How to Church (3)
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. 1 Corinthians 3.16, 17
A holy nation
The apostle Peter described the Church as “a holy nation” (1 Pet. 2.9). This image of the Church—and each local church as an expression of the whole Church—as a “nation” comes from the Old Testament, of course. Israel was called by God to be a holy nation, so distinct and so wise that the nations around her would marvel at the wisdom and understanding the people of God displayed, and would stream up to their capital to learn as much as they could about how to live this way (cf. Deut. 4.5-8; Mic. 4.1-8).
God’s vision for His holy nation envisioned them as the beauty and joy of the entire earth, spreading His praise and displaying His grandeur to the far parts of the earth (Ps. 48).
Indeed, in the days of King Solomon, so richly did the wisdom of God abound in Israel, that nation after nation, year after year, sent emissaries and ambassadors to honor Solomon and learn the ways of the Lord from his mouth (cf. 1 Kgs. 10).
When Peter wrote that the church—every local church—is a “holy nation,” he meant for us to aspire to the same kind of stature in our communities that God intended for Israel in the Old Testament, among the nations of the world. Indeed, this is where the writer of Hebrews says we have arrived by coming to the Church of our Lord (Heb. 12.22-24). Jesus said His followers were a city set on a hill, a light to the world, the salt to preserve whatever is wholesome and good and to savor every sacrifice of praise and good works to the Lord for His glory (Matt. 5.13-16).
But is this what we see in our day? Is what God envisions for His Church what we seek for our own?
Just like the Corinthians
The Church today, at least in this country, looks like the churches in Corinth on a macro scale.
Like them we are disunited and squabbling about which of us is the keeper and guardian of the true faith. Like the members of those churches in Corinth, most Christians today are content to take mere baby steps of faith rather than giant strides. Our worship has become overwhelmed by the culture of narcissism, convenience, and pop; church discipline is rarely practiced, and sin is politely overlooked; we are as materialistic and given to ease as the rankest unbelievers; the Lord’s Day is routinely profaned and the rest of God’s Law is minimized; and most members consider themselves as needing to be served rather than gifted and called to serve others.
We have plenty of churches, millions of members who “go” and are “involved”, and billions of dollars and hours and other resources. All this being so, where is the fruit of holiness and wisdom, shining like the light of glory, sparkling with the beauty of the Lord, turning our world rightside-up, and drawing multitudes of desperate sinners to the grace of the Lord?
Let’s face it: we’re just not churching very well. And, as a result, our churches don’t look much like the images Jesus, Paul, and Peter held out to us of what we should aspire to and work for.
Of course, this is not to say that nothing good is happening in the churches of our land. Good things were happening in Corinth in Paul’s day, but that didn’t keep him from calling the believers there to more responsible and committed churching. The churches of our day are doing many good things for those who “go” to them and “get involved.” But when we compare our churches with the vision of the Church in both the Old and New Testaments, we can only conclude that the state of the church and churching is not what it ought to be—not by a long shot.
Hope for modern Corinthians
Late in the first century Clement, bishop of Rome, wrote a letter to the churches in Corinth. This was the same Clement who had been with Paul during the later years of his ministry. The believers in Corinth had written to him about a problem they were trying to resolve, and he obliged with a lengthy epistle, which we know today as 1 Clement.
What is of most interest to me about this letter, written around 90 AD, or some 40 years after Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, is Clement’s description of the churches in Corinth. You would not think these were the same churches Paul wrote to a generation earlier. They were filled with love and works of charity, renowned for their hospitality, presided over by loving and caring shepherds, one in doctrine and one in spirit, fervent in their witness, and a shining example of sacrificial love to churches everywhere.Apparently the Corinthians of Paul’s day received his challenge and took it to heart. And God took the Corinthians to heart, empowering the believers there to church and church well, so that revival and renewal occurred as the believers in Corinth churched upon the apostolic foundation with renewed vision and vigor.
What happened in Corinth can happen today, if we are willing to learn how to church as the Lord intends and church as He teaches us to church.
For reflection or discussion
1. Is your church more interested in making disciples or making church members? Explain.
2. Does your church have a vision for serving the larger community around you?
3. Are your church leaders doing the work of ministry or are they equipping all church members for this?
Next steps—Preparation: Make a list of your church’s leaders. Begin praying through that list at least weekly.
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
A good supplement to this ongoing study on the Church is our free PDF book, Pray for Your Church. Download your copy from The Ailbe Bookstore by clicking here. Also, we encourage you to visit our ReThinking Church page, where you’ll see a variety of free resources to help you church.
This week: Our Read Moore podcast continues an extensive look at the Kingdom of God from our book, The Kingdom Turn. In our Crosfigell teaching letter, we are looking at the state of pastors and churches during the period of the Celtic Revival, using contemporary witnesses. And in our Scriptorium column we are studying the Gospel of Matthew. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
