Jonathots Daily Blog
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Yesterday it was my joy to share my heart with dear souls in Antioch, Tennessee.
In the Book of Acts, it informs us that Antioch was the first city where the new believers in Jesus were referred to as “Christians.” It was meant to be a derogatory term, thrown at this new movement by the arrogant Greeks, who were trying to connote that the people who believed in the Nazarene were just a bunch of “little Jesuses.”
In other words, they had no mind of their own.
I didn’t talk about this to the people yesterday because I figured that over the years they have probably grown weary of the reference. But it did help me realize that the term “Christian” has become synonymous with going to church, or being religious, instead of being like Jesus.
Jesus frustrated religious people. After a while they got tired of being frustrated, so they decided to murder him.
Even though your average church-going people will admit that attendance is dwindling and that people seem to be “leaving the steeple,” they still insist that there’s basically nothing errant with what’s going on behind the stained glass windows.
Here is something I have learned:
If it’s not working, it’s probably not going to get better just because you keep doing it. And if it’s not working, the first step is to admit it’s broken, and then commit to getting it fixed.
The problem in the church is simple–it is a body of believers working under a false premise. The false premise is that we please God by gathering to worship Him.
Jesus made it clear that we please God by being the salt of the Earth and the light of the world.
Can you see the difference?
So as I leave Antioch, having had a tremendous morning of fellowship with these dear friends, I can offer them a simple suggestion:
Do one thing.
Yes–just start pursuing one thing that’s different from what you’re doing now. And make sure it doesn’t resemble anything like the present menu offered in church.
Maybe you could adopt one family in the community every week, take $150 and buy them groceries and shoes for the kids. Put a committee in charge of this endeavor.
Then on Sunday morning you can share, having something for prayer time other than weddings, funerals, births and sicknesses.
How about challenging twenty people from your congregation to volunteer just one hour a week in area nursing homes, food banks or homeless shelters–and then have them testify of their encounters.
Maybe the pastor could do the same thing–or take a small part-time job to increase his or her humanity in the community. Play guitar? Start a cover band and play at the local bar on Saturday nights prior to the Sunday services.
Take something that is non-church but filled with Jesus and act it out in your community every week, and see if something doesn’t bloom.
It’s not complicated. I could probably sit here for another twenty minutes and pop off more ideas.
But the notions have to come from the congregation and be a source of excitement to them to make it work.
If we don’t develop a sense of mission about bringing the heart of Jesus to our community, we will gradually implode from over-reverence or bickering from the choir about which anthem should be used for the Introit.
Jesus was simple:
Find a way to be loving, and then go act it out.
So as I leave Antioch, filled with a spirit of joy from encountering these delightful “little Jesuses,” I tell you that your good news is that all you need is one thing to do that is not religious, and that will bring real people into your presence.
The better news is that you’re not responsible for the fruit.
Just the seed.
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