A Fresh Take on Storms

I really love the church. If you are around me any at all you know that. I am quick to remind Christians who knock the church that she is the bride of Jesus and He describes her as glorious and without spot or blemish. We have enough opposition from the gates of hell. We don’t need to become our own enemies. Jesus taught us that a house divided will not stand, yet He is building a church that stands against all odds. Today, as I was praying, I felt the Holy Spirit explained some of the “anti-Church” sentiment to me.

When I say “anti-Church” I am talking about Christians who would find themselves saying things like:
o I don’t like big gatherings.
o I don’t like the politics of the local church.
o We need to get outside the walls. (insinuating that those who gather in the large gatherings never leave the building)
o I’m just going to attend. It gets too complicated when you get involved.

It’s not that those who say these things are “anti-Church” at all; they just don’t like the tension of working through relational dynamics with multiple people having multiple ideas and opinions. Sure, initially we may get things done faster, maybe even better, on our own. But the impact, the sustainable influence, is not there unless we do it as “church”-as a community of believers gathered together around a mission.

Jesus could have done it better and faster on His own, but He chose to work through the messiness and discomfort of multiple relationships with people who each had their own idea of how it should be done. Why? Because He wasn’t just trying to get people to Heaven, He wanted to establish a sustainable influence in the earth! He wanted the world to experience the life of God here. The only way that could be accomplished and sustained through the ages was through a community of faith—the church.

Group dynamics teach us that whenever two or more people come together four things always happen: Form, Storm, Norm and Perform. We don’t mind the Form and Norm parts, and we love the Perform parts. It’s the Storm part that throws us. As humans we respond to the tension of storming with one of two choices, fight or flight. Those I am describing as “anti-church” have chosen the flight option. It is easier to just disengage and do it on our own. The problem is we miss real creativity chances when we won’t stay for the fight. Read Genesis One. God’s creation of the earth was in a storm atmosphere—note: “without form and void.” As we muddle through the storming of relationships, we learn empowering Tree of Life principles that release the life of God on the earth. Our lives become richer and more satisfying (John 10:10). Others are drawn to us because of the Life of God released in the relationship and the dynamics start again! More storming, more tension, more creativity which releases more of the Life of God and draws more people so we can do it again! Don’t run from the discomfort. Don’t join the refugees who stand on the outside avoiding the storm and missing out on the perform. Do what God told Joshua—Be strong and of good courage. Be strong—use the things you are good at and gifted to do. Be of good courage—don’t be afraid of those things that scare you, that you dislike or that make you uncomfortable. It takes both strength and courage to take the land!

The church, worldwide and locally, is God’s plan for this world. She needs you and you need her. Get in there and do life together. Wade through the muck and grime and you’ll find the gold and diamonds. We’ll build influence for God’s Kingdom that will be sustained long after we are gone.