It’s quite a thought. Modern medical technology enables our hearts, arteries and brains to be scanned and open to examination. If anything is found to be abnormal steps can then be taken to restore and heal. Of course health is not just a matter of hearts, arteries and brains, not to mention blood! We have become more familiar with the holistic approach to medicine which recognizes that we are not just physical organisms. Our psychology and spirituality have also to be taken on board. This is close to the Biblical perspective on humankind.
In the Book of Revelation the Risen and Glorified Christ is described as having eyes like ‘blazing fire’ (1: 4) and in chapters 2 and 3 we see those eyes focussed on seven Christian communities which existed in the first century AD. We could say that Christ is scanning their inner being, seeking out abnormalities and passing judgement on the quality of their witness. He says: ‘I am he who searches hearts and minds.’ (2: 23) And what is revealed? Two communities, Smyrna and Philadelphia, are commended for their faithfulness under the pressure of persecution. Ephesus is deemed to be theologically sound but deficient in their personal devotion to Christ. Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis and Laodicea have in various ways departed from the Gospel.
It’s quite a thought. The eyes of Christ on the Church and His assessment of our life and witness. It is with this in mind that men and women through the centuries have seen the need for the Church to examine herself and see the things that need to be changed. I have heard those voices all my life. I have joined them from time to time. But whatever changes have been made we Christians in the western world continue to be part of a diminishment in numbers and influence.
A recent editorial on ‘organised religion’ in the Guardian has been rattling in my brain. It said that the more organised religion organises itself the more ground it loses. This really gets to the heart of what we regard as ‘change’. So often it means tinkering with the structures. We know that in the past this hasn’t worked but we still hold on to the hope that this particular tinkering will work. The Christ of Revelation goes deeper. Read chapters 2 and 3. He calls for an increased devotion to Himself, a return to revealed truth, a commitment to personal morality, a surer grasp of what it means to be the Church. The way forward is shown in His words to the Church in Laodicea:
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (3: 20)
Often these words are used evangelistically but originally they were spoken to the Church, to those who were already believers. From the very beginning it was recognised that the Church would always need to be reminded of the importance of listening to Christ, of opening up our lives to Him and closing with Him in ever deeper fellowship. Sometimes the structures need to be reformed in order to meet changing circumstances but we can never neglect what Christ regarded as the heart of the Church. In practice this means for us a recognition of the Written Word as the place where the voice of Christ is uniquely heard; a recognition of worship as the place where faith is nurtured and vision clarified; a recognition that it is God’s purpose that our lives be shaped according to the pattern of living shown in Christ.
