SOME COMPARE THE CHURCH

SOME COMPARE THE CHURCH

—Bruce McLarty

Some compare the church to a movie theater. It is a place to go and  watch a performance. There are no demands on the spectators, and everyone who buys a ticket is free to critique how good or bad the show is that day.

Some compare the church to a business. Success is its goal, and efficiency is its standard. Always in need of organizational fine-tuning, it promises to one day "get it right" when the perfect plan comes along.

Some compare the church to a football team. There are players, and there are fans. The elders are coaches, the preacher is the quarterback, and the team had better win or there are going to be some players dropped from the squad!

Some compare the church to a service club. The members meet once a week, do some good works every year, network their business connections in the process, and generally make the community a better place to live.

The New Testament compares the church to a "body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, (which) grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work" (Ephesians 4:16).

These comparisons involve more than mere emphasis or opinion. They express the critical differences between church as something we attend and the church as something of which we are a living part. Do you attend church, or are you a member of the church? This is far more than mere wrangling about words!

Are you expecting others to DO more or BECOME more like Christ? Are your expectations for others or yourself Christ-like? Reflect on the list above and see which one reflects you misunderstanding, then think about which one you are presenting to others. Then ask God to help you change your heart.