Last Sunday at church, they were starting a new series on community. The community life pastor preached the sermon. Individualism was cast in a negative light. I thought the emphasis on community over individualism came on a little strong.
Not that I didn’t promote community when I was a pastor–I did. In my last church, in Saigon, we made known our small group discipleship opportunities, which met in four locations in that city of 10 million people. On those occasions when we had a meal after church, we hoped everyone would stay. And after church every Sunday we had a fellowship time where people could stay and talk, with a chance of finding helpful, meaningful conversation (I think this kind of fellowship is a thousand times better than those ‘Say hello to your neighbor’ times that some churches do in the middle of a service–in my view those are artificial, as well as being agonizing for the introverts in the congregation).
In general, the more community the better.
But at the same time, I don’t think individualism is a bad thing. It can be a good thing if channeled in right direction; having the strength of God within to stand on our own two feet, ready to handle whatever is thrown at us.
After all, most of our relationship with God is individual: we are saved by God’s grace which is accepted by our own personal choice, we will die and face God in the afterlife individually, and our own battles with temptation are fought individually. No one else can do these things for us. And our personal quiet time of Bible reading and prayer–probably the greatest means of discipleship ever–is just between ourselves and God.
All of us need to step up and take responsibility for our own spiritual life–no coasting, no pretending.
During my last pastorate in America, in New Mexico, I had some (what they call in the military) collateral duties. One of these was to be the director of Sunday School and Discipleship for the district. I had this office for six years. Though it oversaw various ministries–children’s camp, children’s Bible quizzing, women’s and men’s ministries–these were all handled by other people so I didn’t have to be involved in them too much. But the part that really involved me was the annual Sunday School and Discipleship convention. This convention lasted about four hours and was connected to the other parts of the district assembly. Delegates would come in from churches across the district.
I was involved in everything from arranging the music to putting together the delegate gift bags to appointing the board of tellers–all those details. But the part that made it all worth it, the part that gave it meaning, was the chance to address the delegates in the director’s report. I always turned this report into more of a sermon. Why? While these conventions were mainly about two things–information and inspiration–I doubled down on the inspiration part. I wanted to inspire the delegates (Sunday School superintendents, Sunday School teachers and others) to know that what they did was important work–that helping people to internalize spiritual truth was even more important in this era when our culture is drifting away from God’s ways.
Our culture used to be based on a Judeo-Christian foundation. But no longer. Our faith must be internalized because we aren’t getting help from the culture anymore. We can’t take it easy; we can’t coast.
Now, I know that the ‘Christian culture’ of the past didn’t save anybody. But it did help to promote a common assumption of what was good and right. It used to be that government, higher education, entertainment, media, and big business worked–however imperfectly–from an assumption that Christianity and the Bible were good things and that it was profitable for all that they be honored, or at least not opposed.
Those days are gone. That’s why I say culture doesn’t help us anymore. Today, the need is all the greater to internalize the faith, to have the truth on the inside.
Our compass must be within. We live in an age when you’ve got to be strong. So go deep, know the scriptures, know some theology, even know some church history. When temptation strikes, or when called on to make a stand, we will almost always be alone–without a pastor, mentor or community to consult with. We have to have the spiritual strength and knowledge within us to do right in those moments.
In the end, it’s on each individual to choose to go with God.
Ezekiel 19:20 says, “The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him.” Though this text, like all Old Testament scriptures, should be interpreted through New Testament eyes, the principle of individual responsibility is never negated in the New Testament.
Once, when Jesus healed ten lepers, only one returned to give Him praise. Then Jesus asked, “‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then he said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well’,” (Luke 17:17-19).
We are not told why this one rose above the crowd, only that he did and that it won praise from Jesus. He didn’t ‘go with the flow’.
While the pendulum has swung in favor of community over individualism, we should recognize the dangers of neglecting an individual, personal faith. We have to the fire within. There is a hymn, I Have Decided to Follow Jesus. The last verse says: “Though none go with me, still I will follow, No turning back, no turning back.”