TWAS THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS
Well, here it is, 2016, the day after Christmas, and the holiday season is coming quickly to a close once again. Only New Year’s Eve remains now, the year 2017 looms ominously before us, and it’s almost time to get back to that pesky business of living our normal lives again; facing the future with all of its challenges and uncertainties. But as the new year approaches, before we settle back into our predictable patterns of behavior again, we should view this as a unique opportunity to refocus our attention on the things that really matter most, and to cast a vision for a more directed approach in our spiritual maturity. Hectic as it was, for most of us I’m sure, this Christmas proved once again to be a truly magnificent occasion, an opportunity to take a break from the routine to reflect upon the beautiful story of Christ’s incarnation, and all of its implications, as well as the renewing of our relationships with family, friends, and fellow followers of Jesus Christ our Savior.
I was so blessed by the joyful celebration of Christ’s birth that we experienced at our church, complete with candlelight and Christmas carols, followed by having most of my close family at my home last night for dinner, games, and exchanging gifts. In both situations, I couldn’t help but feel the sense of love, care, and belonging, as we all laughed, sang, and stuffed our faces together, while watching our beloved Denver Broncos eliminate themselves from playoff contention. Oh well, we had a great time; indeed, how precious is this gift that God has given us of family, friends, and fellowship in the Body of Christ. Well of course, this is no accident. God designed it to be this way, and when functioning properly, the institution known as the Church, comprised of loving families and individual believers, is uniquely equipped to fulfill these basic human needs in the heart of every man; to be loved, cared for, and welcomed in as a part of a family that truly, “…exhort[s], and comfort[s], and charge[s]… as a father does his own children… (NKJV 1 Thess 2:11)”
But, how is it even possible to account for this distinctive human desire to belong to something beyond ourselves? This feeling is pervasive in virtually every society and culture, throughout man’s history. Most people will acknowledge that this, almost universal longing exists deep in the psychological make-up of man, and that human beings seem to instinctively seek out symbiotic relationships with others that strive toward accomplishing or attaining something that transcends the repetitive routine of existence; attempting to either, save the planet, save the whales, free the captives, or champion other social justice causes. Regardless of the merits and virtues of whatever the cause may be, it is fascinating that this longing even exists to the degree that it does.
Secular minds will attribute this to the veracity of the humanistic philosophy of life, but random chance and evolution could never account for such a phenomenon. Indeed, the very notion of the ‘survival of the fittest’ theory militates against such cooperative optimism. On the other hand, the Bible predicts this type of behavior, given the nature of the human condition, as outlined in Scripture. From the very beginning, man was called into a relationship that was much larger than man himself. A calling to walk in fellowship with his infinite creator, and to fulfill a commission that he was specifically designed to accomplish.
However, this fellowship was destroyed, due to man’s disobedience to that commission, very soon after it was given, and man has sought to replace that special relationship and calling with a religion of his own design, ever since. The message of the cross of Christ is God’s ultimate response for providing a method of reuniting man with his creator, so that he may walk in fellowship with Him once again, and the institution of the Church is the means by which God has chosen for that message to be spread into the world. But it is also the ultimate means by which man can truly fulfill that innate desire within his heart to belong to something much bigger than himself; i.e. membership in the Body of Christ, both locally and universally. All other humanistic organizations, causes, and crusades are outgrowths of the emptiness that results as a consequence of rejecting this relationship with Jesus Christ, and the larger family structure that accompanies it, the Church.
The English word “church” itself carries the idea of belonging, being “derived from the Greek word kuriakon, the neuter adjective of kurios (“Lord”), meaning “Belonging to the Lord.” (Enns 347) This etymology succinctly captures the essence of what the Body of Christ represents; an enormous gathering of those who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, because He has bought them with His own blood, and they have become a physical expression of Him on the earth, during this dispensation of time. The word body is used to, “…illustrate the church as one living organism… A metaphor illustrating the unity and universality of the church...” (Enns 349) The Apostle Paul told the Corinthian believers that, “…you are the body of Christ, and members individually. (1 Cor 12:27-28)” Just as a human body is united as one entity, but is comprised of various parts, that perform specific functions, Paul described the church body as, “Not one member but many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body? …But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. (1 Cor 12:14)”
That is why, within this unique body of believers, God Himself, “…gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ …” (Eph 4:11-13) Within this framework of gifted functionality and variable skill sets, we can begin to see that, “Two overriding purposes of the church can be delineated… On the one hand, the church gathers as a body of believers wherein believers minister to one another; on the other hand, the church is to minister the gospel to unbelievers in the world… there are a number of functions in each of these two major areas.” (Enns 365) but they are all designed to carry out the work of fulfilling the Great Commission given by Jesus Himself in the gospels.
Still, armed with this revolutionary organizational structure, world-changing message, and the power of the Holy Spirit; the church would only be effective if it had the courage to do the work that it was called upon to do, and by God’s grace, they did go out and change the world. Corresponding with the two overriding purposes of the church given above, let us first examine the good works that were done within the local church body, on behalf of fellow believers. First century Christianity created a close knit community that cared for the physical and spiritual needs of the body, and provided a safe haven to worship God, free from the entanglements of their Jewish brethren. This can be seen very early in the church as, “…they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers… all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.” (Act 2:42)
Later, a deacons ministry was begun in order to address, “…a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.” (Act 6:1) Other similar ministries were sure to follow, as evidenced by the words of James, who became the first pastor of Jerusalem, when he stated that. “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27) He also desired that Paul, “…should remember the poor…” which was, “…the very thing… [he] was eager to do. (Gal 2:10)”
Most importantly, the early church also ensured that the word of God was recorded, preserved, and distributed to the rest of the church around the world as quickly and accurately as possible, while vigilantly teaching and defending it against false doctrine and heretical interpretation. But throughout the church age it has also provided, “…accountability; it offers the arena in which we can formulate our interpretation. Such accountability guards against maverick and individualistic interpretation… (Klein 141)”
Finally, the second of the two overriding purposes of the church; ministering the gospel to unbelievers in the world. One of the abject failures of the Jewish nation, almost from its inception, was their inward focus and unwillingness to become a light to the nations, as God had intended them to be. Just as Christians are to be, ‘In the world, but not of the world’, God had instructed Israel to insulate themselves from interaction with the Gentiles through marriage and close relationships, but He also desired to give them, “…as a light to the Gentiles…” that they, “…should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6) They never achieved this goal to any substantial degree, except when you consider the work of the church that grew out of them. Initially, “The church at Jerusalem was predominantly Jewish… The preaching was in Jewish terms and consisted of the presentation of Jesus as the Messiah who had risen from the dead.” (Tenney 238)
However, the radical teaching ministry of Stephen, “…brought a violent reaction on the part of the Jewish leaders and the consequent dispersion of the disciples compelled the leaders to seek other fields. The evangelization of Samaria, Antioch, and the Gentile world at large followed.” (Tenney 238) Conscious of the Mosaic and traditional restrictions regarding the Gentiles, the Jewish disciples struggled to come to terms with preaching the gospel to them, but through a serious of divine appointments, God opened their eyes and, “Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. (Act 10:34-35)"
This revelation, combined with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, in the form of tongues spoken in the languages and hearing of all of the gathered nations, was the most earth-shattering event since the tower of Babel incident. It signaled a desire on God’s part to reunite man, not in a coalition against Him (such as the rebellion at Babel), but in harmony with Him, belonging to Him. These events, “…fused the believers into one group, giving them a unity that they had not previously possessed, and it emboldened them to brave the perils of persecution.” (Tenney 240) God, who was, “hedging His people round, preventing undesirable developments here and prompting… sustained evangelistic efforts there… was as active in the early Christian communities and in the messengers of the gospel as He had been in the movements and teachings of Jesus.” (Guthrie 337) Truly God had begun a new work that rivaled anything seen previously in human history.
In conclusion, the early church exemplified all of the greatest aspirations ever held by man. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, they: walked in harmony with their creator, fulfilling His will. Out of a genuine heart of love, they humbled themselves and cared for the needs of others. Inspired by the Spirit, they wrote the some of the most beautiful literature that the world has ever known. With compassionate understanding, they created a community of believers that elevated women, the poor, downtrodden, slaves, orphans, widows, alienated, and criminals to become equals with the most affluent and powerful members of society. Bravely, they ventured out in faith on a dangerous quest, fraught with peril and persecution, as the emissary’s of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
Ultimately, they proclaimed the name of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, to a lost and dying world in desperate need of salvation, “…and He has now, “…committed to us the word of reconciliation… we are ambassadors for Christ…” and we must continue this mission, pleading and imploring people, “…on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor 5:19-20) Reconciliation with God represents a return to fellowship with our creator, as the name ‘Church’ implies, “Belonging to the Lord”. There is no greater need in the heart of man, no other way to fulfill that need apart from the institutions that God Himself has established, and there is no greater priority for the Body of Christ to pursue in the year 2017! And no, I don't believe in Santa Claus
By Pastor Glen Mustian
Works Cited:
Enns, Paul. Moody Handbook of Theology. Chicago, IL: Moody Press. 1989. Print.
New King James Version. Holy Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. 2000. Print.
Klein. Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. 1993. Print.
Tenney, Merrill. New Testament Survey. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. 1985. Print.
Guthrie, Donald. New Testament Introduction. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity. 1974. Print.
