The Church – No Place for ‘Lone Rangers’
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:23-25
Read Hebrews 10:24-25
The Church – No Place for ‘Lone Rangers’
If you’re old enough, or just like watching reruns of old TV westerns, you’ll remember the Lone Ranger. He was a former Texas Ranger who, with his faithful sidekick Tonto, would ride his horse Silver into various towns to rescue the good citizens from the “bad guys.” Then, once his work was finished, the Lone Ranger would ride off into the sunset with a hearty, “Hi-yo, Silver! Away!”
It might have been more proper to call him the Lonely Ranger, because other than Tonto – a native American who didn’t talk much – this champion for good didn’t have much in the way of friends or fellowship.
I mention this because one problem in the Church these days, particularly the American Church, is that we have a lot of ‘lone rangers,’ people who pop in for weekly worship services and then disappear into the parking lot, not to be seen again until the next Sunday.
This isn’t to judge those who limit their involvement with a local congregation to once a week attendance. That’s better than nothing. But when we consider that according to the Bible the Church isn’t a building but the body of believers, followers of Jesus Christ, it helps us to realize all parts of that ‘body’ are important and necessary.
In 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 we have a description of the Church, using the human body as a metaphor. Here’s a portion from it:
“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts, and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ…. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body…. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
I’d encourage you to read the entire passage, since it makes clear that each one of us is a significant part of the body of Christ, whether it’s Silverdale or another congregation. If we’re not actively involved, what we can contribute to the whole is missed.
Not only that, but we also need to be connected with other members of the body if we’re to grow and thrive in our relationship with the Lord. Years ago, I was in a discipling relationship with another man I’ll call Tom. We’d meet one morning every week and it seemed as if he was growing in his faith, fired up for Jesus. But the next week we’d meet again and though he’d seem sincere in wanting to learn more about the Bible, it was evident nothing had happened in his life spiritually during the week in between.
The analogy that came to mind was that of a human heart, placed on a laboratory table. When touched by electrodes, the heart would quiver and shake, showing signs of life. But remove the electrodes and it would just lie there, motionless.
What was the problem? It wasn’t that I was a bad disciple-maker, but I was Tom’s only connection with the body of Christ. Just as a human body must have its various organs – heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, brain, etc. – all connected, my friend needed more than me to truly grow in his faith. Thank the Lord he eventually did become actively involved with a local congregation and befriended other believers who helped him.
The passage from Hebrews above speaks directly to this. Two words in particular stand out for me. We’re told to “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess.” Have you ever driven behind a car that’s weaving all over the road? You either want to stay far back or get past it as quickly as you can, right? In a similar sense, when connected to other strong believers we keep each other from ‘swerving’ all over the place in our understanding – or misunderstanding – of what God says in His Word.
The other word is that we’re to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” This brings me back to the image of the Lone Ranger riding into the sunset on Silver. He would spur his horse to get it moving. Our concern as followers of Jesus is whether we’re moving in the right direction. In association with other believers, whether in a small group or an accountability group, we can spur each other on in our journey of faith.