Disinfecting or Discipling?

Have you ever felt the urgency that you MUST share something or pop?

Finally!   Finally!  A book has been written that states what I consider to be a clear portrait of the church today!  What I couldn't define in my own mind with my own words has been beautifully defined by a young man named David Platt.

This book makes me want to dance a jig and yell, "See, I'm NOT crazy! Some one else sees dead churches."  {Don't judge me}  LOL!

We are disinfecting instead of discipling.   Please do not grow weary with my book quotes.  It is just that I read so much.   Words and ideas that touch my soul need to be shared or I'll burst.  That statement is no less true for the explanation this young author writes in his book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream. 

Disinfecting Christians from the world involves isolating followers of Christ in a spiritual safe-deposit box called the church building and teaching them to be good.  Success in the church is defined by how big a building you have to house all the Christians, and the goal is to gather as many people as possible for a couple of hours each week in that place where we are isolated and insulated from the realities of the world around us.  When we gather at the building, we learn to be good.  Being good is defined by what we avoid in the world.  We are holy because of what we don't participate in (and we may be the only organization in the world defining success by what we don't do).  We live decent lives in decent homes with decent jobs and decent families as decent citizens.  We are decent church members with little impact on the world.

Discipling is much different.  It involves propelling Christians into the world to risk their lives for the sake of others.  The world becomes the focus and success is gauged by not how many we can get into our buildings but on how many are leaving our buildings to take on the world...all of a sudden, holiness is defined by what we do instead of what we do not.

How many Christians do you know who live like this?   I suspect not nearly enough.

To be continued...

My Yoke Is Easy, My Burden Is Light

Isn't it odd that in order to strengthen my relationship with Christ, I had to step away from the church? 

When I found that I could no longer worship in spirit and truth, that my anxiety level would increase every time I walked through the church doors, I realized I was not free in Christ because my personal convictions of worship and service did not align with the majority.   That is not to say I felt my own convictions were superior, on the contrary, I felt they were inferior.  I was expected, even required, to participate in service opportunities that I in no way felt led by the Holy Spirit.  I was participating out of obligation and guilt and it was like a cinder block setting on my chest; a weight too heavy for me to bear.   The verse "My yoke is easy, My burden is light" would often invade my thoughts and I would say, "No, Lord, they are not."   And this begin to effect my mental and emotional state.  When I finally stopped "doing" long enough and started "being", I  understood that the weight I was carrying was not of God, but of man.  That is why it was so heavy!   In all my busyness,  I could not get a vision of what God wanted for me personally.  I think this is true for the church as a whole.  We have become so busy doing church work, that we are neglecting our vision for the work of the Church.

The meaning of religion, in the dictionary, has to do with a belief in and a commitment to something or someone. It also means that a person is bound to the something or someone.  Commitment to God and being bound to Him is not a bad thing; the problem is that most people are bound to a set of rules and regulations, most of which were instituted by man, not God!   I desperately needed a sabbatical from "religion" and I boldly took it.  Even though it cut across the grain of societal expectations, even though it meant neglecting church duties, I decided that listening to Jesus and learning his ways were more important than anything else I could choose. No one can rip this precious spiritual truth away from me.     When I began to view my relationship with Christ in the light of how God saw me, rather than how others saw me, my perspective begin to change.

To Be Continued.....

I Am A Member Of The NCCC

Continued from "Touch Down Jesus" post.

Good stewardship of the church's money is a reflection of the hearts in the church members.   If money is carelessly wasted, extravagantly spent, or squirreled away, there is a good chance that those in authority over the money live similar lifestyles.   The truth is, those that have the authority usually have their own agenda; albeit, in the name of the Lord's work.   We proudly spout about seeking the Lord's will, but secretly, in the depths of our hearts desire our own way more.   This is the nature of man.   I know this to be true because I have experienced it myself and so have many others with who I have spoken regarding this topic.  The difference?   I am willing to say it aloud.   It is safe to say I am Not a Cookie-Cutter Christian and my writing this will not make me popular, but I've decided I need to be real.  If a church decides to borrow, say $2,000,000, to add on to their already beautiful facility that has not reached full capacity, under the pretense of  "the space is needed in order to grow the church" (or, if we build it, they will come syndrome), in my humble opinion, it is a safe bet the decision was man made and not God ordained.  

I grow weary of the number game churches play.   The church will not admit to this being true, but it is.   If it were not true, why would we be promoting High Attendance Day or Bring A Guest To Church Day?  The church will say it is to reach more people for Christ and that may well be the case in the hearts of some.  My experience; however, has taught me "let's get the numbers on the role so that our reports will be up for the quarter" is the more likely reason.   What church doesn't like to boast about it being so crowded "we had to bring in extra chairs?"     Just because a church is growing in numbers, doesn't mean it is a healthy church.  It is very easy to grow in numbers and not grow spiritually.  Unfortunately, I see this happening more and more.   So much time is required to accomplish the myriad activities of the church, that very little time is left to cultivate families and strengthen a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

And so, I stepped away from church attendance for a while.   To be continued....

Touch Down Jesus

I am not a regular church attender.   My husband and sons are faithful in their participation in church activities but their rebel mother is not.  Some think "rebel"  is a defining word for who I am and to some degree it may apply.  Being a rebel in the small town where I have lived my entire life apparently means, "she is not a regular church attender; therefore, she must be rebelling against the Lord."   The truth is, my relationship with Jesus Christ is solid.   It is the relationship against the politics of the church from which I am rebelling.   Not only that, I have decided to no longer stay silent which makes me even more rebellious. 

I am not out to harm the church; I love what the church stands for and I honestly think without the local church the world would be a more desolate place.  The church's job is to minister to the community and world and I have to say that the church I do not attend does this generously with their offering.   The church facility is beautiful, modern and immaculately clean.  Everyone dresses in their finest and speaks perfect Christianise.  It's a lovely place, where love is practiced, as well as preached.   As long as you agree with and vote yes at all the business meetings, you are considered a fine, fair, faith filled follower of the Lord.   Also, please don't question the decisions of those in authority.   After all, they have prayed and sought the Lord's will concerning the decisions and God has revealed to them what needs to happen in order to take church growth to the next level. 

Have you heard the story of Touch Down Jesus? 

In 2004, on the grounds of Solid Rock Church outside Monroe, Ohio, a six story high "Jesus" was built with his arms outstretched as a beacon of hope and salvation.   The statue was named "King of Kings" but colloquially became called "Touch Down Jesus" because the arms approximate the signal a referee makes for a touchdown in football.

On June 14, 2010, lightening struck the statue's right hand and burned it to the ground.   Touch Down Jesus became Torch Down Jesus.  Estimated damage:  $700,000.   The church says "Touch Down Jesus" will be resurrected because it was such a "ministry" to the community.   Really?   Ministry?   Sounds like an ego trip to me but I could be wrong.

I picture the Jesus I know, shaking his head sadly and saying "they just don't get it."

What if that church did something radical instead?  What if the church took the $700,000 or more that it will take to rebuild the styrofoam, wood and steel structure and feed the hungry, help widows and orphans, or pay the bills for the unemployed of that community?  Wouldn't that be considered ministry?   And wouldn't that be better stewardship of money?

To be continued.....