Church is not about you
This has been taught at RCC for as long as I have attended. I have taught this myself time and time again in sermons I have delivered. More importantly than what this church has taught, Jesus lived a life that showed us it was not about him, but rather about serving others. If Jesus, God become flesh, shows us that serving others is our calling, heck tells us it is the next most important commandment to loving God with all of our heart, mind and soul (See Matthew 22:36) and we run around telling the world that we are followers of Jesus, where in the world does this consumer mentality of church come from?
What do I mean?
I'm talking about the complaining about what programs the church is missing. I'm talking about people who have attended the church and get offended at something that occurred and rather than working through it, they decide to chase down another church that better "meets my needs." You know, if church were about meeting your needs it would be a different place. People don't really seem to care about having their needs met, but rather they are looking to have their wants met.
People complain that they are not connected. To them, being connected means the pastor calls when they don't attend church for a few weeks. So I ask them "are you in a connection group?" and I get the run around. Oh, we tried it and didn't fit in. I just don't have the time for a connection group. It's too much work getting the homework done for it. If you attend RCC and truly want to be connected, you must be in a connection group. There are easily hundreds of reasons why you wouldn't be in one, but if you really want connection, the group is what does that. Your connection group will care about you and wonder where you are when you don't attend church. Your connection group are the ones that will be there when something happens in your life. This is connection, when we live life out together in a community. Our connection groups help us to do that...help us to stay connected. If you complain you are not connected, it is because you have chosen to disconnect.
What do I mean?
I'm talking about the complaining about what programs the church is missing. I'm talking about people who have attended the church and get offended at something that occurred and rather than working through it, they decide to chase down another church that better "meets my needs." You know, if church were about meeting your needs it would be a different place. People don't really seem to care about having their needs met, but rather they are looking to have their wants met.
People complain that they are not connected. To them, being connected means the pastor calls when they don't attend church for a few weeks. So I ask them "are you in a connection group?" and I get the run around. Oh, we tried it and didn't fit in. I just don't have the time for a connection group. It's too much work getting the homework done for it. If you attend RCC and truly want to be connected, you must be in a connection group. There are easily hundreds of reasons why you wouldn't be in one, but if you really want connection, the group is what does that. Your connection group will care about you and wonder where you are when you don't attend church. Your connection group are the ones that will be there when something happens in your life. This is connection, when we live life out together in a community. Our connection groups help us to do that...help us to stay connected. If you complain you are not connected, it is because you have chosen to disconnect.
posted by Pastor Tom at 11:10 AM
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