If Everyone In Your Church Served Like You...

I read a line in a book that I can’t get out of my head. 

"If everyone in our church served like me, 

what would our church look like?”

—Being There, Dave Furman 

Let that sink in and think hard about what the question means. Then ask yourself that question. 

It’s not about going to church every time the doors are open.

It’s not about your role there.   

It’s not about how many ministries you have your hand in. 

It's not about how exhausted you make yourself in serving. 

If there were 100 of you serving in your church, what would that church look like? Would there be movement? Love? Burden bearing? Would everyone be breaking their back to get the food on the table? Would everyone be feasting upon/gorging themselves on the fruits of the labor of others? 

If your answer to the question made you feel sick inside, you aren't alone. As I asked myself this question, my soul wept at the answer.  If my church was made up of only Courtneys, nothing would get done. 

I'm lazy

I hate committing to things

I'm not good at peopling

Intimacy freaks me out 

I talk myself out of things all the time

Obviously, this is not what God wants church to be. Everyone the same, that's why it wouldn't work. Diversity is needed and beautiful and productive. Thinking about this though, can be beneficial. It turns our brains upside down and we see things from a different angle.

So, how does He call us to serve? Let us ask ourselves this question and pray that God leads us to the answers He’s already given us in His word. Pray that He breathes fresh revelation into sections of the Bible we’ve read hundreds of times for HIS glory and for HIS people. LET IT BE CLEAR TO US. 

Light a fire in our souls to 

leave those open doors we just walked into; 

serving in and out of the church in love. 

TEACH US HOW TO CHASE AFTER YOUR OWN HEART BEFORE WE CHASE DOWN YOUR PEOPLE.  Teach us to put to death the gut reactions that rise up in us to run away from pain and mess and inconvenience. God, I want to want this. Help me learn how to serve your church in a healthy, holy, God glorifying way. 

What if we all served just a little more holy? Let’s ponder this.

(here is the full section of the book)

“Consider these profound words: ‘The church isn’t a gas station (where your needs are met), but it’s the bus that I’m supposed to be traveling on with other believers.’ The church isn’t a place you swing by for a quick fill-up and then go on your way. The journey of the Christian life is supposed to be made together with other believers on the same trip to the same destination. 

“We should always be looking out for needs in the church.  As we consider a culture of care, an important question we should ask ourselves is, IF EVERYONE IN OUR CHURCH SERVED LIKE ME, WHAT WOULD OUR CHURCH LOOK LIKE? Would that be a good thing or not? Would our church look like a battle ship getting ready for battle, with everyone working hard for the mission?  Or would the church look more like a cruise ship, with everyone waiting for someone else to serve them?”

#BeingThere #DaveFurman 

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