So, I'm operating under the conviction that the primary purpose of the church is to be a sign, a foretaste and an instrument of the Kingdom of God. In the last post we explored what it might mean to be a sign; in this post we'll consider what it means for the church to be a foretaste. I would suggest that a foretaste is something to be personally experienced (tasted to be precise), something to be shared with others, and something that creates a deep longing for more.
The church is to be a foretaste of all that God will one day bring to completion. So, if the Biblical picture of the new creation is one where forgiveness finds fullest expression then we are to be a community of people radically committed to forgiving one another and all who wrong us. If the Kingdom to come will be marked by justice and God's provision, then the church must be committed to meeting the needs of members and community. If the new heavens and earth is to be populated by people from "every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages..." and we are to join in one anthem, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9-10) then the church ought to reflect the full diversity of its city. If heaven is to be an eternity of joy and celebration, then the church must be a people of contagious joy, gratitude and hope! Jesus believed His followers could be just such a foretaste, and to that end taught us to pray, "Thy kingdom come ON EARTH as in heaven!"
I believe God has every intention that these things are to be personally experienced, at least in part, within the community of the church, here and now. This has significant implications as to what we are to expect in our participation in the life of the church, and why and how we invite others to join in. We all know that true forgiveness, justice, reconciliation, joy and celebration are rare in our world, and yet these are the things that can and must mark our lives as God's people, the church. Is that what we expect, or do we settle for something far less, something more facile and less demanding? Do we understand that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us and that by His power this life can take root and manifest in us (Romans 8:11)? This is not mere idealism, unless, of course, believing in the power of Christ's resurrection is the same! The church is called to embody these things, the church can embody these things, and thank God, sometimes the church does embody these things.
When we live together as a foretaste of the Kingdom of God, then we can say to our friends and neighbors, with confidence and joy, "Hey, come taste this for yourself." An invitation like that trusts that God is actually present with and among us and working in tangible, observable ways. Such an invitation looks like Philip's to Nathaniel, "Come and see" (John 1:46), and rests on the hopeful, live-giving truth that following Jesus is a real-life, day to day adventure with a living God, and not just assent to a list of religious propositions. Might it be that the communal life of the church (and not some form of argumentation) is the primary evidence for the truth of the Gospel? Is this what Jesus meant when He prayed in John 17:20-21 that by our unity the world might come to believe that He is from the Father? I think so.
I pray that in CityWell churches we will expect more than an entertaining experience, inspiring worship and good programs for our kids. I pray that we will expect God to do more than we ask or imagine, to make us mighty in service and witness to Him. I pray that we will experience deep reconciliation with the Lord that breaks out into deep reconciliation with each other across dividing lines of every kind. I pray that we will personally taste and see that the Lord is GOOD! And when we do two things will happen: We will invite others to share in this life of Christ with us, and we will long for more, for the consummation of God's Kingdom. This is what the church, as a foretaste, does... it offers a taste of ultimate reality to be personally experienced and shared with others, and it breeds longing for the fulfillment of all God's promises. May it be so among us!
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