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by Eric Hansen

There’s an interesting aspect of Christianity that I think we often overlook, and that’s the church. I don’t mean the representation of the body of Christ, but the buildings we go to every Sunday, Wednesday, or other day and sing songs of praise about our Lord.

Back in 2019 or so, God started putting it on my heart to really inspect the church – not just the one I was attending when I was youth pastor, but the overall landscape. In doing so, I started asking some really tough questions, most of which I still struggle with answering to this day. Is the church growing? If so, then how is it growing exactly? Who can I look to and see Christ working in their lives to extend grace, and not just answering prayers about self? How can I be like Christ if everyone lives their life without Christ outside of a few hours every Sunday?

Not long ago I caught an online sermon from a church my mentor was watching, and it was pretty good, focusing on Martin Luther King and his ministry for unity. During that broadcast, a man by the name of Daryl Davis came up. His fame is that as a black man he befriended someone in the KKK, and not just anyone but one with immense power within that group. You can watch one of his TEDx talks about the matter if you’re interested.

This man did what I’ve never seen a Christian do: he loved an enemy knowing very well that it may cost him his life. In return, his enemy loved him enough to have a conversation about the differences, and neither man killed the other. Whether either man is a professing Christian or not, I’m a firm believer in the sovereignty of God and see it as His working through each of them to demonstrate what unconditional love is. Neither man really gained anything by sitting down and talking, but also neither rejected the other due to some pretentious stigma.

I used to tell people that I’m a Reformist, and follow the TULIP principle to the fullest. Not long ago I even wrote an article here about what it is. I still believe in the whole acronym, but having seen that pastor talk about Daryl and really evaluating what Christ is doing around and in me, I’ve come to the realization that the church is spiritually dead. When a tree dies, it’s not just its limbs or its trunk that perishes, but every single element of it. Just like a tree, when the church dies, it causes those who keep in it to spiritually die as well, unless they are able to separate from it and replant elsewhere.

My sample size of churches is small, as I’m sure there are very healthy churches out there. The one I mentioned earlier who showcased Daryl’s story is one of those. They are inviting people of all colors, creeds, and locations into their studies and services. That is what Christ calls us to do, regardless of how we feel about it.

Going back to the tree metaphor, a tree does not mature by staying a seedling. It needs nourishment, attention, and care even if just by nature itself. These trees are the ones that grow mighty, tall, and prosperous, providing shelter and protection to all the little things like it once was. If a tree isn’t able to receive that love and care that it needs, then at best it never grows beyond a little bush. However, more often than not it dies, losing its lusciousness and ability to be anymore more than firewood.

If you’re in a church that goes out into the community for the purpose of Christ more than itself, then it's a body of believers knowing Christ will guide them.

Matthew 28:19-20 gives us the command that Christ asks each believer to follow: glorify God. How can we glorify God when we’re condemning sinners or making God out to be a vending machine, giving us what we want when we want it? Neither end of the spectrum does anything but boost our own ego. How did Christ treat the Pharisees versus the Samaritan woman at the well? He condemned those who are boasting of righteousness, while He gave grace to those who lost hope.

This isn’t to say we shouldn’t address someone’s sin, but we need to be able to read the room as well. If a person is yelling and screaming at their kid, then we should do what we can to help defuse the situation. If someone is saying, “I’m going to heaven because I donated all my money to charity,” then we should tell them that they’re only going to heaven by having faith in Jesus Christ. We are not called to condemn, because then we play God. Instead, we are to share the gospel – the truth about Jesus Christ – and let the Spirit convict the person. While we are to live a Christ-like life, we can also take to heart what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:1-3: “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,”

Hebrews 10:25 says to not forsake fellowship or gathering. There’s a plethora of reasons why this is so, and Jesus made it clear as well by sending people out in pairs and depending on others. Sunday services should be our primary way of fellowship, and not for the little bit before and after service, but it should be the service – gathering together, talking about how God has worked in our lives, where we need more grace, supporting one another through trials, and lifting up. When the only time we can do this is during Bible studies, and Bible studies are an afterthought for so many, then fellowship seems to be an afterthought as well.

Are you living a life glorifying God? Are you living to glorify Jesus as your Lord and Savior? In what ways are you contributing to the health (or death) of the body of Christ?

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