"Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."
The above was one of the late John F. Kennedy's famous quotations. I just heard it mentioned over the History Channel while I was hanging the laundry.
It then sparked in me to blog about it because last night, my cell group was talking about our church and how sometimes we can be unfriendly and oblivious to each other and newcomers alike.
We were studying about Prisca and Aquila offering hospitality to Paul and this led the group to ask ourselves whether the church, which we are all part of, is hospitable to those who enter into the compound and also whether members themselves are practicing hospitality towards each other.
We discussed the several reasons why we concluded that generally we are unfriendly or being inhospitable:-
1) The mentality of "I-am-sure-there-will-be-someone-else-to-do-it" or "there-is-a-hospitality-ministry-so-let-those-in-it-do-it."
2) The fear that after making friends with a visitor or a member, we are stuck forever with him or her.
3) The excuse of "we have no time" or "we are too busy."
4) The "holy" attitude of "I-am-in-church-to-worship-God-and-not-to-make-friends."
5) No sense of ownership in the church.
There may be other reasons.
When I was spending some time talking to God last night when I could not sleep so soon, this was one of my prayer items.
In the midst of praying, it occurred to me that if members in the church have entertained at least one of the above-mentioned, we have all then ceased to function as a church. Many of these are very self-centered thoughts. It goes against what Christ Himself was practicing and that is the "others-before-self" attitude.
The pre-believers will not be drawn to Jesus if the believers themselves are not drawn to Him in the first place and practicing what God has commanded them to do as a church. The generation of the future will be the same as those in the present and the past because we are not setting a good example for them to follow.
If I may expand the thought further, many times we blamed the pastors or the leaders or even God for how dead the church is or how ineffective the ministries are, etc. We then compare ourselves with other churches as in how they are thriving and all. Some are so unhappy and dissatisfied that they leave the church.
We are good at giving comments or making criticisms. We are good at church-hopping when things do not turn out the way we want it to be. But what we have failed to see is that every one in the church, both leaders and members alike, are part of that unit. When it fails, all fail. Why? Because every one has a part to play.
The church exists, first of all, for God's children to gather as a body to worship Him. The church also exists so that she can be a light to the people around. The church is not about the building. The church is about the people in it.
Are we doing our part? If we are not, we have no right to criticise others. When we see a problem in the church, ask ourselves whether we are contributing to that problem. If we are considering leaving the church, then next time we will leave again when the other church we are going to attend faces the same issues.
If everyone starts leaving, the problems will always remain. God is in all churches across the island of Singapore and beyond her shores. He is not in some. He is in all. If members and friends of the church can see that, we will remain and be the solution to those problems... by first going on our knees to pray and not opening our mouths to criticise.
We must also learn to see our time, our possession, our families, our work, etc, as God's and not ours. If that can be our attitude, then it is easier to offer hospitality to one another and our service to the church. That is selflessness! The word "selfishness" does not exist in the Christian vocabulary!
Now, back to John F. Kennedy's quotation... if I may just change some of the words, perhaps this quotation is applicable to the church as well...
"Ask not what the church can do for you - ask what you can do for the church." Or...
"Ask not what God can do for you - ask what you can do for God."
If every one can have this attitude about church, multitudes will be drawn to God! Countless lives will be ministered to!
There will be no issues of lack of hospitality or lack of people serving or people leaving the church. In fact there will be a new problem. The "Oh no! We have not enough space in the church to accommodate everyone!" issue. Now this kind of problem is good!
We want revival in the church? Let it start with us. It has happened in the past, it will happen again.
"Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:1-2
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality." Romans 12:12-13
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:8-10
"... if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14
The above was one of the late John F. Kennedy's famous quotations. I just heard it mentioned over the History Channel while I was hanging the laundry.
It then sparked in me to blog about it because last night, my cell group was talking about our church and how sometimes we can be unfriendly and oblivious to each other and newcomers alike.
We were studying about Prisca and Aquila offering hospitality to Paul and this led the group to ask ourselves whether the church, which we are all part of, is hospitable to those who enter into the compound and also whether members themselves are practicing hospitality towards each other.
We discussed the several reasons why we concluded that generally we are unfriendly or being inhospitable:-
1) The mentality of "I-am-sure-there-will-be-someone-else-to-do-it" or "there-is-a-hospitality-ministry-so-let-those-in-it-do-it."
2) The fear that after making friends with a visitor or a member, we are stuck forever with him or her.
3) The excuse of "we have no time" or "we are too busy."
4) The "holy" attitude of "I-am-in-church-to-worship-God-and-not-to-make-friends."
5) No sense of ownership in the church.
There may be other reasons.
When I was spending some time talking to God last night when I could not sleep so soon, this was one of my prayer items.
In the midst of praying, it occurred to me that if members in the church have entertained at least one of the above-mentioned, we have all then ceased to function as a church. Many of these are very self-centered thoughts. It goes against what Christ Himself was practicing and that is the "others-before-self" attitude.
The pre-believers will not be drawn to Jesus if the believers themselves are not drawn to Him in the first place and practicing what God has commanded them to do as a church. The generation of the future will be the same as those in the present and the past because we are not setting a good example for them to follow.
If I may expand the thought further, many times we blamed the pastors or the leaders or even God for how dead the church is or how ineffective the ministries are, etc. We then compare ourselves with other churches as in how they are thriving and all. Some are so unhappy and dissatisfied that they leave the church.
We are good at giving comments or making criticisms. We are good at church-hopping when things do not turn out the way we want it to be. But what we have failed to see is that every one in the church, both leaders and members alike, are part of that unit. When it fails, all fail. Why? Because every one has a part to play.
The church exists, first of all, for God's children to gather as a body to worship Him. The church also exists so that she can be a light to the people around. The church is not about the building. The church is about the people in it.
Are we doing our part? If we are not, we have no right to criticise others. When we see a problem in the church, ask ourselves whether we are contributing to that problem. If we are considering leaving the church, then next time we will leave again when the other church we are going to attend faces the same issues.
If everyone starts leaving, the problems will always remain. God is in all churches across the island of Singapore and beyond her shores. He is not in some. He is in all. If members and friends of the church can see that, we will remain and be the solution to those problems... by first going on our knees to pray and not opening our mouths to criticise.
We must also learn to see our time, our possession, our families, our work, etc, as God's and not ours. If that can be our attitude, then it is easier to offer hospitality to one another and our service to the church. That is selflessness! The word "selfishness" does not exist in the Christian vocabulary!
Now, back to John F. Kennedy's quotation... if I may just change some of the words, perhaps this quotation is applicable to the church as well...
"Ask not what the church can do for you - ask what you can do for the church." Or...
"Ask not what God can do for you - ask what you can do for God."
If every one can have this attitude about church, multitudes will be drawn to God! Countless lives will be ministered to!
There will be no issues of lack of hospitality or lack of people serving or people leaving the church. In fact there will be a new problem. The "Oh no! We have not enough space in the church to accommodate everyone!" issue. Now this kind of problem is good!
We want revival in the church? Let it start with us. It has happened in the past, it will happen again.
"Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:1-2
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality." Romans 12:12-13
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:8-10
"... if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14
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