Need for Fellowship

As a person who tends to remain at one church for extended periods, I often wonder about the metrics people use to determine which church is ideal for them.  At the onset I am unsure if an ideal church actually exists since all individual members (including the seeker) are in various stages of maturity and growth.  And if we ask the question, "What is the best or ideal church for me?" if "me" is the central or primary point of emphasis clearly my ideals are skewed.  There are both practical and spiritual aspects to consider.  Is the meeting place reasonably close to my home?  Are the doctrines taught biblically sound?  What I find most concerning is though there are many Christians denominations and groups of all kinds, some can't seem to feel comfortable or fit anywhere and thus are not engaged in regular fellowship with other believers.  Maybe comfort isn't the best metric to use.

Over the years I've heard things I didn't expect, like:  "I could never go to a church where the pastor is younger than me" and "I'm only here for the air conditioning."  Upon hearing these things I probably just stood there like a stunned mullet, not exactly knowing what to say.  It's sad when we approach church as consumers, as customers who enter into an arrangement of goods and services rather than a gracious contributor.  It's also a tragedy when we use worldly gauges to determine the quality of a church, like how many people attend, how "dynamic" the worship team or preacher is, the comfort of the seats, or how active the church is in mission work.  Church is more than a building, amenities, or programs, but a group of people who love God and one another.  Hebrews 10:23-25 is an exhortation fit for the family of God:  "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, ²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."

The Christian walk is much more than showing up to meetings with other believers, but it is impossible for us to be in fellowship with one another unless we are with one another.  It's impossible on your own to obey the "one another" commands Jesus gave!  We are to consider others as more important than ourselves, knowing and believing through us God intends to reveal His love to regulars and visitors alike - and God has things He will use others to reveal to us.  A lot of people who are not signed up for a particular role during a service might feel obliged to miss church gatherings, yet I am convinced when this is a chronic practice it is to the detriment of all.  This mindset seems focused on self rather than considering the needs of others, since God has chosen us for one another.  Our exhortations to stir up love and good works are without force if we are rarely present and model these virtues ourselves.

Since each of us are part of the church, the Body of Christ, we are to walk in the love of God through obedience to Him.  Jesus won't leave or forsake us because His is faithful, and our faithfulness in fellowship is the outflow of faith in Him demonstrated through obedience.  In the end, meeting up for church gatherings to celebrate and worship God is not about you or your comfort:  it is about God!  It is misguided to use church attendance as a gauge of the spiritual health of others or ourselves, but that we love one another as Jesus loves us.  To obey is better than sacrifice, and fellowship will cost us.  The cost of drifting without regular fellowship with believers, however, is far more costly.  We need fellowship, and others need us - whether we preach from a pulpit, greet people at the door, or pray.

Heart Problems

Everyone seems to have different opinions about what is "wrong with the world."  I have heard some claim religion is to blame for wars and conflicts, but such would be hard-pressed to argue with the biblical definition in James 1:27:  "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."  There is a lot in this world which defiles heart and soul, and many things done in the name of religion are sinful in God's sight.  Therefore it is not religion itself that is the problem, but sin in the hearts of people where the issue lies.  All religions are not equal or valid in God's sight, even as the end cannot justify the means.  There is only one way to salvation and eternal life, and it is not gained through observance of a "religion" but through faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus often said things which amazed those who followed Him.  After a rich man walked away from Jesus sad because he was unwilling to give away His possessions at Christ's command Mark 10:23 says, "Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"  Riches and abundance were often seen as favour from God, so this was a surprising revelation to His disciples.  He doubled down with a clarification in Mark 10:24:  "And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!"  It is not riches themselves where the problem lies, but in our hearts.  When we have wealth we will tend to trust it and find our security in dollars rather than God and faith in His Word.  We foolishly tend to value riches of earth more than desiring treasure in heaven.

Jesus absolutely blew their minds in Mark 10:25-27:  "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." ²⁶ And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?" ²⁷ But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."  It is impossible for a camel to pass through the eye of a sewing needle, and the suggestion it was easier to do the impossible than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God was incredible indeed.  They wondered how anyone could be saved!  Jesus told them with men it is impossible, and this is true.  No man can purchase with money the right to enter heaven or leverage his wealth to wash himself of sin.  All men, rich and poor, need forgiveness and atonement of sin through faith in Jesus Christ.  The poor man recognises his need perhaps more than the rich man who has a comfortable life.  Yet God is able to save the rich and poor, the orphan and the widow:  with God all things are possible.

I have heard this statement of Jesus applied to many situations, but the context concerns the eternal salvation of souls.  The rich young ruler who walked away sad was not without hope because with God all things are possible.  I am certain the Holy Spirit brought conviction of sin, of righteousness, and judgment, bringing the words of Jesus to remembrance.  But God would not save a man who refused to be saved.  The way of salvation through Jesus was open to the man, but it was his decision to embrace his riches or pass through the Door in faith marked with obedience.  When disaster strikes an aircraft and it lands in water, the safety brief says to leave everything behind - even your identification, wallet, and handbag.  I wonder how many people have traded their lives for their stuff they were rushing to grab instead of obeying the commands.  Jesus can save to the utmost all who come to Him, and we must submit to His terms.  Religion, money, or this world are not to be blamed for man's sin and unbelief:  we each bear this alone.

Jesus Rings True

"A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."

Proverbs 18:24

The friend you desire is the friend you ought to be to others.  C.S. Lewis wrote something profound in his book The Four Loves:  "The very condition of having Friends is that we should want something else besides Friends." (Martindale, Wayne, and Jerry Root. The Quotable Lewis. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2005. page 236)  If all you want is a friend - like a child who is glad to have a neighbour for an hour and then for them to go home - then it should be no surprise you find friendship rare.  Friends are not a commodity to possess but a fellow to walk alongside and encourage through life.  Yet if a person offers intimacy and accepts others with the same love reserved for family, this is a friend worth having.  Friendship is a gift of God we can cultivate which knits hearts together with a connection truer than that of blood relation alone.  C.S. Lewis went on to write this:

"The common quest or vision which unites Friends does not absorb them in such a way that they remain ignorant or oblivious of one another.  On the contrary it is the very medium in which their mutual love and knowledge exist.  One knows nobody so well as one's "fellow."  Every step of the common journey tests his metal; and the tests are tests we fully understand because we are undergoing them ourselves.  hence, as he rings true time after time, our reliance, our respect and our admiration blossom into an Appreciative Love of a singularly robust and well-informed kind.  If, at the outset, we had attended more to him and less to the thing our Friendship is "about," we should not have come to know or love him so well.  You will not find the warrior, the poet, the philosopher or the Christian by staring in his eyes as if he were your mistress:  better fight beside him, read with him, argue with him, pray with him." (Martindale, Wayne, and Jerry Root. The Quotable Lewis. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2005. pages 237-238)

I am blown away by the fact Jesus called His followers friends as He revealed Himself to them by "ringing true" again and again.  He was consistent in His unswerving love and acceptance of them, even when one was a devil.  When Jesus Christ was first made known to me I was told He loved me and died on the cross to save me, and these facts were gladly accepted.  But as I have gone on with Jesus the more I appreciate other aspects of His life and ministry as well.  I have actually grown to know Him through His Word and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  It is not I who have stuck by Him but He has never left, forsaken, or forgotten Me.  He has kept me a friend according to His grace whilst I am a horrid friend!  He is the ultimate Friend and more than a friend:  He is my Saviour, Redeemer, Deliverer, Healer, Teacher, Shepherd, Master, and KING.  That God would be a Friend to sinners is awesome:  we shall be His treasured friends forever!

Revealing God's Wisdom

In many aspects of our Christian walk before God we bear a degree of responsibility.  Knowing this, it is possible we might begin to place more emphasis on our efforts or knowledge and create a subtle shift from simple faith in God.  It is true knowledge of God and His Word is intrinsic to faith and obedience, yet we are compared to one currently seeing a dim reflection of reality.  Even when we are able to view a picture or video in High Definition it could only portray a fraction of the details which could be known:  what led to the scene, the people involved, the outcome, and the future.

I am blessed God has plans, purposes, and the miraculous ability to perform them all in His way and time.  God declared through the prophet in Isaiah 46:9-11, "Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, ¹⁰ declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,' ¹¹ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it."  This is encouraging stuff for those overwhelmed with their own inadequacy and failure.  We serve an awesome God who reigns on high and is not reliant upon us to do anything - but He delights to employ us in His service, and it is He who makes our labours fruitful.

My eyes were opened this week to one purpose of the church I hadn't considered before mentioned by Paul in Ephesians 3.  Despite viewing himself as the least of all the saints, Paul was delighted to be a prisoner of Christ and bring the Gospel to the Gentiles, to share the mystery of the creation of the church made of both Jew and Gentile which God revealed.  He continued concerning God's purpose in Ephesians 3:10-11:  "...to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, ¹¹ according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord..."  It seemed a wild enough thing Paul would be chosen by God to share the Gospel to Gentiles, but even more shocking that God purposed to use the church to make known the manifold wisdom of God to the principalities and powers, to angelic and demonic spiritual hosts.  Through Paul's life and all who have been redeemed and atoned for by the blood of Jesus, our lives are a living testimony of the power of God - not only to our fellow men - but to angels forever.

The salvation of a sinner and the subsequent transformation by God's grace must be amazing from an angel's-eye view.  We marvel over the metamorphosis of a tadpole to a frog or a caterpillar to a moth because of their physical changes, but demons and angels alike marvel how fallen people can be adopted as sons and made co-heirs with Christ, granted eternal salvation, and filled with all the fullness of God.  Looking at the wondrous examples of God's design and wisdom in nature does not grow old for us, and seeing God's majesty and glory in the salvation of souls is a constant source of wonder for spiritual hosts.  I am so glad God's will to fulfil this eternal purpose in my life didn't start with me knowing, understanding, or asking for it.  How many more things, I wonder, has God planned and is accomplishing right now in the lives of His people who comprise the Body of Christ, the church?  Trust God, believing His plans are greater than what you can see or know, and rejoice in Him.