Just to add to Ebenezer and Enoch’s responses, in Revelation 2 & 3, it was the same approach that Jesus used. In his letter to the seven churches, the warnings were not to the individual Christians but to the churches as a whole because for Jesus the health of the Christian is a function of the health of the church. I share your prayer brother, that not only the Methodist Church but all Bible believing churches in Ghana will become true outposts of Heaven. May the Lord help us.

True, Mike. God help us!

Great discussion! Thx Jerome for sharing your thoughts. I get where you are coming from, but as Enoch rightly pointed out, the Church = 1. the local gathering of Believers, (the called out, or ecclesia) and 2. All of God’s people of all time – the mystical, invisible, and spiritual body of Christ (Eph4:4) . By the first meaning alone – the called out, ecclesia – our lives as a Church (made up of individual Christians) are to stand out, apart from the world, and distinct, like that of Our Lord. As Enoch alluded to, one can be a ‘member’ of the local assembly of believers (Church attendee) and not be a member of the true, mystical body of Christ, if they are not genuinely converted. Hence the verse you quoted from 2Tim 2:19- The lord knows them that are (truly His). John Stotts put it this way – that here on earth there may be many pretenders who will claim membership of the local assembly but the true members of His Body (The true Church) only God knows.
However as Kwesi alluded to in his article, the Church is too quick to admit anyone who lays claim to faith into our membership – but the early Church carefully examined such claims before adding to its membership. Look at Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch for instance – when the Eunuch requested baptism, Phillip’s response was – if you truly believe with all your heart (Acts8:37,KJV) – he hesistated to baptise the Eunuch unless he had truly repented and believed with all of his heart. Jesus did same, almost discouraging those who wanted to follow him, probing their profession of faith to be sure it was genuine. As it turned out most of them turned back at such close examination. Contrast that with the situation today. The church of today comes accross as merely interested in numbers, hasty to even ordain novices into pastoral positions, hence the failure that is expressed in the article.

You asserted that Christ is the embodiment of His Church, here I will admonish you to check the biblical doctrine of the Church again – Christ is the the head of the Church (Eph4:15-16) and it is God’s design (expectation) that His body will “…grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:15-16). A body with a disproportionate head is an anomaly physically speaking. Hence the call by the Holy Spirit through Paul for the body to grow up in all things to be like it’s Head, Christ. This is maturity – and it is the role of the local assembly to teach it’s membership soundly to be able to attain to this as already mentioned – with ref to Eph 4:11 onwards.

I echo your prayer – for the entire body of Christ – that we will “walk worthy of the calling with which we were called…(Eph4:1), especially at this present time. Amen.

Jerome I don’t see a dichotomy between the church and its membership; Christians. It is individual Christians who make up the Church and rightly so, the failure of Christians is the failure of the Church.

The growth and maturity of believers is largely the responsibility of the church through sound teaching. The mandate to preserve and pass on truth is a mandate given to the church as an institution through its leadership especially Pastors. In Ephesians 4:11-14, Paul informs us Pastors/teachers/elders were gifted to the body of Christ for the sole purpose of

(i) Equipping the saints for the work of ministry,
(ii) Building up the body of Christ(church)
(iii) maturity, growth and stability in the faith.

Where the church fails to discharge its mandate of discipling believers to be Christ-like and impact the society, then the church has failed. Indeed we all have a personal responsibility to be discerning, however, the depth of our growth and maturity is commensurate to what the church feeds us.

Now the idea behind the church comprising of saints only is that, by description, the church is a community of sinners who have been purchased by the blood of Christ and joined together as a community of worshippers. It doesn’t mean our doors are closed to unbelievers or evil-doers as you put it. They can join in our services but we shouldn’t at any point make the mistake of equating joining a local church with becoming a member of the body of Christ. Attending a church service doesn’t necessarily mean we belong to the body of Christ. People come for all reasons that might not necessarily be seeking Christ. And In so far as sinners have not repented of their sins and placed their trust in Christ for the saving of their souls, they are not members of the body of Christ though they may attend church a thousand times.

That is not to say the church is a perfect place made up of perfect people. But the church as the body of Christ indeed comprises only of saints, in relation to their position in Christ: a new creation.

However, I am of the view that the Church has not failed, it is we ‘THE SO CALLED CHRISTIANS’ who have failed in our God given mandate. We have failed to live as Light and to behave as Salt. Look at how the Message Bible translators put Matthew 5:13-16: 13 “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.

14-16 “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

The God-flavors that are desired in our homes, our work places/office and neighborhood, our marriages and relationships have been exchanged with society-mediated and dictated lifestyle which is usually contrary to the decrees of God. The God-colors that are required to shine in the political landscape and business ethics have been exchanged with political ideologies that are conceived out of selfishness and agrarianism. Today political figures have become ‘gods’ both to the session of the clergy and the laity. Materialism and popularity has so much taken over our stage that Ministers who are required to be stewards of the graces of God are now adulterating the giftings of God with dilutions and charms received, borrowed and/or purchased by dubious means sacrifices and practices all in the name of church. Excuse me, the Body of Christ cannot be accursed and for sure God knows those who are His.

I tell people everywhere I go, our mistake is as a result of perceptions that we carry when we talk about the Church. The Corinthian church for instance was not wholly made of righteous people and nobody can point to any single church that existed at the time…The church IS NOT supposed to comprise of saints alone but also evil doers who run to the church to find Mercy and Love from this great God. I used to see this sign post around an Adventist church some years back..’Enter to worship, DEPART TO SERVE!’.

That should be our attitude and perception when we talk about the Church. We enter with our filthiness and ragged clothing with the hope that Christ who is the embodiment of the church will take us up and clean us so that after we have departed we can become agents that minister grace unto the environment we find ourselves in. May God give us the grace to rise up to the challenge and redeem our lost image and identity. Oh how I pray and hope the Methodist Church Ghana will do justice to the theme selected for the year 2016…WITNESSING TO CHRIST: THE METHODIST IDENTITY AND SOCIAL IMPACT.

If members of the Church would desire and commit to knowing our identity and our purpose, Ghana would be a place of bliss. God bless you my brother for creating the platform to talk about this.