Thoughts on What Church Do

It is no secret that membership in evangelical American churches in on the severe decline. Depending on which survey you read, no more than 40% of American adults indentify themselves as affiliated with any church at all. This mass exodus from the pew has been going on for two and a half decades and there is no promise for the reversal for that trend. The obvious question is why? Why in a country with so proud a religious heritage and a history of strong national faith are more than half of the adults outside of the church? Why is the body of Christ failing so badly to reach this nation? While inquiry into this subject would lead to no simple answer, a simplification of the issues at hand is that the church in America no longer looks anything like the church founded by Jesus and His apostles.

The book of Acts tells the history of the founding of the early church. Picking up at the ascension of Jesus into heaven, the author of the book (Luke) describes the mission of the disciples as they preached the gospel in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. As the word of God reached those who had not believed in Jesus, powerful transformations occurred in the lives of converts. Perhaps the most clear description of the practice of the early church is found in Acts 2:42-47:

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (ESV)

A similar description is found in Acts 4:32-35:

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. (NIV)

These descriptions seem to mirror the exhortation of Peter to the dispersed church in 1 Peter 4:

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (vv 7-11 ESV)

The passage in Acts 2 mentions that the believers met in the temple daily; this presumably would have been similar to our corporate worship services (in theory, definitely not in culture or practice). However, the modern American church stops there as the end-all be-all of church function. Occasionally a potluck will bring a shared meal, or a revival or evangelism night will be an opportunity for inviting those outside the church to run a "trial membership" in the club. But rarely do we see true dedication to study of the apostles' teachings (scripture). How many sermons are "4 steps to financial freedom" or "5 rules for being a good parent" rather than explicit study and proclamation of the truth of the Bible? How many Sunday school classes are good for business networking and figuring out what our purpose is or that our heart is wild or captivated or broken or free rather than being edifying expositions of God's truth in His holy word? The early church had no mere peripheral interest in what truth was being presented to them. They devoted themselves to studying the teachings. They pursued truth and knowledge. It is true that practical applications exist for the Christian life, but when you don't know what the word says - and more importantly, what it means - application is useless, and powerless.

One of the fundamental problems in the American church is the abandonment of true fellowship and community for superficial relationships and a country club atmosphere with weekly meetings. The believers of the early church had a passion for community that is almost non-existent in the 21st century Western world. While technology has increasingly made the world smaller, it has also increasingly isolated the members of our society. We can hide behind social networking sites and websites (and blogs!) and communicate through text messages rather than by voice or face-to-face in order to avoid any real human contact. We put up facades and smiles and assure everyone that we are "good" when they ask "how are you" (even though they don't care). One can walk into a church service, give the hand of fellowship, the sign of peace, or the fist bump of brotherhood and leave having made no real connection with a fellow human being. When Peter says to show hospitality, does he mean to provide donuts and coffee, or a greeter at the door, or smile at each other during the greeting time? Peter's idea of the church obviously has nothing to do with a Sunday morning song and lecture service. Sometimes I wonder whether we should not follow Paul's command to greet each other with a holy kiss if for no other reason than that it forces us out of our comfort zone into real (if forced) interaction. Fellowship consists of so much more than what we have accomplished in the American church. It is hard to do. It is difficult to let people see you as you are; to appear broken and weak is against our nature, especially in Western culture. We ignore the command to bear each others' burdens. But until we are genuine and open and care about others more than ourselves, we as the church cannot be the image of Christ's bride that God desires.

The major complaint against modern Christianity is that Christians fight and bicker and hate each other. This is not a new issue. Nearly every epistle affirms the need to show kindness and patience and love for one another. Jesus Himself knew that our actions towards each other as His followers would be the loudest witness when He said in John 13:34-35: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (NIV) Why does the world disregard Christians? Because we do not love one another. Jesus said to love each other as He loved us. He died for us. Peter demands that we love earnestly. We have to try. Hard. We have to cover over each others' sins with love. Don't forget that this writing comes from the man who once thought he was doing good to forgive his brother seven times. What kind of dedication did these people have that they shared all of their possessions with one another to take care of any who had need. How foreign this must seem to us, especially in a time of economic hardship in our country, to sell property because someone else is in need. To sacrifice because someone else was hurting. And yet, perhaps, it is precisely because we do not understand what it is truly to suffer and to need that we cannot bring ourselves to be generous. Becoming a Christian for many of the Jews in the early church meant becoming anathema to their families. Or losing their jobs and livelihoods. Or being outcast by their friends and peers. To many of these people, their new brothers and sisters in Christ were their only real family. And maybe since we don't have the same necessity, we can't bring ourselves to the same devotion to fellowship. The early church lived life together and depended on each other for survival. Not that this family wasn't dysfunctional. Like any family, friction existed between sinners. This is why Peter must insist on love that covers sin. But such a dedicated love would present itself in many forms, and is evidenced by sacrificing for one another and putting someone else's needs ahead of one's own. Whether because of the "get-ahead" mindset, or because of sheer disregard for the commands of Christ, or for some other reason, we have failed to love each other more than ourselves. And this fact cannot and never will be hidden from those on the outside looking in to see if we live up to our own standards.

The breaking of bread seems significant for its symbolism of the fellowship among the believers. Family and esteemed guests eat together. Discussion over (and after) dinner reaches levels of familiarity (dare I say intimacy) that occur very few other places and instances (except for over cigars and beer, of course). To invite someone into one's home is a deep sign of kindness and courtesy, and sharing food seems to reach the most primal nerves within us. It may mean giving up a night after work, but how much quicker can fellowship be built than when sharing meals at the end of the day? To live life together in unity and to bear each other's burdens demands love and sacrifice, and sharing meals is one way to build those connections necessary to live in true fellowship.

Can you imagine what our witness would be if we took care of our brothers and sisters in need to the point that not one wanted? If we could put aside our own selfish desires for useless crap, fueled by consumerist mentality? I have referenced before James 1:27: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (NIV) I pray that we have not become so polluted by the world and its temporal desires that we ignore the orphans and widows (and single moms and homeless and starving and those without clean water, etc.) in their distress. If we do not take care of our family - i.e. our brothers and sisters in Christ - we will never be willing to do what it takes to reach those that do not yet belong to God's family.

There are some Christians in America that are earnestly seeking community and generosity. They seek to show love and forgiveness above all else to each other. However, there are many among these groups that would water down the truth of God's word so as not to be offensive and to appeal to those who need God's love. While they are to be commended for their attempts at living life the way God intended in fellowship, there is no need to sugarcoat or change the gospel to reach others. It is fascinating to me to back up and read the first part of Acts 2 where Peter preaches to many people in Jerusalem. Peter boldly and clearly proclaims Jesus as Christ, the Son of God. Peter maintains Jesus's innocence, and claims that the same men to whom he was speaking were responsible for the death of the Messiah (v 23). Then the men ask what they should do and Peter tells them to repent. There was no dilution of the gospel; Peter only proclaimed the truth. And three thousand believed that day (v 41). It was these who were transformed by God's grace and learned to love each other and are our examples in verses 42-47. There is no reason to dismiss any part of God's word in order to live in harmony. In fact without it, there is no true banner to fly over ourselves as Christians. We should be wary of those who would delete part of the gospel in order to be peaceful.

I suck at praying. Personally, I find my own communications with God tend to be so whiny and self-centered that I can only dream of the effective prayer of a righteous man that avails much. I think I am not alone. But how much of the American mindset of prayer is framed by those who teach us to ignore the example of Jesus and to pray "my will be done". We hear all the time that if we tell God what we want, then he will make it happen without any regard for our discerning what He wants, and what He might want us to pray for. We have reduced Him to the genie beyond the sky, old grandfather waiting on our requests so he can spoil us with the desires of our heart. What would our brothers in the Sudan say if they knew we were praying for a new car as they die for their faith? Or the girl forced into prostitution in India? Or the orphan whose parents both died of AIDS? Prayer is about finding the heart of God in order that our hearts may be broken and formed into mirror images of Christ's. It is about lifting up others and pleading with God for justice or mercy for ourselves and our brothers and sisters. God tells us to offer requests for our needs, and He desires to take care of us according to His will. But we abuse this privilege when we use prayer in the name of the only risen Son of God to make known our wish lists and nothing else. I wonder whether it is not blaspheming the Holy Spirit to focus our prayers on ourselves rather than on God and communing with Him. The early church devoted themselves to prayer. So much so that when they petitioned God, He sent an angel on a jailbreak mission to rescue Peter and return him to the church (Acts 12). They knew that prayer was not a public spectacle for human attention or a display of pseudo-righteousness, but rather a supplication to God in times of need, a way to grow nearer to Him and commune with Him. These people, who are clear-minded as Peter desires, will benefit from growing close to God, so that when they speak it is as though God were speaking. And they would not seek any credit but desire above all that God be glorified. There is so much more to be said on the subject of prayer, but as I am admittedly a novice, I will leave such discussions to those who know what they're talking about. Suffice it to say that if the American church were devoted to true prayer, we would see mighty movements of God that we cannot fathom and would be more effective in spreading the news of His Kingdom.

In the passage from Acts 2, we see that when the church devoted itself to the apostles' teachings, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer that God moved among them, they had the favor of the people, and many joined their number. If the American church returns to its roots; if it is filled with people who seek after God's truth, who are genuine and not pretentious, are kind and tender-hearted, forgive each other, who serve each other, who eat meals together, who live life together, and who pray not for their own storehouses to be filled, but for God to reign in all of earth; if the church is filled with those seeking that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, perhaps we may regain the favor of the people. They, seeing Christ alive in us, will join with us in proclaiming Him as Lord, and God will move powerfully among us.