Living Churches Are Vigilant

For a church to remain healthy, its members must be watching themselves and the brotherhood for signs of spiritual sickness.

All living things must maintain homeostasis. Homeostasis is the ability of an organism to keep its internal conditions stable. Normal cellular functions produce wastes that must be expelled from the cell and then from the body for the organism to stay healthy. Individual cells within an organism may become sick or injured. The rest of the body then works to repair the injured cells or to replace dead cells. If this constant process of evaluating the conditions inside the body and then adjusting to keep the conditions within the correct range does not function properly, the cells and then the body will die.

There are many changes that come into the church body. Members can become spiritually sick when they do the works of the flesh (Gal 5:19-21). New believers, or even older believers, may never grow into a mature understanding of the Gospel. Wrong understandings of the Scriptures, or even outright heresy, can arise among us. These sicknesses can lead to the spiritual death of members, or even the spiritual death of the congregation if they are not addressed.

One of the most horrifying illnesses is gangrene. Gangrene occurs when infection, disease, or a loss of adequate circulation begins killing large numbers of cells in a part of the body. If the body is unable to repair the injured cells or replace the dead cells fast enough, that part of the body will begin to die. Once the gangrene reaches a certain point, there is nothing the body can do to save the gangrenous finger, arm, or leg. The only way to save the rest of the body is to amputate the dead or dying member.

To be alive, vibrant, and effective, churches must be aware of the spiritual conditions within their congregation. Pride, hypocrisy, and love of earthly things are just a few things that can hinder the work of the church. Like the body’s immune system, we must be vigilant and watch for any sign of sickness within ourselves or the brotherhood.

If spiritual sickness or conflict is found, it should be dealt with lovingly to bring the member or members back to health. “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Gal 6:1-2) If the rest of the church is unable to restore the brother or sister to health, then it may be necessary to separate the member from the church body (1 Cor 5:9-11).

Christ has promised us that offenses will come, so we should not be surprised when we or other brothers or sisters in our congregations fall short of what Christ requires of us. Instead of becoming complacent to the conditions of our sinful hearts, we should remain vigilant and be willing to do the hard but necessary work of bringing ourselves and others back to a right relationship with Christ. We must be willing to even cut part of the body away if the health of the rest of the body depends on it.

A healthy church responds to the sickness and imbalances within itself.