Living Organism - Spiritual Health, Not Growth

Long read, but worthwhile...

I don't know about you but do you recall one of the chapters in Rick Warren's book, Purpose Driven Life, regarding spiritual health, not growth? I think it's ironic when people say they aren't seeing a growing church because they simply forgot to check the health of the body of Christ, the church.

Church health is the key to church growth (church growth is supported by healthy churches). All living things grow if they're healthy. You don't have to make them grow -- it's just natural for living organisms. But, church growth can be hindered just as there are hindrances to the growth of natural things such as loss of nutrients and unsafe environments.

If my children had not grown up, I would have suspected that something was terribly wrong. I would have done whatever it took to discover the disease and correct it.

The same principle is true for the Church. Since the Church is a living organism, it's natural for it to grow if it's healthy. The Church is a body, not a business -- an organism, not an organization. It's alive. If a church is not growing, it is dying.

"Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be?" 1 Corinthians 12:14-19 (niv)

Here are a couple of unhealthy characteristics that can bring God's church to ruin:

1. Hopping from one church to another - it's like you will have to sever the hand from the body and sew it back on another body. The hand had already made a commitment to that certain body. But to leave the body, you have to sever it and attach it to another body. You've become what I call, "Frankenstein Christians". It is obvious seeing scars and staples of different teachings and confusions.

2. Disconnection from the body - if the feet isn't actively connected to the body such as cutting off the blood flow from the heart to the feet, it develops gangrene. This can be very painful. The more you drift away from the body, the harder it will be to return. Like the Prodigal's Son, he drifted so far that he didn't want to return because he felt ashamed. He decided to be a servant (slave) under his own father. That's how many of those who have left the body (the church) for so long that they feel shame and guilt and because extremely hard (and embarrassing) to return.

3. Conflict in the body - often a conflict between one body part to another is, indeed, nerve-wracking. My dad has Parkinsons disease and like others with the same disease, I can see how, as the hand with a spoon, tries to bring the food to the mouth and it does so very slowly. There's no coordination. There's a conflict between one part (of the body) and another. The brain isn't functioning with the hand to effectively move the hand with a spoon to the mouth. It's extremely frustrated to see a conflict remain within the body. For most of the Christians in the church, there's always a "conflict resolution", but not "reconciliation after a resolution".

Many of us have never really understood the meaning of true commitment to Jesus Christ? People, whom lived their life of sin then came to know Jesus and baptized for the forgiveness of sins have become alive in Christ in His body. They became like a "living organism". Like the human body, it needs a "balance". It consists of many "systems": (circulatory, respiratory, digestive, skeletal, etc.). If there was no respiratory system in the body, the body is dead. If there's no digestive system, the body will explode. If there's no circulatory system, the body will turn cold and blue. If there's no skeletal system in the body, it's called a "blubber body". In the same way, if you're not "connected to the body (church)", it is like a "heart" has been ripped out of the body. The heart cannot continue to live without the body. It "must" be attached in order for the whole body to function well and be healthy.

When you were added to His number (ekklessia), you became a "system" in the Lord's church. Now, without constant attachment of the "system" to the body (church), you're hurting His church in many ways. You're causing a stumbling block to others because you came before God with a promise to serve Him in His body, the church. Now, you have decided to either sever yourselves from His body for another body, you had a conflict that you're suffocating it, or you've disconnected from His body and that "system" is either "dying" or "dead"! Doesn't that make sense?

Satan wants to see that "system" or "systems" ail! It's his job. It's his profession. He wants to feed the "system" to live outside of the body. He puts a lie in the heart saying, "If you believe in God, that's enough. You don't have to be part of His church. You will continue to live outside of His church as long as you believe." Have you ever thought of this? Are you living this way? Are you a "system" that's isolated from the body (church)? He puts in an "evil disease" of selfishness, pride, lust, greed, self-sufficiency, and many other "evil traits" in the "system" or the "body" and works its way from one "system" to another. Sad, huh? But it's true!!

But I have good news for you!! We're given the opportunity to repent and restore ourselves (system) to His body, the church. God is our Great Physician and He can do just about anything to mend our contrite spirit.

If you have found a church home, it is recommended that you stay attached to its body and grow from within and be strong. Eliminate what ails you and your Spirit by going to the source of the problem.

If you have disconnected yourselves from the body, don't be discouraged if you have made such a bad decision, even if it's not the first time. People make mistakes. People make bad choices. Learn from the mistakes or choices you have made. Reconnect and re-commit your life to Jesus. Tell the church you are sorry. Resolve and reconcile with those you're have issues with. Eliminate self-sufficiency. Learn to live to please God!

If you're not connected to the body or lack connection with the body, I pray that you will reconsider where you are connected to, today! God, in the New Testament, talks alot about the health of the church:

"As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing." (Ephesians 4:16b, NLT)

If you're outside of the church (like a heart), how are you helping others (hands, eyes, brain, etc.) grow? If you remain outside of His body, there's no glory given to God!

"The focus of my letter wasn't on punishing the offender but on getting you to take responsibility for the health of the church." (2 Corinthians 2:9, Msg)

"You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other." (James 3:18, Msg)

It, indeed, takes hard work to get along with each other. That's what the parts of the body do, work together to fight off parasites that attacks the body.

Give God the Lord by being a "living organism" in His church!