“The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14:14)
Iwas just talking with a pastor friend of mine on the telephone. We grew up together and he lives out of state now, but we chat every so often. He’s hard to like, maybe that’s an occupational hazard but Scripture tells me, “A friend loves at all times (Proverbs 17:17).” So I do. He’s always trying to get us to go on vacation together, that we don’t do.
I was talking to him about things related to administration in the ministry. Not my jam because it can serve as a distraction to what the church is about according to God’s Word. Last time I checked we are in the disciple making business. It's too easy to get lost in those kinds of administrative trivial pursuits, things that are designed to make people be better church members but the only person that can make someone be a better church member is the Holy Spirit so why would we overthink things that don’t produce fruit?
Sometimes I feel like the church tries to be the Holy Spirit or people’s mothers by manipulating them, coaxing them into following the rules, bait and switch might be a better phrase, and what we’ve done is basically asked them to lie or tell us they are doing better than they really are or get them to overcommitment when they are already overcommitted.
Listen, can we talk? Most people are struggling to make it through their day. Getting dinner on the table, the kid’s homework checked and figuring out what they are going to wear to work the next day are like fingernails on a chalkboard and then we come along asking for more. More of their time, a greater commitment, some of their money, blah, blah, blah.
It’s not that any of those things are bad or that people should not make a commitment to God through the local church. It’s how we do it, it’s a lack of compassion, it feels so Pharisaical to place burdens on people when we know the burdens will not be met, maybe even can’t be met depending on their level of spiritual maturity (all Christians are on a journey, growing, maturing).
This is what Jesus said about those things in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
I’m reading through a little Bible Study called The Gospel and it mentions what I’m writing about, “There was a group of early Christians in a city called Galatia that had come to put their faith in Jesus, but then had tried to grow and mature by hard work and observing religious laws and ceremony.” To this the Apostle Paul responded with, “Oh, foolish Galatians (3:1)!” In other words “Christian activity” does not beat out an authentic relationship with Christ.
Do we really think by giving people the rules, even if they are good rules and even Biblical rules, that we will motivate people to be the Christians they are supposed to be? It hasn’t worked for thousands of years so why would it work now? And please don’t misunderstand. I don't have all the answers but I know it always comes back to relationship not rituals, rules or religion.
You know what I want as an old, tired, too often cynical pastor? I want people to love Jesus. That’s it. Love Him with everything they’ve got (Mark 12:30) because if you do that you will want to serve this guy named Jesus that died on the cross, you will want to love the people He died for, and you will be the world’s greatest church member. This will emerge in your life by making disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). God will bless your work and one day you will hear from God, “Well done good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:23).”
At the end of the day these are heart issues. When the heart is right people’s priorities and perspectives will be right. Seek first the Kingdom and everything else will fall into place (paraphrase of Matthew 6:33).
He told me to tell you that.
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