8 Signs of a Healthy Ecclesia – Part 4
June 5, 2005
Dear Friends:
Sign #7 – Ability to Handle Problems: The Bible is full of godly counsel on how to handle ecclesial problems. Most of the epistles are written to address first century problems and thus provide an outstanding template for us today. A healthy ecclesia will address problems head on. Many times they will anticipate problems before they make themselves known and practice preventative measures. An unhealthy ecclesia refuses to address problems. Many times they refuse to acknowledge that they exist or simply sweep them under the carpet.
The ecclesia at Corinth was just such an ecclesia. They had schisms. They had brethren who thought the resurrection was past. They had a brother who was openly engaged in illicit sexual relations. Paul wrote to them asking them to address these problems. However it begs the question why they didn’t address them without Paul asking them to do so. There is ample testimony why the Corinthian brethren didn’t address their problems. The main reason is that they were lacking in our first two principles – truth and love. They were torn by schism and false teaching. Their wealth and pride precluded them making an honest self-assessment. You can’t fix a problem you can’t accurately identify.
The history of Israel and the ecclesia has shown time and time again that problems unaddressed in a Biblical manner seldom go away on their own. If left unaddressed, they fester and ooze into other areas of ecclesial life.
It is not just the willingness to handle problems that is key here, it is going about fixing them in a Biblical and spiritual manner. To do so requires spiritual leadership on the part of the elders. The book of Titus is the perfect example of the need for wise ecclesial elders. Crete was an island full of problems. Paul sent Titus to do two things. Paul says “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city.” (Titus 1:5) He then sets forth the qualifications of these men. It is extraordinarily important to have strong ecclesial leadership when it comes to addressing problems. Spiritual men fix problems spiritually. Carnal men fix problems carnally. The list of the fruit of the spirit and the works of the flesh in Galatians 5 help us distinguish between the two.
Sign #8 – Personal Responsibility: The last sign of a healthy ecclesia is the fact that the members are taught to accept personal responsibility for their individual roles.
Our society has all but forgotten the importance of personal responsibility and accountability. The United States is so bad, we should change the national motto from “In God we trust” to “It’s not my fault.” This is not so in a healthy ecclesia. Individual brothers and sisters accept responsibility for the way their ecclesia performs, for their sins, for the personal spirituality, for their choice and their feelings. They refuse to play the “blame game” instead preferring to focus on their contribution and solutions.
An ecclesia is in some ways like a sports team. Each individual athlete is responsible for their own personal conditioning, skill level and preparation. However, when it comes to game time, the better teams lose their individualism and instead work together as a team. Likewise, in a healthy ecclesia, the individual will focus on making themselves the best brother or sister they can be by taking personal responsibility for their role and in diligent preparation. However, when we come together, we lose our self in the desire for the greater ecclesial good. In this way, the ecclesia accurately represents the unity and purpose that Christ intended when he prayed to his Father as follows:
“Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth. As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth. I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me.” (John 17:17-23)
May God bless us with healthy ecclesias so that the world may know that God sent Jesus to bring us peace and truth.
Have a great week!
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