Yesterday, we talked about our time in the church building not being the totality of our Christian life. So how do we live out our faith outside the assembly?
There are lots ways in which this can be done. It’s seen by the way that we work. As Paul said, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24) Martin Luther King, Jr. described it this way:
If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.
Years ago, back when I was in college, I spent a summer in Long Beach, California. To support myself I worked at a Peugeot bicycle warehouse. I didn’t actually work for Peugeot; I worked for Thomas Temporaries, who sent me to work at the warehouse. It wasn’t extremely hard work, but it was a lot of effort for the little pay that I earned. It was not the average person’s dream job.
Toward the end of that summer, when I was about to return to Texas to go to school, the warehouse manager was bidding me goodbye. He made the comment, “I’ve never had a temp that did everything I asked him to, the first time I asked.”
I saw my opportunity and told him the truth: “That’s because I’m a Christian, and I’m not just working for you. I’m working for Jesus Christ.” Now, I’d like to tell you that the man immediately begged me to tell him how to be saved, but that’s not what happened. I’m not even sure that I said exactly what I should have. But I do know that I worked that summer exactly as I should have.
Can you imagine if Christians had the reputation of being the best workers out there? If people saw them as dependable, honest, hard-working, good-natured employees? What if people knew that Christians complained less, focused more and always put in a full day’s work? I can see how that would make an impact on the world.
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What if they served their fellow employee (neighbor) and helped them on their job to catch up and gave them a lift home or fixed a flat for them or visited them when they were in the Hospital or loaned them money expecting nothing in return. When some one cursed them at work they didn’t retaliate but wound up being there best friend. Gave them their sick days when they were out sick and showed great compassion any time anyone lost a loved one. What if they Loved everyone they worked with EVERY BIT as they actually loved themselves?
What if each employee and their employer felt their Love besides being one of the best workers at the plant?
The whole idea of assembly must be understood in terms of what the church also is as the body, the vine, the household of God, the flock, the building of God, etc (not merely a meeting at an appointed time and place). Any idea that we can live outside the assembly shows a fundamental disconnect with what God reveals concerning the church as a vital, living organism that is joined to Himself. To live outside the body, the vine, the household of God, the flock, the building of God, the bride is obviously not where a Christian should be living. Such a living is one of a person, severed from Christ, cutoff from the vine, outside the fellowship, fallen from grace, etc. Of course there are meetings, gatherings to attend, but the life of the church is Christ and He is 24/7. Not to mention our vital, spiritual connection to each other whereby we are members one of another. That doesn’t sound like something that is turned on and off.
Part of the misunderstanding arises because of so-called church buildings themselves which are a foreign thought in the New Testament. If you are meeting day by day and house to house, there is less opportunity for the disconnect between the meetings and your daily life. Furthermore if we are indeed built together, we won’t live our lives separately from one another. O Lord, may you accomplish this in the church today.