Self-Indulgent Christians

old church - hdr+ orton bw
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Erwin McManus is a pastor in L.A. that I enjoy hearing and reading. He challenges me and he pushes the boundaries. Check out what he had to say recently:

My primary assessment would be because American Christians tend to be incredibly self-indulgent so they see the church as a place there for them to meet their needs and to express faith in a way that is meaningful for them...there is almost no genuine compassion or urgency about serving and reaching people who don’t know Christ.

Ouch! Those are tough words to hear! But sadly I have to agree with him. We are in the midst of some challenging changes at our church. Different worship styles. More multimedia. More upbeat music. Why? Why are we trying to change our style?

Last night I was talking with a young couple who comes to our church. They are loving the new worship style. If our church wants to reach the people that no other church in our town is reaching we will have to do things that no other church in town is doing.

Check out how Todd Rhoades over at Monday Morning Insight describes McManus' church:

McManus, whose church members’ average age is 25 years old, is known for breaking the “rules” of traditional church and applying spiritual creativity to engage and develop the next generation of Christian leaders.

Since becoming lead pastor of Mosaic about a decade ago, McManus’ church membership has grown from about 300 adults to more than 3,000 adults. The historically Southern Baptist church also boasts over 40 different nationalities and is “packed” with artists such as musicians, writers and filmmakers.

Among the attendees are also 80-year-old members from the generation before McManus arrived, who are said to “root on” the younger generation of church members.

Does that description of a church excite you? A church where there is great growth spiritually and numerically? A church where the older members cheer on the next generation of church members?

First Christian Church is at a crossroads. Are we going to urgently seek to serve and reach people who don't know Christ? Are we going to allow our methods, not the message to change so we can reach them?

Here's what the apostle Paul had to say on the matter as translated in The Message:

Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn't take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I've become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn't just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!

So what about us? Do we want to be in on it?

image credit:old church - hdr+ orton bw
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Giving It All You've Got!

Giving It All You've Got!
Originally uploaded by P V K

Matthew 19 is a fascinating part of scripture. Here we encounter the rich young man. This young man wants eternal life and he comes to Jesus asking how to get it. Jesus tells him "If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you." Then to specify Jesus mentions 5 of the ten commandments and the command to love your neighbor as your self. The 5 commandments Jesus mentions are those that relate to how we treat others.

The young man claims he has done this. But he still feels something is lacking. I love how Eugene Peterson in The Message translates these next words from Jesus: “If you want to give it all you’ve got,” Jesus replied, “go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.”

If you want to give it all you've got. Do these words describe me? Do they describe our church? Do we want to give it all we've got for the Kingdom of Christ? Do I want to use my one and only life to serve Jesus Christ? Do you?

It all goes back in the box...

Just your basic coffin clip art
Originally uploaded by jimfrazier

Luke 12:30-33 are powerful verses. My main question: If I "fuss over these things" what I wear, what I drive, how nice my home is, if I have the latest greatest things, etc...then do I demonstrate that I do not know God? That's a scary thought!

These verses immediately follow Jesus story of the man who thought to himself that he would make a bigger barn only to lose his life that very night. John Ortberg's great message and book When the Games Over, It All Goes Back Into the Box is based on this story.

This passage is a great reminder of our mission. Why are we ultimately here? To serve ourselves, get all we can get, have as much fun as we can?

But then we die...and it all goes back in the box. Of course most of us don't want to think about our death let alone prepare for it. Yet it is the one certainty of our lives. We all will die one day. Jesus is just encouraging his disciples to use some common sense. Invest in a "bank you can bank on." Pay it forward.

Being generous, not worrying about our state in this life just makes sense if we truly know God. So when I worry, when I feel discontent, when I want more, when I believe more will make me happy - all of these are good opportunities for me to recognize just how little I know God. All of these are great opportunities to remind me of what the true mission is: to please the Master (see Mark 12:34-48).

So are we living lives that please the Master?

REVEAL

I'm reading a very challenging book called Reveal. It is based on research that was done at Willow Creek Community Church. Every few years, Willow has surveyed their congregation to get a feel for how they are doing. They want to know where they are so they can become more effective as a church.

Before doing any research, they made three hypotheses. They "hypothesized that spiritual growth depended on increasing participation in church activities."

They discovered that this wasn't true. They found that spiritual growth is related to a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Not surprising if you ask me. What is clearly revealed is that church activities don't often help people develop a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Yikes!

So where are we, First Christian Church of Wray, Colorado? Does our church help you develop a growing relationship with Jesus Christ?

The research is ongoing and there is a blog that continues the conversation. In a recent post, charts were shown that reveal how the congregations of 20 different churches feel about their church's role in their spiritual growth and their own satisfaction concerning their spiritual growth. Ideally, churches want congregations who see their relationship with Jesus Christ as very important and feel that the church plays a positive role in their spiritual growth.

Is that the case with our church? Do you feel that your relationship with Jesus Christ is very important? Do you feel that the church is playing a positive role in your spiritual growth? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!