Relationships

Disappointed with Disciples

Ask a hundred people who grew up going to church why they stopped attending, and you might hear a wide variety of answers. However, throughout your inquiry, you will in all likelihood consistently find one theme – at some level or another, they abandoned their institution of organized religion because of some type of disappointment with others who claimed the same religious beliefs. Usually this accusation falls under the headline of “hypocrisy” and the outcomes of this charge can often be severe. After al, if you can’t trust those who you regularly attend church with to be consistent in living out their beliefs, whom can you trust?

The answer of course, is Christ, for He is the One that our trust should be in to begin with. As much as the Bible calls us to love and to serve other believers, it is also clear that we are only to rely on and trust them in as much as they follow Christ (See I Corinthians 11:1.) When they don’t, we should pray for them and encourage them but our commitment to our Savior should not be vanquished. Followers are not the Master and when we treat them as one in the same, it is a guarantee that disappointment will soon follow.
It’s amazing how quickly we make this distinction in other parts of our lives. I, for instance, am a Dallas Cowboys fan (much to the chagrin of many in my family.)  Whether it’s Romo inexplicable botching the hold for a field goal kick, or a player being arrested…again, my affection for the team isn’t contingent on how one individual member of the team performs. In the same, but much holier, way, neither should my dedication to Christ. My faith is in Him alone, and that’s a faith that will never disappoint.
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Purpose

The Work We’re To Do

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. – Ephesians 4:16

I don’t have the best body. No, I’m not talking about the fact that Elle McPherson and I have little in common. Although that’s true (at least as far as surface appearances would foretell), my body just has a habit of not being able to do all the things I want it too. It started when I was younger, the weak ankles that I inherited from my grandmother would result in Ace bandage wraps more often than I care to admit. And although running miles upon miles has caused my ankles to strengthen, my muscles, ligaments, and joints still have their challenges. A large part of this is because I internalize things and my body pays the cost. It’s not the worse thing in the world; after all when my body needs a break it means the rest of me slows down too, but given the choice, I’d rather everything function at a little more optimal level.

It is noteworthy perhaps, that there are parts of my body that function extremely well. My heart for instance is in tip-top shape (again – miles of running.) But my heart, although a muscle can’t do the job that my shoulder muscle is assigned when my shoulder muscle decides to spasm. They are of the same nature, yet have very different roles, and unfortunately, I can’t supplant the job of one for the task of another.

Its the same way in the Church. The job that one person has been given can’t be done by someone else. We each must complete the task, whether seemingly menial or significant that God calls us to do recognizing that each task, when a godly task, is significant because of its heavenly origin. We sometimes want to argue with our role – we fear God has given us too much or too little, or He’s asked us to do something for which we are ill-equipped. None of this matters. Our job is to complete our function because without it, the rest of the Body can’t complete theirs.

And when we do that we may feel that God has called us to do too much and feel that we will not have the wherewithal to accomplish His mission. The words of another may comfort us. “I’d rather burn out than rust out” said James Young Ferguson. And he’s right. Burning out is better because our job is to be a light and if we’re burning, we’re definitely shinning. The other thing to remember is this – things only gather rust when they aren’t being used. If we’re being used, rust isn’t a concern, for our constant service will prevent the stagnation that allows rust to flourish.

God’s called us to do things for His kingdom. Are we?

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