The gospel-centered church

In October, 800 people from many different churches and denominations gathered in the Lowell Memorial Auditorium, 30 miles north of Boston, for an all-day celebration in prayer, song, and conversation of the 125th anniversary of the founding of Vision New England.

This is an organization committed to “intentional” and “relational” evangelism among the “diverse members of the body of Christ” in the northeastern United States, bringing them together regularly, so that they can be more effective in “kingdom building.”

The keynote speaker was Timothy Keller, founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in Manhattan, New York, which has a weekly attendance of over 5,000.

Keller spoke about the gospel-centered church under three headings—evangelism, discipleship, and mission, focusing strongly on “gospel humility,” which calls for us to stop connecting every experience, every conversation, with only ourselves. He reiterated a point he has made in several of his 11 books, and in sermons and magazine articles, that a truly gospel-humble person is not a self-hating nor a self-loving person, but a self-forgetful person.

He urged his audience to build a culture of greater inclusivity: “Get out of your bubble,” he insisted. “Don’t do friendship evangelism, just do friendship.” But in talking with newfound friends about your faith, he added, remember that no one size fits all. Salvation comes by grace, not temperament or type.

“If you enjoy salvation,” Keller continued, “how could you keep it from others? What sort of monster are you if you don’t ache to share your faith with them?” He called for respect for non-believers, quoting Blaise Pascal, who said, “Make good men wish Christianity to be true, then prove it so.”

Keller said we should help others “rejoice in the hope of the glory of God ... [which] does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts” (Romans 5:2, 5, New International Version).

In his observations on the church’s mission in the world today, Keller emphasized the call for churchgoers to make disciples who will then change the world: preach the Word, strive for justice, and love their neighbors.

All believers should be “one in heart and mind,” he said, with “no needy persons among them” (Acts 4:32, 34, NIV). Most important, the dynamic of “gospel grace,” he concluded, will change people’s attitude toward themselves, including the “bankrupt in spirit.” As they allow the gospel to penetrate deep into their hearts, they will drop their self-counseling and find their true identity in the grace of an all-loving God.

As heartfelt applause filled the auditorium, a seminary student from Rotenburg in Germany leaned toward me, his eyes gleaming: “Fantastisch!” Later he said that he had never heard the gospel message so clearly explained or been so helpfully guided to engage with others in a way that might lead them to find their own spiritual identity and take up “handfuls of refreshment and hope.”

I think Tim Keller (and Vision New England) would have been pleased with that comment!