The Church: Not an ideal but a divine reality
Recently, a friend of mine returned my copy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community. I’ve read the book a couple of times, and my friend had asked me if he could borrow it. To be honest, I had completely forgotten that I had given it to him.
But, when my friend returned the book, I decided to read through it again. Early in the first chapter, I ran across a paragraph that I know that I had read several times. But, this time, it caused me to stop and think and think some more. As a matter of fact, I’ve been thinking about this paragraph for the last week or so.
This is the paragraph that I’m talking about, the first paragraph in a section titled “Not an Ideal but a Divine Reality”:
Innumerable times a whole Christian community has broken down because it had sprung from a wish dream. The serious Christian, set down for the first time in a Christian community, is likely to bring with him a very definite idea of what Christian life together should be and to try to realize it. But God’s grace speedily shatters such dreams. Just as surely as God desires to lead us to a knowledge of genuine Christian fellowship, so surely must we be overwhelmed by a great disillusionment with others, with Christians in general, and, if we are fortunate, with ourselves.
Our dreams and designs are NOT community in Christ. This point that Bonhoeffer is making is so important for our life in Christ and for our life with one another.
The reality in Christ is that we are broken people, and any designs or dreams that we place on community in Jesus Christ will be broken as well – even and especially when it looks perfect to us. What we design will always reflect us, not God.
However, God places broken people together – people who should never be able to share life together. This reality, as Bonhoeffer says, God shatters by his grace. Doesn’t that sound strange? God shatters our idealistic dreams of community by placing us among real people… this is his grace.
So, what is this “knowledge of genuine Christian fellowship” that Bonhoeffer talks about in the middle of this passage about real, divine community (not ideal community)? It is just that – sharing life in the midst of real, divine, broken, overwhelmed, hurting, disillusioned, wrong, selfish, unloving, stressed, messy community. When we can fellowship with one another IN SPITE of our brokenness and THROUGH Jesus Christ only (not our designs or dreams), then we are living in community in Jesus Christ.
Community in Christ is realized among those with whom we should not have community. It’s similar to what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount. Even those who are not God’s children know how to love people who love them back. But, God’s children love those who hate them, who persecute them, who curse them. God’s children fellowship with those who are different than them, who disagree with them, who are disillusioned with them.
Why? Because God’s children seek community and fellowship ONLY in Jesus Christ… and everything else is allowed to fall away.
Longing for change while others are fine with the way things are
Over the weekend, after I wrote my previous post linking to a great comment by Arlan, Bettie left another comment that I would like to highlight so that more people read it and think about it.
As with the previous post, Bettie is actually introducing himself to me and my readers. However, her comment touches on an issue that I often struggle with as well. What do you do when you have a longing to change the way you live among the church (in whatever aspect), but others around you are “fine with the way things are”?
Here is Bettie’s comment:
I’ve been enjoying your posts for a while now, and sharing them from time to time. I guess when you say something that I’ve been thinking the same way about, it feels safer to let you say it than for it to be just my opinion… You have a nice way of challenging our thinking from a perspective of humility.
I have been a missionary in Guatemala for 14 years now, involved in different forms of ministry, and attending a megachurch. For the last three years or so I have been feeling more and more restless with that situation, studying both on my own and with the help of others like you, and coming to some disturbing conclusions about the current state of church in general.
My challenge here is that Guatemala is highly evangelized. Sometimes I wonder why I stay here when the Gospel has been so widely preached, but in reality Christ-followers are difficult to find. There is a church on almost every block but mostly full of religion, legalism and man’s traditions. I feel that with the religious freedom here we have a wonderful opportunity to be a greenhouse, so to speak, to raise up missionaries to go to places where the need is greater but North Americans wouldn’t be so welcome.
So when I read of missional communities, house church, simple church, organic church, etc. etc. I feel a longing for something like that but the culture here hasn’t seemed to be conducive to that sort of movement. People seem to be just fine with the way things are but I just can’t go on this way. So I feel like I’m longing for a home that I’ve never seen, and wrestling with the thoughts of whether I am to start something, keep looking for something already existing, or what. Somehow I know that I’m not the only one around here that feels this way.
So, I’ll ask you the same question that I asked Bettie in response to her comment: Why do you think you feel a restlessness about “the way things are” while others seem to be fine with it? How does someone move forward in this situation?
Replay: New and Improved “One Anothers”
Three years ago, I published a post called “New and Improved ‘One Anothers’.” Now, I don’t know if you’ve noticed it or not, but there are alot of passages in Scripture that instruct us how to interact with “one another.” But, I’ve found that instructions to be just too difficult and idealistic. So, I put together this list of “one anothers” that are a little more realistic. I’m happy to say that (from what I’ve seen) the church is doing a great job of living by these “one anothers.” What do you think?
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New and Improved “One Anothers”
Most Christians are familiar with the “one anothers” of Scripture, such as love one another, serve one another, forgive one another, accept one another, teach one another, encourage one another, be kind to one another… These exhortations worked well for the early church, but now they’re outdated.
The modern church lives by a set of “one anothers” that are both new and improved! While on the surface it may seem that these “one anothers” are negative, in reality they strengthen the church by keeping it from being changed or transformed – just the kind of church that God wants!
Be acquainted with one another
Yes, the Bible said to “love one another”, but we know that we can’t love everyone. So, its much better to be acquainted with people. That way, you can call their name when you pass in the hallway. Name tags are especially helpful in keeping this new exhortation.
Ignore one another
This one is related to “be acquainted with one another”, but its a little more spiritual. We don’t want people to think they they are the center of the universe, so its better to ignore people and their problems, especially when you have something better to do. So, when you ask someone, “How are you?”, if they say something more than “Fine” or “Okay”, its best to simply ignore them.
Ridicule one another
Again, on the surface this looks bad. However, in reality, there is nothing better to get people to have the right theology – MY theology – than to ridicule them and their beliefs. The more theological terms you use while ridiculing them the better. This is especially useful in response to new ideas and suggestions.
Give a little to one another
Keep some change in your pocket in case someone needs something. That way, you have fulfilled your spiritual responsibilities while, at the same time, not costing yourself too much. If you want to be very spiritual, keep an extra one or five dollar bill in your billfold.
Organize one another
People need help knowing what to do and how to do it. Who better to show them than you? Keep people in line, or the church could be in big trouble!
Remind one another of their wrongs
People often forget that they are sinners and that they’ve hurt you in the past. Remind them of this… often… especially if someone good happens to someone. Again, we don’t want people to think too highly of themselves, so its our responsibility to knock them down a notch.
Be served by one another
People like to serve you. Let them… but only a little, and only in insignificant things. You don’t want people to think that you aren’t independent. So, give them little, meaningless jobs to remind them that you are too important to do them yourself.
Kick one another when they’re down
I really don’t have to mention this, because the church is so good at it. But, its always good to have a reminder. When someone falls, make sure you keep them down for a long time. Then, when they get up, don’t help them. They need to learn to stand on their own two feet.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, smile at one another
No one wants to be around someone who is hurting or sorrowful or depressed. So, put a big smile on your face regardless of your circumstances or how you’re feeling.
As long as the church keeps following these new and improved “one anothers”, the church will continue to make a difference in the world – in the same way that it does now.
It’s a long, hard road, but we’re running it together
While it is possible to run trails along – and while I’m certain that many people run trails alone all the time – and even do so “successfully” I’m sure – the two times that I’ve been trail running have taught me a very important lessons: There are aspects of trail running that make it very dangerous to attempt to do alone.
In previous posts, I’ve already mentioned the dangers associated with rocks and roots and leaves, and, of course, there are other dangers as well. If you step on a rock or root or slip down a bank on a trail… several miles out in the woods… far away from “civilization”… the result could be disastrous, even for a fairly minor injury.
The first time I went trail running, the people that I ran with taught me the importance of running together. In fact, the “stronger” runners often asked if the pace was too fast, if we needed to slow down, if we needed to rest… As one of them said, “We’re running together. If someone needs to slow down, we all slow down.”
Three people fell on that first 7 mile run. Thank God that none of the three people who fell were injured. But, at each point, the group of runners stopped to check on the one who fell and to help him or her back up. In each case, after brushing him/herself off, the person was able to continue running down the trail.
The next week, when I went trail running again, something a little different happened. Again, a couple of people fell. But, at one point, when one of our friends fell, she had trouble with her knee when she stood back up. She told us that her knee had been injured previously and that the trail was causing her problems again. She did not think she could run, so we all walked with her.
Let me repeat that: One of our group could not run down the trail any longer, so we all walked together.
After walking for a few minutes, our friend wanted to try to run again. She ran for a while, but on a steep uphill climb her knee caused her problems again. So, we walked the rest of the trail.
There were several other people in that group. We could have left the injured runner behind, and the rest of us could have finished a run much more quickly. But, this was not acceptable to us. We were running this trail together – whatever pace that means, even if it means walking.
I think life is most like trail running in this aspect. God brings people into our lives, and we are all in this together. Just as trail runners should never leave an injured member of their party behind, we should never leave an “injured” neighbor behind either. Instead, we must learn to “walk” or “run” together in life as necessary.
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Spiritual Lessons from Trail Running
- Introduction: Spiritual Lessons from Trail Running
- Rocks and Roots and Leaves
- Leading from the front; leading from behind
- It’s a long, hard road, but we’re running it together
- Meeting other people on the journey
- The Destination, the Journey, and Everything In Between
- Look at your feet; look at the path; look further ahead
Because we feel like we’re not doing anything important
I’ve had several conversations over the last few weeks – really stretching back a few months – and, if I really tried, I could probably think of conversations over the last few years – about the difference between doing things officially as “church” and simply doing things with other brothers and sisters in Christ. From what I can tell, it boils down to this: When we do things sponsored by “the church,” it makes us feel like we’re doing something more important, more holy, more eternal, more official.
Now, don’t get me wrong… when I stop and talk to people about this, they admit that comforting a sister who is mourning over a cup of coffee is extremely important discipleship type stuff. But, it’s not quite as… something… as doing an activity or attending a meeting that is sponsored by “the church.” “Yes,” I’ve heard people say, “the friends were sisters in Christ,” and, “yes,” they would continue, “they were gathered in Jesus’ name,” and, “of course,” they insist, “they were encouraging and comforting her and helping her to respond to her problems in a godly manner,” and, “it’s true,” they might even conclude, “that time together with one another was more similar to the examples we read about in the New Testament”… but, still, that was just friends having coffee together. It wasn’t really a “church” thing.
So, what is it about having something sanctioned by the church that makes it seem more important, more holy, more official? Is it simply something that people have been brought up to think? A group of co-workers meeting for prayer during lunch is great, but it’s not quite the same thing as a prayer meeting at church. A few friends gathering to study the Bible is awesome, but wouldn’t it be even better if it was a church sponsored “Bible Fellowship Club Meeting”? You’re taking some food to a family in need? That’s amazing! But, why not take part in the church’s benevolence program? The committee meets every fourth Tuesday.
I know these questions sound sarcastic, and there is obviously tongue-in-cheek to my examples above. But, the point is serious.
I’ve talked with so many people who are loving their neighbors and serving their communities and proclaiming the gospel and discipling friends and praying for others, but they feel like their activities are somehow LESS because they are not church-sponsored activities. I’m assuming that their church leaders would be ecstatic that these people are actually living out what we read about in Scripture, and perhaps they are. But, for some reason, the people I’ve talked to are made to feel as if they are not actually loving, serving, evangelizing, or discipling people because the things they are doing are not part of the official programs of the church.
“Yes,” they have been told, “Please continue to do those things. But, you should also take part in these events that we sponsor.”
Again, I’m hoping that this is unintentional. And, thus, the point of this post. Are you a church leader, either recognized or not, either official or not, either paid or not, either professional or no? Consider what you’ve said to people. Are you encouraging them to serving God by loving him and loving others in any opportunity that God brings into their lives? Or, are you somehow – even unintentionally – communicating that it only “counts” if what they are doing is part of the officially sanctioned and recognized programs and activities of your church organization?
Trust me, these people are serving God. You’re not helping if that’s what you’re doing… even if it’s unintentional.
Replay: Learning to share our lives with others
Four years ago, I wrote a post called “Learning to live together.” (While I normally keep the titles of my previous posts in “replays,” I decided to change this one slightly to better reflect the content.) In this post, I was thinking about some of the opportunities that God had given us to share our lives with others. These opportunities are not always pleasant; sometimes they are very painful. But, it’s necessary for us to learn to share our lives in the good times and the bad, and to share in the struggles and successes of other people as well.
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A few months ago, I wrote an article for “Life in the Journey” called “Walking through difficulty… together“. In that post, I primarily was thanking God for the many brothers and sisters that he has placed in our lives, and acknowledging that I need these people in my life to help me walk with God. God places us together to live together, in both the good times and the bad times, to rejoice with one another and to mourn with one another, to encourage and to comfort.
Over the last few weeks especially, we’ve seen more and more friends struggling through life. It seems, in fact, that the number of struggles has increased exponentially over the last few months and years. As I think about these struggles and the seeming increase of struggles, I wonder if the increase is real, or if I simply know about more of the struggles because there are more people who have chosen to share their lives with us.
In reality, I realize that over the last couple of years especially, my family has begun to learn what it means to live together with other people. This means that we are learning not only to bear the other person’s burden, but also to share our own burdens. I think, sometimes, sharing my burdens is more difficult than helping someone else bear their burden. But, both – give and take – is important and necessary as we learn to live in community with one another – with Jesus Christ as the one who creates and maintains our fellowship, with him alone being our common identity.
I said, “My family has begun to learn what it means to live together with other people”. I want to say that we HAVE learned, but that would not be true. This process is ongoing, and since we are not complete yet, we have a long way to go and much more to learn. We are still learning to trust and to be trustworthy, to care and to allow others to care, to speak and to listen, to accept and to be real/authentic, to give grace and to accept grace, and most of all, to hope and to offer hope to others.
Since we are still learning, we are also still making mistakes. And, since our brothers and sisters are not perfect yet either – sorry to burst your bubble – they make mistakes as well. Besides being hurt by life, we hurt one another. Thus, forgiveness must be a huge part of learning to live together. Of course, this includes asking for forgiveness and offering forgiveness. We who have been given much, who have been forgiven greatly, and who have been loved unconditionally give, forgive, and love others in response… imperfectly though.
So, as our friends struggle with sickness, death, relationship problems, financial problems, job issues, emotional stresses, etc. and as our family struggles with the same issues, we learn to live together, in spite of these struggles and through these struggles. We learn to depend upon God as we depend upon one another. We learn that God cares as we see others care. As we give and receive, offer and accept, in strength and in weakness, we learn to live together… living the life of a traveler, yearning for our true home, rejoicing in the fellow travelers that God places in our path.
Community in Christ develops as we serve together
Dave Black announced yesterday that he is putting the finishing touches on a new book called Will You Join the Cause of Global Missions? If you read Dave’s blog, you know that he and his wife have been focused on proclaiming the gospel and strengthening the church in various countries around the world for the last several years. They do not do this work through any kind of missions organization, although they gladly work with many such organizations. Instead, they go around the world at their own expense, and they are including other believers in several churches around them in their efforts. (I know this first hand because I traveled with them to Ethiopia just over a year ago.)
In announcing his book, Dave shared a quote that I hope you will find encouraging and challenging (see the entry from Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 8:54 a.m.):
Jesus’ disciples enjoyed community simply because Jesus and not a set of dogmas was at the center of their life. They never tried to “build community.” They didn’t have to. Community was the result of being united in the Christian mission; community emerged naturally when they committed themselves to something bigger than themselves. And so it is in the church today. It is my personal observation that most Christians begin to enjoy genuine community only when they begin to serve the poor, evangelize the lost, and plant churches. The glue that unites them is the missional task of loving their neighbors. A shared sense of mission drives them to community. Their congregations are mission-shaped. Like Jesus, they literally go. For them the Bible, not tradition, is normative, and they hold themselves accountable to each other in love even while they work closely with the surrounding neighborhood, developing strong links between Christians and not-yet Christians.
If you have read much about the “missional” movement or about missions especially in the United States, you know that many (perhaps most?) efforts are quite sectarian in the sense that people tend to work together only with those who agree with them (on whatever “doctrines” they consider to be most important).
Dave’s statement above flies in the face of that practice. If he is correct – and I think he is – community in Christ is developed as we serve others in Christ’s name by proclaiming the gospel, building up other Christians (discipleship), and serving the least. Many today say that we cannot work in these ways (or at least in some of these ways) with other Christians with whom we disagree. I think this shows a desire (intentional or not) for community based on our interpretations instead of community based on Christ.
Certainly there will be difficulties and issues related to working with those who disagree with us especially concerning those beliefs that we hold dear. However, according to Jesus, our unity (even unity in mission) is important – perhaps necessary – in order for the world to know that Jesus Christ came from God the Father. (John 17:20-21)
Practically, how do we serve (in the various ways mentioned above) with brothers and sisters in Christ who disagree with us?
The Spiritual Gift of Connecting People
Okay, so it probably isn’t a spiritual gift, but I love connecting people to one another. And, from what I’ve been able to tell and from other people have told me, it is a kind of “gift” or talent that I have.
What do I mean by “connecting people”?
Well, when I meet someone for the first time and begin to get to know them, something happens in my brain. As the person tells me about himself or herself, I immediately start relating their interests, concerns, location, passions, etc. to other people with similar or complimentary interests, concerns, locations, passions, etc.
If I meet someone who is a mechanic, I’m immediately reminded of friends with car problems. When I’m first introduced to someone who lives in Franklinton, I think of people I know who live in or near that city. A new friend says that she likes to study Revelation, and I remember other friends who love prophecy and apocalyptic literature.
Of course, I’m not always able to connect people like this. Sometimes there are other issues that keep people apart, such as work schedules. In fact, I don’t think it is my responsibility to make sure that people build relationships, but I do think it’s good to introduce them to one another and point out the points of connection.
I’ve found that this has been a huge benefit in developing and building community. Pointing people to other with similar interests help them fit in with a group. Linking people who have the skills or means to those who have certain needs can help them serve each other.
Like I said, I don’t know if this is a spiritual gift or not. Perhaps it is an offshoot of encouragement, or helps, or serving. But, I have seen how God has used this ability in the past, and I hope that he continues using me to connect people in the future.
Do you have the ability to connect people? Do you know someone else who does? How have you seen this ability work among the church? Can you see benefits outside the church?
Online community and discipleship?
Once again I want to point you to a post by Miguel at “God-Directed Deviations.” This post is called “Virtual Community & Virtual Discipleship.”
Miguel is asking some very good questions about the role of online communication both in developing community and in helping people follow Jesus Christ. As with many of his posts, there is some good discussion in the comments.
As part of his post, Miguel says:
If we say that there are no virtual communities, then the issue of online discipleship is moot. If we say, however, that virtual or online communities do and can exist, then some would have to “Go” to those communities, no problem – “Teach them to observe all things that Christ commanded,” slight problem – and ”baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” bigger problem. Or perhaps you may have a differing point of view with respect to how online discipleship would be done. I would say that online evangelism, at least on the surface seems much more possible than discipleship, but I’m open to here what you have to say here as well.
Again, I encourage you to read Miguel’s post and interact with him there.
However, I want to ask a couple of questions here as well. Is it possible to have virtual or online community only (i.e., you never meet face-to-face)? Is it possible to have virtual or online discipleship only?
(By the way, I wrote a short series last year that began with “Internet Ministry: What is it?“)
Discernment when Scripture doesn’t Answer our Questions
As I said in a previous post, I’m working my way through a series on the role of discernment when the church gathers together. (See the “Introduction” post here.) I’ve also stated already that I believe that discernment is the work of those who are gifted at “distinguishing between spirits,” but it is also the work of those who are not gifted in that way. Similarly, I pointed out that discernment is part of the edifying process that occurs while the church gathers together. I pointed out a couple of examples in which people used Scripture to help them weigh what was being said.
While it’s popular to state that Scripture answers all questions, Scripture itself never makes that claim. In fact, there are a few examples of people discerning what God wants them to do when Scripture does not answer the question. I’ll cover two of those examples in this post.
The first example is found in Acts 16 during Paul’s travels with his team on what is typically called his second missionary journey:
And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. (Acts 16:6-10 ESV)
Previously, Paul had decided to visit the believers in the cities where he and Barnabas had traveled. Once he got to Antioch of Pisidia, he decided to continue. He first tried to go into the region of Asia, then they attempted to go to Bithynia. Finally, they went Troas. There, they not only met Luke (apparently), but Paul had a dream of someone from Macedonia asking for help. Luke tells us that the group concluded that God wanted them to go to Macedonia to proclaim the gospel.
So, when Paul and his team was trying to decide where to go next, they could not turn to Scripture. There was no passage in the Old Testament that would tell them what city or region to travel to. Instead, they apparently used their own reason or desires until God stopped their progress or directly communicated with them. Even when he directly communicated with Paul through a dream, it appears that Paul shared the dream with the group so that they could all weigh their response. (Note: The participle “concluding” does not necessarily point to a long, drawn out debate, but it does point to the potential for deciding one way or the other.)
The next example is even more intriguing (at least to me). Later in Paul’s journeys, he decides that God wants him to go to Jerusalem. In fact, he feels that the Holy Spirit has him in chains and is pulling him to Jerusalem. (See Acts 20:22.) When his team sails across the Mediterranean and reaches Caesarea, the are approached by a prophet:
While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'” When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.” After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. (Acts 21:10-15 ESV)
This passage is intriguing to me because the prophet Agabus accurately communicated what eventually happens to Paul. (So, this was not only an instance of prophecy, but also of foretelling the future.) However, there was disagreement concerning what they should do with this information. Paul knew that God wanted him to go to Jerusalem. The people with him thought the prophecy meant that Paul should not go to Jerusalem. Again, this is not a question that is answered in Scripture.
In these cases we get a better view of what is included in “discernment.” Discernment not only refers to determining what something means, but it also refers to determining how it may or may not apply. Something could apply to no one, to an individual, to a sub-group, or to the entire group. This is all part of discernment.
Does it concern you that we must often discern (“weigh”) questions that are not answered by Scripture? What other means do we have to discern different types of questions or speech or activities?
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Series on Discernment
Prelude: Let the Others Weigh what is Said…
1. Test Everything: The role of discernment when the church gathers (Introduction)
2. Discernment: A gift of the Spirit and the work of all
3. Discernment: Part of the edifying process of the church gathering
4. Discernment, the Bereans, and Scripture
5. Discernment when Scripture doesn’t Answer our Questions