When Jesus called his disciples, he didn’t call them to a set of beliefs, or a standard of behavior, or a philosophical discussion. He called them to relationship. He called them to follow.
How difficult we’ve made the Christian life. Behave this way, dress that way, follow these rules, etc. All of which in and of themselves may be good. But Jesus actually reprimanded those who imposed their man-made rules on others. He called folks to get to know him. He invited even those who were very unlike him to fellowship with him. He called them to relationship.
All of scripture talks about how God desires relationship. What happened in the Garden of Eden was all about relationship. What happened with Abraham and Moses was all about relationship. In fact, try to find one story in the Bible that is NOT about relationship. You won’t find one.
And Jesus made it clear to Peter, that unless he (Peter) allowed him (Jesus) to serve him, there would be no relationship. (See John 13:8-9)
When you think about it, all we really have is relationship. All our earthly possessions will be lost to us in the end. All we truly possess is relationships.
What does that say to us about our ministry? It’s not about having a slick lesson. It’s not about having the latest video graphics, it’s not about having the hottest games. It’s not about having the best logic and systematic theology. It’s not about having the greatest preaching. Or the best coffee. It’s about letting kids and adults know that we care about them. That happens best in relationship.
I think this has profound implications on how we do ministry. It says so much about how we provide places for people to connect; in large group settings (worship) and small group setting (lobby or foyer environments) and in small groups (classrooms and homes). How more effective it would be to develop friendships and trust over a meal before we even present our case for Christ? How much more people might be willing to listen to us, if we had a relationship with them. This raises questions for us on our ability to connect and our willingness to include those who are traditionally “outside” our circle.
Would Jesus do church like we do it? I think that question makes us uncomfortable, because we have so much invested in the way we do presently do church. Are we capable of using the buildings in which we’ve invested so much to help people connect with each other, and ultimately to God? Are we willing to allow relationships to develop with those “outside” while the boundary between belonging and not-belonging grows fuzzy and gray? (That question may need more explanation–at a later time!)
What would Jesus do with our church buildings? Would he use them in the same way we do? I don’t know. One thing I know for sure. He would put relationships above the building. He would cherish friendship over liturgy. And he would value connection over carpet.
