A Religious Wawa
Matthew 28:16-20 16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Let’s see, today we had to go to the grocery store to purchase a bit of food for at home. We had to swing by the gas station to buy gas for the car. $49.50, ouch!! Then when I was in the office I bought some bibles and books from an online bookstore. Later I took Callie over the YMCA, using the family membership we pay for each month, to swim in their very nice outdoor pool (we were disappointed Juan wasn’t lifeguarding!). I live in a world where if there’s something I want or need, I somehow find the money for it and then go out and buy it. And okay, youth pastor’s aren’t the richest people in the world, but I seem to have enough money for the basic things I need (except for that fire-red Porsche Carrerra 911 Twin Turbo I’ve got my eye on). So essentially, whatever I need, I can go to some store and get it.
You know, there are two ways of looking at church or understanding what the church is. Some people think its a place where they go to satisfy or fill up whatever “spiritual needs” they might have. For them, church is kinda like a spiritual grocery store. I go. I get what I need. I go home all fueled up for the coming week.
But then there’s some other people that think church is more a group of people being sent out on a mission. For them, church is not just a place to go to get filled up on worship or relationships or good lessons or whatever. Yes, they might enjoy those things, but they see church as more than that. They see it as something they belong to, a mission they are part of.
This passage is often referred to as Jesus’ great commission to his followers. He starts off by saying all power and authority belongs to me. This world belongs to me now. And since I am king, go! Since I am king, I am sending you out to build my kingdom, to go bring in the people of my kingdom. See, to be one of Jesus’ followers is to be someone on a mission. You become someone who is sent, sent out invite others to become followers of this awesome king you’ve come to know.
The danger we all face sometimes is seeing church as just another store or service station for our needs. We can easily expect church to sell us (for free of course) the religious and spiritual food we need so we can go about our lives as normal. And in one sense, yes, church is certainly a place we can grow closer to God, have our souls nourished by the teaching of His word, and grow in relationships with others. But if it stops at that, we’ve missed the whole point. There’s a reason church does all that for us. The reason is the mission! The reason we grow is so that we can go all the more.
So how do you see church? Is it just another WAWA, a religious WAWA, in your daily routine? Or is it something you belong to, a mission shared with others in God’s family. To be part of Jesus’ church is to be part of a mission. If we neglect the mission, we’re not doing church (or youth group!).
June 13, 2008 at 3:34 am
You’re just getting deep aren’t you bucks? We had to be in NJ today and I paid $3.88 a gallon for gas. Love getting gas down there….
Yes, how do we see the church? I think for me, it’s different depending on where I am on my “journey”. There are times when I NEED to hear something special from God; I need that “fill up”. I may feel very empty and needy because of a bad day or week, or just that Satan has tried me and I have allowed my focus to be on me and not God. But I think there are times when I think I’m filling up, but someone else is getting their fill from something God has me say or do as well. It’s amazing how if we are committed to Christ, God can use us as instruments for Him, even when maybe we don’t feel as strong, or as prepared as we THINK we need to be to serve Him. God can do anything from us, as long as we are willing.
June 13, 2008 at 6:54 pm
I think for me, I try my best to see church as a mission. Sometimes it’s really hard, between school and certain people you come in contact with throughout the week. Then I finally get to church and I’m ready to be refreshed and just forget about the whole past week. But then like this passage says, “go and make disciples of all nations..” The Lord doesn’t say if you have a chance, could you tell people about me? He says GO. I have such a hard time with that sometimes because, as our famous YG quote goes “It’s not about me”. I think that’s imprinted in my brain for the rest of my life, even though it’s amazing how often we forget this when it we’re in it for ourselves. We tend to constantly make things about ourselves and how we feel and what we want. So yes church is their for being refreshed and learning more, but it is also their to teach you how to go and how to be a mission. Then, you need to GO and actually do it, and that’s usually where the serving stops. At least for me most of the time. So that’s something I have to work on and pray about.
June 13, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Thanks for the comments guys! I get quite a bit out of church myself. So I probably shouldn’t have made such a hard and fast distinction between coming and getting vs. the whole going bit. You guys are right that it is both. I like to think that the mission is seeing everyone, both inside and outside the church, grow into mature disciples of Jesus. So yeah, as we do that mission and serve together, not only will we impact those outside, but we’ll also be an encouragement and support to others in the church.
That’s my way of saying part of your mission is to serve me.
June 14, 2008 at 1:54 am
oooo – Rebecca and I taught Aaron something. I’m so glad. We’ve been trying for so long….
See – it’s about serving others…..haha.
I really do think that as we honor God and serve others, we are “served” right back and God allows us to be fed through our service. Just my humble opinion.