To Be Bossed Around or Not to Be Bossed Around? That Is Not the Question! (Edited with ChatGPT)

 

A significant number of the faithful are unwilling to be part of any assembly of the Lord because they desire a personal faith with God, one that is not diluted by the hypocrisy and imperfections of others. They do not want to deal with the politics, social chaos, and perhaps they do not approve of the power structure and wealth distribution within the assembly.

 

God is not confined to a temple building; we are His temple. Since we can have faith and a relationship with the Lord without the barriers of Pharisees, it is not difficult for many faithful to maintain a personal relationship with God without being members of any assembly.

 

The problem is, we are the body of Christ, and the body needs unity. This unity extends to all born-again believers around the world, led by the Holy Spirit. However, there are people close to you—those who live in your town or area—and it is expected that you will have a special unity with the faithful around you. Furthermore, there are those with whom you will form a closer bond as you worship God in the same assembly.

 

It is important to view all born-again believers led by the Holy Spirit as your true family. They are not defined by ethnicity—whether they are white, from the Far East, or African—but by the fact that they are children of God, united in purpose through the Holy Spirit. You are one body in Christ. We know one another by Jesus Christ, and any other labels are essentially irrelevant. Just as donkeys mingle with donkeys, horses with horses, and birds with birds, so too should the new species of Christ mingle together. There is the human race, which we call the world, and then there is us—new creations, a new species of heaven. We are a different race of humanity, a race of heaven.

 

Yet, it is not always possible to unite with all people from around the world all the time. There are those close to you—perhaps those in your town or city—who are meant to be part of your immediate community. You must have a special relationship with these people. Your biological and cultural family is part of your earthly life, but your spiritual family is eternal. That is why your spiritual family should be valued more than your extended family. Jesus, who is within you, is also within them. The Holy Spirit that guides you also guides them. You cannot isolate yourself from the sheep of the Lord, nor can you be shepherded by the same shepherd while distancing yourself from the sheep under that same shepherd’s care.

 

The assembly may be flawed, and you may not find a better alternative—assuming you are not the problem. But when the Lord comes, He will ask for profit from what He has given you. What will you present as your profit? It is preferable to work things out with the assembly by following the law of love. They may not meet your standards, but love them anyway and pray for them. Be light and salt, healing them by following in the footsteps of the Lord. Strive to overcome darkness with light, hatred with love, pride with humility, and sin with holiness. Do this as much as you can.

 

If the assembly is divided over dogma and faith issues, and their failure to adhere to sound principles becomes too much for you to bear, still you cannot remain isolated, living a personal faith for yourself alone. God expects you to help, not just the faithful, but the world. Most importantly, He expects you to be the light and salt of the world and to gather the lost sheep into His fold.

 

If the assembly is in disarray and you cannot find a way to fix it, be the assembly of God yourself. Paul tried to explain the gospel to the Pharisees, but they attacked him, stoned him, insulted him, and hunted him. Paul didn’t sit at home to cultivate personal faith. He went into the streets to preach the gospel and gather the faithful into the assembly of the Lord. This is the worst-case scenario, though, and most faithful do not face such extreme issues.

 

In reality, many faithful are self-absorbed and seek comfort and amusement rather than carrying their crosses. This is often what drives them to leave assemblies. However, if you are a new creation in the Lord, your mindset should be different. When you are in an assembly and see a person who is kind, honest, loving, respectful, and humble, you are witnessing Jesus at work. You should honor and respect them. If you encounter someone full of dishonesty, hatred, anger, disrespect, and pride, you are seeing a spiritually immature person. Treat them with kindness, respect, and care, as you would treat an infant in spiritual development.

 

Speak maturely with those who are mature. Plan maturely with them, and offer unconditional love and care to those who are spiritually immature. If they are proud, do not compete with them in pride. If they are angry, do not outdo them in anger. If they are hateful, do not engage in hatred. Competing with immaturity only shows that you, too, are immature.

 

Mature people do not compete with infants; they support and guide them. If they are immature, love them unconditionally and be the light to their darkness. If they ignore you, continue to show them love and expect growth. They are in a process of spiritual development, and it is your duty to assist in their growth.

 

This is not the world. In the world, people compete over who has the best car, the best clothes, the most money, the most swagger, and the most pride. But in the assembly of the Lord, we compete by our character—by who has the best honesty, truth, loyalty, kindness, love, and humility. Imagine you witness to someone that Jesus is Lord and they reject you. You understand that they have not yet seen what you have seen, or tested what you have tested. However, once they become faithful, they will need time to grow, and it is your responsibility to show them the greatest honor and respect until they mature. This process is like raising children.

 

In the assembly, some people may have been there for 20 or 30 years but have only grown spiritually for a month. Imagine they haven't even passed their toilet training after 20 or 30 years. How should you view them? You should see them as spiritual infants. Their years may be long, but their spiritual growth has only just begun. After 20 or 30 years, you should become more angelic, kind, loving, humble, and honest. If, instead, you become more hateful, angry, proud, and dishonest, you remain spiritually immature. In such cases, more honor, respect, dignity, and love should be given to you as a reminder of your need for growth.

 

Our minds must be focused on our spiritual growth. As we grow, we will begin to despise evil and gravitate toward good. We should not compete with earthly fools using earthly methods. Instead, we should compete with heavenly beings by heavenly methods. When we see humble people, we should aspire to be like them. When we see kind people, we should long to embody that same kindness. When we encounter people of love, we should work to build love in ourselves. This is spiritual growth, and those who fail to walk this path have not yet completed their spiritual training.

 

In conclusion, many people do not attain the assembly of the Lord because they seek comfort, respect, honor, and love from others. If you are mature, give comfort, give respect, give honor, and love unconditionally. If others do not reciprocate, remember that you are the mature one, and they need your example. Be the salt and the light in their lives.

 

If you have serious doctrinal issues and believe the assemblies are straying from the truth, and you cannot find a better alternative, then like Paul, you must build the faith from the ground up. You cannot hide what God has given you and keep it without profit. God will demand a return on His investment. They may have laws preventing the formation of new assemblies, but you can always create a new name for your faith. You can call it neo-evangelical, and it will not matter.

 

Turning to the other side of the issue, some say those without an assembly should be willing to be bossed around by assembly leaders. But in true faith, there are servants, not bosses. Those who rise above others are not there to boss you around but to serve you.

 

The reason you should be part of the assembly is because you are stronger together than alone. When you are sick, you need your brothers and sisters. When you face challenges, you need others to lean on, and they need you to lean on them. When you are happy, you need others to share your joy, and you should share their happiness in return. Your brothers and sisters are part of you, and you should love them as yourself. They complete you.

 

That is why God does not make us independent beings but unites us into one body. When you pray, the answer often comes through a brother or sister. God can answer you directly, but He wants you to know your brothers and sisters. God gives different gifts to different people so that we can unite for one purpose. Besides, the full picture of Christ is revealed in the assembly, not in isolation. This is why you must be united with fellow believers—not only socially but spiritually—unless there is a difference in dogma and faith.

 

You do not go to the assembly of the Lord to be bossed around by immature people; you go to find the missing parts of your body. You are the eye, and you need the ear; you are the hand, and you need the mouth. The assembly completes you, so seek out the rest of your body to experience the fullness of Christ. If you find immature leaders who want to boss you around, treat them with the same patience you would show an infant. When they tell you they are the boss, smile and say, "Yes, you are bubu."