The ideal Church - thanks Pete!

My friend Pete Grassow - http://rockinthegrass.blogspot.com sent me the following wonderful reflection on the Church based on Eugene Peterson's book "Reversed Thunder". It is a magnificent book (I used it when I taught 3rd year New Testament classes at the University of Pretoria to show how one can interpret the text with integrity whilst clearly and creatively applying the message of the Book of Revelation to contemporary issues and concerns... Frequently the message of Revelation is twisted, missunderstood, and abused through isogesis). Pete's comment comes as a response to a post I wrote last Sunday about the ideal world and Christ's incarnation into a real world to work for its transformation.

Thanks Pete!

The Last Word on Church
John's Revelation (Ch 2 & 3) sees Jesus in the middle of seven churches. This is an image that reminds us that Jesus cannot be seen apart from the listening, praying, believing, worshipping Christian people. Jesus is made visible when the Church is visible.
Of course the enduring problem through history is that this visible church is a very fragile, fearful, fighting organisation. We, the followers of Jesus, are not yet perfect. The choirs of heaven are not reflected in our indifferent singing. The grace-filled love of God is not evident in the selfish bickering of Church members. The compassion of Jesus for the widow / the orphan / the outcast is not easily seen in the religious exclusivity of the Christian Church. For this reason many Godly people choose to nurture their faith anywhere else but in church. And so we would often like to have Jesus, but not the Church of Jesus.
Eugene Petersen notes that "we would prefer to go directly from the awesome vision of Christ (Rev 1) to the glorious ecstasies of heaven (Rev 4:5) and on to the grand, victorious battles against dragon wickedness (Rev 12-14). But we can't do it. ..The only way from Christ to heaven and the battles against sin is through the church" .
Revelation invites us to work within the church for its transformation into something that is God-pleasing. Leaving the church is not an option for a Christ follower ? because Jesus stays in the middle of the seven churches. Hear the call of Jesus to join him in the work he is doing to change the church ? so that we can change the world.

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