 |
 |
Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins
The Church as it Should Be
There are so many ideas about what the church “should be” that it is easy to become confused about it. Some say the church should be at the forefront of fighting against poverty and hunger. Others believe it should be on the cutting edge of the battle against discrimination, or providing health care for the aged.
All of the above are noble efforts. Jesus was, and Christians should be, sensitive to them. Christians cared for each other, neighbors and friends (Galatians 6:10, Acts 2:45). Such qualities as “love...gentleness... goodness” describe a people who care for others even when they have problems of their own, Galatians 5:22.
Biblically, the church has the major responsibility of taking the gospel message to the lost, giving them the opportunity to enjoy the “hope of heaven,” Colossians 1:5. As important as it is to give assistance to those in need physically, there is a more compelling need to give sustenance to their soul, which endures far beyond the grave. Jesus came to “seek and save that which was lost,” Luke 19:10, and if Christians do not have a burning desire to follow in His steps in this work, then we should be ashamed to claim to be His disciples. He gave His life to redeem the lost.
So, when we discuss the “church as it should be,” what qualities should the church have? What traits will each congregation and individual have, and how will those traits bear on our neighbors and our brethren?
Love
I’m aware that some have become so obsessed with “love” that they deny the beauty and necessity of loyalty, duty and obedience. But that must not diminish the need for us to allow love to rule our spirits. The Bible word “love”, as applied to Christians, is agape in Greek. It is the word describing God’s “love” for us, John 3:16. It is the word that describes the attitude of a husband to his wife, Ephesians 5:25. That’s how Christians should relate to their “enemy” and their neighbor, Matthew 5:44. It describes Jesus’ feelings for His disciples as well as those who crucified Him, John 15:12, Luke 23:34.
What is that love? How is it manifested? What action is motivated by that love? W. E. Vine says, “Love can be known only from the actions it prompts. Christian love, whether exercised toward brethren or toward men generally, is not an impulse from feelings, it does not always run with natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom such affinity is discovered. Love seeks the welfare of all.”
When Christians possess this love, they are on the right course to being the church as “it should be.” Each Christian will be interested in the lost. Each Christian will seek the best interests of his/her friends, family, neighbors—and even enemies.
That is why the Holy Spirit revealed the words and principles of 1 Corinthians 13:13: “And now abide faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
How love motivates the church
This love is more than an emotion, more than a feeling. It is a motivating force to seek the best interests of its object, whether husband, wife, child, neighbor or enemy. When the Lord’s church truly possesses this love, we will do the job Christ intended we should do, that of seeking and saving the lost, edifying the saints, and caring for the benevolent needs before us (See Ephesians 3:9f, Romans 14:15ff). That is the word for love Jesus used in John 14:15: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
And, if we do love Christ, we will be obedient and loyal to Him. When the Lord’s people do not really possess this love, we may find ourselves merely “keeping house” for the Lord. We pay the preacher and the light bill. We make sure we have Bible classes, a lighted sign—even an ad in the paper. The lawn will be mowed and the building clean and painted. But to be the church Jesus built we must be seeking the lost and caring for the needs of others.
Consider the following inspired words: “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith,” Galatians 6:10.
How are WE doing?
|
|
|
|
“When you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow; that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.”
“A man there was, though some did count him mad, the more he cast away, the more he had.”
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
|
|
|
|
|
How Would We Rate?
I once read of a man who visited eighteen different congregations on successive Sundays to determine what they were like. He said that he would sit near the front and after services would walk slowly to the rear, then return to the front and back to the foyer, using another aisle. He would linger in the foyer making himself available to be welcomed.
He went on to say that he was neatly dressed and was pleasant as he walked up and down the aisles. He would ask a person to direct him to a specific place like the library, preacher's study, etc. Then he said that he used a scale to rate the reception that he received.
A smile from worshipper was ten points as well was a greeting from someone sitting nearby. One hundred points were given for an exchange of names, two hundred for an invitation to return, one thousand for an introduction to another worshipper, and two thousand points for meeting the preacher.
After visiting these eighteen congregations, what did he find? Eleven of the eighteen scored fewer than one hundred points. Remember, just an exchange of names was a hundred points. Five congregations scored less than twenty points. His conclusion was the doctrine taught may be biblically sound, the singing inspirational, and the sermon uplifting………but when a visitor feels that there is nobody who cares whether he's there or not, he is not likely to come back.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
