A friend of mine and I had a conversation about church once. In that conversation he made a great statement. Sometimes, church can be what he termed, "cruise ship church". I had to break that down in my mind for awhile because the name had alot of implications. It says alot about a church building, its leadership and even the people in the church.
I actually came racing to this place in my mind because tonight I listened to Francis Chan talk about how churches in many generations made obvious mistakes when we look back, but it was not obvious to them at the time. For example,
During Martin Luther's day, Catholics would sell indulgences where people could purchase forgiveness of their sins. Only a few stood against this heresy but many in the church accepted the practice.
During the Civil War, churches in the south supported slavery. Looking back, this really doesn't make sense to do such a thing, but again many in the church accepted the practice and only a few stood against it.
So the question he raised that compelled me was, "What is it that we accept in our generation that we will look back on and say, 'That was pretty dumb'?" What have we accepted? We really have to take a step back and look at ourselves from a distance to find such an answer.
Francis Chan gave the answer that I had in my mind. He said that we are a "consumer church". We come to church on Sundays expecting good music, good programs and good teaching and we live in this shell of what church should be.
So think about it for a second. What do you expect of church? Do you expect all of those things? Do you search out good programs and good facilities? Do you come to church with the mentality that the church is there for your needs? What is church really for?
After my friend made the comment about cruise ship church, I had the luxury of going on my first cruise ever. I have to admit I had a great time. Some friends came and it was alot of fun. However, "cruise ship church" echoed in my mind on the boat. When I was on the cruise, it was about me. They had shows for me, food for me (6:30am to 1:30am), a movie theater, music, games, relaxation, convenience, comedy, swimming, a workout room and a view that was amazing.
As all these attributes played out in my mind, I started making comparisons to American church, and to be honest, I cringed. We can go to church today and watch shows and movies, play games, sit in comfortable seats and pick a church close to our house. Many have great programs and do a great job in entertaining our kids. You can go to yoga at church, join the basketball team, the softball team, a gym in some places and it's all well and good. None of these things are bad in and of themselves, but the question that crippled me was, "Have we missed the boat?" (awkward question being on a boat at the time)
Have we made church about us in action even though we talk about God? When I look at the early church, it was not about the best programs or speakers or facilities. It was about people who relied on God so much that they couldn't make it without Him. If God did not intervene in their situation, Christianity would have died off as another cult. But God demonstrated His purposes through the churches and He made known the name of Jesus to billions of people through the ages.
I believe it is time to abandon ship. It is time for Christians to change the norm of Christianity. Every believer needs to make it their responsibility for their faith, not the ship captain or crew. We should not rely on programs to teach our kids when God gave that role to fathers and mothers.
We cannot live off our parents faith and live out our faith like our parents did. This is our generation and our responsibility. In a time where America is about consumerism, the church has to reject it and make church about God again, not only in well educated teaching, but we desperately need God glorified in our actions. The world needs to see the power of God in His Church (with a capital C). It is time for us all to get off the ship and hit our knees. It is time for us to really be the Church again.
When I was younger, this song was actually popular. Am I showing my age a little? (I probably am) Well humility is one of those things that people rarely think about directly, but it is a character trait people will or will not see in you, whether you think about it or not.
So stop for a second. Are you a boastful person? Do you talk about yourself or your life more than anything else? Most people answer no to these two questions and then move on, but sometimes, pride is not what we think. When I used to think of pride, I thought of a man with his nose in the air looking down on people. But really, that is only one form of pride.
Take a day and as you speak, listen to your conversations. What is the topic of those conversations? Are they about what you've done, or what you need/want or what you are going to do? Is it about your ministry, your prayer life, your time in the Word, your good deeds? All of these can be forms of pride even though they can appear spiritual, but being self centered is the biggest obstacle to giving yourself for Christ.
Pride is one of those things that can wage war with humility. Pride can cause you to miscalculate and misstep and walk into an area you are not ready for. Proverbs makes the following statement:
Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
I believe humility falls hand in hand with wisdom. Humility is one of those attributes that give you insight to know who you are and who you are not. When pride is absent, a person will know when they need help and they will seek it and be humble enough to find it.
It is when we stop thinking of ourselves, talking about ourselves and living for ourselves that we make room for Christ's purposes in our lives. It is when we really and truly make room for humility.
However, there is another form of pride. It is one when you focus intently on yourself in a negative aspect. It's a little different however. When a person has no self confidence in anything they do and when some are regularly down on themselves, the focus, like a proud person, becomes centered on the person rather than others.
But really, if Christians are honest, some degrade themselves thinking they are being humble. There is a misconception that if we make ourselves appear helpless, then we will be in line with scripture. But it's not the life Jesus is inviting us to. Jesus has invited us to live a victorious life.
Let's stop a second. There are "claim it" branches of faith that will tell you a victorious life is when God gives you "Your Best Life Now" in all the desires you could want for yourself. Victorious living has been victimized as people thinking that God is Santa and will give them all they want. That theory does not line up with our purpose as directed in scripture.
When we set aside proud ambitions and when we step beyond internal pain and live our lives not for ourselves, but for God and others, the focus is away from us. The victory is with those you have brought to Christ, those you have shepherded and lead closer to Him and those you have kept from stumbling. It is when God has used you to fulfill His purposes on the earth. That is the real victory of your life.
So the challenge today is: Be humble. Make room for humility in your life. Lift others up in conversation and action. Show your concern for their troubles. Share Christ with them not only in words, but in humble actions that make people question what is different about you. You can't look any different than the world if you are living for yourself or talking about yourself all the time. The world is already doing this. To glorify Christ, you life, in deepest humility, has to be about Him.
In Schindler's List, Schindler smuggles Jews away from the Nazi's. In this scene, he laments because he could have saved more and did not. While he did great things for the Jews, he had some things he had left undone. When I look at Schindler, I see a man devoted to a cause. He risked his life to save people. I think there is a misconception that people in ministry have "done their part" if they work for a time. Schindler really got this message that there is always more, even though due to his gratitude and willingness to risk his life, he saved many.
I think when we stand before God, all of us will have a moment like this. We will think about where we spent our money, efforts and time and we will probably have regret, even though God will accept us into His Kingdom.
My advice for us all is to live with no regrets. What we do with our time and money matters. What we do with the lives we have been given matters. When God places people around you, even if they are not people you particularly like, it's important. God has a job for you and there are lives to be saved.
I think the hard part of this is that it comes down to every choice we make and it's hard for us to be that consistent in our lives. My hope is that we give without abandon. We can set aside selfish living and give to each other in ways that inspire and grow each other towards Christ. We seek and save those that are lost. We lift up the widow and orphan and we spend our time drawing closer to Christ ourselves.
Jesus made this the example of His life. So many of the times we look at Christ, we think about his sacrifice on the cross and understandably so. However, the life of Jesus really shows us what it means to be a "living sacrifice."
Romans 12:1 states this:
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
Being a living sacrifice is giving with no regrets. It's giving your all to God and Christ modeled this for us. I don't believe God wants you to die for Him as much as He wants you to live for Him.
I believe there are two judgments coming for many. There is the judgment that happens with God after you take your last breath, but there is also another judgment.
When you are old and you stare in the mirror, you will judge yourself. You will ask yourself what you have done with the time given. I believe there are things we will regret, but live in such a way that your life is characterized by real and selfless giving.
The people that are affected by your life will know how you lived. Everyone you have won to Christ will celebrate the goodness of God with you in eternity.
Give with no regrets. Start now if you haven't already. It's worth it.
