Last Sunday I went to visit at a church that I had not been to before. Afterwards I went back to the home of a couple of friends who are part of that church family and was treated to an excellent lunch and a very pleasant afternoon.
As I sat in the church meeting, I was aware that I did not know most people there. The thought crossed my mind that since they didn’t know me either, they might be wondering why I was there that morning. Was I on holiday and just visiting? Was I looking for a church to make my home in?
Then I got to think about the number of people who post-lockdown have started looking for a different church – probably (hopefully) because they are looking for something more than they have experienced to date. Which reminded me of a song which starts “There must be more than this….” (I need to point out that these were a very quick succession of thoughts and I was fully engaged in what was going on in the meeting). There you have it – proof that men can multi-task!
So what do people look for in a Church? It’s true that some are definitely hungry for more of God than they have tasted in church in the past and they hope that changing church will answer their need. Some will have more basic needs that they want met – somewhere more convenient, friendlier, better children’s ministry, worship style that they prefer etc. And there’s nothing wrong with any of those aspirations, but I want to come back to that song “there must be more than this”. If that is true, and it most certainly is, I want to think about this from Jesus’ point of view. After all, it is His Church.
The truth is that He knows that there is way way more than this. Whatever our experience of church has been – most of us have only scratched the surface. The other truth is that whilst we might be looking for our ‘perfect church’ (the one we would be most at home in), He is looking for His Perfect Church- the one that He will be at Home in. Jesus is building His Church, His way. Whilst we may be busy looking for a local expression of church that suits us, or even be involved in building a local church, He is looking far wider.
As Graham Cooke has said, the Church, certainly in this country, is at least ten years behind where it ought to be. Whilst we would have been happy for the Church to grow, I believe Jesus wants it to grow up. So we need to leave behind notions of Church based on what makes us comfortable, in order to find the Church that makes Jesus comfortable.
The Church that makes Him comfortable has Him as the undisputed Head over all, it is motivated by compassion, it goes where others won’t, it does not settle but extends the influence of the Kingdom, it carries the gospel clearly but appropriately – a gospel not just of words but of power. It is the natural home for the supernatural (our natural combined with God’s super) and it carries that wherever we, the Church, are. Seven days a week.
Whilst Lockdowns were not in Gods plan for his children, and have caused many deaths and much suffering, God is well able to use adversity to help us to learn. Read the Bible if you don’t believe me. I believe that in the adverse circumstances of lockdown there are at least three things He wanted the Church to learn.
- To learn how to draw closer to Him and depend on Him
- To sever our attachment to buildings
- To alter our structures and our whole way of living so that we are no longer dependent on the say so of the State to function.
Church is to be the people who enjoy Jesus for who He is, love Him with a passion and depend entirely on Him.
Church is to be the people who gather together with the intention of going back out again – back into this world that Jesus loves so much, among the not-yet-Christians that Jesus loves so much. The harvest is ready. A roof over our head for the times that we gather is useful, but Church is meant to function the other 97.5% of our time in the world.
Church is to be the people that permeate society, that can insert themselves easily into every corner of society informally, without needing the permission of the State to do so. In the years to come I suspect that this is the only way we will be able to operate, as opposition grows. Church that learns this lesson will survive and grow under any regime.
Each of those sentences starts with the words “Church is to be the people….” We are those people. We don’t need to wait for leadership decisions to be those people. We probably don’t have to change churches to be those people. Read those three statements again. It’s time to be those people.
- FIRE-STARTERS Course.
- Starting third week in September (exact day to be finalised)
- A practical ‘hands on’ course
- Plenty of opportunity for feedback and discussion
- Become a Fire-starter in the Kingdom of God
- Do what Jesus was doing (and still is!) Jn. 14 v 12
- Know your identity in Christ and your authority in Him
- Share the gospel easily and in a non religious way
- Healing not-yet-Christians; power evangelism that works
- Prophecy – how Jesus speaks to non believers
This will be a 5 week course with a practical outing at the end. It will be run in Hexham, in the evening – venue to be confirmed in the week commencing 13th September. Each weekly session will be 2 hours. Tea/coffee/soft drinks/ biscuits provided. If you wish to join this course can you please email me at williamskev2020@gmail.com and let me know if there is a night that you can’t possibly do (not because you have some other social arrangement). I will try to fit round as many people as possible but I can’t guarantee to make it possible for you to come. There will be no charge.
Church is out there 