The Holy Spirit’s had me preaching to my congregation about commitment, responsibility, and accountability to the local church as of late. One key aspect of these messages relates to what Jesus said:
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”
– Luke 14:26-27
That was Jesus’ way of saying there are sacrifices to be made that will require very real pain and suffering from His disciples (consider His own life as our prototype – ala Hebrews 12:2). In fact, before we even begin to understand the implications of being a child of God, under the just and righteous hand of our Father in Heaven, we must “strive [Greek agonizomai – root for “agonize” in English] to enter through the narrow gate” (Luke 13:24). In other words, even salvation itself implies a struggle against sin’s desire to keep on living selfishly (ref: Luke 14:25-33).
Hold that thought…
I recall playing football as a kid while going through a growth spurt. It was my knees that were suffering the most and I was a running back, so I landed on my knees a lot when tackled. The practice field was dirt but felt as hard as cement. I remember wanting to cry at times during difficult practices – the repetitive pounding was agonizing.
Disclaimer: according to the Mayo Clinic, the term “growing pains” is a misnomer, “Although these pains are called growing pains, there’s no evidence that growth hurts.” – Mayoclinic.org. Whatever the source of this pain is, I’ll forever call it “growing pains” (like most people do) because it only arose and then dissipated during my late pre-pubescent phase of life.
As I sat in my church listening to a message from the pulpit recently (Part 4 – Commitment, Responsibility, and Accountability To the Local Church), we read the following passage which made me think about my growing pains as a kid and also those of the local assembly.
Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
– Colossians 2:16-19
As the pastor, I’ve had a front row seat to this very thing. It’s been phenomenal to see God’s handiwork, albeit painful at times, and I don’t’ expect a let-up anytime soon. When v19 is applied to a community like a local assembly, one can’t help but consider how as God sanctifies the individuals, there is often resultant spiritual “growing pains” experienced in the Body of Christ. I can see it.
We are all called to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), of course, for both the sake of each other as well as the larger organism, the Church.
We are to respond when one member is “out of joint”. A local church is the perfect place for this type of accountability to manifest. We must be trained, though, to discern and react to a variety of situations, so the good Lord has given us His Spirit to enable spiritual gifts for the sake of building each other up. The end goal is to bring glory to Him. We are blessed in the process as we are built up in love along the way.
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 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.
But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
– Ephesians 4:1-16
A local assembly is a grace gift from God and we each have a role to play (1 Corinthians 12). We bring our own spiritual gifts to bear, that’s our responsibility to God, the Giver. We are also called to hold each other accountable, as members of Christ’s Body (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 3:13). We must all be committed to these things to bring glory to God, for even the angels are watching (1 Peter 1:12). While this may be painful at times (we are to expect it), that should never dissuade us. In fact, it ought to rightly motivate us, knowing that God uses suffering to sanctify us (Romans 5:3-5)!
Growing pains are a good thing – they imply growth. Let us embrace this as members of our own local assembly, doubling down on seeing God’s grace shine through our community.
Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
– Matthew 5:16
Love in Christ,
Ed Collins