Where is Christ in Bethany?

Coaches for Coaching

He Himself has given some to be… pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints
– Ephesians 4:11

Christ has given us spiritual coaches!

We have been given three precious pastors here at Bethany, who shepherd and teach us to follow the truths of the Word.

We have:

  • Pastor Charlie, our inspiring leader, trail-blazing visionary, and insightful Bible scholar; and
  • Pastor Mark and Pastor Mitch, who shepherd the flocks of ‘young adult sheep’ and ‘teenager sheep’, and are patient and skilled teachers of God’s Word.

Why did God make them our pastor-teachers? It was not for themselves; it was for us! A coach of a team is meant to… coach! Imagine a football team that did not have a coach… disastrous! For example, with the retirement of Fergie, many Man U fans (me included) are worried for the future of the team.

And so, Christ has wisely made them our spiritual coaches – to outfit us beautifully to be a stunning bride for Christ; to pump up our muscles to fight as the army of Christ.

Church (= us!) to Contribute & Connect with Correct Doctrine & Compassion

Our coaching is not the end of it. A team is not coached to be coached, but coached to play and to win!

He Himself has given some to be… pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints
, for the work of ministry
– Ephesians 4:11

As you can see, there is a comma after our coaching – a comma which comma-nds us to minister. Bethany is coached, not to sit on the couch (or cushioned pews), but to minister!

Contribute & Connect

What does ‘minister’ mean?

Christ, from whom the whole body, joint and knit together by what each joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share
– Ephesians 4:16

First, it means to connect. I have experienced this through meals shared with friends at Bethany – over Sunday McSally’s and weekday desserts alike. In particular as someone who has been away for the past few years, I appreciate connecting via warm catch-ups when back in Singapore and meet-ups in colder cities when Bethanians visit the UK.

Second, it means to contribute. As young people, we often receive contributions from others. We have older ones who counsel us when we face tough issues, tutor us in the subjects we struggle with, and organize our yearly Youth Conferences. But we also have one another – to share struggles with, to pray for, and to carry one another’s burdens.

Correct Doctrine & Compassion

We should [speak] the truth in love
– Ephesians 4:15

The marvelous method by which we connect and contribute – is “speaking the truth in love”, that is, sharing the Word of God with one another out of a heart of love.

Here are some of the ways we can do this:

  1. Checking our understanding of messages with one another
  2. Sharing striking lessons with one another
  3. Encouraging and advising one another from the Bible
  4. Sharing the good times and the bad times – for me, I remember in particular a brother from Bethany accompanying me to A&E when I got injured while studying in the UK.

Are you connected? Are you contributing? Let us aim to do so by sharing the Word of God and the love of God with one another.

Culmination: Children no longer who Come together

All this activity in the church… we might ask that favourite question of children: “Why?”, or better still, “Where are we going?”

God assures us that there is one direction to all this – it’s not one way or another; instead, He’s got that one thing for us.

Spiritual Adults

That we should no longer be children, tossed to and for and carried about…
But that [we] may grow up in all things
– Ephesians 4:14-15

Young people, we are physically no longer children. But spiritually, many of us are still children. Children are distracted easily. And like them, many of us are swayed by what the world tells us – through websites, games, and our favourite celebrities.

Here in Bethany, we have attained some spiritual adulthood. We are not ‘dis-track-ted’, but have kept on track instead. We have held firm to the Bible, riding the waves of personal differences, technological changes, and financial difficulties.

As the youth of the church, let us seek to grow up well, not just physically, intellectually, or emotionally. Let us seek most of all to be spiritual adults.

Coming together

Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God
– Ephesians 4:13

We can be patchy in our oneness as young people. It is our human tendency to be closer to some people than to others, or not to be close to others. That is why Christ’s goal for the church is oneness.

Here in Bethany, we continue to strive towards greater oneness –

  • In faith – through celebration meals, Family Camps, and more, and
  • In knowledge of Christ – through camps, Bible studies, and more.

Let us seek to cultivate greater oneness by growing in faith and knowledge together.

Christ – our glorious Head

So where is Christ in the church? What is He doing?

Let us recap:

  1. He has given us coaches
  2. He enables us to connect and contribute,
  3. He sets the goal of united maturity for the church,
  4. He IS the goal of the church, as seen by these verses:

Till we all come to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
That we should grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ.
– Ephesians 4:13-15

So let us celebrate Christ, who died for us, and does so much for us. Let us commit ourselves to being coached and to caring for one another. Let us come together and grow together for many years to come.

These forty years, Christ has been with us. Perhaps we can now ask ourselves, not “Where is Christ?”, or “What is He doing?”, but instead, “Where am I in the church?” and “What am I doing?”

(Answer to question at the top: There are 11 big C’s).

 

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