The Church: Redeemed, Chosen, God’s Beloved
As I’ve been studying, Ecclesiology, I want to share with you
some of the key things I’m learning. Not just for your sake, for I
honestly have no idea how many people actually read my blog, but for my
sake to have a place to look back and remember these incredible truths.
|
doodle: the church |
Ecclesiology, is the study of the Church, both the universal
and local body of believers. I’m not here to re-teach the logistics and
wordy facts about this amazing study...but what the Lord is teaching my
heart.
“Even though Christianity is individual, it is not individualistic.” Francis Schaeffer
In class we talked about the many divisions in the universal
church, we talked about how easy it is to pridefully say “I’d be better
off living in a log cabin the woods, just me and God”, and we
acknowledged the fact that the Lord is working on so many different
levels through so many different grids of theology. Who am I to say
someone might have wrong theology when there is more visible fruit in
their life then in mine? Can we be okay with this? What would the body
of believers look like if we agreed to disagree on some things...and
still be able to fellowship together and spur each other on in the grace
of Christ to good works?
Oh how important it is to hold firmly to truth and respond in
grace and humility toward those you disagree with. As soon as I respond
in pride to someone I disagree with I am in the wrong... I pray for
humility, I pray that I might see Christ’s perspective of each
believer.
As the church we have grace upon grace upon grace...what would it look like to extend that?
Professor Myers gave us three purposes of the Church that are right on:
1. The upward purpose of the Church is to joyfully and eternally express the Greatness and Goodness of God together in worship.
2. The outward purpose of the Church is to communicate the Gospel to the unsaved and call them to faith in Jesus Christ.
There is a great cost to this purpose, and “the sufferings of Christ are completed in the suffering of His saints.” (Myers) (Col 1:24,29)
3. The inward purpose of the Church is to express the grace and truth of God to one another in fellowship, service, and teaching.
These purposes amaze me and cause me to both praise God and pray...because I see this in some churches but not in others...
We have the Spirit of God indwelling us, He gives us a desire
to connect with each other. What might be wrong in the times I don’t
want to connect with other believers? Me, sin, flesh... Is what is
wrong. Me says I don’t need to love every believe, me says if they have
different theology then me then most likely God’s not working in and
through their life, and me doubts the power of the gospel to continue to
transform and refine each believer...including myself.
Professor Myers pleaded with us to be aware of blind stops in our perspective:
All that the New Testament has to say about our potion in
Christ is corporate! We must participate in each others needs, through
prayer and serving. Confessing together, calling sin “sin” brings a deep
Spirit of unity and allows the grace of God to work deeply.
Lastly this quote really stopped me in my tracks: read it carefully...
Apology of Aristides (to Emperor Hadrian, 125 AD)
“[Christians] love one another, and from widows they do not
turn away their esteem; and they deliver the orphan from him who treats
him harshly. And he, who has, gives to him who has not, without
boasting. And when they see a stranger, they take him in to their homes
and rejoice over him as a very brother; for they do not call them
brethren after the flesh, but brethren after the spirit and in God. And
whenever one of their poor passes from the world, each one of them
according to his ability gives heed to him and carefully sees to his
burial. And if they hear that one of their number is imprisoned or
afflicted on account of their Messiah, all of them anxiously minister to
his necessity, and if it is possible to redeem him they set him free.
And if there is among them any that is poor and needy, and if they have
no spare food, they fast two or three days in order to supply to the
needs of their lack of food.”
....that is the early church for you...how have we changed...how have we stayed the same?
Pray for the Church, pray that we choose wisely our ‘hills to
die on’ and the differences we can let go...pray we never compromise the
death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Most of all, together, pray
for the Name of God to be hallowed and His will to be done on earth as
it is in heaven and for the Nations to truly know Grace... Pray, pray,
pray....in the spiritual realm, on our neighs before the Father is where
true unity is found.