Reality incorporates combinations, complexities, and compounds that may be difficult to manage. From time to time, we are helped to go back and sift out the elements, the single factors, the simplicity originals which are somewhere at the beginning of things. We seek perspective and clarity if we can get them. For example, what is the meaning of Church? For all languages, a symbol (word) has several meanings, usually with one dominant, that often generates some meaning of the same symbol used in other contexts. The word Church (ecclesia) is a word symbol. It stands for a spiritual concept of the Christian, in that Christ indwells those who believe in him. In this all Christians make up the Church (invisible). Church also stands for a building in which Christians gather to husband the meaning of Christ for those he indwells. That mass of believers is told to use the church in two major ways: 1) -as a center from which the Gospel of Christ is to be disseminated to all persons; and, 2) -as a center from which mature Christians lead the congregation on living out publicly the Christian life, which is facilitated by programs and service to human needs. Evangelism is lateral activity in action making appeal to human beings: spirituality is vertical, appealing to God. This information springs from Scripture, and its faithful application to both individual lives and the corporate life of the church. To achieve this balance there is exposition of Scripture (preaching/teaching), prayer, devotional literature, testimony, music, orientation and conduct guided by righteousness and the love of God for all mankind. Each factor includes derivatives and accents. In all, it represents a culture unlike any other.
History of both the Church and secular society suggests that the visible church has difficulty in balancing the two large assignments – evangelization/service and the cultivation of the Christian life to the degree gaining God’s approval. In God’s mind the two assignments are related in that from the quality of the life model in the Christian, the pagan is attracted to Christ so prepared to be evangelized. Students of the Church (spiritual) often see that a church (physical) may be strong with programs of evangelism, but less vigorous in the cultivation of righteousness reflected from God’s holiness. There are some so oriented to the forming of the Christian that they have withdrawn from the realities of daily life so reach only a few effectively. Evangelists are unfulfilled when there is no response. Christian maturity is diluted when there is no evangel.
A large church congregation, some call the father of the great church growth movement that spilled over into the 21st Century, made a study of the local ministry results – a study widely discussed in 2008. Leaders discovered that what they wanted for their church was apparently diluted in the visible success. They had worked hard to maintain it. They determined to risk the success they had gained in numbers, so to achieve by adjustments what God meant for them to do in going farther out in evangelism, and further up for spiritual growth. No other factors, no matter how commendatory, are as worthy as these – for personal Church (the true believers) or the corporate church (a visible locale of attendees). Such a church that works to keep the biblical assignment is certainly to be properly rewarded, by Christ, who enunciated his preference at the close of his earthly sojourn. (Matthew 28). The best Christians make seamless the relationship of mortality to immortality, and try to communicate that reality to the world. Whatever the Church (true Christians) may do for peace, for charity, for values to society, for aid to the troubled, or any other constructive purpose, none is more important, even in aggregate, than the mission to declare redemption to those who may find faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020