Working for a church, it is often wrongly believed that we simply sit around talking about our faith journeys and reading Spurgeon while we look for an unsuspecting atheist to baptize. Unfortunately, you would be surprised at how non-spiritual church work really is. If I had a dollar for every time I talked about my spiritual life, I might have enough for a candy bar. Coming out of school, we always believe in the ideal. We hold to the thought that we will engage in a rich calling full of theological debate and life change. Then we are rudely awoken to administrative tasks and “urgent” emails to return. Somewhere, Martin Luther is crying. Love to preach? Just recycle something someone else has already said and get back to “leadership development” which is your true calling. Want a rich prayer life? That’s sweet, but the church needs money; what’s our financial campaign look like?
The American Church is either in the business of grace, or of busyness.
Yet it doesn’t have to be this way. The heartbeat changed at salvation still thumps with a calling to go deeper. The way of our life still gazes upward and our Lord still longs to hear from us. It is my experience that one simple question sucks the air out of the room and causes those in its radiation to choose authenticity or plastic:
“What is God doing in your life?”
In order for the Church and saint to progress, we must be willing to put Christ before us in the conversation. Church growth, tithes, and leadership are all well and good, but where is God in planning? Our subversive hearts will always choose creation over creator and strategy over salvation if we are not careful.
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15)
Today, don’t settle for the ways of this world. You are called to be an ass kicking agent of grace in a world that is settled in its worldly comforts. Normalcy is the enemy of the Church and saint. Ask yourself to explain what God is doing in your heart recently and then ask that of your leaders and friends. The difference in a church is its people. Be the change you wish to see in the church.
Matt simon blog 