What would happen…
What would happen if pastors, preachers, leaders, ministers and whatever other titles their maybe be for church leaders would put aside whatever they are teaching and focus on getting the message of God’s amazing grace and love across? Is it just me or are those topics somehow avoided?
Personally, I think if this would actually happen, with the full inspiration of the God’s Spirit of course, amazing things would happen. The churches would grow and mature so fast that they would have to expand drastically, Christians would put aside their egoism and self-centered pleasures of wealth and “toys” and focus totally on HIM.
OK, so what’s to stop this from happening? ummmmm… it’s aahh, well…yeah…OK, it’s Satan.
Oh, but it isn’t not nearly so direct as it sounds, he’s rather subtle… making leaders and their churches slip into the rut of organized religion, legalism and conformism, of course, with the occasional shove if it’s not to his likening. He especially loves it if the poisoned people get really mad at the ones that aren’t conforming to their type of lifestyle. Sing the same songs, same topics, same falling asleep to boring sermons heard for the upteench time about “thou shalt not do this and that”.
Now, let’s say there’s a group of people within the church that isn’t happy with how it is… I don’t mean the music worship style or songs or even the style of clothing or if we kneel, sit, stand or jump and shout when worshipping him in prayer. I’m talking about the subtle waves of feeling boxed-in in church, the sermons themes planned weeks, months or even a year ago, the not giving the Holy Spirit room to work, the demeaning looks of congregants when someone lifts up their hands in prayer or tells an experience that takes longer that two minutes to tell. I’m talking about youth attendance dropping as fast as their parents let them make up their own choice to go or not, about almost zero participation in Sunday schools, about old mister Y falling asleep every Sunday, about making a big deal for weeks if some local talent does a rap song in church, about condemning people that don’t come on Sunday without even knowing the reason why they didn’t coming, about… OK, you get the idea, I hope.
Now this is what I’ve experienced, not all in the same church, but definitely a feeling I’ve felt in different churches. I would sooner go to math class in a kilt than feel comfortable enough to share something with everyone in the church I go to.
Ain’t it sad? Now, a lot of the stuff I mentioned has to do with my own experience, but not only, a lot of friends of mine feel the same way. The services are planned, first a song, than a scripture reading followed by a short prayer and another song. Than Sunday School, followed by announcements and sharing by the congregation (usually the same people every Sunday), than another song or two, followed by the sermon and a prayer with an ending song and then WOOOOOOOOHHHHOOOOOO!! IT’S DONE!!! The fact I can precisely tell you how it works is because it doesn’t change, never with extremely remote chances of being different than like that.
So, putting the negatives aside… I’ve learned not to be ticked off to much, I mean, look at history and you’ll see there has always been some killjoys along the way. No, just keep your focus on Jesus, showing his love and grace to the people you encounter whenever. All it takes is a smile, a word of encouragement, helping them with some project or inviting them over for terere (tee, coffee, coke, water, etc.) and just show them (doesn’t take much effort on your part) God’s love and let his Holy Spirit inspire you. YOU WILL BE AMAZED!
Live it! Live HIM!
