Many Christians recognize the ineffectiveness of the church in both maturing the majority of saints and in impacting our surrounding communities and society with the gospel. Foundational problems have become a growing cancer that weakens the western church. Ultimately, these stem from pride and disobedience to the scriptures (see Rev 3:14-22, as an example).
The cracks in our foundation show themselves in our divisions and competitiveness; in a clergy system that relegates the majority of believers to silence in the pew; and in our acceptance of cultural values such as demanding our “rights,” drive for ambition and material possessions, indulgent self-gratification, enjoying TV imagery that is biblically pornographic, as well as a denial of biblical values like sacrificial lifestyles, acceptance in suffering, esteeming others better and serving them, etc.
These and other cancerous issues have become so deeply embedded in the church, that it seems difficult to imagine how the church will be able to turn back to God. We are failing as a contrast society bringing light and hope to the world. While there are glaring differences between the church as it functioned in the New Testament and how it functions today, most Christians cannot escape the baggage and confusion of what has become the church for them. Right or wrong, how we have been doing church is what we think of when we think about the church. For most, change simply means doing better at what are already inherently unbiblical models and methods.
Most of what is hailed as “new” streams in the church are renewed approaches that at their core are just more of the same self-willed, self-sufficient, man-centered approach to designing church after our own fashion. Efforts at change fail to call us to a fundamental repentance toward God, to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and do not result in a renewed willingness to die to our comfort and cleverness as we return to the scriptures with a heart bent toward simple, unequivocal obedience.
Imagine your church was an automobile, and God was the manufacturer. We are empowered by God to drive the vehicle. We are taught and helped by friends to give it basic care and maintenance. The car serves our needs well. Then, we have a major breakdown. Our friends can come by and give their advice. Is the tank empty? Does it have oil? Maybe it is just the starter, and some experienced friends help you buy a new one and change it out. We continue on with a functional car once again.
But what happens when you have a major problem? You will need a different sort of help. A mechanic who has been prepared by the auto manufacturer to repair cars when they are seriously broken. Consider what life would be like if we did away with all these specialty mechanics. Broken cars would at best become very heavy wagons we would push around, requiring most people to stop driving and just help push other people’s cars. We might even invent a new training program for the few remaining car drivers (clergy), as this skill becomes more scarce with fewer functional cars on the road. A whole new career field of car pushers would be needed (the laity). It would work, sort of. But it would still be very broken, and would not be anywhere near as effective as designed by the manufacturer and supported by His preparation and accessible distribution of teams of mechanics. And all the work meant to be done by all the drivers would be shunted into support roles for a few drivers.
Are you tired of pushing the one, sort-of-functional car in the neighborhood?
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers (but we say we only need the pastors and teachers these days, and have relegated the itinerants to a distant past, seeing no ongoing need for their work in the church)
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: (there was work specifically for these people, all of these people, to launch the saints into service building one another up.)
He gave SOME . . . FOR the work . . . TILL we all . . .
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (so, have we all come to this point yet? Then, why do we imagine they are not still necessary?) -Eph 4:11-13
For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you . . . -Titus 1:5
Itinerants–teams of apostles, prophets and evangelists–are the growth hormones (planting new churches, developing elders) and the white blood cells (setting in order the things that are wanting, providing help when changes are needed) of the Body of Christ. Without them, we are much more likely to become seriously ill and stunted. Titus 1:5
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