The Community of Believers, Part Three:

 Taking Action

Today, I’m wrapping up a series of posts on the topic of living in community with our fellow believers. [If you haven’t read the first or second parts yet, you can find them here (#1) and here (#2).] I believe that, as believers, we need to resolve to purposefully and intentionally live our lives in community with each other. We’ve talked about why it’s important to do that, and we’ve talked about dealing with conflict amongst ourselves. Today I want to take a look at church life, and at our personal responsibilities as they relate specifically to being a part of the Body of Christ.

Commitment. We humans can be very committed when we want to be. We stay loyal to our team even when they’ve been on the losing side for years on end. We throw ourselves into a project so fully that even when we aren’t working on it, we’re thinking about it. On the flip side, we can be really wishy-washy, too. (Come on – you know it’s true.) Our treadmills become clothes hangers. We end the call when we’ve been on hold for more than 5 minutes. We start things and never finish them. Those are pretty benign examples, but you and I both know that our commitment – or lack thereof – also extends to much more serious arenas. Jobs, friendships, marriages… churches, too! Our commitment level shines through and becomes very apparent to others when they look at the way we handle our most important responsibilities. When something becomes a struggle, do we dig in and try our hardest to work through it, or do we give up all too easily?

Having been involved in ministry for a number of years, PJ and I have seen all levels of commitment within the members of the church body. There are those who rarely miss a single service or Bible study, are devoted to prayer, and always volunteer when there is an opportunity to help out. Then there are those who attend services just a few times a year and reach out mainly when they have a need for prayer or financial assistance. The local church is made up of all types, but the majority seem to fall somewhere in the middle of these two opposites. So, what happens when someone feels vulnerable, gets offended, or is wounded in a church? There does often seem to be a correlation between a person's level of commitment and the way that they react to difficulty in the church. Here are a few different responses we have noticed: Sometimes, people react by making an effort to find healing and restoration of unity within the group; sometimes, they react by going and finding a new group of people to worship with; and at other times, they completely pull away from anything that has to do with the church or organized religion. People in the last group don’t necessarily walk away from their relationship with God, but they certainly will walk away from their relationship with the church. Here’s the thing, though (and yes, I realize I’m repeating myself again): We were designed by our Creator to live in community with one another. Community is sometimes messy, and imperfect - because we aren't perfect people. And you know what else? Community requires commitment.

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

- Ephesians 4: 2-6 (NIV)

Now, I’m not saying it’s always easy to stay connected; but I am saying it’s worth it. God called us to it, and He knows what He’s doing. He knows we lose a lot when we become isolated from each other. Keep in mind – not everything worthwhile is always easy. Raising kids is worthwhile, but sure not easy. Marriage is a blessing, but it’s also hard work. Undertaking a physical training program takes a lot of effort, but it pays off in the end. There are certain things we do that we are determined not to give up on, no matter how difficult things get. What would happen if we extended that never-give-up attitude towards maintaining relationships in our church and in the wider community of believers? How would that change things?

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

- Ephesians 4: 11-16 (NIV)

It’s true, God knows what challenges we will face as we do life together. However, He also knows what blessings we will reap through being involved in each other’s lives. Yes, at times I have been hurt by my fellow believers. More than I care to think about, actually. But I have also been richly blessed by them – even sometimes by the same people who have previously wounded me. We bless each other when we pray for each other, share meals, and work side by side. We talk with each other – sharing what we have learned, or what we struggle with. We lean on each other. We help each other in practical and tangible ways. We give. We support one another when one of us is struggling. We challenge one another. We keep each other accountable. We care. We love. We become a family, and we truly become the Body of Christ. There is a certain amount of vulnerability that is required to reap the blessings, and that’s what I wish I would have realized long ago. If we remain guarded and closed off from one another, then we do not give or receive fully. If we frequently switch churches or keep hunting for the next bigger or better thing, then we lose the opportunity to develop deep and meaningful relationships.

To quote PJ (from a sermon some time ago), “Unity happens around who God is. To see unity in our church, we must seek God first. Unity starts at a personal level, then expands corporately. We will reach more people together than we ever will separately.” If we put our focus on God and on serving Him, then petty disagreements can take a backseat to the work of the Kingdom. Often, we become so fixated upon our personal convictions that have nothing to do with godliness, that we spend all our time trying to convince people to see things our way rather than doing the things God has actually called us to do. That’s a dangerous path to tread! The harm in it is that we end up pushing people away from the Lord, rather than towards Him. Instead of seeing the value of a relationship with the Lord, and the value of being part of a church, they just see people who are pushy and narrow-minded. This can cause some of our fellow believers to decide that it’s not worth being part of a church community. It can also cause unbelievers to extend that perception onto all Christians they encounter. If the world is going to reject us, let it be for Christ, and not for some silly soapbox moment! We can learn to work together, and we can learn to work through our differences and disagreements together. When we truly put Christ first in our lives, and prioritize our relationship with Him above all else, we begin to realize that some of the things we are expending our energy and efforts to fight about just aren’t worth it. He rearranges our priorities. When we live a life of selflessness and service to God, it changes us for the better.

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one – I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

- John 17: 20-23 (NIV)

Yes, I admit… sometimes I kind of want to run off into the hills, be far away from people, and keep livestock for company instead. (Goats. I want goats. And a pony.) Seems less complicated. 😉

…BUT…

I’m choosing instead to trust God and stay involved with my fellow believers, imperfect as we all are. I’m making that choice with the knowledge that I’ll likely get hurt sometime again. I’m believing that God’s faithfulness will carry me through. Nope, it’s not always easy, but I do believe it will be worth it.

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

- Philippians 2: 1-4 (NIV)

Please Note: Though commitment is very important, I’m not saying that we should put up with abuse, overlook a toxic church culture, or ignore an upside-down church leadership structure. In some situations, conflict cannot be resolved despite our best efforts. Someday there may come a time when it is necessary for you to separate yourself from certain individuals, or remove yourself from a certain church. Please don’t make that type of decision lightly. Don’t base it on an emotional reaction. Pray. Talk to someone you trust. Forgive the offending party. Then pray some more. If you do end up making the decision to find a new church body, please remember that your current pastor is invested in your life. They care for you and they love you as a brother or sister in Christ. Give them the courtesy of a face-to-face, honest conversation about what’s going on. By and large, they’d prefer to bless you as you leave, rather than see you just kind of sneak out the back door.