Hammer on Anvil '

Several years ago I read Chuck Colson's book The Body. If you have not read it, I highly recommend it. Colson addresses what the Church is supposed to be in the world, and what its adherents are supposed to be to each other. The latter is what I would like to address in this blog.

Most of us have no qualms about the Church being salt and light in the world. But some of us have no clue what it means to be part of a local body of believers. We have bought into the entertainment mentality that says if things aren't the way we want them to be, we can just leave and go somewhere else. Colson observes, "What many are looking for is a spiritual social club, an institution that offers convivial relationships but certainly does not influence how people live or what they believe." And he is absolutely right.

Surveys show that the number one thing people look for in a church is fellowship. But what most spoiled Westerners seek looks nothing like the Early Church. The New Testament Greek word for fellowship is koinonia, and describes a tight-knit community in which people enter into a covenant to submit to one another, support one another, bear one another's burdens, and "build each other up in their most holy faith" (Jude 1:20).

Biblical fellowship is not to be taken lightly. It involves serious commitment. And sometimes it means tough love, because we are called to hold each other accountable. Ah, there's the rub: as soon as someone suggests that we may have been irresponsible or unChristian in our actions or attitudes, we get our undies in a bunch and announce that we can simply go elsewhere. And we certainly can go elsewhere. Unfortunately a plethora of churches exist where you not only don't have to be accountable to anyone, but nobody even knows your name.

What J.I. Packer calls "hot tub religion" embraces anything that makes us feel better about ourselves. But Colson reminds us:

The gospel teaches that our hope is not in finding our true self but in losing our true self. That which defiles us is what is in us, Christ said. When we honestly look inside at our sin-scarred lives, we ought to be repulsed by our "true" selves. We then repent and die to ourselves so that Christ's atoning grace might cleanse us.

Are you in need of being cleansed by Christ's atoning grace today? Have you been whining about not getting your own way in the church you attend, or whining about how you're not "being fed"? Open your eyes and realize that YOU are not supposed to be the focus. Dust off your Bible and begin feeding yourself, instead of expecting someone at church to do it for you. Think about the Body of Christ, and the part you play in it. Are you serving, or simply warming the pew each week? You might be surprised at how little you think about yourself when you're being poured out in service to others.

I leave you with a precious reminder from Paul's letter to the Philippians:

When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide. Instead, be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves. Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others.