Why Church #2: In the Meanwhile

In the Meanwhile

"I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law (traditions of men), then Christ died in vain.” - Galatians 2:21 (brackets added)

     The bible is clear on a few things when it comes to church; firstly it makes it clear that we should never forsake the gathering of the saints (Heb 10:24-25). Living the Christian life is hard enough, but living it in isolation is spiritual suicide. The strengthening, support, council and wisdom that we receive from fellow believers play a vital part in us living the victorious Christian life and running the race until the end. The gifts of the Spirit should flow freely when the saints get together, that is prophecy, healing, miracles, words of knowledge and wisdom, thus encouraging the body of believers to perform the great commission.

     Secondly, when the saints get together, it is an ideal opportunity for the Christians to take advantage of the so-called fivefold ministry (Eph 4:11-15). That is individuals who are anointed (gifted) in certain areas of ministry, for the benefit of the church. These gifts include that of the prophet, the apostle, the teacher, the evangelist and the pastor; all of which are needed in their entirety in order to have a healthy and effective church.

     So, for all intense and purposes, as our culture has evolved, so has our definition of church. As our culture and way of doing life has started picking up pace and demanding more of our time, so Christians have become spiritually lazy, not wanting to take responsibility for their own spiritual growth. They thus make time once a week to get to a church building where a person stands in front telling them what God wants to tell them for the week. They may even sing a few songs, maybe some favourites, thus constituting the church-goers outward expression of worship for the week.

     This self-centred Christianity from believers has created a demand for spiritual leaders who just feed the people what they want to hear, knowing full well that the majority of people attending a church service are there for reasons other than wanting to be confronted with the truth of the gospel. This position that many spiritual leaders are placed in allows them to control and manipulate the saints as they see fit, because the saints never mature and don’t know any better. They have no idea that they are nowhere near the potential that God created them to reach.

     Thus, rather than blaming church institutions and leaders, for the current state of the church, I blame Christians. If enough Christians bothered to read their bibles and allowed God to speak to them in their personal times of worship and prayer, they would slowly begin to mature; they would start to ask mature questions that demand straight answers. A situation such as this would force church leaders to keep the main thing, the main thing – Jesus. It would stop the nonsense of placing pastors on pedestals, as super-humans, and the allowing o money to determine what God has called the body of Christ to do.

     If more Christians started seeing themselves as the church and understanding the responsibility that comes with it, then modern churches would look and operate a lot more differently. The manipulation, pressure and expectation that is created in a church environment, is unnatural and not what God intended for it to be. Churches would rather become places of gathering, where the fivefold ministry can equip and mature the saints into influencing the world. Church would not be seen as an impotent institution but rather as an effective and vibrant lifestyle, one that will catch the attention of the world and allow us to proclaim the good news of God’s love and grace to those who so badly need it.

     For those of you, who have become disorientated with church, don’t give up. Church is God’s plan A; you are God’s plan A. He is coming back for His bride, not a critical, cynical bride, but a pure and spotless one. Your mandate thus remains the same as always; tell the world how much Jesus loves them.

     I encourage those of you who have never questioned your church or the church in general on some of the issues I’ve alluded to above, start looking at what the bible says about the stuff that goes on, on a typical Sunday morning (or evening), does it fit with scripture? Are the traditions of men making the sacrifice of Christ a vain one?

Sixty-seven Minutes

     This week marked the ninety-third birthday of the great Nelson Mandela. The Nelson Mandela foundation has decided that since Mandela, himself, spent sixty-seven years of his life struggling for the freedom of an entire nation, that it would only be fitting if we, as that nation, commemorated his efforts in some gallant way. So, what better way to do this than to give a little bit of your own time, on this day, for other people. How about sixty-seven minutes of selflessness?
     When I started thinking about what I could do for 67 minutes for someone else, I started to panic. Thoughts like, "67 minutes is a long time" and "who on earth has 67 minutes to give away on a Monday" Suddenly I felt ashamed of myself, I talk a big talk, but when I am not on a ministry trip or involved with some organised event to bring the good news to others, am I in fact selfish? When left alone, with no-one watching, when the spotlight is elsewhere, are we in fact inherently selfish? The answer is an overwhelming, yes.
     If we had more people like Mandela, selfless people, dedicated to a cause, putting a noble ideal ahead of their own comfort and before their personal gain; wouldn't the world have such a different look about it? Imagine if we didn't just give up 67 minutes, once a year, but that everyone who physically could, gave 67 minutes a day to a cause, without expecting anything in return. This world would not be entirely void of poverty or sadness, but there would be a whole bunch of people less depressed with their situations, because they are finally starting to look beyond themselves. The intrinsic tendency of self-centerdness in humans is the root cause of most psychological and emotional disparity.
     So, how does one find a cause, where do you start giving, when, your whole life you've just been taking? It's not hard, you don't have to look far to find someone to bless with your time, money or a smile. Yes, it has to be deliberate, but once you start looking and finding people to bless and causes to forward, life becomes that much more rewarding. Living for something other than yourself, goes a long way in acknowledging that you are not God, that others are as important to Him as you are to yourself.
     Sixty-seven minutes a year can easily become 67 minutes a week and before you know it you've dedicated 67 years of your life to a cause that makes your time here in earth worth while. A sure way to limit regrets in life is to live selflessly. It starts with 67 minutes ... see also the post on An Ideal for Which I am Prepared to Die

Why do we do what we do?



 "Sunset at the Grand Canyon"                                                     Pic by Jordan Wegele



"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" - Ephesians 2:10

   What makes us make the decisions we make and what makes us take the actions we take? It’s not a new question, Paul even asked it in Romans 7. Some things we do are necessary to sustain life on earth, like eating, sleeping and paying taxes. But, these functional issues are not what define us as individuals; everyone on earth has these things in common.

   When broken down, it is often a difficult question to answer. For example: Why do I go to work? To earn money. Why do I earn money? To pay my bills and put food on the table. Why do I have so many bills? To sustain a lifestyle. Do I really need to maintain such a lifestyle? Not really, it’s pretty empty when all is said and done. So why do you even go to work? Why do you even get up? There must be more.

   There is always more. The example above is void of other variables, such as social responsibilities, family, friends and spiritual convictions. So, let’s factor these things in. I do what I do to be able to provide for my family; very noble. I do what I do to impress my friends; weak, but quite common. I do what I do, because that’s what’s expected of me. Once again, weak, but even more common than most are willing to admit. I do what I do because God told me to do it. Ok, now we’re onto something here. Admitting that there is something bigger than what can be seen and quantified, the benefits of which may not be immediate; is a good start.

   If, our motivation for doing the things that we do lies solely on earthly warrant, the results will be disappointing. The bottomless hole that is; pleasing others, living up to expectations and material gain, can only lead to a life filled with decisions and ensuing actions that have very short-lived benefits. You can never fully please other people, and even if you do, you will still not be pleased with yourself. You can also never have enough possessions; when is enough really enough? It’s a crooked line of swaying moral conviction.

   However, if work is a means to an end; a way of connecting with people, making money and using your talents and skills according to what God has spoken to your heart. Then your decisions and actions have eternal consequences, because they have an eternal source. If the underlying current of your decisions are not based on what you see in front of you, but rather on hearing from God and building His kingdom, then the reason you do the things you do, will not leave you hanging. In fact, it will motivate you more and more as you start reaping the harvest of God-inspired decisions and the value of selfless actions.

 "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing" - 1 Corinthians 13:3

   Self-centeredness is the root of all grief. Just look at every unhappy person around you, look at yourself. Is the reason you do the things that you for your own (insecure) gain? Or is it for the benefit of others, the people God loves? The people He died for … Isn’t love, the reason we are here in the first place, a selfless love? So shouldn’t our decisions be based on this same God-kind-of-love? Why other people do the things they do, I can’t say; it's more than likely it's based on fear and blind ambition. But, I do know this, that love should be the reason why we do the things that we do. A love for God and a love for His people.