Posts
“Church, I want to introduce the Smith family: John, Mary, and their son Jimmy. They have come to join our church today. If you rejoice in that decision and will pray for the Smith family, let that be known by saying, ‘Amen,’” says the Pastor. This scene is similar to what happens in churches all over our country every Sunday. There may be few variations in style but the substance is the same. Can you imagine if a Christian from the church at Jerusalem in the first century witnessed what we practice in our churches today? On any given Sunday less than half of the church members are present for worship and only about 40% are involved in Sunday School or home group Bible study. If that were not bad enough, less than 20% of the members of any given church are involve in some kind of ministry.
Indeed, the early Christians would have trouble imagining the plight of the American church today. But it comes as no shock to us two thousand years later that less is expected of church members today that civic organizations expect of their members. We have dumbed down church membership to the point that it means almost nothing!” (Thom S. Rainer, High Expectations)
I heard Matt Chandler say this week that we have developed a “weak and retarded” Christianity. Part of that is due to the fact that the church has been negligent in its mandate to “make disciples.” Instead, we have decided that it is our purpose to amass members, make money, and make a name for ourselves. If some end up as disciples, it is in spite of what we are doing rather than because of it. In fact, this summer, the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution to encourage churches to have regenerate church membership. Can you imagine that we have to pass a resolution stating that church membership should be reserved for born again Christians only! What have we done here? Where do we go to make things right? We have to go back to the Scriptures and see what they say about God’s expectations of church members. The place to start is Acts 2.
As we look at Acts 2 we see the genesis of the church. The early church members were filled with the Spirit of God and they immediately began to speak earthly languages (clearly NOT glossolalia as it practiced today. Perhaps this is a topic for another blog) in order to share the wonderful work of God to the people gathered there at the time. God did a wonderful work through their witness and the preaching of Peter and they had a burgeoning church all of the sudden. In verses 42 through 47 we see the church operating in its infancy. This church looks different from the church today. They were responsible for one another and accountable to one another.
In their responsibility for one another, they were naturally expected to minister to one another. When the church was experiencing problems in Acts 6, the elders of the church did not say, “all you folks get out of the way and let us, the ones who are called and qualified, handle the problem!” They actually said, “Find the solution amongst yourselves, church.” That is the pattern. God has given ministers to the church to prepare and equip the members of the church to carry out the ministry of the church (Ephesians 4:11-14). This is an important point. It means that the church has a RIGHT to expect its members to be involved in ministry. Does that mean that everyone has to be a preacher? No. God has given each of us unique gifts and abilities and He desires for us to use them for the building up of the body. Well then why do we need those in the ministry? Their purpose is not to do the entire ministry but to equip the members of the church to do the ministry. When this is the practice, the potential of the church is endless, because it is the power of God working through ALL of the members. It is the responsibility of every church member to pursue personal growth and personal ministry within the context of church growth and church ministry. This means that every member ought to avail themselves of every opportunity for church growth. The church should be bulging at the seams, not only on Sunday morning but every time God is worshipped and the Word of God is preached or taught. The very least a church member can do is SHOW UP for church (sorry for the pastoral frustration there!). That is why it is such a tragedy that less than half of our “members” show up on any given Sunday. It has become an established fact in our culture today.
Even I am guilty. Recently, my sons were invited to go on a family canoe trip down the Brazos River. We have lived in Maryland for years, so my sons are eager to fellowship with their cousins and extended family. The canoe trip was planned for a Sunday. Dana and I just thought, “Oh well, I guess they will miss church this week. They can listen to the sermon online and get back next week.” On Saturday night I texted Sam to see if he was watching the Longhorns dismantle Missouri in college football. He texted back that he and Jon were on their way to their church’s Saturday evening service. I was so proud of them! They were taking their responsibility as Church members and as Christians seriously. This was not convenient for them. They had a thirty minute drive to get to church. They were committed enough to make it a priority in their lives. I was so ashamed of myself for being willing to accept and expect the status quo.
Yet today the trend is for churches to be places where the sheep come to get fed and that is all. We have professional praise teams and ministries only lead paid staff members. The people come. They are entertained. They go home and live their lives however they want to. Something needs to change. It is alright for the church to have expectations of its members as long as those expectations are founded in the Word of God. Why? Because we are responsible for one another. We have more to think about than just ourselves. We were put in the local body to be a blessing to others. We are to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:1-10).
“I want to take my responsibility as a church member seriously so I am going to teach a class on transcendental meditation.”
“No. We do not see transcendental meditation as scriptural and therefore will not be teaching it as a ministry of the church.”
“But I want to teach it and more than that I believe that God wants me to teach it.”
“We still are not going to teach that in this church. I will be happy to sit down with you and show you in the Scriptures why.”
“Well, I am just going to find another church. You can’t tell me what to do! I am just as much of a Christian as you are!”
I know that you might think that the above conversation is silly and nonsensical and it is. I cannot tell you however, how many times I have had a similar conversation with folks over the years. We have lost the understanding that we are not only responsible for one another but that we are accountable to one another. Therefore, it has become normal for Christians to bounce from one church to another to another. They do it over the most trivial of issues. Why? Because they refuse to be accountable to anyone. Years ago the doctrine of the priesthood of the believer was abused into a doctrine that excused anyone from being accountable to another human being. “I can believe what I want and do what I want. Nobody is going to tell ME what to do.” That is far from the picture we see in the Bible. It teaches us that the church is often the tool that God uses to protect us and to help us grow. When our brother has sinned against us, we have a responsibility to go to them and tell them. If he will not listen, then we go back with one or two others. If he will not listen to them, then the church is informed. If he still will not listen then he is to be taken from the fellowship of the church (Matthew 18:15ff). We are accountable to one another. This is not so that we can lord it over one another in a game of “I am holier than thou.” It means that we have to submit ourselves to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in our lives. That leadership often comes through others in the church. That means that we come to Bible study eager to learn and ready to listen. We take notes, ask questions, and do further study. It means that we give others permission to tell us when our live are out of kilter. It means that we are more concerned with how we ARE than how we APPEAR to be.
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:15-21)
When we as the church understand that being responsible for one another is blessing and not a burden and we understand that being accountable to one another is freedom not bondage, then we will begin to be the church that God wants us to be.
Recently, my son was talking with some of his friends. They were all freshmen in college and all looking for a church because they were in a new town. As the young men talked around the table, one summed up what the others were saying.
“I want to find a church where I can be fed,” he said to the nods of approval of those in the group.
My son, who is one of the least confrontational people I know, replied, “Being fed is good and I want to be fed too, but I am looking for a place where I can serve.”
He has is it exactly right! Church is not just about what you can do for me. It is not just about what I can get. It is also, and I believe more importantly, about what I can give to the church. How can I serve? Until we get that right we will never have the impact that God wants us to have. Have you found a place where you can be fed so that you can serve?
