Supporting your local church

Supporting Your Local Church

I have little remembrance of that fatal day 22 November, 1963 when John F Kennedy was assassinated.  (I was, after all only six years old).  I have, however, often heard this rather famous line that Mr. Kennedy used in his inaugural speech:  “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”  This is a phrase that is often used to stir up cooperation in times of fatigue or lack of vision, etc.

However, it does something else I wish to point out—it really flies in the face of our consumerism.  Consumerism has been engrained in our western cultured mindset.  I was listening to the radio news the other day and was recommended to go and buy gas for my car—the reason?  Gas prices were going up three cents the next morning.  I periodically call Bell and ask directly for the ‘bell loyalty club.’ When you get a live person—after a few dozen clicks—you tell them you are paying too much for services and would like your present costs lowered.  I have never had a Bell employee say: “Too bad, Mr. Cusick—pay it up or go to Rogers, we really don’t care…”  they have always given me some kind of deal.   So, we are shoppers.  And in our shopping we expect service with a smile—a good deal—good prices.  And, if—we don’t get what we want—we shop elsewhere. Think of the things that we buy—there is hardly a monopoly on anything.  Someone elsewhere could sell you the same item—so your ace up the sleeve (oops—that’s the Rook card up the sleeve) is this—I’ll take my business elsewhere. 

Should we church shop the same way?  I mean should we approach the local church with the same consumer mentality?  Here are a few things to consider.

1. Note the term Dr Luke uses in describing the growth of the church in Jerusalem “praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:47.  Hmm.  Here’s problem number one.  The Lord adds—you don’t.  I take that to mean the Lord has a place for your spiritual home—and it is up to you to find that place.  Now, that place may indeed be one you wouldn’t necessarily even choose—but again, the text says the LORD adds.
2. The church is not primarily for your pleasure and consumer mentality.  Again, note the following:  “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.” 1 Corinthians 12:12-18.  Here Paul is telling us that we all need a place where we are set by God—“just as He pleased.”  Now once ‘set in a body’ Paul gives us further direction: “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,” Ephesians 4:12-14.  The reason you are placed in a certain body is so that you can be equipped to serve, and may become mature.  This is not sounding too good for our consumer mentality!
3. God anoints the office not the person.  Warning—this is a tough one to swallow.  Jesus said something quite interesting in Matthew chapter 23.   “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. “Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.” Matthew 23:2-3.   This is a pattern of Scripture.  Do you recall David’s perspective on Saul, after David had received his kingly anointing from Samuel?  Saul is chasing David to kill David.  David has had a couple of opportunities to kill Saul, but David would not.  Listen to David’s reasoning to Abishai:  “Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the LORD’S anointed, and be guiltless?”(1 Sam 26:9) To David, Saul was still the Lord’s anointed—warts and all! Apparently the idea of anointing an office over a personality is Biblical.  Yes, a thousand times yes, everyone bearing an office will be judged more severely (see James 3:1);  however, we all are responsible in church life to obey those who rule over us and be submissive (see Hebrews13:17).
4. In church life, those who are strong in faith are to put up with the weaker ones (see Romans 14:1-5).  Putting up with, carrying, and bearing with weak people is annoying—but Biblical.  
5. Two more, but I will put them together—has to do with benefiting others.   The Scriptures admonish us that our individual opinions, choices and preferences need to be secondary to the whole.   First, this is true in a local church setting:   “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: (1 Cor 12:7).”   However, it is also true when it comes to being missional.  Paul gives us the following example:  “ just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved (1Cor 10:33’.”  Did you get that one?  Your personal comfort is secondary to the local church and secondary to visitors or anyone who is outside the kingdom.  

Wow, so much for consumerism!