How Christians Grow
Recently I was sitting in the local library, looking out the window. And as I was looking at a tree outside, I noticed something unusual. High up, in a cleft of the tree, I could see the distinct leaves and sprawling vine of a watermelon plant growing. Apparently enough decaying leaves and moist sediments had gotten lodged between the branches, that when a squirrel or bird dropped a watermelon seed, it was able to generate and take root. But, as we all know, that isn’t the ordinary place that watermelon plants grow. There’s an ordinary place for garden plants to flourish and bear fruit – in a garden! And in the same way, God has appointed a standard location for us to grow spiritually – an ordinary atmosphere of grace. And that place is the Church.
The Ordinary Means and “Ordinary Atmosphere” of Grace
In church history, Christians have often identified that God has given useful tools to the church for our spiritual good. The Christian Church has been supplied with the Scriptures. We’ve been given the sacraments (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper) as a “visible Word” to confirm spiritual realities. And we’ve been given access to God in prayer. These things have often been referred to as “the ordinary means of grace,” because these are the everyday, ordinary resources that God is pleased to work through to graciously fill us with spiritual benefits.
Yet in addition to giving us these “tools” or “resources,” God has also set up a specific context, to optimize the spiritual growth and health of his people. He has planted us in the fertile soils of fellowship with other believers, in the context of a healthy, Bible-believing church. This is what we could call “the ordinary atmosphere of grace.” Being anchored and active in the life of the Church is a gift from God that’s important for you and I, if we’re serious about having strong faith and a healthy relationship with God.
Yes, Being in the Church Is Essential and Biblical
The Bible doesn’t spend many pages trying to explain or defend this position – because as you read the Bible you’ll see that the importance of fellowship in the Church is largely assumed. Early on in his ministry, Jesus doesn’t merely relate to each of his disciples individualistically, but he establishes them as a group of Twelve, and normalizes a life of faith that involves other Christians.
And this is continued in the earliest days of the Christian Church after Pentecost. Those early Christians understand the importance of spiritual life together – and so they devote themselves “to the apostle’s teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers (emphasis added).” When we’re told of how Paul and Barnabas acted on behalf of Christ to start Churches in regions around the Mediterranean world, we’re distinctly told their mission involved gathering people into churches and setting up structure and leadership for them (Acts 14:23). And the essential role of Christians being involved in spiritual care of each other in the context of the church is explicitly described in several parts of Scripture (Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4:11-16). And elsewhere Christians are warned about giving up on meeting together (Hebrews 10:24-25), because it’s understood that we need each other for mutual encouragement and maintained endurance.
Ordinary Growth in Ordinary Life in the Ordinary Atmosphere of Grace
And this is practically important for Christians who are serious about growing in Christlikeness and gaining mature knowledge and love. Trying to pursue Jesus alone, without fellowship in a healthy Church, will leave us spiritually stunted. Though we can be impressed with God’s beauty in nature, in music, and in momentous life experiences, the ordinary atmosphere of God’s grace – the ordinary place where Christians are strengthened and matured – is the seemingly ordinary context of relationships in the Church. Enjoying fellowship with other believers is connected to deepening in our fellowship with God (cf. 1 John 1:3).
So don’t despise the ordinary. Don’t miss God’s intent for your spiritual health. Be planted in the Church. Because longstanding, deep fellowship is the ordinary atmosphere of his grace, where the seeds of faith grow and bear fruit for generations to come.
