The Faith is Never Alone

I’ve come to the conclusion that the Christian faith cannot be practiced alone. It’s impossible. In our “personal relationship with Jesus” individualistic culture, that seems anathema, but you just won’t find that kind of individualism in the Bible.

The First Problem

The problems begin in Eden when Adam & Eve decide to go their own way, which isolates them and is expressed in trying to hide from God. They should’ve known. Of all people, they should’ve known! The first lesson taught to a human being is, “It’s not good for man to be alone.” That should clue us into the importance of the community of faith. When David is alone instead of out with his soldiers, he gets into trouble. Peter and Judas fail when by themselves. Time and again, those who try to live out their faith alone run into trouble.

On the other hand, God emphasizes that we’re not alone. His message to Elijah isn’t so much, “I’m with you,” but, “Thousands are with you.” Even Elisha finds companionship during a famine serving in a widow’s house in Zarephath. Paul reminds us repeatedly that we are the body of Christ, that we need each other. And there’s nothing alive or beautiful about a bunch of disconnected body parts.

Good or Essential?

But that just means that community is good, right? Not that it’s necessary for faith to function, right?

The commandments are given to us to show us how to live out our faith, how faith happens in real life, not just in theory. And what are the most important commandments, and actually the summary of the commandments? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” We know why we do that. We love because God first loved us. But how do we do that? What does this mean? “Whenever you do this for the least of My brothers, you did it for Me.” Loving God is expressed by loving our neighbors. As Luther said, “God does not need your good works, but your neighbor does.” Of course, that’s why “The second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself.” Because that’s how we love God, but that’s also how we experience God’s love first hand. Jesus was alone (forsaken by God and abandoned by His disciples) for us on the cross so we’d never have to be alone, so why would we choose that from which He set us free?!

What about private worship?

But don’t we live out our faith through worship? Gathered (AKA “Corporate” from “corpus” = “body”) worship expresses love for God, but it loves God by the act of gathering together in His forgiveness and love. The love happens when others are strengthened by our presence, and we are strengthened by theirs. The Word and Sacraments provide the context, the love that God gives to us that we gather around and in. Private worship is primarily self-benefiting unless we’re praying for others, but that’s an inherent connection with others. That’s not to say private worship (singing, praying, devotional reading, etc.) aren’t good—they’re just for our benefit until the benefits we receive are used to bless others (like offering an insight gained to someone else or being strong for others because your faith has already been strengthened).

The Christian faith is centered in love. Faith, hope, and love are 3 sides of the same coin (sic). And the greatest of these is love, because faith and hope are centered in love, God’s love for us, but are expressed in our acts of love for God through our acts of love for our neighbor.

If I’m alone, does that mean I’m not a Christian?

Does this mean that a sole Christian cannot have faith in the absence of other Christians? Of course not! That faith is practiced by acts of love for others, Christian or not. That faith originates from God’s love for us, so never confuse source and practice. Even a Christian alone on a deserted island is in community by praying for others even in a hopeless situation. By faith, we’re able to look outside of our circumstances, no matter how dire, trusting God for both our needs and the needs of others. Even the Christian alone on her deathbed inherently expresses her faith to those around her by her peace and longing for God’s presence, whereas the Christian alone on his deathbed with nobody around can still have faith, but can’t practice it besides what evidence of that faith will be left for others to find afterward.

The implications of this go beyond a simple blog post, but they flow into every aspect of life. Worship in all its forms is beneficial alone but finds its fulfillment in gathering. Interactions with others are acts of worship as we show love to them. It’s not good to be alone (even us introverts), so seek connections as you live out your callings, thus strengthening each other. Love God with all you are—visibly and sacrificially—because that’s how He loved and loves you.

Be a raving fan publicly but an honest critic privately

Image by GlacierTim via Flickr

Originally written for Shepherd of the Ridge Lutheran Church, apply these ideas to your local context.

In our marriage, we have a rule: We present unity in public. If I have a complaint about my wife or vice versa, we discuss that with each other, but we don’t share those complaints publicly. Why? Because we never want to suggest to others that we’re unhappy in our marriage and want out. Since I work with all kinds of people from different backgrounds and often in emotionally vulnerable situations, we want our marriage’s message to the world to say, “We’re united and not looking for something else.” But if we never discussed our differences with each other, we’d both be frustrated.

Andy Stanley, church leadership guru, said recently, “Be a raving fan publicly but an honest critic privately.” Jesus said something similar (Matthew 18:15-17). It’s through criticism that we grow and improve. If something needs doing and isn’t being done, then those responsible need to know, since they probably don’t or might appreciate a reminder.

If you would like to suggest how we could improve, we’re always open to new ideas, and we welcome all ideas. And no idea is a bad idea. We may not be able to use it, or we may need to wait with it or change it, but any idea is welcome, even if it’s drastically different from what we’re used to. It may spark a completely different creative thought along the way!
I do have two requests along this line, though.

No anonymous requests. If it’s your idea or concern, take the credit. We may need to check back with you for clarification.
Go to the source. If you have a concern or idea related to the property, talk to the Trustees. If you have thoughts about the youth, talk to the youth leaders. If I say something that gets your hackles up, come talk to me. I promise not to throw a Bible at you and will take your thoughts to heart.

But in public, be a raving fan. Find the things here that excite you, and talk about them. If a sermon or service touches your heart, tell your friends about it. Talk about it at work or during your haircut. Send them a link to the audio if you’re online, or “share” it on Facebook. Invite a friend to an event that you’re looking forward to. Come up with a new idea how to share your excitement. The Gospel is too important to let personal egos or pet projects get in the way of saving souls.

We have eternal life given as a free gift! How cool is that?!

Your Secret Responsibilities

Originally written for Shepherd of the Ridge Lutheran Church, apply these ideas to your local context.

OK, everyone, as a member of Shepherd of the Ridge, has certain responsibilities: Worship, Bible study, taking care of your family, and that whole 10 Commandments thing. But did you know that, as an (all too often secret) agent in God’s army, you have secret responsibilities?

In his blog, church leadership guru Nelson Searcy suggests that every church member, when attending worship, have a set of responsibilities to accommodate guests. Borrowing from his list, here’s my custom list for Shepherd of the Ridge members:

Fill out the pew pad and offer it to anyone else in your seat: This helps us make sure nobody “slips through the cracks” if they haven’t been here for a while. It also encourages guests to fill it out, since they’re not being singled out. (Being a smaller church, they already feel exposed.)
Sit toward the middle of the pew instead of at the aisle. (If you have trouble walking due to a medical condition, I’ll excuse you from this one, not doctor’s excuse required.) This allows guests to easily find a place to sit.
When you see someone you don’t know, introduce yourself. If you think they may be members, but either you or they haven’t been to church in a while (or you just haven’t had a chance to talk to them before), “Hi, I’m <name>, but I’m not sure we’ve met,” works. In a smaller church where “everyone knows everyone (not true, but that’s the perception),” guests want to know that they won’t be excluded.
This may sound obvious, but when you talk to guests, invite them back. There’s a reason the kid at McDonald’s says, “Thanks. Come again.” He doesn’t care, but he’s been instructed to say that. It plants the idea. We actually do care, and we want people to know that they are welcome here unconditionally.
If you request a prayer before the service, be loud enough that everyone, not just the pastor, can hear you. People care and want to know whom they’re praying for.

Is God going to strike you down if you sit by the aisle? Nope. He loves you. But He also wants you to love your neighbor as yourself, and that means making personal sacrifices for others.

We sometimes talk about assimilating guests and new members, that is making them more like us. That’s not our job and is, honestly, selfish. We should accommodate guests and new members, making (pretty small, really) sacrifices to make them feel comfortable and welcome.

So next time you come (and we want you to come back, too!), keep these suggestions in mind. If you have other suggestions, feel free to leave a comment.