Consuming Worship

Let me state for the record before I start, that I’m not trying to postulate an erroneous theology of some sins being more heinous than others. I agree that you will find evidence in Scripture where there are some sins that are more “serious” in the eyes of God than others (those He lists as “abominations”). I don’t think there is an unforgivable sin (other than rejecting Christ as Savior and Lord), and I agree that all sin, great and small separates man from God (for the unregenerated) and breaks open fellowship with Him (for the regenerated).

Having said all that, let me tell you about some things that really bother me, and the older I get the more they bother me. Churches across America have spent so many years and so much time railing against sins (rightly so) that are culturally prevalent; sins which seem to be growing in practice and acceptance. Things like adultery, pornography, homosexuality, alcoholism, drug addiction, abortion, physical abuse and a long list of social ills have been the topic of conversation for so many churches for so long.

Read me clearly here, I’m not saying those things shouldn’t be dealt with, they should, but it is part of the stigma placed on the American church that makes us where we’re known more by what we are against (sin) than what we are for (love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, justice). Also, why are so many Christ-followers shocked and amazed and horrified when they look at the sinful world around them? What do you think comes from a culture—any culture—whose majority has not accepted Christ as Savior? With this in mind, don’t you think it’s more useful to model the love and mercy of Christ to our culture rather than point out its failures?

Here’s my main point. In terms of preaching against and taking a stand against sin, the audience is mostly the people within the church walls. Not that these people need not hear preaching and teaching on moral and ethical issues—they should—but there are other areas that are of great importance as well. There are a whole list of sins that have been accepted by the American church as perfectly acceptable, and they are part of why the Church is failing its mission in our land.

• Evangelism - So many pew sitters don’t take responsibility for sharing Christ and being Christ to their community. Telling others about Christ is every Christ-follower’s responsibility, not just the pastor’s/missionary’s/church staff’s. Come on, how hard is it to invite family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. to church? Not telling others is a sin.
• Service - Again, there are lots of pew sitters out there who don’t see service—either within, through, or alongside the local church—as a responsibility. Not using your time or talents to serve and build up God’s Kingdom is a sin. Equally distasteful is the person who has time/talent/skill/resources to meet a known need, and will not move to action until specifically asked to volunteer. What’s wrong with you? How does anyone know you have the time/talent/skill unless you let it be known? Having to be begged/cajoled into service is a sin.
• Giving - Not really about tithing, though you could lump that in here too. Pew sitters need to see that their increase is not for their own benefit, but for the benefit of those around them who are in need. Not giving of your resources to help those around you is a sin.
• Worship - Not the music thing, but actual day to day worship in the context of giving our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. Pew sitters think that, if they attended Sunday AM church and sang a couple of hymns, they’ve worshiped. Not worshiping via submission to the Lord is a sin.
• Prayer and Scripture Reading - I’m not talking about quiet times, Bible study, or regular daily prayer, but more the use of prayer and Scripture for guidance in our daily lives. Not checking ourselves against the Scriptures and comparing ourselves against the nature and character of God is a sin.
• Priorities - So many pew sitters seem more concerned about trivialities like building maintenance, style of music, flower arrangements, volume levels, color of walls/carpet/pews, and a laundry list of other things than than they are about reaching their community for Christ. Caring more about the church building and procedures of operation more than the proclamation of the Good News is a sin.
• Fellowship - This a minor one, but it still rears its ugly head. We just talked about this in small group yesterday. There are people who leave a church because “I just didn’t fit in,” or “we didn’t really connect with anyone.” You know what, you’ve got to actually SHOW UP for stuff to fit in and/or connect. And by the way, just showing up and sitting in a pew once a week doesn’t count towards being involved. It seems there is something somewhere in the Bible about a person who has friends has first of all been friendly.
• Care - Somewhat related to Fellowship, it really sticks in my craw when people who’ve not been seen at church either call up, or communicate through the grapevine something like, “I was sick and in the hospital and no one called or came by to visit/check up on me.” First of all, I’m sorry this happened. Second, did you or a family member contact the church and let them know you were sick/hospitalized? Third, when’s the last time you came to church? Are you someone regularly involved (refer to Fellowship above), or just an attender who sits in a pew? Fourth, are you someone who generally comes once or twice and then is not seen again for weeks? How did we know you weren’t just sleeping in again unless you called to tell us? Just being a pew sitter and using up the resources of the church is a sin.
• Visitation - This is related to Care (not door-to-door “soul winning”), and possesses some very similar attributes. This is a situation where either someone is in the hospital, or a nursing home, or is a home shut-in, and the well-meaning church member says something like, “Why hasn’t the pastor gone by so-and-so’s place to visit?” Or maybe something like, “When is someone going to go visit poor ol’ so-and-so?” Ummm, have you visited them? Not saying the pastor shouldn’t go and visit people and give some pastoral care/counsel/encouragement, but there is no Biblical responsibility placed on the pastor’s shoulders to make such visits. However, there is Biblical responsibility placed on the church in general (and specifically upon Deacons) to provide such care. Viewing this type of care as only the pastor’s responsibility and not our shared responsibility is a sin.

Am I ranting? Yes, you bet I am. The American church needs to wake up from its self-absorbed, pampered lethargy and take some responsible action. When you see a church in decline, a church that is not successfully reaching its community, the above sins are usually evident. When a church has more pew sitters than people of action, it is nothing more than another community social club. A church will never, ever grow if its people don’t rise up and take action, regardless of the leadership and/or their vision.

To the Christ-follower out there, refuse to be a pew-sitter. Get busy and invest your life in your community and your church. The returns are more than worth it, and they have eternal value.

Technorati Tags: american church, Authenticity, church, evangelism, fellowship, service, sin, spiritual discipline

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!