The kind of church that Jesus spoke of in Matthew and which was empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in the book of Acts often bears little resemblance to the average local Christian church in the United States of America today.
Think about it. Jesus spoke of a church that was on the attack, advancing the Kingdom of God against the forces of darkness, even pressing against the “gates” of hell itself (Matthew 16:18). Yet, look at the American landscape today, and you don’t often see the kind of life-giving, Kingdom-advancing power Jesus envisioned for His church. Why?
The answer I think lies in the attitudes and mindsets pervading the average American church. And if we could infuse our churches with the principles covered in this blog post, I believe you would see major shifts in these attitudes and mindsets — so much so that churches across America would explode and our nation would experience the kind of revival it desperately needs.
1. We are here for God, not for ourselves.
This seems obvious, and it should be. But it’s rarely lived out by the average Christian today. Most church members approach life as if it’s all about them. Of course, we are all born selfish. After all, we’re all born with a sinful nature.
Not surprisingly, selfishness factors into the church. Many Christians see the church in the same manner that they see in their own personal lives. They see the church as theirs, and they focus their energies into molding and shaping an environment that is pleasing to them. Even longtime church members can be like this, especially in churches that operate by a congregational governance system. These folks often see their tithes and offerings (if they give at all) as if they are stockholders paying for influence or control of the organization.
According to the Bible, the church isn’t here for its own members. Saying that the church exists solely or primarily for its own members is like saying the purpose of the United States Army is to take care of its own soldiers. Yes, the church should help take care of its members, just as the Army desires to take care of its soldiers. For the church, this is especially the case with those who need help and care, like the “widows and orphans” of the first century. But that’s not its primary function. The primary purpose of the church is to serve and glorify God.
And the true test of spiritual maturity is when a person sees himself or herself as a servant of God who is here on this earth solely for the glory of Almighty God.
2. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Jesus is the founder of the church and is the reason for the church’s existence. Thus, every church member should hold the teaching of John 14:6 sacred. In that famous passage, Jesus declares Himself to be the “Way, the Truth, and the Life.”
Without Jesus, there is no church to speak of. You just have a club. This is why it’s such a travesty that many churches have deemphasized or diminished Jesus.
When I was in Ohio, a local pastor invited a group of “scholars” known as “The Jesus Seminar” into his church. This group of scholars denies the supernatural miracles of Christ, including the Resurrection, and believes that most of the sayings of Jesus (as recorded in the Gospels) are inauthentic. Talk about deemphasizing Jesus!
But, even in churches that claim to believe the Bible, we often see the diminishing of Jesus Christ. One of the deacons in our fellowship told me that, in his previous church, the pastor hardly ever mentioned the name of Jesus Christ, including his prayers. Other churches, though they talk about Jesus and sing about Jesus, don’t really emphasize the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ or concern themselves much with the teachings given by Jesus in the Gospels.
Any church that deemphasizes Jesus no longer can call itself a church.
Without Jesus, there is no church.
Every member of every church in America should make sure that Christ is exalted in their lives, attitudes, and involvement in their local church.
3. The Bible is the authoritative, inspired Word of God.
Four main problems here. First, most Christians are simply unfamiliar with the Bible. They are functionally illiterate when it comes to God’s Word. Second, many other professing Christians (often overlapping with the first group mentioned) simply don’t consider the Bible sacred or authoritative. They see it as flawed, corrupted, etc. Third, other Christians believe they can interpret the Bible however they see fit. And, fourth, others claim to believe the Bible, but when the Bible is applied to their own life or something they hold dear, well….let’s just say the Bible doesn’t always win out.
All these factors come together in your average Christian church in America, where one can see the lack of biblical allegiance in attitudes that church members have toward evangelism, tithing, church government, service, and so forth. It’s truly a shame, and it’s getting worse.
Church members in the United States must read the Bible, study the Bible, and must bring their convictions, opinions, and lives into conformity with the Bible. Only then will we position our churches for God’s blessing.
4. The purpose of the church is found in the Great Commission.
In Matthew 16, Jesus talks about storming the gates of hell! It reminds me of General George Patton who said there would never be any retreats under his command, and that he wanted his armies always advancing. (That’s a G-rated summary of what he actually said). And in Matthew 28, Jesus lays out precisely what we’re supposed to do.
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20, KJV)
It grieves me that the average churchgoer in America is often more interested in his or her own comfort than in advancing the Kingdom of God.
Look around the Christian landscape and you’ll find that most evangelical churches don’t split over doctrine. They split over personality, building issues, or petty politics. And even in churches that don’t split, many Christians feel they’ve “served the Lord” if they are a part of sixteen different committees. The more a church is focused on internal politics, the less they are focused on the Lord and on the mission field!
And the more we’re focused on maintaining our own Comfort Zones, the less we’re able to expand the Kingdom of God!
5. Every church member is a servant and minister.
When I came as a candidate to the church I presently serve as pastor, I was asked whether I did visits (as in hospital visits and home visits to shut-ins). My answer was that every member should do such visits. It’s completely contrary to the word of God for believers in Jesus Christ to outsource the work of ministry to full-time “clergy.”
Every single Christian is to do the work of the ministry. Every single member.
The pastor’s role is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. Doubt me? Read Ephesians 4. And, while you’re at it, check out Acts, I and II Timothy, Titus, and I Peter too.
Should a pastor do ministry? Of course! But he does so to be an example and as a means of teaching others to do so.
We understand this principle in most other realms, for it is simply common sense. You’ve read the ancient Chinese proverb: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Apply that to the church. The pastor’s job is to teach people to fish. For those who are unable to fish, it’s the job of every single church member to distribute fish.
Of course, the problem isn’t just with those who want a personal chaplain rather than a pastor-teacher. The problems are actually legion in this area. Church leaders often have to pull teeth to get members to step up and be involved. Ten percent of the average church congregation does ninety percent of the work. It shouldn’t be that way. And until that changes, our nation will never get the revival it needs.
6. Church members should pray and not complain.
I could write a whole book on this one, and perhaps I will. If the average Christian spent as much time praying as he or she does complaining, churches across America would explode with revival!
Instead, we grumble and complain.
Think God has a problem with that? Ask the Israelites. Ask the apostle Paul, who wrote in his letter to the church at Philippi that we are to do “all things without murmuring and disputing” (Philippians 2:14).
Quite often, we complain because we are focused on the wrong things or we see even the right things in the wrong light. Paul addresses this too in Philippians, when he writes that we should meditate on those things which are true, virtuous, and worthy of praise. (See Philippians 4:8).
If someone has done something to offend you, there’s a proper procedure we are to follow. See Matthew 18. Yet, frankly, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Sometimes, we get our feelings hurt or our “nose out of joint” when we shouldn’t. Some things aren’t worth making a big deal about.
Let’s focus on the right things. Learn to forgive. Learn to let things go.
If we would simply channel our frustrations, anxieties, worries, and challenges into our prayer life instead of gossip, negative talk, etc., we would be better off.
And so would our churches.
7. Everything we do should be driven by love for God and love for others.
At a church growth conference I attended a few years ago, the speaker (Bill Easum) said that “churches are among the meanest places on earth.” My first reaction was that he was exaggerating. The more I thought about it, though, the more I had to concede there was some truth to the statement.
People should be able to come to church with the confidence that they will be loved and encouraged! And they should come to church with the determination to love and encourage others!
Jesus says that the way people will know we are his disciples is if we love one another. See the Gospel of John and the first epistle of John.
The most disappointing experiences I’ve had as a pastor have centered around church conflict.
Some Christians, when their feathers get ruffled, don’t act like Christians. It’s one thing to disagree with a brother or sister in Christ. It’s quite another to be mean-spirited about it and to engage in slander and gossip.
We, of course, are to love God first and foremost. Everything we do should be driven by our passionate love for God Almighty. He should be the reason we go to church, serve in the church, and invite others to church.
And then we should manifest God’s love for us in all the human relations that He gives us, especially those in the church.
The church is the most important institution in the world today. Conceived by Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the church will be the basis of any revival the United States may experience in the future. But such a revival will be truly rich only if God’s people are loving, praying, and living as we should.
For my own part, I want to be part of such a revival and not a bystander or obstacle to it.
Thank you for reading. You may also find these articles interesting…
- “These Books Will Help You Better Understand the Bible” (published by KOINONIA on Medium)
- “Problems With Christianity? Read These 5 Books” (self-published on Medium)
And if you wish to support my ministry, I’d be grateful (but no pressure whatsoever!).
Please Note: As always, the views expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect those of the church I’m honored to serve as pastor. The views are mine and all comments, concerns, and questions should be directed to me.
