THE TRINITY CAN INFORM THE CHURCH

Many people today are stating or behaving as though they want spirituality but they do not have a desire for involvement in organized religion. Granted, 'spirituality' can mean anything from Spa music to Buddhism to born again enthusiasm. I do want to narrow my comments to those who hold to a Christian faith that esteems Jesus as son of the Father God, redeemer, and King. Even among this focus group there are some who love Jesus but the church - not so much. Much of the disenchantment with church results from those within who have power and who misuse it. Top-down organizations have fallen out of favour. Let's recover something important. We cite the Genesis One quotation of God's statement, "let us make man in our image according to our likeness." Perhaps the plurality inherent in that quotation speaks of three persons essential to God who should also now inform our ecclesiology. After pastoring churches for 40 years, and having time to assess church during the past 7 years, I conclude that we need to promote a leadership model that is interdependent, relational, participatory, self-giving, communal and self-surrendering.

A BLEAK SCENARIO - NO CHURCHES ALLOWED

If all church buildings in Canada were banned, burned down, confiscated or taxed into closure, would we refer to our movement as a churchless Christianity? My own answer is a resounding "No!"

In that bleak hypothetical scenario, Christians particularly would understand and society and judicial authorities would eventually realize that church is Christ within people; is God-filled Christ followers, unquenchable, destined for glory. Wherever they meet, they are church. Stop them from meeting and they still are the church.

This triumphant outlook is possible because Jesus loves his church, referring to the church in the feminine (her). She, the church, is his bride. He laid his life down for her and he promised to never leave her or forsake her. Not only would he build his church but he would also complete that work which he started. All these promises are fulfilled irrespective of deeded properties and towering edifices. His work with his church nears completion in remote villages, in downtown city cores, high in mountain communities, in the squalor of refugee camps, in the quiet of a student lounge and in the confines of a prison conference room.

Possibly my preferred take-away from these comments is that each reader who follows Jesus, should pledge today to be conscious that he or she represents Jesus and is an integral member of God's ongoing church building mission which may involve your love, words and life touching someone else with eternal results. Someone today may meet Jesus Christ and in that meeting find forgiveness, peace, salvation, life, joy, hope and a new network - Christ's church. In the instant of that surrender and faith, there is undeniable connection with the past and the present and the future of all the believers in Jesus as Son of God.

CHRISTIANITY

Let me tell you what it is not and then what it is.

Christian faith is not primarily about the sacrifice that believers make for Jesus in order to become Christian, but rather about the sacrifice that he made for us. Christianity is not about intensified devotion, trying even harder, doing better and being better, proving ourselves. No, no. Its essence is not doing something for Jesus but rather it is Jesus accomplishing something in us. His sacrifice once, and his ongoing work in us now. That is something that people find attractive because that is not religion. It is relationship. This is not about performance with respect to a faith system that legislates morality. A heavy-handed condemnation has resulted from that model and people have walked away from Jesus when they should have walked away from that specific model of Christian expression. Jesus' proclamation was good news. It was good news to good people and to bad people, to free people and prisoners, to healthy and diseased people, to sighted people and blind people. It was good in the first century and it is still good today because is about God's mercy to every last one of us, each of whom is naturally undeserving. Yet we are invited into relationship through faith in Jesus, Son of God, Lamb, Saviour, King, and endorsed a member of God's family.

GOD’S INTENTION: NOT TO REFORM BUT TO REDEEM SOCIETY

God never intended to reform society when it went wrong within a few generations. He determined to redeem humanity. Interesting concept. Why redemption? Going wrong incurred penalty, the loss of relationship with God and the forfeiture of life. Resource data, the Bible, informs us that to accomplish said redemption, he sent his divine Son. Not as a swat team commander or warrior king, but as a human baby he came. Fully human, he identified with humanity. His deity remained unaltered. He was God in a human body. He grew up, matured, and never went wrong. He did not deserve the penalty. He should not die. He was innocent. However, the divine plan scripted that this supernatural son came specifically for this purpose, to die on behalf of all the other wrongdoers. That is, his death would count as the full payment for the transgressions of everyone else who ever lived on planet earth. The proviso being, faith. 

BEING CHRISTIAN IS MORE THAN SIN MANAGEMENT

DIOGO MORGADO as Jesus in 'Son of God'

Following Jesus means far more than sin management. It is experiencing the kingdom of heaven at this moment while we are en route to the Father.