I’ve been reading recently a discussion which pursued the idea or the question of whether the church should be “primarily understood as the instrument through which God (would) accomplish his purpose in creation”, or whether it was “ the expression of that purpose itself.” This led to a more defined set of questions; does God need the church? Why did God make man? Does God need man? In the understanding and pursuit of our purpose as mankind and more specifically as the Church, we must seek an understanding of the heart of God towards humanity.
Our ability to be truly obedient to the command by God at creation to be fruitful, to multiply, to replenish and to take dominion was interrupted by sin. Yes, our ability to physically and logistically reproduce offspring has remained virtually intact give or take a few incidents of infertility but fruitfulness and multiplication to my mind is extended beyond our ability to physically reproduce offspring. It is about productivity, creativity, impact and legacy. Being able to virtually pass on pieces of oneself to others, so that what is wholesome and Godly is extended to many others and is lasting. This allows the characteristics and personality of God imbedded in us to be more evident to others therefore making us more able to impact their lives; we literally become the infectious image of God in the earth. But how do we move from our Adamic state of fallenness and sinfulness to his point, and what does any of this have to do with the church?
The church from my understanding of scripture was never meant to be an end in itself. It was never meant to be an inner sanctum of sanctums or a holy temple/building to which people journey and reverence because it is where the presence of God dwells. The church is an expression of the purpose and intent of God for humanity as lived through the lives of ordinary people submitted to Him. It is first structured on the metaphor of marriage and oneness. Christ is the ultimate Bridegroom who has given himself for His bride. Through a relationship of obedience and intimacy, the glory of the Bridegroom is released within and upon the Bride and everyone knows that they have been together. But while we are an expression of God’s glory in the earth and a reflection of what He has already intended for mankind we are at the same time the instrument by which God has chosen to multiply this effect in the earth; much like the situation at Genesis.
As Adam and Eve were instructed to be fruitful, to multiply and to take dominion, Christ calls upon us His church, to be fruitful and to be productive. This is not a hidden clause nor is it written in fine print somewhere; this is a required characteristic of true followers of Christ. God’s movement on the earth as particulary evidenced through the life of Jesus Christ, always involved a moving outward and a reaching towards man, in order to bring Him into the plan and purposes of God. So where exactly has the church gotten the idea that we are simply the master’s show-piece to be put on display, particularly on Sundays; a time where we attempt merely to pull others in as a seeming end in itself. The result? Our memberships become fattened, our club atmosphere prevails and we grow comfortable in having our needs met. Our churches are growing, our pews are filled, we have numbers big enough to finally allow us to purchase that building or piece of land accoss the street but the surrounding communities are left without impact. If we disappeared, they would hardly notice! We’re however having such a “great time in the presence of God” (lost in His glory wonder and grace), that we fail to remember who is really lost; our communities; our nations. Evangelism or missions then becomes relegated to a programme with a Director and staff but it is not the life-blood that drives our stated mission. It is almost an appendage and is usually facilitated by older women or by a few “missionaries” who travel over-seas. I know of several Christians who may feel more comfortable paying loads of money to travel to over-seas conferences to “get a word from God” for themselves, than they would serving and transforming their local communities through daily/weekly random acts of kindness or service; sort of like Jesus in the Bible.
There is no choice between the two roles of the church. We are the expression of God’s purpose; the tangible evidence of His glory in the earth and we are most definitely the instrument which He has chosen to have this effect multiplied among communities of people and withinn nations. Church by virtue of its definition means that we are the called out ones; the ecclesia; but God’s purpose even in stating the “chosen-ness” of the Jews was always ultimately to draw all mankind to Himself. So even when the fact that we are called out or chosen is emphasized, we must never forget that we are not simply chosen for ourselves; there has always been a bigger picture at stake. The defining command to the church is to “go and make disciples of all men”. So does God need the church? Only because He has chosen to. The idea of God “needing” man is certainly not out of deficiency; our human understanding of need is that it represents a deficit; something that we do not have which we “need”. God is self-sufficient and therefore “need” may not be an appropriate idea to wrap our minds around but certainly God has chosen or elected to use us the instrument to create a domino effect. It is not that He couldn’t do it Himself but we are specially chosen to be in His image and likeness and we are the proverbial slap in the face of the devil. A people of choice who have purposed to walk a righteous life and a people who would dare others to do the same. Our mission must be an extension of God’s mission through Christ. He has chosen to use us out of His own generosity and abundance. He is not a selfish God. His desre is to share His work with us; His creation. Let us get up and show Him that He can count on us.
