As I survey the condition of the church in the United States I can’t help but ask the question, “What is going on?” There seems to be a huge disconnect in lives of the church people. We claim to be Christian but apart from Sunday our lives are extremely secular. We come to church hoping to hear a word which speaks to our condition, a word that will help us to live the lives we long for. Christians long to live lives in intimate communion with God. Most sermons are not helpful because they have become more like homilies than sermons. Pastors reach out and teach us to be kind or to be patient but those topics, as needful as they are, do nothing to deepen our vertical relationship with God. The reason people tend to be unkind or impatient or whatever is because their relationship with God is shallow or non-existent. When a people’s devotion to God is waning the following verse would never be true of them.
• They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common. Acts 2:42-44(NASB95)
Whatever happened to this concept of a robust, society challenging church? It is not as though Christian people are living disappointing lives on purpose; they know that something is wrong. I realize that some in the church have no desire to change, but I believe most are hungry for someone to lead them into a close and personal day to day relationship with God. What Christian wouldn’t desire this?
• Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Galatians 4:6 (NASB95)
I am not bemoaning the condition of the church from a desire to see any church grow larger. Our church is a small congregation and the temptation is always to do things to bring about growth in numbers. As any pastor will tell you the only sure thing about churches growing bigger is that troubles usually grow at about the same rate. My concern is not with getting churches to grow in size but in spiritual maturity. You can see the immaturity in congregations by their lack of concern for the lost and the utilitarian way they view the church. What do I mean by an utilitarian view of the church? A utilitarian view of church is one that sees the church simply as a resource. Most Christians go to church to get something that they are missing during the week. They go wanting a word from God, an experience that somehow will awaken within them a sense of connection with God. Their week has been ordinary with no real sense of God’s presence and they crave what they do not have. So the majority go to church to “worship.” We should not be coming to church for the purpose of worship, because worship should be our every moment experience as Christians. To say we go to church to worship is like saying we go to church to breathe. Well, breathing (worshipping) may be one thing that we do at church but hopefully you don’t wait till Sunday to breathe (worship) and you any breathing (worshipping) we do on Sunday is just an outgrowth of our natural daily desire to praise God and live in His presence. If we have not been breathing all week there is no way just going to church will start that process we are dead. Going to church to worship when worship is not a normal activity during the week is like being rushed to the emergency room and being placed on life support. As soon as the life support is disconnected the breathing again stops. When I ask people why they go to church I get many different answers but rarely do I get a Biblical one. How about you? Why do you go to church? Do you go to church? If not, and you are a Christian, why not?
The saddest reason people give for going to church is to go looking for a connection with God. It is not sad because it is a bad motivation, after all wanting a connection with God is a good motivation, but it is sad because everyday should be lived in connection with God. It is also sad because the state of most churches is so dire that they no longer know how to help people live life of communion with God out side of their four walls but instead they foster an attitude of come here and know God is near. The old adage “feed a man a fish, feed him for the day, teach him to fish, feed him for a life time” is true, but most churches are feeding men not teaching them to fish. Another concern is that if most people are not worshipping God during the week, can what they experience on Sunday really be worship or just something generated by the atmosphere of the service?
• Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, Isaiah 29:13 (NASB95)
Most people going to church are in the same boat, they are looking for something more and even most pastors seem clueless as to how to help. When I ask most pastors why they go to church, apart from it being their place of work, I get the same answers from them as I do from their parishioners. Churches are big on bible studies, VBS, skits, programs, praise bands, short pithy sermons, but most of these just reinforce the fact to all who attend that there is a God and they really don’t know Him. But these things do not, on their own, answer the question “How can Christians grow up and walk daily in the presence of their God?” Understand that none of the things I mention that churches do are wrong in and of themselves but they are not geared specifically to answer this crucial question unless those in charge focus them to do so. When most leaders don’t know the answer, how can their sermons speak to the issue?
I also used to struggle with my intimacy with God. I studied the Bible, went to church, sang, and taught but still it all seemed to be just “going through the motions.” I knew the rest of my week would be spent with a realization that God was still a mystery and distant. My relationship with God was shallow at best, certainly not what I knew was possible from a relationship with the God of the Universe, the Creator of all things. I did not see Paul’s words to the Corinthians coming true in my life.
• Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21
How about you? Are you a Christian looking for a deeper relationship with God? Do you desire to know His will for your life as surely as you know your favorite flavor of ice cream? Do you desire a relationship with God that can carry you through the toughest of situations with a peace that passes understanding? If you do, begin by reading 1 John chapters 1&2 and go to God and tell Him of your struggles. Then catch our next blog entry.
Yours in Christ, Jeff
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