What the Body of Christ Needs Today

 

Ever been distracted? Have you ever been working on something that you needed to finish and . . . out of no where, something else comes up and your attention is drawn away from what was necessary to something else. Certainly, for this our daily dilemma.

I have found myself thinking about this lately as it relates to the church and its mission. Perhaps this is just an outgrowth of contemplations in my own devotional life, finding myself in that tension of dissatisfaction and knowing there must be more of God. As I have thought of “new” things to try to deepen or enliven my time with the Lord everyday, I have found that getting back to simple devotion, under the leading of the Holy Spirit, is the only place I find true rest. This has caused me to think of the body of Christ and how it has historically been in a place of distraction, with notable individuals as exceptions.

What the body of Christ needs today is nothing new. It is not a new philosophy of ministry, nor the latest manifestation of the Spirit. What the Church really needs is not a new method of evangelism or new programs for teaching and building up young believers. Those things all may have their place, but they are certainly not what the Called-Out Ones need the most. What the Church needs is a greater understanding of the Person of Jesus the Messiah.

We the Church need to become refocused on God the Father’s unique revelation of Himself in God the Son. We must deepen our awareness of the indwelling presence of the Christ, both corporately and as individuals. We need to develop a fuller understanding of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

I believe the only way this is done is by possessing a living, Biblical theology. Mystical experiences can be misleading and quite destructive if they are not in agreement with Scripture. The Spirit does not speak contrary to the Word. Yet, we will not know what is in agreement and what is contrary to the Word unless we study it. Knowledge of God’s Word can only be acquired by faithful, illuminated study. The Spirit Himself must reveal its meaning to us because knowledge of the Word is only valuable when the student is in an experiential relationship with God.

Since theology is the study or knowledge of God, it must be true that any theology that does not lead us to God is bad theology. True theology is study that leads us to the Living and Eternal Word. A Biblical theology, then, is theological study that brings us into a closer relationship with Almighty God.

Tags: body, christ, today

Category: Living the Faith, Winter 1999