In the last post I wrote that the church is:
“More about every believer fulfilling the calling of God for their lives than about achieving one ‘corporate’ vision”.
To be honest, I wrestled with this statement before writing it, so allow me to add a little context. When I say ‘corporate vision’ I mean corporate as in ‘corporation’, ‘organization’ or ‘business’. Strictly speaking, however, corporate is exactly the right word to use (the problem is more our understanding of the word).
Without getting too academic and pedantic about it, the root of the word corporate is from the Latin ‘corporare’ - meaning form into a body. When you apply that definition, you can straight away see biblical parallels (check out 1 Corinthians 12). We should have a vision for the church to be one united body made up of loads of uniquely wierd and wonderful parts, all fitting together in harmony to fulfill something great. I think the problem comes if we get busy trying to make the body what we think it should be and sticking people wherever is needed, rather than just letting the body take shape as we help people grow into the parts that God made them to be. Imagine cries of ‘but I swear, all my life I’ve felt God calling me to be a foot’ with answers of ‘I’m sorry we just need hands at the moment so won’t you just get on with it, there’s a good chap.’ Of course, by the time the person God made to be a hand pitches up, the only thing that’s left for him to do is try to pretend to be a foot.
So what am I trying to say (before I get too lost in metaphor here) ? Basically, I don’t believe Church should be about sucking believers into a whole bunch of stuff that we think is important to advance our organization. Church should be about equipping and releasing the saints to do the work of the ministry that God has called them to. However(and it’s a biggie), while we all have our own calling that we are soley responsible to God for, I don’t believe ministry is supposed to be an individual thing.
If you read the Bible there’s a ‘together’ implied in the church, and in ministry. In fact even the word church (ekklesia in Greek) literally just meant ‘assembly’ or ‘gathering’ when it was adopted into usage to describe the early believers. So, in one sense then, the church can not actually be the church without being together. Equally if you look at the biblical context for ministry, while everyone has their own calling, there is a principle of ‘togetherness’: Of unity and community in the life of the church. Of God putting people together in relationships so they can be encouraged, so that ‘iron can sharped iron’, and so together we can become more like the fulness of the image of Christ.
I’ve heard it said that if God has given you a vision for something which you can achieve by yourself than it can’t be from God. I thank God for leading me into relationships that grow me, stretch me, and will help me to fulfill all His purposes for me.
As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. – 1 Peter 2:4-5
I’d suggest that there’s a “catholic” (small c), unchanging vision of His global Church (ie. ‘make disciples’), a “local” church expression of that vision (ie. ‘how do we win, equip and support those disciples’) and – finally – the individual’s expression and experience of the implementation of that vision.
To achieve any of those visions, I reckon that – as you say – you have to start ‘at the bottom’, seek to build up individuals, and by doing so, the local body – and so the global church – is built up.
Obviously – we’re not running a “self-improvement” club for self-indulgent people though – a lake only differs from a bog because there’s something flowing out of it, yes?*
But as long as our aim is the building of the body, we should feel free to contribute to each other’s growth – as, in the long run, it is to our benefit, their benefit and the benefit of His Kingdom.
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From in him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Eph 4:15-16
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake – some lakes actually don’t have rivers flowing out of them, but still lose water by evaporation and/or underground seepage. IMHO – some Christians are also like this, they don’t seem to be “serving” in the house, but actually behind the scenes are building relationships which bear great fruit!