LOVING THE CHURCH

I recently came across a new book for my summer reading list. It's from Kevin DeYoung & Ted Kluck, the authors of "Why We're Not Emergent". Their new book is entitled, "Why We Love The Church". The title might throw some of you off. It's not another one of those feel-good, how to attract the seeker to your cool, hip mega-church books. Rather, it's a reminder of what The Body of Christ Church looks like and what we as members of it should be doing (as opposed to what we can get out of it).

Here's a great quote from Ted Kluck...

"Church isn't boring because we're not showing enough film clips, or because we play an organ instead of guitar. It's boring because we neuter it of its importance. Too often we treat our spiritual lives like the round of golf used to open George Barna's Revolution. At the end of my life, I want my friends and family to remember me as someone who battled for the Gospel, who tried to mortify sin in my life, who found hard for life, and who contended earnestly for the faith. Not just a nice guy who occasionally noticed the splendor of the mountains God created, while otherwise just trying to enjoy myself, manage my schedule, and work on my short game."

This book is targeted towards those who are either Committed, Disgruntled, Waffling or Disconnected with or from their local church. "Why We Love the Church" presents the case for loving the local church. It paints a picture of the local church in all its biblical and real life guts, gaffes, and glory in an effort to edify local congregations and entice the disaffected back to the fold. It also provides a solid biblical mandate to love and be part of the body of Christ and counteract the "leave church" books that trumpet rebellion and individual felt needs.

In this day and age of anything goes when it comes to "doing church", we (the Body) don't need another trend, program or market-proven formula for making church exciting or attractive to the world. What we need is a return to reverence and awe of the Church that God intended for us to build and be a part of on a local level, not just as an observer/member of the "universal church".

Everyone is familiar with Jesus referring to "the rock" on which He will build His church...

"And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." ~Matthew 16:18

NOTE: Contrary to what the Roman Catholic church teaches, Peter was not the founding father of the church. Jesus used a sort of play on words when he spoke these words to him. Scripture clearly shows that Christ is the architect, foundation (the "corner stone"), builder and head of the church. Every believer in the Body is one of the "living stones" that make up the church.

This of course is the universal church. However, in Matthew 18:17, the focus is clearly on the local church of which all believers should be a part of. Throughout the book of Acts, we see many references to the origins of local church and then again, in the epistles we see instructions for the local church. Finally, in the book of Revelation, there are specific churches mentioned prior to the consummation of the local church with the New Jerusalem. How we "do" church is not so much as important as what we do with it. There should be no question that the primary purpose of the local church is to preach the Gospel and disciple believers to grow spiritually while sharing the good news with a lost and dying world. Everything else is secondary. We don't make the church look like the world in order to reach the world.


For more on this book, check out Frank Turk's review at the Pyromanics Blog



~ktf~
John