Critical Mass
Devotions for Growing Christians
Critical Mass
I Kings 18:30 - Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me." So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord which had been torn down."
Luke 2:49 - And He said to them, "Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's house?"
John 2:16 - And to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a house of merchandise."
The term "critical mass" is not a theological term. It comes from the field of nuclear physics. Critical mass is the amount of radioactive material necessary to sustain a chain reaction. If critical mass is attained without control, the result is an explosive and destructive nuclear reaction. Until the point of critical mass is reached, the situation could be said to be "more or less critical," but not critical enough for self-destruction. God has designed the laws of nuclear physics this way.
What does all this information have to do with the Christian faith? Like many things in the natural world, radioactivity and critical mass can be used as an illustration of spiritual realities. Radioactivity is a departure from the normal state. Radioactive atoms or isotopes are unstable. With this in mind, let's liken radioactivity to a less-than-biblically-ideal state of affairs in a local church. Yes, there are less-than-perfect churches out there! In fact, can we say that any church is 100% biblically ideal? There always seems to be at least one "radioactive" situation that messes up the "perfect” church!
In His unbelievable grace, God can and does work in and through far-from-perfect situations and less-than-perfect churches, but a less-than-perfect state is certainly not the same as an explosive state of critical mass. Radioactive situations and people can be controlled by correction and discipline - or even tolerated, to a certain point. However, uncontrolled "radioactivity” of heretical doctrine and practice can build up to critical mass, and an explosive situation will follow.
Historical Critical Mass
The Reformation was a time of critical mass for the universal church. Critical mass was reached over an all-important doctrine that is absolutely vital - the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Tolerance was out of the question. This was not a matter on which Christians could "agree to disagree," and continue to have Christian fellowship. There is no Christian fellowship when justification by faith alone is denied! God permitted a state of critical mass to be reached, and drastic and explosive change took place.
The Reformation was an example of critical mass for the universal Body of Christ. What about local churches? Can "radioactive" doctrine or practice reach a point where a church self-destructs and is no longer a New Testament church - even if it continues to exist physically? Yes! God has designed it this way. When this state of critical mass is reached, the status quo cannot continue. "Explosive" change will take place.
When the apostle Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia, a serious doctrinal problem existed. As a requirement for salvation, the "works" of Judaism were being added to the pure and simple gospel of the grace of Jesus Christ. False doctrine in such a vital area could not be tolerated.
This unbiblical teaching was leading to a state of critical mass in the churches of Galatia. In the strongest terms possible, the apostle Paul wrote, "If any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:8). In other words, if the Galatian believers were to abandon the foundational truth on which the Church stands or falls, they would self-destruct as biblical fellowships!
Near the end of the 1st century, the Lord told the church at Ephesus that it would be removed if the believers did not correct a serious condition (Revelation 2:5). The church did not heed the warning, the situation was not controlled, and critical mass was attained. The church of Ephesus was removed. It no longer exists.
Less than Ideal Churches
Well, what about a church that is not perfect or biblically ideal, but has not deviated from Scripture in vital doctrinal areas? What if it hasn't reached the state of critical mass? If you fellowship in a church like that, what should you do? Suppose, for example, the teaching at your church is right on regarding the crucial doctrines of the Person and work of Christ, justification by faith alone, and the inspiration and infallibility of the Bible as the Word of God. From your perspective, however, your church is off-track on the practice of the priesthood of all believers, or details of celebrating the Lord's Supper, or baptism, or the Lord’s return.
Or perhaps you feel that within your church there are certain forms of "idolatry" - maybe even situations that you consider immoral - and you feel your church leaders are not dealing with these problem areas as you think they should. What should you do? Should you publicly denounce your less-than-perfect church and its leaders, and switch to a church which more closely meets your perspective of the biblical ideal? Should you stay and violently "rock the boat" until the other believers either "see it your way," or you sink the ship? Should you hope that the Lord will allow critical mass to be attained and self-destruction takes place (and then you can say, "I told you so")?
Or - should you stay with your less-than-perfect church and continue to worship and fellowship with those who don't always agree with you because they are fellow-believers and fellow-members of the Body of Christ? Should you continue, to the best of your ability, to serve the Lord and “build up the body" in this church - even though you must tolerate some things that, from your viewpoint, are biblically less-than-perfect?
The second position is probably the most scriptural position. In fact, the scriptural position is that followers of Christ should never tear down a local church before critical mass is reached! Remember, patience and long-suffering in a less-than-perfect situation is not synonymous with agreement - nor is it maintaining total silence. But there is a tremendous difference between speaking out with constructive criticism, and tearing down!
Example of Christ
Let's consider the example our Lord Jesus set during His earthly ministry. What was His attitude towards His place of worship - the Temple in Jerusalem? Jesus regularly attended the Jewish Temple - even though it had been rebuilt and enlarged by a pagan ruler, Herod the Great - mainly for political reasons. We know that the doctrines and practices associated with the Temple in our Lord's day were very far from ideal - and yet our Lord worshiped there! In fact, the Lord even called this Temple "My Father's house"! (See Luke 2:49 and John 2:16.)
Many of the ultra-conservative Jews would have nothing to do with Herod's Temple and the largely corrupt priesthood. They pulled out. Many of them lived and worshiped in wilderness communities such as Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. But not our Lord! He continued to worship at the far-from-ideal Temple, even though He knew that critical mass would come in 70AD. He worshiped there, even though He knew that His work on the cross would forever change the old way of approaching God!
But in the meantime, in accordance with the Law, the Lord Jesus attended the Temple at the appointed times. He did speak out to correct what was unbiblical and unideal at Herod's temple. He taught the people, He reasoned with the Jewish leaders, and He dealt with the corruption of the money-changers. Did He rock the boat? He certainly spoke out against the major evils - but He never attempted to tear down His place of worship. He never attempted to sink the ship! Think of what the Lord could have said and done and exposed about individuals, if His goal had been to really clean house! Instead, on occasion after occasion, He demonstrated patience and long-suffering.
In addition, our Lord never disrupted the true worship of God that was taking place at this far-from-perfect place of worship. Consider, for example, hoe the Lord's commended the poor widow who put her two mites into the Temple treasury. (See Mark 12:41-44.) He praised her act of worship! He didn't call her over to reprimand her for supporting the corrupt and theologically unsound Temple system. (Statistically speaking, a portion of those two copper coins went into the 30 pieces of silver from the Temple treasury - the blood money for betraying the Messiah!)
Furthermore, the Lord Jesus did not "correct" this woman's act of worship by advising her to redirect her giving, and join His cause. And the Lord did not even make negative statements to His disciples such as, "If only she knew better" or, "How sad to see such devotion in this corrupt setting"! On the contrary, the Lord commented on the beauty of the woman's dedication to God in a far-from-ideal setting. He showed an unusual degree of tolerance for participation in a Temple system that was biblically unideal.
God's Word to Elijah
As a further example, consider God's directives to the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 17-18). The kingdom of Israel had seriously departed from the Lord. About 100 years before Elijah's time, the first king of the northern kingdom, Jeroboam I, had set up his own system of worship - including two golden calf shrines at the cities of Dan and Bethel! Just as Jeroboam had hoped and planned, many people of the northern kingdom stopped going to Jerusalem for the required Temple worship and functions, and became involved in all kinds of idolatrous worship. At his showdown with the pagan prophets of Baal, Elijah repaired "the altar of the Lord" in order to present his sacrifice. Why was an altar of the Lord established on Mount Carmel? Apparently, when King Jeroboam discouraged travel across the border to the Temple in Jerusalem, this altar had been erected on Mount Carmel for the worship of the Lord.
An altar on Mount Carmel, of course, was unbiblical! Once the Temple was built, all sacrifices were to take place at the central sanctuary in Jerusalem. There were to be no other altars throughout the entire land of Israel. (See Deuteronomy 12:1-14.) But in His grace, God approved the reconstruction of this biblically unideal altar, and demonstrated His approval by sending fire from Heaven to consume the sacrifice. And notice - the fire consumed the sacrifice - and the altar as well! That may be an indication that this altar on Mount Camel was a departure from the divine ideal. However, because of the idolatrous conditions in the northern kingdom of Israel, God not only tolerated this unorthodox altar - He told Elijah to repair it! Elijah prayed, "I have done all these things at Thy word" (1 Kings 18:36).
Difficult Decisions
When pagan worship was introduced into the northern kingdom of Israel, many godly Jews quietly migrated south to live in the southern kingdom of Judah. They wanted to be free to worship God at the Temple in Jerusalem as God commanded. Likewise, it is not wrong for you, as a growing Christian, to quietly leave your present less-than-perfect church if you find a church fellowship that you believe is more biblically ideal and is "right for you." It is far better for you to attend a local church where you will grow in Christ, find joyful fellowship with other believers, and be able to help build up the body, rather than stay in your current church and tear down what you believe are unorthodox “altars to the Lord.”
In these biblical cases, there are obvious lessons for Christians who find themselves in less-than-ideal churches, but decide to stay. Sometimes conditions may be so biblically un-ideal that helping a church to take any step in the right direction is approved by God (although, like Elijah's altar, even that step may be less than ideal)! And many situations cannot be corrected overnight. The church may yet implode, like the corrupt priesthood and Herod's Temple in our Lord's day.
God's message to the Christians in the unideal church at Sardis was not, “Start a new church!” Rather God said to, "Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain." (Revelation 3:2). And His message to the very unideal church at Thyatira was not, "Leave!" but, "Hold fast to what you have until I come." Because some biblically unideal teachings and practices are less vital than other biblically unideal doctrine and practices, a position of tolerance may be divinely allowed or permitted (although not desired or condoned) before critical mass conditions are reached.
How long a Christian should hold a position of tolerance in an unideal church situation is not easy to determine. Certainly a growing Christian should not hang around and try to patch up a "radioactive" condition if a "critical mass" of heresy and unfaithfulness is near, and the situation is about to self-destruct. Placing a bandaid on a severed artery won’t stop the loss of blood and eventual death. It’s possible for "Christians" to keep a church going after critical mass has been reached, but such a "church" is no longer a living organism. It’st a lifeless unbiblical organization - sometimes actively promoting heresy.
Biblical determination of what is vital doctrine and practice is not always straightforward. Let's be careful not "cry wolf" before the wolf of heresy has really arrived! Until a state of critical mass is reached, God's "rule of thumb" has always been love, patience and long-suffering - even when we feel things are not ideal! We can manifest the fruits of the indwelling Spirit of God in our less-than-ideal churches. Love, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) are all necessary for the “tolerance” position. As much as possible, in less-than-perfect churches and fellowships, let's try to follow God's position of patience and long-suffering, and allow Him to decide when critical mass has been attained.
- Dave Reid