After last week’s study which surveyed the drastic social and cultural changes that have happened in this nation in the last generation, the final instalment in this series challenges us to evaluate our own positions as believers and learn from the actions of the early Church.

Seeing the Spiritual Battle

What we are witnessing today is more than a simple process of social change; it is a deliberate attack upon the biblical concept of revealed truth. In the prologue of John’s Gospel, describing the incarnation of Jesus, John states, “In him was life and that life was the light of men.” He adds, “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” Jesus affirmed this in his teaching. He said, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 1:5 and 3:19).

This is the central dilemma of humanity and why a fundamental change of mindset is needed. Human beings are so conditioned by our physical environment and the pressures of competing for limited resources in the battle for survival, that it is difficult to break through the barrier these pressures create, to perceive the spiritual reality that lies beyond our immediate consciousness.

This spiritual reality is the battle between light and darkness that we have always faced; the age-old battle for truth that can only be won through divine revelation which penetrates the darkness and allows the light to dawn upon us and open up our understanding.

Jesus faced the same dilemma with the religious authorities in his own day, as described in John 8. They repeatedly asked who he was, but they were unable to understand his answer because he was speaking on a different, spiritual plane: “‘Who are you?’ they asked. ‘Just what I have been claiming all along,’ Jesus replied” (John 8:25).

But even Jesus’ own disciples were unable to understand what he was saying. John says that they were unable to understand until after Jesus was glorified – after their experience of the risen Christ and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, which changed their mindset so that they were able to experience the presence of God in a new way. It was the presence of the risen Christ in the company of believers which characterised the early Church and gave them the direction and power to make their witness in the face of violent opposition.

Human beings are so conditioned by our physical environment and worldly pressures that it is difficult to perceive the spiritual reality that lies beyond our immediate consciousness.

How Can We Respond?

All individuals need to experience a turning point in their personal lives when they come to conversion, after which they think differently (the New Testament uses the term ‘metanoia’, meaning a change of mind), but can this principle also become important in communities? What sort of mindset changes do today’s churches need in order to become effective witnesses in our secular society, properly aware of the spiritual dimension of the battles we face?

Having made the case throughout this series for a re-examination of the life and witness of Christians in the early Church (particularly in the Apostolic era), we need to give thought to the application of these biblical truths to our own situations. It will be useful to ask what such a Church would look like in the contemporary secular British social environment. Taking inspiration from the early believers, what are the outstanding characteristics of an ideal 21^st-Century Church?

There will, of course, be no one-size-fits-all method of moving forward towards the ideal (although certainly every member would need to have that direct relationship with God which would enable them to know that the Lord was with them). Instead, principles rather than methods ought to be a priority. Below are just 12 of the identifying principles of a biblical community of believers, as exemplified by the early Church.

The Ideal Ekklesia

1. A spirit of community would replace the spirit of individualism which would cease to be self-glorifying but would glorify God and be used for the good of the whole. There would be an emphasis upon belonging to and needing each other. The spirit of ‘koinonia’ would be operating throughout, creating meaningful new communities of believers. No longer would Christians try to do things in their own strength, but they would negate self and operate in the power of the Lord by staying close to him and doing all that he wants.
   
2. All thinking and activities would be relationship-based rather than organisation-based. There would be growing cooperation in the Christian community, a breaking down of denominational structures.
   
3. There would be a recognition of the importance of Kingdom principles – the new way of living that Jesus spent so much of his ministry teaching. There would be at least an attempt to put these underlying principles into practice, which would be visible to all.
   
4. There would be a strong missional element with a desire to share the good things of the faith with those who had none. Barriers would be crossed.
   
5. There would be a strong emphasis on each, and all, of its members being commissioned, envisioned and empowered to be witnesses to God’s glory.
   
6. Those involved would demonstrate the value of being ‘overcomers’ who would stand firm in their faith when facing difficulties. They would all know what they believed and why.
   
7. These communities would no longer accept the ways of the world, but neither would they retreat into their own ‘holy huddles’. They would challenge and work towards changing society to follow a more righteous way. Those in each fellowship would be involved in meeting the needs of others, both those in fellowship with them and those who were not. They would well and truly be ‘in’ the world although not ‘of’ it. They would be able to show a different way of caring and compassion.
   
8. There would be a strong belief that God could transform not only individuals, but also society.
   
9. There would be an eagerness in each fellowship to see everyone fulfil their potential, which would take place alongside a willingness to allow God to transform each one with his power into what he wanted them to become.
   
10. Those involved would be keen to grow to maturity and would no longer be content to be ‘babes’ in the faith.
    
11. There would be a true concept of ‘servanthood’ in both leadership and laity. This would be true serving and not just ‘servicing’.
    
12. There would grow an acknowledgement of the community’s witness by those outside it, so that they would, like the New Testament ekklesia, “enjoy the favour of all the people”.

Questions for further reflection:

1. 12 characteristics of the ideal Body of Christ have been highlighted. Are there others you would like such a community to demonstrate? Discuss.

2. Can you foresee any problems facing you in putting these principles into practice? Discuss.

This article is the final instalment of a larger series.