Will It Float?

The church is built to float when the storms of life come. It is not a shelter in the storm but rather the shelter in the storm. The storms of life should not begin from within but rather the church is where we are protected from the storm. Controversies and divisions are turning people away from wanting to be a part of the institutional church. They see no real difference between what goes on inside the walls of churches and what happens out in the world. We cannot have it both ways. How we are inside the church (i.e., faithful followers of Christ) must also be what we are out in the world. The church has a diversity of inhabitants but is singular in purpose. It is a wealth of different races, personalities, ideas, and needs. In spite of all its diversity, it must remain true to its purpose. The church’s purpose is to point to God in all things. We may find different expressions of this based upon different leadership or giftedness, but if we are not being pointed to God, we are headed down the wrong path. The church is a covenant vessel that knows that even though the rains will come, the promise shines with all its brilliance in the sky. The church, as the body of Christ, is a part of God’s promise in this world. It will endure because the plan of God is to see His people arrive to His shores. Though this life will be filled with darkness and trials, there remains the light of the glory of Jesus Christ that is the promise of God to His covenant people. This promise is that at the end of days, we will be in the full presence of God. The church’s challenge today is to be in the ark-building business—not as an institution or even physical structures but as people called by God to be a community through the storms of life. It is the building of the ark that is the body of Christ on the earth, the church. The construction is of one ark and not many. We will find local expressions of the church, but we need to realize they are planks and not the whole vessel. As we join together, the ark begins to take shape. The process and symbolism of building the ark of the church begins with the story of Noah. Using the elements in the biblical flood narrative, we can gain insight into the attitudes and methods that will continue to build today’s church. The difference is that Noah did not see the promise of the covenant until after the voyage. We are God’s covenant people through the blood of Christ. The rainbow that appeared in the clouds was a sign of hope, and this hope still exists today. As we journey together, we must realize we are the people of promise and our hope is fulfilled in Christ. With most ideas, there are implications and applications. The goal is to join the two together so understanding meets action. The two factors that will be woven though this narrative are prisms (implications) and planks (applications). Prisms are a refraction of light that shows us the spectrum that forms the whole. While we might not always see the colors in light, they are always there, weaving together to give full brilliance. The colors of the spectrum are the thoughts and ideas that will combine to give us a deeper look at how we are building community as the church. Planks are the solid material that is used to build the structure. They develop the framework and then provide the substance to build. They are the actions we can take to continue to build the church. Our task is to see the spectrum, build the ark, float together, and live changed by the light of God’s love. Building the church is not an easy call on our lives, but it is one we have been chosen to do through Christ. We are not the spectators of God but rather the people of God—a people who, through righteousness and obedience, build the body of Christ until His return. Noah spent his life building the ark. We are called to spend our lives building the church. This act of faith and obedience draws us into a relationship with God through Christ and to each other because of Christ. Building the ark of the church takes vision and action. Through the Christian symbols of the rainbow and the ark, we gain implications and applications for the work that must be done. The rainbow visual gives us the Prism Implication that reveals insights into the truths of Scripture. The ark Plank Applications help us put our faith into action. As God’s covenant people living under His promise, we take the truths we learn from Him and put them into service for Christ.