THE TYPES OF MEMBERS THAT DO NOT BUILD THE BODY

Studying through the book of Ephesians gives you a fresh view of the church: a diverse group of people who have been radically transformed from their sinful nature by the power of God through the person and work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary where he paid for the sins of the world as a substitute sacrifice. These diverse people who have no reason to live and work together, let alone care for each other, choose to live in love and unity in the church to the praise and glory of the Lord’s name. This is powerful and attractive when it is lived out. However, that is not always the case. It is true that churches are made of diverse people and unfortunately not everyone pursues unity. So what kind of members do not build up the body of Christ?

-          The arm chair critic

Cynicism is the new cool. In a world dominated by social media and all kinds of platforms for self-expression, being cynical is easily mistaken for wisdom and enlightenment. In Christian circles people build entire ministries on cynicism; their purpose is to tell you what’s wrong with everyone else. And in our self-deception we have managed to veil our critical spirits as wisdom. The arm chair critic is the member who is bent on finding fault with what others are doing while doing nothing themselves. They are apathetic to things that are going on and are disappointed when you succeed. They are quick to condemn and slow to commend. They have falsely placed themselves as judge, yet ironically you never hear them admit wrong. Cynics can never be pleased nor satisfied.

“Cynicism is so undetectable because it is so justifiable. It wears a mask of insight and godliness, but it conceals festering wounds of harbored bitterness against God and neighbor. We need to understand cynicism, because the masks we wear tell us about the wounds we hide, and point us to the Savior who yearns to mend them.”[1] More often than not, cynicism hides the wounds of hatred and bitterness. This type of member destroys the unity and joy of the church.

-          The non-attending member

It is amazing how many people are eager to be members of a local church and yet not all of them are willing to be faithful and committed. It seems it is common to have discrepancies between the membership roll and actual participatory members. Most churches have more members on paper than they have in actuality.

The New Testament model for believers is for them to be meeting weekly to worship God and serve one another (1 Cor. 11; 16:2), and it even warns believers about non-attendance (Heb. 11:23-25). This invariably means that non-attending members are willfully disregarding the Lord’s command to fellowship with other believers and pursue discipleship relationships. Granted there are some valid reasons for not attending (i.e. you are in another town in which case you should work on finding a church, or health reasons which need comfort and encouragement). Non-attending members do not want to serve and use their gifts to edify other believers, and by not attending they actually remove themselves from the platform where they can minister and be ministered to. 

-          The divisive member

Divisive people are often driven by the desire to win and be in charge. They want the point taken and implemented. They want total agreement from everyone else. They also expect you to consult them about an issue, and if you do not (consult them in particular), they rise up in arms. The funny thing about people with a divisive spirit is that they may actually have a sincere concern about an issue or the church’s well-being. However, our true nature is revealed and Jamie Dunlap sums it up perfectly: “We rally support to get people to see things our way. Behavior like that, no matter the virtue of the original concern, quickly causes factions and dissension within the church, something Paul lists alongside idolatry, witchcraft, and fits of rage (Gal. 5:20). We must address discontentment carefully because it so often bears the fruit of discord.”[2]

-        The busy body

Meddlers are often gossipers. They are in the business of gathering information about people and their affairs with the sole purpose of sharing it with others. They have an inquisitiveness masked as care and concern, when in actual fact they simply cannot mind their own business.

Such people make healthy discipleship relationships very difficult because you have to be guarded around them, for fear of your issues been shared with someone else. Busy bodies also bring strife between people and are always in the middle of conflict between people.

The arm chair critic, the non-attending member, the divisive member and the busy body have one common thread running through them: self-centeredness. They have missed the very essence of salvation which is a transformed life which lives to love God and love people with every ounce that is in their being. These attitudes have missed the fact that the church of God does not exist for their comfort and happiness but for the glory of God. And in God’s design that means loving people with diverse preferences and opinions and yet still loving like Christ loved us. The result? A oneness that displays the power, wisdom and glory of God and becomes a powerful witness to the world.

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[1] https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/putting-off-cynicism

[2] https://www.9marks.org/article/class-vii-discontentment/