by Dillon Solomon
This letter to a congregation addresses
issues that can be seen in many Christian congregations.
***************************
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ’s church,
I hope this letter finds each and every one of you
well! I thank God that we have the opportunity to be counted among the Lord’s believers
and for all the blessings he has given us as a congregation.
Through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ
Jesus, we have been made alive. Through that very same life, death, and
resurrection we have been welcomed into the family of God and have been made part
of the body of Christ himself. “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were
far away have been brought near through the blood of Jesus Christ ... Consequently,
you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s
people and also members of his household” (Ephesians 2:13,19). With this
divine citizenship comes a holy unity, a bond that pleases God. In fact, he
urges through the apostle Paul, “Be completely humble and gentle; be
patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity
of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit– just
as you were called to one hope when you were called” (Ephesians 4:2-4). We are
called by the same gospel message to faith in the one true God.
Along with this spiritual unity, God desires unity
within our physical church. We can take these same passages and apply them to
our work as a congregation. We strive to be patient with one another in
dissenting opinions and bear with each other in love when we face difficult
decisions. Keeping this fact in mind will go a long way towards unity: each and
every member of the congregation looking out for the best interests of the congregation
and God’s universal church as whole. Every single member is integral to the
success of the congregation, as every single member is a part of the body of
Christ.
“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully” (Romans 12:4-8).
Only through unity can we accomplish—to the best of
our abilities—the mission God has placed before us. We acknowledge that there will never be a
truly perfect unity on this side of heaven. In spite of that, it is good to
discuss things with one another, and even argue a little bit, regarding the best
interests of the church, so that you can grow as a congregation. So I encourage
you to keep working together towards a strong fellowship in Christ—a fellowship
that allows for divergent opinions to converge into one mind, within the one
body of Christ, as you work towards furthering Christ’s church.
Finally, brothers and sisters in Christ, I urge you
not to become apathetic. We have a tremendous blessing from God by having easy
access to his word. It can be easy to sit back and go through the motions of
being a Christian or even to worry about our own internal struggles as a
congregation. However, God speaks to us through the apostle James, “As the
body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” (James
2:26). Our works as are the beating pulse of our faith; they are the indication
of living faith. It’s hard for us to put a sign of invitation out in front of
our church if no one can feel the pulse of our evangelism. Jesus himself told
us, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). But our
reason for doing this shouldn’t be simply, “God commands it.” Instead, take a
moment to think about what Jesus has done for you, all of the sins he has taken
away, and how, now, you have a place reserved for you in the eternal bliss of
heaven. Is that not an incredible feeling? How can we not want to share that
feeling with others? And so I urge you, as redeemed children of God, take this
feeling of joy and use it. Use it to embolden our evangelism efforts. Use it to
tell that friend or coworker the simple, yet powerful, message of the gospel.
Because sometimes that’s all it takes: “Consequently, faith comes from
hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans
10:17).
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!
No comments:
Post a Comment