Relationships in the Church

The Christian Lifestyle - Relationships in the Church There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all. In our series on the Christian lifestyle, we are currently emphasizing healthy relationships characterized by love and humility. Today, we will concentrate on relationships in the church. Churches are not always happy, but God desires His church to be known by unity and fellowship. What does a healthy church look like? First, the healthy church lives in unity. When Jesus prayed for His church, unity was His priority. He prayed "that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." Note that unity is relational with the Trinity as our model. His goal is not one organization but one body of people in relationship. This unity is necessary for our witness for Jesus. The passage from Ephesians 4 with which I opened assures us that God has given a firm foundation for this unity. Christ has just one body. We all receive the same Holy Spirit and share a common hope. We all serve one Lord with a common faith having been baptized into that one body. There is only one God, Father of us all and ruler of all. We are to live as one, living in a manner worthy of our calling. However, our lives do not automatically live up to this calling. We must choose to live with attitudes of love and humility. We must take every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. So, what is unity? It involves living together in peace despite diversity of personality, taste, and opinion. It includes working together as a team with a common mission, to worship God, evangelize the lost, disciple the saints, and serve those with needs. It is to exercise mutual love, humility, and unselfishness, but without uniformity for Christian unity includes human diversity. We have a responsibility to maintain unity. Paul told the Corinthians to protect and not harm the church body as God's temple. Jesus taught us in Matthew 5 to take the initiative in settling conflict when we are at fault and in Luke 17 to take the initiative in settling conflict when someone has sinned against us. But unity is more than just getting along. It must include true fellowship. The healthy church lives in fellowship. The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia. But what is it? It is more than meeting together, making small talk, and eating together. Those are only steps toward fellowship. Koinonia is communion: sharing thoughts, feelings, dreams, desires, fears, and even correction. Koinonia is participation: sharing each other's lives as family, as brothers and sisters. Fellowship involves a total sharing on oneself, being open and vulnerable yet safe. Fellowship is ministering to one another in love and humility. Fellowship is the life of the church. The Greek word for church means "assembly" because we assemble or come together. And why should we come together? We gather each Sunday to remember the resurrection of Jesus. It is called the Lord's day. We gather together for corporate worship. We assemble to hear the word of God proclaimed and explained. But there must be more. Listen to Hebrews 10:24-25. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another. We gather with others to spur one another on toward living in love and humbly doing good deeds for others. We assemble to personally encourage each other. We gather for fellowship. Since unity requires fellowship, unity is primarily a local phenomenon. Since unity is relational and relationships are primarily local, unity is primarily local. Since unity is witness and witness is primarily local, unity is primarily local. The whole church universal is one body, but unity must begin in local churches and among the churches in a community for there to truly be unity of all believers. Let me conclude with five characteristics of a healthy church. First, it is an organism, not just an organization. As an organism it is organized but by interdependence of love and humility not by a hierarchy of top-down government. Thus, the healthy church operates with mutual dependence, not independence. No one is to live alone to serve Jesus. Each Christian needs and should rely on others. Each local church needs and should rely on other churches. Love sees and meets the needs of others. Humility sees and receives needed help from others. The healthy church shows variety, not uniformity. It contains a variety of personalities, gifts, and talents working together. Each church needs this variety to be complete. Each person is needed and valued. And a variety of churches is needed to reach the whole community. The healthy church shows acceptance rather than continuous fragmentation. Let us concentrate on the essentials: repentance and faith in Jesus and His work. If I plan to live with others forever, I need to learn to love them here and now. This does not mean I should accept substantial error or rebelliously sinful behavior, but I should be quick to accept people and slow to judge. Finally, the healthy church member shows responsibility and does not just seek personal blessing. God has given each of us gifts to enable service to the body. If you are a Christian, you belong to the body and owe your service to other members. Allow His love and humility to work in you to motivate you to serve others using your gifts. There is only one body of Christ, His church. Commit yourself to live in unity and in fellowship. Choose to live in love and humility in His church. Take responsibility to protect the body, to settle conflict, and to minister to one another. Let us all work together as a team. Have you joined the team? Have you repented, turning from your sin and putting your faith fully in Jesus? Are you living by faith in Jesus who died for you and rose again? If not, call on Jesus today and join His team. If you have, get on the team roster, and put His love and humility to work in His church.