Imagine God gives pastors, teachers, prophets and other gifted people to the Church as a whole, for our benefit. To the collective. Not to individual "churches." To all the Christians who are able to connect, either in person (or voice-to-voice, with technology), or like Paul and the apostles, through more textual means. Imagine God is looking to see us connect, support each other, challenge each other, work things out, get angry and sin not, not let the sun go down on our wrath, and above all things, know and deal with each other.
Imagine He judges us based on what we achieve, both in terms of inner exploration, and also in terms of networking with other Christians and all the other human beings of various kinds, who come in and out of our lives. Imagine He cares that we connect just as much as He cares that we're correct. Imagine when we say we "can't deal" with someone, He mostly hears the "can't."
Imagine that salvation, personal growth, holiness/correctness/doctrine, love, charity, unity and being His agents in our community aren't "pick your favourite one to focus upon," nor even "start at the beginning with the essential ones and maybe you'll eventually get to the more advanced/less important ones later." Imagine it's all important. At the same time. Imagine we're here to connect to every Christian anywhere near us (geographically, genetically, in terms of Facebook circles of friends etc.) one at a time. Imagine we're supposed to approach each one, and see if we can love him/her and be loved in return. Imagine the bible tells us to do that.
Imagine there are no walls keeping us out of their church circles and no walls keeping them in. Imagine there are no walls at all. Imagine that no apostle ever wrote separate epistles to two different Christian groups in the same town.
Imagine there are no walls keeping us out of their church circles and no walls keeping them in. Imagine there are no walls at all. Imagine that no apostle ever wrote separate epistles to two different Christian groups in the same town.
Imagine God sees us all as One Thing. Imagine the walls, categories, labels, membership lists and all of that aren't real enough for Him to see, so He doesn't see them at all. Imagine He does not recognize the different little circles, the committees, formalized structures, the decisions about who will be elders over who, and what elders are not "our" elders, but elders in a different Christian group, and one who we do not recognize the authority or relevance of.
Imagine if ...
a) should we go out to a "church and decide that Steve is our new pastor,
b) but then we have a falling out with Steve
c) so we leave that "church" and more or less lose touch with the people there
d) and go to one in which Bob has been nominated pastor,
e) so we decide we will only deal with Bob (for as long as we want to submit to him)
f) so we only deal with the people at Bob's "church"
g) and ignore Steve and the people at his "church,"
...that God doesn't recognize any of that. Imagine we're all still responsible for one another, and these "Well, that's a whole different church in my town. That's not our church. We're not responsible to deal with people from different churches..." distinctions are utter nonsense. Imagine if the bible means what it says, and so those church distinctions aren't real. Imagine if we really are One Body. Imagine if it's not that we're "supposed to be" one body, but that we "are."
Imagine if, when we sneer slightly and say "Yes, that's all well and good, but practically, we all need to choose a street address to report to Sunday morning.." we're not being remotely practical. Imagine if we're supposed to go out to each other, rather than inviting each other in to our churches (and then throwing up our hands if they don't show).
Imagine if ...
a) should we go out to a "church and decide that Steve is our new pastor,
b) but then we have a falling out with Steve
c) so we leave that "church" and more or less lose touch with the people there
d) and go to one in which Bob has been nominated pastor,
e) so we decide we will only deal with Bob (for as long as we want to submit to him)
f) so we only deal with the people at Bob's "church"
g) and ignore Steve and the people at his "church,"
...that God doesn't recognize any of that. Imagine we're all still responsible for one another, and these "Well, that's a whole different church in my town. That's not our church. We're not responsible to deal with people from different churches..." distinctions are utter nonsense. Imagine if the bible means what it says, and so those church distinctions aren't real. Imagine if we really are One Body. Imagine if it's not that we're "supposed to be" one body, but that we "are."
Imagine if, when we sneer slightly and say "Yes, that's all well and good, but practically, we all need to choose a street address to report to Sunday morning.." we're not being remotely practical. Imagine if we're supposed to go out to each other, rather than inviting each other in to our churches (and then throwing up our hands if they don't show).
Imagine if, in terms of serving and pleasing God, we stand and fall together. Imagine if the Christian group that is doing the worst in our community isn't a group we're happy not to be part of, but is something we are part of. Imagine if God views Christians as All Part Of The Same One Thing, rather than as a collection of splintered groups, insulated from each other and duplicating resources, not benefiting from each others' gifts and taking stances against each other. Imagine if He sees us as One Thing because it's true.
Imagine if church membership, the myriad little church groups and their mission statements, vision statements, official positions and official oversight, and all the endless, petty little squabbles, are all stuff God isn't looking at. Imagine it's not worthy of our time. Imagine all the umbrage, the huffiness, the red vs. the blue, the conservative vs. the liberal, the democrat vs. the republican, isn't real enough for Him to recognize as anything like what we're here to do. Imagine He's only seeing His children making a huge number of reasons not to deal with one another, and to view one another as not really, practically, connected, let alone united. Imagine there is only one Church and nothing else we concoct is real or Christian enough to matter much.
Imagine engaging one another, not to see if we will continue to deal with each other in future, but as actually dealing with each other, in the present. Imagine no longer seeing giving up as an option when we struggle to understand the views of other people. Imagine no longer viewing needing to give up on them as understandable and acceptable.
Imagine engaging one another, not to see if we will continue to deal with each other in future, but as actually dealing with each other, in the present. Imagine no longer seeing giving up as an option when we struggle to understand the views of other people. Imagine no longer viewing needing to give up on them as understandable and acceptable.
Imagine there are no churches, no walls, no stances to be clear on if you're to stand with us. It's easy, if you try...
3 comments:
imagine indeed. yes, it's easy to imagine, and beautiful. the walls are our own making and still chipping away at mine i think.
The walls aren't there.
Yes i can imagine it.Even as a non believer.But i grew up within a place of very many walls. And sadly there are family i now do find it too hard to deal with.I find it real hard to deal with all the screaming and anger.When i'm around them sooner or later some of it rubs off on me.
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