaac, and to his son Jacob and his 12 sons—the future tribes of Israel

· Even the kingly promises are clarified

Genesis 49:10The ascepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff bfrom between his feet, until tribute comes to him;1 and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

· (Gen. 49:10 ESV)

Notice: We see the focus has already narrowed from Abraham to Jacob to Judah

6. The King Rescues (Exodus)

The book of Genesis ends with Jacob and his family—70 persons—living in the land of Egypt

· 400 years later and Abraham’s descendants are slaves in Egypt

· But they’ve grown and they’re crying out for deliverance

· And God hears them and remembers his covenant and rescues them

o Through a mighty work of deliverance through the Red Sea

o Through the blood of a sacrificial lamb that saves them from judgment

· God brings them out of Egypt and demonstrates to the entire world his greatness, his might, and his faithfulness to fulfill what he promises

Then He enters into a covenant with them

· He gives them laws that set them apart from the world around them and enable them to show his holiness in their lives

· He is giving them a land in which they can live so that all the nations that pass through it can see them and come to know the one true God

· He is going to live among them, and he gives them the sacrificial system and the priesthood so that they can have fellowship with him despite their sinfulness

· He is calling them to a special purpose:

Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be amy treasured possession among all peoples, for ball the earth is mine; 6and you shall be to me a akingdom of priests and ba holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel." (Exod. 19:5 ESV)

· They are going to be how God accomplishes his plans to bless the world through Abraham

· But this will only work if they follow his commands. If they don’t they’ll lose these blessings and undergo discipline

But as time unfolds and history progresses, Israel proves to be anything but faithful and obedient

· Numbers – Before they even enter the land, the very people whom God had led out of Egypt rejected God and refused to follow him into the land

· Joshua – And after the next generation grew up and took the land under the leadership of Joshua, it wasn’t long before God’s people began to act just like the world

· Judges – God raised up judges to rescue Israel from oppression, but even their judges became worse and worse

· Samuel – Then Israel wanted a king, but their choice wasn’t his choice

o They wanted a king so they could be like the nations

o So God raised his own king—one after his own heart

o He raised up a young man from the tribe of Judah named David

You see how the focus is narrowing

· Seed of the woman to Noah to Abraham to Judah and now to David

· The focus of Scripture is narrowing

· The seed question is ever looming

7. The King Rules

God makes a covenant with David

2 Samuel 7:8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, aI took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince1 over my people Israel. 9 aAnd I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10And I will appoint a place for my people Israel aand will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place band be disturbed no more. cAnd violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 afrom the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And bI will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that cthe LORD will make you a house. 12 aWhen your days are fulfilled and byou lie down with your fathers, cI will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 aHe shall build a house for my name, and bI will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 aI will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, bI will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 abut my steadfast love will not depart from him, bas I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 aAnd your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.1 aYour throne shall be established forever.'" (2 Sam. 7:8 ESV)

So the Lord promised David a future son would rule on his throne over a kingdom that would never end

· God’s rule over his people and over the nations would be mediated through this king

· These hopes reverberate throughout the OT

When David died and his son Solomonsucceeds him, it seemed as though maybe the seed question had been answered

· Was this one the seed of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent?

· Was this one the seed of David who would rule forever?

By the end of chapter 11 of kings, it’s clear that the answer is “no:

· Solomon’s heart was pulled away

· He accumulated wealth

· He married hundreds of foreign wives

· He worshipped foreign Gods

God’s response

1 Kings 11:11 Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, "Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, aI will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 12 Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However, aI will not tear away all the kingdom, but bI will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem cthat I have chosen." (1 Ki. 11:11 ESV)

· So his kingdom was split in two

o The northern kingdom (Israel) digressed quickly – every king was wicked

o The southern kingdom (Judah) – only a few godly kings

· They both chased after foreign gods and transgressed their covenant with God

8. Kings - The King Casts Out

And so just like with the treachery of Adam and Eve—when God cast them out of the garden in exile—Israel and Judah were cast out of their land

· Israel was exiled by Assyria in 722 BC

· Judah was exiled by Babylon in 586 BC

2 Kings 17:6-20 – summary of Israel’s history

2 Kings 17:6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria acaptured Samaria, band he carried the Israelites away to Assyria cand placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of dGozan, and in the cities of ethe Medes. 7 And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, awho had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods 8 aand walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel, band in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced. (2 Ki. 17:6 ESV)

2 Kings 17:13 Still, the LORD warned 1 Israel and Judah through every prophet and every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways and keep My commands and statutes according to all the law I commanded your ancestors and sent to you through My servants the prophets." (2 Ki. 17:13 CSB)

2 Kings 17:14 But they would not listen, abut were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the LORD their God. 15 They despised his statutes aand his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after bfalse idols cand became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the dLORD had commanded them that they should not do like them. 16 And they abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made for themselves metal images of atwo calves; and they bmade an Asherah and cworshiped all the host of heaven and served dBaal. 17 aAnd they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings1 and used bdivination and comens and dsold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger. 18Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but athe tribe of Judah only. 19 aJudah also did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the customs that Israel had introduced. 20 And the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them aand gave them into the hand of plunderers, until he had cast them out of his sight. (2 Ki. 17:14 ESV)

Israel’s history from Solomon to Judah’s exile represents 500 years of God’s patient endurance of his people’s treachery

· He sent them prophet after prophet to call them back to faith and obedience

· He warned them that eventually God would remove them from the land

· But they refused to listen and so finally the hammer fell and God’s people were scattered among the nations

· It would seem as if any hope of seeing God’s promises fulfilled had been lost

9. The King Promises

But all hope was not lost--despite the horrors of the exile, the prophets continued to offer hope of something better in the future

· God would bring his people back into their land and reestablish them

· He would raise up another David to be their king

· And he would make a new covenant with them—one that dealt with their sin permanently and dealt with their hard hearts

· He would even make a new heavens and new earth

Yet these promises were mingled with the coming of a mysterious figure—the servant of the Lord

· He would be a descendent of David

· He would bring Israel back to the Lord

· He would bring salvation not only to Israel but to all the nations

· He would also rescue God’s people from their sins

Isaiah 53:5 aBut he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, band with his wounds we are healed. (Isa. 53:5 ESV)

These promises and hopes fueled God’s people as they returned from Babylon to the land (Ezra, Nehemiah)

· But as the years progressed, their hopes began to wane

· And God fell silent—for 400 years, there was nothing from God

· And God’s people continued to wait for these promises to come to pass

10. The King Arrives (Gospels)

But finally, after centuries of anticipation and hope, the long-awaited king arrives

· A baby is born to an obscure family in an obscure town

· Everything about his birth, his origins, and his lineage identifies him as the one that Israel has been waiting for

· Even his name reveals who he is

Matthew 1:21 She will bear a son, and ayou shall call his name Jesus, bfor he will save his people from their sins." (Matt. 1:21 ESV)

· Matthew identifies him as the son of David, the son of Abraham – the one who would rule on the throne of David and realize the promises to Abraham

· Mark identifies him as the servant of the Lord, who came to give his life as a ransom for sinners

· Luke identifies him as the son of Man—the second Adam who came to succeed where the first Adam had failed

· John identifies him as the Son of God, the Word who was with God and was God and who created the world, and now became flesh and dwelt with his people

The devil tries to disqualify him

· He tempts him just like Adam and Eve in the garden

· He tempts him just like Israel in the wilderness

· But Jesus prevails where both Adam and Israel failed

· He proves himself to be God’s true and faithful Son

· He proves himself to be the better Adam

· He proves himself to be the true Israelite

And then He begins to preach

· He called the people to repent

· He told them that the kingdom of heaven was imminent

· He shows them through signs and wonders that he is the promised Messiah

o He calmed the sea – authority over creation

o He drove out demons – authority over demonic realm

o He healed the sick – authority over disease

o He forgives people – authority over sin

But Jesus wasn’t the king they were expecting

· He didn’t come to overthrow their political enemies

· He didn’t come to simply meet their physical needs

· He came to deal with their spiritual needs—their sins

· He came bringing a kingdom that was “not of this world” (John 18:36)

· Even his own disciples were confused

· And so his own people rejected him

John 1:11 He came to ahis own,1 and bhis own people2 cdid not receive him. (Jn. 1:11 ESV)

11. The King Suffers

It turns out that the way forward for Jesus was rejection by his people and deathon a Roman cross

· Yes, he was the promised Davidic King who was to rule over Israel and the world

· But he was also the suffering servant that the Lord promised would be crushed for the transgressions of his people

The seed question had finally been answered

The seed of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent was here

· But nobody recognized it

· They thought he was stricken by God—but really, he was being stricken for them

· All the animal sacrificesthey had made which gave them access to God had been anticipating him—the ultimate sacrifice that would open the way up to God by dealing finally and completely with their sin

· But they didn’t see it

But some did…some believed—some hoped—some trusted

· And not even death could derail God’s plan for accomplishing his purposes

· In fact, Jesus’ death was the plan all along

Acts 2:22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, aa man attested to you by God bwith cmighty works and wonders and signs that dGod did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know-- 23 this Jesus,1 adelivered up according to bthe definite plan and cforeknowledge of God, dyou crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 aGod raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because bit was not possible for him to be held by it. (Acts 2:22 ESV)

· Jesus was going to rise from the dead

12. The King Sends

From there, everything changed

· His disciples who were once timid and scattered at his death were suddenly emboldened and empowered to preach

· And he told his disciples: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations”

· Jesus was sending his followers out—to proclaim the message of the risen king to all the nations

o They were calling people to repent of their sins and place their trust in the death and resurrection of Christ to save them from their sins

o They were calling people recognize Jesus as the promised suffering servant who came to bring people into right relationship to God

o They were calling people to submit to Jesus as the promised King who will rule over the world in peace and righteousness

The Book of Acts is all about how the gospel message exploding and spreading like a shock wave throughout the world

· Nothing could stop it because it wasn’t a human message—it was something God was doing

· So while it starts with Peter’s sermon in Jerusalem at Pentecost, it ends with Paul proclaiming the gospel in Rome

13. The King Reigns

The NT letters flow out of all of this…they’re written to people who were saved and added to the church as the gospel spread like a wildfire throughout the world

· Whether letters from Paul, Peter, James, or John, these books all aim to accomplish the same thing

o Unpack and explain who Jesus is and what he has done

o Explain how this should impact how believers are to live

o Encourage believers to live faithfully in the tension of the here and now without losing sight of the coming and not yet

· In other words, the NT epistles explain how believers should live in light of who Jesus is, what he has done, and what he will do in the future

14. The King Returns

But the message of these epistles is also that Jesus is coming back

· The NT writers point believers toward the promise that this present world is passing away—that more awaits

· They comfort those who are suffering with the hope that every tear will be wiped away

· They encourage those who are being persecuted that peace is coming

· They warn the waywardand rebellious that judgment is coming

And in the book of Revelation, Jesus is at the center of it all

Revelation 5:9 And they sang aa new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for byou were slain, and by your blood cyou ransomed people for God from devery tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them aa kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth." (Rev. 5:9 ESV)

· He is the lamb slain, who ransomed people by his blood from every tribe and language and people and nation

· He is the judge who is coming to punish the wicked and establish righteousness

· He is the warrior who is going to defeat the enemy and usher in peace

· He is the king who is going to reign forever

God is working towards a culmination to history

· At the beginning, we saw God ruling and reigning over everything

· The message of the Bible is that history will end with God once again ruling and reigning over everything

· He created the heavens and the earth in the beginning

· There will be a new heavens and new earth in the end

· In the beginning, man as the image of God was made to mediate God’s rule over all the world

· In the end, Jesus as the true image of God mediates God’s rule over all the world

Conclusion

So there is a definite trajectoryto the Bible—a grand, epic arc

· It starts in creation and it ends in recreation

· And in the middle…and permeating through it…and threaded like a scarlet and purple thread throughout…is Jesus

o Jesus the lamb slain before the foundation of the world

o Jesus the promised forever king

So how does effect a church?

There are no standalone sermons

· Even individual sermons—that aren’t part of a sermon series—still have to fit within the grand arc of the Bible’s metanarrative

· No matter what book you’re in, it all must relate back to the movement and the purpose of history chronicled in Scripture

This also impacts how we evangelize

· We’re living in the era where the fastest growing demographic of America is the “nones”—those with no religious affiliation

· We can’t rely on the assumption that people understand the basic narrative and message of the Bible

· We can’t afford to stop with a presentation of four spiritual laws or the Romans road

· Biblical theology reminds us that the gospel message involves a complete shift in worldview

· It really is, to borrow a negative term from postmodernism, a “totalizing” narrative

· Remember Jesus’ words to the disciples before he ascended:

Luke 24:44 Then he said to them, a"These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, bthat everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." 45 Then ahe opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, "Thus ait is written, bthat the Christ should suffer and on the third day crise from the dead, 47 and that arepentance for1 the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed bin his name cto all nations, dbeginning from Jerusalem. 48 aYou are witnesses of these things. (Lk. 24:44 ESV)

Anchorage Grace is a church that loves to dig deep into the riches of the Word of God

Let us also be a church that continues to look at the forest as we examine the trees.