Do you watch football? I know that some of you do. Yesterday was the playoff games to see who will be going to the Super Bowl. In such games, there are moments of joy and moments of sorrow. There are those who celebrated the victory of their team and those who mourned the loss of their team. It is the way it has to be. You cannot have a football game without a winner and a loser. We don't like to use the term "loser" because it might cause someone to feel bad about themselves. So they are the team that played well but did not see the outcome that they would have liked to have seen. Whatever. One wins. One loses.
That is the way of games. That is the way of life. In the business world, there are winners and there are losers. One company gets the contract, another doesn't. One city gets the Amazon center while another doesn't. In most areas of life, we see that there are winners and losers. It even happens in the church.
That is a statement that I wish I couldn't make. There really should be no winners or losers in the church. We should all be working towards the same goal of sharing the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with a world that is lost in the darkness of sin. What happens is that we allow our sinful desires to get in the way. We put our thoughts, our feelings, our desires before the work of the Gospel. It becomes "my way or the highway" type of thinking.
This happens when a member doesn't like what the pastor has said or done. If they cannot get the pastor to change to fit their thinking, they hit the road, go to another church and try to get their way at that church. This happens when a discussion of what color to paint the walls or to get in carpet comes forward. This happens when it comes to how to move forward with the ministry of the congregation. Each one has their own agenda. Member and pastor alike. Each one lets their own desires come before the good of the church.
How do we change this? We look at our motivation. Is what I fighting for really what is good for the church and the gospel or is it something that I personally want? This is a tough question. It makes me look at my motivations and my desires. Why am I so adamant about this issue? Is it really something that will make a difference in the sharing of the Gospel? Is what I want the "only" way to accomplish the goal of sharing the Gospel? Are there options that I need to consider, options that may not be in accord with my desires? Tough questions.
I firmly believe that in the ministry of the church, there should be no "winners" and "losers." If we see things in those terms, then I believe that we have left behind the gospel and have become self-focused. All that is done is meant to move forward for one purpose, to reach out to others with the message of life and hope.
When things don't go quite like I desire, I need to step back, and see how the Lord wants me to become a part of this action. After the decision is made and the direction is set, instead of continuing to fight about it, how can I become a part of making it happen? How does the Lord want to use me to move the ministry forward?
Yes, ramblings of the preacher on a Monday morning. Agenda? Nope. Just thoughts. Have a blessed day.
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