Handling Paul's Concern!

 

“For all seek their own, not the things which are of Jesus Christ.”. Philippians 2:21

We are living in times of dwindling Biblical theology. Bible's core message is customized to choose, context and convenience. Ignorance and politics, have created havoc in many Churches today. By ignorance I mean, when the congregation is reduced to active members and supporters of the Church and create a "feel good" factor. I would give leverage where the cause of the Church is well articulated and connected to Gospel sharing with the Non- Christians. But what if the Church is just existing like a night “Shelter home”, where people visit on Sundays, pay tithes and are blissful about it. Most of the challenges which I am about to share are connected to the core problem where Paul is addressing in the book of Philippians.

Paul expresses his disappointment when he notices that many who were his contemporaries were engaging in the mission work with selfish ambition, for personal profit, looking for self-glory and honor. He claims in the same book about such people, that their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame -who set their mind on earthly things (Philippians 3:19). The grandeur Christ's mission in most cases is successfully replaced by complacency. What I mean is, Church leaders and pastors are busy managing Church crowd effectively, feed them every Sunday without any measurable outcomes. When the intended outcome of the Church is not articulated and understood by the last person in the Church, I guarantee the Church will resemble a ‘Shelter home', where vulnerable people sleep safely for the night and move out during the day going about their personal activities.

Many pastors and leaders today, irrespective of any denominations, believe it is a blessing to have a stable and large Church congregation. Rather than viewing the church as a vehicle that connects people with God and impart the mission of God, the innovative pastors turn the church into a destination. Put differently, old churches were a means to an end and the new generation of churches were an end in themselves.

Some serious and basic questions the Church needs to ask are as follows:

1. For how many years your church has survived? And what is the growth rate?

2. How many members have shared the gospel and brought souls to the Church? Do they even know how to do it?

3. As a pastor and leader how many people have you brought to Christ?

4. How do you define your Church accomplishment?

5. What percentage of the congregation are the result of your evangelistic program of your Church?

A note of caution, when a Church fails to set mission goal and entrust the burden to every individual, the congregation will only be casual visitors with nil responsibility. Pastors and leaders will settle for cheap goals looking for security and profit for themselves operating as managers who manage the company. The responsibility of the Church pastors is not to operate as a manager but to be a disciple maker, equip the members to be active disciples who are capable and equipped enough to commit their obedience to the Great Commission and engage in Gospel sharing business.

It is a comfortable position for a Church to settle with one group and feed them with spiritual food all their lives. But Christ's mission was never intended to be that way. Many misunderstand and assume Great Commission is not intended for all, but specifically implicates a group called evangelists, which is erroneous. The Great Commission in Mark 16:15-16 and the call to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8) goes hand in hand, and is entrusted to every single believer.

Pastors and leaders, if you want to create a serious impact then follow the principles Paul laid for us in Philippians 4:9 (CSB)- “Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.”. Teach people correctly, demonstrate the gospel skillfully, model your life effectively and do not forget to establish Church in every home and lives rather than just confining to a building facility and be excited about it. Lastly, seek not your own but that which belongs to Christ Jesus.

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