If you are reading along, last time I was writing that the "Primary Purpose" of church, as I see in scripture, is to disciple people by teaching them to obey everything Christ commands. I am convinced that discipleship is the most important work a church can do, even if in reality we are not currently doing a very good job of it. But there are two sides to discipleship - the church must be about the work of making disciples, but every professing Christian must also be a willing participant in that process.
I was so shocked in church recently by something our pastor said. The church is growing and each of the three Sunday services are full, so space is an issue. So to free up space our lead pastor actually asked some people to consider attending a different church! The people he was talking to were the ones who only come to church because it is Sunday, or because they want the social experience. He was talking to the people who claim to be Christians but are in no way followers of Christ. He asked if these people would be willing to give up their seats to people who want to be disciples because this church really believes that discipleship should be the goal of every believer.
It's not that I have never thought the same thing about people who attend church for the wrong reason, but I admit I did not have the courage to say it out load, and especially not to ask them to consider attending somewhere else!!
The difficult question for every professing Christian is this - if we are not willing to become true disciples of Christ, to allow him to change us until we become like him, then why are we following him? Is it just to get a ticket into heaven? Is it just to feel better about ourselves? Why?
Listen to the words of Paul to the Philippians: "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you." Phil. 3:10-15
Paul reveals the point of following Christ - to know him, to become like him, and that it is a process that we must be actively involved in until our life on this earth is over and we are see him face to face. It is an exciting process that is often difficult and always rewarding. It is and should be a process that every Christian in committed to - to become a disciple of Jesus Christ.
So the next time you are in church ask yourself "why am i sitting here" - are you there because it is Sunday and you need a God fix, or is it because you want to be trained to obey everything that Christ has commanded. And if you find yourself in a church that working to make disciples, find one that is!!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Primary Purpose
Attending a new church, especially one in which I have no responsibility, has given me such a better perspective on church in general. For so many years I have been in the middle of all things related to church that it has been hard to see the big picture and easy to loose sight of what church is supposed to be all about. For most pastors, ministry becomes so much about meeting the needs of the congregation that we can be fooled into thinking that this is primary purpose of the church. While a noble endeavor, keeping the congregation happy is not the primary purpose of a church.
So if the purpose of church is not about keeping people happy and keeping them coming back, then what is it all about? Well that is a big question but it actually has a simple answer. And as with any question worth asking, Jesus has given us the answer.
In Matthew 28, Jesus spells out the ongoing work of the disciples right before he leaves the earth and descends into heaven: "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matt. 28:20
"Go ... to all nations..." Well that doesn't seem to be about church, but it's a good reminder for those of us who think that the role of church is to meet our needs as we sit in our favorite seat week after week.
"Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..." I can tell you from experience that you don't need a church to baptize people either, if you have enough water you can do that just about anywhere!
So that just leaves making disciples by teaching people to obey everything that God has commanded - that is something you need a church to accomplish, in fact it is the most important thing a church can do - it is the primary purpose for having church in the first place.
Making disciples - that is what church should be all about - that is the mandate from Jesus for the church 2,000 years ago, and for every church today. There are many great things that a church can do, but this is what we should do because it is the very instruction of Christ as to how we should be spending our time, energy and resources.
The church I attend now, Vine Community Church of Carbondale, has reminded me of this primary purpose. Discipleship is at the heart of everything they do, it is seen in every ministry decision and heard in every message, and it is really refreshing. I can't help but think that if every church was to really focus on the job of making disciples of all people, the church would be so much stronger, more Godly, and greater equipped to take the great news of Christ to the ends of the earth.
Discipleship is a two way street though: There is the role of the church to make disciples, but each individual believer must be a willing participant in that process. I will write more about that side of things next time. But for now, ask yourself if your church is fulfilling it's primary purpose - are you making disciples?
So if the purpose of church is not about keeping people happy and keeping them coming back, then what is it all about? Well that is a big question but it actually has a simple answer. And as with any question worth asking, Jesus has given us the answer.
In Matthew 28, Jesus spells out the ongoing work of the disciples right before he leaves the earth and descends into heaven: "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matt. 28:20
"Go ... to all nations..." Well that doesn't seem to be about church, but it's a good reminder for those of us who think that the role of church is to meet our needs as we sit in our favorite seat week after week.
"Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..." I can tell you from experience that you don't need a church to baptize people either, if you have enough water you can do that just about anywhere!
So that just leaves making disciples by teaching people to obey everything that God has commanded - that is something you need a church to accomplish, in fact it is the most important thing a church can do - it is the primary purpose for having church in the first place.
Making disciples - that is what church should be all about - that is the mandate from Jesus for the church 2,000 years ago, and for every church today. There are many great things that a church can do, but this is what we should do because it is the very instruction of Christ as to how we should be spending our time, energy and resources.
The church I attend now, Vine Community Church of Carbondale, has reminded me of this primary purpose. Discipleship is at the heart of everything they do, it is seen in every ministry decision and heard in every message, and it is really refreshing. I can't help but think that if every church was to really focus on the job of making disciples of all people, the church would be so much stronger, more Godly, and greater equipped to take the great news of Christ to the ends of the earth.
Discipleship is a two way street though: There is the role of the church to make disciples, but each individual believer must be a willing participant in that process. I will write more about that side of things next time. But for now, ask yourself if your church is fulfilling it's primary purpose - are you making disciples?
Monday, March 7, 2011
From Expectation to Demand
Don't you wish that you could travel back in time and visit events in the Bible as they happened? I know there are so many amazing moments that I wish I could I witness first hand. If I ever get that time machine, on my list of places and times to visit would be the upper room on the day of Pentecost. This might be an unusual place to choose, but when I read the account of that day in Acts 2 I can sense the anticipation in the hearts and prayers of the believers. Can you imagine the expectation in the room as they prayed in total unity? Jesus had promised them that something very important was going to happen in that room if they would wait and pray. This gift was so important that Jesus said it was better for him to leave so the promise could come! That promise was the Holy Spirit and he came in a dramatic demonstration of power and glory at Pentecost. This moment was life-changing for all who were there, and it was the very moment that the New Testament Church was born.
The disciples and followers of Jesus had great expectation of what God was going to do, and they experienced something amazing! However, I wonder how long it was before that expectation turned to demand.
There are only a couple of times mentioned in Acts when the Holy Spirit came with that kind of power and visual evidence. So I wonder what happened at the other meetings where people were praying for the Holy Spirit and there was no rushing wind and no tongues of fire as in the upper room. How long did it take before people began to pray "God send the Holy Spirit in fire and wind as you did in the upper room"? And how long before people began to complain because the Holy Spirit wasn't cooperating with them and doing what they wanted him to do? I know human nature, so I don't think it took very long for any of that to happen.
As followers of Christ we must always remember that, while we pray for God to move, we do not get to tell him how he should do it. We don't get to give the Holy Spirit directions on how, where, and when he should show up. We are followers of Christ, not leaders. We pray and he responds to our prayers in the way that he knows best.
There can be a fine line between expectation and demand, but that line is crossed in our hearts and minds when we start telling God what to do.
How many times have you left a service disappointed because God didn't show up in the way you wanted him to? Could it be that did show up, he just didn't do it according to your plan but his?
It is great to expect God to do great things, and to pray for exactly that, we just need to be careful that our expectation does not turn into demand. Since God knows you better than you know yourself, you can always expect him to move in the way you need him to the most. Just enjoy it!
The disciples and followers of Jesus had great expectation of what God was going to do, and they experienced something amazing! However, I wonder how long it was before that expectation turned to demand.
There are only a couple of times mentioned in Acts when the Holy Spirit came with that kind of power and visual evidence. So I wonder what happened at the other meetings where people were praying for the Holy Spirit and there was no rushing wind and no tongues of fire as in the upper room. How long did it take before people began to pray "God send the Holy Spirit in fire and wind as you did in the upper room"? And how long before people began to complain because the Holy Spirit wasn't cooperating with them and doing what they wanted him to do? I know human nature, so I don't think it took very long for any of that to happen.
As followers of Christ we must always remember that, while we pray for God to move, we do not get to tell him how he should do it. We don't get to give the Holy Spirit directions on how, where, and when he should show up. We are followers of Christ, not leaders. We pray and he responds to our prayers in the way that he knows best.
There can be a fine line between expectation and demand, but that line is crossed in our hearts and minds when we start telling God what to do.
How many times have you left a service disappointed because God didn't show up in the way you wanted him to? Could it be that did show up, he just didn't do it according to your plan but his?
It is great to expect God to do great things, and to pray for exactly that, we just need to be careful that our expectation does not turn into demand. Since God knows you better than you know yourself, you can always expect him to move in the way you need him to the most. Just enjoy it!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Your Pastor is Not God!!
You may have seen in the news recently that many pastors are choosing to leave the ministry. Some take a little time off but so many are turning their backs on ministry all together. Even the secular media is picking up on how difficult it has become to be a pastor in America today. Stress, burnout, and all the medical conditions that come along with those things - there is no way that this is what God had in mind for his shepherds!
We really need to take a serious look at what we are expecting from our pastors if we want to break this cycle and help pastors thrive and succeed in ministry instead of crashing and burning.
I'm sure we all think we love our pastors and treat them well - but consider what we expect them to be:
- All Seeing: We often expect our pastor to know everything that is going on in our lives even when we don't tell them. We may be missing from church for weeks or months and have no contact with the staff, but we still expect the pastor to be informed about what we are going through and we get mad and upset when we find out they had no idea what is going on in our lives!
- All Knowing: Even though we would never admit it, we expect our pastors to know the right thing to do all of the time. I know that because I have experienced what happens when the pastor makes what we consider to be the wrong decision. We would say that don't expect our pastor to be perfect, but we do expect their decisions to be perfect. (Of course a perfect decision is one we agree with!).
- All Doing: They say that in church 20% of the people do 80% of the work, but in many churches the pastor is about 80% of the 20% of people who do everything! Why do we expect that? Because we pay him! Every Sunday there are so many people who show up to church expecting a life changing service with no idea about all of the things that have to happen to make that service perfect. Most church members would be shocked to see just how much goes on behind the scenes at church, but as long as it gets done why worry!
- An Ever Present Help: When you have a crisis in life you want certain people around you - your family, your closest friend, and your pastor! If you are fortunate there will only be two or three times a year when a situation like this comes along, but what we forget is that there are many other people in your church - people who also have two or three of those events a year. People who also want their family, friends, and pastor to be with them. So do the math and you will realize that your pastor will never have time for his own family or friends. I can't count how many pastors I know who were forced out of their church because they were not able to be with someone who wanted them to be somewhere.
Are you starting to get the picture?
All seeing, all knowing, all doing. An ever present help. Is it just me or does that sound like someone? Scripture describes God in these exact terms, and I don't care how great he is, your pastor is not God!
So please remember that your pastor is a human person just like you. He has a family, he likely even has a house and a mortgage and stuff to remember to pick up at the store. He even has two or three of his own difficult situations to deal with every year. If we would remember they are people just like us, we might take some of the pressure off some of these wonderful people who really do love us and want to help us as often as they can.
One more thing - please don't wait until October to show your pastor some appreciation!
We really need to take a serious look at what we are expecting from our pastors if we want to break this cycle and help pastors thrive and succeed in ministry instead of crashing and burning.
I'm sure we all think we love our pastors and treat them well - but consider what we expect them to be:
- All Seeing: We often expect our pastor to know everything that is going on in our lives even when we don't tell them. We may be missing from church for weeks or months and have no contact with the staff, but we still expect the pastor to be informed about what we are going through and we get mad and upset when we find out they had no idea what is going on in our lives!
- All Knowing: Even though we would never admit it, we expect our pastors to know the right thing to do all of the time. I know that because I have experienced what happens when the pastor makes what we consider to be the wrong decision. We would say that don't expect our pastor to be perfect, but we do expect their decisions to be perfect. (Of course a perfect decision is one we agree with!).
- All Doing: They say that in church 20% of the people do 80% of the work, but in many churches the pastor is about 80% of the 20% of people who do everything! Why do we expect that? Because we pay him! Every Sunday there are so many people who show up to church expecting a life changing service with no idea about all of the things that have to happen to make that service perfect. Most church members would be shocked to see just how much goes on behind the scenes at church, but as long as it gets done why worry!
- An Ever Present Help: When you have a crisis in life you want certain people around you - your family, your closest friend, and your pastor! If you are fortunate there will only be two or three times a year when a situation like this comes along, but what we forget is that there are many other people in your church - people who also have two or three of those events a year. People who also want their family, friends, and pastor to be with them. So do the math and you will realize that your pastor will never have time for his own family or friends. I can't count how many pastors I know who were forced out of their church because they were not able to be with someone who wanted them to be somewhere.
Are you starting to get the picture?
All seeing, all knowing, all doing. An ever present help. Is it just me or does that sound like someone? Scripture describes God in these exact terms, and I don't care how great he is, your pastor is not God!
So please remember that your pastor is a human person just like you. He has a family, he likely even has a house and a mortgage and stuff to remember to pick up at the store. He even has two or three of his own difficult situations to deal with every year. If we would remember they are people just like us, we might take some of the pressure off some of these wonderful people who really do love us and want to help us as often as they can.
One more thing - please don't wait until October to show your pastor some appreciation!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Car Wash Christianity
Yesterday was a rare day where I live. The temperature finally climbed above freezing and the sun came out. Days like this have been few and far between this winter. When they come every car owner knows it's time to get the salt washed off their vehicles and I was ready to get that done yesterday.
So I had a choice to make - take $7 and join the long line at the local car wash, or get the bucket and sponge out and clean our van myself by hand. The car wash wins that contest many times for most of us. It's faster and more convenient to just some money in a machine and just sit there and wait while it cleans the car. The only problem is, no matter how good the car wash it isn't really going to get the car clean, it's just going to rinse of most of the dirt. Honest car owners know that in order to get your vehicle really clean you have to do it by hand - you have to get a little wet and dirty and actually put your hands on it to get all of the dirt of. Sure there are car washes that have giant brushes or floppy clothes hanging down, but all they do is scratch the polish off. No, if you really want your car to be clean and look it's best, you have to wash it by hand.
So I decided to take the extra time and I washed the van by hand. I admit that my decision wasn't based so much on getting the van as clean as possible as it was based on saving the $7!
As I washed the van by hand I was thinking about the Christian life that God has called us to. I thought about the people that He leads us to, people that need our help because they have made a mess of their lives. Too many times in too many churches we are looking for the $7 car wash solutions to these people and their problems. We want to fix them quickly because their mess makes us uncomfortable. So we give them a quick spiritual answer and a token prayer and hope it is enough. But just like your car that is covered in the dirt of the road, if we are really going to help people, really help them to clean up the mess in their life, it is going to take time and we are going to have to lay our hands on them, put our arms around them and not look for the quick or easy way out.
When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Luke 4:40
I love the picture scripture paints for us here of the daily ministry of the life of Christ. He had only three years to teach his disciples all he could, to prepare them to build the church, he had so much to accomplish but yet we see him here (and in many other places) taking the time to listen to the needs of the people he came across. He didn't just listen, he didn't just pray for them, he laid his hands on them - he touched their lives physically and spiritually. Note that he didn't just stand on a balcony somewhere and bless everyone at once, he took time with them one at a time.
If we are going to be the Church the Jesus wants us to be, to really love and care for people, then we must slow down a little - we must take the time to really see people in their needs and then minister to those needs for as long as it takes. No quick fixes. No easy answers. It's going to be messy and we might get a little dirty along the way, but the truth is that this is the only way to really help people.
So I had a choice to make - take $7 and join the long line at the local car wash, or get the bucket and sponge out and clean our van myself by hand. The car wash wins that contest many times for most of us. It's faster and more convenient to just some money in a machine and just sit there and wait while it cleans the car. The only problem is, no matter how good the car wash it isn't really going to get the car clean, it's just going to rinse of most of the dirt. Honest car owners know that in order to get your vehicle really clean you have to do it by hand - you have to get a little wet and dirty and actually put your hands on it to get all of the dirt of. Sure there are car washes that have giant brushes or floppy clothes hanging down, but all they do is scratch the polish off. No, if you really want your car to be clean and look it's best, you have to wash it by hand.
So I decided to take the extra time and I washed the van by hand. I admit that my decision wasn't based so much on getting the van as clean as possible as it was based on saving the $7!
As I washed the van by hand I was thinking about the Christian life that God has called us to. I thought about the people that He leads us to, people that need our help because they have made a mess of their lives. Too many times in too many churches we are looking for the $7 car wash solutions to these people and their problems. We want to fix them quickly because their mess makes us uncomfortable. So we give them a quick spiritual answer and a token prayer and hope it is enough. But just like your car that is covered in the dirt of the road, if we are really going to help people, really help them to clean up the mess in their life, it is going to take time and we are going to have to lay our hands on them, put our arms around them and not look for the quick or easy way out.
When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Luke 4:40
I love the picture scripture paints for us here of the daily ministry of the life of Christ. He had only three years to teach his disciples all he could, to prepare them to build the church, he had so much to accomplish but yet we see him here (and in many other places) taking the time to listen to the needs of the people he came across. He didn't just listen, he didn't just pray for them, he laid his hands on them - he touched their lives physically and spiritually. Note that he didn't just stand on a balcony somewhere and bless everyone at once, he took time with them one at a time.
If we are going to be the Church the Jesus wants us to be, to really love and care for people, then we must slow down a little - we must take the time to really see people in their needs and then minister to those needs for as long as it takes. No quick fixes. No easy answers. It's going to be messy and we might get a little dirty along the way, but the truth is that this is the only way to really help people.
From the Outside In
I have been active in church for all of my adult life (and I was pretty active as a teenager too!). I have been an active member, Associate Pastor, Assistant Pastor, Youth Pastor, Senior Pastor, and almost everything else in between. For the past few months I have found myself in a the very unfamiliar position of being on the outside of the church looking in. In August of 2010 I resigned from the church I had pastored for over 9 years as the Lord took my life and ministry in a different direction.
In the time since then I have been attending church but have not really been involved in anything more that just attending a Sunday service. This time away from active involvement in church has given me a whole new perspective - a chance to see the church from the outside in. My eyes have been opened to many things that I either did not see or chose not to see in the church at large.
So this little blog is going to be about some of the lessons I have learned during this time of changed perspective, and a chance to confess that in many cases I was a part of the problems that I can now see.
Let me be clear, I love the church! I am committed to the idea of the local church and I so much look forward to being active in church again very soon. The things I post here may be critical of how things work in churches sometimes, but I write not from a place of criticism or cynicism, but rather out of the love I have for the Body of Christ and the desire to see us become the Bride that Christ is waiting for.
I would love your feedback on anything I write, even if you don't agree, just post your comments and let's have an honest discussion about how we can do church better.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Where Has All The Love Gone?
This blog is something of a personal confession.
I have been involved in ministry within the church in various capacities for all of my adult life. Since the age of 21 there has not been a time (until recently) that I have not been actively involved in a local church to some degree. For some seasons I was just a volunteer helping where and when I could. In other times I have been a pastor, youth pastor, and associate pastor.
I love the local church and that is why I have devoted so much of my life to it, and I fully expect that service in a local church setting will be the norm for as long as I am on this earth. I believe it was the reason God created me - to help take care of people and work to grow the church and see the Bride of Christ prepared for His return.
My history and involvement is what makes me so defensive when people say negative things about the church, but I have to admit that the past few months have given me a new perspective on church and I can see that some of the criticism is valid. You see for the past 5 months I have been in a position that is very unfamiliar and uncomfortable for me when it comes to church - on the outside looking in. Even though I still attend church I am only attending, not involved in any ministry. This "outside in" perspective has helped me to see the church in a new way and forced me to be honest about the shortcomings of the church and my own inability to address them.
One area that I have been thinking about recently is our ability (our = the church) to deal with people who struggle with sin in a loving way instead of through judgement and avoidance. The fear in loving people who sin (in ways we consider to be more serious than our own everyday sin) is that our love will be confused with acceptance as if we condone their sin. But in our inability to really love people, all people, we end up driving away the people who really need help as if we want only to fill the church with people who don't have too many problems. The problem is, that is not our job, nor the real function of a successful church.
In thinking about how I can do a better job of loving people I have focused on two things: First of all is the way that Jesus loved people, and secondly is to understand my role in the process of God's work on someone else's sin.
When I read the accounts of Jesus' life on earth it is easy to see that he had an amazing ability to love people but deal with their sin at the same time. He did not avoid them but rather reached out to them because he loved them. His love saw through the sin to the pain it caused and when he challenged them to live better lives it was because he wanted to ease that pain. I love how he was never afraid to deal with a person in sin, even if they were not ready to deal with their own sin. He did it all in love, and his love reached them when the "religious" people around them had forsaken them.
Understanding how Jesus dealt with people has helped me to learn how to love people more. Understanding his role in dealing with their sin has helped me to understand mine.
When we choose to withhold love from someone who has sinned, not wanting to appear as though we condone their actions, we are confused about our role in dealing with their sin. It is as if we see ourselves as the ones who must pass judgement on them and hand out the consequences for their actions. It sounds silly now that I write it down, but it is so true and I know I have been guilty of that exact thing many times. I know I have avoided people, judged them, and not loved them all because of their sin as if any of that was my job.
When we are cautious when dealing with people who have sinned is it because we are worried that we will be guilty by association? When we avoid them is it because we think they deserve to be sunned for a while because of their actions, or is it because we just don't know how to love them in the middle of the mess their sin has created? And what is the real risk in reaching out in love to someone who is hurting because of the mistakes they have made - someone who already feels their guilt and does not need the church to remind them.
As I said this blog is somewhat of a personal confession. I have not loved people enough because I was too cautious and worried that they might confuse my acceptance as approval. The truth is that my role in dealing with people is love and acceptance, God's role is conviction and correction.
If we (the church) would do a better job of really loving people maybe they would stay around long enough to receive the conviction, correction, and healing that God longs to give them.
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