My church is in the process of a transformation. We’re working toward shedding some dead weight. We’re trying to become more outwardly focused—putting our energy into where Christ called us to put it, into our Jerusalem, our Samaria, and to the world. We’re evaluating our programs and budget and making sure we’re being good stewards of the resources of time, money, and people that God has gifted us with. We’re working to get our church lined back up with the plumb line of God’s Word and God’s Command and Christ’s Commission:
“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age’ ” (Matthew 28:18-20).
Most churches today have become a place of programs and events. We have become so inwardly focused that we no longer have the opportunity or energy to reach out. It’s very easy in today’s church to become the First Baptist Country Club of Me Centered Hills.
Our tithes become the yearly dues we pay to enjoy the services offered by our local Club and we, of course, then begin to believe that because we’re faithful to pay our dues we should have a say in how the Club is run. The events and programs should be centered around meeting our needs and wants and if they no longer do so, then we will take our tithes (our Club dues) down the road to the Club that our friends seem to love so much.
Please know that I have been guilty of this thinking as well. We’re a selfish people. We want our church to meet our needs first—the needs that we see as priority. We often forget that we must bow our knees before our Father and say, God what is Your will, Your purpose, for Your church, and particularly for my church?
As my husband said the other day, it’s as simple as a little twist on the old favorite Presidential quote: “Ask not what your church can do for you, but what you can do for your church.”
If you’re going to church focused solely on having your own personal needs met, they never will be. No church will ever be enough. You’ll never be satisfied.
Why?
Because satisfaction does not come with personal needs being met, satisfaction comes in being used by God to satisfy the needs of another. Our lives were made to be poured out. We were created with seed in us. We were created to give life to another—not take it. Taking will never satisfy, but giving always will fill us.
This is true in our church and it’s true in our homes.
Just as our church is evaluating time, money, and people, I believe we must also do this in our homes.
The first place the church ever met was in our homes. The first place the church should still meet is in our homes. When we look at our focus in our marriages and in raising our children and in our finances, what’s the goal? Is there a goal? Is there a purpose? Or are we just floating through life, pay check to paycheck, tv show to tv show, soccer game to basketball to baseball game, Sunday morning to Wednesday night to Sunday morning. Are we so burdened down with debt and working to hold on to and maintain things that will only fade away and burn in the end, that we have no more time, money, or energy to put into the things of eternal value?
Where is our time going?
Where is our money going?
Where are we going?
Is the church in our homes focused on going and making disciples? Are we as focused on our individual families obeying the great commission as we are our local church? We should be.
If we begin in our homes, it can’t help but spill over into our church.
Let’s stop expecting our local church to focus on the things that we say must be priority—demanding that all the time, money, and people be used for what we deem is most important (and then getting all insulted and disgruntled when they don’t). Instead, let’s organize our families to focus on what God has set on our hearts, putting it into action. Then we’ll go forward as a family in representation of our church and, most importantly, THE CHURCH.
If we put the resources God has given our individual families into action, focused on the great commission . . . wow! What would this add to launching to our local church into ministry?
Instead, we usually spend 90% of our resources on us, on our wants, on our desires, and then we expect our church to also meet our wants and our desires with the other 10% we give to it.
Am I right?
“Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly. Then the Lord will be your delight. I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob. I, the Lord, have spoken!” (Isaiah 58:13-14). —submitted by Nicole Vaughn, US
tom felten on August 23, 2011 at 10:42 am
Nicole, your honesty and insight is refreshing. The point is well taken: individual selfless, Christ-centered lives will promote fruit in our families, churches, and ultimately the world. Thanks for this challenge!