I’ve always been a part of the local church.
It’s always been an important part of my life.
For the last 19 years, I’ve been in worship leadership, from churches of 20 to churches of 2200…and everywhere in between.
But now, my leadership perspective is different from the preaching position. Every day is a new challenge. Every day, I am continually reminded and every day I see and feel the need to do everything I can to love, respect, and to a certain degree, protect the church that I”m so Blessed to serve. Yes I know, being the “church protector” is really not in any preacher’s written job description. But one thing I’ve learned in the short time (just over a year) that I’ve been preaching every Sunday (as opposed to leading worship), is that I see the relationships, the good, the bad, the fractures, the brokenness, and I’m brought into situations that are directly affected by and, in a sort of cycle, can directly affect the unity of the Church. And I seem to have this feeling welling up inside me that makes me feel like a big part of my responsibility is to do whatever I can within my “power” to help protect and unify Christ’s body, the church.
Combine that with the fact that I’m in a place where everything seems to come back to Matthew 18, and the key teaching Jesus offers there. I remember the first time I ever really was challenged about this incredibly important word from Jesus on relationships, conflict, and the way Christ calls us to deal with each other as members of Christ’s body and as kingdom disciples.
One way Satan continually attacks the Church is through gossip…within, and outside of the church.
Guard your ears, don’t believe hearsay, and don’t contribute to it. Just because you hear something from someone who knows someone who used to go to your church and they say something, doesn’t mean its accurate!
We are the body of Christ. We need each other. The “world” is watching and sees when we are fractured by broken relationships, rumors, and by people who think it’s their place to “talk” about what they perceive to be correct about what’s going on “at church.” Church is People. Let’s love each other, serve each other. You want to know one reason the church finds itself in our current situation? When people look at us, they see people bickering, gossiping behind each other’s backs. Is that the kind of reputation Christ’s body is deserving of? Is that the type of Church that can make a difference in a community?
Be the difference you wish to see in the Church.
