body shot

The church as a whole remains imperfect.

Local bodies are equally imperfect.

And yet, Christ has seen fit for His church to be the means by which His gospel continually goes forth and the Kingdom of God advances. Even with her flaws, Christ works in and through His church to accomplish His perfect purposes.

On Sunday morning, I was reminded of the beauty contained within the Christ's bride. On my way out, I was pulled aside by a dear sister whom I have grown to admire just in the last year. She wanted to talk about something involving a project the two of us were involved in last month. When that short conversation ended she grabbed my hand, held onto it, and asked "how are you?"

I include the part about grabbing my hand, because it was critical for my response. Normally, I would do what everyone else does and offer a disengaged "fine" or some other phrase to simply keep everyone moving along. But her subtle move made that altogether impossible. Throwing in her ability to accurately read people, and it is safe to say I was doomed.

And so I shared with her how last week was a surprisingly refreshing week. God faithfully provided working hours to me each and every day. But more importantly, my soul was finding nourishment. I explained to her how seminary makes it extremely easy to minimize God to a subject of academic study. When this happens, everything becomes dry. The Bible is a textbook, prayer is a means of assessment, and fellowship is sacrificed. I told her that was the constant wrestling match over the past year. Some weeks were good, while others were famine and drought. I shared how God was faithfully wooing me unto Himself through the very things I had previously abandoned. His Word was satisfying. Prayer was rich. Fellowship sweet. Even with such a blessed week, Saturday and Sunday morning seemed wasteland-like once again. The match I was (and am) in was not finished. It had only moved on to the next round.

All the while I was sharing this my dear sister listened, rubbed my hand, and displayed her love for me. When I finished she had no advice or "Christianese" cliches to offer me. It turned out she offered no counsel whatsoever. She simply said "thank you for sharing," gave me a hug, and became excited in knowing how she could specifically be praying for me. Then she went into some things she was wrestling with so that I could know how to uphold her before the throne of grace.

That exchange was what I needed most yesterday morning. God showed me how much His people are going to play an active role in my refreshment and renewal over the next few months. Time in His Word and communing with Him will be vital, but so will engaging with His people around me. And that is what the church is for. I could have kept to myself when she asked, but (thankfully) the Spirit moved me to share. As a result, I received exactly what I needed AND a vivid picture of the beauty of God's people when they engage with one another as God's people.