Is it the Job of the Church to Solve the Problems of the People?
Just so you know, I am all for problem-solving. The Church in the book of Acts will always be my inspiration for making sure that “there was no one among them who lacked” (Act 4:34), because they took care of their physical needs. My dispute is that it was not their primary mission as a gathering. Nor did they make everything about the church of Christ all about “getting your needs met.” There was something far more important than that; the spiritual wellbeing of those people; mainly being saved, sanctified and edified in the Word so that they could not only grow in their knowledge of Christ but that they could bear fruit in all good works (Col 1:10). That is not what we see mostly today. Before I state my opinion as to what the church should be like, allow me to outline the troubles that come with the problem-solving church.
1.) It produces a consumer approach to Christianity - Don't wonder no more why many people have come to regard God as the Divine Servant; one that you don't have to be serious about; just live as you please, then when you get into trouble with your sick child, when you get desperate for a husband, when you lose your job – just come to church, give a few coins of your money and He will come through for you. No strings attached! That is the consumer approach. Most religious people really don't care about anything called ‘being saved’ or ‘living for Christ’ etc...those sorts of things are for the lunatic religious extremists. “God exists for my needs and wants,” they think.
This is also the reason why we have so many temporary church attendants. Those who come to test whether the “anointing of this church” can give them that dream job. And as soon as they don't get it, why should they stay?
2.) It mischaracterises God - With my ears, I have heard someone say, “Aha, where is God in all this?! Look at us suffering...where was He when that accident happened...Where was He when such and such is happening? Is He not a God of care and love?” That kind of utterance proves that they have already created another standard that God has to submit to. That standard is that He has to prove His ‘Godlove’ by healing all the sick people and banishing all the poverty. All that is born out of the false ideologies from churches that have taught people that God is all about meeting needs.
3.) It hinders Gospel work - Because of this “come to God and get” mentality, many people have really become selfish and self-centred in their approach to the Christian faith. They feel like God owes them things. Yet the true Christian truth says that God has done all His part in His redemptive work. It’s now our part to express gratitude and – in Paul's words – “that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” It is to look at the Church, not as a luxury hotel to advance my worldliness, but as an army barrack to help me advance the kingdom of God – for His glory. Such a mindset will inevitably produce labourers who are ever so needed in this heavenly farm.
4.) It cancels the doctrine of heaven - As already hinted in my introduction, heaven is less appealing to people who are bent on having their best life today and now. Actually, you don't really have to be saved. Just come as you are and Jesus will change your financial situation. According to them, there is no point in waiting for the world beyond the Jordan. Hence I can assure you, that there is nothing as terrifying to such individuals as the thought of death.
5.) It wearies Pastors - We recently visited a certain church during our travels, just to quench that hunger for fellowship with the people of God. Not to be critical about that church but we were noticeably the only visitors that day, hence we were called to the front to get prayed for; “to receive the Lord's blessing in our lives.” Of course, it was a noble act because I want the Lord to bless me, no doubt. Yet, in my opinion, the man of God did that because that is the expectation these days; the church leader always feels like it’s his responsibility to make sure that the daily troubles of his people are solved. The sick must be healed, having prayed for them. The unemployed must get multiple interview calls as soon as they leave his church service. The same with the unmarried, so on. If those things don't happen, or at least fast enough, (human problems will never go away), the man of God invariably pressures himself in many ways. From questioning the authenticity of his calling to dissatisfaction with his ministry. This burden can become too much for some leaders until they either plunge into deep depression or quit the ministry altogether. I wish I could counsel one of those pastors one day and remind him that it’s not your responsibility to stop your people from having marriage problems, poverty problems, etc. Instead, your members are under the loving hand of Christ. Who may be glorified through the suffering of some of them. Your job is to faithfully and joyfully feed them Scripture, pray for them if you can, and leave the rest to the Almighty.
Let me end by rephrasing these words from Steve Kozar: Christianity is not a tool to get what you want from God. Christianity is about Jesus coming down to pay the penalty for our sins – so that we can have eternal life. So that even if our lives are ordinary and we have things that go wrong (which we all do). In fact, we will all find ourselves in hospital sooner or later because that is what our bodies are; they fall apart and will eventually die. But we have heaven to look forward to because of what Christ has done for us. That has to be the emphasis in our church gatherings.
Sinothi Ncube
Related Content
.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment