A couple of weeks ago I was watching the coverage of Hurricane Katrina on the news and one of the experts, in essence, said, Don’t just jump in your car and go to help, we don’t want renegade volunteers. The phrase gave me pause. Renegade Volunteer? What an unusual combination of words. The concept, however, was immediately understood. If you simply jump in your car and go to help, you will become part of the problem instead of the solution. Working individually, one could, in such a circumstance, become a victim to the looting and violence that was so prevalent. Working with a team, however, one can accomplish more because the resources of a team are so much greater.
The concept got me to thinking about how some people view being a Christian. In essence, they are Renegade Christians. They believe that they can do their own thing without being associated or affiliated with the Lord’s church. Such puts one into a dangerous situation. Why? Several reasons.
First, a renegade Christian doesn’t have the protection of the shepherds of the church. Satan loves to isolate Christians and attack with all of his forces of evil. On our own, he can devour us handily. However, when we stay with the church, he has a harder time getting to us.
Second, a renegade Christian can’t do the works that the church, as a whole, can do. Some projects need more than one individual. They need a team of individuals. The Lord’s wisdom is evident in that the pattern for the church involves more than one person. When more than one is involved in an activity, there is more interest, encouragement, and accomplishment.
Finally, a renegade Christian won’t have the encouragement that those who are part of the church have. To whom may the renegade turn in times of crisis? There is no one. But the faithful member has a wonderful Christian family upon whom to depend.
There are all kinds of benefits to being part of a team. The church is the Lord’s team and as such we are expected to be members of that team. Are you a part of the Lord’s team, or are you a renegade Christian?