What’s your reaction when you hear, “It’s time for church?” Does it inspire eagerness to join God’s people, to celebrate God’s mighty works in worship, to hear his voice through his word? Or something less exalted. Maybe for you church means getting up early, driving far, preaching that goes too long, and engaging certain people you don’t want to see. And you’re the pastor!
Whether you are a pastor or not, here’s a couple of questions to consider as you consider how you feel about your local church.
Will You Build What Truly Lasts?
Have you lately considered the call upon the church? Jesus told his disciples, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Funny, isn’t it. When you look from this passage to your local church, the first impression is not of an unstoppable entity that busts through the gates of hell. “You mean my church? With all of its problems and peculiar people?” Yup. That’s the one.
Technically, it’s not just you. It’s Christ’s church, both universal and local. But your local church is definitely in view. You see, joining a church is not like membership in the Moose Lodge or Rotary club with the monthly email and participation that turns on what best serves your lifestyle. Once we are converted, God intends for the church to actually disrupt our lifestyle. He uses it to surface what we love more than him. The church is an instrument that forms and shapes us for His kingdom. God ordains the church to agitate our attachments to this world, to prepare us for something eternal. As C.S. Lewis quipped, “Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat.” But the church, that body of which Christ is the head—lasts forever!
You need to convey this to your small group.Or ministry. Or if you’re a pastor, to your church.
Jesus’s stated commitment to build his church wasn’t just flowery prose. Christ was announcing His extraordinary passion—to remain devoted to his church and our endurance in it. In the Great Commission, he promised the disciples that he would always be with them. After taking his seat at the Father’s right hand, he didn’t drop his devotion to build his church. He gave gifts to men—“the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11–12). That is, he gave leaders who build his church. Each moment of each day he is interceding fervently on our behalf. You may be a means of grace in telling folks about that glorious goal.
Will You Lead What Jesus Loves?
If you are a church leader, do you think about church ministry with Christ’s activity in view? When you woke up in the morning, after the coffee cleared the fog, does this reality focus your motivation? Are you committed to building up those whom Jesus loves?
I’m biased, but I believe church leaders have been given the most significant work in the world. Your work as a leader in the church (maybe as the lead pastor) isn’t first about growing the biggest congregation in town or creating a reputation for being innovative or gifted. Ministry is not, in fact, first about us.
It’s bigger than us. But in God’s grace, he has chosen to use us.
There are a lot of good things Christians can build—good families, businesses, reputations, houses, memories, lifestyles. But these things will pass. Don’t let them minimize your passion for building a good church. In this work, the growth you achieve is not the final measure of success. That’s because the work is not merely about your effort. You labor with all your might, you set great goals to see the name of Christ glorified, you spend your life as a fragrant offering poured out to God. But as you spend yourself in service to his people, Jesus builds his church.
If leaders want to give their lives for something that lasts, give it to building local churches. It’s the one human institution that will shine brightly throughout eternity.
Today’s Tenacious Question
Think over the last time you were casting vision for the church where you lead. Did Matthew 16:18 figure into how you portrayed the church? How might remembering Jesus’s promise to build his church impact the way we think about your role and your future?
Prayer
Lord, the church is your body, it is your temple. You build it. You give growth. Give me such grace that all my efforts, all my goals, all my labors would be strengthened and sharpened by loving what you love. In your name and for the sake of your glory I pray. Amen.
