c h u r c h e s
Church growth
I overheard someone saying that a congregation getting too big for the building was a ‘good problem'. Possibly so, however it was the rest of the sentence that was telling. ‘Better', he said, ‘than having to look for ways to increase numbers'. I thought to myself, ‘when was increasing numbers the focus of Christianity or the gospel message'? Increase in numbers may be a result of the gospel message, but it is decidedly dodgy as a goal in itself. I suspect that in this day the complete Christian message would, at least initially, thin church numbers in many congregations. The focus on church numbers, even if well intentioned, quickly gives way to a worldly ‘success' based measurement of progress. It also tempts towards making church a comfortable place for the worldly, when it should be deeply convicting and uncomfortable. I fear that many churches have strayed into territory where much of their growth is in gathering tares.
Christian begging
All this Christian ‘begging' is horrendous. Where is the spirit of trust in modern Christianity? Have we forgotten about George Mueller, Hudson Taylor and many others whose God empowered ministries were commited to never asking for money but trusting in God to supply their needs. If we have to resort to begging then maybe we should reconsider whether many of our money hungry activites are God's way at all.
Material church
In our age of total materialism what could be better guidance for the church than to ‘love not the world, neither the things that are in the world'. Yet in a classic case of ‘the medium is the message' churches everywhere are acquiring every new gadget they can to ‘enhance' the worship service. But isn't the underlying message that these churches love the things of this world? Certainly when I look around and see $50,000 or more tied up in data projectors, laptops, digital video cameras, sound mixers, amplifiers and more I think about the fact that in the two thirds world this amount could build half a dozen church buildings with enough left over to supply hundreds of bibles, provide clean drinking water for a village and support a full time native missionary for about five years. Do we love toys more than we love the lost?
Keeping the faith
Should a person reach the point of disillusionment with churches, Christian organisations, men and themself, there remains Jesus. Having our deepest sense of belonging and spiritual home in God alone may prove the source of a more pure religion in us. If in my case it has taken ten years just to become thoroughly disillusioned with everything except God himself it has probably been worth it, nevertheless I believe maintaining fellowship with other believers is one of the essential upholding pillars of Christian life.
A different kind of church
Have you ever witnessed the ‘fire hydrant' prayer? I have to admit the first time I saw it I just stood there gaping. The pastor, hand on his victim, was bright red, veins bulging and words pouring forth in a forceful torrent. What was going on here? Then I saw it in another place, this time in a group setting, and everyone was doing it to each other and there was just something very weird about it – what spirit was this? The more I feel the power of God the more I feel at peace, a calm sense of resting in God's effective power to answer prayer. Isn't the fruit of the spirit, peace, joy, gentleness. I don't enjoy questioning the spirit presiding in a church, but in this latter case I had additional reasons to wonder. In their newsletter they were promoting a ‘leadership breakfast' with ‘the worlds elite forces – Navy Seals, Green Berets and Gurkhas'. Do people not understand the teachings of Jesus about this world at all? The Apostle Paul records in Romans eight that God's servants are accounted as sheep for the slaughter, but not any more it seems, now those who kill for our economic advantage are to be looked up to as symbols of leadership. The pastor at this church also commented that “it's nice to see the church being the head not the tail for a change”. We are in deep trouble when ambition is being sold as godliness and the church wants to be head in this world, for the closer we are to the top the closer we are to the present ruler of this worlds kingdoms (Satan - Matt 4:8).
The new anointing
How much things have changed. In Acts when the Holy Spirit called Barnabas and Paul the elders lay hands on them and sent them out. Now of course they would have to spend two to three years at a bible college. No doubt this has its benefits, however it is sad to see how our institutionalisation of the faith can crowd out the anointing of the spirit. The church imitating the world in its need to standardise and certify the work of God. The Pharisees had their schools but Christianity consisted of Holy Spirit empowered amateurs.
Standardisation
Jehovah's witnesses believe that because they can go to any of their congregations in the world and it is essentially just the same that this is evidence of God being with them. However, McDonalds can also claim this sameness with no help from the holy spirit. Standardisation is something man as good at, better it seems than maintaining a spiritual walk.
The pastors plight
What did I see today? Am I wrong, because it seemed like I saw a man drowning. Desperately pulling out all the old catch phrases that used to work, trying to hide even from himself that the old magic had gone. An emotional appeal, ‘don't let them steal that from you', the look of grief, the mention of the rattle of car keys. The bodies are still in the seats but things are not as they were, the expensive fittings have only taken away the heartfelt desire to give and so now everything must have a price tag. A lot has been lost, surely I'm not the only one who notices – probably not, I sense in conversations a bid to assure us that all is as good as before. (From a diary entry)