EDITORIAL
Raise the Future | Rob Hoskins
I stepped into my rideshare car waiting at the curb to catch my early morning flight. Before 7:00 a.m. and my first cup of coffee, I sleepily noticed the Christian music playing on the radio as I buckled my seatbelt. Throughout the ride to the airport, I learned during my conversation that the driver was an “autonomous Christian,” and didn’t attend a church. When I asked him why, he described the immense sadness he felt when observing happy families—something he longed for but didn’t have. Feeling excluded and dejected, he retreated to the safety and seclusion of his own home.
The rideshare driver longed for fellowship and community. Yet, in my driver’s retreat, he was excluding himself from the very thing that could provide the opportunity to be seen, known, understood and strengthened.
A recent Gallup poll shared that more than 40% of U.S. Protestant Christians seldom or never attend church services. A quantitative study isn’t needed to realize that many, such as the driver, have experienced varying levels of church hurt or prioritize other endeavors over attendance.
The driver and the congregation have this in common: They are all imperfect. The families he saw in the congregation had their own types of struggles, even if they wore their Sunday best.
Unfortunately, there’s no perfect institution on this earth. Whether it’s local churches, marriage or friendship, these all involve imperfect people.
Where does that leave us?
Culture blasts autonomy as the ultimate goal.
“Be whoever you want to be at any cost.”
“You do you.”
“Do what makes you happy.”
“You can only count on yourself.”
When, in fact, in the Bible Jesus models how we should be in community with those around us.
What example are we given as believers before Jesus himself makes the ultimate sacrifice for our sins? We see Jesus in John 13 exemplify humility and Christ-centered fellowship (koinonia). First, he takes a humble position among the group and washes the disciples’ weary feet that have seen rough and rocky paths.
Then, he shares a new commandment:
“A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34–35).
We find Christ in the midst of our humanity, struggles and imperfections as we come together in community. Being like Christ looks like meeting with people where they are, welcoming the messiness, imperfection and beautiful diversity of the church. We become more like Christ when the struggles of life drive us to our knees, to our Lord and Savior, the head of the church.
We need local churches. We need community. We need to be sharpened and challenged by imperfect people as we seek God, the perfect and Holy one.