LONGER EXPLANATION re
BODY OF CHRIST CONNECTEDNESS
Some people SIMPLY CANNOT think in terms of the "large body of Christ"...here's an ANALOGY my friend...its like my "relatives"..the 2nd peters family...who cannot think of "grandpa's cottage" as the cottage of the "entire peters family"...they really think of the 1st peters family as "invited guests." That's a strict "property right" point of view (I.e. who holds the "title"), & is the opposite of the notion of an "organic connection" whereby people are connected to something in a non-material manner.
The organic connection may be a childhood connection (I.e. I'm the daughter of the original owner & grew up here...) or a "frequency connection" (i e "I have been coming here every summer for 30 years") or a "proximity connection" (I.e. we live 2 houses down...so we sort of have a sense of "care" for the community & inter-connectedness) ....it relates to having (past or present..& past tense usually presumes at least some present form of care & concern...that's what gives one entitlement...care & concern..& being there physically often, but not always, sognifices care & concern...
...but since we can't be everywhere physically at all times..we do our best to be there META-physically ...which comes from greek meaning "beyond" or "after" the physical. How can we be somewhere without "REALLY BEING THERE" ? Well, we can be there "in prayer" & in letters of care & in some cases just being "aware." Going to an event physically is "being there"..& is usually the highest form of "attending" an event, .but by watching an event on TV you are also "there" metaphysically (you were aware, you could see the atoms that make up a picture to create an image of a baseball field on tv for example, & u could see what happened at the game to a certain extent..by watching on tv you still showed some level of care or concern or interest albeit at a lesser extent than being there (unless you were at an event but completely un-engaged).
Yet some people live in a non-metaphysical world or mindset all their lives. Back to Nancy Peters (the mother of the 2nd Peters family, the 2nd wife of my grandfather)..she will NEVER understand the notion of the 1st peters family thinking they have any "right" to the cottage "just because" they were the kids of the original owner (her husband, their father). She thinks strictly in terms of property rights & a title & that she needs to give a "invitation" in order for them to come there..in this case its an "open invitation" but still not the same as being part of the same family. Do you tell your child "You are welcome any time". No, of course not, its presumed from the youngest age, based on a instilled sense of LOVE.
The body of Christ is a family..so when we "cross lines" we shouldn't really think of it as going to "their
church" (I.e "let's go to the Jones church this Sunday" would be a wrong way to think of visiting a fellow congregation). If you are a contributing member of one congregation you are a contributing member of ALL CHRISTIAN CONGREGATIONS..albeit you may not feel the same sense of entitlement...yet nonetheless you have a right to go to another church & if the church is really being a true church it will not treat you not think of you as a "guest" or "visitor"..but as a fellow "brother" or "sister" . Their church really is your church too, & vice-versa.
That's why to a certai extent, a "welcomer" at a church, while sometimes good, may also sometimes defy the larger sense of the church being the entire Body of Christ. If they say "Welcome to our church" & think of you as a guest when you are a regular member of the body of Christ somewhere then they are NOT being true to the whole body of Christ reality (not a "concept", not a "notion" but a reality). If they don't recognize you as a brother or sister when you are truly a dynamic living member of the Body, then they may be "in the flesh."
In some cases, however, true "newcomers" who don't know Jesus or barely know Jesus may come to church & they are the ones who need a real hearty "welcome."
The analogy to the cottage is NOT PERFECT B/C just because you grew up somewhere or "used to live" somewhere doesn't mean you can go back there any time & make yourself at home.You can't keep a key to the front door if you sold the house & walk in 10 years later ...that's not what I'm saying...but in terms of the church...yes, 10 years later you should be able to walk in during a church service at your "old church" & think without a doubt this is STILL your church (past, present, & future) because it IS
...& the people who attend regularly there shouldn't be thinking "Who is this lady?" They should be thinking "another part of the body of Christ" not a stranger. & the more you INVEST IN BUILDING UP THE BODY OF CHRIST...the more you will feel that sense of organic connection to the larger body. We see less with "eyes of the flesh" & more with "eyes of the spirit" the more we grow & invest in the body of Christ.
People who watch the Crystal Cathedral on TV often make contributions even though they have NEVER BEEN to Garden Grove, yet they are still "members" of the church & if they only physically come one time in their life to the Crystal Cathedral they should be able to walk in there without feeling like a stranger or a guest. The "regulars" who see them as such may be seing too much with eyes "of the flesh" (often intertwined with a "property rights" mindset).
Another example is the school we attend & in which we invested ourselves . A person who attended GRCH but then went off to college is still an "Eagle" & has a certain sense of entitlement to being an Eagle, all the more so if they continue to invest in the school, either financially or by going to events there or sending their kids there, etc.
I know some of my GRCH classmates still live in GR & donate to GRCH OR SEND THEIR KIDS TO GRCH..or teach or coach there..& the more they are involved, the more entitlement they have to the school& the kids. Others may still live in GR but don't contribute to GRCH nor attend games nor show any interest in GRCH anymore, nor send their kids there & they have less, little, or no more real entitlement to GRCH anymore, even less than the person in New York who still contributes, receives & reads newsletters with interest, etc. That can CHANGE, however. JOHN APATHETIC could resume interest at some point in time & regain a sense of entitlemnt, just as the "prodigal son" returned home.
On the other hand just BEING SOMEWHERE PHYSICALLY does NOT always truly give John Doe a true "interest" in the place. There are SECURITY GUARDS who may be at a place physically 360 days a year but they are not truly "invested" emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, etc. In that place as an organic body.
They don't interact in a meaningful way with the people & have NO REAL CARE or CONCERN for people as "whole persons.' Even some police, for example, may express concern about protecting & saving lives but they don't have or show concern for that person as a WHOLE PERSON. Sure,they might prevent some people from DYING or being KILLED but are they also helping that person TRULY LIVE?
A PHYSICAL CONNECTION ALONE is not proof of care nor should it necessarily always grant a person real honest entitlement. A prostitute may physically connect with a client but is there any CARE (in either direction) for the WHOLE PERSON ?
Usually, however, but not always, the more one physically invests in something (ie. Attends church, goes to school, attends an event) the MORE they will GROW with that "community." But if there is NO TRUE ENGAGEMENT with the "community" its just going thru the motions like some security guards or cops ("just doing their job").
So some people at one point in time have more involvement & therefore entitlement to a community than others, & that is in a constant state of flux & change. RH Schuller is the founder of the CC & obviously has & always will have a certain amount of entitlement to the CC, but that changes too.
He's NO LONGER THERE as much as he used to be & his sense of involvment and therefore entitlement may change (not in terms of "property rights" because he will always maintain an office on the top floor, but in terms of organic connection) . Nobody can maintain a 100% organic connection forever.
Some day "grandpas cottage" might not even be the Peters cottage anymore & the Peters 2 family may understand better at that point the meaning of organic connection...ie...maybe for some reason they will sell it (albeit doubtful)...but they will still have a feeling of care for the old cottage & assume the new owner would treat them with a little more familiarity than random strangers should they stop by 10 years later & say hello.
All the MORE SO we are connected as the Body of Christ. If I am at CHURCH A on Sunday I am helping the Body of Christ & maintain my "right" & investment in the whole body of Christ including CHURCH X & Y 1000 miles away. If I'm NOT going to church at all I have less investment & therefore entitlement to CHURCH A 1 mile away as well as CHURCH Z 1000 miles away.
But we since we can't physically be at ALL CHURCHES from A-Z at all times physically (or "wholly") being at one congregation is better than none & helps keep us connected to ALL, metaphysically.
Likewise PRAYER connects us metaphysically. The MORE WE PRAY for a person or community the MORE we remain connected to them metaphysically & retain our investment & entitlement to them. I personally am CONSTANTLY PRAYING (not just in the ways I show on video..that's only 1% of my prayer life) . & That's also why I am constantly attending different churches,,,to remain connected to the whole body, & they to me.
