Recovering the Beauty of the Church Part 1: How Christ Came to Church

By Jake Hanson

n a marvelous little book by A.J. Gordon entitled, How Christ Came to Church, the 19th century pastor at Clarendon Street Baptist Church in Boston describes a dream he had one night where in which he was preaching to his flock when an unidentified man strolled down the aisle of the church. Gordon’s eyes were drawn to this man as he preached. Intrigued by this stranger, Gordon ran to meet him after the service—only to find that the man had slipped out of the church.

“Who was that?” Gordon asked one of his ushers.

“Why, it was Jesus of Nazareth,” replied the man.

Gordon was disappointed not to meet His Lord that day. But important questions began to flood his mind: “What did He think of my sermon? Was He pleased with the choir? What did He think of the building?”

What followed for Gordon was a critical examination of his ministry and his church, as he began to ponder, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst,” must mean that Jesus is really and truly there at every service and gathering of believers. Is what He finds there honoring to Him? Is He pleased?

For Gordon and his church, it led to the end of the practice of renting pews, the end of a professional choir which had no requirements of faith in its members, as well as other systemic and practical issues within the church which did not please the Lord.

Gordon faced the reality of the Lord's presence within his church with radical changes. But what about us today? The reality that Jesus Christ is present should and will cause one to shudder, and as we ponder the truth, it should be a central concern for all decisions which are made. Jesus Christ is within the body of Christ. Is He pleased?

A careful distinction here is necessary, however, between the Lord being pleased and the idea of human ‘perfection.’ The American church has increasingly become production oriented, and large churches in particular have made service in the church a more-or-less professional enterprise which strives for perfection. Perfect music, with perfectly groomed people, leading perfect programs, ushering people in and out of a service with perfect efficiency and order. But if the Lord is not pleased, honored and glorified in these perfectly constructed church services and structures, we are wasting our time. Some churches are indeed honoring God as finely oiled machines, but the church must always strive to honor the Lord, not pridefully bring glory to its leadership.

It is more important that those who serve the church do so in order to glorify God, rather than to meet the expectations of the people. The primary audience in a church service is not the people in the pews. The primary audience is the Lord Himself. The Lord, therefore, is more pleased with an imperfect singer who worships, than a perfect singer who does not. He is more honored by the quaking voice of a testimony from the heart, than a finely tuned rhetorical speech of an actor who seeks applause. We see this over and over again in Scripture. Jesus is more pleased with the widow who gives her insignificant mite in faith, than the rich who give out of their fleshly surplus. The Lord chides the religious for honoring Him with their lips while their hearts are far from Him. He rejects sacrifices and offerings which are not coupled with purity of heart and righteous living.

The Lord is pleased, not when we attain our conception of perfection, but when we offer Him the best of our time, skills and resources for His glory. This will look different from person to person, and from church to church, depending on size, location, culture and particular giftings.

The truth that Jesus Christ is really present within the church should be fundamental to the ministry of the church. Our eyes must be kept on this truth and it should raise within us the question of ourselves: Is He pleased, honored and glorified in all that we do as a church?

Next: House of Prayer >>