What!
Some of you are looking at this title and wondering, WHAT! Has he lost his mind? Do we need to cast out evil spirits before we go on? Am I going to be safe reading this? I will explain the title in just a bit, but first I’d like to give a little background so it will all make sense. Trust me, I have not gone crazy.
Since I started this series of Unity In Christ, I have touched on a number of topics trying to bridge a gap, looking for unity, while we seem to be tearing ourselves apart from within. Our situation appears to be like so many other things going on in the world, destruction seems to always work best from the inside. We as Christians need to look toward healing these gaps or wounds, because we are definitely stronger together, as Christ always wants us to be.
While I was being counseled before my ordination, the three pastors presiding over my ceremony all told me, once you are ordained as a Reverend, you will be constantly bombarded with someone or something trying to tear you down. You will always have a target on you whenever you speak the word of God. Needless to say, they were correct then, as it started almost immediately and I was wondering, Lord, what have I done? Sound familiar? There is always someone trying to cast doubt, because the word of God is truth, and we need truth in our lives as we seek righteousness. (“and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32)
The Church Is Lost!
Just the other day I had a brother in Christ say to me “the church itself is lost”. Now at first, I was shocked that someone professing to be a Christian would say something like this, but it caught my attention. While I didn’t receive a very clear reason why my Christian friend felt this way, I started thinking, maybe he is of the mindset that we are moving in a direction where there is so much division, that the church itself is lost, and cannot recover. And there surely is division. Now, even with the differences we have, I still don’t believe that the church is lost, or even close to being lost. We have traveled around the world, my wife and I, and seeing and hearing Christian testimony everywhere we have ventured, I can surely be a witness that the Church is ALIVE not lost. It is very much in sight.
The Church itself is made up of every believer in Christ, all of us who have stated that Jesus is our Savior, which includes the entire world. There are somewhere around 2.4 billion Christians, in the world, and the number is growing instead of shrinking. My belief is for the church to be lost, every one of the 2.4 billion would need to be lost. Our faith in Jesus means we are not lost, and if God says we are not lost, I see that as being Truth. As John Newton wrote in “Amazing Grace”, I once was lost, but now I am found, that being found in Christ.
As I have stated on many occasions, none of us are perfect, as we may fall from time to time. When we fall, our trust is in Jesus to lift us up, and He will put us back on the path toward righteousness. We may lose our way, from time to time, but the truth in God’s word means we don’t have to stay lost. (“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24) There is Unity in Spirit and Unity in Truth, and the Church is not lost.
By being told that “the church itself is lost” and being shocked, it opened up a new avenue for me to share these thoughts. We, as Christians should always seek Unity in Christ, and our message should always be focused on glorifying God. We cannot control what others think, or what they may do, but we can continue to share His word and always pray that the Holy Spirit will enter the hearts of anyone in need, the lost and the saved, and that soul will hear exactly what they need. We as humans are never going to agree on everything, but we as a body should agree that Jesus is Lord. And if we can all focus on glorifying Him and Him alone, we can put aside our selfishness, greed, anger, pride and everything else that destroys our union. Christ is always with us, and He alone can heal our division. Unity in Christ will never be lost.
Share your thoughts and feelings here. Let’s chime-in!
I believe that this is the time that God is awakening His Church. Some people in the church where I pastor are getting excited about just going out and sharing their testimony and winning souls. Some folks, though, have always thought of church attendance as a ritual or obligation and are comfortable staying at home. I hear them saying, “I stayed at home and listened to brother or sister so and so and got as much out of it.” They are missing the point. We need to be listening to the Spirit and seeking God more than ever, “jumping on the train before it leaves.” Those who are walking in the Spirit recognize that this time looks bad for the world, but it is THE time for the Church. Those who are hoping it will “get back to normal” are in for a surprise. No more sitting back in church and being a spectator, commentator, agitator, or procrastinator. It’s time to be a participator.
Thanks Brother Bob!