A pastor once remarked to me that he had something going on at his church seven days a week. He thought this was something to boast of; I thought it something of the opposite. It seems whenever you find a totalitarian ministry, individuality is sacrificed for conformity. It would seem the Scripture “Christ who is our life,” is substituted, in many instances with “The church is our life.” We are in danger of having a church-centered life rather than having a Christ-centered one. We forget “He that built the house is greater than the house.”
I have known (and do know) churches that demand much, if not all their members’ spare time, leaving them very little for anything else, not even their families. There are ministries that knowingly, or unknowingly, so lock a person in that their choice of associations, and even to their recreation, is controlled by them. In such cases, Lordship has given way to a leader who lords it over God’s heritage. When this happens, individual priesthood also fades.
No believer’s life should be so monopolized by a church (or any organization) that they can’t enjoy friends of their own choosing, go to events of their own choice, and determine before God how to use their spare time. Avenues ought to always be open to explore. When exploration ceases, so does advancement.
I like the way our church does things. Sunday School is selective; worship is collective; and the various ministries and meetings throughout the week (some at church, some in homes) are elective. Your church may do it differently, but make dead certain you have some elbow room. If not, you might as well be in prison, with a warden watching and dictating your every move.
No comments:
Post a Comment