The wedding was held at the smallest church building I've ever seen. The church there was "Soaker-Oriented". They had little regard for redeeming a broken world. They just came on Sunday's and soaked in the beautiful traditions. It was about them. Guests might be begrudgingly welcome so long as they make no attempt rock the boat. As small as my hometown is, I didn't even know that this church existed until I did this wedding. As I talked to some of the people belonging to that church, I found that their doors were about to close. Understandably, this was very painful for them. But the way they were dealing with this pain was inexcusable.
"We have all decided that we are not going to another church for at least a year." As one old lady told me this, my blood began to boil. How dare they withhold their resources from the kingdom!? With such a self-centered mindset, it's no wonder their doors closed. Perhaps it was better that their disease be quarantined from the rest of the Church.
This was not an Acts 29 church. They were not a continuation of the practices and attitudes of the Church in Acts.
Acts 11:19-21
Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
As a result of persecution, these folks not only had to close the church doors in Jerusalem, they had to leave town. But they did not run off to sit and sulk about what was lost. They became missionaries. Average members became founded churches wherever they went. And they did this despite (or perhaps due to) losing the leadership of the Apostles (8:1).
They understood the Commission is not just for clergy. It was the responsibility of every person who called Jesus "Lord". Far from being Soakers, they were Seekers as Jesus defined the term in Matthew 6:33
1 comment:
Wonderful terminology. I love the usage of "soaker" for those who come just for what they can get out of it. Your final comment about Christians being the seekers reminds me of a sermon by one of my friends from seminary that eventually made it into the Christian Standard. That was her point exactly. The church should be seeking the lost, and not wait for the lost to come to the found.
Post a Comment