When I was a music teacher I maintained membership in three different organizations, each of which had a local group, a state affiliate, and a national affiliate. I filled out application forms of several pages length, provided my resumes, and paid what at times was a hefty fee to be a member. Because I was a member of these groups, my students had far more performing opportunities, learning opportunities such as master classes, activities like summer music camp, competitions they could enter, and scholarships they could earn.
Was any of these organizations perfect in the way they were run or the people who made up their membership? Not a one, but I never expected them to be. They were made up of human beings who by definition are flawed and imperfect. Sometimes the means they used to determine things seemed not the best, even open to things like favoritism and other bias. But we all made the best of what we had, focusing on the strengths of each association and using them to serve our students as best we could. We understood the original purpose behind these organizations and focused on that, not the imperfections.
We all understand things like that. Who is not a member of a professional organization that leaves them wanting occasionally? Yet we all put up with it for the good we know it will do us. That is why I am a little impatient with people who seem to think they should be able to demand a perfect body of people to place their church membership with or else they shouldn't have to bother. As an old preacher said so long ago, if you go looking for a perfect church you will never find it; but if you do, once you join it, it won't be perfect any longer.
Let us hasten to add, Christ's church by design is certainly perfect. Its very existence and function makes known the manifold wisdom of God, Eph 3:9-11. The problem is the same one that organizations always have—it is made up of people who are not perfect, who forget its purpose, who decide they know better than God, who think they are the only ones smart enough to do things "right." Certainly it should be our business to correct any practice we find that is unauthorized, correct—or remove--any unrighteous behavior, and constantly tweak the way things are run so that it comes as close as possible to God's original intention. But when all is said and done, it is still a group of flawed people, people who still make mistakes, and who still sometimes show themselves to be less than they ought to be. So what? Find me a perfect group of people anywhere and then we can talk about it. More than that, show me that you don't put up with flawed, imperfect people in any other context. Of course you do—starting with your own family.
So let's cut out the nonsense. It isn't that you wish to avoid being part of a local congregation because the people are so imperfect; it's that you just don't want to be accountable to a group God specifically designed to help you grow and improve. You don't want to have elders prying into your life because God holds them accountable for your soul. You don't want people to love you so much that they come asking what's wrong when you are trying to so hard to pretend nothing is. You wouldn't even want to be part of God's perfectly run church of perfect people if you could find it.
Think today about how much you put up with everywhere else yet won't put up with even a smidgen of when it comes to God's church. You know in your heart that, as imperfect as they are, no better group of people exists on the planet than those in the Lord's body. Stop trying to pretend otherwise and use what He has given you for your soul's, and your family's good.
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1Thess 5:12-18).
Dene Ward
Was any of these organizations perfect in the way they were run or the people who made up their membership? Not a one, but I never expected them to be. They were made up of human beings who by definition are flawed and imperfect. Sometimes the means they used to determine things seemed not the best, even open to things like favoritism and other bias. But we all made the best of what we had, focusing on the strengths of each association and using them to serve our students as best we could. We understood the original purpose behind these organizations and focused on that, not the imperfections.
We all understand things like that. Who is not a member of a professional organization that leaves them wanting occasionally? Yet we all put up with it for the good we know it will do us. That is why I am a little impatient with people who seem to think they should be able to demand a perfect body of people to place their church membership with or else they shouldn't have to bother. As an old preacher said so long ago, if you go looking for a perfect church you will never find it; but if you do, once you join it, it won't be perfect any longer.
Let us hasten to add, Christ's church by design is certainly perfect. Its very existence and function makes known the manifold wisdom of God, Eph 3:9-11. The problem is the same one that organizations always have—it is made up of people who are not perfect, who forget its purpose, who decide they know better than God, who think they are the only ones smart enough to do things "right." Certainly it should be our business to correct any practice we find that is unauthorized, correct—or remove--any unrighteous behavior, and constantly tweak the way things are run so that it comes as close as possible to God's original intention. But when all is said and done, it is still a group of flawed people, people who still make mistakes, and who still sometimes show themselves to be less than they ought to be. So what? Find me a perfect group of people anywhere and then we can talk about it. More than that, show me that you don't put up with flawed, imperfect people in any other context. Of course you do—starting with your own family.
So let's cut out the nonsense. It isn't that you wish to avoid being part of a local congregation because the people are so imperfect; it's that you just don't want to be accountable to a group God specifically designed to help you grow and improve. You don't want to have elders prying into your life because God holds them accountable for your soul. You don't want people to love you so much that they come asking what's wrong when you are trying to so hard to pretend nothing is. You wouldn't even want to be part of God's perfectly run church of perfect people if you could find it.
Think today about how much you put up with everywhere else yet won't put up with even a smidgen of when it comes to God's church. You know in your heart that, as imperfect as they are, no better group of people exists on the planet than those in the Lord's body. Stop trying to pretend otherwise and use what He has given you for your soul's, and your family's good.
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1Thess 5:12-18).
Dene Ward
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