It has been a longer period of time since I've last written than I intended. I could say that this is because I have been so busy lately. I've been going to CIY and county fairs and Portland. The truth, however, is that I have also spent large chunks of time rewatching episodes of Arrested Development. Which certainly isn't a bad thing.
In my last post, I began writing about the topic of church unity as found in Ephesians 4:1-16. I considered why a united church is of such importance. To some people, this may be starting to far along. Maybe we should first ask why the church itself is of any significance. The typical perception of the church is different today than it ever has been before in that its status is disregarded, even by many Christians. Many people would say, "Sure, Jesus is really important, and the Bible and prayer are helpful, but the church is an accessory, and an unsightly one at that."
There are a number of reasons why it is so popular to dismiss the church. We're Americans, after all. We're the ones who kicked out the redcoats, guaranteed personal rights, and allowed customers to customize their Whoppers. Individualism and independence are our chief values. We don't need other people to help us be close to God any more than we need others to change our diapers. We can figure it out ourselves. Plus, God is only concerned about having a personal relationship with people, right? We're taught to ask Jesus into our hearts, not our communities. And besides, if I feel like I need to go to church, I can just grab my iPod and listen to a sermon and some worship songs. I'll even go to the grocery store and get my own crackers and grape juice. No sense in getting up early on a Sunday for church. Who needs it?
The New Testament takes a different stance on the church, however. In Ephesians 4:12-14, Paul speaks of the church being built up "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming."
One reason that the church is so central to our spiritual growth is that it helps us become mature. Without the church, we tend to remain baby Christians. Paul doesn't speak of "you" becoming mature. He speaks of "we all" getting there together. We need each other, largely because no single Christian is completely equipped with what it takes to become mature. In my last post, I talked a little bit about how we have different gifts and that unity means that, even though we are different, we bring what we have to the table and work together. I think that we have different gifts because it means we need one another. For example, I'm pretty indecisive and apathetic. I need a leader. I'm bent toward pessimism and self-doubt. I need an encourager. Sometimes I think and behave wrongly. I need someone to correct me. Different people are given different gifts so that the church can be built up. If I distance myself from the church, I am throwing away how God has gifted others and am arrogantly thinking that I have what it takes in myself to live a fruitful life in Christ.
Another reason that the church is so important is that it protects its members from attack. A Christian who is distanced from the church is vulnerable to attack from Satan and to "the cunning and craftiness of men." When lions hunt African buffalo, they do not target the ones that are in the middle of the herd. They attack the ones who are separated from the herd. It's the same way with the church. Christians who are trying to fly solo are much more susceptible to be pulled away from Christ than those who are planted in the church. As cliche as it may sound, there really is power in numbers.
The tendency today is to ignore, discount, or even ridicule the church. But I hope you immerse yourself into and invest in the church, and I hope that you love the church. Because I think Jesus loves it too.
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