There are as many views of what the church is today as there are people. For some, the church is a historical building. For others, it’s a place the community gathers for weddings, funerals and potlucks. For others, it’s a hub of volunteer activity. Some people see it as a religious service provider where they can get their spiritual boost for the week – a little bit like a movie theatre highlighting Christians topics. But how did Jesus think about the church? You may be surprised to learn that the word, “church,” only appears three times in the gospels. But what it teaches about Jesus’ vision for the church is profound and is at odds with how we typically understand it.
Paul’s metaphor of the body of Christ is inspiring, but does it mean anything if we stay disconnected from a local church? This post explores why the picture of unity, connection, and belonging pushes us to reconsider our understanding of church membership.
I like to listen to Christmas songs, get out to Christmas markets, and watch my share of Christmas movies. But I think I know one reason Christmas makes so many people miserable. Consider the Christmas message of many of the most popular Christmas songs. What you’ll see is that what started off as a holiday to celebrate a religion became a holiday celebrated as a religion. Let me explain.
It’s an unusual week for me when I write letters to our mayor, city councillor and member of parliament. But last week was one of those weeks. I wanted to share with them a recent study on the economic impact of churches on their communities. It’s an important issue because more and more secular people are of the mind that it’s a drain on the economy for the government to provide tax exemptions to religious institutions. The research shows that the opposite is, in fact, true. Even if you never intend to attend a church, you benefit from the economic impact that the church has in your city. Let me explain.
If you’re a parent, you’ll likely spend a good portion of your time on this earth thinking about, caring for, and spending money on your children. They are inevitably the single biggest investment you’ll make in life. How much time have you given to thinking about what you’re actually trying to do for your children? Is your end goal that they’d like you? That they become financially successful? That they be independent? That they be kind, strong, or environmentally conscious? That they be religious? The work of parenting can be so all-consuming that we lose sight of what we’re aiming for. The crises of parenting can be so overwhelming that we forget what we’re trying to accomplish. Opportunities are lost as a result. And later we can regret them. Let me share what I feel is an inadequate end goal that we often settle for and two alternatives I believe God calls us to.
The Bible’s teaching on marriage can be misunderstood when we bring our cultural baggage to the Bible’s commands. The gospel can transform our vision for marriage when we see how Jesus’ humility, sacrifice, and love provide the foundation for a Christ-centred relationship.
It’s easy to confuse Jesus with a guru, philosopher or self-help speaker. Even Christians can often read His teachings the way you would read a self-help book. They look for principles to follow or rules to obey. But when you reduce Jesus’ teachings to principles and rules, you empty them of their power. The heart of Jesus’ message was a message of good news – God’s gift to transform us. Someone once came to Jesus for help in dealing with a hard relationship. Examining Jesus’ response helps us to see how distinctive Jesus’ message is and how we can apply the good news to our own relationships.
Many Christians bring a non-Christian mindset to how they live the Christian life. When they hear a sermon, they only hear what they have to do. When they open the Bible, they only see God’s commands. And, ironically, Christianity can become a non-Christian religion in the process. There’s a simple pattern that the Scriptures give for correcting this: start with DONE before you move to DO.
Culturally, it’s become more and more uncomfortable for people who follow Jesus. Christianity is called exclusive. Christians are called intolerant. Christian ethics are considered outdated. And, so, before we open our mouths to share the good news about Jesus many people have already made up their minds. Some Christians respond by retreating. We take a defensive posture toward society and assume that we should just focus on protecting ourselves and consoling one another. When we do, our faith becomes a shell of what the New Testament describes. Remember that Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). The true church is on the offensive, seeking to rescue those held in darkness, and nothing can prevail against it.
Most Christians leave the gospel at the door of the Christian life. They see the good news about Jesus as the key to getting started in their faith but then struggle to see how the gospel is also the engine that drives the life we were created to live. As a result, they end up running on fumes and living the Christian life like a non-Christian.
