As COVID-19 restrictions ease and Christians have greater opportunities to get back together–not just virtually, but physically–some fear that many will not return to their local gatherings.
What are we to make of this?!
Returning to our studies in 1 Peter, we “stumble upon” (pun intended) a timely teaching about how Christians are “living stones,” connected bodies comprising the local church.
The passage is 1 Peter 2:4-8 and we have been learning what it has to teach us about experiencing ongoing spiritual renewal in Christ. We learned first that Christians must continually come to Christ, not just approaching Him at the moment of initial saving faith, but continually; continually approaching Him the way an athlete continually approaches the water cooler during a grueling workout.
Yet we don’t come to Christ merely to “soak in all the goodness” for ourselves. We must then live for Christ on the strength of what He provides. We live not for ourselves, but for others:
you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (verse 5)
Peter says to his readers, “You all (the church) are a living temple. It’s like each of you is a stone in the temple, but you are a living stone.”
Each of us who is a Christian is a little “living stone” joined together to the big Living Stone–Jesus Christ. We are living stones because we have died to the old way of life, and have been born again, raised to walk in a new way of life (Romans 6:2-4).
So Peter says, “You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house.” Peter’s talking about the church here.
A stone by itself is not a building.
A stone needs other stones to be a building. And the stones need a Chief cornerstone to be a sound building. So a stone by itself is not a building in the same way a Christian by himself is not a church.
We must remember that the church is made up of people. The church is not made up of dead bricks and stones. The church is composed of living stones, living people.
The building where Christians gather is not the church. The building is simply the structure where the church gathers. The church herself is the people of God, living stones coming together for worship.
So here is an important reminder: Just as a stone by itself not a building, so a living stone by itself is not the church.
A living stone needs other living stones. We need other people. We are relational beings who come together as living stones connected one to another, each of us connected to the main, Living Stone, the Chief Cornerstone, Jesus Christ.
The idea that one can be a thriving Christian by separating himself or herself from others is unbiblical. To voluntarily stay at home rather than coming together as the body of Christ and uniting together with others as an active member of the body of Christ is wholly unbiblical.
So if you can get back together with brothers and sisters in Christ, get back together!
What About You?
- In what ways is physical worship different from virtual worship?
- Why is it easier to stay home than to gather together with other “living stones?”
- How does the teaching of Hebrews 10:25 inform our understanding of regular, physical gatherings together?
Wordpress Comments: