“For many today, the thought of “worship” in the church has come to mean a sense of being caught up with feelings and emotions. True worship always centers around the Word of God. It is being controlled by the Spirit of God enough to recognize truth and holiness.”
We are living in a generation that, for a lot of people, church is just another weekly social event that gives our families something to do. There seems to be no understanding of its necessity and ultimate potential to revolutionize our lives. Church is not a place to seek out a Holy God or find help for a hurting soul. Someone uniquely said that “Some Christians spend the first six days of the week sowing their wild oats, then they go to church on Sunday and pray for a crop failure”. It is sad that there is such a “cheap” commitment to something that used to be part of the foundation and bedrock of this Christian nation. Some may say that I don’t have to go to church to be a good Christian but I am more of the belief that “Professing a love for Christ without a committed love for the church is a biblical impossibility.” The scripture still exhorts us ” not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together”. As I have been a part of the ministry for the last thirty years, I see five different ways that people generally view the church.
1. Church is a RITUAL We have at times been hard on churches that are characterized by formalistic worship, but often our church worship has taken on the same characteristics. Certainly there is something to say about getting into good habits and certainly church would be a good habit to be involved in, but ritualism can sometimes take the place of heart-felt worship. Children go to church because dad made them and then when dad is not around to make them, the ritual ends. Ritualism can cause us to sit in a service and never be stirred by the Spirit’s moving. We can sing and not know what we are singing about. We can pray, but it is only the prayer of a Pharisee. Ritualism can soon lead to manufactured worship that will soon die because it does not resonate from a heart of love.
2. Church is an Emergency Room I remember a family that I had the privilege to pastor. They would come to church periodically, and when they walked in the door of the church I knew that there was some tragedy that had come into their lives. This was the only time that they came, and their commitment to come would last till the end of their trial. It continued on the same humorous circle for several years. God becomes their “spiritual bell-hop. When tragedy strikes, they know where to find God. The fellowship becomes important. The Word of God becomes necessary, but, when the need is taken care of, the need of God diminishes. We found this out as a nation during the dark season of September 11, 2001. The following Sunday our churches were overflowing with people who generally showed up for Easter and Christmas. There was a hunger for God and a realization that we had left Him out of our midst…. but, soon the threat to our nation subsided, and soon our churches were occupied by the faithful few. What a sad way to look at God and His church to only feel the need be a part when I’m experiencing tragedy.
3. Church is a Recreation Center We seem to be so fascinated with recreation today. The driving force of the average home is how many activities that we can be involved in. Church has been added to a lengthy list of necessary activities for our homes, but, the sad thing is that church has been placed far down on the priority list. Although we should enjoy the fellowship of our church family in times of activity, families must recognize that the purpose of the church is not to entertain us.
4. Church is a Religious Act America is quickly becoming a, self-professed, religious nation and not a Christian nation. In the south, it is a known fact that every “good-ole boy” believes that it is right to attend a church service each week. If you were to ask them, why, they would quickly tell you that we are “religious” people. Religion has replaced revival, and repentance, and righteousness and we have become satisfied with surface religious acts. Christ had much to say to the religious crowd that only had a surface representation of what should be a personal walk with Christ. This brings us to the last point which should be the desire of our hearts when it comes to church.
5. Church is a Responsible Relationship Church should be a personal relationship that we strengthen, build up, nurture, protect, and encourage others to be a part of. If we see the need of this relationship, how can we not be committed and faithful to something that Christ loves so much. It is impossible to have the right love for Christ if we do not have a love for His church. We go faithfully to church because we love it, we love Him, and we see the necessity of being faithful. We realize that we need the church and that the church needs us. Is not that the way we should look at all relationships. May we nurture and build and protect this wonderful relationship.
Someone once said that it is easier to steer a car that is already in motion. If you are not hearing anything from God regarding what direction He wants you to go, start doing something and let Him steer you. Many churches and ministries seem to have a hard time “going and growing” because there is no momentum to cause the steering to be easier. A lifeless church will always find it hard to grow until people get a vision of a spirit-led direction and they began to move the car in that direction. At that point they find that the steering automatically becomes easier,
Unity becomes such a key in getting this momentum started. A.W. Tozer said, “One hundred pianos tuned to the same tuning fork will automatically be in tuned with each other. A church must seek the direction of God, and then as a unified body, begin working in that direction. “Momentum by itself is useless to truly bless the church, but when it is caught up on the wings of the Spirit of God, it can lift a church to greater heights.” (S.Mark Lancaster) If we are coasting along in the ministry, we are either loosing momentum or else we are headed downhill.
The leader is the one that must first catch this vision and begin this momentum. John Kotter said, “Effective leaders help others to understand the necessity of change and to accept a common vision of the desired outcome.” People see what they are prepared to see. This means that a leader must have the ability to transfer his vision to others.
I would like to give just a few thoughts on “Developing and Guarding Momentum”
1. Make your direction known.
2. Organize your ministries to take you in that direction.
3. Mentor men to bear the burden of the ministry.
4. Expect the moving of God
5. Nurture through caring ministries.
6. Teach your people the joy and blessing of giving.
7. Unleash an environment for commitment and faithfulness.
8. Make prayer a necessity to find God’s will and power.
Truths for Today 