By Ben Disney
If you’re searching for the perfect church you can stop. There are none. Every church, every congregation has its flaws and imperfections primarily because it consists of flawed and imperfect people. As far as anyone can tell, it’s been that way from the very beginning. So the goal is not to become the perfect church but to be faithful to the calling that is ours in spite of our very real imperfections.
Fifteen churches are named in the New Testament. All but two (Antioch and Jerusalem) have letters addressed to them. The majority of letters we have in the New Testament are addressed to churches in conflict. They’re congregations in the midst of being torn apart by theological differences, outside influences, and internal fighting. The one exception is the church at Ephesus. Far from being a perfect church, the Ephesians community nonetheless exhibits a desire and commitment to be faithful to their calling and to grow in their spiritual maturity and relationship with Christ. The letter to the Ephesians gives us a glimpse from the inside of what it takes to be a healthy and mature congregation struggling to be the body of Christ in the world.
We’re now in the midst of our 30-day invitation/challenge to Practice Resurrection. We’re looking closely at the letter to the Ephesians to learn what they learned; to see their experiences and struggles, in order to better equip ourselves for our mission and ministry.
How do we Practice Resurrection? By intentionally immersing ourselves in the primary disciplines and practices that lead to maturity. It’s experiencing the promise of an abundant life that comes as a result of living faithfully and loving deeply. Passionate worship, risk-taking missions and service, life-producing spiritual growth, and extravagant generosity are the building blocks of a maturing faith in Christ.
In this 30-day challenge, we invite you to immerse yourself in the life-giving habits of a disciplined faith. Of course, you can skip the whole process if you want; ignore the whole idea and chances are life will continue just as it always has, which for many is just fine. But if you’re ready to go deeper, we invite you to look around and begin putting what you believe and hope into practice. If you’re still not convinced, think of the individual artist, athlete, skilled craftsman, doctor, teacher, business leader, or musician you admire most. Perhaps they have some natural talent or God-given gift in that area. But they would be the first to tell you it’s the countless hours of practice that have been essential in honing and perfecting their skills and eventually enabling them to master their craft at a high level.
Thirty days intentionally set aside to focus on the habits and practices that make life rich and meaningful. For all of us who’ve been gorging on a steady diet of fast food narcissism and looking for an easy drive-through solutions to life’s deepest struggles, it’s a welcome relief to think it might be possible to one day get our souls back in shape again. Of course it’s hard work, but it’s holy work. Keep practicing, keep believing, keep living.
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