Spiritual Traffickers!

 

Christendom has seen unprecedented changes since the pandemic and has thrown each individual Christian totally out of gear. The guilt quotient varied depending on the importance one gave, going to Church. For those who only went on special occasions the guilt was on the extreme end of the scale as the Churches were shut, for whom Church going was a weekly exercise to please God became disoriented and for those who considered themselves as the temple of God it made no difference.

The clever idea to use technology to one’s advantage worked well in this crisis with Churches using every given platform to keep their flock safe from scattering. Well they just hoped so. But with varied platforms came the bane of choice for the flock to choose which service they wanted to attend. And then came in the influx of various ministries trying to invite believers to hear sermons and expositions on various topics through these online platforms.

Being an observer and also a participant in few of these I realized that these have just become activities to fulfill one’s agenda and almost the same group of people are invited time and again in these various platforms. Somehow the organizers feel that if the topic is dealt with, they have achieved their goal and there is no follow-up of outcomes laid down for these sessions. We have somehow got entangled in the mess that information needs to get dumped with outcomes becoming irrelevant. It all seems that one’s sustenance depends on conducting these meetings and word of God has become a commodity. Because its free, people flock to all the online meetings as possible. Apostle Paul in 2 Cor 2:17 very clearly states, "For we do not market the word of God for profit like so many....". But time and time again either as an individual, a Church or an organization we subtly do this very thing under the banner of ministry.

By doing this we seem to be doing two things unconsciously - 1. We keep sharing the Gospel to Christians and 2. Everything is about money. Yes, I do agree 1 Cor 9:14 says "...those who preach the gospel should earn their living by the gospel.". But we need to take 1 Cor 9:18 also into consideration "....to preach the gospel and offer it free of charge...". Jesus said in Mark 16:15, "....Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.". Unfortunately, we just got stuck with the Christians. Somehow, we are unintentionally trafficking the word of God, just shifting hands from one group to another.

Wake up Christendom! we are treading a destructive path. Persecution is around the corner and there are still thousands perishing without knowing the Gospel. The world needs a God of morality and justice and that can only be found in Jesus. The world also needs a God of hope, love and peace and only Jesus Christ can provide that. The world is thirsty and hungry for righteousness but we are still wallowing with our own contemplating various methods on how we can earn a living out of God's word. We are no different from a temple priest and Imam. Equip and send Christians out boldly to spread the gospel and let all your programs focus on making a difference in the field where the rubber meets the road.

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Was 2020 a year of instability for Churches?

 

The ups and downs of Churches in the recent times have disturbed many Christians, leaders and pastors. I am sure we have never once expected that a pandemic like this could affect Churches. People would have expected other religious shrines or places of worship to be shut at some point, but definitely not the Churches along with other religious places. We Christians made so much of claims in the past inviting people from different faiths facing various challenges to visit the Churches promising miracles and deliverances. I recollect my non-Christian friends alleging Christians invite them to Churches in order to experience a miracle and then with the lockdown they were surprised that Churches were no different because it had to be shut too. How do we rectify this misrepresentation?

It is important that we consciously communicate the right message to the world. Somewhere as Christian leaders, we have misrepresented Church to a building and amplified the sanctity of the place than the person Jesus. It is time to remind the people including us that buildings were closed but not the Church. The Church is the people who use the buildings. We don’t need a building to be the Church. Having this understanding every individual who is a follower and disciple of Christ needs to remind oneself that he/she is the temple of the Lord. Every Individuals should function like a Church. I guess God in His sovereign way wanted to teach all of us the true meaning of a Church during this pandemic season.

The moment the Church is downsized to a building people struggle to maintain stability. Let us be reminded, the more the Church strives for stability, recognition, power and money, the more its spiritual potency will diminish. When the Church is limited to a place it strives to become a shrine and then people are attracted to the holy site where a mere visit will make all problems disappear. The world is perishing. 90% of our people in India are unreached yet we are longing to be cared, to be loved to find importance. Can we remind members of our congregation to be a Church? It is high time we equip every single member in our congregation to be a Church where they would need to fill empty pews with people who do not know Christ.

It is sad to see average Churches lukewarm, boring, uninspiring functioning like a social club. And we know according to Jesus, such fake faith just makes God spew! (Revelation 3:16). It is time to seriously ask God to transform us and make us a revolutionary for Christ. Our job is to preach the cross and Christ crucified. The voice of God is as clear today as it was on the day when Jesus spoke to the eleven and said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

It is time that we seriously remind our fellow believers and friends the urgency of the Gospel. Somebody once said that most people live as if this life was a permanent arrangement. The Bible message is that our days are numbered. Dr. Mason puts it beautifully, "I fear the Church has become salt & light to itself and not to the world as it was called to- which left to itself becomes artificial light and self-preservation.".

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Quick Fix or Lasting Impact?

 

We would all agree that the pandemic has left an immense impact on medical giants, nations, individuals and Churches too. Every entity has been shaken and still grappling for stability. The worldview of people is disrupted tremendously. The ones who thought they were doing great are struggling to find their ground in the society.

Church, the body of Christ is considered as one of the largest voluntary institutions who has the capacity to influence and impact every spectrum of the society. But the big question is how effective and sustainable is the approach of Church today? As Churches, are we event based or outcome based? It is time to think why all the efforts of the Churches put together is still insignificant. If significant, then the statistics of our country in terms of Christian population would have grown remarkably. Somehow Churches fail to create a sustainable impact. It is good to assess whether we are like the sea forming a giant wave and thereafter sustaining with random waves or our interventions are like ripples on a lake constantly creating waves?

Albert Einstein states, “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.”. Let me add here, as Churches we are supposed to add our goals to our mission statement and align our intervention to the Biblical mandate of Christ. We cannot have a mission statement devoid of the essence of the Biblical mandate. Biblical mandate is the integration of Great Commission and Great Commandment. You cannot have one without the other. It always goes hand in hand. As Churches and individuals, we are all responsible to take the Great Commission and the Great Commandment seriously.

When as a Church or Organization we fail to clearly articulate the goal and mission statement, we would end up doing anything that grabs our attention and be all over the page. This gives Church or individuals a pseudo satisfaction of doing various events, but in essence the genuine impact and transformation will be questionable, as it can never be measured. Think about this verse which says in Habakkuk 2:2, “Write down the vision; inscribe it clearly on tablets, so that one who reads it may run.”.  

There are many who are running so fast today like Ahimaaz without a proper news that can bring a reward. Let me quote this verse to you, Ahimaaz son of Zadok again said to Joab, “Come what may, please let me run behind the Cushite.”. But Joab replied, “My son why do you want to go? You don’t have any news that will bring you a reward.” 2 Samuel 18:22. It is time to stop and ask why we are doing what we are doing? And how is it going to impact lives? If our activities are confined and active only with fund flow then at some point when the fund dries up, we will struggle for identity.  When you are outcome based with your vision and mission properly aligned, it creates impact in the community. You may click my previous article to know more on Vision- A blindsided reality!

Be holistic in approach but do not forget to be outcome based. Holistic approach is not doing what is easy or convenient. It is the call to make disciples and addressing physical and social needs at the same time. Churches, stop "Quick Fix" interventions and avoid being victim of emergencies.

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