The church of ME

I get worried whenever I hear these words coming out of Christian’s mouths:

“My needs aren’t being met by (fill in ministry name/minister name/church name here).” 

“I don’t think (fill in appropriate minister/elder/teacher name here) can connect with what I’ve gone through in life.  I just don’t think he/they have anything to say to me in my life.”

“I just don’t get anything out of worship anymore.”

Since when did the concept of Christianity become about “me?”  I don’t know that I read ANYWHERE in the New Testament about Christians looking out for themselves in the first church.  (Flipping through Acts…)   Nope.  I don’t see it. 

The SECOND we start looking to our own needs and desires is the second we lose the focus of what church should be about: getting closer to what GOD wants. 

True: We may become “filled” when we do serve others in the name of God.  This is a SECONDARY gain.  If in fact we were only out to be served, we would constantly be looking for the next “high” or “feel good feeling.”  Sounds kind of like an addiction, doesn’t it.  Maybe that’s what it is: “The church of ME addiction.” 

Millennial Church

I’ve been observing a very interesting trend in churches recently.  See what you think…

 A lot of mainstream (around 200-300 members) churches of Christ are struggling to plug young Gen X parents, their families, and young professionals (18-30)  into the “work” of the church.  Sunday evenings have become a faint resemblance of what they used to be.  My wife and I have noted that there seem to be more “golden saints” attending than members from other generations. 

Fewer and fewer families with small children are attending on Sunday nights due in part to the growing trend among Gen X parents to “protect family time.”  I’m one of those Gen Xers, and I can vouch for this idea that family time is a prized possession.  I’m not talking about working in the yard on Saturday, either.  I’m talking about deliberate spent time with spouses and children in an effort to draw the entire family closer to God.  You’d be amazed at how much these young children are being taught by their parents during this time.  I know a certain three year old that can recite the twelve tribes of Israel! 

Fewer young professionals are attending because, frankly, they attended Sunday morning and don’t see the need for repeating the same “ritual” of attending.  These younger members are longing for the connectedness that they had in youth group (hence, the “gap” from youth group to active member).  Right or wrong, their attitude is, Sunday evening is “just going through the motions.”  So, they have begun hanging out in each other’s homes on Sunday evenings in order to fulfill that need.  All the while, they’re studying God’s word together and leaning on Him and each other for their support during life’s events. 

So, good things are happening on Sunday nights for our older generation at the church building, in the home for our Gen X parents, and in other’s homes for our young professionals.  How can we “harness” this and make it better for everyone invovled?  How do our shepherds “shepherd” a church that it utilizing different means to keep the “Sabbath holy?” 

Mark it down.  This will be a growing trend in ALL churches over the next decade.  It will affect future youth groups, budgeting for ministry programing, building usage, shepherding skills needed in order to “pastor” churches, and evangelism as a whole. 

The church must adapt.  The Word does not change, but the style of delivery must. 

Three letter word

One of the most important words in the English language only has three letters.  This word is utilized almost every day, but it is taken for granted when acknowledging power and importance.  This word is one that you normally wouldn’t pay any attention to.  In fact, it’s skipped over more times than not in a sentence because we see it so often in our writings.  What’s the word? 

Ready?  Here it is:

and

See.  I told you.  It’s not a word that you would normally place a lot of emphasis on.  In fact, I bet you were probably let down when you read the word.  Bear with me, though.  Let me give you my reasoning. 

The word “and” implies equal importance.  It gives credence to the item coming both before it AND (see, I told you it was important) after it.  It gives the impression that there is something more than what is stated at the beginning of a phrase.  Here’s why this little word is important. 

What if…

Jesus had only said “Take up your cross.”  No “Follow me.”  What would the life of a Christian look like?  It SHOULD look like someone who strives every day to follow in the footsteps of the Master.  If that little word was not there, our daily living would not have as much emphasis in Christ’s eyes as our profession of Him. 

What if…

Jesus had said “Go into all of the world.”  No “And preach…”  Again, what would the life of a Christian look like.  We would base our evangelism STRICTLY on the life that we lead (sound familiar?).  Instead, we are called to also PREACH the word.  JUST as important as “going.”  So what does ”preaching” look like?  This will be the subject of a few sermons down the line. 

What if…

Prayer stood alone.  No fasting.  We’ll explore this one on Sunday…

Coming Soon…

Share the Well…

Nightlight

Think of a dark room.  Maybe a room in your house late at night.   It has to be completely dark, though.  No cheating.  Got it?  Ok…now read on:

 

How do you feel in the dark?  Can you get your bearings?  Even if you are familiar with the room, you probably would feel hesitant to move around in it for fear of knocking something over or injuring yourself.  It’s your house, though.  Shouldn’t you be able to move around in your own house, whether or not you can see in it? 

 

Now imagine a little nightlight is placed into a socket in that room.  It’s not a big light, but it illuminates the sharp corners, the toys left out on the floor, the leftover pizza on the coffee table.  With the help of a little light, no matter how big or bright, you’re able to navigate the darkness.

 

The world is dark.  We are called to be those nightlights.  Notice what Jesus compares those who are “Blessed” to in Matthew 5.  He compares them to lamps on a stand.  Not a searchlight.  Not a lighthouse.  A lamp.  A candle.  A nightlight. 

 

“Jesus is my nightlight.  I am not alone!”