What Are We Doing Here?

It's Sunday, the first day of the week, the day that Scripture refers to as "the Lord's Day." Traditionally it is the day we all head off to church together ... or, rather to gather. Of course, that's tradition and we're long past that. Attendance is down. Church membership is down. There are lots of Christians who don't attend church and even more that aren't a part of a church. There are large numbers of Christians who attend a church, perhaps even regularly, but only attend and don't immerse themselves in church. They don't involve themselves, don't closley connect with anyone, don't actually exercise any gifts or minister. In other words, a large section of Christendom in the 21st century is comprised of largely Lone Rangers. And that shouldn't be. Why? Because that's not what Christ or church is about. What is?

Ephesians says that the church is about the building up of the saints, about making mature believers (Eph 4:11-13). It's about taking "baby" Christians and making them into mature "adult" Christians. Now, that may involve some evangelism -- you don't get "baby" Christians without it -- but that's not the primary function of the church. Instead, it is about holding fast to a shared confession (Heb 10:23), stimulating one another to love and good deeds (Heb 10:24), gathering for fellowship for encouraging one another (Heb 10:25). Ultimately, of course, it is about Christ. Paul called on us to have a common mind (Php 2:2). That's not "You all need to think alike." It's "You all need to head in the same direction." What direction? Love, humility, a lifestyle in which we consider others as more important than ourselves and pursue the interest of others even over our own (Php 2:3-4). It is the emptying of self for the purpose of service that Jesus boldly and grandly demonstrated for us (Php 2:5-8). Church, then, is the gathering of believers to give us a pool of "one anothers" to love, to serve, to bear burdens with, to humble ourselves before ... you get the idea.

Many will go to church today. Good. Some will even be involved with others, especially for the purpose of ministering to them. Excellent. The fact that 20% of Christians who go to church do 80% of the work is not a positive statement for believers aiming to be like Christ. Our aim is to be concerned first and foremost with the interests of Christ (Php 2:21), not our own entertainment, comfort, or "a good, short sermon." He came to serve, not to be served. That's what we are to do. With emphasis on believers. And Sunday morning is a small but obvious opportunity to immerse ourselves in that. A good start. Let's not miss it.