Agents of Grace
Apart from God and one another, we are incomplete—unable to receive, repair, or restore who we truly are. (If you missed my previous blog post, stop right here. Go back and read about the 4 Rs. I’ll wait.)
See why you matter here? Each of us needs people who really see and know who we are to remind us of who we are in Christ, especially during the times when we seem to forget. Apart from a close community, we cannot expect lasting spiritual transformation. You know the saying, “It takes a village”? We are called to show up with our offering of presence for one another—that includes our grace, our gifts, and our talents.
Now, I know what some of you are thinking. Isn’t it the job of elite, highly trained ministry professionals to make sure we grow spiritually? Aren’t they primarily responsible for facilitating our spiritual growth and restoring grace to its rightful place on the planet?
Yes, church leaders have a role, but so do you and I! Pastors spend years training to preach, teach, prep and plan services, administer and manage church and staff, officiate at weddings and funerals—all as part of their calling. (Does this sound like a full plate to you?) Their focus is on leading and managing a group of people. Other than limited counseling duties, their primary role is facilitating these church functions—not working through the relational issues of church members. Though many pastors and staff long for the wholeness of their people, please note: creating and healing attachments and identity among congregants is outside the scope of most seminary and Bible college training. Yes, some leaders have natural gifting in these areas, but they have a million other things to do.
The responsibility to help create and heal attachments and identity issues falls on each of us—not just the pros. You and I share an assignment: we are agents of grace. That means we need others close. To be a fully equipped, edified, and unified image of Jesus, I need what you have and vice versa. Ephesians 4:11–13 (nkjv) explains, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (Emphasis is mine.)
From this passage, it’s unmistakable: God has provided gifted men and women to “equip” us. A look at the root of this Greek word, καταρτισμός, will help us better understand. Translated, it means much more than merely training another person for a specific task. It tells us that, as part of God’s family, you and I are empowered (and, frankly, expected) to help repair, mend, make complete, restore one another. In other words, according to Paul, we are responsible for helping one another experience His grace. The “saints” are us, everyone in the body of Christ. All of us—including you and me—are called to this ministry! We are to work alongside church leaders in a daily, ongoing process of distributing God’s grace in and between one another. By doing so, we help mend, repair, and restore one another in the name of Jesus. And Lord knows we need it!
God is clear that every one of us needs repairing and equipping. Every. Single. One. Please don’t think I’m overlooking the importance of personal prayer, the study of Scripture, reflection, solitude, retreats, and the like. These things help you and me train for our spiritual growth. But, as Paul notes, my process of spiritual formation is incomplete without you. If you and I are part of the same small group, I need you to bring what you encounter on your own time with God back to our group. You and I experience the needed growth, mending, and repair that Scripture envisions in this process. We have the incredible opportunity to grow and know one another in Jesus. What a gift!
Together, you and I are called – and designed by God – to equip, strengthen, and become a unifying force of faith—in love with Jesus and one another. We are mediators of His grace. With eyes of grace, the fruit of the Spirit will flourish in our lives, and so will God’s kingdom on Earth.
To learn more, check back for my next blog or pick up a copy of Beyond Becoming: A Field Guide to Sustainable, Transformational Community. Next, we will explore how grace and small group relationships can help us find what our families of origin could not.