There’s this crazy idea that the church competes with family.
I grew up as a pastor’s son, so the church was my life. I had plenty of friends, even friends outside of church! And I had fun, as much inside as outside of church. I don’t despise my upbringing, I don’t regret all the things I didn’t get to do, and I don’t ever remember hearing or feeling like the church was in competition with my family.
While margin is critical and establishing boundaries is necessary, this idea that there is a separation between what we do in the church and for the church, and what we do as a family and for our family is, I think, misinformed and misguided.
We are the church. Regardless of who we are or what we do, as Christians we never stop being the church. We are always “doing” church. We live, breathe and move as the church of Jesus Christ. There is no separation between life and church. Our life IS the church.
A person, a marriage, and a family are happier as part of the church. A person, a marriage, and a family are stronger as part of the church. A person, a marriage, and a family have vision and purpose as part of the church. But if we separate ourselves from the church or believe that the church is something we add to our lives or subtract from our lives, we will eventually find our joy being diminished, our strength being depleted, and our purpose being discarded. This isn’t because we find these things in the church, but because we receive these things as the church.
The church doesn’t replace our marriage or our family when we understand that Jesus purchased the church with His precious blood, not so that it would compete with our lives, but so that it could complete our lives.
For example, when Christians give of their time, when they sacrifice their talents, when they become generous with their money, they’re not robbing themselves to give to the church. They don’t lack personally because they belong corporately. They gain! More is added to their lives.
What Jesus wants is to be all in all, but not by pulling you away from your spouse or children. On the contrary, by being a part of a church - by living as the church - we can receive the joy, strength, and life that flows from Jesus Christ to His body. To experience church should be to experience Jesus Christ, and that is something that nothing can compete with.
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