Don’t Be A Joe
Dear Friends and Family of Hilton Baptist Church,
I was talking with a longtime friend of my family who I’ll simply call ‘Joe’. Whenever I see Joe, it is not uncommon for him to ask “So, how are things going at your church?”
One day after asking this question Joe added “You know, if I lived closer to you I’d probably go to your church.” I replied, “Why don’t you go to my parent’s church? You already know some of the people and it is not far from your house.”
In response to my question he said, “There are woods behind my house. That is where I meet God; that is my church.” Being a lover of nature myself I certainly understand his ability to connect with God in the woods. I’ve had many of those experiences myself. But I couldn’t help but find some flaws in Joe’s thinking.
First, Joe made Church all about himself. He would “attend” his ‘church’ whenever it suited him and was convenient for his schedule. Furthermore, I am guessing Joe did not intentionally set time aside to go into the woods to worship or seek God. Rather, he was in the woods for his own reasons and if he should happen to have a “God Moment”, well that was just an extra bonus. Therefore, in my opinion, his first flaw is a misunderstanding of what it means to seek God first. His idea of worship is skewed.
Second, Joe views his “church” as purely a solitary encounter. As an introvert myself, I cherish my time alone with God. Yet Church is meant to be a Christ centered community. The Church is a group of people gathering to honor God, to encourage, to engage, to challenge and support one another. One cannot have “Church” alone; there is no such thing as a one-member Church. Therefore, in my opinion, his second flaw is a misunderstanding of Church community.
Third, Joe views his “church” merely as an experience. He is a consumer who seeks a positive return from the investment of his time and energy; Joe wants to get something out of it for himself. If he returns from his church (the woods) with “warm fuzzies”, “greater convictions” or “answers” then he concludes he experienced God. If not, it was just another walk in the woods. Therefore, in my opinion, his third flaw is his understanding of Church as an experience from God rather than an engagement with God.
Finally, Joe has one last misunderstanding. He doesn’t believe that he needs the Church to be close to God; as he said “The woods are where I meet God, that is my church”. I would disagree with that statement but that is not the point. Joe may not need the church… but the church needs him.
The Church needs his presence; it needs his gifts, skills, experiences, insights, prayers, and involvement. A pile of logs stacked away from the fire will not help the fire to burn. The logs need to be part of the flame. In the same way, Joe may not believe he needs the fire to survive, but the fire does need him to be part of it to keep burning. Therefore, in my opinion, his final flaw is his inability to see (or believe) that the Church needs him, regardless if he needs the Church.
Don’t misunderstand me, I like Joe. He is a great guy and I genuinely enjoy his company. If I call Joe and ask for help he wont hesitate to show up and I would do the same for him. Yet even good people can be mistaken.
Let me challenge you. Let me ‘push’ a little bit – are you a Joe? Is Church a conviction or a convenience for you? Are you the only member of your church? If you don’t “experience” God in Church was it a waste of time? Do you understand that the Church needs you, even if you don’t need the Church? Are you another log in the flame or are you stacked comfortably aware from the fire?
Don’t be a Joe.
With Grace and Peace,
Dan
Categories: Pastors Message