Connectile Dysfunction

OK, so we're on a roll with this dysfunction stuff and the word play from the television commercials getting so much play time these days. Please know that I am not trying to be rude, crude,or socially unacceptable in the use of this language. Instead, my heart's desire is to use contemporary images to communicate spiritual truth that connects, word pictures that vividly describe real life situations for which there are Biblical answers.

The new angle on this pun is a revelation I had in the wee hours of the night as I contemplated the final installment of the current message series The Church that Jesus is Building. Of course, the premise of this entire series follow a specific path:

1. The church belongs to Jesus
2. Jesus is building his church
3. The church Jesus is building is not in fact a building
4. The nature of the church was in Jesus' heart before the Book of Acts 
5. He revealed the nature of the church in many of his teachings

Each Sunday I have reminded our congregation that our new worship center and preschool/children's facility are not the church Jesus is building. Each of us is the church. It is apparent from Scripture that Jesus envisioned and empowered a church that is vitally connected to this lost world. Obviously he commissioned us to be in it and not of it, to influence our world like salt and light.

Today, sadly, many believers suffer from "connectile dysfunction", and this malady from at least two distinct disconnects. As improbable as it many seem, many are disconnected from Christ. This is the new wave theology of Christless Christianity, purported by Michael Horton in his recent book by the same name. Yes, we can argue that faith without Christ is not Christianity and rightly so. His point, however, is that contemporary evangelicalism, as expressed in many Christian churches, are espousing new age agendas that trivialize Christ. Of course, a disconnect from Christ is a serious health matter, "connectile dysfunction" with mortal consequences. Read Colossians 2 for more.

At the same time, this dread malfunction is manifest in extreme separation from the world, another variety of "connectile dysfunction". No wonder the world is going to you know where in a hand basket, if the worldwide fellowship of believers is secreted away from it in cloisters. This fortress mentality is designed to protect us from worldly influences that may compromise our message. Of course, when we fail to take this message to that lost world it is already compromised. Whatever happened to the confession that the one that is in us is greater than the one that is in the world?

So, the dysfunction languages and images that are so prevalent in our world are just about used up! Enough of that, unless, of course, there is another light bulb late in the dark night. The fact is, however, The Church Jesus that is Building is not dysfunctional at all, except for the reality that, miraculously he chose to live is people like us.

What is that? Objectile Dysfunction? You got to be kidding me!