VISION FOR A HEALTHY CHURCH

A pastor shared his experience from the mid-week prayer meeting. A church member brought along a friend she was caring for, a lady with suffering from a palsy, her body parts moving and shaking at times uncontrollably. People in the group went about their prayer requests, did some praise and singing, studied a Bible chapter, while trying not to look at the crippled.

At the end they were about to pray a closing prayer for unity and evangelism, when the visitor spoke. “Look at me!” she said. Reluctantly, out of duty people turned their heads one by one in the direction of the voice. She continued: “I am a living parable of the church. There is nothing wrong with my head. My mind is clear, and I wish I could be in charge of my body, I wish my body would listen to my head, I wish my limbs and organs would obey my will, but something is lodged somewhere and is breaking the communication between the head and the body, something went wrong in my body parts and will not accept the messages from the head. There is nothing wrong with the Head of our Church – Christ Jesus. But somehow the body parts are not coordinated. Somewhere the “central nervous system,” the leadership, is not conveying the message to people; somewhere people are not responsive, and are totally disconnected from the source, acting up at their own volition.”

As I listen to this testimony I thought to myself “how true!” yet I believe that God’s promise is true when he speaks of His Church at the end of times: “for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His Wife hath made herself ready.” (Revelation 19:7) The church, the Body of Christ, the Bride of the Lamb is not to be palsied, but is to be readied. I believe in this challenge coming to reality.

Have you ever watched a military troop on a parade – they move as one. Same imagery is employed describing the church – an army with banner. After my recent car accident, suffering with a bad lower back, I had a firsthand experience that dislocated vertebrae need to be set in place, and healing is needed before the physiotherapy can be applied.

It is more than coincidence that as the church moves into an election process, choosing the leadership for another term we are also beginning Evangelistic rallying. Leadership is to be chosen who is aligned with God’s Vision for growth and outreach, key officers are to be chosen with servant attitude who will communicate and connect members of the Body, structures of connecting, communicating and receiving feedback are to be adjusted for the healthy functioning. All in all – restoring the body for the glory it ought to be in, as the bride of Christ.

I am always surprised how God orchestrates our lives, our service and our worship. From the Sabbath School Bible lesson this week “Here I am, send me” to the Evangelism Rally tonight at 4 pm we are moved to consider our duty, our place, our role in the Body of Christ.