The Christ-like Church

It is very easy to lambast the protestant church in North America. It has many faults and quite often gets things wrong. This then provides ample fodder for our disdain and ridicule. We are so good at separating and fracturing; we run rather than confront the issues that cause the division. I know some divisions are necessary but I wonder how many of divisions could have been prevented had the people involved simply chose to work through their problems.

One of the central messages of Paul's ministry was the unity of the body of Christ. He was constantly trying to drive that point home with all the churches he ministered too. In Ephesians 4:1-6 he writes, "I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." Paul had good reason to expect this of them; there were many conflicting religions and cults and cultural practices that vied for his congregants attentions and loyalties. This was not merely to differentiate Christianity from Emperor worship or any number of pagan religions; this was to foster an attitude and life style that mimicked the Savior they were supposed to be following. Are Paul's reasons and motivations so different from what ours should be now?

Not only do we have to contend with different religions and cults but we also have to deal with rampant consumerism, instant gratification and a culture that screams "ME AND MINE!!". We live in a fast food world. If our internet doesn't load instantly we become angry. If our current romantic partner isn't making us happy or satisfying our needs we find another. This and many other examples are certainly true of the unbelieving world but it is also true of much of the Christian church in the 21st Century.

We take this consumer mentality with us as we choose a church. If this church isn't serving our needs we move on to the next one and so on down the line to the 45 other protestant variations within a given city. I understand that some churches just aren't doing things right (whatever that may look like) but there comes a time where we have to make the decision to stick to one place and try to be help the church instead of moving on to the next one. Please hear me when I say I am not condemning anyone who church hops, I am just as guilty as the next person. We all have our reasons for moving on and to a certain degree it is good to feel comfortable in a church. I'm not saying we need to just settle and be happy with a church that is clearly dying. I'm saying we need to be attentive to the voice of God when we join a particular church body.

What I am getting at is that there should be no simple passive receptiveness in Church. We should not simply relegate our lives to becoming sheep who follow the pattern of showing up at church because it is expected of us and we might not look like a Christian if we don't make an appearance. I believe that every Christian has a part to play in the church, each according to the gifts they have been given by God. Just as it says in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4:11-16. Now it is true that not everyone will know their calling or have the courage to embrace their calling. This is nothing to be ashamed of if that person is willing to be used by Christ, puts forth the effort, and allows other believers to come around them and support and teach them. Everyone is at a different place in their life, some will require more instruction and encouragement than others. But in all things we must approach as Christ would.

I believe it is imperative that we engage and serve as Christ did. It should really be no surprise that the unbelieving world largely finds Christianity to be irrelevant, outdated and bigoted when those who have the loudest voices are those who do not present the true Christ to the world. They present some abhorrent facsimile based on who they have created Christ to be or they have presented "Christianity" as they have created it and not how Christ intended it. Though we, the silent majority, are not blameless. We almost proudly wear our disunity on our sleeves. We speak with pride about our denomination and look down our noses and bite our thumbs and "those other people" who do not agree with us. I know not all churches are guilty of this but often we set up "outreach events" solely for the purpose of drawing unbelievers in and trapping them so have to listen to the gospel message. How is this Christ-like? When did Jesus draw people in under false pretenses and then slam his message down their throats? No one wants that, I know I certainly don't.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is Love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)
People can identify pretense and falseness. Even if the pretense is well intentioned it is unwelcome because it is not made with genuine interest in who the person is. We cannot present people to the God who loves unconditionally and holds no pretense but genuinely loves all and wants the best for them if we ourselves do not exhibit these attributes and behaviors. In addition to this when we ourselves are in discord and disarray we are ineffective as servants of Christ because we are too focused on fixing our internal struggles and strife.

This seems like a tall order, after all, we are but human ourselves and are prone to error just like anyone else. This is true; therefore the issue is not so much that we have problems but how we go about fixing them. If we argue and disagree over matters of theology, let us do so in love and with an open mind. We might learn something that could enhance our faith and draw us into a new dimension in our relationship with God. If we squabble about mundane and (in my opinion) irrelevant things such as seats or pews, juice or wine, power point or no power point, instruments or no instruments and so on, let us do so with love for the other person. Its just common decency to allow people to have their opinions and to vocalize them and respectfully disagree if you do not agree. There is no need to become hostile and divisive over such trivial things. Above all I believe it paramount that we remember why we are Christians. Why did we make that decision to follow the Christ? For what reason did we come to the conclusion that the God of the universe was the one for us?

I believe that these questions are crucial for all Christians to answer. I'm not one for fear-mongering, but I believe a time is coming where the freedom of religion we enjoy in western culture will be taken away. I don't have proof or solid evidence of this but if we observe the religious climate in western culture, it is certainly not moving in a favorable direction. And as such, how will we as the body and representatives of Christ respond to such a threat? How will we: this divisive, often hostile, confrontation avoiding, fallen people stand together? Should such a time come, will all these petty differences matter? Does it really matter whether one person uses the King James Version and another does not? Should we not focus our energies on the words that are written within and applying them to our lives? Should we not choose to love one another as Christ loved us?

I think of the story of the woman caught in adultery, how did Jesus respond to her? The religious leaders were condemning her, shaming her, made her feel lower than dirt. She no doubt felt the gravity of her sins. I can imagine that at that moment, surrounded by hate and rejection, she wanted nothing more than get away from the crowd and hide her shame and would have then remained unloved and rejected. I can imagine Jesus' actions would have been terribly confusing and bewildering to her. She had probably heard of him or at least had knowledge of some great new teacher who was traveling around and speaking to the masses and now, she was before him. And he was saying nothing; merely doodling in the dirt. The religious leaders hounded him for a response and he calmly states that if any of them were sinless they could throw the first stone. It must have been quite shocking when slowly the jeers and condemnations stopped and the crowd of religious leaders started to thin until it was just she and him. Then Jesus straightens himself out and asked her where her accusers were. She replied and he in turn replied as only he could have, "Then neither do I condemn you, Go now and leave your life of sin." (John 8:1-11) 

If we look at Christ's ministry; it was not his mission to debate Jewish theology and cultural practices or the Torah. He seemed to get exasperated with his disciples when they repeatedly failed to understand the meaning of his message. Christ came to present himself as the means of restoring humanity's relationship with God. If we call ourselves Christians or Christ followers how can our attitude or purpose be any different? Christ restored our relationship with God and presented us blameless before him. It is then our charge to bring those who yet do not believe to the feet of Christ so they can experience this restoration and blamelessness.

As I stated at the beginning, it is very easy to bring indictments against the body of Christ, to point out all its faults and short comings. But pointing out the faults doesn't bring about change, it merely illuminates the problem. We humans are great complainers, we whine and bellyache about this and that but very often are unwilling to bring about the necessary change. So instead of merely commiserating over the lack-luster image we are presenting why don't we pluck up some courage and take hold of the strength God provides and do something about our problems. Lets stop dividing every time there is an issue and instead, talk about it. Include the whole body; yes there is leadership for a reason but the whole body is affected by the decisions that are made. Lets empower the laypeople to take a more active roll in the church. Lets educate those new to the faith in the Bible. Knowledge of the bible is so lacking these days; so many swords are dull and few know how to use them. I know I benefited from the Awana program that made bible memorization a priority and provided incentives to those who memorized the most. This is not to say that he or she who knows the most scripture is the best but more to the point that he or she who knows the most scripture is best prepared. The only caveat there is that knowing the most doesn't equate to proper usage. Therefore along with scripture instruction should be proper interpretation and application.

I know a lot of what I have said comes from an idealist perspective and most of it is easier said than done. I know a lot of churches are trying to do this to the best of their abilities. I know that generations of churches, being the way they have been, have left a certain lethargy and apathy which makes change quite often unwelcomed or unwanted by the people who need it most. The work is not easy and will require a lot of sacrifice. I speak from the perspective of one who, at least at the time of this writing, is not called to church leadership in the pastoral sense. I do, however, feel called to the betterment and edification of the body of Christ. As a servant of Christ and a member of family of Christian believers I am responsible for not only my own relationship with Christ and with those around me but also for providing the means for others to develop healthy relationships within the church and with Christ.

I have great respect for the pastors and elders who are trying to bring people out of the stupor and lethargy to create a body that cares for each other, their community and has a heart for the world. They need support as well. I have seen and read that ministry can be a lonely time and quite often devoid of the kind of support that the pastors truly need. If we as the laity are depending on pastors to live out their calling to bring us the word and to lead us as the body of Christ then it is our task to support them and show them the love of Christ and to shower them in prayer and encouragement.

It is my belief that to truly have an impact on this world, we the body of Christ must be united by and in his love. We must encourage and pray for our leaders and one another. We must foster an atmosphere of love, compassion, grace, equality and justice. We must be reasonable, wise and intelligent in the decisions we make. We must be authentic in our approach. But most importantly we must be keep Christ at the center of everything we say and do.