The Doctrine of the Church (taken from my assignment this week)
In Bingham’s book, chapter 7 starts out by posing this statement, “Another major issue in the reformation was the doctrine of the church” (pg. 121). This stirred my thinking because Bingham continues on to discuss how the early church fathers recognized that the church was the people and not a building as such, but that it had gotten lost in the institution (pg. 121). As the Reformation began, re-emphasizing the believers being the church was one of the greatest importances. However, as time has passed since the Reformation, it seems the same problem is happening again. Let me explain.
A while back, there was some emphasis being done about maintaining the church and how vital it is to do. In addition, there were arguments about a movie being shown in the Men’s group. Discussions followed about the ‘church building’ and respecting the church property and of course, the other side of the argument, that the people are the building and if there is an issue, we need to do it personally, because God dwells in us as believers. I am of the school of thought that as believers, we are more important than a building.
This is not to say that we can just disrespect the building, let the maintenance go downhill and just let things go because it doesn’t matter. No. That would be a lack of stewardship. However, we must put things into their proper priorities in our lives. The emphasis belongs on us as the believers and not elevating the ‘church building’ higher than necessary.
I personally have observed that in our culture, particularly in churches that are ‘older than the hills’, the building rapidly becomes much more important than anything else. We seem to have lost the Reformation movements ideas that the people are much more important. My thoughts turn to the idea that perhaps we are in need of another Reformation or Spiritual Awakening in order to bring us back to reality. Perhaps we simply need to be more active about teaching our history as a church and what people have done before us. I believe we would quickly discover that there are no new things, but the same old arguments that have been raging forever.
It leaves me with the question, what is it going to take to get people to realize the true importance of Christ and the nature of His Church? Unfortunately, the answer is simple, yet difficult; complex yet, easy. What do people need? Jesus. The problem is, they need to see it for themselves. Years back, I was immersed in a bad lifestyle of my own doing. I was making poor choices that eventually compiled upon themselves and caused a huge set of issues. I lost the trust of people I loved and had hit bottom. I had abandoned everything I came to know and grew up with. Yet, God wasn’t done with me, it seems that the horrible things I went through were for a purpose. Many people had told me the decision I was making were self-destructive, yet I couldn’t see the forest for the trees. It wasn’t something that I could be told, I had to experience it…this is what it is going to take to help others regain or come to their faith in Christ. It is about relationship.
Everything in life boils down to relationship and in order to reach people for Christ, we must be willing to sit with them through their personal anguish and troubles until they truly see that Christ is the only option worth anything. It isn’t something we can tell them, except to live it out as an example. We talk about it when the opportunities present themselves and live out a love that one day will hopefully bear fruit. It isn’t about a building at all. It’s about people. It isn’t about words in a book called the Bible; it’s about the story of the relationship within those words that matter. If we are going to reform this country, relationship is where it is going to start.
A while back, there was some emphasis being done about maintaining the church and how vital it is to do. In addition, there were arguments about a movie being shown in the Men’s group. Discussions followed about the ‘church building’ and respecting the church property and of course, the other side of the argument, that the people are the building and if there is an issue, we need to do it personally, because God dwells in us as believers. I am of the school of thought that as believers, we are more important than a building.
This is not to say that we can just disrespect the building, let the maintenance go downhill and just let things go because it doesn’t matter. No. That would be a lack of stewardship. However, we must put things into their proper priorities in our lives. The emphasis belongs on us as the believers and not elevating the ‘church building’ higher than necessary.
I personally have observed that in our culture, particularly in churches that are ‘older than the hills’, the building rapidly becomes much more important than anything else. We seem to have lost the Reformation movements ideas that the people are much more important. My thoughts turn to the idea that perhaps we are in need of another Reformation or Spiritual Awakening in order to bring us back to reality. Perhaps we simply need to be more active about teaching our history as a church and what people have done before us. I believe we would quickly discover that there are no new things, but the same old arguments that have been raging forever.
It leaves me with the question, what is it going to take to get people to realize the true importance of Christ and the nature of His Church? Unfortunately, the answer is simple, yet difficult; complex yet, easy. What do people need? Jesus. The problem is, they need to see it for themselves. Years back, I was immersed in a bad lifestyle of my own doing. I was making poor choices that eventually compiled upon themselves and caused a huge set of issues. I lost the trust of people I loved and had hit bottom. I had abandoned everything I came to know and grew up with. Yet, God wasn’t done with me, it seems that the horrible things I went through were for a purpose. Many people had told me the decision I was making were self-destructive, yet I couldn’t see the forest for the trees. It wasn’t something that I could be told, I had to experience it…this is what it is going to take to help others regain or come to their faith in Christ. It is about relationship.
Everything in life boils down to relationship and in order to reach people for Christ, we must be willing to sit with them through their personal anguish and troubles until they truly see that Christ is the only option worth anything. It isn’t something we can tell them, except to live it out as an example. We talk about it when the opportunities present themselves and live out a love that one day will hopefully bear fruit. It isn’t about a building at all. It’s about people. It isn’t about words in a book called the Bible; it’s about the story of the relationship within those words that matter. If we are going to reform this country, relationship is where it is going to start.
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