One
of the most difficult Bible ideas we wrestle with is the nature of the church
as the Body of Christ. Jesus came to build his church, but the church we see so
often today bears little resemblance to the church Jesus came to build. We tend
to see the church as a place we go to; if enough people go and give, the church
is able to hire professional ministers to obey the Great Commission as
representatives of the church. (Obeying the Great Commandment is optional.)
Church is where we earn brownie points that might eventually earn us a place in
heaven. Church functions as a human
institution, a social agency, a lonely hearts club band.
But
is that the church Jesus came to build (and is building)? The very word
“church” (Greek ekklesia) refers to a
gathered people, the assembly of God’s people gathered in covenant relationship
under the banner of the Lordship of Jesus. The church is called the “Bride” of
Christ (Revelation 19:7), a corporate people in love with Jesus, engaged to be
married, faithful to the Groom. The church is the “Body” of Christ (1
Corinthians 12:18; Ephesians 1:23; Colossians 1:18), a unified, harmoniously
functioning community of faithful, Christ-followers, together answering to the
Head, who is Christ. The church is the Temple the Holy Spirit is building to be
a place where the presence of God can dwell (Ephesians 2:21). What is made
clear from all the images of the church is that it is not a group of disconnected,
disengaged “Christians” trying to be religious by “going to church.” The church
is the Church to the extent that it has committed Jesus-followers in covenant
relationship with Him and with each other, expressing the nature of God’s
Kingdom and extending the influence of God’s Kingdom as Christ’s
representatives on the earth.
One
of my favorite passages of Scripture about the church is found in Ephesians
chapter 4. Whenever we are starting to lose sight of what the church is and why
we are committed to being a part of Christ’s Bride and Body, we should go back
and review the profound truths clearly set forth in this chapter. Although I
don’t have space in this short article to take apart the passage
verse-by-verse, let me draw attention to a couple of thoughts: In verse 1 Paul
introduces his subject by saying, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the
calling you have received.” Being a follower, an apprentice of Jesus, is a
life-style issue, a matter of calling. It’s OK to move beyond our religious
sense of being worthy of heaven or hell and realize we have a need, indeed a
commitment, to be worthy of our calling as representatives of the King on the
earth now. Paul then begins to explain what our faithfulness to our calling
means in practical, relational terms. We are to “be completely humble and
gentle . . . patient, bearing with one another in love” (verse 2). It’s not
possible for disconnected, autonomous “Christians” to communicate our calling
to a watching world. Being “worthy” is all about our relationships in community
and the way we reflect Jesus and his Rule together. It is the unique quality of
our relationships that demonstrates our faithfulness to our calling. That’s why
Paul goes on to say, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through
the bond of peace” (verse 3). It’s easy to conclude that the enemy of the
church is wrong doctrine or philosophical (political, economic) perspective, or
even sin. The simple fact is, the main enemy of the church is division. If we
can “keep the unity” as a result of our mutual submission to Jesus, we can face
any other enemy and triumph. Whether we always see it or not, the fact is,
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you
were called” (verse 4). No matter how divided we might be as sinful human
beings, if we are “born from above,” we all share the same Spirit and are
therefore viewed by heaven as “one.”
However,
we can’t live a life worthy of our calling, we can’t keep the unity of the
Spirit, by just having good thoughts about it or even praying for it. We come
into the Body of Christ as broken vessels. Before you and I can make a positive
contribution to God’s Kingdom mission for his church, we need to be healed,
mended, repaired and restored. After talking about certain leaders Jesus has
given to the church (verse 11), Paul describes their function: “to equip his
people for works of service” (verse 12). It’s possible to misunderstand “equip”
to refer to a teaching or training function. If we can have enough Bible
studies, God’s people will be equipped. However, this word “equip” does not
convey that meaning. (Other Bible versions render it “perfect” or “prepare.”)
The word literally means “restore,” and refers to setting a broken bone or
mending a net. It’s the word that means, “returning to a former condition so as
to fulfill an original function.” Think of the church as a net used by
fishermen. If a net gets too many holes or holes that are too big, it becomes
less and less effective for catching fish. The net is broken and needs to be
mended. However, the net can’t be mended unless there is a focus on the fact
that specific connections on the net have been broken. Places on the net have
experienced division, and the broken unity has resulted in a broken net. What
is needed is restoration: the net needs to be restored and that will be
possible only if specific places and connections on the net are restored.
The
“equipping / restoring” work in the Body of Christ will result in a new unity,
“so that the body of Christ may be
built up until we all reach unity in the
faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and
become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ”
(Ephesians 4:12-13). Now that’s what I call living a life worthy of our calling
as the King’s representatives in our communities. May God bring mending and
restoration into our lives and into our congregation so we may continue to be
an effective net for Jesus.
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