This new vision for the church, one described as Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, has based its success on numbers and popularity rather than on ensuring that the the Gospel is truthfully and faithfully preached. It has produced a group of “believers” who see the church as a place to have their needs met and to help ensure their individual happiness. In the end the church is seen as just another addition to the life of the believer and just as interchangeable as another piece.
We have labeled this view of the church as “churchianity” so that we might contrast it with the truth and reality of Christianity.
Pastor Erwin McManus has said of the Church: The Church does not exist for us. We are the Church and we exist for the world.
The Church is God’s chosen vehicle to meet - through other people - the true needs of people; including ourselves.
We read previously the two great commandments of Christ found in Matthew 22:37-40. We saw that we demonstrate our love for God by obeying Him (1 John 2:4-6, John 14:3) and that we lover our neighbors by serving them (John 13:34-35, Matthew 20:28, Mark 9:35). It is the Church that provides us with the means to fulfill these two commands.
Our featured verse for the class was Ephesians 2:10 - He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing. - The Message
We can recognize the fact that we have been created and saved to serve God through His Church (Romans 7:4, Galatians 6:10), but we often offer up reasons or excuses as to why we can’t serve Him now. What we need to take to heart is that God is not waiting for some time in the future when you are more spiritual or good enough or more worthy to take part in His work here on earth. He has saved you now so that you can serve Him now. It is through serving God that we will find our true purpose, true meaning and true significance.
People, when evangelizing, talk of humans having a “God shaped hole in their heart” and that it can only be truly filled by God. That trying to fill that hole in ourselves with anything else just leads to discontent and futility. Well there is a “you shaped hole” in the church and it can only be filled by you. If you aren’t serving God, then something God wants done is being ignored.
The Apostle Paul uses the human body to describe how the Church is organized and should function. You and every member of the church is a unique part of the body of believers that constitute the Church. Just as parts of the body have a specific function without which the body suffers, so to with us and Christ’s Church. We have been specifically crafted by God to serve a particular role, to meet a need within His Church (1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Romans 12:4-8). If we aren’t functioning in the Church then the Church is missing something and it isn’t functioning properly.
Remember that all service, seen or unseen, if done for God is valuable and valued.
Churchianity would tell us that the purpose of life is to have our needs met but Christ never went around seeking out people to serve Him; to see how they could meet His needs. Rather He searched out people so that He could serve them and meet the needs of others.
The question that churchianity asks is “who will meet my needs?” The question that Christianity asks is “whose needs can I meet?”
Everyone gives their lives to something. For some its money, for others its their family, for some its their job and for still others its being famous or popular. We however, the members of Christ’s Church, have been called to give our lives to God.
Our question for today is: what is holding me back from accepting God’s call to serve him?
-----
Many of us find it hard to say YES to God. We offer up excuses as to why we can’t say YES now. Some of us will read the Bible and think that we can’t serve God because we aren’t like the people we read about in the Bible. We say to ourselves, I’m not Paul, I’m not David, I’m not Elijah, I’m not Peter or John or Moses or Noah or … What we forget is that we are the creation of God. We are loved by God and that He can and will use us today if we say YES.
We aren’t the only ones with reasons to not serve:
“Abraham was old, Jacob was insecure, Leah was unattractive, Joseph was abused, Moses stuttered, Gideon was poor, Samson was codependent, Rahab was immoral, David had an affair and all kinds of family problems, Elijah was suicidal, Jeremiah was depressed, Jonah was reluctant, Naomi was a widow, John the Baptist was eccentric to say the least, Peter was impulsive and hot tempered, Martha worried a lot, the Samaritan woman had several failed marriages. Zacchaeus was unpopular, Thomas had doubts, Paul had poor health, and Timothy was timid. That is quite a variety of misfits, but God used each of them in His service. He will use you, too, if you stop making excuses.”(Rick Warren - The Purpose Driven Life - p233)
-----
“If you don’t feel like you’re good enough, then you’re exactly who [God] is looking for. His only qualification is that you’re willing to serve, like the man who answered yes:(Craig Groeschel - The Christian atheist - pp 231-232)
After giving his sermon, a pastor was greeting church members in the lobby. One young man walked up to him, shook his hand, and said simply, “The answer is yes. Now what’s the question?”
The pastor was visibly confused. Again the main said, “Pastor, my answer is yes. Now what’s the question?”
The pastor smiled awkwardly and asked the man to explain. The man’s eyes moistened, and his voice began to tremble. “Pastor, about six months ago, I was in an adulterous relationship. My life was spiraling dangerously out of control. I was at risk of losing my marriage and my family - even my job. In the middle of my storm, a mess I had made myself, you preached a message about Christ’s power to change a life. It seemed like every word you preached was for me. That evening I agreed to go to a small group with my wife. I was terrified everyone would see right through me. But I was shocked when they embraced me. They invited me to meet that same Jesus you described. That night, I invited Christ to change my life - and boy, did he ever! Today my marriage and family are better than they’ve ever been before. God used our church to change my life.”
He took a deep breath, regained his composure, and continued, “So Pastor, that’s why I want you to know, my answer to you is yes. Whatever you need - anywhere, anytime - my answer is yes. Now what’s the question?”
When it comes to the church, what has your answer been? Has it been no? Has it been “well, maybe if I have time”? Or has it been and unconditional yes? Imagine how your life might change if you were willing to say to your church and to God, “My answer is yes. Anything. Anywhere. Anytime. Use me as your church and for your glory.””
No comments:
Post a Comment