During a sermon the pastor
spoke about the revolving doors of the church, “People going to other churches…they
float in and they float out for a season. It’s not healthy.” While I understand
his comment, I wonder about the intended purpose of the comments being inserted
in the sermon. Occasionally churches leadership confuses shepherding with
flock-ownership; however, Jesus makes it clear that He is the Good Shepherd and
there is only one flock and one shepherd. Jesus said, “I have other sheep that
are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my
voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16 NIV). It’s
possible that some of these floaters simply have not yet found the right pen.
1 comment:
Gail;
-----The preacher’s right in the way church is done today. I don’t really care how many people might agree with me, but I always note that the Church at Ephesus never did return to its first love. It wasn’t just that the first century church in John’s see at Ephesus never returned to its first love. It isn’t just that this church got drawn away from the “…knowledge puffs up, but love builds up…” thing of I Cor 8:2 by trying to make great heaps of ritualistic minutia into spiritual meaning and necessity. It isn’t just that the entire Early Church failed to return to the meaningful service and edification factors from its minutia heap. It is also that distinguishing relationship with the Lord by narrowly defined rites, rituals, and theological trappings is the general nature of churches from then to this day, rather than defining it by service and edification. Look at the church throughout history since the time of its depiction in Acts. She’s not a pretty picture. She never returned to her first love. And we remember what Jesus told her angel would happen if she didn’t return to it? Yes. Her lamp stand would be removed from its place. And so it is. The church leaders act and run the churches like they are its light, though they speak like Jesus is that light. Let’s see, now. What was that thing Jesus said about “white” and “wash”. Oh yah. Pardon me. He said that about the religious leaders of those days, not these days. But still there’s that lamp stand thing.
-----With Christ actually as Lord all this differentiation between these rites, rituals, and theological themes or those melts away into that “Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind” thing Paul mentioned (Romans 14:5.) Pleasing your neighbor for his good to edify him (Romans 15:2) grows bigger than whether the wafer actually becomes Jesus or just represents Him. If Jesus really were head of each church, then what difference would it make which church we went to on what Sunday? In fact, if this distinction stuff were dropped and everyone rather attended church here and there around town, the interrelationship of all the community’s believers would actually start becoming sort of a fellowship. We would all know each other better. I tend to believe we would have done smart things together, like pooling teaching talents, assets, and building facilities to create truthful education for the community’s children more on par with the cost of government schools to parents, rather than charging the poor folks a university’s tuition for each year of their child’s elementary education.
-----Yet the manifold wisdom of God is made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places through these sequestered little puddles of cliquish fellowship. And that’s a mystery until you have fully considered the whole extend of what grace truly means. We yet love our leaders and rather follow them, because 1) they’re all we’ve got so far, and 2) our Lord loves them, and who can deny whom He loves?
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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