It’s probably not a popular question or a common question in the modern church today, but how much should the church influence our decisions?
This has been a question I’ve been asking myself with various decisions I’ve had to make recently e.g. where to live, what activities to be part of, what my family schedule will look like, what to do with my money.
To be honest, for most of my life as a Christian these are decisions I’ve made with little consideration for the church. Now as I have grown in an understanding of the importance of the church (and my role in the church), I have started accepting the church as an important part of the decision-making process.
By this I don’t mean that the church will tell me everything I need to do and that I should be controlled by church leadership, but that placing a high priority on church will naturally lead me to make decisions that are greater influenced by my view of church.
This has not always been an easy decision, because I like to make my own decisions based on what I want and when I want it. However, this personal (and selfish) perspective is not keeping in mind an eternal mindset and the sacrificial nature of being a true follower of Christ.
Biblical examples:
The life of the early church shows us an incredibly high value on church. For example, it says in Acts chapter two, verses 42-46 that the first Christians,
“devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers… and all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts.”
From this passage we can understand the early believers chose to spend (or rather give) their money for the benefit of the church and chose to spend their time with the church. This example also suggests they would have chosen to live in areas where they could be part of the church (they met daily) and their schedule was partly dictated by their commitment to the church (of course many of them still worked 6 days a week).
A similar example is given in 2nd Corinthians chapter 8 verses 3-4 when Paul acknowledges the generous giving of the church to other believers in need, even to the point they were going beyond their natural means, “for they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints.” Again, this demonstrates Christians chose to use their finances for the benefit of those in the church, not for extravagant and luxury items and possibly even at the expense of a ‘normal’ lifestyle.
Biblical instructions:
The instructions on the spiritual gifts also highlight the importance of choosing to use time and spiritual gifts for the benefit of the church (see 1 Corinthians 12:7; 1 Peter 4:10). For example, if a believer is gifted with service they are to be good stewards of this gift by giving time, energy, and abilities to serve the church. If someone has the gift of mercy, their responsibility to serve the body of Christ means they should commit to demonstrate mercy to those in need (this may include spending money, time, and using other abilities).
Other instructions throughout the New Testament given to the church also infer a commitment to the church that will influence our decisions. For example, having been instructed to show hospitality (see Romans 12:3; 1 Peter 4:9) we have a responsibility to serve in this capacity and therefore, this may involve using time to host, a house suitable for hosting, spending money for the purpose of hosting. The simple and repeated command to “love one another” is also a responsibility that is practical and therefore should be an influence in the decisions we make about the use of our time, gifts/abilities, and finances.
What did Jesus do?
The greatest example and the ultimate model for living God’s way is Jesus and it doesn’t take much time to think about His devotion to the task God had given Him and the commitment He showed to people.
Briefly, He spent His time with people for kingdom purposes, He didn’t have a place to call home, He prioritized His ‘spiritual family’ over His natural family, He compassionately taught and then fed the 5000 even when He was trying to mourn the death of John the Baptist, and He ministered to the woman at the well even though He was tired and hungry.
Ultimately, in Mark chapter 10, verse 45 tells us, “He did not come to be served but to serve and give His life a ransom for many” (and on the cross He took away the sin of those who would believe in Him. It was His perfect life, His sacrificial death, and His victorious resurrection that has brought His people together into His body (the Church) and we are called to serve Him as head of the Church and our Lord and Saviour.
Therefore, to serve the church, to be devoted to the church, and to allow our decisions to be influenced by the church, is primarily a love and devotion to Christ, because He loves the Church.
Please understand that I’m not advocating for an enslavement to the church that displaces family being a priority and it is necessary we eat and drink and get rest, however maybe the church needs to be higher on the priority list when we think about what we’re going to do, how we’re going to spend our money, where we’re going to live, and more.
And maybe this would also help us prove to the world we are Christ’s followers, because of the love we have for each other (John 13:35)
Genevieve Wilson is Canadian. a happily married home-schooling mum of 3, whose passion is to see people come to know Jesus. She is a seminary wife to her amazing husband.