Episode 224: The Spirit Creates New Community — Jason Ruis

"A church that centers its life on the word and the sacraments has centered its life on the work of the Holy Spirit." —Jason Ruis

Summary of This Episode

The Messy Reformation Conference focuses on "The Spiritual Heart of a Reformed Church," centered on exploring Herman Bavinck's Reformed Ecclesiology. This theme emerged from recognizing widespread assumptions about church priorities that rarely stem from theological foundations. Churches often base their priorities on tradition ("this is what we've always done"), pragmatism ("I've seen it work"), or business models ("successful organizations do this"), but seldom on theology. This conference aims to address this gap by exploring ecclesiology—the theology of the church.

While learning from history, business principles, and practical experience has value, it remains secondary to learning from God, the church's designer. Scripture provides essential guidance on how God created the church, why He created it, and how it should function. Through conference discussions and subsequent podcast releases, participants can develop a deeper understanding of God's design for the church that will shape pastoral approaches and congregational engagement.

At the heart of this exploration lies the work of the Holy Spirit. Though Reformed tradition has been accused of downplaying the Holy Spirit's role, this characterization misunderstands the Spirit's primary function. Many seek dramatic manifestations like speaking in tongues or prophecy, overlooking the Spirit's essential work: applying Christ's redemptive work to believers' lives. The Holy Spirit opens hearts to God's word, convicts of sin, draws people to repentance, assures believers of salvation, and strengthens against temptation. This transformational work—making us new creations in Christ—represents the truly miraculous aspect of the Spirit's ministry.

The Reformed tradition hasn't neglected the Holy Spirit; rather, it has historically centered church life on the Spirit's work through the means of grace—Word and sacraments. Bavinck himself emphasized this in his section "The Spirit Creates New Community." A church centered on Word and sacraments is inherently centered on the Holy Spirit's work.

In our institutional culture, churches often focus on structures, programs, activities, and business strategies. While not inherently problematic, these become worthless without spiritual transformation. Similarly, denominational reorganization and doctrinal alignment, though valuable, become pointless without spiritual reformation. When the Spirit's transformative work occurs in hearts and lives, structural elements naturally align—"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you."

While the Spirit works in individual lives, we must avoid individualistic understanding. Scripture shows the Spirit drawing believers into community, as witnessed at Pentecost. After receiving the gospel, believers formed a community devoted to "the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." This communal aspect contradicts modern individualism that claims "I can worship God better alone in the woods than at church." When the Spirit works, He not only gathers believers but strengthens, equips, and matures the church through the means of grace.

Another way the Spirit builds the church is through distributing different gifts among members. This diversity necessitates community, as no individual possesses all gifts needed for God's work. Ephesians 4 describes how the body builds itself up in love when each part functions properly, though the Holy Spirit remains the underlying power behind this process.

Understanding that the church isn't built by human hands carries important implications. First, the church isn't a voluntary human organization but God's creation and plan. Second, church leaders must recognize they don't build the church through harder work, better strategies, or innovative programs. While these might yield temporary "success," eventually we confront our inability to build the church—often the point where pastoral burnout occurs.

This realization requires patience. Relying on the Spirit means accepting His methods and timeline. While we desire immediate transformation, the Spirit often works slowly, making sanctification a "messy," winding road. Our calling is faithfulness—walking alongside people, pointing them to Christ, and trusting God to build His church.

The conference aims to faithfully present this understanding of a Reformed church's spiritual heart through short talks that spark ongoing conversations at tables, in larger groups, during free time, and eventually back in participants' home churches and councils. As we explore God's Word and His calling for the church, the Spirit works among us, shaping us into Christ's image, revealing our roles, equipping us to build one another up, and ultimately building His church for God's glory and the coming of His kingdom.