We know that even in traditionally church-ed communities, the overwhelming majority of people do not attend church. We know that for those who do attend a local church, they attend less often than ever before. And we also know it’s become in vogue for even Christians to throw off on the local church as an antiquated, irrelevant, or even harmful institution.
It’s true that a smaller percentage of residents in any given community (including mine) are connected to a local church or faith community. Many of my neighbors would consider themselves friendly toward Christianity and even other faiths, but they do not identify as followers of Jesus. We live in a post-Christian community.
On the other hand, when we look around at the people and organizations pursuing the peace or wholeness of the community, not all of them, but an overwhelming majority of those people are motivated by the influence, aspirations, and teachings of the local church.
The Church Can Get It Wrong
Before you get the idea that I believe religious people always get it right. I do not. We could point to the Crusades, the institution of slavery, and most importantly, the crucifixion of Jesus.
The prophet Jeremiah wrote that the heart is “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). But thankfully, the Lord does not cancel us even when we attempt to cancel him. Instead, he disciplines us like a loving, patient, and firm father disciplines his children (Hebrews 12:6). He does this because he loves us and desires for us to grow up into Christlikeness.
The Church Can Get it Right
Examples of this maturation in the public square are abundant. Countless orphanages, schools, and hospitals emerged from Christian churches during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Ministries to the poor and vulnerable, whether in London, New York, or Chicago, grew from a strong sense of duty to Jesus’ command to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to care for the hungry, thirsty, outsider, naked, and imprisoned (Matthew 25). Even today, local churches have launched a plethora of relief organizations committed to serve the least of those among us.
What We Learn at Church
Everyone is Valuable
For example, infanticide is not an uncommon practice in the history of the world. The Egyptians threw babies into the Nile River. King Herod ordered the slaughter of newborn males after Jesus’ birth. And the abortion and child-trafficking industries give evidence of a low view of children even in the modern era.
Christians, however, pursue a different aim. We seek to protect the most vulnerable among us including the youngest of children, the disabled, and the elderly not because we are naturally altruistic, but because the Bible teaches us that every human being regardless of their age or utility is created in the image of God, and therefore, possesses intrinsic value and dignity.
Our convictions regarding the marginalized and the advocacy and actions that follow are formed from the pulpits and in the pews of local, Bible-teaching churches. You will be hard-pressed to find the secularist giving his life for such a cause.
Marriage is Good
Likewise, we promote the marriage of a husband and wife because we read in the Bible that God created this amazing institution as a building block to society in order to reflect his glory and grace as we propagate new image bearers who too reflect his glory and grace. So we promote marriage and then provide resources to help husbands, wives, and children navigate the challenges of family life and discover the life God created them to live.
Religious Freedom is Essential
We understand the value of religious freedom because the Bible teaches us to respect the conscience and faith orientation of every individual. That is never limited to a local church setting, but extends to every aspect of a person’s life and practice. So we respect people of all faiths and people who have no faith at all. We do not ask the government to coerce its citizen on behalf of the majority faith, nor do we expect the government to restrict the exercise of a person’s faith in the public square.
These biblical principles that are taught from Sunday School classrooms and church pulpits in our community each Sunday free us to both love the Lord our God, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Jesus is Life
Most powerfully, it’s in the Bible that we see redeeming grace demonstrated as God sent his sinless Son, Jesus, to rescue corrupt, broken humans. As we take a long look at Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection, we receive his work on our behalf, trust him as Lord, and experience new life, eternal life, whole life.
From this death to life transformation, we in turn, love others like we have been loved. We graciously, abundantly care for other people, all of whom all more like us than they are different from us.
The local church, then, is the megaphone of God’s message of hope and life and freedom to the world. There’s nothing else quite like it. And while each local church has unique and important distinctions, and while none fulfill God’s purpose without error, when we are unified around the Gospel, local churches join together in God’s great and glorious mission to advance his kingdom to the ends of the earth.
Jesus used the word picture of salt and its preserving influence to describe the impact his followers make in the neighborhoods and cities in which they live out their faith. Just as small grains of salt thoroughly rubbed into meat acted as a preserving and flavoring influence, so the Lord uses the faithfulness of believers united in local churches to transform a community.
Three Personal Questions
So as you pursue the peace of your community, consider these three questions:
How does my routine engagement in my local church shape my heart, mind, and service to others? Am I regularly growing in grace and truth within a Jesus-loving local church?
How am I helping my church pivot toward a kingdom perspective and priority? Am I making disciples who live for the kingdom? Am I praying for and pursuing the solutions to the problems I see in my community?
Have I learned to speak well of my church? Despite its flaws, of which I am one, do I champion the church and its life-transforming, culture-shaping influence?
Someone once told me that one of the best ways for me to love my children is to love my wife as Christ loved the church. In the same way, it seems the best way for us to love our community is to begin with loving our church just like Jesus does.
Thank you for joining me as we pursue the transformation of our communities. If this newsletter is helpful, please subscribe and then share it with your church, your small group, your pastor, or anyone who desire to see Jesus’ kingdom come in your neighborhood as it is in heaven.