Doing Church Backwards:

Doing Church Backwards:

26 Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you. I Corinthians 14:26

Do we have it backwards?  Do we see what we are; what we have become?  The church isn’t about a building, a day of the week, a sermon, or a worship set.  The church is about being the people of God.  The following is an exploration of two types of church members. 

Where do the majority of our church goers fit? 

DEFINING SUNDAY THRU SATURDAY CHRISTIANS:

Sunday thru Saturday Christians think of church like this:

“I go to church to plug in and receive power for daily living and feel good about myself.”

“The Church is a hospital for the broken who go there to get help from the professional staff.”  

“I like my church because I can sit back, blend in, and be fed with little or no responsibility.”

“The Pastor is there to make sure I feel loved by God and to make sure I’m fed weekly.” 

“Sermons are directed at helping people “be good” not so much because I need to hear it but because other people do, and I enjoy it because I like to believe it helps others get their lives straightened out.”

SUNDAY THRU SATURDAY CHRISTIANS GO TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY TO GET SOMETHING:

• re-energized

• inspiration

• a warm feeling inside

• forgiveness

• a feeling of fulfilling a sense of duty

SUNDAY THRU SATURDAY CHRISTIANS ARE TAKING CHRISTIANS

They take time:         “Pastor, I need to talk to you about a concern I have about the service”

They take patience:       “Pastor, I’ve got a bone to pick with you about something you said in the sermon”

They take attention:    “Pastor, those deacons keep coming to check on me but I’d rather you visit weekly than them. “

They take up space:        “Pastor, someone sat in my pew spot last week.  I’ve been sitting there 30 years, what are you going to do about it?”

They take blessings/resources: “Pastor, I hear the organ is in disrepair.  I’m not sure if I can continue to worship here if you don’t get it fixed.”

This isn’t to say Sunday thru Saturday Christians are bad. This is simply saying they have a bit more room to grow to maturity.

DEFINING MONDAY THRU SUNDAY CHRISTIANS:

Monday thru Sunday Christians think of church like this:

“I go to church to share what God has done in and through my life this past week.”

“I get powered up by hearing others share what God has done in their lives, and it makes me even more excited to get back out in the world and make a difference.” 

“The Church is a hospital for the broken, and I love that mine trains, equips, and calls me to participate in those opportunities to bring healing to those hurting who come in our doors as well as those hurting in the world.”

“I don’t think I could call a church home if it didn’t offer me new opportunities to grow, but just as importantly, to share what I’ve learned and experienced, and serve in some ministry capacity.”

“The Pastor is there to teach, train and equip the congregation to be the hands and feet of Jesus. The pastor shouldn’t be expected to do it alone. Pastors are people too—they have families, and they need to experience the love of Christ through forgiveness for mistakes as much as any of us. They need our support as much as we need their guidance.”

“Sermons should not focus on “being good” as much as on “doing good.” If we are busy fulfilling what God calls us to do, what He asks us to avoid will hardly be visible.”  

MONDAY THRU SUNDAY DISCIPLES GO TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY TO SHARE SOMETHING

• Share energy

• Share inspiration

• Share their own warmth from inside

• Share in their experience of forgiveness

• Share experiences of God

MONDAY THRU SUNDAY CHRISTIANS ARE GIVING CHRISTIANS

They give time to serve:      They ask, “What can I do today (each day) to further God’s Kingdom where I am?”

They give patience:                 “’So-and-so’ drives me crazy every week with his/her stories but I know he/she doesn’t really have a lot of people to talk to so I see this as an opportunity to be Christ to him/her.”

They give attention:         “I noticed that someone at school was looking pretty lonely so I asked them to sit with me at lunch and we got to know each other better. 

They give up space:         “A student from church was having financial struggles so we took them into our home until they could get back up on their feet.”

They give blessings/resources: “Our church was struggling to provide the kind of worship experience that some were looking for so I took up guitar to fill the gap.” 

 This is not to say Monday thru Sunday Christians are perfect or have reached full maturity, but that their mindset, their focus, their Spirit is a little more in line with the footsteps they claim to follow.

I hope that through this examination you’ve been challenged to consider your own position on the Church.  How different would the Church, and even this country be, if we all adopted a Monday Thru Sunday philosophy of church?