Welcome to Part 7 of the weekly release of my book, Unless God Builds It: A Proposal to Radically Rethink the Church.
In the last post, we finished Chapter 1 with a raw look at the exhaustion that plagues modern church systems. I shared my experience of feeling the pressure to perform and preach Sunday sermons even when I felt no inspiration from the Holy Spirit, and why I eventually walked away to learn total dependence on God.
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In this post, we begin Chapter 2 by addressing the passivity of modern churchgoers, compared to the true calling to ministry that is given by God to every believer.
Equipping the Saints
The people of God have been trained to “consume church.” Like eager vacationers, they browse for the cruise line that’s just right for them—with the best shows, the right kind of food, activities they’ll enjoy, and (most importantly) not too costly—a nice getaway from the usual activities of life.
And can you blame them? We’ve built this ship. We provide the shows. We serve the food. We’ve created the ultimate consumer experience, and we advertise it as such: “Come hear an inspiring message and some good music every week—coffee, donut holes, and salvation on the house. Sign up for one of our classes or groups, and go deeper in your faith. Let us know if you want to serve, and we’ll plug you into one of our volunteer teams. We think it’d be good for you to do all of these things, but if you choose not to, no worries. You’re the customer, and we’re still here for you.”
Of course, some cruise ships attract more vacationers than others. With way more bells and whistles, they garner thousands, not just hundreds. Many of the smaller ships take pride in the fact that they’re not so big and fancy, that their guests enjoy a more intimate and down-to-earth experience. But for the most part, regardless of size, flavor, and flare, they’re all still using the same model as one another—a crew that creates an (hopefully life-changing) experience for its passengers, and passengers who engage at whatever limited capacity they’re comfortable with; a crew that has no real authority over the passengers, and passengers who hold the crew responsible for the experience they desire; a crew that needs to keep the passengers happy in order to keep this thing in business, and passengers without any sense of ownership, who are ready to shop around for a better experience.
You may not agree with my assessment that most churches are operating this way. After all, the idea that immature Christians have a tendency towards passivity and consumerism isn’t a new concept but something that most leaders are aware of and are doing their best to counteract. In their preaching and teaching, they express the importance of going beyond mere Sunday attendance. They tell you how important it is that you use your gifts to help serve the Body, to support the church’s mission with your tithes, to join some type of small group where you’ll form deeper relationships, and so forth. In a sense, their messaging is: “Stop being passengers, and help out the crew! Help us build this thing!”
However, no matter how hard they try, no matter how many passengers eventually help out the crew, it’s still a cruise ship—a fundamentally flawed system if we’re trying to build a church without consumerism.
But unlike a cruise ship—where passengers are served by a professional crew and can opt in or out of whatever they choose—a sailboat requires everyone on board to be the crew, actively participating in the journey at hand. On a sailboat, you don’t have an option. If you are going to be on this ship, you literally cannot avoid being treated like a crew member and trained in the ways of catching the Wind. If you want a more leisurely experience, you must choose a different boat. By design, therefore, the sailboat has zero consumers.
I promise this is the last inch of the “cruise ship v. sailboat” analogy I will use. But it should again help us to see the difference between our design for the Church and God’s design for the Church. What I’m suggesting here is that God designed the Church to function in such a way that its members cannot avoid becoming effective servants for the Lord and playing a vital role in the shared mission. As long as they can avoid it, many will. In this chapter, we’ll discuss what is necessary to rid the Church of consumerism and create a culture of unavoidable participation in ministry. But first, I feel it’s necessary to cast some vision.
Your Purpose on Earth
In the Introduction, I stated that you are on this earth for one primary reason, and that is to build up the Body of Christ, of which you are a vital member. Notice, I did not say it’s the reason you exist, but the reason you’re on this earth. The reason you exist, I would say, is to know and be known by God. But if that’s the case, then why not just die and go be with the Lord forever, which is far better (Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8)? The answer, as Paul says, is love—i.e., that you might continue with others for their “progress and joy in the faith” (Philippians 1:25).
Maybe you’ve heard that your purpose is to glorify God and enjoy him forever (a standard Christian answer about the meaning of life). I would say, yes—and you can only do either of these things by making the Body of Christ your main concern, to lay down your life for your brothers and sisters (John 15:11-13; Philippians 1:29; 1 John 1:4; 3:16).
Others may have told you that your purpose is to become like Christ, to be conformed to his image (Romans 8:29). I would say, yes—and to be like Christ is to devote one’s life on earth toward building up his Body (Matthew 20:26-28; Philippians 2:3-8; Ephesians 5:1-2; 5:25-27).
Still others might say that our purpose is to love God and love others, or to know God and make him known. I would say, yes—and to know God is to love God (1 John 4:8), to love God is to love your brother (1 John 4:20), and to love your brother is to make God known to your brother, that he might know God, love God, be built up into Christ, and thereby make God known to others just as you did to him.
So then, have you ever considered that the Body of Christ is your chief responsibility? Have you considered that your whole life should be ordered around helping God’s people to grow and mature?
Among all the things I hope to impart to you (though only God truly can), there are few with greater significance than this revelation about your purpose on earth, for it is the fuel to the fire that God has put within you. It is the “why” behind everything in this life. It is the joy set before you. It is the mind of Christ, from which comes maximum clarity, all endurance, and every spiritual fruit. It is the vision you need to thrive and the vision we need to thrive together.
And yet, most Christians—apart from church leaders—don’t see it. They may see that they’re called to raise a godly family, work hard, go to church, and generally love people. They may see that they’re called to turn away from sin and walk in holiness, to shine the light of Christ wherever they are. They may even see that God has given them a role in their local church—so they tithe, join a small group, serve on a volunteer team, etc. But too few understand the ultimate responsibility (and privilege) they’ve been given in Christ, which is to contribute to the spiritual growth of God’s people directly, the building of God’s temple—a.k.a. discipleship.
No, this is not a job for a small percentage of individuals. Despite what you may have learned, building up the Body of Christ is not a unique or special purpose given to the pastors, the priests, the missionaries, and all the others who have “felt the call,” as they say. The ministry is not merely for those who are “in” ministry, nor is it a secondary purpose for those who are not. Rather, it is the sole reason that you and I are still here, as opposed to being with the Lord in heaven. We have work to do, and it’s all toward the same end.
Our Shared Calling
I find that there’s no better place to start in our thinking than at the end. If we don’t know the goal that we’re trying to reach, then our life (whether that be our separate, individual lives or the life of the Church) will be either aimless or misguided. So, take a moment with me to reflect on God’s eternal plan for his creation. What did God have in mind when he made everything, including us? And how did he intend to execute that plan?
There are many ways we might describe the end that God is working towards, but my favorite—and probably the most concise—is this: “that he might fill all things” (Ephesians 4:10; cf. Ephesians 1:10; 1 Corinthians 15:28).
But what does this mean, really, that he will fill all things? In simple terms, I think of it this way: God (the Father) fills Christ; Christ fills us; and we “fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over [it]” (Genesis 1:28). Therefore, God “fills all things” through Christ through us. He exercises his perfect dominion over creation (think “kingdom/reign of God”) literally through us (because he dwells in us), and all of creation comes into his proper order through this immutable channel of submission and authority. Then, everything will accurately portray who he is.
This means: no disease, no mental illness, no hatred, no disunity, no natural disasters, no addiction, no rape, no murder, no trauma, no injustice, no fear, no shame, no poverty, no sin, and no death. Instead, there will be only love, joy, peace, health, righteousness, life, and an abundance of every good thing. Of course, “[a]t present, we do not see everything in subjection to him” (Hebrews 2:9), and that is not to be entirely blamed on Christians. Satan is still the ruler of this world, and he still blinds the minds of unbelievers (1 John 5:19; John 12:31; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2).
However, notice that the perfect world we await still depends on us—or, more accurately, God in us (for we can do nothing apart from God). It depends on us being reconciled to God through Christ and being filled with his fullness, so that, by his power and presence within us, we would bring all of creation into order. Hence, the following scripture:
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility . . . in hope that [it] will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:19–21)
Therefore, regarding God’s eternal plan for his creation, we aren’t just in it along with a bunch of other stuff; we are the crux of it. As Christ’s Body, we, joined with Christ and fully grown up into him, are the linchpin of this whole operation. The only way that creation is set free from its bondage to corruption is through our transformation, or maturation, into the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27; Ephesians 4:24). The way that God’s reign will be fully established on earth is through our perfection, by which we effectively become extensions of God in Christ, allowing God himself to interact with this realm through our physical presence in it. Again, this will not be perfect until Christ returns, but our lives until then are given to us in order that we might reach for and realize as much of his heavenly kingdom on earth now. Therefore, we pray, “On earth as it is in heaven.”
It’s this end that the Bible refers to as our “calling,” as in the following verses:
[F]orgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)
. . . that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you . . . (Ephesians 1:18)
I . . . urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called . . . (Ephesians 4:1)
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call… (Ephesians 4:4)
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord . . . but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began . . . (2 Timothy 1:8-9)
To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him . . . (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)
Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling . . . (Hebrews 3:1)
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence . . . (2 Peter 1:3)
Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election . . . (2 Peter 1:10)
The “calling” that these scriptures talk about is not unique to any one of us but something we all share in Christ. While we certainly have different gifts, vocations, appointments, and/or assignments, God gives us these to contribute to our shared calling. You may be on a journey to figure out what your gifts are, and perhaps it’s unclear what vocation you ought to pursue. But let there never be a doubt in your mind as to why you are on this earth. It is to build up the Body of Christ.
For example, you are not “called” to be a stay-at-home mom. You are called to build up the Body of Christ and appointed to work at home as a means to building up the Body of Christ. Or again, you are not “called” to build a business. You are called to help make disciples of Jesus Christ, and you’re appointed to your business as a means of making disciples. Try putting on this mindset with everything you do, and see how it begins to shape the way you relate to your job, your church, your family, etc. If you cannot figure out how to connect the dots from what you’re doing to what you’re called to do, from your appointment(s) to your calling, then pray for God to reveal this to you. It is profoundly important.
For, in addition to your vocation and many other things, you are appointed to relationships with other believers—i.e., the local church—whose spiritual (and, yes, material) needs you are partially responsible for. These people cannot reach their full potential in Christ without you and your love towards them. Their maturity depends on your maturity. And your relationship with them, like Christ’s relationship with his disciples, has greater eternal potential than anything else you do.
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Questions for the Comments:
In your own church experience, have you felt more like a vacationer on a cruise ship or a crew member on a sailboat? What practical changes would help you shift from passenger to crew?
If building up the Body of Christ directly is our chief responsibility on earth, how does that shift the way you view your daily job, family life, and relationships?
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In Christ,
Jake