If Jesus Were Here...

Where is Jesus?

We’ve all heard it… I’m pretty sure I’ve even said it…

“If Jesus were alive today…”

If Jesus were alive/here today He wouldn’t be found in the church…

If Jesus were alive/here today He’d be “out there” in the streets,

If Jesus were alive/here today He’d be hanging out with prostitutes and sinners…

If Jesus were alive/here today He’d be hanging out in bars and strip clubs…

If Jesus were alive/here today He’d be out with the soccer moms and the hockey dads…

I’m not sure who popularized it but it reveals, at best, an astounding (How do I say this politely?)…immaturity… at worst it’s heresy.

“if Jesus were alive today…”? 

THEO- Jesus is alive today!  That’s Discipleship 101!

TROY- You know what I mean!  If Jesus were physically alive today…

THEO- You mean like in bodily form?  You mean like, if we could see the Body of Christ…?

TROY- Yeah!

THEO- I thought the Church was the Body of Christ?

TROY- !?!?!?

THEO- If that’s true Christ is not just “here” in some abstract sense,  He is here in reality.  Alive!  Present!  Visible!

TROY- Well… He wouldn’t… like.. you know… go to church…

THEO- so you’re saying Jesus was lying when He said, “Whenever two or three are gathered in my name, I am there!”

TROY- You’re twisting my words!  You know what I mean!

THEO- Never mind your words.  What do you think Jesus meant?  Do you really believe that Jesus, contrary to His word, wouldn’t be present with His body gathered?

Ironically, the point seems to be that church is filled with broken, self-centred people who look nothing like the perfect, holy saints we think should populate churches.  In other words, churches are made up of the kinds of people Jesus came to hang out with… sinners. 

So…Jesus is here, and is doing what He has always done…  hanging out with folks who “need a physician”.

Perhaps our problem is not that the church is filled with righteous folks who should be “out there” but that the church is filled with sinners who we don’t like to see “in here” with us… and Jesus.

...just sayin'

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For the record, “THEO” and “TROY” were names selected entirely at random and do not represent any THEO or TROY that may attend your church.

When Pastors Meet

Pastor 1- (with a smile) Hi

Pastor 2- Hi

Pastor 1- So… where you from?

Pastor 2- First Bapticostal Community Church[1] 

Pastor 1- Really?  Do you know the Ouanders?  I think they go to your church

Pastor 2- No, ‘fraid I don’t.  They might have been before my time.

Pastor 1- yeah… probably…

(insert awkward silence here as the “players” prepare for the only question they really want to ask)

Pastor 2- So… how big is FBCC these days?

…and there you have it.  Of course, the real question is this:  Is your church bigger than mine?

I try so hard to avoid the question?  I try to never ask it myself – though sometimes the curiosity is so intense it’s almost painful.  I often pause for several seconds trying to fight the urge to say what is in my heart… Eventually though, I give in.  I try to be as accurate as I can, “Since January we’ve been averaging…”  Or, “in the last couple months…”

Those who have bigger churches typically respond with a condescending, “Not bad…”  a kind of, “I remember those days…”

Those with smaller churches with a, “Wow, that big?”  …a kind of “How did you ever become pastor of a church that size?”

Here’s the thing.  When I get asked the question what I really want to is something like…

What does it matter?  Isn’t the real question… the better question, “Is your church family healthy?”   and if you really want to be a true shepherd maybe you should be asking, “Is there anything we can do to serve your church?  Anything we can do to help you become even more healthy… more effective at extending God’s kingdom?”

…few pastors would have the courage to ask or answer in that way.  Myself included…

Speaking of “health” here’s a question: Do we even know what a healthy church family looks like?  I don’t mean, “Have you taken the survey?” or “Are you pews filled on Sunday?”  In my experience a church of 10 can be healthier than a church of a thousand.  A church of 50 can sometimes reflect Jesus the Christ better than a church 5 times its size.  It has nothing to do with numbers…

There is nothing exhaustive here, in fact, I’m sure there are better minds than mine that can come up with better lists.  Off the top of my head here are some healthy/unhealthy markers.

Healthy – a community where every believer knows why they gather… and are committed to fulfilling their role in that gathering.

Healthy – a community that collectively responds to the needs represented in the community (both church and beyond)

Unhealthy – a community that looks to the pastor (or pastoral team) to do the things that God has called and gifted them to do.

Healthy – a community where people are so in love with Jesus they cannot be offended (that is, they refuse to take offense regardless of what is said or done)

Unhealthy – an offensive community.  That is, one in which everything (or anything) that is said or done is cause for offense

Healthy – a community where every believer is daily  becoming more like Christ

Healthy – a community where every non-believer is moving one step closer to Christ as a result of relationships with Christ disciples in the community.

Healthy – a community where every believer knows how God has wired and gifted them and are using those gifts to accomplish the above (without the lust for title or position)

…

I know, I know… nobody, and therefore no church, is perfect…

That doesn’t mean we should stop trying to be like Jesus.

Next time someone asks me, “How many people go to your church?”  I’m going to try to remember to ask the “health” question instead.

…tryin’…

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[1] nowadays churches have kewler names like “the Tree” or “Seeds” or “Journey”  …but I didn’t want to offend anyone