Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Beware of Church Shopping

this seems like such an important topic here at Calvin College.  we’re surrounded by approximately 700 churches.  that’s right, 700!  Grand Rapids has the most churches per capita in America (i’m pretty sure about that one, but still, i may be wrong).  it’s really easy to spend each week going from church to church with a group of friends.  but is that really what Sundays are all about?

during orientation at the beginning of the year, we had to read the book “The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis.”  i read it before, and i thoroughly enjoyed reading it again.  there is a section in the book that talks about church shopping and how Satan can use that to prevent you from growing in a church environment.  that is very true. 

church shopping is usually driven by the desire to “get something” out of the Sunday church experience.  that’s not what church is meant to be!  this mindset has been presented to us by the consumerist culture that we live in.  instead, we should focus on selfless giving.  our ability to give in a church is limited when we treat it like another pitstop on a 2-year tour of Grand Rapids churches.  what can we give to people when we’re only going to see them once?  encouragement?  maybe a little bit because they’re seeing new faces. 

meanwhile, we can give so much more to a church when we’re dedicated to it.  by attending the same church every week and involving ourselves in it, we can become so much more effective.  we begin to befriend other church members, blessing them through new friendships.  we can actually smile at people and say “Hi Bob!  How’re you doing today?”  isn’t that display of sincere concern much more important than “Hi… I’m just visiting this Sunday.”  by being part of a church, we can also offer our God-given talents to church ministry.  the list is endless here:  powerpoint preparation, ushering, prayer team, playing an instrument, etc.  church is a community of believers centered in Jesus Christ.

of course, there are times when we need to find a new church.  i’m in that situation right now, having moved from hong kong to grand rapids.  it is tempting to go from church to church with the idea that i must find the “perfect fit”.  but Satan can keep us going from church to church by pointing out tiny flaws.  no church is perfect, we are humans after all.  maybe we can offer ourselves to help a struggling church?  wouldn’t that glorify God?  these words apply to myself as well, and by writing them down, i hold myself accountable to these words.  it is time to join a church here and begin offering myself.

Posted by Nehe555 on 01/25 at 09:20 PM
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