Monday, July 31, 2006
How Not Changing Churches Changed My Life
Part 2 of 2
The grass is not always greener on the other side.
Excitement has gone to agony a couple of weekends ago when a church I got excited about crashed and burned. To review: My family has been active members of our current church for 11 years, but I've been concerned over some logistical issues. We need to build, but cannot seem to get a building program going. We need to arrange our worship schedule so that members who are committed to serving, such as in a Sunday School class, can both worship and serve, but the Senior Pastor uses that time to preach extra, putting the morning into chaos. Yes, I'm discontented and petty, but now I am repenting because I've been reminded of true priorities.
Big Church Down the Street looks good from the outside. They have room and they are building more. Children's Ministries, Main Worship, and logistics run like a well oiled machine. Coffee and other hot drinks are free. Multimedia to wow everybody. Something is missing.
The Good News of Jesus Christ is missing. Yes, they tell us that God loves us, but how does God love us? Cute stories, hot drinks, and concerts? No, God so loves us that He came to us as the person Jesus, lived the perfect life we could never lived, and willingly died so that when we trust in who He is and What he has done, we can have a personal relationship with Him, one God manifested in Three Persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Unfortunately, Good News isn't always perceived to be good by all hearers. The free gift of eternal life with Jesus is free, but there is a cost. We are called to follow Him and Him alone. This upsets some, and may be upsetting to you now as you read this, therefore some are afraid to believe and tell others that the Creator of the universe has also provided a way to have intimacy with us.
Some, however, who trust Jesus, are excited to follow Him as Lord. Maybe that's why my church is overcrowded. Maybe that's why my Senior Pastor preaches as long as he can. People are hungry for real food, and it is hard to find in today's "all paths lead to God" culture.
I'm committing to be part of the solution. I'll serve joyfully, and look for ideas to help in logistics. I'll remember that our family needs to keep our relationships, with God and with our church friends, strong. I'll pray and fast some for our church and their challenges. And I'll remember other churches, too, and pray that they would not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, because it is the power of God, to salvation, to whoever believes.
The grass is not always greener on the other side.
Excitement has gone to agony a couple of weekends ago when a church I got excited about crashed and burned. To review: My family has been active members of our current church for 11 years, but I've been concerned over some logistical issues. We need to build, but cannot seem to get a building program going. We need to arrange our worship schedule so that members who are committed to serving, such as in a Sunday School class, can both worship and serve, but the Senior Pastor uses that time to preach extra, putting the morning into chaos. Yes, I'm discontented and petty, but now I am repenting because I've been reminded of true priorities.
Big Church Down the Street looks good from the outside. They have room and they are building more. Children's Ministries, Main Worship, and logistics run like a well oiled machine. Coffee and other hot drinks are free. Multimedia to wow everybody. Something is missing.
The Good News of Jesus Christ is missing. Yes, they tell us that God loves us, but how does God love us? Cute stories, hot drinks, and concerts? No, God so loves us that He came to us as the person Jesus, lived the perfect life we could never lived, and willingly died so that when we trust in who He is and What he has done, we can have a personal relationship with Him, one God manifested in Three Persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Unfortunately, Good News isn't always perceived to be good by all hearers. The free gift of eternal life with Jesus is free, but there is a cost. We are called to follow Him and Him alone. This upsets some, and may be upsetting to you now as you read this, therefore some are afraid to believe and tell others that the Creator of the universe has also provided a way to have intimacy with us.
Some, however, who trust Jesus, are excited to follow Him as Lord. Maybe that's why my church is overcrowded. Maybe that's why my Senior Pastor preaches as long as he can. People are hungry for real food, and it is hard to find in today's "all paths lead to God" culture.
I'm committing to be part of the solution. I'll serve joyfully, and look for ideas to help in logistics. I'll remember that our family needs to keep our relationships, with God and with our church friends, strong. I'll pray and fast some for our church and their challenges. And I'll remember other churches, too, and pray that they would not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, because it is the power of God, to salvation, to whoever believes.
