Sunday

Ephesians 4:1-16 reveals Paul's vision of the church. Check it out, it's fascinating.

Paul segues from unity (grounded in our one saviour) to diversity. For our world, perhaps the most important realisation is that the church can offer both unity and diversity in the one organism. Jesus doesn't make us all clones, rather he gives us different gifts and roles in the church so that we can build one another up into a strong body.

But there's something else fascinating in this passage, too: what it says about the goal of the church. This passage mentions nothing about social justice or transforming society or anything like that. Rather, "we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ." (v. 15)

Certainly, when "each part is working properly," the "body [will] grow so that it builds itself up in love." (v. 16) The church is not a static organism, it is designed to grow. That is achieved by evangelism, sharing the good news of Jesus' death on the cross, which sets us free from sin and death.

But the church is not here on earth for some lesser purpose. If something is not communicating the gospel and drawing people closer to Christ it is not the church's work. We have limited human resources, and so we should make sure that they are directed such that "we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God." (v. 13)

Too often we worry that, unless we engage the surrounding culture in some way that catches their attention, we will not be able to share the good news. Yet Paul's vision of the church in Ephesians makes clear that if we focus on pressing closer to Christ, and equipping and encouraging one another in that endeavour, that will itself engage the surrounding culture.

The role of the church is to be the body of Christ on earth. Let us labour together to get that right and let God give the increase of souls each day. (Acts 2:47)

Last night in our Tuesday Night Bible Study we were wrestling with the difference between "mercy" and "grace." Many religions espouse mercy, but only one offers grace.

There are many ways to describe the difference (the picture accompanying this post is one: only in Christianity does God himself enter into a rebellious world as a member of a rebellious race in order to die so that their rebellion might be forgotten). Perhaps a good one is the experience of the apostle Paul.

The apostle Paul started out as a faithful Pharisee and enthusiastic persecutor of the church of Jesus. It was only when Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus that he realised his error. But because of the grace of Christ, Paul didn't merely become a follower of Christ, he became an apostle: one who travelled the world persuading people of the need to give their lives to Jesus.

God's mercy would have, perhaps, stretched to forgiving Paul his horrible persecution of the church. God's grace, however, transformed Paul into one of his most influential servants!

When we talk about our second value, "Gracious Community," we're talking about a community that is filled with the power of God so that its members are transformed from rebels into relatives, from sinners into sons, and from captives into conquerors. Only Christ can do that!

We've just finished our sermon series on the letter of James. If I could sum it up in two words, I would say, "be authentic."

Be authentic in:

• Dealing with suffering (endure patiently, because God has got you)
• Your wisdom (just ask God, he wants to share his wisdom)
• Your faith (don't just believe: act)
• Your integrity (don't try to rely on both God and the world)
• Your love for others (don't treat people differently based on their social status)
• Your speech (restrain your tongue, and say yes when you mean it and no when you mean that)
• Your prayers (recognise your relationship to God)

It is no surprise that Christians are so often criticised for their hypocrisy. Our own Bible constantly tells us to be people of integrity. When we fail at that, we really let our side down. But thank God that he is not keen to judge us, but to redeem us.

Authenticity is certainly one of our values at Renew. We know we're not a big, polished church, and so we don't try to be. But we do try to be loving and caring and faithful. When we fail at that it hurts us, too. We are so grateful for the chance to start over that Jesus gives us, and we're happy to extend that to those around us. As James says, "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed." (James 5:16)

And perhaps that is the key to authenticity. It is only good for us, and for those around us, when we are authentic to the way God made us to be. An authentic sociopath is no help to anyone. Let's strive to be, rather, authentic disciples of the Lord of all creation, Jesus Christ, "and a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." (James 3:18)