Jesus didn’t die on the cross to establish an abstract institution. He didn’t die for a logo. He died for people. Jesus died for broken, sinful people. And it is precisely because Jesus died for people, and not an institution, that I love the church.
God never has (and never will) give up on people. I won’t either.
4.) There are no professionals in the church.
The beauty of the church is her sustainability isn’t dependent upon professionals. There are not more important (or less important) roles in the church. There are simply different roles. In fact, in 1 Cor. 12, Paul says the parts that would seem to be “less honorable” God has given greater honor. In other words, those roles the world would see as insignificant God gives the greatest significance.
Despite the flawed logic of some Christians, there is no “professionalization” of ministry. There is just ministry.
Church leaders and pastors aren’t in their respective positions because they have “arrived.” As a leader, I can honestly say there is not a morality or holiness gap between myself and those to whom I minister.
I am on the same journey (in desperate need of the same infinite grace) as the person who became a follower of Jesus yesterday. I struggle. I hurt. We all walk this road together collectively as the body of Christ. This is the beauty of the church.
5.) My Savior, Jesus, died to establish the church.
I love Jesus. I am not perfect. Far from it. But every piece of who I am belongs to him. And my Savior, the one who gave his life for me, also gave his life for the church. Again, not the church as an institution, but the church as a collective group of Spirit-filled people.
Jesus is the head of the church (Eph. 5:23). Not me. Not Rick Warren. Not Louis Giglio. Not any other well-known pastor or church leader. I thank God for the great leaders in the church today, but they aren’t the head of the church. That title belongs to Jesus.
I know people are going to let me down. I know I will let people down. But I also know regardless of the hurt or disappointment I experience, Jesus reigns over the church. And I know Jesus never disappoints. His love for me never fails. His presence never leaves.
I love the people who comprise the church, but ultimately, I don’t place my hope in them. That belongs to the King. The hope of the church and the reason she will never die is Jesus. This is why I love the church.
6.) The church is not a one-size-fits-all formula.
The church isn’t confined to one methodology, culture or ethnicity. God doesn’t need a particular set of leadership traits or a specific environment for his church to flourish.
The church is an expression of the people in a particular culture for that particular culture. Go to Africa and the church looks entirely different than what I experience in America. The expression of the church in America, with all the imperfections, led me to salvation and continues to sanctify me daily. The church in China, with all its imperfections, leads people to salvation and continues the process of sanctification in a different way.
I love the church because the church is adaptable. The gospel isn’t for a select group.
This is the beauty of the church … she is adaptable. The gospel isn’t for a select group. The transformative message of the cross never changes, but the “ins and outs” of Christian living, in general, and the church, in particular, can be contextualized. This is why I love the church.
