INTRODUCTION

Why did I write this book?

I wrote this book to declare the glory of the church and to invite people to enjoy the church. Jesus Christ is the glory of the church. He loves the church and died for the church (Acts 20:28; Ephesians 5:25). With all of its spots and wrinkles, He is at work in and through the church. Regardless of how you view the general condition of the church today or the state of the individual churches in your area, the ultimate future of the church is glorious beyond imagination. Therefore the potential for joy is greater in the church than is promised to any other earthly entity. As the local church is still comprised of sinners in a fallen world, there's no denying the reality of failure and discord in the church. But with all its faults, because of Christ there is more to enjoy in the church than the world dreams of.

I also wrote it to contend against the consumeristic view of the church prevalent today. The church of Jesus Christ is increasingly being viewed as a religious shopping mall. Many who attend do so as religious consumers who feel no more sense of commitment to the church than does a consumer to a mall. As with marketplace consumers to a mall, religious consumers perceive no responsibility to the church except (perhaps) to give money in exchange for services rendered. The problem with this attitude (besides the main problem, that it is contrary to biblical Christianity) is that it is self-defeating. A church that has decreasing numbers of people willing to serve in its ministries will have fewer ministries to offer to consumers.

And I penned these pages to contend against the privatization of spirituality. The current interest in spirituality and the Spiritual Disciplines too often manifests itself in a privatized Christianity. Spirituality is seldom considered in the context of the church body. But the personal Spiritual Disciplines (the subject of my Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, NavPress, 1991) are not intended to make us spiritually self-absorbed evangelical monks. The church is a community in which Christians are to live and experience much of their Christianity. Too many believers isolate themselves from life with the family of God, deceived by the notion that “me and Jesus” are all they need in order to be all that God wants them to become and to savor all He has for them. Such individualization of the faith hurts the church. What too few see is that anything that hurts the church eventually hurts them as individual Christians.

Additionally, I wrote this book to encourage those who love the church. The world is well-salted with saints who love the church and are burdened for its renewal. Pastors everywhere are concerned about the increasingly common lack of commitment to the church, not only by nominal Christians, but among supposedly mature believers. Faithful church members are discouraged by the new beliefs and practices of their ministers, which are anesthetizing the congregation. I want them to take heart about the future of the church. I also want to furnish them with a resource for strengthening their own church.

Moreover, I developed this volume to help growing Christians learn about the church. If Jesus Christ died for the church, then it's worth our time to find out what our responsibility is to the church. Many of the subjects covered here will not be new to those who are regular churchgoers. However, upon reflection you may realize that you don't know why you should do these things, other than that they are traditional (and perhaps outdated?) aspects of church life. This book will not only give you biblical reasons for these practices, but also provide some workable insights and helpful suggestions for doing them.

Finally, I composed Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church for anyone interested in spirituality. Some may pick up this book because of their attraction to the subject of spirituality, finding the title intriguing since it approaches the matter from a different angle than they are accustomed to. Others may open these pages because they've been thinking about attending church for the first time or returning after a long absence. Here you'll find a presentation of the Bible's teaching that true spirituality is found in knowing God through Jesus Christ and in becoming like Christ, and that becoming like Christ means loving His church.