THE CHURCH, A COMMON GROUND II
Is today’s Church really a common ground?
In Loving God, Author Charles Colson writes, “The Church is an organism not organization, a movement not a monument. It’s not a part of the community; it’s a whole new community. It’s not an orderly gathering; it’s a new order with new values often on conflict with the values of the surrounding society. The Church does not draw people in she sends them out. It does not settle into a comfortable niche, taking its place alongside the Rotary, Country, People’s Club or Lord’s club and the Eko club as well as the Senate clubs. Rather, the Church is to make society uncomfortable. Like yeast it settles the mass around it, changing it from within. Like salt it flavors and preserves that into which it vanishes. But as yeast is made up of many particles and salt composed of multiplied grains so the church is many individual believers. For God has given us each other; we do not live the Christian life alone. We do not love God alone……… This is a new commitment ……a new companionship, a new community established by conversion…………..”
Today, the Church has become an organization owned by individuals or group of persons. You often hear pastors who are not afraid to say ‘my Church.’ Like any other business they claim they established the Church and are the entrepreneur [business owner]. Such organizations obtain registration from the state and do business alongside other society institutions. They operate according to state business laws in the interest of its owners and founders. They hardly serve the widows, save orphans or give help to the less privileged. They neither care for strangers nor non-members. The message these types of churches send out is to call outsiders to become members of the Church, pay tithe and give bountiful offerings. These Churches often condemn nonbelievers and are quick to tell them they are hell bound.
Brethren, if there’s one truth that I know, it’s that the Church belongs to God and her head is the Lord,Jesus Christ. No individual or group of people owns the Church. Another truth is that the Church is different from a Church building. Jesus Christ sacrificed his life for the Church and redeemed her with his blood; became her head, her judge and her attorney. Through his death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ bought back mankind and sanctified them in his righteousness and grace. Whosoever put his/her trust in him lives a glorious life. It’s the assembly of these people that Christ has redeemed that makes up the Church. They gather as saints of God for worship, instructions and to be equipped to go out and witness the love and grace of God to the outsiders. They come together to sharpen themselves, reload and being sent out to make disciples of all nations; reach the unreached with the message of God’s love for the hurting world.
When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well [John 4], He talked to her about natural and common things like water, family and relationship. These things they had in common with other human beings than their differences. That got her attention and she listened with great interest. The woman was puzzled when Jesus talked about a different type of water: the water that gives eternity that will quench her taste for life [Vs.12-15]. The question that came next about her husband revealed further another difference between the man before her and other men she had dealt with. She was compelled not only to become Jesus friend but also invited her friends and family to meet with Christ. Jesus in another instance revealed He is the Living Water. She asked Jesus for this water of life that she shall not come to the well again. When the woman replied she had no husband, little did she know that truth took her to the next level in her search for the Living water? This was similar to King David’s search for the truth in Psalm 139:1-2.
What message is the Church sending across? How is this message imparting the people? Apostle Peter spoke to the elders of Israel nation and their minds string and hearts cut; they asked what shall we do? In the days of the early Church, a message won 3000 souls. It was the message of salvation in the power of the Holy Ghost. It turned the heart hardened Jews who conspired and killed Jesus and all the early prophets into hungry souls seeking the truth of the Gospel. That same message stripped naked the Samaritan woman, all her friends and relatives. That message brings any heart hardener to his/her kneels before the cross of Christ because it comes with anointing and conviction of God, the Holy Spirit. The Church must return to basic gospel, the nucleus and foundation of God’s truth. Only then shall she build friendships that attract souls to Christ. That message was about God and His son Christ Jesus and not individuals. The message spoke about God’s sacrificial love to mankind and the power of his grace. The Gospel says God loves us no matter what; when we failed him and when we become unlovable, nevertheless He loves us the more. God hates sin but loves human beings. Where our wrong doings multiply, His grace increases. Notwithstanding it will be evil and dangerous for us to dwell in sin so that grace may abound. The God of love is the God of justice; He’s no respecter of persons.
As human beings repent and quest to have communion with God, they often derail into sin. Yes its human nature to sin and it’s the primary condition of our fallen nature. But it’s our responsibility to live above sin. We may not commit physical murder, adultery or fornication but we lust and covet, gossip, backbite, grudge and jealous. We idolized human beings, money, wealth and institutions. These sins are rampant in the Church especially among Church leaders. Church leaders are unbelievably jealous of one another. The level of jealousy, grudges, petty gossips and backbiting among them is but dangerous and destructive. They are afraid to invite one another to their pulpit; when they are constrained to do, they are jittery and uncomfortable throughout the sermon and ministration. When a younger minister under their charge demonstrates uncommon talents and prospect, he/she is reassigned or given a back seat instead of encouragement and up-liftment. They will give a good dog a bad name just to hang it. You will hear that even though he/she preaches and teaches with conviction but lacks the qualities for good leadership. If God has anointed him/her to the calling God has called him/her, it’s the job of a leader to train him/her to meet the demands of such calling. You are not training the person to be another you but what God called him/her to be. “A leader who wants the credit for success must take the blame for failure.” There are 5 fold ministries in the Church. Even with the gift of an evangelist or deacon, many in the church just want to answer pastor. In most Christian communities we have so many floating pastors that may not understand their callings.
Little wonder, in Overcoming Spiritual Blindness, James P. Gills, M.D. opined, “Jealousy is observed between Church congregations and organizations, as well as among individuals. For example, when success is measured by the size of a congregation, there is a desire to grow faster and build more effectively, than other Churches, fostering an unhealthy competition with other gatherings of the Christian body. These jealousies that divide us from one another are sin against God.” In some Churches evaluation of commitment is based on giving. The high money givers are regarded as committed members not minding how the money is fetched. This system promotes unhealthy competition among members and Church groups. However the beneficiaries of these gifts enjoy their games.
The route to one’s well-being is found in selfless giving to others. There is blindness of ingratitude in our communities and Churches. We claim we love God but we cannot love God while we hate God’s creatures. The person you hate is created by God. God saw what He created and said it was good. It’s not that person’ you hate but He who created him/her. The grass is always greener on the other side. We often say if only we had the other thing, way or person. God put people on our way for a reason. You may not like it but cannot help it. Jesus Christ had disciples that were simply human; they were different in professions, character and abilities. But despite their failings He loved them, trusted them and trained them to continue with the gospel after Him. We need to cultivate the spirit of gratitude, bearing one another’s burden and esteem others as greater than ourselves [Gal.6:2; Phil2:3].
The Church is a movement that brings in people to equip and send them out with the message of God’s love to the world. Nowhere in the bible did they exhort people to come in and register as members and enjoy benefits of membership like worldly organizations. The Church was not set up for members but for outsiders; those who have not known Christ or the love that God offers to the world. Jesus came to the world to seek lost souls, failures, non-starters and backsliders to give them new hope, new beginning and new life. Christians have no other vocation than to do the work of the master.
In Let’s start over, Pastor David Makechnie writes, “You realize that the Church is one place where we are all equal; we are just a bunch of sinners in need of God’s grace.” He added it does not matter the extent of your influence. It does not matter the extent of your roots………………… The only characteristic that draws us together is our need for God’s grace in Christ Jesus……….. Only in the Church of Jesus Christ do we have common ground.” The common ground has the following ingredients: All have sinned and deserved God’s condemnation. God knows human beings can not save themselves, so while we still bath in sin God send Christ Jesus to die for us; paid the price of our sins and redeemed us from Spiritual death. Whoever believe in the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is saved. Whom the Son of man has set free is free indeed and there is therefore no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Finally, only Jesus can save [Acts 4:12].
What type of Church do we have today? Since the emergence of new era of technology, we have witnessed emergence of New Age Churches; individuals and group of people float Churches just like business ventures that compete with financial Institutions at Wall Street. The purposes of these new ventures are purely gain, power and ego. Their goal is to build the most successful financial empire alongside other businesses at Madison Street in New York. They adopt business strategies to run and evaluate their performances. As we drive past the street of Houston and other major cities of the world, we witness so many Churches in shopping complexes. Their business is to acquire wealth and not souls; to seek membership and not make disciples. They draw people in and do not send out. As these shops increase in number, unfortunately, so are crime rates increasing in Christian communities; they have no positive influences on the society. They cannot have until the effect of the cross manifested in them. No one calls Jesus Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
Even when you have the baptism of the Holy Spirit, you need maturity and wisdom to deal with life’s problems. We have many who speak in diverse tongues in Church and act very immaturely in society. We have so much pretence and fakeness in the body of Christ. The world is waiting for Christians that will live the life of Christ. They are waiting for the manifestation of the sons of men. They have heard so much preaching and now waiting for the character and wisdom that portray the life of Christ. What message is the Church sending out? Until the Church sends messages that had power of conviction, they will not compel people to look in; until their characters reflect the life of the master: that is guided with compassion, it cannot appeal to outsiders. More especially, until the church messages match the character of members, the world will not take her serious. We should uphold our beliefs, keep our confession strong and practice what we preach; show compassion and more love inside out; be not afraid to speak the truth, be real, condemn wrong doings lovingly and expunge hypocrisy and pretence.