The church building is a tool

Posted on February 10, 2014 Written by Mark McIntyre 9 Comments

I received an email yesterday from a man who visited a new church only to be confronted by the pastor because the man’s wife brought a drink into the “sanctuary.” Lest you think that this is uncommon, it was not long ago that I attended a church where the pastor made a huge deal out of anything other than water being brought into the auditorium. Presumably, such rules are in place because of fear that coffee or other drinks might get spilled on the carpet and result in a stain.

I have two fundamental issues with this thinking. The first issue has to do with the whole idea of any part of the building being the “sanctuary.” When believers enter the meeting room to gather for worship, they are not entering the temple where they will encounter God. The believers are temples (1 Cor. 6:19) carrying the Holy Spirit with them into the meeting. To protect one part of the building as being more holy or special makes no sense to me.

Secondly, the church is not the building, the church is the people who gather there for worship. It should be kept in mind that the people matter more to God than the building. A church leadership that does not understand this is not worthy of following.

Proverbs 14:4 says, “where there are no oxen, the manger is clean.” When the manger is fulfilling its role of feeding oxen, it becomes a little messy. To remain clean requires that the manger avoid it’s designed purpose.

In the same way, the “church” building is intended to facilitate worship. It should be used to bring people into a deeper relationship with God. It should be used to meet the needs of the people who gather there. When it is used in this way, it is likely that the carpet will pick up a few stains and the building might show some wear and tear.

There is nothing wrong with having beautiful tools. I have known some auto mechanics that have impressive tool chests with shiny chrome plated wrenches and other tools. While the chrome plating is nice to have, it is not the plating that makes the tool useful. The wrench is useful because it is made of forged steel and it is sized properly for the nut that requires turning.

In the same way, the building in which we worship may be beautiful or it may be rather plain. Either way, the building can serve its intended function of being a gathering place of believers. We are to be good stewards of the resources God has given us, so if we have been given a beautiful building, we should be faithful in maintaining the building. But at the same time, we should never forget that the building is a means to an end and not an end in itself. The building is a tool to bring people into community.

Church leaders will be graded by God on how well they shepherded the people that came under their care, not on how well they preserved the carpet in the building. Leaders will have to give an account of how well they used the building to change lives and facilitate worship of God.

Do I want coffee stains on the carpet at my church? Yes, I think I do. Because if we are going to get people together, if we are going to facilitate relationship, we are going to do things like drink coffee and munch on snacks. When we do this, accidents will happen. Drinks will get spilled and food will get dropped. It is inevitable.

Since I want the interaction with people (and the snacks are nice to have), I will live with a few stains in the carpet.

How can we coexist?

Posted on February 5, 2014 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

This is the 20th post in the Sermon on the Mount Series.

“Give peace a chance” “Coexist” You’ve probably seen bumper stickers with similar sentiments.

The problem is that evil is a reality that must be dealt with. Some men (or women) will seek to dominate others through force or intimidation. Even a casual investigation into the history of man provides ample evidence of this. An ever so small slice of the news is sufficient to prove the reality of evil.

One response to evil is to lash back to hurt the perpetrator of that evil. This seems to be the default response in the human heart. This is illustrated by what Sean Connery says in the Untouchables, “They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue.”

Religious and irreligious systems have both perpetuated this response to evil. One need look no further than the Middle East for many examples of religion responding to evil in kind. But religion is not alone in this. Marxist states and other totalitarian systems are equally guilty.

It is likely that we agree on the sentiment behind these bumper stickers, by on what basis can we coexist? Where do we find the power to forgive and bring healing when evil strikes? How can evil be overcome without further violence?

To not respond in kind to evil requires a sense of delayed gratification. The one who does not respond must feel that it is better in the long run for him to let the evil go without revenge.

For the Christian, the idea that God will ultimately set everything right forms the basis on which we can turn the other cheek. Jesus goes so far as to tell us that we are blessed if we are persecuted or insulted (Matthew 5:10-11).

I am not saying that Christians are the only ones that can practice forgiveness and be peacemakers. I am also not saying that Christians have always done this well. We have struggled with this from the foundation of the Church.

I am saying that Jesus makes a compelling case as to why we should be forgiving and pursuing peace.

The struggle comes in the moment by moment decisions that need to be made. Do I complain about the boss to a coworker? Do I share a tidbit that I heard on the radio (and did not verify) about a politician with whom I do not agree? Do I use my words to build up or tear down? I have ample opportunities to practice peace making.

A couple of thoughts regarding peacemaking come to mind. First, our peacemaking should not be based on denial of the evil. Paul tells us to be angry without sinning (Eph. 4:26), thus indicating that there are legitimate reasons to be angry. The second thought is that I do not have to rely on my own strength and wisdom to be a peacemaker. Jesus promised that we would have help:

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,” (John 14:15–16, ESV)

The core issue for me in being a peacemaker is whether or not I trust God enough to leave it in his hands. My failures at peacemaking indicate that often I do not have sufficient trust. But, it is growing . . .

My god is too small

Posted on February 1, 2014 Written by Mark McIntyre 4 Comments

My god is too small.

I do not have a theological problem. I have no trouble affirming the God of the Bible, especially as revealed in Jesus.

I do not struggle to assent to an infinite, all powerful God; this is not an intellectual problem.

My problem is a belief problem. What I truly believe is indicated by my actions and when I observe my behavior, I must confess that my god is too small.

My god is too small when:

I look to others to define who I am and how I am doing
I am overwhelmed by my circumstances
I feel that no-one understands me
I get bogged down in guilt
I let my failures define who I am

On the flip side, Scripture reveals the character of God and speaks to all of these issues. For example:

Psalm 139 tells me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made and that I am not a mistake. God determines who I am and how I am doing (Psalm 139:14).
Jesus promises to be with me (Matthew 28:20) and is in control of my circumstances.
Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6) and understands me
In Jesus I am under no condemnation (Romans 8:1)
Scripture presents every giant of the faith as having experienced failure. Their failures did not define them or keep them from being used by God.

If I truly believe these things, I will act upon them. When I am caught in the first list, it is evidence that I am not believing in the God of the Bible. At that point, the god in which I believe is too small.

Thankfully, I can echo the prayer recorded in Mark 9:24, “I believe; help my unbelief!” A prayer from which I have taken much comfort over the years.

WWJD?

Posted on January 17, 2014 Written by Mark McIntyre 2 Comments

I haven’t seen one in a while, but bracelets with the letters WWJD had some popularity at one time. The acronym stands for “what would Jesus do?” and was a reminder to follow Jesus in responding to a particular situation or question. I think that this is a worthy question to ask in any situation.

My problem is not with the theory behind the question, it is with the implementation. The problem lies in really understanding what Jesus would do.

In the Gospels, we have many episodes recorded where Jesus did exactly what he was not expected to do. A lame man was brought to Jesus so that he could walk again and Jesus forgave his sins (Mark 2:1-12). The woman caught in adultery was defended in front of the angry crowd (John 8:1-11). A rich man was told by Jesus that he needed to give away all his wealth (Matthew 19:16-22). A man from whom a legion of demons was expelled was told that he could not follow Jesus but should go home (Mark 5:18-19). These are just a few examples that come immediately to mind.

Yes, we can learn from these and begin to understand how Jesus responded to situations and people. But, as I see it, there are two problems in implementing the WWJD framework.

Love like Jesus loved

First, we cannot love the way that Jesus loved. I have observed in myself and in others that it is hard to see past my own needs, wants and shortcomings. I put everything through the grid of “what is good for Mark?” Yet Jesus put everything through the grid of what was good for the other person. Paul tells us in Philippians:

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:3–8, ESV)

I see plenty of selfish ambition in myself, and I have observed it in others in the church. As a result of the fall of man, this is our default position. To implement the WWJD framework, we must understand and seek to counteract the selfish impulse.

See as Jesus sees

The second struggle in implementing WWJD is that we have a limited understanding. Jesus not only loved more deeply than we are capable of loving, he has a better understanding of the heart of the people. In John 2:24-25, the evangelist tells us:

“But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” (ESV)

To respond as Jesus would respond in every situation requires a wisdom and understanding that is supernatural. Jesus had the ability to see beyond all the pretense and delusion and respond in grace and truth (John 1:14). To really do what Jesus would do requires a thoughtful examination of my own motivations and the motivations of the person or persons I am dealing with at the time.

Get out of the way

Trying to respond to every situation as Jesus would do is a worthy goal. To do it, however, requires thoughtful examination of the situation, keeping in mind my own proclivity toward selfishness. I need to love as Jesus loved while remaining conscious of the effect of man’s defective sense of morality.

The good news is that I do not have to pursue this goal in my own strength and wisdom. In a similar struggle to learn contentment, Paul tells us “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13, ESV) Jesus tells us that he is with us until the end of time (Matthew 28:20). He also confirms that we will struggle but that he wins in the end (John 16:33).

I am not alone in the battle. I just need to stop getting in the way of the one who can win it.