I am sure you are wondering just what I am talking about. I am talking about just that, “church.” I am tired of what we call the “church.” It has become either a “place” we go or “something” we do.
For so many it is just a place that we go to once or twice week to either feel a little better about our self or to seek some form of forgiveness for something that we did the week prior. We leave with no real change having taken place in our life and go right back to our same old life and get the same old results. Now the church that we go to has some responsibility in this as well…more on that later…
Yet, to others, church has become “something” we do. We stroll in on Sundays because, for some reason, it is something we are supposed to do and we feel good about it. We actually think we have done God a favor by merely showing up!
Some get involved in a ministry or service activity because they feel that they are supposed to as a “member” of their church or that is what it means to be a Christian because they have to “produce fruit.” We have all heard the “you gotta serve” sermon right?
I have learned (and am still learning) that a relationship with Christ is not about going to a building, not about being part of some denomination, not about serving in a ministry, it is about living a life like Jesus, it is about treating others the way Jesus did and about sharing His love with those that don’t know it. This is not an exclusive list, just the high points.
If we are serving in a ministry for any other reason other than to share the love of Jesus and give God the glory, it is the wrong reason. One of my favorite quotes is a definition of ministry by Warren Wiersbe. He says, “Ministry takes place when divine resources meet human needs through loving channels to the glory of God.”
We are supposed to be the “loving channels” delivering the “divine resources” and giving God the glory. Does God need our help? No. Instead, He is allowing us to take part in His creation and to further His kingdom. It is a privilege and a gift to serve God and to serve others. These are lessons that I have learned (again, and still learning) in my walk. I have been guilty of wanting attention or praise for something I have done when in reality, I should have been doing it for God alone and giving Him credit. Don’t get me wrong, it is okay to be happy that you did something for God and to feel that blessing when you have helped someone…the difference is enjoying the blessing that came from serving God and not expecting something for what you did.
I have attended churches that “appeared” to be serving God and to be serving others but in reality, were just doing these things because they felt they were supposed to be done without any “real” compassion for the people or for serving God. I know that is a pretty harsh statement but it was something that I witnessed and experienced. I also attended a church were there seemed to be no service outreach or evangelism. There seemed to be no desire to reach the community.
On the other hand, I have attended churches that were always in the community doing service projects. One church skipped a Sunday service and had everyone involved in various community service projects! Another church adopted an entire under privileged neighborhood and served them throughout the year! Another has actually picked up homeless people and brought them to church and found them a place to live and given them food to eat.
Now before you think that my wife and I are “church hoppers,” understand that we have moved around a lot and I have worked all over the country so I have had the opportunity to visit and attend many churches and have learned a lot regarding ministry over the past few years. I also am blessed with some friends who are pastors and learn a lot of things on how they do ministry. Using only first names, thanks to Al, David, Bill, Steve, Mark and Dave!
I mentioned that I was tired of “church.” I guess I need to expand on that and give what I feel is an alternative to what is so common.
You don’t have to agree, my blog…my opinion ;-)
As I stated earlier, people go to church for different reasons: to learn more about God’s Word, to learn how to live like a Christian, to worship God, to fellowship with other believers in order to encourage and to be encouraged, etc. These are all good reasons but one thing that my wife and I have realized is that we have never learned how to truly reach our community and to serve others. Now that may sound weird coming from someone who is going to seminary and feels called to the ministry! But our idea of “service” was volunteering at church or having Christian friends over to our house. Those things are fine and good but who did Jesus spend time with? Of course, there were times when He was just with His disciples and times when He was just with His inner circle of Peter, James and John and sometimes just with Peter. But Jesus also spent time with those that didn’t know Him: tax collectors, prostitutes and other sinners.
I think the “American Church” is missing the boat when it comes to teaching people what it means to serve. I am not labeling ALL churches, I am speaking in a general sense (so don’t take this personally if you are a pastor reading this). You can make someone do something and you can convince someone to do something but teaching people HOW to do something and having their hearts prepared to be inspired by the Holy Spirit, now that is something!
Good deeds apart from the inspiration and power of the Holy Spirit are just that…good deeds. Things that we did that provided some benefit to someone. Fine. But when a person learns to love others and whose heart is moved and inspired to help, that is a lasting change that will go with them forever and allow many lives to be touched and God to be glorified.
We need to find a church that isn’t just about “bells and whistles” or because they have this ministry or that ministry. Granted, some families need certain things and need to be ministered to in special ways. I get that. But we sometimes tend to look at a church in a way that asks the question, “What can they do for me?” instead of asking “What can I do for them?” or better yet “What can I do WITH them?”
If you are looking for a new church, a different church, or a better church, find one that first and foremost teaches God’s Word. Not one that waters it down or changes it to fit popular culture. Find one that teaches on sin and the need for salvation. Find one where the pastor and leadership live out what is being preached. What example do they set?
Is there a desire to reach the community? So many churches will claim to support missions and may have some missionaries in another country, which is great, but what are they doing in their own back yard? My wife and I know that we have a desire to share Jesus and to serve others but we asked ourselves, “How many people in our own neighborhood and even our own street have we talked to?” I won’t share our answer…as it is embarrassing. Things must change!
In the end, we all have certain things we look for in a church: youth group, men’s and women’s studies, good kids ministry, etc. Those things are fine but in the forefront should be 1) Do they teach solid biblical teachings? 2) Are they actually serving their community?
I asked a good friend of mine who is a pastor of a church that minister’s primarily to people that other churches in the area won’t let in their doors and focuses on feeding the hungry how he knew he was called to that kind of ministry. His response, “Mike, there really isn’t any other kind of ministry” He explained that both Jesus and Paul preached the Word and fed the hungry: Plain and simple.
In other words: Teach them about Jesus and love them like Jesus.
Why do we have to make it so hard?
