by Jesse-John Jabore
I was driving and came upon a minor accident scene where tow truck drivers were gathering and from this sensed the Lord begin to reveal to me a comparison or parallel to the church. The theme of concern was that of competition. It is well known that the ‘towies’ have one intention - to ‘get the job’. To this end they are constantly jockeying for position, manoeuvring, and scheming ‘one-upmanship’. Lost amidst this striving is the motorist who would benefit most from a helping hand extended with a calm approach. When the end is put above the means, the needs of the individual are compromised. The ‘end’ here is mammon (money/pay) - So much so that if the person requiring towing had no money they quickly lose interest, even refusing to help. Most of the community have a dislike, even disdain, regarding this approach.
Comparatively, could this be true of sections of the church. At a time where the suffering, smashed up, and broken down of humanity find themselves needing to be brought safely, and with dignity, to their next destination - thrust upon them is an environment where chaos exists instead of order, competition instead of compliments, and ‘bad mouthing’ instead of endorsement. Unlike the tow truck drivers, the church must operate with a passion that springs forth from a pure motivation. Simply, we’re not to lord it over each other. We have but one LORD!
To address this problem in the community, a stronger authority needs to be set up to minimise the strife and lawlessness. Accordingly, for the church in this dispensation of time, true authority needs to be given it’s rightful place ‘being built on the foundations of the apostles and prophets - Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone’ (Eph 2:20). Only as these ministries are quickly identified and rightly elevated can the fulfilment of Jesus’ words be realised, ‘I will build my Church’ (Matt 16:18).
The question begs asking, “How’s things in your community?”