March 31, 2011
Building on the Foundation
I just encountered a local resident who wants to reshape the community, take a leadership role and tell us the errors of our way….and he moved here six weeks ago. On occasion someone joins a church because they feel the congregation is somehow lacking and needs enlightenment. They come armed with a fuller gospel, more charisma, a new language, or faith healing. Too bad the thinking of some of these folks isn’t more aligned with Paul’s, “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.” (Ro 15:20)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Gail;
-----Every believer is in some way lacking and needs enlightenment. We all now see dimly as in a mirror. The fact that Paul said of controversial matters, “Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind,” (Rom 14:5b) verifies it. Otherwise he would have exhorted everyone to be identically convinced of every particular about everything, for we would be able to see crystal clearly as through pristine air.
-----Every church is made only of believers. Yes, the Lord is there with them - actually - in them. But the Holy Spirit’s dwelling within each believer has not given us the same mind meld between each other as Spock had. Nor does this indwelling effect each of our minds with a perfect, instantaneously conscious connection to untainted, unlimited, seamless truths. We still have to painstakingly read and ponder the Scriptures and then go out and do them before the Spirit builds their deeper meanings into our perceptions. Then any edifying of others with these perceptions must yet be done through language and example of actions. Both are turtle slow and ant small compared to the size and stirring of the concepts inside a heart and mind. So the believers together as a church are more like a bucket of gravel than a glass of water. They don’t stir real well.
-----The conclusion is unavoidable. Every church is somehow lacking and needs enlightenment. But the choice of humility or arrogance by a believer will convince him that either the Spirit enlightens and edifies the church by the fellowship of all, or he himself must go and edify every church with the enlightenment he alone has.
-----Paul made the choice pretty clear. “Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil 2:3-4). Remembering that every other is convinced in his own mind, as Paul said it should be, each one’s interest systemically has to do with that of which he himself is convinced. If a believer is directed to look to that other person’s interest, he must then be regarding that other person’s point of view. And if we are each to please his neighbor for his edification (Rom 15:2), thusly regarding his point of view, then the edification of one another we attempt will seek to build upon the understanding of the one being edified instead of dismantling it to build in him our own understanding. This is love.
-----I know that none of us loves perfectly. But when I see people trying to make a community or a church into what they themselves are, I can’t help but think I am seeing actions of hostility rather than of love. Then I have to convince myself that these may really be people who in other ways are truly loving, but in this way have simply steered off course a bit.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
Post a Comment