One Pastor's Perspective

The last two weeks have been … weird.  That is a good word for it.  There have been so many strange things happening.  Two weeks ago, a friend of mine (who was my friend before he and his family came to Ebenezer years ago) informed me that they would no longer be attending EBC.  In so many words, he told me (and I quote) “Ebenezer is one of the most unfriendly churches I have ever attended.”

Honestly, that was a blow to me.  I still wish there was something I can do, but I do believe there is more to that story that I know.  Anyway, last Sunday (n0t yesterday) there was a special visitor in the 8:30 service.  He is a professor at a local college and also a Methodist minister that has been commissioned to write a book on homiletics (preaching).  He and his significant-other (in other words, girlfriend) heard about the immense talent that is David Wike and knew this is where the book had to start.

Ok, not really.  They’ve been visiting churches all over our area and then he’s been interviewing pastors afterward for the book.  He asked me if I could sit down with him later in the week and I agreed.  I did this last Thursday and it was interesting.  And he told me something that had to be a message from God.  To make a long story short, he told me they found Ebenezer to be, by far, the most friendly church they’d visited to this point.  I think he said they’d been to 20 or so at this point.  I then told him the story of what had happened and how much it had been bothering me.  He had no idea of that story before he told me what he told …

And that brings me to this point:  How could one person tell me EBC is a horrible church when it comes to friendliness and another tell me it is by far the most friendly???  I’ve mulled this over a good bit in the last few days, and I think I know the answer.  Much of how friendly ANY church is lies in WHAT YOU TAKE INTO THE DOOR.  In other words, how friendly are you???  How open are you to meeting new people?  Telling them YOUR name???  At the very least, we all have a responsibility to bring our best to worship.

And I thank God for sending me that message.  He knew how much I’d dwelt on that and He knew exactly how to let me know it might not be what it seemed.

Lately I’ve been reminded of this fact over and over again … Something I wish wasn’t true, but it is!!  And there is nothing anyone can do about it but YOU.

YOU will only get out of any relationship what YOU put in.  That goes for marriages, friendships, and YES, even church membership!  You will only get something out of church membership IF you are willing to put into it.  Rarely does it work for someone to come to a church long-term, only sit on a pew, and have a lasting relationship with that church.

If you don’t connect, if you don’t find a small group of friends, you won’t last.  And that is on YOU.  If you are coming to church to make your momma happy, or anyone else outside of YOURSELF, it will probably not last.  It will probably never work.  In fact, if you are coming to church for any other reason than to WORSHIP GOD, you are coming for the wrong reason.

You will only reap what you sow.  In any relationship.  What are you sowing at church???

A lifelong lesson I am still learning is about trust and faith … I still remember the first time I was disappointed by a fellow Christian.  I was in shock:  How could a person who called themselves a follower of Christ do something like that???  How could they live like that??  It took me a long time to get over that one.  It was many years ago.  And God has taught me several lessons since then:

1.  My ULTIMATE FAITH & TRUST is in GOD ALONE (God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit).  GOD ALONE is deserving of my total and ultimate faith and trust.  He will NEVER let me down.

2.  I DO need to have faith & trust in my fellow peeps.  Especially those who call themselves followers of Christ.  And I need to do it in the proper perspective, with appropriate understanding of who they are and who I am!  Jesus said “Not everyone who calls me Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”  (Matt 7:21)  ALSO, there ARE good, sincere Christians WHO MAKE MISTAKES.  ( I AM one of those)  I’ve got to always remember these things!!!

3.  There will be times when pride, greed, ungodly motivations, unforgiving hearts will rear themselves in relationships.  The best thing to do is LOVE!!!  Peter reminded us that love overlooks a multitude of sins.  I can never forget that, and I am thankful for those who have remembered that when dealing with me!!

TRUST GOD COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY!!  But don’t be afraid to trust your brothers and sisters as well!!!!

There is a challenge ahead for the church in North America.  One like she hasn’t faced in DECADES.  And I wonder if we are as strong as our forefathers were … The survival of the church is in the balance!

With our economy in the pits, we who follow Christ are tempted to follow suit with the world and trust ourselves and our judgment more than God.  This affects the Body of Christ far more than we can imagine.  It’s not just a financial thing, although our faithfulness in stewardship IS heavily affected by this.  This part of the trend is heavily documented, as many churches run behind in their budget giving like never before.

Even sadder is the way this affects our FAITHFULNESS in other areas.  We trust God less and less and therefore step out on faith with Him less and less.  And this directly stifles our effectiveness in the kingdom of God.  Not only are we not giving, we are not doing and we are not going.

If there is ONE THING God demands from us, it is our ABSOLUTE and TOTAL TRUST.  Nothing less will do.  And then we will GIVE, GO, and DO.  And my prayer is this challenge will be met and overcome.  SOON!!!