Christianity has to be more than a preacher’s little tweak once a week. All Christians (not just one per church) are called and ordained to preach the Gospel–to tell people the good news about Christ!
The traditional church service typically doesn’t expect (or allow) God to do anything. He’s made a mere spectator. Church also makes people spectators watching a program. God wants us to be like living puppets animated from within by the risen Christ. Complacency, division, harassment, domination, lack of influence, show that church isn’t working the way it’s supposed to.
Church expects people to sit and look like they’re listening, but doesn’t expect them to remember or to do anything that was said. It trains people to ignore Spirit prompts and to listen to a preacher instead.
We can’t follow a script and follow the Holy Spirit at the same time. We have to choose. (When Jesus is present in a meeting there’s no need for a script). The Holy Spirit wants to give insight and revelation directly to every believer’s heart and not be confined to a sermon. When you keep the risen Jesus in sight, insight abounds!
Instead of a talk about the Lord, maybe church could prepare the way for the Lord to manifest His presence, like John the Baptist did. (Unfortunately religion seems to have little or no room for the living, resurrected Jesus Christ to demonstrate His presence and power.) The living Word of God is Christ’s presence. Church and the Bible shouldn’t be religion, but live-wire connections with Christ.
We need the living God to ignite and fan His fire in our hearts, not religious fanfare. The risen Jesus easily gets lost in church fanfare, but when people simply share what He’s doing in their lives, Jesus shows up.
Without a program, a preacher, and a sermon, church would have to listen to and follow the Spirit. Hey, that’s not a bad idea! To be a Christian we need to be Christ-accountable. It’s hard to be a Christ-follower if we ignore the risen Jesus.
Church seems to cultivate spiritual complacency. Christ creates spiritual contagion. Do you have a current Christ-connection? Christianity with complacency creates a contradiction! God is calling church to come out of its culture of complacency to continually & contagiously celebrate Christ.
Sermon-hearing without accountability or expectation to apply what is heard seems to have little impact on people or society. Sermons have limited results. Inspiring people to act on what they know is better. Facilitating Spirit-led action-taking is best!
If Christ is living in you, you don’t need to hear more talks about Him. You need to let Him overflow and carry you in His current.
The living Jesus is the best programmer. When He is allowed to run a worship meeting, it looks beautifully spontaneous. Joy and community break out when square dancers listen to and obey the caller (and when Christians meet to listen to and obey Jesus).
Church too often illustrates this principle: When the members don’t function, but are mere spectators, an organization is broken. Religious entertainment doesn’t heal church dysFUNction. Training, and empowering all members of the body to hear and obey the Spirit does!
When I read the Bible with an open heart, it always leads me into the presence of the Holy Spirit. God calls us to do the Word, not to sit and be bored. Go ahead, let God make your day! Experience the incredible, moment-by-moment movement of the Spirit in your heart!
All thoughts, words, attitudes, and actions are not created equal. Choose wise, uplifting, kind, encouraging, pure, and helpful ones.
