1) We want a leader who says the right things, does the right things, makes us feel loved and makes us feel inspired.2) We want programs that are pertinent, exciting, and enticing to newcomers.
3) We want success, as measured by attendance numbers, bank statements, and site improvements.
4) We want a place where we feel good.
While I can appreciate the above factors as much as anyone, I have to point out this simple fact: there are very few small churches that successfully fire on even 3 of the above 4 cylinders. So they must forego Joy and Effectiveness until some magical moment when all this changes, right? God forbid. If Christian "success" is rightly described in the four items above, then it must be said that most of the churches found in the book of Acts never experienced it.
Maybe we need to switch from form to function.
When Jesus said to one individual, "You are not far from the kingdom of God," He wasn't pointing out that there was a megachurch located within 2 blocks of the street corner. When He stated that "The kingdom of God is among you," He wasn't informing the crowd that some impressive church ministry team had filtered in among them. Instead, He was plainly stating that the work and the power and the purpose of God was within reach of the common people - away from the respected work of priest or pharisee, outside of the fancy trappings of a temple, sans everything save Belief, Devotion, and Obedience in love. They could each step into the current of the very kingdom of God, by a simple (powerful) change in the foundation, focus, and thrust of their lives. We know of 11 average Joes who got in early on this deal and changed the world.
It's incredibly sad, in light of this, that we continue to languish. We measure our kingdom potential today by the outward appearances. We're like those in the Old Testament who whined for a king, with all the trappings [in our case: "We want what the bigger churches have!"], when God is perfectly ready to bless that which we feel is lackluster...
What if the desire, what if the prayers of the People of God shifted from a kingdom-of-this-earth mentality (outward trappings) to a kingdom of heaven mentality (soli Christo) in our pursuit of success? We've heard the kingdom of heaven terminology often and it's become familar, cursory and trite in it's connotations for us, but I'm asking you to really think through what it means.
Those who seek the outward trappings may be denied them. All the better. :) Those who seek the Kingdom itself will find doors opening as they persist in knocking. They will receive what they are continuing to ask for. They will find what they are seeking. They will have the desire of their heart fulfilled. They will see the common washed over with the supernatural. They will joyfully witness a world beginning to change around them.
Make clear before God, then, which it is that you are seeking: are you whining for prestige, or are you praying for the true power of the Kingdom?
2 comments:
first...I've been checking your blog at least once a week and nothing....and I come home for vacation and check it...behold, a post! How exciting! And just what I needed to hear!! Please know that your words have pierced my heart :)
i was re-reading this post cuz i needed a pastor steve fix, and - since few (if any) things God-related are coincidences - i had also been reading Matthew this morning and came across the ask, seek, knock portion of the sermon on the mount. notes in my bible from a past message of pastor don's are that the Jewish understanding of the ask, seek, knock phraseology in Jesus' time was that ask=pray, seek=search the scriptures, and knock=study & live Torah. just thought that was cool. :)
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