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Question, “Is the church keeping us from fulfilling the great commission that’s found in Matthew 28:18-20 18Jesus came to them and said I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! 19Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world. (CEV) Look at the first few words of verse nineteen carefully, “go to the people…” Now this does not say wait for the people to come to you, while you sit inside your pretty church – but rather it says to go to them. Meaning we are to get off the padded chairs/pews that we sit on and go to them.
I love to read church signs, for the simple fact that they make me laugh most of the time and for no other reason. I have been a Christian now for twenty seven years and I have never once visited a church because of what a church sign has said, whether it talked about a revival or whatever. And I bet for the most part not many others have either.
So what makes us think someone who is not a Christian is going to step inside our church because of a sign or because our church has a pretty curb appeal? I have been around and part of a church my whole life and walking up inside of a new church I visit for the first time scares me to death. In addition, let’s be truthful, most of us are pretty bad ambassadors for Christ, once we are inside the confines of the church building. We fail miserably at really making someone feel welcomed. We rather see the same person, asking them the same questions that we asked them the last time we saw them in church – instead of talking to someone new. But you say that’s the reason why we have greeters in the parking lots and at the doors for, to welcome the visitors. Come on who are we fooling that doesn’t really make someone feel like your church is a church they could feel a part of. Everyone expects to see a greeter at the door, they say hi and shake your hand, but that doesn’t make you feel like you belong.
No the great commission states that we go to where the people are at, in your towns and communities. I know that’s a bit weird for most Christians, to be with or hang with sinners, but think about it we have the Holy Spirit with us to empower us for such a task and yet we still get nervous. So you know a non-believer has got to be scared to walk up in a church building. I believe that is why many churches are dieing. We can’t understand why in the world people are not attracted to our theatrical performances and our grand light show. Our churches our intimidating to many first time visitors no matter how people friendly we may think our church is.
That is why we have to go to them. Missional is a word that has been around for a while and within the past few years has caught favor with many Christ followers. To be missional means we must see ourselves as a missionary wherever we are currently at. It doesn’t have to be overseas; you are a missionary right in your hometown. It is realizing that the lost are not going to come to us, but rather we have to go to the lost.
Most of the churches that are growing in America today have a missional mindset. These churches are biblically sound and don’t mind getting out there in the culture. They are the types of churches that don’t see today’s culture as something to run from, but rather they engage today’s culture – wanting to put Christ in the center of today’s culture as much as possible. The reason so many churches are falling at this is that they see culture and church on opposite ends of the spectrum that these two worlds are polarizing to each other. That is simply not true. Take a look all through out the New Testament and where do you find Jesus? Not in the synagogues, but in the towns and villages with the people. Jesus engaged his culture. He went to the people. So the question that has to be asked is are we going to the people or do we expect the people to come to us?
Many churches see this word missional as offensive, because they have seen what they have done in the past work, but what they fail to realize is what worked ten or twenty years ago will not work for today’s culture. Many have allowed the traditions of the church to blind them in their thinking that there is only one way to do church and that is the way they are currently doing it. Why is it that we allow change in just about every area in our life, but the church? Twenty years ago, hardly anybody had a cell phone, now everyone has got them even grandma’s. The way we communicate has changed and we adapted. So why can’t the church adapt the times as well, as long as we don’t change the content of scripture. Does it really matter how we deliver it?
As I said early being missional is not new, Jesus was missional. I think what scares most people is the fact that we have to change the whole way we have been approaching church for most of our lives. It is getting out of our comfort zones and it’s exploring unknown territory. Being the creatures of habit that we are we don’t like this. Being missional makes us rely more on the Holy Spirit and it forces us to form new relationships, something many of us have forgotten how to do.
Also being missional is a lifestyle change, because you are trying to look at the world through the eyes of Christ. Missional living is making your life about establishing relationships that are meaningful, always looking for new ways to engage culture so that you might have a opportunity to share Christ with someone. Living a missional lifestyle is about being part of a community that cares for the needs of others before your own. This lifestyle is very contrary to the world’s lifestyle; because of this very few will take this style of living. When you live the missional lifestyle people begin to look at you differently and you realize what it is like to truly be just a strange of this world only passing through for a short time.
Starting to live like this myself, I see things differently now. , because I have realized there is much more to life than what just makes me happy. With each day that passes, I feel like it is lost forever, that I will never get that day back to make a difference in someone else’s life. Making a difference for Christ! I feel like God has given me a new zeal for life like my life now has a purpose and that for me is very fulfilling!
Have you ever thought to yourself, man if I could only change the way that person views life. I think that person is so off base in their beliefs. I just wish they could see what I see. But if you stop and think about it what makes us right – how are we so sure that we are right and someone else is wrong?
James Sire the author of “The universe next door” gives one of the best definitions of what exactly is a worldview. “A worldview is a set of presuppositions, (assumptions which may be true, partially true, or entirely false) which we hold (consciously or subconsciously, consistently or inconsistently) about the basic make-up of the world.”
Until just a few years ago I was under the false pretense that if you did not view life exactly the way I did you were wrong in your thinking. A lot of this had to do with being immature I know, but I also believe a lot had to do with my lack of understanding of God’s worldview in the Bible. I, like many people, just took for granted that what people told me was pretty much the truth, especially if it were a pastor. But what if they made a mistake, what if they were miss guided by someone?
Most people’s worldview is not something that they have thought out and wrestled with on their own, rather it is something they have accumulated over the years. Our view of the world is shaped by our parents, the culture in which we live , our religious traditions or lack of, the type of education we received, the media, and much more. All these things influence our thinking and how we view the world and our place in it and the sad thing is we don’t even realize that these things influence us. I heard it stated like this once, “ we learn more than we create; we accept more than we reject. So concisely we do not formulate our on worldviews, we simply regurgitate what we have already been taught.
This to me is very sad, because if this is true then very few people are able to rise above their cultural prejudices, or the cultural norms of society. We may like to believe that we are free thinkers independent of the influences around us, but were not. If you think about it, it is quite frightening how many incorrect assumptions we have adopted as our own. For many they are quite contented not to dig deeper or try to think more independently. We like to believe that our worldview is correct. And if we are challenged with another person’s worldview that does not line up with ours we usually get defensive about it. Instead of taking the time and ask questions and wrestle with their answers we throw condemnation their way.
Just recently though, I started welcoming other peoples worldview not as my own, but to better understand people who hold different views of the world, so that I can engage them in intelligent dialogue. I also started going to the scriptures to see if what they are telling me lines up with scripture. As well, I am seeing if what I believe is lining up with the scriptures. I find myself letting go of those once sacred cows, I once held so tightly to. I am now asking God to make my worldview more like his, more open and not so closed-minded.
Lord, I pray that my way of viewing the world (in all that entails, my beliefs, my views on other dominations, the way I treat others, and so on) would be more like yours.
I was reminded the other day that Jesus was accused of being “a friend of sinners”. That was supposed to be an insult to Christ. But it turns out to be a great source of hope to all of us. We all know we are full of sin and fall short of God’s glory, but God is gracious. God in His grace allowed Jesus to hang out with unrespectable people. So I am just thinking here out loud, if our congregations are full of respectable people – then could it be said that we have not truly grasped the radical grace of God. Just a thought, any comments.
Within the past two weeks this question has come up twice, “what if today was your last day”? Just this past Sunday on the way home from church I heard on the radio Nickelback’s song entitled “What if today was your last day”. Then the week before that I heard a podcast sermon entitled, “what if today was your last day, what would you do?”
So these two events got me thinking how would I live differently if I knew today was my last day here on earth? Here are some things I make sure I’d get done.
- Tell my parents that I love them
- Jump on the trampoline with my kids, until we couldn’t jump anymore
- Take a walk with my wife and tell her how much she really means to me
- View the sunrise & sunset as if it was the first time I’d ever seen them
- Savor every bite of my last meal
- Call up each of my closest friends & tell them I appreciated their friendship
- MAKE EVERY SECOND COUNT
Then I got to thinking about it, no one knows the time of his or her own death, and God hasn’t revealed that to us. So why wouldn’t we live each day to the fullest. Making every moment that went by count for something. Why is it that we allow so much of the business of life distract us from what’s really important. I truly believe none of us will look back on life as we get older and say, look at all the wealth I gained, look at how busy I was. No, I believe we will look back on our lives and say, I should of spent more time with my family and friends, I should have slowed down a little and enjoyed life a little better.
Lets face it, the life most of us live is too busy, most of us want to slow down. But we live in fear that if we do slow down that business of life will catch up with us and over whelm us.
A buddy of mine today at the gym said, he finds himself going home after work logging on the computer to answer just a few more emails. My question is it really worth it taking your time away from your family. He has a toddler that he is missing out on all the new things he is doing, just to feel like he is ahead of the game a little.
For me I am trying, not saying that I am good at it cause Lord knows I always feel the need to stay busy. But I am trying to slow down and take each day as a gift. Just think how much better everything would be if we treated it like it was the last time we could ever do it. I bet that meal would taste better, making love to your spouse would be better, playing with your kids would be more enjoyable, and fact is life would be better period.
So I am challenging myself to slow down and take the path less traveled. To look at life differently, to live as if today was my last day. And just in the short time that I started this, I feel better, I don’t take so many things for granted. Life, for the first time, feels like this is how God meant for me to live my life, because who knows this really could be my last day!
Love him or hate him, Mark Driscoll is reaching people for Christ. Although many think he is too harsh with is language and controversial preaching. I say, “No he’s right on track.” I myself listen to his podcast quite regularly. He is speaking out on topics that most pastors do not want to talk about whether out of fear of making people mad, losing members, or they are just plane cowards.
Pastors find themselves in a very strange place now days in the church world. In that nobody wants to hear about God getting angry at the sin in their lives. Rather what ten things can we do in our lives to have “our best life now.” What pastors have to realize (and I am one of them) is that preaching the gospel is not easy or pretty at times. We are supposed to tell the congregation what the consequences of sin are. We are to tell the people what God likes and dislikes in their lives and most importantly it is to be Christ centered. Since when did preaching the gospel ever become about succeeding in life, making everyone like you, gaining wealth, and so on?
I think what stumps most evangelicals concerning Mark Driscoll and others like him is we find it hard to believe that someone can be relevant in today’s culture and at the same time be biblically conservative. I think why this stumps so many is because we ourselves want to be just like that: being relevant to the ever changing world to reach them, while still holding on to our conservative biblical truths.
Instead of letting these two topics stump us we need to be asking ourselves, is there anything here that I can learn from? I don’t think Mark Driscoll is being culturally relevant just to be cool, but rather he is trying to answer the tuff questions that the cultural is asking – that other pastors don’t want to touch. Like sex & sexuality, alcohol, what it means to be a real godly man or godly woman and so on.
A lot of what Mark Driscoll is preaching is nothing new. Just a few generations before us we see men preaching hard against sin. Sadly, many pastor have gotten scared to look at someone in the eyes and tell them what they are doing is wrong and that it will send them to hell. They would rather tell their people what God could do for them. Over the next month, see how many times your pastor preaches a salvation message, it just might shock you. Shouldn’t we hear the salvation message preached every time a sermon is delivered, I say yes we should! For what other reason do we do church if it is not to bring in other lost people into God’s flock and to constantly remind the righteous what Christ did for us on the cross.
Sadly many churches need to wake up and listen to a culture that is crying out in search of truth. We need to realize that many of our programs and fuzzy warm sermons are not answering the questions that the culture is asking. The church would be better off if it could just let go of some of it’s “sacred cows” and get back to giving biblical truths to tough questions.
Next the church needs to move outside of its comfort zone if it has any hope in reaching today’s culture. We have become to “churchy” for our own sake. We have hidden in the four walls of the church for so long that we have disconnected from culture so much that we forgotten to go out and actually be the church. So we have become an elitist club that gets embarrassed when the culture asks us questions dealing with sex and the like.
This may or may not come as a shock to many of you, but the Bible has plenty to say on hard topics like sex. It also answers the hardest question of them all, what must a person do to be saved. So question to the church is, it willing to do what it takes to answer the culture in a way that is culturally relevant but also biblically conservative?
