Recently, people have been talking with me about their experience in the Christian faith. My wife was reminding me that I had been raised in a beautiful church, with wonderful, formal Christian music opportunities. She was contrasting that with how she was influenced as a youth in her church. She had wonderful programs as well, but she was influenced by the example of women and men, who demonstrated lives of deep faith.
I was in another discussion with someone, who was recounting the beauty of the cathedrals of Europe. I was sharing that I had lived in Europe and sang every Sunday morning in 13th century church in Germany. I also commented that some of my European friends were more interested in the architectural and cultural history aspects of religion, than with having a personal relationship with Christ or living in fellowship with other Christians with Christian values.
I think the point is that different people have different perspectives and experiences with what the Christian life is. All of this raises questions about what is church, and how is the body of Christ to be lived out. In the past 50 years, books, workshops, and speakers have addressed how to build up the church to make it successful and dynamic.
However, none of this “new” information is of any worth unless the Apostle Paul’s advice in Ephesians 4:12 is followed. That verse says that all of the work of the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, teachers and pastors is for one reason. It is “for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ”. The body of Christ is the church.
It is the church members, who build up the church. We know from scripture that if a person is called to a ministry, God will equip him or her to do it.
New people coming to our church often come because a current member has invited them to join in fellowship with us. They stay because they are growing spiritually in the knowledge of Christ and have found relationship with other members who value the riches of the Grace of God in Christian living.
Paul then describes how the body of Christ is built up and prospers. In Ephesians 4:13, Paul sets the standards for the body of Christ. We are to build up the body of Christ and every person in it “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ”.
We do not build up the kind of church God wants by finding brilliant executives introducing exciting programs. We build up the body of Christ by investing ourselves in individual people “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ”.
Dr. Roger Holl is pastor of Sterling Grace Community Church, which meets at the Sterling Senior Center, Sundays at 10:30 a.m.
