… upon this rock I will build My church … (Matthew 16:18b, KJV)
In those days, as the number of
the disciples was increasing, complaint was made by the Greek-speaking Jews
against the native Jews that their widows were being neglected in the daily
distribution of food. (Acts 6:1, Williams New Testament)
You tell
me it’s the institution
Well,
you know
You
better free your mind instead
The
Beatles
I
found the perfect church!
Want to take a look for yourself?
Then turn to Revelation 7:9-10: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude
that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and
languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white
robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb!’” (ESV)
Take a good look, because until Jesus
returns, that heavenly scene is the ONLY place you’ll find the “perfect
church.” You certainly won’t find it among the seven churches Jesus addresses
in Revelation 2-3; Smyrna and Philadelphia are the closest you find to being
perfect in those chapters. You definitely won’t even find it in the Book of
Acts. The imperfections of the early church were on display early on in that
account. For example, in Acts 6, contentions between Jewish and Gentile
believers regarding food distribution required establishing the position that
we now call deacons, to settle the matter. Conflict rose again later when
Jewish believers started telling Gentiles that to be REAL Christians, they had
to hold the Old Testament ceremonial law. The church council in Acts 15, under
the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, set down rules for Gentile Christians that
ensured morality and respect for their Jewish brothers and sisters—but put on
them no “additions” for them to be saved (it must also be noted that Jewish
Christians were free to continue observing their rituals; but they could not push
them onto Gentile believers).
Even the letters to the churches,
especially those penned by Paul, indicate that the churches of the New
Testament era were far from “perfect.” And yet, there are Christians who are
content to “give up” on involvement in a church, because of imperfections they
find in churches (and in many cases, in just one church). Just playing a hunch
here—if you can’t find the perfect church in the New Testament other than in
heaven, then chances are you won’t find one on earth today, either (and for the
record, my family and I are part of a wonderful church).
For those Christians who want to give
up on church involvement because church people are imperfect, no doubt doing
something that irks you, I have this question: were YOU perfect when you first
got saved and started attending church? Have you progressed so quickly to
perfection, to the point where you can judge the entire body of Christ based on
what you may have run into in one or several fellowships? Please don’t claim
you have a attained that state: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and
the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8, ESV)
I recently read an article that
discusses how aloneness—and its accompanying condition, loneliness—is
increasing exponentially in our society. Many young people who “strike out on
their own” from their parents seem to want to stay in a state of living
alone, instead of viewing their establishing independence as a bridge to one
day starting their own families, according to the article. I must quickly add here
that God blesses both married and single people; Paul even calls both states a gift from God in 1
Corinthians 7:7. Conversely, loneliness can be experienced by anyone, single or
married. What I am concerned with is the continuing move away
from community in our society, as the article indicated—an increasing isolation
that could even be creeping into Christian fellowship. America has always been
an individualistic society in any event; perhaps this is part of the reason Americans
are increasingly shying away from church involvement?
Regardless of the reason, those choosing to stay away from Christian
fellowship are cutting themselves off from the special presence of Christ that
can only be experienced corporately with other believers. Jesus said, “… where two or three are gathered in my name,
there am I among them.” (Matthew 18:20, ESV) He also makes it clear that HE is the One who
created the church (Matthew 16:18). God has always meant for His people to
dwell together in unity (Psalm 133:1)—regardless of how “imperfect” that
fellowship might be. And staying in fellowship helps us to grow together in
Christ (Ephesians 4:1-3) Overall, it is an important corporate witness to a
society that appears to be atomizing, where community is increasingly becoming
a meaningless word. “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have
love for one another.” (John 13:35, ESV) It’s hard to see how this
love—an important part of our witness to the world—can be practiced away from
church fellowship.
While the church on earth might be imperfect, it is still JESUS’
church, where He calls us into fellowship with Him and each other, through
faith. “Christian community is not an ideal we have
to realize, but rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may
participate,” says Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Life Together and Prayerbook of the Bible). “The more clearly we learn to recognize
that the ground and strength and promise of all our community is in Jesus
Christ alone, the more calmly we will learn to think about our community and
pray and hope for it …
“We are bound together by faith, not by experience.”
