Letters to Me
What is my responsibility to the church as a member of the body of Christ? Am I fulfilling those responsibilities? These are just a couple of questions I asked myself while reading Francis Chan’s Letters to the Church. In it, he compares the church in the Bible to the church of today. He also compares modern day churches in America to other churches around the world. He is careful to point out his motivation for writing this book. It is not to condemn, but to rather encourage the members of the body of Christ to reflect upon their own role in the Church and to seek guidance in areas to improve upon. Though some of his points confirmed my own personal thoughts, I didn’t walk away from the book feeling self-righteous or vindicated, only convicted, as if he wrote the letters to me, personally.
When I was around 16 years old or so, my family and I went through a period of time where we were church-shopping. We visited numerous churches and denominations before finally settling on one (which we had attended when I was younger). Shortly after joining the church, we moved out of state. My parents didn’t attend church much after we moved. Part of the problem was, I believe, one particular parent wanted to find the perfect church. Here is an important point: There is no such thing as a perfect church.
This was one area of conviction for me. I know, based off my experience, there are no perfect churches, but my church is perfect for me and my family. This is why I need to stop complaining about one particular thing I would change. God did not put me in charge of that area, therefore, I have no say. What He did though is give me my own role as a member of the church and the body of Christ.
Which leads me to my next conviction: my role in the church and as a member of the body of Christ. Am I doing everything I should be doing to fulfill what is expected of me? There is a long list of action-items I could write here (in fact I almost did), but really what is expected of me is to love the Lord with everything I am and everything I have, and to love others, whether they are a friend or enemy. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? But what does that look like? I could write another post on love alone, and I’m sure I will, but for the sake of brevity, I will say that love is a bit more difficult than it seems or should be. It requires me to put to death those selfish desires to do my will over the Lord’s. It requires me to have the compassionate, yet difficult conversations with a beloved friend when I see her stumbling in her faith. It requires me to choose to love someone who has treated me poorly, rather than store hate in my heart.
Finally, one other conviction that smacked me in the face was how the members of the first church lived. First, they lived a life of faith. They sold their possessions in order to support the ministry of spreading the gospel to the world. They didn’t do this because they had to, but because the knew the importance of sharing the good news of redemption. They had their priorities in order. What does this look like for me and my family? I’m not sure yet, but I am praying about it.
The early church members also spoke with boldness. They traveled through parts of the Middle East and Asia, sharing the love of God, no matter what the cost (which for many, it cost them their lives). They lived for God, and not for man. As I’ve mentioned here, this is an area I have trouble with at times. I allow my fears and doubts to overwhelm me and scare me away from what I should write. I need to remember to keep my focus on the Lord and to yield to His Spirit.
I highly recommend reading Letters to the Church by Francis Chan. It is a good reminder of what church should be and what we, as members of the body of Christ, should be striving for, whether it be seeking community rather than perfection, learning to love all well, or to follow the examples left for us by the early church members. As Paul wrote in Romans 12:5-6, “So, we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having gifts that differ, each according to the grace given to us, let us use them..” (verses 5-6, ESV). So, what is your responsibility to the church as a member of the body of Christ? Are you fulfilling those responsibilities?
