Thursday: The Other-centered Church
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:3-5, NIV).
In what ways should the principles expressed here rule our lives and impact how we relate, not just to church members, but to our community?
When He was on earth, Jesus wasn’t thinking about Himself. His agenda was about desiring the good of others. Much of His ministry consisted of responding to interruptions, such as when Jairus interrupted Him with a request to rush to his house to heal his dying daughter. This interruption was then interrupted by a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years. (Read Mark 5:21-43.)
Christ’s church is His heart and hands on earth. Jesus loved people more than anything else, and a church that is truly His will do the same.
Churches have agendas and goals, and that’s good. An unconditional love for human beings will sometimes lead us to get out of our preconceived agendas, especially if those agendas distract from expressing God’s love to others. For many churches, baptisms are high on the agenda. Baptisms are wonderful. Baptisms fulfill Matthew 28:19. But what is your church’s motivation for baptisms? Is it self-serving? Is it to make the church look good and bring accolades to its pastor? Or is it because your church genuinely wants people in your community to enjoy the abundant life found by accepting Christ (John 10:10) and to accept everything that He offers because you wish the best for them?
One church was running a much-needed soup kitchen in a depressed area of town. The pastor was heard saying, “We must close this soup kitchen, because no baptisms are coming from it.” Another congregation had just built a new church building. They were very proud of it. When the pastor suggested inviting the community to come inside the church for such events as Vacation Bible School or health screenings, to expose people to the environment of the church, the first consideration was fear that the new carpet would get dirty and worn. And the new bathrooms might get defaced. Contrast these two churches with the church that was meeting in the skateboard park.
| Read over the verses for today. How well do they reflect your own attitude toward others? How can we learn to experience the death to self that is needed to reveal these characteristics in our lives? |
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Church should be a place where you feel welcomed, loved ,cherished and valued. Whether you are a member or not.
I totally agree, we (the church) must get back to the basics and treat all the same, as it states in Acts 10:34, "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons." Which is to say that the church is a place where all are welcomed to receive Christ into their lives regardless of who they are. All Are Welcome!!
Apply: inside, everywhere, even when no one is watching.
I remember visiting a church about 20 years ago that had deliberately built its church as a utility hall so that it could be used by the community for sports events like basketball. I had not seen this idea before and was a little taken back by the idea. On reflection however I have come to realise that having a church property sitting around doing virtually nothing 6 days a week is an enormously large waste of resources. Giving something to the community gives a strong message that we want to engage with the community and have something to share.
Hallelujia!
"Seven-day Adventist" Vs Seventh-Day Adventist??
Yes, we need to be "seven-day Adventists." 🙂
However, writing the name of the church correctly is also good:
"Seventh-day Adventist"
(Note that "day" is not capitalized.)
Ooooops, thanks Inge:)!
You're welcome, Angeline. 🙂 I wouldn't have replied with a corrected spelling if the misspelling were not so common. You have lots of company! So I posted this for everyone. 🙂
But more important than the spelling of the church name is to remember to be seven-day Adventist Christians. 🙂 Thanks for your contribution!
Well. Hurtful to know that some churches have their own agendas before Gods. I agree, a church is where I come to seek Gods presence, when I can't find Him in my life. The church is the house of God and should be well maintained, but if the people leave the church service feeling the Holy spirit and experiencing God, then the point of the church is achieved. There has to be a balance and not neglect of either one, beauty or purpose of the church itself.
Iva, Placing the agenda of others in place of God has been a point of contention for a number of years. Worship that looks and sounds like entertainment is more common in Adventist churches than has been acceptable, for many years. What the leadership promotes will be what follows.
I think the challenge for us is to be more practical and step out in faith. As we normally compile our weekly stats on Sabbath and I believe the work (ministries) are right there on the sheet and I suspect the nudge for us to go out is also there too.
No matter how small the start may be or how terribly you may fail - DO NOT GIVE UP.
The love of God never goes back to himself. The rain never goes goes up. It comes down and soaks us wet. The love of God should soak us wet and should flow through us to our neighbor (fellow human being).
We are encouraged not to give up on the work we get involved in.
In the example Jesus shared about the seed falling on the pathway, the rocky soil, the weeds and the good soil, there are four groups (25%) of people. All these groups (types of people) are found in all four groups. That could be the reason why the pastors siblings backslide or born Adventists backslide. Some people are harder to reach. The point I am trying to make is that the work will never be over until Jesus comes. We (as Adventists) must go out there and touch a life - make a difference.
The principle for Philippians 2:3-5 above if I may suggest is;
You go out and take care of your neighbor and God will take care of you. Step out in faith. God is always faithful. God bless.
The church is kinda like a hospital for sinners. We all want to be healed, cherished and loved. Please don't ever let someone offend you so that you feel like you don't want go to church. Focus on Jesus and be a blessing to others. I think doing something you enjoy and keeping busy is an important step in feeling happy and good about yourself. Find your purpose in Christ & don't ever let anyone take that from you.
Hugs & Love
Mary Ellen
The church should be a light shining in the community . A beacon of hope for those battered by the battles of life . God has called us to a life of service but for most of our congregations we have settled into a life of services and programs within the church . Lord give me a ministry in my community today . Amen
From the SS quarterly introduction...
"Research shows that approximately 30 percent of Seventh-day Adventists are involved in meeting the needs of the community outside the church. What about the remaining 70 percent?"
What are the reasons for this lack of involvement, mingling, altruism, other-centered mindset?
Jim Bob. Selfishness, lack of love.
The church in the United States has a high number of elderly members. Many of these members are meeting the needs of the community when they come into the church when serving through community services and other events. Some people in the church are too weak and need assistance. Research also won't record the spontaneous acts of service we do in the community as God calls us to. Overall the church should have more of it's programs and events geared towards outreach and evangelism.
Nicole, I qualify for the elderly segment and have to say that we are blessed in our particular congregation. Their are usually a number of caring members that are made aware of the needs of elderly as well the younger set. Outreach is also promoted in different programs. We try to have something for everyone that will encourage the call of the Master.
Until we understand what Christ has done on our behalf (each one of us); the pain, long-suffering and ransom He has paid so that each one of us can live peacefully and buoyantly, we cannot pass on the same privilege to those who need it most...
Philippians 2:3-5;is a passage that I refer to as the pivot of christianity.The servant spirit is foundational because the basic reason for our reluctance to unconditionally surrender to God's will is that we are afraid of what it will cost us in terms of position, possessions, and privileges. What comes to your mind when I challenge you, at this very moment, to pray that God's will will be done in your life, no matter what that might be? If you are like me, you immediately think of something you do not wish to give up, something which you do not want to do, somewhere you do not want to go. The mind of Christ begins with a very simple decision, leading to a life-changing commitment. The decision is that nothing in the whole world matters more than being obedient to God. The decision is that in obedience to Him, you will seek from now on to place the best interest of others ahead of self interest, of position, possessions, and privileges. The commitment is that you will do what He wants you to do, be where He wants you to be, give up whatever His will and service to others requires. This is the beginning point for a life of obedience to God and service to others.
Is this not the essence of what the will of God is all about? Did our Lord not teach that the whole Old Testament could be summarized by two statements? We are to love God without reservation, and we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. That is the commitment to a servant's spirit. To serve God by serving others.