A missional church invades and permeates.
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| — | Ralph Moore |
I can summerize isolation with a single question: “When was the last time you spent time hanging out with pre-Christian friends—on their turf and with their friends?
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| — | Ralph Moore |
Your friends are making fun of your wife!!
As a full-time staff member at a church (the local one), I hear the grievances that non-Christians have with the Church (the universal one). I hold no ill towards them, actually…their grievances grieve me. Because if we are ambassadors of Christ in the church (2Cor.5:20), then we also have been commissioned by Christ to act, speak, and behave in such an excellent way, that non-Christians looking in, will be so floored by our self-sacrificial efforts towards them and each other, that regardless of their hatred towards us, they will not be able to help but glorify God (1Pet.2:12).
I confess that I fall way short of this, and deserve whatever complaints the world has to level at me. May God help me repent for the sake of His fame.
What I do not understand is when Christians complain about the Church.
Now don’t get me wrong… When things need to change within the church, we seek to change them. But that is not the same as complaining.
Here’s why it saddens me:
The Church is not mine to complain about. Rather, I am in the Church, so if I complain, I really point the finger at myself. Daniel understood this (Daniel 9:5).
Rather, the Church, being purchased by Christ at an enormous price (Acts 20:28), rightfully belongs to Christ (Eph 1:21-23; 3:21)!
In fact, the Church is called His “Bride”
Now, I’m trying to imagine someone complaining about my wife to my face. Honestly, I would probably go berserk, and apologize later.
There are a hundred things in the Church/church that could be done better, and it is a right reflection of the glorious worth of God to do them rightly! That we do things wrongly is merely an aide-memoire of how merciful God is towards us, similar to how Brianna loves me even though I shrunk her clothes in the dryer last week. I bollux things up, but I’m still her spouse whom she loves, and she never mocks me. And I never, never, never mock or speak slanderously of this woman whom I have given up everything for.
So may God forgive us for ever complaining about His bride.
We put together a luncheon for people with a heart for birthing churches. It was the first one Reality has ever done, and the room was packed! Praise God that His people are getting a heart for His Bride! Sola Dio Gloria.
