The Kingdom Economy: These Last Days (5)
“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16.18
The context for discipleship
The Church is the primary sign and outpost of the Kingdom of God, the conduit through which the grace of God flows over the earth, the context in which the work of making disciples goes forward, and the focal point of the unfolding Kingdom economy. This makes the Church very important and building the Church at the very top of the Lord’s agenda for these last days.
Indeed, central to the Kingdom economy is the work of our Lord Jesus Christ in building His Church. For this work He has poured out His Holy Spirit, given His people His Law and all His Word, raised up pastors and teachers, and established an order and priorities for carrying out His will.
But this is not a work which we may take on in whatever manner seems appropriate to us. The Lord has declared that He will build His Church, and He entrusted the apostle Paul with the blueprint for pursuing this great work.
The blueprint
In Ephesians 4.11-16 Paul, picking up on the Lord’s idea of “building” the Church (cf. v. 12), shows us both what the outcome of that project is to be and the process and protocols we must follow to accomplish that outcome. Paul says a church is being built-up when it is growing in unity and maturity, so that, increasingly, as a body, the local church constitutes the present incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul’s understanding of a healthy, growing church thus has very little to do with facilities, numbers of staff or attendees, size of budget, variety of programs, or degree of contemporaneousness. His understanding of what is required for building Christ’s Church transcends denominations and locales and stands as a template for all churches in every age. For Paul, a local church is being built up when it evidences unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, and maturity in discerning, speaking, and living the truth of God in love. A local church is healthy when the Kingdom economy of God spreads from it in the surrounding community.
If this is not the focus of our efforts in building our own churches, then we’re working for something other than what the apostle Paul explained as the outcome our Lord is seeking. We will not be able to achieve this outcome until we submit every aspect of the life of the church to the Word of God, beginning with His Law.
Getting healthy, growing churches
Further, Paul told us how to achieve the outcome of healthy, growing churches. He outlined the process for making disciples, real disciples, people who are equipped, soul and body, to serve others with the grace and truth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and who are, in fact, doing so: pastors and teachers equip the followers of Christ to live for and serve Him in their own spheres of influence (2 Cor. 10.13-18). This is the work of shepherding God’s flock, as Jesus and the apostles explained (cf. Jn. 10; Acts 20.28; 1 Pet. 5.1-3).
We do not build the church by running programs, raising money, or bending over backward to accommodate the cultural preferences and conveniences of our contemporary generation. We must build the church the way Jesus did, investing in people for extended periods of time, drawing out and developing the gifts God has given them, making disciples, equipping them for ministry, and then sending them out to live as witnesses for Christ and His Kingdom.
Does this sound like what’s happening in your church?
One of the indicators of a healthy, growing church, according to Paul, is that every member of the Body has become equipped and is serving others with the gifts God’s Spirit supplies (Eph. 4.11-16; 1 Cor. 12.7-11). Churches are not healthy when 20% of the people do 80% of the work, while 80% of the people wait around to be served. This is not a healthy church but a church in need of the reviving power of God’s Spirit. For every member to be thus equipped and serving, every member must submit to the process of becoming a disciple, a true follower of the Lord. And pastors and teachers must make it their business to make disciples until we all contribute to the building-up of Christ’s Body, according to His agenda.
The work of making disciples and building the local church are thus intimately connected. If we are faithful in making disciples, we should realize increasingly healthy churches, which serve in their communities as signs and outposts of the Kingdom and the bulwarks of the Kingdom economy, and through which the goodness, righteousness, and truth of God reach to every nook and cranny of their community. Thus, local churches become epicenters of joy and beauty to their neighbors (Ps. 48.1).
As we persevere in this effort during these last days, God will build our congregations into true spiritual communities vibrant with worship, mutual edification, compassionate sharing, and fervent outreach to the larger community. That such churches are so few and far between in our day is a measure of just how much work we have yet to do in pursuing this aspect of the Kingdom economy.
We cannot achieve a lasting measure of the Kingdom economy—that is, we will not be able to discover and make best use of the secrets of the Kingdom—apart from joining with Jesus in building His Church, beginning with our church and the churches in our community.
For reflection
1. What does “build My church” look like in your church? How does the work of Christ’s agenda go forward within your congregation at this time?
2. Healthy churches demonstrate unity and maturity in the Lord. Look at Ephesians 4.13-16. How would you explain each of the terms Paul presents here?
3. Healthy churches become healthy according to the pattern outlined in Ephesians 4.11, 12. To what extent does this pattern represent what happens in your church?
Next steps—Preparation: Seek the Lord about your own role or contribution in building your church in unity and maturity. Ask Him to show you how you can take up His work His way in your church.
T. M. Moore
Give thanks
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
It’s in all the small stuff we do each day that the Kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven. Our book, Small Stuff, can help you in your daily work of seeking the Kingdom and righteousness of God. Order your copy in book form by clicking here or as a free PDF by clicking here.
Other columns of interest this week: This week in our Read Moore we begin selections from our book, Understanding the Times. This book will be a valuable companion to our study of “The Kingdom Economy.” In our Crosfigell column we’re following Brendan, a 6th century Irish saint, as he pursues the Kingdom economy in his extraordinary adventures. Our daily Scriptorium column takes up the Gospel of John this week in our continuing series, “Jesus throughout the Scriptures.”
Thank you.
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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
