The Strength of the Church

A busy day ahead with people time at lunch and in afternoon and then LOT tonight with young adults after. We ended up with a busy night last night that meant that Sarah got to bed late, so I got the kids up this morning and did breakfast with them. Micah and I are sitting at the table together this morning doing our work. SO, THE STRENGTH OF THE CHURCH Yesterday at the CB Cluster Pastor's meeting and again at prayer meeting last night, I had cause to reflect and rejoice about all the neat things that are going on at Bean's Corner. People are excited about what is happening and all the new growth. I wanted to think a bit on what makes our church strong. First, the obvious one. The HOLY SPIRIT. The church belongs to Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is not just a cute Sunday School answer. Without the active work and power of the Holy Spirit, a church is nothing more than a social center with no eternal relevance. We must be so careful to realize that everything that goes right at Bean's Corner is the result of His power and leading. Only He can change hearts, move people's priorities and bind us together. Only as we grow in our relationship with Christ both individually and corporately will we see God's hand and power expressed at Bean's Corner. Second, LOVE. Real and expressed. As long as I have been here, we have been known as a friendly church. Loving takes more work. It is a deep connection, not just on the surface, but into our lives. We share our lives with one another. We share our struggles with one another. We open ourselves up to each other and care deeply for each other and what is going on in each others lives. We mind each others' business, not in a busy-body control sort of way, but in a deep concern and partnership sort of way. We are doing better and better in this area. We will always be able to do better, but the growth of the sharing and deep love in our fellowship is causing us to strengthen. Third, The WORD OF GOD. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that without love, nothing else is of profit. That is true. The foundation for everything is the Word of God, but not just that. In the parable of the wise man and foolish man who build their houses, what is the rock that the wise man builds on? Christ? Jesus is the rock? Not according to the context. The Word of God? Nope, but that is a popular answer. Matthew 7:24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock." It is not merely the Word of God, it is the Word of God being acted on. It is not enough for us to teach, learn, and know the Word of God, we have to do it. So we need clear and deep teaching, learning the Word of God, but then applying it to our lives in measurable ways. James 2:17 "Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself." Fourth, PARTNERSHIP. The body of Christ depends on the body of Christ. That seems like an obvious statement. It is impossible to be strong with only part of the body functioning. If the work depends primarily on one man, the pastor, then the work will be weak and limited. The more we work corporately, the stronger our church becomes. I see more and more people stepping up and doing something. That causes the church to strengthen. We are not done on this point either. As we grow, the need for more of the body to participate grows too. The List could go on and on as there are so many elements to strength, but I want you to note what I haven't put on the list so far. The PASTOR(S). Or, to broaden that a little, the leadership. Shouldn't that be on this list? There are people and churches that would put it up near or at the top. Many seem to think or perceive that much in the church depends on the pastor. If there is strength, it reflects well on the pastor, and if there are problems, it must be the pastors fault. But consider this, a good, even powerfully gifted pastor, without the four things listed above, will never cause a church to be strong. It may have a good Sunday morning attendance, but will not be truly strong. A poor pastor with the things listed above, will have a strong church. It is not that the pastor is unimportant. Godly leadership and shepherds are vital, but they do not cause growth. They can encourage growth and safeguard growth, but they can not cause it. Bean's Corner is not growing and getting strong because I am the pastor, because of Nate's coming and gifts, or because we have an incredible group of godly men on the Deacon's board and another incredible group of godly women on the deaconess board. It is because of the four things I listed above. The great group of godly people are part of the partnership, the are yielded to the Holy Spirit, the are examples/models of love, they are seeking to live out the Word of God.

Paul, in dealing with this same idea with the Corinthians, puts it this way, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth." (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)

As you think about our church and as you enjoy what God is doing, make sure you are contributing to the four things listed above. Be yielded to the Holy Spirit, allowing His power to dwell in you in fullness. Build Love relationships with the fellowship. Open your life to the body and draw close to others. Join a small group or start a new one. Invite people over to your house and talk in real depth about the good and bad parts of your life. Don't just hear the Word of God on Sunday or in your private study, do what it says. Seek to apply it and use those who you are in a love relationship with to help you see where you need to apply it more. Finally, be part of the partnership. Don't just be a consumer, contribute. There are so many things that can be done, both large and small. I am excited to see how God will continue to use us to reach our area for Him!