Restating Vision for the Church

Last week I shared with you few paragraphs that impacted me in my devotional reading on the purpose for our church – we are the theatre of God’s transforming Grace, empowering us to live right.  The whole universe is watching to see the evidence that what Christ died for is effective in lives of His followers, that the Love of God poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit is shining gloriously in our lives, caring for one another, being tender toward each other in this Family we call church.

Over the past 9 years I had communicated the Vision of restoring the Priesthood of ALL believers, envisioning the Church where every believer is a minister, where every believer serves others.  We all have received spiritual gifts at our baptism, and joining the Body of Christ, the church, we had received specific functions. It is only right for us to exercise our God-given gifts, ministering each one according to our calling. 

By now not only our church, but churches around us, fellow Adventist believers are picking up this important Vision – every believer a minister.  Yet, I invite you to consider the Big Picture.  Apostle Paul right after writing to Corinthians (1^st letter, chapter 12) about spiritual gifts and the teamwork of members (read body parts) within the Body, tells that there is a way to be priesthood of all believers, there is a way to practice our gifts – a better way.  1^st Corinthians 12:31 after restating the Vision in words “strive for the greater gifts” Paul invites believers to follow him: “I will show you a still more excellent way,” proceeding to tell them about Love.

Chapter 13 of 1^st letter to Corinthians is known world around as the “love chapter” and it is read frequently at weddings.  Yet, the main purpose of the chapter is to set love as a context for practicing spiritual gifts.  Chapter 14 verse 1 continues this theme “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts.”  We may be the best servants, ministers, and exercise our gifts speaking with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy, speaking God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, having faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jump, giving everything we own to the poor, willing to become martyrs, BUT! If we do it without love – we are nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate, getting nowhere, being bankrupt without love (Peterson’s Message paraphrase).

The Love Paul talks about cannot be manufactured by our effort.  The Church cannot manufacture God’s Glory.  It could only radiate when Christ is present.  Spiritual Gifts are to be empowered by the Holy Spirit, only then our activities are loving, caring, patient, kind, humble, not forceful, enduring without burning out.  For God’s Love, Empowering Grace is forever.

So, as the world watching to see Christ in the Church, let me restate the Vision: this Church is a Place where every believer serves and loves, it is a Family where every member tenderly cares and attends to the needs of others.  Every Believer is a Loving Minister.

Purpose of our Church

As elders met on Sunday, after and during a work-out of cleaning flower gardens at the church yard, to discuss the church planting strategy, a question was on minds of many “what is the purpose of the church plant”?  As I grappled with this question preparing for the Board meeting on Monday I took some time to read the Counsel to Churches, a compilation of Ellen G. White works regarding the reason we do church.  As I shared a few paragraphs with the Board members I am moved to share over the next few weeks with all who read our blog and this church bulletin these insights. 

The Church is a Theater in which the power of God’s Grace is to be displayed before the Universe (1^st Cor.4:9)! And, in case you are wondering “what’s showing” – get this: “There is a great work to be done in fashioning the character after the divine similitude. The grace of Christ must mould the entire being, and its triumph will not be complete until the heavenly universe shall witness habitual tenderness of feeling, Christlike love, and holy deeds in the deportment of the children of God.”  (August 3, 1899  Youth Instructor).  And read also this: “The church, endowed with the righteousness of Christ, is His depositary, in which the riches of His mercy, His grace, and His love, are to appear in full and final display. Christ looks upon His people in their purity and perfection, as the reward of His humiliation, and the supplement of His glory,--Christ, the great Center, from whom radiates all glory.”  (Desire of ages, p.680).

The universe looks at the Church to see if the Sacrifice of Jesus made a difference, if we are being transformed by His Grace, if Holy Spirit is at work in us.  Our purity is Christ’s reward for all the suffering and dishonour He endured to set us free, to give us new beginning.  Our Church has no intrinsic glory of its own.  We cannot manufacture any glory to exalt Christ.  Our church is simply the vehicle through which Christ exhibits His Love and His Glory.

In a letter written to the Battle Creek church in 1896 Ellen White explained why we exist as a church, and it is valid for us today, in London, Ontario: “The church of Christ, enfeebled, defective as she may appear, is the one object on earth upon which he bestows, in a special sense, his love and his regard. The church is the theater of His grace, in which He delights in making experiments of mercy on human hearts. The Holy Spirit is His representative, and He works to effect transformations so wonderful that angels look upon them with astonishment and joy. Heaven is full of rejoicing when the members of the human family are seen to be full of compassion for one another, loving one another as Christ has loved them. The church is God's fortress, his city of refuge, which he holds in a revolted world.”

So, why do we exist, why do we come together, a corporate body, visible church gathering, instead of staying as a small independent atoms?  To show the world that Jesus is alive among us, and the Holy Spirit makes us loving toward each other, just as Jesus foretold!(John 13:34-35)

Pray for peace, and work while there is still time

This Sabbath we begin a new study theme for the Sabbath School quarter – focusing on the main teachings of Jesus as he revealed truth about salvation for us.  I would like to draw your attention to the back of your quarterlies, to the mission projects.

Every quarter we focus on one of 13 world regions of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, called “divisions.”  This quarter the focus is on the Euro-Asia, formerly known as the Soviet Union territory.  As you look at the map and statistics, you would notice that 4 out of 7 mission projects are located in Ukraine.  The membership, almost half of all Adventists are in Ukraine.  Just like last quarter we noted that majority of Adventist believers in India lived in state of Orissa, where the persecution of Christians is the strongest, so there is also a parallel with believers in Ukraine.  The country has been engulfed in war from three directions, west, east, south for most of its millennial existence, and its people learned to rely on God, to seek God in the midst of turmoil.

Over the past 8 month I had paid added interest to the news of conflicts and war, as my native country has been moving deeper and deeper into military conflict.  Last Sabbath Adventist churches around the world prayer for peace in Ukraine on the appeal of the Euro-Asia Division president, Argentinian national Guillermo Biaggi, who has urged church members across the division (which includes Ukraine, Russia and 10 other former Soviet republics as well as Afghanistan) to give a freewill offering this Sabbath to help fund efforts by ADRA to assist people, both Ukrainians and Russians, who have fled to other parts of Ukraine and across the border to Russia in the unrest. 

This week as we celebrated Canada Dominion birthday 147 years ago, and the 238^th Independence Day of the United States, we appreciate peace and safety here on the North American continent.  At the recent  Ontario Conference Campmeeting during the special feature, a “parade of nations,” our leadership asked for representatives carrying flags of Ukraine and Russia to come first on the stage after Canadian flag was brought in, symbolically signifying the desire for peace, praying for the end of the conflict.  Enjoying peace we continue praying!

Yet, you probably had also noticed an escalation of conflict in Israel, a renewed military fighting in Iraq, forcing Saudi Arabia to move 30,000 soldiers to its borders.  Some are wondering if this is going to the final conflict, to the end battle of Armageddon.  The religious news of American and Canadian Pentecostal and Charismatic leaders meeting with pope Francis on June 24 in Rome, seeking alliance, also heightens anticipation of apocalyptic developments.

Without speculating on the future developments I want to remind you the invitation and guidance from Jesus, urgent to all of us today: “While it is still day, we must do the work of the One who sent me. Night is coming. Then no one can work.” (John 9:4).  Use the peaceful opportunities that you have to do the work of the Gospel, to share about the coming Kingdom of Jesus, lead people from the darkness into the light of truth, while there is still time.