Good morning all, I know it's been a while since I've wrote on here, somehow I feel like I should be writing more, even though I'm actually writing almost every day. I'm working on this really great devotional which for the moment shall remain nameless, simply because it's rather personal. However, the questions posed within this testament have challenged me greatly in the past few months as I've been working through it day after day, and this morning the question and importance of community was examined. Not community simply for community's sake, but for the sake of Christ. Living lives of interdependence towards the end goal of being united in harmony as members of the body of Christ who all live and work together for their common good and for the glory of Christ. Quite a lofty goal, isn't it? Doesn't sound like something on a daily basis most people pursue.
The subject is examined in light of the fact that the majority of most evangelicals in America view their responsibility towards their church and their fellow believers to be distant, at best. We are vastly independent in our faith and more often than not it turns into a Jesus + Me story. We don't look at the corporate aspect of our faith and when we do, it's extremely limited.
In light of these observations, a few more observations. First, this sort of radical independence is something that Evangelicals in America fall into quite naturally as proud independent Americans who embrace all notions of freedom in practically any capacity (whether we realize it or not), there are a number of American Evangelicals who have turned corporate worship into a solitary confinement where their place of worship is at their desk or kitchen table where they find the most meaning and comfort from God. Not that private devotion isn't important, good, and necessary, but it isn't ultimate. Ultimately, we are members of the Church and Christ came to die for His Bride, the Church of which we, as individuals are all members, however, the membership has requirements more than simply saying a little prayer to get you into heaven, and showing up to church on a daily basis and scattered other social functions with the church's name on it.
Second, as important as I find the element of community and corporate worship and living together to be, I want to be careful when referencing scripture concerning the matter. In practically every discussion I have ever had on the subject, no one passage of Scripture is quoted more than Acts 2. And for good reason. On the day of Pentecost after Christ had been resurrected the Holy Spirit came down as Christ promised He would, and was imparted to thousands of people who then began living lives of corporate worship together and sharing all things in common, etc. The picture is a beautiful one, and one that I think ought to be admired. However, I think the passage has been misconstrued far too often by either using the passage to defend a worldview of communism or worse a hippy lifestyle, or it is projected onto Evangelicals as the ideal and set up on a pedestal of where American Christians should be today. Both of these perspectives worry me because I've seen the repercussions of them vividly in my own Christian experience.
The image ends up being downplayed to elements of the human realm, when in reality, there has never been a greater moment in the history of mankind outside of the God-Man Jesus Christ being on the Earth. This occasion in Scripture is one of those incredible moments where the spiritual realm and the human realm are blended together and the result reflects its severity.
For us to try and recreate those 1st century believers I think is silly. Allow me an example to illustrate my point. Christ celebrated the Last Supper in an upper room in Jerusalem with the 12 disciples and said, "Do this in remembrance of me." For thousands of years, the church has received the Eucharist through a service at church where the significance and importance of the Eucharist is explained on a weekly basis. We don't limit receiving communion to being in a small room for twelve people at a specific time of year. We've taken the circumstances and used Scripture to re-enforce the best possible way to receive the elements that nourish our souls as Christ appointed them too. Nowhere in Acts do we see Luke saying, "worship together in this way."
I understand that I'm delving into a very large pool of subject matter on which much has been said, written, and understood by men and women far more intelligent and understanding than I, however, my point is this; we need to look at the passage in Acts 2 as a reference point of something that is good, but not something that is ultimate. Trying to recreate the Acts 2 church isn't going to solve your problems. However, living lives of communal worship and making habits of living daily for one another and dying to self at any cost, that will change your life and cause you to re-evaluate what problems you might have.
I think the American Evangelical church desires at its core to create a community of interdependent Christians, but is so consumed in its consumerism and blatant autonomy that it can't see how lost it is. Any time there is a discussion about the body of believers being more important than the individual I am always reminded that this is the perspective of the Catholic church. They teach this very heavily and as a result, those who properly understand the Catholic faith live lives that reflect this important truth and it becomes apparent to all who know them because the choices they make are interdependently oriented.
So how shall we then live? In light of all of this, I think it's important that we foster habits of selflessness. We need to become more aware of how truly selfish and prideful we are. Similarly, we need to be willing to be vulnerable with one another. If we can't trust other Christian brothers and sisters, then we can't trust anyone. (If you want a practical example of what that life looks like you need look no further than the devastation that exists within many of the communities in Brazil.) Removing our pride, becoming vulnerable to one another, and pursuing lives of service to one another, to the greater body of believers and non-believers, and in so doing, serving Christ, this is what ought to be ultimate in our lives.
These are ideas that have been mustering around in my head for quite a while, and I'd be very open to feedback and questions and observations that anyone might have. Thank you all for reading and I hope this was edifying and challenging to you.
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