Being vs. Doing Church


The church is a by-product of Jesus becoming king . . . not the reason for it. 

When we get caught up in church politics, church life, church decisions, church functions, church this, and church that, we miss the greater message of the gospel.  We forget that the church is a by-product of Jesus’ ministry . . . not the reason for it.  Jesus’ ministry is social, communal, and justice filled.  If we want to "be" the church . . . if we want to be the hands and feet of Christ, then we need to replace our understanding of church "doing" with church "being."  

But how do we do this?  I think to answer this question we must turn to gospels.   It shows that Jesus came for a social revolution.   

Jesus’ states, “What you do unto the least of these, you do unto me” (Matt 25).  What you do for the local community, the services you offer for the greater and common good, the love you give to the unloved, the attention you give to those who never get it, the forgiveness you offer to the bitter, the shelter you provide for the homeless, the food you cook for the hungry, the time you give to the imprisoned, the water you offer to the thirsty – that’s how I want you to be.

It’s not about church programs or membership.  It’s about service.  It’s about social reform.  Jesus is king because he changed our lives for the better.  We must take this challenge and offer it to all that we meet. 

If the church is a by-product of Jesus’ ministry then we must be people who are trained to bring hope to the hopeless, life to the lifeless, fulfillment to the empty, vindication for the conflicted, and strength the wearied.  We are to offer food, drink, shelter, care, fortitude, love, peace, and forgiveness to all people everywhere.  These are pillars of the Christian faith . . . not business meetings. 

Faith, hope, and love are what we have to give to the world . . . not budget reports. 

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are how we deliver God’s social reform to people . . . not by monthly newsletters. 

Anything less than we might as well be a country club or just a group rearranging furniture on the titanic.

Because the reality is . . . people are hurting.  People are depressed, overworked, underpaid, and under-appreciated.  They believe in God but don’t have time to encounter the holy.  If we are going to be the hands and feet of Christ then this is where we must meet them.  Out there.  In the world.  On the streets.  And we must look them in the eye and say, “I do this out of love because my father did it for me.”    

Because Jesus isn’t concerned with starting a church, but rather a revolution of spirit and goodwill.  

Comments

Anonymous said…
People are misled.
July 8, 2012 at 9:55 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Most Difficult Parable Ever

Image
Theologian N.T. Wright finds the parable of the fig tree to be quite strange.  He says, “Jesus' warning in Luke 13 is at once amplified by this almost humorous, yet in fact quite sinister, parable of the fig tree in the vineyard.” And it is sinister.  It’s a hard pill to take.  Jesus' parable goes like this: A man has as fig tree planted in his vineyard.  One day he comes out looking for fruit on it, but there are no figs.  He says to the vineyard keeper, “Look at this tree.  For three years, I've come hoping to find some fresh figs, but what do I find? Nothing.  So just go ahead and cut it down.  Why waste the space with a fruitless tree?” The vineyard keeper replies, “Give it another chance, sir.  Give me one more years working with it.  I’ll cultivate the soil and heap on some manure to fertilize it.  If it surprises us and bears fruit next year, that will be great, but if not, then we’ll cut it down.”  (Luke 13:5-9, The Voice) But how is it sinister?
Read more

The Bird of Dawning Singeth All Night Long

Image
This Christmas I was moved by the words of Frederick Buechner.  For my last blog of the year I offer to you his wisdom rather than my own ramblings.  I hope it does for you what it continues to do for me. Frederick Buechner says in his book The Faces of Jesus: On the dark bulwark of Elsinore, Shakespeare has Marcellus and Haratio reflecting on Christ in the opening scene of Hamlet: Some say that ever ‘gainst that season comes Wherein our Savior’s birth is celebrated, The bird of dawning singeth all night long; And then, they say, no spirit dare stir abroad, The nights are wholesome, then no planets strike, No fairly takes, nor witch hath power to charm, So hallowed and so gracious is the time These lines from the first scene of Hamlet in a sense say it all.  We tend to think time is just progression . . . as moment following moment, day following day, in relentless flow, the kind of time a clock or calendar measures.  But we experience time als
Read more

All Good Things Must Come to an End

Image
In the late 1300s Geoffrey Chaucer coined the phrase, “All good things must come to an end.” This phrase means more to me right now than it ever has before. This week is my last week as pastor at Union Baptist Church in Pine Mountain, Georgia. Out of all my accomplishments, opportunities, and memories, pastoring UBC has been one of, if not, the best. For three years I have traveled alongside this community of grace through celebrations such as birthday parties, weddings, worship services, homecomings, Fall Festivals, baptisms, and so much more. I have also traveled alongside more sincere moments of pain, tragedy, and anguish; for I have counseled families through deaths, hardships, work-related problems, spirit-related inquiries, sadness, depression, anger, surgeries, confusion, and even wonderment. Collectively, these shared stories, these real and emotionally significant memories, have shaped who I am and how I see myself in the world. This decision to leave UBC do
Read more