Only with a hammer in your hand.

I had dinner at a Ukrainian Restaurant yesterday with a gentleman from NYU. We got talking about how to be involved in a local church. In light of that conversation, I offer this [probably overextended] metaphor as a meditation.

God is building his Church. You get that in Ephesians and in 1 Corinthians. Paul moves freely between the metaphors of buildings and bodies. But the body grows as each part does its work.

That means that God is building his Church with you. You are a part of it. You are the building, and, under him, you are a builder.

That would mean that you are a living member of a church only if you have a hammer in your hands. Don’t sit around the building site waiting for someone else to get a hammer. You pick your hammer up and you get building:

Attend the building project. Turn up eagerly [not just early]. Work with your team. Don’t get discouraged when seasons make the project falter. Think about what is required for Christ’s Church to grow. Work from Blueprint. Believe in the project. Invite others to be a part of the project. Always speak with the builder.

There is no sitting in the stands watching someone else build that building [“I’m come for the preaching.”] and there no place for cynicism [“They built this all wonky.”]. Since God is the builder of his church, he’ll do it with or without you. It’s better to be a part of it.

Turn up, pick up your hammer, and get building.

Love, Justin.

PS Read this for the words of a person who honestly struggles with his local church.
And also read this for a critique of the critics.