The Church (1)
And he put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1.22, 23
Keeping pace?
The increasing decline and cultural marginalization of Christianity in America and the West is beginning to be a cause for alarm on the part of many believers.
In this country some churches appear to be thriving, and not just the “mega-churches”. Appearances, of course, can be misleading. It depends on what we’re looking for as criteria for “thriving”. More churches are just managing to preserve their status quo against the changing tides of culture and moral values.At the same time, many churches are in decline or have closed their doors; and the growth of the Church in this country is not keeping pace with the growth of the population as a whole. Further, the influence of Christianity in every area of life is greatly diminished, compared with previous generations.
Efforts to “reform” or “revitalize” the churches, by turning to more contemporary modes of architecture, programming, management, and worship, have not succeeded in making the Church more relevant and essential for contemporary life. In certain ways, the gap between believers and the world is growing, and tensions between these two communities are evident in many areas. In other ways, the Church tends more and more to embrace and reflect the social, cultural, and moral interests and values of the surrounding world.
The decline of Christianity in America has thus led some believers—perhaps many—to a diminished view of the Church and its importance for modern life. Some have abandoned the Church altogether, declaring that they “love Jesus but hate the Church.” Others have taken to finding church in houses, or even in their own home.
Still others regard their church as a kind of safe spiritual haven against the storms of this age in flight from God, and they are not too concerned that the Church should make much difference in the way of things.
The Church as Paul saw it
Christians in the early 21st century have lost sight of the Church as God intends us to experience and express it. For the apostle Paul, as, indeed, for all the apostles and early Christians, the Church is the Body of Christ, the continuing incarnation of the reigning and conquering King of Glory. The Church, according to the apostles, is the centerpiece of Christ’s historical agenda (Matt. 16.18). Whatever Christ intends to do on earth prior to His imminent return, the focal point of that work will be in and through His Church.
Jesus began the work of “bringing near” the Kingdom of God, and the Church in Acts and the rest of the New Testament continues that work in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Church is the agent of the Kingdom of God, its brightest sign and sure outpost. Christians have been translated from the world kingdom of wrong-belief, darkness, and sin into the Kingdom of Light and of God’s dear Son (Col. 1.13, 14). Where Christians are, and especially where they gather and work together, there the Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit is most in evidence (Rom. 14.17, 18).
That, at least, is how the apostles understood the Church. But it seems a far cry from what we see as “church” these days.
Jesus Christ intends to fill all things with Himself, that is, with the knowledge of God and His glory (Hab. 2.14; cf. Mal. 1.11). He has poured out His Spirit into the Church and commissioned His followers to make all the nations disciples (Matt. 28.18-20). Jesus is filling all things with Himself, and He intends that fullness should spread out from those who believe in Jesus, from the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ (Jn. 7.37-39).
Whether our church is large or small, traditional or contemporary, growing or in decline, home-based or denominational, we all have one mission—to make disciples—and one objective—to realize more of the presence, promise, and power of the Kingdom of God. One Word informs our life together, one Spirit empowers all we do, and one desire to know, love, and serve our Lord Jesus moves us forward in faith.
The world needs the Church
Which means that we need the Church. The world needs the Church if it is ever to know the salvation of Jesus Christ and the hope of God’s glory. And Christians need the Church for reasons I intend to unpack rather more fully in this study on the Church.
Paul insisted that believers have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2.16). According to the mind of Christ, the world must come to know the glory of God and be filled with the knowledge of Jesus and His Kingdom. And the way Christ intends to accomplish this is in and through the Church. The Church is the sign that the Kingdom has come and the outpost from which it continues to come on earth as it is in heaven.
We do not have the mind of Christ if we are not thinking the same way about His Body, the Church. We need the Church, and if we do not think this is so, then we do not have the mind of Christ. We need the Church. But we need it according to the purpose with the guidance and blessing of the Lord Jesus Christ.
For reflection or discussion
1. In your own view, does the Church matter that much? Why or why not?
2. Why do you think the Church in the New Testament was so vibrant and growing, while the Church in our day seems to be just sort of holding on?
3. What does it mean to have the mind of Christ? How does that relate to understanding the Church and its role in our lives?
Next steps–Preparation: Spend some time meditating on Ephesians 1.22, 23. In what ways does this reflect the aims of your church?
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).
Other columns of interest: This week: The Read Moore podcast continues readings from If Men Will Pray. Our Crosfigell teaching letter begins a new series on the state of the Church in Europe at the time of the Celtic Revival. Check out our other excellent writers. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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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. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
