What do we do if the church is not healthy?
We must certainly NOT think that we can find some silver bullet to bring her to health. We must turn from anything that would make us think fruitfulness is a result of something other than the Savior's blood bought grace.
No, we need to understand that as grace is active, so is sin. The church is always marked by both. And the downward drag of sin can weaken, wither, or shrivel the fruitfulness that was once there. And God also sends dry times to draw us back to him.
Health is a living thing. It is not something we can create. All we can do is remove whatever obstacles we see. It is like medicine and vital signs.
What do doctors do if there are deficient vital signs? What does a mother do if her child has no appetite because of the flu? Do they give lectures, admonishing the sick to be hungry? Do they chastise them for getting sick? No, they seek to remove the hindrances to health. Healthy children are hungry. If you get them back to health by treating the infection, they will be hungry again.
So in the church we may grieve or quench the Spirit. Or we may simply grow dull because of the working of sin to harden our hearts. Fellowship may be disrupted by bitterness or a pride that thinks it does not need others. Love for Scripture may be quenched by a desire for sin or a pride of traditions. The continuing work of Christ may be hindered by unbelief. We are called to ask God to see what is hindering the work of the Spirit and bring it to the cross. And we are called to go back to the Savior for fresh grace.
We are not to live under a cloud of despair or condemnation. We are to flee to the cross.
The heart of the passage is this – the church is the work of the exalted Christ. She thrives by virtue of her union with Him. The church is made healthy by going back to him. Sin will disrupt the church. The Savior’s blood is more than sufficient for forgiveness and renewal. The call is to faith, to seek from the Savior the grace necessary for fruitfulness to be renewed. There is no reluctance in Him.
You can follow this series over at Grace Church.
Comments