Articles
The Church Jesus Built (6)
The Church Jesus Built 6
By Mike Willis
The Lord’s church is made up of imperfect people. We need to emphasize this fact because it will shape one’s attitude toward the Lord’s church. How many times have you heard someone explain why he quit going to church based on a bad experience he had with the members of a given church?
Let’s remember who makes up the church. One cannot become a child of God without recognizing that he is a sinner (Acts 2:38) who needs to be saved by the amazing grace of God. There has been only one perfect person, the sinless Savior, Jesus of Nazareth (Heb. 4:15). All the rest of us are sinners doing the best we can to serve our Lord. And admittedly, sometimes we fail to do the best we can.
Sometimes we Christians stumble back into sin. And, on top of that, it may take some time for us to recognize our sin(s) and repent. During this period, a person may witness the inconsistency between that person’s life and his profession and reach the conclusion that he is a hypocrite. While acknowledging that there are full grown hypocrites in some churches, many times what we judge to be hypocrisy may be an immature Christian going through the growth process. Even though that may be true, his sin has a negative influence on others and that is a responsibility one must take for one’s sin.
When people work together, whether it be in a family, the school, secular business, recreational activities or anything else, there will be conflicts. It should not surprise us that there are conflicts in churches from time to time. Conflicts reveal the best and the worst about mankind. And, let’s admit it, Christians have sometimes displayed the worst side of their character during conflicts with each other. Can you imagine what prompted Paul to include in his letter to the church at Philippi this exhortation, “I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord” (Phil. 4:2)?
My wife and I have been married for 57 years. It has lasted, not because we have never had any conflicts, but because we have resolved to love and support each other—to work through our conflicts for the benefit of each other. That has required a lot of apologies, giving and receiving forgiveness, and sometimes for repeatedly committing the same offence. Church members need that same spirit of love for one another that we show in family relationships—the commitment to work through their differences as we work together in a local church.
But acknowledging all of these points, do not forget that Jesus is not the one who failed you, disappointed you, or hurt your feelings. He is still the same sinless Savior who gave Himself on the cross that you and I can be saved. Do not allow Satan to convince you to walk away from Jesus, the only source of eternal life, because some weak church member hurt your feelings twenty years ago! Come back to church!
