Guest Post: "Something More"
But, when we answer this
question, we usually use our relationship to Jesus. Through Jesus, there is something more. Without a doubt, this is true. Still, life is frequently a bore and feels more
like a chore than a joy. Is there
something more than our relationship to Jesus?
Perhaps this question looks
like it doubts the sufficiency of God.
Perhaps it looks like an over-pessimistic kid missing all the
silver-linings in the clouds of life. But
perhaps it looks biblical.
Is there something more to
first century Christians than a personal relationship with Jesus and a dull
adult life? Yes, there is! It is called the Church.
Now, we need to take a
moment to clarify what this Church is
not. This Church is not a building which people come to. It is not an organization led by a
pastor. The Church is not a religious store where we stock up on our spiritual
food for the week. The Church is not a refueling station so
that we can go out and reach the world.
Here is what the Church is.
1 Peter 2:9 (ESV, with italics
added)
But you are a chosen race, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people
for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who
called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
The Church is a people. Other words Peter uses for the church help
enlighten us to the meaning. A chose
race, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation.
We get a feeling that we are a part of something much bigger than just
ourselves. No longer is it just a
personal relationship with Jesus. It is
a corporate relationship with Jesus.
One passage I studied last
night drives in the point by telling us more about this Church. Ephesians chapter 4
begins with Paul urging Christians in Ephesus to maintain their unity. The Church,
in this passage, is compared to a body.
Together, under the leadership of the head of the church (Christ), the
believers are to submit to their God-gifted leaders and to build each other up
in love. This Church is called to corporately put off the old self and to put on
the new self. Listen to these two verses
in that corporate call:
Eph. 4:25, 32
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each
one of you speak the truth with
his neighbor, for we are one of another.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Instead of just watching out
for the interest of one, the Church is called to serve one another. After all, the Church is a body whose members are one of another. The Church is called to be united together
by Christ, with such a strong bond that they can be called a totally different
people, a nation with the most intense patriotism, a dedicated community of
priests, an entirely new race of humans.
Could this be the something
more that we are missing? Our churches
today run more like fast food joints than Christ-led communities. Think about it. We go in, watch others throw spiritual songs
and sermons at us, and walk out. Does
this sound like Ephesians 4 to you? It
is almost like our churches are designed to throw spiritual fast food at us so
we can survive with our personal relationship with Jesus throughout the week.
With this spiritual fast
food, we are left on our own to carry out the commands of Ephesians 4. These commands are many and look
impossible. How can we put away
falsehood, be angry and not sin, labor in honest work so we can be giving,
abandon corrupting talk, not grieve the Spirit, put away bitterness and wrath
and anger and clamor and slander and malice, and forgive one another as God
forgave us in Christ? Obviously, we
cannot do this alone and we are not meant to.
And when we try to do with a just-me-and-Jesus mentality, things only
get a little bit better.
The Church is the answer. In the
Church, we get the spiritual gifts of
many people to encourage us and exhort us.
We get iron sharpening iron. We
get accountability. We get guidance. We get leadership. And we get purpose.
That last point is really
important. I often find myself
relegating my purpose to just me-and-Jesus.
I get caught up doing all my tasks (school, work, church, and other
time) separate from the Church. I develop my agenda for each. I should take the lesson from this book to
enrich my life. I should do my best at my
job. I should say hi to the new person at
church. I should evangelize to that
neighbor I saw the other day.
How many times did I say I in that last paragraph? Far too many.
Ephesians 4 pictures a church going after the same purpose, not running
off separately in a million different directions. What if my agenda changed to: I should take
this lesson from this book to enrich all of our lives. We should help each other excel at our
jobs. We should all welcome the new
person at church. We encourage each
other to evangelize to our neighbors
But, wait, there is
more. The Church can be even more impactful if takes it to a whole different
level. Now change the agenda to: We
should take this lesson from this book we are all reading. We should excel at the jobs that we took in
the same company so we could provide a greater witness. We should integrate the new person at church
into our daily lives. We should evangelize
together with many of our neighbors to those of us who are not members of the Church.
Woah, that is radical. And that is probably where I will lose most
readers. But this is the unity of the
first century Church. That type unity is life-changing. That unity is a powerful witness to those
around us. That unity is something more
that we are all yearning for.
Every part of our lives can
have purpose. Every part of our lives
can have meaning. And that comes through
the unity of the Church in our desire
for godliness, our love of one another, and our witness to the world.
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| Mark Lindgren lives in the Dallas Texas area where he attends school at Southwestern Seminary. |
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