One task to which Jesus is calling us as Christians is to
build up our churches. Right now, our churches are generally nothing more than
a loose association of individuals who gather together on Sundays for an hour
of pleasantries before leaving and forgetting about everyone else for another
week. These companions of our community are not relatives, friends, neighbors,
or colleagues. In effect, they’re nobodies.
In rich contrast to this, Jesus calls each church to be
nothing less than his alternative society and culture. He wants us to be the provisional
representatives of the Kingdom of Heaven right now already on Earth. Do people
want a taste of life in the age to come? Do they want some assurance there even
is an age to come? Do they want to experience what freedom, truth, love, and
vitality are really like? Do we? Then let us respond with gratitude to the gracious
call of Jesus to live together as witnesses to him.
