This past weekend was one of those rare weekends when all the “good guys” won. On Friday night all four of our county high school teams won their games, Georgia and Georgia Tech won on Saturday, and the Falcons won a thriller on Sunday night to finish the hat trick. That’s pretty amazing; in fact I don’t remember a time when it has ever happened before.
Let’s face it, winning feels good, doesn’t it? For some reason, when “our team” wins, we feel better about life; everyone loves a winner. We especially love those improbable wins; those times when the underdog wins over a highly favored opponent. Thinking about that this weekend it occurred to me that we have a God who specializes in just that kind of victory. We have a “David over Goliath” kind of God; a God who took a weak and defenseless group of slaves and liberated them from Egypt – the most powerful nation in the world at the time. A God who told Gideon to leave all but 300 of his 22,000 soldiers behind before going into battle to defeat a highly favored enemy. Clearly God’s choice is to pick those whom the world sees as “losers” to win. Our God is a God who “chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise,” and the “lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are” (1 Cor. 1:27).
I am convinced that our desire to associate with winners is, at least in part, the reason many people are so enamored with mega-churches. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve got nothing against mega-churches, but I honestly believe that the reason some people attend them is to associate with a “winner.” That says a couple of things to me. First, it indicates that there is definitely something to be said for at least having the appearance of a winner; people are attracted and the message gets out, which is a good thing. But second, it speaks to our need (in the church) to make sure the world’s definition of success hasn’t become our definition. Our definition of success is not the same as the world’s definition. Full pews, overflowing parking lots, and tons of programs do not necessarily indicate a healthy, successful church. Nor do full bank accounts or even the absence of conflict within a church.
If you turn to Scripture you find a different indicator of success. Success in the church equals one thing: disciples of Jesus Christ are being made. Success is not just great worship or evangelism or social action. All of these are wonderful, but they are not the main thing. The main thing is to help people grow into fully committed Jesus-followers who, in turn, win and disciple others. Everything the church does should point people to Jesus and help them grow in their relationship with him. According to the Bible, a church doing that is successful - it is a winner – in God’s eyes. Doing anything less is not worthy of Jesus and the sacrifice He made for us.
That said; ask yourself this: “Is my church successful? Is my church a “winner?” I hope you can answer that question in the affirmative.
Let’s face it, winning feels good, doesn’t it? For some reason, when “our team” wins, we feel better about life; everyone loves a winner. We especially love those improbable wins; those times when the underdog wins over a highly favored opponent. Thinking about that this weekend it occurred to me that we have a God who specializes in just that kind of victory. We have a “David over Goliath” kind of God; a God who took a weak and defenseless group of slaves and liberated them from Egypt – the most powerful nation in the world at the time. A God who told Gideon to leave all but 300 of his 22,000 soldiers behind before going into battle to defeat a highly favored enemy. Clearly God’s choice is to pick those whom the world sees as “losers” to win. Our God is a God who “chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise,” and the “lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are” (1 Cor. 1:27).
I am convinced that our desire to associate with winners is, at least in part, the reason many people are so enamored with mega-churches. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve got nothing against mega-churches, but I honestly believe that the reason some people attend them is to associate with a “winner.” That says a couple of things to me. First, it indicates that there is definitely something to be said for at least having the appearance of a winner; people are attracted and the message gets out, which is a good thing. But second, it speaks to our need (in the church) to make sure the world’s definition of success hasn’t become our definition. Our definition of success is not the same as the world’s definition. Full pews, overflowing parking lots, and tons of programs do not necessarily indicate a healthy, successful church. Nor do full bank accounts or even the absence of conflict within a church.
If you turn to Scripture you find a different indicator of success. Success in the church equals one thing: disciples of Jesus Christ are being made. Success is not just great worship or evangelism or social action. All of these are wonderful, but they are not the main thing. The main thing is to help people grow into fully committed Jesus-followers who, in turn, win and disciple others. Everything the church does should point people to Jesus and help them grow in their relationship with him. According to the Bible, a church doing that is successful - it is a winner – in God’s eyes. Doing anything less is not worthy of Jesus and the sacrifice He made for us.
That said; ask yourself this: “Is my church successful? Is my church a “winner?” I hope you can answer that question in the affirmative.
Great blog! It really is all about obedience - to God's commands and to God's specific call on the local church body. Amen to running your race!
ReplyDelete-Griffin