Leaving Church
Episcopal priest Barbara Brown
Taylor was one of America Taylor
teaches at a college in Georgia .
And she says that teaching school is saving her life now. I have sympathy with
what Taylor said. Taylor is just one of many who want Jesus but not His body,
the Church. Researcher George Barna describes this trend in our society as
follows: “We found that while some people leave the local church and fall away
from God altogether, there is a much larger segment of Americans who are
currently leaving churches precisely because they want more of God in their
life but cannot get what they need from a local church.”[2]
Even today many people are leaving the church out of frustration. I don’t know
about you, but for me, there were times when I wanted to leave the church. In
2007 I began my first internship as a student pastor. But guess what? After
about 6 months, I was burnt out. I was disappointed, frustrated, and even
angry. And I left the church. And for about next six months, I visited different
churches, fastest-growing churches in greater Boston area. Music was good,
sermons were excellent, people were kind and welcoming. But still, I felt
something was missing. During that time, God graciously allowed me to wander
around and struggle with what it means to
be the church. After that, God restored my soul and drew me to one local
church, with which I fell in love. And up to this day, I stay in love with the
church no matter what. I do love the church, and I will always love the church!
And now let me explain why I love the church so much.
One Body “In Christ”
The first reason is because I see Jesus, I experience the fullness of
Christ, “in the church.” The church is
the body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12:27, Paul says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you
is a part of it.” Paul also says in today’s passage, verse 5, “So we, though
many, are one body in Christ.” How is
it possible to become one body between native Mainers and native Koreans? But in Christ it is possible. And that is
amazing! There are times when I wonder if it would be really possible for me to
become one with certain Christians. Every time that thought comes to my mind, I
recite Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave
nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” In
those days Jews and Gentiles didn’t associate with each other, women were
despised, and slaves had no rights. The conflicts and differences between them
did run so deep. It was almost impossible to be reconciled. But in the Book of
Acts we know that they did become one body in
Christ.
This little phrase, “in Christ” is tremendously
important. The expressions “in Christ,” “in the Lord,” and “in him” occur 164
times in the letters of Paul alone. So what does it mean to be in Christ? It
means to be organically united to Christ, as a limb is in the body or a branch
is in the tree. Jesus says in John 15:4, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the
branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can
you, unless you abide in me (John 15:4). This personal relationship with Christ,
this personal lordship of Christ, brings unity.
In Christ the unity of the church is
created. When we are baptized into Christ, we are united to Christ. We die with
Christ and rise with Christ. We become one, not only with Christ personally,
but also with his community, his household, his body, the Church, collectively.
We become one with Christ, one with each other. The unity of the church is
possible only when we as a church are devoted and loyal together to Christ
alone, not to opinions, to an organization, to human tradition. Bishop Stephen
Neil rightly said, “In the fellowship of those who are bound together by
personal loyalty to Jesus Christ, the relationship of love reaches an intimacy
and intensity unknown elsewhere. Friendship between the friends of Jesus of
Nazareth is unlike any other friendship, and this ought to be the normal
experience within the Church. Where it is experienced, especially across the
barriers of race, nationality and language, it is one of the most convincing
evidences of the continuing activity of Jesus among men.”[3]
May this fellowship, friendship, love and unity be the normal experience within
our church! May the Lord Jesus Christ have the final say about everything in
the life of our church!
Many Parts
That’s the first reason I love the
church. I see Jesus. I experience the fullness of Christ – fellowship,
friendship, and unity – in the church. It’s one body in Christ. The second
reason I love the church is because it’s
the family of God. In verse 5, Paul says, “So we, though many, are one body
in Christ, and individually members one
of another.” In other words, we all belong to each other. We need each
other. During the Alpha Course, I heard about one young man who was really
struggling. He had come to faith in Christ, but he just found himself drifting
away, drifting in doubts and difficulties and losing his faith. And he went to
see a wise older man, who lived in a cottage, and there was a fire, a coal
fire. And as they were discussing — this young man told this older man about
what was going on in his life — the older man didn’t say anything. But he just
went to the fire and he took a red-hot coal, with tongs, out of the fire, and
he put it on the hearth. And as the young man talked, he just allowed that coal
to go from red-hot to black, dark. And then he got the tongs again and he put
the coal back in the fire, and within a few minutes the coal was red-hot again.
He didn’t need to say anything. The young man left knowing exactly why his
faith had gone dull.[4]
In The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis says that if the devil
wants to distract, discourage, and alienate a new Christian from his newfound
faith in Jesus, the best way to do so is by tempting the new Christian to grow
cynical toward his local church. Being a Christian, being a part of the church,
can sometimes feel like being in a dysfunctional family with a thousand drunk
uncles.[5]
But like it or not, uncles are family. We don’t get to choose our family. Our family
is chosen for us. We don’t look for new family even when we don’t like our
family. Instead, we do our best to make it better and healthier. In the same
way, we didn’t choose one another, but we have been given to each other by our heavenly
Father. We are the family of God. We are sisters and brothers in Christ. By nature,
we love to get together with the people like us. But the church is the
classroom for learning how to get along with “natural enemies” who are
different from us, who are difficult and unlovable, in God’s family. By doing
this, our heavenly Father gets glory.
Be a Member!
The third reason I love the church
is because the church helps to make us
more like Christ. In particular, as we use our gifts, our true identity is
found, and we are sanctified in the body of Christ. In verse 6 Paul says, “Let
us use them [our gifts].” Here he is saying, “Let us be a functioning member in the body of Christ.” I shared earlier, I was
wandering around different churches for 6 months. Even though I attended my
favorites churches, I felt empty, something was missing. And now as I look
back, I know why. Because I was just a consumer and attender, not a functioning
member of the church. So I commend all of us to get involved. Don’t just be a
consumer, but be a contributor. Don’t just be an attender at church; be a
member!
Our Lord Jesus wants all of us to
use our gifts and serve in his body, not only because there’s work to be done
but also because that sanctifies us,
makes us more like Christ Himself! There were times when I felt God was
nudging me to do street evangelism. So every Friday for more than a year I went
over to Harvard Avenue in Boston area, where I could meet all kinds of people. But
my efforts at street evangelism have yielded little fruit. As far as I know,
only one person came to church. But the street evangelism changed me, sanctified
me, gave me the inner assurance that I was called to ministry. Serving draws us
closer to Christ and makes us more like Him. As we use our gifts and serve
others, let us have the mindset that Paul exhorts us in verses 6-8:
“Let's just go ahead and be what we were made
to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or
trying to be something we aren't. If you preach, just preach God's Message,
nothing else; if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to
your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get
bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid
to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work
with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed
by them. Keep a smile on your face!” [MSG]
What is your gift? What kind of
ministry is satisfying and attractive to you? That might be your gift. What
problems do you most notice? That might be your gift. Use it! Do it! As we use
our gifts humbly, generously, joyfully, we glorify Christ and build up His
body.
We
give thanks for all that God has already given us.
As
members of the body of Christ,
and in this congregation,
and in this congregation,
we
will faithfully participate
in the ministries of the Church
in the ministries of the Church
by our
prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service,
and our witness,
and our witness,
that in
everything God may be glorified
through Jesus Christ, Amen.
through Jesus Christ, Amen.
[1] Barbara Brown Taylor , Leaving Church (HarperCollins, 2012), 114.
[2] Scott Sauls, Jesus
Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who Are Tired of Taking Sides (Tyndale
House Publishers, Inc., 2015), 42.
[3] John Stott, “In Christ: The Meaning and Implications
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/In_Christ_FullArticle
[4] Alpha Course, “What About the Church?”
[5]
Scott Sauls, 50.
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