Marks of a Healthy Church Part 2
Marks of a Healthy Church Part 2
Isn’t our tendency to avoid people, if we don’t like conflict? Or on the other end, doesn’t letting someone have it feel absolutely wonderful? That adrenaline rush we experience can be so enlivening. Or perhaps, we put others down, so that we can be right. The thought of being wrong terrifies us. How do we move forward in peace, in unity, in whole relationships with one another?

We ask ourselves, how did this car fall off the road, and get stuck in the ditch? (Maybe because the driver looks like he’s 9!) But seriously, relationship unity ends up in the ditch too! The car can end up in a ditch on either side of the road, and so can our relationships. Here I’m indebted to Ken Sande. We get stuck in the ditch as either peacefakers or peacebreakers. I realize this is a gross generalization, however, we do tend to fall into one of these two ditches. Think of it this way: if we’re called to speak the truth in love, then are we truth tellers or love makers? It’s incredibly powerful when a “lover” speaks the truth. And so wonderful when a truth teller adds some love to the truth. We generally leave one at the door. It’s possible for someone to give 100% truth, and still bludgeon the other person. And, it’s possible to love someone, and never get near the truth. The way we stay on the road, achieve peace and unity is through the marriage of truth and love, love and truth. When we speak truth with no love, we tend towards peacebreaking. Similarly, when we offer love, with no truth, we’re peacefakers. Which one are you? How does the Gospel, your identity in Christ enable you to wed truth and love together in everyday relationships. Is it possible to create a church culture where love and truth are held tightly together? Can we dream of such a church?
Leave a Reply