CHURCH CONCEPTS LETTTER

Volume 1, Number 2 - September 23,2006 - Church@cross-purpose.org

FEAR OF THE TRUTH

1.      THE CHURCH ATTENDANCE MINDSET

    One thing we rarely do is consider the long-term impact of the messages we as churches present to our communities.  Most churches run ads in the paper that invite people to attend special services, bible school, or revivals.  And we encourage our members to invite people “to church.”  I am afraid that in doing so, we may have assisted in validating one of the most prevalent and destructive of American myths - the fiction of “good church-going folk.”

   There is a very common answer when the question is asked “Do you know Jesus?”  The answer, often from people who are believers,  is “I go to church at (fill in the name of the church of your choice here).”  Or alternatively, “I know I need to go to church, but . . . .”  It seems people answer the question they have been conditioned to think is being asked instead of the one that truly matters. When people from a church show up at their door, they respond to the perceived question “why don’t you come to our church?”  

    Many, if not most, unchurched people in America today are not confronting the issue of Christ in their lives.  Instead, they are confronting the issue of church attendance. Throughout much of American history, churches of all denominations and beliefs have focused on attendance as the core mark of devotion. Many have done so because the lack any other “truth” to offer.  People who go to church are considered “good,” regardless of the lives they live, as long as they do not publically self-destruct and thereby cause shame to the church they attend.  People who do not attend are either “sinners” or “backsliders.”  In the religious heritage of many Americans, it is actually church membership people look to for salvation.  Far too many people evaluate their own state of justification - not in terms of faith and grace - but by church attendance. Believers often evaluate their standing as disciples on the same terms.  

    Unfortunately we are neither justified eterenally nor validated in our walk in this life by church attendance or membership.   And while we who are followers of Christ may realize this at a personal level, we all too often permit our actions to support a dangerously wrong idea.

2.    OUR CONTRIBUTION TO CONFUSION - INACTION ON THE MESSAGE

    In the book of Galatians, Paul was confronted with a problem.  On the surface that problem seems radically different from the discussion above.  However, when we look closer, the two situations begin to appear remarkably similar.  

    Peter (Cephas) had been given a message from God.  That message indicated that in spite of his Jewish upbringing, and the Jewish character of the early church, Gentiles were to be welcomed into the body of believers.  (See Acts 10).  As a result, Peter began to associate with Gentiles, and most notably, to eat with them.  This activity was met with significant resistance, and eventually Peter began to give in and quit associating with Gentiles.  Paul wrote that “[f]or prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision.”    Galatians 2:12.   

    When Peter acted, others followed.  Even Barnabas began to separate himself from what had been his core ministry.  Galatians 2:13.  Even worse, there were those in the body who were teaching that to be truly justified before God, one had to accept Christ AND keep the Law.  Peter’s silent withdrawal and the actions of those who followed gave tacit approval to their wrong teaching.  

   At this point, Paul had a choice.  He was dependant on the testimony of James, Peter and John for credibility in the church.  Galatians 2:9.  He could have determined that the cost of confrontation - the possible loss of his ministry - was simply too high to risk challenging Peter over what consisted mainly of inaction.  But Paul spoke.  He understood what the others did not - that by their inaction, the leaders at Galatia were actually compromising the core of their basic message of salvation through faith in Jesus.   Paul wrote “I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”  

    In the church today, we have far too often chosen the same easy path that Peter did.  The path of inaction.  We have been given a message from God, that salvation is through Christ and that He calls us to follow Him.  People in the world react negatively to this message. At best, they call it bigoted and intolerant.  So we choose a less offensive alternative.  We invite people to church, because the invitation is comparatively painless, and easy to refuse.  There is no particular offense in the question, and many people view it as an invitation to meet our friends, or join our social circle.  We could as easily invite people to a horse show, a country club, or a concert.  

   What we do not do, however, is confront people where they are with Jesus. Why? One fairly influential internet posting has argued that the clear preached message of Christ, in our current world, “[i]nstead of bringing people into the Church, [pushes] those people away in droves.” I think this is exactly correct.  The message of Christ does push people away, and its public proclamation is certainly not conducive to rapid church growth.  We fear the impact of the message - and its power to alienate.  We want instant gratification in terms of church attendance, and we, just as the Galatians, are willing to sacrifice God’s plan of grace for approval from men.

3.    APPLICATION - TALK ABOUT JESUS

    The solution to this problem is perhaps one  the easiest I could address from a standpoint of additional church effort expended.  It requires no additional resources or people to implement other than those that are currently available in a given body of believers.  But, it also requires one of the most difficult things to implement I am aware of - a change in focus.

    In practice the solution is simply to talk about something different.  Instead of inviting people to church, invite them to Jesus.  Instead of running ads for church, print the story of Jesus and His grace in the newspaper.  Don’t print  your pastor’s biography on your website - print his testimony.  And don’t stop there - give the testimonies of your church members.  Don't tell people what your church offers - tell them what Jesus offers.  That is where the power of God to change lives is.       

    In changing focus, approaching a generation conditioned to church justification is hard.  We have grown up riding in vans with our church's name on the side, raising money for church programs while wearing T-shirts that advertise our church, and identifying ourselves by the church groups we belong to.  Leading people to re-identify themselves as followers of Christ will not be easy.  Here are some suggestions for how to begin.

    First - Quit talking about numbers and marketing and realize that numbers don’t matter to God (see e.g. Judges 7:7).  While a church can be marketed, Jesus cannot. The reality is that the message of Christ offends both those who don’t believe and those who resist the call to follow Him as disciples.  At times, it may offend practically everyone.  Resolve yourself to the possibility that if you teach the truth, everyone may leave.  Jesus once lost a huge “congregation” over one sermon.  John 6:41-66.  Paul, in dealing with the Galatians, risked being ostracized, not just by that church, but by his home church in Jerusalem and by the Apostles themselves.

    Second - Focus in your message and in your actions on Paul’s life mission.  “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”  Teach Jesus and His life, but even more importantly, resolve to talk about Jesus with your people when you are not preaching.  In every circumstance.  

    Third - Pray.  And find those in your church who are willing to pray with you.  Pray for a Christ focus in your lives and in your church, and for opportunities, not to bring people to church, but to bring Jesus to people.   In Ephesians, Paul wrote

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.  Ephesians 6:19-20 (NIV)

4.    CAVEAT

   Some might read this as a statement that church attendance is not important.  That reading would be in complete error.  Church attendance is incredibly important to believers in Christ.  Church is where we should come together to pray for the ministry we conduct during the rest of the week when we are in the world.  It is where we should encourage one another to live lives that are like Christ’s, and to learn how to talk about Jesus.  It is also where we can find others with whom we can serve together in fulfilling the ministry to which we are all called.  To try to live that life without the support of brothers and sisters would be incredibly difficult, and without God’s grace, completely impossible.  While Paul and other were forced by circumstances on occasion to serve alone, none of us are designed for that.  And when faced with that prospect, even Paul conceded that he was depressed.  What church is NOT is a measure of our success or failure in ministry - success is defined not in measurable results, but in obedience.   So meet together, but meet for God’s purposes.

Yours in Christ,

Jeremy Lowrey