Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - June /97

Contributor - Jim Moerman

Title - "A Song About His Vineyard"

Topic - Songs For The Bride

Author's Note: The following is the text of a special message I had the privilege of sharing with the delegates at this year's Regional Synod of Canada Annual General Meeting in Calgary. It's a challenging and somewhat uncomfortable message, but at the same time, it's a message I believe is from the Lord "for such a time as this" in the history of the Reformed Church in Canada. May God bless you as you ponder this critical word.

"I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard:

My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.

"Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?

Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it."

The vineyard of the LORD Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress. (Isaiah 5:1-7)

It is said that Jesus had this mournful song in mind when He wept over Jerusalem during His Triumphal Entry. That was a tragic scene. There He was, Jesus Christ the promised Messiah, at the conclusion of His earthly ministry, slowly approaching the Holy City on a little colt as children danced about with hosannas and palm branches. Coming over the crest of a hill, He caught a glimpse of Jerusalem shimmering gold and beautiful in the afternoon sun-and He burst out sobbing. The Greek conveys strong language-an eruption of emotion-a tortured lament from Someone who had preached and prayed, helped and healed, and done everything that could be done for the entire three years of His public ministry. Yet the City was as far away from God as ever.

He cried out, "If you, even you (Jerusalem), had only known on this day what would bring you peace, but now it is hidden from your eyes. (Don't you know what's coming?) The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground - you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you." (Luke 19)

And that's exactly what happened 41 years later.

A WEEPING SAVIOUR

So Jesus wept over a City. Of course, it was more than a city-it was the Holy City, God's Special City, the place He had chosen to dwell among His people.

Could Jesus Christ weep over a Regional Synod? He wouldn't do that - it's just an organization, right? But it's more than an organization-it's The Church, a living organism, The Body of Christ on earth, The Incarnational Presence of Christ in our Drayton's, our Calgary's, our British Columbia's ... our Canada!

Yes, He would weep. He does weep. He cries out, "If you, even you, churches of the Regional Synod of Canada had only known on this day what would bring you peace, but now it is hidden from your eyes. Don't you know what's coming? The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."

No, my friends, I'm not a prophet. But it doesn't take a prophet to see into future of the Regional Synod of Canada. A small man with a big calculator can determine that, within a decade or so, there will not necessarily be a Regional Synod of Canada-unless we choose to recognize some things that God is already revealing.

PLANTED ON A FERTILE HILLSIDE

God has done great things for the Reformed Church in Canada. We are His vineyard. He acknowledges us as His own, set apart for Himself. The soil we were planted in some 45 years ago was extraordinary, "a vineyard on a fertile hillside.' This is Canada, a nation whose population has tripled since 1950, a nation rated first in quality of life by the United Nations, a nation that has prospered many of our people who arrived here as have-nots, a nation that has seen our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren sprout up like vines around our table.

He has removed obstacles from our path. 'He dug the vineyard up and cleared it of stones" that nothing within might obstruct our fruitfulness.

And He planted His Vineyard with 'the choicest vines.' God gave us a tried, tested, and true faith-reformed according to the Word of God and reforming according to the Spirit. He nourished our relationship with Him, giving us His oath and covenant in baptism; His body and blood in communion; the blessings of preaching, prayer, and worship; in short, everything we'd need for life and godliness. Day and night He kept His Vineyard under His watchful eye.

THE YARD OWNER RETURNS

And today He comes-this Vineyard Owner, this Giver of Life to the Reformed Church in Canada. He comes to gather its fruit, hopefully, "a crop of good grapes." The air is heavy with expectation. It's the moment of truth.

Collecting fruit is a reasonable thing for Vineyard Owners to do. He expects 'vineyard-fruit" from those who enjoy "vineyard-privileges.' He expects the fruit of good hearts, good lives, and healthy churches, agreeable to the Spirit and acceptable to God. His expectations are neither high nor hard; rather, they are reasonable and altogether righteous.

In Israel, He looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded 'only bad fruit.' It's a categorical negative evaluation. Not even a mixture! Only bad!

And in the Reformed Church in Canada? He finds a mixture. He finds some good fruit: some devout saints, generous people, hard-working labourers. And yes, He finds some bad fruit too: churches that have steadily declined for 15 years straight-why.? Too many churches that have had bitter, unproductive relationships with their pastors, which have seriously damaged both congregation and pastor-why?

A NEGLIGENT YARD OWNER?

Has God been deficient or negligent in His care of His vineyard? "Tell Me' He says. "Tell Me what else I could've done! Judge between Me and My vineyard! I gave you My Son; I gave you My Word; I gave you My Spirit; I gave you My Law; I gave you a new land; I gave you prosperity; I gave you wisdom; I gave you ambition; I gave you opportunity; I gave you offspring; I gave strength to your hands; I gave you everything. What possible reason could you have for bringing forth bad fruit when I looked for good grapes?"

The fact of the matter is that God is not to blame. There is nothing additional He could've done. There is nothing additional He should've done for the Reformed Church in Canada. He did it all. He gave it all. He is vindicated. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

GOOD FRUIT OUR GOAL

Because these things are true, the Regional Synod of Canada has adopted the following Mission Statement for 1997-2000:

By the Grace of God: EVERY CHURCH A HEALTHY CHURCH:

Radiant in Christ, Reaching and Reproducing

Whatever else our Classis or Regional Synod rules of order may say, whatever else the Book of Church Order may say, it is every member's duty to increase the health of the local churches in the Regional Synod of Canada.

RADIANT IN CHRIST

That our congregations might be radiant in Christ." The Bible mentions the 'radiant' bride of Christ in this way: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.' (Ephesians 5).

Radiant Churches; that's why Christ gave Himself up! Radiant in their community presence as lighthouses, beacons, shining places! Radiant in their public worship services (meetings with God)! Radiant in their constituency! People with shiny faces who know freedom and joy in Christ Jesus. The biker underworld has a most appropriate nickname for Christians shiny faces." Does your church deserve the honor of this nickname?

How does a church become radiant"? Is there a program somewhere? Can our Classes help? How much will it cost? Wrong approach. The fact is that radiant churches are composed of people who abide in Christ in an intimate love relationship with Him. A radiant church is a collection of people who hear His voice, adjust their lives, and bear much fruit. The greater the number of people who follow that 'program" (relationship), the greater the churches' radiance will be!

REACHING AND REPRODUCING FOLLOW RADIANCE

Radiant churches almost automatically become reaching churches. Radiance always precedes reaching. Everyone knows people will gladly bring their non-Christian friend, relative, or neighhour to a radiant church, but they wouldn't dream of inviting them to a dismal one!

Reaching churches are involved in the harvest. You'll find special harvest weeks and harvest-weekends set aside for the purposes of bringing the lost and sin-sick soul. In large measure, that's the fruit the Vineyard Owner is coming to gather! To date in our history, we're baptizing less than one adult convert per church per year.

Reaching churches almost automatically become reproducing churches. By reproducing, we can talk about churches that multiply leaders, churches that multiply worship services (traditional and contemporary), churches that multiply small groups, and churches that multiply congregations.

HIDDEN THINGS THAT BRING US PEACE

"If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes.' The word 'peace" is loaded. Carrying over from the Old Testament, it is not simply about the absence of aggravation and opposition. It's about wholeness, right relationship with God and man, and soundness of body, soul, and spirit. A church 'at peace' is a whole, healthy, solid church.

But it's awfully hard to see things that are hidden from you unless God reveals them. Can you see the hidden things that bring health and fruit to the churches of the Regional Synod of Canada? This is what I see.

1. PRAYER

Hidden from our eyes is the church healing power of prayer. This is not window-dressing, 'tip-of-the-hat-to God' prayer, but bold, urgent, serious prayer, evidenced in the church by prayer rooms, prayer clocks, days of prayer and fasting, consistories who spend the first hour of their meeting in prayer, and so on. Window-dressing prayer will keep a bed-ridden church bed-ridden, but urgent prayer will raise it from its slumber.

2. ACTS 2

Hidden from our eyes is the church healing power of the Holy Spirit, which has little to do with becoming a church member but much to do with the life-changing power of Pentecost. It is imperative for congregations across the Reformed Church in Canada to learn how the second chapter of Acts fits into a Reformed worldview and then seek that vitality that the Holy Spirit of Jesus will bring.

3. A HUMBLE SPIRIT

Hidden from our eyes is the church-healing power of a broken, humble, and contrite spirit before God and man. Too often we insist on being 'right" over something or another, and we become a proud people. But there is tremendous church-healing power in the brokenness of freely and publicly admitting "I was wrong-, please forgive me' and 'I have sinned; please forgive me.' Individual and corporate pride will keep a bed-ridden church bed-ridden, but God freely gives grace to the humble.

4. WORSHIP

Hidden from our eyes is the church-healing power of worship, which has little to do with juggling the order of service but much to do with people who abide in Christ in a personal, love relationship and worship Him all week long. Worshipping God for one hour on Sunday morning will keep a bedridden church bed-ridden, but re-defining worship as experiencing God all week long will raise it from its slumber.

5.TRUTH

Hidden from our eyes is the church-healing power of Truth, which has nothing to do with making decisions based on political or ecumenical correctness, but everything to do with standing on a holy, revealed, inspired Word of God.

THE LAST WORD IS HIS

God's provision for us is incredibly generous-if we'll use what He's given, how can we fail? We need to hear and believe His words: 'What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it?' We have His Son! We have His Word of Truth! We have His Spirit of Power! We have His armour! We have His wonderful Law! We have His wisdom! Remember what Jesus said about life in the vineyard: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful ... Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned ... This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15)

The future is bright for congregations of disciples who have received the grace of radiance in Christ. If God is for us, who can be against us?

R-1 To wholeheartedly receive 'By His Grace ... Every Church A Healthy Church: Radiant, Reaching, Reproducing' as the Mission Statement of the Regional Synod of Canada for the years 1997-2000, as a three-year recovery phase toward spiritual health and vitality; and to that end we labour with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

MOVED, SECONDED, UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED

R-2 That each of our delegates and commissions would seek to wrestle earnestly with the implications of such a Mission Statement, inventing new ministries, deleting old ministries, and re-shaping current ministries to fit the contours of this singular vision, that we might all work together with a common cause.

MOVED, SECONDED, UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED

R-3 That each of our delegates and commissions would take this vision back to their Classes, committees, and congregations, casting it vigorously and well among their brothers and sisters.

MOVED, SECONDED, UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED

Please click the "Back" button of your browser to return to previous page.