They say that duct tape can fix anything. I wonder if there is a spiritual duct tape for churches? Next week, I have the privilege of preaching for a local church while the Pastor, a friend of mine, is on mission. In my preparation, yesterday, I was listening to a sermon on community by Matt Chandler at the Village Church. The front part of the sermon he was describing the kind of life we are called to live. He says this:
"Romans 6 has one of my favorite ways to put it. It says, 'In the same way you once chased what is sinful, now chase what is godly.' So think back on when you were a scoundrel. For me, I would stay up late for my sin of choice, I would rearrange my schedule for my sin of choice, I would forgo sleep for my sin of choice. There were things where I enjoyed this or I wanted to do that or I wanted to go here, and I wired my life in such a way. And this is saying, 'In the same way, you once chased sin, now with that same energy, with that same zeal, with those same sacrifices, chase what is righteous.' That’s profound if you let your mind think on it and chew on it and wrestle with it."
That is profound, but how do you make that happen? He concludes that without living in community, where someone has free access into your life - in which to speak truth in love, to walk fully this out is virtually impossible. That is what God designed the church to be. He is the one who empowers us through His indwelling Spirit, but the body works in us to love one another, encourage one another, and rebuke one another to make this happen in our daily life. I need my brothers and sisters in Christ and I am grateful to those of you who know me and love me enough to speak the truth in love into my life when it is not well reflecting Christ. The body is what God designed for accomplishing His will in your life and on this earth. If you are not connecting in community to the Body of Christ, you are missing out! You will not likely be all that God has created you to be.
It breaks my heart as people are leaving churches in droves, much in response to bickering and complaining within the walls over things that have absolutely no eternal significance. If we are going tell people about the love of Christ, we must first show the love of Christ to one another. This takes hard work... sometimes ALOT of hard work. But the payoff is out of this world. The church, when functioning as it intended, is irresistible to the world. We have got to keep it together! I believe there is a spiritual duct tape. It is called love. Love covers a multitude of love... love never fails... love preserves all things... It is when we live together in love that the world knows that our Christian faith is real.
