One

“…for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free,

there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

~ Galatians 3.26-28

Each week in my sermon work, prep and delivery, I’m convicted of many things. This past week probably more than usual. As we looked at Galatians 3.19-29 this past Sunday we saw how the Gospel answers the question of verse 21, “is the law contrary to the promises of God?” – that the substitutionary death of Jesus, in our place, is the only thing that can bring together law and love. This is good, but what should really convict us is what Paul brings forward next: having received this Good News and being baptized into Christ, being in Christ, we are…one.

I’m thankful that in our church we have a diversity of people, with a diversity of beliefs and backgrounds, yet we recognize both our oneness in Christ, and we have a growing understanding of the one Gospel.

So, what’s to be convicted about?

Mark Driscoll, in his book Vintage Church, lists eight characters of a true church. They are:

1. Regenerated church membership
2. Qualified leadership
3. Preaching and worship
4. Rightly administered sacraments
5. Spirit unity
6. Holiness
7. The Great Commandment to Love
8. The Great Commission to evangelize and make disciples

While I think we can see all of these, to some extent – and to a growing extent – what I would like to see more of is our ability, as a church – one full body – to do ministry in our church and in our city (number 7 and 8 above).

The apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians uses the same imagery from Sunday’s text in chapter 12, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” Of course the context of Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 12 is of Spiritual Gifts, and the context of Spiritual Gifts is ministry – both to the church, Love, and through the church, Mission. Paul’s point, and my conviction (and what I’m convicted of) is that the church is to function as one body for the purpose of (as Driscoll says above) fulfilling the Great Commandment to love (John 13.34-35) and the Great Commission to evangelize and make disciples (Matthew 28.18-20).

As a new church we’ve already had some wonderful successes (and some not so wonderful failures). One of the things that I am most pleased and excited about is that our vision of being a church that sees people come to New Life through the Gospel, becomes a Community by the Gospel, and a church that does Life Together for the Gospel is that that vision has, and is, going from your heads and your hearts, and for some of you, to your hands – theory is becoming practical, theology is becoming experiential – we’re turning into a working church.

So our question this week is, “How do we do more practical ministry, both to each other in Love, and to our city in Mission?”

We’re a small enough church that we can begin to accomplish probably all of the ministry dreams that you might have. So, what do you want to do? What do you want to begin? How, as a unified church, can we move in ministry as one body?

Thoughts?