Today I was reading in Oswald Chamber's "My Utmost for His Highest" and he makes the statement that, "The good is always the enemy of the best." I think he was an incredibly insightful person who speaks to us today as much as he did to his audiences at the Bible Training School he taught many years ago.
Are we choosing the "good" over the "best" in today's church life? I think we may very well be doing just that. The programs that most churches do are good. The music that most churches use in their services is good. The sermons in most American pulpits is good. But the life of the average Christian in America is no different than that of the average person in America. Divorce rates are the same, attitudes are the same, disputes are common in both the church world and the outside world. So it would seem to me that for a majority of the churches in America, they are not very effective in empowering the average member to live the "FULL LIFE" talked about in the book of John. The "relationship" with Jesus that is the life-giving, life-transforming power of a Living, Holy God seems to be virtually non-existent in the American Church today. It would seem we have missed the BEST while chasing after the GOOD in our churches. The Best is being in the relationship with God to a point that it effects all other relationships in our life. It is expressed in every ounce of our life. People should be able to just watch your life and see Jesus in the way you treat others. Even (maybe especially) those with whom you disagree. How are we going to make a difference in other's lives until we get our own life in right relationship with God? It really can't be done in reverse; but that is exactly what our churches seem to have done over the last 10 years or so. We would rather have a "big" crowd and fancy buildings and HUGE ministries (remember, there is nothing wrong with those in and of themselves) which are just "good". What if we were to really read Acts and look at the early church and begin to live life the way the early church did. Everyone! ALL of them! Were in unity! The early church had power and I am convinced that they had this power because they were unified by a common goal and purpose of nothing more than LOVING GOD WITH ALL THEIR HEART, MIND, AND SOUL. THEN LOVING OTHERS AS THEMSELVES. That is what the Church is supposed to be doing.....Loving God and loving others! It is not that programs and buildings are bad, but remember it is not the bad that is the biggest enemy of the BEST.....it is the GOOD! I would welcome your thoughts on how you think the church in America has missed it and how we can get the unity and power of God back. Can we keep the same structures? Will new structures/forms of church really make a big difference unless we truly change our motives and focus on the RELATIONSHIP?
One thing is for sure, churches today have been given a choice...change or die! And to simply change from one "good" model of doing church to another will not be enough this time! We must REPENT (change our hearts)! The focus must come away from the "fame" and super-star status of Christianity, and get back to the CHRIST of Christianity...the RELATIONSHIP with that Christ!
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1 comment:
You said it bro, we must change our motives.
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