Discern the Lord's Body

Finally, it’s important to conclude each meeting by reviewing where the group stands on the issues dealt with that meeting and in their relationships with one another. 

If there’s homework to be assigned, this is the time to remind everyone about it.  If there are still issues unresolved, this is the time to remind everyone that they are unresolved—and make sure everyone knows what they’re going to do about it.  If there’s been conflict in the meeting, this is the time for the different parties of that conflict to reaffirm their love for one another, their commitment to one another. 

Our major problem as Christians is forgetting who we are and what our purpose is, and the back-and-forth of the meeting—especially if there’s conflict—can tempt us to forget the central fact of our redemption by the grace of God and forget our essential, unbreakable unity in Christ.  Reminding ourselves of this identity and reminding ourselves what kind of love we need to have for each other gives us a unified frame within which discussion, growth, and judgment can happen safely.  Make sure to give some time to this so that no one is rushed.  It may be a good idea to combine this reminder with the practice of the Lord’s Supper, which functions the same way in a physical, pictoral form.   

Being transformed into the image of Christ means that we all need some good things added and some of our trash taken away, and judging one another in love is the process by which both the addition and the subtraction take place in the church. 

It is the work of edification through many counselors which makes the process “safe.”  They are the wounds of friends which are more faithful than the kisses of an enemy.  It is a process every generation of Christians needs to practice to make the ancient truths its own, and it is a practice that the meeting of the saints should be structured to welcome so that what God means for good will actually do its good. 

Coming soon...Chapter 5!  

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