Life in a church is interesting. It truly is like a family. We are not perfect and we mess up just like anyone else (I know I do anyway). We are all like a bunch of brothers and sisters. I have come to love many people I have known in my church experiences, especially over the past year, but others can be what I call "grace growers" or "santification testers." Some argue and fuss all the time. Some get mad and want to retaliate. Some are the tattle-tales of the bunch while others are the awkward "middle" child who can't really figure out what their place is in the chuch. Others are the "mother hen" types who feel like they need to take care of everyone (i.e. boss everyone around and get them in trouble when they don't do something the way they think it should be done). I've had the privilege of attending and visiting many different churches and I have come to find out that they all have a similar situation. They act like real family, some in healthy ways, some in not-so-healthy ways. Shoot, most of them are run by actual clans of family members. I remember this one church I attended where 90% of the congregation was somehow related. If you say something in front of one person, you may as well have said it to the whole church!
It is interesting because as I listen to my children when they get frustrated with each other, I hear the same argument coming up.
"You don't listen to me!"
"You never do anything I want to do!"
"Why does it always have to be your way?"
"You need to do it like this."
"You're mean!"
"You're bossy!"
"I'm telling!"
Sadly, it doesn't sound very different in many "church families." Many people come to church and think they need to tell the pastor, worship leader/song leader, soundboard technician, and custodian (as well as anyone else who will listen) they way things should be done. The carpet should be a certain color. The volume level is too loud/soft. The words on the screen are too big/too small. A screen?! No, we need need hymnals and Bibles we can hold! The songs are....well, you've probably heard of "worship wars." There is a reason it's called a war. It certainly isn't called worship "peace talks."
People in churches everywhere are drawing a line in the sand and demanding their way like little children forgetting the entire purpose for which they exist. They think they know how to do it best and that everyone should listen to them. They begin to dominate and control with fear and it is disgusting to be quite honest with you.
I think many people have either forgotten or have never learned a vital component that should (I repeat SHOULD) be transforming churches everywhere. It is a truth that is so revolutionary that it can't be overlooked and yet it is the one that is hardest for people to embrace.
You ready? I'm just going to lay it on you.
It's. Not. About. You. Not even you Grandma.
This is why it's not about you:
Ephesians 1:22-23 (NIV)
22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
For this particular verse, I like how The Message version words it better:
Ephesians 1:22-23 (The Message)
22 He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. 23 The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.
The reason it's not about you is because GOD is the head of the church. He is the one who is in charge and I'm pretty sure that He has bigger issues to deal with than the way human beings think a church should look, smell, or sound. So what IS He concerned about? What does HE want?
He wants a family of believers who allow HIM to dictate what is or is not done because they trust Him implicitly. This means He wants us all to surrender our wills and align our hearts to HIS will and HIS plans. He wants Christ to be the ultimate authority (the head) that leads and guides the church, which only acts as His spirit-filled body. He wants us to be able to hear His voice, discern His leading, and follow without complaint or hesitancy.
If you think of your head and your body, do you think of them separately with each doing something different? No! Your head is attached to your body and your head contains your brain, which is the organ that transmits all the orders and instructions to your body. It tells your lungs when to breath, your eyes when to blink in order to avoid being poked, your hand when to scrath your nose, and alerts your foot when you've just stepped on a sharp object. Your head contols your body. That is how it should be in the church.
That is how God designed it to work. Christ (God the Son) is the head. We are the body. We need to do what He wants us to do. What He wants us to do will not always go along with the way we think it should be done. The question is: Are we willing to lay down our selfish, mediocre plans and embrace the grand and glorious plans of God to reach a lost and hurting world with the truth of His love, grace and mercy?
Hmmmmm....where IS that suggestion box?
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