When I was in college, I spent my summers working at two Christian summer camps. I enjoyed working at them both, and those experiences taught me a lot about life, leadership, and the importance of hospitality.
At one of the camps, the director and his wife had a gift for hospitality. They knew that living in a cabin all summer might start to get old because of the lack of creature comforts, so they took a room in their house and turned it into a staff lounge, then they gave us permission to come and go as we pleased. It was immensely helpful and a nice way to rest up and regain strength on our breaks.
Showing hospitality and creating a loving culture matters more than we sometimes realize. It can help us gain rest. It can help us calm our thinking. It can even help us recover from our stresses, and contribute to our readiness to approach a new day or a new week.
That's one of the ways the church I grew up in often ministered to me as a child. When it felt like there were many stresses and points of chaos in the other areas of my life, I always knew Sunday morning was coming when I could worship together with my church family and stop dwelling on the things that tended to wear me out.
Even still, I'm so grateful for the fact that my week starts with worship among people who demonstrate the love of Christ in so many ways.
The culture we facilitate in the local church can either reflect the heart of Christ, or it can discourage people from getting to know Him in a deeper way. What then does it look like for the church to cultivate the ideal culture among those who are part of it? In Ephesians 4:1-6, Paul explains some key facets of the healthy, joyous, and loving culture Jesus wants to see exhibited in the church.
I. Begin by paying attention to your own walk
“ “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,””
Several years ago, I was walking with a friend of mine who is about 20 years older than me. He's a pastor and a real storyteller, and as he was talking, he stopped paying attention to where he was walking. There was an edge to the sidewalk that was rather steep, and unfortunately, he stepped off the edge. Amazingly, he caught his balance and didn't break an ankle, but that could have ended much worse.
In Scripture, there are frequent challenges given to us to watch how we're walking. That's another way of encouraging us to keep an eye on how we're living our lives. We will either be devoted to Jesus and walking on the narrow path that leads to life, or we will take our eyes off Him and begin drifting down the wide path of this world that leads to destruction.
As Paul was writing this letter to the church, he wanted them to understand how the church operates when it's healthy, and that starts with the individual members paying close attention to their own walk. In life, it can be much easier to pay attention to the errors and missteps of others while overlooking areas of concern in our own lives. But as believers in Christ, we're being called to walk in a manner worthy of our calling.
Paul was a credible witness whose instruction in this area was worth listening to. He reminds his readers in this passage that he was a prisoner. I'm sure the Roman government would have called Paul their prisoner, but that's not how he described his imprisonment. Paul called himself, "a prisoner for the Lord." For Christ's glory and in service to Christ's bride, the church, Paul was willing to be unjustly imprisoned because of his willingness to preach the gospel.
When I think about the things he was enduring, it forces me to ask myself, "Are you willing to live out your faith clearly and openly, even in a hostile environment, that might result in your suffering, discomfort, or imprisonment. Many people would not, but I want to be someone who is willing to.
I saw an example of this recently. Right now, there are plenty of places in this world where hosting a worship service is considered illegal and pastors who dare to do so are being arrested. The willingness of these men to experience incarceration for leading their churches stands out to me in a powerful way.
Are we paying close attention to our walk with Christ? If that walk gets tested, are we willing to keep putting one foot in front of the other and press forward? A healthy church is made up of Christians who are willing to walk the walk.
II. Show your church family that you value them
““with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,” ”
Last week was a week that was filled with interesting conversations. I spoke with new friends, old friends, and some people that I admire. In the midst of those conversations, there are several moments I can point to when the person I was speaking with made a point to demonstrate that they valued me. Typically, that was done by offering an encouraging word, but that's only one of the ways we can demonstrate the fact that we value one another.
Admittedly, there are many people in this world who care much more about themselves than they care about anyone else in their life, and they probably don't spend much time thinking about what they can offer someone else or how they can be a blessing to the people God has placed in their life.
But that should never be the case within the church. The church is made up of all kinds of people. Every personality type and every personal sensitivity is represented in the church. God has structured His church this way on purpose in order to teach us patience. He's also doing this to create a context in which we can make up for each others' weaknesses and teach us that we can never say that we don't need each other.
Showing love and forbearance toward those who are different from us isn't always an easy thing to do, however. Yet that's exactly what Christ has done for us, and precisely what He calls us to do for one another. As the Spirit spoke through Paul's words, the church was challenged to demonstrate humility, gentleness, and patience toward each brother and sister in Christ. We're called to bear with one another in love, not because it's easy, but because it reflects the heart of Christ who chose to treat us the very same way. And as we bear with one another in love, and show one another that we're valued, we'll help foster a healthy church culture.
III. Don't let petty arguments cause division
“ “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.””
I was talking with a few musicians last week, and I asked them how they developed such a deep interest in creating music. They explained to me that nearly everyone in their immediate and extended family played an instrument, and every time their family got together while they were growing up, they made music and sang. I joked with them that every time my family got together when I was growing up, we complained. Then I asked, "That's a form of singing, isn't it?"
We have been united as one body by the Holy Spirit. He wants us to make music together as a family and lift up our praises with one voice. He empowers us to maintain the unity and peace He initiated among us in the first place. Petty arguments and selfish ambition shouldn't come between believers who have been bound together by the Spirit.
How many arguments have you ever engaged in over the course of your life that were actually about something important? The truth is that in life, in marriage, and in the church, most arguments are over issues that have no eternal significance, but the devil is happy to use these petty things to divide believers who were previously living in peace.
We're invited to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit. Not eager to divide, but eager to come together. Eager to walk in the Spirit and not be outwitted by the evil one.
IV. Reflect the heart of God and the plan of God in how you function as a family
“ “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.””
There are two perspectives toward unity that I frequently hear discussed. One perspective teaches a form of unity at the cost of truth, while the other teaches that true unity can only be obtained when it's anchored in truth.
In these verses, Paul speaks of the great theological truths that our unity is anchored in, and he repeatedly uses the word "one" to drive that point home.
There is one body, not many bodies. This is his way of saying that in the eyes of God, there is one church, not many splintered churches.
There is one Holy Spirit who lives within all believers and binds us to one another.
There is one hope, the hope of the gospel. Our singular hope is in Jesus Christ through whom true life is found.
There is one Lord, Jesus Christ, and one faith of which He is the cornerstone.
There is one baptism. At the moment of our salvation, we are spiritually baptized by the Spirit. (1 Cor. 12:13) Water baptism is the outward picture of the baptism referenced here.
There is one God and Father over, through, and in all believers.
Our God is a God of order, and He desires that we, His children, reflect both His heart and His plan as we function together as family. The unity that we're blessed with isn't a shallow unity that overlooks glaring issues. It's a unity that acknowledges the nature of God, the purpose of the church, and the manner in which the Lord has designed His body to operate. When a family is united, it's powerful, and it gets things done.
A few months ago, I got a call from one of my sons. He said, "Dad, I'm on the side of the road and I'm not sure what to do. My car stopped running and I'm stuck." Once he described where he was, I sent a tow truck. It arrived quickly, and brought him and his car back to our house. Based on what the car did, I realized his alternator called it quits, so I called my other son and said, "I'm in the process of getting your brother's car towed home, would you be willing to pick up an alternator for him and help him install it."
Within three hours of that car breaking down, it was up and running again. My son said to me later that night, "That right there is a great example of the power of family. I was stuck on the side of the road, and within minutes you guys sprung into action, got my car back home, picked up the parts I needed, and repaired it. All I had to do to get that in motion was make a phone call."
In a very real way, I think that's a picture of what the Lord wants to see taking place in the church. We call on Him, He unites us as family, we share a common hope, and aim toward a common objective. We take breaks from our own concerns to meet one another's needs, and we do so to give glory to Christ through whom we find salvation.
© John Stange, 2021
