What's the emergency flight plan?

 I recently was a passenger on several jet airplanes. Although I didn't see the cockpit, I know that there is a flight crew and a host of controls and indicators and gauges and sensors, all of which are necessary to control this complex machine and to ensure that it safely lands at its destination. The pilots and crew train constantly, and the manufacturer and the airlines communicate often about incidents and ways to better train so that other crews are prepared in advance in case something happens. 

But a pilot doesn't begin learning to fly by sitting in the captain's seat of a huge jet aircraft, but by taking the student seat of a much smaller plane. He has to learn the basics of flying, of the principles that keep the plane in the air, of takeoffs and landings, of communicating with the control tower, of making a flight plan and keeping to it. He learns on a simpler aircraft, with a smaller set of controls and indicators, and only later once he has flown solo and has earned his pilot's license, does he get a chance to apply for a job at an airline. Even then, he undergoes rigorous training and must climb the ladder from smaller planes and inferior rank to larger planes and higher rank. Only when he has had many years of service is he entrusted with the biggest and most complex of aircraft, the longest or the most challenging of routes, the greatest of responsibilities. 

Every now and then, a pilot encounters a crisis in flight. In these situations, the pilot (and crew) have to remember their training. They have to go back to the source. The basics of flying never change, even when one is in a crisis. You may remember Commander Scully, whose engines were damaged by by birds. He knew he couldn't return to the airport, so he flew a series of turns over New York City until he had aligned with the Hudson River, and having shed air speed, gracefully landed the jet aircraft on the surface of the river. Everyone evacuated, there were no major injuries, and he became a hero. 

Because, in the face of danger, he didn't panic, but went back to the source of his flying skills. He didn't have any training for this situation, but he had training in the fundamentals of flying that he was able to recall and apply to the new situation. 

Much of the "church" today is in some crisis or another. For some, it's abuse of minors. For others, it's financial mismanagement or even theft. And in many denominations, there's a growing crisis of even knowing what the "faith" actually is, as they abandon the Bible and argue that "a loving God will love every behavior." 

Frankly, I think a large part of the problem is that the "church" has forgotten to study the "flight manuals". It's forgotten the fundamentals of the work of the church and the life of the believer. It's adopted many things that weren't part of the original design descriptions. It's added things that may seem to be good and useful, but are deviations from the core duties and functions of the church.

The core functions are to "seek and save the lost," and to encourage believers in their daily lives, and to equip and train and instruct them in matters of the Christian faith, and to provide a community and assembly in which we can jointly worship God. More could be said about this, and perhaps I will in a later essay. For now, this seems to be adequate. Activities and doctrines that are not part of this core, may not be things that belong to the Christian church. They may be distractions that interfere with "just flying the plane," as it were. 

Some points to ponder, as we look at the instruction manual for guidance upon what is important to the church's mission and activities: 

• "The plain things are the main things, and the main things are the plain things." (Alistair Begg)
• "Where God is specific, we must be meticulous." (Ken Fatula)

The best way to uncover what the Church (and the believer within the church) is supposed to be doing, is to read the New Testament carefully and thoroughly. Get to know it, so you can tell if a false teacher is taking something out of context! For there will be false teachers; some motivated by pride of name and recognition, and others seeking wealth, and others intent on destroying what belongs to God and replacing it with something else. Some of these are fools, misled themselves, and others are deliberate in their deceit. If one studies the Scriptures, similar to the people in Berea did, you can test anyone's teachings and see if it's consistent with the Word of God.

The fundamentals of the faith, and the nature and organization and function of the church, are themselves clear and simple, if one studies the Word. The New Testament isn't a book of rules, but from the text we can see the instructions, corrections, reproofs, and examples about the church. We can learn these things if we open our minds to a close study. Of course, the doctrine goes deeper than just the "practices" of the faith; the means of salvation is pretty straightforward, but the various aspects of salvation go deep into spiritual law and philosophy! We don't need to understand all the deeper meanings and implications, but if we do study them, we'll better glorify God that His plan is so precise and powerful! God is a loving God and makes salvation available to all, but He requires a life of obedience, beginning with our proof of obedient faith. 

There's more that can (and should) be said, but the important thing to consider is, "Have you read the manual!?" 

Feel free to leave a comment. (Comments are moderated.) You can find me on Facebook, and several other places online. I'll be happy to hear your thoughts!