5 Questions with John Armstrong

Welcome to 5 Questions With.....

Today's guest is John Armstrong. John is president of ACT 3 and his online commentaries regularly appear there. Act 3 is located in Carol Stream, Illinois. John also served as a pastor for more than twenty years. He is an adjunct professor of evangelism at Wheaton College Graduate School. He holds degrees from Wheaton College, Wheaton Graduate School, and Luther Rice Seminary. He is the author or editor of a number of books including The Catholic Mystery, Five Great Evangelists, Understanding Four Views on the Lord’s Supper, and Understanding Four Views on Baptism

And now without further delay, on to the questions:

Hi John,

Question 1: What one word would describe your current relationship with God?

Resting.

Question 2: Your new book, Your Church is to Small, is about unity. In a nutshell, can you describe the Biblical case for unity?

Unity is rooted in the Trinity and vitally connected to our corporate redemption in Christ. John 17 clearly reveals that just as the Father and the Son related to one another in his incarnational relationship as a man to his Father so we are to relate to each other relationally in order for the world to see that the Father really did send the Son.

Question 3: Why do you think we, the church overall, get unity so wrong today?

We believe being right is more important than loving our brothers and sisters. We see wide scale unity unless we first see it one-to-one in relationships that transcend our comfort zones. Unity in the same comfort zone is not unity, just agreement.

Question 4: How do you respond to those who say we can't be unified with denominations that embrace things that go against God's Word, like homosexuality for example?

I remind them that the list of things we must work on is a mile long but the one thing we cannot escape is Jesus’ clear teaching in John 13-17. While I do disagree with ordaining practicing homosexual ministers I do not believe this constitutes the one reason I can walk away from a brother or sister who confesses faith in a biblical and proper way. I am not the judge of who is or is not a real Christian so I am compelled to practice love toward all while in a local church I would also practice discipline in a responsible way.

Question 5: Is unity possible today? What does it look like?

Yes, it looks like what happens when various churches in a city begin to pray, interact, serve and do Christ’s mission as one for the kingdom, not for their own growth in numbers or dollars. It is too rare but it is happening and a new generation hungers to see it expressed. I give examples of how it happens in the book.

Thanks you so much John.

There you have it. I would encourage you to check out the Your Church Is To Small website for more additional resources.

Make sure you pick up a copy of John's book, Your Church Is To Small, right away.

To see past 5 Question guests, check out the rotating interview links on the sidebar.