Conformity versus unity in the church

Posted on June 21, 2013 Written by Mark McIntyre 6 Comments

I have observed that sometimes when a pastor or church leader speaks about unity what they really are talking about is conformity. There is a big difference.

As believers, we are called to be unified in Christ. Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:14-16 that we who were formerly enemies have not been reconciled to each other because we’ve each been reconciled to Christ. The differences that once divided us no longer are able to do so.

This reconciliation does not wipe away our differences, nor does it mean that we immediately become easy to live with. Yet we are called to unity. This unity is in response to a common relationship with Jesus Christ and it is to be based on honesty about who we are and what we would like to become. Unity is an internal motivation.

Conformity, on the other hand is the result of pressure applied from the outside to adhere to an external standard. In short, it is pressure to appear to be something that we are not. I have seen this pressure in far too many churches.

There are several clues that will give an indication that you have conformity and not unity in a church:

Watch how the pastor or other leaders interact with church members. If there is an authoritarian tone it is likely a church that practices conformity and not unity.
Watch how the members interact with each other. If there are some who are accepted and others who are not, then you have conformity and not unity.
Find out if there is spontaneous ministry happening or if the leaders control all the activities of the church. If the leaders exercise control over body life, you likely have conformity and not unity.
Watch how well the children that grew up in that church do once they get to college age. If a high percentage of them walk away from Christianity, it is likely a church that practices conformity and not unity.

In a body that practices unity, we are allowed to be the mess that we really are and not try to appear to be a paragon of holiness. Biblical unity allows us the freedom to be honest about who we are and be loved in spite of our flaws.

The danger for those of us who grew up in the church is that we develop a high tolerance for phoniness and sometimes don’t pick up on the dynamics that pressure us to conform. Like Pavlov’s dogs, we respond to the stimulus and toe the line without even thinking about our response. As a result we hold others at a distance and don’t let anyone really get to know us. We can promote conformity without realizing it.

If you find yourself in a church that practices conformity and not Christian unity, the only advice I can offer is for you to flee from that church. Your spiritual health, and that of your family is at risk in staying.

There are churches who get this right. When you find a church that truly practices Christian unity, it may be a little uncomfortable at first. You might wonder if the people are being genuine in their interaction. It may take time to let your guard down.

But, it is worth working through the discomfort and staying in a church that understands and practices Christian unity.

The counter-cultural church

Posted on June 12, 2013 Written by Mark McIntyre 5 Comments

Israel and his sons encountered a warm welcome in Egypt because of the work that God had done through Joseph to save Egypt from starvation. The Israelites enjoyed a comfortable position in the land and the favor of the Pharaohs for many years.

Then things changed. Exodus 1:8 tells us, “Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” (ESV)

From being the group that formed policy and whose culture and background were dominant in the society, the Israelites became slaves and outcasts. They became political outsiders. They were abused by the system and were persecuted for who they were and what they believed.

The solution to their problem was not reformation of the political system. Moses tried that and found that it didn’t work out so well when he killed an Egyptian middle manager.

The Israelites did not suddenly find favor in the eyes of Pharaoh. They did not regain their status as it was when Joseph was alive. God had to break the Israelites free so that he could begin a new work in them for the benefit of the whole world. When God did this, it got much worse before it got better.

When the communists took over China, they announced an end to Christianity in that country. Yet, the church in China is the fastest growing church in the world. This despite significant persecution that continues.

In the west, our political systems were founded on a Judeo-Christian worldview, the same worldview that is under constant derision by much of the ruling intelligentsia. We wonder at the breakdown of the moral fabric of our country, yet that breakdown is inevitable given the crumbling support for our moral underpinnings.

It may be that God will bring revival to the countries in the west. If so, the church should play a role in that revival by being the conduit for the good news of Jesus Christ. Or, God may choose to allow the west to continue to decline.

The health of the true church is not dependent upon the political system in which she finds herself. We do not need the support of the government for our churches to be healthy.

Whether or not we have the support of the current Pharaoh, Prime Minister or President, the church is called to be counter-cultural. When the government seems to support the church, we should not be lulled to sleep by that illusion. When the government is in open opposition to the church, we should not be overwhelmed and feel that God failed us.

In the end, it is to Jesus that every knee will bow (Phil 2:10). The church should be leading the way in this and bowing only to Jesus. That is the most real and best counter-cultural move we can make.

More righteous than the Pharisees?

Posted on June 3, 2013 Written by Mark McIntyre 2 Comments

I have written on this verse before but have some thoughts to add. In verse 20 of Matthew 5, Jesus makes a curious statement about being righteous:

“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20, ESV)

Let’s set the Way Back Machine to approximately 30 AD when Jesus made this statement in an attempt to understand how his listeners would have reacted to it.

The Pharisees were the group that sought to reclaim the religion of Israel and drive it back to it’s Biblical roots. They were the fundamentalists of their day. They sought to follow the law of God in every particular. They were obsessive about being righteous according to the law of what we call the Old Testament.

A few hundred years earlier, the Pharisees began as a group in reaction to the general disregard of the law of God. They sought revival of correct belief and practice. Therefore the Pharisees were the ones who were pushing the nation of Israel toward following the Old Testament law. They also lead by example and practiced what they preached. The Pharisees were the poster boys for righteousness according to the law.

When Jesus made this statement in the sermon, his hearers would have understood how radical it is. How can one be more righteous than a Pharisee? They display ultimate obedience to the law. This would be like telling me to be a better basketball player than LeBron James. No amount of effort could make me better than LeBron.

We, like Jesus’ first listeners, have a tendency to hear this statement in terms of what we do (or perhaps this is only me). Too often we take it as an encouragement to try harder, to work at being righteous. But if it is impossible to be more strict in our observance than the Pharisees, then what could Jesus mean by this statement?

Habakkuk 2:4 tells us that the righteous must live by faith. Abraham was declared righteous because of this faith, not because of his perfect obedience as the Apostle Paul demonstrates in Romans 4. It is belief and not practice that allows us to be declared righteous. By the exercise of faith, we can be more righteous than the scribes and Pharisees.

But faith is only effective if the object of the faith is effective. As Christians our hope is in Christ alone. Paul follows up his discussion of the faith of Abraham with these words:

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1–2, ESV)

We are justified (declared righteous) by having faith in Jesus Christ. What many of the Pharisees (ancient and modern) miss is that the path to true righteousness is through faith in the one who trades our mess for his righteousness (1 Cor. 5:21).

It is this trade that allows our righteousness to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees.

This post is #18 in the Sermon on the Mount Series

On the ropes . . . intentionally

Posted on May 29, 2013 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

On Memorial day, our family went with some friends to the Poconos to take on the challenge of a ropes course. I had no idea what I was in for but it sounded fun.

Since we are not a bunch to underdo anything, we elected to take on the full course. What I found is that they save some of the best and most difficult challenges for the end. Of course you always want to do the most difficult part after you become tired. Where is the challenge in doing the hard parts when you have fresh muscles and lots of excitement?

The hardest part for me was one section where we had to cross to the next tree by navigating a rope net that was hung vertically. It looks so easy in the movies when they climb similar nets on sailing ships, but I found it to be particularly difficult. I have a renewed respect for 18th Century pirates and monkeys.

Toward the end of the day, my forearms were hurting and my fingers were cramping because I was using them in ways to which they were unaccustomed. I was not sure that I could finish the course. My fear was that my grip would give out at a crucial moment and I would be one of the people who would have to be rescued by the guides.Yet, cramps and all, I pressed on.

We all made it through the course and have some stories to tell. Our effort may not have been pretty, we did not set a record time and all of us had a combination of elated moments and scary times. The outcome was never guaranteed, but we made it.

As an added bonus we even saw a black bear cub lumbering through the forest below us.

This morning, I look back on our adventure as a metaphor for life. In life, the results are not guaranteed, there are moments of heartbreak and moments of elation but somehow we muddle through. We may not be graceful in our handling of our adventure, we may not feel that we’re strong enough to make it but we keep striving until the end of the course.

For the Christian we have the added benefit of knowing that God is superintending the process and he promises to see us through to the end (Phil. 1:6). Jesus promised that he would always be with us (Matt. 28:20). When our Earthly adventure is done we can look forward to eternal life (John 3:16). We have an added dimension of security (perhaps analogous to the safety harness we wore on the ropes course) because of relationship with Jesus.

My experience yesterday reminded me that we have a gracious God who is with us every step of the way, even the difficult ones.

Conformity versus unity in the church

The counter-cultural church

More righteous than the Pharisees?

On the ropes . . . intentionally

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