Stepping Up to the Call
Today I want to give a big complement to the church. I’m not talking about a building, a physical stage of brick and mortar. I’m not going to name which church buildings I think are the prettiest in the area, or most well built. It really doesn’t matter to me who has the nicest pews or pulpit. No, I’m not talking about a physical church building. I’m referring to God’s church, his bride, his people. I am talking about those that bear Christ’s name. I think that Charles F. Stanley has defined the church well.
“Therefore, we can define the church as the people who have been called out of the world’s system by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. The universal church consists of all believers throughout the ages, whether in heaven or on earth. And in Scripture, it is described in ways that further expand our understanding of the church and its relationship with God:” – Charles F. Stanley. Intouch.org
That is not a definition of what most people think of. The average person might think that "the church" is someplace you go, where the "pastor" or "church leaders" do all the work. And you know what? For a long time that might have been true- sort of. For a long time, people may have attended church without being involved. But that, today in this situation of world pandemic, is vastly changing.
This brings me back to my complement about the church. If I’ve noticed one thing during this Covid-19 quarantine, it is that the church has really stepped up to the plate. You might have noticed as well. If not, let me shed some light on things.
I’m only 42 years old, but I’ve never lived through the church taking such a giant leap in advancement. When the pandemic hit America, many people were probably worried that the spiritual state of the nation would weaken. I must admit, the thought of not getting to (the church building) on Sunday mornings wasn’t one that looked good. How would the church survive? How would financial obligations be met? How could we still minister to others? How would we be fed the Word?
The church stepped up big time. Nation-wide church ministries throughout our precious nation answered these questions and more. Adapting to the call to feed the flock, zoom meetings, Facetime calls, and other electronic strategies were made. The church did things differently, and it was an admirable effort. It shifted gears, meeting the pace required to keep advancing the gospel amidst the current social shutdowns.
So many times as parishioners, we see something in a church that can be criticized or critiqued. This nation-wide electronic effort can only be applauded. Pastors, youth leaders, worship directors, and others all put their nose to the grindstone and found out a new way to make church happen. It was tremendously successful. Kudos, my best goes out to the church. You, are to be commended.
But what I want to bring to light in this blog post, is that to my delight, I saw things go much farther past that. In a very unusual and specific point in our world’s history, a very unique thing occurred. It was beautiful. It was inspiring. It was full of wonder and I’m not sure we can actually grasp the magnitude of what took place. Beyond the pastors, elders, deacons, music ministers, and other church leaders that we would hope and expect to answer the call, we are seeing a great awakening in a sense, where ordinary and everyday people are hearing the voice of God and doing something with it.
The PEOPLE of God, are becoming the church of God.
Let me ask you some questions to illustrate my point.
1) As an individual, aside from “going to church,” have you been spiritually fed by someone within the last thirty days that is not an official church minister?
2) Were you encouraged by a friend, family member, co-worker, or someone that ordinarily would have been silent but now has spoken up about his or her faith in Jesus?
3) Have you had someone offer to pray for you or have you had someone text you that they are praying for you? Someone who isn't on the church payroll?
4) Has anything occurred to feed your spiritual appetite in the last thirty days that didn’t come from whom you would normally expect?
5) Have you heard the name of Jesus spoken outside of the normal boundaries of “the church building.” If so, who said it?
Something special is happening. I’m not claiming to be a prophet or that I have some special word from the Lord, but look around and see for yourself. Things are changing!
When we go on Facebook, we see way more spiritually uplifting memes now days. The entire mood of social media seems to have changed. People left and right are coming up with different photo and posting challenges, filling the stream with edifying content. There has been less tearing down, less finger pointing, and more things to bless people. I belong to a few Facebook Christian Writers groups. They are abounding with new posts of content every day. People are blogging. People are sending around online Bible devotionals. People who have been too busy prior to Covid-19 have burst out of the closet, some singing, some writing books. I dare you to search for “Jesus Paintings” on Pinterest. You will be amazed at the artwork that pops up. High quality stuff is being pumped out, and it’s not just by professionals.
We have seen things that may never have occurred without the pandemic. Our family life has radically changed. Think back to Holy Week, when we were confined to our homes and not permitted to have public communion services. How many of you had a communion service at home? Thousands of people across our country took part in home services with their families. Moms and dads across the world led their children in the partaking of the Lord’s body and blood. Let me ask, would you ever have done such a thing if you weren’t forced to stay home? Maybe, but maybe not. Think of it for a minute. What are the lasting effects on a child, when his or her father or mother was the one who led them in such a sacred act? It will be remembered their entire life.
It seems as though what we might have defined the church as prior to the Covid-19 crisis is dramatically changing into something far better.
As the hands and feet of Jesus, many people have leaped into action, taking advantage of the golden opportunity that is presented to us. The world is primed and ready. People are hungry, open, and receptive to the name of our Savior. Why not jump to the occasion, and meet the demand? Can the way we defined “church” in the past meet the enormous need that the potential audience is begging for? Things have changed, the church has been redefined, the people of God are actually doing something amazing. The people of God's church have dispersed and are being the church.
Illustrating this, an old friend of mine has been led by God to start ministering in his own sphere of influence. I got a text this week from Tim Lewis, inviting me to take a look at what God was doing with him these days. It is exciting to see and hear things like this. I was so happy as he told me that God was stirring in his heart. God is speaking to men, women, and children, revealing to them the plans He intends to fulfill through them. What an exciting time we live in! Tim is just one example of how God can whisper into His children’s heart a dream, and a loyal listener obey it. Tim uses 1 John 1:2-4 as his blog’s mission statement. What an excellent verse to pattern after!
the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
You can check it out at https://stwrnservantslive20.net/.
At least to me, it seems as though brothers and sisters in Christ are being networked together like never before. Just this week I watched a video of a former pastor who went on to missions give a short, concise, and perfect testimony of the power and salvation of our Lord. I’ve seen Facebook friends who are standing out boldly, telling people in perfectly scripted ways what they believe and why. People are witnessing of their hope within, the hope that gives them something that others don’t have.
Poking my nose around looking for another like-minded brothe, an author, I made a friend this week. We were able to sharpen iron with iron a bit, as we supported each other’s books and blogs. Edification is a powerful thing. Mitchell Johnson, from Augusta Georgia has been putting things together in a dynamic blog for quite some time now. He is pushing forward digitally with a clear focus. His mission is to preach the Gospel, equip the saints for evangelism, and empower the believer to share their story with the world.
You can find him at https://pursuingthegospel.com/, and his book on Amazon, link at the bottom of the post.
These two brothers in Christ are just a few examples, only a drop in the bucket of God’s big plan. God is pouring out His Spirit on those who will listen and obey, and doing things in new ways the world has never seen before. The Gospel is being advanced. The kingdom is being expanded. My challenge to you today, in cooperation with last week’s post, is to tune your ear in carefully to what the Lord might be saying to you. The “church” is getting creative, folks. My Aunt and Uncle from Texas have even started to sing old Gospel Hymns and are posting them on Facebook to meet the needs of those longing for hymn worship when they can't gather in a church building. God is being glorified.
There are new ways to be discovered and used for the advancement of Christ’s name. Men and women all over the world are doing things right now that matter. They don’t have to be huge. They just have to be genuine. Each small step towards seeing Jesus exalted is reaching people that ordinarily would not, or could not be reached. There is no limit to what can be done with a heart and mind that wants to heed God's call.
Is God speaking to you? Is He telling you something lately that might actually pan out if you would just have courage to take the first step? You got this! You can do it! The definition of "the church” is being redefined, right before our very eyes. Pastors, leaders, the man or woman who lives down the street from you, and you and I are all being called. It is an incredible time to be alive as a Christian. These are exciting days, my friends.
Will you step up to the call? Will you hear what the Lord is saying? Today is one more opportunity to set out to do what God has called you to do. Every act of obedience matters.
Step up, and serve the Lord.
By Chuck Carr
Pursuing the Gospel Amazon link, Mitchell Johnson.
