I had already given up on the current model of “church”, that day in July when my pastor-friend, Mike called and invited me to join him at a work party. I love Mike as my own brother, as our Lord teaches us we ought to love one another. Although Mike has spent a lifetime planting churches, he’s much more about Mere Christianity than he is about “church”. I like that in him. So, Mike, in his leadership role in the church, formed a work party to fulfill a very important function of Christianity on a hot, Sunday morning in July; that is, to minister to the community around us. To spread the gospel through the love of Jesus Christ, acting as His Body. To be the feet and hands of Jesus, even on the Sabbath, as Jesus Himself did, saying to the accusing Pharisees, who had turned the worship of God into a meaningless religious ritual, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working also.”
He also said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” Luke 6:5
And the scriptures are clear in saying, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
“This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.
“And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful.“
James 1:22, Titus 3:8, 14
There were about ten men who showed up at an old, wood-frame house in a poor neighborhood of our community that Sunday morning. They came from several different directions and different local churches with tools, equipment, and supplies. In fact, there were several different denominations represented, all coming together for a good work.
Inside the old house was an equally old man who lived alone and had recently, because of age or illness, become wheelchair-bound. He was not associated with any traditional church, but Mike got wind of the old man’s situation through a local, outreach ministry he supports, and, for their benefit, he organized a work party.
It was an impressive show. One man brought a truckload of lumber and another brought power tools. Mike and I brought coffee and doughnuts. When everyone was present, we opened with a prayer circle, then we planned the project and made assignments over coffee and doughnuts. Another man set up his truck to play praise and worship music while we worked. When each man had gotten his assignment, we started to work, building a wheelchair ramp so that the old man’s friends and family could get him in and out of the house as needed.
The old man was speechless. He had no idea this had been planned, or who this rag-tag collection of people outside his door were. His ignorance gave us the opportunity to explain to him the love of God through Jesus Christ and to pray with him. To place our hands on him and pray for God’s Hand of blessing and healing upon him. When we left that day, a lonely old man, who’d nearly given up, had come to know the love of Christ through the Savior’s body, the church. And not only a lonely old man but his neighbors and the whole community. That, to me, is what the church ought to be all about.
You see, God designed the church to be like His Son. He expects the church to accomplish that model through six basic functions. The first, and most important of those is prayer. Without the preparatory exercise of prayer, nothing the church does will be of effect. In fact, it could be worse. It could be, without the vital component of prayer, everything the church does will only be counterproductive to the Kingdom.
The other five functions of the church are, in no special order of priority, worship, discipleship, fellowship, ministry, and evangelism. All of these five functions must be present, together, in balance, in order for any one of them to function properly. Unfortunately, today, for most congregations, one or two of the functions are given priority over the others. Most often priority is given to worship for reasons better discussed in a separate message. After that, fellowship is usually given the second priority, while the other functions very often fall to the wayside like seeds thrown into the wind.
Balance is the key to a vital church that fulfills its role in the Kingdom. A balance of function using the Spiritual gifts that God provides will result in a church that lives out its faith beyond the walls of a worship center. Our faith cannot be lived out in a two-hour window on Sunday morning. Faith must be lived every day of the week if it is to be real. It is vitally important for each and every member of the Body of Christ to keep in mind that wherever you go, whatever you do, you are the church. You walk each day in the presence of the Holy Spirit and wherever two or more are gathered in Jesus’ Name, he will be there also. Knowing this, we should always be in prayer with our hearts opened to God, and filled with the Holy Spirit as a representation of Christ in a lost world.
With spiritual eyes we should ever be looking for opportunities to minister, to evangelize, to worship, to disciple, and to join together in fellowship. To accomplish this in our lives requires each and every one of us to be intentional about living out our faith each day. It takes discipline to establish the daily patterns of Christ-like living, the practice of prayer, and of meditation on the word of God.
If you’re like me, you can’t do it alone. That’s why each of us needs an accountability partner. Someone we see and spend time with each day. “Wherever two or more are gathered,” means being the church, not being at church. Jesus said, “A cord of three strands is not easily broken.” Those three strands are you, your accountability partner, and the Lord, Who promised to be present. That “cord” is a church that lives on through the week, sustained by prayer while carrying out the other five functions in perfect balance. We like to call it, “The Church of Two”, or (CO2). A church that meets together each day of the week for prayer and meditation on the scriptures.
It is pointless for you to gather for worship on Sunday morning if your heart has not been prepared throughout the week. The Bible tells us that when we gather for worship, each person should bring a gift, a song, a psalm, a prophecy, or a praise. What will you bring to the congregation if your heart is not prepared? If you’re like most, you will come together on Sunday morning, plop yourself into the same spot where you sit every Sunday, and wait there to “be fed”, by a pastor who feeds you yet another uninspired message. That is not the model God intended, and it is not a model that can fulfill the functions of the church in the balance that they require. Such a model is not directed by the Holy Spirit but by an order of worship. The Apostle James warns us, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
These things that we carry out within the four walls of a worship center are not properly modeling Jesus, who was out, walking among the people, ministering to the lost every day, even and especially on the Sabbath. Like my brother Mike, my sister Lisa, though I was her teacher, taught me how to make good works the center of worship. I’m not saying that we should never sit in a pew and listen to a message from the scriptures. What I’m saying is, that’s not worship, it’s discipleship and a poor attempt at best. I’m saying that there needs to be more balance of function in the church and that effective discipleship requires more lab and less lecture. Ephesians 5:19-21 informs us,
“…but be filled by the Spirit:
speaking to one another
in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,
singing and making music
from your heart to the Lord,
giving thanks always for everything
to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
submitting to one another
in the fear of Christ.”
To be filled with the Spirit means to let the Spirit lead the church, not some program, or individual. I find that gathering for good works on a Sunday now and then is a great way to revitalize the church. A way to make it more like the Father intended, more like His son, Jesus who is Lord of the Sabbath and “Has been working also”, unto this day.
Castaways Point 