The Joy of the Whole Earth?

"When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices . . . By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted" (Proverbs 11:10,11).

Many people experience a kind of “snow blindness” when it comes to the biblical vision of the Church. Snow blindness is that condition you experience when, because the bright snow is reflecting so much light at you, everything in your vision turns a kind of green; and you can’t see the larger background as clearly as you otherwise might. It is a temporary condition and nothing serious; snow blindness is overcome by closing your eyes for a few minutes, and then putting on some glasses that will filter out the immediate brilliance of the reflecting snow and allow you to see the whole environment more clearly.

Something like this can happen when people think about the church. They fall into a kind of snow blindness by the sudden, central, brilliant presentation of the church in the New Testament. Their eyes are all a-dazzle with the many images of the church they find there—body of Christ, temple of the Spirit, bride of Christ, city of God, and so forth.

So powerful and compelling are these images that they can command our entire purview when we think about the church. They can actually “blind” us to the many images of the church that occur in the Old Testament, making us fail to see the larger background against which we must understand the church and enter into the Lord’s work of building her. Various New Testament writers remind us that their thinking about the church is firmly grounded in the Old Testament images of Israel, Jerusalem, and the temple (cf. 1 Peter 2:9,10; Hebrews 12:18-24; Ephesians 2:19-22; Galatians 2:7-9).

There is much to learn about the church, and much to shape our vision and thinking, as we unpack the many Old Testament passages that foreshadow her. Indeed, without those texts as the foundation for thinking about the church, the New Testament snow-blindness we experience—as brilliant as it can be—can actually keep us from seeing the whole picture of what God intends for His redeemed community.

It is surprising, for example, to discover the way God teaches us to think about the impact of the church on the unbelieving world around her. In the New Testament, of course, we know that people are saved, become part of a local fellowship, learn to worship the Lord and to grow in Him, and then work together to seek the kingdom of God and pursue holiness in the fear of the Lord. But, apart from local citizens who become followers of Christ, the cities which host New Testament churches can seem, at times, unappreciative, if not outright hostile. That is a true picture, to be sure; but it is not the whole picture, at least not as the Old Testament counsels us to think about and plan for the impact of the communities of righteousness, peace, and joy on the cities that host them.

A SOURCE OF JOY
There are three particular ways the Old Testament guides our thinking about the kind of presence and impact our churches should expect to have on their communities. First, churches should be a source of joy to their communities. The psalmists actually envisioned the church as “the joy of all the earth” (Psalm 48:1). Solomon said that, when the Lord fulfills His good purposes for His righteous people, the whole city in which they live rejoices. God intends that His people should bring joy and happiness to the cities in which they are located. Churches can fulfill this calling in many ways, by maintaining appropriate and well-kept facilities, offering a variety of services to the community, and even making their facilities available for the needs of the local community.

In Columbia, Maryland, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, under the guidance of Pastor Allen Harris, built its “worship and ministry center” with the sanctuary surrounded by meeting rooms accessible through outside doors. These are used on Sundays for the church’s purposes. But, during the week, they are offered at little or no charge to such community agencies as Boy Scouts, Alcoholics Anonymous, and others. And even though the community of Columbia maintains strict restrictions against churches being built within the city limits, the people of Columbia have found the Columbia Orthodox Presbyterian Church a happy place of civic-mindedness and community enrichment.

A SOURCE OF MORAL GUIDANCE
Second, the Old Testament vision of the church sees it as a source of moral guidance for the surrounding community. You see this, for example, in Deuteronomy 4:1-8, where the surrounding nations marvel at the beauty of God’s Law as the people of Israel carry it out. And we find this in Micah 4:1-5, where, as the people live out the Law in the larger world, whole nations and peoples stream up to “the mountain of the Lord’s house” in order to learn from the people of God. Churches should set an example of holiness and wholesome moral teaching to the communities in which they exist. Solomon said that the blessing of God on His upright people has a tendency to “lift” the moral life of entire communities.

This has been evident in a number of ways throughout church history. For example, during the Welsh revival in the early twentieth century, the moral presence of the revived churches was so compelling that crime statistics fell dramatically; many taverns went into bankruptcy due to lack of customers; out-of-wedlock births plunged; and police and judges had very little work to do. And, all the while, the churches of Wales saw their ranks swell by nearly 100,000 new members in just a few short months.

A SOURCE OF BLESSING
Third, from the Old Testament we also learn that God intends for His church to be a source of blessing and enrichment to the community around it. We don’t build churches as sources of material wealth; but, the blessings of God that flow to the churches of the land should have at least some impact of that sort on the communities that host them. This is what Jeremiah foresaw in Jeremiah 29:7: “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

In Baltimore, a small, inner-city church called New Song Fellowship – founded by Mark Gornick and shepherded first by Wy Plummer and now by Thurman Williams – has been a source of economic recovery to its run-down community. They have rebuilt over 100 homes in the community; started a middle-school; created a jobs training program; and offered a variety of other services to their neighbors. On Chestnut Ridge, in rural West Virginia, Ruston Seman has lead his little congregation, The People’s Church, to become an agent of economic and spiritual renewal and vitality for people throughout the hollers and valleys and economically-spent communities of central Appalachia.

PONDER, PLAN, PRAY, PROCEED
While many might be “snow-blind” to the full vision of the church that the Old Testament helps us to appreciate, it is clear many pastors and their congregations have understood and diligently applied themselves to the vision of being a source of joy, moral uprightness, and enrichment in their communities. How can more churches begin to “stretch out their tent pegs” to realize this fuller vision (Isaiah 54:1-3)? Four things are important.

First, we need to rediscover the Old Testament, and how it guides us to think about the church and its calling. If we could devote some time and discussion to pondering the vision of the church in the New Testament against the backdrop of the Old Testament texts we’ve considered briefly above—and others—we might begin to feel our vision for—and excitement about—the church growing in some new and promising ways.

Second, we should begin to plan for a larger and more long-term impact on our communities. Moses said it was the part of wisdom to plan carefully as we are seeking the Lord’s work for His people (Psalm 90:12-17). If we plan to make an impact for joy, morality, and material blessing in our community, and set our priorities, programs, and purses in that direction, the likelihood will be better that we will actually become a blessing to our communities than if we simply hoped it might be so.

Third, commit this direction and these endeavors to the Lord in prayer. Give prayer for your community, and your church’s impact on your community, a more prominent place in your personal life, your Bible study group, and in the worship services of your church. Pray for your neighbors; seek God’s blessing on your efforts to be a source of joy, moral edification, and blessing to them; cry out to God for guidance and resources to do whatever He may put into your minds. And then seek Him in prayer continuously as you work to carry out your enlarged vision for His church.

Fourth and finally, get busy! Proceed at once with something, even if it’s just a small endeavor. Good things happen in small chunks. Maybe all your church can do is plan a leaf-raking outreach to senior citizens for the fall, or open a day-camp in a local park for school-age children. It might be enough for your church to begin praying for all your civic officials by name, and contacting them for specific items to bring before the Lord in prayer. If you declare yourselves as a congregation resolved to become a source of joy, moral excellence, and material blessing to your community, God will begin to flood you with excellent ideas, visions, and plans. He has called His church out of darkness into the glorious light of His own dear Son, so that He might exalt us as “chief among the mountains” and make us the “joy of all the earth.” He is at work within us to just such ends; but, we must be willing to submit to His will and be eager to take up the work of becoming the salt, light, and leaven He has called us to be in our communities (Philippians 2:12, 13).

FOR REFLECTION
What is your church presently doing to be a source of joy, moral uprightness, and material blessing to your community? In what ways might you help your church to begin realizing this vision more fully?

T. M. Moore is dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of 20 books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are Culture Matters (Brazos) and The Hidden Life, a handbook of poems, songs, and spiritual exercises (Waxed Tablet). Sign up at his website to receive his daily email devotional Crosfigell, reflections on Scripture and the Celtic Christian tradition. T. M. and his wife and editor, Susie, make their home in Concord, Tenn.