Healthy Church: Mar 17, 2021

We’re in the middle of a series at church called, From Church Hurt to Church Home, and man, it’s stirring up so much in my heart right now. My husband and I hold a deep passion to love people into healing and help restore hope in community. We’ve all been hurt, and most of us have been hurt by the church. We believe there’s value in acknowledging our pain and making room to process it, necessary even. But we also don’t want to camp out there or cling to our wounds because that can trick us into believing we have permission to quit church. And we simply can’t. There’s no biblical theology for that idea anywhere in scripture. We do see, emphatically however, that Jesus and the church are One. There is no other truth. He loves his Bride, relentlessly. He’s preparing a place for her now and is coming back to recieve Her, spotless and unblemished. And because of this holy and intimate love, it becomes our greatest desire to honor Him and live out the gospel. But it just plain hurts sometimes, and that’s real. People hurt us and we hurt people. But it’s okay. Because Jesus handles our messes pretty well.

Since this series began, I’ve been reading the letters to the seven churches in Revelation. Chapters one, two and three are so interesting because first, we get the most descriptive unveiling of the resurrected Jesus than anywhere else in the Bible. Then he takes the time in all of his glory to tell John to write specific messages filled with affirmations and rebukes to each church in the seven provinces in Asia.

These passages tell us he’s talking to the “angels” of the churches. Or messengers. So although we’re dealing with some harsh words, he’s not talking to the church members this way, he’s addressing the pastors, specifically. I’m troubled but also intrigued by this, so I can’t help but take a closer look.

Peter Scazzero says in his book, The Emotionally Healthy Leader, “The first and most difficult task we have as leaders is to lead ourselves. Why? Because it requires confronting parts of who we are that we prefer to neglect, forget, or deny.”

We also have a legitimate inner conflict. Because love covers. And we long to do that well. As believers we need grace and need to give grace. We forgive. We deal with each other gently. We turn the other cheek. We’re not to judge. And none of this becomes untrue as we dive into this exploration of healthy community. But we also can’t ignore what we see in Revelations 1-3.
Jesus is correcting his Church. Period. We also get a sobering glimpse into the pressures and persecutions that will come against the Bride in the last days. I don’t think we have any other choice but to pay attention. And as tempting as it is to get preoccupied with the details of how the end will play out, we can’t forget that Revelation is much more about the man behind the details.
There are such beautiful affirmations and prophetic implications throughout these chapters. So much so, we couldn’t get through them in a lifetime. But his strongest rebukes were for three things: passivity, immortality, and idolatry (greed). And he’s correcting us for compromising in these areas.

One thing we must remember when we’re the ones being corrected is, correction is not rejection. He disciplines us because he loves us. When the Lord corrects us it’s because he’s contending for our greatness and for our liberty. That we would walk in all that God has ordained for us. And that we would make choices that God would call great. And that he would agree with our choices.

“We matter. The choices we make matter. Every choice to forgive, to be kind, to be authentic, to open up our world and tell our secrets. These things change the cosmos. And not just inside you, but inside this whole created universe that we dwell within.” – Excerpt from The Heart of Man

What we do matters. But who we are matters much more. He’s coming back for a church worldwide that has kept herself as a prepared Bride. Spotless and full of glory, a church after His own heart. But this doesn’t just magically happen. He calls upon leadership who are intentional about cultivating these values and imparting them to God’s people. And these are things the resurrected Christ took time to highlight and talk about when he appeared to John on the island of Patmos. We simply can’t afford NOT to pay attention to what He had to say. It’s remarkable.

In chapter 2 verse 20, we hear of a woman named Jezebel. She became a leader in the church, she was given authority and taught that immorality was okay and was leading many astray. Jesus actually gave that church a powerful promise and said, “If you overcome that spirit, I’ll give you authority over the nations for a thousand years.” The significance of this is more than what meets the eye. He’s not telling them to overcome their unbelief and be born again, they’re already born again. He’s exhorting them to overcome the spirit of immorality, to be faithful, and not to compromise.

It’s not hard to see the parallels between the 7 churches addressed in Revelation and the church today. Passivity, immorality, and greed are still choking us, especially here in the West. And there’s no doubt about it, the church has real issues, but Jesus calls us His Bride. He assures in chapter one that He’s holding us in His hand. And He’s passionate about the one He loves. Many of us want to see change in the church, but there’s a huge difference between our own selfish motivations based in personal preference and true biblical convictions. And there’s wisdom in knowing the difference.

Job 5:17 says,
 â€œBehold happy is the man whom God corrects, therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. For He bruises, but He binds up. He wounds, but His hands make whole.”

God calls His leaders to act differently. We’ve been entrusted with His most precious possession, His Bride. We can’t afford to not carry this responsibility with fear and trembling. No title and no position exempt us from the need of true accountability. Are you surrounded by a team who can speak into your life? Do you allow yourself to be truly known? None of us outgrow the need to be poured into. If we have a team around us that won’t call us out, then we have the wrong team. It’s hard work, and painful even, but living with an exposed heart and welcoming the voices of my trusted mentors and co-laborers are vital for keeping me on a safe path.

Francis Chan said in Letters to the Church, “ Joy comes as we stand among those Jesus has redeemed and get lost in a sea of worship, becoming fully a part of something sacred. Gathering with the Church should lead us to holy ground.”

A healthy church is a group of believers committed to doing the arduous work of community and getting along, even when it hurts. And the health of the community begins with the health of the leaders. May we not despise the hard stuff. It’s all part of the process.

Love covers. Love corrects. God is Love.

And Jesus and His Bride are One. Amen.

Author: Stephanie Jackson