Today, I’m going to talk about Church.  I’m Catholic and the Light of Jesus Family is part of the Roman Catholic Church.

But in this chapter, I’m not going to talk about the Universal Church.  I’m going to talk about the local church.

The local church is where you experience God’s Love.

Or at least, should.

When it comes to building a local church that will nourish you spiritually, it’s almost like choosing a spouse: Define your non-negotiables and negotiables.

Essentials vs. Extras

Recently, I was in the United Arab Emirates to visit our Feasts there.  We now have 11 Feasts in the Middle East.  And I was struck when I met some who used to attend the Feast Manila Bay Area where I preach.

They told me, “Brother Bo, we’re now attending Feast Abu Dhabi, and it’s as if we haven’t left Feast Bay Area.”

Wow.  These people don’t miss me.  (Shucks.)

Just kidding.

The Abu Dhabi Feasters’ statement is mindblowing to me.

Because the contrast between these two Feasts is astronomical—like David and Goliath.  The last time I checked, Feast Bay Area now has 13,000 members.  The Abu Dhabi Feast has only 200 members.  Just the number of ushers of Feast Bay Area alone is more than Feast Abu Dhabi’s total attendance.

Feast Bay Area has a giant LED screen—they don’t.  Feast Bay Area has giant chandeliers hanging from the rooftop—they don’t.  Feast Bay Area has a cute preacher, but they have one too. (Ha-ha.)

Yet these ex-Bay Area Feasters said that in their tiny Feast in Abu Dhabi, they were experiencing the same grace, the same blessing, the same Jesus.

That simply means one thing: Feast Abu Dhabi may not have the extras, but they have the essentials.

The Eight Gifts of a Healthy Church

You don’t pick a church.  You build it.

Because you are the local church.

Today, I’m going to define the non-negotiable essentials that a healthy local church should have.  It would be great if you have a local church that has world-class music, a beautiful air-conditioned venue, a LED screen in front, and a handsome priest or preacher (Amen).  But all these are not essential.  What you need are the basic stuff that will equip you to follow Jesus.

There are eight gifts of a healthy local church must have.

1. The Gift of Instruction

Some people say, “I’m too busy, I don’t have time to go to church.”

My response?  The busier you are, the more you need church. Why?  When your life becomes too busy, you’ll forget the ultimate purpose of your life.  You’ll get sucked into the monster of materialism.  You’ll forget the essence, the core, the meaning of what life is all about.  You’ll forget that life is about loving the least of your neighbor, about forgiving your enemies, and about dying to yourself so that others may live.

If you are looking  also for a local church that can give you practical instruction on how to love God in various aspects of your life—in your job, in your finances, in your health, in your family, in your relationships…

2. The Gift of Impartation

One day, after The Feast, a middle-aged guy walked up to me and said, “Brother Bo, pagnagtuturo ka, hindi ko maintindihan.  Bakit ka ba Ingles ng Ingles?  Pilipino ka naman!”  (I don’t understand your preaching.  Why do you speak in English when you’re a Filipino?)

This was at a time when we still didn’t have a Taglish session at The Feast.  So I explained a little bit about my history—that I lived in Cebu as a kid and to this day have not mastered Tagalog.  And at the same time, I told him that I feel that God has called me to reach out to the English-speaking audience.

But then the man said something astounding.

He said, “Pero Brother Bo, maski hindi kita maintindihan, pumupunta pa rin ako lingo-lingo sa Feast.  Bakit?  Dahil sa blessing mo.  Pagpinagdadasal mo na kami, maski hindi ko naiintindihan anong pinagsasabi mo, tinatanggap ko ang pagpapala.  Simula nang dumalo ako sa Feast, God has been prospering me.  O, nag-Inglis ako!”  (Even if I don’t understand your teachings, I come every week.  Why?  Because of your blessing.  When you pray for us, even if I don’t understand your words, I receive your blessing.  And since I’ve joined The Feast, God has been prospering me.  Hey, I spoke in English!)

You don’t have to wait for my blessing.  Just by the fact that you stand in the presence of God, you’re being blessed for the coming week.

And as Catholics, we believe that the Sacraments are our greatest impartation of grace.  What is greater than receiving the very Body and Blood, Soul, Life, and Divinity of Jesus in the Eucharist?  When you take Communion, and you realize that the God of the entire universe is a tiny biscuit melting in your tongue, that is the most intimate moment you can ever physically have with Jesus.

But as great as that moment is, we don’t get the core message of the Eucharist.  It’s supposed to be more than a date with you and God.  The Eucharist is a family meal.  But how can it be a family meal if there is no family?

3.The Gift of Intercession

If the local church is one big family then we should pray for one another.  But we hardly know each other!

Jesus said, Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. (Matthew 18:19-20)

Let me repeat our lesson on intercession: Communal prayer is powerful not because you increase God’s generosity but because you increase your receptivity to God’s generosity.

At The Feast, we’re always into small groups.  I always tell our leaders that in the Light of Jesus, we should always be growing bigger and growing smaller at the same time.

Here’s the Rule at The Feast: If a Feast gets bigger, it should also grow smaller.  How?  Through small groups.  Daily, we’re building Light Groups and Video Feasts.

Light Groups —because we’re the Light of Jesus Family— are small groups of 8 to 15 persons that meet each week for prayer and sharing.  Video Feasts are small Feasts that gather in offices and neighborhoods that watch a Feast video talk, pray together, and share together.

These small groups meet each week, know each other, journey together, and pray for one another constantly.  That’s church!

4.The Gift of Interaction

Sadly, for some people, church is a gas station. In a gas station, you drive in, get your gas, pay your bill, and drive out.  Which is exactly what some people do when they go to church every Sunday.  You walk in, get your blessing, give an offering, and walk out.

Some churchgoers’ only interaction in church is towards the end of the Mass when the priest says, “Let us offer a sign of peace.”  And people look at each other’s shoes and bow.

But a church must be a spiritual family where we enjoy fellowship and friendship, where we share our sins and stories.

You need a family and a family needs you.

Give yourself to your local church.

Love the people in your local church.

5. The Gift of Inspiration

Whether you like it or not, you’re a soldier.

Why?  Because life is a daily battle.

And when you’re a soldier, your inspiration comes from three things: Convictions and Commander and Comrades.

Convictions

What convictions?  Real soldiers love their country, their countrymen, and their family.  But in the heat of the battle, inner inspiration isn’t enough.  Soldiers need inspiration from the outside.  Soldiers are inspired by their Commander.

Commander

First, people need a Commander who is RADICAL.  Not a Commander sitting in a General’s Tent, far from the battlefield, drinking his cappuccino and munching on a donut. People need a Commander with battlescars on his face, fresh wounds in his arms, his boots wallowing in the same mud you’re marching on, leading you in front, ready to die with you and for you.

It’s the same way in church.  You want a spiritual leader—a priest or pastor or preacher—who is ready to die for the mission.  When you know that the guy in front isn’t just performing a job but is sacrificing his entire life for the King and the Kingdom, you’ll sacrifice your life too.

Warning: When any organization—whether spiritual or corporate or civic—is led by leaders who are no longer passionate for the purpose, but preoccupied with their positions, their promotions, and their politics—that organization starts dying.

Second, people need a Commander who is REAL.  Who shares his own journey with you.  Who will expose his own wounds.  A preacher that doesn’t divulge his weaknesses is giving a big disservice to his flock because he’s giving the false impression that he’s holy and they’re not.  So they’ll feel bad that they’re bad and he’s good.  Which is not true.  Because we’re all a bag of mixed bad and good.

This is one of the reasons people love Pope Francis.  Our Commander is a human Pope who tells everyone, “I’m a great sinner” and “Please pray for me.”

Comrades

Your third inspiration in battle are your Comrades.  Your fellow soldiers, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you, ready to die with you and for you.

You know the saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going”?   Sometimes, that’s true.  But from my experience, this is what is better:  “When the going gets tough, the tough friends get going.”

You need a small band of tough friends who have faced the same sort of trials you’re facing now, and who can tell you to your face, “It will get better; Everything will be all right.”

A few years back, I went into a depression most intense part of which lasted for four months —residue lasted for three years.  Every day I woke up, there was this heavy fog over me.  No matter how I prayed, I couldn’t see a sliver of light.  But throughout that journey, I had faithful friends who dove into that heavy fog of my depression, found me in the prison of darkness, and escorted me out.

My mother used to say, “Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are.”  Because you’re impacted by the quality of your friends.

In your local church, get into a small group and grow spiritually together.  Serve together.

6. The Gift of Imitation

You will imitate someone.

This is just how human nature works.

Psychologists have tested this phenomenon thousands of times, and the verdict is out: From kindergarten kids to rocket scientists, from beggars to billionaires, we’re gullible people.  We’re very impressionable.  We’re always imitating someone.  So it’s just a question of WHO we’re imitating.  Are you imitating the right people or the wrong people?

One day, I was talking with a man in his 60s.  His complete honesty was striking.

He said, “Brother Bo, my first marriage failed because I was young, selfish, and immature.  Years later, I got married again and I have a great marriage now.  But I realized that if I had the maturity that I have now, my first marriage would have been great too.  One of my problems was the kind of friends I kept.  When I was a young guy, all my friends—no exception—had broken marriages.  So when I told them, ‘I’m having problems with my wife,’ immediately, all of them told me, ‘Get rid of that witch!’  But today, things are different.  All my friends have solid marriages.  And we now support each other.  When one says, ‘I’m having problems with my wife,’ the other guys say, ‘Hang in there, buddy.’”

If you want to fulfil your dreams, here’s a huge tip: Surround yourself with people who are already living your dreams.  If you want to be an entrepreneur, surround yourself with entrepreneurs.  If you want to be an author, surround yourself with authors.  If you want to be a chef, surround yourself with chefs.  If you want to be a great father, surround yourself with great fathers.  And if you want to be a lover of God, surround yourself with other lovers of God.

 Find Your Discipler

In your local church, you need to find your discipler.  Not just a teacher or preacher.  A discipler is someone who will love you enough to walk with you in your spiritual journey.

Of course, my first disciplers were my parents.  After them, it was Sister Aida Manongdo, my prayer group leader.  We were very different from each other.  I was a 13-year-old kid and she was in her 50s, a mother of six.  But before each prayer meeting, she’d take me aside, talk to me, listen to my questions, and pray for me.  From her, I learned to love the Bible.

My next discipler was even older—a 70-year-old Fransiscan nun—Sr. Angelina Lim.  Again, she would talk to me, listen to me, and pray for me.   From her, I learned about God’s Love.

My next discipler was Mike Joseph Jr.  I was 16 years old.  We’d chat about God and pray together.  From him, I learned to follow God radically.

This is the reason we built Light Groups.  Because your Light Group head will be one of your disciplers.

Note: Your discipler is not a perfect individual who knows everything.  His role is simply to be a friend who will journey with you in your faith walk.  Many times, his answer to your question will be, “I don’t know, but let’s find out together.”

7. The Gift of Inclusion

The local church must not only make you a disciple, but equip you to become a discipler too.

If the church does not do that, then the church has failed in its mission.  We’re not called to be a super gym for the super healthy.  We’re called to be a field hospital for the sick and wounded.

One of the most important gifts that the church must give you is the spirit of inclusion.

Before He ascended into Heaven, what did Jesus say?  “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and hold weekly meetings for holy people.”

I don’t think so.

How about this?  “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and build beautiful cathedrals for religious people.”

Nope.

This is what He said: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” 

Pope Francis said something so special, I feel it’s the battlecry of The Feast: Instead of being just a church that welcomes and receives by keeping the doors open, let us try also to be a church that finds new roads, that is able to step outside itself and go to those who do not attend Mass, to those who have quit or are indifferent.

Be Scandalous

Warning: When you become inclusive, you become scandalous.  The legalists won’t like you.  The self-righteous won’t like you.  The holier-than-thou won’t like you.

Let me repeat what I said before in this book:  Jesus, the holiest person on the planet, was also the most inclusive, non-condemning person on the planet.  He had the scandalous reputation of being the friend of sinners—the friend of prostitutes, drunkards, and tax collectors.  And His church must have that reputation too.  Sadly, we’re not known as the friend of sinners.  The local church is more known as the judge of sinners.  We condemn them.  We reject them.  We look down at them.

And that’s one of the reasons I love Pope Francis.  He’s so like Jesus when he said, The Church must be a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven.

One of the biggest temptations of Christians is legalism—when we insist that the law is more important than people.  For people who are not religious, the church is not a happy place, but a place of many do’s and don’ts.  About this, Pope Francis said something powerful.  He said, Christians have the duty to proclaim the Gospel without excluding anyone. Instead of seeming to impose new obligations, they should appear as people who wish to share their joy, who point to a horizon of beauty and who invite others to a delicious banquet. 

8. The Gift of Imperfection

Announcement: The local church will let you down.  Always.  The local church will frustrate you, disappoint you, and disenchant you.  Why?  Because it’s a human organization filled with imperfect human beings.  Remember that Jesus designed the church specifically for sinners.  So don’t expect saints.

And the earlier you accept that, the less heartache you’ll have in church.  And the easier it is to keep serving God despite these frustrations.

I recall the story of a handsome young bachelor who was looking for the perfect girl.  He was looking for someone who has the beauty of Scarlet Johanson, the voice of Celine Dion, the body of Beyonce, the cooking skills of Rachael Ray, and the holiness of Mother Teresa, now St. Teresa of Calcutta.  After travelling from one city to another, from one country to another, he finally found her.  And he was so happy.  But when he got to know her, he couldn’t get her.  Why?  Because she was looking for the perfect man.

You have no business looking for the perfect church.  Because even if you found it, the moment you join, it won’t be perfect anymore.

Why does the church have to be imperfect?

Two reasons.

First reason, to make you perfect.  The only way for you to become perfect is if you go through imperfect situations.  The only way you learn to love is if you have to love very unlovable people.

Second reason, to make you uncomfortable in church.

The temptation of any local church is to become an inward-looking holy barkada that won’t let others come in.  To hang out only with people who speak your language and sing your songs.  To be comfortable.

But the church exists not for itself.  It exists for the world.

Once we become too comfortable in church, our human weaknesses show up.  And the ugly politics begin—when religious people start jockeying for plum positions in the organization.  Soon, you’ll have intrigues.  Conflicts.  Gossip.

I noticed that in these kinds of inward-looking churches, you can’t remove people from their positions because they’re married to their positions— instead of being married to Jesus.  I urge you: Forget your positions in church.  Forget your titles in church.  Go out of the building where you have no positions and titles—and make disciples there.

If you don’t, you usher the death of a dream.  And the church becomes a shadow of its former self.

Why does this happen?  We forget the ultimate purpose of church—to go out of the building—and be God’s Love in the world.