by Bobby Holloway
Go back to Christian Character
You know that we all claim that this is a local church of the Lord’s people trying to worship and serve the Lord in a way that is in harmony with the Scriptures. What is your perception as to how well we are doing that? How do we compare with some of the local churches in the New Testament? Are we doing what we can to reach the goal of being the Lord’s church? Can we sometimes see ourselves behaving like some of the churches God reprimanded?
Let’s consider the church at Corinth. Your first thought may be that it was not a good church. It had problems detailed in nearly every chapter of I Corinthians. Consider chapter 12, a chapter about spiritual gifts. We know that people do not have spiritual gifts today, but the relationships we sustain to each other as described by Paul’s use of the physical body are still valid. If that is true, what practical applications does that have for us? He depicted the incongruity of the ear’s complaining because it was not the eye that it was not of the body. In the Lord’s church we do not all have the same abilities. Some can teach; others can lead singing. Some do other public activities in the assembly, and others do not. Is there room for pettiness, criticism, jealousy or perhaps even depression because we cannot do some of those things? I have observed from afar preachers who sometimes are jealous of each other, and it is not a pretty sight to watch! However, we surely can rise above that kind of behavior.
What about the close relationships we are supposed to maintain with each other just as the members of the body obviously maintain with each other? Whenever someone is absent from the assembly and nothing is said in the announcements about his whereabouts, do we call that person to inquire about the absence and to see if we can help in anyway. “Nobody calls me when I am absent, and I am not going to call anybody else!” Which part of the body is that talking, the ear or the eye? Remember we have various abilities, and it may be harder for some people to make those calls than it is for others. If no one calls you, when you return, here is what you do. Walk up to someone and say, “I was sick and no one called to ask about me.” “Oh, I couldn’t do that.” Why not? If we have the relationship we ought to have with each other, that question should be no problem. Try it once just to see what the reaction is!
“Sometimes I come to the services and no one even speaks to me.” That never happens to me. You know why. I won’t let it because I am going to speak to people whether they want to talk to me or not! Do not let that happen to you. Especially do not let it happen to visitors. It is the responsibility of the entire church to be courteous to each other and to be earnest in our efforts to greet visitors. “Well, I just feel so unnecessary, and I doubt that anybody notices if I am not there.” You may be one of the least comely parts, to use the word used in I Corinthians 12, but you will be missed.
Whenever someone new becomes a part of this church, the relationship we sustain to each other changes some, not necessarily for the better or the worse, just changes. That happens with a physical family. When a new person is born, or added in some other way, relationships change. A child will receive less attention; a husband or wife will have more work and have less time for each other. The church is a living organism, and the dynamics change when internal changes occur.
Let me give you a personal illustration. I do not claim to be model for behavior in the assembly, but I think you will find this interesting if not a little discomfiting. When we moved here, for 5 months I spoke to everybody, or at least tried to. Then I dove off the roof, and you were so good to my wife and me both in the hospital and after I came home. Then I started to come to worship again. The first time I came, nearly everyone came to me as I sat fairly rooted to one spot and greeted me. After that, though, it was downhill. Hardly anyone came by, no exaggeration. Things improved when I moved to a pew, but I have never come close to speaking to everybody since then. Was I mad or depressed? Did anyone notice that I was there? That is not a particularly relevant question to me as long as the Lord knew I was there.
All is not right with the world, and all is not right with the church, but I will guarantee you that if each of us accepts our responsibility as part of the body, this local church will be great. What if some do not? Fine, just do not let that govern your behavior.