Kingdom Encourager Or Couch Critic
Ephesians 4:15-16 (NIV)
‘Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.’
One of my favourite shows on TV is Gogglebox. In case you haven’t seen it, it’s the show where you watch people watch TV, and yes, I will admit, that does sound like a pretty strange concept for a TV programme but let me assure you, it really is a fun watch. It captures some hilariously witty commentary from some of the nation’s best armchair critics as they candidly react to each week’s TV.
The thing is, whilst it makes for a great TV show, being a ‘couch critic’ isn’t how we are called to live as part of the church of Christ.
Undeniably, people are tricky, right? Living as a part of the church means being part of this big beautifully diverse family that doesn’t always seem to fit easily together: a family of fallen, broken people trying to patch their way through life, but also one that God promises will one day grow to be mature, unified and redeemed in glory with him.
The problem is, living in this ‘on-the-way’ reality, it can be so easy to sit back in judgement of everything around us. Paul in contrast, casts a vision of the church speaking the truth in love, growing and building each other up as every part does its work.
Recently I heard someone say, ‘We don’t have to agree with someone on everything to champion them’ and it made me wonder if this is how Paul’s vision plays out practically - that we become a people who encourage more than we criticise.
Now please hear me right, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t call out things that are wrong; we should. But I’m realising that when it comes to day-to-day living, there is no shortage of critical people. As people of the Church, called to love others as Christ loved us, our words should see and release people in the way that God sees and releases them to do the kingdom work he has assigned them.
Reflect – Take a moment today to call to mind a family member or friend, maybe someone you find it harder to encourage, and ask God to show you ways to use your words to grow and nurture their kingdom calling this week.