Some readers appear to see no distinction between an individual Christian being like Jesus and a congregation of Christians being like Jesus, but teams of people working in concert can accomplish things that individuals cannot do.
I have a son who wants to program games for a living. He can’t do it by himself despite being highly motivated and talented. I imagine that there are thousands of young men and women in the same posture — unable to develop the gaming software of their dreams because the task is too big for one person — even though there are thousands of talented, motivated people wanting to do just this.
If we see being Christ-like as individuals as the same being Christ-like as the church, then we have very small dreams.
As always, we have to ask the questions that take us deeper. What dreams or tasks are so big that we can’t accomplish them alone? What part of the Christian mission requires concerted action by many Christians working together?
In the brilliant, seminal To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World
He warns us against becoming allied with the world’s political parties, and he warns us against a quietism that urges us to retreat into our sanctuaries, hiding from the sinfulness and ugliness of the lost world. Rather, he urges the church to be involved by seeking the good of the church’s community by doing good, citing this passage —
(Jer 29:4-7 ESV) 4 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”
The Jews of the Southern Kingdom (Judah) had been defeated by the Babylonians and taken captive — and resettled in Mesopotamia, that is, modern-day Iraq.
Jeremiah advised the captive Jews not to seek to gain power over the Babylonians (although Daniel, among others, attained high office, he used his office to serve, not to domineer), and not to rebel, and not to retreat into their synagogues and Jewish quarters and have noting to do with their Babylonian neighbors. Rather, they were counseled to seek the welfare of their new cities — not through power but through service.
(1Ti 2:1-2 ESV) First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
The early church sought the good of the Empire through prayer for pagan emperors and kings. How many of our churches pray for a president of an opposite party? How often is the name “Obama” spoken as someone for whom we offer prayers and thanksgiving?
Nero was likely emperor when Paul penned these words, and we can hardly argue that any president of the United States has been more of an enemy of the church than Nero! And yet Paul urged supplications and thanksgivings on his behalf.
(1Pe 2:12 ESV) 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
In each case, “you” is plural in the Greek. This should characterize not only Christian individuals but the Christian church.
We are to be perceived as honorable and do such good deeds that God is glorified even by pagans. And this takes us back to Philippians —
(Phi 2:14-16 ESV) 14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
How do we “shine as lights in the world”? Well, surely Paul has reference back to —
(Mat 5:14-16 ESV) 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Notice that Jesus compares his followers to a city — a community with leadership and laws. It’s this city that shines so brightly that its light cannot be hidden for many miles.
This light is not our genius or our sound doctrine or our Five Acts of Worship conducted decently and in order. This light is our good works — works seen as good by the surrounding dark world.
We seek the good of the city where we have been placed, and by so doing, the world will see the goodness of Jesus. And no one individual can do this well enough or with enough significance for the world to see Jesus.
Jesus came to establish his Kingdom. And a Kingdom is about multiple people serving a single King.
Read the Gospels. While Jesus forgave one at a time, it was to bring about the Kingdom. The gospel Jesus taught is the good news of the Kingdom of God — not the good news of individual salvation into just a personal relationship. We certainly have a personal relationship with Jesus, but not just a personal relationship. We also have a corporate relationship — and this is actually more emphasized in scripture than the individual relationship.
Paul almost always writes to a church, not to an individual. And when he wrote to Titus and Timothy, it was as leaders of churches. Only Philemon is not about the church.
When Paul went on his missionary journeys, he founded churches. In Revelation, the message from God is first to seven churches.
And this is all for a reason. God’s mission is too big to be accomplished by a group of individuals. We have to be a team, that is, we have to act in concert.
And concerted action requires submission to leadership, accountability, and structure. It requires a common goal and agreed methods.
Here in Tuscaloosa, football analogies prevail, and all this sounds a lot like what we teach football players. A “team” of individuals will lose — and we Alabama fans have seen that. But a team that submits itself to one another and to its leaders will prevail — and we’ve seen that, too.
It’s hardly surprising that Paul warns us against “grumbling or disputing” (Phil 2:14), because these are the very attitudes that will destroy teamwork. Ask any football coach or player. There can be no individual agendas.
And while we might be willing to submit ourselves to a coach to win a game, few of us are willing to submit and be accountable in our churches to further the mission of God. We have very small dreams.
Jer 29:4-7 is a great passage; one of the wisest for advice found in the entire Bible.
I have awlays believed it begins with the congregation allowing its minister to be a part of the community’s Ministerial Alliance. Maybe it has changed since the seventies and eighties when I was in the ministry, but most congregations, especially in rural south, told their ministers, “Definately, not!” as far as becoming a part of the alliance. But where the minister was encouraged to do so, the congregations were no longer seen as isolationist.
Usually, once the minister becomes a part of the alliance it is only a matter of time that the congregation will feel more comfortable in working with other churches for the common good of the community. Back in the day the only cooporation I ever heard of with other churches was in keeping the country dry or limiting the sales of alcohol.
“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” –Eph. 4:16
“But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. –I Cor. 12:18
While I agree with Jay about teams accomplishing more than individuals, there appears to be something more fundamental than that at work here. I believe that God establishes specific “joints” in the Body of Christ, that is, interpersonal connections which are far more than who volunteered to chaperone the youth mission trip. I would suggest that most of us can attest to the reality that we have many believing friends and acquaintances, but far fewer spiritual siblings with whom we have strong individual connections. Often these joints outlast common geography or group membership or even personal contact. I have “joints” like this whom I see very seldom anymore but with whom I still share a powerful spiritual connection.
So, I also see part of the work of our gathering as “exercising those joints”; recognizing them and giving and receiving through them as God has designed them. To the extent that gathering corporately intentionally supports this divine work, we should encourage it. Just as we are more than merely co-located individuals, we are more than a volunteer organization. We are a Body, designed and built by the Father, not just in general, but in specific, right down to the ligaments.
The commission to which we are called is to share good news everywhere. Surely Jay is right that we should start with our community and start by caring for the poor and needy nearby. If we’re so busy paying for a fine building that we’ve no eyes for feeding the hungry, we’ve lost sight of what we are called to do and be. I point to the Hills congregation in Texas as an example of what every church should be. It’s thrilling to hear of the good things they are led to do and help others do.
YA KNOW JAY THIS SPEAKS TO A WHOLE FUNCTIONING BODY…WORKING TOGETHER AND LOVING IT
NOT A BODY FUNCTIONING ON “PETER’S PRINCIPAL”
ROM.
12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think,
but to think with sober discernment,
as God has distributed to each of you6 a measure of faith.7 12:4 For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function, 12:5 so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another. 12:6 And we have different gifts8 according to the grace given to us.
If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith. 12:7 If it is service, he must serve; if it is teaching, he must teach; 12:8 if it is exhortation, he must exhort; if it is contributing, he must do so with sincerity; if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence; if it is showing mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness.
Conduct in Love
12:9 Love must be9 without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. 12:10 Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another. 12:11 Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord. 12:12 Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer. 12:13 Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality. 12:14 Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 12:16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly.10 Do not be conceited.11 12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before all people.12 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people.13
THE CHURCH BUILDINGS should be open 7 days a week with a coffee bar and kitchen. with wantabe cooks. where better to have coffee and fellowship at lunch or when ever…i could go on and on…
and don’t even tell me cni this would be doing a good thing to facilitate community among other little things,that bring about loving our brother.
May I suggest that one example of this is to change a nation (such as Ukraine) by putting Bibles into schools as a part of their regular curriculum, to support the nationwide preaching of the gospel (not sectarian doctrine) on national TV, training new converts to show God’s love by caring for orphans, and turning those same converts loose to tell others of their new found joy in Christian service.
To learn more, visit http://www.eem.org. Only many individuals, not least of whom are those living the life of Jesus before their Ukrainian compatriots, can do this – and the only when God is working in and through them!
In keeping with the theme of this post may I note that “You are the light of the world” is plural and that it is a CITY set on a hill that cannot be hidden while a single candle may be hidden under a bushel.
Jerry ,
Excellent thought. I’m a little envious I must confess.
This thought is not original. It was Jesus who first said it.
The thought is not original. It was Jesus who first said it.