growth

The wee girl is constantly growing!

A quick run down the road to Shrewsbury - and back again! - at the end of last week afforded the chance to see little Isla, now six months old. The difference in less than a month at this sort of age is always quite remarkable.

It's a joy to watch her grow. It quite takes my breath away. And not the least of the growth which so delights my heart is her growing recognition of her family. The warmth of her smile would melt the polar ice cap!

I understand full well why the Lord takes such pleasure in seeing real growth in our lives.

We're meant to grow. The exhortations abound.

".. make every effort to add to your faith.."

".. grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour jesus Christ."

All the gifts which Christ has bestowed on his church, not least in the realm of teaching and pastoral work, are designed to ensure that in all things we "grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ."

And all the energy that is poured into proclaiming Christ and the subsequent "admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom" has one great end in view, "that we may present everyone perfect (mature) in Christ."

We're meant to grow. We're exhorted to grow. And the whole of the life and ministry of the church of Jesus Christ is geared to promoting and cultivating just that growth.

A growth which will one day be completed when we are finally conformed, according to God's great purpose, into the likeness of Christ.

Much of my day today has been centred around this theme. Not least a lengthy session this afternoon in regard to our roll of members and the extent of our pastoral oversight.

There's a lot of hard work required in this regard. And a lot of hard thinking that's still to be done as we seek to become the church God means us to be.

Membership is important. And I fear that our thinking and practice has become a little bit wooly in this respect. We haven't quite seen the importance and significance that membership actually has in the purpose and work of God.

Our membership of a local congregation is the way in which we give clear and public expression to the fact that we have crossed into the kingdom of God's beloved Son and acknowledged his lordship over our lives.

We cease to be 'free agents', doing our own thing, pursuing our own agenda, and effectively remaining as masters of our own fates.

We submit to the lordship of Christ as that is expressed in the pastoral authority given by him to his church. That's why we're always exhorted to "obey your leaders and submit to their authority": they are tasked, through their teaching and pastoral work, to apply the lordship of Jesus to the lives of his people.

"They watch over you as men who must give an account." It's an onerous burden laid upon their shoulders, for sure. The Lord has given to them the authority to speak and to act in his name, and to bring to bear the grace of his ultimate lordship over their lives.

By that deliberate membership of a local congregation we consciously and publicly own the lordship of Jesus, by submitting to the authority of the church.

I fear that too often this biblical truth has been largely lost sight of by many, perhaps even most, of those who have come into membership.

"Today, we don't believe that authority belongs to the church; it belongs to the consumer who asserts his rule through his presence and pocketbook. Instead of calling consumers to submit to the lordship of Christ, the church does all it can to cater to the consumer. The preacher pulls up a stool and plays the comedian. The minister of music closes his eyes, leans back, and lays into a guitar riff. The church 'audience' is delighted - for a while.

".. We've been carried away by culture. More than we realise, we view ourselves as independent agents charged with determining how best to grow, serve, and love in the faith. Yes, we may listen to others, defer to others, and accept guidance from others, but in the final analysis we view ourselves as our own coaches, portfolio managers, guides, judges, and the captains of our own ships in a manner that is more cultural than biblical. In short an underdeveloped theology conspires with our anti-authority and individualistic instincts to deceive us into claiming that we love all Christians everywhere equally while excusing ourselves from loving any of those Christians specifically, especially submissively. Unsurprisingly, churches are shallow, Christians are weak, and God's people look like the world."

Jonathan Leeman,

'The Church and the Surprising Offense of God's Love'

The man's on the button.

Every member has the right to expect and look for pastoral oversight. And it's our responsibility as leaders to ensure that such oversight is in place.

But in exercising that pastoral oversight, every pastor has the right to expect a commitment to grow on the part of those being pastored, and a readiness to give expression to the lordship of Jesus over their lives in their submitting to the pastoral lead that the pastor affords.

Which may involve guidance, instruction, reproof and correction, encouragement, challenge and care. Growth doesn't happen by magic. Getting fit involves some sweat. Physiotherapists are not by any means that popular.

We want to secure such growth among God's people here. God wants to see such growth among his people here.

We were working through this afternoon to try and set that all in place. It's a slow and arduous process!

And at night there was more of the actual pastoral work. Working again with a couple to help them grow in Christ.

They came to faith some time ago. Submitted their lives to the lordship of Jesus. But there's loads they have to work through.

Like Isla, they've grown. Remarkably so. But it doesn't come cheap. There's an investment of time that's required on both their parts and mine.

When the Scriptures exhort us to "obey your leaders and submit to their authority," that's not a mandate for any sort of dictatorial rule. I don't go in and boss them around. They submit to my authority by working through with me the issues that they're struggling with and taking both the comfort and the challenge of my words and my perspective as being in truth imparted in the very name of Christ.

I am watching over them as a man "who must give an account."

I'm conscious of that. I'm aware of the huge responsibility. I'm aware of the need to be closely in touch with the Lord, to be handling his Word with a careful, informed sort of wisdom, to be prayerfully discerning the promptings the Spirit is giving.

This is pastoral work. Shaping the lives of those who've acknowledged the lordship of Jesus and fashioning out of those lives the likeness of Jesus as well. Securing their genuine growth, to the glory of God.

It's time-consuming, costly, and it calls for Christ-like sacrifice. But it's humbling, moving, thrilling work: and I marvel at the grace of God which gives to me the privilege of exercising just this sort of ministry each day.

"Christian life and growth occur upon the humming energy field of the church's authority, because that authority energises life. If we pull ourselves out from under the umbrella of the local church's authority, we remove ourselves from God's ordained means of growth."

[Jonathan Leeman]