“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Romans 12:4-5 (ESV)
For some reason, I have recently met several really good people and families who home church. As I talked with them, a recurring theme of emotional damage emerges. Pain, hurt, sadness, anger, violated trust and on and on. All real issues that have really affected those I was privileged to meet. Great people. God’s children. Human beings struggling with these emotions.
As many of you know, and now you know, I am a blackberry picking aficionado. I love it. I love the preparation of long sleeve shirts, jeans, muck boots, bug spray, sweating…many times shedding blood. Why? There are very few places that the Holy Spirit more clearly speaks to me than when I am picking blackberries. My other two prime locations for communication: fishing or sitting in a deer stand. God has my attention in those locations of quiet. We talk and I do my best where I am weakest. I listen.
Earlier this week as I was picking in the cool June air of somewhere between 150 and 200 degrees with minimal 200% humidity (awesome). The Spirit helped me visualize the concept of home church versus the Church coming together as a local church filled with bodies of Believers in varying stages of brokenness, all filled with the hope, joy and assurance of Christ.
The visuals for this lesson are as follows:
– We are beautiful in God’s eyes when we are ripe in Him, trusting in every situation, even when at risk because we are separated from the body of Christ and surrounded by those who do not believe or trust in Him.
– We put ourselves at risk when we expose ourselves to His plan and purpose for our lives. Including finding and involving ourselves in the local church body that He has for us.
– The gifts we add to the local church may expose us to some blood, sweat and tears but the result is worth the effort and vulnerability. Aligning with a local church is one of your greatest testaments to your faith as you bring the uniquely-you gifts to the Body as Christ’s bride.
– The group of healing, growing, learning, trusting, leaning, depending, encouraging, evolving…RIPE individuals collectively creates a body whose collective commitment to Christ and to one another is an unstoppable force for good. So yes, it’s okay to be exposed to human weakness because God does his best work with the most broken. “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey.”
So we are in a perpetual season of ripening. The effort is worth the injury. The deeper we go, the greater the harvest. Find a local hospital, aka church, that earnestly, desperately, collectively desires to apply the salve of God’s love to the wounded. Find a group that you contribute to and through your contribution, pours back into you in ways you cannot fathom.
We are better together. We need more Acts 2 and less home. More porches than patios. More broken and less perception. More Jesus.