I have a clear picture in my mind of the typical American church, most people in the US have a similar image within their mind's eye.
It doesn't look too different from a professional ball game:
There are key players who stand in front of the audience and keep them entertained and satisfied. The key players in our churches aren't very different in practice from our pro-athletes; they are the superstars who were 'called' by God to go and preach the gospel. They were called to give of themselves in every aspect, while the rest of us just sit back and receive.
(or at least thus it would appear to an outsider)...
We've done it this way in our churches for quite some time, around a century. The superstars do the bulkload of the work while the rest of us sit back and participate by way of the occasional cheer, a little (at times even a large) donation, and a few prayers. Not very different from a sports fan when you think about it.
This style of church has become commonplace in the US and has even been exported elsewhere in the world. Just the main players are called, it's their job- their career. Only the starters should be in the game, the rest of us are backups and spectators; "Why we aren't called to full-time ministry... they are!"
I'll never forget when a young man asked me to talk to his family about Christ. He came to me and told me how he had recently converted within the last year or so and he wanted someone to share the gospel with his family. When I asked what they said when he told them about Jesus he said the following:
"Who me? I've never really shared that with them. I mean I'm not a minister and I don't think it's my style or my job to talk to them about that kind of stuff."
I was baffled! I told him that it was the responsibility of every believer to preach the gospel and I began sharing with him some creative methods for sharing his testimony or at least inviting them to church. I found out shortly after that he still hadn't taken that step because according to him that was someone else's job.
Unfortunately this is not the exception, this has become the American standard!
BUT, that's not the Biblical standard!!
There are two clear callings in the Bible:
1- The call to salvation.
This is the call from sin, into repentance, and into freedom at God's side.
(Matthew 9:13, Matthew 22:14, Luke 13, Acts 2:39, Romans 8:30, Galatians 5:13, etc..)
2- The call to preach the gospel.
This is a call for ALL BELIEVERS! To preach the gospel in action, in deed, and in word to our neighbors, our family, our friends, the state, the nation, and the world!
(Matthew 28:18-19, Acts 16:10, Matthew 24:14, Mark 13:10, Acts 8:4, Acts 10:42, etc..)
There is no pastoral call, no missionary call, no evangelist call. There is just a call to preach the gospel! Why then aren't we catching the vision? Whether it's as the lawn mower, the floor sweeper, the worship director, the bereavement coordinator, the cook, the deacon, or the pastor- we all ought to be preaching the gospel in action, word, and power! Just a few months ago in Peru two of our workers were ribbing on each other and one said to the other "Your job is to hold the microphone for Matt if the stand breaks during his preaching." The other wisely replied, "If that's my job then I'll do it with joy so that I can bring glory to Christ's name and facilitate the gospel to the 3,000 in attendance tonight." Once we realize that there are no minor roles in the Lord's work we'll be free to develop into the people we ought to be!
I contemplate the thousands of people who have seen the vision of our ministry in Peru and have seen the suffering of the children there and have even given a donation or said a prayer. I then am reminded that out of the thousands who've seen and heard and even the dozens who've gone to Peru and visited; only a few have really caught the vision. There is a list of maybe a half dozen to a dozen people whom I can name that have really put in a little elbow grease to help raise funds, open doors, or do something of eternal value to make sure those kids receive food, education, and opportunity. There are hundreds with immense talent and thousands with something to offer to advance that cause YET only a handful have taken the vision and ran with it. Most look at it as my and Aracelli's responsibility to care for the children at the school in Peru not the church of Christ as a whole.
I've often asked myself- What if just 20 people did 2 fundraisers a year? What if just 10 people really worked to make a difference? How different would the lives of the less fortunate be? How many more new opportunities would they have? How many other schools or orphanages could we plant across the world? If I gave more of my time, my efforts, my money- how many more lives would be touched? Why am I content to give so little? Why are you? Why don't we do more for those in need and for the lost?
How different would the local church look if every individual was truly working as an active member in the body of Christ? Why are so many of the appendages in the body of Christ asleep? Someone once said that we need to be the change that we want to see in others. If we aren't willing to step up, who will?
On numerous occasions I have been told that the church should do 'this' or 'that'. "Why doesn't the church do this?", they ask. "Why doesn't pastor do that?", they ask. "Why don't you just do a chicken dinner to get funding", they say. I always respond with the same... "That's a great idea, you should take it by the horns and run with it! You can really make an impact." Then for some crazy reason, almost inevitably, we don't do it... WHY?
Oh yeah, we aren't called to full-time ministry. Those people are, so it's their job. We'll just throw our scraps into the offering plate and send up a little prayer and walk away feeling content. Maybe when we're really moved we'll give sacrificially or spend 10 or 20 minutes praying for the need.
Or maybe we won't? Maybe we'll wake up! Maybe we'll catch a vision and give of our time, money, efforts, and passion to help reach the lost. Maybe we'll give up a little self-pleasure or *gulp* even a necessity (or at least things deemed necessary by American society) to help feed the poor? Maybe we'll live a truly purpose-driven life and live for the benefit of others and not just ourselves?
Lord help me to scan my life to see what I can give up for your glory!
I fear that when it's all said and done each of us will look back at our lives much like the character who played Oscar Schindler did in the movie Schindler's List. We will be standing there at the end of it all taking off our watches and desiring to sell our goods so that we can touch just one more life, but it'll be too late. Those lives will have been snuffed out by things we could've prevented and those souls will be lost eternally because we didn't step up. For now we're content to live a life of self-absorption and self-advancement while the world dies of curable disease and starvation. We're content to play church while over a billion will die without ever hearing the name of Jesus Christ. We're content to amass wealth while the world suffers and perishes. Are we living with vision and driven by vision, or are we just seeing it?
Dear God, help me to catch the vision- not just to see it! Help us to remember that we are all called to preach the gospel with our actions, our lifestyle, our money, our time, and even with our words when it's necessary. Help us not to have regrets when it's all said and done, but to be able to stand strong at the end of it all and say:
"I'm leaving this world a better place than it was when I found it!"p
