As I expressed in the previous discussion, we cannot deny that the world, left to its own direction, simply is what it is. "Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all, because all sinned." (Romans 5:12) The human condition is one of sinfulness and that cannot be changed apart from the grace of God. It is also true, unfortunately, that the professed followers of Jesus sometimes choose not to be expressions of God's grace in our world, opting instead for isolation and judgment. And when we choose that path, it seems hypocritical to complain about or be surprised by the state of the world; we're like those who choose not to vote but want to reserve the right to complain about the government, or people who won't change their diet but expect their cholesterol to come down. (Okay, that last statement was actually a personal confession.)
But, in all this, let's not forget the good news: The world has not been left on its own, even when we fail to be the salt and light we are called to be. The grace of God is at work around us, even when we choose not to take part in that work. The Spirit of God is faithful to stir hearts and minds while speaking truth and drawing lost people. More is going on in the heart of your neighbor than you see on the surface. In the book of Acts, Ananias was shocked when he was called to go and pray with Saul of Tarsus. Certain the Lord was confused, he let God know what this guy Saul was really like. But God had done a work beyond Ananias' line of vision, and He continues to work today in surprising places and in the hearts of unlikely people.
But even as we acknowledge this loving and faithful work of the Spirit in our world, we find ourselves once again challenged: Are we really a part of what God is doing, or are we merely content with operating our own programs in comfortable isolation? Is it possible we have allowed self-interest and religious habit to keep us from seeing what God is doing and wants to do around us?
Assumptions can be powerful and deceptive. I have too often assumed that maintaining the operation of a church is the same as living out God's purpose. But can we hold to that assumption if we are not seeing lives transformed into the image of Christ? It's not that the operation of a church is wrong or unnecessary; it just cannot be substituted for our purpose. The very character of God, revealed in Jesus, assures me that He is working in our world. Whether or not we are a part of that work is a different question entirely, and it's one we need to ask ourselves with humility and reflection.
I heard someone say that, at this point, they believe God is doing more outside the established church than inside. Honestly, I was initially offended by the thought. But criticism often stings with an element of truth. I have to admit there were those in Jesus' day who were pretty good at running the religious institution, but were blind to what God was doing. At the same time, there were those on the outside who saw and believed. And as I recall, Jesus said something to the religious folks about the outsiders "entering the Kingdom before you."
May we never be so proud as to think those words could not possibly speak to us.
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5 comments:
" I have too often assumed that maintaining the operation of a church is the same as living out God's purpose. "
Within these words lie the reality of the enigma before us. "Maintaining" has a certain aire of stability to it, the sense of keeping a good thing running right.
But maintaining has not the capacity to update- when a part wears out, we replace it with a part of like kind and quality, because that's what fits.
We get into a real tizzy when we find that replacement parts are no longer available... we begin to contemplate replacement of the whole machine.
This is painful, expensive,and certainly requires time invensted in learning the new equipment and operating systems.
I've gone through it twice at the waterworks. It was easy because it didn't harm anyone's feelings...
Bro Keith
I don't know how comfortable I feel about the statement you gave in the last paragraph, "God is doing more outside the established church than inside." Here's some thoughts:
1. The Church is the God's Incarnational instrument through which he exacts his blessing in the world. It seems part of the danger of that statement is it eventually would leave Jesus Christ out of the equation as well. i.e. Where do we encounter Jesus Christ as the special revelation of God except through the particular persons, practices, and materials of the Christian Church? Maybe that's too long of a leap, but . . . .
2. Perhaps we mistake the institutional Church, of which there are many forms (Orthodox, Roman, Protestant), with the Church Catholic (aka universal). It seems that Jesus himself would not deny the brokenness of this Body - it is a part of this sinful world. And that does not excuse the sins and failures of the anyone in the Church. In fact, it brings us under greater judgement.
3. Perhaps from our Protestant, Western mindset, we would view tradition (and I do view the universal Church as the "protector" of tradition) as a process of "petrification" (and institutionalization) rather than a means be which we inherit 2000+ years of Christian faith that began at Pentecost. For us as Protestants, what kind of redeeming values would an institution really have? Isn't it merely a means to an end? It seems that in the larger "tradition" of the Church, the institution, its polity and its practices are actually an integral part of its larger purpose.
4. Of course, God is able to do that which He cannot do without ceasing to be God. God will take our sinful situations and work His redemption among them. The Church remains -- not because it depends on human success or failure to maintain its existence or effectiveness, but because it was formed and enlivened by God Himself.
I believe God is still at work in and through the Church in ways that we simply cannot see. Our perspective may be more skewed because we perceive ourselves, at least in this first world "global" culture, as knowing something about everything. We may be painfully ignorant. And as you have suggested several times already, humility before God must be our first action.
Evan and/or Julia,
I think Doug was just quoting what someone else said and examining the statement for truth. It is impossible to deny that God works apart from the church, as the Holy Spirit is active in the lives of all people be they inside or outside of the Church's influence. The real question is to what extent God is working apart from the church?
Also, Doug himself seems uncomfortable with the statement as expressed in his post.
The truth that this post has hit on is that there truly is an element (and some would argue a dominant element) of Pharisaical actions/attitudes within the Church. And God does not seem to work well with Pharisees. We all would agree that humility is the cure. But what about the modern American culture leads us to believe that this is a likely course of action? We see the problem and understand the solution. Implementing that solution for the Church of today is where the real debate should be. How do we lead people back to humility?
Evan and Julia:
I agree wholeheartedly with your observations. The statement was made to me by someone who believes that much of the established church (which I interpreted as the institutional church) has become so rigid in its forms and operation that the Spirit is not free to truly move and work. He believes that presently, God is working more through informal communities of faith, house churches, parachurch ministries, etc., which are by and large free of rigid forms and structure.
In his opinion, institutional churches, to one degree or another, have substituted the means of structure and operation for the end itself. I think he would even argue that less formal, emerging type communities of faith actually embody and reflect the true Christian tradition more than the institutional churches of today.
Am I completely comfortable with that assertion? No. Do I think it an overstatement? Probably. Can I completely dismiss it out of hand because it makes me uncomfortable? No. Can an overstatement still express an element of truth that we need to acknowledge? Yes.
Although I am not completely comfortable with his view, and believe it to be an overstatement, I think we need to hear it and understand the experiences behind it. We have all seen churches that continue to walk through the motions, maintaining their human operation while lacking the true power of God for life-changing ministry.
In the Gospels, Jesus moved on from a place when there was no faith or desire for Him to do His work. When churches make the choice to be an institution rather than the living Body of Christ, God does not stop working - He simply works somewhere else.
Doug, I'm sorry that I implied in my opening statement that I thought you said "the quote." My diction was bad. I was simply responding to the quote itself and thinking through why I would have been uncomfortable with it, too. It seems to me that it is our prophetic role as pastors to call our people (ourselves first of all) to humility. I think it's particularly cool that in other parts of the Church, the priest both prostrates himself before the altar and asks for God's and his congregation's mercy and forgiveness upon his own sins before breaking bread and offering the cup to anyone else. Perhaps that is a first step toward acquiring a proper humility. J.
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