Random Thoughts on the Church

I just finished teaching a course in the Advance program at PBU on Saturdays. The final class deals with the church, and I always like to share a few thoughts about the character of the church during this session.

Millard Erickson, in Christian Theology (Pages 1067 - 1068), makes the following points about the church.

Erickson observes first that the church must be characterized by a willingness to serve. He observes the following in relation to Matthew 20:28. Jesus stated that his purpose was not to be served, but to serve. Erickson goes on to note: “In becoming incarnate he took upon himself the form of a servant (Phil 2.7). The church must display a similar willingness to serve. It has been placed in the world to serve its Lord and the world, not to be exalted and have its own needs and desires satisfied. Jesus did not associate with people for what they could in turn do for him. If he had, he never would have visited Zacchaeus….Jesus was not interested in exploiting people. ….be willing to go to the undesirables and helpless, to those who cannot give anything in return to the church. A true representative of the church will even be willing to give his or her life, if necessary, for the sake of its ministry.

Erickson also makes the following observation regarding adaptability: The church must also be versatile and flexible in adjusting its methods and procedures to the changing situations of the world in which it finds itself. It must go to where needy persons are to be found, even if that means a geographical or cultural change. It must not cling to all its old ways. As the world to which it is trying to minister changes, the church will have to adapt its ministry accordingly, but without altering its basic direction. If a church has a sense of mission like that if its Lord, it will find ways to reach people wherever they are.

My prayer for our churches is that there would be a willingness to serve and to learn to be versatile and flexible. In other words, that we would not cling to the old ways but constantly find new ways to reach people wherever they are.

~ Jim