This last Sunday, my pastor used as part of his message the phrase (who knows where it originated "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing".
Most of us of a certain age chuckle, of course, as this is the sort of thing that coaches, business leaders, and teachers have been saying for years on end. It is a simple truth, one so foundational that we probably all take it for granted, of course.
But oddly enough, let us take a moment to consider such a statement being made at a church: "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing".
What is the main thing the church is supposed to be doing? Going into the world and preaching the gospel of Christ and making disciples. Pretty straightforward. And what is the gospel of Christ? That everyone has fallen short of the glory of God through our sin but that Christ died to forgive our sin and that believing in Him, we may have eternal life.
Seems pretty straightforward, right? "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing".
But what is the main thing for so many churches? The gospel - plus. The gospel plus political activism, the gospel plus social activism, the gospel plus this or that wrong that must be righted.
Any time something becomes "The Gospel with..." it is not the gospel. Or at least the gospel alone. It is tying something to the gospel such that one cannot be discussed (in the context of those propagating it) without the other. In other words, the main thing is not keeping the main thing the main thing, but rather the sort of main thing with a series of very important provisos and riders.
No wonder it feels like for so many churches that they are failing. They failed to keep the main thing the main thing. And without that driving factor, you will neither succeed in business nor win championships - nor actually do the will of God.
I feel the same way. My church has become highly politicized, openly preaching the whole "No man is illegal" thing. It polarizes the congregation immediately. The church doesn't seem to care though. My guess is that it actually WANTS its pews filled with under-educated, superstitious, easy to steer people who won't ask the questions American Christians are asking.
ReplyDeleteAs is usual with illegal aliens, we pay, we build, and then they come in and take over...
I don't think they failed so much as they deliberately chose to go astray, TB. One of ours recently said, "There is no such thing as church doctrine. There is God's word, it's right there in the bible - and any thing else is something else." I don't speak for my Maker, but I am pretty good at spotting His work... and what I am seeing in some of these churches... it's not of His doing.
ReplyDeleteWell said, brother. The Gospel is God's plan, perfectly executed, and awaiting our willing acceptance. It doesn't need - and will not abide - man's plans and programs and activism and ...
ReplyDeleteWell said. I would further add that many churches equate attendance numbers with growth. Although that is a handy metric it overlooks the next part of the gospel commission. Making of disciples is where real growth occurs.
ReplyDeletePete, I am not really sure what it is. As I have pondered before, is it any less Christian to say "How can we (as Christians) help make other countries places that are wealthy are free?" Why do we never discuss that?
ReplyDeleteI think where it begins to bite is when the finances start to collapse because that portion of the congregation moves on. At that point (see many mainline churches) they realize they have to do something but (like many mainline churches) do precisely the wrong thing.
Glen, it is a choice, for sure. In a way, sort of like much of the Christian publishing industry. We have the Bible, but we are far more likely to read people's opinion's and thoughts about the Bible than to read the Bible itself.
ReplyDeleteYou are indeed spot on Glen: God's Word is, for the more part, pretty plain spoken. You have to really work hard sometimes to miss the point.
Thank you Reverend Paul! You have made my day!
ReplyDeleteI think this really just proves how stupid (on the whole) we are: plainly in front of our space and we are still off wandering around, trying our own thing...
Range Squirrel - It is a metric many churches use - or as someone once put it, an mile wide and an inch deep. Put a church like that under any kind of stress and watch it collapse.
ReplyDeleteI wish we would study the persecuted church more. Their tenacity in their faith and their willingness to suffer and their drive for mission work put me to shame, as they do most of us.
Thanks for stopping by!
I would like to see a church that makes it, the gospel plus maturing the body into the likeness of Christ. It seems most churches sacrifice spiritual maturity for any number of causes, I suppose because that's what people like to hear. Spiritual maturity requires change of self, which is a lot harder than cheering for a cause.
ReplyDeleteLeigh, it really is. Cause cheering is far more invigorating and satisfying than examining one's own self to see if I am guilty of the very sins I deride others for.
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