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About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman The
Organic Church Something
that is considered to be organic is something that has been derived
from, or birthed by, a natural living source.
Organic vegetables are organic because they are grown naturally,
without any man-made chemicals or genetic modification.
A new-born baby is organic because the baby was conceived by two
natural living cells. A
human relationship is organic because two living people have been
naturally united in friendship. Church
is organic because the living Holy Spirit and living people have been
immersed into one living body, otherwise known as the Body of Christ.
Understanding this, read 1 Corinthians 12:13. For by one Spirit are we
all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we
be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. Paul taught that the
Holy Spirit has baptized, or immersed, us into one living body, the
church. From my perspective,
Paul's teaching about church recorded in 1 Corinthians 12 is sadly
unknown to most. Much of the
church in the West views church as an organization you join or attend.
That's not what Paul taught.
Paul did not describe
church as being a static organizational structure to join or attend in 1
Corinthians 12. He described
church as a living organism, Christ's present-day earthly physical body
where the Holy Spirit has baptized believers into each other's lives.
This makes church organic in nature, where Christians who have
been immersed alongside each other in supportive relationships can
function as the healthy maturing Body of Christ. Church is more than an
organisation to facilitate a mission.
Church being a living organism is important as our western
culture, step by step, becomes more anti-Christ in nature.
As this transition occurs, church will begin to lose its state
sponsored ordinations, tax exemptions, charitable status, and the
sufficient funds to maintain its buildings and organizational structure
that presently exists. With
these losses church will be forced to become organic if it is to
survive. I maintain that if
you don't find yourself baptized into the lives of those Jesus has place
you alongside in His earthly body, you'll find yourself alone,
attempting to survive the onslaughts of our anti-Christ culture.
Post Script
In the coming month, I
will publish in both paperback and e-book form, a full, verse by verse
commentary on Paul's teaching about the organic church as seen in 1
Corinthians 12. If you don't
understand 1 Corinthians 12, you will misunderstand church.
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