In meditation 47 we saw that God - Father, Son and Spirit - prepares Christ’s universal church for the glorious end-time, wedding celebration of the Lamb. We also noticed that God does that preparation on a minute scale: one local church at a time within its own geographical and cultural setting!
We understood that not only the universal Body of Christ, but also every true local community of Jesus’ followers is birthed by God’s Spirit.
Furthermore, we realised that God’s Spirit Himself directs the ongoing transformation process into Christ-likeness, so that Christ’s entire Body, spanning all ages, will be prepared for that glorious celebration of the Lamb’s wedding.
Today we will start dealing with issues like “How could a local church bring sorrow to God’s Spirit?” and “How could a local church even stifle Him in His work of Christlike transformation?”
Here are some questions to ponder:
-- What are some of the reasons why God’s Spirit might be hindered in starting or continuing the Christlike transformation of a local church?
-- What are some of the causes why this transformation process might come to a premature halt?
But before giving further thought to these questions, we need firstly to remind ourselves of two pivotal aspects of church life as far as God’s Word [the Bible] is concerned:
a. God’s Spirit is meant to rule every local church:
You might remember that the apostle Paul reminded the church in Corinth: “Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple [residence] of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?”
(1 Corinthians 3:16)
b. Every local church is meant to grow together into Christ-likeness:
Paul taught the church in Ephesus (modern Turkey): “Their responsibility [pastors and teachers, etc.] is to equip God's people to do his [God’s] work and build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ. ... We will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ...”
(Ephesians 4:12.13.15)
So, why might God’s Spirit be hindered in starting or continuing this Christlike transformation of a local church? Why might this transformation process come to a premature halt?
When Christlike community transformation never really starts...
For the same reasons that personal Christlike transformation might not really start, community transformation might not come into being as well.
It is possible that my local church firmly teaches the importance of personal conversion and rebirth, based on faith in Christ’s sacrifice and the indwelling of God’s Spirit. The teaching of our church might faithfully focus on ‘Christ alone’, ‘grace alone’ and ‘faith alone’ and even have a distinct ‘doctrine of the Holy Spirit’. Yet, without a clear biblical vision on the work of God’s Spirit in our church family, the process of Christlike community transformation might never really start.
The apostle Paul states that it is normal for individual reborn children of God, as well as for local churches, to be directed by God’s Holy Spirit. He declares to the Christians in Rome: “All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” (Romans 8:14).
A little earlier in Romans he wrote: “... those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.”
(Romans 8:5)
The early church did not lack teaching on the Holy Spirit’s guidance of church life. As we have seen, the apostolic teaching was unambiguous on the fact that God’s Spirit not only resided in every individual follower of Jesus, but also lived and operated in the local Christian community.
This leads us to ask some cardinal questions:
-- What does my church know about ‘communal guidance’ by God’s Spirit?
-- Has my church received a vision and strategy from God’s Spirit to know how He wants to transform our church family into the likeness of Christ?
I think again of Paul’s passionate sorrowing which I mentioned in meditation 47: “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you...” (Galatians 4:19)
As our culture emphasises individualism and independence, we tend to understand that in texts like Galatians 4:19, Paul addresses only individual Christians. Yet, the biblical understanding of such texts comprises individual believers as well as the entire church family.
The Bible teaches clearly that the Holy Spirit wants to start the process of Christlike transformation of our local church right from the start of its birth!
When my church lacks Christlike leadership... (a)
No church is able to function well without good leadership. Yet, for the Holy Spirit to start the process of Christlike transformation in our church, it needs Christlike leaders who are called and trained by Him.
Reminding them of the Spirit’s calling to leadership, the apostle said to the elders of the church in Miletus (modern Turkey): "Be sure that you feed and shepherd God's flock-- his church, purchased with his blood-- over whom the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders.” (Acts 20:28)
Paul taught the Christians in Ephesus that Christlike leaders are Jesus’ own gift to the church: “He [Christ] is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.” (Ephesians 4:11)
The apostle carries on by saying that among other things it is their God-given task to lead the church into Christ-likeness: “Their responsibility is ... to ... build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12-13)
It is therefore obvious that God’s Spirit requires Christlike leaders to lead our churches into Christlike transformation.
If our churches lack Christlike leadership, true Christlike transformation of our churches might never really take place.
Of course, that does not mean that God does not bless our churches. Neither does it mean that our church leaders could not be a blessing to our churches, nor that our churches could not be a blessing to their local communities and the wider world.
Yet, for aiming at “being mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ” there is more needed than good leadership.....
Finally some crucial questions to conclude this meditation:
-- Is ‘Christ-likeness’ a criterion for choosing leaders/elders in your church?
-- Did the leadership of your church receive a vision and strategy from God’s Spirit for transforming your church family into the likeness of Christ?
-- If you are a leader/elder in your church, do others assess you as a Christlike leader/elder?
In future meditations we will investigate how to ‘measure’ Christlike leadership according to biblical criteria.
(to be continued)
The Bible verse Galatians 4:19 is a quote of the New International Version. The other texts are all quoted from the New Living Translation.
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