To quote William Temple, “The Church is the only society that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members.” Hmm, I’m not so sure about this. I like church the way I like it. I want to see my Christian friends, and sit with my family in the same pew every week, and sing the songs I want to sing, and hear sermons that are interesting and meaningful to me, and on and on it goes.

 

But, deep down I know that church is not about me and that Mr. Temple is right. After all, didn’t Jesus say He “came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10)? If I’m part of His church, His body, then I’m also here to seek and save the lost. (Well, technically, I’m here to seek the lost and point them to the One who can save them.) When the original followers of Jesus (the disciples) were asked by the religious leaders of their day, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:30-32). If I’m part of Christ’s body, then I need to eat with the tax collectors and sinners of my world.

 

Furthermore, the last recorded words of Jesus to His disciples are these: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20a). Once again, Jesus says my most important job is to seek the lost and point them to the One who can save them. This is ultimately and primarily why the church exists. It’s not about me.

 

Troy Burns