The New Church

Philippians 1:1-10

We have been studying the first 10 verses of Philippians for this past week. You can find some of the insights gained and shared on the forum here. Others from around the country are participating in the study by adding their comments. You are invited to participate by posting your comments also.

What the blog world and this type of sharing has done is open for me another illustration of what the church is supposed to be–how it should function. We are all members of the Body of Christ with a particular and unique function. If one part of the body does not function properly, the body is deficient in that area. Paul addresses this plainly in his first letter to the Corinthian church, 12:12-27.

When we come together in most of today’s church meetings, it is mostly a spectator situation.

Pay close attention to the similarity of the following two words: spectator and spectacle.

Our spectator attitude has given way to needing spectacle to keep us involved. The larger the church, the greater the show. This may be what many desire, or think they need; but it is not for me.

I do not gather with the saints to be entertained.

I gather with the saints to be involved.

You might say, “That’s fine for you, Dale. You’re a teacher. So, of course you are going to be involved.”

No. The invovlement I am talking about is having everyone involved in some way, some form, some capacity. I am never satisfied if I am the only one who is funtioning.

Paul wrote further in the afore-mentioned letter that each one should have a “hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation.” (14:26) This cannot happen in our modern church of the one-man show. Neither should it be, though, a three-ring circus.

But, if we do not begin to move in the direction of a more open church, the one-man show will soon be replaced by the one-world church; and the true people of God will not be visible.

Blogging has enabled me to hear “every word of God” by which I am to live (Matthew 4:4). Blogging has given a voice to many who otherwise would not be heard. This has not, and will not, replace the local gathering of the saints.

But, I sure am enjoying this particular aspect of the new expression of the Bodyof Christ.

NOTE: Immediately after posting the above, I went ‘surfing’ by clicking on one of the hyperlinked tags at the bottom of this post. I found this, and was amazed how well it fit. I’ve copied it from the blog and added it below, but here is the link.

A Bible teacher gave a summary of Christian history’s movement in a class to beginning students:

“Christianity started in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it then came to America and became an enterprise; an enterprise–that’s a business.”

After a few moments a young lady, the youngest student in the class, raised her hand, asking a simple question, “A business? But isn’t it supposed to be a body?”

When the teacher said, “Yes,” the girl continued, “But when a body becomes a business, isn’t that a prostitute?”

The answer is yes; American professing Christendom is a prostitute, and any professing Christian, church, or organization that uses the message or the body for financial gain is guilty and will prove to be false.

But not the true church of Jesus Christ, who is continually becoming a holy bride, preparing for her Bridegroom. Don’t confuse the two- the true body of Jesus Christ is not Christendom.