The other week I was able to spend a couple days working with Rock the Edge during their mission week here in Rock County.
It is an incredible week with students and adults from different churches in Rock County serving their community through different projects. Decks were built, buildings were painted, and over 20 beds were made for people in need of one.
On Wednesday I was privileged to help build some of those beds. What was amazing about that day, besides helping others in need, was how God opened my eyes to the Church while sanding those boards and sawdust covered my clothes.
As I was standing there sanding what seemed to me like an endless amount of wood, to be honest, I felt inclined to stop and look around the shop. As I did, I saw people staining the wood with eagerness to finish every piece with perfection.
I looked and was amazed at the focus and determination of people cutting piece after piece of wood to the exact dimension. I also observed others running around doing what seemed to be small jobs of cleaning up messes that were being created by the vigorous work being done around the shop. At that moment, it hit me. This is the Church.
Yes, I have heard it explained to me (and have even preached!) the church is a body with different members, and we all have a part to play. But the thing about this moment, while sawdust was in the air with loud sounds of machines going in the background, was that I understood the unity of the body that Jesus and Paul talked about. We were all pursuing the same goal: to build these beds.
We didn’t fight over who was doing what or why someone was doing something different from us. It was purely a group of people with one mission and many jobs. No arguments. No pointing fingers. No accusation. It was unity.
The church sucks at unity right now (yes, I said sucks). Globally there are a lot of beautiful things happening and God is doing powerful things in so many people’s lives. But here in the west we have been deceived to think that there is a spiritual gift of yelling at other brothers and sisters. Don’t hear me wrong in this, I’m not promoting universalism where everyone just believes what they believe and we all sing songs around the campfire.
What I am saying is that, with social media at the helm of this, many people continue to criticize, critique and make their living out of yelling or arguing about, in some cases, things that don’t matter at all for the kingdom of God!
And we lose sight of the goal, the kingdom of God and His glory. The devil is standing back watching it and laughing (I hate that), and instead of growing in unity like God called us to, we are crushing our own brothers and sisters. (Not. cool.)
This has to stop. How? I don’t think there is a quick pill to fix it. But I do think that day of building beds in the heat and excitement of helping others could be an example to help us.
May we realign to pursue things bigger than ourselves (the kingdom of God and His glory). Do what God has called us to do and not put others down that are doing something different. Find your actual spiritual gift.
Lastly, encouraging others and build others up in ways that remind us we were called for such a time as this to partner with God in his plan and purposes on this earth. Even if that means we have to be covered with sawdust, it is all worth it.