Last evening I enjoyed my first council meeting at First CRC of Seattle. It was so good to see the heartfelt devotion of these fine servants of the Lord. They have labored together for many years to expand and maintain this local expression of the universal Church. I love hearing their stories and seeing the evidence of God's faithfulness in this church over generations!
Yet, I fear that for many my age and younger, the Church has an image problem. Instead of the seeing the "radiant bride of Christ" we see the church as an archaic and tangential appendage to true faith. We have been told for several generations that our faith is all about "relationship" and not going to church. Unfortunately, way to many of us have believed it.
Now I know that many of us have been hurt by those in the church. I know many have had horrible experiences with church politics and the rest. Yet, I still wonder why have so few of us seen the local and universal Church as the most beautiful entity in the universe apart from God? Why do we not get more glimpses of glory as we meet together in community to praise God and to learn how to walk with Him? So why do we often not see the church as a shining light of beauty? Why do we have difficulty seeing her beauty? While each of us have had different experiences, I believe there are several major reasons why we often do not see the Church as beautiful.
First, in this world the church is a mixed group. By that I mean that many within the church are redeemed individuals still struggling with sin. In addition, in a healthy church there will be those who are not yet redeemed struggling with sin. So, if we look closely we can see hypocrisy, doubt, anger, and every other sin under the sun. For many of us, this is a complete turn-off. How could "holy" people do such things!?
We need to understand that in our fallen world, all institutions are infected with sin. This includes the church and ourselves! This should be taught and understood by all.
This truth leads directly to the second reason do not see the beauty of the Church. I fear that most of us have an incorrect understanding of God's glory in this fallen world. As people, we are learning/relearning how to walk in faith with and through Jesus. God's glory is seen most starkly when a person or group of people turn from darkness into light. It is seen in the process of transformation. Such transformation comes through the grace of God through the channel of faith. The Church is a place where we are reminded of our need for grace and where we are encouraged to continue the journey of transformation.
We should not be surprised when others hurt us or act in a selfish manner. We should not be surprised when we judge "church" by our feelings and immediate desires. Instead, we should be people who repent quickly of our sins and who forgive quickly the sins of others. Let us confess sin as sin, but not be shocked we live in a fallen world. The Church is truly the only place on earth where we can experience and extend grace that allows us to be real about our struggles, sins, and lack of faith.
So what is God's glory through the Church on this fallen earth? God's glory is seen in the restoration of that which has been lost through sin and death. This glory is most clearly visible in the local church! The local and Universal Church has always been and remains one of God's surest means of grace. As the Church operates and lives the Word of God it is a corrective to our sinful tendencies, and it is a proper guide toward righteousness.
This leads to a third reason why we have trouble seeing God's glory in the church. All to often those in church buildings are not living out the gospel of faith. In other words, we have experienced a dead church instead of a living, breathing, beauty!
The church is beautiful when it works well. It is beautiful when it preaches and lives out the gospel. It is beautiful when it protects and teaches the Word of God. This means that it will be marked by Christ-centered worship that promotes true humility and authenticity. It will also be marked by outreach to a lost world through word and deed. Such action is the only hope for this world. Such action is beautiful and lovely. Such action is also rare in a day and age marked by self-concern and self-centeredness more than God-centered living working itself out in love for others.
May our Church be marked by the beauty of her King, the Lord Jesus Christ. May each of us worship together in community and promote the beauty of the Church!
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