The Christian Church encompasses a large group of people and a large body of organizations that represent many different doctrines and ideas. These organizations were to be expected because of our human desire to create larger and larger organizations. And while some disparage the idea of “organized religion”, there is no one who is advocating for unorganized religion. So, organization should be embraced whenever possible and eschewed when necessary.
So, when will it become necessary for the Church to abandon the organizations that have helped it grow and what does that look like? The question of when is difficult to answer. It is more likely that we will not know it is necessary until it becomes necessary. During the COVID pandemic we saw an indication of a possible time when organization might need to be abandoned. At the same time, many churches became even more organized in their ability to serve their communities during the pandemic. So, when may be difficult to judge, but what it looks like to be a decentralized church and disruptive church is more clear.
When Jesus left his disciples after his resurrection he told them to stay in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit. Earlier while he was still with them, he breathed on them and told them to receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ desire was that every one of his followers would receive the Holy Spirit. Why is the Holy Spirit so important?
Orthodox Christianity believes that when we confess that Jesus is Lord and confess our sins, the Holy Spirit enters into us and makes each one of us His temple. But, for many Christians this initial sanctification by the Holy Spirit is as far as they go. When Jesus told his disciples to receive the Holy Spirit, he never intended for them to just give the Holy Spirit a ride from place to place. Rather, he wanted them to live by the Spirit.
What does it mean to live by the Holy Spirit? Jesus explains this by saying that while he was on earth he never said or did anything that was not confirmed by His Father before he said or did it. He never judged anyone without conferring with his Father. He chased the moneychangers out of the Temple after conferring with his Father. And, he immediately called the lame and blind into the temple and healed them after conferring with his Father. So, Jesus desires us to be in constant communication with him through the Holy Spirit and he will communicate to us through the Holy Spirit.
What is amazing about this communication is that each one of us have this connection with the Holy Spirit. But, many Christians do not build this relationship or practice this constant communication with the Holy Spirit. If we did, we would become a powerful decentralized and disruptive force in our world. This is not to say that we should do this on our own. In fact, Jesus sent out his disciples in groups of two. So, this means we should learn to live by the Spirit together and test what we believe we hear from the Spirit together.
If Christians live by the Holy Spirit moment by moment rather than just Sunday by Sunday or crisis by crisis we will not need large organizations to be the Church. If we live by the Spirit moment by moment we will obediently do what he tells us to do and say what he tells us to say. And that, will be disruptive.
