When I walk into a department store, I have clear expectations. I want to be left alone. I don’t want salespeople following me around, pressuring me to buy something. But I also want them to be available if I have any questions. It irks me when I have a need and no employee is around to help. I want them to be knowledgeable, polite, and efficient. I don’t want them to answer the phone while they are ringing up my purchase. I want them to attend to me.
The reason I want all of those things is because I am a customer in that store. If they want my business, then I need something from them. If they don’t give it to me, then I will take my business to one of their competitors.
Depending on your perspective, it may be perfectly fine for me to have this attitude when I walk into a department store. But what if I had this attitude toward my church?
The fact is that we live in a capitalistic, market-driven culture, and that setting paints the way that we, as Americans, think about church. I expect to be greeted warmly when I arrive. I expect people to be helpful, but not pushy. I expect good messages that help me in practical ways, but that don’t infringe too much on my freedom. I want good music that fits my tastes and preferences. I want good and safe programs to teach my children. I want good adult programs that I can opt into if I wish. And if I receive all of these things, then I will consider shelling out some money to show my appreciation. But if I don’t receive these things, then I will look for a church that can provide them.
Some of us might think that there is nothing wrong with this attitude. After all, doesn’t church exist to help me grow in my faith, learn things about God, have a meaningful time of worship, and train my children in Christian teaching? Isn’t the church supposed to be a dispenser of these religious goods and services?
The answer is yes and no. It is the role of church leaders to bring God’s Word to bear on people’s lives, to lead meaningful times of worship, and to facilitate programs that teach children, youth, and adults Christian doctrine. But to what purpose? Ephesians 4:11-13 says, “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
God gave leaders to the church not so that God’s people would be led into a tranquil and private spiritual life, but so that God’s people would be equipped for God’s work. Christians are not called to work for God in order to obtain His grace. The gospel tells us that, through Jesus, God saved us. But He didn’t save us to a privatized faith. He saved us so that we would be included in something much bigger than ourselves. We are absorbed into the family of God. And the family of God exists to reflect God to the world.
When God saves us, He not only rescues us from the penalty for our sins, but He also activates us to participate in His big mission to seek and save the lost. This fall we will embark on a six-week message series that will call each one of us away from a privatized faith – away from a customer mentality toward God and toward church – and toward lives that are caught up in the grand and gracious purposes of God.
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