Continuing with our series “Let’s get our Act together” aimed at bringing about “Sound and effective church leadership for general church growth”, after “Capture” and “Nurture” activities, let’s focus on two other important facets of Early Church , which we can “weld” into our Church programs:
1. Suture: This was a socio-spiritual activity perfected by leaders such as Dorcas of Joppa (Acts 9:36-41) who would take care of the poor and needy, “suturing” up their emotional wounds (of being left alone to fend for themselves in this cruel world), besides sewing clothes for them (the needle factor is common)!
Paul also exhorts the Church leadership in the matter of taking care of old, helpless widows (1 Tim 5:5). Nothing quite like communicating the Gospel through Christ-like agape love! Brother and Sister, tell me when were your Church funds last diverted for this purpose? Remember a certain Mother Teresa…
Do not the Christian hospitals and schools in India stand as a silent testimony to the untiring efforts of foreign Christian missionaries in “suturing up” the “wounds” of our society caused sadly by social cancers such as casteism? Needless to say, the Church’s social efforts (to be done with pure agape love) at any point of time shouldn’t compete with its main spiritual goals, but only complement them.
2. Rapture: In all, there are only three doctrines in Christianity. The doctrine of Justification (where a sinner welcomes the Saviour into his life), the one of sanctification (where the saved sinner starts growing into Christ-likeness) and Glorification (when Christ would come to take believers home, coinciding with the rapture moment). Weaving together these three foundational doctrines into the tapestry of a one-liner, it has been remarked, that “if Justification makes us light, Sanctification bright, then that of Glorification should make us sprite.” How true! But is imminent rapture (signs are abounding like the recent Tsunami in Japan –Luke 21:25 NTL), really making us sprite, meaning vivacious or passionate! Or are we still in the cozy cocoons of passivity borne out of earthly near-sightedness? The Early Church leadership concentrated as much on the doctrine of Glorification (Church rapture – I Cor 15:51-52/I Thess 4:15-18) as they did on the other 2 doctrines of Justification and Sanctification, so much so that the Early Christians greeted one another with the words “MARANATHA” (I Cor 16:22) meaning “Come soon, Lord Jesus“! Is it time, the salutation “MARANATHA” returned to the Church fold?
Coming back to Early Church leadership, oh what a challenge to the contemporary leadership. It has been said jocularly that Christian leaders of the modern era spend most of the time in Church functions involving hatching (birthdays), matching (marriage) and dispatching (funeral) activities, at a time they should be canalizing all their resources in capture, nurture, suture and (teaching) Rapture business.
Prayer: Father, make Church Leaders realize that their flock should be equipped in Word and Spirit to effective in the area of evangelism. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
In the last part of the series, we will focus on how to bring all of this about. Please join us next week for SOUND AND EFFECTIVE CHURCH LEADERSHIP FOR CHURCH GROWTH, Part 4: The Recipe for Success
Suresh Manoharan
(To access the entire “Sound and Effective Church Leadership” mini-series, please click here.)