People of the Treasure

by Mike Chong Perkinson


“God chooses agents who will make it evident that the power which brings the ‘dead’ to ‘life’ is not theirs but His. The minister is like an ‘earthen pot’: cheap, fragile, expendable, unrepairable.” - Jerome Murphy-O’Connor

Strained relationships and disappointments are not only a part of the life of the church in the 21st century it was clearly evident in the life of the early church. After a careful reading of the letters to the church in Corinth, one discovers that the Spirit-people at Corinth were not at all impressed with the apostle Paul. They wanted a leader with more charisma and in whose power and presence they could take pride. He, however, exhibited none of the qualities they desired. In addition to his unimpressive personality and mediocre preaching, his life was characterized by setbacks and failures and suffering. A resume that one would not want for a life of Spirit-empowered person, at least that was what Corinth thought. How could such a weak and fragile person be God’s agent in the salvation of humanity?

This apparently weak apostle utilizes the imagery of clay vessels or “earthen pots” to paint a picture of our walk with Jesus. What comes to mind from the first century context is the imagery of a wrestler who is in the grips with a more skilled opponent. Before a bout, wrestlers would oil their bodies. As they would begin to perspire, sweat now mixed with oil and after a few falls on the soft floor of the ring their bodies became encrusted with clay to the point where they looked like clay statues. Men made of the material that cheap household vessels were crafted.

We live in a world full of clay pots and vessels. The church often finds itself highlighting the clay pot (the wineskin - vessel) more than the treasure that lies within it. The problem is not our worship styles necessarily (although some our outdated) or how we do church. Leith Anderson makes this bold assertion:

While the New Testament speaks often about churches, it is surprisingly silent about many matters that we associate with church structure and life. There is no mention of architecture, pulpits, lengths of typical sermons [or sermons!], rules for having a Sunday school. Little is said about style of music, order of worship, or times of church gatherings. There were no Bibles, denominations, camps, pastor’s conferences, or board meeting minutes. Those who strive to be New Testament churches must seek to live its principles and absolutes, not reproduce the details. (Quoted in Renovation of the Heart, Dallas Willard, p. 235)

We, as a church, have successfully turned the focus to the vessel and away from the treasure that gives life. We are good at reproducing details without principles. Time and time again in our history, we see major movements begin and then fade. That’s why we use the description of “early” (Dominicans, Quakers, Methodists, etc.) when describing a movement. The vessel that emerged in the outbreak of a radical move of God gradually overwhelmed the treasure it initially served to convey. Eventually we add the new movement to our list of movements to be showcased in our museum of Christian history. There is a vast difference between people of the vessel and people of the treasure.

CHARACTERISTICS OF VESSEL PEOPLE AND TREASURE PEOPLE




LIVING AS PEOPLE OF THE TREASURE

If a revolution is going to take place then we must return to the simplicity of our faith, the Irreducible Core of loving God, loving others, and making disciples as we live life. We can live as people of the treasure by living out the following.

• Give up your life and live as Jesus lived in every venue. There is no distinction between sacred and secular. Focus on the principles and absolutes of Scripture – the treasure—don’t major on the minors or details.
• Make disciples – we are all apprentices of Jesus. The church is to be a place where people are shown and taught how to be disciples of Christ, becoming lights in a darkened world (Philippians 2:15).
• Immerse yourself in the presence of God. That is, seek out God’s presence in every situation of life. The psalmist cried out, “The nearness of God is good.” (Psalm 73:28).
• Transformed: Living lives that do not focus only on behaviors, but the heart. The natural outcome or side effect of a transformed life it to live like Jesus lived and love like Jesus loved. This is a revolution of “peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9). We are most like God when we seek to make peace. We invite you into a revolution that seeks to…

1. Be genuinely kind to hostile people, returning a blessing for a curse.
2. Be kind to everyone and especially to your family (Galatians 6:10).
3. Find someone to disciple you and find someone to disciple.

Go and live your life based in and around the King and the Kingdom of God, loving all He loves, and seeking to make disciples of all who submit their lives to the King!

Tell me what you think. Let’s talk about it.