Is The Church Relevant to Society Today?

Is The Church Relevant to Society Today?

First, what does church mean? What is the church? What is it meant to be and do?

So many people think of the church as a religious building, where they go for weddings and funerals. Sometimes they might associate it with primary school, or maybe even high school. Where they had to sit through a boring church service once a term, or even once a week. Well I also went to a church of England primary and yes the services were long and really boring. But that isn’t what church is.

The word church comes from the Greek word meaning ‘thing belonging to the Lord’ also the word meaning ‘assembly’, so if you put them together it’s ‘an assembly of things belonging to the L0rd’. When the bible uses the word church, it never means a religious building. It’s talking about the community of believers locally or universally. The says many things about the church, in 1 Corinthians 12:12 it says,

1 Corinthians 12:12

‘¹²The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.’

The church is meant to the a radical expression of the life and love of Jesus Christ and over the past 2000 years some churches have lost that. Letting the church become a machines to feed human desires. But I believe that the churches represented here are an expression of this. With Jesus as their head and showing this life and love through the way they lives their lives. In 1 Peter 2:9-10 it says,

1 Peter 2:9-10
‘⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.’

To understand if the church is relevant we must understand what God’s intention of the church is, that it to be a reflection of Jesus, his life, his love, his teaching. So real question is, if the church is this, it is relevant. To know this, he must look at Jesus, his life, his love, his teaching.

In Matthew 22 Jesus is asked what is the greatest commandment, here is the story,

Matthew 22:34-40

‘³⁴Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. ³⁵One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:

³⁶"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" ³⁷Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' ⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."’

Jesus connects loving God and loving others together and they are both are great or important as each other. The church can’t just love God, they have to love others. They have to love with the love that God loves. The love of God is unconditional, accepting and forgiving. Doesn’t matter what you’ve done, who you are or what you are doing, he still loves you. The church should love with this love.

When I look at the world I see a broken, dying, hurting world. I see a world crying out for love. Whether it’s the girls self harming in her room or the child without a mother because of HVI in Africa, they all just need love. Love is the answer is most of the world problems and if it isn’t the answer love would make the situations better to deal with. If the church will love with God’s love, then they can help sort out this broken, dying, hurting world.

In Isaiah 9 it’s says,

Isaiah 9:6-7

‘ ⁶ For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, ^a]">[a] Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

⁷ Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this’

These verses talks about the governments of the world being on Jesus’ shoulders, looking at him as a wonderful conselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace. If the government were to look at Jesus and let these as their foundations, where would they go world. In verse 7 it’s says ‘establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness’. If government was to establish and uphold these two value of justice and righteousness don’t you think the nation and the world would be a better place. In Jesus there are the values that I believe society needs to be fixed. If politicians can come up with policies and laws that establish and uphold justice and righteousness, with love at where core. I believe we would be half way there to fixing this broken, dying, hurting world. If government was to look at the church as communities of believers who seek to love others beyond themselves who have some of the answers to this world’s problems. I do believe the real church as real relevance to society today. The problems I see in the world can be solved with the values of Jesus and his church.

Social Change-Social Mobility-Social Reform

I believe and want Labour to win the next election. I'm not claiming it's going to be easy but I believe it's possible. To do this Labour need to develop policies that will do two things. Firstly go back to their socialist roots of standing up for the working man, the welfare state and equality. This would begin the fight back against the BNP and win back it's traditional heart land. Secondly developing and involving the New Labour ideologies of centre-left politics focusing on free markets, democracy and human rights. This would win over middle-england, go with the flow of gobal politics and I believe this would be right for the country. Labour won the 1997 election on appealing to middle-england, they need to do this once again.

The only way of combining these two is a manifesto of socially revolutionary policies. This would involve three main areas of policy Social Change, Social Mobility and Social Reform. With the policies I am going to set out I believe the Labour Party can win the next general election, bring this country out of the economic downturn and bring a social revolution to our streets.

Social Change - this would involve policies that would bring back integrity, honesty and respect to society. This would include the reforms to MP's expenses, the development of the human rights act and how it's put into place in society and honoring man and woman of integrity, honesty and respecting in the community bringing them into the discussion making in government.

Social Mobility - this would include carry on with and reforming the welfare state, improving people's quality of life through education, welfare and social justice and bringing people of out poverty. It would also include looking to other nations and seeing how we can help them in these issues and develop there public services, democracy and help their people out of poverty.

Social Reform - this would include continuing of public sector reforms, banking reforms and constitutional reforms. Through all these and more bringing change to society as a whole. I think through these reforms I have mentioned and others that it would bring public trust back to these institutions and increase the effectively of government. I believe developing a written constitution would be useful in doing this.

The Future of Britain

Every now and again a week goes pas that you know will shape history, this past week as been one of those weeks. With Labour setting out it's vision for Britain in the Queen's Speech, the appointment of Herman van Rompuy to the role of EU President and talks between Rome and Canterbury at the weekend. As always the normal issues have surrounded the week in politics the future of Labour under Gordan Brown, constitutional reform and the economic down turn.

Labour's Vision for Britain - this week saw the beginning of the long road to the election with the state opening of Parliament and the Queen's Speech. With only a maxim of 70 official Parliamentary days til the election, the Queen's Speech was the perfect moment for Labour to set the dividing lines between them and the other parties. Did they do this? Only time will tell. The proposals they set out were good, but I believe Britain needs more them good. If Labour want to win this election they need to revive need to come back the idea of social change. In the past 12 years Labour has moved the British Society forwards bringing in the minimum wage, welfare reform and reform and moderation to the public services. If Labour want to win they need to be the party of social reform and welfare. Not just spending for the sake of spending but spending to improve society, lift people out of poverty and strengthen public services.

EU President - I always wanted Tony Blair to get the job of EU President. You can think what you like about the guy, but I believe he is the greatest prime minister since Churchill. Yes he made some mistakes but he always did what he thought was right. You cant get better then that, can you? He brought this country out of the 20st Century and sometimes a 19th Century into the 21st Century and a 21st Century mind set. And I believe if the EU countries had wanted a President, who would of got the job. But they didn't, they wanted a chairman who would help the leaders design policy and make decisions , not someone who would design policy themselves and make decisions on their own. In the end the name of EU President is a bit misleading because he isn't the figure head of the EU but more of chairman and an equal among a lot of leaders in the EU. Maybe it was the right decision Herman van Rompuy isn't widely known in the EU, let alone outside of the EU. But he is known inside Belgium where he is the Prime Minister as someone who brings unity and stability to the government and the nation. Maybe that's what Europe needs?

The Red Riot?

In this blog I will be making my comments and views known on the politics of the day. Politics is my second biggest passion in life (after Jesus). I often say Jesus is why I get up in the morning, but politics is what keeps me up at night. I believe in this time, as christians, we need to keep an eye on global politics and push for the kingdom of heaven to be brought down to earth.

The name 'the red riot' has three different meaning. The first being red is the one colour everyone in the world has in common, the colour of our blood, it's to show that my views include how it's effects the whole world and the fact that everyone is equal and has the same right. Where ever they are and whatever colour they are. The second is the fact I'm a member of the labour and a socialist through and through and I hope most of my views show this. Thirdly and most importantly it's to show that everything I say hopefully will bring heaven down to earth. I am NOT saying that God is a socialist or that everything I say is the word of God. But I do believe as a christian i am called to influence the powers at be and through this bring heaven down to earth.

This is only about politics and my views, all other 'christian' stuff will be blog on my other blog 'all in'.

Thanks, I will be blogging on the queen's speech, the general election and the future of the labour party later on today.