RiverLife 2034: Experience GOD Together
What will RiverLife look like in ten years? When today’s third graders will be graduating high school? Join us as we share our vision for our church's future in serving next-gen Hmong and beyond.
INTRO
Your beliefs drive your actions. That’s a truth about human nature. In fact, on Tuesday, this truth will be demonstrated en mass.
There’s a group of Americans who believe that our country is being overrun by bad immigrants threatening our way of life. They are going to vote one way.
And there’s another group of Americans who believe that body autonomy and reproductive rights are under attack. They will vote another way.
Your beliefs drive your actions. Don’t believe me? Have you ever been upset with your spouse or your parents over something? And then the next time you see them, you’re short-tempered, dismissive, or even a little mean. Your beliefs about them drove your actions toward them.
It’s true in relationships, and it’s true in religion. That’s why what you believe about God is so important. And that’s why we’ve included it in our new mission statement.
Series Overview
We’re back to our series, RiverLife 2034, examining what RiverLife needs to be and do over the next 10 years to remain thriving and spiritually effective with the third- and fourth-generation Hmong.
A couple of weeks ago, we introduced a new mission statement to carry us into the future: We are a next-gen Hmong church experiencing God together.
The first part says we are a next-gen Hmong church. That means we will always look ahead to our kids and youth and how best to understand them, create space for them, and nurture faith in them.
The second half of the mission lists our three core components: We are… experiencing… God… together. This represents a holistic faith that is, at the same time, experiential, theological, and communal.
Two weeks ago, Pastor Kong taught us the importance of the experiential side of faith. Most of us live off second-hand faith—a singer’s worship music, a preacher’s sermons, your spouse’s faith, or your family’s heritage. Those are lesser, second-hand experiences that rarely result in life change. But when you experience God first-hand, it changes you. That’s why spiritual experiences matter.
This week’s topic: Theology
This week, I want to talk about the next word – God. We are a church experiencing GOD together. This represents the theological side of faith.
The word “theology” can elicit a variety of reactions. But generally, people either dismiss it as unimportant or overemphasize it to the point of imbalance.
Unimportant – You might feel like theology is overly academic, complicated, or irrelevant to daily life. Leave it to the pastors and academics; all you need is faith in Jesus and good coffee.
Unfortunately, this often leads to a shallow or unstable faith. Without a foundation of sound doctrine, it can leave you vulnerable to misunderstanding God, misinterpreting Scripture, and even falling for false teachings or practices.
Overemphasize – On the other hand, some Christians place an excessive emphasis on theology, viewing it as the most important way of faith. Sermons can become saturated with big words and complex ideas. This orientation can lead to pride or a judgmental spirit. It can also turn the gospel into an intellectual exercise rather than a lived experience.
Where are you on this spectrum—from “theology’s not very important” to “it’s the most important part of faith?
More importantly, how do we have a balanced view of theology, seeing it more as a tool than a goal? How can we lean into theology to clarify our understanding of God, filter our experiences of Him, strengthen our faith, and guide us in loving others well?
Bible: Pastoral Epistles
The answer can be found in Paul’s pastoral epistles. These are the books of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, which Paul wrote to his younger apprentices to instruct them on pastoring churches. That’s why they’re called pastoral epistles.
A major theme in these books is the importance of sound doctrine or instruction, which is the same word in Greek. It occurs 15 times in 13 chapters.
Today, we’ll look at two passages from 1 Timothy that balance the issue of underemphasizing or overemphasizing theology. They act as a checks-and-balances to each side. Some of you need to hear one of them; some of you need to hear the other.
1 Timothy 1:3–11 ~ Remedy for Dismissing Theology
Let’s start with the remedy for those of you who tend to dismiss or undervalue theology.
It’s found in 1 Timothy 1:3–11, where Paul argues: Your beliefs drive your actions. When it comes to God, right theology leads to godly living, while wrong theology leads to sinful living.
Let’s read the passage.
3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith.
5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
8 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9 We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
This passage contrasts the real-life results of false doctrine (v3) vs. sound doctrine (v10). In your bulletin. the bad stuff is in red, and the good stuff is in green.
Paul identifies two areas where false teaching, or bad theology, directly influences behaviors:
Confusion and falsehoods – He mentions things like myths, genealogies, and meaningless talk. The modern equivalence would be Christians obsessed with conspiracy theories, climate denials, anti-vax, secret societies, and end-times predictions.
Moral compromise – Paul also goes through a long list of sinful behaviors, including rebellion against God, violence, sexual immorality, dishonesty, and more.
Paul argues that when you’re not grounded in God’s truth, we are led astray into confusion and moral drift.
In contrast, he makes two profound statements (in green):
v5 – “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
v11 – “[Sound doctrine] conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God.”
Why does good theology matter?
It keeps you rooted in God’s truth
It guards you against confusion and moral compromise.
It directs you toward love, purity, and sincerity.
So, if you tend to undervalue or dismiss theology, you need to remember that your beliefs drive your actions. Sound doctrine leads to an accurate view of God, which in turn, leads to godly character. Meanwhile, weak theology leads to a shallow or even wrong view of God, which leaves you open to sin, deception, and lies.
1 Timothy 3:14-16 ~ Remedy for Overemphasizing Theology
Now, let’s look a couple of chapters later for a remedy for those of you who tend to overemphasize theology, even to the point of imbalance. You love the big words, oversized systematic theology textbooks, and profound, complex sermons.
Let’s read 1 Timothy 3:14-16.
14 Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, 15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
16 Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
These few verses provide three safeguards against turning theology into an individual and intellectual exercise and the pinnacle of faith.
1. Theology is meant to guide behavior within the church, not just accumulate knowledge.
Verse 15 says that everything Paul writes is aimed at guiding
“how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household.”
Theology serves as a foundation, not for intellectual pride or knowledge but for godly conduct within the church community. Theology, used properly, should strengthen relationships, promote unity, and serve the community rather than create division or hierarchy based on knowledge.
2. Jesus is ultimately a mystery beyond our full understanding.
The problem with an intellectual, systematic approach to theology is the implicit belief that everything can be explained, ordered, and categorized. But this passage recognizes that Jesus Christ is a profound mystery. By describing Jesus this way, Paul invites us to approach theology with reverence, humility, worship, and awe.
3. The core of our faith is simple and centered on Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and exaltation.
Verse 16 is incredible:
16 Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
This reminds us that the core of all theology is quite simple—the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If this phrasing sounds familiar, it is. It’s one of the earliest forms of a creed, just like the Apostle’s Creed or Nicene Creed that we read in our spiritual exercises.
By centering on the simple, Christ-focused truths, we prevent theology from becoming unnecessarily complicated or divisive, keeping our focus on what is essential for faith and godliness. This simplicity not only safeguards us from theological overemphasis but also reminds us that the gospel’s power is found in its clarity and accessibility to all who believe.
Closing
As we close, let’s remember that theology is not just about knowledge or debate; it's about living our faith with purpose, clarity, and love. It grounds us in the truth about God, ourselves, and reality, guiding us to honor Him and love our community.
Finding balance is essential. If you tend to dismiss theology, invest time in reading Scripture to deepen your understanding of God. Shallow theology leads to a shallow faith, but deep theology protects us from confusion and guides us into godly living.
On the other hand, if you focus too much on theology, remember that its true purpose is transformation. Embrace the mystery of Christ; not everything needs to be neatly explained.
Together, let’s see theology as a tool. Our knowledge of God should fuel our love for Him and others, leading to our transformation.
This is reflected in our new mission statement: We are a next-generation Hmong church experiencing God together—experiential, theological, and communal.
Experiencing God without sound theology can lead to a shallow faith, while sound theology without experience results in lifeless knowledge. Which area do you need to develop—experiential or theological—to carry RiverLife into the next decade?
