Recently, I was doing a Bible study with one of the young women in our church. We were studying the basics of faith and Christianity. When we got to the chapter that described the Church and its mission, I was extremely frustrated. As we were talking, it started to dawn on me that the American Church as a whole has got this thing all wrong. Don't misunderstand me, I don't think all churches miss the mark when it comes to what its supposed to look like. However, as a whole I was increasingly frustrated at the Biblical definition of the church as compared to our definition.
Let me start by saying, the American church has begun to look like a social club, with social ideas, and motto's. It has begun to have crazy requirements and rituals. It has become picky and choosy. It kind of sounds like a sorority. You have to pledge a certain set of values, you have to meet certain requirements, and you have to perform certain rituals. It has become easier for people to say "Why bother if I can't possibly meet those standards?" When people walk into to the church, often they are confronted with the same old cliques. The same feelings of inadequacy that often can be found in the high school cafeteria. Eek. This may seem extreme for me to be saying. Honestly, I love my church and I love the people in it. As a minister it is often easy not to see where the church has fallen short but it only took a couple Biblical examples for me to realize...we are missing it.
As me and my friend sat studying the Bible, she told me a little bit about when she worked as a nanny for many Jewish families. She talked about how reverent they were towards their faith, she told me how close knit they were, and she told me how they shared everything. That reminded me of the culture that our faith was born out of.
Acts 2:42-47 "42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
In Jesus' time, this is how people were. They weren't concerned about what people looked like, how much money they had, what their background was. They were all Christians. They showed a different example then what was in the world. They didn't allow the negative aspects of their society or there outward circumstances to form their church, they allow the love of God to. They recognized the importance of fellowship, of staying together, of not letting stuff separate them. I'm sure that everyone wasn't perfect and that not everyone got along all the time. However, they had purpose and focus. So lets break this down.
First, they studied the Word of God, did communion, and prayed. In the church we usually have this one down. We go to church every Sunday and hear the message preached, we pray, and worship together. Of course we remember by celebrating communion. However, often the message and its purpose stops as we walk out the church doors. The things we learn and the sacrifice we remember stays at church, while we go on living our lives the way we want to. No surrender or acknowledgment of God in our everyday lives. Down in verse 46, it says they met together everyday. They spent time at the temple everyday to do these things. Now I get that we can't all be at church everyday and we don't all have those kind of schedules. Yet we need to maintain these things in our lives and in our families every day.
Next, they shared with one another. They were generous, they were compassionate, and they helped met each other's needs. They came together to help the widows and orphans. They were focused on taking care of one another. That is what the people around them recognized the most about these Christians. It wasn't just the great preaching or music or the teaching, it was the way they took care of each other. They didn't pick and choose who they were going to care for. They saw the need, they pulled together, and they met it. Are we doing this in our churches? Do we come together in one accord and ask sincerely, what are the needs of the people in our church and in our community? How can we meet these needs? Some people have the financial ability. Some people have the educational ability. Some people have the time. Everyone has something to offer. If we could just come and work together.
1 Corinthians 12:12-14 "12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many."
Lastly, they hung out. They simply got together and enjoyed each other's company. They were not alone in their faith. They spent time getting to know one another. They probably laughed, sang, played games, watched each other's kids. They didn't go at it alone. They didn't say things like "I love that person but I don't really like them." They shared in each other's struggles and triumphs. They did life together. I've heard that phrase a lot recently. They embraced and lived life together as one body. I know not all personalities mesh, and I know that cultures often collide and misunderstand each other, but we are not just personalities and not just cultures. We are Christ followers. That should be the glue that binds us together. Not just because we agree all the time or because we like each other all the time. We love Jesus. That should be enough of a reason to cast all the other stuff aside and embrace one another. That should be the prerequisite to this club. When people who don't know Jesus see us like this, they will want to be a part of it.
Verse 47, says that people were added to the church daily. That's not a couple members a year. That's thousands of members every year. We need the amazing power of God through prayer and His word. We need to see signs and wonders. I would also venture to say that we need to get the practical life stuff down. People shouldn't be afraid to be who they are when they walk into church on Sunday. They shouldn't have to say things like, "when I get my life together then I'll come to church" we need to be transformed into a Church that accepts all and even more than that accepts each other.
God bless! Go and change your Church!
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