lifeasmission

Let’s Make Some Babies

October 29, 2005

I love that the people of God (Israel in the OT and the Church in the NT) is more often than not referred to in the feminine. As a bride – Jer. 2:2, Rev. 21:2; a wife – Hosea; her – Jer. 3:20, Amos 3:14, 1 Pe. 5:13.

This feminine image I think conjures up images of weakness (1 Pe. 3:7, try not to think of it negatively) and dependency (Ge. 3:16, again not in a negative sense) as well as tenderness and mercy. More than this, if you trace the imagery of God’s people throughout the Bible and how often she is referred to as a whore and adulteress, you also come to realize her need for constant correction and protection.

Intrinsic to the idea of relational femininity is the notion of childbearing. I am not saying girls exist just to make babies or that there is something wrong with women who don’t have children (both are very sad lies of our culture), that’s not the point. The point is, wouldn’t it be great if churches all over the world adopted this imagery in such a way that they longed to reproduce? Instead of churches just getting bigger and bigger and bigger, that operated on a tentative cycle aimed toward reproducing other churches.

There’d be more leaders raised up, more gifts exposed and put to use, more people brought into the proximity of those who know Christ, more creativity, more diversity, more power, more potential.

Instead, we have churches who glut themselves on the accumulation of more and more bodies, almost always for notoriety sake, and who thereby restrict all this potential activity of God through His people.

So hey all you churches out there, let’s get busy making some babies. By the way, babies need care and nourishment in infancy, instruction in adolescence, challenge in young adult hood, and freedom as they mature.

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Posted in: church, missional, theology