Devotions
Rev Gav
Church
Hebrews 10.19-25
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Reflect
In my romps around cyber-space and in the back-streets of our post-Chistendom world, I come across many Christians that do not ‘do’ or ‘get’ church. Some, after experiencing a church with an emphasis on collective worship (whether bouncy or flat) feel that they just do not fit. Others have been terribly hurt by practices or theologies that, well, just do not seem very Christian. For others, church comes across as boring or irrelevant, and yet, these people (whom, incidentally, are often the most creatively gifted and talented) still find God and Jesus captivating. They also often maintain a connection with God and with other Christians.
I understand the reasons why many who identify as Christian do not ‘do’ or ‘get’ church; however, it is a great shame that they are not part of a church community. Why? Because the Church are the followers of Jesus working together to work out God’s calling and mission in the world, and we are all called by God to be members of Christ’s Church.
This does not mean we have to be part of a community that worships in a specific way, is dysfunctional, hurtful, weird, boring, or irrelevant! No, but it is terribly important that we recognise that we are not called to be solo operators. In reality, most of us rarely fly solo because we join or build networks with others. We just do not call these networks church.
The importance of being part of a church — local or networked — is because it is through working together that we help fulfil God’s mission in the world. Each of us has a role to play and a purpose in the unfolding mission of God and we are supposed to play as part of a team. Why? Because, theologically this is how it is meant to work. Let me explain.
When you become a Christian, the Spirit of God comes and lives within you. You start to undergo a transformation and begin to see the world through God’s eyes. This in turn helps you fulfil God’s mission in joining in with the renewing and restoration of the world — in relationships and the environment — however, the very nature of the Spirit of God is that the Spirit is always outward looking and always looking to the interests of others. You are not given the Holy Spirit for yourself, i.e. to meet your own personal needs and fulfilment. No, the Spirit is given to you to be given away for the sake of the world.
This has vital and important practical implications, for when you are in community you will find that God — through the Spirit indwelling in others — speaks to you through others, and you are called to speak into the lives of others through that same Spirit. This might be an encouraging action, an act of kindness, a word, an insight, a prophecy, a thought, or image, and within an environment of mutual trust and accountability where there is freedom to express the heart of God. Through the Spirit, God’s purposes can be worked out for the sake of the world; for the poor, the marginalised, the broken, the lost, the bereaved, the sick, the violated, and the hurting.
Today, with whom are you called to be church? Who are the Spirit-filled people journeying alongside you through whom God speaks, and together, how are you working out God’s mission in the world?
Pray
Holy God
Thank you that I am
connected with FAB Church.
May I be continually
open to your Holy Spirit
working in and through me
to be a blessing to others
and may I also be open to
receiving blessings from others.
This day and forever.
and then